WEEKLY UPDATES: MOVING ALONG…

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 past week was pretty good, with three books read and reviewed.  I wrote seven blog posts, and one of them was my monthly wrap-up that spotlighted the great books of July…and shouted out that I read fourteen of them!  I hadn’t read that many since January.

It is Saturday morning, and as I sip my coffee and wait for the breakfast tray, I am grateful not to feel rushed to finish that fourth book by day’s end. 

I am still in lockdown, but I enjoyed a video chat with my granddaughter Fiona yesterday.  I am sad for her, though, as her jobs are in companies that are locked down…and yesterday the unemployment ran out!  However, she has a good attitude, and a safe place to stay in the meantime.

It is a good thing that I like hanging out in my apartment, and since we have “no place to go,” I dress up in my favorite things just for myself…and the staff. LOL.

Let’s grab some more coffee and look at last week’s events:

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOGS:

Tuesday Excerpts:  “The Night Swim”

Tuesday Potpourri:  Anticipation…

Enjoying Bookish Moments…

I Found Another Neglected Book!

Coffee Chat:  Books, Blogging, Etc.

Bookish Friday:  “Just Between Us”

July Was a Good Reading Month…

Review:  The Request, by David BellReview:  The Night Swim, by Megan Goldin – (NG-8/4/20)Review:  Friends & Strangers, by J. Courtney Sullivan

***

INCOMING BOOKS:

Empty physical mailbox!  I did download two e-books.

His & Hers, by Alice Feeney

The End of Her, by Shari Lapena

***

CURRENTLY READING:  Until I Find You, by Rea Frey (NG – 8/11/20), my final August review book:

Celebrated author Rea Frey brings you her most explosive, emotional, taut domestic drama yet about the powerful bond between mothers and children…and how far one woman will go to bring her son home.

***

Then I hope to read a few more books on my shelves, including some neglected ones.  Well, I can imagine this happening, anyway.

***

That was my week.  What did yours look like?  Here is yesterday’s breakfast tray: French toast, coffee, oatmeal, and the ever-present (lately) mimosa.  I had ordered a six-pack of Champagne splits a week ago, and finished the last one in the pack and didn’t order more.  Yet.

***

WEEKLY UPDATES: SPINNING MY WHEELS…

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.

Here we are, almost finished with July, and the week sped by like most of the weeks lately.  In fact, if the Pandemic would end this quickly, wouldn’t that be great? Reading and blogging have definitely helped me keep my mind away from the horrific events of 2020, and that has worked primarily because of the distractions of those activities.  I finished my third book of the week today, and it was my final NetGalley ARC for July.  But on the heels of that one come two books in early August (the 4th and the 11th).  So the stress continues.  When in this kind of situation, I ask myself “how did this happen?”  Usually it involves being unable to pass up a good book.

I will work harder to prevent that in the future!

Meanwhile, I have found time for shows on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. I finished (and loved!) the second season of In the Dark.

Let’s grab some coffee and take a closer look at the week.

***

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOGS:

Tuesday Excerpts:  “The Summer Deal”

Bookish Delights…

Bookish Wednesday…

Plumbing the Depths of My TBR…

Bookish Friday:  “Girls of Summer”

Coffee Chat:  One Step Forward, Another Step Back…

Review:  The Girl from Widow Hills, by Megan MirandaReview:  The Safe Place, by Anna DownesReview:  Playing Nice, by J P Delaney – (NG-7/28/20)

***

INCOMING BOOKS:

Empty physical mailbox!  I did download two e-books.

He Started It, by Samantha Downing

The Lost and Found Bookshop, by Susan Wiggs

***

CURRENTLY READING:

The Request, by David Bell

 

Then I plan to start on my August ARCs.

***

That was my week.  What did yours look like?  Here is one of my recent meals in the apartment, tuna salad with a dinner roll, and a glass of wine from my bottle.  The dining room offers sweet wine that is not very satisfying.  LOL.

***

WEEKLY UPDATES: A WEEK OF ENJOYING EACH DAY…

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 am ahead of the game this weekend!  Here I am at 5:48 a.m., ready to talk about my week…and I have read and reviewed three books!  I enjoyed them, too.  I went crazy on the blogs, writing seven posts.  I also viewed The Stranger and Reckoning on Netflix.

In the rest of the week, I have savored the packages arriving regularly from Amazon, mostly household and personal care items, but fun, nevertheless.  And groceries came yesterday via my Instacart app.  I am ready to settle into my cozy space, although today is the day to eat in the dining room.  In some ways, I don’t like having to go there, but then I gather my things from my closet and feel excited about dressing up for an outing.  Not a regular thing around here.

So…first of all, let’s all grab some coffee and take a closer look.

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOGS:

Tuesday Excerpts:  “Friends and Strangers”

Tuesday Potpourri:  Finding Joy…

My WWW Post…

Another Peek into the Backlog…

Bookish Friday:  “Home Before Dark”

Coffee Chat:  A Day at a Time…

Friday Sparks:  Favorite Things…

Review:  The Half Sister, by Sandie JonesReview:  What You Wish For, by Katherine Center – NG-7/14/20Review:  The Swap, by Robyn Harding

***

INCOMING BOOKS:

Two books came in my physical mailbox…and I downloaded three e-books.

I Remember Nothing, by Nora Ephron (a replacement copy for reread)

I Was Told It Would Get Easier, by Abbi Waxman

***

Downloads:

28 Summers, by Elin Hilderbrand

Home Before Dark, by Riley Sager

Nomadland, by Jessica Bruder

***

CURRENTLY READING:

Stranger in the Lake, by Kimberly Belle

***

That was my week.  What did yours look like?  I wish I had some good food to share…but I did get a new top from Amazon this week, and I’m wearing it today.  That’s not me modeling the top, though.  LOL.

***

WEEKLY UPDATES: READING, VIEWING, & BLOGGING…

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.

 

Happy Fourth of July to those living in the states.  I am not sure what we can actually celebrate this year, with all that is happening in the world…and especially in a country that is so far behind flattening the curve that it seems like an impossible task.

But…we have to move forward, a day at a time, and take steps in our own communities to improve things.

For the rest of you, I hope you are all staying safe and doing better!

Meanwhile, I did enjoy my reading this week.  I just finished my third book, and that one was special, in that it was one of my backlog books from 2017.  I also read one of my NetGalley ARCs, a 7/7 release. 

I have continued enjoying my viewing:  Netflix, with Tales of the City; Amazon Prime, and assorted movies, including some old favorites; and Hulu, where I found nothing at all.

Let’s grab a favorite beverage, and take a closer look at the week.

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOGS:

Tuesday Excerpts:  “The Girl from Widow Hills”

Tuesday Potpourri:  Books & Bookish Things…

Goodbye to June!

It’s Hump Day!  What Are You Reading?

Searching My Backlog…

Coffee Chat:  A Cozy Breakfast & a Little Whining…

Happy Friday:  Adjusting Our Attitudes…

Bookish Friday:  “The Swap”

Review:  The Golden Cage, by Camilla Lackberg – (NG – 7/7/20)Review:  The House Guest, by Mark EdwardsReview:  Dead Letters, by Caite Dolan-Leach***

INCOMING BOOKS:

Three books arrived in my mailbox…and I downloaded three e-books.

The Vanishing Half, by Brit Bennett

True to Form, by Elizabeth Berg

Talk Before Sleep, by Elizabeth Berg (reread)

***

Downloads: 

The Request, by David Bell

Friends & Strangers, by J. Courtney Sullivan

The House Guest, by Mark Edwards

***

CURRENTLY READING;

The Half Sister, by Sandie Jones

***

Next I need to focus on the rest of my July ARCs:

What You Wish For, by Katherine Center (7/14/20)

Playing Nice, by J. P. Delaney – (7/28/20)

***

That was my week.  What did yours look like?  Below, check out my dinner, with red wine, served on my new rustic tray.

***

WEEKLY UPDATES: ANOTHER WEEK FLEW BY…

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.

 

Another week flew by almost seamlessly, but my reading was lackluster.  Only two books read and reviewed.  They were good ones, though, and I can only blame my compulsions for other things.  I did write six blog posts, however.  At least I am not writing this update late in the evening.  I will be heading to the dining room shortly for our “socially distanced” dinner.

I also found a miniseries to enjoy on Netflix:  Tales of the City.  Set in SF, it is based on the books by Armistead Maupin.

I finished fixing up my closet this week.  I had moved the Jelly Cupboard into the entry way, arranged all my clothes in the closet (some of them had been folded away and others had been on my hall tree).  The final piece of the task was hanging a curtain on a rod to conceal my wardrobe. 

Now let’s take a closer look at the week.

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOGS:

Tuesday Excerpts:  “The Golden Cage”

Tuesday Potpourri:  A Bookish Journey

A Hump Day of Reading…

Adding Another Book from the Backlog…

Bookish Friday:  “The Half Sister”

Coffee Chat:  Reading & Reshuffling…

Review:  You Can’t Catch Me, by Catherine McKenzieReview:  The Guest List, by Lucy Foley

***

INCOMING BOOKS:

One book came in my physical mailbox, and another came from NetGalley.  I also downloaded two e-books.

Open House, by Elizabeth Berg – (Replacement Copy for Reread)

Take It Back, by Kia Abdullah (NG – 12/8/20)

***

Downloads:

The Girl from Widow Hills, by Megan Miranda

The Swap, by Robyn Harding

***

CURRENTLY READING:  I am just beginning to read a NetGalley ARC for a book coming out on July 7.  The Golden Cage, by Camilla Lackberg.

***

That was my week. What did yours look like?  And because restaurant dining is still a future event, I found another photo from the past that I am savoring.  Three years ago, I enjoyed this corn chowder and a cocktail at Mimi’s.

***

WEEKLY UPDATES: A BUSY WEEK…

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.

How did the week fly by so quickly, with so little reading to show for it?  Probably because I was easily distracted by other things, like rearranging my space…again.  And movies and shows on Netflix, Hulu, and Prime.

In the end, I did read/review two books:  one fairly long (474 pages) and the other one pretty short at 240 pages.

I did a major overhaul of my closet, removing the jelly cupboard so more clothes can fit in the space…and changing up my entry way to accommodate the “recycled” furnishings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The closet is not yet finished.  I ordered a curtain and a rod, coming on Tuesday.  Meanwhile, here is what it looked like this morning when I had coffee at the table, speculating on what to do next.

Now…let us take a closer look at my week…

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOGS:

Tuesday Excerpts:  “Stranger in the Lake”

Tuesday Potpourri:  A Bookish Day…

Hump Day Books…

Bookish Friday:  “Swan Song:  An Odyssey”

Coffee Chat:  Sidetracked…

Review:  Pretty Things, by Janelle BrownReview:  Swan Song, by Lisa Alther

***

INCOMING BOOKS:

Empty physical mailbox!  I did download three e-books.

The Half Sister, by Sandie Jones

Always the Last To Know, by Kristan Higgins

 

A Million Little Lies, by Bette Lee Crosby

***

CURRENTLY READING:

You Can’t Catch Me, by Catherine McKenzie

***

That was my week.  What did yours look like?  As I think about the meals I’ve enjoyed from the past, here is one from Early Pandemic times when they served something delicious:  Turkey, stuffing, and pie.

***

WEEKLY UPDATES: A GREAT WEEK FOR READING & BLOGGING…

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.

 

Another great week for reading!  Four books, read and reviewed, each as great as the last one.  Blog posts seemed to grow on their own, ending up with seven of them.  Viewing movies and shows on Hulu, Prime, and Netflix are keeping me happy when I’m not reading…and Marcella, Season 3 on Netflix, starts on Sunday.

The alternating days in the dining room are working out better than when we went every day.  I am liking a slow movement back to whatever the “new normal” will be.

As I write this post, I keep noticing the message in the sidebar that says “the Block Editor is ready when you are.”  I am taking that to mean it is optional.  I definitely don’t want to use it!

Let’s take a closer look at my week…and maybe you would like to be caffeinated, so here goes:

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOGS:

Tuesday Excerpts:  “Remain Silent”

Tuesday Potpourri:  Books & Moments…

Hump Day Potpourri:  Reinventing My Space…

Hump Day Reading…

Another Book from the Backlog…

Bookish Friday:  “You Can’t Catch Me”

Coffee Chat:  Reading, Purging, & Living in the Moment

Review:  The Flatshare, by Beth O’LearyReview:  This Is How I Lied, by Heather GudenkaufReview: The Closer You Get, by Mary TorjussenReview:  A Week at the Shore, by Barbara Delinsky

***

INCOMING BOOKS:

One book came in my physical mailbox…and I downloaded 3 e-books:

This Is Big, by Marisa Meltzer

You Can’t Catch Me, by Catherine McKenzie

Stranger in the Lake, by Kimberly Belle

Swan Song, by Lisa Alther

***

CURRENTLY READING:  Pretty Things, by Janelle Brown

Two wildly different women—one a grifter, the other an heiress—are brought together by the scam of a lifetime in a page-turner from the New York Times bestselling author of Watch Me Disappear.

***

That was my week. What did yours look like?   Since we no longer get to go out to restaurants, I scroll through photos of my favorites from previously normal times.  Here I was enjoying lunch with my granddaughter Fiona.

***

WEEKLY UPDATES: A LITTLE BIT OF GRUMBLING…

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 did it again!  Read my third book of the week after spending all day yesterday and today on it, and finally turned the last page.  It left me feeling the descent of a great darkness, due to its title and its subject matter. See review below!

The books have been good, but now I am feeling frustrated by the poor performance of the kitchen here, which has done it again!  Yes, they are skimping on food and wine.  The shortage of wine is especially annoying to me.  LOL.  Luckily, I have the grocery app, but I hate having to buy my own wine and supplement my food supplies, when they are contracted to provide three meals a day.  I pay a rather large amount for food services!

On to other things:  it is warm here, although it was supposedly cooler today.  Not that I noticed.

Let’s grab some wine…just because I am in need of more!

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOGS:

Tuesday Excerpts:  “The Dilemma”

A Hump Day of Reading…

Coffee Chat:  A Staggering Plan…

Books from the Backlog:  “A Piece of the World”

Bookish Friday:  “A Piece of the World”

Review:  A Good Marriage, by Kimberly McCreightReview:  The Sea of Lost Girls, by Carol GoodmanReview:  My Dark Vanessa, by Kate Elizabeth Russell

***

INCOMING BOOKS:

Five print books came in my mailbox! 

Sister Dear, by Hannah Mary McKinnon

Ask Again, Yes, by Mary Beth Keane

The Nickel Boys, by Colson Whitehead

Good in Bed, by Jennifer Weiner (reread)

In Her Shoes, by Jennifer Weiner – (reread)

***

CURRENTLY READING:  The Dilemma, by B.A. Paris – (NG-6/30/20)

***

That was my week…a very warm one, and a frustrating one, in terms of the residence where I live.  I did enjoy my books…and I am daydreaming about this delightful meal from months ago.  I am missing the delicious soup and the cocktail!

***

WEEKLY UPDATES: A CHAOTIC WEEK…

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 had hoped to write this post much earlier in the day, but I was still reading my third book and couldn’t stop. I finished it finally about an hour ago, wrote the review, and then got distracted by texts from my granddaughter, which I couldn’t ignore.  Family contacts are important, aren’t they?

So…the reading culminated nicely.  The book I was still poring over earlier was the one I bought in 2017 and featured on my “Books from the Backlog” event on Thursday.  Finishing it felt like a real accomplishment.

My eyes are blurring over, from reading and being online…so I hope I don’t make any typos.  LOL.

This week brought some interesting movies and the usual shows, plus I just started watching Sweet Magnolias on Netflix.  I’m enjoying it so far.

Let’s hasten along to check out the details of my week.  You can grab some coffee, if you like…but I am all caffeinated from the day.

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOGS:

Tuesday Excerpts:  “The Last House Guest”

Tuesday Potpourri:  Book Release Day!

Books from the Backlog:  It’s a Crime What I Found!

Bookish Friday:  “Crime Scene”

Saturday Potpourri:  Sprucing up My World…

Review:  The Sweeney Sisters, by Lian DolanReview:  The Last House Guest, by Megan MirandaReview:  Crime Scene, by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman

***

INCOMING BOOKS:

My mailbox was overflowing this week (five books!), and I even downloaded one book, too.

Rodham, by Curtis Sittenfeld

The Flatshare, by Beth O’Leary

Feels Like Falling, by Kristy Woodson Harvey

The President Is Missing, by Bill Clinton and James Patterson

Rebecca, by Daphne Du Maurier (Reread)

***

Download:

A Week at the Shore, by Barbara Delinsky

***

CURRENTLY READING:  A Good Marriage, by Kimberly McCreight

I am also slowly reading My Dark Vanessa, by Kate Elizabeth Russell

***

That was my week.  It was chaotic at times, but I also felt a sense of accomplishment at finishing an older TBR…plus a library book.

Notice my stacks of new, unread books in hardcover/paperback, below.

Plus…my nightstand books:

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WEEKLY UPDATES: READING, BLOGGING, & KVETCHING…

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.

 

My week has brought good books to my shelves and great reading material, some from the backlog, allowing me to finish reading and reviewing three books.  Six blog posts were a reminder that reading and blogging go hand and hand.  Or hand in glove, a nod to one of my titles from this week.  One downside of the reading and blogging, which included a lot of blog visits, is that my eyes are so tired that I am struggling to type this!  That doesn’t happen often.

Some of the eye fatigue also comes from all the viewing I’ve done:  movies, shows, etc., all online, which is another kind of eye strain.

When I searched my tiny fridge yesterday, I felt a momentary panic.  Almost empty!  And yes, I get food brought from the residential kitchen, but nothing has improved from those quarters.  Not only is the food often “slop,” (sorry about that!), but they tend to bring things I didn’t request, while ignoring those that I specifically asked for.  I photograph my menu requests as a reminder of their failings.  Can I say that I’m not popular?  LOL.  And they ran out of red wine again!

So…complaints aside, I added a nice little grocery app to my phone and ordered food from Save Mart…and it arrived within three hours, and I got exactly what I requested.

I still get a lot from Amazon, too, and the orders are coming more quickly.  Yay!

So I’ll stop complaining for a bit, while we grab some more coffee and study the details of my week.

***

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOGS:

Tuesday Excerpts:  “A Good Marriage”

Tuesday Potpourri:  Adding to My Shelves…

Another Bookish Hump Day…

Coffee Chat:  Comfort Reads and Viewing…

From the Backlog:  Bringing it Forward…

Bookish Friday:  “The Closer You Get”

Review:  The Girl in White Gloves, by Kerri MaherReview:  Little Secrets, by Jennifer HillierReview:  Hungry Heart, by Jennifer Weiner – (Nonfiction Challenge)

***

INCOMING BOOKS:

Three books came in my mailbox!  And I downloaded two e-books.

The Turning of the Key, by Ruth Ware

A Heart in a Body in the World, by Deb Caletti

 Clock Dance, by Anne Tyler (for reread)

***

Downloads:

This Is How I lied, by Heather Gudenkauf

The Closer You Get, by Mary Torjussen

***

CURRENTLY READING:  The Sweeney Sisters, by Lian Dolan

***

That was my week.  Exhausting, but with good books…and a delicious glass of red wine from the bottle my daughter sent over to compensate for the kitchen failure to send any.  LOL.

***