WEEKLY UPDATES: READING, BLOGGING, & SKYPING….

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.

 

Another week of blogging and reading, and a lovely surprise came yesterday when I Skyped for an hour-and-a-half with my eldest son in Prague.  Usually we chat for an hour, at least, but this lengthy conversation was so much fun.  And he had the video on, so I could see the apartment he and Gabi have chosen.  They hope to eventually get a house as lovely as the cottage they had in Berlin, but in time.

You just can’t catch up in e-mails and text messages like you can with a real conversation.  Okay, it would be more fun in the same room, sitting around with drinks and food and watching Netflix…but it works!

 

 

Craig in LA - July-resized

 

My reading went completely off track this week, but in a good way.  I grabbed only one of my listed books, but three more were added.  Books on my shelves that I had hoped to read next week, perhaps.  I have finished reading and reviewing three of them, and I’m now almost finished with the fourth one.  I now have completed 42 books for the Read the Books You Buy Challenge.

Today I am eagerly awaiting the mail for my new carpet cover…the one currently under my desk chair is falling apart!  However, the Post Office is only open until two…and I suspect that they won’t have it ready by the time they close.  But I’m still crossing my fingers.

 

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOGS:

Sunday Potpourri:  Unexpected Happenings

Monday Potpourri:  Musings

Tuesday Sparks:  Excerpting “The Melody Lingers On”

Let’s Curl up with My Book Buying/Reading

Hump Day Reading:  Current, Past, & Future Picks

Bookish Thursday #22:  Serendipitous Moments

My Interior World:  Checking My Balance

Bookish Friday:  “Mystic Summer”

Saturday Sparks:  My Family & My Nest

Review:  All Is Not Forgotten (e-book), by Wendy Walker (NG-7/12)

Review:  Dear Carolina (e-book), by Kristy Woodson Harvey

Review:  Paris Runaway (e-book), by Paulita Kincer (Author Review Request)

Review:  Death at Breakfast (e-book), by Beth Gutcheon

 

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AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE:

Check out Kimberly’s Caffeinated Confessions:  Why I Never Change My Original Rating of a Book.

 

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INCOMING BOOKS:  (Titles/Covers Linked to Amazon)

One lovely review book came in the mailbox…from Vine.  Then I received a download from NetGalley.  Yay!  Then I got my Kindle First freebie from Prime…and could not stop there.  I purchased three downloads.

 

Falling, by Jane Green (Amazon Vine)

 

 

 

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Leave Me (e-book), by Gayle Forman (NetGalley – 9/6)

 

 

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Kindle Prime:

Everything We Keep (e-book), by Kerry Lonsdale

 

 

 

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Purchases:

 

The Girl You Lost (e-book), by Kathryn Croft

 

 

 

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The Coincidence of Coconut Cake (e-book), by Amy E. Reichert

 

 

 

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They May Not Mean To, But They Do (e-book), by Cathleen Schine

 

 

 

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

 

I still plan to read Flight Patterns...soon.  And I started My Husband’s Wives yesterday, only to set it aside for Death at Breakfast…

So, it will be another week dictated by my moods.

 

 

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Let’s grab some coffee and chat about books.  What did your week look like?

 

Madeleine on June 15 - coffee

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73 thoughts on “WEEKLY UPDATES: READING, BLOGGING, & SKYPING….”

  3. How nice you got to Skype with your son! I’ve only used Skype a few times but it is nice to be able to talk face to face- definitely better than just email or whatever. If you can’t be together it’s the next best thing. And my reading was off track this week too- I just didn’t make time for it. I did finish a book though, so not a total loss. 🙂

    I also got sucked back into Netflix… finished up Marcella and started a few new. Just when I get caught up they add more shows!

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    1. I haven’t really landed on anything new on Netflix since I finished Marcella….I start a series and then get distracted.

      Skype is challenging with the nine-hour time difference, so it was a rare event that happens too seldom.

      Thanks for stopping by, Greg, and I hope to finally discover another Netflix series this weekend…hopefully.

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    1. I agree, AJ…although I seldom turn on the webcam on my end, as I’m up early and not looking my best…lol.

      I love hearing his voice and seeing him, though.

      I am loving the book haul…and thanks for stopping by.

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  6. You can’t beat Skype or FaceTime for keeping in touch with family – my husband is from the states so we do this regularly” I even do my meetings this way now…so much better than teleconferences. I will definitely be buying the new Kathryn Croft book, can’t wait for your review.

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    1. I am excited about both Falling and Leave Me. I’m glad they are review books, since I’ll need to read them soon. Yay! Thanks for stopping by, Grace, and enjoy your week. I definitely enjoyed my Skype time.

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  8. katarguelles

    That is great you were able to Skype with your son. My parents live 2 hours away but we talk FaceTime on my iPhone and it is nice to see each other as if we were in the same room. I hope you enjoy The Coincidence of Coconut Cake because I loved it. Have a great week and happy reading!

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. When my son and DIL were here last summer, my DIL frequently spent time Skyping with her family in the Czech Republic.

      I hope to love The Coincidence of Coconut Cake, too…if I can stop drooling over the coconut! lol

      Thanks for visiting…and enjoy your week.

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  9. Whitney

    Nice collection of books this week. It must be so nice to talk to your son. I completely agree that you can’t connect in texts and emails the same way you can in a person to person conversation.

    Liked by 1 person

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  11. Lillian @ Mom With a Reading Problem

    I love Skype/FaceTime. They are so handy. My son stayed with my parents Friday night for our anniversary and we FaceTimed. He loves it 🙂
    You picked up some good books this week. Hope you enjoy!
    Here’s my Sunday Post.

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  12. My goodness what a great haul! You clearly have had a great week – and I know what you mean about the joy of skyping – I regularly talk to my mother and sister via skype and it keeps us in close touch. Yes, I think you’d love Woman of the Hour, too. It’s not any kind of thriller, but an ensemble piece about all the happenings at the studio and Liz’s efforts to keep on top of it. I loved it. Jane has a lovely, fluid writing style that made it very easy to read:). I shall be reviewing it tomorrow. Have a great week, Laurel and many thanks for swinging by:)

    Liked by 1 person

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  13. Pingback: SUNDAY POTPOURRI: NEW THINGS, CREEPY VISITORS…. | POTPOURRI

  14. When my oldest daughter was in London, we skyped all the time…that really is the next best thing to being there! Now we just talk and text between visits. They May Not Mean To, But They Do looks like a great book. I just got it from the library, but may save it until after our trip. If I start it and get into it, I may have to purchase the ebook instead… trying to avoid spending money on books (other than daily deals) lately. Have a great week 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Thanks, JoAnn, my son in Europe is the only one I Skype with…I wish I could do it with my youngest son, but he hasn’t set up his Skype, and even though I showed him how (imagine an oldie like me showing a younger person something about technology!), he has never done it. He is a little weird about webcams…lol

      I like the look of Cathleen Schine’s new book. Enjoy your vacation!

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  17. It’s nice to be able to be connect with your son via Skype! It’s a great tool. I hope he’s enjoying life in Prague. I’ve heard of the Cathleen Schine book. Have you read her before? Supposed to be funny I think.

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    1. Yes, I love Skyping with my son….and he’s enjoying Prague.

      I have enjoyed some Schine books, but my favorite was probably The Love Letter. There was a movie made from that one starring Ellen DeGeneres.

      Thanks for stopping by, Susan.

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  20. I’ve been a very mood-driven reader lately; sometimes you just have to go with the flow. You do have some nice looking books, lots of lovely choices. And how nice you got to have such a lengthy Skype chat with your son, it must have been wonderful. Have a good week!

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  24. I definitely agree, Skype is so much better than email & text. We love to use it to get in touch with the family since we live away from most of them.
    I see you have Leave Me on your list, I look forward to hearing what you think of it. I’ve enjoyed the author’s ya novels (the ones I have read, anyway!) and I look forward to reading this one too. Have a great week!

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    1. I haven’t read much from Gayle Forman, but I always love adult books over YA…so I’m hoping to enjoy it. Thanks for stopping by, Kay, and enjoy your week. Here’s to the fun of Skype!

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  26. Glad you got to Skype with your son and have a longer chat. It is so nice to have that modern technology that lets people keep in touch more these days.

    Leave Me is on my TBR list. I am also curious about that Jane Green book. What a striking cover!

    I am definitely a mood reader though sometimes my reading is dictated by review books and deadlines.

    I loved The Coincidence of Coconut Cake and hope you’ll enjoy it too. Lots of mouthwatering food descriptions so I recommend having some snacks on hand while you read 😉

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    1. Thanks, Christina, it was a wonderful conversation.

      I am also mindful of deadlines, and try to get to those first. Like homework…LOL. Thanks for stopping by, and hopefully our moods will draw me to some good books this week.

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    1. Yes, it’s only open until 2 on Saturdays…how I wish it would have been delivered on Friday! Well, I guess I’ll get it today. Sometimes my post office doesn’t deliver things on time, though, and I may have to put on my “demanding voice,” and then they go and look in the back and find whatever it is…sigh.

      I also love my Skype…even though it’s hard for us to work in our conversations, due to schedules and time differences.

      Thanks for stopping by, Kathy, and let’s enjoy our weeks!

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    1. Thanks, Erin, I loved every minute of it! I get to vicariously experience all the European countries he has lived in since the mid-1990s, from England and Ireland, to Prague, with a few years in Berlin.

      Enjoy your week!

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  30. So great that you got to Skype with the Berliner son, who now has to have a new name when visiting!
    I like all the titles you listed this week and perhaps would like to pick up Leave Me and Everything We Keep. Have a wonderful week now that the heat spell has broken somewhat.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Yes, he is now the Praguelodyte…lol. He has a blog to that effect, I think, although mostly he uses his name as a photographer.

      Thanks for visiting, Rita, and I’m excited to read Forman’s first adult book, and I’ve heard good things about Everything We Keep.

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    1. I think I’ve noticed Facetime accessibility on my iPhone, but haven’t used it. I’m so behind the times! lol.

      Thanks for stopping by, Laura, and I do enjoy tech features. Usually I have to have instructions from my grandchildren. Enjoy your week!

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  32. Kathy Martin

    You are doing so well on the Read What You Buy challenge. I am reading more than usual from my TBR mountain because I’m trying to be much more selective when accepting review books. Come see my reading week here. Happy reading!

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Thanks, Kathy, and my goal is to accept more review books that I would otherwise have purchased. That way, I will get to read books I enjoy without buying them.

      So far, that hasn’t cut into my book buying that much…lol.

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    1. Thanks, Mia….I am trying, but I know I buy more books than anyone could hope to read within a short period of time. I should make a rule of thumb: buy no more books than you can read in a month. I think I’ve done that, sort of, but then there’s the backlog. LOL

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  35. I keep seeing Falling everywhere; I love Jane Green so it’s definitely one I want to read.

    Great job on your ‘Read the Books You Buy challenge’! I intended to complete a similar challenge this year and have failed miserably! Have a great week!

    Liked by 1 person

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  37. Pingback: Books That Caught Our Eye | Mailbox Monday

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