Since I returned from my refreshing vacation-slash-family-get-together in Colorado, it sure seems like I've done an awful lot of posting and it occurred to me that a weekly summary post might be a nice idea for the sake of overwhelmed readers. I'm going to go as far back as my first post-vacation review and summarize a little under 10 days' worth.Here's what's been happening at Bookfoolery:
1. On Thursday the 1st of July, I reviewed the new HarperPerennial edition of The Secret Lives of People in Love by Simon Van Booy and posted a photo of the cabin we rented in the mountains. As expected, I gushed over Simon's writing. I can't help myself.
2. On Friday, the 2nd of July, I reviewed A Cottage by the Sea by Ciji Ware and listed all the books that arrived (some of which sat on our doorstep for who knows how long -- apparently we did not choose a trustworthy person to watch our doorstep, this time around).
3. Later in the day came the reliable Fiona Friday post: Fi vs. the Blinds.
4. Monday, July 5, I reviewed A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Campbell. I jumped the gun a bit as it was released on Tuesday, but what's a day but 24 hours, right? In case you're wondering, I found the book nearly impossible to put down. Also included in this post are a photo of a lovely husky and my favorite Pathetic Home-Driveway Fireworks photo.
5. On Tuesday, the 6th of July, I reviewed The All American Jump & Jive Jig, a children's book that I actually got to read to a child! Squeee! Included is a bonus photograph of my niece's boyfriend reading the book.
6. Wednesday, July 7 was a scheduled tour day. I posted a sneak peek and review of Boyfriends, Burritos and An Ocean of Trouble by Nancy Rue. To be honest, I hate the sneak peek posts, which are a required part of FirstWild tours. I read them, sometimes, at other blogs. But, they almost never draw any commentary and I think most people prefer to read my thoughts, so I only post them because I must. I may remove the sneak peek (aka, free chapter) now that the obligation is over, but the review will stay put.
7. Also on Wednesday was the 20th anniversary of my father's death. After I'd done my touring duty, I wrote a small, late-night tribute to my father and included a Wahoo! Wednesday photo, since I really don't do that often enough.
8. Thursday - nothing. I declared it a reading and email catch-up day.
9. Fiona Friday! - Fiona was baaaaad, this week, but I decided I'll save up naughty cat photos for a special day. Instead, this week you got two Fionas for the price of one, twice. And, now you know what mirrored closet doors are for. Cat photography. Is there any other reason?
Books I finished, this week:
1. Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter - the third in the Gallagher Girls young adult spy series. Funny but with a slightly pensive (almost sad, at times) tone. I still loved it. Kiddo and I enjoy this series.
2. Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas - A lovely tale of friendship, shared grief and quilting in the Colorado mountains during the Great Depression.
1. On Thursday the 1st of July, I reviewed the new HarperPerennial edition of The Secret Lives of People in Love by Simon Van Booy and posted a photo of the cabin we rented in the mountains. As expected, I gushed over Simon's writing. I can't help myself.
2. On Friday, the 2nd of July, I reviewed A Cottage by the Sea by Ciji Ware and listed all the books that arrived (some of which sat on our doorstep for who knows how long -- apparently we did not choose a trustworthy person to watch our doorstep, this time around).
3. Later in the day came the reliable Fiona Friday post: Fi vs. the Blinds.
4. Monday, July 5, I reviewed A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Campbell. I jumped the gun a bit as it was released on Tuesday, but what's a day but 24 hours, right? In case you're wondering, I found the book nearly impossible to put down. Also included in this post are a photo of a lovely husky and my favorite Pathetic Home-Driveway Fireworks photo.
5. On Tuesday, the 6th of July, I reviewed The All American Jump & Jive Jig, a children's book that I actually got to read to a child! Squeee! Included is a bonus photograph of my niece's boyfriend reading the book.
6. Wednesday, July 7 was a scheduled tour day. I posted a sneak peek and review of Boyfriends, Burritos and An Ocean of Trouble by Nancy Rue. To be honest, I hate the sneak peek posts, which are a required part of FirstWild tours. I read them, sometimes, at other blogs. But, they almost never draw any commentary and I think most people prefer to read my thoughts, so I only post them because I must. I may remove the sneak peek (aka, free chapter) now that the obligation is over, but the review will stay put.
7. Also on Wednesday was the 20th anniversary of my father's death. After I'd done my touring duty, I wrote a small, late-night tribute to my father and included a Wahoo! Wednesday photo, since I really don't do that often enough.
8. Thursday - nothing. I declared it a reading and email catch-up day.
9. Fiona Friday! - Fiona was baaaaad, this week, but I decided I'll save up naughty cat photos for a special day. Instead, this week you got two Fionas for the price of one, twice. And, now you know what mirrored closet doors are for. Cat photography. Is there any other reason?
Books I finished, this week:
1. Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter - the third in the Gallagher Girls young adult spy series. Funny but with a slightly pensive (almost sad, at times) tone. I still loved it. Kiddo and I enjoy this series.
2. Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas - A lovely tale of friendship, shared grief and quilting in the Colorado mountains during the Great Depression.
3. The Case of the Crooked Carnival by Michele Torrey - A middle reader that I highly recommend for anyone and everyone. Great interconnected stories based on real science, plus some experiments you can do at home.
Books I still need to review:
1. The Passage by Justin Cronin - Oh, look how the first month of publication flew by! And, the buzz hasn't faded one bit, has it? I didn't mean to wait quite this long, but no worries; this book has stuck like fly paper on my mind. I'll still have plenty to say (but will try not to burden you with a 3-page report).
2. Emma by Jane Austen - Good old Jane. I love Jane. Yes, this book has stuck with me, as well.
Other things I need to post about:
1. The A & E version of Emma, starring that chick who likes to go commando. I read that tidbit in a gossip magazine. Oh, what is her name? Well, it was wonderful and I finished it after July 1, so it counts for the Everything Austen II challenge and probably will end up in a separate post.
2. My monthly reads in review for June. June sucked in some ways (quantity - possibly because I was diagnosed as anemic, which means everyone suddenly wants tons of your iron-poor blood) and was meh in others (lots of average books) but was a three-chunkster month (Wahoo!) and two of the books I read were wunderbar (Emma, The Passage) so I've decided it all averages out as a decent month.
Books I still need to review:
1. The Passage by Justin Cronin - Oh, look how the first month of publication flew by! And, the buzz hasn't faded one bit, has it? I didn't mean to wait quite this long, but no worries; this book has stuck like fly paper on my mind. I'll still have plenty to say (but will try not to burden you with a 3-page report).
2. Emma by Jane Austen - Good old Jane. I love Jane. Yes, this book has stuck with me, as well.
Other things I need to post about:
1. The A & E version of Emma, starring that chick who likes to go commando. I read that tidbit in a gossip magazine. Oh, what is her name? Well, it was wonderful and I finished it after July 1, so it counts for the Everything Austen II challenge and probably will end up in a separate post.
2. My monthly reads in review for June. June sucked in some ways (quantity - possibly because I was diagnosed as anemic, which means everyone suddenly wants tons of your iron-poor blood) and was meh in others (lots of average books) but was a three-chunkster month (Wahoo!) and two of the books I read were wunderbar (Emma, The Passage) so I've decided it all averages out as a decent month.
That's it for the week. Time to move forward! Preferably not with many-thousand-foot drop-offs nearby and lengthy traffic delays.
Happy Reading!
Love those scenic shots! More, please.
ReplyDeleteSo ironic that when you're diagnosed with something like anemia they want to take even more blood. :) I hope you are feeling better though!
ReplyDeleteLes,
ReplyDeleteYes, ma'am. Believe me, I have plenty more where those came from. :)
Alyce,
I know!! I thought that seemed totally backward that they wanted more of my blood, but they had to test it for everything under the sun. I'm feeling better, now that I'm on an iron supplement and taking some B-12, thanks. :)
Nice of you to catch us all up. Love the photos! But I'm also noticing the cover for The Outer Banks House just to my right. It's gorgeous! Have you read this one yet?
ReplyDeleteTammy,
ReplyDeleteThanks!
I just started reading The Outer Banks House, last night. It's one that showed up on our doorstep while we were away. So far, I'm enjoying it. If I finish before I make it to the P.O., I'll stick it in the book box.
Love these photos of Co!
ReplyDeleteA weekly wrap-up is a great idea! It's nice to see it at a glance sometimes, and I can imagine that if I did these on my own blog, it'd be fun to look back later at the snapshot of a week.
ReplyDeleteCan't WAIT for your review of The Passage. I'm 65% done (Goodreads did the tally for me).
Serena,
ReplyDeleteThanks! Colorado is very photogenic! :)
Andi,
I think I might do weekly summaries regularly -- we'll see. I'm so fickle, I might change my mind, but last week I posted so much that I thought it would be a nice thing to do in case anyone was totally put off by the quantity of posts. It is really quite fun to look back at the week to see what you've done.
I'll try to get to The Passage, tomorrow. Isn't it awesome? I seem to be very anti-blog, today, so I think I'm going to spend the afternoon reading and doing laundry. Have to clean some duds for the husband. He's going to Australia without me, again. Grrr.
I've had anemia in the past and yea, I totally don't get how they wanted to keep testing my levels every other week. Hello?! Leave some in there will 'ya? :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you are feeling better with the supplements! And, you know, this means that naps are totally called for now.
Looking forward to your reviews!
Iliana,
ReplyDeleteI know! Doesn't that seem totally backwards that they take so much blood? You'd think if anything you need to keep it when you're anemic. LOL Having said that, at least I'm only supposed to go in monthly for blood counts, now. I'm happy about that.
I am definitely feeling better, but I still have good days and bad days, which just means I need to read and nap more and do less housework. Convince my husband of that, for me, would ya? ;)
Ah, you're the reason I picked up the Ciji Ware book.
ReplyDeleteI'd read The Passage - it's my genre - except for those pesky zombie/vampires. Alas, it was published after the moratorium on books w/vampires went into effect.
Carrie,
ReplyDeleteGuilty as charged. I just got another Ciji Ware book for review, today. I guess I'm officially a fan.
I just posted my review of The Passage. I'm not sure if you'd like it or not, but I have a feeling you would, simply because it's not at all the typical vampire book. It's more of a story of survival and hope.