I feel like my reading life has become very joyful since I finished Pillars of the Earth. It’s like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders and I can read anything I want- I can read something funny, or silly! I can read something short! Ah, freedom.
For our trip to Waco, I brought along these books:
On the Currently Reading podcast, A Most Agreeable Murder was promoted as “If you loved Pride and Prejudice but wished someone had been murdered, this is the book for you.” WELL! I think Pride and Prejudice is perfect as is, no murder needed (although if someone HAS to be murdered, maybe Lydia…) but I do love a good murder mystery. A Most Agreeable Murder seemed right up my alley.
It has all the elements of a Jane Austen novel- an entailed estate, a mother desperate to marry off her daughters, a ball, and an eligible bachelor… who ends up poisoned to death. What more could we possibly want?
The first 3/4 of this book was really fun, and then it just became ridiculous. It’s the first book of a series, but I wouldn’t read any others- it was a fine airplane read though, quick and easy.
The Long Way Home is the 10th Louise Penny book. I know this will be shocking, but I don’t LOVE Louise Penny. I really enjoyed her earlier books, then didn’t enjoy them as much as I went on, and stopped after #9. But lately I’ve been seeing her latest and having FOMO, so I picked up the series again.
I’m about halfway through this one, and I’m enjoying it. I’ll write more about it when I’m done, along with an explanation of what I don’t love about her writing- I know I’m in the minority here.
While we were in Waco we had some time to kill on the morning of graduation, so I took my husband to one of my favorite spots, Fabled Bookshop and Cafe.
We spent a couple hours there- I got a “Waco Fog,” ha ha… Earl Grey, milk (I got almond milk) and lavender brown sugar. I mean… when will I get another chance to drink a Waco Fog??? Never.
I also bought this:
After Kae’s post last week about time, I was thinking of starting a Line a Day journal, in the hopes of slowing things down and putting more focus on each day. What better way to start? Every time I take this out, I’ll remember that I bought it in Waco on the day of Paul’s graduation.
Back to books. Paul gave me three books and insisted I read them before our road trip in July:
AND, I have some books on my library hold list that I’m excited about- a new one by Anthony Horowitz, Marble Hall Murders, (I can’t wait to read that one!) and also a new one by Wally Lamb. Phew! It’s going to be a fun summer of reading.
Do you have anything exciting on your TBR?
11 Responses
I like Louise Penny a lot, but sometimes things get a little carried away. I took a break from her for a while before I read her more recent stories. I hope you enjoy Howl’s Moving Castle- one of my favorites!
My TBR pile keeps getting bigger because of all of the bloggers who list good books! My son gave me Cold Comfort Farm for Mother’s Day- a classic I’ve never read.
My son liked Howl’s Moving Castle so much, he read it twice. So I’m pretty sure I’ll like it! And, I know- every time I read about a book on someone’s blog I want to add it to my TBR. If only I could just read all day and not go to work!
Some nice, smaller, reading there! I’m about to launch into my horrific pile I made MYSELF for 20 Books of Summer … https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2025/05/10/20-books-of-summer-2025/
Good grief- I looked at your list- you have a lot of heavy non-fiction books there! Well… you’re be even smarter by the end of the summer, whereas I’ll be happily making my way through Stephen King and Anthony Horowitz.
I like Penny, but the first one I read was maybe number 15, as I didn’t realize it was a series. That one left a good impression on me though and I have started to read them from #1 now, and I think I’m up to #8(?) I don’t read them all in one go, I usually have a few months at least between them so they feel more fresh each time.
I have been hit and miss with reading, often binging and then purging, but I recently listened to the first book of the Fourth Wing, and despite me not always loving fantasy, and there being a bit too much gratuitous sex, I enjoyed it.
Oh that’s interesting- I wonder if things were slightly confusing, starting the series at #15!!! It must have been interesting gong from 15 to #1- I’ll bet there were some stylistic differences.
I have a one-line-a-day journal, and I’m in my fourth year of it. It’s so fun to see what happened on this day in years past. I mean, sometimes it’s boring. But hey, so is my life sometimes!
Oh Jenny, I am on a MEH streak of books right now. I had three not-great ones in a row, and now I’m on another one which is FINE (Animal Vegetable Miracle) but it’s pretty dated and I just want something to dive into. I have to go to the library today to pick up FOUR titles, so fingers crossed they will be good. I don’t even remember what titles came in, so it will be a surprise of sorts when that happens.
Oh, I know that- the library alerts me that my holds are in and I have no idea what they are! It is fun. And- the first couple days of the line a day journal were nice and eventful (there was a graduation! we traveled!) and now it’s been a bit of a struggle because I feel like there’s not much to say. But I’m sticking with it- I’ll be happy in four or five years, even if I’m looking back at mundane, everyday events.
The Waco Fog sounds delicious, and that bookstore is really cute! I recently met a good friend who was visiting from out of town at a local bookstore that has a really nice cafe area. It was morning so I got an iced coffee but apparently they serve beer and wine and margaritas there so I may have to go back later in the day to try their adult drinks!
Ooh! That sounds REALLY nice! It would even be a good spot for a date. Actually, the PERFECT spot for a date. Book browsing and beer- what more could you want.
The 5 year journal was the perfect graduation gift! I need to get one.
After a reading drought, I’m back baby! I had back to back hits with Go As A River and Caroline, and I started a book called Sky Daddy, which is about a woman who is navigating a quarter life crisis and has a fetish for plane crashes. It’s both weird and good. She lives in San Francisco and flies out of SFO every chance that she gets – and hey I’m sitting in SFO right now waiting for my plane home. So the location is perfect.