Tag: sunday post

Sunday Post | Reading is Better than Cleaning

Posted April 6, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 28 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. 

Reading is Better than Cleaning

The “Spring Cleaning” has become more of a regular cleaning, which is fine. I’m good with it. I’m accepting it. Regular cleaning is good too.

Honestly, I’ve been spending a lot more time looking around the house, planning it in my head, and procrastinating, than actually cleaning. And consequentially, I haven’t had the peace of mind to read very much last week. Which I guess is good because I haven’t caught up with my book reviews either.

Why do I do this to myself?

I could’ve just read my books and let my house be a mess. Lesson learned. Next time whenever I think of cleaning, I’ll read instead. Remind me again if you ever hear me say I’m planning to clean.

(P.S. I’m not even going to mention that it snowed again.)

All the happy things:

  1. My husband is back home from his trip! Yay, I’ve missed him!
  2. My mother bought me some brand new clothes!
  3. I got some of my old favorite books out of storage and I can’t wait to revisit them again.
  4. I made cookies!
  5. Our next check-in for The Count of Monte Cristo readalong is tomorrow morning (Sunday morning, I’m writing this on Saturday), I’m so excited for the discussion!

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. Funny Feelings by Tarah Dewitt – I loved that it was about comedy and comedians, and of course, that it had a fake dating trope. I also love that it featured a deaf character and deaf-specific jokes. I listened on audio and it was just a fun read.
  2. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo – This book was one of the nominees for my in-person book club’s April BOTM. It didn’t win, but I was intrigued and it was available on audiobook so I decided to read it anyway. I’m glad I did, it was really good!
  3. The Way Forward by Yung Pueblo – I’ve been reading this on and off a few pages at a time because it makes me stop and think and reflect. I love the sentiments and it really resonates for me. I originally borrowed a library copy but now I feel like I want to buy my own copy so I can write in it and/or make notes.
  4. A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal – (DNF) I was really excited for this because I’d heard so many good things about the author and her books, and it was supposed to be a buddy read, but I only got 22% in and I couldn’t keep going because it annoyed me so much. I felt there was a lot of telling instead of showing and the characters just didn’t connect for me. I’m pretty disappointed because I was looking forward to reading the author’s other books as well, but I don’t think I will now.

Books I’m (still) reading:

  1. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas – I finished reading up to the assigned chapters for the discussion tomorrow. And then it’s all the way to the end after that. The next check-in is supposed to be the last. I’ve read this book many times already, but I’m loving it all over again with this readalong experience!
  2. Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett – Finally getting back to Emily Wilde! I just started and I’m only on Chapter 2, but I’m hoping to spend the whole weekend binging if I can!

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

I’ve got The Count of Monte Cristo on audio, and Emily Wilde on print. Hopefully I can finish them both 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 | Spring Cleaning, Sorta

Posted March 30, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 21 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. 

Spring Cleaning, Sorta

I cannot believe it’s the end of March already! Where did the month go? I feel like I didn’t get much done this month, and I didn’t get a lot of books read either.

It’s the first week of Spring Break, and I’ve been taking it as an opportunity to do a little spring cleaning. See, when I imagined it in my head, I was all super-powered and I was able to clean and organize the whole house to make it look like one of those model homes. The reality though… I cleaned my kitchen. Only the kitchen. Ah well, better than nothing.

In regards to the weather, since everyone’s invested now; the beginning of the week started out promising. There was still snow on the ground but it was melting and the weather was getting warmer. Cut to Friday, and it’s snowing again. A lot.

Sigh… I am resigned to my fate and I have decided to embrace it.

All the happy things:

  1. I got the kitchen cleaned and somewhat organized!
  2. I signed up for a few buddy reads on my online book club, and I’m excited about those books!
  3. A friend from the USA may be visiting for a couple of days in May, and I’m excited to see her!
  4. My in-person book club met for the second time, and we had a great discussion about our book of the month, The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.
  5. We are talking about a road trip for the summer! Nothing’s confirmed, but it makes me happy to have that possibility.

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell – It took me the whole week to read this one. It’s dense, and a little bleak, but it’s really good and there’s so much to think about. This one took up a lot of my time and energy, so I didn’t get to read a lot of other books last week, but it’s for my book club and I’m glad I read it. I haven’t written a review because I wanted to have our book club discussion first, which happened this morning (at the time of writing). I’ll write a review soon!
  2. Bear by Marian Engel – This was a sort of gag buddy read for my online book club. It’s short and I managed to finish it in a couple of hours. It’s…interesting. Weird, confusing, and I’m still waiting on others to read it so we can talk about it.

Books I’m (still) reading:

  1. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas – The readalong is ongoing and the next check-in is Saturday. We’re reading Chapters 60-86 for this check-in. I’m currently at Ch 78.
  2. Blitz by Daniel O’Malley – I stopped at Chapter 19 (of about 30?) because the audiobook had expired and had to be returned. I have the physical book, so I’ll probably continue with it instead of waiting for the audiobook.
  3. A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal – I just started this as a buddy read! I’m only a couple of chapters in.

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

I’d like to finish Blitz and A Tempest of Tea this week. I’m losing a bit of momentum on Blitz to be honest, and I’m contemplating dnf-ing it. It’s not bad though, I’m enjoying the story, it’s just that I’m itching to read other lighter books at the moment, and there have been too many dense ones.

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 | You Know Nothing, Spring Snow

Posted March 23, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 26 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. 

You Know Nothing, Spring Snow

I am not happy that it’s snowing again, I just want to get that out of the way. I can’t believe how much I talk about and fixate on the weather, but I wouldn’t if it would only do what I want! Or maybe it’s time for me to toughen up and get friendly with Canadian weather.

One good thing about cold weather is having soups to warm you up! My husband made Bak Kut Teh and it was soooo good. The picture below is not the actual dish he made. I was too hungry and we weren’t thinking of plating for aesthetic purposes so we didn’t take pictures. It’s just a random picture taken off the internet for illustration purposes only.

Bak Kut Teh is a Chinese herbal pork soup/stew that’s sweet and savory. The main focus of it is the pork, but we often add tofu, different kinds of mushrooms, some vegetables, and we usually eat it with rice and garlic in soy sauce. The garlic is the best part for me!

I’ve often wondered if a vampire gave me the choice of eternal life but I’d have to give up garlic forever, would I do it? Such a dilemma; garlic vs. eternal life. What would you choose? 🧄or🧛‍♀️

On my husband reading The Count of Monte Cristo, he managed five chapters and decided it was too verbose for him right now, so he’s putting it aside. I can’t say I blame him; I tend to skip flowery descriptions most of the time and just focus on important events that happen in the book, but he likes to pay attention to details and there were just so much here.

On the bright side, he’s still open to taking recommendations from me and reading the books I love! He’s on The Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher right now, because it’s the only one currently available from the library, but I hope to get him on the other Kingfisher books as well.

Unfortunately, a couple of days ago I somehow sprained my right shoulder. It hurts to move it or to spend too much time on the computer – I think because of the height of the table and the way my arm/elbow rests on the table and the position when using the mouse, so I have to take frequent breaks. Thank goodness I did most of my blog posts earlier in the week! I’ve been trying to rest it more, but it seems to be hurting more today than when it started. Hopefully it will get better soon.

All the happy things:

  1. I got more blog posts than usual up last week! A few reviews, and other fun memes.
  2. I finally got caught up with updating my books read on Goodreads and The Story Graph.
  3. My husband and I had a really fun night dancing and singing to music while he made Bak Kut Teh.
  4. The fact that he made Bak Kut Teh!
  5. I bought some new stickers for my journal!
  6. Tax is all done!
  7. My library had a webinar with Madeline Miller : On Retelling Greek Classics: An Exploration of the Modern Epics with Madeline Miller. We’re encouraged to share the link to the replay, so here it is if you’re interested.
  8. We watched The Greatest Night in Pop, and it was so amazing to see how it all came about. I loved it!

Books I read last week:

I did not finish a single book last week but I did finish a short story that Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl highly recommended; Signal Moon by Kate Quinn.

From the title and cover, I thought it might be some futuristic scifi story, but it wasn’t what I expected at all. I’d say it’s more of a historical fiction with paranormal elements, and I loved it. It’s short and sweet, and I thought it was perfect on its own, but it also made me really want to read Kate Quinn’s other books. I’ve never read any of her books before and I need to remedy that.

Other than that, I’ve been reading a few books;
The Count of Monte Cristo is still ongoing – the timeline is until the end of April and we have multiple check-ins,
Blitz by Daniel O’Malley – the final book in the Checquy Files, and
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell – for my book club discussion next week.

They are all relatively thicker/denser books, so I can’t just breeze through them. I’ve been wanting to take a break and read something light, but I also feel like I don’t want to add another story into my mental space until I’ve finished at least one of these. I’ll probably take some time this weekend to make a dent in one or two of them.

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

Working on Blitz, The Sparrow, and The Count of Monte Cristo!

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 | Good Food, Good Week

Posted March 16, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 28 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. 

Good Food, Good Week

I made dim sum from scratch last week! I made a bunch of siu mai and crispy wontons and they were delicious. My husband made stewed pork hock too for the first time and it was pretty good. There was no special occasion except to feed our cravings. It might have backfired because now I’m craving them even more!

I know the pictures are kind of brown, but we made veggie dishes too; we had steamed okra and shiitake mushrooms, I just didn’t take pictures of them because I was more excited about these ones! I’ll be sure to take better pictures next time.

We watched a couple of movies; Argylle and Ricky Stanicky. They were both really cheesy, but just so much fun! And coincidentally, John Cena acts in both of them. I promise we didn’t watch either shows just because of him, but his performance on Ricky Stanicky was really something. I especially loved him in his Britney Spears costume!

I am also taking a page out of several blogs I’ve seen do this happiness/gratitude list thing. I haven’t been mindful about all the good things happening in my life, so I’d like to start incorporating it into my weekly updates.

All the happy things:

  1. My husband finished The Storyteller by Dave Grohl! I’m so happy and I loved that we got to discuss it together!
  2. He asked for recommendations for his next book, and I said The Count of Monte Cristo, and he’s actually willing to give it a try! I’m so excited for him! And for me because then I’ll get to talk about it with him!
  3. We took a walk around the neighborhood because the weather was nice.
  4. I had some chocolate this week! Yum!
  5. My online bookclub is doing a readalong for The Count of Monte Cristo; we had a midpoint discussion for the book yesterday and it was fun!
  6. I made cookies!

Books I read last week:

I finished The Bodyguard by Katherine Center in two days! Yayy! So it did kind of get me out of my slump, and then I started reading The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo next. It completely lived up to expectations and more. I loved the story so much! I haven’t written reviews for either of these books yet, but I’ll do it soon!

The Count of Monte Cristo is ongoing because of the readalong, and I’m enjoying it more because of hearing other readers’ thoughts. I am also really enjoying Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday right now. As of this writing I am 72% in, but I’m sure that by the time you read this, I’d have finish the book because I fully intend on going back to reading it after I finish writing this post!

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

I have the final book in The Checquy Files, Blitz by Daniel O’Malley, ready for me on audiobook, so I’ll be reading that. I also intend to start The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell before the end of the week for my book club’s BOTM.

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 | TV Binges and Reading Slumps

Posted March 9, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 22 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. 

TV Binges and Reading Slumps

I’m still sneezing a little but feeling much better than the week before. The weather has also gotten warmer, which is lovely, and I hope it lasts! I’m itching to go outside and take some long walks without feeling miserable and cold.

One of the best things about cold weather is cozy reading days, but I’ve been in a reading slump so I didn’t get to enjoy that. I did end up watching a lot of TV, however. I’ve been binging on 9-1-1: Lone Star and I’m on the second season now. I didn’t know that it was a spin-off, I’ll probably watch the other one once I’ve finished this.

My husband and I also watched Poor Things last week, and it was so good. They totally deserve every single one of the awards they won! I love that it was able to be both funny and profound. I love that it’s such a different take on the Frankenstein phenomenon, almost complete opposites but still such a commentary on beauty. Would Bella have been as well received if she had been subjectively hideous as Frankenstein’s monster was? I also love the commentary on societal expectations, and how shame is also subject to those expectations. There is so much to be gotten from this movie. It’s just really good!

Books I read last week:

It’s been a slow week for me with reading, I feel like I’m in a bit of a slump. I technically finished two books; A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross, and Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry, but I had finished them both by Monday, and I haven’t really gotten my head into anything else.

I’ve been reading The Count of Monte Cristo, and Fairy Tale by Stephen King for two readalongs, but they are both rereads so I’m not champing at the bit to find out what happens. I joined the readalongs because I was excited about discussions and seeing what other people thought, and I still am excited about that, but I also feel like I need something new to get me going, so I started reading The Bodyguard by Katherine Center. I just started it so I can’t say if it will get me out of my slump, but so far, so good!

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

I’m not feeling excited about anything right now, but hopefully that will change really soon.

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 | Snow and More Snow

Posted March 2, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 30 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. 

Snow and More Snow

It’s March already, but it’s been snowing and snowing and snowing for the last few days! Whyyyyy??? I had a couple of appointments that turned into virtual ones instead because I did not want to go out in this weather. I’m a wimp. But also, I have a cold.

I’ve been sneezing all day, every day, for three days now and it is not fun. My sneezes are loud and powerful, it’s like a full body blast every time I sneeze, so my whole body aches and it feels like I’ve been running marathons and lifting weights. Not fun! I don’t even run marathons or lift weights when I’m healthy!

I wasn’t even able to lay in bed sick to read books. I only finished a single, tiny book last week. It was a good book though, so there’s that!

Book(s) I read last week:

I read the first book in The Murderbot Diaries, All Systems Red by Martha Wells on audiobook. It was only a 3-hour audiobook, so it went quickly, but I really enjoyed it and I’m excited for more! I haven’t written a review because I haven’t felt up to it yet, but I will as soon as I feel better!

I am also still in the middle of The Count of Monte Cristo for the readalong. I have it on audio and I’m just listening casually whenever I need to (for chores and sleeping). I love that it’s a huge book and 47 hours on audio, so I have lots to listen to and don’t have to scramble to find a new audiobook.

The book I’m actively reading right now is A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross, and I’m 61% in and loving it. It’s been on my TBR for a long time and I’m finally reading it due to some pressur-…uh, I mean, encouragement from my friends, and I’m probably going directly to the next book in the duology right after.

I thought I would be able to finish it last week, but the beginning of the week was busy for me, and then later with all the sneezing and being so physically tired, I’ve just been falling asleep every time I try to read.

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

I definitely want to finish A River Enchanted and A Fire Endless this week, if nothing else. I’m still feeling too sick and tired to aim for more. I’d be happy with these two!

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 First Book Club Meeting

Posted February 24, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 30 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 First Book Club Meeting

We had our first book club meeting this weekend! It was so much fun; we talked about our book of the month – Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, it was just okay for most of us – and also got to know each other a little bit.

It’s still funny to me that not even a month ago I was joking about wanting a book club and then it happened. I have to call back the “I want a million dollars” joke, because it’s not really a joke, I do want a million dollars! Please, thank you, Universe!

Other than that, last week was pretty uneventful. I was a little low energy and not feeling my best, and I found myself falling asleep while reading a couple of times. I took a lot of naps!

Books I read last week:

I wasn’t really satisfied with the first two books I read last week. The Bookshop on the Corner started off fine but I ended up not really liking the story and characters. And Remarkably Bright Creatures was a bit of a disappointment because I thought it was going to be more octopus-centric than it was. One of my book club members said that she felt like the author could’ve omitted the octopus’ POV entirely from the story and it wouldn’t have changed the story, and I agree.

Dave Grohl’s The Storyteller made me very happy though! I listened to it on audio with Dave himself narrating, and it was wonderful to listen to his stories about his life, his family, his musical journey. I just finished it last night so I haven’t written a review yet, but the gist is that I love it, and I love him, and I feel so inspired!

My husband is a musician and a fan of the Foo Fighters, so I kept telling him little anecdotes from the book, and he got interested and put a hold on the audiobook to listen for himself, which made me so happy! I’ve been trying for the longest time to get my husband to read more and discuss books with me, and apparently, all I had to do was read books about music and musicians! I’m making a list and taking recommendations, so if you’ve got a good one, let me know!

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

I’m currently in the middle of The Bad Weather Friend by Dean Koontz. And I’ve just started the first Murderbot Diaries on audio. I’m also still rereading The Count of Monte Cristo for the readalong, and I promised a friend that I’d start reading the Elements of Cadence series by Rebecca Ross 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 | All the Legends, All the Lattes

Posted February 17, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 22 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 Legends, All the Lattes

I had a great reading week! I finished six books and they were all really good! Granted half of them were novellas and graphic novels, but still.

In particular, I finally read Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree, and omg, it totally lived up to the hype for me. I finished it in one sitting on Tuesday, neglected everything else I was supposed to do, and I don’t even regret it. I loved it so much and I cannot wait to read the prequel!

Books I read this week:

I’ve written reviews for most of them, and if you’re interested in what I thought about them, you can check them out! I’m not planning to write reviews for the Debbie Tung books, but I do want to mention them here and express how much I loved them and how relatable they are. It’s like she sees into my soul!

Other than reading and burying my head in books this week, I didn’t really do much else. But again, I don’t regret anything!

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

I’m reading Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt this week. Our book club is having its first meeting this weekend and this is our first book of the month! Yay!

I’m also reading The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan on audio, and rereading The Count of Monte Cristo. There’s a readalong happening for The Count of Monte Cristo and it’s one of my all-time favorite books so I couldn’t resist joining in!

I’m not sure if I should keep up the pretense of reading The Dance of Anger by Harriet Lerner. I still really want to, but I’m just not. How do I make myself read 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!

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Sunday Post | Happy Lunar New Year!

Posted February 10, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 18 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. 

Happy Lunar New Year!

As of this writing, I am exhausted because it’s the Lunar New Year and I’m prepping for our “traditional” new year meal (traditional to our family, not really to the culture as a whole). I’ve also been cleaning the house and doing laundry and all the extras, although I’ll admit that my definition of clean is probably not as strict as it used to be. Clean enough is good enough.

It’s just my husband and me this year, so I didn’t go overboard. I made crispy pork belly in the air fryer, and we had several side vegetable dishes to go with it. We’ll have enough leftovers for the next couple of days too, which is great! Are you celebrating the Lunar New Year?

I’ve also finally finished Season 3 of Veronica Mars, and it’s so apparent to me now how toxic Veronica’s relationship with Logan is. I used to ship them so much, but now I’m like, you guys need to stay away from each other. It’s funny that this time around I’m more invested with her relationship with Piz. Piz is so much better for her than Logan ever was.

I did start watching a couple of episodes of Season 4, but not liking it very much. Logan and Veronica’s relationship is as toxic as ever, maybe more. And Piz is nowhere to be seen. I don’t know if I’ll finish watching it. It’s more of a curiosity to see where it goes.

As for my reading last week, I finished Stiletto by Daniel O’Malley on audiobook, and I binged on The Improbable Meet-Cute Series, which were so much fun! I’m also currently reading Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng on audio and loving it so far.

I dnf’d two books, which I’m very proud of because dnf-ing doesn’t come easy to me. As it was, I spent way too long on them before I finally dnf’d, but it’s a practice and I’ll get better at it!

The books I dnf’d:

  • Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien – so apparently I’ve picked up this book before and dnf’d it then. I didn’t remember it but it started to get really familiar as I read, and instead of dnf-ing again, I kept reading past where I stopped last time because I thought maybe this time, I’d like it better. I didn’t.
  • Children of Virtue and Vengence by Tomi Adeyemi – This is the second book in the Legacy of Orïsha series, and I’m very disappointed because I wanted to like it. I dnf’d at 53% because there’s a character in the story that gave me the ick and I can’t get past it. I’d accept this character as a villain but it seemed like the author might be trying to redeem them, and I can’t. It’s too icky. I have more I want to say, so maybe I’ll write a separate post about it later.

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

I’ll finish Our Missing Hearts soon, I’m already 80% in, and I really want to start Legends and Lattes 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 | Happiness Is…

Posted January 27, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 28 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. 

Happiness Is…

We got to go to the zoo this week and see the Penguin Walk! I loved it! They were so adorable and I loved watching them walk! The big furry brown one is Augustus, and he was chirping so happily, omg! It’s lucky they cordoned off the space and had people controlling the crowd and protecting the penguins from me, because it was all I could do not to throw myself at them!

Happy!

I also went down to the Central Library this week because it’s been a while, and that’s another happy place for me! I wanted to browse books I might not have found on my own (like I don’t have enough books already anyway!), and I ended up with more books than I can carry, so I just took a couple and placed a hold for the rest.

I asked about book clubs because the library used to have a whole bunch of them listed in the programs guide, but apparently, they have no more book clubs now, ever since the pandemic. Which is really disappointing to hear.

Not so happy. =(

I’ve been looking for an in-person book club for a while but haven’t found one that would be right for me. Logistics is an issue for me so there are limited locations I can travel to, and there was a couple that seemed to be “dinner and book club” things, which would be too pricey for me. A book club at the library would’ve been perfect for me, but oh well. I’ll keep looking.

Or maybe I’ll start one! Does anyone live in Calgary, Canada, or knows someone who lives here and wants start a book club with me? Lol! (I’m only half-joking!)

As for reading, I’m also very happy because I managed to read three books that I’d been wanting to read for a while!

I finally finished The Rook by Daniel O’Malley, Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher, and by popular demand, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. I loved how many of you were telling me to read it and how much you loved it. Well, I read it! And I loved it! Thank you for your enthusiasm for the book! I’ve written a review if you wanna know what I thought!

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

I have started on Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries and I am loving it so far. I just got the second book in the Checquy series on audio today, and I’m excited to dive in as well! I’m happy I didn’t have to wait too long after finishing The Rook!

I am still planning to read The Dance of Anger. I know I said I’ll try to read it for last week, but I was caught up with other books and activities, and wasn’t in the right frame of mind. I’m still not ready to give up on it, but I’m not certain if I should give up on it for now and pick it up again a couple of weeks later. I’ll just play it by ear and see how I feel.

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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