Then and Now #52

Happy Sunday!  The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted @ Caffeinated Reviewer. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.  It is hosted weekly over at Mailbox Monday and every Friday they do a round-up of some of their favourite, shared reads! 

Last Week

Last weekend I was at a family retreat from my German grandmother's side of the family. It was a lovely, (not so) mildly stressful 48 hours of boat tours, wine, Schnitzel, and train journeys, all during 32 degree Celsius. So I was absolutely knackered when I got home Sunday afternoon and did not feel capable of pulling myself together enough to write a Sunday Post. And that exhaustion kind of carried through till Wednesday xD But it was my birthday on Tuesday, I'm officially 30 years old now! So excited to enter my thirties and hopefully continue to settle into myself and my life! I kept the day itself very relaxed, had lunch with some colleagues, pizza for dinner, and a Zoom chat with my family. I did get some lovely flowers from people, so my house looks like a flowershop now! (Absolutely not complaining, it's a vibe!)

Because I was so tired this week I didn't really feel like I was productive, which is a bummer. I kind of was stuck between trying to work and also trying to recover/relax, so neither of those things actually properly happened? But I did get some things done this week and I even started writing on one of my thesis chapters that I'm dreading. The chapter is still an absolute mess, even though I'm only 3000 words in, and I still don't feel like I know where it's going, but at least I made a start with it and plotted it out. I did get some reading done this week and got two reviews out, so yay for that. I'm also still working away at City of Bones by Martha Wells, which I'm really enjoying but also taking my time with. I've also had a lot of Don't Tell the Bride, a show where the groom has to plan a wedding in 3 weeks and the bride isn't allowed to be involved with the planning. on in the background as white noise. It's honestly fascinating from a gender standpoint because it's so traditional/conservative, but also quite funny? I've never been the kind of girl to dream about her wedding, so it's all good fun to me.

I also watched most of the latest season of Black Mirror this weekend and after that 'Loch Henry' episode I am really kind of reconsidering my True Crime obsession. Even though I don't go into it for the scandal and excitement, that is of course still a part of it when really it is about human suffering. So... much to think about there.

Posted this week:

• Review: With Regrets by Lee Kelly
• Review: The Art of Fantasy by S. Elizabeth
• Book Central #9 - The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
• Friday Friyay: City of Bones by Martha Wells

Recommendation

Now that I'm thirty I don't know if I can still call myself young, but this song does make me still feel like I'm at the start of it all: Damage Gets Done by Hozier and Brandi Carlile.

Mailbox Monday

I did get a review copy of The Art of Fantasy, which I've already reviewed, but aside from that I didn't get anything! Yay me! But also, I got a book voucher from my boss for my birthday, so you just know I'm going to be getting some books soon!