It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (January 8, 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 another quiet week for me. We finally got a few inches of snow which makes it look more like winter here. The coming week has some snow in the forecast most days but no big snowstorm. My brother has gone out to snow blow the driveway only to find out that the snowblower won't start. He's still puttering trying to get it to work. Sunday isn't a good day to find anyone to help him out. **Success! He got it started and is blowing snow. 

I've spent most of the week reading what I want. I'm closer to finishing the Kris Longknife series since I have only two books to go. I've also been skipping around in the In Death series and listening to some of my favorites. I also published my State of the Stack post for December.

2023 Report

I read 425 books last year totaling 147,288 pages. 272 were mine including 128 rereads. I listened to 142 audiobooks for 1,593 hours of listening. I read 153 review copies. 316 of the books and audiobooks were mysteries from cozy to creepy. I averaged 35 books/audiobooks a month. January and March were my best months with 42 books each. My lowest month was September when I still read 30 books. 

I added 653 books to my LibraryThing account including 161 review copies and 180 audiobooks. I started a new category named Reread for books I already own but bought in another format. Lots of my new books in the Reread category were audiobooks. The rest were Kindle copies. I don't think I read more than a couple of print books this past year. If I was tempted by something from my physical TBR mountain, I checked to see if a Kindle copy was available and bought it.

The first book I bought this year was Say You're Sorry by Karen Rose. It was a BookBub deal for $1.99. I had reviewed it in 2019 but didn't own a copy. The last book I bought in 2023 was Alien Pilot Needs a Nanny by Tasha Black. It was also from a BookBub newsletter and was free. I haven't read it yet, but I love the title. Along the way I bought 74 other BookBub deals and 70 Kindle Daily Deals. 

341 of my 2023 additions to the collection are still marked TBR. My total TBR pile sits at 2528 but I am in the process of removing books I will never get around to reading from my physical TBR shelves. The pile on the floor are the ones I don't think I'll ever read. Now I have to check if any of the used bookstores in town want them. 

 

Here's what those shelves look like mid-rearranging.

I had rearranged them by the year I bought them but decided straight alphabetical order worked better for me. If I want to look for my oldest ones which I sometimes do, I can just sort my To Read collection on LibraryThing by Date Added and choose from there. I'm hoping to consolidate enough to have one of the sections empty so that I can bring some books from my downstairs library up to these shelves in my living room to free up some space in the downstairs library which is very crowded.

Shifting books around looks to be a long-term project for 2024.

Read Last Week

• Kris Longknife Admiral by Mike Shepherd (Mine since 10/12/22) -- This is the 16th in 19-book series of space operas. My review will be posted on January 27.
• Kris Longknife Commanding by Mike Shepherd (Mine since 10/12/22) -- This is the 17th in the Kris Longknife series of space operas. My review will be posted on March 2.
• The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Review; February 6) -- This excellent fantasy mystery begins a new series. Intriguing characters and great worldbuilding. My review will be posted on January 30.

• Judgment in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread)
• Loyalty in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread)

• Betrayal in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread)
• Vengeance in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread)

Currently

• The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder by C. L. Miller (Review; February 6)
• Portrait in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread)

Next Week

• Hollywood Hustle by Jon Lindstrom (Review; February 6)
• A Killer Romance by Maggie Blackburn (Review; February 6)
• Tomb of the Golden Bird by Elizabeth Peters (Chirp Audiobook; finishes a series)

• Highway to Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore (Mine; Completes a trilogy)
• Fish Out of Water by Katie Ruggle (Review; February 13)
• Six Geese A-Slaying by Donna Andrews (Chirp audiobook; continues a series)

Reviews Posted

• The Night Island by Jayne Ann Krentz (Review Copy)
• Death at a Scottish Wedding by Lucy Connelly (Review Copy)

• The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins (Review Copy)
• The Sign of the Four Spirits by Vicki Delany (Review Copy)
• The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes (Review Copy)

• A Body on the Doorstep by Marty Wingate (Review Copy)
• Northwoods by Amy Pease (Review Copy)

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

Review:

• One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day (Review; July 16)
• The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by Paula Brackston (Review; July 23)

Bought:

• The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman (Kindle Daily Deal $1.99)
• Untraceable by Laura Griffin (BookBub $1.99)

Chirp had a sale!

• In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming (Chirp $2.99)
• A Fountain Filled with Blood by Julia Spencer-Fleming (Chirp $3.99)
• Out of the Deep I Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming (Chirp $3.99)

• To Darkness and to Death by Julia Spencer-Fleming (Chirp $3.99)
• All Mortal Flesh by Julia Spencer-Fleming (Chirp $3.99)
• I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming (Chirp $3.99)

What was your week like?