Weekly Mews: Playing Catch Up

I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer and The Sunday Salon (TSS) hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz  where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking It's Monday! What Are you Reading? hosted by Kathryn of Book Date where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.

I had no intention of taking a blogging break, much less such a long one. My mom fell ill on the 28th of September, and, on October 1st, she passed away. My brother and his wife were able to drive down in time to spend her last days with her, and we were all at her bedside. It has been an extremely difficult two months as I work on getting her affairs in order and struggle with the grief. My mom and I were close, especially these last few years after she moved to be closer to my family. She was a frequent reader of my blog, although she never commented. I have a feeling it will be January before I attempt to jump back into blogging more regularly. 

Amidst dealing with my mom's affairs, marching band and color guard season was in full swing during October and November, and so my time was also taken up by chauffeuring Mouse to rehearsals and volunteering at and attending her weekly competitions. Whoever said marching band season was intense was not lying. The kids put on a wonderful field show. Mouse also participated in a few of the parade review competitions. Although I think the end of the season comes with some sadness for her, there is also a lot of relief to finally have it behind her.

For the Thanksgiving weekend, we made the trip to Utah to visit with my husband's mom and brother. It was a fairly lowkey holiday. It did not turn out to be nearly as cold as we expected, thankfully. For those who celebrated, I hope you had a nice one!  

September, October, and November Reads

My reading has suffered for obvious reasons, but it has also proved to be a distraction when I needed one the most. 

Books Read in September

Tuesdays with Morrie written and narrated by Mitch Albom

A Silence in Belgrave Square (Below Stairs Mysteries #8) by Jennifer Ashley

Sweep With Me (Innkeeper Chronicles #4.5) by Ilona Andrews

Small Island by Andrea Levy

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, narrated by Michael Urie & Marin Ireland

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, narrated by Adepero Oduye

Lady Susan by Jane Austen, narrated by Denis Daly, Catherine Bilson, & Linda Barrans

September started off strong for me reading wise. It was nice to dive back into two of my favorite series, the Below Stairs Mysteries and the Innkeeper Chronicles. While Small Island was a slow read, I ended up loving it. The Midnight Feast, the month's mystery book club selection, was a bit of a disappointment and, while I enjoyed My Sister, the Serial Killer, I wasn't as taken with it as I hoped (I loved the narrator though!). I enjoyed both Tuesdays with Morrie and Lady Susan. My favorite read of September was Remarkably Bright Creatures. It was such a delightful read that felt like a much needed warm hug. 

Books Read in October

The Tainted Cup  (Shadow of the Leviathan #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett, narrated by Andrew Fallaize (re-read)

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Book of Night Women by Marlon James, narrated by Robin Miles

My Fantasy/Science Fiction book club read The Tainted Cup in October, and although I had read a print version earlier in the year, I decided to give the audiobook a try just to refresh my memory. It kept me company as I began packing up my mom's house. Although late, I also finished reading The Bewitching, September's TBR Poll winner, and have to say it was the perfect read for the season with its Gothic elements and witch folklore tie-in. My favorite book read in October, however, was The Book of Night Women, which I had been putting off for quite some time. I listened to the audiobook at the recommendation of a fellow blogger and have no regrets other than wishing I could have highlighted a few quotes that particularly moved me. It might seem odd that I chose such a heartbreaking historical novel about slavery and plantation life after my mom's death, but the idea of picking up something light just did not appeal to me in those early days as I continued to pack up her house, and so I went in the opposite direction. It is such a powerful novel. 

Books Read in November

Demons of Good and Evil (The Hollows #17) by Kim Harrison

Apprentice to the Villain (Assistant to the Villain #2) by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, narrated by Em Eldridge

Rogue Protocol (The Murderbot Diaries #3) by Martha Wells, narrated by Kevin R. Free

A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan #2) by Robert Jackson Bennett

The Savior's Book Cafe Story in Another World, Vol. 1 by Oumiya, Reiko Sakurada, Kyouka Izumi

The Savior's Book Cafe Story in Another World, Vol. 2 by Oumiya, Reiko Sakurada, Kyouka Izumi

Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You, Vol. 1 by Jinushi

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 1 by Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe

Merry Witches' Life: Three Widows of Berlebagille, Vol. 1 by Menota

I thought maybe revisiting favorite characters by picking up the next Hollows book might help me find comfort, and it did--somewhat. I followed it up with the audiobook of Apprentice to a Villain, which was a fun escape. I continue to enjoy the Murderbot Diaries. Murderbot is such a great and unique character. I loaded up on manga for the long drive to and from Utah over the Thanksgiving holiday. My daughter had been wanting me to try the Savior's Book Cafe Story in Another World, thinking I might enjoy it. And I did very much! I also read the first volume of Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You, at the recommendation of my husband and tried out Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, which was recommended by a fellow book club member. Merry Witches' Life was cute, and I look forward to reading more in the series. My favorite November read though was A Drop of Corruption, the second in the Shadow of the Leviathan fantasy series, with its immersive world building and multi-layered mystery.  

What have I missed these past couple months? What are some of your recent favorites? 

I wondered if perhaps I was leaning on the comfort reads a little too hard when I first began reading A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna, but I am thoroughly enjoying it now. 

I also am reading a book my mom recommended to me this past summer (and bought a copy of for her community library and gave another copy as a gift to a friend--that's how much she liked it) called Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers' Rights. Oh, how I wish she was alive so we could discuss it! I can see why she liked it so much and thought I would too.

What are you reading right now?

Following in the footsteps of Deb of Readerbuzz - With all the worries and stressors in life, 

I want to highlight some of the good, even the seemingly small stuff. 

1. As much as my brother wanted to help with packing up my mom's house, planning her memorial service, and dealing with other necessary tasks, there was only so much he could do from a distance. I was feeling overwhelmed by it all. A couple of her neighbors offered to help with the memorial service planning, taking a huge weight off my shoulders and giving me the opportunity to focus on the more pressing matter of packing up my mom's house and being out before the end of the month. I cannot tell you what a blessing they and others in her community have been these last couple months. My mother was well liked and active in her community, and her friends paid it forward by being there for me and my family. I am so grateful to them for their support. 

2. My brother and I have become closer over the past two months. Not unusual given the circumstances, I suppose--death of loved one can do that. I am grateful we have each other to lean on. 

3. Mouse auditioned for the spring high school musical and is excited she was cast in the show. Seeing her so happy makes me happy. 

Mom and Allie

I hope you have a great week! Let me know what you have been reading!

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