Sunday Post/It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Aug. 31, 2015)

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...

My alarm clock is set for the first time since June 5 and my clothes are laid out for tomorrow. It is time to go back to school. I will be eager to see my colleagues again and get back into a regular routine. On the other hand, I will miss the laid back pace and opportunity to do what I want when I want of summer. My list of things to do before the students walk in the door on September 8 is really, really long.

Looking back over this summer, I read 117 novels easily beating my "book a day" goal. I also got ahead on my review book stack having read and scheduled all my book reviews through October. My goal of lowering my TBR mountain was less successful. I added a total of 165 books over the course of the summer. According to LibraryThing I have 2172 books marked as "To Read." I need to look over my shelves and donate those that no longer interest me. I'm sure I can lower the stack by a couple hundred and give myself some more shelf space on my crowded bookshelves.

Read Last Week

I began this week by reading second books in two series that I discovered this summer.

Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones is the second Charley Davidson urban fantasy. I like this series because of the humor and the unique and quirky viewpoint character. My review will be posted on October 29.

Blood Cross by Faith Hunter is a more traditional urban fantasy. Jane Yellowrock is a rogue vampire executioner and skinwalker. This was also a fast-paced, exciting addition to the series. My review will be posted on October 31.

I finished the week by reading two from my review stack that are each being released on November 10.


Dark Turns by Cate Holahan was a contemporary mystery about a ballet dancer who takes a job at a posh private school to get over a broken heart and a damaged foot and who stumbles upon the body of a dead student. This one had lots of dance scenes and an intriguing cast of students and suspects. My review will be posted on November 5.

The Reluctant Duchess was also a mystery but a major focus was on the romance between Lady Sara Emerson and the Duke of Rossmoyne. Sara comes to Ross when she receives letters that might be written by the murderer of Ross's former fiance and Sara's cousin. They need to work together to answer both their questions about Meredith's death and, along the way, fall in love. My review will be posted on November 7.

Currently

Nothing. I have gotten myself off balance in my reading. I need to catch up on some YA books to get back in sync.

Next Week

If I finish the five YA books I need to read to balance my calendar, I will read When Gods Die by C. S. Harris - the second book in the Sebastian St. Cyr mystery series.

Reviews Posted

• Red Line by Brian Thiem
• Broken Play by Samantha Kane
• Total Eclipse by Rachel Caine

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

I added a few more books to my Kindle this week.

Since I finished book 2 in the Jane Yellowrock series, I decided to add books three and four to my Kindle.

Mercy Blade by Faith Hunter is the third book in the Jane Yellowrock series.

Raven Cursed by Faith Hunter is the fourth book in the Jane Yellowrock series.

I was browsing NetGalley and found Tumbled Graves by Brenda Chapman on my auto-approved list. It sounded like a good mystery but it is the third book in a series.

I decided to buy the first two books in the Stonechild and Rouleau mystery series. I want to read them before I get to the third which is on my review stack.

Cold Mourning by Brenda Chapman

Butterfly Kills by Brenda Chapman

Saturday morning I couldn't resist adding these two free books to my Kindle when I spotted them in my BookBub daily email.

The Killing Moon by V. J. Chambers

Reckless by Susan Kiernan-Lewis

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