It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (July 14, 2025)

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.

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

Other Than Reading...

This week was an excellent one despite the fact that we are under an Air Quality Alert with very hazardous air due to Canadian wildfires. The house is closed up and the central air is running despite temperatures that should allow for open doors and windows. Since I'm already coughing a lot, I don't need to mix in smoky air. 

My friend Bev visited this week from southern Minnesota. We had a great time catching up. We listened to a few audiobooks while she crafted, and I played computer games. We went out to Olive Garden one evening and I'm still working on the leftovers. She left with plans to come again sooner than the year it has been this time between visits.

I got lots of reading and listening done and reviews scheduled. I also bought a lot of books because the combination of BookBub deals, double Kindle rewards points, and Prime Day deals was too much for me to resist. I bought my first print book of the year when I got a cookbook written by a guy who recipes intrigued me when I saw him making them on Facebook Reels. It was a Prime deal this week. I also received an ARC of At Midnight Comes the Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming from a Goodreads Giveaway. I was excited even though I already have the eARC of the title. 

Bev brought a book along that she was reading. It is the third in a series. I happened to have an audiobook of the first in the series, so we listened to it. Afterwards, I had to buy books two and three myself. The audiobooks are a bit pricier than I wanted to spend right now, but I may get them when I actually manage to find time to read the new books. 

This coming week should be quieter. The air quality is supposed to clear up in a few days. And the Baseball All-Star Break will mean that I have less baseball I care to watch leaving more time for reading. I do have a bunch of review books that I want to read this week. There are no audiobooks in the plans, but I will likely continue with the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie R. King since I have all of them. 

Read Last Week

• Give Me a Reason by Jayci Lee (Review, July 29) -- Contemporary Romance, Retelling of Persuasion with a primarily Korean cast. My review will be posted on July 23.
• Road Trip with a Rogue by Kate Batemen (Review, July 29) -- Entertaining historical romance. My review will be posted on July 24.
• Murder at Marble House by Alyssa Maxwell (Audiobook, Mine since July 26, 2021) -- Secomd book in the Gilded Newport historical mystery series. My review will be posted on July 29.

• Who Let the Dog Out? by David Rosenfelt (Mine since September 14, 2023) -- Thirteenth book in the Andy Carpenter mystery series. My review will be posted on July 29.
• Asylum Hotel by Juliet Blackwell (Review, July 29) -- Contemporary thriller. Spooky with a touch of humor. My review will be posted on July 26.
• Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner (Audiobook, Mine since June 30, 2025) -- Contemporary mystery with engaging characters. My review will be posted on July 31.

• For Duck's Sake by Donna Andrews (Review, August 5) -- The latest in the Meg Langslow humorous mystery series as Meg is preparing for the First Annual Mutt March. My review will be posted on August 2.
• Hades by Candice Fox (Audiobook, Mine since August 12, 2021) -- Very dark thriller set in Sydney, Australia. My review will be posted on August 12.
• The Locked Tomb Mystery by Elizabeth Peters (Mine since August 29, 2023) -- Four short stories introduced by other authors who indicate how they influenced them. My review will be posted on July 30.

• Interlude in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook, Mine) -- An In Death novella
• Midnight in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook, Mine) -- An In Death novella
• The Beekeeper's Apprentice, or On the Segregation of the Queen by Laurie R. King (Audiobook Reread) -- This is the first book in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes historical mystery series. I love the characters and the historical detail. My review will be posted on August 14.

DNF

• The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Review, August 5) -- I abandoned this one at the midpoint. I didn't care for any of the characters who were all, at best, morally ambiguous. I also couldn't figure out what genre it was since it was sort of a mystery and sort of a romance.

Currently

• Hunter's Heart Ridge by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Review, August 5)

Next Week

• Picking Up the Pieces by J. B. Abbott (Review, August 12)
• Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver (Review, August 12)
• The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan (Review, August 12)

• Knife in the Back by Kristi Rose (Review, August 12)
• A Silence in Belgrave Square by Jennifer Ashley (Review, August 12)
• Puma by Jorrie Spencer (Mine since August 1, 2009)

Reviews Posted

• The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone (Audiobook, Mine)
• Death of an Ex by Delia Pitts (Review copy)
• Fateless by Julie Kagawa (Review copy)

• Atonement Sky by Nalini Singh (Review copy)
• Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods (Review copy)
• Death on the Boardwalk by Caleb Wygal (Mine)

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

Review:

• At Death's Dough by Mindy Quigley (Review, October 28)
• At Midnight Comes the Cry by Julia Spencer Fleming (Review, November 18 -- Goodreads Giveaway)
• The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews (Review, November 25)

Bought:

• One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner (Kindle, $9.99)
• Still See You Everywhere by Lisa Gardner (Kindle, $2.99)

• Campus Murder Club by Kristi Rose (Kindle, $6.99)
• Bleeding Heart Yard by Elly Griffiths (Kindle, $7.99)
• The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins (BookBub, $1.99)

• The Picasso Scam by Stuart Pawson (BookBub, Free)
• Murder on the Intergalactic Railway by Kate MacLeod (BookBub, Free)
• The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James (BookBub, $1.99)

• Blind Side by Catherine Coulter (BookBub, $1.99)
• The Adventure of the Demonic Ox by Lois McMaster Bujold (Kindle, $3.99)
• The Dog Who Knew Too Much by Spencer Quinn (BookBub, $1.99)

• Keep It Simple, Y'all by Matthew Bounds (Print, $12.31)

What was your week like?