Monday Maunder: September 23, 2013

ON READING

Reading went pretty well this week.  I finished The Shining by Stephen King for the #shinealong as well as Ivy & Bean by Annie Barrows.  I am still in the middle of The Immortal Life by Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot and The Ultimate Top Secret Guide To Taking Over the World by Kenn Nesbitt and listening to The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.  I also started reading Flat Stanley Worldwide Adventures #1:  The Mount Rushmore Calamity by Sara Pennypacker with my daughter this afternoon.  I may pick up another one, but I may also wait until I finish Henrietta Lacks first.  This many books at one time is getting to be too much for me!

How is your reading this week?

ON BLOGGING

The big news on the blogging front is read-alongs!  We are wrapping up the #shinealong this week and getting ready to kick-off the #sleepalong one week from today!  I am so excited to get my hands on Doctor Sleep tomorrow, it is ridiculous!  I just hope that I can hold off reading it until the read-along starts on the 30th!

I also want to report on the results of Bloggiesta from this last weekend.  I had planned on working on things most of the weekend, but it did not work out that way.  I was really only able to spend a portion of Sunday on my tasks.  Despite my lack of time, I was able to get a good chunk of work done.  Here is my full list (the priorities were the first three items) of what I wanted to accomplish with notes on each.

1. Back-up Blog.  Not done!  I will get to that this week though!
2. Update Special Interests List (left sidebar).  DONE!
3. Update A-Z Review Index.  I worked on this, but still have a long way to go since I've been blogging and reviewing for 6+ years.  I am even considering changes and going with an embedded spreadsheet instead.  What do you think?
4. Update Books Read in 2013.  DONE!
5. Write Reviews.  Not done!  I will also get this caught up this week hopefully.
6. Wrap-Up Post for The Shining Read-along.  DONE!  (Click here to read it!)
7. RIP VIII Peril on the Big Screen Post.  Not done!  I will hopefully start it this week.
8. Blog Reading and Commenting.  DONE!  I got my feed reader all caught up and left lots of comments around the blogosphere!

Not bad for only ending up with one day to work on it!

Will you be joining in on the Doctor Sleep Read-along?  How did Bloggiesta go for you?

ON WRITING

Writing has picked up this last week and one of my pieces went live today:  Pen Names - Why or Why Not? at Walrus Publishing.  Click on over and check it out!

I was able to spend two days at the library this last week and was quite productive on both days.  This week, I am shooting for another three days and my list of things to do is long!  I have more articles that I am working on and plan to investigate some more freelance opportunities a bit more.  Keeping my fingers crossed for a productive week on the writing front!

How was your writing this week?  Was it a productive week for you or not?

ON LIFE

My life this week was chaotic with the kids' activities, but I have nothing exciting beyond that to share.

I have been considering taking some time to explore photography a bit more.  I have fallen back in love with shooting pictures, finding the beauty in everyday life.  I have been reading more tips and tricks on the technical aspect and love playing with different programs, both on my phone for random candid shots as well as with my good camera.  I am really looking for more resources on the use of my manual settings.  I used to know all of this, but really need a refresher course because it has been so long since I have used it!  If you have some good online and book suggestions, please share!

How was your week?  Any recommendations on photo resources?