Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Saturday, February 03, 2018

Weekly Mews: Welcome February! (Vote in My February TBR List Poll)

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.

Happy February! I hope your month has gotten off to a good start.

New to My Shelves:

My two latest purchases:

What the Dead leave Behind (A Guilded Age Mystery) by Rosemary Simpson

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

What I Am Reading: I am in the middle of Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews, the second in the Innkeeper Chronicles series. I am really enjoying this series. Mouse and I are also reading the Absent Author (A to Z Mysteries, #1) by Ron Roy, which we started last month.

What I Am Watching: My interest in Blacklist has waned, but I am still enjoying The Good Place quite a bit and The Brave. My daughter has us re-watching Just Add Magic about the teen girls who have been chosen to protect a magic cookbook. I am just sad we have to wait a while for the next season to come out!

What I Am Worried About: My mom. The surgeon was unable to remove all of the cancer during her most recent surgery. It's proving to be more evasive than the doctors expected. My mom said the doctor was crying right alongside her when the doctor gave her the news at her appointment this past week. The battle isn't over yet though. My Warrior Mom isn't about to give up. On the plus side, she will be able to go to Greece this month as planned.

What I Am Looking Forward To: Seeing what the month will hold for me reading wise. It is going to be a crazy month at work, and with cookie sales under way, my free time will be extra limited. I am still holding out hope I can fit in some great books and quality reading time.

What I Am Grateful For: I saw the most beautiful sunrises on my drive to work this past week, and they reminded me of how beautiful life can be even when so much else seems to be going wrong.

This Week In Reading Mews:

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

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 Saturday 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).

It is that time again! Thank you to all who voted last month. I enjoyed Wicked Lovely quite a bit and even was able to read the runner up, Clean Sweep. Both reviews will be coming. I really struggled with which books to choose for this month's TBR List Poll. The next and final phase of the #COYER Winter Switch Challenge will be starting just as I close out the poll, and so guess I had better decide which direction I want to go phase The One With a Twist . . . E-books it is!

There are three books I am dying to get to and keep putting off for some unknown reason (because I'm crazy?). They are all part of my favorite series. But which one should I read first?! Could you please help me choose.

Marked in Flesh (The Others, #4) by Anne Bishop

For centuries, the Others and humans have lived side by side in uneasy peace. But when humankind oversteps its bounds, the Others will have to decide how much humanity they’re willing to tolerate—both within themselves and within their community...

Since the Others allied themselves with the cassandra sangue, the fragile yet powerful human blood prophets who were being exploited by their own kind, the delicate dynamic between humans and Others changed. Some, like Simon Wolfgard, wolf shifter and leader of the Lakeside Courtyard, and blood prophet Meg Corbyn, see the new, closer companionship as beneficial—both personally and practically.

But not everyone is convinced. A group of radical humans is seeking to usurp land through a series of violent attacks on the Others. What they don’t realize is that there are older and more dangerous forces than shifters and vampires protecting the land that belongs to the Others—and those forces are willing to do whatever is necessary to protect what is theirs… [Goodreads Summary]

The Lost Plot (Invisible Library #4) by Genevieve Cogman

After being commissioned to find a rare book, Librarian Irene and her assistant, Kai, head to Prohibition-era New York and are thrust into the middle of a political fight with dragons, mobsters, and Fae.

In a 1920s-esque New York, Prohibition is in force; fedoras, flapper dresses, and tommy guns are in fashion: and intrigue is afoot. Intrepid Librarians Irene and Kai find themselves caught in the middle of a dragon political contest. It seems a young Librarian has become tangled in this conflict, and if they can't extricate him, there could be serious repercussions for the mysterious Library. And, as the balance of power across mighty factions hangs in the balance, this could even trigger war.

Irene and Kai are locked in a race against time (and dragons) to procure a rare book. They'll face gangsters, blackmail, and the Library's own Internal Affairs department. And if it doesn't end well, it could have dire consequences on Irene's job. And, incidentally, on her life... [Goodreads Summary]

Pressed to Dress (Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum, #2) by Kirsten Weiss ~

Paranormal museum owner Maddie Kosloski has the perfect exhibit for the harvest festival—a haunted grape press. But when she’s accused of stealing the press, and her accuser is murdered, all eyes turn to Maddie. Knowing the perils of amateur sleuthing as she does, Maddie is reluctant to get involved . . . until her mother insists she investigate.

Does her mom have a secret agenda? Or is she somehow connected to the murder? Facing down danger and her own overactive imagination, Maddie must unearth the killer before she becomes the next ghost to haunt her museum. [Goodreads Summary]

Have you read any of these? Which one do you think I should lose myself in this month?

Thank you for voting! I hope you all have a wonderful February 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.

Thursday, February 01, 2018

Where Is Your Bookmark? (Best & Least Best of January & a Peek into Clean Sweep)

I finished Clean Sweep by husband and wife writing team Ilona Andrews the last day of January, and have yet to start a new book. I thought I would share a couple of teasers from Clean Sweep as a result. I am not sure how to classify this book. It's more of a cross genre novel mixing urban fantasy, science fiction and mystery. In other words, a book I was bound to enjoy.

A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. Hosted by the wonderful Gillion Dumas of Rose City Reader.

Brutus was dead. His body lay under an oak on the Henderson's lawn. A small group of neighbors had gathered around his corpse, their faces sad and shocked.

My thoughts: When I first started the book I had no idea who Brutus was, but it seemed he drew quite a bit of attention. Of course, who would expect to find a body lying under a tree? This opening certainly caught my attention though. I had to know more.

A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Hosted by the wonderful Freda of Freda's Voice.

"I've never understood why some guys strip when drunk." Sean grinned.

"It's not funny. I've got a naked drunk vampire running around in my orchard." [56%]

My thoughts: I thought this the perfect scene to share, and it happens just at 56% of my e-copy edition.

What do you think? Does this sound like something you would be interested in reading?

Everyone has a favorite and then we also have something we dislike. Like a coin, there are two sides to every question. Each week, Carrie at The Butterfly Reads and Laura from Blue Eye Books ask participants to list what they like and don't like about that week's topic.

This week's topic is Best/Worst Book Read in January

This is a tough topic this week because I liked everything I read in January. Choosing one best book seems wrong somehow. They were all so good! After much thought, I am going with a collection of poetry that is both beautiful and inspiring, Sunday Sugar by Q. Gibson. It moved me to tears, made me laugh and left me in a good place mentally.

Because I do not have a worst book to fit this category, I am going with a book I enjoyed, but wasn't quite as smitten with as I was with my other reads in January. It was still a very enjoyable book though, and I do recommend it, especially for cozy mystery fans. That would be Claws for Concern by Miranda James.

I just want to add that cover-wise, Claws for Concern definitely takes the prize for best cover in January.

What was your best and worst book read in January?

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

January 2018 in Review

January seems to have slipped through my fingers. It was such a crazy month, a mix of good and bad and everything in between. Life got back to normal after the holidays, fortunately letting us kind of ease back into things. Mouse is busy with school, dance, Girl Scouts and a martial arts class. She lost her first tooth in January! She's quite proud of that fact. She got an award in school. And Girl Scout cookie sales have started, which means our weekends will be filled up with cookie booths and walkabouts. My husband is settling into his new position at work (and loving being able to park closer to the entrance of his office building). Things still haven't quite settled down at my own office, with the retirement of one of my colleagues (and no replacement in sight), trainings galore, being short staffed, and some rather difficult cases that came our way. My mom had two more surgeries (her third in two months). She's been amazingly positive through it all, but I know it hasn't been easy for her. Thank you again for all your prayers and well wishes!

I am feeling really good about my January reading. I pushed myself a little harder, trying to fit in more reading. It helped that the books I chose to read were easy to fall into and hard to put down. There wasn't on I did not like, and I am hard pressed to come up with a favorite. I was able to publish the rest of my 2017 book reviews, and so have that out of the way.

Here is what I finished reading in January:

Solely For Me:

The Wicked City by Beatriz Williams
Betrayed by Karen E. Olson
Claws for Concern by Miranda James
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
Sunday Sugar by Q. Gibson
Vanished by Karen E. Olson
Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews

Some of the Books I Read With My Daughter (Guess which ones we read over and over and over and over again.):

Biscuit and the Little Pup by Alyssa Satin Capucilli & Pat Schories
The Thank You Book (Elephant & Piggie #25) by Mo Willems
The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Erik Blegvad
A Unicorn Named Sparkle by Amy Young
Dog on a Frog? by Claire Gray, Kes Gray, illustrated by Jim Field
Splat the Cat: I Scream for Ice Cream by Rob Scotton, Laura Driscoll, illustrated by Robert Eberz
The Gingerbread Cookie Mystery (First-Grade Friends Forever) by Judy Katschke, illustrated by Clare Elsom
Our Cool School (First-Grade Friends Forever) by Judy Katschke
Farm Animals (National Geographic Readers: Level 1 Co-Reader) by Joanne Mattern
The Poky Little Puppy (Step into Reading) by Kristen L. Depken

Book Reviews Posted in January (but not necessarily read in January):

Non-Book Review Posts in January:

Challenge & Read-Along Updates:

#COYER Winter Switch ~ I managed to read five books for phase one, The Strict, of the challenge:

Mrs. Claus: Not the Fairy Tale They Say edited by Rhonda Parrish
Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley
The Wicked City by Beatriz Williams
Claws for Concern by Miranda James
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

Phase two, The List is well under way, and I have read four books from the list (I read one of the books during the previous phase and so it doesn't count). I hope to fit in at least one or two more books before the next phase begins on February 10th, The One With a Twist.

What's In A Name Reading Challenge ~ I have read one book that counts toward this challenge so far. Not a bad start for the beginning of the year. Five more categories to go!

The Grand World of Books Reviews Bingo ~ I have read four books that fit on my bingo card so far, only two on the same line. It's a start!

Unruly Reader Bingo ~ Since I am trying not to duplicate books read for categories in my other bingo challenge, I haven't yet checked off any boxes in this one.

2018 Witches and Witchcraft Reading Challenge ~ I will soon be able to count at least one book towards this challenge--but not just yet.

2018 Discussion Post Challenge ~ I combined my first discussion post with the All About It Challenge, tackling the subject of seasonal reading. Of my list of topics to discuss, this was actually not on it, but it seemed to fit given the direction my post was going.

2018 Blog All About It Challenge ~ I may have went a little off track with this one as my post isn't exactly about winter, January's topic. I was following a stream of conscience you could say, and took it where it led me.

Les Misérables Read-Along ~ I did very well for the first month of this read-along, falling behind occasionally but then getting ahead. There was a lot of that. I love Victor Hugo's writing. You can tell he is a poet at heart. I have spent time with Jean Valjean as he struggled to get on his feet after so many years in prison and am now visiting with Fantine, young woman who gave her heart to the wrong man.

War and Peace Read-Along ~ I honestly didn't think I would be able to make the deadline for January, but I did with a few days to spare. What started out as a very slow read for me (and is still rather slow going) has been a better experience than in years past when I have attempted to read the book. Maybe it is the familiarity to the material or perhaps I am just more motivated to read the book this time. Regardless, I am looking forward to reading more and hoping I continue to keep up. I do have one complaint though about the translation I am reading. I do wish the French had been translated alongside the Russian. Having to visit the footnotes with the less familiar French passages is a bit of a pain.

My Bullet Journal: I am enjoying it quite a bit, although I wish I had made more time to set it up ahead of time. I decided to only do a month at a time in case I wanted to change how I was utilizing it. Finding time to sit down and work on the next month has proven to be a challenge given how busy life is right now. I am finding the checklists helpful, if a bit repetitive. I especially like my section for the challenges I am involved in. It's an easy reference at a glance.

A sample of my challenge pages

My January Calendar

Besides my daily checklists, I have a little section in which I track my daily water intake, exercise and time out for reading--I call it my self-care section. I also have a section in which each day I jot down at least three things I am grateful for. It could be something as simple as a hot shower to something bigger like my mom's surgery going well. It's become a part of my nightly ritual.

A sample of my daily log

Someone else wanted to keep her own journal too!

(Mouse drew the picture, but is willing to let Gracie take credit for it if she wants.)

How did your January shape up reading wise? What was your favorite book you read in January?

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.

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Wishing for Wednesday: The Storm King and Sunburn

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to

spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read.

These two new titles caught my eye recently and I could not help but add that to my wish list.

The Storm King by Brendan Duffy (400 pgs)

Release Date: February 6, 2018 by Ballantine Books

Haunted by dark secrets and an unsolved mystery, a young doctor returns to his isolated Adirondacks hometown in a tense, atmospheric novel in the vein of Michael Koryta and Harlan Coben.

Burying the past only gives it strength—and fury.

Nate McHale has assembled the kind of life most people would envy. After a tumultuous youth marked by his inexplicable survival of a devastating tragedy, Nate left his Adirondack hometown of Greystone Lake and never looked back. Fourteen years later, he’s become a respected New York City surgeon, devoted husband, and loving father.

Then a body is discovered deep in the forests that surround Greystone Lake.

This disturbing news finally draws Nate home. While navigating a tense landscape of secrets and suspicion, resentments and guilt, Nate reconnects with estranged friends and old enemies, and encounters strangers who seem to know impossible things about him. Haunting every moment is the Lake’s sinister history and the memory of wild, beautiful Lucy Bennett, with whom Nate is forever linked by shattering loss and youthful passion.

As a massive hurricane bears down on the Northeast, the air becomes electric, the clouds grow dark, and escalating acts of violence echo events from Nate’s own past. Without a doubt, a reckoning is coming—one that will lay bare the lies that lifelong friends have told themselves and unleash a vengeance that may consume them all. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read it: Lately, I seem to be drawn to covers with water dripping down--the rain effect, I call it. That was what first caught my eye when I saw this one. Then I was drawn to the story itself--a haunting past that will no longer stay hidden.

Sunburn by Lisa Lippman (304 pgs)

Release Date: February 20, 2018 by William Morrow

New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman returns with a superb novel of psychological suspense about a pair of lovers with the best intentions and the worst luck: two people locked in a passionate yet uncompromising game of cat and mouse. But instead of rules, this game has dark secrets, forbidden desires, inevitable betrayals—and cold-blooded murder.

One is playing a long game. But which one?

They meet at a local tavern in the small town of Belleville, Delaware. Polly is set on heading west. Adam says he’s also passing through. Yet she stays and he stays—drawn to this mysterious redhead whose quiet stillness both unnerves and excites him. Over the course of a punishing summer, Polly and Adam abandon themselves to a steamy, inexorable affair. Still, each holds something back from the other—dangerous, even lethal, secrets.

Then someone dies. Was it an accident, or part of a plan? By now, Adam and Polly are so ensnared in each other’s lives and lies that neither one knows how to get away—or even if they want to. Is their love strong enough to withstand the truth, or will it ultimately destroy them?

Something—or someone—has to give.

Which one will it be? [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read it: I have enjoyed Laura Lippman's work in the past and will pick up just about any book she's written just because it has her name on it. This one sounds a bit different than her other books, but I don't think I will be able to resist it.

Do either of these sound like something you would like to read too?

Monday, January 29, 2018

Discussion: Are You A Seasonal Reader?

While this post is not exactly about winter, January's theme for the Blog All About It Challenge, it is borne from my initial thought of winter and a recent conversation I had with my 6 year old. Kind of like a stream of conscience . . . Which then lead to an idea for a Discussion Challenge post.

My daughter was adamant her birthday was in the spring. That was until the bubble was burst, and she discovered she was really born in winter. I explained to her that this seemed to be a family pattern. She was born in winter but wished she was born in spring. Her dad wished he was born in summer, but was really born in spring. And I was born in the summer, but wished I was born in the fall. We were each born in season transition months, just too early to actually fall into our seasons of preference. I told Mouse we are all close enough—so we might as well say we were born in the spring, summer and fall, respectively. Why not? If people can say fall starts in August with the start of school . . .

This got me thinking about reading and the seasons. Christmas is about the only time of year I try to read seasonally-themed books. Even then, that is a fairly new practice of mine—or at least I am more consistent about it these days than I have been before. It all started when I began reading romance again. There is just something about the snow (which I do not get where I live), the high sucrose holiday spirit, and all those happy endings. It shouts Christmas, even if not winter exactly. More of an end of fall, early winter, really.

I know some readers gravitate toward summery books in the winter and snowy wintery books in the summer—maybe to compensate for the extreme weather at either end. Many of you who participate in the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril (R.I.P.) Challenge use fall as the opportunity to read more thrillers, horror, and fantasy. There are readers who like to read heavier or denser books during the winter months and lighter books in summer. I know one person who uses summer to read the classics—she has more time to concentrate on them with school being out.

I personally associate fall with cozies and spring with historical fiction. I cannot say I actually stick to those types of books during those times of year, but it’s what I think of when I think of books and seasons.

Tracking my reading over the years has given me a window into my own reading patterns. I do not feel like I read seasonally, other than around Christmas time. I cannot even say I read more quantity-wise in one season or another. My reading tends to fluctuate depending on what I have going on in my life. In high stress times, I may read lighter or fast paced reads, while at other times I delve into deeper and more emotional-charged reads.

This winter I find myself craving both thrillers and fantasy, and not necessarily together. I am not sure what the connection, if any, that has to the season, but it seems to be the direction my reading has gone as of late. I tend to think this has more to do with my general reading mood rather than the seasons themselves, however.