By Tessa Posted on

Sunday Post 58 on Monday | Countdown to 2022

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

I hope everyone who celebrates Christmas had a wonderful holiday and that everyone else had a stellar weekend. It seems I made the Nice list. I never know until Christmas morning.😉

I received not 1, but 2 signed books to add to my collection. I got some cat socks because I’m a cat lover with no cat paraphernalia. I also received a new Apple Watch and an Apple home pod. I want to create stereo surround sound on our main tv using the home pods, so Santa got one for me to try before more come my way. My husband got me a very cool canvas created from the beginning of each scene of a movie. He chose my favorite movie, How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days. I love it!

On a more serious note, we’ve been trying to figure out how to best support my mother-in-law, who is newly widowed and lives 600 miles away. My husband (her son) is the only family she has left; yet, she is very determined, at 80, to live by herself in the same house in Maryland she has lived in since my husband was young. We had her down for the last few weeks, but she flies back tomorrow. She is technologically challenged to a scary degree – I mean, really scary. In this world, not being able to do even the basics with confidence is a problem. But that’s where we are at. If only Santa had left a little Christmas magic to help us figure out how to navigate this new stage we are entering as we learn to respect her wishes even though they make our lives much more stressful.

In blog news, Lily, who has been doing a Saturday post for the last few weeks, needs to stop to keep up with the demands of the end of her senior year of high school and transition to college. Her last review will be posted this Saturday, New Year’s Day!

from NetGalley

Delaney Nichols faces off against an elusive arsonist in the seventh Scottish Bookshop Mystery, The Burning Pages, from beloved author Paige Shelton…. One winter’s night, bookseller Delaney Nichols and her coworker Hamlet are invited to a Burns Night dinner, a traditional Scottish celebration of the poet Robert Burns. She’s perplexed by the invitation, but intrigued. The dinner takes place at Burns House itself, a tiny cottage not far from the Cracked Spine bookshop but well hidden. There, it becomes clear that Delaney and Hamlet were summoned in an attempt to make amends between Edwin, Delaney’s boss, and one of the other invitees, who suspected Edwin for burning down his own bookshop twenty years ago after a professional disagreement. But after the dinner, there’s another fire. The Burns House itself is burned to the ground, and this time there’s a body among the ruins. When Hamlet is accused of the crime, Delaney rushes to prove his innocence, only to discover that he might actually have a plausible motive…
“A great new voice in suspense…Perfect for fans of Big Little Lies who thrive on stories of deceit in the suburban world.” —J. T. Ellison, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Her Dark Lies. “Pitch perfect suspense…The best debut I’ve read this year.” –Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author. An intriguing and twisty domestic suspense about loyalty and deceit in a tight-knit Texas community where parents are known to behave badly and people are not always who they appear to be. Emily, a popular but bookish prep school senior, goes missing after a night out with friends. She was last seen leaving a party with Alex, a football player with a dubious reputation. But no one is talking. Now three mothers, Catherine, Leslie and Morgan, friends turned frenemies, have their lives turned upside down as they are forced to look to their own children—and each other’s—for answers to questions they don’t want to ask. Each mother is sure she knows who is responsible, but they all have their own secrets to keep and reputations to protect. And the lies they tell themselves and each other may just have the potential to be lethal in this riveting debut.
Best friends Cate, Lauren, Olivia and Max are overworked and underpaid assistants to some of the most powerful people in the entertainment industries. Like the assistants who came before them, the women know they have to pay their dues and abide the demeaning tasks and verbal abuse from their bosses in order to climb the ladders to their dream jobs. But as they are passed over for promotions and the toxic office environments reach a breaking point, the women secretly start an anonymous blog detailing their experiences, which snowballs into hundreds of others coming forward with stories of their own. Confronted with newfound viral fame and the possibility of their identities being revealed, the assistants have to contend with the life-changing consequences of speaking out against those who refuse to share the power.

I just love Emily in Paris, so I was quick to binge-watch season 2 when I received the notification that it had dropped.

  • Tuesday, December 21: Book Review of The Perfect Escape by Leah Konen (☀️☀️☀️☀️ – Psychological Thriller)
  • Wednesday, December 22: WWW Wednesday
  • Thursday, December 23: Book Review of The House Fire by Rosie Walker (☀️☀️☀️☀️ – Psychological Thriller)
  • Friday, December 24: Book Blogger Hop
  • Saturday, December 25: Christmas memes
  • Monday, December 27: Sunday Post on Monday (just this week)
  • Tuesday, December 28: Book Review of The Sorority Murder by Allison Brennan (☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️ – Mystery Thriller)
  • Wednesday, December 29: WWW Wednesday
  • Thursday, December 30: Book Review of Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins (☀️☀️☀️☀️ – Psychological Thriller)
  • Friday, December 31: Book Blogger Hop
  • Saturday, January 1: Under Lily’s Umbrella’s last post: Book Review on Dracula by Bram Stoker

How was your week – bookish or otherwise?

25 Replies to “Sunday Post 58 on Monday | Countdown to 2022”

  1. EmmabBooks.com says:

    Is there a social services group that can pop in for a chat, or to help with little jobs, each day – this is what we did with my father (the expense was worth our peace of mind). With her permission install a camera somewhere she frequently goes, but is not intrusive – like by the stairs, telephone, so that you can see that she is ok. My father was happy to wear his “emergency call button” pendant which he could press if he needed help. It went to a call centre which was manned 24 hours a day, and had the number of neighbours etc who they could ring if necessary. Set up a rota of people who take it in turns to telephone each day. With everything we had to term it as being for us – as my father definitely did not feel he needed to be worried about! Good luck.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lady Tessa says:

      Thank you for all the wonderful pointers from your own experience. I was hoping someone would have some because we don’t even have experience through our families to learn how to handle things, as my family lives within a 10 mile radius of each other (I’m the only one who went away) and my husband’s family – well, they put his grandfather in a home when his grandmother passed and we knew that wasn’t an option. Your ideas will definitely help us. Thank you! 🤗

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Books Teacup and Reviews says:

    Those ere wonderful gifts. It must be hard to live alone at 80 but I can see your mother-in-law’s point. I also wouldn’t like live anywhere else when I reach that age. There are lots of memories in the house we have lived all our life. I hope she learn to use technology soon to make it less stressful for you guys.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lady Tessa says:

      We totally understand why she would want to stay in her home and we told her that and that if she changes her mind, she is always welcome to stay with or near us – whichever she prefers. It’s going to be a whopper of a life lesson figuring this all out. ❤️

      Liked by 1 person

  5. jessicabookworm says:

    So pleased you enjoyed a lovely Christmas with your family and that you were spoilt rotten with your presents. 😊 I also got cat socks! 😻 You, your husband and your mother-in-law will be in my prayers, as to what is best to be done for you all. 🙏

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Teri Polen says:

    Sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas, Tessa! That canvas is something I haven’t heard of, but I think I’ll look into it for gift ideas. With your MIL, we dealt with similar issues a few years ago, and it’s stressful for everyone. Sometimes hard topics have to be dealt with head-on. Have a great week!

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Mae Clair says:

    It sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas, Tessa. I do hope things work out with your mother-in-law. We are in the same situation with my husband’s mother who is 90 and living alone, but she is only 15 miles away, not 600! She too knows nothing about technology, but we also have multiple family members checking in on her every day of the month, each month.
    As far as reading I have been devouring a ton of fiction based on the Old Testament. I’ll be switching back to my psychological thrillers soon (I keep purchasing more, LOL). I’m going to have my best reading year ever for my Goodreads challenge. I’ll probably post a looking back/looking ahead post in 2022.
    Happy almost New Year!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lady Tessa says:

      I bet fiction based on the Old Testament is interesting. I can see where it could be, anyway. Congrats on your reading year! ❤️

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Carla says:

    It sounds like you had a great Christmas Tessa. I can only imagine what you and your husband are going through, that worry can be difficult. Someone recently said something to me about my words. I have been trying to convince my sister “to put her husband in a nursing home” as he has advanced dementia. She suggested I say instead, “You need to let him go somewhere where he can get the best care”. So what I am saying here is when you talk to your MIL, perhaps use different words, like “we want to help you stay safe” or similar. I really like Emma’s suggestions, but you still need to convince her to let your husband implement plans. Good luck, Tessa.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lady Tessa says:

      That’s where my counseling training will come in handy. It’s all about choosing words that empower people to change. I agree that word choice matters. ❤️

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Mani says:

    Glad to hear you had a lovely Christmas, and that you made it onto the nice list and got some great gifts!! ❤❤

    Liked by 1 person

  10. WendyW says:

    I’m so glad you had a great Christmas. I haven’t watched Emily in Paris, but it sure looks good!

    Like

  11. Louise H says:

    So good to hear you had a great Christmas – I love the canvas. My MIL thankfully only lives a half-hour drive away, so can be with her fairly quickly if there is a problem. I really feel for you, it can’t be easy having that constant concern in the back of your mind. My MIL is also bad with technology so is constantly disconnecting her phone and TV from the internet, trying to talk her through reconnecting them is an absolute nightmare and we often have to go around and do it for her.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lady Tessa says:

      I can totally see that happening! Technology is so integrated into everything we do that it adds an extra layer of stress for everyone in these situations.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Mischenko says:

    Awesome gifts, Tessa! Glad you had a good Christmas. I hope everything works out with your MIL and you can convince her. That’s a tricky situation to be in. Good luck with everything and have a Happy New Year if we don’t talk. ❤

    Liked by 2 people

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