Happy Sunday! Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at ReaderBuzz. Check out her post and the links to see what other bloggers have been up to in the last week.

How’s the weather?

I’m still not getting out much, but reportedly we’ve had a string of nice summer days. Unfortunately, we’re under an excessive heat watch Sunday through Wednesday. That’s a long time for us in the St. Louis area and late in the season.

What are you reading?

I’m still working on Montana Sky by Nora Roberts. It didn’t turn out to be as compulsively readable as I hoped — too much psychotic-killing and not enough sister-bonding for my tastes.

I finished How Much of These Hills is Gold by C. Pam Zhang just in time for our book group meeting on Thursday. We had a great discussion! Novels are fun for us, but sometimes are harder to talk about than the nonfiction that we usually read. This one proved to be rich in material.

For me, the best part was adding another layer on my knowledge of the Gold Rush. We were taught as children about the 49ers in a way that is all romantic adventure. At various times, I’ve learned new-to-me information about who really made the money in the Gold Rush. How Much of These Hills is Gold added some new pieces about who was victimized in the process and what damage was done to the land.

Audiobooks aren’t working for me, at the moment. That may come back when the heat wave is over and I’m able to walk outdoors again.

What are you watching?

I’m still watching The Umbrella Academy. I’m hooked! I’m less than half-way through Season 2 and there’s still a Season 3 to watch.

What are you doing?

Both Rick and I tested negative for COVID on Saturday morning, so I got out for my usual Black Lives Matter vigil. We weren’t going out much before this, but it’s nice to think that we can do that without infecting other people.

What are you writing?

I reviewed Kate Humble’s Coastal Britain for British Isles Friday. What a lovely show to watch while I was recovering from COVID!

I’m plugging away at my novel by working out my plot in a way that better illuminates the journey of my main character. It feels a bit like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, except that I get to reshape the pieces to make them work in the picture that I want to create.

How are you this fine Sunday?