Weekly Update July 19, 2020


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Weekly Update at Introverted Reader

Welcome back! I hope you had a wonderful week! My birthday was yesterday but we just spent a quiet day at home. My husband made my favorite French toast for breakfast. We ordered my favorite pizza in Portland (and possibly anywhere) for dinner and then we finished off with a mini pecan praline cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes and a glass of my favorite “champagne.” My taste buds were happy!

Traveling in our RV means that have about 300 sq ft (28 sq m) of living space, so gifts have to be small and/or utilitarian. These are the gifts that might be of interest to my fellow readers. One of my best friends mailed a couple of books to me. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory and The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel. I’ve enjoyed the other books I’ve read by Ms. Gregory and the other book looks really good! I’m also excited to hold some real books in my hands! In a sign of the times, my husband bought me this cute face mask featuring Belle. I just love it!

Bookish Birthday Gifts

In other news, I created an Instagram account for my blog, @introverted.reader. I’ve only got a couple of posts up so far because I’m trying to figure out what a bookish Instagram account looks like when you primarily read on a Kindle Paperwhite (see space limitations noted above). I did share some literary displays and a beautiful library from our visit to the Pittock Mansion in Portland, OR on Thursday (face masks firmly on and social distancing strictly controlled by employees, of course). Check it out and give me a follow if you’re so inclined!

Posted:

Geekerella by Ashley Poston Book Cover

Geekerella by Ashley Poston–5 Stars

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins Book Cover

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins–4 Stars

Six in Six 2020, hosted at The Book Jotter

My Six in Six 2020 post for the yearly event hosted at The Book Jotter. It was fun to sort my mid-year reading into six relevant lists and reflect on what I’ve read!

Read:

Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan, read by Kieran Culkin

Currently Reading:

Small Favor by Jim Butcher

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young, read by Khristine Hvam

Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen

Hiking Oregon’s History: The Stories behind Historic Places You Can Walk to See by Michael L. Sullivan–I had to return this book before finishing it but I placed a hold on it so that I can continue it when it’s available again.

Up Next:

This week will be busy as I’m making plans for my husband’s 50th birthday next Saturday. July is a busy birthday month in our tiny home! COVID has made this birthday look different than we expected (he seriously wanted a trip to Hawaii or an Alaskan cruise and I was on board for that), but I still want it to be special. That said, I don’t expect to get much reading done.

What did your week look like?

Kathryn at Book Date hosts It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading? Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer hosts Sunday Post.

I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe in beautiful Asheville, NC. I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase merchandise through links on my site. 

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

28 Comments

  1. Happy Belated Birthday! Love the Belle mask. That is so cute. Crazy that we’re getting things like masks as gifts, isn’t it? I’m following you on Insta now (@laurenashleybecker). You can always edit your ebook photos to overlay the cover so it’s in color and it’s almost like having a physical book. Then you just take photos of the kindle wherever you like!

    -Lauren
    http://www.shootingstarsmag.net

  2. Happy birthday to you and your husband! I’m reading a book set in Hawaii and it’s making me want to go there (except for the active volcano parts of the story). We just canceled our plans for an August road trip south, which was to take the place of our canceled week in Ireland for our 35th anniversary! Sigh. You’ve been having a very productive month in the reading and blogging department, though, so that’s good!
    I don’t think I realized you live in an RV. That would force me to be tidy instead of having piles all over the place the way I do!

    1. Thank you! But I’m so sorry you’ve had to cancel your anniversary plans not once but twice! You should definitely visit Hawaii if you ever have the chance. We have been before but we love it so much, we’re always ready for another trip.

      My husband is a traveling healthcare professional, so he works 3 months at one hospital then we move on to another. This has allowed us to live short-term in Florida, Maine, Texas, California, and now Oregon. We obviously have a travel bug! We do have a “real” home in North Carolina but we live in our RV most of the time. It’s so much easier than moving in and out of apartments every 3 months!

    1. When my sister called me last week, she kept going on and on about pizza and making me so hungry! I just had to have it for my birthday!

  3. Happy birthday and wish your husband a happy birthday too! I prefer to read on my Kindle and very seldom get print books anymore unless they are gifts for someone else. It’s not that I don’t have room but my bookshelves are full enough for me right now. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

    1. My husband encouraged me to turn one of our spare rooms at home into a library so one whole wall was lined with book cases–and some of the shelves were still double-stacked! Since we’re traveling, all those books are in storage at the moment. I get library cards wherever we go so that I have access to “real” books but since COVID, I miss browsing the shelves. Curbside pickup is a nice idea but I haven’t been able to step foot inside this library yet to get a good idea of what they even have. I feel a bit lost.

  4. Happy belated birthday! I’m slowly moving over to reading more digital books and audiobooks. I primarily take photos of my ebooks on my ipad, because at least it has colour. It’s a difficult one when all the booksagram photos you see are physical. But the more of us who do digital hopefully the easier it will get!

    1. My first photo was a picture of the book cover on my phone, taken with my husband’s phone. I don’t have a tablet, but now that you mention it, my laptop can be used like a tablet…. I’ll have to play with that. You’ve given me an idea! Thanks!

  5. Happy birthday! Interesting that you are just starting a specific Instagram account for your blog. I am currently contemplating starting a Facebook page!

    1. It’s so hard to keep up with social media and decide where to focus my efforts! I probably just fail at all of it but hopefully I get points for trying. Good luck if you go with Facebook!

  6. Happy Birthday and hopefully your husband will enjoy whatever you do. It was our Silver Anniversary this year and we hat big plans to have lots of weekends away this year. Needless to say that hasn’t happened!
    We will resume our plans (and extend them) when travelling etc becomes not only easier but also holds less risk.
    Enjoy your reading.

    1. I’m so sorry your Silver Anniversary year didn’t work out the way you planned! At least it sounds like you’re healthy and safe. That’s what my husband and I try to focus on but honestly, some days we just want to go anywhere we want to go! We are doing our best to follow rules and recommendations though.

  7. Happy Belated Birthday! And welcome to bookstagram. Just followed your account. And you’re not alone. I can never decide how to best photograph when I read on my kindle either.

    1. They black and white covers on my Paperwhite are hard to see and boring! I do love my Paperwhite though. Viki below just gave me an excellent idea though. Here’s hoping it works!

    1. Thank you! I can be a perfectionist, so even taking the simple photo of my birthday books took more time than I expected!

    1. “Interesting” is noncommittal! 😉 My friend who sent them is not a reader at all and very shy. She has apparently befriended some booksellers near her just so she can get recommendations for gifts for me. I’m sure that’s where these came from. She gets the Friend of a Lifetime Award!

  8. Happy late birthday! I’ve gone to all digital, books and audio. They all fit on one device so are easy for traveling / moving. Portland is having a rough time these days. Have fun planning his birthday. Have a lovely week! Stay safe and be kind.

    Anne – Books of My Heart Here is my Sunday Post   

    1. Thank you! I decided not to step up on my political soapbox about the goings-on in Portland, but I am glad that it’s finally getting national attention.

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