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The Sunday Post (4 July 2021) and Where I've Been...

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly of Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

Hi! It's been a while... I can't believe how much time has passed! I never thought I'd be away from this blog for so long. In all honesty, life just ran away from me and the blog just got put on the backburner. I never expected it to be years later that I'd open it up and start typing again. 

Looking back, I really wasn't in the right headspace and I was putting too much pressure on myself to make this blog perfect and keep up with the latest books. I've decided to just go with the flow now. I'm happy with my imperfect blog, though I will be doing some work over the next few months to make sure all previous posts are updated to the new theme. And I'm not going to put pressure on myself to keep up-to-date with new releases. Instead, I'm going to focus on the 100s of unread books I already own. I'm not going to peruse Netgalley daily like I used to (although I'm not saying never).

In terms of life, it's completely changed since I last logged on. My biggest achievement is I bought a house back in 2018! I have my own little place of my own. I've also said goodbye to my childhood dog... I got a new job that I absolutely love!... I've gained a sister (my brother got married!), a nephew and a few more cousins (I'm loving being surrounded by little ones!)... The last few years have definitely been a rollercoaster of emotions. Particularly this past year! I managed to survive living on my own through complete lockdown (although saying that I do speak more to myself now than I ever did before - even the dog ignores me now!). I've questioned my sanity a lot this past year! But hopefully, that's us on the road to something more like pre-pandemic life.

Anyway back to the book talk... I barely picked up a single book in the past few years. Yes, even through lockdown surprisingly. I read 4 books last year! However, I'm back on a roll and I've read 12 books since March. Not the same numbers as I was previously reading before my hiatus, but I'm more than happy with that. 

I'm not sure how quickly I'll have my next post up as life is pretty busy at the moment, but I do have a few reviews done in the notebook so it will be soon. Hopefully this week, but until I get into the swing of things, you'll have to bear with me!

Last Week on the Blog

....

This Week on the Blog

I'm not in a routine yet. I'm just going to post as and when I can for the moment and I'm trying to read ahead to have a few posts queued up.

What I Read Last Week


Currently Reading


What I Plan to Read This Week

Not too sure... I'm just going to play it by ear and read what I fancy until 1. I really get back into blogging and 2. make a substantive dent in my TBR pile.

Book Haul


Hamnet, Maggie O'Farrell / The Midnight Library. Matt Haig

Currently Watching

Out of boredom, I started watching Love Island. Totally not something I thought I'd ever be interested in, but I'm currently hooked! It's the kind of tv that I can pop on in the background too and doesn't need much brainpower.

Currently Listening To

I've been asking Alexa to play my "playlist" a lot this week to do the housework and I've been getting a lot of 90s girl bands, Dolly Parton, and musicals this week. 


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Feel free to leave a comment.

Comments

  1. Yeah, we've slowed down on our blogging a lot, too. It just started to feel more like work than a fun hobby. We don't even review all the books we read anymore - because we just want to read :)
    Congratulations on your house, and on the job you love. I hope you'll keep blogging a little more often, and that you'll enjoy it rather than feel any kind of pressure.
    Have a lovely week ahead and happy reading.

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  2. Exactly how I was feeling! My blog shouldn't feel like work (I get enough of that during the week). I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to build my blogging back up without getting burnt out taking an easy does it approach.

    Hope you have a lovely week too!

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  3. Blogging is meant to be fun, so I think your decision about going with the flow and be happy about it sounds good. I've heard so much about both The Midnight Library and Hamnet, but haven't read either of them. Hope you will enjoy!

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    Replies
    1. Exactly! I think I'm just going to leave it up to fate and post now and then instead of a hard routine. Hopefully I'll get to both books soon!

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  4. Welcome back! Sometimes a break is what you need to re-charge and get inspired again. I love your go with the flow blog plan! I try to keep my blogging pretty casual too. Congrats on your new home! Sounds like the past couple of years have been good for you.

    The two audible collections you mentioned (Monster & Jane Austen) sound great! I'm not a member at the moment, but I'm adding these to my wish list for future reference.

    Enjoy your week!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! It feels great to be back, and hopefully it stays that way. The Jane Austen collection was really good, more like plays rather than someone ready from a book which was quite good for holding my interest.

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  5. I have lived alone for a long time! So I get how hard it was during the pandemic living alone, as well as talking to yourself! I'm sure my neighbors think I'm crazy when I take the dogs outside and hold conversations with them. I mean, who else do I have to talk to? lol Have a great week, glad you're back!
    Lisa Loves Literature

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's nice to hear from people in similar pandemic situations! I'm the only one in my immediate family and friend group living alone so nobody quite understood. My neighbours must think the same if I'm honest.

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  6. Oh, wow! Welcome back after such a long hiatus! I love to see when a "missing" blogger reappears! :-)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! It feels great to be back and hopefully I can stay around for longer.

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  7. Welcome back to blogging! And congrats on the house! How awesome!!! I'm a strong believer in just going with the flow when it comes to blogging, for sure. :) Hope you have an awesome time with it...

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  8. Thank you so much! It's great being back and I definitely agree that it's easiest to just go with the flow.

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  9. It's so fun when bloggers suddenly reappear after a long hiatus. Welcome back!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! It's great to be back

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  10. Welcome back :-) Jane Austen is the best! Happy reading.

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