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. Blogoversary giveaway ends in a few days at the end of the month.
Sunday, today is all about visiting, writing reviews and then planning. I have blog planning, menu planning, errand planning, yardwork planning, project planning. It’s a good thing I love planning. Well I got through the visiting, then I walked Lulu and wrote some reviews. Then I needed to cook dinner. I stayed up a little late but got well started into my next book.
Monday, finally today I can get to the planning. No apparently not today. I got organized for planning, and did menu planning. I took Lulu on a walk. I made gf pumpkin ravioli with pesto sauce (basil from our garden) and it was SO delicious. I also processed the rotisserie chicken we had. I chunk the white meat into containers to make soup or pot pie and the dark meat to make food for Lulu. It seemed to take forever because I was tired.
Tuesday, I walked the dogs. Then I went right to drop off Amazon returns, pick up an RX, get noodle bowls my daughter eats every day at Costco, then a Walmart pickup. I got home and put things away just in time for my daughter’s med appt. After that, I continued to work on getting organized. There are several ARCs I really want but am not sure I can fit them in around their release date. I spent time making a batch food for Lulu and a yummy sheet pan Asian chicken for us. I stayed up late to finish my book.
Wednesday, I walked the dogs. The weather is gorgeous this week 70s, no rain. Today I have at home. I spend way too much time doom scrolling about the political mess out there and the wars. I tried to stay focused and managed to get well into planning. The time to go cook dinner came too soon. We got asked to watch Max again in November and so I have another cute photo of him and Lulu on the couch.
Thursday, another beautiful day with great weather. Marley came out to see Lulu while I was walking Kayla. I didn’t get to pet her because she was gone by the time I got Abby and came across the street to get Lulu. I worked on blog stuff, then we went to the chiropractor.
Friday, Lulu was barking when I got up since my daughter went to bed early last night. I worked on a variety of things. I broke down and took a bunch of ARCs I really wanted and figured out how to jam them into my schedule. I finalized my November reading plans which will be tight. I started doing post setups up for my and my team’s new reviews. I cleaned the trash and recycle out of the car. Then I gave my neighbor (Abby and Kayla’s mom) a ride to pickup her car. After, I walked Lulu on the medium route. Everything is gorgeous and the temperature is near 80F/ 27C. I decided on a easier dinner so I could get more finished today.
Saturday, I woke up early and tried to get a jump on the day. We were to let Marley out at 11:30 so I took Marley and Lulu for a medium walk. They were pretty good. Lulu was a little too excited and jumping around but Marley just needed prodding occasionally that we were on a walk not a sniff. I called and scheduled a checkup for Monday at the Harley dealer for the annual state inspection but also a longer maintenance check. I started to set up and plan things in more detail for the 2024 Read-along which is kind of late as I usually start in September. I did get a response quickly from Diana Rowland; she will be involved but no details yet. I put the chicken in the marinade. I went out to use the leaf eater so I could fill the rolling compost bin. Lulu supervised. I watered the gardens since it isn’t raining. I cut up all the veggies to put with the chicken for kebobs. Of course, the tank ran out while I was cooking and I had to change it out but luckily it worked right away.
Now October is almost gone. Where did it go? Halloween will bring rain and a 30 degree F drop in temperature, but we will warm back to 60s for next weekend.
November is another opportunity to finish a series in a month. With a full reading calendar and a big holiday I wanted to do a trilogy. Berls agreed to buddy read with me even though one isn’t currently available on audio. We will be reading the No Evil Trilogy by Allision Brennan which is an older series leading up to her Lucy Kincaid series, and in the romantic suspense genre.
Speak No Evil (ebook)
See No Evil (audio)
Fear No Evil (audio)
Things I Learned This Week:
OK if I’m asking for help, I’m also going to share the cool things I learn. You may already know them but hopefully it will help someone.
I just saw that on Libro.fm I can download .zip files or .mb4 files of my audiobooks. This would allow me to read them on my player. Although I really like the Libro.fm player. But I’d love to do this for my Audible audiobooks because I am becoming more frustrated with the player. I did see something about moving Audible ones to iTunes recently so maybe I can do it that way.
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 grateful thanks to Penguin Audio (2), Minotaur Books, Simon Audio.
(If you click on the cover, it will take you to the Goodreads entry)
NONE.
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.
- 🎧 Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong @KelleyArmstrong @katehandford @MinotaurBooks @MacmillanAudio#LoveAudiobooks - May 2, 2024
- National Park Mysteries : Canyonlands Carnage, Saguaro Sanctionby Scott Graham @sgrahamauthor @joeljrichards @TantorAudio #LoveAudiobooks - April 30, 2024
- Sunday Post – 28 April 2024 @kimbacaffeinate @readingreality - April 28, 2024
You do plan a lot, but you have to because you have so much going on. I love planning too. The ravioli looks amazing! Have a good week, Anne😁
Thank you Tammy. Yes it is a good thing I love planning. I think my superpower is to cram more stuff into a time period than anyone else. I group like tasks and have systems for doing things to keep them efficient. I want to make that pesto and pumpkin ravioli dish again this week since there is a chance of frost which might spell the end of garden basil.
Sweet Lulu💜 Live my weekly fix.
Glad to see you got Prequel, too, as well as the others. Her books are always enlightening and I walk away feeling much more educated about all aspects of an issue. A little angry, too.
Have a wonderful week!
Thank you Jonetta. It’s possible we would go mad without Lulu and her amazing support. I’m excited to read the Maddow book.
These raviolis look absolutely delicious!!! And I am so jealous that you have a copy of The Mystery Guest!
Thank you Sophie. I want to make the ravioli dish again before a freeze which might end garden basil. I really loved The Maid and look forward to more about Molly.
With all you have going on, you have to be a planner! Enjoy your new books!
Thank you Samantha. And I love the planning. It makes it easier to adapt to things because I have thought of options already.
Pumpkin ravioli, yum! Way to go being the super dog walker and sitter. 🙂 I was getting depressed from too much news so I’m back to setting a timer and limiting myself. I have to pause now and then to organize and plan out my reading, too. Yes, November will be a tight month for fitting in all the reading I want to do to match the challenges and releases.
Have a good week and Happy Halloween, Anne!
Thank you Sophia! I hope to have the ravioli again before the basil dies this week. I’m really enjoying the dogs these days and Lulu is such a good girl. I should be limiting my news intake, instead I keep hunting out more.
I know!! I have a Kabul lion freebies on my Kindle!! So many good ones!! Just started one this week!!
I do love my freebies. I’ve found some good ones.
I think one of the reasons why I’m struggling is that I haven’t yet got back to full-blown planning since being ill. And I think I need to. I’ve probably got the wrong end of the stick – but I now listen to all my audible reads on my iphone. They load in no time at all with no glitches (unlike my Kindle!) and I don’t need a speaker. I also really like the Timer option so I can set it before I go to sleep. I don’t know if that helps at all.. Have a great week, Anne:).
Thank you Sarah. Planning is as necessary to me as breathing. I do listen to everything on my iphone in about 15 different players. Audible, Libby, Chirp, Libro.fm, iTunes, Audiobooks.com, Netgalley, Bookfunnel, PRH Audio, etc. I just don’t love the Audible app so much.
I love pesto so your pasta dish sounds delicious to me. I love the convenience of listening to audiobooks on my iphone – so easy to download. Have a great week Anne!
Thank you Jodie. We are big fans of basil and pesto. It’s the flavor of summer. I listen to everything on my iphone in about 15 different players. Audible, Chirp, Libro.fm, Netgalley, PRH Audio, Audiobooks.com, Hoopla, iTunes and more.
Sounds like a very busy week! I know what you mean about wanting to get some ARCs but knowing your review schedule is so full already. I’m trying to not get too much on 2024 yet, but I already have a few reviews scheduled for each of the first couple months! We got the cold and freezing here, so we are snuggling. Love the pics of Lulu as always!
Thank you Lisa. I have some ARCS all the way through May 2024 already.
The weather this week has been unusually warm, hasn’t it? Since I’m only a state away, ours has been similar. It’s pretty, but I’m ready for the cooler temperatures to come back. I love when it’s chilly enough to wear sweaters and handknits!
I see you picked up A Soupcon of Poison. I enjoyed that one; I hope you like it. And thanks to you, I picked up the Bec McMaster book since it was free.
Have a happy Halloween, even if it does rain!
Thank you Kara. I’ve read the Jennifer Ashley book but I thought I’d get it since it was free. I am loving these 70-80 weather. It’s good for the garden and outdoor work. But 50-70 is fine too.
I like Allison Brennan’s books. I haven’t read that trilogy yet but it’s on my wishlist. It looks great. Your freebies look good. I hope you enjoy them. Have a great week!
Thank you Yvonne. This week looks to be another barn burner as I say with lots to do.
That food sounds awesome and I hope your daughter’s health is improving. We had wonderful weather but I’m afraid we will pay for it this week. Look for some lighter reviews on the blog soon so you’ll get a break from my horror. Starting mid November, I plan on starting my Christmas reads! Have a great week!
Thanks Barb. I don’t mind the horror if you are enjoying it. I just don’t have as much to comment for it. This week will have a sharp dip and I’m afraid that will be the end of my basil, tomatoes and peppers. The peppers and basil I will pick and the tomatoes I can bring inside and let them ripen on the vine.
That’s a good idea with the rotisserie chicken. I should do that- use it for different meals.
Sounds like you’ve had gorgeous weather. It’s been bleak and rainy here.
I do want to read the new Prose book.
We use rotisserie chicken as the base of many soups and salads and pot pie. It’s just $5 at Sam’s or Costco or BJs. We always get one when we go to one of those.
I don’t think that I spend a lot of time planning. I just use fly by the seat of my pants. It is great that all the dogs are getting along so well. I always worry about my dogs being around others. We have had a couple of fights between our 3 and I don’t want it to happen again. I hope that you have a great week!
Thank you Carole. We’ve been fortunate with the dogs. Lulu is willing to get along with anybody. Kayla doesn’t like anyone. Other than that we’ve got them getting along. I think because they all know and trust us first before we bring other dogs into it.
I need to spend more time planning. I feel like I fly by the seat of my pants most of the time, haha. That ravioli looks so delicious!
That ravioli is delicious I’m going to tr to make it again tonight. Planning saves me a lot of time in the log run but takes a bit of effort in the short run.
Those raviolis look good. There a lot of interesting thrillers.
Have a great week.
Thank you. I am sure my daughter would eat ravioli every night if our basil crop held up but I think this week’s freeze will be the end of it.
OH, I read (audiobook) the Kat Holloway books, but A Soupçon of Poison is no longer free… Oh well. Another time. Yea for such nice weather – we had the same this past Thursday – Saturday. It was well above normal temps at upper 70s and sunny – I went for long walks on the beach and visited with friends outside. Now it’s back to normal weather (today is rainy and 50). Oh well. I went to see Frozen in Boston (the musical) yesterday – it’s the kick off to the 2023/24 “Broadway in Boston” season.
yes we had 84 yesterday now it will be a day of rain and 50. So much for me to do with the yard and stuff to prep for the freeze tomorrow night. That’s so cool you go to productions. I went for years to the Guthrie Theater and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. I’m not sure they have that sort of thing much in Raleigh. They have touring events but I’m not sure they have their own arts organizations.
The last couple of months my hubby and I have been doing meal planning for the week. I feel like it has saved on money, anxiety, and time. 🙂
It certainly does if I can get myself to do it. Food or books, when I get moody and can’t do a plan it causes some hiccups.
I definitely prefer life when I get my meal planning done. It’s so nice to have everything planned out and ready as the middle of the week always gets crazy. Love all the pics of Lulu. She’s such a sweetie. Hope you’ve had a great week!
Thank you Katherine. We are finally getting things accomplished despite out problems. So yes it’s been a cold but good week. I’m juggling the menu plan as the weather changes because I’m like that.
I’ve been MIA because of being on vacation with my daughter, SIL and grandkids this last week (got back Monday) plus work.
Looks like another busy week for you, Anne! You do well with organization and planning. You do look like you’re having nice weather from your picture with Lulu and that beautiful blue sky in the background and trees starting to turn colors. Love it!
I think I’ll grab up the audio of The Mystery Guest as well. I need to read The Maid first.
I read the first two books of The No Evil trilogy by Allison Brennan years ago, I need to read the last one, but it’s been hard to get to it seeing as they’re not on audio. When are you starting the buddy read, Anne?
Yay for a vacay! I might be catching up this week in spite of a tight schedule. I just finished The Mystery Guest this morning and loved it. I would read The Maid first. Berls and I are buddy reading the No Evil Trilogy for #SIAM. The first book is no audio, but the second two have audio at libraries and Hoopla. We have Speak No Evil (ebook) as Nov 1-10, See No Evil (audio) Nov 11-13 and Fear No Evil (audio) Nov 27-29 based on a bunch of things in schedule. I’ll probably read Speak No Evil Nov 7-10 just because so many of my ARCs this month are ebooks. Did you want to join us? It’s just the two of us. We chat regularly about the books most days in Facebook messenger.
I’d love to join you for the second book, See No Evil, because it’s on audio. I just downloaded it from my library. And the third book since I never did get to that one. They also have the audio at my library now. I’ll mark the date on my calendar. Do you have a number of chapters you read each day?
We have a whole schedule. I think maybe I need to friend you on Facebook and send you the info in a message. We chat a little every day on these.