Monday, July 26, 2021

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (July 26, 2021)

 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...

This was a nice week. The weather wasn't good though. Between the haze from very distant forest fires and general cloudiness, we didn't make much solar power. The temperatures were warm and the humidity high which made staying inside in the central air conditioning the best choice. We did actually get some rain when a line of severe thunderstorms rolled through of Friday night. We only got half an inch of rain which didn't do much to relieve our very dry conditions. We are 2 and 1/4 inches below average for the month with no additional rain in the forecast. 

A friend visited for the first time in almost a year. It was great to catch up on her life as we listened to audiobooks and I played computer games while she crocheted some cute animals. We got out to dinner twice while she was here. We went to Texas Roadhouse on the day she arrived and had leftovers for the next day. We also took my brother and went to Bridgeman's one evening which also yielded leftovers that are still in my refrigerator. On the night in between our restaurant trips, m brother and I cooked with him making his famous meatloaf and me contributing potatoes with cheese sauce. I think those leftovers will be our dinner again tonight. 

My friend and I didn't do much outdoor walking but did go shopping one afternoon which gave me some steps. She'd run out of one of the colors of yarn she needed for her project and also the energy drink that she always has by her side. We found the yarn but not the energy drink. It reminded me of earlier in the pandemic when I couldn't find Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi anywhere. 

The books I have listed as Next Week's are review books that will fill out my calendar until the end of September. I have one more review book to read for my August calendar. Then only the Monday posts will be unfinished. With 46 scheduled posts, I am taking the time to reread in audio format. Any that I haven't previously reviewed will be scheduled for sometime in October. I currently only have 5 review books being released in October which leaves lots of spaces to fill on my calendar.

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.)
  • Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber (Review; August 31) -- This is the fifth Verity Kent mystery and concerns going home and finally dealing with the death of her brother. There is a mystery that grew out of one the missions she did during the war and which are still secret from her family. My review will be posted on August 24.
  • Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche by Nancy Springer (Review; August 31) -- This YA is a new Enola Holmes adventure which has great worldbuilding and interesting characters. My review will be posted on August 25.
  • Breaking Badger by Shelly Laurenston (Review; August 31) -- This funny paranormal romance is the fourth in the Honey Badger Chronicles. The characters are so over-the-top that this was just so much fun to read. My review will be posted on August 26.
  • Otherwise Engaged by Amanda Quick (Mine; Audiobook) -- This was billed as the 3rd in the Ladies of Lantern Street trilogy but was actually a historical romantic suspense title with no hint of the paranormal. It was a reread and, though entertaining, I don't plan to review it again, but here is my review from 2014.
  • The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz (Audiobook Reread) -- This is the first in the Fogg Lake trilogy which is contemporary paranormal romantic suspense. I enjoyed this the first time I read it and enjoyed it just as much as an audiobook. Here's my original review.
  • All the Colors of Night by Jayne Ann Krentz (Audiobook Reread) -- This is the second in the Fog Lake trilogy and is also contemporary, paranormal, romantic suspense. Here's my original review.
  • Penric's Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold (Mine; Audiobook) -- This is the first in the series of novellas Bujold began as her retirement project. It takes place in the World of the Five Gods and introduces Penric and Desdemona - a demon who is sharing his body. 
  • A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander (Mine since 2010) -- This is a historical mystery which also includes some romance. It is the third in the series. I liked the characters and the setting. My review of the audiobook version which I just bought will be posted on August 28.
Currently
  • Striking Range by Margaret Mizushima (Review; September 7)
  • Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh (Audiobook Reread) - I first read and reviewed this one in 2010.
Next Week
Reviews Posted
Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:
Audiobooks:
  • Tinker by Wen Spencer (Audiobook since I already own the Kindle)
  • Wolf Who Rules by Wen Spencer (Audiobook since I already own the Kindle)
  • Crime and Punctuation by Kaitlyn Dunnett (Kindle Daily Deal and Audiobook)
Free Kindle:
What was your week like?

13 comments:

  1. I have All the Colors of Night and should move it up on my reading list!

    Enjoy your week, and here are my WEEKLY UPDATES

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  2. I love Elizabeth Peters!! That's such a great series. I was disappointed in A Good Day for Chardonnay

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  3. It sounds like you had a lovely visit with your friend.

    Wishing you a great reading week

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  4. We love the Texas Roadhouse. Such good food.

    I hope you enjoy your books. They look great. Have a great week!

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  5. We got the haze from wildfires in CT, too... amazing how far it traveled! Sounds like you and your friend had a great visit. Lots of good books again this week - happy reading!

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  6. I'm so glad you got to enjoy the company of your friend. Texas Roadhouse is a favorite here.

    A Good Day for Chardonnay looks good. Off to see what you thought.

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  7. Your food sounds really good! :) Texas Roadhouse- yummy!

    I love the Huber covers so much. The Charlie Jane Anders looks good too.

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  8. Ooh nice! Hope you enjoy your reads lined up for this week!



    Here's my Monday Wrap-up

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

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  9. We need some rain here. High temperatures, but I love it. :)

    Nice you were able to catch up with your friend.

    Enjoy your books...lots of good ones and lovely covers.

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  10. Great set of books - as always, I always note your reviews on GR when I come across them. I wouldn't mind reading the Fogg series by JAK at some point. Interesting to see Verity finally addresses the death of the brother.

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  11. Nice set of reads. I've got the Huber which I enjoy so very much.

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  12. I'm glad you had a nice visit with your friend.
    Lots of good books. I plan to listen to the next Timber k-9 soon. I hope you enjoy the Spencer book. Sorry I missed the Hidden Valley title - nice cover.
    I hope you had a good week of weather and reading.

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  13. That haze was awful. We experienced it here in MA for a couple days. So glad you got to visit with your friend. Hope you had a nice week.

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