Monday, August 8, 2016

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:
Two from the Review Pile:
Reviews Posted
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.
To see what Young Adult books I have been reading and plan to read, check out Ms. Martin Teaches Media - my other blog.

15 comments:

  1. Wow, 37 books in July? That's great! I hope most of them were good reads :-)
    http://www.marelden.com

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  2. Good luck on your new house! Will be keeping my fingers crossed for you.

    I cannot believe how many books you read in July! Wow! That's incredible!

    I love the look of some of your books in your new stack. What an exciting bunch. Hope you have a great week.

    Thanks for visiting my #IMWAYR.

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  3. You read 37 books with all that is going on? Holy Toledo!! That is quite a feat.

    CONGRATS on your house purchase!! That is exciting.

    ENJOY this week of reading and all the other fun.

    Thanks for coming by my blog earlier.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

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  4. You read 37 books in a month? I am hugely impressed. Good luck with the house and the move!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  5. Oh, wow, exciting weeks ahead! Good luck on the move and deciding what to take from your parents' home.

    My brother lives in our parents' home, too, so going to visit brings up lots of memories. And there are still a lot of things stored there, too.

    Enjoy your books...I like the look of the Dee Ernst book, Stealing Jason Wilde, as I read a couple of her other books recently.

    Thanks for visiting my blog.

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  6. Congrats on finding the house! I hope everything falls into place for you.

    I've been meaning to read Jo Walton for a while. I will keep an eye out for your thoughts on The Just City.

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  7. Nicely done for July! I love the look of your current read and have read some of Durst's books before.

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  8. Congratulations on the house, I remember all the anxiety from when I was house hunting. And I am very impressed by how many books you managed to read last month.

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  9. Congratulations! I hope everything goes well with the house sale. And good luck with going through your childhood home,that is a tough thing to do.

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  10. Sounds very exciting times, although so stressful too, I can see why your reading would drop off a bit. What a big job clearing out your parent's house, hope you get things done to your satisfaction before you have to return to work.

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  11. Congratulations on making an offer!! I completely understand the parent house decisions. My brother and I are in the same predicament with my parents' house. Luckily, there isn't a deadline, but they were both such pack rats.

    37 books in July!! You're my new reading hero.

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  12. Good luck with the house! How exciting!

    Hope you have a great week!

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  13. Congratulations on your offering being accepted. Hope the paperwork goes smoother than expected. You had a fantastic July of reading!

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  14. Exciting news about the house! Fingers crossed!! It still seems like you read quite a bit, despite all that is going on. :) Take some time to relax if you can.

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  15. Impressive number of books read in July.

    I hope you don't have to wait too long to hear back about your house and that the news is good!

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