It’s been a quiet week here, except for when lightning struck nearby and I thought something had exploded because the thunder was SO LOUD! But other than that, it’s been quiet. And gloomy. It feels a bit like London outside with the clouds and the occasional rain. I’ll take it, though. I’m down for some rain and clouds before summer comes along.

I didn’t read nearly as much as I wanted to, and I didn’t like a lot of what I read. I nearly quit reading The Abbot’s Tale by Conn Iggulden, but I convinced myself to give it another try, was hooked for a while, then got thoroughly aggravated by the main character, Dusntan, and made a push to finish it last night.

Last week I finished:

• The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart, narrated by Derek Perkins
• A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin
• The Abbot’s Tale by Conn Iggulden

I’ve read The Crystal Cave several times, it being my favorite version of the Arthurian legend, but I’d never listened to the audiobook before. Derek Perkins does a lovely job, especially with the many accents that come up. I doubt I’ll listen to the rest of the books on audiobook, though, because I prefer the way my internal narrator reads this particular trilogy.

 

My current reads:

• Queens of the Conquest: England’s Medieval Queens – Alison Weir
• The Conference of the Birds by Farid ud-din Attar
• Home (Binti, #2) by Nnedi Okorafor, audiobook narrated by Robin Miles

 

Upcoming reads:

• Grey Sister (Book of the Ancestor #2) by Mark Lawrence
• Ravenspur (Wars of the Roses #4) by Conn Iggulden

I wouldn’t be surprised if this week’s reading plans are completely upended, because I have a few eBooks on hold at the library, and knowing my luck, they’ll all arrive at once.

Last week’s posts:

• Goodreads Monday: Redemption in Indigo
• Fantasy Book Series: A Personal History, Pt. 2
• Book Review- The Speed of Dark
• Top Five Friday: Top Five Books I Wanted to Throw at a Wall (And Why I Didn’t)

 

Thanks to NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour, I started watching Killing Eve. I’d heard nothing but good about it before, but no one went into much detail about it until PCHH, and that’s what convinced me to try it, and I love it! It’s smart, funny, and while it sets up the sorts of scenes you would expect in a spy thriller, it subtly subverts them. Sandra Oh as Eve is wonderful, and I could watch Jodie Comer as Villanelle all day long. I love how both women persist in their jobs in spite of constantly being underestimated (though Villanelle uses this for entirely different purposes). And I especially love how, so far anyway, they don’t soften Villanelle or give her some tragic backstory to explain why she is the way she is. She’s a straight up sociopath, and they don’t make any excuses for it. I hope they keep it up.

I also watched The Millennium Trilogy on Netflix. It’s the Swedish production of Stieg Larsson’s books about Lisbeth Salander, starting with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Not surprisingly, it’s rather bleak and violent, but I love Noomi Rapace’s portrayal of Lisbeth Salander, especially in the courtroom scenes toward the end. She is unforgiving and uncompromising, and there aren’t many women on television or in movies who get to be like that.

 

So that’s been my week! I’m going to take it easy today, maybe do some baking or go out for ice cream, because I’ve got a long week ahead. A coworker is going on vacation this week, so to cover everything he does, I won’t get a day off again until next Sunday. Happily, I’ll get an extra day off the following week, and I’ve already made some fun plans for it, so I’ll just have to keep that in mind.