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.
Sunday, I had a pretty good night although I still woke up to my daughter banging around in the kitchen but it was time for me to get up anyway. After some Sunday post visiting, I went back downstairs to clean the oven. It had been smoking a bit with stuff on the bottom so I sprayed it and now I scrubbed the inside and the wire racks. Then I went to put together the vacuum which the new part had come in around Halloween. Seriously, it took less than 5 minutes, I shouldn’t have worried. I immediately vacuumed my bedroom but then stopped because my daughter only went to bed about 3 hours earlier. I made the menu plan and looked at 3 different places to see where to get a few items, then placed a curbside pickup at Walmart. The rain stopped so Lulu and I went out for a medium walk. I started a batch of her food.
Monday, I had a little time to do things before going out for our medical checkups and errands. I printed out the spreadsheets with the complete medications lists and immunizations for each of us that I keep updated. Everything took too long and was annoying but went fine. I had planned a quick leftover dinner which I got together. Then I had some blog and Cyber Monday stuff to finish up. I remember one more thing I was going to look at before I went to bed so I was up too late.
Tuesday, my daughter went to bed after dinner (really early) so Lulu woke me up this morning to let her out. My daughter got up only 20 minutes later to eat breakfast and then hadn’t slept well so she went back to bed. I finished my book and then got to work on things. However, when whizzing through my emails I notice a new one from Kevin Hearne where he told me he would be involved with the Read-along! So I got busy updating the 2023 Read-along stuff. I had some final decisions to make on the giveaways and stuff so I brainstormed with Berls and Jen (Twimom). It’s all so exciting and I feel like it’s all coming together now. I got book mail.
Wednesday, my daughter was up until 11 am so she won’t be up before dinner. I finally focused on getting all the 2023 Library Love posts finished and setup. Angela and I went through EVERYTHING again and surprisingly changed a few things. When I went downstairs to get a drink, I saw the paramedics were across the street loading one of my neighbors into an ambulance. He looked awake and was moving a bit. I hope he is okay. Now it’s time to walk Lulu. It was rainy overnight but cleared up around noon. We walked the longer route. I’ve been struggling all week to do all the things I need to do. I helped my daughter put together a Shutterfly calendar as a gift for her dad.
Thursday, it’s colder today but sunny. I’m still getting going and trying to get caught up on things. The utility jerks who disrupted the water and power the last two weeks are back at work. Ugh. I went to look at when the bill is due for my daughter’s college classes for spring. Then I went to see which books she would need. …And I noticed the teacher from one class had been changed. I have my printout from when we registered and so I know I selected the right one. The teacher we want is teaching a different section but it’s waitlisted. I’m furious because it’s her last semester and we research so carefully to get the right teachers for her. I’ve emailed the teacher who is also the department head, but also started looking at other classes with good teachers since it’s an elective but it’s the class we want most. Lulu and I took a medium walk.
Friday, I tried to get up earlier to get some things finished before my daughter’s math test at college and my errands. I went to Harris Teeter for a pile of Rx and also a few grocery items. My daughter wants to get more protein in her breakfast so I looked at different ideas.
Saturday, Lulu got me up early to go out. I then finished up my book and got going. I made some crustless mini quiches in muffin pans. I used egg, diced broccoli slaw, red onions and in a few of them, bacon bits and cheese. They were pretty good but I learned some things. I’ll also make them using other ingredients like egg whites, spinach, mushrooms, kale, zucchini, etc, depending on the veggies I have on hand. Then I continued trying to catch up on visiting and posts. It was rainy but stopped just before Lulu and I took our medium route. We have our swans back again! I made an Italian wedding soup with meatballs, orzo and spinach for dinner.
I’m thrilled to join COYER for 2023. I’ll do all the Chapters, and many other things that are offered like Book Club, Read-along chats, Read-athons, Series in a Month (#SIAM), DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) and more. If you want to join the fun, you can pick and choose, you don’t have to do everything. Check out the signup and more details HERE.
December Reading: I had a good reading month. I managed to read 22 books. Audiobooks continue to help me read more. Some count for more than one challenge. I listened to 12 audiobooks, read 3 library books, 19 COYER reads, and 8 books which I already own.
All Library books (including ones not reviewed on the blog) 2022 Library Love Challenge
I did manage to read 8 books I own (goal is 3 per month):
- Smoky Mountain Tracks by Donna Ball
- 🎧 Into the Fire by Jeaniene Frost
- Mantivore Dreams by SJ Higbee
- 🎧 The Christmas Pact by Vi Keeland
- A Kiss for Midwinter by Courtney Milan
- Christmas at Copper Mountain by Jane Porter
- Mother of the Year by Rachel Aaron
- 🎧 No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished 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):
My thanks to Minotaur Books, Karen Grey, Berkley Romance, and Simon & Schuster Audio.
(If you click on the cover, it will take you to the Goodreads entry)
I got some audiobooks in the sale at Audible. I got the Martha Grimes one with a credit.
I used no rush rewards to buy the next one in this NC K9 series.
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.
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- 🎧 Pay Dirt by Sara Paretsky @SaraParetsky #SusanEriksen @WmMorrowBooks @HarperAudio #LoveAudiobooks - April 16, 2024
- Sunday Post – 14 April 2024 @kimbacaffeinate @readingreality - April 14, 2024
- Series on Saturday: Texas Edition @ilona_andrews @atticalocke @kidell @donna_grant #MaryBurton #CarolynBrown #SeriesOnSaturday - April 13, 2024
Darling Lulu💜
Weren’t you thrilled to see that new Krueger book show up? I can’t wait to listen to it, even though it’s not Chandler narrating. Nice haul from the Audible sale, too.
Have a wonderful week, Anne!
Thank you Jonetta! I may read the WKK before the year is out; it’s relatively short and his books are always so interesting.
Once again you amaze me with the sheer amount of books you read every month Anne!
Audiobooks for the win Sophie. I couldn’t do it without listening during errands, chores, cooking, dog walks, etc.
Good luck getting that class switched, how frustrating. I love the swans!
Thank you Tammy. I haven’t mentioned it to my daughter because she is stressed enough with finals. I love the swans too!
Love the quiche. I used to take part in a cooking group and we would make quiche for the whole organization, and it was a lot of work but very memorable. it’s amazing how chef’s can cook for large functions.
It is. I like the concept of meal prep and this is on that track. Normally, I make a new dinner every night and we eat the leftovers for lunches.
That’s good you noticed the teacher change. I hope you can get her moved into the other section. I might need to finally join COYER. I forget all about my ebooks, and I have a lot of great books on there.
That would be great Jennifer! COYER is just such a great community of people and you can do as much or as little as you want. Start slow and go from there.
Lulu looks so cute. Thank you for sharing the pictures with us. And good luck with the new teacher and class.
Thank you Vi. We’ll need luck. The teacher hasn’t even responded to my email but she’s also the dept head so I’m sure she’s busy.
Lulu looks so content with her cute little head on her toy. 😍 I love the photo of the swans too. Have a great week, Anne!
Thank you Wendy. I was so thrilled to have back our swans. I don’t know where they went the last few months. I didn’t think swans migrated or anything. Lulu is the star of our photos.
Lots of great books! Sounds like a kind of busy week. I can’t wait to get my hands on Well Traveled too. I’ve decided I prefer to read those instead of listen to them. That stinks to not get the teacher she wanted. But a teacher can totally make or break a class, sad to say, even as a former teacher I understand that! Some students liked and did great in my classes, others the way I taught wasn’t what was right for their learning style. Unfortunately since I was a middle school teacher, kids didn’t have the choice, so I did my best to reach all the students in the best way I could. Hope you have a good week!
Thank you Lisa. The teacher hasn’t responded yet but if I don’t hear this week my daughter will have to decide if she will just choose a different class.
The swans!! So pretty! I’m thinking about trying COYER again this year. I have stepped away from challenges in the last couple years because I don’t like the pressure. But, now that most of my college classes are done, I might dive back in. Have a great week!
Thank you Samantha! COYER is a big thing now with lots of options but you can pick and choose, including just being in the community. For me it’s not about the prizes, it’s about the people. I’d love to see you join us.
How lovely that your swans have returned! And I’m excited that Kevin Hearne will be involved in the Iron Druid readalong. I’m planning to participate, though I’m not always great at sticking to a reading schedule. And I plan to do COYER too — maybe not everything, but the 3 chapters (or trimesters or whatever), plus book club and readathons whenever they work for me. I’ll probably do Library Love again this year, too, although I’ve been absolutely rubbish at writing and posting reviews this year.
It will be great to have you in the challenges. It’s about the people and the reading. I don’t think it’s about all the other stuff so don’t pressure yourself.
Sounds like a good reading month!! I had my lowest reading month ever…but I also moved so it’s okay. I am hoping for more reading this month, we’ll see.
yes exactly, you moved, you shouldn’t pressure yourself for less reading. I hope this next month is better for you, but with the holidays who knows. I listened to a ton of audiobooks while unpacking but I don’t know if you do audio.
I do listen to audiobooks and now that both my husband and son are back to work I can start again 😉 I listened for about 3 hours this morning while working on stuff.
Thanks for dropping by!
Well thanks for stopping over here Jackie!
I hope your neighbor is okay. My next door neighbor is trying to sell her house. With the market having turned, I hope she is able to get a decent price for it. Her husband died of COVID and it’s way too much house for her. I hope you are able to get the class situation worked out. I am considering participating in COYER this coming year–I love the theme. I hope you enjoy your reading this week!
Thank you Wendy. It would be awesome to have you in COYER but realize it is easy to get overwhelmed. You can pick and choose, you don’t have to do everything in COYER!
I hope your neighbor is okay. And how fun that Kevin Hearne is going to participate! That’s awesome. You know, your mentioning quiche has me hungry for that now lol. I haven’t had quiche in ages. :):)
Yay for the swans!
Thank you Greg. It was a hectic week but when is it not? I am really excited about all the 2023 challenges and Read-along. I love to cook so we have lots of different good stuff to eat.
I received poisoner’s ring also and am really looking forward to reading it – a little closer to pub date. I cut back on freebies the last week or two – they’re really stacking up and I don’t have time to read them right now. Do you generally find that the quality of the freebies is adequate? Or is it kind of like the Amazon First books – I think I’m at less than 50% of those books are what I would call ‘good’. Thanks for the visit
Thank you Terrie. I think the quality of freebies has a wide range just like all the other books. I would say many of them are from KU nowadays. I try to be picky about which ones and genres I choose. I think the first in series books I get, some are from known to me authors, are of great quality. The reality is most of them are average, and I like them 3 hearts. The other fact is they contrast with the ARCs I can get which are very selected and tend to be 4-5 hearts. So it is the contrast that makes them seem more average, perhaps.
What a great haul of books! I hope your power and water don’t get cut off again and that your daughter gets into the classes with the instructors she wants. Have a great week!
Thank you Jodie! I’m with you on all that. I dread the utility guys when I see them.
I haven’t made a quiche yet but I have made a few fritatta’s and I like those so I would probably like a quiche too. I look forward to Lulu pictures each week in these posts. She is so cute.
Thank you Mary. I am not exactly sure of the difference between a frittata and a quiche. Maybe a frittata is cooked on the stovetop and the quiche in the oven but both are made with eggs? OK I googled it and what I made is closer to a frittata except I only cooked it in the oven. The recipe called it a crustless quiche though. Lulu is the star of our life.
Wow Anne, sounds like you had a pretty busy week! Thanks for sharing! Those December Berkley books look mighty pretty! Have a great week!
Thank you Elizabeth. I always have to be doing something. Luckily, I always get some of the best books!
Another whirlwind week! Nice that you were able to put the part on the vacuum easily and tried a new recipe with the crustless quiche. Sounds like it can go extra healthy or a little healthy. Nice haul and way to go on your November totals especially all the TBR reading.
Have a good week, Anne!
Thank you Sophia. Whirlwind is right. I can’t believe it’s December. At least for the holiday week it should be quieter since we are staying home. I’m excited we are getting good response to next year’s Read-along and other challenges.
How exciting that Kevin Hearne is going to participate in the readalong! I got one walk in between rainy days here. I’m sure Lulu appreciated getting out. My cat gets stir crazy with all this rain. The swans are beautiful! I want that new Karen Rose! It wasn’t on my Newsletter/Invite from Berkley for February. I might have to request it.
Thank you Rachel. I am excited that KH will be supporting the RA by participating in things. We are getting good signups and I hope they follow through when it starts in a few months. I wanted to announce early enough for people to plan a bit though. In fact I need to finalize my decision about 2024 soon. Not a full announcement like this but just what series. Lulu LOVES to go out unless it is actually raining. I’m so excited about the swans being back on our pond. It’s the same pair. I know it wasn’t on my Berkley letter either. I peruse Netgalley at least once a week for stuff I might miss. All my current requests are for March / April though.
That’s so exciting about Kevin Hearne! I would love to have swans in our area. So jealous. We just have a crap-ton (scientific measurement) of Canadian geese. Those suckers are MEAN. Your soup looks delicious. I love a good Italian Wedding Soup. I hope this week is kind to you and that the utility work is completed sooner rather than later!
Thank you Stephanie! IKR? It’s always fun when the author joins in a bit, and really he’s doing a lot. We had a crap ton of geese when I lived on the lake in Minnesota and a ton of crap as well. The soup is definitely going into the regular rotation. We both loved it. I modify almost every single recipe we use for gluten-free or for our tastes. It sometimes takes a time or two to get it to a reliable result.
Pretty swans! I hope your neighbor is okay, and good luck getting the classes sorted out. Have a great week!
Thank you AJ. I am just so happy to have the swans back. Hopefully many things will get sorted this week.
Thanks for the reminder that I need to clean my oven. 😊 I did manage to make a menu plan for the week so there’s something. Is your daughter just naturally a night owl? I am naturally a morning person and my going to bed/waking up times are like clockwork. Go to bed at 9 pm, get up at 5 am – pretty much 7 days a week. I hope the class with the change in instructor can get sorted out. I see you picked up some Christmas freebies. I’m ready for some holiday reads and am listening to a novella on audio now. Bring on the holiday feels! 😊
Tanya, I would say my daughter is more of a night owl but.. She has health issues which get her up in the night sometimes for even hours so then she makes up sleep in the daytime. Unfortunately, she is constantly turning around her schedule.
Sounds like you had a busy week. Cleaning the oven is not my favourite activity either. And I’m also looking forward to Karen Rose’s book. Hope you have a great week.
Thank you Role. I don’t mind cleaning the oven I just have to remember to do it. I can’t clean it when it’s too hot.
mini quiches! yummmmm
They are good and I’ll be meal prepping a version of them every week now I think. Enough for at least 3 days a week.
Sounds like a good week. I honest don’t remember what I did last week. It was one of those that didn’t have much scheduled, but I was busy all the time. I did get to enjoy dinner out with my family on Thursday – we went to the place my daughter works at her request. But then she didn’t introduce us to her boss or coworkers! I also enjoyed watching my alma mater play football this weekend – they will be in the national semi-finals, which is really exciting. This week I’m busy trying to get ahead before my daughter’s surgery next week.
Jen, if I didn’t write a sentence or two every day I would have no idea of what I did except I was busy every second.
It sounds like another busy week. I don’t know how you and your daughter manage opposite schedules as you do. My husband and I get all messed up when my daughter is home and stays up just a couple of hours later than us. I think that it is great that it works for you. My dogs keep barking when she’s up and we are trying to sleep. It’s so exciting that Kevin Hearne is participating in the read along! I hope that you have a great week!
Thank you Carole. I feel very grateful to have author participation on Read-alongs. It doesn’t quite work with the opposite schedules, although it does give us both alone time and time without interruptions. She gets up at the latest by dinner and we have dinner together every day. But after that I usually clean up and get to bed while she is just starting her day and settling into homework. Although some days she has to get up in the afternoon for medical appointments.
I need to print out my mom’s immunization list since that is the one thing I get stuck on whenever the hospital asks “Does she need a pneumonia shot?” I think those are every 5 years? 3 years? You’d think it would be in her online medical records but they always ask me and I can never remember.
Congrats on your readalong excitement!
I sure hope your daughter gets the teacher she wants!
Thanks Jinjer. The author just posted the Read-along announcement and link in his newsletter today so the post is blowing up with diehard fans. I have gone to the spreadsheets to make sure I track everything for my daughter and I and Lulu. I don’t know about pneumonia shots I’m too young to have one. I do however have the records of my smallpox vaccine and polio and even a tuberculosis test when I was very young, along with the more normal stuff. I am getting worried my daughter won’t get into the class because my email is not getting any response.
I’m woefully behind on my blog commenting this week. It looks like last week was full of stuff! Good idea on the crustless mini-quiches. I should do that too sometime. Did you eat them this week?
yes we ate them. I only made a dozen; it’s two for a serving so 6 servings, 3 for each of us. This week I might make some ricotta pancakes in advance.