I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer and The Sunday Salon (TSS) hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking It's Monday! What Are you Reading? hosted by Kathryn of Book Date where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.
Hello from my little part of California! It has been a pleasant week, weather wise. Fog and a little rain, but mostly sunshine. I still find myself wanting to wrap up in a blanket in the morning and evenings. I am not sure if it's to stay warm or just for comfort. Maybe some of both.
It was an especially difficult week at work, a reminder of how short life is and how precious our families are. Luckily Mouse never complains about getting extra hugs when I have weeks like this. We started a new schedule and in office rotation this past week. It seemed to go well, without too many complications so far. We are down a supervisor right now because someone retired the end of the year. I am not sure when we will get a replacement.
It is hard not to feel helpless amidst the torrent of news coming out about the current U.S. administration. Making calls to my government representatives is a minor thing, but at least I feel like I am doing something. How are you all coping?
A question for those of you who track your reading and keep stats: what sort of stats do you track or what tags do you use for your books on Goodreads, StoryGraph or other reading apps? I keep a spreadsheet with various statistics just for the fun of it, and while I tag books in LibraryThing, I do not really tag them on Goodreads or StoryGraph, but I am considering starting.
What have you been up to this weekend and past week?
I currently have my bookmark in three books. I am still reading The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett and am enjoying it quite a bit. I just started The Reformatory by Tananarive Due, and I can already tell it is going to be good. My current audio read is Bayou Moon (The Edge #2) by Ilona Andrews. February may be a short month, but it seems to be a month for reading big books!
This week I finished reading Murder in a Dressing Room, the first in the Misty Divine cozy mystery series, by Holly Stars and The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende, translated by Frances Riddle. Although I started off reading Allende's novel in print, I ended up listening to most of it in the audio version. It was heartbreaking and at times difficult to read, the parallels between the events in the book and what is happening in the U.S. today all too real. I hope to post my review later this week. Tomorrow I will be meeting with the book club where we will be discussing Allende's book.
In the meantime, be sure and check out this past week's Bookish Mewsings:
And other posts you may have missed:
What are you reading right now?
Thank you to everyone who voted in this month's TBR List Poll! All three of the options this month are calling my name, but I will only have time to read the winner--at least right now. I definitely do want to read the other two as well.
Twenty-nine (29) people voted, and while it wasn't all that close, each of the books got quite a few votes. The Case of the Missing Maid (Harriet Morrow Investigates #1) by Rob Osler received seven (7) books, Haunting and Homicide (A Ghost Tour Mystery #1) by Ava Burke got eight (8) votes, and A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay won with fourteen (14) votes! The winning book does sound like it will be a lot of fun to read, and I cannot wait to start it!
Thank you again to everyone for voting in this month's TBR List poll!
What are you reading next?
Mouse is excited to be sharing one of her favorite anime series with us, and so we have been watching an episode or two of Haikyu!! in the evenings. We are on season two now. It's a cute anime about a high school boy's volleyball team, based on a manga series. I have started watching the crime show, High Potential when the mood strikes, although am not too far in yet.
What have you been watching lately?
Following in the footsteps of Deb of Readerbuzz, who shares three good things in her Sunday Salon posts, I thought I would try to do the same. With all the worries and stressors in life, I want to highlight some of the good, even the seemingly small stuff.
1. A surprise gift from my daughter. We all enjoy the Spy x Family manga series, and Mouse gave me a sleeping Yor, and set her Loid next to keep me company while I work.
2.My husband's Tortilla Chip Enchiladas. Yum!
3. My Gracie. She's my little shadow. I haven't had the heart to throw my old desk chair out because she's made it her own, sitting right beside me in her own chair when I am working from home. Another of her favorite spots (besides on my lap or chest) right now is lying on blankets and bear pillow on the floor next to me. She's never far away.
I hope you have a great week! Let me know what you have been reading!
I can't wait to hear all about The Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage. It is on my want list I have seen it every where
ReplyDeleteTeri - I had hoped to have started it already--but this weekend for sure. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteAwww, Gracie is a sweetie. Let's see. I just binge watched The Man Inside, the new season of both Virgin River and The Lincoln Lawyer, finished up the first season of Matlock and the movie the Six Triple Eight. I normally don't watch a lot of TV, but I sure did this past week. I didn't vote in your last one as I hadn't read any of the books. I hope you enjoy the winner, Wendy. I am trying to read books for Black History Month as well as backlist Amish Fiction stories as they usually contain romance for February. Even though I am Canadian, I am worried about where things are going as they will definitely affect us. I try not to talk politics while I am here as it inevitably ends up in an argument and I am a guest in the US right now. I hope you have a better week at work, Wendy, and keep giving Mouse those hugs!
ReplyDeleteCarla - Thank you--she really is a sweetie. :-) My husband and I really like The Lincoln Lawyer. I haven't had a chance to watch Six Triple Eight yet, but I really want to see it. I understand your not talking politics--it's a sensitive subject and tempers are at their breaking point for so many. Mouse is getting lots of hugs. I am so grateful for my family. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteAww Gracie is adorable!!!
ReplyDeleteI am trying to cope by throwing myself more into creative hobbies and trying not to spend too much time on social media. And, I have been reminding myself to never read the comments on articles!
Erin - Thank you. Gracie knows it too. LOL I am trying to stay away from social media too--and not reading comments is imperative to our mental health right now, but it's so tempting sometimes, isn't it? I know it is for me. I am glad you are finding ways to cope. I know it's not easy. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteBlankets are a comfort thing for me. If we are watching tv I have what I call movie blanket and it's light enough that don' t get hot.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading enough news to stay informed but not go into despair and that is certainly not easy! But I am also reading more so that's a plus.
Gracie is gorgeous! I wouldn't get rid of that chair either if she likes it. Once I cleaned out a huge section of the floor of a closet so our dog could get inot his "man cave" when he was frightened or needed alone time.
Tina - I love my blankets. I am the same way. I have light and heavy ones, depending on the season and weather so I can use home year round.
DeleteI am doing the same in terms of my news intake. Trying to stay informed but pulling back when it gets to be too much. Thank goodness for our books!
I have a feeling that chair will be around for a long while. I am happy to have her company. :-) That's so great that you created a little "man cave" for your dog. We love them so much. Thank you for stopping by!
I hope The Reformatory continues to be good. It's definitely a tough time in the US. At times I feel like we're in a dream (or rather nightmare), it just doesn't seem real. Gracie is adorable and I'm glad she has a comfy chair that she loves. Animals definitely help with all the stress!
ReplyDeleteTammy - The Reformatory is really good, but so sad. I'm having to read it in small doses. My animals are great stress relief. I am glad they are in my life. :-) Thank you for visiting!
DeleteI wrap up in blankets year round. They bring great comfort. I keep a spreadsheet for stats but d not tag any challenges anywhere. I’ll do a mid-year and end of year blog post and that’s it. We never miss High Potential. We find it enjoyable. Gracie is precious. I have a blanket that I don’t like on my couch 24/7 because my cat Jeffrey is very attached to it.
ReplyDeleteCarla - Me too! I love my blankets. I haven't tagged challenges either. I think if I did them more regularly, I might, but since I participate in them sporadically, I don't see them as being as useful in the long run. But I can see how they might help for tracking. I am enjoying High Potential very much. I love that your cat has his own blanket he's attached to. :-) My cats think every blanket in the house is theirs, although they do have their favorites too. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteYou're reading the good books. Some people are having trouble with the body horror in Bayou Moon. I guess I was more focused on the people and I like technology so it didn't bother me as much. Wendy, the things happening in govt have been horrible. I'm glad to hear you are calling your representatives. I need to start doing more of that. I just feel so tired when I think about it.
ReplyDeleteAnne - Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
Anne - I wasn't too keen on the body horror in Bayou Moon myself but I really liked William and Cerise so was hooked up until the end. I do think the book was on the long side though and didn't have to be. I am not sure how helpful calling is, but it is something to do in the right direction. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteI love that your cat snuggles by you! My dogs do like to snuggle near me when I'm at my desk, so I got a chaise for my office, one that was in the clearance room at a local furniture store because it was supposed to be part of a full sectional. So it was cheaper, and occasionally I'll sit on it and read! My students like Spy x Family, so I love that there are little figurines! I don't keep a lot of tags on Goodreads other than for the books I haven't read yet to help me decide which I want to read - like page number, or for review books to remember how I got them - from publisher or on Netgalley/Edelweiss - egalley or physical ARC. StoryGraph keeps a lot of different stats, part from when you review you can check different things in their review forms. Hope you have a good week!
ReplyDeletehttps://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/2025/02/09/weekly-wrap-up-210-february-9th-2025/
Lisa - Aw! I love that you created that space for your dogs. The things we do for our animals. We love them so much. :-) Thank you for sharing what things you track and tag! I really like Storygraph's stats and am looking into making custom charts. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteI use a spreadsheet to track my reading. I mostly pay attention to star rating, genre, publication date, target audience, publisher, where I got the book, and some diversity stuff. I use the spreadsheets to make these posts: https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2025/01/2024-reading-statistics.html
ReplyDeleteAJ - My spreadsheet includes similar stats. I'm not proficient enough to create graphs and charts though so I rely on sites like Storygraph for that. I should teach myself how to make them. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteMy daughter got me watching High Potential - I really enjoy it. Sounds like there is only one left in the season.
ReplyDeleteI also use a spreadsheet to keep track of my books and if they match with a challenge. I only starting using tags on GR more recently (for challenges). I start with the year, and then the name of the challenge. Like 2025-audiobook-challenge.
Jen - I am enjoying High Potential. I am glad you and your daughter enjoy it too! Thank you for sharing how you tag books on GR! Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteI put all kinds of tags on Goodreads, the genre, I mark my favorites, new authors, and so many other things. But, it's helpful for Top Ten Tuesday posts when I can go to my tag of new authors for the year and choose from the list!
ReplyDeleteCindy - That's a great idea--using your tags to help you with your Top Ten Tuesday posts! Thank you for visiting!
DeleteI've found tagging books on goodreads hasn't been that useful. I started doing it when I used Goodreads to help me pick my next book to read but I haven't done that in years.
ReplyDeleteGracie! What a cutie. So happy she's always around when you need her. Happy reading!
Heather - I am better about tagging books on LibraryThing since I started using that so long ago. I never did with Goodreads though and the idea of doing it now is kind of daunting. I like that StoryGraph has built in tags--it makes it nice. I do love having Gracie around--although sometimes it isn't the most convenient of times. LOL Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteIt is hard not to feel helpless against the current administration. How bleak it all is - what they're doing. Most of the time I'm mad as hell about it & his voters .... I'm not sure how to cope but I started a puzzle to calm me down, which it has a bit. I think The Reformatory novel looks good -- but maybe it's a bit too dark/scary for right now. Enjoy your week!
ReplyDeleteSusan - That's pretty much how I've been feeling too. I think most of us are. It's such a nightmare. The Reformatory is proving to be very dark, but it is good and I'm determined to read it for my historical fiction book club. I can only read it in small doses though. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteLove the sleeping Yor and Loid.
ReplyDeleteGracie is so pretty! I have 2 cats and a dog and they all like snuggling with me.
I haven't watch the news other than bits of the elections since my son went into the Marines years ago.
Vicki - I love having animals as company. :-) Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteI'm really ramping up the focus on good things and deep breathing and other tricks for dealing with stress these days. I just learned they are shutting down contact between those who monitor hurricanes and foreign agencies who do the same. Do these people not remember the 1900 Storm in which Galveston hurricane offices did not pay attention to warnings from Cuba?! Good grief. Madness.
ReplyDeleteLove your Gracie!
Deb - I am trying to focus on the positive, but it's hard, especially when work stuff creeps in on top of everything else. Things are going to get a lot worse before they get better--and I do hope they get better. I try to believe it will, but some days it is harder than others. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteI know it can seem disheartening, but KEEP CALLING! I am in a Blue Dot Facebook group (for Omaha's Blue Dot in a deeply red state). I also follow the Alt National Park Service on Facebook and BlueSky (such a great option over Twitter, which I am trying to extract myself from asap). They're giving updates daily, sometimes hourly, as to what is really going on and what musk is up to. It's exhausting but also helpful, since news outlets have been slow to report on anything.
ReplyDeleteSarah - I follow Alt National Park Service too and pulled out of Twitter a few months ago. It's a cesspool. My county leans red even though my state is blue. I am surrounded by red and it can be very disheartening. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteI am looking toward indivisible for action items and I'll keep writing my little romance books as long as I can. I'm glad things are well in your part of the world. Can't wait to hear about the Serial Killer book!
ReplyDeleteVictoria - I hope to start the serial killer book this weekend. I'm looking forward to it! Thank you for visiting!
DeleteSometimes hiding in a blanket is a good thing. The world is such a chaotic place. I use Goodreads and a spreadsheet to track my reading. A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage sounds wonderful. Hope you enjoy your reading week.
ReplyDeletehttps://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2025/02/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-feb-10.html
Cheryl - Thank you! II hope you had a good week!
DeleteFoggy rainy days sound so pleasant right now. I'm sorry your work week was tough, it does remind us to hold our loved ones tight.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to not look at the political news too much, the nonstop barrage of unbelievable news is exhausting. You can't make this stuff up, it's wild. Making calls and sending emails to gov representatives is a good thing to do.
Gracie is cute as are the little gifts from Mouse. Enjoy your books, I've had Ilona Andrews on my TBR since forever.
Naida - I am enjoying the weather. We got a lot of rain over the last couple of days, but I see the sun peeking out from behind the clouds this afternoon. I'm sad to see the rain go. This week at work was better. It helped that it was a short week. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteI'm a big fan of High Potential! The main character is just so fun and quirky. And I'm glad you've got lots of good books to read. That's how I escape from the bad news of the world. Hope work is less stressful this week for you!
ReplyDeleteLark - It's a great show. I am really enjoying it too. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteI use multiple methods to track all my bookish stuff. I use the ClzBooks app to keep track of books I own, and have read. I use Goodreads, Storygraph and LibraryThing to keep track of what I read, but I also use Goodreads to track what I want to read. I do use tags on all three platforms but I’m not as consistent with it as I should be.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a wonderful week
Shelleyrae - I'm not familiar with ClzBooks. I'll have to check it out. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteI too, has a rather hectic work week. It's okay today but gearing up to be another crazy one.
ReplyDeleteTi - I hope this week was better for you. Thank you for visiting!
DeletePeople do stats in tags...oh I did not know. I want that. I only do genre
ReplyDeleteBlodeuedd - I had read something about people using stats in tags on Storygraph to help create customized charts and am curious to see how that works. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteI keep writing letters too, and looking for groups in my community to work with. I live near Washington, DC and we are getting hit hard with these policies.
ReplyDeleteFor tracking I use LibraryThing too. I track month read, where I heard of the book, and the location where the book takes place. I like to read around the world.
We were considering traveling to D.C. this summer, but now I am not so sure we want to venture that way. I can only imagine who crazy it must be there right now, being so close to the epicenter. I enjoy seeing the places everyone visits through their reading. That isn't something I've really tracked before, but I should start. Thank you for visiting!
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