The Sunday Post #65 - 12th July 2020

Welcome to my Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by

Kimberley over at the Caffeinated Book Reviewer .

I’m also going to link up with

Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga’s Reviews

and Reading Reality

It’s Monday! What are your reading hosted by Book Date
Sunday Salon hosted by Readerbuzz

First of all I hope everyone is safe and well out there. I really need to stop watching the news as its just doom and gloom. It’s hard to stay upbeat sometimes.

This week I haven’t really been up to much, my get up and go has pretty much deserted me. Why I decided then to change my blog template is beyond me! But I did, I found a lovely one on Creative Market for not too much money and spent a few days installing. Blogger of course doesn’t have half the bells and whistles of a Wordpress site but I’m happy with it.

I also spent some time on Canva creating new graphics for posts that I used to that I am slowly reintroducing.  I love being creative on Canva, there are so many great elements to play with.

I’ve been brave and have started requesting on NetGalley, when I stopped blogging I deactivated my account and I thought I’d be able to reactivate it but because of GDPR etc I have had to create a new account and start from scratch.  I’m happy that some of requests have been yes!

The weather has been on and off miserable here in Scotland, the only bright light because our COVID cases have dropped so much is that we are now allowed people back in our houses, albeit still at a distance, its nice to see family again and my dog is super happy to have more people to snuggle.  My dog also turned in to a meerkat this week! Isn’t she something!?

Have a great week and stay safe.

My silly dog Fern!
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74 comments

  1. chucklesthescot11 July 2020 at 10:50

    I stopped watching Sky News, ITV, BBC as some things were just getting my blood boiling too much-especially the journalists at the Downing Street briefings. I'm watching CNN as my main news channel for the moment and just browsing the odd stories online that catch my interest. Our weather here in the central belt has been mostly decent but that has set me off on hayfever attacks and insect bites!!!

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings11 July 2020 at 23:39

      Some of these journalists ask the most ridiculous questions. I’m giving it a miss for the next little while. Here in Perthshire it’s been a mixed bag, windy, quite a bit of rain and according to my phone, moderate pollen!

      Delete
  2. stargazer11 July 2020 at 16:02

    Your blog looks really nice! I too like to play around with Canva, but I could probably utilise it much better than I do now. Great photo of your dog - nice meerkat pose! :-)

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings11 July 2020 at 23:41

      Thank you! I’m still tweaking here and there. I love Canva but it’s like a rabbit hole once you start looking for things.

      My dog is definitely a meerkat in the making!

      Delete
  3. Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer11 July 2020 at 20:08

    The blog looks lovely and designing relaxes you and gets you away from the news. Have a great week.

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  4. Nicky11 July 2020 at 20:50

    Aw, Fern's a cutie. Your blog theme looks great, too! Good luck with getting the books you want via Netgalley; I badly need to improve my ratio, gaaah.

    My STS/weekly roundup post.

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings11 July 2020 at 23:43

      Thank you! She’s my little pal! NetGalley can be stressful getting that percentage to stay close to 80 can be tricky.

      Delete
  5. Laurel-Rain Snow11 July 2020 at 20:52

    I haven't visited your blog in a while, but I like the look of it.

    Good luck finding great books on NetGalley. I have to be careful not to accept too many in any given month, as I would then start feeling stressed.

    I am curious about The Resident.

    Thanks for sharing, and for visiting my blog.

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings11 July 2020 at 23:44

      I started reading The Resident and it’s suitably creepy, depending on what sort of house you live in, it’ll have you checking every nook and cranny!!

      Delete
  6. Lola11 July 2020 at 21:43

    Your new template looks great! I like your new design. Sorry hat you had to start over at netgalley, although on the other hand it might be nice not to have any past request count against you. I know I still have a bunch from my earlier request sprees that I never got around to reviewing that get my percentage down. That's great you got approved for some books already. That picture of your dog is so funny, how can she sit like that?

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings11 July 2020 at 23:46

      Food is what keeps her in that position, she is nearly ten but she has doing it since she was a pup and can stay like that for minutes!,

      I’m trying not to over request but sometimes you get a madness don’t you and request request request!

      Delete
  7. Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight11 July 2020 at 23:05

    Your blog looks really pretty! That's frustrating about having to restart with a new NG account, but yay for getting some books. That's good at least that covid cases are down where you are, and your dog is so cute!

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings12 July 2020 at 00:00

      Thanks Kristen! I’ll just need to make sure I don’t go request crazy on NG. My dog knows she cute, I tell you!!

      Delete
  8. Greg12 July 2020 at 01:37

    I hear you on the news. It is tough. Glad to hear cases are down there though. Thank goodness that's happening somewhere! The trend lines here are bad, sadly.

    I love your new blog look! You are inspiring me to tinker around and maybe upgrade my own sad Blogger site. :)

    "Round is a shape" lol. that made me laugh. :)

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings13 July 2020 at 21:21

      Thanks Greg, I like to tinker with it but it does lead to a lot of swearing when it gets loaded.

      The cases in the States seem crazy as do the videos of people kicking off because they have to wear masks.

      Delete
  9. Marg12 July 2020 at 04:39

    I think I should have started over at Netgalley, but oh well. It's not like I don't have enough to read even if they don't say yes to everything.

    I am going to go have a look at Creative Market as I am contemplating a new template. I will likely still be contemplating for a while longer.

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings13 July 2020 at 21:24

      I’m the same, I’ve more than enough but I feel the need to add more! Creative Market has a lot of freebies too, it’s a great site.

      Delete
  10. Sarah @ All The Book Blog Names Are Taken12 July 2020 at 05:08

    That's wonderful to hear that cases have been dropping. My daughter turned seven yesterday so instead of a big party, this year we had to do a drive-by parade. It was still lots of fun, but just very different than what we are used to doing. Happy Reading!

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  11. Meggy - Chocolate'n'Waffles12 July 2020 at 08:23

    I'd love to swap Scottish weather with Bordeaux's!! It's too hot here :)
    Your blog looks really lovely!
    I hope you enjoy The Resident, I loved it!

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings13 July 2020 at 21:28

      I’m really enjoying it, it’s creepy and has me checking my roof for spy holes!,

      I’ll take Bordeaux’s weather!!

      Delete
  12. Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms12 July 2020 at 11:47

    I agree, news are not the best way for me to spend any time these days. There are bad news from everywhere, and it's so hard to deal with!
    It sounds like you are still able to move forwards, though, and I like your new blog layout and colors :)
    Have a wonderful week ahead, happy reading - and stay safe and healthy.

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  13. Laura Cookson12 July 2020 at 12:02

    Aww, your dog is so cute! :)
    And this is actually my first time visiting your blog so I don't know what it looked like before, but I love your new design! It's so colourful!
    It's good to hear that cases are dropping in Scotland! I've been avoiding the news so much I don't really know how England is doing in terms of cases, but I imagine it's probably high, because things seem to just be back to normal for the most part here.

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings14 July 2020 at 10:47

      Aw thank you!

      It was fine before but as I have restarted blogging I wanted a fresh look and I liked this one.

      Cases are dropping but I made the mistake of watching the news and it mentioned how it might get worse over winter.

      Delete
  14. Deb Nance at Readerbuzz12 July 2020 at 12:16

    I love the look of your blog. I'm too cheap to buy anything for my blog (oddly, though I'm American I'm always told that's because of my Scottish ancestry) but I enjoy tweaking my blog and playing with Canva.

    A new John Banville book? That's great news. I'll be eager to see what you think about it. It feels like it has been a long time since I've read a good fiction book.

    E-books don't work well for me. I tend to forget they are there.

    Have a great week! Glad you are able to get out with others a little more.

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings14 July 2020 at 10:50

      As a Scot, I’m led to believe and I’ll probably get abuse for this, that Aberdonians are the tightest when it comes to spending money!

      I started reading the John Banville last night, its really good so far, a good whodunnit.

      I know what you mean about ebooks, it wouldn’t be the first time Ive went to buy one on amazon to find I already own it.

      Delete
  15. Gayathri Lakshminarayanan12 July 2020 at 13:22

    Your blog looks good. And I love your designs. I love Canva too. Stay safe!

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  16. Ruby Jo12 July 2020 at 17:52

    Your new layout looks so good!!! I love Canva, and I'm using it for all my graphics, it's so easy to use. I'm sorry you had to start over with Netgalley, but yay for getting accepted for your requests. i hope you enjoy all of them! Stay safe and happy reading.

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings14 July 2020 at 11:04

      It was quite nice in a way with NetGalley, I have a clean slate now!

      Canva is excellent, its makes life so much easier.

      Delete
  17. The Book Disciple12 July 2020 at 19:44

    The news is the worst. I have even started staying away from Twitter because it seems like nothing but news (bad news) there too! Canva has come a long way from when I started blogging years ago and its cool to see all the things it can do!

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings14 July 2020 at 11:07

      I know what you mean about Canva, It was good years ago but now it is amazing.

      Delete
  18. Yvonne12 July 2020 at 21:43

    You are so right about the news. I have to stay away from it or I get too depressed. I'm way too addicted to NetGalley. I just can't help myself requesting books.

    I hope you have a great week, enjoy your books and stay safe!

    My Sunday Post is here.

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings14 July 2020 at 11:10

      I keep finding myself peeking at NG each day, just in case I’ve missed something!

      Delete
  19. Anne@HeadFullofBooks12 July 2020 at 22:22

    I love all your graphics. I am such a dummy when it comes to that kind of thing, it is miracle I can even post at all. The Hidden Life of Owls: The Science and Spirit of Nature’s Most Elusive Birds by Leigh Calvez

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings14 July 2020 at 11:12

      Canva is dead easy, a lot of the templates are already made up so you just change what you need.

      Delete
  20. Aj @ Read All The Things!12 July 2020 at 23:31

    Your blog looks great! I have to be very careful about my news consumption. Too much of it makes me anxious. I love Canva too! I use it pretty much every day and am seriously considering upgrading to the paid version. Have a great week!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings14 July 2020 at 11:13

      I upgraded to the free trial, I might forget to switch it off!!

      Delete
  21. Nicci12 July 2020 at 23:49

    I've given up watching the news and limit myself to a 10 min skim of the headlines online per day. I just can't handle the misery, the nastiness, and the stupidity anymore.

    I'm glad Scotland's cases are so low. I hope they stay that way. My side of the family are all there and it's good not to have to worry quite as much about them as my husband's side of the family are keeping us quite busy with worry at the moment!

    I love the dog pic! Hope you have a good week.

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings14 July 2020 at 11:27

      I think that is the best idea, just a quick look is all you need isn’t it.

      It’s such a worry, I just wish the rules where the same all across the UK, it would make life so much easier.

      Stay safe!

      Delete
  22. vvb32 reads13 July 2020 at 03:44

    Nice new layout. There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job catches my eye. Happy reading.

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings14 July 2020 at 11:31

      It’s a very good book, I really enjoyed it.

      Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  23. shelleyrae @ book'd out13 July 2020 at 09:48

    Netgalley is my downfall, I just can’t stay away!
    Scotland has been much more sensible than England thankfully.

    Wishing you a great reading week, stay safe!

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings14 July 2020 at 11:33

      NetGalley is as bad as chocolate!! Have a good week and stay safe!

      Delete
  24. Louise H13 July 2020 at 13:43

    Your blog looks stunning. I moved from blogger to wordpress because I like how it auto publishes posts to twitter and facebook for me, but this template is really stunning.
    The weather hasn't been much better down here in the East Midlands - where has the sun gone?
    Enjoy your reading week!

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings14 July 2020 at 11:35

      I keep thinking about moving but I always chicken out!

      It’s really gloomy here today, I could do with some sun to cheer me up.

      Have a good week.

      Delete
  25. SJ13 July 2020 at 14:35

    I don't watch/ read the news, but my hubby does and tells me all about it. Your layout is nice, I need to figure out what I'm doing with mine it's kinda a mess at the moment. There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job got my attention, might have to check that out. Thanks for sharing and have a great week.

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings14 July 2020 at 11:38

      It’s a great book, a nice read.

      Thanks, I am tinkering with it but I think I am happy with it now.

      Delete
  26. Kathy Martin13 July 2020 at 15:29

    Our cases had been dropping here in Minnesota but they seem to be on the rise again. I haven't played with anything on my blog for so long that I've forgotten how to make changes. I like the appearance of your blog. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings14 July 2020 at 11:39

      That’s the worry isn’t it, they start lifting restrictions and then more cases pop back up.

      Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  27. Rachel @Waves of Fiction13 July 2020 at 16:43

    Nice that your Covid cases have dropped. Ours have been skyrocketing here in California. It's insane!

    Your blog looks nice with your updates. I wish I was better at creating graphics.

    I've always been curious about NOS4A2. Hope you like it! Have a lovely week!

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings14 July 2020 at 11:50

      I’ve been curious about NOS4A2 as well, I’ve avoided it but it was only 99p so I took the plunge!

      Delete
  28. sjhigbee13 July 2020 at 18:39

    Oh... I LOVE your dog, Fern. And I think your blog looks great:)). The effort has clearly been worth it - the succulents in pots as dividers are lovely and eye-catching. As for the News - I'm with you. It just isn't worth the misery! Have a peaceful week and stay safe - I hope the weather is better!

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings14 July 2020 at 11:53

      Thank you, she is such a lovely dog, always happy!

      I love succulents so if I can fit them in anywhere I will, both house and blog!!

      Delete
  29. Laura at Library of Clean Reads13 July 2020 at 18:48

    I love the new look of your blog! I am cautious with Netgalley too. It's easy to go a little nuts and make too many requests. I'm glad things are looking up there in Scotland regards the covid situation. Your dog is a riot! Enjoy your new books.

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings14 July 2020 at 11:54

      NetGalley is dangerous but wonderful too!

      She hadn’t done that pose for ages and all of a sudden up she goes!

      Delete
  30. StacyRenee13 July 2020 at 20:28

    I love the meerkat pose! So cute!
    I love your watercolor header! And good luck with the Netgalley requests!
    Have a great week!

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  31. La La in the Library13 July 2020 at 20:49

    One upside to having to start a new NG account is it will be easier to build up your stats because there are tons of great "Read Now" titles, presently. I was even lamenting doing a year of classics a few times looking at all the Read Now titles I wanted to download. 😯

    I'm always loving a good Fern pic! 🐕✨

    As you know we aren't fairing so well her in the US with the pandemic. I'm beginning to think I will never be able to run errands and have lunch with my sister again, or hug my son. 😑

    Have a wonderful new week and enjoy your books! 💜

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings14 July 2020 at 11:58

      The first two Read Now titles where actually items I had on pre-order with amazon so I was pleasantly surprised. And they were both good, so win win!!

      Fern is a legend, I should give her an instagram of her own.

      It so sad, the US has been hit so hard, we are fairing well but the news (which I made the mistake of watching) advised that we could be in for 120,000 potential cases of it as it nears our Winter. When will this end?

      Delete
  32. Whitney @ Sincerely, Whitney13 July 2020 at 21:30

    Your blog looks lovely! Very sleek and organised. Canva is addicting, isn't it!? I can spend hours tweaking things on there. So many endless possibilities.

    Have a great reading week!

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings14 July 2020 at 12:00

      I can lose hours just finding the right element, it it is a total rabbit hole!

      Delete
  33. Lori14 July 2020 at 01:01

    I find the news to be a bummer lately, too. I actually set limits for Facebook and Twitter each day (only 30 mins) overall, because I find them to increase my anxiety and depression ten-fold after scrolling.

    You've such a great haul! I need to read some more Joe Hill. I LOVED Locke and Key, and enjoyed The Fireman quite a bit. NOS4A2 was the first book I'd ever heard of by him. I need to pick it up!

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings14 July 2020 at 12:01

      That’s a good idea, I never thought about putting a limit, I might just do that.

      The Fireman was a great book, it was the first of his I read.

      Delete
  34. Kathryn T14 July 2020 at 05:36

    Ah sounds like Scotland is getting closer to being on top of Covid, all the best for that. Your dog looks such fun and I love your blog make over. Enjoy your reading and may this week up your energy level.

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings14 July 2020 at 12:02

      Thank you! Scotland is getting there, hopefully it stays that way.

      Delete
  35. Tanya @ Girl Plus Books14 July 2020 at 17:44

    How great that cases have dropped significantly there. It’s obvious those in charge are making the right decisions. I sure wish that was the case here. I’m in Florida and it just keeps getting worse. :(

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings16 July 2020 at 16:33

      I do worry for the States, I hope that it slows down soon.

      Stay safe.

      Delete
  36. Lynn14 July 2020 at 18:55

    Your template looks great! I should use Canva more in the future.
    There's no such thing as an easy job looks good. I'm trying to read more Asian literature this year, so all recommendations are welcome!

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    1. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings16 July 2020 at 16:34

      I’m the same, of late I’m like a magpie for anything set in Asia, most of it is so good.

      Delete
  37. rules64015 July 2020 at 11:57

    Your blog is looking so so beautiful!!!! I hope you enjoy all the books you got and bought!

    ReplyDelete

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