{ The Sunday Post }: October 28, 2018

The Sunday Post is a weekly wrap-up meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to recap the past week on our blogs, share new books we've received, and talk about what's coming up on our blogs for the week ahead.

{ New Books }

These last few weeks have been full of chaos and grown-up responsibilities, leaving me not a lot of time for blogging or reading (thus, the recent dead air on my blog... sorry about that). Buuuut that doesn't mean that I haven't been adding to my book stash... muahaha...

{ From NetGalley } :

Aquicorn Cove just looks so precious... A middle grade graphic novel about sea-unicorns? I had to request it. It called to my soul. :3

The Cottingley Fairies is a picture book - I think it's nonfiction, but there are some reviewers who say it's more of a fantasy version of the actual events in 1918 where two young girls claimed to have captured photographs of fairies. Either way, I'm excited to read it. The whole Cottingley fairies affair fascinates me. 

Enchantée is a young adult historical fantasy, set at the eve of the French Revolution - but with magic. Oh yes. I've already dipped into this one and I'm really liking it so far.

One Day, So Many Ways is a nonfiction picture book that I "wished" for - and hooray, my wish was granted! I love these types of books where you get to see what kids all over the world are doing in a 24-hour period.

 
{ From the library } :

Ahh, I am drooooling over all the great stuff I got this week...

Harry Potter: A History of Magic - The book that goes along with the British Museum's exhibit. Twenty years in and I still can't get enough Harry Potter in my life...

Map: Exploring the World - I love maps. Not sure why. I'm just a cartography kinda girl, I guess.

The Time Traveler's Handbook - This was one I grabbed up randomly on my wanderings through the stacks. A guidebook for time travelers! What a fun idea!

Lost in the Library: A Story of Patience & Fortitude - A picture book about the lions, named Patience & Fortitude, that stand outside the New York Public Library. This looks adorable from the cover art alone!

National Parks of the U.S.A. - A nonfiction picture book about many of the US's National Parks. Personal story time! Gather round... One of my favorite jobs ever was an internship in environmental education. It's a passion of mine that has developed slowly, and I'm not sure where to go with it, but I'm thinking I might start doing some posts/reviews on nonfiction picture books that feature the environment & nature. A small step, but who knows where it might lead... :)

Pearl - I love Molly Idle's artwork, so every time she puts out a new picture book I just can't wait to get my hands on it. I'm so excited to read about this adorable tiny mermaid!

{ Latest Reviews }

None...

{ Currently... }

Reading: Mammoth by Jill Baguchinsky

Watching: Inception... it's one of my husband's favorites and I never got around to seeing it, so we're making it our stay-in date night movie.

Playing:  Rusty Lake Hotel - a really, REALLY bizarre point-and-click puzzle game with a kind of uncomfortable storyline (animals are staying at a hotel and each night you have to go into their rooms and murder one of them and then serve them for dinner?? to the other animal guests???), but I liked the puzzles. I just ... I mean, if you were an animal staying at this hotel, don't you think you'd notice if one fellow animal guest disappeared every night? And then you ate that same type of animal meat for dinner the next day?? And if you were the only animal left, would you really be like, "Hmm, I guess I'll stick around and see what's for dinner tomorrow..." ?!? ... This bothers me greatly. But I still played it all the way through, heh.

{ Last Week at the Book Nook }

• { Spotted & Sampled }: Things that go bump in the Night, and a collection of kick-butt lady superheros/supervillains ... in which I share an awesome new book I spotted and also a mini-review of a book I was able to sample. 
• AND THAT'S IT. *slithers back to my box of shame*

{ Last Week's Goals }

For the blog...

• Read and review at least 2 books.
- Nope :(
• Participate in at least 1 new book blog meme.
- Nope :(
• Post for Blogoween (?/13).
- This is a hard fail. I thought I could do 13 posts in the month of October... 31 days, 13 posts... that's not even one every other day! Piece of cake, right?? WRONG. Where has this month gone, I don't even... *deep breath* ... I still have a few days... I'm determined to get at least ONE Halloween-themed post in this year...

For real life...

• Try at least 1 new recipe.
- ... We're going to a new restaurant tonight, does that count? :| 
• Keep practicing mindfulness.
- Yeah, no. These past few weeks have been a stress-fest. Reeeally need to do better here. 
• Take a little more time for self-care.
- Also a nope. I'm beyond burnt out. I know I need to do more relaxing for my own sake, and that of my poor husband and son who have to put up with me when I'm not at my best. (bahaha not even close right now) ... This is good, though... It's a weekend, I'm blogging while the little one naps (and the big one naps also, as hubby has a tendency to pass out on the couch whenever he sits down)... Baby steps...

{ Goals for This Week }

For the blog...

• Read and review at least 2 books.
• Participate in at least 1 new book blog meme.
• Post SOMETHING for Blogoween. Just one thing. You can do this.

For real life...

• Try at least 1 new *low-calorie* recipe.
- Gonna add an addendum to this one... I need to start watching my calories. I read that most people have no idea how many calories they take in everyday and IT'S SO TRUE. Holy crap, I counted one day I'm way over the 2000 calorie guideline... and that's without going out or bringing in fast food. I know everyone's calorie needs are different, but I know mine are not that high... I've had a hard time shedding baby weight and this is probably why. I know I'll probably never have the body I did before I was pregnant, but I do need to get healthier. I need to eat better and get more exercise. So here's step #1 towards that goal.
• Keep practicing mindfulness.
• Take a little more time for self-care.

That's it for me this week! How was your week? Link to your weekly wrap-up post in the comments - I'd love to come visit! :)

{ The Sunday Post }: September 30, 2018

The Sunday Post is a weekly wrap-up meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to recap the past week on our blogs, share new books we've received, and talk about what's coming up on our blogs for the week ahead.

{ New Books }

I didn't get a lot of new books this week - nothing from NetGalley since I need to catch up on reviewing what I've got - but I did get a few interesting things from library holds that came in...

{ From the library } :

I've had Bizenghast on my TBR for a while (because if it's tagged "gothic" it's almost guaranteed that I will want to read it... and this one is a gothic drama graphic novel so obviously YES), so this shiny new collector's edition called me.

I found Amy Tangerine in an art magazine one time and I liked her style - I'm interested to see what she has to say in Craft a Life You Love. The tagline "infusing creativity, fun, and intention into your everyday" appeals, so hopefully her ideas work for me. 

{ Latest Reviews }

None... *sob* ... it was a busy week!

{ Currently... }

Reading: Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft edited by Jessica Spotswood & Tess Sharpe

Watching: The Great British Baking Show (catching up on old episodes... thank you Netflix)

Playing:  Armikrog ... So I guess I'm a "gamer," but a really specific one. As in, only strategic board games and old school point-and-click computer games. No shooters. No MMORPGs. I need to feel like I'm solving a mystery or going on a quest or exploring something. I spent countless hours of my teen and preteen years playing Myst (and most of its sequels) and King's Quest V, VI, and VII. For a long time I didn't have a computer that could run games, but now I fiiiiinally do again and I'm constantly on Steam looking for games on sale. This week it was Armikrog, from the makers of the Neverhood. I played that one with my brother when we were younger and I don't remember much about it except that it was claymation-animated and bizarre and it made me laugh way too hard at some points. So my brother and I downloaded this new game and we're going to play it together (from afar... since we're both grown up with jobs and other real-life responsibilities now) and hope that it's as fun as the Neverhood...

{ Last Week at the Book Nook }

• { Binge, Borrowed, Bargain }: Circuses, Wonderland, & Mermaids ... in which I binge-read a delightful little story about a girl in a traveling circus, borrowed a nonfiction picture book biography of Lewis Carroll, and got a bargain Kindle freebie about a girl turning into a mermaid.
• I joined Blogoween! A book-blog-related Halloween party, basically, that runs all October long! I can't wait!!

{ Last Week's Goals }

• Read and review at least 2 books.
- Nope :(
• Participate in at least 1 new book blog meme.
- Nope :(
• Join a reading challenge.
- Yes!! Blogoween counts, right??

{ Goals for This Week }

For the blog...

• Read and review at least 2 books.
• Participate in at least 1 new book blog meme.
• Post for Blogoween (?/13).

For real life...

• Try at least 1 new recipe.
- Getting real bored of our current meal rotation. :/
• Keep practicing mindfulness.
- I've noticed that I either dwell on the past or focus on the future so much that I just stress out and obsess over things that I can't change anymore or that haven't even happened yet. I'm trying to just be happier in the here and now. That's easier said than done... but I'm working on it.
• Take a little more time for self-care.
- This week I took my first bubble bath since my almost-2-year-old was born ... wow that's crazy!! I just need to make time for a little *me* time!

That's it for me this week! How was your week? Link to your weekly wrap-up post in the comments - I'd love to come visit! :)