Weekend Update — Mid-July

This week I’m linking up with Sunday Post and It’s Monday! What are you reading? Thanks for hosting, Kimberly and Kathryn!

My reading and posting slowed down some this month. We’ve been busier lately, doing this and that. I found out there are going to be some big changes in our classroom this upcoming school year which has me a bit stressed. It’s outside of my control, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to worry about it!

My son finished up his summer orchestra camp today with a group performance. He plays viola and was the only one in the camp. Violas are in demand! My daughter plays cello and made it into the high school’s chamber orchestra for her senior year. We’re very proud of both of them. It’s hard to believe we have a senior and sophomore now.

The cicadas are singing which means summer’s days are numbered! I know they annoy a lot of people, but I like listening to them. They seem quiet this year, though maybe it’s August that they’re louder.


Read Since Last Time:

THE HOUSE ACROSS THE LAKE by Riley Sager

SUMMER’S EDGE by Dana Mele

SUN DAMAGE by Sabine Durrant *

THE SAFE PLACE by Anna Downes *

* I’m loving the South of France setting!


Posts Since Last Time:

THE HOUSE ACROSS THE LAKE by Riley Sager [Review]

IN ANOTHER LIGHT by A. J. Banner [Review]

142 OSTRICHES by April Davila [Review]


Currently Reading:

THE LAST TO VANISH by Megan Miranda

New York Times bestselling author Megan Miranda returns with a gripping and propulsive thriller that opens with the disappearance of a journalist who is investigating a string of vanishings in the resort town of Cutter’s Pass—will its dark secrets finally be revealed?

 

A SUMMER TO REMEMBER by Erika Montgomery

Experience the salty breeze of a Cape Cod summer as it sweeps through this sparkling, romantic, and timeless debut novel tinged with a love of old Hollywood.

Hopefully I can do some blog hopping this weekend and catch up with everyone. Thanks for stopping by & have a wonderful week! — 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓪

Weekend Update — Welcome July

The year is half over, and so is summer vacation. Nooo! It’s going by too quickly. Even though I’m not a fan of the heat, I am enjoying the extra reading and blogging time. I’m also one month done with the 20 Books of Summer reading challenge. So far, so good! In June, I read:

  • 9 books total, including
  • 8 review books from NetGalley;
  • 5 of those were “backlist” titles, and
  • 3 of those were audiobooks.

I’m listening to audiobooks again! My ears are very sensitive, and earbuds and regular headphones don’t work for me. But luckily I found some soft headband headphones that work perfectly. I think they’re meant for sleeping, but I use them for walking. They even fit comfortably under my sun hat. :-)

On the blog, I added pages for “Books Read in 20xx,” beginning in 2010 when I started blogging. The tabs are at the top. Some of the pages are still under construction, but the project should be done this week.

Also, Bloglovin’ is working again, after I complained about it last time, lol.


Read Since Last Time:

THE FAVOR by Nora Murphy

THE ANATOMY OF DESIRE by L. R. Dorn

THE DEAD ROMANTICS by Ashley Poston

142 OSTRICHES by April Dávila

IN ANOTHER LIGHT by A. J. Banner


Posts Since Last Time:

THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR by Rose Carlyle [Review]

THE FAVOR by Nora Murphy [Review]

THE ANATOMY OF DESIRE by L. R. Dorn [Review]

THE DEAD ROMANTICS by Ashley Poston [Review]

THE IT GIRL by Ruth Ware [Review]


Currently Reading:

THE SAFE PLACE by Anna Downes

Superbly tense and oozing with atmosphere, Anna Downes’s debut, The Safe Place, is the perfect summer suspense, with the modern gothic feel of Ruth Ware and the morally complex family dynamics of Lisa Jewell.

 

THE HOUSE ACROSS THE LAKE by Riley Sager

Be careful what you watch for…

Packed with sharp characters, psychological suspense, and gasp-worthy plot twists, Riley Sager’s The House Across the Lake is the ultimate escapist read…no lake house required.

Thanks for stopping by & have a wonderful week! — 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓪

Sunday Post | It’s Monday! What are you reading?

Linking up with Kimberly @ Sunday Post and Kathryn @ It’s Monday! What are you reading?


Read Since Last Time:

SMILE BEACH MURDER by Alicia Bessette

DAISY JONES & THE SIX by Taylor Jenkins Reid

THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR by Rose Carlyle


Posts Since Last Time:

TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY by Linwood Barclay [Review]

EVERY SUMMER AFTER by Carley Fortune [Review]

FAMILY OF LIARS by E. Lockhart [Review]

DARK AND SHALLOW LIES by Ginny Myers Sain [Review]

DAISY JONES & THE SIX by Taylor Jenkins Reid [Review]

SMILE BEACH MURDER by Alicia Bessette [Review]


Blogging Things:

What’s up with Bloglovin? I don’t use it for following anymore, but I’ve noticed that my blog’s page and my profile page on there consistently say “Sorry, this page isn’t available.” Is it working for anyone else?

I’ve reformatted my reviews so they’re more reader/mobile friendly. The old way I was doing it looked like a mess, especially in Feedly. How do you follow blogs? I split my following between Feedly and WordPress Reader.


Currently Reading:

THE FAVOR by Nora Murphy

A gripping debut domestic suspense novel, Nora Murphy’s thrilling The Favor explores with compassion and depth what can happen when women pushed to the limit take matters into their own hands.

THE ANATOMY OF DESIRE by L.R. Dorn

For fans of riveting true crime docuseries a la Serial and Making a Murderer, The Anatomy of Desire is a modern tale of crime and punishment exploring unbridled ambition, blinding passion, and the dark side of desire.

THE DEAD ROMANTICS by Ashley Poston

A disillusioned millennial ghostwriter who, quite literally, has some ghosts of her own, has to find her way back home in this sparkling adult debut from national bestselling author Ashley Poston.

Thanks for stopping by & have a wonderful week! — 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓪

Sunday Post | It’s Monday! What are you reading?

Linking up with Kimberly @ Sunday Post and Kathryn @ It’s Monday! What are you reading?


Read Last Week:

TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY by Linwood Barclay

FAMILY OF LIARS by E. Lockhart

EVERY SUMMER AFTER by Carley Fortune


Posted Last Week:

May Reading Wrap-Up
(with cute Ginger photos)

20 Books of Summer Reading Challenge
(found several new-to-me bloggers to follow)


Beyond the Blog:

I’m working on a new fitness program this summer — Jessica Smith’s 6 Week Total Transformation System on DVD. It has ten 30-minute workouts that include aerobics, strength training, stretching, and more, plus a calendar that shows you what workout to do each day. I started it on May 15 because I wanted to have time to complete it twice before works starts again in August. It’s tough, but I’ve been able to stick with it so far. Will I be totally transformed? Haha, no. But I’m hoping it will help me build some muscle and flexibility.

I’ve been watching Ghosts, both the UK version (the original) and the US spinoff. It’s about a woman who inherits her family’s old manor home, only to discover it’s haunted by a group of quirky ghosts. She can see them, but her husband cannot. I love this series so much. Both versions are utterly charming and funny. Makes me want a group of ghosts friends if they would respect privacy boundaries! :-)


Currently Reading:

SMILE BEACH MURDER by Alicia Bessette

“[A]n all-new mystery series featuring Callie Padget, a former reporter turned bookshop clerk in the Outer Banks who is pulled into a deadly web of secrets when a mysterious fall at a lighthouse echoes a tragedy from her past.”

Thanks for stopping by & have a wonderful week! — 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓪

★ May Wrap-Up ★

Hello, all! We wrapped up our school year last week, and my job as an elementary school paraeducator was amazing. I’m going to miss the kids over the summer, but I’m also ready for a break! Between work, family, and just being tired in general, I haven’t spent much time blogging, so it’s good to be back.

I read seven books in May, some I’ve already reviewed, and some I hope to eventually:

  • TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY by Linwood Barclay ★★★★★
  • FAMILY OF LIARS by E. Lockhart ★★★★★
  • BURIED IN A GOOD BOOK by Tamara Berry ★★★½
  • A SECRET SHARED by Patricia MacLachlan ★★★
  • THE SHADOW HOUSE by Anna Downes ★★½
  • INSOMNIA by Sarah Pinborough ★★
  • MOUTH TO MOUTH by Antoine Wilson ★★

My first summer project was reorganizing my bookshelves, which took two days to finish. Now all the books are alphabetical by author’s last name again. I had to part with one large shopping bag of books to make room for all of them. Ginger wasn’t happy about the chaos around her couch.

I don’t have a summer reading list set in stone, but a few books I’m hoping to read are:

  • THE BOOKWOMAN’S DAUGHTER by Kim Michele Richardson
  • THE LOST SUMMERS OF NEWPORT by Williams | Willig | White
  • THE HOTEL NANTUCKET by Elin Hilderbrand
  • SUMMER FEVER by Kate Riordan
  • THE FINALISTS by David Bell
  • THE SWELL by Allie Reynolds
  • DEEP WATER by Emma Bamford

Have a wonderful June! — 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓪