The Sunday Post #57

Posted January 2, 2022 by elzaread in The Sunday Post / 44 Comments

Happy New Year all you lovely humans! We wish you all the love, happiness, bookshelf space and loads of new books in 2022.

You might have noticed that we didn’t do a “best of 2021” post or any form of recap. We are ever so proud of all of you who did it though and our TBR shelf is once again a complete mess from all the books we’ve added. But for us, let’s not talk about 2021, okay? It’s over and behind us now and we are awaiting 2022 in utter anticipation.

The other thing we see popping up all over the blogosphere and Bookstagram, is all the exciting reading challenges you guys are planning for the upcoming year. We did manage to finish our 2021 GoodReads challenge and surpassed it with 7 books to give us the amazing total of 87 books! I say amazing here, because that is the highest number of books my Mommy has ever read in a single year. I’m sure it’s all my good reading vibes that fill the house. But did we manage to complete our actual reading challenges for 2021? I have no clue as we’ve lost track months ago. Do we have a reading challenge planned for 2022? We are still procrastinating on it.

We have this beautiful blog template that can actually manage your reading challenge for your. The only problem is that we have no idea how to use it.

Those of you who are also using the UBB plugin, Ashley at Nosegraze.com‘s marvelous invention, how do you add/edit/get to the reading challenges?? I will contact Ashley in the week as well, just thought maybe one of you geniuses (like Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer) might be able to give us a quick answer.

Our Goodreads Challenge is 100 books this year. Mommy wants to do more audiobooks and seeing that she is cutting down on teaching and mainly focusing on the library, she will probably read a few less doorstops and rather a few more placeholders. She might just join the Cybil Awards in 2023.  But we don’t have a specific theme or challenge we want to follow. Maybe try to read as many Kindle reads as possible. My Mommy’s Kindle is ancient and it might be its last year of providing hours of reading pleasure.  Yes, yes, I know all the books are in the cloud and she can just get a new one, but somehow it just won’t be the same. (Is she the only one who are sentimental about a piece of plastic??)

The year is only 2 days old, so we haven’t acquired any new books. Yet. But I am going to try to slap her hand a bit if she goes for that “purchase now” button. There are enough purchases on Granny Kindle to last at least 8 more years. Most of our physical books are still in storage and final renovations to our lovely seaside house will start in the next week or so. The 10 boxes filled with books already grew to 11 boxes, so I suspect she might have to be banned from the bookshop as well until the renovations are done.

scratching the blog pole

We did our Six Degrees of Separation – Rules are meant to be broken, post yesterday and seeing that we actually manage to have our Sunday Post ready before 20:00 on a Sunday night, I’ll say we are well on track for the new year. We are a review or 2 behind, but we hope to have it done this week. My Mommy got a lovely diary for Christmas and she plans on filling it with blog tours, review schedules, blog posts and just some leisurely reading time.

On the Couch

We did read some really good books over the last couple of weeks, but seeing that we won’t talk about 2021, you will have to wait to see which ones we’ve enjoyed so much until we have our sidebar sorted out. Help is on the way and my Mommy has a meeting with our lovely graphic designer on Thursday. Luckily, we are also reading a few great books at the moment.

A Court of Thorns and Roses are a carry over from last year, we are listening to it on Audible and we haven’t been doing any audio books for the last couple of weeks. We did listen to a chapter or 2 yesterday again and actually still struggle to decide if we enjoy it or not. We’ll probably finish it, just to see what all the fuss is about.

Marilyn is an Afrikaans book and a tie-in to a trilogy we loved last year. Unfortunately, it’s not available in English yet and my review on the trilogy is also in Afrikaans. You are welcome to try to read it. Let me know if you actually manage it. (I still don’t have a translate button on my blog, need to get that as well. Take note) Vywervrou Trilogie deur Chanette Paul 

Love and Retribution is our current review read and we love it! It’s our second book that we have the honor to review by Catherine McCullagh and although it’s completely different from Secrets and Showgirls, it’s still a beautiful story about normal people and their day to day survival during WWII.

It’s July 1943 and the world has been at war for almost four long years. One morning, young widow Emmy Penry-Jones discovers two men washed up on the beach below her house on the west coast of Cornwall. Emmy is used to rescuing washed-up sailors, the deadly Battle of the Atlantic exacting a heavy toll on shipping. But these men are not like the shipwrecked sailors she has rescued before and Emmy is soon drawn into a web of intrigue that will test both her ingenuity and her patriotism. Rocked by accusations of war crimes against a man she knows to be innocent, Emmy launches a bid to defend him, all too aware that the accusers could turn on her. The trial marks a turning point and Emmy is drawn further into a deadly cycle of post-war retribution from which only one man can save her.

And on that note we are going to say goodbye and go and read our book. My Mommy is very tired and it suits me just perfectly. We are anxious to hear what you are planning for the new year and what you’ve been up to lately! Remember to add your link to our lovely hosts so that we can all visit each other.

Debbie @ Readerbuzz with The Sunday Salon and Kimberly @ Caffeinted Reviewer with The Sunday Post 

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44 responses to “The Sunday Post #57

  1. Hi there! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was wondering which blog platform
    are you using for this site? I’m getting fed up of WordPress
    because I’ve had problems with hackers and I’m looking at options for
    another platform. I would be great if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.

    • elzaread

      I am also using WordPress, but I’m hosting through Ashley at Nose Graze. She really sorts out all the hassles and all you have to do is type and post. Easy as that. Hope you get in sorted out!

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  3. I also didn’t do any recap posts even though I usually do at least one. That’s awesome you had one of your highest reading years! I got a lot of books read last year as well. I hope this year is another good one. I don’t use UBB so I can’t answer your question, but hopefully someone else can. I don’t think I am joining any reading challenged this year, I always seem to forget to link up my reviews. Happy 2022!

    • elzaread

      Hi Lola! I do hope that 100 books will be possible for us this year. It will really be awesome!

      I’ve send Ashley at UBB a message and I know she will quickly help me.

      No reading challenges for me either, just the Goodreads one. Just feel like keeping things rather simple this year.

    • elzaread

      Hi AJ! Aaah yea! But I didn’t read The Incorrigible Children. Yet. Will hopefully read it this year.

      Hope you will have a week too!

  4. Happy New Year! May we see big improvements in 2022 ❤️ Good luck with the Goodreads’ challenge. It’s nice that you’ll be able to work more in the library rather than the classroom. 100 books here you come!

    • elzaread

      Hi Tessa! I had a long chat with one of my colleagues while walking on the beach this morning and I am soooooo excited to spend more time in the Library this year! That in itself will make 2022 a really great year.

      Hope it will be a wonderful year for you and take care!

  5. That meme is funny… I just hope it isn’t true.

    I should probably find some challenges for this year to push myself to read more. I did not make it to my goodreads goal and I had set it pretty low.

    Kristin recently posted: The Start of a New Year
    • elzaread

      Hi there Kristin! That meme made me laugh as well, but I also do not hope it’s the truth!

      Don’t push yourself too hard with reading challenges. Do what you can. I find that one, maybe two, are normally manageable.

      Have a good week and thanks for stopping by!

    • elzaread

      Hi there Yvonne! Reading Challenges can really be so much fun. I have the lady who helps me with my blog designs coming over on Thursday and as soon as I have all of that sorted, I will see what challenges I will take on this year.

      Hope 2022 will be a great year for you!

  6. Happy New Year!

    I didn’t do any best of posts either, although I am doing a Top Ten this week of best books. Good job on your GR challenge!

    Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend! 🙂

    Greg recently posted: Sunday Post #434
    • elzaread

      Hi Greg! As I’m reading your message, I’m thinking – maybe I should just join Greg and do the best books post tomorrow. But I probably won’t! We have the most beautiful weather at the moment and I just lie in the sun reading my book. AND I need to make a list of everything I want to add to my sidebar as the lady who does my graphic designs are coming on Thursday.

      But I will keep an eye out for your post!

    • elzaread

      Hi there Cindy! Happy New Year to you and your family!

      Always glad if you stop by and our little blog brings a smile to your face.

      Oh the endless struggle with buying books and read the ones we already have….

  7. Happy New Year, Elza! Hope you and your human family have a great year. 😉

    Nope, I was also very sentimental about my first Kobo — it was very hard to let it go. Well, I confess, I still haven’t let it go. I still use it occasionally & have no plans to give it.

    Happy readings!

    • elzaread

      Hi Tania! My first e-reader was an iRiver and I actually still have it. No idea if it’s still working or not. It might just. My Kindle is just starting to freeze a bit more and I need to charge it a bit more. But for 8 years, it’s actually really doing very well!

      Have a wonderful new year!

    • elzaread

      Hi there Trin! Happy New Year to you!!

      Oh I’ve failed already. Bought two books yesterday…

  8. Yay for surpassing your Goodreads Challenge! I understand wanting to put the old year behind us and focus on the new one. It sounds like you have some good reading plan ideas for this new year. I decided against taking part in any challenges (at least as of now) but do have some person projects I would like to work on. I hope you have a Happy New Year!

    • elzaread

      I still haven’t finalized any challenge yet, I actually think I might just stick to 100 books – not matter how or what. I think it might be daunting enough! As long as I try to focus on the Kindle a bit.

      Have a good year and good luck with all your projects! Always something to look forward to.

    • elzaread

      Hi there Jessica! I really hope so too. I love my template, but time to play around is just so limited at the moment. But I guess we’ll get to it eventually!

      Happy New Year to you too and I hope it will be good one!

    • elzaread

      That is very true Emma!! There will ALWAYS be good books to look forward to.

      2020 was still better than its sibling, 2021. But I don’t want either of them in my house!

      Have a wonderful new year and I hope we will have lots of time to chat.

  9. Happy New Year and may it bring much joy and great books! I know that feeling of having enough books on a kindle to last a very long time – I’m trying to only buy books I’ve read the arcs of (so the author gets paid) or books from a series I have started. Good luck with whatever challenges you do choose to participate in.

    • elzaread

      Hi Louise! That is a wonderful idea to buy books you’ve read the ARC for! I try to buy books by authors whose books I’ve read too. They need to make a living and I need the Amazon credits!

      I am trying not to be too hopeful for 2022, but let’s go out in good faith! The good thing about 2020, was it brought out the warrior in us. 2021 tired us out and hopefully 2022 will empower us!

      Have a wonderful new year!!

  10. I only did ONE challenge in 2021, and I finished it with extra books. So that pleases me. But I didn’t do any Favorites posts, either. In fact, I didn’t even do a write-up about my Nonfiction Challenge. I only had enough energy to add Bookshelf pages to my Curl up and Read blog…and finished off the year by summarizing my December reading. So…just month by month with no annual wrap-up. Bad Me!

    I am just glad that 2021 is over!

    Enjoy the week and the New Year.

    • elzaread

      I so agree with you Laurel-Rain, very glad to see the last of 2021. I’m not expecting anything from 2022 or from myself this year, but hope to just be at peace and enjoy every moment as it presents itself.

      I just hope for some awesome books!!

      Take care of yourself and I’m looking forward to seeing all the great books you will read this year.

    • elzaread

      Hi there Gretchen! Reading challenges can be so much fun and it actually pushes you to read different styles and books you would never have thought about. I used to love it!

      But last year has been a bit of a heavy load all over and I agree, I don’t feel like anything that is going to be too much work this year. Just reading for fun and escaping a bit.

      Thanks for stopping by and Happy New Year!!

  11. Yes, hurray, hurray that 2022 is here. Out with the old, and in with the new. A brand new start.

    I am trying a new book log for 2022 that keeps stats for me. It’s from Book Riot and it’s actually a lot of work to put in all the raw data, but it really is a helpful way to keep track of what we’ve read.

    I had just started Cloud Cuckoo Land, and then last night I gave my copy to my brother! Now I have to wait until my library copy comes in. Sometimes I don’t know what I am thinking!

    • elzaread

      Oh my gosh Debbie! That’s too funny. Cloud Cuckoo land is on my TBR and I predict someone will buy it in the book club this year and then I will read it.

      I saw your book log on your post. This amazing template that I use does it for you. But I have no clue how to set it up. I know I’ve seen it when I did my setup, but I have no clue how and where now. A bit like you giving your copy to your brother. Where’s my mind? But I’ll sort it out!

      I am really looking forward to spending blogging time with you this year and see all your awesome books!

      Take care of yourself.

  12. Diane

    Congrats to Mommy on the successful reading year. I fear 2022 will be more 2020 too sadly.

    • elzaread

      2021 was a really bad year for me, but at least the reading was good. Always something to be thankful for. I am hopeful that 2022 will be doubled blessings year. Let’s hope, but don’t expect too much.

      Have a wonderful week!

    • elzaread

      I saw that meme on Instagram and it was just too funny. You are very welcome to use it of course. But I also hope that 2022 will be a good year in its own right with doubled blessings.

      Hope for many more bookish chats this year!