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: We went for walks in the neighborhood on several evenings this week. The weather was chilly through Thursday, but it has been so nice to see cherry trees, forsythia, and daffodils in bloom. The redbuds, dogwoods, and tulips won’t be far behind. We also enjoy the birdsong, and try to identify the birds we see. We came across a pair of Canada geese at the lake one evening, and we see robins and the occasional cardinal. Even when we can’t see them, we can hear them! The beauty of the lake and our wooded neighborhood is soothing, and the exercise is good for both of us.
I’m stressing out a lot these days, mostly over what the administration is doing. I will think I’m doing fine, but it’s a fragile “fine”, always teetering on the edge of anxiety and/or despair. So I’m doing what I can to combat that: reading and watching light, comforting, and or familiar books and shows; trying to stay off social media and news sites as much as possible (while still remaining informed); knitting, spinning, and sewing; playing games.
I’m also working on getting at least 20 minutes of exercise in per day, on the treadmill if I can’t go for a walk outside. It’s supposed to be very helpful for managing stress and anxiety. (I said “working on”; so far I haven’t managed more than 3 days a week, but I keep trying.) I’m also trying to eat healthier, which isn’t easy because two of the ways I handle stress are A) eating, especially sweets, and B) stress-baking. Anyone have any good recipes for low-sugar, fiber-rich treats you can share?
5 Good Things:
- Spring flowers and flowering trees really lift my spirits.
- Mr. Bookwyrm is so patient and supportive when I’m anxious.
- The last of the painting—the trim around the front door—is done, and it looks great!
- I read several new books I really liked this week.
- Two of my cousins reached out this weekend to see how I am doing, and I felt very loved and supported.
Recent Posts
- Sunday Post – 3/23/2025
- Nine Books I DNF’d – Top 10 Tuesday
- Murder by Memory, by Olivia Waite
- Sunday Post – 3/30/2025– this post
Looking Ahead
- The Blonde Identity, by Ally Carter
- Books You’d be a Fool Not to Read – Top 10 Tuesday, tentative
- other reviews TBD
- Sunday Post – 4/06/2025
What I’ve Been Reading/Watching
Reading: I read Marriage and Murder by Stephanie Laurens; it was meh. Then I read and reviewed Murder By Memory by Olivia Waite; it’s fun but very short, even for a novella. On Tuesday, my Libby hold for The Blonde Identity (Ally Carter) came in; I started it right away and plowed through it in about a day. Next I reread Four Walls and a Heart, a historical fantasy romance novella by Celia Lake, then started rereading Pastiche, also by Ms. Lake (reviewed August 2024.)
Listening to: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Beauty by Robin McKinley; the latter is a reread but my first time listening to the audiobook. My checkout time for The Goose Girl (Shannon Hale) ran out; I will borrow it again when I finish one of the other two, or just read it instead.
Watching: Season 3 of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Playing: Wordle, Connections, Strands, Spelling Bee, and Sudoku (all from the NYT.) Wingspan.
Added to the Hoard
(Click title for Goodreads page or my review.)
For Review or Consideration
Many thanks to Minotaur (St. Martins) for The Hidden City, to Berkley for It Takes a Psychic, and to Bantam (PRH) for Knave of Diamonds!
Library Haul
Library: The Blonde Identity
Purchased (Kindle, print, or audio)
Kindle: A College of Magics
Lark@LarkWrites
Walks, all the beautiful spring flowers coming up, time away from newsfeeds and social media, and, of course, books do make for restful moments and needed escapes!
Lark@LarkWrites recently posted…The Crack in the Lens by Steve Hockensmith
Anne - Books of My Heart
You’re doing all the right things. We walk Lulu every day which keeps us moving. I also do a bunch of yard and garden work. But I also like sweets and am more anxious than ever about things which are happening. It’s hard to stay off social media and stay informed. I do get some newsletters which help.
Anne – Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
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Katherine
Are daffodils and tulips are coming in which always makes me happy. And thankfully while we’ve had some tornado warnings everything has fizzled out so far before there’s any major damage. I’ve found regular massages do wonders for stress and pain management. They’ve helped with my migraines a lot and have done wonders for my anxiety. I hope you have a great week and enjoy your books!
Nicole @ BookWyrmKnits
“Fragile fine” sounds about right. I think that’s the best that can be hoped for in many ways at the moment. But I also believe that we’re starting to slowly (slowly!) work our way back toward better again.
Braiding Sweetgrass really helped me with the stress back in November of last year. I hope it helps you now as well.
Nicole @ BookWyrmKnits recently posted…WIP Wrap-up for March 2025