Saturday, September 01, 2018

Sunday Mews: Goodbye August & Hello September


I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by the wonderful Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking to Stacking the Shelves hosted by the great Team Tynga's Reviews and Marlene of Reading Reality a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently. I am linking up to Nicole of Feed Your Addiction's Monthly Wrap-Up Post, where any book bloggers who write monthly wrap-up posts can link up and visit other bloggers to see what they have been reading.  

Welcome to September! The days are growing shorter, children are back in school, and while the leaves on the trees outside have not quite started to turn colors, they will be in another month or so. We seem to have finally left the triple digits behind. Hopefully it stays that way. I hope your September has gotten off to a great start.

New to My Shelves in August: 

Recent e-book purchases:


Alpha & Omega (#0.5) by Patricia Briggs 
Pirate Nemesis (Telepathic Space Pirates #1) by Carysa Locke
Hummus and Homicide (Kebab Kitchen Mystery #1) by Tina Kashian
Mechanica (Mechanica #1) by Betsy Cornwell
The Shadow of Death (Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn Mystery #1) by Jane Willan


What I Am Reading: Today I am spending a little more time with Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, but I plan to begin Lydia Kang's The Impossible Girl shortly.

What I Am Watching: We finally cut the cord. It is something my husband and I had been talking about for years, but never quite got around to it. I will miss The Walking Dead, but I can live without it. At the moment I have been catching up on Supernatural and am nearly done with Season 13.  It is a really good season! The all female cast episode was a favorite. My family and I have been watching Girl Meets World, which is a cute show. I confess I never really watched Boy Meets World, but I may go back and do that if I get the chance.

For movie night this weekend, we are watching Hairspray (2007). Mouse has a renewed interest in the film after performing to some of the songs during her musical theater class. Now that she is older, she is better able to understand the social issues raised in the movie, which lead to a good discussion after.

Off the Blog: August left me a bit breathless. And not just because of the heat and smoke. A broken air conditioner did not help. Our feisty kitten was spayed--and proved to be quite the little demon kitty at the vet (she even lost a tooth fighting the staff! We won't even talk about how she playfully chased after, jumped at, and startled the internet service technician today). The Wizard of Oz musical was amazing. The children did a great job, and, even more importantly, had fun. We had family visiting from out of town to see the show. We barely had time to recover before school started up again for Mouse, and things have definitely picked up at work as well. We ended the month with The Nutcracker auditions, which went well. Now the fundraising and rehearsals begin . . .

I got very little reading done in August. There were a couple of weeks there I barely cracked open a book. I am grateful for the cooler temperatures and look forward to seeing what September will bring.

Nina has no fear. 

Nina wore poor Gracie out

Here is what I finished reading in August:
  • Samhain Secrets by Jennifer David Hesse
  • The King Slayer (The Witch Hunter #2) by Virginia Boecker
  • Smile (Smile #1) by Raina Telgemeier
Posts That Caught My Attention This Past Month: 
(there were many, but I am terrible about saving links--these are the few I did save to share)

Tell me what you have been up to! What are you reading, listening to and watching? How was your August? Do you have anything planned for this coming month?

*

Thank you for helping me decide what book from my TBR collection I should read next:

My TBR List is a meme hosted by the awesome Michelle at Because Reading. It’s a fun way to choose a book from your TBR pile to read. The 1st Sunday of every month, I will list 3 books I am considering reading and take a poll as to which you think I should read. I will read the winner that month, and my review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise). 




One of my all time favorite novels is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, and I find myself in the mood to read one of the (loose) re-tellings I have languishing on my shelves. Which one do you think I should read?

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye
“Reader, I murdered him.”

A sensitive orphan, Jane Steele suffers first at the hands of her spiteful aunt and predatory cousin, then at a grim school where she fights for her very life until escaping to London, leaving the corpses of her tormentors behind her. After years of hiding from the law while penning macabre “last confessions” of the recently hanged, Jane thrills at discovering an advertisement. Her aunt has died and her childhood home has a new master: Mr. Charles Thornfield, who seeks a governess.

Burning to know whether she is in fact the rightful heir, Jane takes the position incognito, and learns that Highgate House is full of marvelously strange new residents—the fascinating but caustic Mr. Thornfield, an army doctor returned from the Sikh Wars, and the gracious Sikh butler Mr. Sardar Singh, whose history with Mr. Thornfield appears far deeper and darker than they pretend. As Jane catches ominous glimpses of the pair’s violent history and falls in love with the gruffly tragic Mr. Thornfield, she faces a terrible dilemma: can she possess him—body, soul, and secrets—without revealing her own murderous past?

A satirical romance about identity, guilt, goodness, and the nature of lies, by a writer who Matthew Pearl calls “superstar-caliber” and whose previous works Gillian Flynn declared “spectacular,” Jane Steele is a brilliant and deeply absorbing book inspired by Charlotte Brontë’s classic Jane Eyre. [Goodreads Summary]


Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne
Seventeen-year-old Stella Ainsley wants just one thing: to go somewhere—anywhere—else. Her home is a floundering spaceship that offers few prospects, having been orbiting an ice-encased Earth for two hundred years. When a private ship hires her as a governess, Stella jumps at the chance. The captain of the Rochester, nineteen-year-old Hugo Fairfax, is notorious throughout the fleet for being a moody recluse and a drunk. But with Stella he’s kind.

But the Rochester harbors secrets: Stella is certain someone is trying to kill Hugo, and the more she discovers, the more questions she has about his role in a conspiracy threatening the fleet. [Goodreads Summary]





Mr. Rochester by Sarah Shoemaker
"Reader, she married me."

For one hundred seventy years, Edward Fairfax Rochester has stood as one of literature's most romantic, most complex, and most mysterious heroes. Sometimes haughty, sometimes tender-professing his love for Jane Eyre in one breath and denying it in the next-Mr. Rochester has for generations mesmerized, beguiled, and, yes, baffled fans of Charlotte Brontë's masterpiece. But his own story has never been told.

Now, out of Sarah Shoemaker's rich and vibrant imagination, springs Edward: a vulnerable, brilliant, complicated man whom we first meet as a motherless, lonely little boy roaming the corridors and stable yards of Thornfield Hall. On the morning of Edward's eighth birthday, his father issues a decree: He is to be sent away to get an education, exiled from Thornfield and all he ever loved. As the determined young Edward begins his journey across England, making friends and enemies along the way, a series of eccentric mentors teach him more than he might have wished about the ways of the men-and women-who will someday be his peers.

But much as he longs to be accepted-and to return to the home where he was born-his father has made clear that Thornfield is reserved for his older brother, Rowland, and that Edward's inheritance lies instead on the warm, languid shores of faraway Jamaica. That island, however, holds secrets of its own, and not long after his arrival, Edward finds himself entangled in morally dubious business dealings and a passionate, whirlwind love affair with the town's ravishing heiress, Antoinetta Bertha Mason.

Eventually, after a devastating betrayal, Edward must return to England with his increasingly unstable wife to take over as master of Thornfield. And it is there, on a twilight ride, that he meets the stubborn, plain, young governess who will teach him how to love again.

It is impossible not to watch enthralled as this tender-hearted child grows into the tormented hero Brontë immortalized-and as Jane surprises them both by stealing his heart. Mr. Rochester is a great, sweeping, classic coming-of-age story, and a stirring tale of adventure, romance, and deceit. Faithful in every particular to Brontë's original yet full of unexpected twists and riveting behind-the-scenes drama, this novel will completely, deliciously, and forever change how we read and remember Jane Eyre. [Goodreads Summary]




Thank you for voting! I hope you all have a wonderful September and Happy Reading!


© 2018, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

66 comments:

  1. You have some interesting books on your shelves. I'm curious about Jane Steele.

    Those kitty photos made me smile.

    Enjoy your week, and thanks for visiting my blog. I'm enjoying Paige, my new Oasis. (I ended up not going with the "O" names).

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    1. Laurel-Rain - Thank you! I love the name Paige--and it seems perfect for your new Oasis. :-) Thank you for voting! I have heard great things about Jane Steele. Have a great week, Laurel-Rain. Thank you for visiting!

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  2. I thought I would hate cutting the cord, but you know I really don't have anything I miss much- most of the shows I binge are on Netflix, and honestly I don't miss it much. Which surprised even me lol! Good luck with it!

    Your kitty sounds like a handful ha ha!

    Thanks for linking my post! Hope you have a wonderful weekend- happy Labor Day!!!

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    1. Greg - I am glad cutting the cord has worked for you. Much of what I ended up watching on cable was just for background. I dont' think I will miss it that much. I hope not anyway. :-)

      Nina is a bit of a handful, but she's so adorable.

      I hope you have a great week, Greg. Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Sounds like you had a busy month. Your kitty sounds like a lot of fun hahaha. Poor vet staff. We had an older cat like that who would scratch a nasty bit at the vets. He would only allow me to do things to him like give his medication. When husband had to he had to wear gloves and he still couldn't get the meds in, lesigh.

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    1. Annemieke - The kitty is a lot of fun. :-) I do feel for the vet staff though. I hope Nina isn't so difficult when it comes to giving her medication as your old cat, but I have a strong suspicion she will be . . .

      Thank you for visiting and have a great week!

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  4. Wow! You sure had a busy month! I really need to watch Girl Meets World sometime down the line!

    Here’s my Sunday Post!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog and join in this week’s Book Photo Sundays and Cover Spotlight!

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    1. Ronyell - It was busy, and I am glad we survived it somehow. :-) The Girl Meets World is a cute show. I was surprised how much I am enjoying it. My daughter loves it. Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. It still kind of feels a little like summer here. Autumn has been late for the past few years, but I don't mind :)
    Oh wow... Your kitty lost a tooth fighting the vet. Holy Lord. The people working there are heroes. Bet they have to deal with a lot of that on a regular basis. The kitties are incredibly cute though. I will always be a slave to these wonderful creatures.
    Hope you have a good week!

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    1. Evelina - Our temps are in the 90's still, so not exactly fall weather, but it's normal for September, and it's much better than the 100's so I'll take it!

      I do feel bad for the vet staff. Nina is not an easy patient. The tech asked me several times if Nina pulled the Stephen King routine on us at home. I think she wanted to make sure we were safe. LOL Fortunately for us, she isn't like that at home. More playful than anything, really. She's not mean though.

      I hope you have a great week too! Thanks for visiting!

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  6. Our leaves are starting to turn now and my kiddo goes back to school on Tuesday. I'm so happy Autumn has arrived (1st of Sept marks autumn for me, lol).
    Hope you enjoy your new books! I really loved Alpha and Omega. It's what got me reading that series when I'd only ever read book one of Mercy Thompson and not liked it over much.

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    1. Nicola - I am just glad we can open the windows in the evenings again. Haha. I am looking forward to reading Alpha and Omega and the rest of the series. I hope you have a great week! Thank you for stopping by!

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  7. Hairspray is a great movie! Hope Mouse enjoyed it!

    Jane Steele sounds really great, but I'm afraid I haven't read Jane Eyre. I suppose I should start with the original...

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    1. Eustacia - I love Hairspray! There's a stage production a couple towns over I wish we could take Mouse to, but we are pinching pennies to save for her dance stuff. :-(

      I don't know that you would have to read Jane Eyre to read Jane Steele. You'd probably be okay. :-)

      Thanks for visiting, Eustacia! Have a great week.

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  8. I voted Jane Steele, it sounds intriguing

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    1. Rachel - Thank you for voting! I think so too. :-) Have a great week.

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  9. You’re the second person this week to tell me they stopped watching The Walking Dead. I’m waiting to see how Ricks character will leave but it definitely has been getting repetitive.

    Glad the musical went well and oh my gosh, the kitten is feisty! Lol good for her. Otis just went for his yearly shots last week and when the vet tried to say hi to him by shaking his paw, Otis politely just pulled his paw away and tucked it in like “please don’t touch me”
    Enjoy September! I’m not ready to let the summer go just yet.

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    1. Naida - Well, I only am not continuing with The Walking Dead this new season because we won't have access to the channel it airs on. I was hoping to see how Rick and Maggie's fates turn out. Now I'll just have to wait.

      Otis is such a cutie! Even if he isn't fond of the vet, at least he is respectful. Haha!

      Have a great September to you too! Thanks for stopping by!

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  10. We usually still have two more solid months of summer here. I would love to have a little bit of coolness!

    Enjoy your week with that wacky kitten!

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    1. Deb - It's similar here. Fall doesn't really start showing it's face here until the end of October. I'm always hopeful it will come earlier though! At least we are in the mid to high nineties not the triple digits.

      Have a great week too! Thanks for visiting!

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  11. Carl has talked about cutting the cord but it's hard for me this time of year with college football even though I don't get to see many games these days.

    Wow, you're kitten must be very spirited!

    I'm glad the Nutcracker auditions went well. Mouse seems like such a well rounded young lady.

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    1. Kathy - I can see why it would be hard to cut the cord, especially if you are into sports. Nina is extremely spirited--and independent. The most of any of the cats I have had. She's adorable though. :-)

      Since Mouse is an only child, and a social one at that, we have tried to give her as many opportunities as we can to take part in activities she likes. I think if she had her way she would do everything she's tried all the time!

      I hope you have a great week, Kathy. Thanks for visiting!

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  12. We only have Netflix and Hulu at our house. We don't have anything out where we live excerpt Direct TV or Dish. So, we normally have to wait for forever for new episodes, but it is so much cheaper. My daughter loves Girl Meets World.

    Hope you have a great week...

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    1. Jenea - We don't have Hulu, and while I would like it, it would be one more expense. For now we are going to go with what we have and see how that works for us, I think. We did change internet services to something more cheaper--for now. They always raise their rates and we may have to switch again in another couple years when that happens. My daughter loves Girl Meets World too. :-) I hope you have a great week too! Thanks for stopping by!

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  13. Wow, you did have a busy month! Hope September is a little more relaxing for you. I'm glad to hear that the Wizard of Oz was a success and that the kids had so much fun with it. That just makes it all so much better. :)

    Your kitties are so adorable. Nina definitely looks and sounds like there's never a dull moment when she's around, lol.

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    1. Suzanne - I love the dance studio we are with. We got so lucky with them. They put the kids first and it's about growing and experiencing and having fun rather than about being the best or most competitive. Everyone, parents and kids, are so supportive of each other. I hope it remains so as Mouse gets older--if she sticks with this.

      I love having a kitten in the house, but they can be a handful. :-)

      Thank you for visiting, Suzanne. Have a great week!

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  14. I hope we’ve left the triple digits behind. I’m not okay with hot weather. Your kitties are cute. Whenever I take my dog to the vet, the staff has scratch marks, so they must have a few demon cat patients. Have a great September!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. AJ - I hope we stay out of the triple digits too. Who would have thought I'd think mid-nineties is so much better? Haha. All my other cats were such good patients. But then, Nina, is not like any cat I've had before (not that I have extensive cat experience . . . I grew up with dogs). I hope you have a great week and September as well. Thanks for stopping by!

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  15. Gracie looks beautiful! How is the Alpha and Omega series? I read her Mercy Thompson series and have wanted to get into A&O because I've come to love Charles, but I just, never picked it up. Also, Mechanica has such a beautiful cover, I can't wait to see what you think of it to see if I should add that to my list as well! <3

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    1. Lulu - Thank you! I think she's beautiful too. My daughter calls her the queen. :-) I haven't actually read the Alpha and Omega series yet. I was told to start with the novella first and so finally picked up a copy. I love the Mercy Thompson series. Mechanica has been on my wish list forever. It was nice to finally move it to my TBR shelf. Now to find time to read it! Thanks for stopping by!

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  16. I agree, attending live performances - musical are amazing. Enjoy your latest haul.

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    1. vvb - I love musicals. I wish I could afford to go to them more often. But I will settle for attending and helping out with my daughter's. :-) Thanks for visiting!

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  17. I went with Mr. Rochester because I LOVED Jane Eyre... you've got me instantly wanting to do a reread :) I hope you enjoy whichever book wins.

    Yeah, I can see why you were feeling a bit breathless, y'all have had a lot going on and then no time to really recover before school starts and it just picks up the pace again. I hope this three day weekend gives you a little space to rest at least! The musical looked great though and I know Mouse enjoyed it, so worth it, right?

    Have a great week!

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    1. Berls - Thank you for voting! I can never get enough of Jane Eyre. It's one of the very few books I have re-read again and again.

      I am taking it easy this weekend--mostly. It's been nice. Right before everything starts up again this next week. And yes, the musical was totally worth it. We'll likely be doing it again this next summer.

      Have a great week, Berls, and thanks for visiting!

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  18. Yes... I hope you find September easier - I am not looking forward to the winter, but then we don't have your temperatures! I look forward to hearing what you make of Pirate Nemesis, Wendy:). Have a good week.

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    1. Sarah - I think September will be easier if only because we'll be settling into a routine. Still busy--but I hope I can find some good reading time in there. I don't mind winter here. We don't get the snow, although sometimes we get the freezing temperatures. Thank you for stopping by, Sarah! I am really looking forward to Pirate Nemesis!

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  19. I cut the cord on The Walking Dead when they killed off Glen. And Mechanica looks super interesting. :)

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    1. Lark - That was a very sad moment. I am still hooked on the show and only giving it up because we no longer have access to the channel it is one. I am sure I will catch it when it comes on Netflix--eventually. Mechanica has been on my wish list forever. I caved and finally bought a copy. :-) I hope you have a great week. Thanks for stopping by, Lark!

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  20. Hi, What do you mean by 'but the cord'? Is that TV? I've been thinking about cancelling my television altogether for awhile too. Thanks for visiting. Jackie's Forget Me Nots Weekend What nots

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    1. Jackie - Cutting the cord for us means getting rid of cable. We will still have streaming through Netflix and Amazon Prime. We also got rid of our landline since only the telemarketers use it. Thank you for stopping by, Jackie! Have a great week.

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  21. Ahhhh! The days are getting shorter! The summer went way too quickly. Looks like a good reading month to me. And your kitties are super cute!

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    1. Karla - Yes, summer seemed to fly by. I feel like we didn't really have much of one. Thank you! Our kitties are well adored in our house. LOL I hope you have a great week. Thanks for visiting!

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  22. I think I would like to read War and Peace, but every time I see the size I change my mind. Oh no, sorry about the broken air conditioner, it's one of those creature comforts I couldn't live without ;) I also have Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye and like you Jane Eyre is my favorite classic, I'm looking forward to reading it soon.

    Hopefully you have a better reading month in September.

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    1. Jovita - I just finished a rather difficult section of War and Peace that wasn't especially holding my attention. But then there are parts I adore and make it worth reading. I am determined to finish it before the year is out.

      An air conditioner is a necessary comfort for us with our triple digit temperatures. I am glad we were able to get it fixed as quickly as we did. I hope we both love Jane Steele when we read it! Have a great week, Jovita! Thank you for stopping by!

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  23. Sorry for the broken AC and that cat incident, but I hope those are fixed now and that your cat is doing better.

    And wow, you are reading War & Peace? That's pretty great. i am so afraid of picking up large books.

    I am intrigued by Brightly Burning. I have heard some good things about it.

    I am yet to watch The Walking Dead or Supernaturals. I am so behind on TV series.

    I hope you have a better September :)

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    1. Sim - Thank you! The AC is all fixed, thankfully. And my kitten is doing fine. She has proven to be a very resilient cat.

      I am part of a year long read-along to read War and Peace and Les Miserables. It's my goal to finish both by the end of the year. Hopefully I can manage it--or at least be close.

      I have been hearing great things about Brightly Burning also. I can't wait to read it! Thank you for voting!

      I hope you have a great month also. Thanks for visiting!

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  24. Sounds like a busy month and I'm glad to hear the musical went well, Wendy! I'm sure you all had fun, especially Mouse. :)

    Hope September will be a more relaxed month for you, Wendy. And enjoy your books!

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    1. Melody - The musical was so much fun. Now we get to go through it all again with The Nutcracker. Thank you! And thank you for stopping by, Melody. I hope you have a great September also.

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  25. Your Nina and My Calliope would get along very well. Calliope is a terror but also super sweet. She's like a sour patch kid lol. Sorry the AC broke that is no fun and would make me cranky and murderous. I hate the heat.

    I voted for Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye, sounds interesting! :)

    Have a great week, Wendy! Happy Reading! :)

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    1. Michelle - I like that comparison. LOL A Sour Patch kid. That is very fitting. Your Calliope sounds adorable. :-) We were pretty miserable without the air until we could get it fixed. Thank you for voting! And thanks for visiting!

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  26. I enjoyed your kitty stories. When we had our cat fixed, the vet had to put a towel over his head, just to keep him from continually biting! He never liked the vet, climbed our curtains (the first time seeing my cat clinging from up high, staring down at me was freaky), and always loved to shoot out from behind things and swipe your ankles. Brightly Burning was my vote.

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    1. Danielle - Thank you! Kittens are so much fun--and trouble. Nina is a climber too--although I have never caught her climbing the curtains. I was most worried about the shower curtain, but so far she's not taken her chance on it. Let's hope it stays that way! She does like to jump at our legs as we are coming down the stairs. Thank you for voting! And for stopping by!

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  27. I voted for Jane Steele because it is sitting unread on my shelf as well :) You have been busy! I am so happy to hear that the play went well and the fact that your daughter had fun is the most important. We cut the cord years ago. I bought The Walking Dead on Amazon and could watch the episodes the day after they aired on TV. We now have Sling TV so I can watch it live. Just a thought. Have a great week!

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    1. Carole - Thank you for voting! I am looking forward to reading Jane Steele. Doesn't it sound good? I was thinking I could do that with The Walking Dead as well, if I really miss it that much. I probably would be okay waiting though. But we'll see. I hope you have a great week too. Thanks for visiting, Carole!

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  28. Eh, The Walking Dead kind of sucks lately anyway hahah. Plus, it'll eventually be on Netflix, right? I feel like- not having cable isn't fun, and when I can again I want to have it? Idk. At least, cable with a DVR, because otherwise why bother? Hah. I definitely recommend Brightly Burning! It's quite fun, and it's in space!! Sounds like you've had quite the busy month! Hoping for a calmer (and cooler!) September for you!

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    1. Shannon - I can probably wait for the new season of The Walking Dead to come out on Netflix, but I know I won't be able to avoid spoilers. Oh well. I do like that show, even still. I think I will miss HGTV and the Hallmark channels the most. I really don't watch anything else on cable. I mostly watch Netflix or Amazon Prime stuff. Hopefully I won't suffer any withdrawals, but we'll see. I am looking forward to reading Brightly Burning. It sounds like so much fun! I hope you have a great September too! Thanks for stopping by!

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  29. I'm also glad that August is over! Although, here in Miami, we get hot weather pretty much year round, with a few cold days in December (if we're lucky) and January. But no triple digits, thank God!! Lol.

    I really like the looks of "Alpha and Omega", "Pirate Nemesis", and "Mechanica"! I'll be adding all three to my GR shelves, so thanks for featuring them!!

    I'm glad the auditions for "The Nutcracker" went well!! :) :)

    Your kitty is SO cute!! And she put up a fight at the vet's, huh? Yeah, she has that "indomitable" look about her! Lol.

    And now, about your TBR List Poll. As you know, I LOVE "Jane Eyre"! And, of course, I ADORE Mr. Rochester, even though he is a flawed hero. So I picked the third book -- "Mr. Rochester", naturally! I like that this novel gives readers his take on the events depicted in the original novel. I also like that we get to know about his childhood, as we did with Jane in the original classic.

    You know, I have the strongest feeling that this novel is an authentic portrayal of this famous literary character. A couple of years ago, I started reading Jean Rhys's "Wide Sargasso Sea", and never finished it. I gave up in disgust! Why? Because Rhys TOTALLY changed Rochester's character, in order to favor Bertha Mason, whose name, by the way, she changed to "Antoinette Cosway". But I'm sure that Shoemaker's novel will present the REAL Mr. Rochester, as I remember him from Brontë's immortal novel!

    Thanks for sharing all your "mews", Wendy!! Hope your week is going well!! HUGS TO YOU AND MOUSE!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)

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    1. Maria - Our summer was filled with triple digit days, but that's not unusual living in a desert. I'm excited about all of my new books. I am not sure when I will get to them, but one of these days . . .

      Mouse is looking forward to being in The Nutcracker. She will be dancing three parts. She has her first rehearsal tomorrow.

      Thank you for voting! I hope to read all three eventually as each one sounds good to me. I think Mr. Rochester will be a good one. I have heard good things about it. I never read Wide Sargasso Sea. The mixed reviews have kind of put me off of it.

      I hope you have a great weekend! Thanks for visiting, Maria.

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  30. Not having an AC would be terrible. My fan broke in my room a few weeks ago and I was dying. We need an AC and floor fans to keep the house cool. It's finally going to cool down around here and I can't wait.

    I laughed a little at kitty even losing a tooth during getting spayed, kitty was definitely not having it.

    My cable actually got disconnected a month ago and we've been watching netflix and hulu and I kind of like it that even though I'll miss football. I just can't financially afford cable right now. Eventually everything will be up on Netflix or hulu anyway. What shows have you been watching? I'm currently binge watching Charmed again.

    I voted for Jane Steele just because I liked the whole "reader, I killed him" thing going on. It sounds interesting. I hope you enjoy whichever one wins.

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    1. Tina - It was miserable. We're still having trouble with it now and then--throwing out a breaker, but for the most part it is holding up. We have ceiling and floor fans, so that helps some.

      Nina does not like the vet, that's for sure!

      I love the show Charmed. I should do a re-watch! I just started the Jack Ryan series on Amazon Prime. I just finished season 13 of Supernatural. We had to let go of cable for financial reasons too. I don't think I'll miss it much. We don't have Hulu, although may subscribe to it. We do have Netflix and Amazon Prime.

      Thanks for voting! Jane Steele does sound good! Thanks for stopping by!

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  31. Hats off to you for reading War and Peace. I'm not a fan of Russian literature so while the book is on my bucket list I'm not sure I will ever get to it. See what I read in August at Girl Who Reads

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    1. Donna - Thank you! I am enjoying it--mostly--so far. More than I thought I would. I loved Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. Thanks for visiting!

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  32. I enjoyed your wrap-up and a couple of links you provided. I also added to my TBR list. I will still watch The Walking Dead, but I think the end is near.

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    1. Debra - Thank you! I would like to watch more of The Walking Dead, but not having cable anymore, it'll be a year or so before I can watch the latest season. Thanks for stopping by!

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