It's Monday! What Are You Reading? & Mailbox Monday - Feb 23

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to that ever-growing TBR pile! So welcome, everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and was then taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. 

Happy snowy Monday! Well, at least it is here anyway. Our latest weather event of winter 2025-2026 arrived last night. We are anticipating anywhere between 8 and 14 inches before it ends on Tuesday morning. Blizzard conditions with high winds and low visibility are expected. Thankfully, I rescheduled my appointment for today, and I expect our Tuesday office meeting will be canceled. Not quite sure where we will put all this new white stuff. We were just beginning to see over the mounds of snow to safely pull out of side streets. Please pray for all those who might lose power and those who still have to work in such a storm. 

Last week was a good one, with a decent balance of work and real life. However, I didn't get any writing done. Though I am looking over the thirteen pages of story ideas I've amassed over the last decade. My oldest sister and I spent Sunday together and took in some local theater. And exciting news: my nephew and his wife welcomed twins! 

Here are a few photos from the week:

In preparation for the Great Lenten fast, which starts today, I made Lagana, a Greek flatbread

My sister and I had breakfast at Reid's Corner on Sunday morning

I bought this colorful tunic top from The Scented Garden Gift Shoppe, 

which is my favorite local place to shop

My niece Bella delivered my Girl Scout cookie order 

I finished Creepy Kid by Caleb Roehrig. I loved everything about this book! Look for my review soon at my kid's book blog. 

I still need to write my review of Chapters and Second Chances by Evelyn Grace Berry. 

Also need to write my review of I Heard the Bells. 

I kept Before Dorothy by Hazel Gaynor on my virtual bookshelf. Instead, I continued listening to 100 Rules for Living to 100: An Optimist's Guide to a Happy Life by Dick Van Dyke. It's such a great book!

I started Dream Facades: The Cruel Architecture of Reality TV by Jack Balderrama Morley. 

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books they added to their shelves the previous week. This weekly meme is now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach. 

This first book is by a local lender I know. I grabbed Get Moving! by Angela Tourville and Michael K. Tourville with my Amazon digital credits. 

The rest of these were free as a newsletter subscriber. 

A Surprise Harvest Bride by Wendy Klopfenstein

The Marshal's Surrender by Wendy Galinetti

Honor's Mountain Promise by Misty M. Beller

Leaving Waverly by Sra R. Turnquist

Upcoming Events

I Heard the Bells by Darlene L. Turner et al - February (Review)

Chapters and Second Chances by Evelyn Grace Berry - February (Review)

Hook, Line, and Murder by GG Calpo - Mar 2 (Interview)

Agatha Christie, She Watched by Teresa Peschel - Apr 15 (Review)

Christmas Year Round

Christmas Year Round's latest "Journey through Christmases Past" travels back to Christmas 1955. You can read my post here.

The Children's and Teens' Book Connection

Nothing new at my kid's book blog. My review of Creepy Kid and another book should be posted soon. 

Laura's Little Houses

Nothing new at Laura's Little Houses, but I plan to work on my Albert Quinn Ingalls profile today. 

I'm hoping to schedule reviews today, since I doubt I will have as much work as usual. The end of the week will be busier. Looking forward to visiting your blogs!

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Song Lyrics That Make Me Cringe

 

The Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge is hosted by Long and Short Reviews. They offer this blog hop as a weekly prompt to help you gain new friends and visitors. You don't have to participate every week, but if you decide to post and join the blog hop for a week, Long and Short Reviews asks that you share your link on their weekly post on their website (it will be the top post on the home page each Wednesday morning). The link list remains open for new links for 48 hours. Visit the other bloggers participating to see what they discuss that week. Comments are appreciated. 

Last week's Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge asked us to share our favorite song lyrics. This week, it is time to share the song lyrics that make us cringe. While the Internet and I seem to have differing opinions on what makes lyrics cringy, we will see what I come up with.

Cringy stalker vibes: because nothing says true love like being hunted down and collected.

I will have you,

yes, I will have you

I will find a way, 

and I will have you

Like a butterfly, 

a wild butterfly

I will collect you and capture you

"Obsession" by Animotion

Cringy animal love: couldn't we all have done without mating muskrats? 

And they whirl and they twirl and they tango

Singin' and jinglin' a jango

Floatin' like the heavens above

Looks like muskrat love

Muskrat Love" by Captain & Tennille

Cringy dark thoughts: made even more tragic by Chester Bennington's death in 2017.*

I'm holding on

Why is everything so heavy

Holding on

Just so much more than I can carry

I keep dragging around what's bringing me down

If I just let go

I'd be set free

Holding on

Why is everything so heavy

"Heavy" by Linkin Park

*This is my favorite song by Linkin Park. It was relatable at a time when I struggled and only wanted to find a way to be happy again. Now, on the other side of that terrible time, the sheer pain in these lyrics is hard to read and listen to, but Bennington's decision to share so much of his own struggle remains an enduring part of his legacy. 

Cringy bad: aren't we still shaking our heads over how this song made it on the air?

Yesterday was Thursday, Thursday

Today i-is Friday, Friday (Partyin')

We-we-we so excited

We so excited

We gonna have a ball today

Tomorrow is Saturday

And Sunday comes afterwards

I don't want this weekend to end

"Friday" by Rebecca Black

What song do you think has cringy lyrics? 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books for Armchair Travelers & Tell Me Something Tuesday: Are there any books you've read that changed your perspective on a subject?

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

Happy Tuesday! I am finally caught up with visits from last week. I thank you for sticking with me. This should be an easier week.

Top Ten Tuesday is discussing books for armchair travelers. This is such a neat topic. Let's see what I come up with from my years of reading and blogging.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren is set on the island of Maui in Hawaii. 

The setting for The House Between Tides by Sarah Maine is the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. 

Modern Girls by Jennifer S. Brown is set in the borough of Manhattan. 

The imaginative Anne with an E was first introduced to readers in Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. Her adoration of the Prince Edward Island countryside is one of the best parts of the book. 

Could you imagine being taught by Leonardo Da Vinci in Florence, Italy, like the women in Portrait of a Conspiracy by Donna Russo Morin? 

Becoming Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey starts in Vienna, Austria, and then journeys to Versailles in France. 

Karen White's Tradd Street series takes place in historic Charleston, South Carolina. 

Though Hard Luck, Alaska, is a fictional town in Debbie Macomber's Midnight Sons series, can you imagine visiting or living 50 miles north of the Arctic Circle?

The nation's capital can be an intriguing and dangerous place for an armchair traveler if they grab a copy of Executive Command by Gary Grossman. 

Visit the American prairies of Wisconsin and Kansas as the Ingalls family leaves the Big Woods for a new home in Caroline by Sarah Miller. 

Thanks to Freepik for the image

Tell Me Something Tuesday (TMST) is hosted by Jen Twimom at That's What I'm Talking About. TMST is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Participation is optional, and you can leave your comments in the weekly post when you participate. Check it out if you're interested in joining.

This week's Tell Me Something Tuesday asks: Are there any books you've read that changed your perspective on a subject?

Such a tough question. I don't have a good answer. Here's as close as I can get:

• The Left Behind series by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye made the Book of Revelation less confusing to me. 
• Beyond Me by Kathi Macias helped me reflect upon my commitments as a believer in Christ and what it means to accept the call of true discipleship. 
• The Greatest Miracle in the World by Og Mandino reminded me how wonderfully made I am, and that I am called to "do everything with love." Love for myself, love for others, and love for God. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? & Mailbox Monday - Feb 16

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to that ever-growing TBR pile! So welcome, everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and was then taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. 

Here we are on Monday again. Hope you had a nice week. I had meetings, appointments, and events last week, but I should be catching up with all of you today. The highlight of my week is that our Modern Prairie group sent Valentine's Day cards to each other, so I've had lovely thoughts throughout the week from online friends. And, for the first time in 37 years, the husband and I went out to dinner on Valentine's Day. 

Here are photos from last week:

Theo got a new headband

Real estate awards night

Homemade no churn vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce

My dinner on Valentine's Day

Switching to reading, I still need to write my review of Chapters and Second Chances by Evelyn Grace Berry. 

Also need to write my review of I Heard the Bells. 

I left Before Dorothy by Hazel Gaynor on my virtual bookshelf this week. Instead, I continued listening to 100 Rules for Living to 100: An Optimist's Guide to a Happy Life by Dick Van Dyke. I like him more the longer I listen. 

I am reading Creepy Kid by Caleb Roehrig. Love it! 

I need to start Dream Facades: The Cruel Architecture of Reality TV by Jack Balderrama Morley soon. I only have it on NetGalley for 34  more days. It sounds fascinating! 

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books they added to their shelves the previous week. This weekly meme is now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach. 

These two came from the author for review.

Agatha Christie, She Watched and International Agatha Christie, She Watched by Teresa Peschel

Upcoming Events

I Heard the Bells by Darlene L. Turner et al - February (Review)

Chapters and Second Chances by Evelyn Grace Berry - February (Review)

Hook, Line, and Murder by GG Calpo - Mar 2 (Interview)

Agatha Christie, She Watched by Teresa Peschel - Apr 15 (Review)

Christmas Year Round

Christmas Year Round's latest "Journey through Christmases Past" shares the toys of my childhood, one of which is now banned in the United States and Canada. You can find that post here. 

The Children's and Teens' Book Connection

Nothing new at my kid's book blog. 

Laura's Little Houses

Nothing new at Laura's Little Houses. 

Signing out for a couple of hours to visit with a friend. Check in with you this afternoon.