While the blogging slump has not really gone away, I have completed the Popsugar Reading Challenge for this year. It’s not been my most favourite batch of prompts, far too many that had a subjective personal aspect that I just didn’t feel I was actually able to definitively put my finger on.
Winter is very clearly on its way, I had to get up in the dark this morning. 😭 Fortunately the weekend was super mild, yet it’s kinda worrying that’s so warm this time of year, but if this is the end of the world, I guess I should be grateful it’s not raining…
Sometimes I try to take photos on our weekend walks without Scully in them, but somehow she is immensely skilled at getting her bum in shot… Here she is getting bored of Blackwater Arboretum (basically the only place with proper autumn colour, since the New Forest is full of trees that go a bit brown, then drop their leaves or are evergreen).
One proud looking doggo:
And then she attacked a branch:
We had a great view of a fallow deer stag boinging across the heathland. There are signs all over the place warning visitors about deer rutting season, but we only saw a few lone deer and no displays of masculinity!
This is not a deer, obviously, but I love this pony’s markings. Also ponies move much slower than deer.
So distracting you with all the outdoorsy photos since I really have not done much reading this week. I did finish off The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green on audio, which was my final Popsugar book. I enjoyed the podcasty format, with essays on various random topics, touching occasionally on the pandemic. I was less keen on the sporting topics, but overall there was plenty of interesting facts delivering in an engaging manner.
Then I listened to The Test by Sylvain Neuvel. Wow, this had an impact, I managed to avoid finding out what this book was really about other than an immigration test. I think we should keep this away from Priti Patel before she gets ideas… I can sadly imagine the UK being so cruel in its bid to keep out immigrants.
I do have a few end of year releases I need to read and review, so hopefully this slump will be short lived.
New books acquired:
The Dark by Emma Haughton (audio)
Where the Deer and Antelope Play by Nick Offerman (audio)
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Congrats on finishing that challenge – I had a look at the categories and some of them would have me baffled. I have no idea what an Afrofuturist novel could be. And the thought of having to work out an author’s zodiac sign seems a waste of time. Do you think you’ll do it again or find a different challenge?
I like your outside photos and seeing Scully. We have two dogs now and I walk every morning rain or shine. But it’s been very dry here too. Great job finishing the challenge. Happy reading to you.
Scully gets a walk every day of the year except Christmas day, and she usually gets two on a weekday but I skip the second one when the weather is awful. I guess we just go on more exciting walks when it’s nice weather!
I have four more Popsugar topics before I am done and I am not sure they are ones I will complete (set in a restaurant, oxymoron, and 2 others)
I thought those two prompts would be difficult but I loved the books I picked for them, Arsenic and Adobo and A History of What Comes Next.
Sorry to hear about the slump – can you go back to any old favourites to get you going again?
It’s more of a blogging slump than reading! I don’t really enjoy rereads that much, I know what’s going to happen so I tend to read them even slower.