What I’m Reading Right Now and What’s Been Sitting on My Nightstand Judging Me

As many of you know, I recently moved in with future Mr. Trip Side. With that comes a lot of firsts and a lot of new places to explore, including, you guessed it, a brand new library branch!

The Seattle Public Library never disappoints and this particular branch surprised me in the best possible way. I walked every aisle, read every new display, and somehow came home with an armful of books I wasn’t even expecting to find. Fair warning: a few are garden books. I know. Nobody is surprised. 😄

Can we also just appreciate this post for a second? It’s been a while since I wrote about books, primarily because I haven’t been able to make much time for them lately. Now that I’m settled in my new space and no longer commuting an hour each way every other day, I am determined to get back into my normal reading habits. Starting now.

Table of Contents

What I Picked Up This Week

The Silversmith by CJ Claren – tarted this last night and it was easy to jump right into. This is the first in a brand new series and I picked it up completely blind. I’m genuinely praying this is not a BookTok book because I do not trust the hype anymore. Please send good vibes.
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst – I meant to pick this up last year and it just didn’t happen. Both of the other women in my book club swear by it for all the cozy cottagecore vibes and you know how much I love anything remotely cottagecore. Hoping it’s as lovely as they claim!
Grow Food for Free by Huw Richards – the title alone had me hooked. Will this be about planting grocery store scraps? Swapping seeds with your community? I genuinely don’t know and I’m determined to find out. Stand by for an update!
The Family Garden Plan by Melissa K. Norris – this one claims you can grow a full year’s worth of food for your family. The author is a podcaster and fifth generation homesteader which means I’m walking in with a lot of trust and very high expectations.
The Suburban Micro-farm Modern Solutions for Busy People by Amy Stross – the author specializes in food production home landscapes and that was all I needed to know.

What’s Been on My Nightstand

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman – I am halfway through this book and it is so funny and witty and yet somehow it has taken me months to finish. It sits on my nightstand judging me every single morning. I will finish it. I just need to carve out the time.
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden – it’s wild that I haven’t read this yet given how much I love McFadden’s other work. It got popular so fast that I somehow lost interest, which makes no sense but here we are. It’ll happen. I just need the right moment.

What’s Next on My List

Anne of Green Gable by L.M. Montgomery – can you believe this is still on my list? My dad read it to me when I was very little and I have the whole series and yet I have never read it myself. There are so many quotes I love and after falling in love with the Netflix adaptation last year I really want to experience the original. I think it will make my wild cottage boho heart absolutely soar. I also saw a gorgeous edition at Barnes & Noble recently and nearly bought it on the spot. I may go back for it. 😄
Harbour Street by Ann Cleeves – he sixth book in the Vera Stanhope series. I just finished number five, The Glass Room, and loved every page of it. I still have not guessed the killer once in this entire series. Not once! Fingers crossed this is finally my moment.

Tell me what you think in the comments below! And if you have a library recommendation I absolutely need to read this summer, please leave it below. I’m always looking for my next favorite. 📚

xoxo