Category: Sunday Post

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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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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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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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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Sunday Post | Moving On Up

Posted October 5, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 15 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. 

Valar Morghulis

Well, this has been a busy week!

One of the biggest highlights of my week is that I signed up for The Conqueror Challenge! It’s a virtual running challenge (or any activity, really) with lots of fun virtual rewards, and a real medal you get in the mail when you complete the challenge, and they had challenges that corresponded to quests and adventures in The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and other real and fictional places!

I hadn’t been doing as well with my running as I would’ve liked in the last few weeks, and as the weather gets colder, I’m afraid that I might lose motivation to go outside and run, so when I came across this challenge I thought that maybe it might help keep me motivated.

I was hesitant at first, but apparently one of my friends has finished two challenges with them and spoke highly of the experience, so that made me excited too and I ended up signing up for the Game of Thrones challenge!

So far it has worked very well, because I’ve walked and ran a total of 23.31km last week, 8.14km of them from just this morning! It makes me excited to get out more and get as many kms in as I can. It pushes me especially when I see how much more I have to go to reach the next checkpoints, but I’m also trying to pace myself because I don’t want to finish the challenge too quickly!

I’m just so delighted about this because it combines my new-found love of running with my existing love for Game of Thrones (and other stories)!

I’m also no longer apprehensive about when real winter comes (Winter is coming!) and probably not feeling like running at all. I have less motivation to run at home on a treadmill, but I think I’d be able to convince myself to get in some kms for the sake of moving forward in my GoT adventures!

Zoo
We also went to the zoo last week. It’s been a couple of months since we last went and I’ve missed the animals. It’s also a great place to walk and get in my kms! You bet I counted them for my challenge!

The penguins were the star of the show this time around. One of them kept swimming up to us and checking us out. I wanted to pet it so badly, it was that close, but of course we weren’t supposed to so I didn’t.

Inside Out 2
One more thing I have to talk about; my husband and I finally watched Inside Out 2 last week, and that portrayal of Anxiety made me cry because of how accurate it feels like for me.

I have had many sleepless nights and anxiety attacks and although my husband has always been loving and patient with me even at my worst times, I don’t think he’s ever understood what it felt like, and I love that the show was able to show him in a way that I was never able to articulate.

It’s been so much better for me recently; Anxiety has taken a back seat and Joy is leading the way a lot more, but it was just so cathartic to watch this show and feel so seen and realize I’m not alone. I love the first movie, and I love this one too!

All the happy things:

  1. So very happy about my virtual running challenge!
  2. And about my renewed motivation for running/walking in order to get the kms!
  3. And about the fact that I got in 23km this week!
  4. I even got my fastest pace at 8min/km! I’m usually at about 10min/km. Of course, I was exhausted after, and I don’t think I want to kill myself like that again for a while, but I was still very happy about it.
  5. The zoo visit made me very happy too, especially since we haven’t gone in a while, and we’re not sure when we’ll be going again.
  6. It’s a new month so we got KFC last week! We only get KFC once a month as a treat, and it’s such a happy treat!
  7. I baked a new batch of cookies!
  8. I’m starting a new crochet project with some gorgeous yarn and I can’t wait to see how it turns out!

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer – It didn’t live up to expectations but it wasn’t bad. It’s categorized as adult fiction but it feels like it might be better suited for middle grade.
  2. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers – This is a reread and a buddy read. It’s been a while since I read it the first time so I didn’t remember much of the details except that I loved it and I thought it was such a great example of interpersonal connections and acceptance of other cultures and beliefs. Reading it a second time made me love it more!
  3. The Girl from the Other Side Volume 9 by Nagabe – It ended on a cliffhanger that’s making me very anxious to find out what happens next! Most of the other volumes end on cliffhangers too, but this one makes me wonder how it’s going to move forward.
  4. I Fell In Love With Hope by Lancali – DNF. I’d been trying to read this book for weeks and I just couldn’t get into it. I finally realized that it’s just too purple prose-y for me. Too much style and not much substance. The writing is beautiful and it might’ve been good if done in poetry maybe, but as a story it’s a struggle to read.

Book(s) I’m reading:

  1. Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler – I am 70% in and I am loving it! It’s my first Octavia Butler book and I’ve heard so much praise for this book but I’ve never known what it’s about. Now I am totally invested!

Last Week on The Blog

I didn’t do very much on the blog last week. I’ve got some book reviews to catch up on!

This Week

I gotta get on the book reviews because I don’t want them to pile up on me. I’m also going to try to get a start on Never Whistle at Night, and/or The Glass Chateau.

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 | Whelmed

Posted September 28, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 13 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. 

Not Overwhelmed

I looked up the word “whelmed” just to make sure it meant what I thought it meant, and it doesn’t, but that’s fine because I’m actually quite whelmed. Not overwhelmed, but I am whelmed.

I have been tired most of last week and I thought I’d have some time to rest this weekend but today turned out quite eventful too – my irl bookclub had our meetup this morning, and then we went to grab lunch together so I got home hours later than I thought I would. But I had fun and I love hanging out with my bookclub so I’m not complaining!

Trying to keep this post short though, because I’m still whelmed and all I want to do is lie down on the couch and doom-scroll on my phone.

All the happy things:

  1. We had someone new join us for our book club meetup today!
  2. And then we all went for lunch after!
  3. One of my friends treated me to lunch. It was delicious and I’m so appreciative of wonderful people like her.
  4. Went for my regular checkup and the doctor says everything looks great!
  5. I leveled up in my Discord bookclub! It’s a role thing and gets you additional benefits in the server.
  6. I’m also getting points for the buddy reads I signed up for, which gets you additional benefits when you level up as well. It’s a lot of fun!

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. Perfume by Patrick Süskind – It’s my irl bookclub BOTM and everybody finished it and enjoyed it! Even the newcomer! It’s weird but good, and I really enjoyed listening to it on audiobook.
  2. The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center – I’ve been enjoying Katherine Center’s books very much and I really liked this one too! It got me quite emotional, especially near the end.
  3. Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle – I really like the premise of this book, and Julia Whelan narrates it so of course I was going to read it! The execution wasn’t as good as I hoped, but I still enjoyed reading it.
  4. Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster – I just reread this book last month and here I am rereading it again! This time it was for a buddy read that I instigated, so I felt obliged to read it with everyone else, but it’s not like it was difficult for me to love it all over again! 😂
  5. The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins – This book is very well-written but I’m not sure how I feel about it. I loved almost everything about it but I’m struggling with the message. If you’ve read the book, I’d love to know what you think.

Book(s) I’m reading:

  1. The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer – Currently on page 87 of 278. I like it so far! I’ve heard lots about it and I’ve been curious for a while so I hope it lives up to expectations.

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

I haven’t read very many books from my buddy reads TBR list last week because I needed some fun and light romance. I’m ready to jump back into them this week!

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 | Four Eyes

Posted September 21, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 24 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. 

I Got Glasses

I got my first prescription glasses last week! I’m so happy and I’ve been wearing them almost non-stop to the point where my husband is scolding me for wearing them while lounging in bed because he doesn’t want me to break them.

To be clear, these aren’t my first glasses, only my first prescription glasses. I had “vanity glasses” as a child because I wanted to look smart and studious and my dream job was to be a librarian. Yes, I wore glasses I didn’t need out of vanity, and I’m only telling y’all here because I feel like if anyone would get me, it’s other bookworms. 😂 Also, I get that the whole librarian wearing glasses thing might be a little stereotypical but I was 10 and I loved reading! 🤷‍♀️

It’s also nice to be able to see things a little more clearly now!

I also ran 5k three times last week! Woot, progress! Well, sort of. I ran almost every day when it was 3k, and now that it’s 5k, I’m only running three times a week because it exhausts me and I need more recovery time, so there’s a give and take. I’m still slow, but at least I’m running slow a little further!

I’m looking forward to eventually running a marathon, like maybe after 10 more years of training! 🏃‍♀️‍➡️

All the happy things:

  1. I love my new glasses!
  2. Really proud about my progress with running even though there’s definitely some growing pains!
  3. My Hobonichi Cousin 2025 arrived! I know it’s still a few months to 2025, but I like knowing it’s there ready for me and I also have some things already scheduled for 2025 that I can now fill in.
  4. We had more soup! Spicy Sichuan soup this time!
  5. I crocheted a bag out of scrap yarn and it’s ugly as heck but I love it! (I haven’t woven in the ends yet.)
  6. The cooler weather means I can crochet more now! It’s no fun crocheting in the heat with all that yarn on my lap, but it’s so cozy when it’s cooler.

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. Goddess of the Hunt by Tessa Dare – Book 1 of the Wanton Dairymaid Trilogy. I love Tessa Dare but I felt like this one had a little more cheese than her other books I loved. Still fun and enjoyable, and I needed light-hearted books.
  2. Surrender of A Siren by Tessa Dare – Book 2 of the Wanton Dairymaid Trilogy. Also kinda cheesy, but sometimes you need a little cheese.
  3. One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig – It was very much a disappointment. The writing was quite messy and unclear. The characters were unlikeable and inconsistent and I couldn’t understand their motivations. The magical concept was interesting though, and I’m still very intrigued by the plot, but the good isn’t good enough to outweigh the flaws, and it was a struggle to get through it. I only did because it was a buddy read.
  4. Cujo by Stephen King – This is a reread but it’s been so long since I first read it that it might as well be a new read. As always, Stephen King is the King of Storytelling. There’s so much more to Cujo than just a scary, rabid dog story, and it’s such an incredibly look into the thoughts and behaviors of flawed human beings.

Book(s) I’m reading:

  1. Perfume by Patrick Süskind – It’s my irl bookclub’s BOTM for September and the meeting is this weekend. I’m about 30% in and it’s just so beautifully written. It’s a reread for me but it’s been a long while.
  2. I Fell In Love With Hope by Lancali – Just started and already I’m scared. It sounds like a sad and heavy read, and I’ve been warned to keep a lot of tissues on hand for the inevitable tears.

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

Feeling a little burnt out with reading so many sad and heavy books over the last month and we haven’t even gotten to October spooky season yet. I’m going to try to get some more light-hearted reads in between the heavy stuff.

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 | Sweater Weather

Posted September 14, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 14 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. 

It’s Cool, That’s What I Tell ‘Em

Last week was cooler and we’ve started getting out the sweaters! This week is going to be more of the same. I’m really looking forward to autumn!

On the running front; I only went a couple of times this past week, but in my defense, it was mostly because husband and I went on a hike on Sunday and my muscles were sore for a couple of days! I made up for it by doing extra yoga exercises later in the week though! We’re planning to hike again this weekend if we can.

Other than that, I’ve been mostly just moaning and groaning about my sore muscles while totally exploiting them as the reason I can’t do anything except sit around and read my books! Bonus: school has officially started so I have more time to laze about in secret while husband is at work. 😂

All the happy things:

  1. Now that the weather is cooler, we’ve been enjoying more delicious soups! I made hot and sour soup on Monday, and the husband made bak kut teh on Thursday.
  2. I love my husband very much, but I also really enjoy having the house all to myself more often now while he’s at work!
  3. I’m really happy about that hike, even with the sore muscles. I want to do more!
  4. The book community with all the buddy reads is making me really happy. I’ve been there for about a month now and getting to know the people there better. It’s been really fun and welcoming, and I’m also having such wonderful discussions about the books we read.

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. The Girl from Rawblood by Catriona Ward – I love the vibes, but I hated the audiobook production! I’ve heard a lot about this author and wanted to try her books, but I think next time I’ll stick to a print copy.
  2. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman – This was an unexpected favorite. It’s very speculative and I both love and hate the uncertainty. I feel it’s a great philosophical exploration though and it’s really giving me lots to think about.
  3. The Girl from the Other Side Volume 8 by Nagabe – Continuing with the series. I think this is one of my favorite volumes out of the ones I’ve read so far!
  4. Born A Crime by Trevor Noah – This was so good! I love Trevor Noah and now I think I love him more. I love the way he tells his stories; they are so eloquent, funny, and emotional all at once!

Book(s) I’m reading:

  1. Goddess of the Hunt by Tessa Dare – I needed something light and romantic for a palate cleanser. I feel like I’ve been reading a lot of heavy books recently. And now that it’s close to Halloween season, there are darker books to come!
  2. One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig – Apparently this book has been talked about a lot in social media spaces, but I haven’t heard of it before. I signed up for the buddy read blind and I’ve only just started reading.

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

I’m almost finished with Goddess of the Hunt, and then I’ll be able to focus on One Dark Window. I’ve got a lot of darker reads in the queue but I might end up reading a few romances in between just to lighten the mood.

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 | The Neverending Story

Posted September 7, 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. 

One Book Finished, Five New Books Added to the TBR

The Neverending TBR, amirite? Now it’s worse because last week I finished 3 buddy reads, and signed up for… I lost count, but it’s a lot more buddy reads. A lot. I’m told that it’s normal to get addicted because I’m new to the group and there are so many attractive buddy reads happening, but once I get my sea legs, I’ll probably slow down. 🤞

On the plus side, I’ve managed to finally finish a couple of books that have been on my TBR for ages because of the buddy reads! I also managed to work on a crochet WIP that had been untouched for weeks but finally finished since I’ve been spending more time listening to audiobooks.

All the happy things:

  1. I finally went and ordered my new glasses. I had been putting it off since April. They should be here in about two weeks.
  2. I also put in my Hobonichi order for next year. This was my first year using it and I love it so I’m sticking to it for next year too!
  3. We had KFC last week! We only get it once a month for health reasons, but it’s a treat every time!
  4. Still making those blueberry milkshakes and absolutely loving them!
  5. Husband and I are rewatching Chuck and really enjoying it!

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid – I love TJR and I think she’s a master at writing about relationships. This one is about marriage, and it’s narrated by Julia Whelan, so of course, I got on it!
  2. Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield – I had heard so much about this and had been wanting to read it for a while. It became a buddy read, so I suddenly had the motivation to finally read it.
  3. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn – I read this before and forgot. It became a buddy read and I got excited about it, so I signed up and really enjoyed it because I forgot how it ended too.
  4. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky – It’s been on my TBR for ages but I’ve always felt daunted by it. I finally read it, because it was a buddy read and because there’s a Will Poulter narration for the free audiobook on Audible. It wasn’t as daunting as I expected, but I did get easily confused with the names, especially since I was on audio.

Book(s) I’m reading:

  1. The Girl from Rawblood by Catriona Ward – I’ve heard a lot about Catriona Ward and got curious. This happened to also be buddy read so I thought why not try, but the reviews are quite polarizing so I’m not sure if I’ll end up finishing. I’m only about 15% in.

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

More buddy reads to get through;

  • Cujo by Stephen King
  • I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
  • I Fell In Love With Hope by Lancali

I’ve got lots more and I’m enjoying the buddy reads in general, but I might give myself a break and maybe drop out of some of them. We’ll see!

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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