just finished: one of the cookbooks I’ve been given this week from Clarkson Potter, Jennifer Segal’s Once Upon a Chef Weeknight/Weekend. The other cookbook they gave me that comes out this week I have started but not finished, and that is Maman: The Cookbook. Maman is a French café with several locations in New York City and a couple in Canada. But it’s gorgeous (they both are), and they are both lots of fun. I’m looking forward to sharing them both this week!

current read: I’m almost done with the new Lisa Jewell, The Night She Disappeared. It’s a lovely thriller, and normally I would have raced through it. But things have been crazy, so even with the 3-day weekend last week, I’m having trouble focusing on fiction. But hopefully by the end of the month, I’ll be able to get my head back in the books. Anyway, this new Lisa Jewell has lots of twists and surprises, and I haven’t been able to figure out who did it yet (there are still several good choices), so I can’t wait to get to the end! I’ve also started another book that comes out this week, one for Anglophiles and true crime fans alike, and that is Your Guide To Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village. It is adorable, sweet, and fun, and a top notch guide, as it points out all the places and people in the village where you might get murdered or by whom. This will be a fantastic Christmas gift for anyone who spends each weekend binging British detective shows!

up next: Believe it or not, by the end of the month it will be time to start reading holiday books. There is Mary Kay Andrews’ The Santa Suit and (I love this title!) The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer.