Sunday Post #308

 

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog, and is a post to recap my bookish and non-bookish things from the last week. I'm also linking up to The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance @Readerbuzz.

Happy Sunday!

We came back from Texas a day later (Monday instead of Sunday). Our cats were happy to see us! The weather is cooling down a bit and quicker with the shorter days. My garden flowers like the more moderate weather. 

 After much thought and financial considerations my husband has decided to retire early. He'll still probably still consult on a part-time basis. The sudden death of his workmate really made him think hard about things and we've been in a situation where he could do it for a while. His company will continue to provide our health insurance, which is a huge boon. They asked him to stay on until February to get things sorted. 

When we moved from Southern California to Northern California three and a half years ago, I was able to scale back my work going into a per diem position and it's been really nice. I will continue to do that.

We went to dinner with some friends and my sister and BIL last night and had a good time. I have a few routine doctor appointments this week.

Starla and Smokey

Echinacea/Coneflower

Yarrow

Butterfly Bush

Puzzle Completed: Old California by Charles Wysocki 1986

Read:

This is a Safe Space by Lucinda Berry-4 Stars

Too Old For This by Samantha Downing-4 Stars

Isabella's Not Dead by Beth Morrey-5 Stars

The Inheritance (Breach Wars #1) by Ilona Andrews-5 Stars

I had a really good reading week with two five star reads: Isabella's Not Dead was a surprise to me. I didn't expect to love it as much as I did! It was such a great mix of humor, serious and mystery! Loved The Inheritance by Ilona Andrews, which is no surprise and now I'm eager for the next book! Too Old For This was crazy! Like a senior female Dexter! This is a Safe Space was a fun, twisty novella!

Received:

Play Nice by Rachel Harrison

Impostor by L.J. Ross

The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell

The Heartbreak Hotel by Ellen O'Clover

Christmas at the Ranch by Julia McKay

Deadly Storms by Christine Feehan

Ghost Business (Boneyard Key #2) by Jen DeLuca

Thank you to Berkley, Poisoned Pen Press, MacMillan Audio and G.P. Putnam's Sons!

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How was your week?

Sunday Post #307

 

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog, and is a post to recap my bookish and non-bookish things from the last week. I'm also linking up to The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance @Readerbuzz.

Happy Sunday! We're in Austin, Texas visiting our daughter, SIL and grandkids. It's hot and humid here, typical for August, but we've had a nice time visiting. Dinners out, an indoor sport complex with rock climbing and zip-lining, watching college football and working puzzles. This afternoon we had an impressive thunder and lightning storm with a heavy downpour. We fly home tomorrow (Sunday).

I got out early for a run and snapped a few photos of the local plants/flowers:

American Beautyberry

Desert Willow

Lilac Chastetree

Read:

One Dark Night by Hannah Richell-3.5 Stars

Rules for Ruin (The Crinoline Academy #1) by Mimi Matthews-5 Stars

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker-4 Stars

Received:

Thank you to Tor Books, Berkley and Hachette Audio!

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How was you week?

Sunday Post #306

 

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog, and is a post to recap my bookish and non-bookish things from the last week. I'm also linking up to The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance @Readerbuzz.

Happy Sunday! 

Even though the temps are hot this week (mid to high 90s) I feel like fall is in the air. The days are getting shorter and the sun feels different. Still, it's been hot and I've had a hard time getting myself out on walks or runs because of the heat, only getting out once this week. I'm going to try and do better next week.

 Last Sunday I joined the read-along chat online hosted by Anne @Books of My Heart for Sweep of the Blade by Ilona Andrews. It's always fun to discuss and get different insights from the group. 

I made apple pie filling and canned it from some of the apples from our apple trees:

Today (Saturday) my sister and BIL picked us up and we went exploring some of the small mountain towns and lakes nearby and had lunch in Truckee on our way back home. It was beautiful! 

Sierra Buttes Mountain Range

Gold Lake, Sierra City

Waterfalls along the Yuba River

This weeks puzzle completed:

Vintage Library by eeBoo

Read:

(Click on cover for Goodreads listing)

What the Night Brings (Tom Thorne #19) by Mark Billingham-4 Stars

Hunter's Heart Ridge (Franklin Warren & Alice Bellows Mystery #2) 

by Sarah Stewart Taylor-4 Stars

The Rawhide Man by Diana Palmer-2 Stars

Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell-3 Stars

Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries #5) by Martha Wells-4 Stars

Received:

Thank you to MIRA, Macmillan Audio, Simon & Schuster Audio and Libro.fm!

Instagram:

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How was your week?

Sunday Post #305

 

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog, and is a post to recap my bookish and non-bookish things from the last week. I'm also linking up to The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance @Readerbuzz.

Happy Sunday! 

It's been an uneventful week which was nice. I worked, gardened, made blackberry jam and got my hair cut. 

We went out to dinner last night (Friday) and the venue had live music. It was a fun mix of country and rock, old and new. We came home and watched one of my favorite suspenseful movies: What Lies Beneath with Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer. I gotta say I was a little spooked going to sleep after that!

I started a few varieties of sunflowers from seed earlier this year and they're blooming now. My favorite is Golden Honey Bear (middle and right):

Sunflowers

Rose: Firefighter with lavender

Peanut my snuggle kitty!

This weeks puzzle:

 

Nantucket Breeze by Charles Wysocki, Milton Bradley 1989

Read:

(Click on cover for Goodreads description)

Knife in the Back (New Orleans #4) by Karen Rose-5 Stars

The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan-4 Stars

Compulsory (The Murderbot Diaries #0.5) by Martha Wells-4 Stars

Asylum Hotel by Juliet Blackwell-4 Stars

Received:

Thank you to Berkley and St. Martin's Press! 

So My Ex-Boyfriend is a Serial Killer is available through the Audible Plus Catalog.

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How was your week?