It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (May 29, 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...

Welcome to the official kick-off to summer. Memorial Day weekend has arrived. Our weather has been great. We've had a couple of warm days and lots of sunshine. It was 84F on Tuesday and then Wednesday struggled to reach 50F. Naturally, Wednesday was the day I had to be out and about for my ultrasound. Thursday, Friday and Saturday were nice with gradually rising temperatures. Today (Sunday) is supposed to reach a high of 75F.

I don't know where the time went this week. I only finished four books which is almost a record low for me. I had a review copy arrive that will be published on June 1 which required some rearranging of my calendar and my reading plans. It was a pretty good book once I got into it. I did spend a lot of time watching videos that Facebook brought to my attention. There is a whole series about a guy who buys abandoned storage lockers and hopes to find hidden treasures. I couldn't stop watching even though I came to wonder who packed up the storage lockers since they seemed to contain masses of random junk. 

I also really added to my audiobook collection this week. First was the Audible 2-for-1 credit sale. I got the next two books in the Lady Sherlock series. The first three were Audible Plus titles. Then something, either my Audible Daily Deal email or my Chirp email, led me to the Audible Plus catalog where I stocked up on vintage Elizabeth Peters titles. I'm sure I've read most of them and many are on my keeper shelves, but a reread sounds good to me. I like that most of these are under 10 hours of listening too. I was also led to a Melinda Leigh series that I hadn't completed. The audiobooks were $1.99 each and the Kindle copies were less than $5 so I added them to my stack too. 

Then I added four review copies. Three of them are August and September releases which isn't as far away as it might seem. I've already mentioned my June 1 book which was the fourth I added. 

Next week's plans include finishing Beyond Heaving Bosoms. I have to read this with some breaks in-between since the snarky humor gets a little cloying if I read too much at a time. I may have to move the review further down my calendar since I might not have it finished this week. 

I have a mixed bag of reading planned for this coming week including one audiobook, two books I've had since 2009, and two review books. Hopefully, I'll find my reading mojo again. 

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.)

• Final Cut by Marjorie McCown (Review; June 6) -- This contemporary mystery stars a costumer working on a big budget movie who is accused of killing one of the Assistant Directors who happens to be her ex's new girlfriend. Also a lot about the #MeToo movement. My review will be posted on May 31.
• The Queen's Weapons by Anne Bishop (Mine) -- This is the 11th book in the Black Jewels series and is a dark fantasy. I love the author's work but this isn't my favorite of her series. I did find the story engaging though. My review will be posted on June 1.

• Swan for the Money by Donna Andrews (Audiobook; mine since May 10, 2022) -- Eleventh in the Meg Langslow mystery series. This one is about Meg organizing a rose show for her parents' garden club. It is full of the author's quirky humor. My review will be posted on June 8.
• The Truth Against the World by David Corbett (Review; June 1) -- The story was part dystopia, part fantasy, and part quest story. I found it engaging and sort of scary. My review will be posted on June 3.

Currently

• Unseen (Outcast Season Book 3) by Rachel Caine (bought the paperback January 5, 2011)
• Beyond Heaving Bosoms by Sarah Wendell & Candy Tan (bought the paperback April 15, 2009)

Next Week

• Come the Night by Susan Krinard (paperback has been mine since January 28, 2009)
• Trapper Road by Rachel Caine & Carrie Ryan (Kindle)
• A Fatal Illusion by Anna Lee Huber (Review; June 20)

• Midnight Exposure by Melinda Leigh (Audiobook)
• Marked by Moonlight by Sharie Kohler (paperback has been mine since March 9, 2008)
• The Three Deaths of Willa Stannard by Kate Robards (Review; June 20)

Reviews Posted

• Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman
• A Killer's Game by Isabella Maldonado
• Unknown by Rachel Caine

• The Battered Badge: A Nero Wolfe Mystery by Robert Goldsborough 
• Deadtown by Nancy Holzner

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

Review:

• Board to Death by CJ Connor (August 22, 2023)
• Nine Lives and Alibis by Cate Conte (August 22, 2023)

• All the Dead Shall Weep by Charlaine Harris (September 5, 2023)
• The Truth Against the World by David Corbett (June 1, 2023)

Bought:

• The 6:20 Man by David Baldacci (Kindle, Kindle Daily Deal, $3.99)
• A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (Kindle, Kindle Daily Deal, $2.99)

• Murder in the Parish by Faith Martin (Kindle, BookBub, $.99)
• Murder at the Majestic Hotel by Clara McKenna (Kindle, BookBub, $1.99)

Audible 2 for 1 Sale:

• The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas
• Murder on Cold Street by Sherry Thomas

Audible Plus Catalog:

I've read most of these and have paperback copies on my keeper shelves. I read them so long ago that it seems like a good time for a reread. And the price is certainly right!

• The Love Talker by Elizabeth Peters
• The Jackal's Head by Elizabeth Peters
• The Copenhagen Connection by Elizabeth Peters

• Legend in Green Velvet by Elizabeth Peters
• Devil-May-Care by Elizabeth Peters
• Summer of the Dragon by Elizabeth Peters

• The Dead Sea Cipher by Elizabeth Peters
• The Camelot Caper by Elizabeth Peters

I bought this series by Melinda Leigh. I enjoy her writing and thought I had read everything she'd written. I had only previously read Midnight Betrayal as a Review book in 2014. I had purchased the Kindle copy of Midnight Sacrifice in 2013 but haven't yet read it. My plans are to read them all as audiobooks. 

• Midnight Obsession by Melinda Leigh (Kindle & Audiobook)
• Midnight Exposure by Melinda Leigh (Kindle & Audiobook)

• Midnight Sacrifice by Melinda Leigh (Audiobook; $1.99)
• Midnight Betrayal by Melinda Leigh (Kindle & Audiobook)

What was your week like?