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Wednesday, September 09, 2020

Polishing off My Summer To-Do List

Labor Day has passed, so I guess the summer is basically over.  That means it's time to report on my goals I set in my summer to-do list.

All photos are mine, several from my Instagram account.  All titles are linked to my reviews if I've reviewed that book or movie.


~ Publish One Bad Apple  Check!  My Snow White retelling is out in the world now, and you can order it from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.

~ Read The Hunchback of Notre Dame  Check!  My review is here.

~ Read 2 more titles for my Classics Club list  Check!  I also read The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and Chronicles of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery.


~ Read 9 books off my TBR shelves  Check!  I read SIXTEEN books off my TBR shelves, which far surpassed my expectations.  They were: 

  1. A Light in the Dark Belt by Rosa Young 
  2. Desert Death Song by Louis L'Amour 
  3. Chronicles of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery 
  4. The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
  5. Macario's Scepter by M. J. McGriff
  6. Great Writers: Jane Austen 
  7. The Malleville Conspiracy by H. L. Roethle
  8. Of Literature and Lattes by Katherine Reay
  9. C.S. Lewis: Letters to Children edited by Lyle W. Dorsett and Marjorie L. Mead
  10. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carre
  11. The Queen's Falconer by Charity Bishop
  12. Rook di Goo by Jenni Sauer
  13. Frederica by Georgette Heyer
  14. Just Mercy: Adapted for Young Adults by Bryan Stevenson
  15. The Reluctant Godfather by Allison Tebo
  16. Mr. Bliss by J. R. R. Tolkien

~ Read 2 books from the library  Check!  I read three:  The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen, Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev, and Riviera Gold by Laurie R. King.

~ Read at least 1 book each month about/by someone who is not white  Check!  In my on-going quest to broaden my literary horizons, I've added a lot more "own voices" titles and authors to my TBR lists.  This summer, I read A Light in the Dark Belt by Rosa Young, Macario's Scepter by M. J. McGriff, Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev, and Just Mercy: Adapted for Young Adults by Bryan Stevenson.


~ Watch 5 movies off my TBW shelves  Check!  I watched eight, and they were:

  1. I Love You Again (1940)
  2. The High and the Mighty (1954)
  3. A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
  4. Rawhide (1951)
  5. Hamlet (1970)
  6. The Outsiders: The Complete Novel (1983)
  7. Shogun (1980)
  8. Seven Men from Now (1956)

~ Make at least three new kinds of popsicles  Check!  We made butterscotch pudding pops, Oreo pudding pops, lemonade + blackberry, lemonade + blueberry, and hot chocolate with marshmallows!  I think my kids liked the hot chocolate popsicles best.

~ Make another book nook shelf insert  Fail  I haven't solidified my ideas for another one yet, and I also just didn't have time.

~ Finish the blanket I'm crocheting for my 8-yr-old's bed  Fail  But I'm getting close!!!


That's it for this summer, I guess.  On to autumn!!!  I'll have my new to-do list up soon :-)

Did you have fun this summer?  Try something new?  Read some good books or watch some good movies?  I hope so!

10 comments:

  1. Wow, look at all those books you finished! Good for you!!

    I, too, have been reading up a storm this summer. The library is really the only place I can visit, and while I'm not allowed to sit and read, I can dash inside, get a stack of books, and dash out again.

    I joke to my mom that my "books read" list for 2020 is going to be shockingly long.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Katie, yes, I am feeling like I'm finally climbing on top of my TBR mountain and staying firmly there, not sliding down over and over.

      And this summer was heavenly for having time to just read and read and read, refilling my creative well. I really needed that.

      I think many people are going to set new records for books read this year.

      Delete
  2. Wow, you read a lot of books. And you did a really good job completing these. How were the butterscotch pudding pops? They sound good.
    And congratulations on broadening your reading horizons. I need to work on that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. McKayla, I did. I came down off two years of hard work on a book and needed to regenerate my creative self with a vengeance.

      The butterscotch pudding pops were great! This is the recipe I used, if you want to try them. They were very easy. We did them without the cookies for the butterscotch variety.

      I've added a diverse reads label to my book blog so people can find ideas for things to read that are about minorities, Own Voices books, and so on, if you're looking for ideas.

      Delete
  3. You did awesome on your summer to-do list. I didn't do nearly as well as you, but I did do more reading this summer than I ever have before! Lots of good books!! I homeschool as well and am missing the extra reading time now that school has started.
    I guess my fun new summer thing is after having read (and loved!!!) the Two Blue Doors series by Hilary Manton Lodge I became motivated to put more effort into my cooking and try some new things. I have been in a cooking rut for several years, but now I have a stack of cookbooks and magazines from the library and have been trying some new meals. I'm actually excited to cook again after reading that series.
    I forgot about homemade popsicles. I used to make those for my kids when they were younger...they'd probably like it if I starting doing that again!
    Becky W

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Becky! Congrats on beating your own summer reading record :-) Always a great feeling!

      I LOVE the Two Blue Doors trilogy too! They firmly bumped Hilary Manton Lodge onto my must-buy list. Have you read her book Jane of Austin yet? Also has lots of inspiring recipes :-)

      I like popsicles myself, so I'm pretty easy to persuade to make them, lol!

      Delete
    2. I haven't read Jane of Austin yet, but hope to get to it soon! So happy to hear there are recipes in there too! And Hilary Manton Lodge is now a must-buy author for me as well.
      Becky

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    3. Becky, I hope you will like Jane of Austin too! I have Lodge's two earlier books waiting on my TBR shelves for me, which are nice to look forward to :-)

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  4. I'm not even absolutely crazy about popsicles, but every time you talk about the flavors you're trying, you make me want to try them, too. xD

    I've been wanting to make another book nook, too, but if I do it, I want it to be Unrealistically Good, and that's just not going to happen right now. xD

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    Replies
    1. Olivia, lol! That's neat. The Oreo ones were spectacular, just fyi.

      Yeah, mostly I'm holding off on making another book nook because none of my ideas for it have grabbed me in a "You Must Make This" sort of way. I can be patient :-)

      Delete

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