WEEKLY UPDATES: A MORE BALANCED WEEK

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 new leader in It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?, at Book Date.

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My week didn’t feel very productive, since I only read and reviewed TWO books…but both were engaging.  I like to feel as though my week has been more balanced, however, as I got out and about a few times, despite the ongoing rain…and watched a lot on Amazon Video and Netflix…if one can call that balanced.

I had lunch with Pippa, my Kindle…and there was a martini with this soup and salad.  (You’ll see the martini later!)

 

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LAST WEEK ON THE BLOGS:

Curl up with “A Man Called Ove”

Hump Day Serendipity: “One True Loves”

Hump Day Potpourri: Fantasies/Reality

Bookish Fridays: “Gray Mountain”

Progress Rather Than Perfection: Balance

Family & Home: Saturday Snapshots

Review:  The Summer Wind (e-book), by Mary Alice Monroe

Review:  A Man Called Ove (e-book), by Fredrik Backman

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INCOMING BOOKS: (Titles/Covers Linked to Amazon)

One book was in my mailbox from Amazon Vine…and I downloaded three e-books that I purchased.

After She’s Gone, by Lisa Jackson (Vine)

 

 

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Brooklyn (e-book), by Colm Toibin

 

 

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The Summer’s End (e-book), by Mary Alice Monroe

 

 

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Three To Get Deadly (e-book), by Janet Evanovich

 

 

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

I might be a little more flexible this week, choosing books from a variety of possibilities, in no particular order, like these:

 

The Daylight Marriage (e-book), by Heidi Pitlor

 

 

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The Crossing Places (e-book, Book 1, Ruth Galloway), by Elly Griffiths

 

 

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Just Say Yes (e-book), by Alyssa Goodnight

 

 

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Lucky Us (e-book), by Amy Bloom

 

 

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That was my week!  What did yours look like?  Check out the martini (below), which I had with my lunch shown above…and  I’ll be running errands today, and might have lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, as I have a gift card.  Yay!  I’ll be savoring a book on Pippa, too.

 

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108 thoughts on “WEEKLY UPDATES: A MORE BALANCED WEEK”

  1. I didn’t get as many books read as I usually do this week either….but I don’t have any real reason for it. I certainly didn’t have that yummy looking lunch and martini. I do still love the early Stephanie Plum books and can’t wait to see what you think of the new Lisa Jackson book. Enjoy!

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    1. Thanks, Carole, and I never know for sure why some weeks are better than others, although I can usually point to other activities taking my time, like outings or TV bingeing. I haven’t read a Plum book in a long time, and I have enjoyed the earlier ones more than the later ones…so far.

      I can’t really remember what Jackson books I’ve read, but I know it’s been a while.

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  2. Glad it was a nice week. I watch way too much Netflix and Amazo too… there are so many shows now. And your week sounds pretty balanced- if you’re doing what you enjoy that’s a balance of its own. 🙂 I hope this week as good for you!

    Lunch and a martini- sounds good to me. Love the snapshots as always!

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    1. Thanks, Greg, and I did enjoy another lunch today, although it wasn’t Cheesecake Factory as I had planned…but Mexican food. I had a craving…LOL.

      On Netflix, I’ve found a series I’m enjoying with Tim Roth called Lie to Me.

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  5. A few books there I like the look of Laurel… not to mention the soup (am not a martini drinker, so….).

    Sometimes those slower weeks are good, as you said you got a bit of balance, which is important!

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  8. It sounds like you had a nice week, Laurel-Rain! I think that sometimes, we need less books and more other things, so it’s good that you got that. Your Margarita looks yummy, even at 11 am 🙂
    All your books are new to me, but I look forward to reading your thoughts about them.
    Have a wonderful week ahead and happy reading.

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  12. Boy that lunch and martini look yummy! And so do your books! Sometimes we need to stretch out our lives around more than books and it looks like you have a good balance! I do have Brooklyn in my TBR pile along with nonfiction this coming week… Concussion by Jeannie Marie Laskas and When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.

    Have a great week!

    Chick with Books

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    1. Oh, Concussion and When Breath Becomes Air sound good, Suzanne. Enjoy your week, and thanks for visiting mine. I do love the little getaways with lunch, martini, etc. Although a book always comes along, too.

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  14. I love the cover for The Summer’s End. Did you manage to see the movie version of Brooklyn? I thought it was very well done; I’ve yet to read the book though. Two books in a week is not bad at all, some weeks when life takes over I read none!

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  15. Good meal you have there!
    I had a paperback copy of Brooklyn but the print was too small so I sent it to my sis-in-law who shares books with me. I hope to read it or see the movie, or both. I was born in Brooklyn and lived there for first 12 years, so I can relate somewhat to it except of course it happened well before my time 🙂
    I occasionally read Lisa Jackson but haven’t read that one. I just love the Elly Griffiths series and I’ve also read Janet Evanovich up to her number 13 book. Once I found a whole stack of her used paperbacks and read them one after another and got hooked. Haven’t checked in with the series lately. Have a great week!

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    1. I haven’t read any Evanovich for a long while, so I thought it was time to resume the series…plus, the book was on sale. LOL.

      I am going to Google the movie Brooklyn…I think it was here and I missed it, so I may have to wait for the video. Thanks for stopping by, Rita, and have a great week.

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  18. I love that you took your Kindle to lunch! I used to go to Panera and read my Kindle while having lunch but sadly no martinis 🙂

    I read A Man Called Ove last year for book group and I thought it was fantastic. We also read Brooklyn which I didn’t like as much though I’ve heard the movie is excellent.

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    1. Thanks, Christina…Pippa and I enjoy lunching together…lol. I do occasionally lunch with people, but find that to go whenever I want, there will be lunches alone with my Kindle.(But with Pippa, I’m not really alone).

      I hope to enjoy Brooklyn, but I do want to find the movie, too.

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  20. Looking very yummy! Hope Pippa gets a martini too! Or a sip of yours! Nice that you are getting a bit of balance in all round. Hope this weeks reads are equally as good as last week.

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  25. The martini looks fab! I’m so pleased to see you have the first in the Ruth Galloway series 🙂 I always feel better if I can get out a little so it’s nice you’ve managed that this week – here’s to another good one.

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    1. Thanks, Cleopatra, I’m even considering going to the movies tomorrow, as Brooklyn is playing in a nearby town. It left my neighborhood before I managed to get there. But I will take a book and have lunch first, probably. The Crossing Places is my next up read. Enjoy your week!

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  28. Oh that martini looks yummy. I just recently discovered that I like them, ha. Hope it tasted as good as it looks. I love that you named your eReader Pippa! Its cute. I’ve never seen that cover for Three to Get Deadly before. Is it new?
    Have a wonderful week.

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    1. Thanks, Melissa…Pippa the Paperwhite…fits, right? I named my iPhone Phoebe.

      That is a cute cover, isn’t it? I never see it when I’m reading, since it’s an e-book, but I do occasionally check the covers when I stop reading.

      Thanks for visiting, and enjoy your week…and your continued discovery of martinis.

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  29. That looks like a very tasty Martini. Cheers!! 😉
    My week was very busy since I went skiing with my colleagues. So today I’m having a PJ day and catching up on my blog and the Sunday Posts!
    Have a great week!

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  30. Balance is good! I didn’t read quite as much last week, but watched 3 movies, tried a couple of new recipes, and visited a new (to me) wildlife park. Your lunch looks delicious, as does the martini. Brooklyn was a very quiet, but lovely book (the audio version was great) that might be easy to overlook if you just go by the blurb. The movie was wonderful!

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    1. I am glad to hear that the book and movie were good…I do love quiet, lovely books and movies, as well as the other kind. I watched one this week like that: Learning to Drive, with Patricia Clarkson and Ben Kingsley. I also binged on quite a few other Amazon videos and some on Netflix. Does it count as balance if you “binge”? lol

      Thanks for stopping by, JoAnn…enjoy your week.

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  31. I had a slow reading month and didn’t blog at all! Sometimes you just need a week of Netflix. : )

    I’m going to be adding Brooklyn to my TBR list. It sounds intriguing. Have a great week!

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    1. Thanks, Denise, I do love Netflix! Especially since I (for now, anyway) fixed the glitch on my Blu-Ray that was making it hard to connect to the Internet. (I took the cable out for a few seconds and put it right back in). The technicians always recommend unplugging things for a variety of issues.

      Enjoy your week!

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  32. I think we are all looking forward to warmer weather so we can get out doors. We did nothing this weekend, we stayed holed up, and now I am stir crazy. I have heard good things about Just Say Yes, so I will watch for your review. Have a wonderful week.

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  40. The Cue Card

    What a wonderful Martini. I can almost taste it; it looks so good! Brooklyn the movie was pretty good; did it ever come to your town? Enjoy your books this week!

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    1. It came to the neighborhood theater, but was gone in a flash…but I discovered it in a neighboring town and hope to get over there before it leaves. Thanks for stopping by, Susan. The Martini was definitely delicious.

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    1. Soup is my favorite lunch dish, especially out. I hope to try making some soups in my new Crockpot (from Christmas). The martinis are better in the restaurant, unless I’m at my daughter’s house. One of her jobs is as a bartender, so she makes the drinks when we’re there. Thanks for stopping by, Nise, and Pippa is a wonderfully charming companion…LOL.

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  44. Ooh, The Cheesecake Factory. That has become the celebratory destination for a couple of my friends and I, even though they have to drive an hour to the nearest location, and I have to drive an hour before meeting them for the drive! We love our cheesecake! I bought Brooklyn while in New York for the first time last spring. I need to get to it. Enjoy your week!

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    1. I love it there, and I didn’t make it the other day. It was a busy day and it would have been a drive across the city…I’ll try it on a day when I don’t have a lot of errands. Thanks for stopping by, Jen.

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  45. The Cheesecake Factory is my kind of place. I’d have to sample all the cheesecakes! Yum.
    Two books read and reviewed is still a good outcome for the week. Enjoy the rest of the week.

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    1. The last time I went, my daughter and I were celebrating something, enjoying lunch and a cocktail (or two). I planned to go the other day, but time got away from me. Luckily, the gift card doesn’t have an expiration date. Thanks for stopping by, Yvonne.

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Marce, and the book The Daylight Marriage kept me engaged throughout. I didn’t end up going to The Cheesecake Factory on the weekend after all…it was rainy and the day got away from me. Maybe this weekend! I love it there.

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  48. I own a copy of Brooklyn (I think I even have TWO) but haven’t gotten around to reading it yet – I do plan on reading the book first before I get to the movie. That martini looks awesome. 🙂

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  49. I had a slow reading week too, but it was kind of relaxing in a way. Your lunch and that drink look really good! I hope you enjoy your new books and have a great week 🙂

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