WEEKLY UPDATES: LOTS OF BLOGGING, NOT SO MUCH READING

On By Laurel-Rain SnowIn Weekly Updates

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Good morning!  Today’s post will link up to Sunday Salon, The Sunday Post,  and Book Journey, for  Weekly Updates.

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

Good morning, Bloggers!  Grab some coffee (or a pot of tea!), and let’s talk about our weeks.

 

 

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I had a very productive week.  Not so much with the reading, but with the blogging.  Somehow I was distracted by moving my Rainy Days and Mondays blog to Word Press...(click the link to find it), especially with all the preparation that entailed.  And I didn’t even post everything on the new site; but correcting the links on my book reviews at the book pages on Curl up and Read, the links that went to any reviews on the old site, took HOURS.  But I am now happy that I did it.

 

Here’s the blog header: 

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And then I have been watching movies, especially those that make me cry.  The happy crying, of course, like the DVD that I just got today of Chapter Two, the Neil Simon production with Marsha Mason, Valerie Harper, and James Caan.  I had the VHS version, but lately I’ve been thinking of the movies I loved from way back in the day (1979, for this one);  I love Neil Simon’s dialogue, and the schmaltzy music during and after doesn’t hurt either.

 

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And then, there was the family lunch last Saturday, with my second son and four of my grandchildren.  The teenage boys are very tall, with the tallest being Aaron, on the right, at 6’6″.

 

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So these were the events and people that distracted me…but I did a fair amount of blog posts, too:

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOGS:

Sunday Potpourri:  A Little Christmas, a Lot of Netflix

November Reading Wrap-Up:  Welcome to December!

Tuesday Potpourri:  Intros/Teasers – “The Secrets of Midwives”

Starting Over:  Blue Mondays No More

Back in the Beginning:  The Days That Informed My Choices

Friday Fun:  Book Beginnings/Friday 56 – “Walking on Trampolines”

Creative Saturday:  Gratitude

A Flight of Fancy:  A Short Story by Laurel-Rain Snow

Bookish Saturday:  Sparky Love & Book Retreats

The Reunion Continues:  An Excerpt from “Interior Designs”

Review:  The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah

Review:  Finding Jake, by Bryan Reardon

 

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INCOMING BOOKS:  (Titles/Covers Linked to Amazon)

 

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One book came in the mailbox from Amazon Vine; and the other I purchased at Barnes & Noble.

 

Unbecoming, by Rebecca Scherm (Vine)

 

 

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A major debut novel of psychological suspense about a daring art heist, a cat-and-mouse waiting game, and a small-town girl’s mesmerizing transformation

On the grubby outskirts of Paris, Grace restores bric-a-brac, mends teapots, re-sets gems. She calls herself Julie, says she’s from California, and slips back to a rented room at night. Regularly, furtively, she checks the hometown paper on the Internet. Home is Garland, Tennessee, and there, two young men have just been paroled. One, she married; the other, she’s in love with. Both were jailed for a crime that Grace herself planned in exacting detail. The heist went bad—but not before she was on a plane to Prague with a stolen canvas rolled in her bag. And so, in Paris, begins a cat-and-mouse waiting game as Grace’s web of deception and lies unravels—and she becomes another young woman entirely.

 

 

The Cinderella Murder, by Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke

 

 

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Television producer Laurie Moran is delighted when the pilot for her reality drama, Under Suspicion, is a success. Even more, the program—a cold case series that revisits unsolved crimes by recreating them with those affected—is off to a fantastic start when it helps solve an infamous murder in the very first episode.

Now Laurie has the ideal case to feature in the next episode of Under Suspicion: the Cinderella Murder. When Susan Dempsey, a beautiful and multi-talented UCLA student, was found dead, her murder raised numerous questions. Why was her car parked miles from her body? Had she ever shown up for the acting audition she was due to attend at the home of an up-and-coming director? Why does Susan’s boyfriend want to avoid questions about their relationship? Was her disappearance connected to a controversial church that was active on campus? Was she close to her computer science professor because of her technological brilliance, or something more? And why was Susan missing one of her shoes when her body was discovered?

 

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WHAT’S UP NEXT? (Titles/Covers Linked to Amazon)

 

Currently Reading: the book that precedes The Cinderella Murder – I’ve Got You Under My Skin, by Mary Higgins Clark

 

 

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Cancel the Wedding, by Carolyn Dingman (Vine)

 

 

 

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The Secrets of Midwives, by Sally Hepworth

 

 

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That was my week…and I plan to have a more productive reading week in the next few days.  What did your week look like?  What are you planning?

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Here are some Christmases Past….

 

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86 thoughts on “WEEKLY UPDATES: LOTS OF BLOGGING, NOT SO MUCH READING”

  2. I always enjoy getting a favorite movie on DVD… and it’s always fun to revisit them once you get them. Glad you got your blog moved over… looks like you had a good week!

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    1. Thanks, Greg, and I didn’t even mind doing the prep work, but it was tedious and tiring at times.

      I still have some VHS movies, and if I don’t have them in DVD format, I keep them. Once I have the DVD, I can recycle them. LOL

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  4. Wonderful pic of your son and grandkids. Looks like you did a lot of blog work. I’m really looking forward to your thoughts on Unbecoming. For some reason novels involving art heists always intrigue me. Have a good week.

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    1. Yes, I loved the sound of the art heist aspect, as well as the Paris setting and the changed identity. So mysterious!

      Thanks for stopping by, Mary, and I thoroughly enjoyed the lunch with my son and the grandkids.

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    1. I have always been a big fan of Neil Simon’s works; I have even seen some plays, back in the day. I think Chapter Two is supposed to reflect his own circumstances early in his marriage to Marsha Mason.

      Thanks for stopping by, Bryan.

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  8. You’ve definitely been busy blog-wise! I’m curious about WordPress but am too scared to make the move currently. All the boys must be seriously tall if the tallest is 6 ft 6! It only looks like there’s a few inches difference. My whole family is really tall except for me. I haven’t read Mary Higgins Clark in awhile but I wouldn’t mind revisiting some of her books. Have a great week!

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    1. Thanks, Katherine, and the boys are all over 6′ tall…and Aubrey is 5’10”. Who knows how tall Noah, the youngest, will be, but I’m betting…TALL.

      I am looking forward to reading The Cinderella Murder, as it is a sequel (or part of a series) that I’m reading now with I’ve Got You Under My Skin.

      As for the move to WP, I had nine other blogs there, many of which started their lives on Blogger. But when I move, I don’t import everything…just the recent posts, like the last year or so.

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  9. What a busy week of blogging! I’ve considered moving my blog several times, but the whole process seems so overwhelming and scary. I’ll probably be stuck with blogger forever, lol! Your family lunch sounds like it was a lot of fun. Hope you have a productive reading week ahead 🙂

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    1. If it works for you, that’s all good, JoAnn…I already had nine blogs on WP, and love the experience here. I move the lazy way…only the past year’s posts went.

      I do love the family get-togethers, especially since we don’t do them that often.

      Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your week.

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  10. Very busy week indeed, Laurel-Rain! Your grandchildren look great! And very tall, too 😀 My two oldest children are now taller than me, and it feels pretty weird at times… not that long ago, they were tiny little humans.
    I hope you’ll enjoy your new books, have a fantastic week.

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  11. Busy week and I can just imagine the time it took to correct your links. Not rewarding but a necessary evil.

    Unbecoming looks wonderful, I hope it will be.

    Chapter Two, I can’t remember if I eve saw that movie. I may have to see if it’s on NetFlix or Hulu.

    Have a good week.

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    1. Definitely a necessary evil, but I took the easy way and linked them to my Goodreads reviews…LOL.

      I really enjoyed Chapter Two, and even though I’ve seen it at least twenty times, LOL, I cried at the end.

      Thanks for stopping by, Bea, and I am looking forward to Unbecoming.

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  12. I used to love Mary Higgins Clark’s books. The Cinderella Murder really looks good. Your review of Kristin Hannah’s book is great and I have this one waiting for me to review it too.

    Your blogs are looking wonderful. You did a great job!

    Enjoy your books and have a great week!

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    1. Thanks, Yvonne, I do love creating (and apparently recreating) my blogs…LOL.

      I am excited about The Cinderella Murder, which comes after the book I’ve Got You Under My Skin, which I just finished earlier today.

      Glad you could stop by, and enjoy!

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  15. Moving a site to wordpress is a lot of time, but it’s worth it I think. Glad to hear you had a productive week, my week was pretty productive as well although I wish I could’ve spend more time blogging. i have some good ideas for posts, but need to find time to write them.

    I hope you’ll enjoy your new books!

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    1. Oh, totally, Laura; I’m glad you had a successful transfer. I haven’t done any self-hosted sites, as I am not quite sure how that works out. I gather that the blogger is totally responsible for everything, including maintenance.

      I’m not ready for that…LOL.

      Enjoy your week!

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    1. Oh, I didn’t import my blog; I wanted to control what I took, so I only copied and pasted my posts from 2014. I know many people move everything over, but that seems too daunting for me.

      Thanks for stopping by, Karen…

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  22. thebookdate

    What a big job transferring all those links, makes me nervous as I intend going to WordPress in 2015. Lovely family photos, Aaron would make a good basketball player.

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    1. Thanks, Kathryn, and once I decided to do it, I set myself up with a notebook so I could keep track, and while my eyes glazed over after a while, it was a good feeling afterwards. Good luck, and I’m sure it will be fine.

      Some people have help with it…that might be a good way to go.

      Glad you enjoyed the photos…and yes, both Aaron and Aubrey play basketball…and so does Alec, the older one, who is not in the picture because he is a student at Berkeley and missed our lunch…sigh.

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  28. Teddyree

    Lovely photo of your son and grandkids … great looking family and nothing like spending time with them. I like the new blog header for Rainy Days and Mondays. You’ve been very busy!! I’m off to check out your review of The Nightingale. Have a great week and happy reading 🙂

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    1. Maybe it was the whole ambience of the 80s, but the proliferation of Neil Simon movies, with the fun dialogue and the MUSIC, kept me entertained. I have a few of his productions, including The Goodbye Girl and Max Dugan Returns, both with Marsha Mason, who was his wife then.

      Thanks for stopping by, Shelleyrae.

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  38. Cait

    Omg, your grandchildren are so very tall!! My brother is 6ft but I’m only 5’1. HEH. It’s incredibly embarrassing needing like a step-ladder to have a conversation in my house. lol
    Thanks for stopping by @ Paper Fury!

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    1. Ha-ha…Yes, that would be intimidating, Cait…what I enjoy about these extremely tall grandchildren, not to mention my sons, who are no slouches in that area, I feel small in comparison. I was 5’9″ for many years and have now shrunk a bit…an inch?

      Thanks for stopping by, Cait.

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  39. Wow your grandkids are tall. I don’t think I ever saw Chapter Two, but I do recall The Goodbye Girl, remember that one? Marsha Mason was hard to beat back then in those Neil Simon movies. Enjoy the holiday season!

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    1. I agree, Susan…and I have The Goodbye Girl, as well as Max Dugan Returns, which is another one I enjoy. Sometimes I love gathering up all the Neil Simon movies and having a marathon.

      Funny thing, though, my granddaughter doesn’t find them as appealing, although she tries. I guess you had to be there, in the 80s, and in the Neil Simon era.

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