Archives - Weekly Update

The task of shoveling or plowing has been a chore for many this week. But did you ever think that if you listened to an audiobook while clearing snow, you could measure by pages read instead of inches or feet shoveled? This multitasking would be a lot more fulfilling! “I listened to five chapters, and the driveway is done.” That sounds so much better than just saying, “I shoveled the driveway.”

I, like many of you, have been watching the Olympics. I always think about the years of training that goes into one race, one performance. “It all comes down to this.” I was blown away by the performances that Alysa Liu turned out, especially the one for her long program. I felt like she was skating for herself, not for the judges. She had walked away from the sport and came back to it with fresh eyes. She wanted to be there after a few years of living life as a teen, not just as a skater. Every move on that ice had flow. It did not feel like a required element; it was filled with a passion of “I want to do this!”

So far, we have survived Friday the 13th, but alas there are a few hours to go as I write this. Here comes another holiday weekend, and I confess that the pace around here is so brisk that we really could use a holiday weekend every month. The fact that the next one is not until Memorial Day is tough. We need the time to catch our breath as we have lots going on, some of which you are seeing now and some that is to come!

I went into the year with four bookshelves organized for 2026 by month, ready to stay on top of all of the books that I wanted to read. But one month in, I already am behind. That said, I have enjoyed what I have read --- and there are some titles that I am interested in reading after going through this newsletter.

I feel that in this industry we talk a lot about books before they come out, but when they hit the shelves for readers to read them, the conversation dies down. I want to keep it going. Do others of you feel that way?