Hello, August. What crap will you bring, I wonder.
I am not in a good place. Too much stress, no peace and quiet. Like zero.
I’m so tired, literally and figuratively. I feel angry all the time and I’m so close to hurting someone. Quite possibly my next door neighbour who’s a selfish bitch with an obsession with power tools. Every single day there’s grinding, sawing, sanding and she is driving me completely insane. On days when the weather is nice, I am forced to stay indoors and turn up the tv or radio to block her out. I’m not a diplomatic person so I’m not allowed to confront her. Hubby said he’d have a talk with her when he’s home. But of course, she’s quiet when he’s around. Isn’t that just typical? I have a phone full of video recordings of her making her racket, just to prove I’m not making any of this up. Even today, as I write this, Saturday morning, 8.30am. Who the hell does that? Millie refuses to go outside during the day. I can’t even blame her.
Ah, Millie … a whole other set of frustrations right there. We don’t seem to be making much progress but obviously things like I just mentioned with the noise and all doesn’t help her one bit. She remains utterly afraid of just about everything.
We’ve had some success when people come over but it’s all such a struggle. Either we have to make sure we are already outside with her before people arrive or hubby has to pick her up and bring her outside because she won’t go there on her own. The first picture was huge progress. She’d been underneath my chair for hours and then decided the pillow was more comfortable. It was my mother-in-law visiting that day but she wasn’t allowed to come near. And the next time we had company over, we were back at square one too.
It remains the weirdest thing to see she doesn’t act like a puppy at all. The difference is even more noticeable when my brother-in-law brings over his Labradoodle, who’s a few months younger. He comes over right away, tail wagging, jumping for joy. While Millie hides herself away in a corner somewhere.
These are from the first time they met. There was some running around and chasing one another but you could tell Millie was far more interested in the other dog than anything else. She avoided brother-in-law for hours. Kuddos to him because he’s incredibly patient and it may have taken him three hours but he did manage to have Millie come take a snack out of his hand. Once. Stubborn streak. Apparently they take after their doggie parent, don’t they? 🤔
She’s not really one for playing much though. Running, yes. Somewhere between five and six in the morning, she gets a bad case of the zoomies and if she doesn’t learn how to pull on her handbrake she’s going to go right through the fence some day 😂. Chewing is also a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the chewing bones we’ve found for her so far don’t survive very long. There’s one ball she’s fond of. But again, to try and fit it into her mouth and chew on it. Don’t roll it. She’ll just look at it from a distance and then look at you as if to ask “you think this is fun?!” 🤷🏼♀️
Anyway, it is what it is. We’ll just have to muddle through and hopefully in a few months (please and thank you) we will look back on this and see the huge progress we made with her.
On to the books. More frustration here. I was forced to cancel my Goldsboro subscription which I honestly still find extremely upsetting. Thanks very much, Brexit. I had to pay customs charges, import fees and VAT which resulted in a minimum of £26 with each delivery on top of the actual purchase price and that just ended up too ridiculous for words. Since then, I’ve discovered I also actually have to pay for book post, which seems an entirely different level of ridiculous because it’s not like I BUY that! Buying the books from big bad Amazon would actually be cheaper than having a publisher send me a proof!
Do you think I picked up some bad karma somewhere? 🤷🏼♀️
| WHAT I READ |
My reading is still not going the way it used to. Part of that is afore mentioned stress and neighbour. It’s incredibly hard to immerse yourself into a book when it feels as if you’re living next to a building site. Some excellent books, though! Still woefully behind on my 20 Books of Summer Challenge 🙄
| WHAT I LISTENED TO |
FINALLY finished David Copperfield. It took two attempts and a whole lot of months but I made it and I feel immensely accomplished. Richard Armitage’s narration is just fabulous!
The Coldest Case I listened to because of Aaron Paul and because it was short 😂. It wasn’t bad, though. Just a little weird as there is no narrator. It’s pretty much like having a tv show on in the background. Excellent cast of actors like Aaron and Beau Bridges but the story was awfully predictable.
| WHAT I BOUGHT |
I also bought Chris Whitaker’s The Forevers but my copy was lost 🙄. Anywho, for someone who is supposed to be buying less books … I personally think I did good. 🤣
| BOOKS RECEIVED FOR REVIEW |
Two for blog tours, three because I could. 😂. Did not expect to be approved for The Leviathan. And I should read post a picture of Will Dean’s proof because it’s awesome!
| WHAT I HAVE BEEN WATCHING |
Not sure Loki is for me. I’ve watched four episodes now and it’s just not grabbing me. That’s without taking into consideration I really don’t like Owen Wilson. But something is off with the humour and Tom Hiddleston seems almost wooden. So very different from his interactions as Loki with the Avengers cast.
In times of turmoil, I go back to old favourites. Hence Friends and Sleepy Hollow. I never watched the last season of Sleepy Hollow so I have no idea how it ended. Seems like a good time to find out.
| ON THE BLOG IN JULY |
Review : Truth Be Told by Kia Abdullah
Review : The Rule by David Jackson
Review : The Murder Box by Olivia Kiernan
Review : The C Word Anthology
Review : Dead Ground by M.W. Craven
Review : Damage by Caitlin Wahrer
Extract : Girls Who Lie by Eva Björg Ægisdottir
Extract : The Beresford by Will Carver
Just about enough posts to keep the dust away 😂.
| COMING UP IN AUGUST |
August 3rd : Blog tour | Extract | The Lies I Tell by Joel Hames
August 9th : Blog tour | Extract | Costa del Lies by Dawn Terry
August 14th : Blog tour | Review | A Narrow Door by Joanne Harris
August 15th : Blog tour | Extract | On the Seventh Day by
August 17th : Blog tour | Review | Half Past Tomorrow by Chris McGeorge
August 19th : Review | For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing
August 27th : Blog tour | Review | The Dark by Emma Staughton
Hopefully there will also be more reviews for my 20 Books of Summer Challenge but I’m not feeling very confident about succeeding with that one 😳😂.
And that’s a wrap for July. May August be good to us all. Happy reading and until next time! xx
Novel Deelights 
I’m so sorry about your power tool crazy neighbour and all the stress it’s bringing! We had noisy neighbours for years music and parties mostly at night, and building works, so I know what it’s like. Sending big hugs! xxx
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The good news is that July 2021 is gone and is never coming back. I’m sorry to hear about everything you’re going through at the moment and I can only hope that your books provide some positive distraction, and of course the best wishes of the many of us who follow your blog.
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So great to see new photos of Millie! Who knows how she was treated before she came with you guys… if she sees the same people again and again it can only go better with time. I’m sorry to hear you had to give up on your Goldsboro subscription, so far I’ve not had any problems receiving my capital crime books without extra charge, and I haven’t had any proofs yet since July 1st so I don’t know anything about having to pay extra there. Happy reading in August Eva, hopefully the net-door work will be completed soon!
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The next door neighbour from hell! I can understand why that’s getting you down so much. What about the other neighbours? Could you all get together and have a word?
I’ve had a couple of goes at David Copperfield…perhaps one of these days…
Fingers crossed Millie improves slowly but surely 💛
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Oh Eva! I feel for you so much! Neighbours can be the devils spawn at times. I’ve got one above me whose toddlers start their playtime on their UNCARPETED floor at 9.30 pm just when we’re climbing into bed as we’re up early. Excessive noise is so distressing, I hope it stops soon. Or you just punch her in the face (joke. Or is it! 😏) Seriously though, I wish you the most uncrap August possible and that you get things sorted with your doggie too. These things take time but my god it’s STRESSFUL. What with everything else going on at the moment as well. Life is pretty hellish as it is without IDIOTS getting on our t***s! Anyway, considering all what you’ve been through and going through you’ve done incredibly well on the reading front. Standing ovation to that. I read 4 books in July 🤣🤣 Take care of yourself my lovely, things have a habit of getting better when you least expect them to. Maybe your neighbour will move out. Here’s hoping. Hugs 🤗 xx
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I’m sorry to hear about your neighbor, why can’t people think of someone besides themselves. Our last neighbor yelled at me for touching her rocks that were on my side of the fence ( they ended up being on my side of the property line) and now, after moving, our current neighbor told me on day #1 she was a Christian. Ok. Well, I think she went to the dark side 😆. I totally understand your frustration. Is it possible to play some Mozart or heavy metal music for her in between your concerts of heavy power tools?
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UGH! sorry about all that. and combined with the heat can’t imagine it’s been fun. still, looks like you did pretty well with your reading/reviews.
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Sorry about all bad things going on! We can’t even say anything here in India. People can renovate their house or can do whatever they want making all the noise and we have to bear it. There is no law against that here like in US or Uk.
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I’m so sorry about your neighbor. That sucks! Had issues with a neighbor earlier in the year who favored loud parties from Friday to Sunday so I know what a nightmare that can be. Hopefully a solution will be found soon.
Have a lovely August.
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Oh dear, I am so sorry about the aggravation and noise from you neighbour. It is too bad it is also affecting Millie. Maybe August will be better.
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I feel for you re your neighbour. Mine, in the flat below me, are the same, except its shouting and effing and c u next Tuesday at each other. At all hours if the day and night. And they are elderly too. They’re away at the moment so it’s peaceful. Lol
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Sorry life has been treating you this way lately! As someone who has lived next to what was a building site for months I feel your pain… Doing DIY before 10AM during the weekends should be forbidden by law. (Need any help plotting revenge? 😉 ) I hope Millie will be less afraid soon (she is so cute though) and it sucks about the whole bookmail part… I haven’t bought an English physical book in so long just because of those same taxes and extra charges. Thank the stars for my kindle and e-ARCs at least I guess. Here’s to August treating you better! xx
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