Sunday, August 5, 2018

The Sunday Post #158

This dog illustration was created in the 1800s, but it looks exactly like a dog I used to have. There's only one logical explanation: My dog was a time-traveling supermodel.




The Sunday Post is hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, and share news. It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by Book Date. I get to tell you what I’ve read recently.





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On The Blog Last Week











On The Blog This Week


  • On Tuesday I mini review some middlegrade books.
  • On Thursday we discuss the blogosphere’s favorite books of 2018 (so far). I need your input on this, so please come back.
  • On Saturday there’s a book haul.









In My Reading Life


I’ve been reading a lot, so brace yourself.

Last week, I finished The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. I liked it a lot. It’s one of the best middlegrade books I’ve read so far this year. When I was a kid, I rode hunter/jumpers, so I would have been obsessed with the horsey parts of this book at one time in my life. The main character’s emotions feel very raw and realistic. If you know any teens who like slower-paced historical fiction, I’d recommend this one.



Then I read Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk. More middlegrade historical fiction. I like the mystery aspect. Sometimes heroes don't look like heroes, and victims don't look like victims. I have mixed feelings about the rest of it. It starts off innocent and predictable, and then . . . damn, dude. It gets really dark, really suddenly. I also have issues with how the adult characters behave. I don’t think it’s realistic.



After that, I was bored with middlegrade, so I switched to nonfiction. I read Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination by J.K. Rowling. I like the illustrations and the stories that Rowling tells from her own life. I’m going to leave this quote right here: "Even your nationality sets you apart. The great majority of you belong to the world's only remaining superpower. The way you vote, the way you live, the way you protest, the pressure you bring to bear on your government, has an impact way beyond your borders. That is your privilege, and your burden."



Okay, one more. I read The Ghost Map: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How it Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson. It’s about cholera and how scientists discovered the cause of it. This book is dryer and more textbookish than what I normally read. I skimmed parts of it because I got bored.



Right now, I’m reading fiction. Pull Me Under by Kelly Luce. I’m almost done with it, and I think I probably should have DNFed. The synopsis made me think that it would have more stabbing. Mostly it’s bland. Maybe the ending will be awesome?








In My Internet Stalking Life










In The Rest Of My Life


Five things that made me happy last week:

  1. I got a lot of reading done and am ahead on my Goodreads goal by 1 book.
  2. I figured out how to post an Instagram story. Big thank you to the 16 people who watched that mess. I’m really happy that the stories disappear after 24 hours.
  3. Also, thank you to everyone who has entered my giveaway so far!
  4. I did pretty well at eating healthy. The house is currently full of junk food, but I have mostly resisted it.
  5. I saw a young coyote while walking the dog. It had long legs and looked all scrawny and awkward. It was adorable in a deadly rabies kind of way.









Follow Me on all the things that are destroying the world











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











92 comments:

  1. I love how you post your last week and next week on the blog - I might steal your idea for my future Sunday Post because I have a lot of trouble with that section!

    Good luck on continuing the healthy eating - it's the worst when there's so much junk around the house, that always seems to be the case in my house.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Go ahead and steal it. Resisting junk food is hard. I love sugar and want to eat all of it.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  2. My house always has junk food in it since the other three people who live here love it. It's so hard to resist when it's right in front of your face. Keep it up!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I know! Every time I open the cupboard, there are a thousand things I want to eat. All I get is vegetable soup and salad.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  3. Ha, I'm still trying to figure out regular Instagram, I haven't even tried stories yet! I don't think I understand the point of them. And some people have SO MANY every day! Are they just constantly on their phones?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wondered the same thing. I guess I’m not as attached to my phone as other people.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  4. Yay or reading a lot! I feel like I have been reading more too. Oh man it took me SO long to figure out IG stories. Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I spent a really long time pushing buttons on IG Stories. I don’t think stories are going to be my thing.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  5. I love a good time traveling dog.

    I actually haven't read MG in years. Like. maybe Harry Potter 1 was my last MG?? I need to try some out.

    I'm sad I missed your insta story!

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  6. That's great about your Goodreads goal. I'm trying to get there, but I'm still behind. I hope you have a great week!

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  7. I know learning the ropes of Instagram can be tricky ;-) Thanks for the giveaway!!

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  8. Happy for you being able to read as much as you want. I also hate when I;m finishing a book and realizing I should have DNF'ed it too. Hope your week is as productive as this one was.

    Tori @ In Tori Lex

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    1. Yeah, I really should have DNFed. It didn’t get better at the end.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  9. Yay for being ahead of your Goodreads goal! And for resisting so much junk food—I just have to force myself to not buy it, which I (mostly) succeed at. But if it's in the house, I'm fighting a losing battle it seems 😂 And thank you so much for sharing my post ♥♥

    ReplyDelete
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    1. It was a good post. I’m good at not buying junk food, but if it’s in my face, I want it.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  10. Woo, sounds like you had an awesome week! Good job getting ahead on your reading goal! I'm currently about 7 or 8 books behind schedule but I'm hoping I can catch up by the end of the year!

    Ashtyn @ Wonderland’s Reader!

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  11. My house is full of junk food and I seem to be trying to eat it all. Please share your secrets to avoiding it :) I love the J.K. Rowling quote. There are quite a few deer, coyotes, and other wildlife around my area but I have yet to see a coyote myself. I am glad you saw a cute one. Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I wish I had a secret. I put all my healthy food in two spots, so I don’t have to look at the unhealthy food. I’m trying to avoid seeing what bad food we have.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  12. I think the time traveling supermodel theory is rock solid. Way to resist the junk food, and look at you trying new things. I am just not the "story" type of person, but the kids love that stuff.

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    1. I don’t think I’m a story person, either. It seemed like a lot of fiddly work for 10 seconds of video.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  13. I found The Ghost Map pretty dry too, even though it's a topic I love. Sigh. But there is a lot of interesting info!

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    1. Exactly! I liked learning about cholera, but the other stuff was really boring.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  14. My son had company this weekend and my house is full of junk food too. I have resisted so far and hope they consume all of it before I weaken. LOL That dog illustration looks like one of my first dogs. Perhaps ours were time traveling companions. LOL Looks like you've been enjoying some wonderful books. Here's to many more:)

    My Sunday Post

    ReplyDelete
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    1. There must have been lots of time-traveling dogs :). We have company, too. Normally there isn’t yummy food in the house, so it’s easier to eat healthy.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  15. I sometimes have issues with MG that gets too dark. Mostly because I'm always thinking about my daughter, and she just can't deal with books when they get too dark. That's just her, I know, but it's hard for me to put that out of my mind when I read for this age group.

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. I was thinking about that, too. The book starts out pretty innocent, and then it suddenly gets intense. That would be a nasty surprise for some kids.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  16. Good job on eating well. I really really need to get back into that. There isn't tons of junk food in the house though, so that's a plus at least!! :) I'm now following you on Pinterest. I've never done an Insta story...I'm curious, but I feel like I'd be awkward if I had to talk, etc.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thanks for following! I didn’t talk in my Insta story. It was just photos and text.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  17. I'll definitely be back for that post on Thursday! How fun! So many interesting books this week. Ghost Map definitely seems like some good info, but I'd probably have a hard time reading it. Good job with the healthy eating! I completely failed on that last week, but I'm back on the train!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My Thursday post took a few months of research, so I’m hoping that people find it interesting.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  18. What an interest filled post, the middle grade book sounds very good and the J. K . Rowling one sounds like it has some important messages.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I really liked the JK Rowling book. She’s smart and has a lot of good advice.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  19. Ha! I wish you'd be able to ask your dog about the time traveling top-model gig;)
    It sounds like you had a pretty good week, AJ, both with reading, your Goodreads goal, and other things.
    Have a wonderful week ahead and happy reading.
    Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I wish I could ask him, too. He died a few years ago. He was a very beautiful dog.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  20. Hmmm...the Cybils will be looking for judges for middle-grade fiction soon...Just saying....

    Oh, that quote. I have the feeling it is going to haunt me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I’ve heard of Cybils, but I don’t know anything about it. I’ll have to Google it.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  21. You definitely read a lot! I only managed to read two books :) Have a wonderful day!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I usually only read 1-2 books a week. For some reason, I was a rockstar last week.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  22. Ha ha on the time-traveling dog. Yay for resisting junk food. I like middle grade books, I'll have to remember to come back and read your reviews.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thanks! I have to find time to write the reviews. They’ll probably be up at the end of the month.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  23. Congrats on being ahead of your Goodreads goal. It's such a great feeling, right? the War that Saved My Life and Wolf Hollow seem amazing books. I think I've to read more middle-grade books.

    Happy readings! ;)
    Tânia @MyLovelySecret

    ReplyDelete
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    1. One of my goals this year is to read more middlegrade. I’m doing pretty well so far.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  24. I resist Instagram stories. RESIST THEM!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I got curious! Honestly, I don’t really understand the point of them. I’m happy with just taking photos.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  25. It took me a while to figure out IG stories. It apparently took me a while to do it "right" because my best friend from back home immediately sent me a message when I uploaded a particular story and told me that I was "getting the hang of it." HaHaHaHa

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Haha, I definitely didn’t do it right. I’m surprised that it worked at all.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  26. Yay for being ahead on your reading challenge. I tend to steer clear if at all possible of the cyotes here where we live. Right now the bear are out in full force, so I have to watch for them more now than normal when we take out dog out. UGH... Enjoy your week. :)

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    1. We don’t have many bears, but we do have lots of coyotes. Luckily, they mostly stay away from humans.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  27. How nice - a time traveling dog. I haven't read much middle grade since I retired but have a few nonfiction ones coming up on my review stack. Please note - I also seldom read nonfiction. Should be an interesting experience. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

    ReplyDelete
  28. JK Rowling is such a fascinating woman. LOL. You can understand why I am not yet on Instagram. I suck at graphics and photos are just a form of graphics. Anne - Books of My Heart

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Instagram will never be my favorite social media platform. I’m also terrible at making graphics. I have no artistic skills at all.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  29. Thank you for the "adorable in a deadly rabies sort of way" comment. I'm reading this on my lunch hour and it's just what I needed. You read quite a variety of books this week. I'm alternating between dog books for a readathon and horror. What a combo right? And OF COURSE your dog was a time-traveling supermodel!!!

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    1. Haha, cute puppies and gory horror sounds like a perfect combo to me.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  30. Congrats on the reading and resisting the Junk Food (caps intended). That second one can be such a great accomplishment and trial.

    Happy reading!

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    1. Thanks! I love junk food. If it has unreasonable amounts of sugar, I want to eat it.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  31. Couldn't help but chuckle at your description of the coyote. Sounds like everything is going well. Have a great week.
    sherry @ fundinmental

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  32. Hooray for being on top of reading goals! And hooray for eating healthy! And hooray for time traveling dogs!

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  33. I've read the two middle grade books you mentioned. Otherwise your books are new to me this week. My weekly updates

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  34. Sorry about the junk food. If you haven't looked since we went grocery shopping, you may not want to... On the plus side, my kids will have it gone quickly. LOL!

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    1. I’m trying not to look. If I see what you bought, I’ll probably eat it faster than the kids will.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  35. Omg your coyote comment made me laugh!

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  36. Well done on getting so much reading done! Haha, I just joined bookstagram last week so I think it will be a while, if ever, before I try to tackle the stories.

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    1. I’ve had Instagram for 8 months, and I just now got brave enough to attempt a story. It did not go well.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  37. Honestly "adorable in a deadly rabies kind of way" is a big life mood atm for me anyway. I relate to this coyote. (Also I was going to say KIND OF SCARY you have them like in your everyday streets and stuff?! But then I remember we get massive snakes so I should probably just shut up. 😂)

    Also I've read The War that Saved My Life and I can't remember a THING which is so typical of me. I'm hopeless.😂But I'm glad you enjoyed it!!

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    1. We have giant snakes, too! The coyotes mostly stay away from people. And the government kills a lot of them because coyotes eat children and pets. There used to be a lot more coyotes around here.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  38. Glad you had a productive week. Good job avoiding junk food, I have no willpower.

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    1. I usually don’t have willpower, either. I’m trying to stay out of the kitchen.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  39. Sounds like a really awesome week! Yeah for healthy eating! Yeah for lots of books read! Thanks for stopping by! Happy reading!

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  40. Wolf Hollow sounds interesting to me. I teach in middle school and kids often miss those unrealistic flaws. Have a great week.

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    1. Yeah, kids probably won’t think about the behavior of the adult characters. Since I’m an adult, it kind of annoyed me that the adults make stupid, dangerous choices.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  41. Yay for all the reading! That's always so nice :) Ha awkward wild herd babe. They are so cute with that.

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  42. I'm not good at resisting treats-yesterday I scoffed a lovely cheese pizza and felt no guilt at all! I'm the same with cake!

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    1. Pizza and cake are my weaknesses, too. Those are some of my favorite foods.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  43. "There's only one logical explanation: My dog was a time-traveling supermodel." lol Love it!


    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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  44. You really did read a lot this week! And such interesting books! I hadn't seen the J.K. Rowling book; I'll have to track it down.

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  45. That's a lot of reading and too bad about Ghost Map. I have it on my library list for next month. I'll be prepared for a dryer read. I wonder if audio might work better. Coyotes are always so eerie looking. They look like dogs but at the same time you know they're not. I understand about the cuteness factor though. We had a fox starting hanging out in our back yard and he was so fluffy and cute I just wanted to snuggle him but I don't think that would have gone well. Hope your week is going great!

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  46. I'm so happy to hear you got to read so much and are ahead on your goodreads challenge, that's so great! :) Hahaha, I kind of laughed about the instagram story, I would be the exact same way. I tend to do short stories with just one picture and sometimes a bit of text, some people make their stories look so aesthetic and pretty and with text coming everywhere and how do they do that? I really need to figure that out haha :)
    I hope you'll have a wonderful week! <3 <3

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  47. What a great list of books this week. Added The War That Saved My Life to my wish list. Great work on your reading. We need to take that time when we have it. Enjoy your week.

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  48. I am sooooo far behind in my GR reading goal... unless something miraculous happens, I will not get my goal! I'm like 15 behind!

    Naomi @ Naomi’s Reading Palace

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  49. What a great reading week! An dhuge congrats on resisting the junk food - I'm not that disciplines myself, haha :) Also, thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete

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