The Sunday Post is hosted by the wonderful Kimberly, the Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news, recap the past week, take a look ahead, and showcase our new treasures—I mean books!
This week I’m also participating in The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz, and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality.
The Past Week
In real life: On Christmas Eve, I spent most of the day wrapping gifts. In the evening we had dinner at my parents’ house, then went to the late-night service at church. Robin and I sang in the choir, and Robin played violin. Then home to Robin’s to finish wrapping presents and fill stockings before falling into bed, exhausted.
The three of us spent a fairly relaxed Christmas Day over at my parents’ house. There was much laughter; everyone was delighted with their gifts; and we had a lovely, quiet dinner together.
The next day was our traditional extended-family Boxing Day party, aka “Second Christmas,” because it’s when we exchange gifts with my sister’s family and “chosen family” members. A couple of the younger generation brought friends or dates. It was a bigger crowd than I’m normally comfortable with, especially since there are a number of viruses circulating, but I enjoyed it anyway. My brother-in-law has a cold (it’s not Covid; he has tested negative three times so far), so fingers crossed that no one else gets sick.
We went over to my sister’s the last several afternoons for tea and games, followed by dinner. We’ll do the same for the next few days, then head home toward the end of the week.
5 Good Things:
- It was a joy to sing in the choir on Christmas Eve. The service was beautiful (as it always is!), and my voice, which has been having issues for several years, actually sounded decent for a change.
- Christmas Day was lovely, and surprisingly relaxed.
- The big extended-family Boxing Day party was fun, and neither as noisy nor as exhausting as I had anticipated.
- Everyone seems happy with the gifts we gave them!
- Robin’s best friend, of whom we are very fond, came up for Boxing Day and stayed until today.
Recent Posts
- Sunday Post – 12/15/2024
- The Most Wonderful Crime Of the Year, by Ally Carter – review
- Ten Books I Hope To Find Under the Tree – Top 10 Tuesday
- Last Sunday Post of the Year – 12/29/2024 – this post
Looking Ahead
- My Top Thirteen Books of 2024 – Top 10 Tuesday
- 2025 Reading Challenges: COYER Out to Lunch – my sign-up post
- 2025 Reading Challenges: Library Love Challenge – my sign-up post
- First Sunday Post of 2025 – 1/05/2025
What I’ve Been Reading/Watching (since 7/14/2024)
Reading: I haven’t read very much this week, for obvious reasons, but I finished Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis (ARC), which I loved. And I started reading It’s All A Game: The History of Board Games from Monopoly to Settlers of Catan (Tristan Donovan), which has been interesting.
Listening to: Nothing this week; there hasn’t been time!
Playing: Pokemon Go; also Wordle, Connections, Strands, Spelling Bee, and Sudoku. Over at my sister’s house we have played a lot of Wingspan, as well as a few games of Azul.
Added to the Hoard
(Click title for Goodreads page or my review.)
Gifts and Purchased (Kindle, print, or audio)
Print Books (Gifts): Gwen and Art Are Not In Love; Legends and Lattes (special hardcover edition); Bookshops and Bonedust (special hardcover edition); The Forgotten Beasts of Eld (50th anniversary hardcover edition)
Christmas Gifts on Kindle: The Phoenix Keeper; Valour and Vanity; Of Noble Family; One Fell Sweep; Sweep of the Heart
Kindle Purchases: Burn for Me
Audiobook Purchases: Sweep of the Heart
Audiobooks given to other family members who share my audiobook library, but not pictured above:
- Valour and Vanity and Of Noble Family (Mary Robinette Kowal)
- Ghost Talkers (Mary Robinette Kowal)
- The Stars Too Fondly (Emily Hamilton)
- Bookshops & Bonedust (Travis Baldree)
- Raybearer (Jordan Ifueko)
- The Left-Handed Booksellers of London (Garth Nix)
- The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt’s New World (Andrea Wulf)
- Plus Mr. Bookwyrm got several audiobooks on history and/or politics that I might listen to at some point.
Anne - Books of My Heart
Lots of great family time and activities. I always wanted that kind of thing but it wasn’t how our family worked. I see you got some of the Innkeeper books – do you think you will join that part of the 2025 Read-along? Happy reading!
Anne – Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
Anne – Books of My Heart recently posted…🎧 Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire @SeananMcGuire @barriebarriepix @MacmillanAudio #LoveAudiobooks @RobinBridgeFour
Lark@LarkWrites
Love your five good things! And I wish you a very Happy New Year! I hope 2025 brings you and your family lots of good things. 😀
Lark@LarkWrites recently posted…12 Favorite Reads of 2024..
Cheryl Malandrinos
Sounds like you had a lovely holiday. Christmas can be such a fun time, even it can be stressful. Glad no one else got sick.
Great books on your list. Was just talking about Legends & Lattes on another blog.
Happy New Year!
Cheryl Malandrinos recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Best Books I Read in 2024
Nicole @ BookWyrmKnits
Sounds like you had a lovely Christmas holiday! Our Christmas Day was a lot more relaxed than usual, too… I think partly because we scaled down our dinner plans to “the correct” amount of food instead of overdoing it as usual.
Happy New Year!
Nicole @ BookWyrmKnits recently posted…WIP Wrap-up for December 2024