Sunday Post 62

Hello and Happy New Year!

Through Monday, I am linking with the following: 

Reading Reality, who hosts Stacking the Shelves

Readerbuzz, who hosts Sunday Salon

Caffeinated Reviewer, who hosts Sunday Post

The Book Date, who hosts It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Unleashing Readers, who hosts It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Kid Lit Version)

On these blogs you will be able to see links to the posts from others who are participating in these blog hops, and if you're a blogger, you can join too. 

Wow, except for a couple of puzzles, it's been a while since I posted. When the holiday season was upon us, I was starting to feel overwhelmed and I needed a break. I don't even really do much for Christmas...lol...but I guess everything happening around me was a lot.

Then the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve, the calendar switched to 2024...and I promptly got hit with Covid. This is my second go 'round with Covid (the first was in October 2022) and I can say both times it was fairly mild and this second time was even milder. However, any illness is tough, isn't it? It sucks the mental energy out of me. I developed a mild fever on New Year's Day and woke up with a headache plus the mild fever on January 2nd. That's when I decided to test and got the positive result. By Tuesday night, both the headache and the fever were gone. Since then I've had some mild congestion that's improving everyday. 

I have been dealing with a lot since last summer. It seems like every time I think things are getting better and I can catch my breath, something else happens. In addition to losing four friends in six months, which I already told you about, I had Shingles in September (again, a mild case...but still...) and in October I started having intermittent heart palpitations. This is something I have dealt with in the past...maybe ten years ago...but it had gotten better. 

I wasn't able to get an appointment to see a cardiologist until November, but I was assured that since my palpitations were only happening a couple times a week and not lasting more than a few minutes at the most each time, that it could wait. So I saw the cardiologist in November, had an EKG done, and wore a heart monitor for two weeks. Long story short, everything is fine and I just have to go back for a checkup in May. I think I may have been dehydrated. When I thought about it, that was the common denominator based on the times the heart palpitations flared up. Ever since I started drinking one more glass of water a day, it hasn't happened. Hopefully problem solved.

I'm cautiously optimistic that the bad stuff is behind me and I can look ahead to a great 2024. It just might take me a little time to really get back into the swing of things. I'm frustrated that I'm already behind where I want to be with my reading and blogging in 2024, but the year is young and there's still plenty of time to get on track, right?

IN THE BOOKS

To see how I did with my 2023 bookish challenges, click on 2023 Bookish Challenges on the right sidebar. I  have not yet signed up for all of the 2024 challenges, but I will soon.

RECENTLY FINISHED

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I listened to Slashing Through the Snow (Christmas Tree Farm Mystery 3), written by Jacqueline Frost and narrated by Allyson Ryan. While this isn't my favorite in the series, I did really enjoy this installment.

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I read Dearly Deleted (Book Blogger Mystery 2), by Sarah E. Burr. This was the first book I read on Cocoa (my Kindle device) and I loved it! You can read some excerpts here and you can read my full review here.

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I listened to Stalking Around the Christmas Tree (Christmas Tree Farm Mystery 4), written by Jacqueline Frost and once again narrated by Allyson Ryan. This is one of my favorites in the series. I am all caught up with this series now. It was so much fun to listen to all of them in the month of December. I finished just before Christmas Eve. I can't wait until the next one in this series is released later this year!

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I had been wanting to read The Christmas Book Flood, written by Emily Kilgore and illustrated by Kitty Moss, since last year and I finally did this year. I had trouble finding it at the library, so I decided to buy my own copy. I'm so glad I did. The illustrations are stunning and the story is sweet. I can see myself enjoying this children's picture book each Christmas.

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How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, by Dr. Seuss, is of course a children's classic. I read it to Bell and Fiona. I'm not sure if this book is their cup of tea because they left the room while I was reading it to them. Lol. But I enjoyed it.

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I had requested from Libby Being Henry: The Fonz...and Beyond, by Henry Winkler, months ago and it finally became available in December. It was the last book I listened to last year and, except for the swearing, I really enjoyed it. I haven't seen too many episodes of Happy Days, but after listening to the book, I want to binge the series. If you're planning to read this book, I highly recommend listening to the audiobook. Henry Winkler himself narrates it.

IN PROGRESS

I'm still reading The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, by Marie Benedict. I had been reading a print format, but I switched to Kindle. It is about the mysterious real-life, 11-day disappearance of Agatha Christie. Each chapter alternates between two time periods - one time period begins when Agatha first meets her husband-to-be and the second time period begins years later on the first day of her disappearance.

I am currently reading Choosing Love (Mapleton 0.5), a sweet romance novella written by Leah Dobrinska. This takes place around New Year's Day and is the perfect book to start the year. I hope to finish it in a few days. It was free on Kindle when I grabbed it, but I don't think it's free anymore.

Okay, so Murdle: Volume 1, 100 Elementary to Impossible Mysteries to Solve Using Logic, Skill, and the Power of Deduction, by G. T. Karber, isn't exactly a book you read in the traditional sense. However, Goodreads counts puzzle books, so I'm including it here. I've been doing one puzzle a day. So far they are very easy, but I know the difficulty level will increase. I have done a few of these puzzles online, but I didn't like the pressure of having to finish the harder ones within a day. I bought the book so I can take my time with them.

UP NEXT

I read Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, for the first time a couple years ago and I really loved it. This month, there's a book club that is reading this book, so I'm going to participate in that. Instead of re-reading the book, I'm going to listen to the audiobook, narrated by Kate Kellgren.

Coincidentally, The Cozy Mystery Book Club is starting the year with Pride, Prejudice, and Poison (Jane Austen Society Mystery 1), by Elizabeth Blake, so I'll be reading this one next.

ON TELEVISON

• Christmas Movies - I have watched a lot of Christmas movies over the past few weeks. I'm not going to list them here because there are so many, plus I'll be sharing my monthly list soon. Most were on Hallmark, but some were on other channels like Lifetime and GAC. 
• Love on the Right Course - Hallmark has a recent history of starting the year with not-so-great, almost disastrous movies, but this one is an exception. It's a traditional Hallmark movie with a predictable plot, but sometimes that's just what I need. I just wish they had included it as part of their summer lineup because that's when it takes place. I'd rather see winter movies in the winter.  But I did enjoy the setting and storyline. Nothing spectacular, just an easy, comforting watch.
• Friends - I'm almost at the end of season 6. I'll probably hold off on this series for a while so I can re-watch season 1 of The Way Home before season 2 airs later this month. I love The Way Home and I cannot wait for season 2! It's my favorite show on television.
• What If...? Season 2 - I watched the first three episodes which were okay. I'll watch the rest of them when I have small pockets of time to spare.  I'm not in a rush.

WEEKLY BLOG RECAP 

• Sunday Post 12/17 - Weekly Recap
• Book Review - 12/22 - Dearly Deleted (Book Blogger Mystery 2), by Sarah E. Burr
• Puzzle 12/23 - Hearts Come Home
• Bonus Puzzle 01/01 - Happy New Year 2024

I'm going to do my best to get back on track this week, but I have a lot of catching up to do with various things. I hope you all have a great week and a very happy 2024!