Sunday, February 23, 2014

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Feb. 24, 2014)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

THREE SNOW DAYS! We had Monday, Thursday and Friday off this past week because of snow. We have used up all of our additional snow days and now have school three extra days. Our Easter Break has shrunk to only Good Friday and we have extended our year in such a ways as to have us teachers work on June 9. I enjoyed my days at home and really don't mind about the extra days. I don't usually travel for Easter Break anyway and will have seen my brother the week before when I go to a workshop "Up North."

The weather here at the end of the week was miserable and the roads are still awful. The lesser traveled ones have a thicker layer of ice than the main roads but they all have ice. It has turned cold again so the salt mix isn't working very well to clean it off. The weather guys are saying that it is going to be colder than normal for weeks.

When I heard the blizzard was coming I postponed my medical tests to this week. The forecast says cold - like a high temperature of 0 degrees Fahrenheit - but no snow is predicted for the days of my tests.

Naturally, the snow days have messed up my plans with my classes at work but everything will still work out. I am getting tired of redoing my Google calendar every few days though. I've decided to just do my calendar one week at a time so that I will have less to rearrange in case we have more weather related delays.

Read Last Week

Being unable to leave the house has really helped my reading. Here is what I finished. I read some amazing books.
Nil by Lynne Matson is the story of girl who is mysteriously transported to an island where she encounters other transported teenagers, falls in love, and has to find a way back before 365 days pass or she dies. It is Survivor meets Lord of the Flies with romance. I liked it. You can see my review on March 1.

Eyes Closed Tight by Peter Leonard is a thriller. A retired police detective finds that an old case has followed him to his new life in Florida. My blog tour post will be posted on March 6.
Night Broken by Patricia Briggs is the 8th book in the Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series. Like earlier books, it is filled with action and danger. This is one of my favorite urban fantasy series and I was glad that Penguin First to Read let me read an early review copy. My review will be posted on March 5.

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a highly anticipated YA fantasy title. I really liked the world the author built and the characters who were very realistic with both strengths and weaknesses. It is the first of a trilogy and I can hardly wait to find out what happens next. My review will be posted on March 6.
Breaking Ties by Jo Grafford is a historical romance that is stronger on the history than the romance. Readers curious about the fate of the Roanoke colony and curious about the hardships the settlers faced on their sea voyage will enjoy this one. My review will be posted on March 8.

Gideon's Spear by Darby Karchut is a middle grade fantasy novel and the second book in a trilogy. I loved the relationship between teenaged Finn and his teacher/mentor Gideon. Kids will love that the story is action-packed and that Finn is such a great character. My review will be posted on March 8.
I also decided to sneak one of my own books in around all the review books I have to read. I just got Concealed in Death by J. D. Robb which is the 38th in her In Death series. This was a quieter, low-key sort of mystery as Eve and Roarke try to identify the twelve young girls whose bones were found in a building he just bought and bring the killer to justice. My review will be posted on March 12.

Currently
I am currently reading Retribution by Anderson Harp. I haven't read much of this chunkster (519 pages) but what I have read reminds me a lot of books by Tom Clancy. I'll be taking part in the blog tour on March 13.

Next Week

With the Olympics over but The Voice starting, I am hoping to find time to read these review books this week. I should have some reading time as I am hanging around Mayo Clinic waiting for my appointments too.
Adult Books
Beneath the Patchwork Moon by Alison Kent is an ebook romance sent by Amazon.

Dash of Peril by Lori Foster is a romantic suspense title I got from NetGalley.
YA Books
Dangerous by Shannon Hale is one of my remaining ALA ARCs. I hope to get a chance to meet the author in March.

Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski is one of my latest Amazon Vine picks. It is a March 11 release and I don't actually have the book yet. I'll be watching my mailbox closely for this one. 

Elusion by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam is a futuristic story that I got from Edelweiss for review. 

Reviews Posted

What was your week like?

13 comments:

  1. Traveling on ice is the worst! Fingers crossed that spring is just around the corner. I need to investigate BREAKING TIES. I've always been curious about the mystery of the Roanoke colony. Enjoy your week!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just read a positive review of The Winner's Curse! It sounds like a great read! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great to see a guy with his shirt on for a change!
    Sorry you've got the brunt of bad weather - we've had a TON of snow here too - wondering if it will end Ever ! Would luv to head to some warmth... =) and soon !
    HapPy reading Kathy..

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nice to have snow days to read, but Easter will be a bit lean! I will one day read the Patricia Briggs series, it sounds great, love a good heroine.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow hard to believe your shocking weather, snow days sound great for extra reading time but making up work and school not so much fun. I like the sound of Nil, I'll keep an eye out for your review. Have a great week and enjoy your new reads :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow! That's a lot of snow days! We had some of that sort of just after the holidays since when my sister (a teacher) was supposed to go back, they had practically another week off! Or half of it at least!

    That's a lot of books! Wow! Hope you enjoy your reads this week!

    Here's my Monday Wrapup

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. You were hit much worse than we were with the snow. That's the problem with all of these off days for snow, they have to be made up at some point.

    Hope you have a great week! Stay warm!

    ReplyDelete
  8. The extra reading days sound very good. Enjoy all the reads and have a good week.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I hope better weather is on it's way for you! I like the sound of Eyes Closed Tight and the cover of Elusion caught my eye. I hope you enjoy all your upcoming reads!
    Happy Reading!
    :-)
    Bits & Bobs

    ReplyDelete
  10. I cannot wait to read The Winner's Curse!!

    This is what we are reading this week.

    Leydy @OUaT & RCE

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh my goodness, I feel your pain on the snow days! Our Easter week is shrinking and my little guy went to school on President's Day.

    Have a great week and enjoy your books!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Lots of great books, I wonder what non readers do with themselves on snow days?. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  13. So many snow days! We have used ours all up too. We now have to extend the school year by a day. :(

    Beneath the Patchwork Moon looks really good! I am in the mood for something like it. :)

    ReplyDelete

I love getting comments. Let me know what you think.

This blog is now officially declared an Award Free zone! I do appreciate your kindness in thinking of me and I am humbled by your generosity.

Your comments are award enough for me. Comment away!