Monday, July 17, 2017

Monday Musings

alohi reading 

My week: It was an ok week here... because of stuff going on at Jarrod's work, I hardly saw him at all this week (and he worked all weekend til late in the evening); this week will be more of the same. Wednesday was my first time helping out with the 4th and 5th grade kids' book club the library offers (we read "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech) and that went well enough. On Sunday I met up with my co-workers at a hibachi grill restaurant for a going-away luncheon for a co-worker (who is also a friend and I'm so sad she's leaving, but such is military life). I was bummed that Jarrod couldn't come since it's a place we've been wanting to try -- not to mention I hate driving in downtown Honolulu!

Reading: I spent the first part of the week reading "Three Times Lucky" by Shelia Turnage, the book for next week's 4th and 5th grade book club meeting (there are two different groups who each read one book a month), and it was pretty cute. It reminded me a bit of a kids' version of Janet Evanovich, with a crime to solve, an intrepid -- if a bit goofy -- protagonist and her sidekick, and a wacky band of supporting characters.

I spent the second part of the week floundering around trying to find the right thing to read. I'm not usually a "mood reader" -- I typically just pick up the book that's due back at the library soonest. But this week nothing struck my fancy. I tried "First Grave on the Right" by Darynda Jones and the writing style totally turned me off. Then I tried "O Jerusalem," the fifth book in Laurie R. King's Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series and the story started off so slow and kept -- literally -- putting me to sleep. (Though I will get back to both of those books soon.) I thought about picking up Bill Bryson's "One Summer: America, 1927" and even read the first few pages, but I wasn't feeling non-fiction either.

Finally I got to the very last library book I have checked out -- "Just One Damned Thing After Another" by Jodi Taylor (first in the Chronicles of St. Mary's series, which features time-traveling historians) and it stuck! The writing is not perfect but it's an easy read and the story is intriguing enough to hold my apparently fickle interest. Plus, it started off going in one direction (reminding me a lot of the Invisible Library books by Genevieve Cogman) and then took a surprising turn, which saved it from feeling like something I've read before. While I'm chugging along with it, it's still not what I really feel like reading -- and I'm not sure what on earth that is! I sure hope I'm not headed for the dreaded reading slump...


Watching: "Grantchester," "World of Dance," "Deadliest Catch." I also watched the first couple episodes of the new Masterpiece show "My Mother and Other Strangers," which is set in Ireland during WWII. Movie-wise, I watched "Fifty Shades Darker" the other night and thought it was surprisingly good.

Listening to: "Whatever It Takes" by Imagine Dragons.


Baking: Maple walnut blondies. It was actually my first time ever eating a blondie, and it was passable (I mean, it's hard for me to dislike something maple-flavored!) but I don't think I'll be giving up chocolate brownies anytime soon. Plus, (and I'm slightly ashamed to say this) I think I would've liked them better if they'd been made with maple flavoring instead of real maple syrup -- it made them so sickly sweet, like guzzling straight out of the syrup bottle!

Craving: A thunderstorm (not likely -- we very seldom get storms in Hawaii). Any rain at all would be appreciated. I've seen so many thundercloud and rain pictures posted by friends this week and I'm jealous!

Buying: Another bookish t-shirt. I couldn't resist when I spotted it in an e-mail from Groopdealz! It basically sums up my life philosophy. ;) Can't wait for it to arrive!


Blogging:
Monday Musings
Book Review: Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn (4.5 stars)
I Judge Books By Their Covers: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Looking forward to: Same as last week -- August!

*I'm linking up with Kathryn of Book Date for It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

10 comments:

  1. I've been doing a lot of mood reading lately. Right now I'm reading Final Girls - it's okay but I am not sold on it yet. Hopefully there are some twists and turns coming up that will salvage it for me. Wish I could send some of our storms your way. We've had quite a few lately. Love the t-shirt too!

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    1. I keep seeing "Final Girls" and wondering if I should give it a try even though I'm off thrillers. Did you end up liking it? Please do send some storms my way! We actually did get a light rain this week -- unfortunately it just so happened to be while I was halfway done with a mile-long walk with Alohi!

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  2. I'm not a mood reader either and also tend to just read the one that is due to the Book Club or waiting for a review on the blog.

    Just one damned thing after another has been on the South African Book Lovers reading list last year and I STILL haven't read it! Glad you enjoy it!

    Happy reading and here's my latest reads: http://marelithalkink.blogspot.co.za/2017/07/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-8.html

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    1. I ended up giving up on "Just One Damned Thing"! I so desperately wanted to like it, but it just lost me about halfway through. :(

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  3. I'm not usually a mood reader but I'm having trouble finding something interesting to read right now too. I have too many choices on TBR mountain. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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    1. Hope you found the right book to suck you in this week! Turns out "Just One Damned Thing" didn't do it for me, but I did have luck with something else, thank goodness.

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  4. I love the t shirt. Awesome buy. I never thought Hawaii wouldn't have thunderstorms, but nah don't pine after those doozies! I can be a mood reader, sometimes I just need something totally frivolous that meets the itch.

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    1. The shirt arrived and I love it! It's actually way more of a kelly green than the photo but it's soft and wonderful!

      So I gave up on "One Damned Thing" but it turns out, just like you said, I DID need something totally frivolous! The new Sophie Kinsella was the book that finally stuck.

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  5. I'm glad you finally found the right book! It's so frustrating when nothing seems to stick.

    Hope you have a great week!

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    1. Ha -- turns out that wasn't the right book either! I gave up on it halfway through. But I did finally find a book to save me from my slump, the new Sophie Kinsella!

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