On My Nightstand April 25, 2026

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It’s still spring but the skies are starting to look like summer

The weather has been wild, but I have gotten some good porch reading sessions in. It’s been helping in my quest to actually read books and not scroll social media.

Quote of the week

“All human wisdom is contained in these two words - Wait and Hope”
— The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas

books + ice cream = summer

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - Still going on The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng. It’s so good, just long! I really picked some chunksters this year.

Audiobook - I am cracking up at Secrets of the Purple Pearl by Kate McKinnon. This series is great for audio walking.

Paper Book - I’m about to start Bamboo and Blood by James Church. It’s from a mystery series set in North Korea.

what is up with this cat

Hang in there everyone, and happy reading.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nightstand April 18, 2026

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i love to read under this apple tree when it is in bloom

I was looking at my March stats and it was really heavy on audiobooks. So my goal in April is to read more while sitting on my butt - either in print or on kindle!

Quote of the week

“I had never imagined I would have to explain the significance of chocolate bunnies that laid caramel eggs in nests of shredded green plastic each Easter...”
— A Tender Struggle by Krista Bremer

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - I finally started The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng. I’m looking forward to long spring evenings on my porch with this one.

Audiobook - I’ve got another long one- Wild Swans by Jung Chang. I started it on paper, but it was taking me too long to get through so I switched to audio so I could multi task.

Paper Book - I’m trying to finish Heaven’s Keep by William Kent Krueger before the library repossess my car or something. Paper books have just been so slow going for me lately.

lunch and a book on a warm day

Hang in there everyone, and happy reading.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Walking Wednesday April 15, 2026

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We’ve been everywhere lately. We’ve done six college tours, countless field hockey and lacrosse games and tournaments, plus family walks in the last two weeks. I have the step count to prove it.

I’m looking forward to getting back to my strolls through my neighborhood with my audiobooks. Right now I’m listening to Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park. It’s a good counterpoint to the Little House on the Prairie books.

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Walking Wednesday April 1, 2026

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Can we just all agree this year has been enough of a joke, and we don’t need to try and fool each other?

Anyway, it’s undeniable that this is the best time of year to walk in the DC area. We just have flowers everywhere. Even the weeds are gorgeous this time of year.

I’m rushing to listen to Katabasis before the library takes it back. Yes, another long book!

On My Nightstand March 28, 2026

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cherry blossom time!

Another busy week here. Looking at the calendar it will stay that way until graduation. I hope my brain can stay calm enough to read.

It’s almost midnight as I write this, and I just got back from dropping a car full of teens off. I’m still a little wired from being out so late so I think I will catch up on my chapter a day classic reads before I go to bed. Maybe a late night snack too?

Quote of the week

“Life is choice. All day, everyday. Who we talk to, where we sit, what we say, how we say it. And our lives become defined by our choices. It’s as simple and as complex as that. And as powerful. so when I’m observing that’s what I’m watching for. The choices people make.”
— Still Life by Louise Penny

catching up on some reading and journaling

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - I’m about to start Unshakable by Fr. Mike Schmitz as this year’s Easter Read.

Audiobook - I’ve got another long one- Wild Swans by Jung Chang. I started it on paper, but it was taking me too long to get through so I switched to audio so I could multi task.

Paper Book - I’m trying to finish Heaven’s Keep by William Kent Krueger before the library repossess my car or something. Paper books have just been so slow going for me lately.

lunch and a book on a warm day

Hang in there everyone, and happy reading.

Note: links to bookshop.org are affiliate links. Thanks for your support.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Walking Wednesday March 25, 2026

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Spring walks mean wildlife and flowers! I love this time of year when fast growing flowers mean something new to see almost every day.

I’m listening to Fingersmith this week. I read somewhere it’s based on Woman in White by Wilkie Collins.

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On My Nightstand March 21, 2026

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flowers just before the rain (Asheville, nc)

Spring is official now! I still haven’t put my winter clothes away though. We’ve been touring colleges and getting ready for a French student to come stay with us. There’s so much going on! My audiobook consumption is still outpacing my physical book consumption by a lot.

Quote of the week

“All human wisdom is contained in these two words - Wait and Hope”
— The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

PJs and book all laid out on a busy day

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - I have the ARC of The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung.

Audiobook - I’m in the middle of the very long Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose.

Paper Book - I’m still reading Wild Swans by Jung Chang. I picked so many long books this month!

morning skies

Hang in there everyone, and happy reading.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nightstand March 14, 2026

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snow on the flowers

There is so much going on good and bad I don’t even know what to say. Thank goodness I have my books to get me through. I have been flying through my audiobooks, and inching through my print and kindle books. Just that time of year I guess. Multitasking is the way to go when it gets like this.

Quote of the week

“For my private plans, I’ll keep them to myself; which is very easy, as at present I have none: no private life is permitted a man in my position, a man in debt.”
— Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

My growing nancy drew collection

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - I just started The Director by Daniel Kehlmann. I have no idea what is going on but I like it.

Audiobook - I’m listening to Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. It’s interesting but stressful.

Paper Book - I’m in the middle of a bunch, but the one that’s standing out right now is Wild Swans by Jung Chang.

a stack of books on every surface

Hang in there everyone, and happy reading.

Note: links to bookshop.org are affiliate links. Thanks for your support.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nightstand May 24, 2025

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The calendar says it should feel like summer, but the weather says otherwise. I’m regretting that I put my winter clothes away. If you’re looking for me I’ll be under a blanket reading my books.

Quote of the week

“Let the world disapprove if we do what we know to be right; let us take no pride in society’s approval if it rises from that which we know to be wrong.”
— The Rushworth Family Plot Claudia Gray

On My Nightstand This Week

Paper book - I’m still working on Earl Swift’s Chesapeake Requiem. Once I started I realized I also had his other book Across The Airless Wilds out from the library and I’ve been going back and forth between the two. I love his writing so much. Hoping to finish one or both this weekend.

Kindle - I’m planning on starting one of the two books I have about the Spanish Civil War this weekend - The Palace at the End of the Sea by Simon Tolkien and The Time In Between by Maria Duenas.

Audio - I’ve been listening to Dr No by Percival Everett. What a crazy ride.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

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On My Nightstand May 16, 2025

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This school year is winding up with a bang! Prom is this weekend, plus the last of the league field hockey games, and year two of confirmation prep is almost done. I know I signed up to bring a bunch of different fruit trays to various places, so I need to sit down with my planner this weekend and figure that out. Grateful for Aldi and their wonderful fruit and veggie aisle.

I’m loving the extended evenings with light skies almost until my bed time. Reading on the porch to the sound of frogs signing is a balm in this fraught world.

Quote of the week

“She marveled briefly on how hard humans tried to shape the future, herself included, and how much it was really in the lap of the gods.”
— Murder Most Royal by SJ Bennett

On My Nightstand This Week

Paper book - I finally started Chesapeake Requiem by Earl Swift and it’s really good! Can’t wait to get back to it tonight.

Kindle - I’m working on another mystery - A Muddied Murder by Wendy Tyson.

Audio - Yesterday I started Entitlement by Rumaan Alam. It’s promising so far!

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Note: Links to bookstore.org are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

On My Nightstand May 10, 2025

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All of my travels are over for now, so I’m hoping for good weather this weekend. I need to spend some quality time with my garden! I think I should be able to start picking peas and lettuce this weekend which is exciting. Some years it gets too hot before I even can pick those cool weather crops. The big bunny who visits my yard ate all of my cilantro and mint so at least he’s a bunny that enjoys flavor.

I’m excited for all of the summer reading lists coming soon. I also have my own list of books to read before I turn 50, and #CampLitsy on the Litsy app. Again, I ask if anyone knows of any jobs that will pay me to read all day?

Quote of the week

“Growing up may be the most remarkable thing that anybody ever does.”
— A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz

Barnes and noble westport, ct

On My Nightstand This Week

Paper book - Trying to decide between Chesapeake Requiem by Earl Swift and Good Soil by Jeff Chu.

Kindle - I have Murder Most Royal by SJ Bennett. I love these books, but they’re bitter sweet as the Queen gets older.

Audio - The Parrot and the Igloo by Dave Lipsky - This book is fascinating. I am really into it.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

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Walking Wednesday April 12, 2025

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It’s been cool here and it seems to be having a good effect on the longevity of these blooms. I can’t stop walking under these trees and taking pictures. I’m not looking forward to the heat and humidity this summer, so every day I get to avoid taking out my summer clothes is a good day in my mind.

Right now I’m listening to The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie. I joined a challenge to read one Christie book a month in order. They’re usually pretty good for walking and listening.

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On My Nightstand April 12, 2025

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We’re finally getting a good rain here. Good for the garden, and good to wash the pollen away. Last weekend there was literally a pollen fog, and clouds of it would fly around when we drove down the street. It was very strange.

I can’t believe it’s mid-April and it’s time to start planning for May! Future me will not be pleased, but I might put off that planning for one more week.

Quote of the week

“We often don’t know we have wings until we are forced to fly.”
— How We Learn To Be Brave by Marian Edgar Budde

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - The Briar Club by Kate Quinn - I have to be careful what time I start reading this because once I do it’s hard to make myself stop. So good.

Audiobook - The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women of the CIA by Liza Mundy - A fascinating and frustrating book about women in the CIA.

Paper Book - Extraordinary Insects by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson - I’m still reading this a chapter a day. Just one left! I’ll be sad to be done. Loving these crazy little bugs.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Note: Links to bookstore.org are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

On My Nightstand April 5, 2025

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This week started feeling like Friday on Wednesday morning. Ugh. The world is on fire and I’m driving myself crazy making sure all of the 10 million forms, monetary contributions, deadlines, and commitments are met for my kids. But at least there’s flowers on the trees and baseball on the radio.

Quote of the week

“I’m not going to allow my inability to do everything undermine my ability to do something.”
— Cory Booker 4/1/25

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - I Don’t Care If We Never Get Back by Ben Blatt and Eric Brewster - I’m about halfway through with this one now. It’s more about logistics than baseball.

Audiobook - The Long Walk by Stephen King - I started listening to this on my much shorter walks. I read it when I was a teen so I vaguely remember what happens.

Paper Book - Extraordinary Insects by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson - Reading this a chapter a night and loving it. A great spring read.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Note: Links to bookstore.org are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

Walking Wednesday April 2, 2025

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It’s cherry blossom time! It makes finding the motivation to walk easy. The blooms were late this year due to a cold winter, but that makes the spectacle all the better.

I’ve been listening to Ten Birds That Changed The World by Stephen Moss. It’s timely given the chirping going on around me when I walk.

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My April 2025 TBR

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March Beginning TBR: 457
March Ending TBR: 474

I read 18 books in March, but apparently not many were on my TBR. Or maybe I added a bunch more books than I read? I honestly can’t remember. Either way I should look at that before the summer reading lists come out.

March was a really good reading month for me, and so I have high hopes heading into April.

Here’s my list:

A Bit Much by Lyndsay Rush

The Earth Cries Out by Gary Gardner

Digging Up The Dirt by Miranda James

Mystery of the Moss Covered Mansion by Carolyn Keene

No Nest For The Wicket by Donna Andrews

The Land of Little Rain by Mary Austin

I Don’t Care If We Never Get Back by Ben Blatt and Eric Brewster

How To Resist Amazon and Why by Danny Caine

Back After This by Linda Holmes

Nature’s Best Hope by Doug Tallamy

The Long Walk by Stephen King

The Heiress by Molly Greeley

Maud Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook

Murder Most Royal by SJ Bennett

The Man In The Brown Suit by Agatha Christie

We Are All Good At Smiling by Amber McBride

The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Mill On The Floss (First Half) by George Eliot

Something by Kate Quinn

Something set in Rwanda

Piece of cake, right??

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On My Nightstand March 29, 2025

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I took a screen break last weekend so that I would have the mental energy to spread a bunch of mulch. Mission accomplished and now I’m back. I’ve been spending way too much time thinking about how I want to set up my outdoor reading spaces for summer, and the best way to plant the maximum number of vegetable seeds in my yard. These are good issues to have and are a good distraction from the real world going on all around us.

Quote of the week

“I’m comfortable being bored, and this can be a surprisingly rewarding skill-especially on a lazy D.C. summer night listening to a Nationals game slowly unfold on the radio.”
— Deep Work by Cal Newport

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - I Don’t Care If We Never Get Back by Ben Blatt and Eric Brewster - Baseball is back so of course I need to read a book about it!

Audiobook - The Wedding People by Alison Espach - Finally getting to this popular read. I like it so far, but am not wowed.

Paper Book - Extraordinary Insects by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson - The idea of reading this in the yard in between gardening sessions really appeals to me.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Note: Links to bookstore.org are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

Walking Wednesday February 12, 2025

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It’s getting a little lighter and a little closer to spring so I’m walking more in the daylight now. This week I treated myself to 2 hours PTO at the zoo to see the new pandas. These are new DC residents I can get behind!

For my audiobook listening I’m about to start Entitlement by Rumaan Alam. I have high hopes, but the reviews have not been great. We’ll see.

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Show Us Your Books May 2024

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Actual picture from the summer of 2019

Why did I almost write the year 2019 in the title instead of 2024? Am I experiencing my own Y2K crisis where my brain flips back in time? Ugh. Anyway, I didn’t post last month so I’m going to recap my favorite reads from both March and April 2024, and maybe a few throwbacks to 2019 since I seem to be in the mood.

Five Star Reads

Save Me A Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan (April 2019) Out of the 3 1/2 audiobooks we listened to on a trip to visit family that year this was our favorite. My son and I both wished it was longer.

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano (March 2024) Finished this one in the wee hours of the morning. I loved it except for a plot point that you could see coming mid-way through the book like a freight train. I wanted to scream at some of the characters but that was part of the charm. Like others I don‘t see this as a Little Women retelling. I loved the setting (Chicago) and the time period (1960-2008.)

If Nuns Ruled The World by Jo Piazza (March 2024) Finished this one on the beach during Spring Break and loved it. It’s about nuns and their various social justice initiatives. I’ve been pretty heavily involved with an environmental ministry this year and I am going to recommend all my tree hugger ladies read this empowering and motivating book.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (April 2024) At one point I almost bailed on this, but I decided to keep going. I‘m glad I did, because I ended up loving it.

statue of liberty, july 2019

Four Star Reads

Junie B Jones: Turkeys We Have Loved And Eaten (March 2019) Oh my gosh, we used to laugh and laugh when we read these books out loud. I laughed out loud now just now reading the title.

The Survivors by Jane Harper (March 2024) This book was so atmospheric you could feel the salt water drying on your legs while you sit in the sun.

The Women by Kristen Hannah (April 2024) This book. Imagine going to that war and coming home to a country that didn’t even believe you had been there.

I almost gave up at one point because I was frustrated with all of the love stories. I’m glad I didn’t though because the last 1/4 of this book was extremely powerful.

Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane (April 2024) Whew this book. All the trigger warnings, but I tore through it. My grandmother was born in Southie, but my family had moved to the South Shore by the time I was born. Still Mary Pat seemed real to me.