April and May were heavy-duty reading months. In fact, the first quarter of this year and much of the second has found me with my nose in a book, trading writing time for reading until, about a month ago, I hit a wall with both. What can I say? Sometimes your brain just needs a brake, a chance to sharpen other sensibilities. That is the pure joy of writing for pleasure as opposed to food—you can afford a respite now and then.

This respite has been fairly eventful. Spring in our house always seems to come with at least one home improvement. This time, it was repainting the wall of bookshelves that constitute my precious library. Every book came down, was dusted, and piled by category on the dining room table in the interim. To hubby’s frustration (he likes projects), my inner librarian is very territorial about the “library wall”. This was a job I had to do myself. i built a giveaway-to-family-and-friends pile and another for the library book sale, which went out the door in a hurry to avoid a change of heart. The only last-minute retrievals were five Elizabeth George “Inspector Lynley” novels returned to the shelf at the 11th hour.

We who buy books are just like those who buy fabric and yarn. There’s always a new temptation. “Pre-release” ordering falls squarely into the temptation category, but I cleverly reframe it as a way to support my favorite writers. Which it is. On this year’s new release list (so far) are Alexander McCall Smith (the Isabel Dalhousie series), Donna Leon (Commissario Brunetti), Frances Mayes (another novel!) and Elizabeth Strout.

The first of my pre-orders to arrive was Monica Wood’s How to Read a Book, which I absolutely adored. I’d been hoping for a new novel by this gifted Maine writer for years. I can tell you with complete confidence that the wait was worth it, down to the last word. Wood is a wonderful, empathetic storyteller. Her earlier novels, equally worth reading, are Any Bitter Thing and The One-in-a-Million Boy. The characters in How to Read a Book, like the “leads” in the earlier novels, draw you in, make you love them and yearn in their behalf, tear up your heart and then, to the extent possible, put the pieces back together again. This is a great read. I hope you’ll put it on your list.

More great reads: Just like her latest release, Tom Lake, Ann Patchett’s Dutch House truly knocked it out of the park for me. Read about it here. I practically inhaled The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters. It’s a painful, extremely well written debut tale of deep loss in an indigenous Nova Scotia family. I finished North Woods, by Daniel Mason, whose very interesting The Piano Tuner kept me so engaged a few months ago. While I found North Woods masterful in many ways, I didn’t love it. Read about Mason and his books here.

Viewing update: I can’t resist watching Italians cook. Hubby happily shares this obsession. Our new favorite is Two Greedy Italians featuring Antonio Carluccio (sadly, now deceased) and Gennaro Contaldo—Italian chefs who settled in the UK years ago and became culinary legends there. Watching them amble through Italy, pulling fruit off trees, reminiscing about their childhoods, and cooking simple yet extraordinary dishes is a joyful experience. Both Antonio and Gennaro have published multiple cookbooks. I’m putting the one that accompanies the series on my personal wish list. You can read about Antonio and The Antonio Carluccio Foundation here. For Gennaro’s current website, click here. He’s on Instagram as well.

Just as a side note, while I’ve always made carbonara in a reasonably authentic way, Gennaro’s technique was ever so slightly different. I tried it and I’m sold. Similarly, I made the bucatini amatriciana demonstrated in the series; it was heavenly. There’s always something new to learn, isn’t there? And just in case you need a smile today, my ever faithful reading companion Enzo says hello.

Cover photo: What I’m reading now.