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Saturday, April 24, 2021

The Sunday Post! This Week I Make My YouTube Debut!

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

Here is the link to join the live stream! We will be talking about this month's Book Club Book! Color Me Murder by Krista Davis. The live stream is Tuesday, April 27th at 7PM EST!

Please keep your fingers crossed that all goes well for me on the live stream! Eeekkk!

This past week I listened to Boyfriend Material By Alexis Hall. I recommend it, it's a sweet romance. I also participated in a blog tour with a giveaway, which is still open so enter here. And on Monday I shared a free book click here.

This past week my local public library posted that they are accepting applications for an open Trustee position. I threw my hat in the ring. I don't know if I have a shot or not, but I've loved public libraries since I was a wee lass, so I had to try, right?

In other media, We've been watching The Circle on Netflix. It's a surprisingly engaging game show centering around social media and players who don't actually see each other in real life while playing. I recommend it!

That's what's going on in my neck of the woods, how are things by you? Comment and share!

Saturday, April 17, 2021

#TheSundayPost We Are Halfway There!

I am happy to report that our household is half vaccinated. Everyone has had their first short. The Man was able to get the J&J vaccine, so he is now fully vaccinated. The rest of us got Pfizer so we are going back for that second shot in a few weeks. Here is the selfie I took instead of taking a picture of my card.

It's been a tough week. The killing of a 20-year-old in Minnesota and the killing of a 13-year old in Chicago, and the killing of a 16-year-old in Maryland --all done by police officers followed by a mass shooting at a Fed-Ex workplace made me sad and angry. As a white lady, who has white kids, I don't carry the worry about the higher likelihood that one of my kids could wind up killed during an encounter with the police. I can only imagine how much more heartbroken and angry I would be.

One thing I can do is give money directly to people who need it. I belong to a group that raises money and gives it directly to BIPOC single moms who have kids with special needs. We share their needs and then give money for food, power bills, and copays direct to those in need. I'm not saying that for any pat on the back, I'm just sharing something I have found to try and help others. if you follow me on Twitter at @Victoria7401 I post the needs there if you ever want to give!

I also donate time to help local candidates who I believe in when they run for office. If you want to make a change, you don't have to have money, volunteering time is huge.

Tell me, did something good happen in your neck of the woods this week? How are you?

Here is my Christmas Cactus and look---you can see tiny buds! It's gonna flower!

Saturday, April 10, 2021

#TheSundayPost is Here! Happy #NationalPetDay !!!!

Did you know that April 11th is #NationalPetDay? Do you have a pet cat, dog, turtle, fish, etc? Tell me more!

His Royal Highness, Bowie "The Dog"

Speaking of pets, Monday I'm reviewing Pint of No Return by Dana Mentick (I won an ARC for review from #NetGalley). This cozy mystery has a super lovable rescue dog named Noodles who is our sleuth's cozy companion.

I also picked up a couple of Cozies from my library - Color Me Murder by Krista Davis. This is the April Cozy Mystery Book Club selection and I get to be a co-host for the YouTube live stream this month! I also borrowed Death in D Minor which is the follow-up book from our March book club!

Don't forget to tell me about your cozy companions! Have a great week!

Saturday, April 3, 2021

Happy Easter! The Sunday Post #1 of April 2021!

Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates Easter. Here is a picture from an Easter about 12 years ago. Looks at my cute little bunnies!

I hope you had a nice week. The exciting news here is that I got an appt to get the 1st dose of the Pfizer vaccine! Yes! Hip Hip Hooray!

This Tues, April 6th, is the release date for a wonderful new YA book by Brittney Morris, I reviewed it on Friday, you can read my review here: The Cost of Knowing.

This week I am starting a series of posts on Thursdays. These posts will be about how I am dealing with life post- cancer treatment. I am planning a series of four posts and I hope you read them!

Also, I've got some audiobook reviews coming up this week:

It is going to be very nice in Chicagoland for Easter this year, so I've got the teenage kids cash-filled eggs ready for a backyard egg hunt tomorrow. I was going to hid some eggs for The Hubs, but they don't make wine bottle-sized plastic eggs - haha!

Do you have any traditions you'll be enjoying this Easter - to celebrate or not celebrate the holiday? (ie in pre-covid days going to the movies or such)? I like a good egg hunt and think it should be done for any and all holidays, it's fun to hide stuff and watch people look for it. Mwahahhahhahaha

Saturday, March 27, 2021

#The Sunday Post - Last of Sunday of March is Here- Let's Make it Count!

How was your week? I hope it was nice and low stress. I hope some of you got vaccinated or made your vaccination appointments. I am now eligible in my state and so the hunt is on- so far no dice! This upcoming week I have a routine surveillance CT scan. I would like to get the vaccine once that is done because the vaccine ramps up your immune system and that can make a CT scan look funky and I don't want any funkiness on my scan. I want boring unremarkable pictures of my insides.

I spend some time this week laying out my reading and reviewing plan for April. Along with April Showers I'll be reading and sharing some good-looking books!

Release Date 4/6/2021

Historical Romance - obviously! Out March 29, 2021

The second book in the Booklover's B&B Mysteries. Out June 8, 2021

Plus a bunch more!

In April I am planning to start spring cleaning my Goodreads shelves. Do you plan to engage in some cathartic spring cleaning this year?

Saturday, March 20, 2021

#TheSundayPost #ShamrockShuffle Who's Ready for Spring?

Books I'll be posting about this week:

Spring has Sprung! Happy Spring! This weekend was the virtual running of the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle. Usually the shuffle is the unofficial start of the running season in Chicago and involved about 40,000 runners in green stomping through the streets of downtown Chicago. It's an 8K so just under 5 miles long and usually, the crowd really gets you running.

This year it was virtual. On the plus side, this meant I could sleep in and not have to downtown to run by 8:00AM. This also meant I could walk straight from the finish line back into my house and take a shower; unlike the time a few years ago where I was changing very carefully in a Port-A-Potty and a guy opened the door (which I had apparently not fully locked) while I was putting on my shirt --causing me to accidentally flash him!

The weather was in the low 50s, with sunny skies and just a little breeze from the South. A perfect day for running! I hope this is a harbinger of a wonderful spring. We all deserve it!

How was your first day of Spring? Share Below!

Me right before I went out to run

Epsom & Pink Himalayan Salt w/ Essential Oils for my post-run relaxation! (A DIY craft from my local library!)

Saturday, March 6, 2021

The Sunday Post! Marching into March!

How was your week? The weather here was very nice for early March and finally, the sidewalks are about 96% free of snow! Even better, we are supposed to have highs in the 60s Monday - Wednesday. I will have my windows wide open to let in that fresh air! It will also be a great time to grill out for the first time in 2021.

In case you missed it- this week
I wrote about Magic for Liars,

Join the COYER Seasons Spring Challenge

and wrote about an obscure local holiday and a Cozy Series by Elizabeth Pantley

Upcoming this week I will be sharing reviews of:

A Princess in Theory

Fairy Godmothers, Inc.

The Disappearance of Emily

As I've mentioned before I like seasonal decor and now that it is March, I have updated my coffee station for early spring:

Speaking of coffee, I am taking a MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) class this month and our current homework is to practice the techniques daily. Today I tried a coffee mindfulness meditation!

I hope you have a great week planned! What's going on in your neck of the woods?

Saturday, February 27, 2021

The Sunday Post: Waiting To See if March Will Come in Like a Lion

How was your week? Around here the weather took a turn for the good! The giant piles of snow are finally melting. Lately when I have been running my left leg has been getting sore in a naggy way. I thought it was most likely due to running on side streets vs. running on sidewalks because the street is slanted so water runs off into the gutter so when you run on the street one leg is higher than the other.

However, today I got my new running shoes and it turns out, I really needed new shoes! My leg feels so much better it's ridiculous. Next time I will get shoes in 5 months instead of waiting 6 months.

Here they are in their platinum glory, for anyone who runs, these are Asics Nimbus 22s. I love the cushion of new shoes and these have great heel support. Once the snow is melted not only can I get back on the sidewalks, I can also run some different routes. Right now some sidewalks are clear, and others have two-3 foot piles of snow and ice. Not great for running or walking.

What are you looking forward to in March? Any great reads, TV shows, or films? Comment below!

Books I will be reviewing include:

and

Happy Sunday!

Saturday, February 13, 2021

Happy Valentine's Day! #TheSundayPost Feb 14th!

Happy Valentine's Day to You!

I recycled a Cheryl's Cookies box to package up the Hubs Valentine's Day present. I got him Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee we will see if it lives up to their ad which says it doesn't taste like mushrooms...

The halfway point of February is here and this is the point of winter where my attempts to find the beauty in Winter fades away. Ugh. snow, slush, sliding, cold air, cold wind, cold face, cold feet, and dry inside air. If I could go somewhere warm and sunny for a week to recharge I would go but that is definitely not going to happen this year--maybe in 2022? That would be so refreshing.

Well back to Valentine's Day, I hope you feel the love today! I plan to give some chocolate to the kids and eat some myself!

Upcoming this week-

Tomorrow I'll be talking about Paczki Day and reviewing Blood Heir by Ilona Andrews

Wednesday I'll be sharing a recipe from Real Simple for Spicy Chicken and Polenta along with a review of a fun upcoming book called Yoga Pant Nation.

Friday I'll be sharing a Cozy Mystery Book Club review of Crime & Punctuation

Are you celebrating Valentine's Day today? What about Mardi Gras on Tuesday?

Saturday, January 30, 2021

#TheSundayPost Ready for February?

Grab your planner and make a note to celebrate some of these special February Days:

Groundhog Day is Feb 2 --and it's also Ukulele Day!

Feb 4th is Thank a Mail Carrier Day!

Feb 12th is the Lunar New Year and also Galentine's Day

Feb 14th - of course- Is Valentine's Day

The 16th is Mardi Gras AKA Fat Tuesday or Paczki Day

That means Feb 17th is Ash Wednesday but take heart-

Feb 18th is Drink Wine Day!

Be sure to come back to my blog tomorrow because I'll have a review up of "The Russian Cage" by Charlaine Harris!

The whole month is Black History Month so if you need a push make a plan to spend time each week learning some Black History. As someone who likes podcasts let me recommend Uncivil by Gimlet Media. It's a short series and each episode included book recommendations.

Question of the Day- Do you use a planner? Or do you like to wing it?

Saturday, January 23, 2021

#TheSundayPost #Giveaways #Book, #BlueApron

How was your week? I'm happy to report here in my neck of the woods, after days and days of cloudy skies, on Wednesday (Coincidence ?) we woke up to sunshine that lasted for a few days. Nothing like sunshine in the winter! Wednesday was also the day that my bimonthly indulgence of Blue Apron arrived. I should have taken pictures of my meals to share here, but I didn't. The Hubs said they were delicious which was wonderful because he has been known to say things like "I think this food is too flavorful for me." What????

If you have ever wanted to try Blue Apron, I have some free meals. If you would like one, just use the contact me form on the right to email me, and then I can send you a link. I don't get any sort of referral money or anything, I just like to get Blue Apron once in a while, and when I do they give me links to give free meals to others.

I'm happy to report that I finished the last of 5 medical appointments for the month of January and all my fingers and toes are crossed that I need no medical-related contact until the end of March when I have to schedule a follow-up CT Scan for routine surveillance. It was nice to find out that at each of my appointments the medical staff had already had both doses of the COVID-19 vaccination. Now I have to make a change to my hope of avoiding all medical stuff until the end of March--if I could get the vaccine--then I'm happy to go to the doctor. :-) Other than the vaccine, I want to stay away from the land of white coats!

Coming up this last week of January I will be -

*Reviewing Visions of Heat for the Read-Along I'm doing via the COYER Challenge

*Reviewing Killer Chardonnay our January Book for the Cozy Mystery Book Club

*Talking about Valentine's Day and other days of note in February!

How about you? Tell me one good thing that has happened to you this week!

Sunday, January 17, 2021

MLK Day Giveaway Blog Hop - Enter to Win The Sound of Stars!

The MLK Giveaway hop hosted by The Caffeinated Reviewer and Mocha Girls Read is from January 18 through the 25th. The purpose is to celebrate Black Authors and shine a light on Black Authors you may not already know.

Each blog participating is doing their own giveaway with their own means of entry. To keep things super simple here all you have to do to enter my giveaway is comment on this blog post and you will be entered to win either the E-version or a hardcopy of The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow (Winner picks which kind of book) You can read more about the book below:

Description

"Can a girl who risks her life for books and an alien who loves pop music work together to save humanity? A beautiful and thrilling debut novel for fans of Marie Lu and Veronica Roth.

Two years ago, a misunderstanding between the leaders of Earth and the invading Ilori resulted in the deaths of one-third of the world's population.

Today, seventeen-year-old Ellie Baker survives in an Ilori-controlled center in New York City. With humans deemed dangerously volatile because of their initial reaction to the invasion, emotional expression can be grounds for execution. Music, art, and books are illegal, but Ellie still keeps a secret library.

When young Ilori commander M0Rr1S finds Ellie's library, he's duty-bound to deliver her for execution. The trouble is, he finds himself drawn to human music and in desperate need of more.

Humanity's fate rests in the hands of an alien Ellie should fear, but M0Rr1S has a potential solution--thousands of miles away. The two embark on a wild and dangerous journey with a bag of books and their favorite albums, all the while creating a story and a song of their own that just might save them both."

Good luck! Don't forget to click the link below to enter the other giveaways and read more Black Authors!

The winner will be picked using the random.org website on 1/27.

Will You Be Having a Three Day Weekend This Week? The Sunday Post is here -

Over the last week, no only did I finish up taking down the Christmas decorations, it was also warm enough one day that I managed to repot my plants. I am hoping that the plants I repotted enjoy their new spacious digs. I am a newbie to keeping house plants alive, if you have any recommendations on plant foods and such please comment below!

Tomorrow is Martin Lurther King, Jr. Day! This year I am not working for the first time in many years. Because I love to share great books, I am participating in Mocha Girls Read and The Caffeinated Reader's MLK Giveaway Hop. Tomorrow you can enter to win The Sound of Stars here as well as hop over to other participating blogs to find out about books from Black Authors and enter giveaways. There are so many fantastic mysteries, romance, fantasy, YA, etc, etc that have been published over the last few years and more coming out this year from Black authors!

How are things in your neck of the woods? Read any good books or seen any good movies lately? Have any special plans for the Inauguration on Wednesday? I will be trying a new meal from Blue Apron!

Hoping you have a great week-

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