2021 Challenge Wrap Up

I was feeling quite ambitious at the start of the year and signed up for five challenges. This post summarizes how I fared. Unfortunately, I am behind in posting reviews and so did not quite meet that commitment for each of these challenges. Any missing reviews will be posted in the near future. 

I knew before 2020 was over that I wanted to take part in a historical fiction challenge, and so when I saw mention of the 2021 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge hosted by Marg, the The Intrepid Reader I knew I had to jump on board. As with many of my other challenges, this one was quite broad in the types of books I could read for it, which is always good for a mood reader like me. I signed up to do the Victorian level which meant reading five (5) historical fiction books, but changed it mid-year to the Medieval level, committing to read fifteen (15) historical fiction books.  Here is my list of the books I read for the challenge: 

1. The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

2. Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder (#1) by T.A. Willberg

3. The Russian Cage (Gunnie Rose #3) by Charlaine Harris

4. The Arrangement (Plainclothes Tootsie #1) by M. Ravenel

5. The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner*

6. The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba (Cuba Saga #4) by Chanel Cleeton

7. A Peculiar Combination (Electra McDonnell #1) by Ashley Weaver*

8. Swimming Back to Trout River by Linda Rui Feng

9. Murder in the East End (Kat Holloway Below Stairs #4) by Jennifer Ashley*

10. Death at the Crystal Palace (Kat Holloway Below Stairs #5) by Jennifer Ashley*

11. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

12. The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke (2021)*

13. The Real Valkyrie: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women by Nancy Marie Brown*

14. Down a Dark River (Inspector Corravan #1 by Karen Odden*

15. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson*

I also took part in the 2021 Nonfiction Reader Challenge hosted by Shelleyrae of Book'd Out. I enjoy nonfiction, but sometimes need a little extra push to read it. I signed up for the Nonfiction Nibbler level and planned to read six (6) nonfiction books over the course of the year. I admit it was a bit of a struggle , especially as a mood reader who found it easier to pick up a fiction book to read. I am slowly making my way through one book in particular I had hoped to read for this challenge before the end of the year but have a feeling I will be carrying it into the new year with me. I was still able to fit another one in though just in time.

1. Becoming by Michelle Obama*

2. Written in Bone: Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind by Sue Black*

3. I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel*

4. The Real Valkyrie: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women by Nancy Marie Brown*

5. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson*

6. Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson*

I upped the ante a bit with the 2021 Poetry Challenge hosted by Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit this year with a goal to read three (3) books of poetry, which I raised to seven (7) mid-year. Although it isn't a part of the challenge, I also was hoping to put my subscription to Poetry Magazine to use by sharing about some of the stand out poems I discovered there. I did not quite manage the second part, but I feel satisfied with the books I did read. What I read:

1. What Mothers Withhold by Elizabeth Kropf

2. Passiflora by Kathy Davis

3. From the Inside: The Inner Soul of a Young Poet by Thanvi Voruganti

4. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo*

5. Anything That Happens by Cheryl Wilder

6. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson*

7. Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson*

This year's Clean Out Your E-Reader Challenge (COYER) hosted by Michelle and Berls of Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life was a year long challenge, although divided into seasons and also included a community component. 

The Winter COYER Challenge (January & February) followed the more strict COYER rules: for books to count toward the challenge, they had to be in electronic format (e-books or audiobooks). Books read had to be free or nearly free. This included review books and books under $2 (audiobooks under $5). My goal was to read four (4) books for Winter COYER:

1. One by One by Ruth Ware

2. Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder (#1) by T.A. Willberg

3. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

4. A Glimmer of Death (#1) by Valerie Wilson Wesley

5. The Russian Cage (Gunnie Rose #3) by Charlaine Harris

6 The Wedding Date (The Wedding Date #1) by Jasmine Guillory

7. The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

The Spring COYER Challenge (March - June) had similar rules to the Winter COYER, only not only did e-books and audiobooks count, but also physical books. My goal was to read twelve (12) books for Spring COYER: 

 

1. The Gilded Ones (Deathless #1) by Namina Forna

2. The Arrangement (Plainclothes Tootsie #1) by M. Ravenel

3. The Memory Collectors by Kim Neville

4. The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner*

5. Arsenic and Adobo  (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #1) by Mia P. Manansala 

6. The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba (Cuba Saga #4) by Chanel Cleeton

7. The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday by Kiley Dunbar*

8. Shadowed Steel (Heirs of Chicagoland #3) by Chloe Neill

9. Angel of the Overpass (Ghost Roads #3) by Seanan McGuire

10. Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

11. A Peculiar Combination (Electra McDonnell #1) by Ashley Weaver*

12. Swimming Back to Trout River by Linda Rui Feng

13.  Written in Bone: Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind by Sue Black*

14.  Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors (The Rajes #1) by Sonali Dev*

15. The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley*

16. Murder in the East End (Kat Holloway Below Stairs #4) by Jennifer Ashley*

The Summer COYER Challenge (July through September) took a more relaxed, anything goes approach. I decided against making a numeric goal this time around and instead decided to give myself plenty of wiggle room and not set any hard and fast rules. My plan was to continue clearing out some of the books on my e-reader, including ARCs, catch up on a couple of favorite series, and read at least three nonfiction books. Mostly, I wanted to have fun with my reading. In the end I did not read any nonfiction books sadly, but I did fit in some ARC and series reading. That has to count for something, right? 

1.  Death at the Crystal Palace (Kat Holloway Below Stairs #5) by Jennifer Ashley*

2. I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel*

3. The Stranger in the Mirror by Liv Constantine*

4. Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop by Rosselle Lim*

5. A Fistful of Charms (The Hollows #4) by Kim Harrison*

6. Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge*

7. Be My Ghost (A Haunted Haven Mystery #1) by Carol J. Perry*

8. For a Few Demons More (The Hollows #5) by Kim Harrison*

9. Witches Get Stitches (Stay a Spell #3) by Juliette Cross*

10. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

The Fall COYER Challenge (October through December) brought a tightening of the rules--but just a bit. Format and price did not matter but the books had to fall into the Scavenger Hunt List categories (unlimited books per category). My goal was to read five books that met the scavenger hunt list requirements. I think I did well with this one.

1. A Spindle Splintered (Fractured Fables #1) by Alix E. Harrow* ~ 7. Retells a fairytale or 19. a book by an author I previously gave 5 stars

2. The Ex Hex (#1) by Erin Sterling* ~ 4. Cartoonish Cover

3. Cackle by Rachel Harrison* ~ 22. One word title

4. The Outlaw Demon Wails (The Hollows #6) by Kim Harrison* ~ 28. Strong female protagonist

5.  The Real Valkyrie: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women by Nancy Marie Brown ~ 17. Nonfiction

6. Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings (Mrs. Claus #1) by Liz Ireland ~ 6. Christmas theme

7. Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 4  by Kamome Shrahama & Stephen Kohler, translator* ~ 10. Manga

8. Down a Dark River (Inspector Corravan #1 by Karen Odden* ~ 15. book with a male protagonist

9. Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson* ~ 36. An author with three names

I added the Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge hosted by Carol of Carol's Notebook at the last minute because I had to sign up for a mystery challenge if I was participating in reading challenges for the year. I took on the Amateur Sleuth level, reading between 5 to 15 mysteries and upped the stakes mid-year to the Detective level, to read between 16 to 25 mysteries. I liked that the challenge allowed for a broad range of subgenres.

1. One by One by Ruth Ware 

2. Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder (#1) by T.A. Willberg

3. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

4.A Glimmer of Death (#1) by Valerie Wilson Wesley

5. The Russian Cage (Gunnie Rose #3) by Charlaine Harris

6. The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins 

7. The Arrangement (Plainclothes Tootsie #1) by M. Ravenel

8. Arsenic and Adobo  (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #1) by Mia P. Manansala

9. Shadowed Steel (Heirs of Chicagoland #3) by Chloe Neill*

10. Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

11. A Peculiar Combination (Electra McDonnell #1) by Ashley Weaver*

13. Murder in the East End (Kat Holloway Below Stairs #4) by Jennifer Ashley*

14. Death at the Crystal Palace (Kat Holloway Below Stairs #5) by Jennifer Ashley*

15. The Stranger in the Mirror by Liv Constantine*

16. Be My Ghost (A Haunted Haven Mystery #1) by Carol J. Perry*

17. The Good, the Bad, and the Undead (The Hollows #2) by Kim Harrison*

18. Every Which Way But Dead (The Hollows #3) by Kim Harrison*

19. A Fistful of Charms (The Hollows #4) by Kim Harrison*

20. For a Few Demons More (The Hollows #5) by Kim Harrison*

21. The Outlaw Demon Wails (The Hollows #6) by Kim Harrison*

22. The Lighthouse Witches C.J. Cooke*

23. In the Company of Witches (Evenfall Witches B&B #1) by Auralee Wallace*

24. Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings (Mrs. Claus #1) by Liz Ireland*

25. Down a Dark River (Inspector Corravan #1) by Karen Odden*

Did you have any reading goals this year? What reading challenges did you take on? How did you fare?  

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© 2021, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Mewsings: Anything That Happens by Cheryl Wilder

Anything That Happens by Cheryl Wilder
Press 53, 2021
Poetry; 82 pgs 

At the age of twenty, Cheryl Wilder got behind the wheel when she was too drunk to drive. She emerged from the car physically whole. Her passenger, a close friend, woke up from a coma four months later with a life-changing brain injury. Anything That Happens follows her journey from a young adult consumed by shame and self-hatred to a woman she can live with... and even respect. Along the way, Wilder marries, has a son, divorces, and cares for her dying mother. Anything That Happens examines what it takes to reconcile a past marked by a grave mistake, a present as caregiver to many, and a future that stretches into one long second chance. [Goodreads Summary]

I have so many thoughts and feelings swirling inside my brain about Cheryl Wilder's Anything That Happens. The first poem which is also the title of this collection, begins

Until I was twenty, I believed anything

wouldn't happen to me

I think this is something many of us can relate to, although the age may vary and it isn't necessarily a feeling we have only once in life. For the author, in this instance, it was a car accident that would leave her friend in a coma for months while she herself was wracked with guilt and shame. We always think of this type of thing happening to someone else. Not us. Until it does.

Anything That Happens tells the story of what happened that night, interspersed with other poems of after, and about what the author was feeling and thinking during that time. The two young women were enjoying their evening, had had a little too much to drink, and one of them got behind the wheel. 

I cut letters from magazines,

tape century gothic next to brush script

hope the secrets won't know

it's me, digging up the family ash [excerpt from "Secrets"]

This collection is about more than just that accident. Wilder also writes about the stigma and judgement--how others see her after the fact. She opens up about giving birth to her son, her absent father, her dying mother, and relationship with her ex-husband. Throughout she explores feelings of loss and grief, anger and self-hatred, and of finally forgiving oneself.

but I reclaim this house

where doors divide grief in the bedroom

from guilt simmering in the kitchen --

even trauma has to eat. [excerpt from "Emotional House"]

I found Wilder's poetry to be extremely visceral. I felt her words. I generally like to read poetry out loud, but I found myself preferring to read this one inside my own head. It felt too personal, too raw. 

[...] What is left

but a future where I am not worth saving. [excerpt from For "What It's Worth"]

I do not often think about the overall layout of a poetry collection unless it's a novel-in-verse. Anything That Happens isn't such a novel, but it has a distinct narrative flow which works so perfectly, each poem flowing into the next. The final poem is such a perfect note to end on. 

What does it mean to shelter

a loved one? to allow for refuge?

A secret room

the proper color

for wiping tears on sheets. [excerpt from To Have a House]

Cheryl Wilder's Anything That Happens is a book I will not soon forget. I imagine I will carry it with me for a long time to come. 

I hope you will check out what others have to say about Anything That Happens by Cheryl Wilder on the Poetic Book Tours route:

Add to GoodReads:

Available at Press 53 and Amazon.

Blog Tour Schedule:

April 1: Diary of an Eccentric (Review)

April 5: The Book Lover’s Boudoir (Review)

April 14: Review Tales by Jeyran Main (Interview)

April 21: Impressions in Ink (Review)

April 29: Jorie Loves A Story (Interview/Review)

May 3: Musings of a Bookish Kitty (Review)

May 4: Diary of an Eccentric (Guest Post)

May 5: Suko’s Notebook (Guest Post)

May 6: Anthony Avina’s Blog (Review)

May 7: Anthony Avina’s Blog (Guest Post)

Follow the blog tour with the hashtag #AnythingThatHappens #CherylWilder @Press53

Many thanks to the Poetic Book Tours and Cheryl Wilder for the opportunity to be a part of this book tour! Thank you also for providing a copy of the book for my honest review.

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© 2021, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Mewsings: Passiflora by Kathy Davis

Passiflora by Kathy Davis
Cider Press Review, 2021
Poetry; 80 pgs

Passiflora is a collection of poems about our day-to-day struggles with loss, raising children, relationships, aging and creating art, and how the nature that surrounds us informs how we view these challenges and sometimes serves as a source of solace. [Goodreads Summary]

I initially was drawn to this collection of poetry based on the description, particularly about parenting, aging and seeing how the author weaves it with the nature around us. I always find it challenging to review poetry. It is so much about feeling--how the poems make me feel. And how I relate to them. I suppose it is the same with a novel too, but it's different somehow. Poetry is much more personal. Capturing a moment or thought in time. Kathy Davis's poetry does that in her collection Passiflora. Whether writing about adoption, a woman's thoughts as she wanders through an art exhibit, cancer, or loss among a myriad of other topics, Kathy Davis deftly entwines each of her poems with nature, whether animals or plants. In her poem, "Starlings", for example, the poet combines the imagery of nature, birds, with that of suicide and loss, and of secrets, mixed with the every day action of setting a table. 

[...] The cacophony of song

a hellish choir, each bird's tune slightly off

from the rest. It's been years since I've been back,

the lies elaborate and smart, the silence [excerpt from "Starlings" by Kathy Davis]

Then there is the poem "Weeding" in which the narrator worries, in my mind about a her child, as she weeds. I love the imagery:

Wire grass, insidious

    spreads the bed    evening

        primrose in the spirea    He should have

called by now    pigweed sprouting    here

    there    a deep breath    take it   clover

        tiny shoots beneath the juniper  [excerpt from "Weeding" by Kathy Davis]

Along with the more serious, there is a bit of humor in the collection too. I enjoyed the poem "The Shetland". Although not a librarian myself, I can relate to feeling the weight of everything one's job may entail. Amidst all that, imagine this scenario:

Would the library like a pony? A lady at the front desk

        has brought one in. [excerpt from "The Shetland" by Kathy Davis]

"April & the Affront of Spring" was extremely moving, touching on the topic of death, particularly of the young. I also really liked "With a Delicate Flicker of a Fan" about growing old and illness. I could go on and on, but I would rather you read Passiflora and see for yourself just how beautiful this collection is. 

I hope you will check out what others have to say about Passiflora by Kathy Davis on the Poetic Book Tours route:

Add to GoodReads:

Available at Cider Press Review and Amazon.

Blog Tour Schedule:

April 1: The Book Lover’s Boudoir (Review)

April 5: Emzi.reads (Review)

April 6: Diary of an Eccentric (Guest Post)

April 12: Musings of a Bookish Kitty (Review)

April 20: Review Tales by Jeyran Main (Interview)

April 26: Impressions in Ink (Review)

April 28: Suko’s Notebook (Guest Post)

May 3: Anthony Avina’s blog (Guest Post)

May 5: Jorie Loves A Story (Interview)

May 10: Anthony Avina’s blog (Review)

May 11: The Book Connection (Review)

Follow the blog tour with the hashtag #Passiflora #KathyDavis @CiderPressRev @KathyDavispoet

Many thanks to the Poetic Book Tours and Kathy Davis for the opportunity to be a part of this book tour! Thank you also for providing a copy of the book for my honest review.

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© 2021, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Weekly Mews: Poetry Corner Edition (#2)

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.

Welcome to the Poetry Corner on this third weekend of February! I want to first acknowledge the hardships so many have been going through this last week because of the storms and freezing temperatures. Thoughts and prayers only go so far, but know that I am thinking of all of you and your loved ones who have been impacted. Reading the Facebook updates of friends living in Texas, I am glad to see most have had power and power restored. I hope things continue to improve steadily.

I had hoped to dive into another collection of poetry this month (Nikki Giovanni's A Good Cry, which I have right here on my desk), but my readings have been more of the random variety, fitting a poem in here and there when I am able. I re-read some old favorites as well as explored new poems. 

Maya Angelou has long been one of my favorite poets, inspiring not just for her words but by her life acts too. She overcame so much during her lifetime, advocated for others as a civil rights activist and a woman, and was a role model for so many. I have talked about her before on my blog as someone I admire and respect as a person and a writer. Some of my favorite verses from her poems:

The caged bird sings

with a fearful trill

of things unknown

but longed for still ~  "Caged Bird" by Maya Angelou

The race of man is suffering

And I can hear the moan,

'Cause nobody, 

But nobody  

Can make it out here alone. ~  "Alone" by Maya Angelou

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I'll rise. ~ "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou

I am still relatively new to the works of Gwendolyn Brooks and look forward to exploring her writings further. She was the first Black author to receive the Pulitzer Prize and later to become a consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress, a role that would later become known as the Poet Laureate.  Here is a sampling of verses that resonated with me: 

I pass you my Poem! - to tell you

we are all vulnerable -

the midget, the Mighty,

the richest, the poor. ~ "Winnie" by Gwendolyn Brooks

Live not for battles won.

Live not for the end-of-the-song.

Live in the along. ~ "Speech to the Young" by Gwendolyn Brooks

I subscribe to Poem-a-Day service, which I admit I do not always keep up with on a daily basis. I often let the poems pile up and read them on the weekend or when I have some extra time. I have come across some great poems through the service.

One of the poems that particularly caught my attention this month was "On Time Tanka" by June Jordan. It holds a power all its own--it speaks to racism and violence. I was curious about the poet behind the poem and a quick internet search opened up a treasure trove of some of her other work. June Jordan was a bisexual Jamaican American poet, playwright, essayist, and teacher and was committed human rights and political activism. She wrote on issues of race, sexuality, and class among other things. Some of the standout verses I found that I thought I would share with you today: 

I refuse to choose

between lynch rope and gang

    rape

the blues is the blues!

my skin and my sex: Deep dues

I have no wish to escape ~ "On Time Tanka" by June Jordan

Even tonight and I need to take a walk and clear

my head about this poem about why I can't

go out without changing my clothes my shoes

my body posture my gender identity my age

my status as a woman alone in the evening/

alone on the streets/alone in the evening/

the point being that I can't do what I want 

to do with my own body because I am the wrong

sex the wrong age the wrong skin [...] ~ "Poem about My Rights" by June Jordan

I am not wrong: Wrong is not my name

My name is my own my own my own ~ "Poem about My Rights" by June Jordan

A few years ago I came across a poetry collection by Q. Gibson called Sugar Sunday which I love to re-visit from time to time. Q. Gibson's poetry is about womanhood and healing. It is truly inspiring. The poems in this collection speak to the human spirit and never fail to move me.

She planted her feet

and finally she stood there

blooming from all the places that once withered. ~ from Sugar Sunday by Q. Gibson

Though I break

I bare my bones before

the world and do not weep

because the world

breaks too

I have watched it

ample times crumble

and still find its way

into tomorrow. ~ from Sugar Sunday by Q. Gibson

If you haven't already, I highly recommend checking out these writers' works. 

Have you read any of these poets before? Have you read a poem recently that moved you? Please share!

What I Am Reading: Earlier this week I read my TBR Poll winner, The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins. I understand now why so many of you are singing the book's praises! Mouse and I also finished Sink or Swim (Whatever After #3) by Sarah Mlynowski, which we both enjoyed. 

I made progress on my lunch read (which I haven't been reading just at lunch this week), Michelle Obama's Becoming, and will likely finish this weekend. I wish now I had been better about marking passages that stood out for me. It's easier to do when I am reading on my e-reader because I can just highlight the text. But my copy of Becoming is a hardcover and I didn't think to have post-its, paper, or a pencil handy from the start. Oh well. I am really enjoying it. 

I am in the mood for a fantasy novel and have settled on my next read being The Gilded Ones (Deathless #1) by Namina Forna. 

What I Am Watching: Last weekend we put Back to the Future on hoping to introduce my daughter to one of my husband's and my favorite oldie-but-goody movies. My husband and I enjoyed re-watching it. My daughter wasn't as into it. We will try again later. 

Those of you watching WandaVision . . . Have you seen the most recent episode?! I hate having to wait until next week for the next one. It's torture. 

We are very near the end of Season 6 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and are reading to start Season 4 of Angel. Willow is out for vengeance and Cordelia chose a higher path while Angel . . . well, he's not in a good place.

Off the Blog: What has been happening this week? Goodness. For a minute I was drawing a blank. Monday was a holiday for Mouse and me. It was a fairly uneventful day. We made a Starbucks run and re-watched a couple of the Disney Fairy movies at her request. Tuesday I got my second dose of the COVID vaccine. I am glad I had the foresight to warn my boss and arrange for coverage in case I had to be out from work on Wednesday. It wasn't awful, but I was definitely feeling the side effects: low grade fever, achy all over, fatigue, sore arm, and terrible headache. I spent the day sleeping and reading and not much else. Mouse was nice enough to make me hot chocolate to help me feel better. I really appreciated her thoughtfulness! By the end of the night, I was feeling a bit better. The fever carried over into the next day as did the headache, but I was able to be present at work Thursday without too much trouble. From talking to coworkers who had the same type of vaccine I did, we all had similar experiences in terms of the side effects. Some worse than others, but mostly the same. 

Mouse had a shortened day of virtual school yesterday (although the independent work kept her busy like it was a regular day) because teachers needed the time to work on report cards. I hadn't realized it was that time already. On one hand it seems too soon to be the end of the trimester, but then when I think how it started back in November, it feels like forever ago. 

There's talk of opening the schools for in-person classes in our district--but getting anyone to pinpoint a date is next to impossible. I heard the end of March then April--which, given schools break for the summer in May, seems a bit shortsighted. But that's just my opinion. Maybe for some any time in a classroom is better than none. Mouse will continue to be virtual through the end of the year regardless. 

Other than that, it's been a fairly normal week for us. Dance, work and school.

Gracie making herself comfortable to watch me work

My supervisor for the day

This Past Week In Reading Mews:

• Weekly Mews: Annie News, Cat Tree & Valentine's Surprise
• Bookish Mewsings: Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder & Finlay Donovan Is Killing It
• Waiting to Read Wednesday: Sing Me Forgotten / The Rose Code / Old Man's War
• Where Is Your Bookmark? (Bookish Mewsings: A Glimmer of Death by Valerie Wilson Wesley / Connect 5: TBR Mysteries/Crime Fiction by Black Authors / BBHOP: Squeezing in the Reading)

Tell me what you have been up to! What are you reading, listening to and watching? How was your week? Do you have anything planned for this week?

I hope you all have a wonderful week! Happy Reading!

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© 2021, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.