Well! First of all, happy Thanksgiving week to my friends in the U.S. I hope your plans include some time to sit and sink into a book – that’s something I am always thankful for.

Bit of an up-and-down week in terms of reading. As far as the reading quality went, it was all up – everything I read over the last week was wonderful. On Monday, I finished up Things Fall Apart, for my Classics Club challenge. Full review to come but it was a really magnificent, compelling read. Then I turned to Iris Origo’s World War II diaries, which I’d been saving. (I always like to read diaries, but for some reason I’m especially drawn to them when the nights draw in and the weather gets colder.) Origo was an Anglo-American writer married to an Italian nobleman. A Chill in the Air covers 1939-40, when Italy’s entry into the war was not a foregone conclusion, and tracks the slow slide to combat. War in Val d’Orcia, covering 1943-44, is the more famous of the two diaries and is an incredible read – matter-of-factly recording Iris and her husband Antonio’s efforts to shelter and protect streams of refugees, bombed-out children, Jews, escaped Allied POWs, and Italian partisans fighting against the Fascists – often at great personal risk to themselves. It’s an amazing read; I thought I’d finish it yesterday but a headache kept me from turning pages (BOOOOOO) so I expect I’ll wrap it up tonight. I’ll be sad to say goodbye to Iris, Antonio, and the rest of their little band – but I do have The Merchant of Prato, Origo’s book about daily life in Italy during the Middle Ages, still on my shelf.

Separately, via Audible, I finally finished up Lovely War. This was trending toward a solid three stars for me – I liked the story but was starting to bog down – but the author’s note at the end, which was absolutely marvelous, bumped it up to four. I did really enjoy this, even if it was an absolute tome, and I definitely recommend listening to the audiobook version, if you can get it. The cast of narrators do a wonderful job. I especially loved Aphrodite – she’s never been my favorite Greek goddess, but she was an absolute delight. While I’ll always love Artemis the most, I might have a new second favorite Olympian.

Next up, I just got A.N. Wilson’s new YA book, Lilibet: The Girl Who Would Be Queen, and it’s calling to me.

What are you reading this holiday week?