Sunday Post – 30 December 2018 @kimbacaffeinate @readingreality @Tynga

Posted December 30, 2018 by Anne - Books of My Heart in Sunday Post / 32 Comments

 

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly  @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received.

 

Stacking The Shelves is also a weekly meme hosted by  Tynga’s Reviews and Marlene from Reading Reality.  It’s all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

 

This was a relaxed week with the holiday for us. I did end up trying the Audible Romance package for free and then $4.95 for the next 3 months.  I’ve been meaning to try it and this was a good deal.  I just hope I can fit in time to listen to some of them.  I need more road trips. LOL.

So have you tried the Audible Romance package?  If so, what are your recommendations?


We had a nice holiday week without too much fuss.  The sweet potato caramelized onion soup was a bust.  It’s a lot of work and neither of us liked it too much. I think the problem is it gets pureed twice. We like chunky soup.  I’m making chili again tonight as it is our favorite.  I did make my first gluten-free Swedish tea ring which is really just a cinnamon roll with apples and nuts in it.  It turned out pretty well but I have some ideas for improvement. It was fairly warm this week so when it wasn’t raining, I grilled.

I also keep packing up leaves when the weather is fair. Today was 65F, 19C.  It was so great. I had this feeling of such happiness getting things done but also relaxing. I finished both my book and audiobook so I had to start new ones, probably my last ones of the year. I finally fit in some sewing and knitting. I am about 80% finished with the hat I am making with the found yarn.  Next I am going to make some cowls with cashmere I got on closeout.

We are trying, not very successfully to get to the YMCA.  My daughter’s college class starts Friday. Wednesday, we are going to go to the YMCA near school for a stretch class and then go buy her books. I’m glad this week is still not very scheduled with another holiday.

I’ve been reading what I want and listening to audio ARCs. I’m getting caught up.  This afternoon, I’m looking forward to finishing up a bunch of challenge updates for my posts tomorrow. New Year’s Day is a read-athon and I’m going to really crack the 2019 ARCs!  I’ve been waiting a bit so they count for the New Release Challenge.

Happy New Year!

 

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality.  These are the exciting ARCs I received this week:

 

                                 Nothing.

 

          

Christmas Eve, 1914                                                         Zero G

These were my Audible (two free original choices) this month.  I also liked the Aliens one but I had it already as a freebie they did in November 2017.

Iron Kissed 

     

The Drowned Girls                                            Shelter in Place 

I picked a couple things from the Audible 2-1 sale and will probably get at least 2 more. I’m still deciding.

 

 

Now the really scary one. This is all the Kindle and Audible freebies I grabbed this past week. You can see why I need to do Thrifty Thursday to be sure I read a few at least one each month.

          

 

          

 

 

I really meant to cut back on freebies BUT  they are free so I guess that won’t be happening.

 

I’m not including things like reviews posted or upcoming as they are always in the right sidebar. And, my challenge status is also there.

If you like this and want to see me do the Sunday post, as often as I can manage, leave me a comment and let me know.

Anne

 

 

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Posted December 30, 2018 by Anne - Books of My Heart in Sunday Post / 32 Comments


32 responses to “Sunday Post – 30 December 2018

  1. I was so tempted by the romance package offer. I ended up not doing it because I didn’t think I would really get to listen to many with the reading plan that I am committed to until I get caught up on my backlog of arcs. It sounds like retirement is really working out for you. It must be wonderful to finally get to all those things you have been wanting to get done.

    • So far it’s working out but we haven’t been doing much. And I’m certainly not getting everything done yet. But it is great to have a buffer of time so we aren’t so stressed.

      I’ve been meaning to do the Romance package and just decided to do it. I have a LONG list of ones I want to listen while I have it. We will see how it goes. I think I have an equally long list for KU and would have started there but this deal happened. Have a wonderful new year my friend!

      Anne recently posted: Best Book Covers in 2018
  2. I actually might try audible again since we are driving to Florida and I feel like I can get a few books read on the way since I can’t read in the car.
    Sorry your soup didn’t work out. One of my personal goals this year is to make at least one new thing a week for dinner. Soup is one of my favorite things to make and chili! 🙂

    I hope you have a fantastic week, Anne! Happy New Year! xx

    Michelle @Because Reading recently posted: So Long 2018 ~ WIR & SP
    • That’s how I got into audiobooks first was while packing and the long drives between MN and NC. Good luck, it really helps to get in more books in a busy life.

      I have been through about 6 soup books from the library so I have some new candidates. 🙂 But today it’s chili.

      Have an amazing trip and Happy New Year!

      Anne recently posted: Best Book Characters of 2018
  3. I really planned to try audiobooks, but since I didn’t invest in listening devices, and had the books on my iPhone, there were limits to my listening time. I’m not ready, I guess. I do know myself after all these years, and I don’t lose myself in listening. I get easily distracted.

    I did like imagining it, though.

    Enjoy your week, and thanks for sharing. Here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

    • I only listen on my iphone. I haul it around with me when cooking, shopping, folding laundry, making the bed. I hooked it up to my earbuds while raking leaves for an hour yesterday. I also use earbuds or connect to the car while running errands. I listened while knitting and sewing yesterday. It took awhile but it’s a habit now. Sometimes I do get distracted and have to relisten to a section, especially if someone talks to me or I get interested in something else all of a sudden. However it works, just enjoy your books!

    • I hope you are enjoying your break! I’ll be interested to see which books you chose. I leave my purchases in my main email account until I add them to my post, then I move those emails to the Audible folder. I stick to my systems which work. I do the same things with comments. They stay there until I have responded.

      My daughter starts back to school this week. Do you start again soon?

      Anne recently posted: Audio: Ashwin by Kit Rocha
  4. I like the sound of your low-key holiday week of getting some things done both from the chore list and for fun. Bummer about the soup being a fizzle out, but glad the tea ring turned out better. We had a really mild day on Saturday so finished up putting the shed together and hauling our yard tools out there so we’ve got more space in the garage (its a single car garage that now fits a car). I should have taken down the outdoor Christmas stuff, too, but I like all that greenery and lights to stay up through New Year’s Eve since it takes so long to get it out of storage and put up. 🙂
    Sounds like you’re doing great on your knitting project and sitting pretty for the start of this next year’s reading challenges.
    I enjoyed one sale purchase on Amazon Digital Day, but knew I was weak so avoided the Audible sale. 🙂

    Wishing you and your daughter a fabulous New Year’s, Anne!

    • Thanks Sophia! It sounds like you had a good day of outdoor stuff. I did too with the leaves. It’s good to do all those things that have been hanging around. It also frees the mind up to break down bigger projects to get started on them. I’m debating whether I’ll run any errands today as the weather is nice or tomorrow or just pack them all into Wednesday. It was supposed to rain today so I planned to stay home.

      I have been hoarding my audible credits only buying daily deals so I need to use some. But I’m still careful about using them on things I can’t get at the library and such or things I might read more than once. Happy New Year!

      Anne recently posted: Best Audiobooks of 2018
  5. I love the audible romance package, but I haven’t been using it much lately. When i first got it I binged the Psy Changeling series by Nalini Singh. They are amazing!
    Its suppose to be 60F here tomorrow which is crazy, but I’ll take it.
    Have a great week!

    Samantha recently posted: #SundayPost: Happy New Year!
    • There are definitely series I want to binge. That’s a series I want to binge too, Nalini Singh. There’s some Dannika Dark, Brenda Novak, Shelly Laurenston and a whole list already. Happy New Year!

      Anne recently posted: Audio: Deacon by Kit Rocha
  6. Well you have done many things indeed! I know my garden needs some love but I am too lazy to do it right now. With the shorter days I am procrastinating!!! Already wishing you a Happy New Year!

  7. I did the Romance Package. Loved it!! Stopped for now; because I’m not listening, but I plan to do it again. I recommend The Original Heartbreakers series by Gena Showalter in audio. That’s how I listened too it. I also did all my favorite series like the Pride by Shelly Laurentston, Guild Hunter by Nalini Singh, Psy-Changeling by Singh, Molly Harpers new PNR series that comes out in audio first and then ebook months later. I listen to the first one with the RP. Also did Thea Harrison. I tried Kiss of Pride by Sandra Hill, but that story didn’t work out for me same for A Taste For A Mate by Carrie Ann Ryan.
    Happy New Year!

  8. Melanie

    I’ve not tried the Romance Package. Maybe I will one day. Between review copies, the library and my standard Audible membership, I have more than I can listen to in a year. But there are a lot of books I want to tackle in the Romance Package. Happy New Year

    Melanie @ Hot Listens & Books of My Heart

    • It’s a tough thing. I did this because I have wanted to try it and it is a deal. But there are MANY audiobooks in KU which I didn’t realize until recently. So that is another option. I hope to do a few series which are in the package but if I’m going to make it happen I need to plan and prioritize. I’m finally fairly caught up on review audios so I can do some if I restrain myself from requesting too many more.

      Anne recently posted: 2018 Audiobook Challenge Results
  9. Sounds like you’ve had a good week on the whole! Relaxed holidays are the way to go, and you’ve had some time to be creative as well, with cooking, sewing and knitting. (Cashmere on sale? Wow!)

    Have a very happy New Year!

    • Yes! It was a closeout at WEBS a ball for $10.65 Rowan Cashmere. 95% cashmere 5% wool. So it will take 3 balls to make the cowl but some cashmere is $20-30 for ONE ball of yarn. It’s so soft. I’m casting on today, doing one for my daughter first.

  10. Jen

    Happy New Year to you and your daughter! I hope 2019 finds you both in good health and brings you lots of joy! I’m working on more backlist and such in 2019… But I keep picking up new books. Bad me!

    Jen recently posted: Looking Ahead: 2019
  11. I am lucky that my library allows me access to a lot of great audiobooks, so I never did any subscriptions. Though, there are some I wish were available and I know I could get via audible. Your knitting projects sound great. I hope we get to see pictures when they are completed.

    • My library is definitely amazing, with a great selection. One can also request things also. But sometimes there are just other things I want to read. Many of the Kindle Unlimited things are not available at the libraries and many, many audiobooks are not. The subscriptions aren’t something I will do permanently, but just to access those works over a shorter term. I also know people who pay annual fees to join libraries which are not in their own geographic areas. I use my brother’s since he doesn’t.

      In my very small rural hometown, I could go down those shelves and see that in the sections of my genres I had read pretty much everything. At school too, they had a set of biographies of great Americans, 92 of them, people like Willa Cather, George Eastman, many of the Presidents, Francis Marion, etc. I read every one of them in 3rd grade. Nothing digital in those days.

      I’ll try to post a pic next Sunday. I’m debating whether to frog part of it since I did well with calculating the circumference for a different yarn weight but didn’t change the length(?) It’s really long like a stocking hat, fits perfectly around my head though. lol

      Anne recently posted: Nightchaser by Amanda Bouchet
  12. It’s a bummer when you try out a new recipe, one that takes a lot of work, and it ends up being a bust. Oh well, what can you do? I loved The Drowned Girls and the rest of the Angie Pallerino series! Hope you do, too, Anne! 🙂

    • Well that was the holiday plan. Now I’ve got to do less contemplating and more executing of plans.

      Perhaps they are testing in the US first and you will get AR later. Do you have Kindle Unlimited? I was surprised to learn it actually has many audiobooks. If the deal wasn’t so good, I wouldn’t have done both of these at the same time.

      Happy New Year to you also. I hope you find the best reads!

      Anne recently posted: Sunday Post – 30 December 2018