Monday, March 13, 2017

Monday Musings

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My week: Another quiet week that passed in a blur. I work three 8-hour (really 9-hour, with lunch) days every week and now the other two weekdays are basically devoted to entertaining Alohi, and the weekend means cleaning, laundry and (hopefully) some relaxing, so time has just been flying by. (Of course, that means the weekend goes way too fast, too!)

Alohi has started growing so fast, it's crazy! As much as I won't miss certain things about the little-puppy days, she's so freaking cute right now and I wish she would just stop growing right where she is! It was a little sad to realize she's outgrown her baby collar (she was tiny when we brought her home, so it was basically a cat collar). It's hard to believe she's already been with us for five weeks!

Reading: Last Monday I had just started "Carve the Mark" by Veronica Roth, but I had to set that aside for a couple days to read "A Monster Calls," the March book for the library's adult book club. I was kinda dreading yet another YA book (sadly, I didn't get to choose the books for the club I inherited) but this one pleasantly surprised me. It's an illustrated novel, and I found that the artwork (by the same guy doing the illustrated Harry Potter editions) really enhanced the story, which was a very sad one. I didn't love it, but I did like it more than I expected to.

Then I finished "Carve the Mark," and overall I really enjoyed it. Despite the fact that I was invested in the characters and interested in the plot, I did think it dragged a bit; I got to a point where I felt like I had been reading it forever. But I enjoyed the writing, the story and the sci-fi/fantasy elements, and I'll definitely continue the series.

Next up is "A Bridge Across the Ocean," a historical fiction novel about WWII brides journeying across the Atlantic to their new homes in the U.S. (Of course, secrets and intrigue are involved.) I'm a bit late reading my advance copy; the book comes out tomorrow.


Knitting: I finished my hat -- the teal one covered in white hearts! Now it just needs a pompom. I'll have a picture in my Yarn Along post on Wednesday.

Watching: We watched "Arrival" over the weekend and we both liked it. It reminded me a lot of "Sleeping Giants" by Sylvain Neuvel (I'm looking forward to book 2 in the series next month!). I also got caught up on a few more episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" on Saturday night when Jarrod went to play cards. I've got three more to go, and then I'll start working on "This Is Us." I've only watched the first two episodes, but it seems like it's the show of the year and I'm excited to get back to it.

Listening to: I've been playing a lot of music when it's just Alohi and me at home, and I wanted something kinda mellow the other day so I pulled up one of my favorite albums, "Morning Phase" by Beck. I'm so grateful for that whole wacky controversy with Beck winning the Grammy that year over Beyonce and everyone (aka Kanye West) freaking out about it; otherwise I might never have listened to it! (Favorite tracks: Turn Away, Waking Light, Morning, Blackbird, Say Goodbye.)


Blogging:
Monday Musings
Book Review: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
Yarn Along: "A Monster Calls" and Je T'aime Hat
Etsy Wishlist: Puppy Edition!

Looking forward to: One of my jobs at the library is coming up with something for the big display wall in the kids' section every month, and I'm starting prep for the April wall, which will be April Showers Bring May Flowers. I'm going to make big 3-D clouds (with balloons, paper mache and polyester fiberfill -- wish me luck!) with raindrops coming down, and giant paper flowers. I'm looking forward to being crafty!

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

12 comments:

  1. Boxer pups sure do grow fast. When ours were pups, we wanted them to grow so we could see what they would look like as adults, then as soon as they did, we wanted them to be little again. Booker T turns 7 this month and I can still remember when we brought him home. Glad you have been enjoying the books you've been reading. Have a great week ahead!

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    1. I'm so curious what adult Alohi will look like, but I sure do wish she would just stay this size. She's soooo cute, and it's kinda nice to have a pint-sized dog!

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  2. A Bridge Across the Ocean sounds fascinating. Thanks for sharing it.

    It's hard when puppies grow up, isn't it?

    http://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2017/03/a-night-with-lincoln-in-bardo.html?m=1

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  3. Carve the Mark was a Kindle deal this week. I added it to me Kindle with no idea when I'll be able to read it. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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  4. Great post!A Bridge Across the Ocean looks good!Just added to my TBR.

    I like the format of your Monday Musings! Do you mind if I use the format (My Week, Reading, Watching, etc) on my blog? I will give you a shout out/link of course!

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    1. Of course! I'd been doing my Monday Musings posts that way before joining the link-up and I just carried it over. I'll look forward to reading more about what you're up to! (And you don't need to give me any credit.)

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  5. I LOVED A Bridge Across The Ocean. I will have a review on my blog on March 22. I hope you enjoy it too.

    Have a wonderful week.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My It's Monday, What Are You Reading

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  6. I really liked Arrival! The whole language aspect of it was fascinating.

    I didn't realize that this year wasn't the first time Beyonce was robbed of a Grammy. (I love Adele, but Beyonce's Lemonade album was literally the best thing that happened in 2016.)

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    1. Agreed! I thought it was so interesting to see the process they used to learn to communicate with each other! I love languages... sometimes I wish I had majored in one in college so I could work as a translator or something.

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  7. I tried to get A Bridge Across the Ocean and could not. This is one book I would have really liked to read. Sounds like so much of secrets and as you say intrigue.

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  8. I wonder if A Bridge Across the Ocean is going to take off like The Nightingale and All the Light We Cannot See. We just can't get enough of WWII stories, can we?

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    1. Sadly, I don't think it will! After reading it, I wasn't all that impressed. I haven't gotten around to "The Nightingale" yet but one thing "All the Light" had that this one did not was stellar writing. I totally agree, though, that we love WWII stories! WWII historical fiction is one of my favorite genres.

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