It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (January 22, 2024)

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.

I will be combining my YA and adult reading and purchases on this one weekly roundup.

Want to See What I Added to My Stack? links to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality.

Other Than Reading...

This was a cold quiet week at my house. I don't think I left the house even once. I spent my time rearranging my library and finally finished moving lots and lots of books on Wednesday. With each shelf not packed full, I discovered that I needed some additional bookends and ordered some from Amazon which arrived on Saturday. It looks like I have one extra for later use. 

I had all of these bookshelves built and installed for me before I moved into the house. They have fixed shelves which is a comfort to my sense of order and symmetry. The bottom shelf is taller than the rest allowing for taller books. To keep the lines straight, there are some sections that are not as tall under the windows and to accommodate a heat run that I use for paperbacks or for taller books lying down. 

Here are the final results:

Living Room

East Wall of Living Room

Main Library

South Wall of Library and a bit of the East Wall too.

East Wall of Library

North Wall of Library

West Wall of Library

Guest Room

Left Section in Guest Room

Right section in Guest Room

Under the Guest Room Window

Detail from my Library:

Secretary my dad refinished for his mother which now contains some of my collection of figurines and Snow globes. It is topped with some retirement gifts. 

After getting that organized, I concentrated on reading and listening to books on my calendar. I have put a pause on my relistens to the J. D. Robb books until I get a month ahead on my calendar again. I enjoyed this week's reading and listening and am sure there are lots of good things on the calendar that I will also enjoy. 

There wasn't much cooking done this week. I did make a batch of marinara sauce and put it in the freezer for later use. We discovered that we have lots of containers of taco meat but no marinara there. I also want to make a batch of Mom's spaghetti sauce for the freezer and put it on this week's agenda. My brother works odd - for him - shifts this week. He's working 9AM to 5 PM every day he works which means we'll be able to eat dinner together all week. He's planning to make chili when he finishes work today and I'm contributing a new recipe for Sweet Cornbread to go along with it. The rest of the week is still undecided though there will certainly be leftover chili. 

This was the week that I finally came to the end of my Amazon gift cards. 

• I added a couple of books by Sean Patrick Little, a man I taught with years ago. He writes mysteries now. 
• I got another of the Lady Sherlock audiobooks by Sherry Thomas but am still missing a couple. I have a request in at NetGalley for the newest but haven't heard anything yet. 
• I used an Audible Credit for a science fiction epic that runs more than 20 hours. I recently got the Kindle version of the same title so that I can follow along if I need to and so that I have idea of how things are spelled. 
• The only book in my new arrivals that I have already read is And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander. I have the first two books in the Lady Emily series in print but prefer Kindle for rereads. I think, since I have reviewed the newest two, that it is time to go back and read the rest of the series. I've been gathering Kindle copies as they go on sale but am still missing a few of this seventeen-book series. 

Read Last Week

• Divided in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread)
• Visions in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread)
• Highway to Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore (Mine) -- Finale of the Maggie Quinn trilogy has Maggie and her friend getting stranded in a town with a demon problem while they are on their way to Spring Break. My review will be posted on February 3.

• Six Geese A-Slaying by Donna Andrews (Chirp Audiobook) -- Tenth in the Meg Langslow series has Meg dealing with the annual Christmas parade and with the death of the man who is supposed to play Santa. My review will be posted on February 6.
• Origin in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread) -- 21st book in the series. I was doing a sort of random reread of the series over the Holiday season. This is the last for a while. 
• Fish Out of Water by Katie Ruggle (Review; February 13) -- Very humorous romantic suspense. My review will be posted on February 6.

• At the River by Kendra Elliot (Review; February 13) -- Excellent contemporary thriller. Fifth in a series. My review will be posted on February 8.
• The Lantern's Dance by Laurie R. King (Review; February 13) -- 18th in a long-running historical mystery series with great historical details and interesting characters. My review will be posted on February 7.
• Reflex by Dick Francis (Audiobook Reread) -- One of my favorites from the author stars a jockey-photographer and has a couple of mysteries for him to solve. My review will be posted on February 8.

Currently

• Shield's Lady by Jayne Ann Krentz (Audiobook)
• The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik (Mine)

Next Week

• Murder in Masquerade by Mary Winters (Review; February 20)
• Murder by Lamplight by Patrice McDonough (Review; February 20)
• The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong (Review; February 20)

• The Last Word by Gerri Lewis (Review; February 20)
• Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (Chirp Audiobook)
• A Smoking Bun by Ellie Alexander (Review; February 20)

Reviews Posted

• The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths (Audiobook)
• A Body at the Seance by Marty Wingate (Review Copy)
• Random in Death by J. D. Robb (Review Copy)

• Children of the Storm by Elizabeth Peters (Audiobook)
• The Breakup Tour by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka (Review Copy)
• Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas (Mine since May 19, 2021)

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

Review:

• Mind Games by Nora Roberts (Review; May 21)

Bought:

• The Only Purple House in Town by Ann Aguirre (BookBub $1.99)
• And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander (BookBub $1.99)
• The Tiger Next Door by Zoe Chant (BookBub $.99)

• Haunted Hibiscus by Laura Childs (BookBub $1.99)
• Lavender's Blue by Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer (BookBub $.99)

• Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy (BookBub $1.99)
• American Demon by Kim Harrison (BookBub $1.99)
• The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (Kindle)

• Fourth and Wrong by Sean Patrick Little (Kindle Free)
• The Single Twin by Sean Patrick Little (Kindle $5.00)

New Audiobooks

• Governor by David Weber & Richard Fox (Audible Credit)
• A Tempest at Sea by Sherry Thomas (Chirp $5.99)

What was your week like?