WEEKLY UPDATES: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

On By Laurel-Rain SnowIn weekly updates

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Good morning! Today’s post will link up to The Sunday Salon, The Sunday Post and Stacking the Shelves, for weekly updates.

**Mailbox Monday is hosted at the home site: Mailbox Monday.

And let’s join Kathryn, our leader in It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?, at Book Date.

 

It has been a rainy day today….we’ve had a few of those lately.  The leaves are wet and slippery, so I have been walking very carefully.

Despite the rain, or maybe because of it, I’ve had a nice and cozy week!  I have read and reviewed four books, but I was in no particular hurry.  Two of them were review books; one was an older book, from 2014; and one was my 100th book in the Read the Books You Buy Challenge, which is finished for 2016.  I could read a couple more, but I’ve chosen to focus on review books and older books…or freebies.  The books that don’t count for the challenge.

I’ll be starting over on January 1 with the 2017 version of the challenge.

It’s Christmas weekend, so I’m looking forward to more relaxation and very little reading.  I’ll be celebrating tomorrow night, with dinner and gift exchange at my daughter’s house.  Everyone else is out of town…and have received their gifts in the mail.  Earlier this week, I received an Amazon gift card from my youngest son up North.  Even though I’m tempted to start spending it, I’m waiting until after January 1 to buy more books…I’m trying to curb my impulses just a bit, since I already bought a lot of books this year.  I need a clean slate with the New Year.

January 1 will be First Book of the Year, hosted by Sheila, at Book Journey.  Next week you’ll be able to read my post and see which book I chose.  Are any of you participating?

This week I have been watching older movies, like Erin Brockovich and The Accidental Tourist.  Sometimes I love the nostalgia of those films.

Let’s take a look back at my week; I’m having some eggnog to celebrate a bit:

 

 

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LAST WEEK ON THE BLOGS:

Monday Sparks:  Musing About Reading & the Holidays

Tuesday Potpourri:  “She Can Kill”

My New One Word:  Hope!

Hump Day Reading:  What’s On Your List?

Thursday Potpourri:  Forgotten Books?

Bookish Friday:  “The Girl Before”

A Challenge:  Making Lists, Counting My Numbers…

Review:  Scandal in Skibbereen (e-book), by Sheila Connolly ratings-worms-4-croppedReview:  The Sleepwalker (e-book), by Chris Bohjalian (NetGalley – 1/10/17)cropped-again-5Review:  I See You, by Clare Mackintosh – (Amazon Vine)ratings-worms-4-croppedReview:  Breakfast at Tiffany’s (e-book), by Truman Capotecropped-again-5

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INCOMING BOOKS: (Titles/Covers Linked to Amazon)

Received ONE Amazon Vine book in my mailbox, and downloaded ONE NetGalley review book.  I received one Kindle Prime freebie.

Claiming Noah, by Amanda Ortlepp (Amazon Vine)

 

 

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The Perfect Stranger (e-book), by Megan Miranda (NetGalley – 5/16/17)

 

 

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Freebie:

The Missing (e-book), by Caroline Eriksson

 

 

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WHAT’S NEXT?

Currently Reading:  The Things We Wish Were True (e-book), by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen (Freebie)

 

 

 

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And then, a review book:

The Girl Before (e-book), by J. P. Delaney (NetGalley – 1/24/17)

 

 

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That’s it for this week.  What did your week look like?  Enjoy the holiday weekend…and here’s a peek at my dinner and reading a couple of days ago….

 

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56 thoughts on “WEEKLY UPDATES: MERRY CHRISTMAS!”

  1. Greg Hill

    Congrats on your 100th book! And yay for Christmas weekend- hard to believe it’s here already! Enjoy your night tomorrow night! Hope it’s a great relaxing weekend. We’re getting more snow here which I should be happy about (for a white Christmas) but I’d rather have the rain lol.

    The Missing looks interesting. Is that a thriller? And as usual that meal looks pretty awesome (and so does the Book I see You). I’ve been all about the thrillers lately. 🙂

    Merry christmas!!

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    1. Thanks, Greg, and The Missing is definitely a thriller….and I can’t seem to get enough of them.

      It was a nice change to read a print book (I See You) with my meal…it’s usually my Kindle that I bring.

      A white Christmas does sound lovely, but since snow can be a real challenge, I don’t ever wish for it. Not that it would happen here, but we are only 45 minutes to an hour from snow country, so it would be easy to go to a cabin and celebrate a snowy Christmas…without having the chore of the day-in-day-out maintenance.

      But…whatever happens, weather wise, we can hope for good road conditions and power that stays on.

      Enjoy your weekend and a Merry Christmas!

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  2. You made a century in the challenge, great reading of bought books! I am busy trying to finish a gift quilt so not so much reading done although I got through some listening. It is late afternoon of Christmas Eve here so soon Santa will be here! Yummy looking dinner and reading there. Hope your Christmas day is relaxing and pleasant.

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    1. Thanks, Kathryn, and it’s always amazing to me about the time differences that put you on a different day already. In Prague, where my eldest lives, they are already at Christmas Eve day, too.

      I felt relaxed about reading this week, as once I finished Book # 100, I knew I could just “rest on my laurels.” LOL.

      Enjoy the quilting and relaxing reading. You have sunny weather over there for Christmas, don’t you? Enjoy!

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    1. Yes, I tend to gravitate to the challenges that encourage reading books I buy…some have been about the real oldies and goodies, and this newer version is about more recent buys.

      Thanks for stopping by, Nikki, and enjoy the holidays…and your reading.

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    1. Thanks, Yvonne…I tend to drink more egg nog than I should, since I only have it during the holidays…LOL.

      Just had a wonderful dinner at my daughter’s house…and she sent leftovers home, so I’m good.

      I’m looking forward to the new books, too. Enjoy yours, and happy holidays!

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  7. I need to read Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Harpur Lee is one of my favorite authors and now that I know she and Truman were buddies as children, I am more interested in reading some of his works. I hope you enjoyed your eggnog. That is the only thing I forgot at the grocery store, but the store was crazy on Thursday, so I can only imagine how much worse it became closer to Christmas. I was in no mood to go back. Ha ha. Have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy spending your giftcard on the first. 🙂

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    1. Thanks, La La….sometimes it is the delicious anticipation that is the best. And I’ll be planning my buys from that card, but resisting…for just a bit.

      I loved knowing that about Harper Lee and Truman Capote…and enjoyed the movies: Capote and Infamous. Of the two, I like Infamous best, as it showed more of the Harper Lee character, but also bits of the friendship between the two.

      I hate going to the mall at any time….but the supermarket here is all about hitting it at the right time. Early morning.

      The eggnog I found was in the small cartons….it will be gone by the end of today! Enjoy your day…Merry Christmas!

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    1. Thanks, Mary, and I don’t know why I kept putting it off, as I’m enjoying it, too. As for the egg nog, I think I had too much yesterday…yikes! So I didn’t eat anything until dinner. Have a wonderful Christmas, and thanks for visiting!

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    1. Thanks, Lory, it has been a great way for me to clear off some shelves. I’m getting ready to begin again on January 1, and until then, I’m reading older books, those that don’t count for the old or new challenge. Yes, there are still some from 2014 and early 2015 on my shelves!

      Enjoy your holidays, and thanks for visiting.

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    1. My city condo is fairly small, too, which is why I had to start purging the shelves. Now I mostly buy e-books, which don’t take up any space at all…LOL.

      But…I want to resume library visits. Thanks for stopping by, Jane. Enjoy your week.

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    1. Ha-I had some leftovers, too, which my daughter sent home with me…and they made two meals, with leftover ham for sandwiches. I did watch movies while eating…I guess that’s called “mindless eating.” LOL. Thanks for visiting, Sam, and enjoy the week.

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  13. Merry Christmas! And congrats on reaching your 100th book for that challenge and I hope you’ll do well with the challenge next year as well. I hope you had a fun Christmas weekend. Got to love getting a gift card, although it can be hard to curb the impulse buys and take it easy. Have a great week!

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    1. Thanks, Kathy, and the weekend was pretty nice, but it was rainy…and then windy, which I don’t like. We never get quite enough rain to pull us out of the drought, though. I think The Perfect Stranger looks very good, too.

      Enjoy your week!

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    1. Thanks, Rita, I loved All the Missing Girls, too….and hope to love The Perfect Stranger and Claiming Noah.

      It was a great weekend…family time on Christmas Eve, and reading and movie watching on Christmas Day…plus leftovers. Thanks for visiting.

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    1. Thanks, Cheryl, it has been great not feeling any pressure…there are no review books unread that are due; the challenge I was doing is done; and it’s just easy reading.

      Enjoy your week, and I hope you do join in the First Book of the Year event.

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  26. Great job on your Read What You Buy! I have a different method – I let them become a year old and plan to read at least 100 TBR books each year. 🙂 You have some great new titles that sound good.
    We had a glass of eggnog for Christmas too but I missed the Wassail my hubby usually makes.
    I’m glad you had a nice Christmas and wish you a safe and Happy New Year.
    Plus – Happy Reading!

    Liked by 1 person

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