What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
Personal:
Thursday—nothing too spectacular happened. I did get a review written (Steel Fear) and continued my knocking out of my TBR list. Miss R also had an appointment in the morning.
Friday—No school for the kids because it was a teacher work day. Miss R had camp at the barn she rides at. I dropped her off at 9 am and picked her up at 330 pm. She had a blast. I also got to meet (and exchange numbers with) one of her friend’s mom’s. Miss R wants to play with her, and I was cool with that (even though the mom rubbed me the wrong way). I also think I convinced her to start riding at the barn….lol. I also got the review for Locklands written.
Saturday—Miss R attended a birthday party at our local science center. That is one of the cool things about our city. We have a little plaza with a library, a small aquarium, a planetarium, an art gallery, and a museum. The museum rents out classrooms for birthday parties. I did feel bad for the birthday boy, though. Out of 17 kids, only 3 showed up. I don’t think it mattered in the end because they all had a blast.
Saturday (cont)—-We almost took Tony (our youngest cat) to the emergency vet. BK left the silverware drawer open in the kitchen. Tony decided to squeeze behind it and explore the cabinets underneath. Unfortunately, behind the dishwasher, we have glue traps for mice (we have an issue in the fall/winter), and Tony stepped on them. He had one stuck to his chest and one on his front paw. Thankfully, olive oil dissolves the glue but try telling that to a very upset kitten. Tony also got a bath in with Blue Dawn. BK and I had a rather heated discussion about using glue traps again. Tony hasn’t suffered any ill effects from his adventure and was running around like a maniac the next day.
Sunday—Miss B had that stomach bug everyone in school was getting. So, she stayed in bed for most of the day. BK, Mr. Z, Miss R, and I decided to go on a day trip to a place called Murray’s Mill. It was not what I expected at all. We went because we had never been, but also, Miss R has a field trip there next week. They had some nice walking paths along a stream and an awesome general store. We got some homemade jam and these things called Cheese Tiddies. And yes, my 15-year-old had a blast with that. Everything was Tiddies for the rest of the day…lol.
Monday—Miss B had an eye Dr appointment. For some reason, I made this one super early in the morning (8:20). Anyway, she came out of that appointment thrilled. Why? Because she needs glasses. I swear she is the only person in the world who is happy to get them…lol. I dropped her off, came home, did my chores, and wrote a review for The Last Huntress.
Tuesday—-It was a busy day. First off, report cards went home. Miss R had straight A’s. She didn’t understand why she got S’s in PE, Art, and Music. She thought they needed A’s, too…lol. Mr. Z and Miss B had dentist appointments. Later on, that night was Mr. Z’s orchestra concert. They did fantastically. I also wrote a review for Alias Emma.
I am super ahead reading-wise. Looking at my calendar (as an aside, am I the only one who uses a wall calendar to keep track of reviews and ARCs?), I am 3 weeks ahead with my reading. I am also a week ahead with my reviews. I love being ahead of things. Of course, now that I said that, I will fall behind….lol.
The book that took me the longest to get through this week: A Broken Clock Never Boils. I could not get into it at first. It was a short read, but man, I dragged on it.
So that’s the essential things for this past week. How was your week?
As always, let me know if you have read or are planning to read any of these books!!
What I Recently Finished Reading:
Detective Wade’s search for her sister leads to an abandoned building and a man with two teens, a fierce battle where light poles bend like pipe cleaners, and twenty-six unmarked shallow graves.
A sibling addicted to extreme sports used to be her biggest challenge. Now fate has chosen to widen her horizons and test her unique psychic skill set. With her Bernese mountain dog by her side, they must fathom friend from foe while staying one step ahead of the organization responsible for kidnapping those with psychic abilities.
Parker Ratham’s goal of locating psychically talented teens and adults held prisoner takes him deep into the Connecticut forests. On a stormy night, he crosses paths not only with a serial killer, but also a young teen running from unknown assassins.
Each must learn to trust and work as a unit while staying ahead of those seeking to capture or kill.
What I am currently reading:
We will not be silent. We will not stand down. We are furious. We are the storm.
More than forty of your favorite authors have gotten together to create an anthology where 100% of the proceeds go toward charities fighting for our reproductive rights.
Bradley Pay is back with a jaw-dropping sequel to The Killings Begin! Travel across the world and dive into the complex hearts and minds of Tracey Lauch and a cast of unsuspecting new characters in Death in a Dark Alley. Boasting the Spectrum Series’ iconic fusion of contemporary romance and psychological suspense, Bradley Pay has created another tangled web of love, loss, and an insatiable desire to kill.
Tracey Lauch may be a murderer, but he is still a man. Although his childhood abandonment trauma began decades ago, now his compulsion to strangle women who resemble his mother has begun to evolve. Outrunning his past, embracing love in the present, and creating a future free of investigation proves increasingly complicated.
Isabelle’s life in Brazil is burdened with mistakes and abandonment, too – but not in the same way. She falls in love with all the wrong men at all the wrong times, and her best friend Frank shows his true colors when, over and over again, he is not there for her when she needs him most. Aside from the stark difference that Isabelle is not a murderer, she and Tracey both desire love, a life partner, and the warmth of a family.
But what does Isabelle’s story have to do with Tracey? How can an innocent trip to Strasbourg, France, become a heart-stopping event that changes their lives forever?
Peek behind the curtains of this cold-case investigation and catch an intimate glimpse inside the characters’ lives.
A 103-year-old murder mystery.
An amateur ghost sleuth.
Can a wrong be rectified in death?
Eight months ago, Simone experienced her first spectral encounter. It awakened a dormant second sight and opened a chasm to the afterlife. Now, another spirit from 1917 New Orleans has wandered through that passage, haunting her with an intoxicating jasmine fragrance and wicked antics.
To escape this mysterious ghost, Simone jumps at a seven-day complimentary Mardi Gras hotel package, unaware there might be an ancestral power behind her decision, an identity she grapples with.
Is the ghost’s name Bleu?
She’s a lady of the night who lived a dangerous life in the infamous Storyville. A place lined with mansion-like brothels on the edge of the French Quarter run by unscrupulous madams and frequented by dangerous criminals. WWI is on the horizon, jazz music is burgeoning, and Bleu’s life unravels.
Visions of her past and horrific death beset Simone as she explores present-day New Orleans with her three roommates.
But why are the images fragmented? Has Bleu forgotten what happened the stormy night she died? Can Simone uncover Bleu’s murderer and reunite her with her loved ones before it’s too late?
What books I think I’ll read next:
When Marchioness Lamberico fails to conceive a child, she solicits the help of Imelda, the village witch. Nine months later, she gives birth to a baby girl. Biancabella. Though perfect in every other way, the infant is born with a snake wrapped around her neck. To the relief of the marchioness, the creature vanishes at once and, in the joy of motherhood, is soon forgotten. When Biancabella is a young girl, the snake reappears and explains their uncommon sisterhood. Samaritana helps Biancabella unlock her magical gifts and asserts that so long as they are together, all will be well. Their close, though secret, relationship unites them above all others. Years pass, the sisters contented, until the day King Ferrandino of Naples arrives, seeking Biancabella’s hand in marriage. What follows shatters the sisters’ bond, leading to misfortune and betrayal, which forces them to grapple with not only the loss of their connection, but leaves each fighting for her life. Loosely based on the Italian fairy tale Biancabella and the Snake, the story explores how the love can transform from a domineering and covetous power to authenticity and, ultimately, redemption.
THE LONG-AWAITED SEQUEL TO THE AMAZON BESTSELLER, CONTEMPT
He orchestrated a murder. Now he must defend the man charged with the crime.
Thane Banning is ready for a fresh start. He survived 5 years in Forsman Prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and now he’s started a law firm to defend the innocent. But the past won’t stay buried for long.
Kilo Miller, a violent felon who tried to kill Thane in prison, is charged with Joseph Crowell’s murder, and Thane agrees to take the case. Thane knows for certain that Kilo didn’t kill Crowell—because Thane knows who did. It’s a secret he must protect in order to keep his family safe, but LAPD’s top detective is getting closer to the truth.
When strong evidence surfaces implicating Kilo in the murder, Thane discovers that conspiracy runs deep in L.A.’s court system. But proving Kilo’s innocence could reveal Thane’s own dark history and send him back to death row.
With help from his colleagues Gideon and Kristen, Thane must uncover who is framing Kilo and targeting his associates before he loses the case—and even his freedom. His conviction to represent the innocent forces him to face the ultimate test:
Is he willing to let an innocent man go to prison to avoid his own life sentence? (
I, Alex Harris, have run away from home.
I’m running from my problems, from my mistakes, and from myself.
I killed some people and I don’t think anyone is chasing me, but I can’t stop running, and as much as I miss the people I love. I feel like if I go home now, I’ll be going back empty-handed.
I have to find out more about this curse, where it comes from and what it really means to be a werewolf.
Because the truth is…
The truth is that when I stop and really look at myself. I’ve been running my whole life.
Maybe it’s time to stop.
If Janet Evanovich’s signature character were a single mom, she’d answer to the name Maggie Chessman. In Shampoo & Condition, Vivian, Maggie’s soon to be ex sister-in-law, drops dead in a beauty salon and Maggie’s brother becomes suspect number one – creating friction between our main character and her policeman boyfriend.
What can a girl do but pursue other suspects: Vivian’s shifty sisters, a smooth financial operator, and a secretive shampoo girl.
Meanwhile, Maggie’s best friend is matching corpses with missing persons on the Jane Doe website, eventually spotting a dead person in their midst.
What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
Personal:
Thursday, I took Vinnie in to get neutered. The plan was to drop him off at 7:30 and pick him up between 4-5:30. Drop off went fine (except he cried the entire car ride down). Pick-up was a little different. I had Miss R with me (I came straight from school), and she was a freaking handful. She didn’t want to wait and freaked out because a bee was flying outside the car (but she wouldn’t roll upthe window). We got Vinnie, and Miss R said, “Mom, he smells like pee.” I get him home, let him out of the carrier, and he is soaked in pee. His belly (including where they tattooed him), legs, neuter site, and tail were sopping wet, and there was a ton of pee in the bottom of the carrier (with two puppy padsinthere). BK and I were furious. On top of that, when I looked over his paperwork, it looked like they had forgotten his microchip. So, I am not too thrilled with our local Humane Society. He was starving (he had had no food since 9 pm on Wednesday) and thirsty. I was also concerned where he got neutered would get infected at the worse and burned by the pee at the best. Thankfully, it has healed up nicely.
Friday was a chill day for me. Miss R didn’t have horseback riding (her instructor is on vacation). We went to Sams Club after Mr. Z and Miss B got home from school. I had one of their hot dogs for dinner, which was delicious!!!
Saturday, we drove up to Blowing Rock/Boone to drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway to leaf peep (which, I am told, is a northeastern thing to say). I haven’t been since we moved here, and I loved it. The colors were gorgeous.
Sunday, BK left for a business trip. The company owner was touring the different stores the product was in. I did feel bad for him. His flight was at 630, and he landed at 930 (he had alayover). He didn’t get to the hotel until 1030 and had to be up by 530 to drive to the store. When I talked to him that night, he was exhausted.
Monday, I talked to the Humane Society about Vinnie’s microchip. They apologized, and I was able to book an appointment to have it inserted in two weeks. The woman who booked the appointment did try to charge me for it, and I argued (because I already paid in August) that I did and had the paperwork to prove it. She finally looked up his records and agreed with me. But I am taking the paperwork they gave me (with the receipt stapled to it), just in case.
Miss R had an unmounted lesson Monday afternoon. She was supposed to have a regular lesson with a trainer she doesn’t like on Wednesday. I was able to cancel that, and the barn owner asked if she wanted an unmounted lesson. She learned about bits, the bridle, and how to control the horse.
Tuesday, I did nothing except laundry and Grub Hub Wendy’s to me. I also bought the newest DLC for my Planet Zoo game. They now have wombats, foxes, skunks, raccoons, and flying foxes. So, guess what I played after all my chores were done…lol.
I am super excited because NetGalley granted me a wish. I never wish for books, but when I saw this one and read the blurb, I knew I had to. What book was it? The Ferryman by Justin Cronin. I can’t wait to read this!!!
I also finished reading The Spear Cuts Through Water on Tuesday. I started it last Thursday. Good book but super long.
So that’s the essential things for this past week. How was your week?
As always, let me know if you have read or are planning to read any of these books!!
What I Recently Finished Reading:
Finley Reeves is the queen of bad mistakes. Fresh off a bad divorce, she decides to rebuild her life from the ground up – starting with a fixer-upper that’s got more leaks than the Titanic. Deciding to tackle this project alone might be her biggest mistake of all…. That is until Noah Thompson shows up at her front door like a knight in a shining tool belt and makes her an offer she’d be crazy to refuse.
Noah’s sexy, rugged, and good with his hands, but Finley swears she doesn’t need his help – in the basement, or in the bedroom. Can this unlikely couple build a future together? Or will this be one fixer-upper that is better off left alone?
(A fun and sexy Contemporary Romance, ages 17+.)
What I am currently reading:
Stefano Vanzetti.
You’d have to be living under a rock if you grew up in northern Boston and didn’t know who he is. He’s the heartthrob of every Italian girl in my neighborhood, the man who’s probably had your daughter roll through his sheets at least once, the devilishly handsome mysterious man with dark brown eyes that gave you nightmares, and yes, every horrible thing you’ve probably heard about him is very much true.
Did I also mention he destroyed my dreams and aspirations in life when he asked my father for my hand in marriage?
We will not be silent. We will not stand down. We are furious. We are the storm.
More than forty of your favorite authors have gotten together to create an anthology where 100% of the proceeds go toward charities fighting for our reproductive rights.
Participating Authors Alexandria Bishop :: :: Karina Halle:: Amelia Wilde :: Amie Knight :: Anna B. Doe :: Anna Edwards :: Anne Malcom :: Anne Mercier :: Bella Matthews :: BT Urruela :: Cali Melle :: Carly Phillips :: Cassandra Robbins :: Claire Hastings :: Clarissa Wild :: Sandy Alvarez and Crystal Daniels :: Danielle Pearl :: Darcy Rose :: Dee Palmer :: Dove Cavanaugh King :: Eden Summers :: Ella Fields :: Evie Mitchell :: Giana Darling :: Hannah McBride :: India R Adams :: Ivy Fox :: Jack Davenport :: Jenika Snow :: Jessica Gadziala :: Kat T. Masen :: KL Donn :: LP Lovell and Stevie J Cole :: Max Henry :: Nicole Blanchard :: Nikki Belaire :: Piper Davenport :: Sade Rena :: Saffron A. Kent :: Samantha Young :: Sarah Bale :: Serena Akeroyd :: Sierra Glass :: Skye Warren :: Susanne Valenti and Caroline Peckham :: Willow Winters
What books I think I’ll read next:
IS IT MADNESS OR THE SUPERNATURAL?
Psychiatrist Claire Rossi seeks cases nobody else can treat—cases like her mother’s, whose misdiagnosis of schizophrenia and subsequent death inspired Claire’s career. Initially infatuated with an influx of seemingly schizophrenic patients, interest turns to terror as their ailments infect her too. She sees and hears a man who grows more violent with every encounter. The analysis and training she’s relied on her whole career fail to explain his presence, leaving only one conclusion: that what haunts her isn’t in her head at all. But maybe that’s just what she wants to believe.
As her symptoms escalate, she’s left with two unsettling clues. Her mother speaks to her in twisted idioms, and a mysterious letter taunts her with a single line:
Enjoy your gifts.
Detective Wade’s search for her sister leads to an abandoned building and a man with two teens, a fierce battle where light poles bend like pipe cleaners, and twenty-six unmarked shallow graves.
A sibling addicted to extreme sports used to be her biggest challenge. Now fate has chosen to widen her horizons and test her unique psychic skill set. With her Bernese mountain dog by her side, they must fathom friend from foe while staying one step ahead of the organization responsible for kidnapping those with psychic abilities.
Parker Ratham’s goal of locating psychically talented teens and adults held prisoner takes him deep into the Connecticut forests. On a stormy night, he crosses paths not only with a serial killer, but also a young teen running from unknown assassins.
Each must learn to trust and work as a unit while staying ahead of those seeking to capture or kill.
Bradley Pay is back with a jaw-dropping sequel to The Killings Begin! Travel across the world and dive into the complex hearts and minds of Tracey Lauch and a cast of unsuspecting new characters in Death in a Dark Alley. Boasting the Spectrum Series’ iconic fusion of contemporary romance and psychological suspense, Bradley Pay has created another tangled web of love, loss, and an insatiable desire to kill.
Tracey Lauch may be a murderer, but he is still a man. Although his childhood abandonment trauma began decades ago, now his compulsion to strangle women who resemble his mother has begun to evolve. Outrunning his past, embracing love in the present, and creating a future free of investigation proves increasingly complicated.
Isabelle’s life in Brazil is burdened with mistakes and abandonment, too – but not in the same way. She falls in love with all the wrong men at all the wrong times, and her best friend Frank shows his true colors when, over and over again, he is not there for her when she needs him most. Aside from the stark difference that Isabelle is not a murderer, she and Tracey both desire love, a life partner, and the warmth of a family.
But what does Isabelle’s story have to do with Tracey? How can an innocent trip to Strasbourg, France, become a heart-stopping event that changes their lives forever?
Peek behind the curtains of this cold-case investigation and catch an intimate glimpse inside the characters’ lives.
When Marchioness Lamberico fails to conceive a child, she solicits the help of Imelda, the village witch. Nine months later, she gives birth to a baby girl. Biancabella. Though perfect in every other way, the infant is born with a snake wrapped around her neck. To the relief of the marchioness, the creature vanishes at once and, in the joy of motherhood, is soon forgotten. When Biancabella is a young girl, the snake reappears and explains their uncommon sisterhood. Samaritana helps Biancabella unlock her magical gifts and asserts that so long as they are together, all will be well. Their close, though secret, relationship unites them above all others. Years pass, the sisters contented, until the day King Ferrandino of Naples arrives, seeking Biancabella’s hand in marriage. What follows shatters the sisters’ bond, leading to misfortune and betrayal, which forces them to grapple with not only the loss of their connection, but leaves each fighting for her life. Loosely based on the Italian fairy tale Biancabella and the Snake, the story explores how the love can transform from a domineering and covetous power to authenticity and, ultimately, redemption.
