This week I decided to separate my Stacking the Shelves and Weekly Wrap-Up posts for the first time as I wanted to be able to focus on each individually. From now on my Stacking the Shelves post will remain on a Saturday (you can read yesterday’s post here) and Weekly Wrap-Ups will be on a Sunday. I’m going to see how it goes, I may end up going back to a combined post but we’ll see!
I’m linking this post up to Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer’s Sunday Blog Share. 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.
I wrote my monthly wrap-up post a week ago and shared more about what has been happening in my real life of late (you can read that post here), thank you to all of you who sent me such lovely messages of support.
This week it feels like I’m finally beginning to adjust to some of the changes in my life. I’ve got my stairlift ordered and it will be fitted in about a week and a half so I can’t wait for that. I’ve stopped hating the fact that I need it and have realised that I need to embrace the freedom and independence it will give me. I’ll be able to go downstairs in my own home by myself for the first time in ten months and that is something to celebrate and be happy about!
Now I’m getting my head around things it seems some space has been freed up in my brainand finally my reading mojo is coming back! I’ve been in a slump for most of this year so far and it’s been horrible; life is so much harder when I can’t escape into a good book for a while. This week I’ve managed to read three full-length books and one short story, which is almost a normal amount for me on a good week so I’m thrilled! I haven’t reviewed these books yet but I will be doing in the next week or two so please look out for them. Here are the books I’ve read:
Time to Say Goodbye by S. D. Robertson
Sisters and Lies by Bernice Barrington
Bone by Bone by Sanjida Kay
A Woman in a Million by Monica Wood
I’ve also managed to blog every day this week, which has felt wonderful. I love blogging and really miss it when I’m not able to post anything. Here are this week’s posts in order:
Monday: February Wrap-Up Post
Tuesday: Q&A with Janet Ellis (author of The Butcher’s Hook)
Tuesday: Review of The Silent Girls by Ann Troup
Wednesday: WWW Wednesday post
Thursday: Review of Look At Me by Sarah Duguid
Friday: A guest post by Elle Turner (author of Tapestry)
Saturday: Stacking the Shelves post
I can’t promise to keep up this schedule – I’ve managed it this week as it’s the first time in ages that I haven’t had any medical appointments. This coming week is a bit busier so I probably won’t blog every day but I’ll definitely post some days.
I’m back to having lots of books on the go at once so here is what I’m currently reading:
Three novels…
Quicksand by Steve Toltz
I just started reading this one yesterday and it’s very good. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this novel but it’s got me hooked very quickly and I’m enjoying it. I’m on the blog tour for this one so look out for my review on Friday (11th March)
When She Was Bad by Tammy Cohen
I was super excited when I got approved for this one on Net Galley recently! I absolutely love Tammy Cohen’s novels (even though I’m a wimp and they majorly put me on edge!), I could not wait to start reading this and expect I’ll be racing through it.
A Proper Family Christmas by Chrissie Manby
I have a terrible confession about this book that I’m a little bit ashamed to admit to! I love Chrissie Manby’s novels, especially this series about the Benson family. I kept this one to read around Christmas (given the title, it seemed apt) and duly started reading it in December. I was really enjoying it and flying through it. Then in January I got the next book in the series for my birthday, which I picked up recently to start reading and it felt like I’d missed something. I quickly googled thinking I’d maybe missed a book out… and then it slowly dawned on me that even though I was sure that I’d finished A Proper Family Christmas but I actually hadn’t! How bad is it that you can forget you’re reading a book when it’s one that you were genuinely enjoying?! Anyway, I picked it back up in the early hours and am sure I’ll have finished it in no time and can get going with the next one.
Three non-fiction books…
Truth, Lies and, O-Rings: Inside the Space Shuttle Disaster by Allan J. McDonald & James R. Hansen
I’ve always been fascinated by anything to do with space and space travel and at the moment I seem to be seeking out a lot of books on the subject. This one is about the Challenger disaster and it’s an interesting, yet disturbing read. It is over 800 pages long and quite technical in places so I think this will be one I’m reading for a while yet.
A Mother’s Reckoning by Sue Klebold
This is such an interesting book. I was in two minds about reading it as sometimes books about terrible crimes can make me feel like i’m rubbernecking and I don’t like that. This book is not one of those books a . I’m finding it an intense read so am only reading a chapter at a time and then leaving it for a while but it is a book that I’d definitely recommend.
Sally Ride by Lynn Sherr
I’ve been reading this biography for a while now, it’s only taking me so long because it’s a hardback and some days I simply can’t hold a book that heavy so have to wait for the good days. It’s a brilliant book though, I’m enjoying it so much.
What have you been reading this week? Please feel free to link to your weekly wrap-up post, or if you don’t have a blog please share in the comments below! I love to hear what you’re all reading. 🙂
RatherTooFondofBooks 
Congratulations on all of this! I don’t blog half as much as you but I know the ‘ahh’ feeling that comes when you’ve read and blogged as much as your head intended for you to do. And that’s funny about the Christmas book(I’m assuming it wasn’t at the time!) I hate when the missing link to something is a Christmas book, and it isn’t that time of the year, even if it is a good book! Well done and go you with your attitude and I know I don’t ‘know’ you, but make sure to look after yourself, you’ve a great attitude to your challenges, and that’s half the battle. Oh and The hardback thing? That’s what happens with nearly all paperbacks for me nowadays, who’d have known Kindle would have been such a game changer?! Happy Sunday and well done again. Great post, exceptional blog:)
Thanks so much! 🙂 I was so annoyed over the Christmas book, especially as it means I’m now reading it at the wrong time of year. The only good thing is that I’ve over halfway through and Christmas has only been mentioned once so it’s not an overly Christmassy book thankfully. I’ve had my wobbly moments when I’ve not been coping so well but I do try to always find the positives. I don’t know what I’d do without my kindle – I certainly wouldn’t be able to read much at all without it. I do still like print books but they are harder to get engrossed in as I’m aware of the difficulty holding them all the time, whereas with Kindle it’s almost like it disappears and I’m completely in the novel. Happy Sunday to you too, and thanks for being so lovely. 🙂
🙂
I’m glad you’ve come to terms with needing a stairlift, and getting it installed so you are able to get up and downstairs on your own.
I hope this coming week will be great, both when it comes to reading and blogging and everything else.
Thank you so much. 🙂
I think this is my first time here but nice to discover your blog! I’m glad the stairlift will help and glad your reading mojo is back. Slumps are tough especially when going through a hard time- books can be therapeutic I think for readers. 🙂
Don’t feel too bad, I’ll admit to reading a Christmas type book when it wasn’t Christmas. Ha ha . Have a great week!
Thanks so much. Books are definitely therapeutic – I always think tough times are harder to cope with for a reader who can’t escape into a good book for a while.
Glad it’s not just me reading Christmas books at the wrong time of year! Haha!
Have a good week too.
Thanks for sharing your blog 😊 Great reading. I’ve been reading The teacher by Katerina Diamond from NetGalley (ty) it’s awesome but I have 💩 My👖 A LOT 😊 I have just settled on a website Lauraprime.weebly.com nothing to shout about yet but am looking forward to adding to it xx
Thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂 I’m too scared to read The Teacher, I’m a bit of a wimp about books like that. Is it really, really scary? Hope you have fun setting up your website and adding more content – I’ll look forward to reading more of your posts. x
It definitely isn’t for the faint hearted no !
I’ve added my review to my site this evening so you can get the just of it
Just had a look at your review – it sounds like it really did have you on the edge of your seat! I think I’m too much of a scaredy cat to attempt reading this one! Eeek! Great review though 🙂
I’m happy you are getting the chairlift and you are accepting the need and benefits of it. And yah for kicking the reading slump. When I get in one, I grab an old favorite off the shelf and it usually helps me look for other books like it. Before you know it, I’m back reading voraciously. LOL Have a lovely week and enjoy those new reads:)
My Sunday Post – http://fuonlyknew.com/2016/03/06/whats-new-on-my-bookshelf-150-and-the-sunday-post/
Looking forward to next week’s review of Quicksand and congrats on all your blogging!
Thank you so much. I’m still reading Quicksand and really enjoying it.
Wow. You have been doing a lot of reading, and writing. And, I am glad you are totally out of the slump. 🙂
Thank you. It was the first week in ages where I got to just relax and so had time and energy to read and blog. This week is already more chaotic so I’ve not read much the last couple of days but I do have a review to post tomorrow. It’s so good to be out of my reading slump though. 🙂
When She Was Bad looks interesting. I think looking at the postive for things like the chairlift is awesome. I am glad your mojo for reading is back and hope it continues. Have a fantastic week!
I’ve started reading When She Was Bad and it’s really good so far. I do love Tammy Cohen’s books, she’s such a great writer. I do try to always find the positives in life – it’s not always easy but mostly I think that if things have happened that can’t be changed then I have to find a way to make the best of the situation. Hope you have a fantastic week too! 🙂
Glad things are settling down for you and you’ve been able to get back into reading 🙂
Thank you 🙂
I’m really looking forward to reading the Tammy Cohen too – she hasn’t disappointed me yet!
I started reading it yesterday and it’s so good! She’s such a great writer.
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