Hello, friends! Yes, it's been quite some time since my last Sunday Salon post, hasn't it? More than six months, if anyone's counting. I took a short hiatus from blogging this summer, spending my weekends hanging out on the porch or deck, reading from my stacks and composing reviews for the huge back list of books that I read this spring and summer. With the exception of one final book, I am all caught up! It's such a good feeling and now I'm eager to start participating in some of the blogging memes that I've ignored this year.
I also want to thank all of you for sticking around and commenting on my recent book reviews. I don't remember who it was who said they schedule their reviews to post at midnight, but I decided to give it a try and I am pleasantly surprised with the number of comments I now receive. I'm not obsessive about my stats, but it is nice to hear from those of you who have been following this blog for the past eight years. Of course, I'm also getting a huge amount of spam and may have to change my settings to restrict anonymous comments, but that's an easy fix.
So, let's catch up, shall we?
Reading:: I'm over halfway through Ruth Reichl's novel, Delicious, and while I'm enjoying it, I'm beginning to feel like I'm ready to be finished and move on to something else. It's not that I don't care for it, but it's just not one of those books I'll raving about.
Listening:: I've been listening to The Goldfinch by Donna Tart and I'm completely sucked into Theo's tragic story! The reader (David Pittu) is very good and I'm glad I decided to listen to this chunkster, rather than read the print edition. It's one of those books people either love or hate. I'm not sure which camp I'll wind up in, but at this point I'm thoroughly entertained.
Cooking:: Believe it or not, I'm making chicken soup for dinner. I've grown tired of the usual summer fare, grilling at least three times a week, and I'm more than ready for something a bit more autumnal. I got the recipe from my neighbor and not only is it one of the best soups I've ever tasted, it's also one of the easiest to make. I'll try to remember to take a photo so I can share the recipe next weekend.
Planning:: On this final day of summer, I hope to find time to sit outside on the front porch and enjoy our gorgeous weather. We hit 88 yesterday (after getting 1 1/2 inches of rain in the early morning hours), but today is much more mild. It's currently sunny and 74, with a gentle breeze. Pretty much perfect, wouldn't you say?
I also need to spend some time getting my house back in order. We had our carpets cleaned on Wednesday and I haven't finished putting everything back where it belongs. I'm kind of enjoying the minimalist look and may not put all my books back on the shelves. Maybe this is a good time to do a little book-purging.
Anticipating:: I looked ahead to the coming week and am happy to report that I have absolutely nothing on my calendar! I don't know about you, but I love that feeling, especially as my days at work become more and more exhausting as we head into the holiday season. I have some letters and emails to catch up on, but my afternoons and evenings are completely free. If the weather stays nice, maybe I'll get out on my bike for some short rides.
I hope you're all out enjoying this last day of summer. Have a great week!
Being caught up on my reviews and having an empty calendar both sound glorious to me.
ReplyDeleteIf I can manage to write my final review before finishing my current book, I will be completely caught up! Of course, I have a dozen things on my To Do list (for around the house) that I've ignored for a few weeks... Life is such a balancing act!
DeleteI don't usually schedule posts, but have heard that some bloggers have them set to go at midnight. Maybe I'll give that a try. Spam has been more of a problem for me lately, too. I've disabled anonymous comments and moderate all comments for posts over 3 days old - that seems to be working for now.
ReplyDeleteThe Goldfinch is on my kindle (picked it up last spring on a daily deal), but the audio won the Audie Award for literary fiction so I'll probably end up listening. Or maybe a read/listen combo since it's so long.
Your porch and deck look so peaceful and inviting! It's tough to say goodbye to summer...
It's odd how scheduling posts at midnight has increased my traffic, JoAnn. Yesterday's post (Sunday Salon) wasn't scheduled since I wanted to get it up on the actual day and I've only seen three comments. Not quite as much as the scheduled posts. Not sure why is matters, but it seems to! I really am seeing a lot more spam, though. Must disable those anonymous comments!
DeleteI think you'll enjoy The Goldfinch on audio. The reader is very good and I am always looking for excuses to listen while puttering around the house or while at work.
We spend most of our time on the porch, but the deck is great for when we entertain. I think it'll be a little while before we have to say our final goodbyes to summer. Mother Nature is always fickle this time of year!
Several of my posts are scheduled at midnight. It seems to work well with international readers I find.
ReplyDeleteSo happy to read this post and hear how productive you've been. I am behind on reviews:(
It's odd how it make a difference when these blog entries get posted. I didn't schedule this one since I wanted it to show up on Sunday (and I wrote it late in the afternoon) and it it doesn't seem to be generating the higher number of comments like the scheduled posts. It's a mystery to me since most of my readers (at least those who comment) are in the U.S.
DeleteI may be getting caught up on reviews, but I'm behind in real life! :)
What an enjoyable post! So fun to read about what you've been up to in real life! Love the photo of your porch, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Robin. We love our porch and spend most of our outdoor time sitting in our two rockers (which are on the opposite side of this photo), rather than on the back deck or patio. It's a great place to sit and watch the neighbors walk by with their little ones or dogs.
DeleteAs much as I do love to have fun things to do on the calendar, it makes me ridiculously happy to have a calendar with nothing on it for a whole week!
ReplyDeleteAlmost like being on vacation, isn't it? The next few weeks will be full, but November should be fairly quiet. I hate to say it, but I'm almost looking forward to some super cold days so I can stay inside and curl up with a book. Maybe even a little snow... ? :)
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