WEEKLY UPDATES: BOOKS, BLOGGING, & CLOUDY DAYS…

On By Laurel-Rain SnowIn weekly updates

Good morning! Today’s post will link up to The Sunday Salon, The Sunday Post and Stacking the Shelves, for weekly updates.

**Mailbox Monday is hosted at the home site: Mailbox Monday.

And let’s join Kathryn, our leader in It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?, at Book Date.

 

 

This week has brought some rain…followed by cloudy days, and after some outings earlier in the week, like lunch with my daughter on Monday and dinner with granddaughter Fiona on Tuesday, I found myself curled up to read more often than not.  So my three books read and reviewed made me feel accomplished.  Below, here is Fiona’s birthday dinner with me (and her iPhone) at our neighborhood Mexican restaurant:

I happily resumed watching my favorite shows again, like This Is Us and the TGIT lineup which offered a mash-up between Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder.  Olivia Pope and Annelise Keating joined forces before the Supreme Court.  I loved how those two women put aside their snarky power plays…and brought their A games.

Sunday, I will binge-watch Season II of The Good Fight.

I have set my DVR for the Oscars on Sunday…I don’t like watching live, because I prefer being able to fast-forward through the boring parts.

Maybe I should watch some of the nominated movies on Amazon Prime this weekend.

Grab some coffee…and let’s take a closer look at my week:

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOGS:

Weekend Potpourri:  Books, Tasks, & Movies…

Sunday Potpourri:  Moving Ahead & Looking Back…

Tuesday Potpourri:  A New Release from an Old Favorite…

Rainy Day Excerpts:  “An American Marriage”

A Look at My TBR: 2017

A Week of Books:  Current, Past, Future…

Goodbye, February:  Wrap-Up

Coffee Chat:  It’s March!

Bloggiesta:  March 19-25

Bookish Friday:  “Sunburn”

Review:  The Promise Between Us (e-book), by Barbara Claypole WhiteReview:  Even If It Kills Her (e-book, Bailey Weggins Mystery), by Kate WhiteReview:  An Early Wake (e-book, County Cork #3), by Sheila Connolly

***

INCOMING BOOKS: (Titles/Covers Linked to Amazon)

My physical mailbox was empty!  But…I did download a NetGalley review book and bought four e-books.

NetGalley Review Book:  (Release Date – 5/15/18)

How To Walk Away (e-book), by Katherine Center

***

Purchased Downloads:

K is for Killer (e-book), by Sue Grafton

The Bad Daughter (e-book), by Joy Fielding

Raspberry Danish Mystery (e-book), by Joanne Fluke

A Turn for the Bad (e-book, County Cork #4), by Sheila Connolly

***

WHAT’S NEXT?

Currently Reading:  An American Marriage (e-book), by Tayari Jones

Next:

Sunburn (e-book), by Laura Lippman

***

Then…I want to start reading my NetGalley ARCs that will be released on 3/20 and 3/27/18:

The Alternate Side, by Anna Quindlen,  and Not That I Could Tell, by Jessica Strawser

 

 

 

 

 

***

That was my week….what did yours look like?   Today I’m sharing one of Aubrey’s birthday treats….

***

86 thoughts on “WEEKLY UPDATES: BOOKS, BLOGGING, & CLOUDY DAYS…”

  1. Patty

    Kind of a fun week for you…you no sooner finished going out to lunch and you were out to dinner…with no leftovers! Where did you eat the bottom picture? Was that dessert or breakfast?

    You certainly acquired a ton of books this week! Enjoy!
    .

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. Greg Hill

    Mmm Mexican- that’s looking pretty yummy! I haven’t had Mexican in a while… now it sounds kinda good! I was wondering about the Oscar movies too, since I don’t seem to have seen any of them.

    Not That I Could Tell looks like one I’d like- I saw it compared to Big Little Lies somewhere. Sunburn too seems like I saw something good about. Hope your reads are all good this week- and enjoy the Oscars!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks for visiting, Greg, and my granddaughter and I were both craving Mexican food…and our favorite place is just around the corner.

      I also love the look of Not That I Could Tell. Enjoy your reading…and your movie watching.

      Have a great week!

      Like

      Reply

  7. That food looks very yummy and good to spend time with your grand daughter even if the phone got a little too much notice! I do so hope that one day we’ll be able to watch This is Us here in NZ because it has so much great rap. Wishing a little sunshine your way.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Kathryn, and I’m hoping you get to watch This is Us, too! When you get it on Netflix, you won’t have to wait for the next week’s episode.

      I did love hanging out with my granddaughter, and the last couple of times, getting together was her idea. And yes, maybe she just wanted a good meal, but I’ll take it!

      Enjoy your week!

      Like

      Reply

  10. It looks like you’ve had a wonderful book haul – and the birthday meal with your granddaughter looks fabulous:). I’m betting you were sitting at the table and wondering where the last 16 years went…:). Have a great week, Laurel and hopefully less rain. I’m just crossing my fingers we don’t get more snow!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Oh, that does sound like fun, Deb; but I watched Billboards here at home…LOL. I am glad, since home is more comfy…LOL.

      So far, An American Marriage is just okay…I hope it picks up. But I’ve been distracted.

      Enjoy your weekend.

      Like

      Reply

  13. Laurel-Rain, you always have the very best books to share! I am drooling over them and making note of the ones I hadn’t heard of. I hope you enjoy every one of them.

    And that Mexican food…. let’s just say we miss the cuisine of SoCal and pay much more for avocados here, lol! Happy birthday to the granddaughters! Glad to be back to book chat with you!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Rita, it’s great to “see” you again! Are you back on the East Coast? My son, who now lives in Prague, misses our Mexican food, too.

      I can’t believe the granddaughters are already 21!

      Enjoy your week, and thanks for visiting.

      Like

      Reply
  15. StackingMy BookShelves

    I can’t get my kids off their phones either! I have to threaten to take them away just to eat dinner together. =) I am riding out the storm that took out our power at a friends. So surreal looking at all the downed trees and power lines cut in half. They say we won’t have power to our area till Wednesday!! Have a good Sunday!

    Mary #SundayRoundup #8

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Oh, so sorry about those power lines, Mary…I hate power outages, and feel a bit guilty that they don’t happen here that often.

      The constant presence of the iPhones is definitely a side-effect of so much technology.

      Enjoy your week!

      Like

      Reply
  18. Jenea

    Aubry’s birthday treat looks delicious. You meal with her, look kinda like what it is like to eat with our kids too. lol… I’ve been curious about Scandal and How. To Get Away with Murder, they both are on my watchlist. It’s a large list too. 🙂 Hope you enjoy Not That I Could Tell. I really did. I am hoping to pick up How To Walk Away, it sounds like it will great. Happy Sunday.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Jenea, glad you enjoyed Not That I Could Tell. I loved the author’s previous book

      I don’t know that my millennial grandchildren will ever get over their phones…even my own grown kids, who are Gen X, I guess, are on theirs a lot, too.

      Have a great week!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  23. Yvonne

    I love This Is Us and TGIT shows. Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder was great with their crossover. Loved it! That Mexican food looks so good. Mexican food is one of my favorites. So many great books and authors on your list. Enjoy your books. Have a great week!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Yvonne, and I loved seeing those two great lawyers teaming up, and I spent the whole two hours rooting for them both.

      Mexican food is pretty awesome in these parts, too, with California being a “border” state…Not one of Trump’s favorite states, which endears it to me even more. LOL.

      Have a great week!

      Like

      Reply

  25. My week was quiet but moved by rather quickly. I read a few books and finished up some audios that I need to review. I need to binge This Is Us because I only seen a few episodes. Have a great week!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  26. Literary Feline

    Your weather sounds similar to mine as of late. I do hope to find more time to read this week. This past week I was on the go just about every evening after work. Were you able to watch some of the nominated films on Amazon Prime this weekend as you planned? It’s been ages since I last followed the Oscars. I used to be more into them. It looks like Fiona had a delicious birthday dinner! I hope you enjoy your new books, Laurel-Rain! Have a great week!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Wendy, and what a busy week you had!

      I saw Ladybird at the theater a few weeks ago, but saw Billboards this weekend…I loved it, although it was pretty angry and a little dark.

      Enjoy your week!

      Like

      Reply

    1. Thanks for visiting, Jane, and I’m always bored by the “behind the scenes” awards, even though I know that those activities are very important. It always takes so long to get to the parts I enjoy, so thank goodness for fast-forwarding. LOL.

      Have a great week!

      Like

      Reply

    1. Thanks, Nise, I am grateful for the book treasures that arrive regularly on Amazon, and remember how I once relied solely on books from the now-defunct bookstores (and libraries, of course). But I do miss those bookstores! Thankfully, there is still Barnes & Noble around here.

      Enjoy your week!

      Like

      Reply

  30. Oh, that Mexican restaurant reminds me of the one we used to go to before we moved and I loved it so much. This looks good!
    My mom is a big fan of Joy Fielding and this one looks good, so I might have to give her a try. Have a great week and happy reading!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Kay, I’ve been a fan of Joy Fielding for many years. I also appreciate the wealth of new authors who bring books to us every year, too.

      We don’t visit our neighborhood Mexican restaurant all that often around here, because of the variety of other foods available. But when I have a craving, I go there.

      Enjoy your week!

      Like

      Reply

  32. Always fun to spend time with the kids/grandkds–and their phones. I was just reviewing your 2017 TBR pile. You accomplished a lot. Mine is an out of control monster.

    I’m seeing some of the books you mentioned other sites too; like The Promise Between Us. I featured The Flight Attendant on my other blog yesterday. Sounds superb.

    Hope you have a great week.

    http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2018/03/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-mar-5.html

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks for stopping by, Cheryl, and I do love time with the grandkids, which happens less often these days because of college, etc. So when we do get together, it is a treasure…despite the phones. LOL.

      I love visiting blogs and finding new books to enjoy. Have a great week!

      Like

      Reply
  35. Kathy Martin

    After seeing your Mexican dinner, I am craving it myself. Maybe I’ll have to hit a local restaurant too. Since I haven’t seen any of the nominated movies (nor had any desire to), I have no interest in the Oscars. Review books need to catch my attention as I’m behind where I want to be. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks for visiting, Kathy, and I hope you satisfy your craving for Mexican food.

      I don’t go to as many movies as I once did…and sometimes prefer to see them On Demand or on Prime.

      Enjoy your reading, and have a great week!

      Like

      Reply

  37. That birthday treat looks yummy! I’m so behind on Scandal/How to Get Away with Murder, but I’m curious about the Annalise/Olivia mash-up. I feel like they’d be such an amazing team. I read both Not That I Could Tell and How to Walk Away last month, and thought both were great. Not That I Could Tell brought some mystery and How to Walk Away brought a heck of a lot of emotions. Have a wonderful week! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I am glad you enjoyed Not That I Could Tell and How to Walk Away…and I hope you do watch that mash-up for Scandal/HTGAWM.

      The two stars were awesome.

      Enjoy your week, Lauren, and thanks for visiting.

      Like

      Reply

  38. Hi Laurel, did you enjoy the Oscars? We also tape the show and start watching about 45 mins after — it’s great to skip all the commercials! I was a bit surprised Shape of Water won Best Picture but I guess the Academy members are all gaga over that filmmaker. I’m also reading An American Marriage right now. And look forward to hearing about Sunburn. Cheers.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Susan, I haven’t seen Shape of Water…and I may not, as nothing about the snippets shown seemed to grab me. I did enjoy Billboards…and Ladybird, although neither won big awards…except for Frances McDormand as best actress, of course, and Sam Rockwell as best supporting actor..

      At first An American Marriage didn’t quite grab me, but now I am finding it more engaging.

      I can’t wait to read Sunburn. Enjoy your week!

      Like

      Reply

    1. Oh, that sucks! Can you get it On Demand?

      Thanks for visiting, Joann, and my granddaughter’s shirt is kind of a little joke from her aunt, since I have lots of Coca Cola trivia in my house.

      I’ve been enjoying the Fluke series on the Hallmark channel, where the books have been made into movies.

      Enjoy your week!

      Like

      Reply

  43. I have always admire how you can keep up with so many blogs Laurel! 🙂
    That Mexican food looks just so good! I’m to hear you had fun with your daughter and granddaughter watched S1 of This Is Us but I found it too emotional for me so I didn’t continue. You are reading American Marriage! Yay! Hope you like it!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Daniela, I ended up loving An American Marriage…and even though it was kind of slow, I soon found myself enjoying the ride.

      I can relate to how emotional This is Us can be….but I’m hooked!

      Enjoy your week…and I may have to have more Mexican food soon. It was delicious!

      Like

      Reply

Please leave your thoughts. Comments, not awards, feed my soul. Thanks!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.