Happy Monday to all – and happy moving week to me! I can’t believe it’s here – we bought our forever house six weeks ago but have not moved in yet (partly because we were doing renovations and partly because our movers weren’t available anyway). It’s a busy time – last week I was on a business trip in Seattle from Tuesday through Friday, the weekend was jam-packed with moving-related errands, and I threw Nugget a belated birthday party – because when you’re three months late already, the weekend before moving houses is the perfect time for a party, right? (Don’t answer that…)

All that’s to say: reading time was limited last week. I did finish two books, started two more, and made progress on one other…

• I finally, finally finished The Small House at Allington – downloaded a free copy of the ebook to take with me on my business trip so that I could continue to read but without lugging a heavy hardcover book on the plane. Have to say – this one was not my favorite of Trollope’s Barsetshire books. The heroine was absolutely maddening.
• After finishing The Small House at Allington on the plane home, I tried to turn to my audiobook – but my earbuds weren’t working. So, facing the untenable choice between starting a new book on my kindle and staring into space listening to my seatmate cough for the rest of the flight, I decided to start In this House of Brede on my kindle. It’s gorgeous and I am loving it, but I wanted to switch back to paper books when I got home – so I’m saving Brede for the next time an ebook would be more convenient (I have another business trip next month, or I might turn back to this even sooner, depending on move logistics).
• Still working my way through Penguins and Golden Calves on audio – with less progress made than I had hoped, thanks to the broken earbuds. I have about two-and-a-half hours left in the audiobook, so between commutes and packing/unpacking for my move, I expect I’ll finish up this week.
• Laying aside Brede, I picked up Appointment with Venus and managed to finish it despite all the errands, packing and party-throwing over the weekend – it was that much of a page-turner. I couldn’t stop reading – and looked forward to the evenings so I could sit down with it – because I was so invested in the characters. I wrapped it up on Sunday evening and was sad to say goodbye – and wished the author had written a sequel.
• Finally, just at the outset, I started A Sultry Month: Scenes of London Literary Life in 1846. It takes place in a heat wave from mid-June through mid-July of 1846 and follows several literary figures as their paths cross during those few weeks. It’s early pages yet – I’ve just finished through the end of the first chapter, but it’s a really interesting premise and I’m enjoying the reading so far.

It’s a busy week for everyone! In addition to moving houses and everything that entails, Peanut has scheduled some time to be spontaneous, make lasting childhood memories, and amend her will. ROTFL.

What are you reading this week? Any good home- or moving-focused recommendations for me?