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...
I had a nice relaxing Christmas break at home in Duluth with my brother. I had excellent driving conditions both ways considering that it was winter and we had a few storms during my break. I got a lot of reading done and even some planning and organizing in our new home.
We've signed the contract and turned the keys over to the man who will be doing our estate sale at our parents' house. He needs a month to go through everything and get it all set up. The sale should happen early in February.
Next will be meeting with the realtor to have her tell us what we need to do to get the house ready for sale. Hopefully it will go on the market by March. While that is going on, I also need to sort through the things in my home to decide what I'll be taking to Duluth and getting someone to do an estate sale here. I want to put the house where I'm currently living on the market in June. Hopefully, it will sell quickly and I'll be all settled in my new Duluth home by fall.
Not that I'm counting but, I marked off the calendar Friday to learn that I have 99 work days left before retirement.
I didn't mean to fall off the internet last week but I arrived back at my townhouse on Dec. 30 to find that I had no internet. A call to the service department determined that I had an outdated router which had failed. I was promised that I would received my new router on Dec. 31 but I was skeptical. The router actually arrived on Tuesday afternoon. Now I know just how frequently I turn to the internet on any given day. I didn't have access to my calendar to see what I planned to read, couldn't pay the bills that had arrived while I was gone, couldn't do any blogging, and couldn't play any of my computer games. I was suffering withdrawal Friday and Saturday but had adjusted to the new normal Sunday and Monday. Of course, once my new router was installed, I spent 8 hours straight on the internet Tuesday trying to catch up.
Read Last Two Weeks
- Dawn Study by Maria V. Snyder is the sixth book in the Study series. I really enjoy this fantasy series. My review will be posted on January 25 for this January 31 release.
- Killing Jane by Stacy Green was an entertaining thriller and the first book I've read by this author. My review will be posted on January 26 for this January 31 release.
- The Black Wolves of Boston by Wen Spencer was an excellent urban fantasy. My review will be posted on January 28 for this February 7 release.
- A Darkness Absolute by Kelley Armstrong is from my review stack. This is the second in the Casey Duncan series and will be released on February 7. My review will be posted on Feb. 2
- Dragon Spawn by Eileen Wilks is the thirteenth book in her World of the Lupi series. It's cliffhanger ending means it isn't, I hope, the final book in the series. This is a favorite urban fantasy series because of the werewolves. My review will be posted on March 25.
- Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews is also a long-running urban fantasy series. I always enjoy Kate's adventures and Kate and Curran's romance. They are busy planning a wedding while saving the world in this one. My review will be posted on Feb. 11.
Next Week
- I See You by Clare Mackintosh is a thriller from my review stack that will be released on Feb. 21.
- The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco is also from my review stack. It will be released on March 7. I didn't know when I chose it but it appears to be a YA book.
Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
Midnight Obsession by Melinda Leigh
The Golden Gate by Robert Buettner
The Ripper's Shadow by Laura Joh Rowland
Dead and Breakfast by Kate Kingsbury
Hex on the Beach by Gina Lamanna (Kindle)
Breath of Fire by Amanda Bouchet (Kindle)
To see what Young Adult books I have been reading and plan to read, check out Ms. Martin Teaches Media - my other blog.
I added two anthologies for my Kindle that were both on sale.
- The Lyra novels by Patricia C. Wrede have long been on my keeper shelves. I read them years ago. I was glad to be able to get a Kindle copy of the books.
- The Annie Szabo mystery series by Meredith Blevins was recommended by one of my favorite authors and was also free when I downloaded it.
Death in the Abstract by Emily Barnes is an addition to my Review stack. It is a mystery that will be released on May 16.
Sounds great on all the house stuff.
ReplyDeleteLOL on counting....I did the same thing.
A friend and I were retiring at the same time, and we would send each other a little saying using the number of days left. She had the odd numbers and I had the even numbers. We had fun.
You will love retirement, and it sounds as though you will be keeping busy.
I am jealous of I SEE YOU.
ENJOY your reading and your counting. :)
Elizabeth
Silver's Reviews
My It's Monday, What Are You Reading
How nice that retirement is right around the corner. That's terrible about the loss of internet, though. I know that feeling.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your books and have a great week!
Oh my goodness no internet!!! I would have gone through serious withdrawl. Lol. Are you able to use your phone as a hotspot if it happens again?
ReplyDeleteI am going to try to be more blog organized this year! I thought of you since I remember you said that you plan your posts out. I am going to try that, setting a schedule. :) So far so good!
The Black Wolves of Boston looks great! And the Lyra books - I need to read those maybe, Lyra is my niece's name! :)
Good luck with all the housing plans. It's going to be a busy year!
ReplyDeleteBy cover alone, The Bone Witch looks intriguing. Happy reading!
It sounds like you've been doing some serious planning regarding all the house bits - understandably so with all that to keep up with! I hope your plan runs smoothly, and you're all settled in by fall. Fall will be here before you know it!
ReplyDeleteYou've got some new to me titles lined up, all sounding equally interesting. Happy reading!
Ooh. I have an ARC of The Bone Witch that I got at a book festival. I need to pull that out and read it. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteLaura @ That Librarian Lady
I loved I See You...hope you do, too, and I also want to get Midnight Obsession.
ReplyDeleteI like reading about your various house sales and moving, etc. I definitely counted the days until my retirement, too, although I didn't actually move until two years later.
Enjoy!
I haven't read Dawn Study yet, but it sounds interesting!
ReplyDeleteHere’s my It’s Monday! What are you Reading? Post!
Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog
Yay for 99 days till retirement! How exciting. Good luck with the estate sale and home sale. When my in-laws died a few years ago just the sheer amount of work was exhausting. By about halfway through I really wished we had called an estate sale planner in. It would have saved us months of work. Sorry about your internet. It is shocking how much we use it! I got Death in the Abstract this past week as well! It looks like such a good read. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteHoly cow, Kathy...you must take some special vitamins for readers or something. What a great (BIG) list! :O)
ReplyDeleteOoh nice!! I ADORED Dawn Study! Though I adore just about everything Maria writes! LOL! I still need to read Amanda Bouchet's Promise of Fire! Hoping to do that sometime soon! Hope you enjoy this week's reads!
ReplyDeleteHere's my Monday Wrap-up
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
I know what you mean about the Internet lol. The power went out here the other night (how we appreciate electricity when it's gone!) and then a day or two later the internet went out. Sheesh! I was like now what?? Ha ha
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to A Darkness Absolute and I See You like a good thriller. Hope both were good. Have a great week!
Not being able to get online is so frustrating and really sets you back with blogging. I hope all your sales ( house and estate) go well this year.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have an excellent plan for the future. I bet it is fun to count down to retirement.
ReplyDeleteI hate it when our Internet doesn't work. I have only been out for days after the last hurricane, but even one day is awful.
Thinking of how much I now rely on the Internet can be frightening; it's so true, though. I definitely keep up with so many things that way, as you've mentioned: bills, banking, calendars, contact information, etc. I hope things are going well for you this week!
ReplyDeleteNot counting down hmmm? Being in real estate I am enjoying your adventure in buying and selling.
ReplyDeleteWhen I am without Internet it takes me a couple of days to adjust. We do become rather reliant...
Wow - so much reading and so many good books! I've got Dawn Study come up on my list soon. Death in the Abstract looks like a fun mystery.
Hope your week is going well!
Wow, what a great reading week! And isn't it amazing how much we rely on the internet these days! I'm trying to spend less time on the computer this year and more time reading :)
ReplyDelete