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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 Day We Find Love Once Again
I won’t be doing a Sunday Post next week because a friend of mine will be visiting during the weekend and I probably won’t be able to get on the computer. The good news is that I’ll probably have a lot more to share on my Sunday Post the week after! I’ll miss you all next week though.
Last week was mostly uneventful except for a wonderful time spent downtown with the husband the one day the weather was nice. We visited a few old haunts, a bookshop, and tried a new restaurant. We got the chicken wings platter, a salad, and onion rings. Everything was delicious, but it was ridiculously overpriced and I’m not sure if it’s worth the price. It was still a very nice date, though!
I’m still getting used to the walking desk and being on the treadmill while I’m on the computer. I realized that I haven’t been spending as much time working on the computer because I’m trying to avoid the motion sickness, but it’s good because I still have to use the computer and it forces me to be more mindful of what I’m doing on the computer and how much time I spend on it while also getting in some exercise when I’m on it. Win-win-win, right?
All the happy things:
So happy that the audiobook for Funny Story by Emily Henry is finally available to borrow! I have been waiting and anticipating so long!!
Not sure if it counts because I was going to write it after the fact and not before, but I’m very happily anticipating my friend’s visit!
I was able to spend some time crocheting and I finished a couple of small projects! They’re in the wash right now, but I’ll post pictures next week (the week after)!
The Books
Books I read last week:
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou – It’s a short book, but powerful, and painful at parts. I’ve been wanting to read it for a while and I’m glad I finally did!
Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie – This is the second book in The First Law Trilogy, and it’s been such an immersive experience. I’d love to immediately move on to the third book but I’m waiting on my reading buddies to get their copies.
Books I’m reading:
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver – I’m at 80% of the audiobook and really loving it. I haven’t read David Copperfield so I had no idea what to expect. I’m also looking forward to reading David Copperfield soon after.
Funny Story by Emily Henry – I’ve got the ebook but I’ve been waiting for the audiobook because Julia Whelan narrates it and I love her! I finally got the audiobook today and I’ve started listening despite not having finished Demon Copperhead yet!
I’m not expecting to be able to read much this week since my friend will be visiting, but I’m hoping to finish Demon Copperhead and Funny Story for sure, and maybe a couple of shorter, easy reads. Any recommendations?
How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
It’s Time Travel Thursday! Hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog, this is where you get to take a look back at what you were reading this time last year (or the year before or the year before that…) and get to relive those bookish memories!
This time in 2023 I was reading:
The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey
My thoughts:
I started and stopped reading this book so many times because it was quite difficult to get into in the beginning, but I kept trying because a friend whose book recommendations I trust gushed about it so much. Once I finally got into it, I was *in* it. It was so hard to put the book down and I just needed to know what happens next. I love that there were so many interesting elements to the story, like the sentient, carnivorous trees, and the tech that is way more advanced than what we know. I found the interpersonal relationships fascinating, their beliefs and way of life, the way they learned – the tech, the intrigue, how things worked. There’s so much to this book, on so many levels! I love it!
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
This time in 2022 I was reading:
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
My thoughts:
Such a fun romantic read! I like that this one is a bit different, but I also got a bit annoyed with the lack of communication about Charlie not moving back to the city and not just straight up telling Nora. Libby’s lack of communication was also very annoying. I do like the push-pull and sexual tension with Nora and Charlie. It was written so well! I’ve read a few Emily Henry books and I’ve always enjoyed them. They’re just really easy to read and fun.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
This time in 2021 I was reading:
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
My thoughts:
It has been a while since I watched the movie so there are a lot of details I’ve forgotten and can’t compare with the book. However, I really enjoyed the book itself – the telling of it and the way everything unfolded. There were moments of frustration and disbelief, and definitely also fear and wonder.
There’s a lot of details about the dinosaurs that I feel like we now take for granted because Jurassic Park has been in our pop culture for quite a while now, but I can’t help but wonder, if I was reading it for the first time in the time it was written, would I be asking more questions about the characteristics of the dinosaurs? Would I be more curious and skeptical about their behaviors?
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
This time in 2020 I was reading:
A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas
My thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book and series. Charlotte “Sherlock” Holmes is definitely not what I expected but I love her, and I love the whole concept of how Sherlock came to be because of her character needing to carve out a living for herself. I read up to book 5, if I’m not mistaken, but I haven’t read the latest books so perhaps it’s time to catch up and reacquaint myself with Charlotte.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Overall Comparisons
All 4 stars and above! I was having a great time this time in the years before. Once again, I love that they are all such different books and yet I enjoyed them all. It’s also fun to revisit because I remember really loving The Book of Koli and the other books in the series, as well as the Charlotte Holmes series.
I am currently reading The First Law series and loving it so far, so I believe it will be fun to look back on this time again next year and add another series I love to the list!
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? What were you reading at this time in history?
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 May Flowers
I went broad with the topic this week and got as many different varieties of flowers as I could. Not a lot of variety with the genres though, there’s a lot of historical fiction here. I don’t appreciate this topic adding so many new books to my TBR, by the way. 😭
Top Ten Flowery Books
White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht – I’d never heard of this book but it sounds so good and right up my alley. It’s historical fiction about Korea under the Japanese occupation, and there are two timelines. I need this!
One Hundred Daffodils by Rebecca Winn – This is a memoir that I was initially not interested in, but it actually sounds interesting and I can’t help but be curious.
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – I’ve read only one other book by this author and loved it and have been meaning to read more.
Sunflowers by Sheramy Bundrick – Vincent Van Gogh as a character? I am very, very intrigued. This is fiction but I’m curious to read this fictional account of Van Gogh’s life.
Peony in Love by Lisa See – I have several of the author’s books on my TBR, including this one, and I have yet to read them. I really want to, eventually!
Jasmine by Bharati Mukherjee – I always love the story of an underdog taking on the world and coming up on top. I’m not sure if it will end well, but I am taken in by the description.
Under the Magnolias by TI Lowe – This one is set in the 1980s in South Carolina. I don’t necessarily seek out historical fiction, but I find that I do love a lot of them and can’t help wanting to read more!
Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach – The tulip mania has always been a curiosity for me and I’d love to read more about it. This one is also historical fiction.
The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley – Another author with multiple books on my TBR list. I really need to read them some time!
Oleander Girl by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni – This one sounds interesting to me as well. It’s set in India and apparently in the 2000s, but not far enough back to be considered historical fiction I’m sure.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
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.
And I Would Walk 500 More
Last week was a total contrast with the week before, weather-wise. The weather was so nice two weeks ago and I walked so much outside, but last week it rained/snowed pretty much the whole week and I didn’t go outside at all. I did manage to get some exercise indoors though. I paced while reading, and I set up my computer on my walking desk so I was doing blog stuff while on the treadmill too, which is great!
Except that I got a bit of motion sickness and I had to take a lot of breaks.
I had wanted to post more, write some book reviews, but didn’t feel up to it with the motion sickness. I also had a lot to catch up on with replying comments and visiting blogs, and I’m still catching up, but I think I’m getting better doing longer sessions on the treadmill/computer, and I’m sure it will get easier once I get used to it. It’s a chore setting up the computer, so I can’t just switch it out when I get tired of walking and want to sit. I mean, I can, but it’s a whole lot of work. And I want to get used to this because I think it’s better for my health in the long-term.
It’s getting better already, see! I’m writing this post while at my walking desk!
In other news, husband and I finished watching Formula 1: Drive to Survive, and I finished watching Blown Away. We are now watching Physical: 100 Season 2 together, and I’m continuing with my 911 watch.
I also got caught up on laundry, yayyy, but of course it never really ends. And I took a break on cooking last week and husband cooked instead. He sautéed some salmon belly which was simple, but oh so delicious!
All the happy things:
We had our final check-in for The Count of Monte Cristo readalong and had a wonderful discussion that went almost 3 hours!
I managed to finish The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie in time for the book discussion and we had another great discussion for it, plus, I ended up really loving it and now I’m obsessed and have started reading the next book!
I organized my work space – cleared some old papers, threw away stuff I no longer needed. More to go, but it’s a great start.
The bad weather didn’t get me down because I still managed to walk a lot – indoors, but it still counts! I’m getting into the habit of pacing while I read and walking on the treadmill while working on the computer, and honestly, it doesn’t come naturally and I get tired easily, but I’m looking at the long term benefits.
The Books
Books I read last week:
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande – I thought it was cool that a whole book was dedicated to the importance of having checklists. For the regular layperson like me, checklists are usually just part of the tools I use for convenience and keeping myself organized, and it has also saved me some stress many times, but in aviation, construction, and medicine, it can be the difference between life and death. I think checklists are worth implementing in any situation you can think of though, and I think the book is definitely worth reading.
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton – I didn’t expect such a heavy subject matter, but I think it was an important story to tell and I appreciate the author being vulnerable and telling her story. It’s given me a different perspective about the oil sands industry, and about male-dominated industries in general.
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel – This is my in-person bookclub’s BOTM for May, and I’d usually not read the BOTM so early, but I borrowed the book from the library before it was chosen for the BOTM, and I decided to just go ahead and finish it anyway. I might do a quick recap before the book discussion as a refresher.
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie – I just finished this book yesterday and I loved it! It was the highlight of the week! I had such an immersive experience reading it, plus having discussions about it immediately after. I’m still processing, or rather, I’m still half in the world of the book and I’ve already started on the next book, so I feel like I’m still immersed. Totally leaning into it!
Books I’m reading:
Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie – Just started but already excited about reading more!
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou – I’m reading this on audio. It’s only 3 hours and I’m already halfway through. It’s breaking my heart a little.
I’m so obsessed with The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie that I might try to finish the second and third books this week. Let’s see if I can do that!
How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
It’s Time Travel Thursday! Hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog, this is where you get to take a look back at what you were reading this time last year (or the year before or the year before that…) and get to relive those bookish memories!
This time in 2023 I was reading:
Happy Place by Emily Henry
My thoughts:
This book gave me all the feels. I love that it’s a different take on fake dating, from the other side of the relationship, which changed a lot of the dynamics. And I love the whole found family aspect of it as well. It made me laugh, it made me cry – both happy and sad tears – because it was also really bittersweet. People change and grow, sometimes they grow apart, sometimes they find a way to grow together. I love that.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
This time in 2022 I was reading:
Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb
My thoughts:
This is the 3rd book in The Farseer Trilogy. I loved the author’s Liveship Traders series, and I wanted to like this series too, but there were some things that happened in this book that I couldn’t get over at the time and I DNF’d the book. I also didn’t like the protagonist very much because he’s so whiny and seems more like an anti-hero, but unlikeable protagonists don’t really bother me in general as long as they are interesting. I may possibly try this again eventually.
My rating: ⭐⭐/5
This time in 2021 I was reading:
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
My thoughts:
There was a chapter that mentioned simplifying and dumbing down the philosophies/concepts being discussed, I think it was titled Life and Death and Quantum something something, and that kind of summarizes the whole book for me.
I like the ideas behind this story, the theme of the book. It’s a story meant to comfort, motivate, inspire, and I think it would have worked very well as a fable. But as a full-length book it was boring, repetitive, preachy… and I felt like I was being talked down to. There were a lot of “wise-sounding quotes” that felt pretentious; the kinds that sound profound but say nothing.
I really wanted to like this book, and I even started out wanting to give it a 3-star rating, but the more I think about it, the less I think I like it, so I’m going with a 2-star rating.
My rating: ⭐⭐/5
This time in 2020 I was reading:
The Institute by Stephen King
My thoughts:
I listened to this one on audiobook. I love most of Stephen King’s works and I especially enjoy the really long books. This one was 19 hours on audio and apparently approx. 800 pages.
It looks like I had some hits and misses at this time in the last few years. They are all also very different books with very different vibes. To be fair, the books with the good ratings were written by two of my go-to authors – Emily Henry, and Stephen King. I’ve only read one other Matt Haig book that I was lukewarm about, and while I loved Robin Hobb’s Liveship Traders, I’ve only read two of her series. I am open to reading more of Robin Hobb though, and trying this one again too.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? What were you reading at this time in the past?
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 Petty Reasons You’ve DNF’d a Book.
I don’t know if I’d call all my reasons “petty”, but some of them are definitely mean! Some of these dnfs happened recently, and some of them are really old dnfs that I don’t even remember – I copy/pasted my thoughts from reviews/notes I wrote.
Top Ten Petty Reasons I’ve DNF’d a Book
Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi – I loved the first book in this series and I really wanted to like this one too, but one of the love interest in this story gave me the ick, and I just couldn’t continue the journey with them. I think I dnf’d around the halfway point.
A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal – I dnf’d this very early, within the first few chapters. The writing was difficult to read and it didn’t keep my interest.
Caraval by Stephanie Garber – I read all the way to 95% of the book, I believe, but I was annoyed with it the whole way and just got angrier and angrier as I read because I expected it to get better and it never did. I can’t say what the final straw was because it’s so close to the end and may be a spoiler, but at that point, I was just done.
Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck – I’ve mentioned this book before in Books I Love to Reread; it’s the one book I love that I’ve reread many times but never finished. It counts as a petty dnf for this list, because my reason is that the last few pages just didn’t seem necessary.
Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien – I dnf’d this once a long time ago, forgot completely about it, came across the series again and thought it sounded fun, tried reading it again, and dnf’d again. I really wanted to love it and get into the whole series, but I don’t think it’s for me. Both times dnf’d early in the book – I went a bit further the second time because I wanted to make more of an effort to like it.
Taking Chances by Molly McAdams – My exact notes were; “Nope, sorry. So bad within the first 50 pages that I don’t even want to waste my time reading the rest of it.”
The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake – The characters were messy and unlikeable and inconsistent.
Splintered by A.G. Howard – I love going through my old notes and seeing how mean and petty I was; “I decided not to finish the book. It got really annoying and I really didn’t like the characters much at all.”
Innocent Mage by Karen Miller – “I had high hopes for this book, but the deeper I got into the book, I just started getting bored. Nothing was going on, everything was just telling, not showing. The characters started getting on my nerves, with all the waiting, waiting….”
Alienated by Melissa Landers – “In one word: shallow.”
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
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.
So Much Walking
Last week I found the perfect route to walk around my neighborhood, and as of this writing, I’ve walked it six times already! It also helps that the weather has been lovely. It looks like there’s going to be some rain this week, but I will do my best to go for walks when the weather is nice.
I also did a lot of cooking last week but forgot to take pictures except for a couple of them; steamed black bean pork ribs, and romaine lettuce cooked with fermented bean paste. They were both really yummy!
There was also miso soup, mapo tofu, gailan in oyster sauce, napa cabbage stir-fry, onion omelette, and I don’t remember what else. I’m so glad I’ve been walking a lot because I think I’d start putting on a lot of weight if I keep eating all these yummy food!
As for TV shows; we finally caved and resubscribed to Netflix again and we’ve been catching up on the shows we loved. I’m watching Formula 1: Drive to Survive Season 6 with my husband, and Blown Away Season 4 on my own. I love both these series so much and I guess I couldn’t resist when there were new seasons!
This weekend I’ve got two book discussions! I just had my in-person book club meeting Saturday morning for The Kite Runner, and the final check-in for The Count of Monte Cristo is happening Sunday morning! The discussion for The Kite Runner gave me a lot to think about, the book is just really good, and one of the other book club members got me interested in reading Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns as well.
I’m also looking forward to the discussion of The Count of Monte Cristo – there’s already been some discussion in the chats that incited some passion, and I’m excited for more of the same for the live discussion!
Overall, I’ve been in a weird mood. I told my husband there were times last week when I felt proud and productive for all I’ve managed to get done – the walks for my health, the reading and book reviews, the cooking, etc. But then I look at the things I didn’t get done – the laundry, organizing my library, half-done projects, and so many things I initially planned for that I’m not even close to starting, and I feel… antsy. I want to get them all done, and I know I have to sort of pace myself, work on my time management and energy. I don’t know if I’ll have to give up on some stuff, but I prefer not to. I’m just taking things one at a time and focusing on the good stuff.
All the happy things:
I managed to catch up with all my book reviews!!
I’m truly estatic for my new walking route – it’s so conducive to audiobook listening and I’ve just loved my walks!
I finally finished books that have been on my TBR for ages!
Two book club discussions in a single weekend! (And another one to look forward to next weekend!)
The food!
The Books
Books I read last week:
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff – A 3-hour audiobook that went quickly, but what a joy to read! I feel like this is one I’d like to come back to over and over again.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini – So good, so heartwrenching, so many feels! It’s just so well-written!
Slewfoot by Brom – It’s better than The Child Thief, and I love the illustrations, but at the end of the day, I don’t think this author is for me. I’m glad I got it read though!
Blitz by Daniel O’Malley – I read this halfway and had to return it, and finally got it back again and finished it! I expected to see more of the characters we met in the first two books, but this story is about brand new characters and we don’t see much of the past characters. It’s still good as a story in itself though!
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara – This has been on my TBR for years! I kept putting it off because of the dark subject matter and not being in the right frame of mind to go there. I finally decided to get it over with, and I’m so glad I did because it’s really worth reading!
Books I’m reading:
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande – A physician friend recommended this book to me more than 10 years ago, and I’m finally reading it now. I’m about 80% in.
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton – This is a graphic novel, and I’m really interested in it because I live in the Oil Sands province. I’m about 100 pages in.
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie – I’m only 2% in on this one, but I’m supposed to finish it in a week! 😭
I meant to read The Blade Itself last week, but I got distracted by other books, and now I’m not sure if I’ll be able to finish it in time for the discussion this upcoming weekend. It’s a longer book with a bigger cast of characters, I’ve been told, but I’ll try to finish it in time!
How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
It’s Time Travel Thursday! Hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog, this is where you get to take a look back at what you were reading this time last year (or the year before or the year before that…) and get to relive those bookish memories!
This time last year I was reading:
Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands.
Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home.
Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she’s a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden – lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult’s true powers are hidden even from herself.
In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls’ heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.
My thoughts: I loved the author’s Something Strange and Deadly series, and I thought I’d like this one too but I ended up being very meh about it. I continued with the second book in this series and didn’t like it either, and decided not to finish the rest of the series. It’s quite disappointing.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5
Have you read this book? What did you think of it? What were you reading this time last year?
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 Unread Books on My Shelves I Want to Read Soon.
The keywords here are “books I want to read soon”. I have a whole lot of unread books on my shelves that go back a long way, but a lot of the books I want to read soon are relatively new to the TBR just because I like bright, shiny, new things. I will try to list the older ones though. I’m also not adding books I want to reread soon because technically they’re not unread.
Top Ten Unread Books on My Shelves I Want to Read Soon
Dracula by Bram Stoker – This has probably been on my TBR longest out of the other books on this list but then again I have a lot of classics on the TBR that I mean to read one day. I started listening to this on audio a couple of years ago, but had to stop because it got scary when I was listening to it to sleep.
The Glass Château by Stephen P. Kiernan – This book was only published last year, but it feels like it’s been on my TBR for a long time because I’d been waiting for it since the author announced it two years ago. I was so excited for it but it’s a year later and I still haven’t read it! I need to remedy that!
Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane – Same story as above. It was only published last year, but I’d been waiting for it and I really want to read it soon.
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder – This has been on my TBR for years and years and years, and I don’t know why I haven’t gotten to it! I mean to start it this year. For sure!
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson – I only added this to the TBR late last year, I think, or early this year. So it’s really new, but it’s one of the really shiny and new-to-me books I want to read soon.
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara – This has been on my TBR for 4-5 years? I want to read it but kept putting it off because I haven’t felt emotionally strong enough for the dark subject matter. I feel like I’m ready now.
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens – Another classic that’s been on the TBR for ages, but I want to read it soon because Demon Copperhead is apparently based off of it, and I want to read that soon too!
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver – I heard so many good things about this book and I’m really excited for it. I added it to the TBR last year, so it’s relatively new too.
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint – I think I added this one to the TBR three years ago on a mythology binge. I still really want to read it sooner rather than later.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna – Added last year and really want to read it very soon! It sounds really fun and many people have said good things about it.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
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 Zoo, Some Ghosts, A Date, and Always Books
Last week was pretty fun! I managed to get to the zoo again, and it was great because the weather was nice. I went on the weekend and there was a lot of people so it was pretty lively. I wasn’t able to see the polar bears and the otters as much as I wanted because it was so crowded and everyone else were vying to see them. And they were mostly kids, or adults with kids, so I didn’t think it was a good idea to push them out of my way. 😂 I’m thinking I might try to go again on a weekday when there are fewer people around.
For food, I made some wontons and soy sauce chicken. They were both so yummy, but seriously, the wontons might be more work than they’re worth. I like them better fried and crispy so I might just do the fillings meatball style and leave off the wonton wrappers the next time I want wonton soup.
On Wednesday, we went to see the new Ghostbusters movie, which I loved because it’s a Ghostbusters movie, but some people have said it’s not that good and the storyline needs work. Thinking about it after, I agree it could’ve been better, but I still enjoyed it because it’s the Ghostbusters and I’m just easy to entertain.
We also finished watching Fallout Season 1. I love where it ended but I’m also very eagerly awaiting a Season 2 because there are still a lot of questions I need answered.
I haven’t had time to watch Renegade Nell or 911 since the last Sunday Post, but I’m not in a hurry either. There are a few movies I’d like to catch up on before getting into binge mode with another series, maybe. I’ve been trying to read Anna Karenina and I’m thinking of watching the movie first so that it might make it easier for me to follow the book. We’ll see.
All the happy things:
I got to go to the zoo again!
Movie and dating with the husband. We had lots of fun, it’s been a while since we spent the whole day out on a date. No special occasion, it was quite spontaneous.
I managed to get a lot of reading done!
I was able to go to the library twice this week and spend a couple of hours there each time for uninterrupted reading! I hope to do more of it next week.
I might be getting better at this cooking thing.
I’m up to date on my Goodreads and The Storygraph! Until I read more, that is.
The Books
Books I read last week:
Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent – I finished this last weekend after I published the Sunday Post, so I’m adding it for this weekend’s Sunday Post.
The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden – I loved the Winternight series and while the subject matter for this one is completely different, I felt the same vibes. I love the otherworldly, mystical feel of it.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas – Finished! The check-in is next weekend but I didn’t want to wait. I figure it’s still going to be fresh in my mind when we get to the discussion, and I can’t wait to hear what everyone else thinks!
Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham – This is a graphic novel. I picked it up Friday morning just to flip through the pages and see what it’s about and ended up finishing it in an hour or so. I enjoyed it very much!
Books I’m reading:
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini – This is for my in-person book club’s BOTM. We’re meeting this upcoming weekend so I gotta get it read this week!
Slewfoot by Brom – I got it on audiobook right after finishing The Count of Monte Cristo. I’ve been curious about it because I’ve heard good things, but I’ve read The Child Thief by the same author and really didn’t like it. I’m giving the author a second chance with this book and I’m managing my expectations. Hopefully I’ll end up liking it, but I’m also ready to DNF and move on, if not.
I’m focusing on The Kite Runner, and after that I want to read The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie because it’s the BOTM for my online book club. I’m still unsure about Slewfoot, so the sooner I get into it or DNF, the faster I can move forward. I already have a couple of nonfiction audiobooks ready just in case I DNF. I’ve also got several reviews to write for the books I finished, and I need to update my reading challenges as well.
How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
