Friday Five

It was a busy first week of summer break - filled mostly with working at school.  I will take some time off eventually, but I also want to leave things in order.  

We had some big storms on Thursday that brought lots of rain very quickly, but cooler temps are ahead for our seven day forecast.  

I do love hot weather, but I can also appreciate weather that is mild enough that sitting outside and reading is something I can do without sweat dripping off me.  

Here are some things that caught my eye this week:  

1.  Willow Top 

2.  Women's VL Court 3.0 Sneaker

3.  New Balance 327 Sneakers- this item continues to be one I notice since NB keeps producing new colors.  I love the metallic addition to this one.

4.  Coastal Camo Wide Leg Pants

5.  Striped Crochet Mini Dress

6.  Opal Knit Tank

7.  Transit Quilted Carryall Tote

8.  Z Supply Kylo Polo Sweater

9.  Estelle Mesh Top in Lavender

Documentary with Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova

That's it for me this week.  What's caught your eye?

Waiting on Wednesday: Peck and Peck

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature where I highlight a soon to be released novel I can't wait to read.

This week's pick: Peck and Peck by Bonnie Garmus

Due out October 27, 2026

Synopsis taken from Amazon:

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry returns with an irresistible, delightful, and tender story about a young man whose life turns upside down when he is hired by the most prestigious, secretive, and dysfunctional poetry journal in the world: the renowned Peck & Peck of New York City.

Batter Gray is worried about his future. Even when he was eleven, his classmates seemed to have settled on a goal: doctor, lawyer, broker, engineer. Good jobs that automatically command respect, security, 401Ks. Now Batter is in his early twenties, living in New York City, and he wants something different; something that alienates some readers and bores most. Poetry. And yet—to him and exactly thirty-nine editors at a company called Peck & Peck—poetry not only represents the power of humanity but holds the key to its survival.

Batter is named after his mother’s heroic dog. An identical twin who lost his brother at birth, he finds himself confronted by the everyday dualities that make up life: right vs. wrong, truth vs. lies, rejection vs. acceptance. It’s almost as if his dead brother is a reminder: there are always two sides to every story.

No, wait. Make that three.

Mini-Reviews: Rom-Com To Kick Off Summer

The end of the school year brings about such busyness that a rom-com is about all I want to read.  These typically keep my attention and are fast and enjoyable.  These four are my latest reads.

 

Phoebe Berman's Losing It by Brooke Averick is an enjoyable story about Phoebe who is approaching her 30th birthday and is still a virgin.  She would love to be in a relationship but anxiety (and an unfortunate experience that included vomiting on a guy) has prevented her from ever getting close to anyone.  There was a development in this one I didn't see coming, but this is a solid rom-com.

Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews isn't a true rom-com, but when I think of summer reading, MKA books are a staple.  Generally set in the South, this time MKA has placed her story in Ireland as sisters are forced to take a week-long trip together to find the origin of a painting their mother had in her possession.  As they clean out their recently deceased mom's house and realize that both have no money and there is no inheritance, the possibility that this painting could be worth something is one the sisters can't ignore.

Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune is one I haven't quite finished up yet.  It's Frankie's wedding weekend and she's not sure if George, her childhood best friend will even show up to be her best man. But he does, and when the wedding is called off, George suggests that the two of them go on the honeymoon for the week.  I feel like I already know how this will end, but I'm also OK with that.  Carley Fortune is hit or miss for me, so we'll see how this one ends.

Dolly All The Time by Annabel Monaghan is Monaghan at her best.  Dolly has always been the one to take care of things having assumed many responsibilities after her mom left when she was a teenager.  She and her son are coming to stay with her dad for the summer to help out, and runs into Stewart Whitfield a wealthy bachelor who is getting over a bad breakup.  Dolly is in need of a new roof and Stewart is needing a girlfriend for the sake of publicity, so the two strike up an arrangement that benefits them both.  I could see where this was going, but it didn't bother me a bit.  I've read everything Monaghan's written and this is her at her finest.

I am sure I'll find a few more rom-coms this summer to enjoy, and I'm looking forward to more leisure reading.

Friday Five

Friday was the official last day of the school year - but with the changes coming next year and the fact that I had four buildings to clean up, I am not really done.  I will probably go in for shorter times and I won't go in nearly as early, but I want to leave everything cleaned up for the fall.  

For the first summer in quite a few years, there is no summer school being offered, so I am truly off for the summer.  I'm not sure I will like that, but I do have a house that I'd like to go through and purge of clutter.  

And meanwhile, while I'm purging things, I am also finding a lot of clothing that I'd like to purchase.  It never ends.

Enjoy this week's finds!

 

1.  Textured Knit Button-Front Shell Top

2.  Oversized Cotton Twill Popover Shirt

3.  Arizona Big Buckle Raffia

4.  Fiorella Graphic Shorts

5.  Gabby Top

6.  Adidas Originals Taekwondo Mei Ballet

7.  100% Suede Driver Loafer

8.  Pilcro Swing Sweater Tank

9.  Women's Mackie Mary Jane Espadrille Flats

10.  The Royal Wedding of Peter Philips and Harriet Sperling

 That's it for me this week. What's caught your eye?

Waiting on Wednesday: Whale Harbor

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature where I highlight a soon to be released novel I can't wait to read.

This week's pick: Whale Harbor by Mary Beth Keane 

Due out: September 29, 2026

Synopsis taken from Amazon:

From New York Times bestselling author of the “magnificent” (Fresh Air), “propulsive” (People), and “profound” (Vogue) Ask Again, Yes, a sweeping multi-generational saga inspired by the author's own family history, following eleven brothers torn apart and set on different paths between Ireland, England, Montana, and New York.

1960s, Ireland. In the wake of tragedy, a father makes choices for his eleven grieving sons. The older brothers will emigrate to England for work, while the younger ones will stay behind. The second eldest, Macdara, is offered a job on a Montana cattle ranch and sets off. His spirited younger brother Rian begs Mac to take him along and Mac promises to bring Rian to America as soon as he's old enough. But then one day Mac gets a call that Rian has disappeared. It's a call that will haunt Mac and his family across decades.

Spanning lifetimes and continents, Whale Harbor is an expansive and unforgettable novel written with award-winning author Mary Beth Keane's signature wit, eloquence, and attention to the emotional resonance of family.

Friday Five: June Is Upon Us

 Many of the small school districts surrounding the one I work in have already finished up for the year.  I still have another full week and then perhaps even a little bit more since I have four buildings to close up and neither of the two paras I was allotted made it through the year (one lasted twelve days!).  On a day to day basis, I hobbled through.  But the damaged books I didn't have time to repair, the weeding I couldn't get done, the organization/re-organization that was started and never completed is all awaiting me.  

I'm hoping next year is less stressful when we return in August.  

I've found some nice warm weather clothing and if I weren't crawling around moving books all over the place, I would love to wear them.  Right now I'm showing up in clothes I can get dirty in.  

June is right around the corner and I am so ready!

1.  USA Navy and Ivory Striped Sweater

2.  Voy Maeve Top

3.  Divy Woven Ballet Flats

4.  Gauze Soft Gathered Shirt

5.  We The Free Benny Boat Loafer

6.  Preston Linen Short

7.  Women's Lands End T&T the Tiffany Midkini Square Neck Set

8.  Airy Denim Utility Pocket Shirt

9.  Heritage Madras Stallings Button Down

10.  You're Killing Me - new series starring Brooke Shields on Acorn TV

That's it for me this week.  What's caught your eye?

Waiting on Wednesday: The Thoroughbreds

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature where I highlight a soon to be released novel I can't wait to read.

This week's pick: The Thoroughbreds by Elin Hilderbrand

Due out: Septemer 15, 2026

Synopsis taken from Amazon:

September at Tiffin Academy is always a heady time, especially for the senior class—“sixth formers,” in Tiffin-speak—a season of college applications and intense pressure, of partying hard and last hurrahs. As the chapel bells ring in students and staff, everyone has something to look forward to—but in the midst of the anticipation and excitement, nagging questions and dark secrets lurk beneath the surface…
 
Are Tiffin’s It Couple, Charley and East, on the rocks? What sparked the rift between football star Dub and his best friend Hakeem? Will Pippa Sacks, posh day student, topple the delicate social hierarchy—or wreak even worse havoc? Can Head of School Audre Robinson save her job—and the school—after a disastrous financial mistake? And what was in that email attachment Cinnamon Peters sent to Dub before she died? 
 
Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter Shelby Cunningham answer these questions and more in The Thoroughbreds, a page-turning story about friendship, treachery, ambition, and growing up, at any age.

Friday Five: A Monday Post When The Weekend Gets Away From You

 It's Memorial Day and I am just now getting around to publishing Friday's post.  We've had a busy weekend here with all the girls being home (the older two just for visits and Little Sister is home for the summer), and one of my best friends and her daughter are here as well, visiting from North Carolina.

I'm trying not to look at any great Memorial Day sales because I know I will find something I love but don't actually need.

However, I did manage to find plenty of thing to share with you.  Enjoy!   

1. Lina Midi Dress in Gingham

2.  Jeffrey Campbell Gum Drop Studded Jelly Sandals

3.  Pilcro Short Sleeve Smock Tee

4.  Riptide One-Piece Black Cocoa Dot

5.  Fate Gauze Short Sleeve Top

6.  Smocked Peplum Top

7.  The Perfect Crewneck Tee

8.  Smocked Shell Tank Top in Floral

9.  Swim Cover-Up Mini Dress

10. Puff Sleeve Maxi Dress

That's it for me this week. What's caught your eye?

Waiting on Wednesday: Hollow Bones

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature where I highlight a soon to be released book I can't wait to read.

This week's pick: Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult

Due out September 22, 2026

Synopsis taken from Amazon:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of By Any Other Name comes a riveting novel about the risks we take to protect the ones we love in a world where crisis is always just around the corner.

On September 11, 2001, when Molly Fitzgerald was only two months old, her mother went to an appointment at the World Trade Center and never came home. Her father and the stepmother who raised her couldn’t have loved her more, but she still grew up with a healthy dread of disasters.

Now an adult, she runs the Rhode Island Department for Emergency Preparedness, mapping out ways to save lives during storms, epidemics, and airplane crashes. She and her husband, Jesse—a police polygraph expert with his own history of crisis—have found a love that is a solace in a dangerous world. But then the unexpected upends their new marriage, leading them both to question everything they thought they knew.

Moving between past and present, Hollow Bones is an epic story of the lies we tell ourselves as we write the narratives of our lives, the plans we design to protect ourselves at the worst moments, and the ties that bind mothers and daughters.