Sunday, December 2, 2018

The Sunday Post #175

A blog for that weird dark void in your life.




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.




On The Blog Last Week











On The Blog This Week


  • On Tuesday I review books about plagues and brains.
  • On Thursday I wrap up November.
  • On Saturday there’s a book haul.









In My Reading Life


I finished it! I finally finished The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple by Jeff Guinn. It's so detailed, and there's so much information to absorb that I occasionally felt my brain going numb and my eyes glazing over. Still, it's the most balanced Jonestown book I've read so far. The author reports the facts and avoids personal judgments. Some nonfiction authors struggle to do that, so I was happy. Overall, I liked the book.



Then I read A Pearl in the Storm: How I Found My Heart in the Middle of the Ocean by Tori Murden McClure. It’s a memoir written by the first woman to row a boat across the Atlantic Ocean. I may have stayed up until 2 in the morning to finish this book. It’s a bit pretentious at times, but the story is harrowing, and I can’t believe that anyone would willingly row a boat 3000 miles. I’m impressed. Also, I feel like a really lazy human.



Right now, I’m reading A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson. It’s okay so far. Kind of funny and kind of educational.








In My Internet Stalking Life











In The Rest Of My Life


Five things that made me happy last week:

  1. There’s a new thing on Mars! InSight safely reached the surface of Mars and sent back photos.
  2. I put up the Christmas tree and decorated the house.
  3. I found a radio station that plays 24/7 Christmas music for all of December. Everybody in this house is going to hate me by January 1st. Stay tuned to find out if I get murdered in my sleep.
  4. I made a French vanilla cake that tasted really good.
  5. I succeeded at Nonfiction November! I didn’t read as many books as I’d hoped, but I managed to read nonfiction for an entire month.









Click A Link; Feed My Narcissism














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










85 comments:

  1. I do not think that I could read nonfiction for an entire month. I probably could but I wouldn't want to. I do need to work more nonfiction into my reading schedule though. Yay for cake! I cannot handle having decorations up or Christmas music for too long. I guess I should be glad that nobody in my house has found a Christmas music station yet. Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love Christmas, so I’m overeager. Reading nonfiction for a whole month wasn’t as difficult as I expected. Probably because I liked most of the stuff I read.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  2. Yay for your tree and decorating! I think that is on our agenda for today. Awesome job on nonfiction November. Yum on the cake. Have a great week!!

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  3. Well let's hope you don't get murdered... we did the Christmas tree on Sunday.

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    1. It’s been 5 days of Christmas music, and so far I’m still alive!

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  4. I love how you label the numbers on your post. Means you been at this for a long time, and it shows:)Glad you found holiday cheer to make everyone want to puke. My fun holiday story is a friend of mine went from homeless to apartment owner and decided to buy a seventeen foot tree to celebrate.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, a 17-foot tree? The ceilings in my house aren’t high enough for that. I think we had a 12-foot tree when I was a kid. Right now, I have a tabletop tree.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  5. Congratulations on finishing Nonfiction November! I can't imagine someone who would want to row a boat for 3000 miles.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I know! Sometimes getting out of bed is a struggle. I would never be able to row a boat 3000 miles.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  6. I do 24/7 Christmas stations, too. Hubs and I commute together, and I'm pretty sure he's already sick of it.

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    1. Haha, I take public transportation, so I have to use headphones. I imagine I’d get murdered a lot quicker if I played Christmas music on a train.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  7. I have bookmarked the Jonestown book, although I'll probably download an e-book...it's easier to read long books on the device.

    You are so productive to have your Christmas decorations done.

    That cake sounds delicious. Enjoy your week, and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I hope you like the Jonestown book! It’s interesting, but there is A LOT of information.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  8. Last Podcast on the Left podcast did a five part series on Jonestown, and I feel like they may have mentioned this book...but I'm not sure.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. They did! I haven’t listened to those episodes, but other people have told me that they mentioned the book.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  9. Ahhhh French vanilla cake, yum. You're making me hungry haha :)
    I hope you'll have a wonderful week! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I’m making myself hungry, too. I need to bake another cake.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  10. I started decorating for Christmas today, but our plan to do the outdoor lights got derailed by rain. There are a couple radio stations hear that have been playing 24/7 Christmas music since like two weeks before Thanksgiving!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I also found a station that started playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving, but I didn’t listen to it for very long. Thanksgiving is too early for Christmas.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  11. I have A Walk in the Woods and I've never read it. Heasrd good things too. As for that woman rowing across the Atlantic... um, no. I mean I admire the human spirit and all that, but that just sounds scary. Way too much water. Still, I bet the book is fascinating.

    Yay for Insight! That's so cool. :)

    Enjoy the Christmas music! I love it because December goes by so fast, but not everyone agrees with me lol.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. The rowing book was fascinating . . . and really scary. There’s no way I’d go to the middle of the ocean and bob around during a hurricane.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  12. I also found a radio station that plays 24/7 Christmas music and have started listing to it nonstop! By the end of this month, my partner is going to hate me!

    ReplyDelete
  13. French vanilla cake sounds amazing. Where's the picture!!! I just can't do that much Christmas, but if it makes you happy, I support you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn’t get to take a picture because it got eaten too fast! There are lots of hungry people in this house.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  14. Congrats on completing Nonfiction November! That's interesting to hear about the Jonestown book.

    That cake sounds delicious!

    My Christmas decorations are almost done, I just need to buy our 2018 ornament!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. It was delicious. It’s probably one of the better cakes I’ve made.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  15. Christmas decorations are always such a happy thing :)

    ReplyDelete
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    1. That’s exactly why I love them. They break up the monotony.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  16. French vanilla cake—yum! I haven't baked since Thanksgiving, but I need to whip up something sweet soon. Hope you have a great week :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This time of year is perfect for baking. It’s always cold, so I can have the oven on all day and not regret it.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  17. Whoa, she **rowed** across the Atlantic? Rowed?!?! That's intense.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Yes, she *rowed.* Isn’t that insane? It’s impressive and terrifying at the same time.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  18. Congratulations on all the nonfiction!! It's December now so they officially can't murder you for playing eternal Christmas music.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Haha, so far they’ve been very patient with my annoying music.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  19. YOU FINISHED IT! I knew you could do it! Thank you so much for including me in your post! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I FINISHED IT! For the rest of the year, I’m only reading very short books.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  20. I couldn't read non fiction for a whole month-that would be just too much for me! I do intend to try and read a couple of non fictions each month to start making a dent in my pile!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I read most of the nonfiction in my pile. I think I have 5 more nonfiction books on my TBR shelf. Most of them are long. That’s why I haven’t read them yet.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  21. I wish the Jonestown book was more concise. I'd like to know more about it, but the reading experience sounds like one I would not power through. I admire you for doing it! I'm adding A Pearl in the Storm to my nonfiction reading list. Sounds great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you like A Pearl in the Storm! It’s an interesting story.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  22. The Jonestown book looks interesting! And your French vanilla cake sounds delicious. I'm in the mood for some cake. Lol. Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I'm so excited about the Mars photos and telemetry coming back from there. It's so amazing!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Me, too! I love looking at Mars photos. It’s always wild to think that there’s human-made stuff on other planets.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  24. The Road to Jonestown sounds interesting. I was pretty young when it all happened, so I don't know a lot about it.

    My daughter put up our tree, too, and our kitten climbed into it about six hours later. It's going to be a fun month. :D

    My roundup!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, good luck with keeping the kitties out of the tree. I don’t have cats, so I just have to worry about my giant dog knocking the tree over. That’s happened before.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  25. But if you DO get murdered in your sleep, who will log on and let us know? ;) I am enjoying Christmas music, but definitely not 24/7.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That’s a very good point. If I suddenly disappear, it’s because I was murdered for my Christmas music.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  26. I'm still at the denial stage regarding Christmas. I haven't listened to one Christmas song yet though my Sirius is telling me that there are a number of channels devoted to Christmas music from which I can choose. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I’m listening to the Sirius stations, too. I’ll probably listen to all of them before December is over.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  27. So I have 6 preset radio stations in my vehicle and as off Thanksgiving Day, three started playing Christmas 24 hours a day. I'm Christmas'ed out!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Radio stations do seem to be overeager with the Christmas music. That probably sucks for people who don’t like it.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  28. Last year I got on decorations and then I couldn't get them to put things away until March. So I'm in no rush. I have some of those star Christmas albums. I like my Stevie Wonder one. I don't listen to as much music now since i usually have an audiobook going when I would have listened. Anne - Books of My Heart

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I mostly listen to music while I’m working. I can’t concentrate on an audiobook while I’m typing for some reason. My brain isn’t that good at multitasking.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  29. Congrats on successfully completing Nonfiction November and especially on finishing the Jim Jones book. I'm glad to hear that was a good one.

    Mmmm, French vanilla cake sounds delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! The Jonestown book was the best nonfiction book I read in November.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  30. Congrats on finishing your Non-fiction November. I rarely read non-fiction, but it looks like you read some interesting books. Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I love nonfiction. Every time I read it, I wonder why I don’t read more of it.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  31. Forget being murdered in my sleep, I think I'd want to kill myself if I had to listen to Christmas tunes 24/7! Good luck with that, lol! :)

    I can't imagine rowing 3000 miles! It does sound harrowing and scary! The ocean can be a dangerous place!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Haha, I’ve made it through 5 days of Christmas music, and I’m still alive! That rowing story is nuts. She survived a hurricane in a rowboat.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  32. I did see that about Mars. I haven't seen the pictures yet! Enjoy your week!

    Mary

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thanks! There haven’t been many pictures yet. (Unless I missed them.)

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  33. Books about plagues and brains? Interesting
    "I found a radio station that plays 24/7 Christmas music for all of December. Everybody in this house is going to hate me by January 1st. Stay tuned to find out if I get murdered in my sleep." Ha! My mom would do this to us and wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. If your mom survived the Christmas music, maybe I can, too!

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  34. I do enjoy Christmas music, my family get's tired of hearing it after a week or so. I tried to add more nonfiction, but failed. I couldn't read nonfiction for an entire month, good for you. Enjoy your day AJ and the French Vanilla cake!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I didn’t think I could read nonfiction for a whole month, but it turned out to be easier than I thought. Probably because I liked most of the books I read.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  35. Ooh CAKE. I hope it was delicious. And good luck with surviving and avoiding murder while you play christmas carols for a month straight 😂😂

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    1. The cake was delicious. I’m going to make it again. Day 5 of Christmas music, and I’m still alive!

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  36. Yay for succeeding with Nonfiction November - and interesting to hear your mini thoughts on the Jonestown book; totally know what you mean about some writers putting their personal judgement towards an event. Definitely more interested in that title now.

    Happy reading this week!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thanks! I sometimes get annoyed when nonfiction authors insist on giving their opinion about everything. It makes me question if they’re giving facts or just trying to get me to think the way they do.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  37. I liked a lot a walk in the woods, and then listened to it on my way to hiking on the Appalachian trail. NB: the movie is very bad

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I haven’t seen the movie. I really want to hike the Appalachian Trail someday. I haven’t spent much time in that part of the US.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  38. Any cake with vanilla is granted to be delicious. :) We have yet to decorate our house for Christmas. With five cats it's quite impossible to have a Christmas tree.

    Happy readings! ;)
    Tânia @MyLovelySecret

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Five cats would make it difficult to have a Christmas tree. I remember having puppies and a tree. I couldn’t keep the puppies away from it. They un-decorated it for me.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  39. I doubt I could read nonfiction for a month. Sounds like you have a good start on Christmas.
    Hope you have a good week full of Happy Reading!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! My Christmas started on December 1st. I’m overeager.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  40. That Jim Jones book sounds interesting, even if it took you a little while to get through. We decorated for Christmas this past weekend too. It's nice to have it done. :-)

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I love my Christmas tree. It’s pretty and makes me happy. :)

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  41. Yeay for Christmas trees! My Christmas tree goes up this weekend if I'm well enough to sort out the house and go out and buy one. :)

    ReplyDelete
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