The Sunday Post is hosted by the wonderful Kimberly, 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
My finger is healing, and I got the stitch out on Wednesday. It’s still painful to put any pressure on it, but it should heal completely in a few more weeks. In other news this week, I voted in the primary for our statewide elections in November. Yesterday, Mr. Bookwyrm and I ran a few errands in town (about 25-30 minutes from where we live), and picked up Asian food from a diner that offers a mix of Thai, Chinese, and Japanese dishes. They got good reviews on Trip Advisor, but we thought the food was only so-so. Still, it was nice to have something different than what we usually cook. It’s only the second time or third time we’ve done takeout since the pandemic began. We don’t eat out that often, even when things are normal… but definitely more often than twice in 15 months!
Last night, I finally put pencil to paper and wrote part of a fanfic I started a few years ago. It felt great to be writing again. I have a really hard time making myself start, which is weird because once I get started, the words usually flow pretty easily. Writing is something I would like to do more of, so I hope I can find both the time and the self-discipline.
This morning, my blog was loading really slowly, and I’m not sure why. It also wasn’t loading a lot of my images. My husband noticed that some other sites were loading slowly, too, but not all of them. We don’t know if the problem was something to do with our ISP, or with the hosting service for my blog, or even the whole internet. However, it seems to be fine now (around 1:40 pm EDT on Sunday), and I hope it stays that way. If you visited my blog earlier today and it loaded slowly for you, I’m sorry—and I’m glad you came back later (as I assume you did, or you wouldn’t be reading this!)
Recent Posts
- Sunday Post – 5/30/2021
- Beyond by Mercedes Lackey – review
- Sunday Post – 6/06/2021 – this post
Looking Ahead
- Castle Shade, by Laurie R. King – review, tentative
- Top Ten Tuesday post, tentative
- WIP Wednesday – tentative
- News & Notes – 6/12/2021 – tentative
- Sunday Post – 6/13/2021 – tentative
What I’m Reading/Watching
Reading: I finished Death in Kew Gardens and Murder in the East End, both by Jennifer Ashley. I started Death in the Crystal Palace, but my reading mojo abruptly deserted me midweek, and I don’t know why. Maybe I’m just not used to bingeing series anymore? I am 10 books behind on my Goodreads Challenge, which is starting to worry me.
Listening to: I listened more of The Code of the Woosters by P. G. Wodehouse. I also listened to an episode of The Literary Life Podcast because it featured my friend Kelly Cumbee talking about Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, which Kelly loves and I have always intended to read. It inspired me to order a used copy of The Faerie Queene, as well as a Kindle edition of Spenser’s earlier collection of 12 poems, The Shepheard’s Calendar (which is referenced in The Faerie Queene.) Kelly reccomends starting out with a retelling aimed at children, so I downloaded a free version of Jenny Lang’s retelling as well. Spenser was an influence on Shakespeare, Milton, Byron, Shelley, and C. S. Lewis, among other writers.
Watching: We went on a James Bond binge and (re)watched almost all the Roger Moore movies this week. They are sexist as heck (even worse than I remembered, and that’s saying something!), and the ’70s and ’80s clothing looks so dated now, but they are also fun adventure films with a fair bit of humor… which is what I liked about the Roger Moore era. However, I think that was enough for now, and I’m about ready to return to Warehouse 13.
Added to the Hoard
For Review or Consideration
Many thanks to St. Martins/Minotaur for Danger at the Cove!
Library Haul
Library books: I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf; Unwinding Anxiety
Purchased (Kindle, print, or audio)
Kindle: Murder in the East End; The Boyfriend Project; The Body in the Belfry; The Demon King; The Jewel Box: Elizabethan London and the Scientific Revolution; The Galaxy and the Ground Within. NOT PICTURED: The Shepheard’s Calendar; Stories from the Faerie Queene (Lang). (Click title for Goodreads page.)
Anne - Books of My Heart
I enjoyed the Boyfriend Project which I got on audio from the library. I am excited to read the newest Jennifer Ashley but I keep having ARCs to read first. Sigh.
Anne – Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
Anne – Books of My Heart recently posted…The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet by Katherine Cowley
Greg
I love takeout (too much haha) but it’s always disappointing when a place is just okay or disappointing. Asian food is my weakness. 🙂 I’ve always been kind of interested in the Faerie Queen.
I’ve always enjoyed the Roger Moore Bond’s but yes… they have not aged well in some ways lol.
I still need to read Galaxy.
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Berls
We started doing takeout (through grub hub primarily) about a year ago. But it’s contactless, so as low risk as you can get. We still only do it a couple times a month as it can get expensive.
I’m glad you’re writing! I’m the same way – it always flows once I get started but it takes a lot to start. I hope it continues to workout for you!
Have a great week!
Yvonne
That’s great that you are writing again.
I really want to read the Ashley series. I have to make some time because it looks so good.
Hope you have a great week!
Yvonne recently posted…The Weekend Review – June 5th-7th
Katherine
I’ve discovered I don’t do well with binging series no matter how much I love the series. I’m starting to feel that slumpy feeling that says I need to take mix up my genre a little bit. I may throw in a Heather Graham or something that’s just plot just to mix things up. I’m glad your finger is feeling better and the stitch is out though I’m sorry it’s still feeling sore. No fun! I hope you have a great week!
Lark_Bookwyrm
I used to binge series and whole genres—especially when rereading. I would go on a mystery kick and plow through all my favorite Marshes and Christies and Sayers and Francises. Or discover a new fantasy or romance author and read everything of theirs that I could get my hands on. Now it seems my attention span is shorter, or at least it’s shorter for bingeing new-to-me series.
Nicole @ BookWyrm Knits
I hope your finger continues to heal well! I know the feeling about bingeing series. I start having trouble distinguishing between the books if I read too many all at once.
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Lark_Bookwyrm
Same here, unless they are memorable in and of themselves.
Nicole @ BookWyrm Knits
True! But usually unless the plot ties in really obviously with the title, I start clumping the book-plot in with the series-plot.
Nicole @ BookWyrm Knits recently posted…WIP Wednesday for 9 June 2021
Lark_Bookwyrm
I know the problem!
Literary Feline
I hope your finger is feeling better. We voted in a local election recently as well, although it wasn’t a primary. I am so glad to hear you are writing again. I love the Kat Holloway series. I need to get back to it. I’ve fallen behind. I hope you have been enjoying it, although I was sorry to hear about your slump. I hope you enjoy your new books! I recently read A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and loved it. I would like to read the rest of the series.
I hope you have a great weekend, Lark!
Literary Feline recently posted…Waiting to Read Wednesday: In the Mirror, a Peacock Danced / The Perfect Ruin / Questions of Travel
Lark_Bookwyrm
I really enjoyed the Kat Holloway series, too. And I’d like to read the rest of the Becky Chambers books at some point. The first one was wonderful!
I hope you had a good week — sorry it took me so long to respond!
Lola
That’s good to hear your finger is recovering well, hopefully it’s back to normal again soon. That’s exciting to hear you’re writing again. From what I hear some writers have trouble starting writing, hopefully you can figure out a way to make that easier for you. Sounds nice you got to try some takeout even if it was only so-so, it’s nice to eat something different than what you usually eat for a change.
I have the first book in that Becky Chambers series, I hope I get around to it soon as it sounds like a great series.
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Lark_Bookwyrm
Thank you, Lola! Yes, the inertia and resistance to actually sitting down to write is hard to overcome. It’s why some writers use the acronym BICFOK: “butt in chair, fingers on keyboard.” Or pencil in hand, in my case. I don’t have a great track record for consistently sticking to things, but I’m going to try. Spending more time creating (writing, spinning, knitting) is one of my goals this year.
I loved that first Becky Chambers book. It’s not a fast-paced book, but the characters are wonderful, and it’s well worth reading.
Kelly
Oh, hey! Thanks for the link! How is your reading of Spenser going?
So many people have asked me to lead them through Faerie Queene that I’m teaching a year-long class on it. We’re starting August 17 (two weeks from today!) but it’s not too late to sign up. All the classes will be recorded, so people can take it at their own pace. Go to House of Humane Letters and scroll down to Adult Classes.
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