Sunday Post – 4/16/2023

April 16, 2023 Sunday Post 8

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!

Last Week

In real life: I missed last week’s Sunday Post because I flew out west that weekend to help out with my stepdad. He got home from the hospital last Sunday. What a wonderful blessing for Easter! My sister and brother-in-law drove my parents home — a 6-hour drive because he had to be sent to a major hospital in another state. Robin and I cooked Easter dinner and had it waiting when they got home.

Stepdad is healing, but he and Mom need a lot of help while he recovers, at least for the first month or so. I flew in on April 7 and spent a few days getting things ready. Now I’m helping out in whatever ways I’m needed, from cooking, taking care of household tasks, and running errands to helping my stepdad with mobility and so on. I’m so thankful to be able to be here, and for flexible self-employment that lets me adust my schedule in a family emergency! My sister, brother-in-law, and Robin can and do help when they can, but they have jobs and other commitments that are less flexible than mine.

I will be pretty busy over the next several weeks (and pretty tired when I’m not busy!), but I will try to blog and post reviews if I can.

Writing accountability: My writing goal for April was 7,500 words, or about 250 words of fiction per day. Obviously, I’m letting go of that; family comes first. I may fit in some writing here and there, but if I don’t, that’s okay.

Recent Posts

Looking Ahead

  • Sunday Post – 4/23/2023
  • other posts tbd, as time permits

What I’ve Been Reading/Watching (2 weeks)

Reading: I finished rereading The Next Always and went on to reread The Last Boyfriend and The Perfect Hope. Then I reread The Liar (reviewed in 2019) and The Collector (reviewed in 2014), followed by the three books in the Key Trilogy: Key of Light, Key of Knowledge, and Key of Valor. All of them are by Nora Roberts. As I have mentioned before, I tend to reread when I’m feeling stressed. And I really haven’t had the energy or mental attention for new-to-me books since my stepdad’s fall.

But then I remembered that the COYER Mystery readathon started last Sunday, so I am buddy-reading Murder at Queen’s Landing, the fourth Wrexford & Sloane mystery, with Sophia Rose. And I also started this month’s #ReadChristie2023 book, Sparkling Cyanide.

Technically, I am also still reading Unraveling by Peggy Orenstein, but in actuality, it was a library book and I couldn’t bring it with me, so I asked my husband to return it for me. If the local library has it, I may try to borrow it using my parents’ library card.

Listening to: Not much, since I need to be alert for anything my stepdad needs. I’ve listened a few episodes of Season 4 of the Writing Excuses podcast.

Playing (occasionally): Wordle, the NYT Spelling Bee, and Pokemon Go.

Watching: Murder at the Vicarage and A Murder is Announced (both are adaptions of Agatha Christie novels, starring Joan Hickson as Miss Marple.) We also watched You’ve Got Mail, which I have somehow never seen before.

Added to the Hoard (in the past two weeks)

For Review or Consideration

Many thanks to Avon for The Sweetheart List and to St. Martin’s Minotaur for Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord!

Purchased or Free (Kindle, print, or audio)

Kindle: Swan Light; Rose in Bloom; Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops; Key of Knowledge; Key of Valor; The Kiss Curse; Olive Bright, Pigeoneer; Return to Satterthwaite Court; Knit to Flatter; Worn: A People’s History of Clothing

(Click title for Goodreads page or my review.)

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay kind… and may you find books a haven in the coming weeks.

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8 Responses to “Sunday Post – 4/16/2023”

  2. Anne - Books of My Heart

    It’s wonderful you can be there with them and have that flexibility. I LOVE the Andrea Penrose series! I didn’t realize Joan Hickson also played Miss Marple on screen. I’ve been trying to collect her version of the audios rather than the new ones whenever I can get them.

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    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      It’s been a real blessing to have the flexibility! And yes, I was able to borrow a copy of Unraveled, so I’ll be reading it this week. (4/23 – 4/30; I’m a week late in answering comments.)

  4. La La in the Library

    I hope your stepfather has a speedy recovery. It’s great that you have a flexible schedule and are able to be there to help your mom out. ☺

    I added Worn to my ebook wishlist. Hoopla doesn’t have it and my library doesn’t have it in their digital inventory for Libby. I was using the Overdrive website and not Libby because to me it was easier to navigate and I could also request books my library didn’t have. Now that we have to use the Libby app the only way I can request ebooks and audiobooks be purchased is to go to my library’s website. It’s not very convenient, so I wait to do it and then I forget what book I wanted to request, ha ha. I think I will start a list because I don’t want to forget to request Worn. ☺

    I hope your week has started out well. ☺

  5. Katherine

    I’m a rereader when stressed as well and always enjoy a Nora Roberts reread. The Key series is such a good one and I just recently reread The Collector and enjoyed it. I need to pick up The Liar again. I loved that when it came out. I’m glad your stepdad is home from the hospital and I’m glad you are able to rearrange things to be there to help. Such a relief for everyone I’m sure but be sure to take care of yourself. Caregiving is exhausting work. I hope this week has gone well.