Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: Catching Up

Stacked-Up Book Thoughts are my random notes about books I've read or listened to, movies and TV I've watched, books I'm looking forward to, and events I hope to get to.

Reading. My reading wish list is overflowing with all the books I learned about at BEA this year. Fantasies, mysteries, literary fiction, middle grade fiction, short stories, audiobooks . . . . I want to read them all RIGHT NOW. I'll do my best to get to everything great.

I'm currently reading The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen. If you haven't yet met Kelsea--one tough, intelligent woman--then you must first pick up Queen of the Tearling and be introduced to a refreshing fantasy series with great characters, mysteries, and vivid action. I'm a little more than halfway through the second book and love the surprises, the continued world building, the new characters, and the changing personalities of some of the principals.

I'm also reading Susan Loomis's In a French Kitchen. It's been wonderful to meet her French friends and make some their meals. The timing is absolutely perfect because our local outdoor farmers markets are in full swing now, and I'm lucky enough to live in an area that has a market almost every day--all within easy driving distance. I've been a fan of Loomis's for years, and I'm happy that her latest book is filled with both personal stories and delicious-sounding recipes.

Finally, I finished Bill Willingham's latest Fables volume: Happily Ever After, which means I have only one more left. The story lines in this collection are almost all subtitled with the words the last: the last story about Jack of Fables, the last tale of Briar Rose, the last, the final . . . the sadness! I'm so glad Mark Buckingham was onboard for this issue. Only a few weeks now and Fables will be finished. Of course, I have a few spin-offs to look forward to, but still!

Listening. I recently reread Kate Atkinson's Life after Life in audio, which was narrated by Fenella Woolgar. She did a super job keeping her performance fresh throughout. Not an easy job considering how much of the material was repeated as we learn of Ursula's life/lives.

I also finished Anne Enright's The Green Road. This one is read by Alana Kerr, Lloyd James, and Gerard Doyle. The three narrators worked well together, and the choice of using different readers fit the nature of this very Irish tale. Although there are consistent plot points throughout the novel, it reads like a series of interconnected short stories. I'm still putting together my thoughts.

Next up? I think it's going to be If You Find This by Matthew Baker and read by Bryan Kennedy and Robert Petkoff. Mysteries, adventures, magic, and family -- I'm expecting a fun, quirky middle grade story.

Watching. We seem to be in TV limbo. We are finishing up The Game of Thrones, despite the controversy and calls for boycotting. *shrug* We recently watched the Robert Duvall film The Judge, which was very well acted and worth watching, despite some predictability. Oh and we finally started Broadchurch. So much fun to try to tease out the real bad guys from the red herrings. And I love the main characters: flawed, real, and growing and changing. I hope the rest of the series holds up to the promise of the first four episodes.

We are looking forward to the next seasons of Orange Is the New Black and True Detective. Wishing for more Longmire and impatiently waiting for Justified to be free on our streaming services. And, of course, counting the weeks for more Outlander.

What's on your reading, listening, or watching list?