Category: Weekly Book Memes

Top Ten Tuesday | Books Beginning with B

Posted November 18, 2024 by Haze in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Book Memes / 13 Comments

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.

Today’s topic is Oldest (aka Earliest Published) Books On My TBR (submitted by Nicole @ BookWyrm Knits).

I sort of already have a list of earliest published books on my TBR, for The Classics Club challenge, so I decided to go with the next alphabet on my easy go-to topic; Books Beginning with B. (I can’t believe I’m only on the second letter!)

Top Ten Books Beginning with B

  1. Bear by Marian Engel – This is a weird but interesting book. I’m not sure if I would recommend it to anyone, except for the sake of curiosity. I buddy read it with some friends and we did get some interesting discussions out of it though.
  2. The Bodyguard by Katherine Center – I loved this one! Katherine Center has become one of my favorite authors, and I’d probably read anything she writes.
  3. Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree – Another one I loved! I love Viv, and I love her friends, and I love the whole cozy bookshop setting as well. And obviously, the best thing for me about these books is the found family aspect, because I love found families!
  4. The Bad Weather Friend by Dean Koontz – This one was okay. It’s a good and fun read, but nothing really special stood out for me.
  5. The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie – I wasn’t sure about this book at first because the characters were so unlikeable in the beginning, but I ended up really loving it and the characters!
  6. Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane – This has been on my TBR for ages and I’m trying my best to get to it soon! I love the author’s other books, and I’m sure I’ll love this one too, I just have to read it.
  7. The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey – The first book of an amazing series! I highly recommend this one!
  8. The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed – I have not read this one, but it’s been praised a lot and I am very interested in the premise!
  9. Barbed Wire Heart by Tess Sharpe – Tess Sharpe is so great at writing badass young female protagonists! I loved this one and also The Girls I’ve Been, which is supposed to be made into a movie starring Millie Bobby Brown, but I haven’t any news about it since.
  10. Book of Night by Holly Black – I’m a huge fan of Holly Black, and I loved this story and the characters! There’s also supposed to be a sequel coming out next year and I cannot wait to dive back into the story!

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?

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Top Ten Tuesday | Witches, Witches, Everywhere

Posted November 11, 2024 by Haze in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Book Memes / 33 Comments

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.

Today’s topic is Destination Titles (titles with name of places in them. These places can be real or fiction!) 

Looking up books with destination titles, I came across a lot of titles with witches from somewhere or other, and I decided to focus my list today on them! It’s also because I ended up adding so many of these to my TBR and book addicts love company, so I’m obliged to share these in the hopes you’ll add some to your TBR too!

Top Ten Books with Witches Everywhere

  1. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare – I don’t remember reading this, but it’s listed as read on my GR and I gave it 2/5 stars! I don’t know if I clicked it by accident or if I really didn’t like it, but I must (re)read it soon to find out for sure!
  2. The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho – I haven’t read a lot of Coelho but I did like The Alchemist. I’ll probably read this one too someday.
  3. The Witches of New York by Ami McKay – This is one where witchcraft and medical science collides. It sounds delightfully creepy and mysterious and I am very interested in reading it.
  4. The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike – I feel like I’ve heard about this one before and also the author, but the ratings aren’t very good. That makes me very curious!
  5. The Witch of Tin Mountain by Paulette Kennedy – This one follows three generations of women and as with many witch stories, has vibes of unfair prosecution of witches. Gothic horror and historical fiction, sounds right up my alley!
  6. The Stone Witch of Florence by Anna Rasche – The MC uses gemstones to heal the sick, but has to play nice with others to get herself recognized as a physician. This one sounds really good too, and I love the cover!
  7. The Witch of Little Italy by Suzanne Palmieri – This one looks so charming and light-hearted compared to the other books listed here. The author has several books about witches in other places as well; The Witch of Belladonna Bay, The Witch of Bourbon Street, but I chose to go with this one because it’s her debut.
  8. The Last Witch of Scotland by Philip Paris – Inspired by the true story of the last person to be executed for witchcraft in Britain. I need to read this!
  9. The Witch of Napoli by Michael Schmicker – Aaahhh, the battle between science and religion! Personally, I believe that science and spirituality are compatible with each other. Religion is a different story, however.
  10. The Witch of Cologne by Tobsha Learner – A sexy, witchy romance! Sign me up! This author’s name is very familiar to me but I can’t remember where I heard about her.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?

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Sunday Post | Conquered

Posted November 9, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 9 Comments

Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings. 

The Conqueror Challenge

I did it!! I finished my first challenge with The Conqueror Challenge with two days to spare!

Honestly, ever since the weather started getting cooler, I’ve been having a harder time with motivating myself to run and the last few weeks were hard. The Conqueror Challenge helps to motivate me, but even then I was almost going to extend my time goal because I felt so demotivated last week.

Posting about it here kept me accountable, and made me want to finish the challenge sooner so that I would be able to share on this Sunday Post that I did it!

So yes! I did it! I finished the last 5.2km just this morning! And it may or may not be a big deal for anyone else – we are all on our own personal journeys – but it’s a big deal to me and I’m proud of myself!

I just sent in for my medal and I’ll post a picture of it as soon as I receive it! Now on to the next challenge!

And other things

My project is coming along nicely. I have a little anxiety about not being able to make it in time, or that I won’t do a good job, but I keep reminding myself that finished is better than perfect. I’m sorry for being so mysterious about it but I promise that I’ll tell all once it’s done!

I’ve also been busy crocheting Christmas gifts. I’m a little late starting, but I’ve got some time and I think I’ll be able to finish in time. It’s great because I get to listen to audiobooks while crocheting, doing two of my favorite things at the same time!

As for books and reading; I only finished a single book last week. I’m still working through my 60-hour audiobook, Super Powereds: Year 4 by Drew Hayes, so I have an excuse!!

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. Dear Enemy by Jean Webster – It’s unfair to compare it with Daddy-Long-Legs because they’re totally different stories but it’s hard not to compare them either. I love Daddy-Long-Legs too much and the first time I read Dear Enemy, I didn’t like it much at all. I loved it more this time around because I was able to manage my expectations this time and have a better reading experience.

Book(s) I’m reading:

  1. Super Powereds: Year 4 by Drew Hayes – On hour 37 of a 60-hour audiobook. I knew it was going to take up a chunk of the week! But I’m loving it and I don’t want it to end either. My only consolation is that the author has got other books I can read, but I’m sure I’ll miss these characters and this story.
  2. Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan – I am 25% into this book and I am loving it! The MC gets sucked into the world of her favorite books and it is so fun!!

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

I have so many books accumulating on my TBR because I spent so many hours with the Super Powered series. Maybe once I finish Super Powereds: Year 4, I’ll be able to make a dent on my TBR again!

How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!

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Top Ten Tuesday | Books with Pianos on the Cover

Posted November 4, 2024 by Haze in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Book Memes / 39 Comments

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.

Today’s topic is Books with [Item] on the Cover

I chose pianos for the item on the cover because I’ve been trying to be better on the piano and I’m hoping to motivate myself to practice a little more. It’s not working but hey, at least I found some books with gorgeous covers!

Top Ten Books with Pianos on the Cover

  1. The Piano Man’s Daughter by Timohy Findley – This is a historical fiction set in Canada. I have not read or heard of the author, but it’s got great reviews and I’m curious about it.
  2. The Secret Pianist by Andie Newton – A newly published historical fiction that reminds me of books in the vein of Madeline Martin. It’s set during WW2 and gives me the same kind of vibes.
  3. Pianos and Flowers by Alexander McCall Smith – I read his book, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency years ago and enjoyed it but I’ve never read anything since. This is a book of short stories so maybe a good place to get back into his stories.
  4. Death in D Minor by Alexia Gordon – The second book in the Gethsemane Brown Mysteries series with a classical musician as the mystery-solving protagonist.
  5. The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield – This is a picture book that sounds absolutely adorable! I think I’d love to read it.
  6. Forbidden Melody by Magnolia Robbins – An LGBT romance that looks really good. Two musicians falling in love, that sounds right up my alley!
  7. Mad Boys by Heather Long – This is the second book in a new adult, reverse harem romance series, not something I’m usually interested in, but I love the cover!
  8. Lessons by Ian McEwan – I’ve only ever read Atonement by the author, but this one sounds really good too!
  9. Crescendo by Allen Cheney – This is a biography but I don’t know anything about the person of topic, Fred Allen. I do love the cover though.
  10. Middle C by William H. Gass – I don’t even know what this book is about, but I love the representation of part of a piano on the cover and had to include it!

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?

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Sunday Post | Halloween Hype

Posted November 2, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 16 Comments

Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings. 

All the Ghouls and Ghosts

The highlight of last week was Halloween!

We don’t really “celebrate” Halloween in Malaysia and we’ve never gone trick-or-treating, but now that we’re in Canada and immersed in the Halloween culture, we loved watching the Halloween decorations pop up throughout October and we wanted to check out all the festivities!

We didn’t think to get costumes this year and we weren’t planning to participate or anything, but people everywhere were so friendly and welcoming (some tried to be frightening, which is fair enough!) we ended up making some friends and getting invitations to come back next year. It was a lot of fun and a wonderful highlight of the week!

Also, I’m aware that I’ve been behind on visiting blogs and replying comments. I’ve been trying to catch up with all the things I fell behind on the last few weeks and I’m making some good progress! I’m anticipating some busy weeks ahead as we’re trying to hit a deadline, but I want to be more present here as well. I might end up cutting down on post frequency and book reviews but I’m really hoping I won’t have to, or if I do, that it will only be temporary.

The Conqueror Challenge

I’m still behind on my progress with The Conqueror Challenge. I only did a little more than 15km out of my 20km/week goal. I do have nine more days to go and about 24km more to go, so hopefully I’ll be able to get that done.

We can set our own goals so I could technically push back the time frame if I need to, but I really want to try to hit it if I can. I had a bad run (pun intended) these last three weeks, but I did account for bad days when I set the goal.

Nine days is only a little more than a week, and I’ve only been doing 15-20km a week. 24km a week would be pushing it, but hey, that’s why it’s a challenge. I’m going to give it a final push this week, because I’m also really excited about completing the goal and getting the medal! And also starting a new challenge immediately after!

All the happy things:

  1. I had the best time on Halloween night!
  2. Shared some hot cocoa with my husband late one night and had a wonderful time just talking.
  3. We had our in-person bookclub meeting this morning! And we had a new person join us today!
  4. My bookclub friends and I went for lunch after the meeting and continued the chat and fun. Bookish friends are the best!
  5. I am almost 80% done with my first The Conqueror Challenge!
  6. We made some great strides in the project that I’m doing! Exciting things are coming soon!

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young – I really liked how different it was. It was really fast-paced as well, so I finished it quickly.
  2. The Girl from the Other Side Vol. 11 by Nagabe – This is the final book in the series and I’m a little disappointed with how it ended, but I enjoyed the experience of reading it.
  3. Super Powereds: Year 3 by Drew Hayes – More fun with bad writing! This time it was all the blondes that stood out; the author kept referring to some of the characters as “their blonde friend”, “their blonde classmate”, “their blonde opponent”, etc. There were other hair colors too, but it was the blondes who stood out. I am still having so much fun with the series!

Book(s) I’m reading:

  1. Super Powereds: Year 4 by Drew Hayes – I cannot wait to dive into more of the story!
  2. Dear Enemy by Jean Webster – This is the sequel to Daddy-Long-Legs and I have read it before but not as many times as Daddy-Long-Legs so I’m refreshing my memory.

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

Super Powereds: Year 4 is a 60-hour audiobook so it’s probably going to take up the chunk of this week, but I might intersperse it with other shorter books in between.

How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!

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Top Ten Tuesday | Books About Vampires

Posted October 28, 2024 by Haze in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Book Memes / 29 Comments

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.

Today’s topic is Halloween Freebie

I decided to go with vampire stories for today’s topic because there’s been so many vampire stories I’ve loved. Except Twilight, I did not like Twilight so I didn’t include it, but I do recognize its popularity. I’ve listed some of my favorite vampire books here although I haven’t read the last three. They feel familiar to me because I’ve watched the movies and there are so many pop culture references to them. In any case, I could do with a reread for almost all of these books!

Top Ten Books About Vampires

  1. Sunshine by Robin McKinley – This is one of my all-time favorite vampire books, and an author I love in general. It has been a long while since I read this, so definitely time for a reread!
  2. ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King – I have such fond memories of listening to this on audio during a thunderstorm while being home alone. I spoiled the atmosphere a little by turning on every single light in the house, but I was still very creeped out by it. I loved the experience so much!
  3. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black – Another favorite! And another favorite author! I thought this book was a very interesting take on vampires and a very different vampire story.
  4. Thirst series by Christopher Pike – My first vampire love. The first of the series came out more than two decades ago and I loved it as a teenager. It’s a bit dated but you never forget your first love.
  5. Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead – I devoured the series! I read it more than a decade ago but I remember loving them so much at the time.
  6. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova – I remember really enjoying the story although missing a lot of the details, especially because of POV and timeline switches, but I do intend to read this again eventually.
  7. The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes – I thought this was such a fun read and intended to read the rest of the series but never got to them for some reason. Now that I’m reading Super Powereds by the same author and loving it, I’m definitely planning to come back to this one.
  8. Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist – I thought I read this but I might be wrong. I’m quite certain I watched both the movies though! I think? I remember being immersed in this story and yet I’m doubting myself now.
  9. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice – I definitely watched the movie! I might have read the book but I don’t remember, so it’s time to (re)read it either way!
  10. Dracula by Bram Stoker – I know I didn’t read this one but I’ve been meaning to for ages! The last time I tried, I did a stupid thing and listened to it to go to sleep, and I was very rudely awakened by a screaming evil voice that scared me so much I couldn’t go back to sleep!

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?

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Sunday Post | Under The Weather

Posted October 26, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 4 Comments

Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings. 

Under the Weather

I came down with a cold the first half of last week and was pretty much tired the whole of the week. I was quite miserable, not just because of the cold, but also because I was already behind with work since the week before and I’d intended to catch up last week but only got further behind. I didn’t even do the Top Ten Tuesday for the week, and I haven’t caught up to replying comments either. 😭

As for The Conqueror Challenge, I didn’t do well since I was sick, but I did push a little more towards the end of the week and got 18km out of my 20km goal. I should mention that 6km of it was only done this morning.

Really hoping for a better, healthier, and more productive week coming up!

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. Super Powereds: Year 1 by Drew Hayes – I’m enjoying this series so much even though I mentioned earlier that the writing is quite amateurish. The story and the characters are really good though!
  2. Super Powereds: Year 2 by Drew Hayes – The first book was 26 hours, this one was 32 hours and just as entertaining. I just finished it last night!
  3. Pet Sematary by Stephen King – This is both a buddy read on my online bookclub, and the BOTM for my in-person bookclub! It’s harrowing, horrifying, and soooo good!

Book(s) I’m reading:

  1. Super Powereds: Year 3 by Drew Hayes – A whopping 41 hours on audio! I just started it this morning.
  2. The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young – It’s been on my TBR and it’s also a buddy read. I’m only on Chapter 4 right now.

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

It’s the last week of the month so I have some wrapping up to do. I’d like to try to finish a couple more books before the month is over too.

How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!

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Sunday Post | Birthday and Other Things

Posted October 19, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 11 Comments

Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings. 

Ups and Downs

Last week started off with news that one of our friends had a heart attack and was in the hospital. He’s a very dear and beloved friend and we were very worried when we got the news, but he was in great spirits when we visited him at the hospital and it put our minds at ease. He’s already had tests done and he’s well enough to be discharged back home, which is great! We will be visiting him again this weekend.

Last weekend was also the Canada Thanksgiving long weekend, and my birthday was on Monday. We got my favorite Sichuan food to celebrate and I meant to take pictures but I was a glutton and ate before I remembered!

The highlight of my week was meeting with Susan from The Cue Card this morning. I was so excited when I realized she lives relatively close to me, and I think this is the first time I’ve ever met a fellow blogger in real life. The most wonderful thing about it is that you’ve got lots to talk about because you’re both into books and reading! We had so much fun talking and we found out that we had a lot in common.

My husband and I also hung out later and had a late lunch after his work. We shared and had a little of both dishes because we wanted to try each other’s orders and they were both great! And I did manage to take pictures this time before I gobbled it all down!

The Conqueror Challenge

I didn’t do as well on The Conqueror Challenge last week compared to the week before. My goal is to get at least 20km per week, but I only got 15km last week. Hopefully I’ll make up for it this week.

It has been a tiring week but more emotionally and mentally than for an actual physical reason. It did translate over to me feeling physically tired though and not only did I not run as much as I wanted, I had to reschedule some plans I initially made because I didn’t have the energy for them. I didn’t even manage to work as much on my project as I had hoped.

I’m going to try to make up for everything else that got put off last week, not just the running, but I still don’t feel at my best yet, so I’m not sure if I’m going to end up taking some extra time this week also.

It’s hard not to feel pressured and guilty about not getting things done, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that it is important to put your own mental and emotional health first (also physical health!).

All the happy things:

  1. So much good food! All the yummy stuff!
  2. Meeting a fellow book blogger! I loved meeting with Susan, and I hope we’ll see each other again soon!
  3. So grateful that our friend is doing well and recovering at home now.
  4. So grateful that I am one year older and wiser.

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. Exhalation by Ted Chiang – Wow, these stories really made me think. I enjoyed some stories more than others, but I think they were all really good.
  2. The Shining by Stephen King – This is a reread and a buddy read. The last time I read it was more than a decade ago so there’s a lot I don’t remember, but I loved reading it again and I feel like I’m appreciating it more now.
  3. The Girl from the Other Side Vol. 10 by Nagabe – It’s starting to get more and more confusing, and I’m starting to get annoyed by the inconsistencies, but there’s only a couple of volumes left so I feel like I should just see it through.

Book(s) I’m reading:

  1. Super Powereds: Year 1 by Drew Hayes – I’m surprised by how much I’m enjoying this book! The writing isn’t very good, tbh, but the story is really good and I’m just very pulled in by the whole thing. Also I’m listening to it on audio, and the narrator’s voices are adding to the experience for me!
  2. Never Whistle At Night edited by Shane Hawk – I’m 20% in and while I really enjoyed the stories so far, I’m debating if I want to finish the book. I expected more focus on folklore, but the folklore connection is quite thin on some of the stories, and they’re all very dark and gruesome. Maybe it’s just that I’m feeling low right now so I don’t feel up to finishing the book, but we’ll see.

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

I’ve got a couple of reviews to catch up on, and I’m planning to read Pet Sematary this week for my irl bookclub, plus it’s also a buddy read for my online bookclub. Two birds! So efficient!

How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!

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Top Ten Tuesday | Books Set in Schools

Posted October 14, 2024 by Haze in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Book Memes / 32 Comments

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.

Today’s topic is Books I Was Assigned to Read in School

I grew up in Malaysia and our schools didn’t have assigned reading so I’m just going to adapt this topic for books that are set in schools. There are a lot of great books set in schools but I suddenly can’t think of them now that I’m trying to make a list out of them!

Top Ten Books Set in Schools

  1. Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster – I’m sure I’ve talked so much about this book that everyone is tired of hearing about it, but it’s set in a boarding school so I had to have it on the list.
  2. Heartstopper by Alice Oseman – I love Charlie and Nick and I would die for them! I love how heartwarming the whole series is!
  3. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros – My guilty pleasure! I recognize the tropes and cheese but I still love it.
  4. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han – I loved this one. Lara Jean and her family are so cute and fun to read about.
  5. My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan – Julia Whelan is one of my favorite audiobook narrators but she also writes books and this one is set in an educational institution. This one was so heartwarming and I loved it!
  6. The Sweet Valley High series by Francine Pascal – I devoured this series as a child and have very fond memories of reading SVH from morning to night during my school holidays!
  7. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins – It took me too long to pick this up because I loved The Hunger Games and wasn’t convinced I needed a story from Snow’s POV. It turned out to be brilliant though!
  8. Matilda by Roald Dahl – I love Matilda! I was Matilda! Minus the magical powers and the over-the-top abuse from her family, and I didn’t have a Miss Honey, and I’m not half as smart as Matilda… I guess I’m not very Matilda except that I love reading. That counts, right?
  9. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson – This one hurts but it’s such a powerful book and I loved it.
  10. A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik – I loved the idea of this series, and the first book wasn’t bad, but the books got progressively worse for me and I ended up really disappointed in the end.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?

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Sunday Post | Progress

Posted October 12, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 17 Comments

Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings. 

Slow Progress Is Still Progress

I had another busy week last week and didn’t get a lot of reading done; I finished two books and that was it. I’ve been working on a project for a long time and it’s very close to being done, hopefully in the next 2-3 months, so I’m trying to push as much as I can. It has been slow going before due to a lot of unforeseen issues that cropped up, but as long as nothing else unexpected happens, I feel like we’re good and we’ll finish strong!

The Conqueror Challenge

I did pretty good on The Conqueror Challenge last week but I ended up hurting my knee on Thursday in the second km and walked the rest of the way home. I was also going to try walking 8km this morning but I got tired and only did 5.7km.

I’m still ahead of my goal, so there’s that, even though I’m walking some of the time instead of running, and I did get in almost 20km this week. I find myself trying to hit certain milestones in order to get the virtual rewards offered in the app, and they are fun, but I really want that physical medal as the ultimate reward!

There’s still a long way to go but I’m already excited about the prospect of finishing this challenge and getting that medal. And then I’m anticipating the next challenges and the next medals! This thing is seriously addicting and I don’t know yet if that’s a good or bad thing! 😂

All the happy things:

  1. It’s my birthday on Monday and we’re getting my favorite Sichuan food to celebrate!!
  2. I also got myself a one-year subscription to Audible as a birthday present to myself!
  3. And I got it at a discount!
  4. I made some yummy chicken wings in the air-fryer and they were so good!
  5. Feeling very optimistic about finishing my work project soon. 🤞
  6. Really enjoying my online bookclub, not just for the buddy reads and book discussions, but the chats and jokes as well. ❤️
  7. Despite my setback hurting my knee, I’m very happy with The Conqueror Challenge keeping me motivated to walk/run now that the weather is getting cooler.
  8. I’m really enjoying seeing the Halloween decorations popping up bit by bit around my neighborhood. 👻

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler – It was a good book with a good story but it turned out a little preachy and I didn’t like that.
  2. The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth – It wasn’t the best mystery but I really enjoy the way the author writes about familial relationships, and especially something as complicated as the relationship between mother- and daughter-in-law.

Book(s) I’m reading:

  1. Exhalation by Ted Chiang – There are 9 short stories. I finished 6 and have 3 more to go. It’s all been very thought-provoking so far.
  2. The Shining by Stephen King – It’s a reread and a buddy read. I’m at 20% so far and loving it.
  3. Super Powereds: Year 1 by Drew Hayes – I started this audiobook because I listen to audiobooks to fall asleep and I needed something not scary (ie. not The Shining!). It’s actually pretty good so far!

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

I’m anticipating another busy week (plus it’s my birthday!) so I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to read but I really, really want to get started on Never Whistle At Night if I can!

How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!

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