Hello, friends! Happy Monday – I suppose. How were your weekends? Did you have fun being celebrated (if you’re a mom) or celebrating the moms and mother figures in your life? I had a good one – a nice mix of reading time (which I used very productively) and time spent outdoors hiking and gardening.

Last week, Steve said to me: “You know you’re exhausted when you’re too tired in the evenings to even do the things you enjoy.” It’s definitely been a long and exhausting month. I’d like to say that this week should be quieter, but it won’t be. I’ve mentioned that we are working on a family project, and we have a major milestone coming up on Thursday – after which I’ll feel a lot more comfortable about it all. We’ll still be busy – there are a lot of moving pieces – but less stressed. I can’t wait. Steve and I have concert tickets for Friday night and it’s going to feel like such a celebration. (I’ll explain more next week, once we’ve cleared Thursday’s big hurdle.)

Anyway, despite being completely overwhelmed, I actually managed to get through five books last week! Most of the workweek, I spent over A Countryman’s Spring Notebook, which I adored. I took my time with it, because I wanted to really soak up Adrian Bell’s beautiful writing. Then I moved on to a string of quick reads – starting with Quidditch Through the Ages. Nugget is on a big Harry Potter kick right now (we’re still reading a chapter a night at bedtime, and are almost halfway through Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) and he brought this one home from the elementary school library. I took advantage of him going to bed earlier than I do and blazed through it in an evening. Very fun! (“Broomstick idiots at it again” – LOL.) Next, I picked up Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case, which has been on my TBR for ages and which I borrowed from the library with the intent of finally getting to it so I can listen to two episodes of Shedunnit which contain spoilers. It was one of the best Christies I’ve read; I did not guess the killer, and it was a fitting finale for the Hercule Poirot series. Then another quick one – a re-read of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, because my team at work has decided to start a book club and this is the first selection. A classic. And finally, read over Sunday afternoon (and just finished up this morning), Sinister Spring, the latest release in Harper Collins’ special edition collections of seasonal short stories by Agatha Christie. As always, a romp – fun from the first page to the last. (Lots of jewel heists in this one!)

And now, because a stressful week clearly calls for a doorstopper – I kid, I kid – I’m turning my attention to The Three Musketeers. It’s going to take all week to power through that whopper, but it’s got to be done – July’s Classics Club deadline looms.

Lovely hike for Mother’s Day! We hit up Scott’s Run Nature Preserve and narrowly missed seeing one of my co-workers there hiking with her little guys. I hope all of the moms felt as celebrated as I did!

What are you reading this week?