Sunday Post – 10/02/16

October 2, 2016 Sunday Post 24

The Sunday Post is hosted by the wonderful Kimba, the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news, recap the past week, take a look ahead, and showcase our new treasures—I mean books!

My Week

Today is the first day of rehearsal for my choruses! I’m looking forward to seeing “my kids” and getting started. It’s always a joy to work with them—one of the highlights of my week!

Blogwise, I managed to respond to about 48 backlogged comments in one day, which made me feel really chuffed. I’m not completely caught up (by a long chalk), but I’m caught up all the way back through the end of July! In the process, I discovered to my dismay this week that 9 or 10 comments from some of you who comment regularly had gone into my spam folder for no apparent reason. They stretched back into August, but most were from September. Before that, Akismet was always really good at determining what was and wasn’t spam, making only a few mistakes per year.  I promise I’ll be checking that spam folder a lot more frequently from now on!

 

Last Week on the Blog

shepardspirin_seakingsdaughter

 

Upcoming on the Blog

  • Mon. 10/03/16:  TBD
  • Tues. 10/04/16:  – Top Ten Tuesday: All About the Villains – tentative
  • Wed. 10/05/16: TBD
  • Thurs. 10/06/16: TBD
  • Fri. 10/07/16: Christmas in Eternity Springs (March) – tour
  • Sat. 10/08/16: News & Notes – tentative
  • Sun. 10/09/16: Sunday Post – tentative

 

Challenges

tackleyourtbr-readathon2016

The Tackle Your TBR Read-a-thon (Sept. 12 – 26) was pretty much a bust for me, darn it. I’ve been too much of a mood reader recently, and I just wasn’t able to make myself stick to TBR books the way I’d hoped. It’s weird, because the previous week, I plowed through four or five of them.  How I did on my goals: I did actually read more than 6 books during the 2-week Read-a-thon, but only one was from my TBR list (Christmas in Eternity Springs.). Instead, I re-read old favorites, something I tend to binge on when I’m under stress. I start Hamilton: The Revolution, which was on my TBR list, but I had to return it to the library before I finished it. I had also wanted to write the reviews for the books I read, which didn’t happen either. I’m labeling this challenge a FAIL.

 

The Blog Ahead Challenge started yesterday. My goal is 15 posts “ahead” by the end of October. Because the next few weeks are pretty hectic with work and chorus stuff, I’ll be happy just to stay on top of each week’s posts… but come mid-October, I’ll buckle down and try to produce a good cushion of scheduled posts for November and beyond.

 

What I’m Reading/Watching

shepardspirin_seakingsdaughter

 I finished rereading The Complete Arrows Trilogy (purchased), still among my favorites of her Valdemar books. Hopefully I can get a review written up soon. I started a couple of ARCs: The Sea King’s Daughter, a beautiful picture book (read and reviewed), and A Terrible Beauty by Tasha Alexander (which I’m still in the middle of.) I’m rereading A Discovery of Witches throughout October for the Real-Time Read-Along. And I still need to get back to  Shades of Milk and Honey, the first in the Glamourist Histories by Mary Robinette Kowal (purchased.)

I’m still listening to Made in America by Bill Bryson. If it seems like this book keeps going on forever, well… my iPod doesn’t hold a charge very well any more, so I keep picking it up to listen and discovering that I have no battery left. I have the iPod Classic, and I love it because it holds so much. None of the newer iPod models hold 160 GB, so I can’t exactly replace it. (I don’t have a smartphone, so my iPod is it as far as listening on-the-go.)

We’re still watching the Poirot mysteries starring David Suchet, but we skipped Hallowe’en Party to save it for Halloween week. Instead, we watched Murder on the Orient Express, and started The Shannara Chronicles last night. During a few of my lunch breaks, I started watching Avatar: The Last Airbender again, picking up where I had left off in Season 2. They’re fun and short, so they make a nice break from work!

 

New Additions to the Hoard

Cover links take you to Goodreads.

For Review or Review Consideration
shepardspirin_seakingsdaughter

Many thanks to Skyhook Press.

 

Purchased for Kindle

 

Happy reading!

 

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24 Responses to “Sunday Post – 10/02/16”

  1. Literary Feline

    Hi, Lark! I hope rehearsals go well. I spent a good part of Friday catching up with comments. I just can’t seem to catch up these days. I feel terrible about it too. I’m sure people understand–and maybe don’t even notice–but it weighs on me just the same.

    I saw your review of Snowfall on Haven Point, but skimmed it because I hope to read that in the near future as well. I love the Arrows trilogy and am glad you still like it in the re-reading. I should re-read Harkness’s series. I enjoyed it the first time around.

    I hope you have a great week, Lark!
    Literary Feline recently posted…Sunday Post: Wrapping Up September & October TBR List PollMy Profile

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      I know what you mean. I made good progress on comments, and I’ve still got over 200 to catch up on. Eeep. I hate not answering, but when life gets too busy, it’s one of the first things I put off… and then it really builds up and feels overwhelming.

      Another Arrows fan! I love most of her early and mid-career Valdemar series. I like some of the later ones, too, but they don’t seem to be quite as awesome, for some reason.

      Have a lovely week!

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      Berls says she’s had problems, too, so maybe Akismet changed an algorithm or something. Grrr. Good luck with Blog Ahead!

  3. Berls

    Congrats on the comment catch up, that’s a real feat! You’re not alone with the spam folder situation, Akismet has taken a dumb pill lately or something 🙁

    Have fun with your choruses! Happy reading 🙂
    Berls recently posted…Sunday Post | Teacher of the MonthMy Profile

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      Well, on the one hand, I’m glad it’s not me; on the other, if they’re having problems all around, I wonder why? Given that I just renewed my subscription, I think I’ll complain.

      Have a great week and I hope you read some good books! 🙂

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      Good luck to you with Blog Ahead! I re-read Halloween Party (the book) a few years ago around Halloween, so it should be fun to see the David Suchet version this year. Thanks for stopping by!

  5. Laurel-Rain Snow

    I’m sure mine was one that went to spam…I’ve had trouble in the last few weeks, with many of them going there. So I’m also checking my own spam folder regularly.

    Hope this one makes it through! I was starting to feel paranoid, but others have had the same problem, so comfort in group discomfort, I guess.

    Enjoy your week! A Kiss in the Snow looks tempting. Here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES
    Laurel-Rain Snow recently posted…AUTHOR’S HOME PAGEMy Profile

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      Nope, this one ended up in spam, too! but I knew I’d just emptied the spam folder so when I saw a (1) there, I checked it. I think Akismet is freaking out about links in posts, but that can’t be the only thing they’re picking up on. I wish it would go back to what it was a few months ago.

      A Kiss in the Snow does look tempting. I’m hoping to hold out until the HoHoHo Read-a-thon, but we’ll see. I may not make it that long. 🙂

  6. Jan @ Notes from a Readerholic

    Have fun with your chorus practice, Lark! Fall is such a great time of the year. Lots of new stuff starting up. And the weather gets cooler, too!

    I always forget to check my spam list. I’ll have to do better at that. I hope you have a great week!
    Jan @ Notes from a Readerholic recently posted…Sunday Post: October 2My Profile

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      Thank you—I did! The first rehearsals went well, especially given that some of my regulars couldn’t make it today (but will next week) and others won’t be available this season at all.

      Have a lovely week and I hope you enjoy the cooler weather (if any is headed your way!)

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      My problem is that my job fluctuates, because I’m a freelancer, so some weeks, I work a lot of extra hours and can’t keep on top of the blog. I really feel better being a couple of weeks ahead and with a cushion of posts that aren’t date-sensitive set aside for emergencies—but I can’t always manage it. Right now, I’m barely managing each post the day before it’s due, and that’s too stressful for me. 🙂

  8. Greg

    I’ve seen a few people mention Akismet/ spam issues, hope that sorts itself out. And best of luck with the choruses! I saw in your news/ notes post about the new Unbound Worlds site- I’ll have to keep an eye on that one as i love SFF blogs. And I need to get back into tasha Alexander as well, I haven’t read the last couple she’s done.
    Greg recently posted…Sunday Post #162My Profile

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      Yes, I’m seeing other people mentioning the Akismet issues, too. I wonder why they’re suddenly having problems? I will be looking at Unbound Worlds occasionally, at least for the author essays and interviews. But I can’t keep up with Tor.com as it is, and that’s a really great site. The new Tasha Alexander is definitely going to keep me turning pages. 🙂

  10. Got My Book

    Lots of people have been having problems with comments in spam lately.

    Good luck with Blog Ahead, I’m participating too. Because I have some extra time off this month, I am hoping to do the whole 30 posts.

    Sunday Summary #22

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      I’ve been hearing that from other bloggers, too. Oh, Akismet, what’s the matter with you?!

      Good luck to you with Blog Ahead! I’ve done 2 posts so far, but I’ve really got to buckle down and get huge amounts of (paid) work done in the next week and a half. Then I can do more blogging.