It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (August 8, 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 was an exciting week! I had a chance to tour a house that I have been eyeing the first day it came back on the market. (It was listed earlier this summer and then taken off the market until the renter moved out.) I toured it on Tuesday which also happened to be my 66th birthday. I made an offer that afternoon. My offer was accepted on Thursday. I met with my mortgage banker on Friday to fill out some more paperwork and lock in my mortgage interest rate. Now it is a case of "hurry up and wait." The next step is the appraisal and the underwriter deciding if I can get the mortgage, then the closing.

Meanwhile, I took a look around the house in Duluth where my brother now lives and where I spend the summer. This was our parents' home and has most of the stuff they brought into it since they finished the house in February 1951. My parents had one rummage sale during their occupancy! We are buried in stuff that we need to make decisions about. What's going to the new house? What are we going to try to sell? What should we donate? What just needs to be thrown away? For example: my brother's potty chair is under the eaves and he turns 60 next Spring. The kicker: I am going back to my winter home on August 28 for the new school year. We either decide before I go or my brother gets to make all the decisions. (He is not a good decider! Procrastination is his middle name.)

My reading rate really dropped down because I just couldn't get my mind to focus. I was too busy worrying, finding documents, having meetings, making lists, and worrying some more.

July Reading Report

I read 37 books in July with a total of 13,505 pages. I finished more books this month than in January and February combined. Twenty-three of the books were from my TBR mountain. Fourteen were books for review. I read sixteen young adult books. I read seventeen books I categorized as romances, twelve that were mysteries/thrillers, and seventeen that were science fiction/fantasy. Some books fit into more than one category, i.e. romantic suspense and paranormal romance.

Read Last Week

I received Uptown Thief by Aya de Leon from a publicist for review. I first declined but she convinced me to give the book a try. I was right to decline. I made it to 150 pages before abandoning this one. It was way too "chick lit" for my tastes. I disliked the characters and the moral decisions they made. Please note that this book has 5 5-star reviews on Amazon. It just wasn't to my taste.

Project Elfhome by Wen Spencer was also from my review stack. This is an anthology of linked stories the fill in some of the blanks in the Elfhome series. The characters and the stories were both interesting. I especially liked the author's notes where she talks about how the stories came to be written. My review will be posted on September 10.

Hard to Hold by Katie Rose was an entertaining sports romance. A soccer star has an infant dropped in his lap - the result of a one-night stand - and has to decide what to do. First step, hire a nanny who turns out to be drop-dead gorgeous. My review will be posted on September 8.

Currently

I am currently reading The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst which is an entertaining epic fantasy and which begins a trilogy. This one will be released on September 20.

Next Week

Two from TBR mountain:

• Front Runner by Felix Francis
• Enemy Games by Marcella Burnard

Two from the Review Pile:

• All the Little Liars by Charlaine Harris (releases October 4)
• In Safe Hands by Katie Ruggle (releases October 4)

Reviews Posted

• The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig
• The Widower's Wife by Cate Holahan
• These Honored Dead by Jonathan F. Putnam

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

I added a mixed bag of books this week - some print and some Kindle.

• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J. K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne (Print)
• The Hummingbird Wizard by Meredith Blevins (Kindle Free)
• Imprudence by Gail Carriger (Kindle bought)

• Stealing Jason Wilde by Dee Ernst (Kindle bought)
• Behind the Throne by K. B. Wagers (Print bought)
• A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet (Kindle bought)

• The Just City by Jo Walton (Kindle Free)

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