I’ve finally finished the book I was reading — My Brilliant Career, by Miles Franklin. Unlike some 19th-century authors, Franklin includes a lot of useful details about daily life; it’s really helped my understanding of the period.
There are also plenty of things that haven’t changed — I kept having to put the book down because it hit a bit too close to home.
Writing-wise, my progress wasn’t great: only four days of writing, and no short story. I’m hoping to get off to a better start this week.
Good luck and happy writing!
Jenkins Rising 
Some books, even if good, are hard to finish. Hope you don’t have a book hangover and that your next read is a smooth one. :)
Sounds like you’re in the “refueling your soul” phase of writing. Give yourself time. It’ll happen soon enough,