It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (November 17, 2025)

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.

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 nice late Fall week. There were cold days but lovely blue skies. The leaves have all fallen from the trees. No snow has fallen yet and stayed on the ground which is always a good thing in my opinion. 

I had a nice week with a lot of time for reading and listening since I had no appointments. I thought I had finished with my December review books but accepted a review book that releases on December 30 when it was offered this week. I also accepted three more review books, but they won't be released until March and April.

I bought a trilogy from Chirp this week. Actually, Chirp had the first two books on sale and Audible had the third on sale. I had read the books of the Lost Night Files by Jayne Ann Krentz as review copies in 2022, 2023, and 2024 but hadn't revisited them since. Krentz is a favorite author. I enjoy her romantic suspense titles and like the paranormal bent of the trilogy. 

My November calendar has all of my reviews scheduled. I finished the last of the November reviews this week. The only posts left to do are these Monday reports. 

It looks like December is going to be a finish-up month. I'd like to finish the rest of The Naturals series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I've read the first two and have two to go. I already have the Kindle copies but may use some of my Audible credits when it comes time to read the last two. I'd also like to listen to the final two books in The Lost Night trilogy by Krentz. And I have two more of the Harbinder Kaur series by Elly Griffith to read. I also have all four historical romances in the Black Cobra Quartet on my Kindle. I'm currently reading book 2. 

December also looks like it might be heavy on audiobooks. I already have seven audiobook reviews scheduled with potentially four more in my tentative plans. 

I had planned to listen to Nora Roberts' Sign of Seven trilogy, but I didn't care for the recording quality of the second book. I may have to dig into my stack of Nora Roberts print books if I choose to go on with the trilogy. I know I have them somewhere in my shelves and shelves of Nora Roberts books. 

Read Last Week

• The Snow Lies Deep by Paula Munier (Review, December 2) -- 7th Mercy Carr mystery set in Maine at Christmas. Someone is killing Santas. My review will be posted on November 26.
• The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (Audiobook, Mine since November 7) -- Very popular fantasy in the book world. I enjoyed this one. My review will be posted on November 29.
• Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Audiobook, Mine since November 5, 2025) -- Second book in The Naturals series. Teens with special talents work for the FBI to solve cold cases but find themselves solving a hot one. My review will be posted on December 4.

• Civilized Behavior by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Kindle, mine since November 13, 2025) -- This chapbook contains three stories set on Colemeno which is the setting for three of the authors' recent novels. This duo is an auto-buy and "drop everything and read" author for me. 
• Gutter Mage by J. S. Kelley (Kindle, mine since September 18, 2025) -- This epic fantasy was an engaging story with great world building. My review will be posted on November 27.
• The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter (Chirp Audiobook, mine since December 4, 2024) -- Two rival authors find themselves snowed in at an estate in Scotland where they have to solve the disappearance of a famous author. Nice romance with great banter, My review will be posted on December 16.

• A Grave Deception by Connie Berry (Review, December 9) -- 6th Kate Hamilton mystery. An extremely well-preserved body is found at an archaeological dig with odd grave goods, the lead archaeologist is murdered, and the dig's sponsor wants to find out what happened to his wife who disappeared nine years earlier. My review will be posted on December 2.
• Murder at Mallowan Hall by Colleen Cambridge (Audiobook, mine since November 1) -- First Phyllida Bright mystery. She's Agatha Christie's housekeeper. The setting is England 1930. My review will be posted on December 18.
• Sleep No More by Jayne Ann Krentz (Mine since November 11, 2025) -- First romantic suspense title from the Lost Night Files trilogy. My review will be posted on December 16.

Currently

• The Elusive Bride by Stephanie Laurens (Mine since August 6, 2025) -- Second in the Black Cobra Quartet
• Bleeding Heart Yard by Elly Griffiths (Mine since July 8, 2025) -- Third in the Harbinder Kaur mysteries

Next Week

I have a number of possibilities. I plan to read whatever strikes my fancy this week. 

Reviews Posted

• A Death in Door County by Annelise Ryan (Audiobook)
• The Queen Who Came in from the Cold by S. J. Bennett (Review Copy)
• The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts (Review Copy)

• Blood Oath by Steve Urszenyi (Review Copy)
• At Midnight Comes the Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming (Review Copy)
• Midnight in Memphis by Thomas Dann (Review Copy)

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

Review:

• The Cyprian by Mercedes Lackey (Review, December 30)
• A Ghastly Catastrophe by Deanna Raybourn (Review, March 3)

• Cat on a Hot Tin Woof by Spencer Quinn (Review, April 14)
• Liar's Creek by Matt Goldman (Review, April 21)

Bought:

• Pawn by Timothy Zahn (BookBub, $1.99)
• Civilized Behavior by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Kindle, $6.00)

• The Time Traders by Andre Norton (BookBub, $1.99)
• Middle of the Night by Riley Sager (BookBub, $1.99)
  

Audiobooks:

• Shattering Dawn (The Lost Night Files, Book 3) by Jayne Ann Krentz (Audible, $5.60)
• The Night Island by Jayne Ann Krentz (The Night Files, Book 2) by Jayne Ann Krentz (Chirp, $4.99)
• Sleep No More (The Lost Night Files, Book 1) by Jayne Ann Krentz (Chirp, $4.99)

What was your week like?