It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (January 23, 2023)

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.

Want to See What I Added to My Stack? links to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality.

Other Than Reading...

Last week was a quiet one spent at home. It snowed three different days but the total accumulation for all of them was just over two inches. We did manage to have gray and gloomy skies all week.

I did a lot of rearranging of my physical TBR pile. This time I sorted the books by the year I added them to my collection. While doing that, I found six more that I had added in 2008. I thought I was finished with all of those books. Among the discoveries were two contemporary romance, two fantasies, a nonfiction history of science, and a science fiction classic. I'll be working them into my March calendar.

I also found a few among the physical TBR that weren't in my LibraryThing account and a few others that I'd already read and need to move downstairs. While this process was entertaining and I found lots of books I wish I could read right now, it was a lot like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic for the progress it made in lowering TBR mountain.

I think I may have to change the way I manage my reading. Right now, I usually have a print book and an audiobook going. I think I need to add in a book of short stories where I read maybe a story or two a week and a nonfiction book where I read a chapter a week. I need to think more about how I would review those books that take weeks to read. Do I have an on-going review in draft form? Or do I wait until I finish the book? What do you do?

This week is empty of appointments and with nothing to watch on TV since baseball won't start for a long time and football is winding down for the season. I should be able to do a lot of reading and listening.

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.)

• Wined and Died in New Orleans by Ellen Byron (Review; February 7) -- Second in a contemporary cozy series. Interesting characters and mystery. My review will be posted on January 31.
• Three Can Keep a Secret by M. E. Hilliard (Review; February 7) -- Third in a contemporary mystery series about the murder of a library trustee and the librarian who investigates the death. My review will be posted on January 31.
• Murder at an Irish Castle by Ellie Brannigan (Review; February 7) -- A bridalwear designer from LA finds herself inheriting an Irish castle and having to solve the mystery of the death of her uncle and find a way to make the castle profitable. My review will be posted on February 1.

• Of Manners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings (Review; February 7) -- Nice start to a cozy historical mystery series. My review will be posted on February 4.
• Every Missing Girl by Leanne Kale Sparks (Review; February 7) -- Second in a contemporary suspense series deals with child trafficking. My review will be posted on February 2.
• The Ties That Bind by Jayne Ann Krentz (Mine since 2021) -- Audiobook of a classic Krentz first written in the 1980s. While the hero was a bit of a chauvinist, he was capable of learning. My review will be posted on February 14.

• Written in Red by Anne Bishop (Audiobook) -- Relisten to a favorite book.
• When the House Burns by Priscilla Paton (Review; February 14) -- Mystery set in the Twin Cities. Odd writing style but interesting mystery. My review will be posted on February 8.
• Dark All Day by Brenden Carlson (Review; February 14) -- Finale to alternate history/science fiction/mystery trilogy. I found the story impenetrable. My review will be posted on February 9.

DNF

• Girl, Alone by Blake Pierce (Audiobook from 2021) -- I listened to half but thought it was extremely melodramatic and unrealistic. I'm planning to avoid this author in the future despite how often I see the books on Chirp.
• Ruby Spencer's Whisky Year by Rochelle Bilow (Review; February 14) -- Just didn't care for the writing in this one.

Currently

• The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (Kindle copy from 2021; Audiobook new)
• Primer and Punishment by Diane Kelly (Review; February 21)

Next Week

• Murder Served Neat by Michelle Hillen Klump (Review; February 21)
• Murder at Haven's Rock by Kelley Armstrong (Review; February 21)
• Silent Evidence by Rachel Grant (Audiobook)

• Fortune and Glory by Janet Evanovich
• The Disappearance of Trudy Solomon by Marcy McCreary
• Blood Red by Mercedes Lackey (Audiobook)

Reviews Posted

• Until We Touch by Susan Mallery
• Kris Longknife: Defender by Mike Shepherd
• Against the Currant by Olivia Matthews

• A Fashionable Fatality by Alyssa Maxwell
• Exile, Texas by Rachel Caine
• Sweep of the Heart by Ilona Andrews

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

Review:

• The Bride Wore White by Amanda Quick (Review; May 2)

Bought:

• The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey (Kindle Daily Deal)
• The Very Best of the Best edited by Gardner Dozois (Chirp; $4.99)
• Magic Tides by Ilona Andrews (Kindle)

• Blood Defense by Marcia Clark (Kindle Daily Deal & Audiobook)
• The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (Audiobook; Audible Credit)

What was your week like?