WEEKLY UPDATES: A WORK IN PROGRESS…

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 has trudged by, with progress on all fronts…except reading and blogging are a bit tepid.  I have written no blog posts since last weekend…but I did read and review two books.  I am (physically) a work-in-progress, and I can happily report that my navigation skills have improved.  Today we drove across town to complete paperwork for the old condo…and snapped photos of things to sell, while listing (for our purposes) those things I want to keep.  I am hoping to move my things into the new place later this week, but the work in clearing out the condo will continue for a while, since I’m in the bystander role in that task.  Sigh.

I am being tested in several ways.  Learning to voice my needs, while compromising a bit on how and when things will be completed. 

Happy Family News:  Aubrey, one of my two granddaughters, graduated from college today.  Here she is with my #2 son, her proud papa:

She will head to New Zealand for a year.  So many exciting adventures lie ahead.

So….I am still not drinking coffee, but I will continue to  spotlight one of my favorite photos of a beverage I will soon enjoy again!  Antibiotics will be finished on Sunday…and life will be smoother for me.  I think.

BOOKS REVIEWED:

The Mother-in-Law, by Sally HepworthI Know Who You Are, by Alice Feeney

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INCOMING BOOKS:

One review book arrived in my mailbox today! 

The Road She Left Behind, by Christine Nolfi (Author Review Request)

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UP NEXT:

Now that I have a little desk area at my daughter’s house, with my laptop and my notebooks, I can start tackling my June NetGalley review books.  I have four delectable ones to decide between, and I think I’ll start with this one:

The First Mistake, by Sandie Jones

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No restaurant food to show this week…but for old times’ sake, I’ll spotlight this favorite from the past.  I am missing this delicious soup:

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KEEPING TRACK: THE TBR STACKS

 

As I read blogs today, I noticed a recurring theme, one that has been a big part of my life, too, since I started book blogging.  The TBR Pile (or stack, etc.).  Some even mention the TBR Jar.

I don’t have one of those…but I do have a blog that I started in 2009, dedicated to keeping track of my unread books.  Curl up and Read was a desperate attempt to take control, since I moved into this condo in 2007 with 166 unread books that had to be boxed separately from the rest of my library.  I couldn’t mix the two.

For a while, I even had them sitting on the floor in my bedroom.

 

 

 

Then I bought a shelf for them, which made them more dignified.  But creating the blog, where I track my purchases, books read and reviewed, etc., made all the difference.

My physical books are under 10 at the moment.  My Kindle books, however, have grown in numbers, since my daughter gifted me with Sparky in 2010.  Then, earlier this year, I upgraded to Pippa.

 

 

One of my pages on the blog lists books purchased, another lists books read, with a link to the reviews.  There is a separate page for books from publishers, publicists, etc., with links to the reviews.

I also add the link to my review on the “purchased” pages.

So I can see where I am at a glance.

This morning, I counted 153 books PURCHASED in 2014, with 89 read and reviewed.

In 2015, I have purchased 47 books so far, and read and reviewed 21 of them.

My list of review books is pretty much up to date, with only three NetGalley books still to read and review, but they are being published at the end of June, July, and early August.

My review books have never been the issue, though.  I tend to overbuy…and I think that my lower numbers for this year reflect my determination to request books for review whenever possible, instead of purchasing.  To assist with my Compulsive Book Buying Disorder.

 

 

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So should I add a TBR Jar?  Right now I have a list of unread books on paper, in addition to the page in my blog, to guide me in my reading decisions.

What works for you?

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