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.
I am catching up on the laundry as I type this, listening to the occasional flyovers of planes from the airshow nearby. The weather has been very pleasant as of late, low 80F's with a nice breeze.
What have you been up to this weekend and past week?
A person can get a lot of reading in while sitting in the hospital waiting room. My mom had cataract surgery earlier in the week, and I was able to lose myself in The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos by Melissa de la Cruz during that time. I had taken a couple days off work because of the surgery and my mom's follow-up appointment the next day so was able to fit in quite a bit of reading. The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay was the selection for my Diverse Romance book club, which met this past Thursday. Everyone enjoyed the book and we had a good discussion about different dating and courting traditions in various cultures. We always begin each meeting with a thumb up, down, or middle along with a one word description. I admit I am not the most creative in picking one word, but I felt "romantic" summed it up well, not only about the book as a whole, but also about the Filipino tradition of the five stages of courting.
This past week I also finished reading my daughter's recommended pick for me, a middle grade paranormal contemporary novel, The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts. It is one of her favorite books that she had read a couple or so years ago. I can definitely see why. I liked it too! It is one of those books I (and Mouse) wish had a sequel.
Last night I finished Steel's Edge, the fourth book in the Edge series by Ilona Andrews. Richard hadn't been my favorite character in the previous two books, but I really came to like him in this one. And I adored Charlotte. I think she's my favorite heroine among all of them in the four books.
During the week, I also fit in the audiobook Against the Loveless World, written and narrated by Susan Abulhawa. I have a print copy but wasn't sure I would be able to read it in time for tomorrow's book club meeting, so decided to listen to the audiobook instead. It isn't an easy read, given everything Nahr goes through. The author spares no details. It was a heartbreaking novel about a Palestinian woman as she slowly becomes radicalized due to her life experiences and search for a better life for her family. I look forward to the book club discussion.
I currently am reading three books. I am continuing to follow along with my daughter's Language Arts class reading of The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. I am also reading two more of April's book club reads: Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir for the Science Fiction/Fantasy book club, and All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers for the Mystery book club. I am a little skeptical I will get them both read in time, but I will do my best.
What are you reading right now?
Thank you to everyone who voted in this month's TBR List Poll! I have been unable to pin down exactly what I am in the mood to read this month, and so book club picks and the TBR poll are proving to be especially helpful right now. All of the books I choose for the monthly polls are books I have on hand that I want to read, and these three are no different.
Thank you again to everyone for voting in this month's TBR List poll!
What are you reading next?
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. My mom's surgery went well!
2. It's been nice enough in the evenings to open the windows for a little while before I go to sleep, and I have been enjoying the scent of the orange blossoms from the nearby orange groves.
3. I had forgotten how good a Strawberry Banana Julius is from Dairy Queen until I had one last weekend. Yum!
I hope you have a great week! Let me know what you have been reading!
Dairy Queen is a sign of spring here — ours is very small with two outdoor windows where people line up, so it’s closed from October into spring. The owners winter in Florida. So your new DQ treat makes me think it’s time to go there.
ReplyDeletebest… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Mae - Dairy Queen is open year round here, but winters here are very mild compared to what you are used it. Dairy Queen is one of our family favorites for a cold dessert. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteHow lovely that you have had such great temperatures. I have been home for 2 weeks and it has gone from mid 20s, some snow and a couple days in the 60s. I just want spring. I'm happy to hear your mom's cataract surgery went well. It looks like you have had some good reading blocks of time, Wendy. I hope this week goes just as well.
ReplyDeleteCarla - That's quite a shift in the weather! I hope spring comes your way soon. I turn to reading more often than not these days when I have some down time. I hope you have a good week. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteI am so glad your mom's surgery was a success! That must be such a relief. Funny you should mention having the windows open as I did just the same thing over the past two days. It finally felt like the time was right.
ReplyDeleteHelen - Thank you! It is a relief, especially for my mom, I am sure. I enjoy being able to open the windows this time of year--although it's always at the risk of making my allergies worse. I can't leave the windows open at night as a result. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteGlad to hear that your mum's surgery went well! Also well done on the reading part and tackling the laundry haha i too must do this but im avoiding it like the plague because i have to put the dry clothes away first 😆 i did recently read the Wooing the witch queen on audiobook and it was a 3.5 stars for me... hope you enjoy your next pick and have a great day ahead of you 😊
ReplyDeleteLin - Thank you. She can see so much better now, fortunately. Laundry is a never ending chore, isn't it? I need to do it again. Haha. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteSo glad your mom's surgery went well! Cataract surgery can be so impactful, too.
ReplyDeleteI really haaaave to get round to reading Gideon the Ninth one of these days...
Nicky - Thank you. She was really surprised how easy the recovery has been and is excited she can see details and colors more vividly than she could before. I hope you enjoy Gideon the Ninth if you read it! My book club had a good discussion about it. There were a couple of people there who had read it multiple times already, so it was definitely a favorite for many. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteSounds like you did have a good reading week. Glad your mother's surgery went well and hope her recovery is easy. I'll be looking for what you think about the Lula Dean book. I keep meaning to pick it up, but think I'll need to be in the right mood. The book banning thing tends to get me a little (or more than a little) irritated and then that carries over into other things. I've been reading a nice women's fiction book the last few days and it has suited me well. Happy endings, you know?
ReplyDeleteKay - I enjoyed the Lula Dean book. It made me angry one minute and laugh the next. It was a satisfying read in some ways--if only things were as simple to turn around or fix as they are in the book. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteI can see (or not-see) that cataract surgery is in my near future. I'm glad your mom's surgery went well. I like the way your book group uses a few traditions, like the thumbs-up/thumbs-down and one-word description. I will share those with people who lead our book club discussions. I wonder how young people regard The Outsiders.
ReplyDeleteDeb - We were surprised how easy the recovery process was after the surgery. I was talking to my husband the other night about how different the book clubs I am in function. Some are definitely more structured than others. Mouse liked The Outsiders. Her class is still reading it, but she finished it (and so I took that as a sign I could too) early. Getting a "like" out of her rather than just a "meh" says a lot. Haha. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteI remember vaguely going somewhere as a little girl with my aunt and getting an Orange Julius. I wonder if that is somehow related to this Julius iteration you enjoyed.
DeleteDeb - It might be the same brand. Dairy Queen bought out Orange Julius years ago, and some of the Dairy Queens in my area offer the Orange Julius menu alongside their own.
DeleteMy husband had great results from his cataract surgeries, I hope your mom does, too.
ReplyDeleteAgainst the Loveless World feels ripped from the headlines. I'm interested in how the discussion goes, too.
Joy - So far my mom has had good results too! I am glad to hear your husband did as well. Against the Loveless World was very relevant. My book club had a great discussion about the book and the situation the Middle East with the Palestinians and what they've endured (and continue to). I think we all were glad we read the book. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteGreat to have such nice weather and having time to support your mom, and that things went well. Steel's Edge was the favorite of all 3 of us buddy reading and I'm the only one who had read it previously. I don't think we knew Richard at all in earlier books really. IDK all 4 of the women were pretty amazing people. I'm so happy to have you reading along with us. I had read 2 of the ones on your vote and the winner is the one I haven't read.
ReplyDeleteAnne - Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
Anne - I think I liked Fate's Edge the best of the four story-wise while liking Charlotte and Richard in Steel's Edge the most of the couples. I hadn't been impressed with Richard in Bayou Moon, but it was nice to get to know him better in Steel's Edge. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteGood thing you had a good book to get you through the waiting.
ReplyDeleteMary - I never go anywhere without a book. :-) Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteI hope your mother's operation went well! And have fun with Lula Dean!
ReplyDeleteSophie - Her surgery went well, thank you! Lula Dean was quite a character! I enjoyed the book. :-) Thank you for visiting!
DeleteI'm glad your mom's eye surgery went well. Maybe The Girl with the Silver Eyes will get a sequel. You had a great reading week, enjoy The Outsiders, I've only ever watched the film version. The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay also sounds good, I need to join a book club. Have a good week ahead!
ReplyDeleteNaida - I'm afraid the author of The Girl with the Silver Eyes died in 2004 so no chance of a sequel. I enjoyed re-reading The Outsiders and am happy to say my daughter enjoyed it too! The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay was good and I can recommend it. :-) I am really enjoying being part of the book clubs. I don't know if I will be able to keep it up once marching band season starts, so I will enjoy them while I can. :-) Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteI hope your mother is doing well after surgery and thanks for your kind words on my site, much appreciated. I remember as a teenager I was riveted to those SE Hinton books. I wonder if they are more out-dated now? Have a good week.
ReplyDeleteSusan - I was quite the S.E. Hinton fan back in the day. I am glad her books are still enjoyed today. But, yes, they are a bit dated, although I think still relatable to kids my daughter's age--and easy to read, which helps. Some of the themes are just as relevant today as they were back when I first read the book. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteI'm glad your mom's surgery went well... added bonus that you were able to get in some reading time, too! I'm sure she really appreciated you being there.
ReplyDeleteJoAnn - Extra reading time is always a bonus. :-) I am glad I could be there for my mom most of all though. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteGlad your mom's surgery went well and that you got in a bunch of reading. I'm interested to hear your review of the little library book.
ReplyDeleteVictoria - Hopefully I will get that written and posted soon! Thank you for visiting!
DeleteGlad to hear that your mom's surgery went well, and some reading in as well.. I hope that she recovers fully and quickly!
ReplyDeleteAgainst the Loveless World sounds both interesting and harrowing!
Have a good week!
Marg - She's doing very well since her surgery, thankfully. Against the Loveless World was such a good read--and yes, definitely interesting and harrowing. Thank you for your kind thoughts and for stopping by!
DeleteOh my goodness, falling asleep to the scent of orange blossoms from nearby trees sounds like a dream.
ReplyDeleteErin - I love the scent of the orange blossoms. I did have to close the window before falling asleep though, or else my allergies will be horrid in the morning. The downside of spring--allergies. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteGlad your mom's surgery went well and that you were able to read. I'm bummed Wooing the Witch Queen didn't get more votes - it's so good! I'm waiting for the weather to improve here so I can sit outside and read.
ReplyDeleteJen - I still hope to read Wooing the Witch Queen even though it didn't win. :-) I am glad you enjoyed that one! I hope your weather has improved this past week so you can read outside. I don't do that often enough. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteSo glad your mom's surgery went well and you got some uninterrupted reading time out of it! I have never had a strawberry banana julius but I will definitely be fixing that! It sounds amazing. My allergies are a mess so even though the weather is nice here I'm hiding inside away from all the pollen. Orange blossoms sound like a much better way to go.
ReplyDeleteKatherine - I hope you do get an opportunity to try a strawberry banana Julius! I am sorry to hear about your allergies. Mine have been bad too. As much as I love having the windows open during the day, I have to make sure I close them at night or else I'll be extra miserable. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteWe went to Dairy Queen last week too. On the anniversary of my mother's death it's become tradition to eat peanut buster parfaits (her favourite) and celebrate her life.
ReplyDeleteCheriee - The Peanut Buster Parfait is one of my favorites too. That's a nice way to remember your mom! Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteOh no Burgis did not win! Still so curious
ReplyDeleteBlodeuedd - I hope to read that one soon! Thank you for visiting!
DeleteFYI, I got an odd email from "you" (a gmail adress) that matches word for word of one I got supposedly from JoAnn. The email says: Hello , How are you? Hope you're doing well and enjoying life! Just checking if you are staying safe and stay healthy.✨️❤️ I'm posting this here in case others are receiving the same emails.
ReplyDeleteOh, I got the same email.
DeleteLes and Mary - I changed my password just in case, but I it sounds like maybe someone spoofed mine and JoAnn's e-mail addresses. :-( Thank you for letting me know!
DeleteSo annoying when that sort of thing happens! I had a couple of comments on my blog that seemed pretty legit, but the link to the commentor went to a retail business. I decided to delete them.
Delete