The Sunday Post #58 (Fall Reading Edition)

"The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme"

Happy Sunday everyone!  Fall weather has hit here and I'm enjoying every minute of it.  I'm actually typing this up on Saturday afternoon with the windows open, a blanket covering me to keep the chill off, and the sound of rain which is the absolute icing on the cake.  This is my absolute favorite time of the year for a reason.  I am one of those rare birds that enjoys all four seasons (yes, even the snow and cold) but fall has always been my favorite.

I haven't finished a single book this week.  I'm in the middle of four books currently which is absolutely unheard of for me.  In reality that looks like me with bookmarks in three books and actually reading the fourth one on a continual basis.  I always want to read all of the books, but lately I REALLY WANT TO READ ALL OF THE BOOKS!  It's kind of affecting my focus because it just feels like I want to read everything and right this second.  So basically that seems to have led to me starting multiple things and finishing none of them this week.  I need to do better next week!  When I get like this, I usually try to slow down reading which seems like the opposite of what one would want to do.  But I don't want to race through books....so I'm really working on just enjoying that one book that I'm focusing on and then I can do the same thing with one of the other books I have currently going.  That's the plan anyways!

I've also been very blessed this week with book mail thanks to publishers.  I've gotten out of the habit of sharing about the books I receive for review on here but I would like to change that.  I'm hoping that by sharing it will also keep me accountable to share my thoughts on these books after finishing.  I can always use the gentle push especially when it comes to writing up my thoughts.  With that being said, I'm planning on sharing my thoughts on at least two books this week (not in this pile) that I received for review but haven't yet shared my thoughts on.  Maybe three if I'm feeling extra motivated (I'm woefully behind on reviews in general).  Anyways, these books all hit my mailbox this week so hence one of the reasons why I'm feeling the need to read ALL of the books.  Let's move on though to what I'm currently reading.

I currently have bookmarks in the following books:

The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller is the book I'm really actually reading.  It is absolutely delightful!  I'm just a little over halfway through this one (I'm reading it on my e-reader) and you guys I swear I'm reading it with a smile on my face half of the time.  If you enjoyed A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn, then I really think that you will enjoy this one as well.  I haven't seen this one much on bookstagram yet which is just a shame because it really is a delight so far!

Trace of Evil by Alice Blanchard is a print copy of a book that is due to release in December if I'm correct.  The ONLY reason that I'm not reading this one right this second is because of the above book and it will be what I'm diving into exclusively next if I'm honest.  I'm such a sucker for women detective fiction so this is kind of already my jam.

Death Masks by Jim Butcher should really need no explanation.  I NEEDED some Harry Dresden in my life and purposefully read the first few pages so that it wouldn't end up going back to the library unread.  It has been at least a year since I read the fourth book in this series so it is definitely time to dive back into Harry's world!

After the Flood by Kassandra Montag has been all over the bookstagram world lately so of course I requested it from the library.  I probably wouldn't have started this one but another bookstagrammer was reading it and I decided to just add one more to the pile and read it with her.  It's actually due back to the library soon though so if I can't renew I will just let it go back and get to it another time.

Whew!  That's a lot.  Plans for Sunday include laundry and reading.  The Walking Dead returns this weekend which I'm pretty pumped about.  We will be watching football and just basically being as lazy as possible while also preparing for the upcoming week.  That's my plan anyways - we will see what actually happens!

Happy Sunday and Happy Reading!

The Sunday Post #35 (October Reading)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme"

Whew!  Here we are in October already - before we know it the holidays will be upon us!  The weather has started cooling off lately and we've been seeing a lot more rain.  I'm loving it!  Fall weather is definitely my favorite.  I've been looking forward to October for months now as this month brings the new seasons of The Walking Dead AND Stranger Things.  I'm so pumped!  I'm also really hoping to watch the upcoming movie, The Snowman, based off of Jo Nesbo's book that I read a few weeks back.  So many good things all at once!

We survived our crazy (but awesome) sports filled weekend last weekend.  I think we ended up watching two high school football games, one flag football game, and five softball games.  It was non-stop and by Sunday I was truly exhausted - it was worth it though!  Next weekend is going to be more of the same other than I'm not driving three hours away to watch my oldest play his freshman football game.  We will stick with watching him play JV at home instead.  Sports seasons are starting to wrap up.  I'm not sure how much we will really slow down as my youngest has signed up to play basketball this year for the first time.  My daughter will be practicing softball all winter long and I'm pretty sure my oldest will be training for football that entire time too.  It never ends but I know that I will miss it when they get older.  I've got two weeks worth of reading to catch you up on so let's move on to books.  I've finished three books since my last reading update.  Not too bad considering how much we have had going on.  I read the following books:

Asylum by Jeannette De Beauvoir - I absolutely loved this book and am kicking myself for waiting so long to read it!  It was based off of true events in Canada's history which made it all the more horrifying but it was such a compelling mystery.  I'm going to try to write up a coherent review of it but this is one that I can't say enough good things about!

Death Among the Doilies by Mollie Cox Bryan - This was an enjoyable cozy mystery although it wasn't my favorite.  I liked it enough to want to continue on with the series but I had a few issues with it.  I'll be sharing my thoughts on this book soon as well.

Someone Else's Skin by Sarah Hilary - This was another great read!!  My husband is two for two on picking great books for me to read.....I may make him always choose my next read if he keeps this up.  LOL!  I found this one to be such a page turner and completely unexpected.  I cannot wait to continue on with this series!

I'm now reading the following books:

Beneath the Surface by Sibel Hodge is my current kindle read.  I'm not very far into it yet but I'm already intrigued and enjoying it.  Never Tell by Alafair Burke will be my next print read but I haven't yet begun reading (my husband picked it).  I've enjoyed Burke's books before so I'm really looking forward to reading this review copy which has been languishing on my shelves.

New additions to my reader thanks to NetGalley include:

So many books!  I really, really need to work on staying away from NetGalley more and focus on catching up on some of these amazing sounding books.  I keep telling myself that but it hasn't worked yet.  I really need to focus on writing up reviews today since I probably won't be able to next weekend.  I also need to focus on my laundry piles as usual as I've been seriously slacking lately.  I'm planning on participating in Blog Ahead this month although I haven't officially signed up for it yet.  I feel like there were a couple of bookish/blog events this month that I wanted to participate in.  Maybe I will write a sign up post for those today too if I can figure out what they were.  LOL!

Tell me what you've been reading lately or better yet what blogging events are you participating in during October?  I'd love to know!

Happy Sunday and Happy Reading!

Library Loot (Or Reasons I Love My Library #4)

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Linda from Silly Little Mischief that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

It has been entirely too long since I shared a library loot post with all of you.  I've kind of strayed away and instead just been posting pictures (aka my Reasons I Love My Library posts).  I have been missing writing these posts though so I think I'm going to get back to doing them.  I have had a really good couple of weeks at the library.  Here are the books that I have picked up recently:

There is so much bookish goodness here!  Where to begin?

• Fingersmith by Sarah Waters is my current read.  One that I've been meaning to read every since I read (and adored) Affinity by Waters.  It is a big book but I'm in the mood for chunkier reads with the colder weather approaching.  I'm super stoked about this one!
• The Man with a Load of Mischief by Martha Grimes is the first in yet another mystery series that I have been wanting to try for some time.  I'm on a mystery series kick this year so I'm looking forward to finally giving this series a try.  Even the title has me intrigued ;)
• The Water's Lovely by Ruth Rendall is for Carl's R.I.P. Challenge.  Actually, most of these books are now that I think about it.  I've been meaning to read this one for way too long.  I've checked it out from the library multiple times.  I'm really hoping to finally get to it this time around!
• A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole is thanks to the paranormal romance kick that I have been on.  And because I loved Dark Skye so much so I figured I should go back to the beginning of the series.  Not my favorite cover though...I definitely might have passed by the book if I didn't know better.
• Hysteria by Megan Miranda is one that I wanted to read as soon as I heard about it.  I then promptly forgot about it but in my quest to read more YA this year (I may have become sidetracked on this goal....I'm starting back up again) I decided to grab it from my library.  It will fit in perfectly with the R.I.P. challenge which makes me even more excited. 
• Made For You by Melissa Marr because it sounds oh so good!  YA romantic suspense!?!?  Yes, please!  I've been seeing some very positive reviews for it so I will probably be reading this one very soon.  Happy days!

 I've got plenty of books to keep me busy!  I've already managed to read my four books for the R.I.P. challenge but I am hoping to fit in a few more before the end of the month.  What books have you grabbed from the library lately?  And which one of these would you read first if the choice was up to you??  Do share!

Sunday Post #1 (A Reading Update)

"The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme"

This is my first time participating in this meme instead of my usual Sunday Salon post.  I like the idea of not only sharing a weekly reading update but also sharing about some of the books that find their way into my home.  This week was the Bout of Books read-a-thon and although I didn't meet my goal (finishing 3 books) I did manage to finish two great books!  I'm calling that a success as not only did my husband have shoulder surgery this week but football practices began for the oldest.  And school started!  It was a busy, busy week of running and tending to my family.  Now that I think about it, I'm not sure how I finished any books.  LOL!

Last Week on the Blog I:

• Admitted that I am a book hoarder with my latest book acquisitions here
• Shared summer fun photos with everything else that I have been doing besides reading here

This Week on the Blog (tentatively):

• Review of Remains of Innocence by J.A. Jance (blog tour)
• Reasons Why I Love my Library #3 post
• Not sure what else....I have something in mind but we will see

New Arrivals:

I have received these two books as a giveaway thanks to The Book Pushers.  I think they both sound fabulous.  I have been craving some historical romance so these will fit in perfectly with my reading mood.

Books Finished Last Week:

 

Grave Peril by Jim Butcher - (Reread) It was so great to get back to Harry Dresden's world even though it just keeps getting crazier!  This book was a roller coaster ride, whirlwind of a book.  I am eager to see what the next book brings. 

Loyalty in Death by J.D. Robb - (Reread)  I adore this series so much and it is because of books like this.  Peabody steals the show in this book and I couldn't get enough.  I flew through the pages even with all of the craziness that was this week.  I have nothing to say but good things about all of these books!

Currently Reading:

I am STILL reading way too many books at once.  I am going to attempt to buckle down this week and finish these three up.  That is my goal anyways!  It might be a bit difficult though as I grabbed a bunch of books from the library this weekend that I am super excited to read.  I will not start any new books...I will not start any new books...I'm just going to keep telling myself this.  

Now I'm off to go focus on my laundry pile for a little bit.  I'm super excited to visit some of your blogs and see what everyone else is reading on this gorgeous Sunday!  

Happy Reading!

Bookish Goodness (Or Where I Finally Admit that I am a Book Hoarder)

So let me explain the title of this post in a way that makes me sound slightly rational.  I hope.  Maybe.  The other day we were finishing up school supply shopping and afterwards I ran into my local Everything is a Dollar store.  While I browsing the aisles letting my daughter pick a new coloring book for school, I came across their book section.  Imagine my delight at finding Pastworld by Ian Beck just sitting there on the shelves.  But then (OH MY GOODNESS) I saw The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly sitting there and I literally gasped in happiness.  I have been wanting to read this book for so long (and hopefully the next R.I.P. challenge will be here soon) and this book would be just so perfect for it.  But here is where it gets a little hairy.  I (quite irrationally) wanted to buy all of the copies of The Poison Tree.  Because it makes me sad that it is being sold for just one dollar when I am absolutely certain that it is a good book.  Folks, this makes me a book hoarder extraordinaire!  Because I was sitting there trying to rationalize why I needed six copies of the same book.  I don't.  Although I really should have bought one extra so that I could at least host a giveaway (and I have been berating myself for not thinking about that every since).  Sigh.  I should lead a book hoarders support group.

In other bookish goodness, I received a copy of One of Us by Tawni O'Dell thanks to the publisher.  I have been wanting to read this one so I am super excited to add it to my shelves.  And as if these three books weren't enough I added two more books to my ipad thanks to NetGalley and the publishers. 

I couldn't resist these books based off of their titles alone!  Every time I see these books I get one of the songs stuck in my head.  I am looking forward to reading them and seeing if they are as fantastic as I hope that they will be.  Now, I should really step away from NetGalley (and away from any store that sells books) and focus on reading lots of books for the Bout of Books read-a-thon. 

Which of these books would you read first?  Happy Monday everyone!

Books! Books! Books!

Because Mother's Day fell on the day after we got back from vacation, I had no plans whatsoever and no expectations for it.  Much to my surprise (and delight) the family took me to the used bookstore and Starbucks for a coffee.  What a perfect way for me to spend Mother's day!  I overindulged and bought WAY too many books but I just couldn't seem to help myself.  There were just so many that I wanted, and I couldn't resist bringing them all home with me.  Now no more bookstore trips for me until I actually read some of these :)  Here are the books that I decided to bring home:

• Touch the Dark by Karen Chance- 1st in this urban fantasy series.  I found a ton of great sounding urban fantasy series that I haven't started yet.  It was hard for me to figure out which ones that I absolutely NEEDED for my shelves but this was one of them.
• The Walker in Shadows by Barbara Michaels- Ummm..because this is by Barbara Michaels.  So of course I had to have it! 
• Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur- I actually have already read this one but somehow I fell out of reading this series.  I want to get back to it since I really enjoyed it so I decided to grab book one and start again.  I'm so excited to get back to this series!
• Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland- Another first in a series that I'm looking forward to reading.  This is an author that I've been meaning to try and now I am actually going to do it! 
• Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean- I've read and loved a different book by this author so I'm super excited to start this trilogy.  Plus, I need some historical romance in my life!
• The Lost Night by Jayne Castle- 1st in a paranormal romance series that I've also been wanting to try.  I was on a paranormal kick today! 
• Deception Cove by Jayne Castle- 2nd in this paranormal romance series.  These both sound really great!
• Spellbent by Lucy A. Snyder- Another 1st in an urban fantasy series.  Sensing a trend here?  I've been craving good urban fantasy and I think my book selections reflect that.  I love the cover for this one as well!
• The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters-  Yay!  I have the third book in my hands now.  You guys don't know how hard it is for me to keep from starting this one RIGHT NOW!  I'm going to try to finish my current read first.
• Promise Not to Tell by Jennifer McMahon- Because I have LOVED every book that I have read by this author.  This is her debut novel, and I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to reading it.

I'm overwhelmed just writing this post up!  I cannot wait to read all of these and I'm hoping that the Bout of Books read-a-thon will help me with that.  I'm starting to think that I need to take a month to just read books off of my own shelves.  It is sounding really good especially looking at all of these!  Have you read any of these?  Which ones should I read first?

Or better yet tell me about your latest book acquisitions so I won't feel like such a book hoarder!  It would be nice to know that I'm in good company :)

The Sunday Salon - Books! (My Poor Shelves)

Good morning everyone!  The last two weeks seem to have slipped by me in a blur which meant an unexpected blogging break.  It was bound to have happened with all of the hours that I had been working so I didn't stress about it.  And happily enough I'm back to my regular forty hour work week which is much needed (and completely doable).  There wasn't much that happened that was exciting over my blogging break other than I finally broke down, and visited my used book store.  I had a bag filled with books to turn in for credit so I didn't even feel guilty for going.  I came out with a smile on my face and a small stack of books to add to my shelves.  My poor overflowing shelves!  In my defense. I still have over forty dollars worth of credit to use so really I could have brought home so many more.  In fact, I think that if I had known that I probably would have bought more books so maybe it worked out for the best.  Here are the books that I brought home with me (sorry for the crappy picture):

• The Hippopotamus Pool by Elizabeth Peters- only to find out that this is NOT the 3rd book in the series but instead the 8th.  Why they would list the series out of order is beyond me but I've learned my lesson.  Don't trust the list for series books that is included in the book.  Oh well, it gives me an excuse to go back for the third book.
• Birdman by Mo Hayder- First in this series and because I really enjoyed Gone by this author.
• All Shall Be Well by Deborah Crombie- 2nd in this series and because I adored the first book (which I really need to review).
• Beg For Mercy by Jami Alden- It sounds creepy and I love romantic suspense but don't read a lot of it.
• H is for Homicide by Sue Grafton- Next book in a mystery series I love.
• Last Kiss Goodnight by Gena Showalter- A book that I've had on my TBR list for awhile now.

I've also received a couple of books for review.  I can never decide if I want to share books I receive for review on here or not.  I've never really done a Mailbox Monday post or anything but I feel like I should at least post about the books that come in to my house.  Kind of to make myself accountable for actually reading them.  But....I just don't know.  Because then that would include ebooks and you guys would really see my reading addiction.  LOL!  Plus, I would have to keep track which I usually don't do.  I received these two books thanks to the lovely folks at Harper.  I'm hoping to add them both to my April reading plans list. 

In keeping with accountability, I have bought a few new books for my ipad. 

In my defense they were on sale AND my library didn't have copies of either.  Good enough reasons for me! 

Since I now have plenty of reading ahead of me (and it's not like I didn't before), I'm going to skip talking about the books I've read these past two weeks.  I will play catch up next Sunday instead.  Plans for the rest of my Sunday include catching up with all of you, review writing, a run, and TONS of laundry.  Oh yeah, and preparing myself for this week's Walking Dead episode since last week's one was CRAZY BUT SO GOOD!  I fully admit that I will be a bit lost when this show goes on break until season five.  Aack!  So worth it though :)

Happy Sunday and Happy Reading!

E-Book Addict?

Lately I've seen a few posts (thanks Trish and Andi) in regards to all of those books that we buy for our e-readers.  Happily it means that I'm not the only one who buys entirely TOO many books for my ipad.  Because it is all too easy to just click and buy, isn't it?  It is!  And how is a girl supposed to resist some of these amazing deals?  I can't...it is just that simple.  Add in the fact that I was given an Amazon gift card for Christmas and you will completely understand my lack of restraint in regards to indulging myself with a few new books.  Make that a lot of books?!?!  Oh well, here are just some of the books that I've added to my ipad lately:

I should probably stop buying books now and start actually reading all of these.  But since one of my personal goals is to read more of my own books these actually count for that.  Yay! 

What bookish deals could you not pass by recently?

Library Loot: Drowning in Books

Library Loot is hosted by Marg and Claire and asks us to share about the lovely library finds that we bring home!

I honestly cannot remember the last time that I shared my library loot with you guys!  I haven't been going to the library as much as of late (just not enough time) and I have plenty of my own books waiting to be read.  I was starting to go through library withdrawals though (I'm only kind of kidding) so I made a point of finding the time this week to visit my local library.  I walked out with entirely TOO many books but also with a smile on my face.  Now I'm happy, happy and I have lots of good books just waiting for me to read!  Good stuff!  I'm starting to really consider the fact that the end of the year will be here sooner rather than later so I tried to grab books that felt like must reads for me.  2013 has already been a really good reading year quality wise but I can always try for even better!  Here are the books that I ended up taking home with me:

 

 

I can't even begin to decide which of these I would like to read first!  I think that I need to find a read-a-thon or two to join so that I can actually make a dent in this library pile.  The focus here seems to be urban fantasy but I also managed to slide in a historical romance and some romantic suspense.  Each of these books are just one more reason why I LOVE my library!  Love!  Have you guys read any of these?  Which one should I start with first??