WEEKLY UPDATES: THIS & THAT…AND SOME BOOKS…

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.

 

 

As I sip my third cup of coffee and listen to the rain pattering on the roof, I feel good.  The world around us is still unsettled, with more chaos lurking, but I am diving into book after book.  I finished three again this week, and they all brought cheer to my life.  I wrote nine blog posts…yes, I went a little crazy.  I gave my smallest blog, Snow Sparks,  a complete facelift, and I’m loving the look of it, all sparkly and quirky.  Here, take a peek:

This week was full of movies from Amazon Prime and Netflix.  Among them were Disobedience, with Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdam; Stuck in Love,with Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Connelly; and my lovely DVD version of The Wife, with Glenn Close.  On Netflix, I saw a movie called Deadly Switch, which was just scary enough to keep me wide awake throughout.

I did a little house cleaning…not so much that I lost sight of my true pleasures, like reading and eating out, both of which I enjoyed this week.  Today I had my weekly hair styling, which was supposed to happen yesterday…but didn’t.  I also missed last week due to my daughter’s illness.  But I’ll try not to comment on how the “weekly appointment” turned to “whenever” so quickly.  LOL.

So…let’s have more coffee…as if I need it!  And take a closer look at the week.

 

 

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOGS:

Sunday Potpourri:  A Dilemma — Go Out or Stay In…

Giving in to the Book Lust…

Tuesday Excerpts:  “The Woman Inside”

Tuesday Potpourri:  Adding to My Shelves…

Reading on Hump Day…

Coffee Chat:  Books, Movies, Etc.

First Month of the Year:  Wrapping Up…

Bookish Friday:  “Come Find Me”

Sparking Some Memories…

Review:  The Liar’s Room (e-book), by Simon LelicReview:  The Suspect (e-book), by Fiona BartonReview:  The Woman Who Kept Everything (e-book), by Jane Gilley

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INCOMING BOOKS: (Titles/Covers Linked to Amazon)

No books in my physical mailbox!  I received one review ARC…and I did download two e-books.

Review ARC:

Not Here:  A Dina Ostica Novel, (e-book), by Genevieve Nocovo (author review request)

Purchases:

Come Find Me (e-book), by Megan Miranda

The Woman Who Kept Everything (e-book), by Jane Gilley (click title for review)

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WHAT’S NEXT?

Daisy Jones and the Six (e-book), by Taylor Jenkins Reid – (NG-3/5)

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So that was my week.  What did yours look like?  Last night I enjoyed dinner at Marie Callender’s, with comfort food: meat loaf with a glass of wine…and my book.

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67 thoughts on “WEEKLY UPDATES: THIS & THAT…AND SOME BOOKS…”

  2. The Cue Card

    Wow you really had a productive week last week. I too hope to read Daisy Jones & the Six. A rock n roll story right? The movie Stuck in Love with Greg Kinnear … I haven’t seen that one … is that a new one? thanks.

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    1. Thanks, Susan, and Stuck in Love isn’t new; it came out in 2012. But I had never seen it, and I like the actors in it. I’m looking forward to the rock n roll story, and Taylor Jenkins Reid is an author I enjoy.

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  3. Ooh that looks like a fun new look for Snow Sparks! Love that title BTW. And yes thank goodness we have books to shelter us from the craziness of real life!

    Deadly Switch sounds interesting! I’ll have to check that out. Seriously when did Netflix become so indispensable to my life? It’s about the only TV I watch now haha!

    Come find Me is on my TBR, and meatloaf! Yum!!

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Greg, and it was fun for me to tweak the look of Snow Sparks. The blog name derives from my surname…and the idea of igniting connections between people.

      I don’t know what I ever did without Netflix! And just a few years ago, I had never even tried it. Do you remember when Netflix was just a site to rent DVDs? That was before the whole “streaming” thing started. I don’t know what we did without that service, either.

      Enjoy your books and your movies…and your week.

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      1. I do remember and it’s so weird how my life has changed, in the sense of how I consume media! I can’t even imagine not having Netflix now lol. And I remember too when I first got, binging all these different shows… 🙂

        Streaming has definitely changed how I TV!!!

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    1. Thanks for visiting, AJ; I am not sure why I wrote so many, but I kept finding myself at the computer writing still another post.

      I should spend more time reading, though.. I still have a lot of unread books.

      Enjoy your week.

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Kathryn, and rain on the roof is such a comforting sound…as long as it isn’t a hard rain, and as long as it doesn’t push my skylight in, like it did a few times a couple of years ago! LOL.

      It has been a good week, though. Enjoy your new week.

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  7. Gayathri Lakshminarayanan

    I have been staying from Netflix for a while now, but I am mentally tallying the number of movies and series I will be watching as soon as I lift the ban off. Thanks for adding a few to that list. Hope your daughter is better now.

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  8. I love Netflix! Between netflix and amazon prime tv I don’t actually have cable/satellite tv anymore and I so rarely watch a DVD preferring to rent/buy movies online via Google Play Movies. 🙂

    You’re not wrong about books sheltering us from the crazy of the world. My crazy world had left me in a reading slump for most of January but this week I was finally able to escape back into the world of fiction and ignore it!

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Nicci, and sometimes I think of discontinuing my cable in favor of Netflix and Prime….but then I remember the occasional limited series on Showtime that I always enjoy, or shows on HBO. But I’m sure there is a way to change things up to allow for occasional treats from those channels…sigh.

      Let’s hope the craziness in our world is extinguished soon! Enjoy your week.

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  11. I like Greg Kinnear but not sure if I saw that film. I’ll look for it. I too love the sound of rain on the roof – especially if I’m going to sleep. Probably won’t hear that sound for quite a while. And snow is sneaky. You can’t it hear it 🙂 Have a great week, Laurel!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Mary, and the movie with Greg Kinnear came out in 2012, but it slipped on by without notice. Finding it on Prime felt like a treasure. It was a nice, quiet family drama…Greg played a writer, divorced from his wife and still grieving for her. The teenage boy and his slightly older sister were not even annoying! LOL

      Sorry that snow is so sneaky! Enjoy your week, and stay warm.

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  12. I like the blog facelift, I need to update mine desperately. Raindrops on the roof and coffee sounds like bliss. I liked Stuck in Love because I love Greg Kinnear…he’s always good.
    Enjoy your week and happy reading!

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Nai, and I enjoy Greg Kinnear, too. I have fun changing up the blogs, and must admit that I am quite pleased with my Snow Sparks facelift, with that little VW bug showing off its “sparks.”

      Have a great week.

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  15. Rachel @Waves of Fiction

    Oh, I need to check out the Greg Kinnear movie. I like him! Deadly Switch sounds good, too! The Suspect looks good, and seeing your 5 stars makes me even more curious. Enjoy your books, Laurel! 🙂

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  16. You were clearly on fire this last week – nine posts… a blog makeover AND spring clean! We had snow, but thankfully it melted away to nothing the following day without causing too much chaos – I’m hoping that is going to be our lot for the year. In the meantime, have a great week, Laurel:)

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  17. Snow Sparks looking good, but then you are always finely tweaking your blogs to keep them fresh and “shiny” looking. I like your remarks about the weekly “freshen up” appointment. It might have to be an occasional to-do, lol. I like the purple in your hair and all your colorful manis. Is the hair color temporary or permanent I wonder? I don’t do my color anymore because of scalp irritation.
    I want to read The Suspect. Don’t think I ever read a Barton book before but it sounds like I could jump in here.

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Rita; the purple is “permanent,” in that it lasts for a few weeks. It is different than dye, and doesn’t irritate my scalp like the previous dye colors.

      I think you will like Fiona Barton’s books.

      Enjoy your week!

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  20. Literary Feline

    I love the look of your Snow Sparks blog! It sounds like you’ve had a pleasant week, Laurel-Rain. I am enjoying the sound of the rain outside too. Earlier today we were out in it as my daughter had a booth at a local story selling cookies. Luckily we were able to stay dry under an overhang. The girls were bundled up though to stay warm. You’ve reminded me that I need to make a hair appointment soon. I always put it off longer than I should . . . I hope you have a great week, Laurel-Rain!

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Wendy, and I’m glad you enjoyed the blog changes. We had some windy rain later in the weekend, which is not that much fun. It was trying to ruin my hair! LOL.

      I didn’t used to enjoy hair appointments, but going to see my daughter is the best. She knows just what I like, and we get to chat while she’s working.

      Have a wonderful week!

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  21. Sounds like a nice week for you even with the rain.
    I see The Suspect got 5 stars. I think I need to check Fiona Barton titles.
    mmmm – Meat loaf. Makes me want to ask my hubby to make that this week.
    Hope you have another good week. Happy Reading!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Martha, and I hope you enjoy The Suspect…and the other Barton books.

      Meat loaf is something I haven’t made in ages…so it was a treat to order it at Marie’s. It almost feels like home-cooked there.

      Enjoy your week!

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  26. StackingMy BookShelves

    Come Find Me is on my list – I hope this one is very enjoyable for you. I love the pictures and makes me drool. =) I get my hair done and a few other things we won’t mention. =0) Have a great week!

    Mary

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  29. Me too on the cleaning…the sun was out after so many cold, dreary days, and I always feel like cleaning more than usual when the sun is out. I was definitely exhausted yesterday.

    Today is back to the fun. 🙂

    COME FIND ME looks good.

    ENJOY your week, Laurel.

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  30. Kathy Martin

    I got my first print book in forever on one of the coldest days last week. I felt sorry for the delivery guy riding around in a truck with the door open. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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  33. I’m glad to see you liked The Suspect. I’ve got the Widow from the library now and hope to get to it soon. What!?! No dessert? I do like meatloaf but I haven’t made it recently as my daughter won’t eat red meat. I’m grilling tuna steaks tonight. Enjoy some great books this week!

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