It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (March 30, 2020)

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.

Other Than Reading...

It has been another quiet week. I think I left the house twice. Both times were for quick trips to the grocery store. I am not taking advantage of the shopping hours set aside for seniors though since I have no wish to shop at 6 AM. My brother is considering taking Target up on the 30 days of paid leave he can get because of his age and health. He called his doctor's office but they really didn't give him any helpful advice as to whether or not he needs to get away from potential exposure. I'm trying not to put pressure on him to stay home if it isn't essential. I know he wants to keep working.

Since the governor of our state issued a "stay home" order beginning at midnight last night and lasting until April 10 and told more businesses to close, I am hoping that it will be less busy at Target anyway. Schools and bars and restaurants are now set to be closed until the beginning of May. I know the district I retired from is beginning distance learning tomorrow for all grades. I know also that this has been an immense planning task especially for the Elementary Staff.

I'm keeping busy with more baking and cooking. We had homemade pizza last night. I made the crust, sauce, and together my brother and I made the Italian sausage we put on it. We also made some of my dad's recipe for Polish sausage which is in the freezer firming up right now. Once frozen, they'll be wrapped and stored in air-tight bags for future use. We added more fat to the sausage this time since the last batches were too dry for our tastes. It adds more saturated fat but still less than commercial sausages do and I know we cut the salt content a lot.

We got our power bill for last month after a month of more sunshine and were pleased to find that our bill was $0 and we had a $15 credit to carry over for future months. I also got my hefty Federal tax refund which reflects a rebate on my half of the costs of the solar project. It is still going to take quite a few years (maybe 5 or so) before we recover the whole cost of the project. In the meantime, we have very low power bills to look forward to.

Read Last Week

If you can't wait until the review shows up on my blog, reviews are posted to LibraryThing and Goodreads as soon as I write them (usually right after I finish reading a book.)

• Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs (mine) - Newest in the Mercy Thompson series is filled with all the action and adventure this series is known for. My review is linked below.
• Local Custom by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller - audiobook re-read. My review will be posted on April 8.
• The Glass Magician by Caroline Stevermer (Review; April 7) - Interesting historical fantasy set in New York City in 1915. My review is linked below.

• A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones (Review; April 7) - First in a new mystery series that was a great combination of humor and thriller. I enjoyed the characters and their byplay. My review will be posted on April 1.
• The Body in the Garden by Katharine Schellman (Review; April 7) - First in a new historical mystery series set in London in 1815. I liked the characters and the mystery was nicely twisty too. My review will be posted on March 31.
• Hid from Our Eyes by Julia Spencer-Fleming (Review; April 7) - Long awaited addition to a contemporary mystery series. Intriguing mystery and very stressed main characters. My review will be posted on April 2.

Currently

• Balance of Trade by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (Mine) - I'm listening to this audiobook of one of the Liaden Universe books that I haven't read many times. It is outside the time period of the bulk of the books in the series. 

Next Week

I have two review books and then will be looking for anything that catches my attention. I am trying something new and not filling up my calendar with potential reads a month in advance.

• A Stroke of Malice by Anna Lee Huber (Review; April 7)
• Redemption Prep by Samuel Miller (Review; April 14)

Reviews Posted

• Plan B by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
• I Dare by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

• Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs
• The Glass Magician by Caroline Stevermer

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

Bought:

• Wolf's Curse by Kelley Armstrong

Review:

• Outsider by Linda Castillo (July 7)
• Cold to the Bone by Emery Hayes (August 11)
• Little Falls by Elizabeth Lewes (August 11)

• Murder at Hotel 1911 by Audrey Keown (August 11)
• Shadow Ridge by M. E. Browning (Oct. 6)
• Deception by Gaslight by Kate Belli (Oct. 6)

What was your week like?