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, and showcase books and things we have received.
Don’t forget to look at my giveaways on the right sidebar. Vanishing Hour and Archangel’s Resurrection Giveaways end tonight.
Sunday, I’m still working through piles of laundry, visiting and blogging to catch up after traveling the past week. Lulu and I took a walk and enjoyed a bunch of Halloween decorations. The leaves are glorious. I put together orders for Walmart and Wegmans pickups.
Monday, I woke early, tried to do somethings before going for pickups. Well I mostly got what we needed going to 2 places even with a bunch of substitutions. I made a bunch of phone calls and wrote a few book reviews. I compiled my month end statistics. After dinner, I caught up on replying to all comments on the blog.
Tuesday, a rainy morning. I have another afternoon of errands. We went to early vote, then to Joanns to exchange some yarn for skeins with a better dye lot. I made a quick stop at a Walmart (different one) to get the items I couldn’t get in my curbside pickup yesterday. After some rain the last two days, it’s going to be sunny and 70s (20-23C) so just beautiful the rest of the week. Rafflecopter picked winners for me and I started emailing them and getting together their prizes. Lulu and I walked the longer route.
Wednesday, I woke very early to get my daughter registered for her Spring classes. It’s her last two classes. She will graduate in Spring 2023. She’s taking Principles of Accounting I and Art History. After getting her classes, I went back to sleep. I hadn’t slept well. I kept waking up being worried I would miss the registration time. I continue to notify Blogoversary winners and get prizes for them. I called to get another Rx filled for my daughter. I couldn’t stand the stove anymore so I took off all the burner grates to clean them and to clean the top of the stove. I setup lots of review posts today. Lulu and I had a nice longer walk before dinner.
Thursday, I’m struggling a bit this week. I’m tired from last week and behind on things. I am worried about our country and the election next week with all the hate and political violence. I definitely am spending too much time doom scrolling. I haven’t finished an ebook in nearly 2 weeks. I’m jumping around a bit on audios too. My daughter has her math test today. She seemed to do well. I finally got some ebook reading done in the car while she was taking her test. Afterward, the neighbor came over and picked up his 32 foot ladder and snake. I talked to him about repairing my outdoor outlets and installing new light fixtures in the hall upstairs.
Friday, I started by reading until I finished my book. Then I did a little computer stuff and wrote my review. It was later than I wanted when I went out and blew the leaves from the front yard to the curb. The city will come by with their sucker. The backyard leaves which are much larger in quantity I blew to the back fence. Some will go on the big compost heap and others I will suck up with my leaf eater which breaks them into small pieces and then they can go into my compost bins. I needed a quick shower so I got my daughter to measuring out all the spices for the meatballs, to boil the water for the spaghetti and to put the spinach in the steamer. When I got back, I made the meatballs, set the table, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher while the meatballs baked in the oven. After dinner, we took Lulu for a walk and she was SO excited.
Saturday, ugh I forgot to include the Rafflecopter on the Read-along post. Thanks for telling me Eva. It’s there now. I was sad to see lots of leaves fell overnight so the dog logs are hidden again. I did a lot of different work on blog and computer things. I created a shared spreadsheet with my daughter so she has a set of sheets with her meds, her immunizations and other medical information. I sent her all her doctor contacts from my phone. My daughter and I walked Lulu. Then I wrote a review and scheduled some other posts. The leaves are still lovely. We have roses, anemone, gaillardia, marigolds, stand dwarf beaded iris all still blooming. Inside, I have orchids and african violets blooming. The weather will be nice this week 70-80F (20-25C), then rain by Thursday and after that 50s(10C) next weekend.
I am hosting some challenges and the Read-along in 2023. I’m going to try to post a list of upcoming things by November 20th with announcements or when more information will be available.
How do I do it?
- Do you have your posts automatically published to Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads or other social media? I’ve been using Jetpack Publicize. It was a bit tricky to set up but it’s worked well for my 5 years. Now it looks like they might start charging if you have more than 30 posts a month, and I do. I have 1-2 every day probably 9-10 a week but that’s over 30. I think it said it would be $10 a month for those extra 6 -10 posts I have which is kinda spendy.
- Also what are you doing about Twitter? I do spend some time on Twitter and I used it before Facebook. I have two accounts, a personal one and a blog one. For now, I’m not changing things. I may do something different personally but leave the blog one which is solely book related.
If you have any tips for me, please comment.
December Reading: I had another good reading month. I managed to read 24 books. Audiobooks continue to help me read more. Some count for more than one challenge. I listened to 17 audiobooks, read 7 library books, 23 COYER reads (on my list), and 6 books which I already own.
All Library books (including ones not reviewed on the blog) 2022 Library Love Challenge
I did manage to read 6 books I own (goal is 3 per month):
- 🎧 A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
- Up From the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
- 🎧 Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron
- 🎧 Verity by Colleen Hoover
- 🎧 Bound by Flames by Jeaniene Frost
- 🎧 One Good Dragon Deserves Another by Rachel Aaron
Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Reading Reality. These are the exciting ARCs I received this week (If you click on the cover, it will take you to the Goodreads entry):
NOTHING.
(If you click on the cover, it will take you to the Goodreads entry)
I found one in the Audible sale I wanted for $4. I got the new novella in the Alex Verus series using my no-rush rewards. Then I picked up my Prime First Read selection.
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.
Anne
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
Friend or follow me at Goodreads.
- Sheriff Bet Rivers Mystery series by Elena Taylor @elenataylorauthor.bsky.social @crookedlanebooks.bsky.social @severnhouse.bsky.social @partnersincrimevbt.bsky.social@elenataylorauthor - May 3, 2025
- 🎧 Closer Than You Think by Debra Webb @DebraWebbAuthor#EliseArsenault #BrillianceAudio #LoveAudiobooks #KindleUnlimited🎧 - May 1, 2025
- 2025 Summer Semester Library Love Review Link Up + Giveaway @angelsbooknook17 @booksofmyheart #LibraryLoveChallenge #Giveaway #LibraryLove #LibrariesRock - May 1, 2025
Another busy week for you 🙂 I’m on the other side of the world & still apprehensive about your elections.
I hate what’s happening at Twitter, I’m sticking around but I think it’s only going to get worse. I have registered at Mastodon which seems to be the popular choice but I’m on a wait list. I also created an account at Tribel. I like their interface, it’s very similar to Twitter and there is a dedicated book channel but there are few people at the moment.
Wishing you a great reading week, and thanks again for the win!
Thank you Shelleyrae. I was on Twitter before FB so I’m really used to it. I signed up for Tribel but it has first name, last name and is not structured like Twitter at least in the signup. The big changes at Twitter are supposed to start tomorrow. I don’t see much yet but I look at a small slice. I have good sized following / followers and I hate to lose that.
Busy week with a lot of errands. All that running around can be so draining. I feel the same about the election this week, Anne. Things have degenerated so badly and now extremism seems to be an accepted norm. People can’t have differing opinions without being enemies. It’s so disheartening. My blogs posts automatically get shared on Twitter but that’s about the extent of my social media use. I think my last post on Facebook was back in April. I’ve found that I just don’t enjoy the time spent on either platform. I never walked away feeling better (or even good). So I tend to just stay away and ignore both.
Thank you Tanya. I hear you. I started on Twitter first and only saw the “stream” of people I followed which grew and now there’s more retweets and replies. And of course, some ads. I joined FB much later and it didn’t feel as comfortable, more like a Tumblr feed of images, memes and text. FB is where I rarely see what I like or follow; it’s all ads these days. To see what I want I have to search or choose the Feed of my favorites. So I need to put more people in my favorites or only use it for groups. I rarely post anything myself. Both of them, because I can’t easily access what I want are problematic. My book Twitter works well though.
Sweet Lulu💜 She always looks so utterly content.
*sigh* I don’t know what I’m going to do about Twitter. I’m in a holding pattern for now. Like you, I’ve got a personal and blog account. I really am only active with the blog account. But with this fool in charge, I may just leave on principle but the book world on that platform is robust. I’ll let you know when I get closer to making a decision. How are you feeling?
Well you’ve expressed it exactly. The book Twitter is good. The personal twitter where I look at politics and other stuff is a mess and it’s hard to get info on my interests instead of junk. FB is actually worse. I only use it for groups these days and those specific groups like my neighborhood or COYER are great. Everything else is ads. I’m struggling a bit. We will see what happens after this week. Lulu loves blankets, sweaters and going for walks.
Oh my… so much to download from your post… where do I start? First – thanks for the notice that there is a new Molly Harper title. I don’t understand why she doesn’t send out a newsletter or anything! Second – I just set up a Mastodon account on the romancelandia.club server. It’s similar to the feel of Twitter, but a bit confusing at first. Someone likened it to Bird App – one big corporate place that everyone goes, Mastodon – little mom and pop stores (servers) that people can go to, but you can visit more than one. Anyhow, I’m trying it out. I’ll send you the link on Twitter if you are interested. Hmm… what else was there I wanted to say? I’m sorry you are feeling down/overwhelmed/etc. It’s very scary. I keep saying I can’t wait for the election to be over, but I’m just as scared for what comes after. *HUGS* I hope you have a good week.
Oh – the Molly Harper title is old… I guess I already read it! LOL
Thank you Jen, yes the Molly Harper just happened to be on sale (not new). Thanks for the kind words. The book Twitter and FB work well. I think because they are so focused, and I’d hate to lose all those following/followers. But the personal side is a mess. I’ve been on Twitter longer so I’d miss it more. Plus FB has been crap for awhile other than in groups. I can’t find the people I want to see unless I search for them or go to a group. There is a favorites feed but I don’t want to put everyone in favorites. You’re right about it not being over next week. I mean if things go the way I want (blue) the GOP will deny and sue and yell about fraud. If the GOP wins, they will enact some horrible policies and do a bunch of investigations on political rivals. I don’t usually talk politics here but politics are messing with my life / book life in this case. In fact, I have rarely talked about politics at all before 2016.
This is such an unsettling time right now, with elections, the economy, gas prices, the list goes on. I just want to live my life and not worry so much but it’s hard. Your weather sounds beautiful! We’re getting a lot of rain this week, which is a good thing for California. Have a good week, Anne!
Thank you Tammy. While the rain may be hard, it is needed. I like the mix here so far. We normally get 1-2 days a week and not always all day rain. It’s like Indian summer was the old term, but in IA-MN it was the second week of October, not in November. Healthcare is a big issue (to me) in politics. If you don’t work a regular type job at least 40 hours a week and get it through an employer. It’s tough to get or very expensive. That’s just regular health care, nothing to do with abortion. The ACA at least provides a way to get it. I never wanted to get involved in politics at all until after 2016.
Sounds like a productive week, and a great reading month. The meatballs sound delish. I love this time of year too, but the leaves are definitely falling fast and some trees are already bare. I pop into Twitter every once in a while, it really depends on what my day looks like. Enjoy your books this week!
Thank you Naida. I’ll be running ideas around in my head over the next couple weeks. We will see. My daughter wants me to make Italian wedding soup with my meatballs (smaller ones) which I plan to try soon. Book twitter is easy and great. Personal twitter with a variety of interests is a mess.
I’m worried about the elections too. For the first time I’m feeling very apprehensive about voting Tuesday because I’ll be going alone. Everyone close to me early voted, but I was too busy with work meetings this week. 😑 As far as Twitter goes, I deleted my personal account. I’m keeping only my bookish account for now and then we’ll see what happens.
I agree. I may go that route with only keeping my book twitter, but there are contacts on there which I don’t have anywhere else because I started on Twitter not FB. I actually spend more time on Twitter than FB, since it was always more comfortable, maybe because I used it first. FB I can just go to the groups I utilize and that skips the ads.
Ugh I am feeling super nervous about the elections too. 🙁
The cover of Gardens is really pretty!
Thanks Erin. It’s not that I don’t think they’ll be fair. Only that some people won’t concede even if they don’t win. And then there’s the worry about what the winners will do, no matter which party they are.
I managed to add most of these to my shelves as well, Kiss of Fire by Deborah Cooke is a fantastic book in fact the series is awesome!
Thank you Eva. That’s great to know. I’d love to read them as soon as I get them but of course, I have to plan most of the tim, unless I’m ahead which isn’t often enough.
Love that photo of Lulu all wrapped up in her blanket ❤️ I use Metricool for Instagram posts, it’s free up to 30 days as well, and I use Buffer for Twitter posts. So, maybe use 2 services? Best of luck and let us know what you find.
Thank you Wendy. Lulu does love her sweaters and blankets. I will look into Buffer. I appreciate your info. Although who knows what will happen to Twitter now.
Sounds like a busy week! I don’t currently use any services for my blog but it’s also not as well known as others…or as fancy, so maybe don’t take my advice, LOL. But, it works for me. Have a great week and good luck finding a solution that works for you and your needs!!
Thank you Cindy. Thanks for your info.
That’s exciting that your daughter is so close to graduation! I haven’t ever really been a fan of twitter because its kind of intense, but I’m afraid its going to get even worse now. I’m still using publicize but I typically don’t have more than 4 posts a week. Have a great week!
Thank you Samantha. Somehow I was on Twitter long before FB and before it was political. Book Twitter is still pretty good, mostly just books with only a bit of politics but more than it used to be. I’m comparing my @BooksofMyHeart twitter stream to my personal one which is all over the place as I have a variety of interests so I get more political and more other stuff.
Lulu is so cute, especially snuggled in her blanket.
I know what you mean about doomscrolling. I’m worried about the elections, too — not that they won’t be fair, but about what will happen if people don’t concede. But I know that all I can do is vote (and hope), so I’m trying to avoid doomscrolling. (Not always successfully, but I’m trying.)
Thanks for the tip about JetPack Publicize. I haven’t tried that. Since I don’t publish more than 30 posts per month, it might work for me.
Lulu is the cutest in blankets, in sweaters, skipping because she is so happy to be out on a walk. yes I’m trying to cut back on the doom scrolling. I have really enjoyed having Jetpack and book Twitter so I hate the thought of having to find other options.
It’s been so windy here we had a backyard full of leaves and then the wind came through and blew them all away, literally! The house even shook a few times. but it’s been pretty warm. I’m not sure what to do about Twitter either. I’m staying for now, I guess? I don’t tweet that much anyway lately but I DM with friends and other bloggers almost daily, so I guess I stay for that. I don’t like the changes there though. I had someone attack me out of the blue last week, saying I was a bad reviewer or some such lol, and I don’t even know them. Judging from their feed they’re a MAGA person ooking to start a fight. then they deleted the tweet. *eye roll
I wish my leaves would blow away but that didn’t happen. I will have some more work on leaves this week. I haven’t had any of those issues on my Book Twitter where I only tweet book reviews, deals, sales, etc. But personal twitter has changed over the years. I’m sorry that happened to you. I really wish if people didn’t have something nice to say they didn’t say anything. And the truth is hard to come by these days.
I’ve never had an issue like that either. But thanks! It goes with the territory I guess, and TBH I kinda got a kick out of it- like, they didn’t even reference which review of mine they didn’t like, but told me I was pretentious. lol. Then they deleted the tweet before I responded, although someone else did! Ah well… the times we’re in. Take care!
I’m so glad it didn’t go far Greg.
I adore all the Lulu pictures. And is that an African violet? Those are my favorites! I have memories of going to the local Lawn and Garden show when I was younger with my grandpa and my mom and aunts and that was always the plant he got every year. I’ve tried to have one, but I pretty much have a black thumb. You definitely had a busy week. But hey, 6 books is still good! I hope you have a good week!
Thank you Lisa. yes it is an African violet. For the first time ever I’m having luck growing one. My grandma always had them. Lulu is the best.
Congrats to your daughter! I hope she has a good last semester. I have no idea what to do about Twitter. I’m going to keep using it for now, but there seems to be a bunch of “weird” accounts that are just harassing people who have blue checks. I don’t understand why. They want the people with blue checks off Twitter for some reason.
Thank you AJ. I think she will enjoy both these classes for Spring. At least if she has trouble with accounting I’ve got her back. I used to teach it at Uni level. Book Twitter seems fine with only a little politics. My personal twitter is more diverse, and political, since I have lots of different interests and those groups have a variety of politics. I don’t want to be political but when does one take a stand against lies and hate?
I’m sorry to read you’ve been struggling Anne. I totally get it though. It’s a hard world and I sometimes worry, not so much for myself, but for my kids.
I love those Lulu pictures! Such a cutie.
Have a great week and happy reading.
Thank you Maureen. It is scary. Lulu is always so good and such fun.
I have no idea what I will do with Twitter, now that Musk has taken over the company. All I know is that he screwed with the employes of his car manufacturing company and the state in which he built it here in Germany. So my feelings are mixed. I read on BBC news app about a new plattform called ´Mastodon´ but haven´t taken a closer look yet. Not sure if that is an good alternative for Twitter. Your daughter is graduating next year? Wow, how time flies! Happy reading, Anne.
Thank you Vi! I really have had Twitter for a long time so I hate to lose it and some of the contacts there. Book Twitter seems ok but personal twitter has gotten more and more political.
I have mixed feelings about Twitter right now so I will just see how things evolve for the moment. I certainly have a lot of blogging friends through Twitter. I will likely keep my book account and remove my personal one.
Thank you Jodie. I think your Twitter plan is similar to mine. I’m leaving it alone for now.
Another productive week for you. I’m right there with you about being worried about our country and the election this week. It’s always on my mind even when I’m trying to do other things. I didn’t know Jetpack Publicize was considering charging but I think I’m way less than 30 posts a month so it probably wouldn’t impact me. I’m unsure about what to do with twitter. My blog posts automatically post there but I’m not very active myself there or on Facebook mainly because I’m so tired of the political trolls and the hate.
Thank you Suzanne. Really I am only active on Book Twitter and Book FB, the rest of it I don’t do or post. Well I do use the neighborhood FB page. Occasionally I’ll look for a specific thing on Marketplace. I probably only got the Jetpack email because I will be charged. Sigh.
There’s lots of Twitter feedback here in the comments – Though I signed up with my blog, I rarely use it because I never quite figured it out. Now its an easy decision to just close the acct. FB – well, I use it occasionally and post review updates there for my reader friends. But it’s so political and ad heavy that I spend more time scrolling than seeing anything valuable. Instagram has a strong book group I think but since it’s so visually based, I feel like you have to be half photographer and half reviewer and frankly I just don’t have the time right now. I’ll keep that account though cuz my kids use it and I can see what they’re up to. It’s hard to figure out. And politics – don’t get me started. Like you, I really don’t discuss it on the blog but I’ve seen a number of bloggers in the last week talk about their particular concerns or issues and there’s a LOT of anxiety out there. I’m more than a little worried about the country’s future if the Republicans do succeed. Ending on a happier note, you’ve got some good books in your pile and a couple freebies I picked up as well. Let’s have fingers crossed this week and make time for some GOOD reading!
Terrie @ Bookshelf Journeys
Thank you Terrie for your kind words. FB I don’t use except for groups like my neighborhood page and COYER. The rest is all ads instead of anyone I want to see and I only post to my Book Page. Twitter is similar. I only post to my Book Twitter and that seems ok for now. I don’t have Insta so I’m not going there or TikTok. Feedly has been great because I just get the people I want to follow.
I’ll probably delete my personal account with Twitter because I don’t even use it. I’m rarely on Twitter other than to like or retweet posts of other bloggers/or my posts. My blog automatically posts there and I think I have it set up through Hootsuite? It’s been a while since I did that so I’m not sure how I even did it, lol! I’m never on FB except to post a giveaway. I never scroll through feeds. I haven’t the foggiest of what’s on there and I’m happy about that. The political crap on both Twitter and FB keep me from spending any time on either platform. I don’t need that negativity in my life. What can you really do about all of it anyhow other than what you’re already doing? I’m mostly on Instagram if I’m not visiting blogs on my computer. Instagram doesn’t have the bullshit you see on Twitter and FB and I like all the pretty book pictures. Plus, there’s home decor and fashion bloggers I follow on there too. It just feels like a more positive place to be.
The trees have been really pretty out here too, but it’s been cold and rainy. My cat is not happy about the cold and rain.
I hear you Rachel. I don’t really use my personal accounts much on Twitter or FB. FB is terrible with ads. But I do use it daily for my neighborhood and COYER groups. If I do that through notifications, rather than looking at the feed it is quick and easy for me. Again I use Book Twitter a lot. So I’m going to wait and see. I’m not on Insta. or TikTok. Thank you.
Very exciting that your daughter is getting down to her last classes. It is so hard to recover things to normal after a trip, but sounds like you got a good jump on it and will hopefully get caught up on sleep so you feel more energy, too. I’ve avoided the doom and gloom stuff on social media and TV and figure I can only do my part and will do my best with what comes at me whether its elections or Twitter.
Nice reading and challenge stats for October. I was a little down with some challenges, but holding strong on some others and my review stack. Looking forward to seeing the exciting challenges you’ll put up for 2023.
Gorgeous orchid and fun Lulu pics!
Have a good week, Anne!
Thank you Sophia! You are such a light in the blogging world. I appreciate your positive attitude and views. I guess we just have to wait and see, do the best we can. I am sleeping better and this week I’m in better shape than last week.
Wow that’s a lot of things for you! Good luck for everything and have a good week. Happy reading!
Thank you! This week is already going better. I’m trying to stay focused on what I need to do.
I too am worried with the upcoming election Anne! And I think that I publish thanks to Jetpack too but I’d have to check..
Thank you Sophie. I appreciate your thoughts.
Got a good looking list there!
Thank you!
Lots of walks with Lulu! And it sounds like you could use some recuperation time after all the traveling. I use WP to Buffer Pro for all of my blog stuff that goes on social media. But yes, it costs money for both the plugin and the Buffer. I prefer to pay for stuff like this because then I know it will work or I’ll be able to get customer service help. Twitter? I left that place ages ago around the 2016 election. I had already kinda stopped with it before that, but that was the nail in the coffin for me. And I’m with you on the election tomorrow. I’m nervous, but I’ll be traveling so hopefully my mind will be off of it. (We voted weeks ago.)
Thank you for your kind words. Lulu makes everything better. I’ll look at Buffer just to see. Maybe if I can split my feed with two products I can stay on the free side. But either way I have more than 30 posts total, more like 35-40. Book Twitter has really been fine. It’s the personal accounts which have gone all political especially with different interests I have.
It sounds like a really busy week. It can take a bit to feel caught up after going on a trip. I bet your daughter is excited to be enrolling in her final classes. My daughter will be graduating Spring 2023 too! I hope that you have a great week!
Thank you Carole! Congrats to your daughter.
I do the same thing where I don’t sleep well when it’s super important I wake up early to do something. I hope your daughter enjoys her classes. Art History was one of my favorite classes in college. I had a fantastic professor and we concentrated on ancient through early middle ages and it was fascinating. I was a computer science major so I didn’t take many history classes but that was a standout! I hope you’ve had a great week!
Thank you Katharine. My daughter has a lot of eclectic interests. I was a double major in accounting and computer science with a minor in music. She’d like to do more with languages and anthropology but we’re not sure how that would translate to a job. She’s great with math and computers. She also loves art and probably art history. She’s very crafty and her things turn out beautifully.
Sounds like a busy week. Lots of admin stuff. But that’s what makes the world go round. My Twitter account is fairly new, and I’m just going to continue on for now.
I’ve got more than 10 years on my personal twitter and 100s of followers and for the blog 5 years and 100s of followers.