Weekly Wrap-Up #225 – May 25th, 2025

I’m connecting once again with Kimberly at Caffeinated Reviewer.

Sunday was a nice almost back to normal feeling day. With Dora doing better, knock on wood, I was able to sit and do some blogging for a change. It was a cooler day with possible storms predicted for later in the evening as well as Monday. I did some laundry and then had to return a swimsuit I’d bought on Amazon to Kohl’s since they have an Amazon return center there. I’m trying to find a swimsuit for the cruise and not having luck with what I am comfortable in and what I can seem to find. After Kohl’s I stopped at the grocery store to get a bag of ice as well as the picked rotisserie chicken I buy that I give the dogs for their treats. Then dinner was at my mom’s house. I ended up DNFing the audiobook I was listening to. It was a sequel to a Gateway book I listened to last year. I just kept getting bored and not really paying attention, but then I was able to still pick it up. So I moved on to another audiobook.

Monday was a “weather aware” day according to a local news station. It was cloudy all day with some stormy weather on my drive home. School was busy because one of the APs asked me to do Canva stuff for her again. I mean if I have to do stuff, I guess at least I enjoy that. So many things I need to do in my library though. Oh well. Dora seems to still be doing a little better each day. Fingers crossed it keeps up! It was a stormy night, lots of rain and wind, some hail where I live, but more in other areas around where I live. There was about a 2-3 hour break between 5-9 or so, and my mom and I went up to Sam’s Club to get her last item to take for our Branson trip this weekend. I found this butterbeer flavored popcorn! Also here is a picture of my poor peony bush after the downpour. Lots of petals got washed across my back patio too.

Tuesday was also busy. It started by coming in to find the leak that had been in one of the lights in the library had now spilled out onto the other circulation desk. I’m guessing it will be ruined at this point. Good thing we moved the computer out of the way when we noticed the leak in the ceiling a week or so ago. One of the counselors has a group she runs for girls at school to help them with deciding to continue with school and not dropping out, like some cultures put pressure on them. It was an all day thing, and a little loud, but that is fine. Then I had so much going on with laptops, and then also finding out I was going to have more books to box for auction, textbooks the district is getting rid of and instead of teachers taking care of it, I have to do hundreds of books myself. After work I had a hair appointment. It was a rough day too because it was the one year anniversary of my stepdad passing away. I didn’t go to my niece’s school concert since I had the hair appointment. But I made sure to try to check on my mom throughout the day. She did go to the Waffle House like she always does on Tuesday mornings and she and my stepdad used to go every Tuesday morning before he passed. Everyone there knew him, so that was nice for her to spend time with them I’m sure.

Wednesday was much cooler, actually wore full length jeans instead of capri length to school. It was another busy day. Finals the last hour of the day, the other classes were only like 40 minutes long and it was an early release day, meaning the students left at 1 pm. Getting lots of books from the social studies teachers that they have decided to send to auction now that they’re moving classrooms, books that all had to be moved last year when I lost my textbook room. Would have been nice if they’d decided to get rid of them last year when I was doing summer school and I’d have had all of June to get them boxed up. Instead I’ll be spending time doing that next week when I had library things I wanted to do. Oh well. I created a mantra with ChatGPT that I’m going to think to myself when someone comes in at school asking me to do something that’s really not my job, but I know I have to do. Came home to do some blogging before going to dinner with my mom. Then it was Survivor finale night!

Thursday was a very grumpy day for me at work. I got a ton of books I had to box up for auction for the social studies department. Books that they moved from my storage room last year and should have just had us box up for auction at that time when I was working summer school and would have had a whole month to work on. But I got most of them boxed up during the day. Although I left work sweaty and feeling stinky. Came home to pack and get ready to be on the road after I can leave on Friday. Although with the total collection of all laptops on Friday from students along with only having one tech person now, have a feeling I’ll get on the road later. Noticed my AP has been kind of not saying anything to me when she walks into the library this week. Think she’s come and read my blog complaining? Oh well!

Friday was the last day of school! Yay! It was busy all morning with collecting laptops and other stuff. There was a student there who didn’t have any classes but still came in to turn in his laptop and so he ended up sitting in the library and helping me shelve books. Still getting the cold shoulder/no acknowledgement from my AP. It was only a half day, so around 11:30 I was able to leave and get on the road to Branson to meet my family who were already all there for the most part. I couldn’t seem to get into the audiobook I was listening to, and I tried a couple others on the way. Ended up just listening to music for most of the 4 hour drive. Not sure if it was from being stressed at school or some of the emotional thoughts about this first Memorial Day weekend in Branson without my stepdad. My mom texted me in the morning and told me when she opened the curtains on her room in the cabin there was a cardinal right outside the window. We had pizza for dinner, and sat out on the back deck and talked most of the night. There was some rain early in the evening, and then around 9 pm it started really pouring down rain with some lightning and thunder. I came in and did some blogging.

Saturday morning I got up earlier than planned thanks to a loud boom of thunder. My room in the Branson cabin is an attic type room so I was right up by the weather to hear it. But I love it and normally I’d keep sleeping, but instead I got up to open the blinds of the windows downstairs since I didn’t have a window and watch the rain. Went ahead and took my shower since it was going to be raining most of the morning, and I wanted to go shopping at the outlet mall once it slowed down. It was pouring from the time I got up at about 7 am until 10 am before finally slowing down a bit. I used that time to do some blogging and getting around to a few blogs to comment as well. We went and had lunch about noon at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Then went to one or two shops at the outlet mall as it had gotten crazy with everyone else being out shopping while the rain was gone. Came back to the cabin and relaxed on the deck, I read for a bit, enjoying the sound of the river and the boats going up and down. The kids went to the pool for a bit. Then it was time for our cookout that we always do. Then we sat around trying to figure out what to do in case it was rainy on Sunday, which it was supposed to be.

Books Finished

First was the audiobook I started at the end of last week I think? It was a short one like her audios usually are, and it was fun, review should be in my L-L-L post coming up this week. Second was an e-galley from the author’s review team and the review was posted on Friday, the pub date. Third was an ARC from the publisher that I won on Goodreads, review posted on Saturday.

Not a ton scheduled for this past week, which was fine as it was the last week of school. I also thought I’d maybe finish another audiobook on my way down to Branson, but I just couldn’t seem to keep my attention on any that I started when I finished the one above. Maybe because since it was like a play in how it was performed, the others I started were in 3rd person just being read and it didn’t pull me in?

New Additions to My Library

ARCs:

None

Audiobooks:

Got this one from the library, Libby app. Finally became available. It is also the sequel to one of the Gateway books I read last year. Hoping this one keeps my interest better than the one I was listening to. Although I think I liked this first book better than the other I was just listening to.

Bookish stuff:

none

E-galleys:

First was an e-galley from author’s review team. Comes out on June 2nd, so a review will be on that day. Second two were from publishers, and I don’t know if I’ll actually download them. The third one sounds like one I’d really like to read, but it comes out beginning of July and I’m pretty booked with review books enough that I don’t want to add any. Fourth one was also from the publisher and it doesn’t come out till November. I won’t download it just yet, as I didn’t really LOVE the books in the Cinder series, but I have enjoyed her contemporary YA romance.

Free e-books:

Author mentioned in her newsletter the first one was free, and I’ve enjoyed others in the series so went ahead and grabbed it. The second one is the latest in this series of anthologies that comes out every summer. Of course I think I’ve already read most of the stories in these, but not all of them.

Physical books:

I told myself to stop buying special editions, especially when I already had a copy! My sister got the regular paperback copy of this for Christmas. But then I saw this special edition on Instagram and had to order it with my love of all things Scotland! And of course I liked the book too.

What I’m Watching

This week was the season finale for Survivor. I was happy with who won, thought they deserved it. Although I was also just very happy with the final 3. Also trying not to immediately restart watching Outlander, so I continued working on getting caught up on Resident Alien before my subscription to Peacock expires the first of June and then I’ll just watch the new episodes on SyFy I think?

What’s Coming Up Next Week

First is an egalley for an author’s review team. Although when I started it on Saturday I was having some trouble with it, so don’t know if I’ll finish it. The second is an ARC from the publisher. I picked it up when I was having trouble with the first one and was getting into it a little more.

Since it is the last week of the month I’ll also have my DNF post, L-L-L review post, and other month end posts probably.

Final Thoughts

May is about to be over! Which means summer to me! This is my last week of work for 2 months basically, well except one day next week. When this posts I’ll still be in Branson for another day. I’m ready for June.

How was your week? What are you looking forward to this week?

Oh yeah, I think I mentioned that I created a “spicy chart” to use when I rate books. I don’t think I’ve shared it yet, and I’m going to put it on my blog soon for easy reference for people, but here is a look at it.

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