It's Monday! What Are You Reading? & Mailbox Monday - Oct 19

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and are 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 at the next-to-last Monday of October. How has your month been going so far? I never did buy fall plants to decorate my porch. The house is barely decorated. I have so many wonderful ideas and little time to implement them. Oh, well! Next year could be different. I would much rather cook and bake than decorate anyway, which I've done a bunch of this month. I am hoping to make banana bread and Autumn Spiced Jam this week. Depends on how things go. I might have a listing that I didn't expect. The Lil' Princess is home for a few days, so I might steal some work hours to spend time with her. 

On Saturday, the Lil' Diva and one of her friends joined us at the Greek Festival at St. Luke's. On Sunday, my sisters and I went to the 5th Annual Mystic Apple Festival at Olde Mistick Village. It wasn't as thrilling as expected, but it was still fun. Here are a few photos:

Love me some good Greek food

Wooden Advent calendars (Will Santa bring me one?)

Would also like Santa to bring me this train

Irish omelette at Somewhere In Time Cafe (They have a Winnie the Pooh theme)

I thought of Travis and the Lil' Princess when I saw this ornament

ProWritingAid is hosting Novel November (NovNov) again this year. Is anyone participating? I doubt I will, but I might use some of that motivation to work on Sheltered Hearts. I am about halfway done. Considering that I want to participate in this year's Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon, writing time will be impacted. My brain could probably use the break. 

As far as reading goes, it was a better week than last week, but still not as productive as I needed to stay on top of my reading goals and commitments. 

I didn't open The Eyes of River by Cindy K. Sproles because all I really want to read is holiday fiction right now. Loved what I had read, and need to get back to it. 

I still haven't started Harboring the Enemy: The Civil War Heroine History Forgot by R. C. Duffy yet. 

I finished She Forgot She Was Free: Returning to the Girl You Were Before the World Got Loud by Giselle Mascarenhas. You can read my review here.

I read more of  The TV MBA: Business Lessons from Popular Culture by Rhymer Rigby. Such fascinating material. 

I finished Still Wild: Poems from the Bear Shack by Suzanne Sunshower. Look for the review in December.

Continued with Building A StoryBrand 2.0: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller. I might want to order this in printed form.  

I read the first few chapters of  Starry-Eyed Christmas by Sheila Roberts for a December review.

 

I am also looking forward to reading Soledad and the Curse of the Phoenix by Mindy Baker. 

Upcoming Events

• Drive Down the Purchase Price of Your New Car by Dale Dallman - Oct 23 (Interview & Giveaway)
• Yuletide Murder at Sea by Sue Stewart - Nov 4 (Interview)
• Still Wild: Poems from the Bear Shack by Suzanne Sunshower - Dec 14 (Review)
• Starry-Eyed for Christmas by Sheila Roberts - Dec 16 (Review)
• Sugar Sand Land by Patricia Leavy - Dec 17 (Spotlight & Giveaway)

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books they added to their shelves the previous week. This weekly meme was last hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach. It appears to be on hiatus, but I keep sharing new books. 

As is typical when I feel overwhelmed, I buy things. Usually books. I guess I could have worse habits. I grabbed Countdown to Christmas from Dianna Houx's Holiday Countdown series with credits. 

Arriving tomorrow is The Christmas Courier by Roseanna M. White. 

I also added Yuletide Murder at Sea by Sue A. Stewart and The Christmas Cottage by Fiona Baker to my Kindle Unlimited library. 

Christmas Year Round

I skipped Journey through Christmases Past this week because I was out with my sisters. However, I announced a new feature for authors coming up during the holiday season.

The Christmas Memory Collection will feature authors sharing memories, traditions, and other holiday stories. If you wish to participate, you can find the details here. I already have my first two authors signed up. Space is limited. 

The Children's and Teens' Book Connection

I reviewed Mixter's Monster Mash by Regan W. H. Macaulay. You can read that review here.

Laura's Little Houses

Still working on a character profile of Harriet Oleson. These take a fair amount of time, and I haven't had much time to spare lately. 

Phew! That was a lot. Hope you enjoyed traveling through my week with me. Looking forward to reading what you've been up to in the last seven days. 

Book Review: She Forgot She Was Free: Returning to the Girl You Were Before the World Got Loud by Giselle Mascarenhas

 

She Forgot She Was Free: Returning to the Girl You Were Before the World Got Loud by Giselle Mascarenhas provides you with time to step back, reflect, and return to who you always knew you were.

Mascarenhas shares her journey from childhood through adulthood, the ups and downs of various relationships and business opportunities, and how she returned to little Gi and finally learned how to choose herself. As the author shares her story, she empowers you to do the same. Through five guided reflections, you have moments to reflect and take action to return to "the girl you were before the world got loud."

What a beautifully told inspirational experience awaits you in She Forgot Who She Was. Mascarenhas joins the ranks of other inspirational women who remind us that the person we were as a child still lives inside us, and that she was always enough. We don't need to perform for others or pretend to be different. We just need to remember who we always were. 

There were moments when I struggled with this book because I couldn't always find it relatable, but as I continued, the message became clearer to me. We are all on a journey. The memories and experiences can be different, but we are connected in our womanhood to the little girls we once were, and we are freer when we find our way back to them. 

One of the joys of this time of life is realizing what really matters and understanding how important it is to be true to ourselves. I applaud women who have always stayed in touch with the power of the little girl they once were. For some of us, we need to be reminded of her creativity, brilliance, imagination, and her strength. She Forgot Who She Was will get you there.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0H6M1PSHT
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mija Media House
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 23, 2026
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 132 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8234125965

I received a copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, and I was not compensated in any way. 

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Prologues/Epilogues - Love or Hate Them? Why?

 

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 requests that you share your link in their weekly post on their website (which 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. 

Happy Wednesday! Today, I am going to attempt to take a few hours off to spend with the Lil' Diva. Before I do, however, I wanted to be sure to participate in this week's Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge. Let's talk prologues and epilogues.

A prologue is "the preface or introduction to a literary work." Whereas an epilogue is "a concluding section that rounds out the design of a literary work." Think before and after. 

I'm a huge fan of prologues and epilogues. I like to read them to:

• Discover something outside of the novel's contents
• Get a hint of what to expect in the body of the story
• Have storylines neatly tied up

However, they should be brief. Otherwise, make a prologue or epilogue a chapter in the story. 

What do you think?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Book Covers with Black Cats and Tell Me Something Tuesday: What Animal Do You Think Best Represents Your Personality?

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. 

Here we are at Tuesday again. Hope your week is going well. I start today with a closing and hosting a broker's open. 

Top Ten Tuesday asked us to share books with autumnal covers, but since I posted about book covers that inspire me to take a fall road trip recently, it seems like another idea would work better. So, in honor of our black cat, Travis, here are...

Top Ten Book Covers with Black Cats

Hex the Halls by Mindy Kalsky et al.

A Whiskered Perspective by M. G. Spear

Halloween Murder by Leslie Meier

Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton

Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper

Pete the Cat Saves Christmas by James Dean and Eric Litwin

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

MEOW! by Vanessa Morgan

Where Did Panther Go? by Vivian Zabel

M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman

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 prompt asks: What animal do you think best represents your personality? Try not to be unnerved by my answer. LOL!

This is where my love of cartoons shines through. Since my days of watching Looney Tunes in front of the only television in our childhood home, Taz has been my favorite character. Like the Tasmanian devil, I am social in groups where I am comfortable. I consider myself passionate, expressive, and full of life. However, I am also feisty, loud, and impulsive, so I can be a bit unpredictable... though I don't think I am quite as unpredictable as Looney Tunes Taz. 

Looking forward to reading your blogs later today. 

Book Spotlight and Giveaway: Dazzled by the Light: Linda Goodman, Pop Astrology and the New Age by Karen Christino

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Karen Christino will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

New Age trailblazer Linda Goodman wrote best-selling books and empowered millions with astrology’s insights. Strong willed, complicated and fiercely independent, she had three husbands, six kids, legions of fans, and extraordinary success. An idealistic seeker, she believed she could create the world she chose; yet with her daughter’s suicide at 21, she shrank from reality. Dazzled by the Light covers Linda’s West Virginia roots, her relationship struggles, professional achievements and financial setbacks. Enriched with in-depth research, vivid portraits of New Age figures, friends’ candid recollections, and Linda’s effervescent prose, this comprehensive biography illuminates the life and times of an enigmatic icon.

Read an Excerpt

Love Letters radio show, 1957

Before Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs success, her most successful project was a radio show called “Love Letters from Linda.” She was preoccupied with love, and was an adroit letter writer; “Love Letters” combined the two. Her show aired in Pittsburgh, where the family had moved in 1957.

From the perspective of a mother of three in a secure marriage, the project may have helped put her sometimes tumultuous past in context. We can envision Linda writing passionate letters to her ex-husband Bill Snyder overseas in the 1940s, while listening to sentimental standards on the radio. Then ten years later imagining penning the loving and supportive missives she would have preferred, or the kind of letters she and her current husband Sam might have exchanged.

The show allowed her to relive her younger days when life held few limitations or responsibilities, when she was a beauty pageant contestant. Linda was the writer and the announcer for the show, which featured romantic songs from the 1940s. She probably read letters she’d created to depict correspondence between soldiers and their sweethearts at home.

“Love Letters” was broadcast in October of 1957 on Monday and Thursday evenings on WJAS in downtown Pittsburgh, and ran through 1961. Linda probably refreshed the letters and switched up the songs. She, herself, was often nostalgic for the past. But the show was innovative, since “oldies” radio didn’t become popular until the 1960s and ‘70s. Once the family moved to New York City, Goodman set her sights on bigger things.

About the Author: A consulting astrologer for over 20 years, Karen Christino has written nine books about astrology and horoscopes for Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Modern Bride, and Seventeen magazines. She has a B.A. from Colgate University and also studied at Columbia University.

Website: https://karenchristino.com/
Dazzled by the Light book page: https://karenchristino.com/books/dazzled-by-the-light-linda-goodman/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100014294347020
Dazzled on Amazon: https://link.amazon/B0hZwAWIm

Karen Christino will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Oct 12

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and are 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. 

Welcome back to Monday! I hope you had a wonderful week. Mine was filled with gardening, eating out, networking events, and real estate offers. Here are a few photos:

Found these potatoes hiding in the dirt when I emptied the growing bags. That always happens. 

Grabbed a bite to eat for lunch while working one day. It's good to treat yourself every once in a while.

Hanging out with one of the lenders I know. Won a great picnic backpack filled with fun stuff. 

Today, the Lil' Princess is coming home for a few days, which makes me happy. 

As far as reading goes, it was a slower week than expected. I didn't open The Eyes of River by Cindy K. Sproles last week. 

I haven't started Harboring the Enemy: The Civil War Heroine History Forgot by R. C. Duffy yet, but I better soon. 

I finished She Forgot She Was Free: Returning to the Girl You Were Before the World Got Loud by Giselle Mascarenhas. Look for my review on October 14.

I read a bit of The TV MBA: Business Lessons from Popular Culture by Rhymer Rigby. 

I finished Still Wild: Poems from the Bear Shack by Suzanne Sunshower. Look for the review in December.

I finished The Knot: Problems Can Be Solved by Seth Godin this week. Liked the contents. Probably need it in printed form to make the most of it. 

Then I started Building A StoryBrand 2.0: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller. This book is fascinating so far. 

 

Upcoming Events

• She Forgot She Was Free by Giselle Mascarenhas - Oct 14 (Review)
• Still Wild: Poems from the Bear Shack by Suzanne Sunshower - Dec 14 (Review)
• Starry-Eyed for Christmas by Sheila Roberts - Dec 16 (Review)
• Sugar Sand Land by Patricia Leavy - Dec 17 (Spotlight & Giveaway)

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books they added to their shelves the previous week. This weekly meme was last hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach. It appears to be on hiatus, but I keep sharing new books. 

Two new holiday books arrived this week. 

Starry-Eyed Christmas by Sheila Roberts for a December review.

I grabbed The Wish Book Christmas by Lynn Austin from my wish list. 

Christmas Year Round

This week's Journey through Christmases Past post is about Columbus, Indigenous celebrations, and Canada. Check it out here. 

The Children's and Teens' Book Connection

Recent reviews at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection include:

Day in the Snow by Fiona Craig

Counting Winter by Nancy White Carlstrom

I also added another "What Do You Think?" post. This one is about favorite children's books. You can read that here. 

Laura's Little Houses

I am currently working on a character profile of Harriet Oleson. 

Lots going on, but it is all fun stuff. Hoping to take Wednesday off so I can spend time with our daughter before she heads back to Maine on Friday. That's it from my end of the world. Enjoy your week!