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The Sunday Post #237 | January 31, 2021

Sunday, January 31, 2021

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 share what's coming up on your blog in the week ahead.

What a week! Work has been incredibly busy as I've been working on a new project. It's coming together but there are a lot of moving pieces right now to pull together. Luckily, I'm a details kind of person so this is right up my alley and I enjoy it, even though it's a lot right now.

Do you ever have those days when you feel like you're being plotted against? That was me Friday afternoon. I decided to take a break from work and actually leave the house for lunch. The first place we went, we placed an order at the drive-thru but when we received the order we realized they apparently only heard half of it so The Husband got his food and I didn't. They were already incredibly slow so I didn't want to place another order and wait even longer. So on the way home we stopped at another place. After sitting in the drive-thru for five minutes and not moving up even once... I decided I obviously was not meant to eat. LOL The universe had spoken. But on the plus side, I got out of the house for a while. Ha!

My mom comes over once or twice a week for dinner (the only person I'm ever around other than The Husband) and we usually end up playing a game. Our favorite lately has been Parcheesi. Anyone remember that one? It's funny because The Husband is super competitive, my mom totally is not, and I'm in the middle. It leads to some interesting games. It's hard to find games that work well with just three people, instead of four or more. Anyone have any recommendations for games that work well with three players?

Now that the holidays are over, it's time to head back to all the 80's goodness. Here's one from Pat Benatar - Invincible (1985). Bonus points if you actually saw the movie it was from, The Legend of Billie Jean. :)

Tuesday, January 26

Top Ten Tuesday: New-To-Me Authors in 2020

WHAT I COMPLETED IN THE LAST WEEK

Read:

The Awakening (Dragon Heart Legacy #1) - Nora Roberts

Mackenzie's Mountain - Linda Howard

Listened to:

Roommate - Sarina Bowen

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING

Reading:

The Things We Leave Unfinished - Rebecca Yarros

Listening:

Parental Guidance - Avery Flynn

KINDLE BOOKS:

Always excited to read more from T.M. Frazier!

Perversion - T.M. Frazier

The cover is cringey but I'm excited for the series.

This Is Crazy - Natasha Madison

A new hockey series from Kendall Ryan? Yes please!

One Night with the Rebel - Kendall Ryan

eARC FOR REVIEW

I'm really excited for this one!

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island - Colleen Oakley

How was your week? Any new books? Any news to share?

I'd love to hear about it!

Top Ten Tuesday: Nice to Meet You | New Authors in 2020

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC:

New-To-Me Authors I Read in 2020

By my count, I read twenty-nine new-to me authors last year. Wow. Way more than I thought it would be when I hit up Goodreads to start counting. Some were hits, some were misses, and I even discovered a few new favorites along the way. Here's the top ten of the bunch.

ALEXIS HALL

Boyfriend Material was one of my favorites last year and I hope Hall will write more in the contemporary romance/rom-com category.

T.M. FRAZIER

Once I read King last year I was hooked. I read seven books total from the series and will definitely read more this year.

REBECCA YARROS

Despite owning several of her books, it wasn't until early last year that I finally read something by Yarros. I read another in the fall and I'm looking forward to even more.

MELANIE HARLOW

Another author I'd been meaning to read for ages. Irresistible was right up my alley and I know I'll be continuing the series.

CORINNE MICHAELS

After reading my first by Michaels last spring I knew I'd found a new favorite. I went on to read her Arrowood Brothers series as each book released throughout the year.

PENELOPE DOUGLAS

Birthday Girl had been on my TBR for a long time before I finally read it in 2020. I thoroughly enjoy it and already have my next by Douglas lined up.

MEGHAN QUINN

While I had previously shied away from Quinn because many of her titles looked too slapstick for my taste, I decided to give her a try when I saw the Getting Lucky series. I'm so glad I did because I enjoyed the entire series.

J. BENGTSSON

Bengtsson came out of nowhere. I downloaded the audio of Cake on a whim and had no expectations. I ended up loving it and Bengtsson's brand of story telling was right up my alley. I'm excited to read more from her.

OLVIA DADE

Despite seeing raves for Olivia Dade since 2019, it wasn't until last November that I finally picked up her latest release, Spoiler Alert. It was fun, it tackled relevant issues, and I can't wait to dive into Dade's backlist.

DEVNEY PERRY

Perry had been on my radar for a couple years before I finally read my first by her last spring. I was instantly hooked and knew I'd found a new favorite. I ended up reading a total of six books by Perry in 2020 and I have grabby hands for all the rest.

WHO WAS YOUR FAVORITE NEW-TO-YOU AUTHOR IN 2020?

The Sunday Post #236 | January 24, 2021

Sunday, January 24, 2021

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 share what's coming up on your blog in the week ahead.

Hello, hello! I've skipped the last couple weeks of Sunday Posts so it's nice to be checking back in. Last fall I made a commitment to a more relaxed style of blogging and it's been a game changer. Sunday Posts are always quite time-consuming for me and the last two weeks I simply haven't felt like devoting the time to it. I was happier doing other things. What a concept! :)

Like many others, I was glued to coverage of the inauguration on Wednesday. I was pretty concerned about safety and was so pleased to see it all carried out smoothly. From Kamala Harris being sworn in as Vice President, to President Biden taking the oath of office and listening to his inaugural address, Lady Gaga's rendition of the national anthem, Amanda Gorman's poem, watching as President and Dr. Biden entered the White House... I found the whole event so uplifting and full of hope. And seeing former Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama, united, and showing such unwavering support for President Biden was a real highlight.

I've done quite a bit of unhauling over the last few weeks. I sold our dining room furniture, right down to the rug, so that room is quite echo-y right now. :) Then I weeded out a lot of artwork and home décor that I no longer used or wanted and posted it on our neighborhood Facebook page as free porch pick-up items. Within a couple hours... *poof*... all gone. I no longer have it all cluttering up my closets and someone else can enjoy them. Doesn't it feel great to weed out and declutter?

Then I randomly decided to update the home library a bit and add a small desk. Amazon to the rescue (as usual)! Within days I had my desk, a new chair, a gorgeous lamp, and several other aesthetic must-haves. :) This is where I'll ~~play with~~ work on my book planner and I love having a dedicated place for it.

Instead of an 80's throwback, I'm sharing Lady Gaga's performance of the national anthem at the inauguration this week. It was a stunning performance and I found it so moving.