Sunday, May 3, 2020

The Sunday Post #222



The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. I’m linking up with The Caffeinated Book ReviewerReaderbuzz, and Book Date. 

*This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.





The Sunday Post #222





On The Blog Last Week







On The Blog This Week


  • On Monday I wrap up April.
  • On Tuesday I have the most irrelevant blog post ever.
  • On Wednesday I highlight some more new releases.





In My Reading Life


Last week, I finished three young adult books. The first (and most successful) was A List of Cages by Robin Roe. The characters are so adorable! I can’t handle it. The book is hilarious, then devastating, then hilarious again. The story is about two former foster brothers who reconnect in high school. One brother seems to have his life together. The other brother is in a dangerous situation and badly needs help. I like that the plot focuses on friendship instead of on romantic love. This book is worth reading for the main characters. They’re sweet and funny.




Then I read Black Helicopters by Blythe Woolston. I’m conflicted about this one. It’s unique. It stars a teenage girl who decides to become a suicide bomber. I enjoyed the untrustworthy main character and the author’s attention to detail. I still have so many “Why?” questions! Stuff just happens without explanation. But, it’s definitely memorable. I can see myself rereading it.




Then I read Black Bird of the Gallows by Meg Kassel. It reminded me why I don’t like paranormal romance. If you love Twilight, then you need to read this novel. The Twilight vibes are strong. It’s about a 200-year-old paranormal boy who falls in love with an ordinary teenage girl. It’s full of angst, lust, and magical peril. I was interested in the creepy paranormal creatures, but I found everything else ridiculous. (I felt the same way about Twilight.)




Right now, I’m reading Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak. He’s one of my favorite authors, but . . . so far I don’t like this book. The writing style is deliberately difficult to understand, but I currently don’t know why. Maybe I’ll figure it out later? I don’t know. I don’t want to DNF!







In The Rest Of My Life


Five things that made me happy last week:

  1. I ate an excellent burrito.
  2. New books! (I’m trying to support used bookstores, but it’s terrible for my TBR mountain.)
  3. I’ve now done yoga every day for 90 days. I’m still terrible at it.
  4. I’m bad at yoga, but I’ve gotten a tiny bit faster at running in the last few weeks. I don’t know why. I'm not doing anything differently.
  5. After 3 years of effort, the blog’s Pinterest account finally hit 1 million monthly viewers. I realize this just means that people are bored in lockdown, but 1 million people looked at my Pinterest nonsense in April!







Let’s Be Friends (Distantly)
















Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other! See you around the blogosphere!








34 comments:

  1. I've been hopeful for the new Markus Kusak book. Please keep reading, at least a bit more, and report back to us.

    Congratulations on your Pinterest account. That's a lot of visits in one month. I've been eagerly awaiting my 1,000,000 page view on my blog. That's after almost twelve years.

    If A List of Cages has wonderful characters, that's a book for me. I'm all about the characters.

    Have a good week.

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  2. I know nothing about Pinterest and am kind of confused about how it would work with a book blog. It sounds like I need to check it out. 1 million views is a lot! Congrats! I loved A List of Cages and have Bridge of Clay on my shelf somewhere. I hope you have a great week, AJ!

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  3. Oh my goodness - don't start wrapping it around with justifications - that's a MILLION - with 6 noughts... Huge deal. At any time. I think you should do a happy dance for the rest of May, personally. Other than that, I'm impressed you have done yoga for 90 days - is there a special award for that? Have a safe week, AJ.

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  4. OMG, burritos! I miss them. I am thinking of doing curbside Qdoba for Cinco de Mayo. I need some TexMex in my life. I have only heard amazing things about A List of Cages. I keep saying I'm going to read it. Maybe I will make it my backlog book next week, as long as I am not in too dark a mood. Wow! Teen suicide bomber. That's deep. Maybe your yoga is improving your stamina, which is improving your running. It could all be connected.

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  5. Glad you got a hold of some great books, if you see any more thrillers shoot them my way, and good job with the yoga. I recently heard of virtual yoga being done in Israel, If I find out the link, i'll send it to ya.:)

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  6. I suck at yoga, everything gets in the way of bending over.
    I can't eat burritos but I used too and they are yum. Glad yours was so awesome!

    Have a great week, AJ! Stay Safe and happy Reading! xx

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  7. I've got Bridge of Clay on my tbr shelf and I am nervous about the book. I aodre The Book Thief, but this one is intimidating. I hope the book improves.

    - Lois

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  8. I loved A List of cages!!!!! And one million??? That's amazing!!! Now about yoga, is it Yoga with Adriene that you are doing? Because she has been my life saver in this lockdown!

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  9. I am glad you can find 5 things which make you happy. I had tacos for lunch today using lettuce from the garden.

    Take care, be kind and sensible!

    Anne - Books of My Heart Here is my Sunday Post   

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  10. You're now a bishop with a dragon? How cool! Now off to read your irreverent post that I missed.

    www.thepulpitandthepen.com

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  11. Congrats on 1mil on Pinterest! I just followed! I feel like I need to make one just for my blog now because my personal one is a big mess!
    Have a great week, AJ! :)

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  12. Aw, it sucks to read a book by an author you love and not end up enjoying it. :( Here's hoping it turns out better than you're finding it now!

    My weekly roundup post.

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  13. I have been madly ordering things on Amazon...and soon my apartment will look like a hoarder's sanctuary, lol.

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  14. Congrats on Pinterest! I don't know, that seems like a lot to me! One million- wow!! Pinterest is pretty cool, actually, I need to do more there. I do find a lot of cool art images and can fall down that rabbit hole for hours!

    Burritos are up there w/ pizza and Chinese food for me as one of the great foods of life. Sounds yummy!!

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  15. What can be better than an excellent burrito and new books? Sounds good to me :) I've been wanting to try yoga. I never did it before...someday :) Hope you have a great week!

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  16. It could be that your yoga practice has enhanced your overall flexibility and has made running easier/faster for you! Congrats on your Pinterest milestone!

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  17. LOL, your post lockdown comment about buying stupid shit is very relatable. I have been on an online shopping spree too and it's becoming a real problem. Congrats on all that you're accomplishing with yoga. I haven't done it in ages but really need to get back into it because it's so good for the body and just for stress relief in general. Congrats on 1 million followers on Pinterest. I suck at Pinterest and have like 9 followers or something lame like that.

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  18. That's awesome you have been practicing yoga. I'd love to get back into it. Also, congrats on your Pinterest page. That's fantastic. I will have to check it out!

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  19. I won an ARC of Bridge of Clay, but could not get into it! I tried several times, but ended up giving it to a friend instead. Hopefully you have better luck with it!

    Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear?😷 💬

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  20. Did you make this excellent burrito??

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  21. Black Helicopters sounds interesting. I might have to check that one out. I just realized I don't know when the last time I ate a burrito was . . . I hope Bridge of Clay gets better for you. It sounds like you aren't alone though in finding it difficult. Have a great week, AJ.

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  22. Wow, well done on the Pinterest figs, that's amazing. I must check do I follow you there. Bridge of Clay is a book I've picked up and put down a few times, I just don't think it's for me.

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  23. I've never had a burrito, I must admit. It's not big in Sydney, at least. Maybe in Melbourne. I'm intrigued by your description og Black Helicopter. It sounds so good!

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  24. Congrats on your Pintrest views.
    I loved Twilight so I’m adding Black bird at the gallows to my reading list.

    Wishing you a great reading week

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  25. I had similar feelings about Twilight. Zusak wrote The Book Thief, yes? One of those books that got talked about a lot that I haven't read yet. Tonight is Mexican Monday at my house, and your post reminded me of the yummy food coming later. Have a great week!

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  26. Congrats on the Pinterest views! that's very exciting. I'm glad to hear you really liked A List of Cages - that's one I'd like to read.

    lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  27. Now I want an excellent burrito...
    :p

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  28. It has been quite a while since I've read substantially in YA. One sneaks in once in a while though. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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  29. Oh my gosh that picture at the top of the page is HILARIOUS!!! 1 million views on pinterest is amazing!!! Way to go!

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  30. You make me want to read A List of Cages! Wow, a million views on Pinterest is quite something. Enjoy your reading week.

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  31. I have not put any effort lately into my Pinterest *smile* But maybe I should... Congrats on the huge number there! Stay safe and well.

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  32. I haven't been reading much middle grade lately. I think I've discovered that I pretty much got all the middle grade I read from the library except for school books for my son or my shelf of favorites. I'm bad at yoga too but I love it. 90 days in a row is impressive and I bet it is somehow contributing to your increase in speed. Hope you're having a great week!

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  33. Wow! 1 million monthly Pinterest viewers is kind of amazing. I'm mostly only on Pinterest when I'm looking for something specific (lately it's been junk art garden statues---yep, you read that right). I'll have to go check out your Pinterest secrets---I know you've mentioned it before.

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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  34. I'm trying to tickle my taste buds with new things-lots of smoked meat and fish, different cheese, new cereal, treating us to cakes...just to break the same old routine! Old El Paso will be getting tried a bit more too!

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