Yet again I fell behind in my reviewing so haven’t allowed myself to read since Wednesday night. And despite that I still have three read and unreviewed books awaiting my contemplation.

I’m (also) struggling a little on the blogging front but that seems to be a common theme for this time of year. However…

Read

As planned I started the week with The Crooked House  – which I most definitely enjoyed. It’s centred around Alison (Esme) whose boyfriend encourages her to attend a wedding in a town which – unbeknown to him and anyone in her quiet life – is the town in which Esme lived as a child; and we soon learn she keeps her past hidden for good reason. It’s not out until January so it’s one of the reviews awaiting my attention.

I’ve had it for a while but I eventually got to The Girl On a The Train  which was nothing like I expected, but enjoyable nonetheless. It’s another I’m yet to review and again it’s not out until January.

And finally I finished, Pop Goes The Weasel,  MJ Arlidge’s follow-up to Eeny Meeny.  It reintroduces readers to DI Helen Grace who’s on the tail of someone targeting married ‘johns’. (As in men frequenting prostitutes, as opposed to men called John… in case you were wondering!)

Thankfully I got my act together and posted this review on the weekend or I would have failed parlously as a book blogger and posted absolutely no book-related blog posts last week!

Non-bookish stuff

I published two other blog posts; one examining the as-yet unanswered question of what we should call the lunch / dinner combo meal (Dunch seems to be a favourite in case you were wondering); and in the other I contemplated whether I should be finding motivation (to be healthy and ultimately lose weight) from a position of self-love instead of self hate.

My mother and I travelled to Brisbane – our state’s capital – on the weekend to stay with my brother, sister-in-law and niece. My talented 18 year old niece just completed an advanced diploma in classical/contemporary dance and we attended her graduation concert. She was in a number of things and had the plum (!!!) role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in an excerpt of The Nutcracker.

It was a fleeting trip but we also visited my favourite Chinese restaurant which was my ‘local’ takeaway when I lived in Brisbane and I was such a regular I received the 10% frequent visitor discount!

#Inrelatednews… I *may* have bought takeaway after we’d eaten to bring back home with me. (And I *may* have already eaten two of those dinners on my first day back!)

It’s summer here in Oz so it’s been hot and we’ve had a lot of storms but the 3 1/2hr drive each way wasn’t too bad.

Next week’s reading

I only have to do one more review and I’m allowed to start reading again, and on my agenda I have a book I thought was new but has been out here for a while, and is only now being released o/s: Frances Whiting’s ‘coming of age’ novel Walking on Trampolines. FW is a newspaper columnist here and I like her witty musings, so am looking forward to this novel. Albeit belatedly.

I think I’ve only read one of her books previously but she has so many fans I’ve also added Jane Green’s Saving Grace  to my reading list for this week.

And I’m excited to be reading a book by another Aussie book (and film) blogger, who I met at our inaugural National Book Bloggers’ Forum earlier this year. Susan May’s Back Again  is about a woman who may have the opportunity to change fate – something which could come in useful after the death of her child… but I’m gathering it’s not as simple as it sounds!

I’m going to listen to an Aussie author (William McInnes) speak at a luncheon as well this week and looking forward to that. I may be living in a small regional (coastal) town but our local bookstore (Mary Ryan’s Hervey Bay) brings some fabulous authors here!

So… what’s on your agenda this week?

Joining Sheila again from Book Journey for her “It’s Monday…” linkup.