Yes, I’m one of those who enjoy decorating for the season, Trick or Treaters or not. This time of year, the flowers are Mums (which I’ve never been crazy for), but they do add a pretty colorful bloom to the front yard. Inside the house, a critical look at the bedroom filled with fifty year old furniture (bought in Taiwan), and my standard burgundy colors. Sooo, old school. Still I do love the color, so went to work doing a slight redecorating of the bedroom—changed things up a bit in the living room. How many of you have tried those Himalayan salt bulbs? Maybe I’m the only one—but hey, they are orange—a good color for Halloween and Thanksgiving.
So yes, November is upon us. The garden is gone, the only thing left one sad-looking butternut squash (don’t tell my husband).
Still fighting with the block and classic editor, finally found (well hidden) the old classic editor. One of my posts kept switching back and forth between the two and I’m still congratulating myself for not kicking in the monitor. (Not the monitor’s fault.) I don’t think I’m the only one with “block” issues. After one of my complaints to the happiness engineer, his reply was basically, “get used to it.” Maybe if we all rose en masse?
There was a mix of fifteen books reviewed, blitzed, or toured in October, shared between the CE and I. If you missed any reviews, just click on the links below the graphic.
Mordecai’s Ashes by Alana Crane
Without a Brew by Ellie Alexander
I Jonathan by George WB Scott (a CE review)
The Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves (audiobook)
Hiding Cracked Glass By James J. Cudney
Watch Her Vanish by Ellery A Kane
Blood Money by Chris Riedel
Come Marching Home by Hazel West
Murder at an Irish Christmas by Carlene O’Connor
Deadly Weapon by Mark Nolan (a CE review)
Leap by Michael C Grumley (a CE review)
Silent Bite by David Rosenfelt
Bending the Paw by Diane Kelly (a CE review)
Wolf Pack vs The Bitterroots by C J Box (audiobooks)
Mainely Power by Matt Cost
Only four of these were from NetGalley (yeah, I can’t believe it myself). It would seem most were author review requests or audiobooks.
So my Challenges?
- Audiobooks – (Stenographer level 10-15) completed at 20 (so far)
- Historical Fiction – Renaissance Reader level of 10—completed
- Goodreads—Revised goal of 160—now at 139—just over 10 books/month remaining for the year. Even that’s a push with the way things are going. Must be having too much fun somewhere…Time to buckle down!
- NetGalley – Four, giving me 73—2, count’m, 2 short—achievable
Have I learned anything about taking on too many challenges? Nah—but may have to seriously consider which ones are attainable next year before signing up. Have you had to revise your challenges?
Coming up: Time to start going through my 4.5-5 star books for the months to date to wheedle out my ten favorites. I know many of you note your monthly favorites as you go along—makes it easier the end of the year! Contemplating making changes next year? Maybe a new theme? New feature? Drop an old feature? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
In the meantime, lovely readers and authors, take care, stay safe. (And I thought I was thrilled to see the end of 2019. Who could have predicted 2020?)
And, as always, thank you for your likes and comments!
©2020 V Williams 
Rosepoint Publishing 
Fervently hoping that 2021 will show a marked improvement for us all. 🤞😘
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Amen, Lynne.
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Sounds like a great month Virginia. I love your Halloween Decorations. I am still using the Classic Editor, I can get into it from my Dashboard.
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I read two of your books. I want to do a post the books I have been reading.
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Great! Looking forward to your reviews and comments.
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Love your November ‘update’ – December far behind? Yaah…And another sentence really got to me because I had also thought “Glad 2019 is gone. But I had no idea what 2020 would throw at us.” – So what about 2021?
I always look for your ‘reviews’ and every time a little sliver of hope dies. I would so love to see a review of “We Don’t Talk About That, an amazing story of survival” (WWII – The Russian invasion, the division of Germany, life in the German Democratic Republic, the mass escapes to West Germany, the Berlin Wall.) – Robert Pickles, a UK history writer says, “Should be required reading in high schools; it should literary and historically placed next to ‘Anne Frank’s Diaries.” Ann Victoria Roberts, an award-winning writer, (her books sold in the millions) gave it the highest praise, as did Marina Osipova and Nikki Landers, also award-winning writers. So – my challenge to Rosepoint: Add it to your ‘want to read list’! You may learn what “nobody ever talks about”.
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Thank you for such a detailed comment, Giselle. I do go through bouts of wanting nothing but light reads and at present, besides our global pandemic, seems we are still being weighed heavily under WWII novels and memoirs, many of which I have read. However, we, as possibly you, subsist on social security and virtually ALL the books I get are from NetGalley (free), BookBub (free), our library, publishers, or authors directly offering digital copies. (We scaled down years ago, have no room for print books, and only read on our cell phones.) I try very hard to offer reviews of a wide genre of narratives and sincerely appreciate your thoughts, most especially your comments and hope that this oversight will not sever our connection.
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Well said. Things are difficult financially for me too. Trying hard to stay in balance
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I guess the same the world over
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Struggling with block editor I think I am reading fewer books. But now I found a great way to have my own template. So it is much easier.
Hoping to get to my goodreads challenge in these two months. Fingers crossed.
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Yeah that Goodreads challenge can be elusive. A template huh? I tried that as well in my word doc but still having to add too much info to streamline it.
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I did the template on this block editor and it worked well
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Really! On the block editor. Your own? How did you make a template of it?
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