I’ve been pretty lax about blogging my reading this week. Partly, that’s due to the fact that I’ve spent the week at home fixing up my new office space (which looks fantastic) and working on the baby’s room (which isn’t ready yet, but getting there). This involved all sorts of sorting, organizing and heavy lifting. (I took care of the first two, my husband took care of the third. Thanks honey!)

Unfortunately, all of this activity was hard on my back. I’ve never had back issues before- I pride myself on taking good care of this part of my anatomy through regular strength-training and yoga- but apparently carrying 30 extra pounds, all in one general area, can create quite a strain. So in between all the moving and organizing this week, I also had to spend several hours on the couch with my friend the heating pad. Which means I had plenty of time to read. Which I did. And if I had time to read, I also had time to blog. Which I didn’t. And that brings me to the real reason why I didn’t blog this week:

I haven’t read anything worth blogging about.

Not that I haven’t read anything good. I just haven’t read anything that provoked a strong opinion. Here are the books I’ve finished in the last 9-10 days:

Animal Farm by George Orwell. I just had a craving to re-read it, similar to my craving for The Handmaid’s Tale a few weeks ago. But I don’t have much to say about Animal Farm that most people didn’t cover in their high school English classes. It’s a classic fable about politics and communism. And yes, I know that’s a very simplistic generalization, and yes, that’s why I’m not going to get into it further.

The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin. My sister-in-law and I chose this one to read together, hoping to discuss it afterward. It was a well-written book and a fast read, and I enjoyed it while I was in the midst of it. But after we were both done, we found we didn’t have much to say about it. It was kind of forgettable. I’d recommend it as a good beach read for people missing Downton Abbey. If you’d like to know more about the book, the NY Times Book Review is here: NY Times- The American Heiress.

Across the Miles, a compilation of short stories by L.M. Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables. This one is an old favorite. I have several of her short story collections and they’re all packed full of quirky characters and unexpected story lines. Don’t dismiss them as children’s books. They’re an excellent read for all ages, just as the Anne series is, and just as her other novels are. My Montgomery favorites are The Story Girl, A Tangled Web and Magic for Marigold. 

Here are the books I’m currently working on:

Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews. I’m listening to this on audiobook while I do my housework. I like it, but not as much as I’ve liked her previous books. I’m also not crazy about the reader.

Another Piece of My Heart by Jane Green. I always read Jane Green’s newest book eventually. I haven’t gotten very far into this one, and so far I’m not passionate about it, but I’ll definitely finish it.

Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James. So far, this Pride and Prejudice spinoff has not disappointed. It’s very authentically written, and has the murder-mystery element as well. Hats off to P.D. James- she succeeds where many Austen imitators fail, as I wrote about in my post Another Jane Austen Knockoff.

So I’m definitely reading, but finding little to comment on. I apologize for my lack of inspiration, but it’s not always easy coming up with a definite opinion about everything I read, especially the kind of books I read in the summer. Hopefully, when I’m done with the three I’m working on, I’ll have some meatier posts for you.