WEEKLY UPDATES: LET’S MAKE NEW CONNECTIONS…

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.

 

For a holiday week, I got a lot done.  Well, sort of.  LOL.  I finished my third book of the week this morning, and as I savored the moments with the MC, I realized how much I enjoy that kind of book.  I love my thrillers, but I am inspired by novels that I can sink into and connect with the characters. 

I am ready for First Books of the Year!  I have my book, and I’ve sent off my photo.  On Tuesday morning, I will publish the post that reveals all.  I love this event!  Thanks, Sheila.

Earlier this week, on Christmas morning, I enjoyed brunch with family and friends.  Quiche, coffee cake, fruit, and Mimosas…the perfect way to celebrate.

For the rest of the week, I have stayed indoors except for necessary shopping…and curled up with my books.

I did write some blog posts:  seven of them.  And I enjoyed Netflix, finishing Season 3 of Wanted and allowed myself to be terrified by Bird Box.

As we grab another cup of coffee or beverage, let’s take a closer look.

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOGS:

Sunday Potpourri:  Discovering the Spirit of the Holidays…

Tuesday Excerpts:  “Sophie Last Seen”

Merry Christmas from My Interiors to Yours…

Enjoying My Book Treasures…

Coffee Chat:  Transitioning to a New Year

Bookish Friday:  “Sadie”

Favorite 2018 Books:  Let’s Curl up and Read…

Review:  The Adults (e-book), by Caroline HulseReview:  The Affliction (e-book), by Beth GutcheonReview:  Emily, Alone (e-book), by Stewart O’Nan

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INCOMING BOOKS: (Titles/Covers Linked to Amazon)

Empty mailbox!  I did download one new e-book.

Our Little Lies (e-book), by Sue Watson

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WHAT’S NEXT?

I’m currently reading Sophie Last Seen, a review book by Marlene Adelstein.

And my First Book of the Year will be unveiled on 1/1/19, right here on this blog.

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That was my week…and with a New Year ahead, I am eager to make changes in my reading, as well as in following my One Word (Connect), which was almost an epic fail this past year.  Yes, I maintained my online connections, and tried to stay in touch with family and friends…but I didn’t join a book club as planned, nor did I develop new connections.

What did your week (and year) look like?  Here is a delicious brunch I had earlier this week:  Pain Perdu with mixed berries, from Mimi’s.  And a delicious Mimosa.

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MONDAY FROM THE INTERIOR: A NEW YEAR & NEW CHALLENGES — MAILBOX MONDAY & WHAT ARE YOU READING? — JAN. 7

Welcome to another week of bookish fun.  Join in with those who celebrate Mailbox Monday, hosted in January by Lori’s Reading Corner; and What Are You Reading?, hosted by Book Journey.

MAILBOX MONDAY:

This week, I received a book I preordered from Amazon and a free e-book from an author I know.

1.  After the Rain, by Karen White

From “one of the best new writers on the scene today” (The Huffington Post) comes the sequel to Falling Home, a novel set in the picaresque town of Walton, Georgia, where one woman is about to discover that the best journey is the one that brings you home.…

Freelance photographer Suzanne Paris has been on her own since she was fourteen—and she has no intention of settling down, especially not in a tiny town like Walton, Georgia. She’s here to hide out for a little while, not to form connections. Her survival depends on her ability to slip in and out of people’s lives, on never staying in one place for too long.

But no one in Walton plans on making things easy for Suzanne. For one thing, it’s a town where everyone knows everyone else—and they all seem intent on making Suzanne feel right at home. For another, Suzanne can’t help but feel drawn to this tight-knit community—or to the town’s mayor, Joe Warner, and his six kids. But Suzanne can’t afford to stick around, even if she’s finally found a place where she belongs. Because someone is looking for her—someone who won’t stop until her life is destroyed…

2.  The Devil’s Foothold, by Marilyn Meredith

Resident Deputy Jessica McGuire’s day starts much the same as usual, but when she jogs by the old family cemetery she discovers the grave of a baby had been dug up and the skeleton missing. It wasn’t much later when Pastor David Tanner reports the theft of a hand-carved redwood cross from his church. Next a baby goat is reported stolen and one of the pastor’s cows discovered mutilated in the field. Jessica and Pastor David team up to investigate these strange occurrences. He is convinced Satan worshiping is going on in their town. Jessica isn’t sure until she discovers a hooded and robed group meeting in the woods who flee upon her arrival. She knows she needs to get to the bottom of things before what’s going on escalates into something worse. Or has it already?

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WHAT ARE YOU READING?

Welcome to another bookish week:  a time to share our reading, blogging, and life adventures, and a time to enjoy our community of book bloggers.  Since this is our first Monday reading post for the New Year, I’m sure many of you are full of enthusiasm for what you’re planning.  So I hope you’ll come on by and chat!

By now, most of you have already joined some reading challenges and written posts to wrap up 2012.  You may have also made some resolutions for the New Year.  Most of my blogging activity this week has been about those very topics.

On the Blogs:

Monday Potpourri:  The New Year’s Eve Edition

Happy New Year!  Ignite Your Connections

Welcome to 2013:  A New Look & New Adventures

The Month & Year in Review:  Wrapping Up

Come Visit My Reading Room:  December Bookshelf Clearing

Serendipitous Resolutions:  Booking Through Thursday

I Have a Story to Tell (An excerpt)

Sunday Potpourri:  Lost in Books

Reading/Reviews – Click Titles for Reviews:

Potboiler, by Jesse Kellerman

Ragdoll Redeemed, by Dawn Novotny

Deep Connections, by Rebecca Graf (Review will be posted during blog tour on 2/6/13 @ Rainy Days & Mondays)

There Was an Old Woman, by Hallie Ephron

What’s Up Next? (Click Titles/Covers for More Info)

1.  A Thousand Pardons, by Jonathan Dee (Amazon Vine review)

2.  Elly in Bloom (e-book), by Colleen Oakes (review book)

3.  Don’t Let Me Die in a Motel 6 (e-bo0k), by Amy Wolf (review book)

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And that’s my week….unless I finish all of these, in which case, I have stacks and stacks of waiting books.  What about the rest of you?