It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (October 20, 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 was a nice Fall week. High temperatures in the 50s and 60s and low temperatures staying above freezing. The leaves are turning colors. 

I finally got my long-delayed haircut and will have to get used to the new length. The bangs might be closer to baby bangs than I was anticipating but they'll grow.

I did finish my chapter-a-day nonfiction book and haven't picked my next one yet. I may pick a book of short stories next since I tend to collect them but not read them. I think I'll wait until November 1 when I will have finished A Night in the Lonesome October.

I'm gradually chipping away at my November review stack which was much taller than I thought. I still have three of seven November 11 releases, all four November 18, and all three November 25 to read. My current read (I'm about half-finished) and one other book are by new-to-me authors. And a couple of the November 18 books are highly anticipated. Julia Spencer-Fleming and Nora Roberts are auto-buys for me. 

I added five new review copies this week as a result of email invitations. I also added one of Nora Roberts trilogies to my listening stack when they went on sale at Chirp. I also added one of Lois McMaster Bujold's fantasies which was also offered at Chirp, but I bought it from Amazon for about the same price since I like the Audible interface a little bit more than the Chirp interface. Then there were the usual Kindle deals that I just couldn't pass up. 

I've decided not to start my next audiobook (Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop) until I've finished my current read. It should give me incentive to finish Haze which I'm enjoying but which isn't an old favorite. 

I have a morning of doctor's appointments and tests on Wednesday, but otherwise it should be a quiet week. I might spend it looking for 2026 Medicare Advantage plans since my current plan won't be offered next year. 

Read Last Week

• Diviner's Bow by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook, mine) -- Reread of the third in the Colemeno story arc. 
• Wild Instinct by T. Jefferson Parker (Review, November 11) -- Two detectives with the Sheriff's Department investigate the murder of a property developer. My review will be posted on November 4.
• The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson (Mine since March 30, 2017) -- Fascinating nonfiction about the development of English. 

• Innocence Road by Laura Griffin (Review, November 11) -- A woman comes back to her hometown to work for the police department just in time for a notorious conviction to be overturned and the exonerated killer comes home. Meanwhile, she's dealing with a serial killer targeting young women. My review will be posted on November 5.
• Gold Dust by Catherine Asaro (Audiobook) -- I read and reviewed the ARC. Now I listened to the story for the first time. 
• Revenge, Served Royal by Celeste Connally (Review, November 11) -- Third Lady Petra mystery takes place at Windsor Castle in 1815. A celebrity chef is murdered. My review will be posted on November 6.

• How the Finch Stole Christmas by Donna Andrews (Chirp Audiobook, mine since June 28, 2022) -- Christmas in Caerphilly and a whole cast version of A Christmas Carol is in the works if Meg can manage to keep the alcoholic lead actor sober and on the stage. My review will be posted on November 25.
• Written in Red by Anne Bishop (Audiobook, Mine) -- I felt like a reread of this favorite series.

Currently

• Haze by Katharine Kerr (Review, November 11)

• A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny (Chapter a Day)

Next Week

• Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree (Review, November 11)
• The Queen Who Came in from the Cold by S. J. Bennett (Review, November 11)
• Blood Oath by Steve Urszenyi (Review, November 18)

• Midnight in Memphis by Thomas Dann (Review, November 18)
• At Midnight Comes the Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming (Review, November 18)
• The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts (Review, November 18)

Reviews Posted

• A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King (Audiobook)
• Entranced by Nora Roberts (Audiobook)
• One Was a Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming (Audiobook)

• Death on Dickens Island by Allison Brook (Review copy)
• Blind Date with a Werewolf by Patricia Briggs (Review copy)
• The Black Wolves of Boston by Wen Spencer (Audiobook)

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

Review:

• Inside Man by John McMahon (Review, January 13)
• Tell-Tale Treats by Jennifer J. Chow (Review, January 27)
• First Sign of Danger by Kelley Armstrong (Review, February 17)

• The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer (Review, April 7)
• An Ordinary Sort of Evil by Kelley Armstrong (Review, May 19)

Bought:

Audiobooks:

• The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold (Audiobook, $4.99)
• The Pagan Stone by Nora Roberts (Chirp Audiobook, $4.99)

• The Hollow by Nora Roberts (Chirp Audiobook, $4.99)
• Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts (Chirp Audiobook, $4.99)

Kindle Books:

• Touch of Red by Laura Griffin (BookBub, $1.99)
• Winter's Child by Margaret Maron (BookBub, $.99)

• Murder in the Queen's Armes by Aaron Elkins (BookBub, $.99)
• Honest Illusions by Nora Roberts (BookBub, $.99)
• Lost & Found by Jayne Ann Krentz (BookBub, $2.99)

• The Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton (BookBub, $1.99)
• Only Rogue Actions by Jennifer Estep (Kindle)

What was your week like?