Monday, November 13, 2017

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Nov. 13, 2017)

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. YA and middle grade reviews will still be posted on  Ms. Martin Teaches Media - my other blog.

Other Than Reading...

This was a quiet week. I brought my new car back up to the dealer for a follow-up visit where someone answered any questions I might have about it. It was nice to get a refresher because there were so many things to remember when the salesman went through it all when I picked the car up. I also got a $50 gas card for doing the visit which made it well worth an hour of my time. I have a total of 92 miles on my car so I laughed when the helper on my return visit asked if I knew where to fill the gas tank. I drive so little that I may only have to fill it once a month.

We had a little more snow bringing our season total to 19.5 inches but not all of it is on the ground. We have had some warmer, sunny days that melted some of the accumulation. Of course, we also set a new low temperature record when it was -5 on Thursday morning. It is supposed to warm up some this week. In fact, they are predicting a rain-snow mix for next Friday when Duluth holds its annual Christmas City of the North parade. I've never attended given that I was working in southern Minnesota previous years but I hear nasty weather of some kind is the norm for that parade.

On the homefront, I've been trying a number of new recipes lately when it is my turn to cook. Actually I found the recipe and my brother cooked it for one of them - a Thai chicken and noodles dish. It was really good and we've added it to our keeper file. I cooked a PF Chang's copycat recipe for Zucchini-Mushroom Chicken that also got added to the keeper file. My brother's crazy work schedule means we take turns cooking depending on who is home. He still does most of the cooking because he likes to cook but I have been doing more lately. Speaking of crazy - he works from 5:30 until midnight on Thanksgiving and then works Black Friday from 6 AM to 1 PM. You'd think less than six hours between shifts would be against the law.

Read Last Week
Prisoners in the Palace: How Princess Victoria became Queen with the Help of her Maid, a Reporter, and a Scoundrel by Michaela MacColl has been on my TBR mountain since Oct. 25, 2010. This was an entertaining fictionalized account of the year before Victoria became queen. My review will be posted on Nov. 24.

The Door in the Alley by Adrienne Kress was a fun middle grade adventure with footnotes. Great characters, fast-paced action, and lots of humor were found. I just bought this one because I wanted to add the sequel to my review stack and hate starting a series anywhere but with book 1. My review will be posted on Nov. 22.

Charles Darwin by Kathleen Krull has been on TBR mountain since April of 2013. I used to do a research project with fifth graders about scientists and added quite a few of Krull's biographies to my stack for my own research. I liked the way the author personalized the scientist as well as discussing his scientific discoveries. My review will be posted on Dec. 1.
Albert Einstein by Kathleen Krull has also been on TBR mountain since April 2013. Even with a kid's book, I still don't understand what Einstein discovered but still enjoyed this account of his life and accomplishments. My review will be posted on Nov. 29.

No Place Like You by Emma Douglas was a review book from NetGalley. It was a traditional romance about a traveling musician and the girl he left behind (for a while). My review will be posted on Dec. 2.

A Case of Syrah, Syrah by Nancy J. Parra is also from my review stack. This cozy features a main character I wanted to throttle. She didn't follow good advice and constantly found herself in danger as she investigated. She was a prime example of TSTL (Too Stupid to Live). Despite the annoying main character, the mystery was entertaining. My review will be posted on Dec. 6.
Bury the Past by James L'Etoile was also from my review stack. This was a fast-paced police procedural about a detective being framed by one of the dirty cops she exposed and sent to prison. My review will be posted on Dec. 7.

A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert was the final one I grabbed from my review stack this week. I liked that the main character was a librarian who played to her strengths as a researcher when she was confronted with a mystery. I liked the romance in this one too. My review will be posted on Dec. 9.

Almost to Die For by Tate Hallaway has been on TBR mountain since August 11, 2012. This is a YA urban fantasy about a girl who has been raised as a True Witch finding out that her father is a vampire king and that her mother hates her father. High school drama, urban fantasy, and a St. Paul, Minnesota, setting made this a fun story. My review will be posted on Dec. 6.

Currently
Almost Final Curtain by Tate Hallaway is the second book in the Vampire Princess of St. Paul series.

Next Week
I have three more review books to finish out my December calendar and lots of openings for adult and YA books from TBR mountain. I'm not sure what I'll choose yet.

Reviews Posted

On Ms. Martin Teaches Media:
On Inside of a Dog:
Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Bought:
  • Going Underground by Michael Leese - Kindle daily deal. I was intrigued by the idea of an autistic detective
  • The Time of the Dark by Barbara Hambly - Kindle daily deal. I've read my print copy shabby and was glad to get a convenient Kindle copy of this book.
For Review:
What was your week like?


16 comments:

  1. I'd love to eat someone else's cooking at home!

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  2. I'm glad you are settling in nicely...and your books all look tempting. Fragments of the Lost is on my wish list...and the Rachel Caine series is one I want to read too. I have Stillhouse Lake waiting.

    Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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  3. I had to laugh when you talked about being asked if you knew where your gas tank was! When I first got my car, I was driving it home and noticed that it needed gas...so I pulled over to fill it up...and couldn't figure out how to open the gas tank! Luckily, it was a pretty popular model around here (a Mazda 5) and the gas station attendant showed me where the lever was!

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  4. Snow already! WE've had a little bit but nothing like that, just occasional flurries and a smidgen on Halloween that didn't last too long.

    That is a crazy Thanksgiving/ Black Friday schedule. I think it's awful they do that to people.

    I'm curious about Fragments of the Lost and A Murder for the Books.

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  5. I'm so excited to see a new Kathleen Krull biography. I love her writing.

    Crazy to think how cold it is up there. We haven't even gotten out our sweaters!

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  6. OOh nice! I read Almost to Die For eons ago. I don't think I was 100% wowed, for I never did read the rest. I hope you enjoy every minute of it though as well as your other reads!

    Here's my Monday Wrap-up

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

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  7. And I thought it was cold here last week! Thankfully no below zero temps for us... yet. Have a good week.

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  8. I was thinking A Case of Syrah Syrah looked good until I saw what you wrote about the main character. That should be illegal to have so little time between shifts- how is he supposed to sleep?

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  9. Hahaha I loved your description for the main character in Syrah, Syrah. Some characters you just can't believe. Lol.

    That sucks for your brother! I agree, that is just wrong. :(

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  10. Wow! You have really gotten some snow and cold weather. It could be a long winter for you. I just love the variety of books on your list. So many are new to me, I hope you enjoy them. Have a good week and happy reading!

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  11. Trying new recipes is great. We are constantly trying out new recipes at our house to keep our meals new and refreshing. It was super cold here last week for a few days, hitting -30C, but then it warmed up and we had it hovering around -10 or so for the remainder of the week.

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  12. I know what u mean about the car! I'd rather uber than drive me own car! Anyway, thnx for stopping by!

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  13. Those books all look so good. I can't believe some people already have snow. Wow! Hope you have a great week!

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  14. As a former retail worker, I absolutely detest the schedules that we, as consumers, have now forced individuals like your brother to work during the holidays...ugh! Don't get me started, Kathy - ha! That recipe you mentioned sounds delicious, though; I need to look it up!

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  15. Enjoy your new car! Your brother has a crazy holiday schedule! I hope you enjoy the holidays.

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  16. Thank you for sharing all these, Kathy. I hope you enjoy your books this week and have a wonderful reading week. Happy reading, my friend. 😁❤️

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