Saturday, December 17, 2016

This Week in Reading - December 18

It's Sunday Post time!  This is hosted by the awesome Caffeinated Book Reviewer and gives us all a chance to recap our week.

What I Got:

Mrs. Pargeter's Public Relations by Simon Brett - I've seen the name Simon Brett around for awhile but I've yet to read any of the books.  The blurb on this which involves rescued cats and a woman claiming to be the sister of Mrs. Pargeter's late husband reminds me a little bit of Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax for some reason.  It sounds like it could be a fun mystery! (NetGalley)

Bay of Sighs by Nora Roberts - I loved the first book in the series and have been looking forward to reading this one.  While this isn't about my favorite couple I am looking forward to seeing how Roberts handles one character in particular.  (Library)

The Perfect Christmas by Debbie Macomber
A Holiday Yarn by Sally Goldenbaum - These were both on display at the library and they caught my interest.  I'm not sure if I'll get them both read but I like having the option! (Library) 

Currently:

Reading: The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (still but I'm really enjoying it!  I might even have it finished by next Sunday!), A Holiday for Murder by Agatha Christie (which I'm finishing tonight - not sure what I'll pick up next), and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Listening: I'm listening to podcasts at the moment and enjoying them.  My favorite at the moment is Read It and Weep which is hilarious and love how they tackle something new and normally pretty awful once a week.  They also have another podcast called Pack Your Mics were they talk about Top Chef which is pretty great.

Watching: I've been watching some Hallmark Christmas movies which are always pretty fun as well as some other Christmas movies.  The Tornado's favorite is Rudolph so we watched that earlier this week along with Charlie Brown's Christmas and J and I watched Scrooged with Bill Murray this weekend.  I'm hoping we get The Muppet Christmas Carol in before Christmas.  TV-wise I've been watching Top Chef and am not sure how I feel about the returning chef/new chef thing.

Off the Blog:

I wouldn't say I'm caught up on all the Christmas stuff but I'm definitely catching up!  The house is decorated and I've gotten about 80% of my shopping done.  The rest I'm thinking will be done from my couch and delivered to me!  There are some menus to be figured out but that's about it.  I'm starting to not feel quite as frazzled and actually start enjoying the season!  Today J and I are taking the Tornado to see Rudolph the Musical.  I know nothing about the production so it should be interesting and hopefully lots of fun.  We're also celebrating with my Mother today and then my Dad later in the week and then J's family on Christmas Eve.

The reading slump is still kind of happening.  It's not so much a slump and more just feeling a bit apathetic about a lot of the books I have. I'm still kind of just going by what catches my interest and that seems to be working because I'm still reading!  I'm trying to think of what I want to do in 2017 and am struggling with that because my motivation is in the meh level.

The one thing I am thinking about doing is turning my 52 Pins in 52 Weeks into a linkup if anyone is interested.  I'll probably do a more official post the last Saturday of December but basically the whole point is to use some of the pins we're all pinning and then talk about how it worked out.  I'm planning on having a linkup on the last Saturday of every month.  I'm going to kind of do a repeat of what I did this year where I pick out 52 pins ahead of time but I'm going to leave the rules pretty open and people can just do what works best for them.

On the Blog:

What Happened:

What's Coming Up:

Monday: Ramblings from the Stacks - Looking Back over 2016
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Leaving Under the Tree
Wednesday: TBD
Thursday: TBD
Friday: Friday Linkups featuring teasers from Current Book
Saturday: 52 Pins in 52 Weeks - November December Edition Pt 2

Have a fantastic week, happy reading and Merry Christmas!

17 comments:

  1. A Charlie Brown Christmas is always one of my favorite parts of the holiday. It never gets old... Read It and Weep sounds like a lot of fun. I have a little shopping to do yet but almost there... still have a week right?? :) The family parties are coming u though and that always gets hectic.

    Enjoy your celebrations and hope the slump passes soon.

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  2. I have done pretty much all my shopping from the couch this,year, including food. Might be why I feel so chilled about it for once. Glad you are almost caught up...not long to go! The pins challenge sounds interesting. Look forward to reading more. Have a good week. Emma

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  3. I'm in a bit of a reading slump too Katherine though it's probably a good time to be in one!

    I hope you and your family have a great Christmas!

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  4. Oooh! I hope you enjoy the Rudolph play! I'm also in a bit of a reading slump, but hopefully I can overcome that!

    Here’s my Sunday Post!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog and join in this week’s Book Photo Sundays!

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  5. I am basically all ready for Christmas which never happens. I am usually sooo last minute with everything. lol

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  6. Oh a Top Chef podcast?? I have check that out. I agree I am not sure about the new/old chef dynamic. I like when they do the Masters and old chefs come back but I like meeting new chefs in each season. Oh well. I love the idea of having the 52 in 52 being a link up. I am not sure if I am that ambitious but maybe it would push me!! Have a great week!

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  7. I always forget about Podcasts , maybe I need toad that as a suggestion in my notebook. For reading I am composing a reasonable list of books I think I can honestly get to this coming year and so, making it a shorter list means the books are of special interest to me.
    The Rudolph show sounds fun!

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  8. I'll be interested to see what you make of the Simon Brett books - I know the Charles Paris and Fethering Mysteries series better. He lives a few miles away and happens to be the patron of the West Sussex Writers club I'm a member of. He's witty and clever and charming and his books are amusing, entertaining reads. My favourites are the Charles Paris series where his sleuth is a washed-up actor. I'm still behind with Christmas, but hopefully will more or less have caught up by next week:). Have a lovely Christmas and look forward to chatting about books with you in 2017.

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  9. I am ready for Christmas to be over, does that count...lol. I have been watching Christmas movies on Hallmark, Looks Like Christmas is one of my new favorites this year. :) It looks like you are in a read the classics mood. :) Happy reading!

    Stormi
    Week in Review

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  10. I got my shopping finished last week-- with Amazon Prime it's free two day shipping-- but my kids haven't. I'm not accompanying them to the stores though, because I did that several times, and mentally worn out from the crowds 😉

    I, like you, have been slumping... not because of a lack of good books, but a lack of motivation. December 26th I'm sure I'll be bingeing on books again! Have a wonderful week with family.

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  11. I need to buy an iPod some time in the New Year. Yeah, I'm probably the last person on earth to get one...LOL. But my vow to exercise more regularly fits in with that, don't you think?

    I love the name "Brett," as in Simon Brett...but also because that's the name I gave my second son. Hmm.

    I finished my shopping yesterday...lazy me got gift cards for everyone! Someday I plan to send things to people from Amazon, but the gift cards let them pick.

    Is it too late for me to read a Christmas book? Maybe...but I could surprise myself. I am also watching some Hallmark movies; some I enjoy more than others. Last night I was watching My Christmas Love, and the star, Meredith Hagner, was once on As the World Turns (as a teenager). She has a young Meg Ryan vibe.

    Enjoy your week! Here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

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  12. I LOVED reading Little Women when I was a teen. I get what you mean about the reading slump. I'm trying to incorporate more leisure reading into my schedule and lately I've come across some great books that surprised me.

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  13. I love watching Rudolph, Charlie Brown and Scrooge. It's a fun way to get in the holiday spirit. I might participate in your 52 pins meme. I'm always looking on Pinterest for new recipes or ideas so it sounds like fun. I hope you have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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  14. I think a lot of people are meh ish on reading right now. Things are just so busy with the holidays all happening. But a new year will hopefully bring some renewed reading mojo for a lot of us :D

    Arg! I really do need to start my pinterest feature again. I'd wanted to in 2016 and it just didn't happen. But maybe in 2017 so I'd be game for linking that up with yours if you do that :D

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  15. Read it and weep sounds fun so I'll check that out. And the pinterest feature sounds great, I don't think I've ever done anything with any I've pinned. So I'd love to join in.

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  16. I have really enjoyed some of Debbie Macomber's Christmas settings and usually read them every year around this time. This is the first year in a long while that I haven't. I hope that you enjoy The Perfect Christmas.
    It's good to hear that you are gearing up for the holidays. It sounds like you have many Christmas' to celebrate. Rudolph the musical sounds like a fantastic holiday event. Merry Christmas.

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  17. Happy to hear you are getting Christmas preparations wrapped up (pun intended). I am over the moon about the 52 Pins link-up! Yay! Enjoy your Christmas with the Tornado. Kids make Christmas so much more special. :)

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