Monday, July 4, 2016

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (July 4, 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...

Happy 4th of July to my fellow citizens of the USA!

I thought I'd take a quick look back at June before setting my sights on July. I read 30 books which was my goal - a book a day. I read 11,632 pages this month. It was month of big books. I read 2 with over 600 pages (Thank you, Sarah J. Maas), 1 with more than 500 pages, and 10 with more than 400 pages. Most of the adult books I read this month were from my review stack but I did get to read a few from my recent arrivals and one from deep in TBR mountain.

I have also begun house-hunting in Duluth for a retirement home. I have been pre-approved for a mortgage and have contacted a realtor. The first batch of houses she sent me to look at were misses. We've refined what I am looking for but what I am looking for just doesn't seem to be available now. Luckily, I have a year or two before I retire but interest rates are low now and it seems like a good time to buy if I can find something that will work for my brother and me.

Read Last Week
I began the week by reading two books from my review stack.

A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet was a great start to a new Fantasy/Paranormal Romance series. I really liked the characters and the world that the author created. My review for this August 2 release will be posted on July 30.

The Widower's Wife by Cate Holahan is new mystery from Crooked Lane Books. It is about an insurance investigator looking into the disappearance of a recently insured wife while on a Bahamian cruise. It is also told in flashbacks that let us get to know the husband and wife and what they planned. It was nicely creepy. My review will be posted on August 4 for this August 9 release.

Currently
It is my goal to finish the Pink Carnation series this summer. I am up to book 6 of 12 this week with The Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig. This one takes us to India in 1804 and is fascinating.

Next Week
While waiting for a trio of August review books to show up, I'll be reading the next two in the Pink Carnation series.
I also have two new arrivals to my review stack that are early August releases. I got both from NetGalley.
Reviews Posted
Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?
This was interesting week that saw a number of books added to my review stacks. The only two that have arrived so far are:
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. Ooh nice! Those are all new to me reads! Hope you enjoy them all!

    Here's my Monday Wrap-up

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for posting! I have added to my own TBR mountain! Heading on over to your other Blog as well. :)

    http://bookreviewsbydi.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love the look of The Widowers Wife. Hope you get your dream home soon.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nice "new-to-me" reads. The Widower's Wife is one I've seen here before, and wanted to read...and I love the look of that cozy. Enjoy your week, and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh my! Thirty books! Woo hoo! Good job.

    Good luck with finding a retirement home. You are smart to start early.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I tried the first Liaden book but couldn't really get into it. Do you have a recommendation for a good standalone one?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good luck with house-hunting! I just went through it (again) but we lease not buy anymore because we were burned in the past trying to sell homes in a bad market that took like a year to sell :(

    The Widower's Wife looks good to me, plus the cozy too--Crepes of Wrath, lol, cute title. I haven't tried Lauren Willig, but you seem to be into her so I'll check out her titles.

    Wow, a book a day! Wow is all I can say to that. My eyes would be burning after all those pages!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great picks. There's a few here I have not heard yet. Hope you enjoy them and have a great week. Happy reading.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am so impressed by all of your reading! You are doing summer right, my friend. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. You had a great June of reading. Best of luck on your house hunting. My son decided to take the plunge and buy a house now since the rates were so low instead of renting for another year. I like that cover of Blood Lily.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Very impressive total for the month. I hope July is great too. Good luck with the house hunting!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow congratulations on such a successful reading month! Very impressive. Wishing you all the best with your house search.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Good luck on the house hunting. I've been seriously contemplating selling my house and buying a villa, if the price is right and I can find what I want. I hate the thought of leaving my house I've had for so long and the memories I've made here, though. Good luck with your search.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I hope you have lots of luck with the house hunting.

    I like the sound of your "crepes" book

    ReplyDelete
  15. A Promise of Fire looks awesome, I love fantasy so I will definitely be adding that one to my wishlist :D

    Oh my god, it's Monday!

    ReplyDelete

I love getting comments. Let me know what you think.

This blog is now officially declared an Award Free zone! I do appreciate your kindness in thinking of me and I am humbled by your generosity.

Your comments are award enough for me. Comment away!