We made it through the last week before vacation. It’s been a pretty pleasant week in the Boston area, but as always, it seems like there’s a million things to do before heading out of the office, if even for a short time. On Friday night, we went down to the south shore to join my sister, who flew in from Minneapolis, to start the week off with a long family-focused weekend. We lounged on the back deck, let Charlotte play in the yard, and grilled an octopus (a repeat recipe from Christmas that worked really well). We also experimented with eel, but we were less wild about those results.
Here’s what I’m eating and reading this week:
Weekly Menu Plan (in case you need ideas and inspiration)
Sunday: Shrimp scampi, baguette, and salad
Monday: Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches with salad and pickled blackberries
Tuesday: Pan-seared chicken and scalloped potatoes with roasted broccoli
Wednesday: Pan-seared salmon with leftover potatoes and vegetables
Thursday: Reuben sandwiches with sautéed green beans
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Grilled octopus (made by my sister) and summer squash
Here’s What I’m Reading and Loving This Week
Title: A House Among Trees
By: Julia Glass
Date: 2017
Format: Audiobook
This one was good, not great. I read Julia Glass’ earlier novel, Three Junes, and really liked it, so I was curious to read her newest book (I actually listened to it in audiobook format). It’s a fairly interesting premise, where a famous children’s author dies suddenly, leaving his support staff and fans and supporters in the lurch, trying to figure out both his history and his legacy.
The best part of the book are they layers of characters that get introduced and developed throughout: the author’s assistant, his former lover, a a famous British actor slated to play the author in an upcoming biopic, all of their mothers and backstory characters developed to varying degrees. These people gave the book energy and depth, likable (even if not at first) and interesting.
The down side of the book was that all these interesting pieces never really coalesced and went anywhere. I enjoyed hearing all the vignettes, but as a whole, the book was a bit meandering. It actually worked well as an audiobook, clear and easy to follow, but I also didn’t feel compelled to prioritize listening to it, eager to hear what was coming next.
