Sunday Post/It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (August 3, 2015) #IMWAYR

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

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.

Other Than Reading...

I think this past week was the last one this summer when I could binge on reading. I will have company arriving this week to help me celebrate my birthday. I turned 65 on Sunday.

We have planned a marathon video watching session when we will be watching the final season of True Blood and the first season of Kelley Armstrong's Bitten. Weather permitting we will also be doing some touristy stuff like a trip up the North Shore to Gooseberry Falls with a stop at Betty's Pies. We may also get a chance to do some of the Lakewalk and maybe visit a casino or two.

I don't think that there will be much time for reading until very late in the week. I am sure that my lists below are very optimistic.

July in Review...

During July I read 50 books for a total of 16,553 pages. I read 23 YA/MG books and 27 adult books. I read 30 review books.

I also added 66 books to my stack including 10 audiobooks from SYNC, 13 new review books, and 37 books for my Kindle. Thirty of the new additions were tagged YA but this includes the SYNC audiobooks. Currently 54 of them are still unread.

Read Last Week

Most of these weren't on the plan for this week's reading. I received books from both Crooked Lane Books and Penguin Group for review that were releasing in August and September. Since I had already read and scheduled reviews for all of August and September, I had to play around with my review calender and move posts. On the positive side, I have book reviews scheduled for Wednesdays through November 11.

Dragonsblood by Todd McCaffrey was an excellent entry in this long-running series. This one talks about a disease that might wipe out the dragons just when thread is beginning to fall again. The solution requires help from the past. This one has been on my TBR mountain since at least 2008. My review will be posted on September 23 (unless I add more review books releasing in September and have to move it.)

Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes by Denise Grover Swank is a cozy mystery with an entertaining main character. This book was self-published (I think) in 2011 but is going to be one of Crooked Lane Book's first hardcover releases. I got this one from the publisher for review last Monday. It will be released on August 11. My review is scheduled for August 19. Looking at my purchases, you will see that I also bought the next six self-published books in this series.

Siren's Call by Jayne Castle downloaded to my Kindle on Tuesday and I immediately put it at the top of my reading list. I love this futuristic paranormal romances because of the quirky characters and wonderful dialog. The dust bunnies don't hurt the story either. My review won't show up until November 11 because of the recent influx of review books but you can see what I thought on GoodReads, Amazon, and LibraryThing already.

Red Line by Brian Thiem is another of Crooked Lane Books first releases. This police procedural by an debut author who spend years in law enforcement was a fast-paced and fascinating story. It is also the first book in a new series. It will be released on August 11 with my review scheduled for August 26.

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn is the first book in a new historical mystery series. The heroine is an eccentric Victorian lepidopterist and adventurer and the hero is a brooding natural historian with a checkered past. The dialogue was amazing. My review will be posted on September 2.

Lady of Magick by Sylvia Izzo Hunter is the second book in her Noctis Magicae series which is set in an alternate history of Regency England. The world building and characters in this one were wonderful. I have already bought a finished copy of the paperback and the Kindle version and look forward to having them on my Keeper shelves when they are released on September 1. My review will be posted on September 3.

Screwball by Linda Morris is a sports romance that I got for review from Penguin Group. This was an enjoyable story set around minor league baseball and was an example of the secret baby trope. My review will be posted on September 12 for this September 15 release.

Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent is from my TBR mountain. I got this urban fantasy that begins a trilogy on August 31, 2011. I enjoyed both the characters and the world building. Luckily, I have book two on TBR mountain already but I just bought a copy of book 3. My review will be posted on September 26.

Currently

Kitty Steals the Show by Carrie Vaughn has been on my TBR mountain since July 31, 2012. This series has continued on without me. After I read this one, I think I have three more to read before I'm caught up.

Next Week

Mostly these are from my TBR mountain.

Live to See Tomorrow by Iris Johansen is one of the books in the Catherine Ling series. I have been skipping around in this series having recently read the newest for review. This one has been on the stack since Sept. 24, 2014.

The Witch with No Name by Kim Harrison is the final book in the Rachel Morgan series. I just bought this one earlier in the summer because I read the penultimate book and wanted to check this series off as complete.

Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal is also a new arrival this summer. Because I finally read Shades of Milk and Honey and loved it, I had to buy the rest of the series. However, I wanted used copies in paperback rather than new hardcovers. I shopped Amazon Marketplace for my finds.

My sole review book this week is Autumn Moon by Jan DeLima. This is the third book in a series that I haven't read. I got this eARC from Penguin Group via NetGalley. It will be released on September 29 and will finish up my September review books. 

Reviews Posted

• Wolf Trouble by Paige Tyler
• The Veil by Chloe Neill
• Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Marty Wingate

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

I started the week with two new review books from Crooked Lane Books. They sent me finished hardcovers to review. Both are August 11 releases and got added to the Currently Reading stack.

Red Line by Brian Thiem is a thriller.

Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes by Denise Grover Swank is a humorous cozy.

Then I bought these for my Kindle:

Twenty-Nine and a Half Reasons by Denise Grover Swank

Thirty and a Half Excuses

Thirty-One and a Half Regrets

Thirty-Two and a Half Complications

Thirty-Three and a Half Shenanigans

Thirty-Four and a Half Predicaments

Later in the week I got:

Siren's Call by Jayne Castle which is the latest of her Rainshadow series. This are very entertaining futuristic paranormal romances. 

I also added A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn to my review pile. I saw this at First to Read but requested it at NetGalley. This new historical mystery will be released on September 1.

Lady of Magick by Sylvia Izzo Hunter was added to my stack for review on Wednesday. I got this one from Penguin Group via NetGalley. This fantasy sequel to The Midnight Queen will be released on September 1.

Autumn Moon by Jan DeLima was also added to my review stack on Wednesday courtesy of Penguin Group and NetGalley. This paranormal with werewolves is being released on September 29. It is the third in a series that I haven't read. I hope it stands alone well.

To see what Young Adult books I have been reading and plan to read, check out Ms. Martin Teaches Media - my other blog.