My nightstand is overflowing with some really interesting reads lately. Unfortunately it’s been a bit of a busy week and I haven’t had a chance to spend as much time with my reads as I would like to but I did want to share a few notes on my current reads with you. So here they are:

Upstream by Mary Oliver. I started this book of essays on New Year’s day and have slowly read an essay or two here and there. These are like wonderful moments captured reminding us to be observant and to enjoy nature. I think it might rain quite a bit this weekend and I may have family in town but if things change and it’s a great day, then I want to go outside and look at trees and watch for surprises in nature.

The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen. As I mentioned earlier this week, this is my audiobook for the gym. So far this has been a great audio and easy to keep up with as there’s quite a bit of action. A dead body on the first paragraph, first page.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. I carried over this book from last year. I am putting sticky notes all over and enjoying this one a lot.

Lock The Door by Jane Holland. A missing baby and a lot of suspects. I’m trying to read this one during my lunch break and so far I like  it. I have my suspicions so I’m looking forward to see if I am right.

The Woman Who Walked In Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith. I just started this one the other night but it’s the one I will have to focus on this weekend as it’s my book group read and we meet next week. Despite not having kept up with the series I don’t feel left out. The characters are just as I remember them and I’m happy to see that things are still going well for Mma Ramotswe and her friends and family.

So that’s what’s on my nightstand. What are you reading? Hope you have a wonderful weekend and more book talk soon!

Here’s a book I’ve recently picked up which I thought would be great for First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea. Here’s the first chapter intro:

“Already the flies were swarming. Four hours on the hot pavement of South Boston has baked the pulverized flesh, releasing the chemical equivalent of a dinner bell, and the air was alive with buzzing flies. Though what remains of the torso was now covered with a sheet, there was still much exposed tissue for scavengers to feast on. Bits of gray matter and other unidentifiable parts were dispersed in a radius of thirty feet along the street. A skull fragment had landed in a second-story flower, box and clumps of tissue adhered to parked cars.”

I hope you weren’t eating as you were reading this intro. How is this for grabbing your attention? This is from The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen, the second book in the Rizzoli & Isles series.

Technically I’m not “reading” this book but I chose it as the audiobook for my walks. I don’t do audiobooks often as I tend to lose focus easily but when I do get one, I like something that’s easy to keep up and I think this one fits the bill. I know I’ve read some of Gerritsen’s books before but it’s been a while and I can’t remember if I’ve read anything in this series. What about you, have you tried this author before and based on this intro would you keep reading?