Monday, March 23, 2026

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (March 23, 2026)

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 an odd reading week. I didn't finish my first two books until Wednesday which is really unusual for me. I guess I spent too much time doom scrolling and watching baseball. It was exciting to see Venezuela win the World Baseball Classic even though they did beat the US team. Also, Spring Training is winding down, and the real season will begin for my Atlanta Braves on Friday night. There are still a couple of games to watch or listen to this week. 

I am currently reading three books. I started The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton by Jennifer N. Brown (Review, April 14) and said "Oh, dear." It begins in 1527 with an ignorant young farm girl having a vision during a fever which brings her to the attention of the Catholic Church which is desperately trying to keep Henry VIII from leaving the Catholic Church. I didn't think I could deal with either the politics or the spirituality. 

So, I went to my calendar and picked the next book - Cat on a Hot Tin Woof by Spencer Quinn, started reading it, and went "Oh, dear" again. I'm not a big fan of talking animals and discovered that this one is narrated by a dog with a dog's eccentric viewpoint.  

Then I went looking in my TBR pile for something to sub in if DNFing either left a hole in my calendar. I found Naked Comes the Phoenix which is a serial novel written by a lot of female mystery authors with a percentage of the profits going to breast cancer research.

I gave The Lost Book... another chance and found that it was a dual timeline with the second being a contemporary scholar who has discovered Elizabeth Barton's book. I'm at 22% I'm also at 22% of Naked... which has been enjoyable so far. Cat on a Hot Tin Woof is at 8% and I hope I get into the rhythm of it soon. Otherwise, it will be quite a slog. 

Hopefully, I'll finish these before Wednesday this week and move on to the next books on my calendar. I'm looking forward to Fire Must Burn since I've enjoyed all the earlier books in that series. 

Read Last Week
  • Blood Trail by Matt Query & Harrison Query (Review, April 7) -- Interesting combination of techno-thriller and horror story. My review will be posted on April 1.
  • Carving Shadows into Gold by Brigid Kemmerer (Audiobook, Mine since February 18, 2026) -- Middle book in an epic fantasy trilogy. My review will be posted on April 7)
  • The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer (Review, April 7) -- Excellent fantasy for book lovers. My review will be posted on April 2.
  • Black Rose by Nora Roberts (Audiobook, Mine since March 11, 2026) -- Second romance/paranormal in the In the Garden trilogy. My review will be posted on April 9.
  • The Antique Hunter's Death on the Red Sea by C. L. Miller (Review, February 18) -- Second in a cozy mystery series. My review will be posted on April 3.
  • Red Lily by Nora Roberts (Audiobook, Mine since March 11, 2026) -- Finale of the In the Garden Trilogy. Great characters and a nice conclusion to the series. My review will be posted on April 16.
Currently
Next Week
Reviews Posted
Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:


Bought:
  • Owlflight by Mercedes Lackey (Chirp Audiobook, $3.99)
  • Owlsight by Mercedes Lackey (Chirp Audiobook, $3.99)
  • Owlknight by Mercedes Lackey (Chirp Audiobook, $3.99_
What was your week like?
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6 comments:

  1. YvonneMarch 23, 2026 at 12:53 PM

    I have Cat On A Hot Tin Woof to review. I've read some of the previous books in this series and really liked them. It's been a long time since I read anything in this series, but I'm looking forward to this one. I hope you like it. The rest of your books look really good. Enjoy them and have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jessica @ a GREAT readMarch 23, 2026 at 3:46 PM

    OOh nice! Can't wait for your thoughts on The Book Witch! I love a bookish book!

    Here's my Monday Wrap-up

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Cheryl MalandrinosMarch 23, 2026 at 8:28 PM

    Wow! Three "Oh, dears" in a row. Not a good sign. Hopefully, they pick up for you. Hope the Braves fare well on Friday. The Red Sox start on Thursday playing the Reds. We will see how it goes. Thanks for sharing and for visiting my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  4. SharondoubleknitMarch 23, 2026 at 9:55 PM

    It's not like you to have so many '0h dear' books. I love that rem, I think of them as struggletown books. I hope the reading gets better this week!

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  5. VerosMarch 24, 2026 at 11:59 AM

    The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton sounds interesting but the 'oh dear' of it all has me worried but also curious if I'd be able to deal with the religious stuff as a non-religious person. Though I do enjoy reading about it sometimes 🤔.
    I didn't really like C. L. Miller's first Antique mystery book so I most likely won't continue the series but good to know there's a second book.
    I also don't love talking animals unless it's in a fantasy setting where the animal is more anthropomorphic , too bad you had two back to back 'oh dear's. I hope the books from this week treat you better :)

    Here's My week: https://darkshelfofwonders.com/its-monday-lets-catch-up-%e2%94%8216/

    ReplyDelete
  6. Deb Nance at ReaderbuzzApril 2, 2026 at 6:09 AM

    I must say that I am completely shocked that you went two days without finishing a book. lol!

    ReplyDelete

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