The Sunday Salon #2

Welcome to my second ever Sunday Salon with Deb Nance at Readerbuzz! I'm trying to join the linkup on the last Sunday of every month to share both life news and bookish updates.

All covers are linked to Goodreads.

February News

1. Lots of birthdays this month! I went to a friend's birthday party a few weeks ago where, instead of presents, she requested that everyone bring a song, poem, or story to share. This is an annual tradition, but it was my first time going. It was such an enjoyable evening–and I think I need to read The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion now! (It was featured in one of the readings and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.) The day after that, I was supposed to go to another friend's birthday party, but it got postponed. Then, a week ago, my best friend and I celebrated her birthday at our favorite local restaurant. It's been our tradition for several years now that we meet up at this restaurant to celebrate our birthdays together. We always look forward to it so much–and the timing works out perfectly, because our birthdays are six months apart. And, finally, my cousin's birthday was on Valentine's Day, but we celebrated it with the family yesterday.

2. Back in the middle of the month, my husband and I went to a local Italian restaurant to celebrate Valentine's Day as well as our half anniversary. We'd been eyeing this particular restaurant for a while, and unfortunately it wasn't as good as we'd hoped, but it was a fun evening nonetheless. I can't believe we've already been married for two and a half years!

3. Back in December, my sister told me about the Anti Brain Rot Reading Challenge hosted by Jananie Velu (@thisstoryaintover). While I decided not to do the challenge this year, I've been watching some of her YouTube shorts and trying to read more BIPOC authors. Through Jananie, I found out about Boundless Press/Bindery Books, and I want to spread the word! I can already tell this will be a resource I come back to again and again. According to their website, "Bindery is an independent publisher building a more diverse and equitable world of books. We partner with influential bookish tastemakers to identify stories that resonate, then publish them with the support of an enthusiastic network of book influencers—reaching millions of readers." I'm excited to dig into some of the titles in their virtual bookshop!

Just Finished Reading

I was feeling a little under the weather last week, so I took some time off work and managed to finish three books!

On Wednesday, I finished A Tale of Time City by Diana Wynne Jones. This was one of the books I got for Christmas and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

On Thursday, I finished The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston. This is the March book for the ladies' book club at my church, but apparently it's hard to get a hold of at the library right now, so one of the other book club members, who owns this book, loaned it to me last Sunday–on the condition that I bring it back in a week (this Sunday!). So I had to put one of my library books (which I wasn't enjoying anyway) on pause and read this. It turned out to be such a quick and satisfying read! Very emotional, though, which I wasn't quite prepared for haha. This was my first five-star read of 2026.

On Friday, I finished Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat. This was a deeply moving and profoundly sad memoir weaving twentieth century Haitian history together with the author's life and the lives of her father and uncle.

Currently Reading

I'm currently cringing my way through Everything's Coming Up Rosie by Courtney Walsh. I'm determined to finish it because 1) my pastor's wife recommended it and 2) it has a ladder on the cover, which makes it perfect for the tricky 2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge prompt, "something you might use for a home improvement project". Who knows, maybe it'll get better!

I'm also reading Detour by Rob Hart and Jeff Rake, and so far enjoying that quite a bit more than ECUR. This is the first new release I've read in 2026! (There's a bit of a lag time for me, as most of the books I read come from the library.) 

I just started The Compound by Aisling Rawle yesterday. I'm only a few pages in, so I can't make any judgments yet.

Last Week on the Blog

Ranking All the Snow White Retellings I've Read

Do you have any cherished birthday traditions? Have you heard of the Anti Brain Rot Reading Challenge or Bindery Books? I've love to hear from you in the comments!