The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
It's a chance to share news - a post to recap the past week on your blog,
showcase books and things we have received, and share news about what is
coming up on your blog in the week ahead. You can find the info here:
- I hope everyone had a great New Years. It was a quiet one on my end. Wait... let me amend that. It was a low-key night, but it was not quiet. There were fireworks being set off for almost five solid hours. They started before 7:30 pm and I think they finally tapered off around 2 am. I was so over it. I felt like I was still hearing them even after they stopped. LOL
- It was another short week at the office since I was off on New Years Day. Nice way to ease back into the regular routine.
- Our CEO (who I have known for 28 years and worked directly with for 14 years) retired this week. We went out to lunch on New Years Eve Day (the CEO, the COO, the CDO, and me - the four of us all work closely together) and it was a fun time but also hard to say goodbye. :(
- A question for you techie types: If I'm looking for a desktop computer that will load pages fast, not get bogged down and take ages to load, what should I be looking for? What keywords should I zero in on? Several months ago my pc was acting super slow and sluggish. Granted, it was old, so I went out bought a new PC. I told the salesperson I didn't need anything special - it's not like I'm a gamer or anything - just something basic - and I ended up with a pretty inexpensive HP all-in-one. But now I'm experiencing the same issues. Super-slow loading, waiting ages for sites to fully load (especially if I have multiple browsers open). I've had HP all-in-one's in the past and have been happy so I don't think that's it. I think I just went too basic. So any tips on what to look for next time? Bigger hard drive? More RAM? I appreciate any insight!
- I'm taking part in the January Of Books giveaway hop so if you haven't already entered the link is below. Who can resist a shot at a free book? :)
- With the holidays over (isn't it kind of a relief to get back to normal routines?), we're back to our weekly 80's music fix. :) : This week it's Chris DeBurgh and High On Emotion. Enjoy!
Monday, December 30
#Blogmas2019 Days 23-27:
Best Plot Twist, Best Male Main Character, Best Female Main Character, Best Friend Recommendation, Best Ugly Cry
Tuesday, December 31
#Blogmas2019 Days 28, 29 and 30:
Best Book to Make a Movie, Best Swoony Book, The Best of the Best
#Blogmas2019 Day 31:
Goodreads Challenge
Thursday, January 2
January 2020 Of Books Giveaway Hop
WHAT I COMPLETED IN THE LAST WEEK:
Bahahaha! Yet again, the answer to this question is: nothing. While I'm enjoying what I'm reading, I'm still not feeling like reading much. Oh when will this dreaded slump end?! *insert dramatic sigh here*
WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING:
PHYSICAL BOOKS:
Kennedy Ryan was offering signed books on her site so I ordered her latest duet, The Kingmaker and The Rebel King, along with the anthology she participated in, Christmas in the City.
My lovely friend Lindsi gifted me with Ask Again, Yes since she had an extra copy. Thank you so much, Lindsi! ♥
eARC FOR REVIEW:
I was positively giddy when I received the approval for this one! :)
How was your week? Any new books? Any news to share?
I'd love to hear about it!
There have been fireworks in my neighborhood for every holiday - Diwali, Eid, Chinese New Year, but shockingly, it was quiet NYE, and I even stirred from my slumber around midnight to quiet. I preordered the new Heartland book, so I hope it's amazing.
ReplyDeleteWow, fireworks for everything *except* New Years. LOL I'm excited for Heartland. I have so much love for the True North series.
DeleteI'm desperate to get back into my routine! I'm like a grumpy toddler when out of one for too long, lol.
ReplyDeleteFireworks were a pain in the behind here too... I thought it was all over but then more would start. sigh. The little dude slept through them all (and wouldn't have been bothered anyway) but his friend who was visiting kept waking up and that was hard work because he's scared of them.
If you want speed with a computer you need high RAM, but that's just one factor. I wouldn't personally accept anything below 8GB RAM even if you're not a gamer... Hardcore Gamers will have 16 - 32GB! (As a reference.)
You'll want a processor core that's at least an i5 (the i9 is the current top of the line but overkill for basic computing) and I'd recommend a solid state drive as they are a lot faster than a standard hard drive.
Graphic's cards are less of a concern when you don't do gaming but all computers have them and if your graphics card has dedicated RAM it frees up more of your 'standard' RAM for running all the other processes helping with machine speed.
Also, since it's not a laptop, consider whether your mouse is wired or bluetooth? Wired devices are faster even though bluetooth is pretty speedy.
It all adds up! :)
Tanya what Nicci said is totally right! If you also are wired and not on a wifi you'll usually go faster. Don't forget to update all that's in need to be updated either and clean your PC from time to time to free some memory too. Look at what's still available as disc space.
DeleteNicci!!! This was just what I needed! Thank you so much for all the info! I feel like I know exactly what I need to look for now. The only thing better would be if you would come to Florida and go computer shopping with me. LOL I was comparing the numbers you gave to my current PC and I actually cringed. The dinosaur (apparently) that I'm currently using has 4 GB internal RAM and an i2 processor core. Ack! I guess it's a wonder it will do anything at all. Ha!
DeleteThanks again, my friend... and you know I think you're a genius now, right? :)
Thanks for the added info, Sophie! I'm pretty good with keeping software updated and I run programs to get rid of all the junk (tracking files, etc) but I think the big issue is the my pc is sorely out of date.
DeleteI'm so lucky to have smart friends! LOL
Computer issues are frustrating, right? What is your Internet speed? Go to speedtest.net to find out by running an internet speed test. This is advice from my husband and he's all about computers. That could be your issue, especially since it's slow even with a new computer.
ReplyDeleteThat's really sweet of Lindi to gift you a book!
I went to the site you shared but since I don't know what speeds are considered good... the results it gave meant absolutely nothing to me. LOL I think I've pretty much determined that the issue is my PC itself. Old processor, not enough RAM... it's definitely time for an upgrade!
DeleteOh, and Lindsi is the best! :)
What were your results? Ours is 116 MBPS for download and 10 MBPS for upload, and my husband said anything over 100 is considered fast, but anything over 30 should be adequate to download.
DeleteBut, yeah, RAM, Hard drive space, and a decent video card are key too. SSD Hard drive, most new computers should have all this.
DeleteI finally found a graph on the site that showed average download and upload speeds and where my results fell on the graph. It looked like an average download speed was between 25-30 mbps and mine was 40. Average upload is 10 mbps and mine was 12. So, not bad I guess. But my hardware is sadly out of date.
DeleteUgh, the fireworks were annoying here too and our dogs were NOT impressed. Enjoy your new reads! I've been interested in Kennedy Ryan for awhile but haven't had a chance to get to her books. The covers are certainly gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteOh no, sorry it was a rough night for your dogs, Tracy. :(
DeleteI just discovered Kennedy Ryan last year and was instantly hooked.
It was nice having that little break right in the middle of the workweek this week! I'm sorry about your computer issues - I'm so non-tech-y, I let my brother-in-law handle all my computing issues.
ReplyDeleteLOL You and me both, Angela! I was tempted to take my PC in to the office and let the Networks people tell me what the issue was (they would do it as a favor). But it was Nicci to the rescue so now I don't need to. :)
DeleteMy New Years was quiet luckily, I think I slept through all of the fireworks!
ReplyDeleteThe One for You is soo good!
Amber Elise @ Du Livre
Lucky you! I would doze off and get woken up by the next round of fireworks. Gah!
DeleteI'm enjoying The One For You! I like Ash and Kincaid so much!
That is entirely too many fireworks! There were some here at six and again at midnight but both times were rather short lived. One of my dogs are scared of fireworks so I was very thankful. I also received the email about Heartland. I can't wait to actually start reading that one. I hope you have a great week and break out of your reading slump very soon.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't sound like the fireworks were too distracting on your end, Carole. Thank goodness.
DeleteFingers crossed that we both love Heartland. Sarina Bowen has never disappointed so I'm confident it'll be great. :)
I do not miss the never ending fireworks! When I lived in Seattle, my neighbors would set them off for every holiday {and the days before and after}, plus after football wins {and this was during the years the Seahawks won the Superbowl and went back to the Superbowl again the following year}.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, that had to seriously get old, Michelle. And I bet it was bad yesterday when the Seahawks won the wild card game.
DeleteI hate the fireworks. It makes my dogs go nuts. Have a happy new year!!
ReplyDeleteHope they at least didn't last too long, Samantha.
DeleteI don't know anything that makes your computer run faster. If there is then I need it too although I am happy with my internet service provider. I also understand that microsoft won't be servicing Windows 7 anymore so we need to upgrade to Windows 10 in order to have an efficient running computer. I did manage to install Windows 10 for free but I'm thinking nothing ever lasts forever anymore :/
ReplyDeleteMy Sunday Post
I'm happy with my ISP, too. And we pay for the best service available. It seems the issue is that my pc is woefully old. LOL It has Windows 7, an old processor, not enough RAM... yeah, time to upgrade.
DeleteI agree with Nicci about an i5 or i7 and at least 8GB but probably 16GB RAM. I think RAM is more important. I have that i7 and 16GB of RAM but I still need to occasionally do scans, delete temporary files and defrag the hard drive to stop those things from happening. I also find I get a big slow down when the computer is waiting to download Microsoft updates and once they are downloaded it goes back to more normal. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWe heard fireworks late. We've been busy around the house with all the projects and otherwise I do a lot of cooking right now. At least I can listen to audiobooks while working on stuff. I met Kennedy Ryan at Book Bonanza and I love her. I want to read her books, soon.
Have a great back to normal week and enjoy some good books!
Anne - Books of My Heart Here is my Sunday Post
Thanks for the feedback, Anne! It is so helpful to read the comments from those who know more that I do about computers. :)
DeleteHow great that you got to meet Kennedy Ryan! I've interacted with her on Twitter and she seems like such an energetic, down to earth lady.
I had the same fireworks situation here. They went all night. I was trying to sleep like a normal, boring person! I wish I knew what kind of computer to get. My laptop is almost 10 years old. I badly need a new one, but computers are a pain. I probably won’t get a new one until this one dies.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
That's awesome that your laptop has hung in there for 10 years. It's such a pain to get a new one and set it all up. Ugh.
DeleteI cannot wait to read the king maker!! It looks soo good. I'm also in the market for a new desktop but MAN! are they expensive. I want one that'll last as long as this one has (12-14 years). It's still kicking but it won't do updates anymore because its on Vista. I wish I had advice to give you. Basically look at RAM (6 gb or more imo), the processor, and the hard drive (500 gb or higher imo). I've always loved HP desktops and have no bad experience with them. They last quite a long time. I've never bought the all in one. So can't advise you there. I hope you find a great one and for a great price. Maybe someone else can give you some better tips than I can <3
ReplyDeleteYep, desktops are not cheap. And I don't even buy anything over the top tricked out. You're lucky yours has lasted so long! The husband and I have both gone with HP all-in-one's the last several years and have been happy with them.
DeleteI'm slumping too- or maybe more accurately, I'm just not... reading anything lol. I must be in a New Year's slacker mode or something... :)
ReplyDeleteI hear you on fireworks. We never used to have fireworks on New Year's Eve around here (4th of July, sure) but it was like 20- something degrees! Who in their right mind was out in THAT weather doing fireworks? Although I think it's warmer haha where you are, but still... I get it. 5 hours? Yikes.
Ooh Chris deBurgh. It's been a while...
I may as well not be reading for all the progress I'm making. LOL
DeleteFireworks in 20-degree weather? Now that's hardcore.
I used to love fireworks until I got a dog who is terrified of them. Or maybe I am getting crabby as I get older. LOL
ReplyDeleteI have been meaning to read that trilogy from Kandi Steiner for a while now. Kandi is one of my favorite authors.
Have a great week!
Let's blame it one the dog... not you, okay? LOL
DeleteThis trilogy is the only thing I've read by Kandi Steiner and I've enjoyed it. All three have been pretty angtsy so maybe that's just her style.
Fireworks are illegal to buy here without a permit so there was only our local towns fireworks at 9pm, and then we watched the Sydney ones on TV at midnight.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a great reading week, and good luck computer shopping. You’ve been given great advice.
Thanks, ShelleyRae. I hope you have a great week!
Deletehaha! I love that "self" image. Too funny. And sheesh, that's a long time for fireworks to be going off. I'd be so annoyed! lol
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
I was so relieved to finally have silence after the fireworks stopped! :)
DeleteOoo, I really want to read Kennedy Ryan's duet. Enjoy! Hope you find your way out of that slump soon!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ali... hopefully the new year and some new books will rejuvenate my reading!
DeleteBlogsmas sounds like it was fun! I've finally added Ask Again, Yes to my TBR list. Hope it's as great as everyone has said ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely excited for something new from Becky Albertalli.
DeleteWe had fireworks for hours here too. I wouldn't have minded them so much except that they were driving my dog and cat crazy. Yay for the return of the 80's fixes. I'm looking these because they always make me so nostalgic for my middle school and high school days.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it fun how a song can instantly take you back? I don't know if I really love the music, or if it's the memories that the music triggers. :)
DeleteOkay...I read the new Sarina Bowen book in like a day because I can't help myself. Hope you like it too!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, that's quite a recommendation! Now I can't wait to start it!
Delete