School started this week and things got BUSY quickly! Whether it was trying to track down scholarship students, making a recording with an ensemble, or getting technology to actually work properly, I have been running most of the week. I don’t mean to imply that I’m not enjoying the work — I am! There is life and excitement in the music wing once again and I am all for it. My reading life, however, has taken a bit of a hit as a result of the new schedule.
Now I find myself looking for any available moment to get in a few pages throughout the day. Graded essays for 90 minutes? I deserve a 15 minute reading break. Taking a walk around the indoor track? I’ll listen to a few chapters of an audio book. Some of my current reads are easy to insert into my day — especially ebooks. Others provide more of a challenge.
What I Finished This Week
Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto. If you follow me on social media, you probably saw that I asked for book recommendations from my friends recently. I got a LOT of really good recommendations that have been added to my TBR. The reason for the post, however, was to fulfill a prompt for the Summer Beach Reads challenge. I took the first 6 recommendations I received, assigned a number to each, and rolled the die. This musical enemies-to-lovers was the selected book. It is the story of Xander and Gwen, two musicians who find each other despite many obstacles. While I did enjoy the story itself, I found myself distracted and reflecting on the manipulation of the characters by family, agents, and colleagues. While my heart broke for the musicians, I found myself thinking about how the industry needs to change and wondering how I can begin to prepare my own students for the cut-throat world they will probably face after graduation. 3.5 stars.
What I’m Currently Reading
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim (2:56 of 8:09). This is my current book for when I’m on the move — either in the car for a drive or walking around the track. It is the story of four British women who rent an Italian castle for a glorious vacation away from all responsibility for the month of April. The premise is intriguing. The narrator, however, is a real challenge for me, but I’ve decided I’m going to push through. Here’s hoping that things begin to get better with this read now that the women have arrived at the castle and are experiencing their first conflict.
Voyager by Diana Gabaldon (p. 427 of 870). I’m struggling with this read at the moment. I think it is all about the size of the book, honestly. I’m just not at a place where diving into a massive read is enticing to me. I’m trying to convince myself that since there are only 443 pages remaining in the book that it is just like a normal weekly read at this point. The story is great. The writing is outstanding. It’s just big! This is the final read for the 2026 Big Book Summer challenge for me; that means I technically just need to finish by Labor Day, but I’d really like to get it off of my plate sooner. Here’s hoping….
Reading for Me 
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