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 (well, the last two weeks!)
I hope you all had a beautiful Hanukkah, Christmas, Solstice, Kwanzaa, or whatever holiday you celebrate!
I’ve been on vacation and visiting family for the last two weeks, with another two weeks to go. It was wonderful to spend time with my dad and stepmother in Utah the first week. Now my husband, our daughter, and I are in New Mexico with my mom, stepdad, and my sister’s family (who all live in the same town, along with a good friend and her family.) We’re having a lovely time, but it isn’t leaving much time for work, let alone blogging!
Our Christmas was spread over two days – well, three, counting Christmas Eve. Our daughter has a standing invitation to sing with the children’s/youth choir at my parents’ church, so we went to services there on Christmas Eve, then home for dinner and the traditional hanging of stockings, and finished the evening by attending midnight Mass. Christmas Day was quiet, just us and my parents; we opened stockings, had breakfast, and spent the morning and early afternoon alternating between leisurely opening presents (one at a time, so everyone can enjoy everyone else’s delight) and cooking Christmas dinner. On Boxing Day (the day after Christmas, for my fellow Americans – our family is decidedly Anglophile!), we went over to my sister’s for the big family Christmas celebration and another, more elaborate Christmas dinner. And plenty of games, of course – we love playing card games! (Someday I’ll post the rules of our favorite card game, Pounce.)
On Saturday we saw The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies with my sister’s family.
Since then, I’ve been working hard, since I have an index due on Jan. 2 and I’m behind. Oh, well, I’ll get caught up, and taking time out for Christmas and family was totally worth it!
Computer Weirdness
I had two really strange things happen this past week. First, the email address I’ve been using for the blog and a lot of other stuff seems to have just. . . stopped working. First I couldn’t download the email, but there were 2 days’ worth on the webmail server. Then, even the webmail has had no incoming mail from the morning of Dec. 24 through Dec. 26. And the domain name diverted to a completely different company. Lo and behold on the 27th, everything appeared to be back to normal, but I’m still getting a lot less mail than I think I should. I’ve sent an email to tech support asking them what’s up, but so far I’ve had no reply.
Second, I logged on to my self-hosted WordPress dashboard on Dec. 26, and there were a few new comments, which I answered. That evening, when I logged on again, both the comments and my replies had disappeared. Completely. Poof! Gone. What’s more, a comment that came in a week ago only just showed up in my “Comments Not Replied To” plugin. I’m totally baffled. So if you’ve left a comment in the last few days, please forgive me if it isn’t there or I haven’t replied!
Last Two Weeks on the Blog
- Mon., 12/15/14: The Late Scholar, by Jill Paton Walsh (review)
- Tues. 12/16/14: Top Ten Fantasy and SF Books I Read In 2014 (Top Ten Tuesday)
- Wed. 12/17/14: 2015 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge – Goals & Sign-up
- Wed. 12/17/14: 2015 TBR Pile Reading Challenge – Goals & Sign-up
- Thurs. 12/18/14: Dragonholder (a biography of Anne McCaffrey) (review)
- Fri., 12/19/14: Blogging what you read vs. reading what you blog (Musings)
- Tues. 12/23/14: Fairytale Reading Challenge: Goals/sign-up
- Fri., 12/26/14: The Shocking Secret of a Guest at the Wedding, by Victoria Alexander (review)
Next Week on the Blog
- Mon., 12/29/14: The Dress Shop of Dreams by Menna van Praag (review)
- Tues. 12/30/14: My Top Ten Bookish Goals/Resolutions for 2015 (Top Ten Tuesday)
- (rest of the week TBD – depending on available time)
New Additions to the Hoard
For Review
Purchased or Free for Kindle
Christmas Presents! (in print)
From my COYER Secret Santa
From my Secret Santa. Thank you, Laura Greenwood!
Lily
Eeep so many books! I hope you enjoy reading!
Lily recently posted…My Favourite 2014 Favourites (Non-Debuts)
Lark_Bookwyrm
I went a little overboard, but there were so many good books on sale for Kindle! (And I didn’t even put in the Tolkien books, because I’ve read them so often… I just wanted to have them for Kindle so I can read them on the go.)
Mallory @ The Local Muse
I bought a cheap little hardcover copy of the Heroine’s bookshelf a while ago and it’s a very cute read. I love the selection of heroines and what they can teach/ remind us. I’ve heard lots of great things about The Ocean at the End of the Lane, hope you enjoy!
Mallory @ The Local Muse recently posted…Stacking the Shelves and What Happened This Week: Happy Holidays
Lark_Bookwyrm
Oh, I’m glad to hear from someone who read the Heroine’s Bookshelf! I picked it up on a whim because it looked interesting. My daughter loved Ocean at the End of the Lane, so I’m sure I’ll like it, too. Thanks for stopping by!
Michelle@Because Reading
Oh if sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas and so many awesome traditions that differ from mine. They are wonderful!
You got a lot of book! Good for you 🙂 I hope you enjoy them all
Have a great week Lark! Happy New Year
Michelle@Because Reading recently posted…Out w/Old In w/ New ~ Recap of July 2014
Lark_Bookwyrm
Thank you, Michelle! I hope you have a wonderful week and had a great holiday, too!
Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library
I have the first John Curran book on Agatha’s journals but I haven’t read it. The 2nd is definitely on my wishlist as well! Hope you love it. I got the Margery Allingham and am looking forward to it. You got too many great books to comment on so I’ll just look forward to your reviews! Sounds like you had a lovely if busy Christmas despite the technical issues. I hope all that gets resolved soon. Have a great week and a Happy New Year!
Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library recently posted…This Week in Reading – December 28
Lark_Bookwyrm
Thanks, Katherine! I’m looking forward to reading the Curran, and hope I can get hold of the first book if I like this one. It’s fun to see how a writer thinks; the process has always fascinated me. I hope you have a lovely week and a wonderful New Year!
P.S. Just finished the Margery Allingham. Enjoy it, but don’t take it as necessarily typical of the series. Some of the later Campion books (which I had already read) are better and more typical.
Bea @Bea's Book Nook
Oh, so many new lovelies!
I’m glad you’re enjoying your holiday and trip. It’s a lot of travel but it sounds worth it.
Happy New Year!
Bea @Bea’s Book Nook recently posted…Sunday Book Share #121 – The Last One of 2014!
Lark_Bookwyrm
It’s definitely worth it! I’m really enjoying being with my family. I do wish I didn’t have to work, though! Happy New Year, Bea!
stepha at fangswandsandfairydust
That is so weird about your comments. If I called my host they would blame it on my plug ins or me. Ugh!
stepha at fangswandsandfairydust recently posted…In Between: The Sunday Post
Lark_Bookwyrm
I haven’t had a chance to check on it; I’m too busy working! But as long as it doesn’t happen again, I’ll put it down to one-time weirdness and not worry about it.
Yvonne
I’m glad you had a great trip and holiday! All of your books look so good. Enjoy!
Happy New Year!
Yvonne recently posted…Sunday/Monday Posts – December 28th & 29th
Lark_Bookwyrm
Thanks, Yvonne, and happy New Year!
Jan
Your Christmas celebrations sound wonderful, Lark. It’s so good to get together with family and friends. I hope you have a great time with the rest of your vacation and don’t have to work too hard to get your indexing project done.
Your computer problems are strange. I hope you don’t have any more problems.
And lots of great books. I hope you get some time for reading! Have a great week.
Jan recently posted…Sunday Post: Dec 28
Lark_Bookwyrm
We have indeed been having a wonderful time. I will have to work hard the rest of this week, though! But after the 2nd, I think I can relax a bit.
R_Hunt @ View From My Home
Glad you are enjoying your vacation and had a wonderful, joyous Christmas. Don’t worry about the blog– get your indexing done and have fun with the visiting and it will all come together. I like some of your choices this week, though I do detect a trend in that you are repurchasing books to read again 🙂 I know you already read the Patrick Rothfuss books; we talked about them. Enjoy them again and the rest of your trip.
R_Hunt @ View From My Home recently posted…This n That 2015 Thoughts
Lark_Bookwyrm
Yes, you’re absolutely right – I’ve been picking up books I’m pretty sure I’ll reread, like the Rothfuss books. I do a lot of rereading (though not as much as before I started blogging); rereading something familiar is comforting to me, like snuggling up in a well-loved blanket. I don’t want to pay full Kindle price for books I’ve already bought in print, but if I can get them at a bargain, it’s worth it!
Tabitha (Not Yet Read)
That is definitely some weird business with your email and comments. I’m intrigued by the sound of your plugin for comments boot replied to, is that the actual name of it?
Tabitha (Not Yet Read) recently posted…Review: Made For You by Melissa Marr
Lark_Bookwyrm
It’s called Comments Replied To (I think), and it shows you what you haven’t replied to yet. Very useful, especially when comments come in for older posts.