Sunday post 29; It's Monday, What are you reading? 17

The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba here: http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/ is a chance to catch up with the week that was, plan the week ahead and chat with other bloggers. It's Monday! What are you reading? has been taken over by Kathryn at http://bookdate.blogspot.co.nz/ and the title says it all. :)

Last week we returned to a kind of equilibrium, and spawn returned to school, much recovered from his fever/infection. All hail antibiotics. (All hail the glow cloud). Of course, he had one week of school and now has two weeks off for school holidays but eh. There's never a good time to get sick.

I worked, and kept chipping away at The Girl With All the Gifts (which really is very very good) and played a little Dragon Age and an even more little Mass Effect (I'm very bad at Mass Effect so far. Like. Awful.)

I'm never up for much of anything by the time I get home from work; after sorting out tea, lunches, clothes and uniforms (and homework), so last week I finally started on the last season of The Walking Dead. I finished Versailles and needed something else. So far TWD is good. Little bit slow and there's a little too much teen angst that I just don't care about, but I persist because I think The Walking Dead is one of the best shows to come along in a long time.

Let's see ... by Friday night I was so knackered that I nearly fell asleep on the couch about the time I meant to head to bed. Just. Exhausted. And I'd started coughing, which hasn't gone away, so I guess it's my turn for the seasonal lurgy. Marvellous.

What else. I started The Casual Vacancy by J K Rowling yesterday and I have to say, I'm really enjoying it. A friend pointed out to me that she's an excellent storyteller, and so whatever story she chooses to tell is bound to be a good one. So far that theory is holding.

For this week I think I'll pause on The Girl With all the Gifts and venture slowly back into Perdido Street Station.

I did a short reviews post last week, though I didn't get around to my happy list/things that are saving my life post. Hopefully this week, I'll see. I also have an idea brewing of - I'm not sure how to describe it - the things that give us sanctuary. From our daily lives; our children - books and games and things. I'm in mind of it because Spawn is playing Dragon Age Inquisition. Which is fine, I'm happy he can handle it and all that jazz but it's like ... this is MY escape. I'm actually thinking of launching a new playthrough that he doesn't know about, so I can have a proper, real escape with it.

Anyway. I'll see if I can even get a whole post out of that idea.

What about you?

How's your week been?

What are you reading?

Sunday post 27; It's Monday! What are you reading? 15

  The Sunday Post is hosted here by Kimba: http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/ and is a chance for a chat and a catch-up with what's been going on in your week.

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted here: http://bookdate.blogspot.co.nz/ by Kathryn and does what it says on the tin. :)

Let's see ... I worked. I played Dragon Age: Awakenings. I did not do much reading last week, however. I stumbled over a mini-slump instead, which really wasn't much fun. Hence, getting through Awakenings so quickly (also I accidentally skipped a bunch of side-quests). I launched Dragon Age 2 again today. I always say that Origins was my first love and Inquisition is my true love. DA2 ... I guess DA2 is my bit on the side but I do love it.

Anyway. Yesterday, with determination and fortitude and blah blah blah I sat down with The Drawing of the Three, and made actual, real, genuine progress with a book. I've read it before, though not for many years, and I forgot that this is peak King. Like. This is Peak King. It's King right at the top of his game. I got through another 50 pages or so today, and I'm on track to finish this week. Which will be nice, as my goodreads stats keep slipping - lol.

I'm still picking at Perdido Street Station but I've had to put it down for a bit, there was a sequence that was ... hard to read. I might pick it up this week again, I'll see.

A friend of a friend and her son came down from Christchurch unexpectedly yesterday so spawn and I spent a large part of the afternoon with them. It was fun, but both spawn and I were ready to go home by about 7.30. The friend is my stitch-and-watch Saturday night friend and asked me if I'd want to come back with my stitching, even though her friend and son were still there - they were staying with them. Honestly, as much as I enjoy our Saturday nights, I just wanted to go home.

Today, I got all my grown-up things done, and launched DA2, like I said, and friends of spawn showed up (there's a rant/post for another day) so he was well  occupied for the afternoon.

For the coming week, I have work, hopefully finising The Drawing of the Three, and possibly catching up with Versailles and maybe also The Walking Dead. I'd like to get some writing done, too maybe and also possibly some stitching. Hopefully I'll also get at least one blog post done - a short reviews post. :)

I'll see.

How's your week looking?

What are you reading?

The year that was

I have to say, 2015 was a bit average for me. Not the worst year I've ever had - 2011 and 2006 vie for that title as those were the years I lost my mother and father, respectively.

This past year, however, we did lose three cats - two to the ravages
of time, and my sweet girl, Morgana, to a car. She was my lap buddy and only two and a half. That hole in my heart is still open. That photo on the right is very typical of her. Every time I sat down, there she was. I miss that quiet weight so very much.

Let's see ... I also rolled the dice on my job and took redundancy. Which, so far, hasn't been a bad thing. I've taken the chance to kick back at home, which I've never really been able to do. But it's getting to the point, now, where I do need to find something fairly soon.

Cross fingers for me? :)

What else. Spawn turned eight in May, and he's a happy, healthy gamer kid. So that's something to be thankful for. Here he is with one of the kittens we adopted last month - Felicia, I think. Inevitably, he's fascinated by them, but he's pretty good with them and of course kittens have little claws and teeth as warnings if things get to be too much.

Speaking of kittens ... they're both black, so getting good pix is nearly impossible, but I do try. That's Felicia and Ivy in the basket. I think Felicia is on the left - her coat is a bit lighter and glossier. They're very typical kittens and so a joy and a burden to have around - lol.
What else have I done this year? I ...... have played a lot of Dragon Age. Especially since I finished work in September. I'm on my third Origins playthrough since last year, and my third Inquisition playthrough since .. well. Since September. I'm trying to limit it at the moment a little bit because I play on PC and I've found that I'm getting pain in my right index finger knuckle, if that makes sense.

I've "traced" it back to the gaming, and much mouse-clicking, so I'm taking a few days off. But look at my Inquisitors; Ellana and Gethriel (I call him Dorkvellan because well, I accidentally made him look like a dork). Anyway, don't get me started on Dragon Age, I'll never stop.

I didn't expect to love a game so much, but good golly gosh, I love it so very, very, very much of a lot.


Anyway. I also made my goodreads goal this year: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2015 and I'm thinking of pushing the boat out and aiming for 80 books in 2016. We'll see.

I also took up baking again, something I haven't done in 20 years or more, with various rates of success. I enjoy the process though, and with it being school holidays, I can drag spawn in to help me with some of it, which he seems to enjoy.

Oh! I also moved! Sort of - lol. From http://justaddbooks.blogspot.co.nz/ to here. It felt like the right time. :)

How was your 2015? Good? Bad? Average? Great? Let me know :)