just finished: There’s a Bat in Bunk Five. I was hoping to get lots more reading and writing done last week, but it was one of those weeks where things just went downhill. There were weather issues and family issues and work issues and sinus issues, all in one week. By Friday I needed some respite, so I spent some time going back to my childhood and re-reading one of my favorites, The Cat Ate My Gymsuit. So this weekend, I kept that going and read the sequel, There’s a Bat in Bunk Five, that follows Marcy as she goes to a creative writing camp as a Counselor-in-Training. It’s lots of fun, and it brought back a lot of memories from my teenaged reading. As I was reminded in Ahmed Aziz’s Epic Year, re-reading the books from your childhood at different times in your life can bring back lots of memories and help you see the story differently. Highly recommended! (Both all these books, and re-reading your favorite books from your younger years.)

currently reading: I have just started The Turnout, the new Megan Abbott, out this Tuesday. It’s about sisters who grew up with a ballerina mother and who became dancers themselves. They run a dance school with the husband of one of them (also a former dancer, and also taught by their mother, but an injury sidelined his career so he no longer dances himself). The family dynamics are fascinating, and I can’t wait to see where this story goes. I’m sure there will be layers to these relationships, and for me, that is just getting started. I’m also still reading Sara Shepherd’s Safe in Their Arms, about the moms at a prestigious preschool. It reminds me of Big Little Lies, and I’m really enjoying it. I’m also still reading Love at First, which I’m savoring a chapter or so a day. It’s a genuinely lovely romance, with lots of sweetness to it and the brief appearance of a couple of kittens.

up next: I’m not sure exactly, but I do know that I need to be reading more non-fiction. Lately I’ve immersed myself almost entirely in fiction, which I love, but I have a stack of non-fiction I need to read and review too, so that will be something I will be working on this month. Like this lovely book, which showed up on my front porch recently. #ilovebookmail