Welcome to Buffy’s Corner, where I take a look at what’s coming up this week on the blog! I’m linking up with The Sunday Post over at Kimberly’s blog, The Caffeinated Reviewer:-D
I hope everyone who celebrated Christmas had a nice holiday! Ours was quiet and I really enjoyed the change of pace. My daughter and I made Italian wedding soup for Christmas dinner and it was so good! This week is actually my favorite of the year, because the stress of shopping and celebrating is over, and I only have to work two days this week, so I have another long weekend coming up.
Here’s a couple of hubby’s recent wild bird photos to take you out of 2020:
DNF
Well, I tried really hard, but I’m afraid A Deadly Education just isn’t for me. I spent about four days trying to get past the 100 page mark and I just wasn’t enjoying it at all, so I’m allowing myself to DNF this one. Sorry folks, I was hoping to post a review! The part I’ve read is so slow and dull and honestly very confusing. It’s one long info dump told in first person by the main character El, who I don’t even like. And absolutely NOTHING has happened in those first 100 pages! I’ve heard it really picks up at the halfway point, but I’d rather read other things, so I’m calling it quits.
Upcoming reads:
You might have noticed I don’t have a “Upcoming reviews” section this week. I’ve decided to simply read ahead and stock pile some of my January review books, in the hopes of starting 2021 out ahead rather than behind. Because of that, it will be a light week here on the blog, but I’m OK with that. I will probably be finished with In the Garden of Spite when this post goes live. I’m really enjoying this macabre historical thriller about true life serial killer Belle Gunness. It’s completely different from Camilla Bruce’s You Let Me In, but I love that she’s such a versatile writer. I’ll post my review next week! After that, I’ll be reading The Effort by Claire Holroyde, and after that I”ll most likely read my two January novellas, Remote Control and Across the Green Grass Fields.
The usual memes…
After many weeks of preparation, anxiety and changing my mind, I’ll finally be posting my Best Books of 2020 this Tuesday, don’t miss it! Wednesday is usually Future Fiction, but I may do something different this week, maybe a wrap up post of all my Future Fiction picks of 2020. That sounds like a lot of work, so maybe not, lol. We’ll see. Friday’s The Friday Face-Off is “Dressed in White,” and Friday is also New Year’s Day! That means I’ll be posting What’s On My Plate so you can see what I’ll be reading in January.
In case you missed…
Here are my posts from last week:
The Friday Face-Off: Favorite Book Covers of 2020
Betty by Tiffany McDaniel – Review 5/5 stars
Eight New To Me Authors I Discovered in 2020
Well, as an Italian I’m almost ashamed at having to confess I never heard about that “wedding soup”, but a quick search showed that it’s an interesting recipe that I will have to try out one of these days… 😉 So thanks for mentioning it!
And those birds are so *cute*!
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…SOME CHOOSE DARKNESS (Rory Moore/Lane Phillips #1), by Charlie Donlea
It may not even be authentic Italian so I wouldn’t worry:-)
Is Italian wedding soup anything like Italian wedding rice? (If so, it has dried apricots and almonds in it.) Congratulations on throwing that book against the wall! I’ve never read it, and I’m sorry you didn’t like it- but sometimes that’s what you have to do with them books to show ’em who’s boss!
I’ve never heard of Italian wedding rice but I googled it of course, and it actually looks similar. The soup has Orzo pasta (which looks like rice) and meatballs, so maybe it’s the same thing but different names?
Sorry that A Deadly Education didn’t work for you, I hope your next read is better!
I love that you made Italian Wedding soup! My husband makes a really great version of that, and it’s super delicious. 🙂
I enjoyed my low-key Christmas, glad to see you did too.
This was my first Italian Wedding soup, ha ha. Can’t believe I’ve never had it before.
I’m glad you enjoyed Christmas! Definitely a different one this year.
Your husband’s bird photos are great. I’ve been considering getting into photography but even decent beginner’s cameras aren’t cheap lol.
I know, photography can get so expensive! My husband wanted a special lens for Christmas and then he told me it was $13,000!! I’m like “sorry honey that’s not going to happen” lol.
I have seen some mixed reviews about Deadly Education! I should probably DNF These Violent Delights but I am at 70% and feel I should slog through it but at the same time I know it’s a series and will probably not end and then I will be like WHAT…lol.
Have a great week and happy new year!
Stormi
You are so close, I’d probably finish if I were at 70%. Have a nice week, Stormi! Happy New Year:-)
Beautiful birds, as always. I really like the right one, nice light and that flower adds some great color. I thoroughly respect your DNF. It’s always a disappointment to get to that point, but we only have so much time so why not spend it on things we get more enjoyment or enrichment from? I still need to work on that, though, as it’s so much easier said than done… I hope you enjoy a very relaxing week, Tammy!
Thanks Todd, hope you have a nice week as well:-)
I am sorry that A Deadly Education wasn’t for you! I really enjoyed it, but it is not perfect and not everyone like the same thing, but I hope your next readings would be amazing!!
And the pictures you posted are amazing like always!
Thanks Susy! I may give A Deadly Education another shot sometime:-)
I’m really anxious for my copy of Across the Green Grass Fields to get here!
I hope we both love it!
Italian wedding soup sounds great! I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy A Deadly Education. I think it’s always tough to start a new world, a new series. Have a lovely relaxing week!
Anne – Books of My Heart recently posted…Top 10 Books I Want in 2021
Thanks Anne! I know there are plenty of readers who loved A Deadly Education, so I’m not feeling too bad about my reaction.
Oooof, you DNFing A Deadly Education may make me finally decide to skip this one. I’ve seen very mixed reviews (both positive and negative), but if you couldn’t get through it…
Caitlin G. recently posted…Top Five Backlist Reads of 2020
It’s such a tough beginning! And I hate to DNF it but I have so many other books I’d rather read… Although I’ve read a bunch of positive reviews, so it just depends, I guess!
Dang Tammy! I am so sorry A Deadly Education didn’t work for you! I listened to the audiobook and wrote in my review that it probably helped as the beginning is very descriptive with lots of info and the narrator made it feel “alive”.
I can see the audio being better. I remember Mogsy’s review, she listened to the audio and ended up loving the second half:-)
Ahoy there. Sorry that a deadly education didn’t work for ye. It was one of me favorites. Onto the next! Happy new year!
x The Captain
It’s definitely a book that seems to divide people. And I have a feeling if I stuck with it I’d probably end up really enjoying it overall. But at this point in the year, I don’t want a book I don’t like to be the last one I read in 2020.
I can’t wait for Across the Green Grass Fields! I have an e-ARC, but I think I’m going to wait for my hard cover to arrive. I love that series! Happy New Year!
I love it too, and I’m so curious about this new one! Happy New Year, Lisa:-)
I snagged an audio copy of The Effort, I think it sounds interesting! Also do you happen to know the names of the birds? I’m a bird feeder/watcher, but I’m only familiar with the songbirds in my area and have no idea what you guys get in the west – they’re pretty!
Ha ha yes I know the names of the birds, and only because my husband is in a birding Facebook group who is only too happy to let him know what his birds are. The blue bird is a Yellow Rumped Warbler and the yellow one is a Ruby Crowned Kinglet:-)
Time off between the holidays is nice- I always look forward to it when I’m able to get those days off. 🙂 And Italian wedding soup- yummy! Glad you guys had a nice Christmas. 🙂
I’m looking forward to all the awesome looking SF coming out in 2021.
Hope you have a great week and a happy New Year!!!
Greg recently posted…Sunday Post
Happy New Year!
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who DNF’ed A Deadly Education. I tried to read it for over a week and just couldn’t get into it at all.
Yeah, it was weirdly boring and confusing. I’m sorry we both wasted time on it, lol.
Sorry you didn’t like A Deadly Education! Maybe I should try it so I can cross it off my TBR haha
Ha ha, tell me what you think!
I have heard a lot of mixed things about A Deadly Education and, the fact that you DNFd it is enough for me to pass it up. If I heard remarkable praise about the sequel, I might reconsider but I don’t think I will! 😛
After reading your review of Betty, I was surprised to see that my mom was currently reading it lol. She apparently loved it as much as you did so I will try to pick it up in 2021 ( but only when I’ll be in the mood for a sad story!)
Maryam recently posted…The Best Short Stories I read in 2020: Part 2 | Short Fiction Sunday
Oh cool, your mom has good taste:-)
You know, I haven’t had the best luck with Novik either…
I really loved Uprooted, but A Deadly Education was very different…
I’m so happy to read you loved Betty, Tammy, and also that you had a good Christmas! I hope you enjoy this week, too. As always, loved your hubby’s pics. I am reading The Thirty Names of Night right now, and it’s made me love birds even more than I already did.
I’ll have to check out that book, thanks for the heads up, and Happy New Year, Jenni!
Glad you had a wonderful holiday. Ours was great and low-key as well and like you, I really like the days AFTER the holiday because they seem so relaxed. We are both on vacation so it’s been nice to chill some.
Love your hubby’s pictures. You have such a talented family!
Thanks Barb!
You know, as time as gone by I’ve found that I didn’t want to read Deadly Education and I’m not sure why that is – I think maybe I saw too many reviews that were a bit mixed or just plain weren’t enjoying it.
Lynn 😀