Good morning! It’s been a hot and sunny week in the UK, but the week ahead is set to be a bit cooler (whew). Hope everyone’s doing okay!
Books acquired this week
First, I’d forgotten to include this month’s British Library Crime Classic in one of these posts yet, so I’m adding that in this week… and volume two of Mistakenly Saving the Villain, which I just haaad to get after I finished volume one:
 
Definitely different genres, ahaha.
I’ve also borrowed more poetry as usual, this time focusing on poetry in translation, though I wish the Poetry Library had better tags for this:
I have a couple of others on hold which I’m hoping will come in soon, so I might not borrow more this week just to keep the decks clear, since you can only borrow two at a time, and I still have The Home Child, which I borrowed last week. (I finished and returned Impossible Paradise to get Love Sonnets & Elegies!)
Posts from this week
As always, let’s do a bit of a roundup, because a week is a long time. Starting with the reviews:
- Graphic novel: A Boy Named Rose, by Gaëlle Geniller (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
- Manga:Â Dinosaur Sanctuary, vol 2, by Itaru Kinoshita (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
- Fantasy mystery romance:Â Guardian, vol 1, by Priest (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
- Fantasy: The Fourth Island, by Sarah Tolmie (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
- Poetry: An Interesting Detail, by Kimberly Campanello (1/5 stars, “didn’t like it”)
- Children’s book: The Brothers, by Sheelue Yang and Le Nhat Yu (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
- Non-fiction: Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature, by Emma Laws et al (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
As ever, they aren’t all recent reads, since I spread out the genres I post about!
Aaand the non-review posts:
- Fantasy with Friends: Movie Talk
- Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Books by Favourite Authors
- What Are You Reading Wednesday
And that’s that for the week!
What I’m reading
I’m still struggling a bit, but honestly that’s not too unusual for me at this time of year. I used to attribute it to final assignments and exams, but I’m not studying this year… and here we are, all the same. Oh well! I did manage some reading this week, and that’s all that matters — it looks like a lot of reading, actually, but several of them are very short. Here’s a peek at the ones I finished and intend to review on the blog:
As for this weekend, I’m heading out for a bit on Saturday, but I expect to spend most of the weekend at home… maybe fitting in some reading time? And crochet time!
On which front, here’s a little sneak peek to end on since people have been curious. This is just two panels out of five, to avoid having to take a really big picture; each row works across all five panels, so it’s slow going at times. I hope to finish the first “shelf” of five panels this weekend!
That’s the leftmost panel and the rightmost panel, with the rest folded under. You can actually also see a glimpse of how the reverse side looks: just kinda stripey. It’s magic… or mosaic overlay crochet, anyway. Same difference, right?
Linking up with Reading Reality’s Stacking the Shelves, Caffeinated Reviewer’s The Sunday Post, the Sunday Salon over at Readerbuzz, and It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? at The Book Date.
The crochet pieces are so intriguing! I’m looking forward to seeing the whole thing someday. And very curious about How Animals Sleep. Stay cool and have a great weekend
It’s really hard to photograph right now because it’s so wide, but not very tall yet, hehe. I’m looking forward to it being a bit bigger!
Different genres for sure, lol.
I have tried to crochet before and the blanket ended up so lopsided I gave up. But Eleanor is very into sewing and crafting of that nature so I might have to give it a try again.
I used to crochet a lot, but it’s been a while, so it did take me a little bit to get into the flow of it — I’m actually hoping I’ll speed up, because it feels like very slow going. But it’s nice to be back to it!
I can’t seem to get the hang of crocheting, so I greatly admire your beautiful work. I have a couple of books that I’m reading now, but I keep starting and dropping books—not me, usually!
Deb Nance at Readerbuzz recently posted…The Sunday Salon: My Library Card Collection, Nine 1001 Children’s Books Read, and Ready for the 20 Books of Summer
Thank you!
I think I cornered myself a bit with having so many books on the go — it makes me feel like I can’t start new ones, but I’m normally so driven by whim, that makes me a bit sad.
It’s going to be cooler here as well in western Canada! Looking forward to seeing some of your reviews. Lot of crochet fans in my family. I used to do it a lot, I should try doing it while listening to an audiobook.
Have a great week!
Sara recently posted…First Line Fridays #1
The cooler weather is a relief, really! I know meteorological summer is due to start here tomorrow, but still…! It was so hot.
I normally love crocheting while listening to an audiobook! This pattern is requiring a bit too much of my attention, but I’m hoping that’s just because I’m rusty/haven’t got the knack yet…
Looks like you’ve got some good reading lined up for your mostly quiet weekend. Your crocheting is beautiful. I used to crochet, until it started riling up my shoulder (hopefully it will pass and I can get back to it at some point). But I never did any mosaic crochet. Will enjoy watching this grow.
Olivia recently posted…May 2026 Reading Recap
I was a bit worried the crochet would annoy my wrist, but I don’t even feel a twinge… maybe because I take a break between rows. But it definitely makes my shoulders waaay more tense than I’d have thought!
I love your crochet piece!! How cool is that!!
Thank you! The design is really cool (and I can’t take credit for that part, haha).
I am struggling with reading lately too. I also still haven’t started a crochet project this year, highly unusual, I just can’t seem to get into some of my hobbies either. Have a good week.
Cindy’s Book Corner recently posted…Stacking the Shelves #213 Sunday Post #210 Sunday Salon #204
It’d been a while since I did any crochet, but the idea of making this pattern finally got my attention, at least! Though making time for it is hard.
Love the crochet – and I hope you have a great week:)).
Thank you!
I haven’t been reading as much as I would like either. I’ve tried to crochet but it never works out for me. You’re doing great with it. Have fun! Have a great week!
Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews recently posted…The Weekend Review – May 30th-June 1st
Seems to be going around, haha. Though it’s not unusual for me to have a dip at this time of year…
Hope you have a good week!
Thank you.
I love seeing your crochet! I feel like I’m behind on everything but I keep at it.
Anne – Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
Thank you! And yes… we keep on trucking along.
Enjoy your books this week, I haven’t made too much reading time lately but hope to catch up on that now.
Your blanket is coming along beautifully! I’ve worked with graphs before but not mosaic.
Bookworm recently posted…Sunday Post/Mailbox Monday 5/31/26: Dusting off cobwebs
Thank you! I honestly suck at reading the charts, I’m glad there are written instructions too.
The Unicorn Murders kind of sounds like a fantasy and I’ve never heard of this title but I’m mildly sad that it’s not? LOL I hope you enjoy it when you get to it 🙂 Also, How Animals Sleep looks so cute! And your crochet project is looking awesome!
Hahaha, yeah, it does sound like it should be!
Thank you — lots of work left to do on the crochet blanket, but I’m looking forward to it.
Oohh, ooohhh!! The crochet pieces! I missed the story behind them, I don’t know what you’re doing but I can’t wait to see the finished product.
Haze @ The Book Haze recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday | Books I Can’t Believe I’ve Never Read
It’s a blanket! It’s taking a while to grow because each row takes a long time, but it’s fun.
oh wow, haven’t seen the name of Louise Labé for a few decades! Enjoy!
Emma @ Words And Peace recently posted…The top 7 books to read in June 2026
Already finished! 🙂