The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It’s a chance to share news ~ A post to recap the past week on my blog and share news about what’s coming up in the week ahead.
What’s been happening since my last Sunday Post:
Orchid show at the Botanic Gardens and other spring break shenanigans. Danielle was home for a week for spring break, and we:
- Went to a movie (we saw Novacaine, which was pretty entertaining).
- Played board games (Ex Libris, which was complicated but great once we understood what we were doing. Parks, which was slightly less complicated – possibly because Danielle had already played once during break. And Chipzi, which is an entertaining group game that we all played as a family – my husband doesn’t love the complicated ones).
- Went to the Hunger Games midnight release party we had at work.
- Went to the Chicago Botanic Gardens for the orchid show, which was gorgeous! I put some pics on Instagram, but below are a few extras for you.
- Danielle and my mom also came with me to the book events I had this week for my book.
View this post on Instagram
Bathroom Remodel: Last week, we got drywall up in the bathroom and closet. And then, this week they’ve started on the tiling. Wow, does tile take a long time!
We’ve also been planning out the layout for the walk-in closet, which has taken a lot longer than we expected it to. At first we thought we’d go with PAX units from IKEA, but now we’re leaning toward a more flexible (and, of course, more expensive) system from John Louis Home. I stayed up until 2am on Friday trying to figure out the best configuration! (And we’re still not 100% sure.)
The first pic is the closet, second is the bathroom last week, third is bathroom this week. (Not great lighting – I’ll get better pics next week, hopefully.)
The Song of Orphan’s Garden Book News:
- Book Club: My coworkers arranged for our store book club to read my book this month! This was definitely a departure for them (I don’t think they’ve ever read a MG book before), so I was touched that the book club was game for it. We had a great discussion about writing and publishing and the book in general!
- Signing: I also did a signing at a local B&N (not the one I work at). It was nice to see kids (and parents) get excited about the book as I pitched it to them!
- Gifted book with sprayed edges!! My birthday was in February, but my daughter was holding off on my gift until she came home so she could make it for me. It was totally worth the wait! Check out the gorgeous “sprayed-edge” (actually painted) she made for me? I am in love and in complete awe of her artistic ability!!! (The last pic is me posing with both the book and the Funko she and my mom customized for me for Christmas. If you want to see better pics of that, check out my Instagram carousel.)
What I Read:
- I listened to Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton. Now I’m ready to read my ARC of The Notorious Virtues!
- I read River of Spirits by Shana Targosz, who is in my 2025 MG debut group. This book is so incredible – it’s no wonder it got sprayed edges to celebrate its glory!
- Finally, I listened to Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri. This MG memoir is such a unique story for the MG market – it combines Nayeri’s memories with Persian folklore and intertwines it all in ways you would never expect!
Here’s what you may have missed on the blog since my last Sunday Post:
- Review of Bea Mullins Takes a Shot by Emily Deibert & Emily’s Top Ten Addictions
- March 2025 Monthly Round-Up Link-Up and Giveaway
NEW Pre-order Campaigns
Head over to my Pre-Order Campaigns Page to see ALL of the pre-order deals, including pictures!!
Here’s a list of the pre-order campaigns I’ve added to the list since my last Sunday Post:
Pre-order WHERE ONLY STORMS GROW by Alyssa Colman from Bards Alley to receive a signed/personalized copy. Educators may also receive a free recorded author visit and an invitation to a live virtual Q&A in early 2026! (Ends 8/18) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order WATCH ME by Tahereh Mafi to receive exclusive page overlays! (US only) (Ends 4/14) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order THE LIGHTHOUSE AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD by J.R. Dawson from Moon Palace Books to receive a signed copy and enamel pin! (Ends 7/28) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS by by Jaysea Lynn to receive an exclusive Hellp Desk enamel pin! (US/UK/CAN/ANZ) (Ends 5/5) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order one of the new REMNANT CHRONICLES series paperbacks (The Kiss of Deception, The Heart of Betrayal, The Beauty of Darkness, or Morrighan) by Mary E. Pearson to receive an enamel pin! (US/CAN) (Ends 5/5) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order the hardcover of MYTHICA by Emily Hauser to receive a set of tarot cards! (UK only) (Ends 4/23) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Lots of good stuff! Have any news? Feel free to share in the comments!
Your daughter did great with these edges!
Yes, I was so impressed!!
Great you are having this nice time with your daughter.
Anne – Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
Beautiful pictures! And looks like some good progress was made on the addition. Your daughter did an amazing job on your book. Such a thoughtful gift.
Your daughter did awesome with the edges! It’s so pretty!
That’s a great picture of your daughter and you. And it’s awesome she and your mom went to your book events. Good luck with your bathroom remodel.
I still can’t figure out why I no longer get these posts sent to my email! It’s so weird that after all these year these subscriptions have just stopped! Bizarre! So, apologies for the late visit! I was popping in to just out this week’s posts and saw this one, although I did have family in town last weekend, so I didn’t quite blog as normal. The bathroom is looking very nice and ooh, a walk in closet! I kind of want one of those for my house…the one I am still searching for, although it’s not a priority. Lol. I just think they are very nice! That would definitely be a bonus, but if I get at least 2-3 bedrooms, then that’s already extra closet space! Yay for the author events! That’s still just so amazing, congrats again!
Hope you had a great week this past week! I’ll try to remember to check in again later today! 🙂