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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.
I Need Some Sleep
This past week wasn’t a very good week for my runs. I only ran once!! Once!! The first half of the week I had a cold, and then I got better and went on that one run, then that night I had trouble sleeping and wasn’t able to wake up early the next day for my run. And it just happened that I had other stuff happening this week; my in-person bookclub meeting on Saturday, and as of this writing Sunday hasn’t happened yet, but I’m definitely planning to go on my run if I have anything to say about it!
Insomnia is the worst though. Having a cold is bad, but as long as I can sleep, it’s not too bad. Not being able to sleep is very bad. I don’t like it. Me brain no work when no sleep. 😭
In any case, both because of the cold and insomnia, I wasn’t very productive last week, but I did manage to read a lot of books at least.
All the happy things:
I found more great books at the Little Free Library near me; Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale, and All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Don’t worry, I made sure to put many books back too!
This week we made blueberry milkshakes and I like them even more than last week’s avocado milkshakes!
I’m up to date on my reviews again! No mean feat!
Had a fun bookclub meeting with my bookclub friends! We had so much fun!
I completed several buddy reads, and signed up for a couple more. 😅
The Books
Books I read last week:
The Girl from the Other Side Volumes 4-7 by Nagabe – I’m enjoying this series. The story moves quite quickly but we don’t get a lot of concrete answers and each volume ends on a cliffhanger, which is so frustrating, but I’m still invested so far.
Prose and Cons by Amanda Flower – The best things about it are still the cat, the crow, the magical books and bookstore. Funny enough, I love the secondary characters but I find the MC a little annoying.
Murders and Metaphors by Amanda Flower – I still enjoyed this one but I’m starting to get more annoyed so I decided this will be the last one I’m reading for now. Quitting while I’m ahead.
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris – This was my in-person bookclub’s BOTM and we had such a fun time talking and laughing about the stories the author shares in the book. We all agree we love the way he tells stories about the people in his life, and I’m sure I’ll read more from him!
Wordhunter by Stella Sands – I hate this book and I refuse to waste any more time on it so I won’t be writing a review for it. It sounds interesting but the execution is horrible and the writing is juvenile, so don’t fall for it. 1/5 stars.
Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery – Anne and Gilbert; will they, won’t they? Still reading the Anne series and still loving it! In this book, we get Phil, Patty’s Place, Gog and Magog, and all the other good stuff.
Anne’s House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery – More Anne and Gilbert! In this book, we get Captain Jim and Leslie Moore. I got so invested in Leslie Moore’s story!
Book(s) I’m reading:
After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid – I’m listening to this on audio narrated by Julia Whelan. I love TJR and I love Whelan, so win-win! I’m about 33% in and it’s quite emotionally intense so far.
It’s a new month and I’m going to do my wrap-up post and write down my TBR intentions list. I have a lot of buddy reads and bookclub books to read, but I’ll toss in a couple of books that fit the rest of my challenges too.
The buddy reads I might be starting this week;
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Cujo by Stephen King
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
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 Many Buddy Reads
Last week I mentioned that I joined this book community that does a lot of buddy reads. Well, the inevitable happened; I got caught up in the excitement of shiny, new things, and I signed up for so many buddy reads, and now I’m contemplating my life and all my questionable life choices. 😅
Don’t get me wrong, I love buddy reads and buddy reading and book discussions and all that come with reading, but now I just have the added pressure of doing so many within a certain time frame. Which might not even be a bad thing, except I signed up for so. many. chonkers. And I don’t know why I do this to myself!
The chonkers:
11/22/63 by Stephen King (which I managed to finish last week, whew! One down!)
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Stand by Stephen King
And these are just the chonkers. I also signed up for several other regular-sized buddy reads!
To be fair, there’s a pretty good timeline for each of the buddy reads and I’m quite sure I can get them done in time. Most of them are books I’ve been wanting to read anyway, and there’s more motivation to read them when they are buddy reads, so I am pretty excited about them but I’m just also nervous!
I’m also going to curb my enthusiasm for all the buddy reads! I’ve slowed down a little now, and I’m sure once the excitement has worn off and I’ve finished some of these buddy reads, we’ll be back to our regularly-scheduled reading. 🤞
All the happy things:
There is a Little Free Library near my neighborhood and I scored some really great books! I’m a Dragonlance fan and I’m so stoked I found Preludes Vol. 1 to 5! Vol. 2 is mismatched but I’m still really happy about finding the books at all!
We’ve been making homemade avocado milkshake and it’s so yummy! I even added some cocoa to it a couple of times and it’s good either way.
I’m up-to-date with my book reviews! I’m very happy and just a little surprised that I managed that again this time.
I made some chili oil and have been putting it in everything! I didn’t choose the spicy life, the spicy life chose me!
A bunny has been visiting my garden and it’s been so lovely to see it lounging around.
The Books
Books I read last week:
Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery – I was surprised with the trajectory of the book series because it’s been a while since I read them. I expected more of Anne and Gilbert but this book focused on Anne being a teacher and her relationships with her young charges. I’m not complaining! I loved it! I’m just also looking forward to more Anne and Gilbert!
If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio – I ended up really disappointed with this one. Perhaps someone who’s more familiar with Shakespeare will enjoy it more, but I personally think that books should be able to stand on their own regardless of their sources of inspiration.
11/22/63 by Stephen King – This a reread, and I remember loving it when I read it the first time, but this time around, it was even better because it was a buddy read and I enjoyed reading other readers’ thoughts about the book!
The Girl from the Other Side Volumes 1-3 by Nagabe – This is a new-to-me manga. The link takes you directly to the website where you can read it for free. I’ve only read up to Vol. 3, which is up to Chapter 15. I’m loving it and really looking forward to reading more!
Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower – I came across this book when looking for bookish books for my reading challenge. This one is a series with a magical bookshop and I’m really enjoying it so far!
Books I’m reading:
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris – I meant to read this last week, but didn’t get around to it. I have to read it this week because it’s for my in-person bookclub and we’re meeting this weekend!
Prose and Cons by Amanda Flower – The second book in the magical bookshop series!
Other than the books I’ve already started, I also plan to continue reading The Girl from the Other Side up to Volume 6 this week. There’s also a buddy read for Solaris by Stanislaw Lem starting this Monday, and it’s relatively short so I can probably finish that 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!
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 Not Enough Books From The TBR
Last week I posted about how I was so stoked about doing so well with reading from my TBR the week before. I finished 4 out of 5 books I meant to read, and I thought that this past week I would surely be done with the last one, but guess what? I’m not!
I got sucked down a rabbit hole of nostalgia reading my favorite childhood books. First it was Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster, and then Anne of Green Gables, and now I’m on to Anne of Avonlea, and there are more books in the series and I’m not sure if I can stop!
Funny story, I didn’t even really intend to read Anne of Green Gables! I saw that there was a version of the book on Audible narrated by Rachel McAdams and I love Rachel McAdams so I got curious and clicked to listen to a sample. And then just kept on listening. And when I finished Anne of Green Gables and saw that Rachel McAdams doesn’t narrate any of the next books, I found another narrator and kept going anyway because I love Anne so much!
My poor single final TBR book I was supposed to read for my challenge (If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio) has been sadly neglected for the whole week. But I swear I’ll read it this weekend! I’ll put Anne aside for now.
Another thing I’ve been thinking about; I posted 9 book reviews this past week, and I am simultaneously proud that I managed it, and worried that it’s unsustainable for me in the long run. I have a bit of a compulsion to write reviews of the books I’ve read before I can consider myself finished with them, and sometimes I feel guilty about moving on to the next books if I haven’t finished reviews of the last ones. To the extent that I’m negotiating with myself to read fewer books so that I’m not constantly behind with my reviews.
But I don’t think that makes sense. I want to read more, not less. And I don’t want my reason for reading less to be because I’m not writing reviews fast enough! So I’m trying to change my mindset about writing reviews at all. I definitely still want to talk about the books I’ve read, I’m just maybe going to see about doing so in a way that doesn’t take up so much time.
All the happy things:
I’m getting so much better on my runs! The difference is barely noticeable in any measurable way, but I feel the difference and I think that’s the important thing.
I heard from a friend I’d been missing, which is one happy thing, and she introduced me to a book community that does a lot of buddy reads, another happy thing!
And so I signed up for a few buddy reads for books I’ve been meaning to read. More happiness!
I made crispy pork belly again! It’s been months and I’ve been craving it!
I’ve been singing a lot more recently.
I’ve also been tinkering on the piano more recently. Getting in some practice and learning some new things.
Honestly, the nostalgia from reading my favorite childhood books have been making me so happy.
The Books
Books I read last week:
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky – I thought it was great! I loved the way the evolution of sentient life was shown over time.
Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster – Ahh, nostalgia. One of my favorite childhood books I will never not love.
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery – Another childhood favorite. And it was narrated by Rachel McAdams which made it even better!
Books I’m reading:
Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery – What can I say? I wanted more of Anne!
If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio – I’ve made progress since last week, but still have more than 50% to go! I’m going to try to finish it this weekend!
Biggest priority is to finish If We Were Villains. And then I’ll also be reading Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, because it’s my in-person bookclub BOTM and I totally forgot about it!
How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
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.
To Be Reading From My TBR
I’m pretty stoked with where I am with this month’s reading because I’m almost done with every single book from my TBR Intentions for August! I’ve never gotten every single one before (almost), but to be fair, this month’s list was short and also subject to change – the goal was to finish the prompts I had left (for the 52 Book Club 2024 Reading Challenge) rather than specific books, so I could switch titles if I wanted.
Still, I’ve only got one book left to go and it also means I’m almost done with the challenge! And then on to the next! 😅
Currently Watching: Our current binge is Why Women Kill. We started it a couple of weeks ago but took a break when we started Those About To Die. We came back to it right after and just finished Season 1 earlier this week and are in the middle of Season 2 right now. I’m sad that the show was canceled but at least each season is a standalone so you’re not left hanging.
Can I just say that Lana Parilla is gorgeous? I loved her as the Evil Queen in Once Upon A Time, and somehow you just can’t help rooting for her even though she’s the villain. She’s totally my “I can fix her” crush!
All the happy things:
The aforementioned fact that I’ve been reading from my TBR and doing a great job of it!
It’s been cooler this week which is nice after all the heat.
I made tom yum coconut curry soup! I know it sounds weird but it works and actually tastes really good!
I started coloring for fun again! It looks ugly but I’m enjoying it and that’s all that matters.
The Books
Books I read last week:
The Women by Kristin Hannah – It was so good and heartwrenching at the same time. At one point, I was so anxious about how it was going to end because things kept getting worse and I couldn’t see a way out of it. It really affected me on a personal level because of how relatable it was.
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood – I had no idea what to expect when I went into this, I never read the description! All I know is that it’s a Booker Prize nominee (because I chose it to fit the prompt) and that a lot of people really liked it. After finishing it, all I can say is wow, Atwood really has a knack for writing dystopian worlds. It’s incredible, and I’ll definitely be reading the next books in the series.
Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer – This book was not on my radar at all but I needed a book for the debut in the second half of 2024 prompt, and it sounded good, so why not. It wasn’t bad, I really love that it wasn’t afraid to talk about breast cancer risks, mastectomies, breast reconstructions, and all the TMI things related to it. The writing itself was okay; I like the story but I think it got a little long at parts. Still a good read!
Books I’m reading:
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky – I’m about 9 hours in on a 16-hour audiobook. I’ve been hearing great things about Tchaikovsky as an author and this is the first book I’m reading from him. I did read the description for this book but it doesn’t exactly tell you what to expect! I love that it’s so different from my own expectations.
If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio – I’m only about 8% in so there’s a long way to go. I’ve heard good things though, and I’m hoping they’re all true!
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.
Everyday I’m Hustlin’
This was a week of catching up but I still feel like I’m not caught up yet. There’s still several loads of laundry to wash and fold. I’ve also been absorbed with trying to figure out a work issue and I’m having trouble thinking up solutions and it’s been an additional mental load.
I haven’t done much on the blog at all and I’ve got lots of reviews to catch up on, plus updating my books read on Goodreads and The Storygraph. Not to mention, it’s the beginning of a new month and I’m going to have to work on my May Wrap-Up post (but not before updating books read so I can actually know what to post in my wrap up)!
On the plus side, I’ve been reading a lot to distract myself from work during my down times, so I got more books read!
All the happy things:
I signed up for a free 30-day Audible trial, and I binged 5 books in 5 days!
Had a nice hangout and dinner with an old friend we haven’t seen in months.
Our in-person bookclub for our May BOTM, Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mendel, happened this morning (Saturday) and it was a really great discussion and fun time. We also had a new member join us, yay!
Went for a nice lunch with a bookclub friend and had a great chat.
We are going to the annual Lilac Festival tomorrow! I’m excited to see all the things!
The Books
Books I read last week:
Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells – I’m getting to know Murderbot a little bit better and I love how it pretends not to like people but it just happens to make friends everywhere and help others despite itself. I love it!
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells – I love the reunion and I’m really excited for what happens in the next books. I got these from the Plus Catalogue on my free Audible trial, and the rest of the books aren’t free, so I’ll have to go back to waiting for the next books.
Maybe This Time by Cara Bastone – This is an Audible Original and I loved the production! The story itself was really cute and I loved the banter, but honestly the highlight was just how well it was produced. Maybe it’s because it’s my first experience with an Audible Original that I was blown away, but I just really enjoyed it!
Mad Love by Wendy Walker – Another Audible Original. It’s a great production too but I didn’t love the story as much. It wasn’t bad, just not the best mystery thriller, but I did really enjoy it too!
Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancroft – I’ve been hearing about this book for a while now, and I got really curious. It was available on Libby so I decided to read it and it’s quite an eye-opener. I feel like everyone should read this book whether they think they’re in an abusive relationship or not; a lot of abusers get away with it because their victims don’t have enough allies who recognize what’s going on and/or know how to help. I think we all need to educate ourselves a little more and this is a good place to start.
Heartstopper: Volume One by Alice Oseman – I have no idea why it took me so long to pick up this book! It’s so sweet and cute, and now I’m gonna have to read the whole series!
Books I’m reading:
Hello Stranger by Katherine Center – Still working on this! I’m reading on ebook and I haven’t had much time to pick it up compared to the audiobooks I’ve been bingeing, but I’m sure it’ll be a quick read when I have time to sit down and focus.
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens – I’ve got this on audiobook. It’s a longer book but I didn’t want to wait too long after recently finishing Demon Copperhead. I’m already seeing the similarities between the books and I’m loving it!
I’m planning to catch up on my book reviews and updating everything I need to update. I’m also really excited about a new month and the books planned for this month – bookclub books of the month, and a couple of buddy reads! I’ll have my Wrap-Up post up this week 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!
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.
A Good, Good Life
Hey friends, I’ve missed you all since the week before! I’m still catching up from all I’ve missed; I’ve got a ton of laundry to do, work I haven’t done, and a couple weeks’ worth of blog visiting and commenting! Please bear with me while I get myself caught up!
As for my friend’s visit, it was awesome! We had lots of fun and did a lot of stuff (and I had to take a couple of days to rest from all the activity I was not used to!) – I took her to the zoo of course, and to the annual big book sale in Calgary, signed her up for our public library tour – she’s a friend from my online book club so she was thrilled with all the book-related activities, I promise!
She was also very happy to meet my cats, the pictures above were all taken by her. They had fun hanging out with her although they were wary at first. We also did some tarot readings, had long chats and some really big laughs, enjoyed a few meals together. It was a great time and I was sad when it was time for her to leave. There were tears! 😭
All the happy things:
It was so nice to hang out with my friend! This is actually the first time we met in person after years of hanging out online, and it was just a joy!
I grabbed lots of great books from the book sale!
I have always loved the zoo and the library, but I have a new appreciation for them, and other local fixtures, after seeing them through a visitor’s eyes.
There have been more walks around the neighborhood with the husband on nice days.
And another dance party while cleaning the kitchen together!
I made more cookies!
My book haul! There were several more, but these are the ones I’m excited about and I hope to read them sooner rather than later.
The Books
Books I read last (two) week(s):
Funny Story by Emily Henry – I think this might have become my favorite of Emily Henry’s books. I loved the banter, and it made me laugh out loud several times. It was just so fun to read.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver – I loved this book but for very different reasons. It’s heavy and difficult to read emotionally, but it was very good, and I feel like this is one I’d come back to and find new things to take away.
Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid – Another favorite from TJR. One of my top TJR books is Malibu Rising, and we first meet Carrie Soto there in a cameo. We get to know her better in this book and I’m definitely a fan.
The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth – My book club buddies were talking about this book and I couldn’t resist buying into their hype. I’m glad I did because it was really good. I finished it very quickly.
The Woman In Me by Britney Spears – I grew up with Britney and really enjoyed her music. It’s horrifying to find out all the ways she’s been used and exploited because of her success. I have so much respect for her strength. I know I couldn’t have handled half the things she went through.
What Happened To Nina? by Dervla McTiernan – This had been on my radar for a while and I finally finished it. It’s such an interesting look at the things we’d do for our loved ones. How far would you go? I think the social horror aspect of it is what scares me most.
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo – Many of you recommended this book after I finished reading Clap When You Land, and I’m glad you did because it was so good. I loved Xiomara’s voice and listening to it on audio, narrated by the author, made it all the more powerful.
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells – Just finished today! I’ve been waiting a long time for the audiobook and it’s worth the wait, but I feel so impatient to read them all, so now I have a dilemma – read them all quickly on ebook? Or wait for the audiobooks to be available, one by slow one? 😩
Books I’m reading:
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley – On a physical copy. This is a reread. Robin McKinley is one of my favorite childhood authors but for some reason I only rated this one two stars at the time. My book buddies have told me unequivocally that I’m wrong and it’s great, so I’m trying it again. To be fair, it’s been so long I don’t remember anything about it at all, so I might agree with them and shake my head at my younger self’s bad take.
Hello Stranger by Katherine Center – On ebook. I’ve been meaning to read it for months! It was on my TBR before The Bodyguard, but I finished that some time ago so I thought I should finally get to this.
Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancroft – On audiobook. I’ve seen a lot of recommendations for this book on some subreddits and it came up recently while I was browsing Libby’s catalog, so I thought I’d read it. It’s been pretty eye-opening so far but I’m only 20% in.
Finish all the books I’ve already started, but I think I also have to catch up on some book reviews, and updating my books read on Goodreads and The Storygraph. I feel like I’ve also lost sight of some of my reading challenges, so I’m going to try to get back on track and focus on the books I wanted to read.
How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
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!
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!
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!
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.
Kitchen Not So Confidential
There’s been a lot of cooking this past week. There’s no special occasion or anything, I just felt like it and had the time, and maybe I’m also enjoying the cleaner kitchen and want to take advantage of that.
I made Butter Prawns, some random soups with everything thrown in, Braised Pork Belly with hard boiled eggs, napa cabbage stir fry, and other stuff I didn’t take pictures of. I’ve been eating well but I’m not sure if I can keep this up! I should probably try to get better at taking food pictures if I do!
I’ve finished watching 911: Lone Star and I was going to start watching the original 911, but a couple of other shows caught my eye so I’ll probably alternate when I have time. I started watching Renegade Nell on my own and I’m quite enjoying it even though I’m still not sure what the end game is and why Nell is special. My husband and I are watching Fallout together. Neither of us play the game but that’s not going to stop us enjoying the show. We’re only on the third episode at the moment. I’m really loving Lucy’s character. Not too sure about Maximus.
The weather has also been pretty nice and we took some walks around the neighborhood. That made me very happy and I hope the weather keeps getting better and we get to take more walks. It’s supposed to snow again later this week but I won’t mind it too much as long as I get to walk outside a little more.
All the happy things:
All the food!
The walks and the warmer weather!
I bought a couple of organizers to organize my sticker collection and I love them!
I bought a few skeins of yarn I’m excited to use, soon!
Had a nice chat with a friend who made me feel encouraged about things I’ve been wanting to do
Got started on organizing my closet
The Books
Books I read last week:
Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett – I’m so happy I finally finished this book! I’ve been anticipating it so much. I think I like the characters we meet in the first book more than the ones here, but I like them too, and I’m glad we were able to see more of Poe. I’m looking forward to the next book too!
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree – Another one I’ve been anticipating. I loved the first book, and I love this one too! I love that it’s so much more about bookshops and books. And I love Viv as ever. She’s someone I’d love to be friends with, and I love how her character is written so well that you just feel drawn to her the same way the people in the book are drawn to her.
Books I’m (still) reading:
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas – I meant to finish the rest of this book but was distracted by another audiobook. Plus the next check-in is still some weeks away so I’ve got time!
Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent – I’m 65% in and enjoying it very much! I promise I’ll get back to The Count of Monte Cristo after I finish this!
I’ll finish up my audiobooks of Daughter of No Worlds and The Count of Monte Cristo, and I’m starting a buddy read for The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden this week. If I can make it, I’d like to get started on The Kite Runner for my in-person book club before the week is out.
I’m also hoping to get caught up on my book reviews and update my books read on Goodreads and The Storygraph.
How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
