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Sunday, April 30, 2023

April 30th's Sunday/Monday Post

Welcome to the start of a new week.  I'll be kicking things off with a Sunday/Monday post, where I will link up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Some weeks I sit down to write this and not much has happened. Not so this week. 

Sunday, I went back to the LA Times Festival of Books. I met up with a friend this time. It was fun spending time with her since we hadn’t seen each other in a while. Talked to authors as well, although two we’d hoped to talk to didn’t wind up making it after all. 

Wednesday, I went into the office for the first time since March of 2020. It was definitely different, and I had to stop and think a bit about what I had to do. Yes, I’ve been working all this time, but my company isn’t making us come back on a regular basis. Wednesday was a one off for my team to be in person working together. It was nice for a change, but I’m so happy working at home, it was nice to be back to that the rest of the week. 

And I think I’ve finally caught up from the two day off I took to visit my family for Easter. Just in time for month end to start again, especially since I felt that way on Friday at 5.

Friday night, after work, I went to see Newsies. My local theater company put it on. It was closing weekend, so I couldn’t put it off any more. It was great. The two leads, especially were fantastic, but the entire cast was lots of fun.

Saturday morning started out with a paddle at the lake. Then I drove to see a friend who is in the area for the weekend. It was great to catch up with him and his family. 

And I think that about catches you up. 

This Past Week on the Blog:

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post
Monday - April 2023 Reading Summary
Tuesday - Book Review: Murder on the Home Front by Jessica Ellicott
Wednesday - Movie Review: Mission Impossible (1996)
Thursday - Book Review: #TagMe for Murder by Sarah E. Burr
Friday - Book Review: The Black Box by Michael Connelly
Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

Just one part to this this week. In fact, I only got one book at the festival on Sunday. I was so busy talking to my friend, I didn’t talk to as many authors, so I didn’t get talked into extra books. The only book I got was Gambling with Murder, which Lida Sideris, the author, gave me. 

Of course, I got other books this week. 

For example, there’s the Halloween novella anthology Halloween Cupcake Murder. I requested this ARC for the Mrs. Claus story by Liz Ireland, but it also has stories by Carlene O’Connor and Carol J. Perry.

I won a book from The Wickeds blog, and it arrived this week. I read the first in the Mystery of Old San Francisco series years ago, but I never moved on to the second. Thanks to Nancy Herriman, I now have a chance to read No Pity for the Dead.

Finally, there’s my pre-order of Murder on Bedford Street by Victoria Thompson. The book came out on Tuesday, and my copy arrived Friday. I’ll be reading it in August. Kind of hard to believe I’m going to be caught up on this series in just a few months.  I started the series a few years ago, and the idea of ever catching up seemed daunting. 

What I’m Currently Reading:


I went into the weekend reading Silence is Golden, the sixth Connor Westphal mystery from Penny Warner. This series features a deaf reporter in CA’s Gold Country. And we are dealing with a potential mini gold rush here. And murder, of course. 

When I finish that, I’ll start in on If I Had a Hammer by Teresa Trent. This is the second in her series set in 1960’s Texas. This particular book picks up in the aftermath of President Kennedy’s assassination. 

Thank that about does it. Have a great week.

15 comments:

  1. That sounds like a fantastic book festival. Too bad you were distracted and your favored authors were not all present.

    best,mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  2. Thank you for telling us about the LA Book Festival. My husband and I had planned to come to LA this year---he would rock hunt and I would go to the festival. Then we realized it was the same weekend as the library conference. Maybe next year!

    We went to see a play last week, too. It has been such a long time since I've seen a live event. We saw a fun version of Sherlock Holmes with Oscar Wilde in the plot.

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  3. That's amazing that you went into the office for the first time in 3 years! I am jealous that you got to the festival and that I couldn't go this year. I haven't been in soooo long. Have a great week.

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  4. Silence is Golden - what an interesting main character - a deaf reporter. How would that even work? I'm curious.
    Terrie @ Bookshelf Journeys

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  5. Glad you were able to paddle this week. And the festival sounds amazing. I'd like to get to more bookish events now that things are happening more again. :)

    Gambling for Murder looks fun.

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  6. That book festival sounds like so much fun. Malice Domestic was here in Maryland this weekend. I'm thinking of going next year. That's good you can work from home. I don't work anymore, but I've gotten so used to doing other things from home and I love it. Local live theater is a lot of fun. I used to go a lot to a theater near me. Have a great week! :)

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  7. So glad you were able to catch up from your vacation and had a good time at Festival of books! My husband has started having to go into the office one day a week when he's not traveling and it's definitely been an adjustment! Have a great week!

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  8. A Festival of Books sounds like so much fun! Wow, back in the office after three years must have been a mind-blowing experience. I’m so glad you seem to have had a great week!
    I enjoyed your post of the Noble Nutcrackers #4. Every year we would buy each of our kids a Hallmark ornament. That was my favorite part of Christmas shopping.

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  9. The one silver lining for many from CoVid is the proof that people are capable of working from home, and it has so many benefits.

    Wishing you a great reading week

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  10. Newsies is great. My kids watched that video so much when they were young that we all knew the lyrics :) Enjoy your reading this week!
    Mary @Bookfan

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  11. Sounds like a nicely busy week. You also have some interesting books on your stack. Yay for being almost caught up on a series you enjoy. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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  12. Sounds like a really good busy week. I didn't realize you were working from home. At least you get out and have friend time during the evenings and weekends.
    Nice books again this week. Happy Reading!

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  13. Employers get a sweet deal with employees working from home, using their own electricity, internet, phones, computers, etc. No need to provide staff bathrooms, etc., either! I'm just back from three vacation days and the weekend (Texas trip) and I feel like I'm never going to catch up!
    I wonder if Teresa Trent's series was on the list of books set in Texas that I used to choose my vacation reading.

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  14. Bingo, 3 of the 4 books you got with the word murder in the title, enjoy!

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  15. I often wish I could work from home. Doing work with no makeup or uniform sounds awesome. I hope you enjoy your new books!

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