Sunday Musings #35: The One about an unproductive and boring week

Sunday Musings #35: The One about an unproductive and boring week

Hola people

I am so glad this week has come to an end because I wasn’t feeling productive at all and I want a restart or a new beginning. That is what this Sunday is all about. 

To be fair, I had so many things to do this week and I ended up not doing anything at all. Does anyone else feel this way – a minute ago everything seemed good and then nothing, not a drastic slump, no high or low but just a lull? I hope that ended with last week and I am back to the charming ol’ self!

Does anyone else feel this way – a minute ago everything seemed good and then nothing, not a drastic slump, no high or low but just a lull? Read more on my week here Click To Tweet

Remember I keep talking about the Emirates Lit Fest 2019 and how I am gonna be volunteering there? I attended the Volunteer Manager briefing session this week and I loved meeting old and new friends.

Guess what, many of them were book lovers like us and we discussed about the authors who were attending the event and books we loved (obviously!). I can’t wait to go to the event (happening between March 1st to 9th).

What I read:

I finished reading the Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde for the Penguin Classics challenge 2019 and I loved it.

Do you believe when they say ‘a good book finds you at the right time‘? I am not sure if I would have appreciated it as much had I read this any time earlier. 

Do you believe when they say 'a good book finds you at the right time'? I am not sure if I would have appreciated it as much had I read these books any time earlier. Click To Tweet

I also read ‘The man in the brown suit’ by Agatha Christie, for my ‘Classics and Christie’ Club. 

And if you like the pictures I shared consider liking and following my Instagram profile.

What I watched:

I finally ended my 3 months sabbatical from the television and Netflix this week! Yes people I had not watched any Netflix for about 90 days and I survived.

And I wanted to commemorate the end of this ban by watching a movie that I had been wanting to watch for a long time – Ralph breaks the internet.

Unproductive Wreck-It-Ralph

And I ADORED IT! I loved how Disney trolled itself about its princesses.

Unproductive Wreck-It-Ralph princess
Credit: Tumblr

On my blog: 

Remember I was telling you how my week wasn’t productive? Well I posted only twice this week. 

Sunday Musings #34: The One Where I Ramble About Everything That Ever Happened Aka #JanuaryWrapUp

january wrap up

Review Shots: Middle Eastern Tales For Children

Middle east

Around the blogosphere

One thing I am happy about this week is that I blog hopped a bit and I almost visited everyone’s blog this week. So here are my favorite picks of the week.

I will be linking today’s post with Caffeinated reviewer’s Sunday post Meme.

Pin me!

Unproductive

Let us chat

So how has your week been? What did you read? Do you ever face these plateaus and how do you get over them? Let us talk. 

Sunday Musings #35: The One about an unproductive and boring week

Sunday Musings #34: The One Where I ramble about everything that ever happened Aka #JanuaryWrapUp

Hello y’all

I know I have been MIA for the past two weeks but lets not dwell on that because I am back. And I come bearing good news.  And let us call it my January Wrap up!

I am gonna have to start off with the cliched how is it already February and one month into the new year, but seriously how!? But I think my January seemed good enough, I guess. 

Quick update

1. I read FIVE books people, which is 5 more than what I would have read a few months ago. 

2. As I was saying in my last Sunday Post, I travelled back to India where I got to meet some amazing people. 

January wrap up

3. I attended a book event hosted by the Australian Consulate and Starmark where I met Markus Zusak, author of the Book Thief, and even got a signed copy of his book.

January wrap up
Totally ignore the frizz ball my hair decided to be

4. I met these amazing huge gang of bookstagrammers and book bloggers, with whom I had a blast even after the event. 

January wrap up
January wrap up
That is me and Shruti from This is lit being crazy

5. On other news, I have been confirmed as a volunteer for the Emirates Literature Festival 2019, which I have been looking forward to since the last year’s event.

What I read

These are the books I read during January 2019

I am currently reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, which I will be finishing in an hour or two. 

What I watched

This is where I try to be funny, and maybe show off-y. 

I have not watched Television or Netflix in almost three months and I am relieved to say the stint is coming to an end. I will update you on that pretty soon.

What I received

Thanks to Medina Publishing Inc, Middle East for sending me these adorable set of children’s books for review. Aren’t they adorable? 

January wrap up

And guess what? The stories are all native to Middle east and the illustrations are soo good.

January wrap up

And: I might be meeting the author at the Emirates LitFest. I am so excited about the whole deal.

On my blog

During my visit to India, real life interfered with my blogging schedule. My WordPress bungled and my scheduled posts were not posted. So after almost a two-week absence I have just two posts this week.

Indie Guest Post: From Author to Marketer – Four SIMPLE Ways to Promote Your Book by Susan Barton

Author to Marketer Susan

Flyaway Friday: A trip to Philippines with a Filipina blogger by Jennilyn from Rurouni Jenni Reads

Philippines guest post

Around the blogosphere

While I understand my absence in the blogosphere was inevitable, I am still surly about that. Anyway I am back and I am trying to catch up on all your blogs.

Here are some awesome posts that I found and loved this week.

I will be linking today’s post with Caffeinated reviewer’s Sunday post Meme.

Pin me!

January wrap up

Let us chat

Did you guys miss me? Don’t you love it when your scheduled drafts don’t get posted for no reason? What else is happening with you all? Let us talk. 

Sunday Musings #35: The One about an unproductive and boring week

Spotlight Sunday: #09 One with March wrap up and no other news!

It is a new day, new week and a new month. And I am feelin’ good. Just like this one from MUSE. I am always excited for a new month, all the more for it is April – my birth month (is there such a thing anyway?)

In India we had our school closing up for the summer holidays by mid of April and the whole of May and that used to make April extra special. And did I say my birth day falls on the 12th of April?

And also March was not kind to me at all (Or did it?) and I am happy to get that over with.

So here is a quick recap of what I did during the month.

You might have heard all about it earlier, I got to meet some of the authors and poets.

I volunteered at the Emirates Literature Fest during the first two weekends.

elgeewrites Spotlight Sunday: #09 One with March wrap up and no other news! A Z 18Mar 1

What I read this week

I didn’t read much. Just two books during March:
1) Erotic stories of Punjabi widows
2) The Geography of You and Me

And that is my status of A – Z challenge!

I beta read a romance manuscript of Kavya’s and I am fairly happy with it.

Around the blogosphere

And I finally got back to visiting my dearests’ blogs. I have to say I missed the blog hopping and seeing the wonderful posts others have made.

So here are the ones I enjoyed:

1) If you are into BuJo and are looking for ways to track your reading and blog stats, you should take a leaf out of the Always Opinionated Girl’s post here

2) I found the freaking hilarious advertisement for a backpack and haven’t take my mind off it. I think you will like it as well.

3) Don’t we all hate card board cut characters? The Temperamental Writer shares her list of characters that were far far from being one of those. I had to add few those to my TBR right after reading her post here.

4) I have been off from my Twitter game for a while and this guide to book blogger hashtags from Carrie @ Cat on the Bookshelf could not have come at a better time.

5) Elizabeth from Redgal Musings made a guest post on Book Dragon 247 about extroverted bookworms (like me) broke the myth of stereotyping every book worm as introverts. I loved it.

On my blog

A quick recap of the month that passed in my blog

sunshine
Death on the Nile
Library

Widows
The Geography of You and Me

elgeewrites Spotlight Sunday: #09 One with March wrap up and no other news! SS9P

I will be linking today’s post with Caffeinated reviewer’s Sunday post Meme.

Pin me!

elgeewrites Spotlight Sunday: #09 One with March wrap up and no other news! SS9P

Let us talk

So how was your weekend and your month? Did you like the links I have shared? Did I miss any of your blogs? Let me know I will correct it right away.

Sunday Musings #35: The One about an unproductive and boring week

Spotlight Sunday: #08 One from when I found a new library  

Hello people, I come bearing good news. I at last got my system got working again and had to completely reformat the hard drive. So I will have to catch up with all your posts and comments and I will get to that right away.

Library

I have been hinting during the past few (or more) weeks about me attending the Dubai literature festival and I finally attended it. It was fantastic to say the least. I saw several of those awesome writers and authors.

Library

I saw likes of Joe Hill, Anthony Horowitz, Sashi Tharoor et al and I also renewed my interest in poetry. Maybe I will write a post on them in a few days. Well, I found my new favorite spoken word artist Afra Atik and she is something.

But most of all I found my tribe of people. YES Bookworms! I loved meeting and chatting away about books and writing to many of them. One of them even found me a library that is affordable and considerably closer to my house. Yay to that!

Another thing that I loved about the festival was the number of children and teens who attended and flocked to see their favorite authors. I was kinda feeling emotional and tad overwhelmed by all their love for books. It reminded me of myself when I was kid who couldn’t wait to go home after schools just to open my books.

Library

And all these have got the bookworm in me pumped up and I finished two books just the last week. And I promise to churn out more of those blog posts and comments hereon. And I am back on track (hopefully).

I am so so far behind on my comment365 challenge – I have visited about 28 blogs and we are on 76th day today. *ducks shamefully*

What I read

I finished two books in the last two weeks. And that makes a total of 8 books on my A – Z challenge for 2018. Check it out here

  1. Geography of You and Me, The by Jennifer E. Smith
  2. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal
Library

And for this month’s Flyaway Friday I am not travelling far from my place but you are for sure. Yes we are gonna talk about United Arab Emirates, yay the place where I am currently put up. And I got a book worm who is an Emirati to post more about the country. So keep up guys.

I will be linking today’s post with Caffeinated reviewer’s Sunday post Meme.

Pin me!

Library

Let us talk

Are you guys mad at me? Did you miss me at all? Please please say yes. I love you all loads. How do you guys catch up with all the pending stuff. Let’s chat. 

Sunday Musings #35: The One about an unproductive and boring week

Spotlight Sunday: #05 One about Emirates Lit Fest 2018

One of the drawbacks of being a blogger who is not living in the USA/UK is that we do not get to do many of the book related things like meeting an author, attending a reading or even getting a signed copy. And that is why I have been on the cloud nine since week.

Fest

Ready for it?

I will be attending a literature festival next month right where I live (Dubai). And not only that, I will be an “insider”!! Okay I am exaggerating, but I will be an official volunteer for Emirates Literature Festival that will be happening from 1 to 10th March 2018 at Dubai.

About 175 authors will be participating in the event and I am so excited that I will get to see the likes of Shashi Tharoor, William Dalrymple, Anthony Horoatiz and Joe Hill (yes the Locke and Key fame and the son of STEPHEN KING).

I will keep updating you guys as and when I know more about the events. If you are from this side of the globe and planning to attend any of the sessions, do let me know.

Around the blogosphere

1) It is a common complaint in the book blogging community that reviews do not invoke as much engagement as the discussion post. Kristen puts in her perspective on the subject in her post.

2) Evelina published another awesome post in her newblogger series on blogging calendar and schedules. I am sure I will be taking some of her pointers and I think you should check it out too.

3) Have you ever tried having bookish conversation with a chat bot? Bookstormgirl tried it for us and the result is freakishly hilarious. She even shared the result with us.

4) I found about the demise of John Mahoney, who played Martin Crane of FRASIER through Shailaja’s post on how an actor’s death can affect a person.

Fest

5) Laura from Boats against the current post an interesting article on how to follow other blogs. Do you love discovering and following new blogs as much as I do then you should sign up for Bloggers’ Comment Junction here.

6) Can you tell me what is your favorite book? I am sure you need a minute or 60 to choose one. Chloe from Book Dragons attempts to reason out our behavior in her post.

7) Do extra blank pages in a book drive you crazy? I used to wonder why would they even want to waste papers like that. Until I found this page from Mental Floss.

Fest

8) Austine from Novel Knight came out with this fantabulous resource with The Book Community Media Dashboard. Go ahead add yours and find other lovely bloggers from the list.

9)  I stumbled upon this gem from Halsey about sexual abuse that moved me to tears.

10) There is a stereotype about book worms that are introverts. Is that true? I am not sure. I am stuck somewhere between being an introvert and not. I read this article from Thought Catalog that I was about to relate to so much. You might enjoy it as well.

On my blog

In case you missed any of me post this week, here is a quick recap just for you.

Review shots is gonna be monthly feature where I will be writing bite sized reviews of 3-4 books. Here is the second edition where I reviewed Herding Cats, Everyday Watercolor and Find Your Awesome: A 30-Day Challenge to Fall in Love with Your Playful, Imaginative & Colorful Self.

Fest

With the Valentines Day not so far away, isn’t time for you to place your orders for your romance reads at your library or the bookstore?

Fest

If you all didn’t know where are travelling this month on your Flyaway Friday, hear me say again. It is Finland!
Before we take a trip to the land of Thousand lakes, here is a quick primer about the country to read while you pack your bags.

Fest

I will be linking today’s post with Caffeinated reviewer’s Sunday post Meme.

Pin me!

Fest

Let us talk

Have you attended any literature fests? Let me know what to expect. Do you have any interesting links for me to share? Then drop it in a comment or DM me through any of my social accounts. Let’s talk.