Sunday Salon: September 9th

September 09, 2012


 Personal Life Stuff


This week has been a bit lackluster for me. Since being laid off on labor day weekend's Friday, which was announced in last weeks Sunday Salon, I have had a lot of time on my hands. It's the first time in over three years where I've held no job, so it's an unusual feeling. I find that when weird or stressful things happen, my mind gravitates toward a book for a little escape time. I spent Monday with my son and family for the holiday, and then went to reading that night.



I had fun Sunday last with the family barbecue. Didn't take too many pictures, but did nab a couple. I have the habit of taking pictures of food served at these events and everyone teases for me it. Can't help it, food makes good pictures!

 Yummy French Silk Pie from Dennys! My mother works her and got to bring one home for the holiday. It's delish.

I spent time with my best friend on Monday night and we had some quality moments, and saw my other friend, Susan, for a night out on the town (with too much to drink, sadly) on Saturday night. Also spent some time with my mother, including going up to her work on Thursday night and having a dinner with her there and talks. Watched a movie with my fiance at home on Friday, finally seeing Dark Shadows comedy. It was decent. I'd say 3/5 as a rating. So, while I have been out of work, friends and family have helped me from feeling isolated.

Bookish News




Pretty proud of myself reading wise this week. I didn't break a huge goal or anything, but three of the novels were over 500 pages that I read, and for me this is a decent amount of reading. Finished these:



So, this week have finished three romance, one historical type, and one drama novella collection. I say the King is drama as these aren't horror stories for him, even if they are horrific in nature. Read this one slowly, trying to catch up on anthologies. I read Fifty Shades Darker starting Monday night and finishing early Tuesday, then by Tuesday night Fifty Shades freed was done. Read The Boleyn Inheritance on Thursday, Call of the Veld on Friday, and finished Different Seasons today on Sunday. Didn't read/complete a book a day, but most of the days, so yay me.

Also started this cute children's type Gothic humor book that I'm expecting to finish today: Under Town (Edgar & Ellen, #3)

When Melissa came over on Monday night to let me borrow the next Fifty shades of Grey, she also brought a new box of Twining's English Breakfast for us to try out. I'm the big tea addict but she has recently started drinking it with me - yay! We went to the store for some small glazed donut curlers, some powdered donuts, Halloween Oreos for the tea time. She suggested taking a picture for the site of the two books with the tea, so I agreed. The tea ended up being much more present in the first book, but anyone who reads it would get it.

I can't say enough how much I have enjoyed messing with the book/reading challenges for 2012. I started getting bit by the bug at the end of summer in 2011, too late to do well with them, but this year I seem to be keeping to goals pretty well. I set at Goodreads a challenge for reading 100 books, and right now I'm at 87, soon to be 88, so I expected to go over that goal. I am pleasantly surprised to have read so much Urban Fantasy this year too, it has dominated my charts. I have been very lackluster with horror though, and to solve this will concentrate on this in October, the creepy month well suited for it.

I was able to get some new books this week too, which I'll cover in tomorrow's Mailbox Mondays post in more depth.

I don't have a strict plans of the next book I'll read this week, it will be random, I think.

Site Updates

Because of reading and being busy, haven't done a lot with the site itself this week. I am happy to see more comments blooming :) I've been busy as a hobby building up on Pinterest for the site. Also, I have greatly updated the Bookmark Crafting Link page. Checked out the URLs and removed the ones no longer valid, and then added heaps more.

Craft Bookmark Links

I'm planning to do the updates with the others soon on the Lists & Links feature.

I also published a new Vacation Feature post, True Blood Convention '10

I participated in the following Weekly Memes (each link goes to the new post):

 
 I also did a bi-monthly feature, Sweet Reads, which displays literary cakes. Link

Skipped this weeks Booking Through Thursday question.

Eek - no reviews this week, need to remedy that for the upcoming week!

Been updating Facebook page for the Paperback Stash daily as well with book art and quotes.

Well, that's it for now. Not the most exciting Sunday Salon, but these have become a nice way to end the week and look forward to the next. Until next time readers.