Tag: weekly updates

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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Sunday Post | It’s September

Posted August 31, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 8 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 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:

  1. 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!
  2. This week we made blueberry milkshakes and I like them even more than last week’s avocado milkshakes!
  3. I’m up to date on my reviews again! No mean feat!
  4. Had a fun bookclub meeting with my bookclub friends! We had so much fun!
  5. I completed several buddy reads, and signed up for a couple more. 😅

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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!
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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:

  1. 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.

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

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!

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Sunday Post | What Have I Gotten Myself Into

Posted August 24, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 12 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. 

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:

  1. 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!
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. I made some chili oil and have been putting it in everything! I didn’t choose the spicy life, the spicy life chose me!
  5. 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:

  1. 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!
  2. 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.
  3. 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!
  4. 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!
  5. 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:

  1. 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!
  2. Prose and Cons by Amanda Flower – The second book in the magical bookshop series!

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

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!

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Sunday Post | A Whole Lot of Book Reviews

Posted August 17, 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. 

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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!
  3. And so I signed up for a few buddy reads for books I’ve been meaning to read. More happiness!
  4. I made crispy pork belly again! It’s been months and I’ve been craving it!
  5. I’ve been singing a lot more recently.
  6. I’ve also been tinkering on the piano more recently. Getting in some practice and learning some new things.
  7. Honestly, the nostalgia from reading my favorite childhood books have been making me so happy.

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky – I thought it was great! I loved the way the evolution of sentient life was shown over time.
  2. Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster – Ahh, nostalgia. One of my favorite childhood books I will never not love.
  3. 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:

  1. Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery – What can I say? I wanted more of Anne!
  2. 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!

Last Week on The Blog

I did a Top Ten Tuesday post and 9 book reviews!

This Week

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!

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Sunday Post | Is This How It Feels

Posted August 10, 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. 

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:

  1. The aforementioned fact that I’ve been reading from my TBR and doing a great job of it!
  2. It’s been cooler this week which is nice after all the heat.
  3. I made tom yum coconut curry soup! I know it sounds weird but it works and actually tastes really good!
  4. 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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!

Last Week on The Blog

I only did a couple of book reviews:

This Week

I have one book left to finish the 52 Book Club 2024 Reading Challenge, and then I’ll move on to focus on the other challenges.

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 | It’s August

Posted August 3, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 27 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. 

So Much to Catch Up On

I can’t believe the last Sunday Post I posted was June 16th! That means I missed one and a half months of Sunday Posts! I have been updating my Monthly Wrap Ups at least, but I haven’t been present at all and I’ve missed visiting with everyone.

Things are much better now and I’m getting back to a new normal – with new developing habits (running, getting enough sleep, and other healthier habits) so I’m still stumbling, but I’m loving the change and the results so far.

This past week we’ve been binge-watching Those About To Die and we finished the finale just yesterday. I love stories about the Roman Empire and got really engrossed in this story too – the actors were amazing – but so far there’s no news on if there will be a Season 2. I really hope there will because I want more! Now I’m going to have to read some books about the Roman Empire. One of my very favorite underrated books on this is The Light Bearer by Donna Gillespie. I’d love some other recommendations if you have them.

I sort of feel like I have one and a half month’s worth of updates I want to share, but I’ve also summarized some of them already, so I guess if there’s any specific thing I’d like to talk more about, I’ll do that in another post so it doesn’t get overwhelming on this post.

All the happy things:

  1. We watched Deadpool and Wolverine on Monday and it was so much fun!
  2. I bought a couple of new huge pencil cases to keep my vast amount of stationery and some stickers. Now they’re portable and I can journal anywhere I want!
  3. We found a new sichuan restaurant near our place and it’s so good and delicious, it’s taking every ounce of our willpower not to go every day!
  4. I exercised every single day this week! 💪
  5. Went for a regular doctor’s checkup and everything came back a-ok!
  6. Had a two-hour jamming session with the husband that got really hyped up and fun, and lost my voice! 😅

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. The Indifferent Stars Above by Daniel James Brown – This book has been on my TBR for a while but I never got around to it until recently when the stars somehow aligned for it. I’ve had the physical book from the library for a while and kept renewing it because I hadn’t gotten around to it, but last week I came across The Last Podcast on the Left‘s episodes on The Donner Party, binge-listened to them, and the audiobook just became available immediately after. It’s fascinating and horrifying at the same time, but so worth reading/listening to.
  2. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer – Another book that’s been on my TBR for ages. It counts towards a few of my reading challenges, which is great, but it’s also just really a wonderful reading experience. It feels light and beautiful and otherworldly, and it makes me feel so connected to the earth, but at the same time I recognize that I have been disconnected. And it’s easy to forget the lessons in this book and go back to old, potentially harmful habits. I’d like to try to be more thoughtful and intentional from here on out.
  3. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett – This one was interesting because it’s been years since I read it, and I remember liking it but it was never one of my favorite childhood books. Reading it now, as an adult, I think I understand it better now and love it more now than I ever did.

Books I’m reading:

  1. The Women by Kristin Hannah – I got this one with an Audible credit because I’d been wanting to read it and I love Julia Whelan as a narrator. I’m about a third of the way it and really enjoying it so far.

Last Week on The Blog

Just getting back in the groove. I did my Monthly Wrap Up for July and that’s about it.

This Week

I have several book reviews to catch up on! I’d like to get as many done as possible.

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 | It’s Time

Posted June 16, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 10 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. 

To Say Goodbye

Late Monday night, we got news that my father-in-law passed away. It wasn’t unexpected, but we thought he’d have more time. I didn’t know my FIL as well as I would’ve wanted to but my husband was understandably distraught, and all I could do was try to be there for him. It was a somber week, but mixed in with wonderful memories and stories about my FIL. On Thursday we went to the temple to pray and say goodbye. It was nice.

In other news, the water main break is still being fixed and we’re still being asked to ration water use. Apparently it’s worse than they thought and the latest news is that it’s going to take an additional 3-5 weeks to fix! I have no idea how that’s going to work out since Calgary is having the Stampede soon and we’ll have visitors/performers/acts coming in and using more water than usual. Hopefully, it will get fixed sooner than estimated.

Nothing much else happened last week. I’ve been emotionally exhausted but in relatively good spirits, and husband is doing relatively well too. I’ve still got lots of book reviews to catch up on, comments to reply to, and I’ve missed visiting your blogs and finding out what everyone has been up to. Fingers crossed this week will be absolutely boring and uneventful and I’ll get caught up on the blog stuff.

Laundry and all water-related chores is another story.

All the happy things:

  1. We found a bistro near our place that has delicious food and the most friendly and helpful staff!
  2. I got some really great deals from the Audible sale! I got all the Murderbot books – the dramatized versions, and the Bobbiverse books, a couple of T. Kingfisher books, and some Dragonlance books too! It’s on the Audible US store, and it ends Sunday night, but if you’re a member and somehow missed it, you’ve probably still got some time to get some deals quick!
  3. I finished all the Heartstopper books the week before, so I started watching the TV series last week. I haven’t gotten far but I have loved every single episode so much! Nick and Charlie are just so adorable, I can’t stand it!

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman – The first half of the book was great, but I finished the second half of the book Tuesday evening and had been mostly preoccupied since the news about FIL on Monday, so I feel like I wasn’t fully present. I still really enjoyed it and really want to continue the rest of the series!

Books I’m (still) reading:

  1. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens – I’m on hour 28 of this 36-hour audiobook! Almost there! It’s really good but the preoccupation with irl stuff isn’t helping and there are certain details that confuse me, even when I go back and repeat some of those parts. This is a book I fully intend to reread in the future though, along with Demon Copperhead, so I’m content even if I only understand 50% of it.

Last Week on The Blog

I did squat on the blog this week. 😭

This Week

I’m just going to do my best.

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 | Fever in the Morning

Posted June 8, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 7 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. 

Fever All Through The Night

Sunday we went to the annual Lilac Festival and before I go any further, I should clarify that it’s not a festival for lilacs! The only lilacs featured were decorative lilacs, but otherwise, it was just a street market full of random things. I knew this so I wasn’t disappointed or anything, I just thought I should clarify because everyone I talked to seemed to think it was for lilacs!

Anyway, it’s an annual street market festival, this year featuring 500+ vendors and 70+ performances, and held from 10am to 6pm. My husband and I were there from 10am until 3pm, and we were exhausted at the end of it! There were so many things to see and explore. The handcrafted items were beautiful, the crafters and performers were amazingly talented, the food all looked and smelled delicious! It became extremely crowded and got increasingly difficult to navigate our way through the crowd, but we had fun!

Also, the weather was nice in the morning, and it got kind of hot actually, but then it rained in the afternoon for a while and then got hot and sunny again later. And I got a fever the next day. 🤒

Yeah, I think I overdid it. I felt nauseous, had no appetite, my skin was feeling really sensitive, I was brain-tired, and my whole body was sore. I had ambitious plans for the week and had to reschedule because I just couldn’t do much of anything Monday through Wednesday. Except read! Yay! (That’s also why I missed Top Ten Tuesday last week too, btw.😭)

Silver lining of being sick, I stayed in bed and read/listened to Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie. I alternated between physical book and audiobook whenever my eyes/ears got tired, and I managed to finish it from Monday to Wednesday!

I felt much better Thursday morning, but unfortunately, I also woke up to a city-wide alert about a water main break and that we had to ration water. They are still trying to fix it even now and we’re encouraged to use as little water as we can. So that means the laundry isn’t done, and is still continuing to pile up even more!

Honestly, I’m feeling really anxious about the state of the house right now after a whole week of not cleaning up because I was sick and then water rationing. I’m distracting myself with other good things as best as I can!

All the happy things:

  1. I made some strides on my work issue – not much because of being sick, but I’ve implemented some of my ideas and it’s early days but it seems to be working. 🤞
  2. I finally finished The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie! I meant to finish it last month but at least I got it read early this month.
  3. It’s strawberry season! I’ve been enjoying lots of strawberries!
  4. I crocheted a couple of summer hats! (Because of the heat at the Lilac Festival and having no hat – I’ve learned my lesson!)
  5. I finally bought a yarn winder – what a game changer! I just got it yesterday and I’ve been using it non-stop since, for fun!
  6. Had a fun jamming session with the husband, plus he taught me a couple of things on the guitar.
  7. We also watched The Martian again because we enjoyed it so much and it’s been a while.
  8. I binged on Heartstopper and omg, I love Charlie and Nick so much! They are the most adorable, cutest couple and they bring me so much joy! I cannot wait to watch the TV series!

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. Hello Stranger by Katherine Center – I loved this one so much! It was just so fun and while I’m usually not a fan of the miscommunication trope, I loved the way this one played out. I made the mistake of starting this close to bedtime. I thought I could stop halfway at a lull point or something, but it was so good that I couldn’t stop and just read through the night! I finally slept at 4.30am.
  2. Heartstopper: Vol. 2 by Alice Oseman – I’m sorry but Nick and Charlie are just so cute and I can’t stand it!
  3. Heartstopper: Vol. 3 by Alice Oseman – I can’t stop thinking how cute they are! It’s just makes my heart swell!
  4. Heartstopper: Vol. 4 by Alice Oseman – I think this might be my favorite one because of events that happened here that I won’t spoil but they were just so freaking cute!
  5. Heartstopper: Vol. 5  by Alice Oseman – If I had known there was a sixth book, I might not have started the series until it was out. Now I have to wait for the last one!
  6. Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie – I’m not sure how I feel about this final book of the series. On the one hand, I love the arcs for several of the characters and the development of the story, on the other hand, I really hated the arcs for some of the other characters. It’s still a great series, but I’m trying to decide if I want to read the other books in the series that are only tangibly related to the characters in this one. We’ll see.

Books I’m reading:

  1. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens – I’m still making my way through the audiobook, I’m 10 hours into a 36-hour audio, so there’s still a long way to go!
  2. Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman – Finally rereading this, but just starting out! I’m anxious and excited!

Last Week on The Blog

That’s it, that’s all I did this week. 😭

This Week

My plan this week is to finish the Dragonlance Chronicles books; Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Dragons of Winter Night, and Dragons of Spring Dawning. I also need to get caught up on book reviews, blog visiting, and replying comments. Thank you for being patient with me, my friends!

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 | Everyday I’m Hustlin’

Posted June 1, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 10 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. 

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:

  1. I signed up for a free 30-day Audible trial, and I binged 5 books in 5 days!
  2. Had a nice hangout and dinner with an old friend we haven’t seen in months.
  3. 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!
  4. Went for a nice lunch with a bookclub friend and had a great chat.
  5. We are going to the annual Lilac Festival tomorrow! I’m excited to see all the things!

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. 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!
  2. 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.
  3. 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!
  4. 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!
  5. 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.
  6. 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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!

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

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!

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Sunday Post | And I Would Walk 500 Miles

Posted May 4, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 27 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. 

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:

  1. We had our final check-in for The Count of Monte Cristo readalong and had a wonderful discussion that went almost 3 hours!
  2. 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!
  3. 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.
  4. 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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:

  1. Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie – Just started but already excited about reading more!
  2. 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.

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

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!

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