Monday… here you are again.  They just keep coming around.  This one is kind of bittersweet – it’s my last Monday of maternity leave.  I’m back to work, full-time, on Wednesday.  It’s going to be good to get back to a routine, and to contribute to the family income again, but I’m definitely sad about it ending – and I’m really going to miss little Nugget during the days.  I’ve gotten so used to his little presence in my arms (sometimes, it seems, 24 hours a day) and I remember how hard it was for me to go back to work after having Peanut.  Well, I got through it once (twice, if you count the time I took off after moving up here) and I’ll do it again.

Anyway, since my reading speed is likely to slow down considerably starting this week (Peanut’s school is closed, so I’m on full-time mom-of-two duty today and tomorrow, then reality hits on Wednesday) I’m glad to report that I got some good reading done last week.  I finished Jane Austen’s England, the Marvel Illustrated version of Pride and Prejudice, and – just yesterday – The Martian.  I loved The Martian!  Now I can’t wait for the movie – just about a month.  Matt Damon is absolutely perfect for the role of Mark Watney.  And – bonus! – since Steve read and loved the book, too, we’re both equally geeked out about a movie for once.  (Usually one of us is really excited and the other is kind of going along with it, you know, out of love.)  Anyway, I’m already assembling a list of possible babysitters to call, because we have GOT to make this movie thing happen.  No way I can wait for Netflix on this one.

My main goal for this week is to finish The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings.  It’s taking way too long.  It’s a really interesting book, and I think I’d enjoy it much more if I had more brain power to devote to it.  But unfortunately it’s quite dense, and I’m quite tired (as you all know).  I’m about halfway through and just got the book back from the library after previously being compelled to return it (there was a queue).  It’ll probably take me all week, but I really do want to get through it.  I’m just too far into it now to abandon it – I’d hate myself.  Anyway, if I actually manage to finish The Fellowship this week, I plan to reward myself with another library book: The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage, which I checked out of the library after hearing Liberty Hardy rave about it on the All the Books! podcast.  It looks AWESOME, and I can’t wait to pick it up.  So that’s my motivation for finishing The Fellowship.  That and the pride of a job well done.

Coming up on the blog this week – a special announcement on Wednesday!  My friend Jen and I will be hosting our first readalong.  More details to come, but we’re going to be reading Edith Wharton’s The Custom of the Country in September.  I can’t wait to dig in!  Now I just have to figure out how to work the Mr. Linky – blogging geniuses, any tips or tricks you have to share would be more than welcome.  And then on Friday, I’ll share my list of reads from August; it’s a good one.  Lots of fun bookishness this week – feels great!

How about you – what are you reading this week?