Monday, October 26, 2020

This week....

 I'm reading...



This week I tried to sneak in some for fun reads. I think that I should have done required reading as now I feel a bit behind, but oh well. Part of the reason was to read something that came from the library.  They have just advised that we can now order library books to be delivered, and I have received a notification that there are some waiting for me. That's good news right? Well, it would be if I had actually read any of the books that I already have out, so I decided to pick one of those.


I decided to read Those Who Are Loved by Victoria Hislop. I have read a number of her books over the years. She writes historical fiction set in Greece and this book was no exception. This time the author tells the story of a family that is torn apart by the political instability in Greece from the last 1930s through until the 1980s. Like so much of Europe, Greece was invaded by the Nazis, but after that they also had a civil war between communists and government forces.  Within the family, two of the siblings are on one side and the other two on the other. The history is very interesting, but I felt curiously disconnected from the characters.

I also started read The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline for a blog tour later this week. The Exiles tells the story of four women in colonial Australia. Thereason why I accepted this book is because I was curious to see what an American author would do with Australian history.

Finally I also started reading Bottlebrush Creek by Maya Linell over the weekend. I am not sure when I will finish it, but I will. 



I'm watching....



We actually watched a fair bit this weekend. 



I mentioned last week that I had watched the first episode of Emily in Paris. I did think it would take me weeks to watch because it would be something that I needed to watch by myself, but I put an episode on and next thing we knew we had both watched the whole series, and he really enjoyed it too.




We also started and finished watching Staged, which stars David Tennant and Michael Sheen...or should that be Michael Sheen and David Tennant. It is a show that has been completed filmed during lockdown and is them trying to start working on a play together. I had seen clips of them which made me laugh but I didn't realise it was a show. It was lots of fun, and has apparently has just been renewed for a second season.



We also watched Rebecca on Saturday night. Robert had never seen any version of the movie and so thestory was all new to him.. I don't think he was convinced that I had told him about the right movie at the beginning, but in the end it was creepy enough. I thought it was an okay version. Kristin Scott Thomas was really good as Mrs Danvers. The rest of the movie looked good without being great. It also counts as viewing towards RIPXV



Life



We took advantage of the restrictions that have been removed a little by going to the beach today. It was cold and windy, but it was so nice to be able to go and do that after so long of being stuck at home.



We had a four day weekend this week. There was a public holiday on Friday to celebrate the fact that it was the football grand final yesterday. Remarkable right? And not even the silliest reaso to have public holiday. That comes in a couple of weeks time but I am not really complaining about having a day off.



We used the long weekend to bring in a skip and managed to fill it in a about 2 hours. My husband, aka Bob the Builder, removed an old air conditioner ready for the installation of a new split system in the coming weeks. We also have a plan in relation to the next steps in our renovations. We spent time talking about 3 or 4 different projects that are on the agenda. Guess we are on the home reno kick again!






I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date




18 comments:

  1. I still need to think of what movie to see for RIPXV! And, I'll take any holiday that gives me a day off from work - haha.. It's been crazy for me so I'm in need of a day. Glad you got to enjoy a bit of extra down time.

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    1. We are watching Pride and Prejudice and Zombies tonight Iliana

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  2. I've read one Victoria Hislop. The postcards one. Loved it! The exiles are on my TBR list and I hope to get to it soon!

    We've been planning some renovations since February, but our plans are STILL at the municipal offices. So until they are released there, we can do nothing...

    Hope you will have a good week!

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    1. I have the Postcards book on my shelf here but I haven't read it yet.

      Hope your plans are released soon.

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  3. I hope The Exiles doesn't disappoint in terms of getting things historically correct. I'm in the UK and was disappointed by a book last year that got our education system completely wrong. As a teacher that really grated on my nerves and totally ruined the book for me.

    I think you HAVE to make time for a "for fun" read regularly, otherwise reading becomes a chore rather than a pleasure. I really struggle to say no to arc books, so like all addicts I find it better to avoid those places where I find myself tempted!
    Have a great week 😊

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    1. I think that the history was prettyy correct Louise!

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  4. Sounds like a good week! I've seen a couple clips of David Tennant and Michael Sheen clowning around, but I didn't realize it was a whole show either. Sounds entertaining.

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  5. I have Emily in Paris and Rebecca in my queue, so now I am eager to watch them both.

    Enjoy your week and your books. I have been eyeing The Exiles. Here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

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    1. There's a few good things on Netflix at the moment Laurel-Rain.

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  6. It'll be fun to see what you think of The Exiles. I like Baker Kline's writing and hope to read The Exiles, eventually, but generally prefer to read Australian books written by Australians.

    I had no idea those clips of Tennant and Sheen were from a show, either! Cool. I watched Contagion, this weekend, while husband was at a funeral because I didn't think he'd enjoy a pandemic movie. It was pretty good. Kind of hard to encapsulate months of a pandemic into an hour-and-a-half movie but I thought the ending was particularly good as it showed how the virus in the movie crossed over from bats to pigs to humans.

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    1. I like to read Australian history from Autralian writers too Nancy!

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  7. Good luck on the home renovation. It is also nice that you could leave the house. I'm really content to stay at home especially now that snow has started falling. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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    1. This weekend is the first weekend where we are able to go out ad see people. We are but trying to avoid the crowds

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  8. I love David Tennant and look forward to watching Staged! Thanks for the heads-up.

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  9. aren't michael sheen and david tennant the best?!

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