The Weekend Post #193: Weekly Highlights & More!

Welcome to The Weekend Post #193! The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme. I will also be joining Deb at Readerbuzz for the Sunday Salon.

My Week:

It’s been a busy stretch, with moving my son last weekend and having several appointments this week. The weather has been unusually warm. We had rain during the move, but it’s been sunny since Tuesday. The daffodils are already forming their flower heads—let’s hope we avoid a late-season snow or hard freeze.

Cherry blossoms are blooming in Victoria, just across the water from Vancouver, even earlier than usual. Unfortunately, our water reservoirs depend on mountain snow, and there hasn’t been much this year. I’m hoping for a big snowfall in the mountains only, with nothing at lower elevations—but that may be asking too much.

Recent Additions To My Bookshelf:

From Publishers, Netgalley, & Libro.fm:

Stella has spent decades running from the heartbreak that drove her from her childhood village in the hills of Liguria, but a surprise birthday trip from her fiancé forces her to return and face a first love and a long-standing family rift. Meanwhile, Amy, grieving her beloved grandpa, follows the clues of a mysterious coin necklace and postcard to the Italian Riviera, where a chance encounter leads her to Stella’s village and secrets buried since the war. Set among cobbled medieval streets, sunlit piazzas, and olive groves, both women uncover unexpected truths about their families and themselves. As past and present intertwine, Stella and Amy must decide whether confronting old wounds and opening their hearts can lead them to healing, happiness, and second chances in this warm, romantic, and emotional escape to Italy.

From The Library:

When culinary student Madison Walker’s New York dreams crumble, a misdial to her brother’s best friend, James Huxley, leads to an unexpected lifeline—a head chef position at his family’s new farm-to-table restaurant in Rome, Kentucky. What she doesn’t realize is that James, who’s secretly loved her for years, created the job just for her. As they work side by side turning his vision into reality, an impulsive kiss ignites a secret relationship they try to keep hidden from the town—and her overprotective brother. But as the restaurant’s opening nears, family tensions rise and feelings deepen, forcing Madison and James to decide whether their love can survive the heat or if it’s destined to fall apart.

From Audible: None

What I’m Watching:

As I write this post on Friday morning, I’m waiting for the opening ceremonies of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina, Italy, to begin later today. If you’ve been following my Weekend Posts for a few years, you already know what a big Olympics fan I am. I’ll be watching most of the events, but my favourite is always figure skating. If you’re enjoying the Games, what’s your favourite event to watch?

On The Blog This Week:

Review: Otherwise Engaged by Susan Mallery and the Complex Bonds Between Mothers and Daughters

Can’t Wait Wednesday #174: Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden Review — Dark, Clever, and Impossible to Put Down

Celebrity Book Club Picks for February 2026

This Post: The Weekend Post #193

Next Week On That Happy Reader:

Book Review: In Your Dreams by Sarah Adams

Can’t Wait Wednesday #175

Book Review: Nantucket Weddings by Pamela Kelley

Who Wears it Better in February 2026?

The Weekend Post #194

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That’s a wrap on The Weekend Post #193. How was your week?

I wish you a wonderful week ahead!