21 Things This Week

Here’s a look at some interesting things we found / saw / thought / did this week.

1. Week 2 of the #Weidathon reading challenge has been … interesting. I finished Lagoon, Nnedi Okorafor which was outstanding. But with the 2nd book in Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy, Authority, I was bored and confused. Still, I’ve only got 1 more book to go, so I’m going to attempt the final book, Acceptance. I also started Easy Travel to Other Planet, Ted Mooney … the dolphin / woman sex scene was BA-NANAZ!!!
2. If you’re interested in doing some #weirdathon reading of your own, check out 15 Weird Dream-like Reads or How to win @ the #Weirdathon (Pt. 1).
3. The Tournament of Books is underway … I wish there was something similar for speculative fiction books!
4. The longlist for the 2016 Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction has been announced. Have you read any of the nominated books?
5. Raise your hand if you’re a book pusher?! I am, so I totally get the Three Types of Recommended Reads
6. Do you subscribe to the channels of any of these 22 of Your Favorite Bookish YouTubers?
7. Good advice in 5 Important Pieces of Blog Advice Every Blogger Should Know and What To Do When You’ve Fallen Out Of Love With Blogging
8. I updated the March #BookBlogger Events with Get Up Offa That Slump, which runs from Mar. 9-30. It’s 3 weeks of writing prompts to help you out of a blogging rut, slump, or just help get those creative juices flowing.
9. Also coming up is A Day in the Life – Blogger Event.
10. Don’t put off learning HTML + CSS. You should know a little ‘summin.
11. There are some awesome tips in 29 Quick Money Tricks if you’re trying to save more, or just manage your finances better.
12. The 10 Apps Sucking the Life Out of Your Android Phone’s Battery Right Now reminded me to close my apps all the way out on a more regular basis.
    

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    Kim …

13. 14 Tips for Making Your Posts Stand Out. There are some really great ideas here. “Write short posts or lists.” Yep- if I can’t quickly skim a post, I’ll most likely skip it. Almost no one has time to read long posts from every blog they follow.
14. You’re never too old to dance! I particularly love this routine by the same group.
15. 24 Books and Series with Great Endings. Do you think it’s boring to have everything wrapped up in a nice little bow at the end of a book or series?
16. “When you are afraid of the unknown, focus on the good that could be, not on the bad that might be.”
17. We took our first hike of the year and it was all kinds of awesome!! Can’t wait to get out again. I have a goal to hit everything on this list of best hikes in Utah. I’ve only done Delicate Arch. We have talked about heading to Zion this year so I may be able to cross a few more off the list.
18. I have this new obsession with making Buddha Bowls at home. Look how yummy these look.
19. I just joined my first book club. I’m a bit nervous about it. I’ll go to my first meeting next week. They rotate leaders each month so the leader chooses the book. I personally would love to do this Darker Shade of Magic Book Club idea but I’m pretty sure we’re not that fancy.
20. When I was working my inbox was a well oiled machine, perfectly organized and always cleared out by the end of each day. Now I cringe when I log on every couple of days. It’s just too hard for me to keep up with now. Maybe these tips would help me and you too.
21. Brainstorming blog post ideas is pretty fun for us. We use Tanya’s brilliant creation- the Evernote Editorial calendar and it works great for us. We come up with ideas on our own but also bounce ideas off each other.

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