It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Jan. 25, 2016)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

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...

This week was filled with lots more excitement than I really wanted. I came out of the Elementary School on Monday planning to drive to the high school and found that the battery was dead in my car. A friend jump started me and I drove home and put the car in my garage. I then walked to the high school braving wind chills that were quite a ways below zero. I walked home after school and tried to start my car but it was completely dead. I called my car dealership to make an appointment to get a new battery and then started looking for someone who would come jump start my car so that I could get to the appointment. Naturally, the appointment was for Tuesday afternoon.

A friend drove me to work on Tuesday. I walked between schools and home again braving wind chills that were well below zero again. When the guy came to start my car, it wouldn't even start with a jump start. Luckily, he came in his tow truck. I had to have my car towed about 25 miles to the dealership and I got to make conversation with a big black dude named Bubba all the way there. He was quite a nice young man!

I waited at the dealership because they said they could fix the car in a couple of hours. While running the diagnostics to find out what the problem was (in case it was more than a battery that was too old), they discovered that I needed new front brake pads. Since I was already there, I had that done and an oil change. Since I knew I'd be waiting, my Kindle was in my purse. I managed to finish reading one book and read 10% of another.

After reclaiming my now very reliable car, I decided to run a couple of other errands before going back home. I stopped at Great Clips and had six inches cut off my hair. I was trying to grow it out but decided that my fine hair wasn't suitable for long hairstyles. I was getting tired of eating it and picking up long strands of white hair all over my house.

Finally, I took myself out to dinner at Outback and came home with half a steak to eat another day. I arrived home to find that the book fairy had stopped at my house. I received a big box of YA titles from Macmillan and two adult mysteries from a publicist.

Wednesday, bright and early (actually dark and early), I drove into Rochester again to have lab work done before my annual physical. Then I was off to work just one hour late which worked out quite well because we always start one hour late on Wednesdays so that teachers can be in Professional Learning Teams.

Thursday was blessedly normal and Friday was an early out for students and work time for teachers to do grades. Our first semester is over! I left at my usual 1:30 and had my annual physical where I learned that I was doing okay - no changes from last year. However, I do have couple more medical tests on the horizon to get more data for my doctor.

The weekend was spend assessing student work and preparing report cards, blogging and reading. I didn't leave my house!

Read Last Week

On His Watch by Katie Ruggle was a novella. It introduces the characters and begins the plot of a series of romantic suspense books. The novella is currently free at Amazon. I have the first book in the series on my Kindle for review. The setting and characters were interesting. I reviewed this on GoodReads and LibraryThing but not on my blog.

The Infamous Heir by Elizabeth Michels was a nice historical romance that also had a mystery. I enjoyed the characters in this one too. My review will be posted on Feb. 25.

Hostile Witness by Leigh Adams was a mystery that I got for review from Crooked Lane Books. It had one of the most unique amateur detectives that I have ever read about. The plot was nicely twisty and the characters were engaging. This book begins a new series. My review will be posted on Feb. 6.

The Fine Art of Murder by Emily Barnes was a cozy-ish mystery also from Crooked Lane Books. The main character is a retired chief of police turned artist who is back home in Edina supporting her daughter who is going through a divorce. She gets involved in a mystery that also threatens to dig up some old family secrets of the wealthiest family in town. My review will be posted on Feb. 4.

Benefit of the Doubt by Neal Griffin was his debut mystery/thriller. I enjoyed the Wisconsin setting and found the characters engaging, the plot fast moving, and the tension high throughout the whole story. My review will be posted on Feb. 10.

Currently

I am currently reading A Voice from the Field by Neal Griffin which will be released on February 3. When I was offered this one for review, I was also offered Benefit of the Doubt because the main character of this book was an important side character in that one.

Next Week

Just This Night by Mari Madison also came via an email invitation. This marks the author's return to romance. She writes YA under the name of Mari Mancusi. I have a couple of her YA books on TBR mountain.

Reviews Posted

• Night Study by Maria V. Snyder
• Sweet and Deadly by Charlaine Harris

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

I got quite a number of new books this week.

Crooked Lane Books put two more mysteries up at NetGalley and I couldn't resist them despite the fact that they will be released in early February.

The Fine Art of Murder by Emily Barnes was set in my home state and starred a retired female police chief turned artist.

Hostile Witness by Leigh Adams starred a computer security specialist with an illness that looks a lot like Asperger's to this reader who finds herself mired in a conspiracy of epic proportions.

I read Unholy Blue by Darby Kaye in ARC but also ordered a finished copy for my Kindle. It was released this week and downloaded to my Kindle.

I got two more review books in the mail on Tuesday. They came as a result of my positive response to a publicist's email.

Benefit of a Doubt by Neal Griffin is a gritty police procedural featuring all sorts of corruption that takes place in a small town in Wisconsin. This book was released last May.

A Voice from the Field by Neal Griffin is the second book. It stars a character who appeared in Benefit of a Doubt and gives her her own story. This one will be released on Feb. 3.

The Kindle Daily Deal on Wednesday was for an urban fantasy trilogy by an author that I recently read. I enjoyed her YA book, like urban fantasy, and thought I'd give these a try while they were on sale.

• Marked by Sarah Fine
• Claimed by Sarah Fine
• Fated by Sarah Fine

Also on Wednesday I was approved for The Skeleton Garden by Marty Wingate which is the latest in her Potting Shed series. I have enjoyed all the others in this cozy series. This one will be released on March 15.

I added 19 books to my TBR mountain this week (see my other blog to see the rest). I got 10 young adult books. Thirteen of the new arrivals were review books with release dates stretching out until the end of August. I have noticed that the adult review books I received usually have very short turnarounds. Four of the five this week will be releasing on Feb. 3.

I have added a total of 39 new books so far in 2016. Thirty-one are still unread.

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