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.
I hope all those who celebrate the holidays are enjoying them, despite their limitations. Here we had a lovely Christmas lunch, although I ate things I shouldn’t have eaten. I will show a photo of my “sinful” dessert later.
I only read and reviewed two books this week, but I enjoyed them both. Mostly I blogged, created new blog headers (again!), and created a new look for my Bitmoji Mini-Me. (Note the new “hairstyle” on the image above).
Today I will be Skyping with my son and daughter-in-law who live in Prague. I always enjoy these visits, which sometimes last for an hour and a half!
On Christmas Eve, my daughter arrived for a “socially distanced” visit. She brought Champagne and Margarita mix for me to enjoy later! Here is an unmasked photo…six feet away, of course.
Meanwhile, don’t forget that next week is our First Book of the Year event!
As we eagerly await moving on from 2020, let’s enjoy more of what we can do…and in the meantime, grab some coffee (or tea or a mimosa!), and chat.
LAST WEEK ON THE BLOGS:
Tuesday Excerpts: “Behind the Red Door”
Tuesday Potpourri: Nesting Amongst My Books…
Bookish Friday: “This Is How It Always Is”
Review: Cruel Winter, by Sheila Connolly
Review: Behind the Red Door, by Megan Collins
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INCOMING BOOKS:
Empty mailbox! I did download one e-book.
Home Fires, by Fiona Lowe
For fans of Liane Moriarty comes a story of a community in crisis from best-selling Australian author Fiona Lowe.
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CURRENTLY READING: The Last Wife, by Karen Hamilton
Two women. A dying wish. And a web of lies that will bring their world crashing down.
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That was my week. What did yours look like? As we count down to the New Year, let’s enjoy each day…and perhaps have something sweet. This was the dessert from our Christmas lunch: Tuxedo Chocolate Mousse Cake.
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AN INTERIOR JOURNEY 
Beautiful daughter….good to hear she was able to visit.
Oh yes….I am looking forward to THE FIRST BOOK OF THE YEAR.
Hope you are enjoying THE LAST WIFE.
Take care, and enjoy the last weekend of 2020.
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Thanks, Elizabeth, it was great to see her…and I am looking forward to the goodies. Probably for New Year’s Eve. LOL.
I can’t wait for the First Book event…and I am starting The Last Wife today!
Enjoy your weekend and the week ahead.
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Your Christmas sounds so good! I’m glad you could at least time with your daughter! and that dessert looks SO good!!
Have a great weekend!
Here’s my STS post
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Thanks, Priyanka, I am enjoying the weekend, just having had a two hour Skype call, spending time with my eldest son and his wife. We even had a drink while chatting. LOL.
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Sounds like a good holiday for you. Your daughter looks lovely. That dessert is making my mouth water. LOL
I’m trying to decide if I should participate in the First Book of the Year. I haven’t done that one yet, but I’m not sure what I want to read first.
I hope you have a great week.
My post is here.
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Thanks, Yvonne, and I hope you join in with the event. I have been doing it since the beginning, and love seeing what others have chosen.
Enjoy whatever you decide for your “first book,” if you do it.
Have a great week!
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Glad you’ve been able to spend some time with family even if it’s at a distance/over skype.
Hope you have a happy new year!
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Thanks, Nicci, we had a delightful visit on Skype. We even had drinks while video chatting, lol.
I hope you are having a great week, and that the New Year is wonderful.
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I’m glad your daughter was able to visit! And I hope you have a wonderful Skype visit with your son and daughter in law. Hope everyone in your family are having wonderful holidays. And I ate way too many bad things too lol. Lovely dessert! Yum.
I love the look of that Fiona Lowe book too…
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Yes, Greg, there was too much food at the Christmas lunch…but if not now, when? Holidays are the time for all of those goodies. LOL.
Visiting is the best!
Enjoy your books and your week ahead. Happy New Year!
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Laurel, I’m so glad you could visit in person with your daughter! My mom’s residence has gone to window visits or zoom calls for the past 6 weeks. I’m hoping that changes soon. I miss visiting in person. Not a lot of reading going on this week but I’ve managed an audiobook. Have a great final week of the year!
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Thanks, Mary, and yes, it is wonderful to have the visits.
Today I Skyped with my son and daughter-in-law in Prague, and it was great.
I am hoping to finally move beyond this year and toward the end of this Pandemic.
Enjoy your week.
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That dessert looks delicious, Laurel-Rain! And if you can’t eat a little too much on Christmas, when can you?
I’m so happy you got to spend some time with your daughter, and I hope your skype date with your son and daughter-in-law will be wonderful.
Have a fantastic last week of 2020!
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Thanks, Linda, I loved the visits, and spent more than two hours visiting via Skype. At one point, we all grabbed drinks and tipped our glasses together.
Enjoy your week and the New Year!
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That cake is giving me the eye ^^ Your daughter is beautiful, and brings interesting gifts ! I hope you have a happy week and spend some quality time on Skype 🙂
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Thanks, Iza, my daughter knew I had been missing favorite drinks, so that worked out well. My Skype visit was great, too, and we even tipped glasses at the end, watching each other on the webcam.
Enjoy your week!
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Merry Christmas Laurel-Rain! So glad your daughter could stop by and that you got to spend some time with your son on Skype.
We had a lovely week, but not much reading done. This upcoming week however, I plan on not doing much more than reading.
Oh and your graphics look lovely!! Well done!
Have a good week and if we don’t talk again before next week, happy new year!
Lots of love,
Elza Reads
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Thanks, Mareli, I do love creating graphics and changing the look of my blogs.
The visits were great, and I felt emotionally nourished afterwards!
Enjoy your reading…I hope to do more of it this week, too.
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I am glad you had a good Christmas in the given circumstances. Yay, new graphics! That Chocolate Mousse Cake looks so inviting.
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Thanks, Gayathri, I did love that cake! And making graphics is fun for me.
Enjoy your week and your New Year’s holiday.
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I’m so glad your daughter came by and she looks so stylish! I’ll look into a few of the books you mentioned. I never heard of the one with the fire on the cover.
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Thanks, Trin, having the visit was a great mood booster, and she brought lovely gifts (Champagne and Margarita mix!). She knew I had been missing margaritas, and who doesn’t love Champagne?
Enjoy your week and your reading.
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Sounds like you had a good Christmas, even social distanced! The cake looks good, glad you enjoyed your holiday!
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Thanks, Jamie, the habit of social distancing has been fairly smooth, as it turns out.
Enjoy your week and your books!
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Laurel-Rain, I am so glad you enjoyed your Christmas lunch and that you have been able to blog so much. I also think that not only is naughty food acceptable this time of year, but totally necessary! 😉 And yes, I am excited to be finally saying goodbye to 2020 too. I wish you and yours a joyous and hopeful New Year! 🎆
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Thanks, Jessica, I do believe that it is the thing to do during the holidays, enjoying “naughty” foods. LOL
Have a great week, and thanks for visiting.
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So glad you had the nice family time, and books and a yummy looking dessert.
Anne – Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
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Thanks, Anne, it was a lovely Christmas. Enjoy the upcoming week.
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I’m glad you were able to have some festivities for the holidays. I’m struggling with which book to pick up next – I have so many January ARCs I’m looking forward to yet I have a couple of 2020 ARCs I still need to get to.
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Thanks, Donna, sometimes it is hard to pick the next book. Enjoy!
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I love the new headers! And I’m glad to read your daughter was able to visit you.
Have a great week and happy reading.
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Thanks, Maureen, it was great to visit, and I am still enjoying the gifts she brought.
Enjoy your week!
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I am glad that you were able to have a visit with your daughter and see your son via Skype. Your dessert looks amazing! I hope you have a wonderful week!
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Thanks, Carole, the visit and the dessert were definitely good!
Enjoy your week and the New Year.
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Your daughter is so pretty Laurel! And that dessert sure seems decadent LOL
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Thanks, Sophie, I think so, too.
The holidays were good, despite the Mean Old Pandemic. Enjoy your upcoming week.
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Your daughter looks great! and I like the emoji of you that you created. Oh my, that dessert is decadent!
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Thanks, Laura, I enjoyed the time we spent together, and I love creating the emojis. Enjoy your week…and I am still drooling about the dessert.
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It looks like you had a good week. I hope you have a happy new year.
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Thanks, Jess, it has been a great holiday season in spite of the Pandemic. Enjoy your upcoming week and the New Year.
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Thank you!
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Oh a big yes to Home Fires by Fiona Lowe, loved it. Your Christmas dinner sounds decadent and so nice your daughter could socially distance. Looking forward to that first book.
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I am glad to hear that, Kathryn; I do love the sound of it. Decadent Christmas dinners are the best, given the year we have had!
I enjoyed my visit with my daughter, and the Skype visit with my son and daughter-in-law.
Enjoy picking your first book!
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I’m glad you were able to visit with your family, both in-person and virtually! The tuxedo mousse cake looks divine.
Happy New Year! Enjoy your week!
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Thanks, Jen, the cake was delicious…and I loved the visits! Enjoy your week, and have a Happy New Year.
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We had a fairly quite but enjoyable christmas too. I had plans to make some deserts, that never came to pass, but between Christmas pudding, christmas cake and mince pies I don’t think we really needed them. That desert looks divine. Hope your 2021 is full of great reads.
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Thanks, Louise, I like the sound of Christmas pudding. Enjoy your week, and have a Happy New Year.
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There is something so wonderful about seeing people from a safe distance unmasked. I never thought I’d miss seeing people so much. It’s pretty nice to Skype with people, too, I think. Glad you got to see your daughter.
Look at that dessert. Wow. It’s decadent.
You read some good books. Hope this week brings you some new delights!
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Thanks, Deb, what would life be without decadent desserts? LOL.
We have all suffered this year in one way or another, so let’s hope that these little moments sustain us until we are finally past this horrible year…and the Pandemic, eventually. Enjoy your week, and Happy New Year.
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That dessert looks amazing! I’m glad you got a chance for an in-person visit from your daughter. Come see my week here. Happy reading and happy new year!
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Thanks, Kathy, it is great to have visits…and dessert, too.
Enjoy your week and your books.
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I’m so glad you were able to receive a visit from your daughter. And that “sinful dessert” looks amazing!
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Thanks, Melinda, I loved the visit…and the dessert!
Enjoy your week and your books.
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Sounds like a good week for you. So nice to get a visit from your lovely daughter.
Great looking dessert too.
I’m looking forward to First Book too.
Have a safe and Happy New Year!
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Thanks, Martha, there is much to anticipate in the New Year. Enjoy yours, and have fun with the First Book.
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So glad you had a nice visit with your beautiful daughter. That is the best part of the holidays.
You got a lot accomplished on your blog last week. Love the new header.
Enjoy your new books. That dessert looks yummy.
Thanks for visiting my blog. Wishing you a happy and healthy 2021!
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Thanks, Cheryl, I am eagerly anticipating the New Year, new books, and First Book of the Year.
The visit was great…and that dessert was yummy. Enjoy your week, and Happy Holidays!
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I am so happy that your daughter was able to visit!!! That is awesome and probably made for a much better Christmas. 🙂 And that dessert – oh my goodness. That looks delicious!!!
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Thanks, Erin, family and good food do make all the difference, don’t they? Enjoy your books, your family, and the New Year!
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