I’m back to the weekly updates, so everything here is what I’ve managed in the past week. It’s been a slow reading (and writing) week, so my goal is to get back into the groove. At some point, all of life’s distractions, even the serious, challenging ones, can’t continue to be my excuse.

I’m also gearing up for ReFoReMo in March, which is Reading for Research Month for picture book writers. Every day, there is a blog post and related list of mentor texts that focus on an aspect of picture book writing. Last year, I only made it to Day 14 or so…it’s a lot to keep up with. This year, I’m not going to pressure myself to read each book, but I’d like to keep up with it as best as I can. There’s so much to learn from the selected texts, and that’s exactly the phase I’m in—I want to learn everything!

Currently Reading

Fiction (Middle Grades)

• Anastasia at Your Service by Lois Lowry. The third book in the Anastasia series.

Recently Completed

Fiction (Adult/YA)

• Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. I stayed up until 3:30 am one night to finish this book. COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. I became protective of Eleanor and needed to know that she would be okay. Of course I had the feeling it would end well from the book jacket and what I’d read about it, but you never know with literary fiction, even the commercial variety. The ending isn’t sweet and saccharine, but the book remains true to Eleanor’s personality in how it reveals her dark past and sets her up for the future beyond the book’s pages.