It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Aug 24

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! Hope you had a great week. We are creeping closer to the end of August, and I am ready! Not that I have time for it, but I really want to decorate for fall. I actually listened to Christmas music last week. I bought some new flour to try out different recipes, and this weekend, I made a bunch of chicken broth and banana bread. 

Shifting to reading...

Hope to write my review of The Ladies Hall by Vanessa Miller this week. 

I didn't read The Eyes of River last week. 

Dived into Staged by Caitlin Rother. 

Loving Massawa by Pam Webber. 

I need to write a review of Food is Medicine by Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DRPH.

Also need to read:

• A Christmas Carol Devotional: 25 Advent Reflections from Charles Dickens's Beloved Classic by Rachel Dodge
• The Christmas Yes List by Melissa Ferguson
• Beginner's Guide to Using an AI Assistant by Hank Quense

I have 45 days on this devotional. 

I only have 14 days left on this one. Yikes!

Upcoming Events

• Evan's Stormy Voyage by Karen Charles - Sep 24 (Review at TC&TBC)
• She Forgot She Was Free by Giselle Mascarenhas - Oct 14 (Review)

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. 

Nothing new this week. I am pretending to behave. 

Christmas Year Round

Journey through Christmases Past explores Christmas 1954. You can read that here.

The Children's and Teens' Book Connection

Nothing new, but I will post something soon. 

Laura's Little Houses

Sharing my thoughts on the Netflix adaptation of Little House on the Prairie today at Laura's Little Houses. Check that out here. 

Photos for a new listing, therapy, and a final walk-through today. I will check in as I can. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Book Series I Want to Catch Up On or Start

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. 

Tuesday has come around again. We only have two more Tuesdays before August is done. Then my favorite months, the "-ber months," arrive. Here in New England, we are blessed with four seasons. There is something magical about watching nature's transformation from winter to spring to summer and fall that reminds me that life is always renewing itself. Just as invigorating as it is to haul the tools out after the long winter and spend time in the garden, harvesting the fruits of your labors and preparing the beds to rest as the weather grows colder is a reminder that every season offers its own kind of beauty and gentle transition.

Let's talk about books. This week's Top Ten Tuesday is about book series, those we want to catch up on or start. This is a hard one for two reasons: there are series I will never catch up on, so I don't know that I want to try, and I tend not to read as many series books as I used to. I will give it a shot.

1. Cedar Cove by Debbie Macomber - Discovered this one thanks to the Hallmark Channel series, but there are enough books that catching up is unlikely right now.
2. A Prairie Legacy by Janette Oke - This is a four-book series that continues with the saga of the Davis family, whom we meet in her Love Comes Softly series. I bought these books on eBay in 2024. Would love to read them next year.
3. Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer - I read the first two books with my girls when they came out. Not my typical genre, but I enjoyed them. Complete with four primary books, a prequel, and an anthology, I could probably read this one. It's just not on my mind these days.
4. Caitlin Strong by Jon Land - When Land was touring with his Caitlin Strong novels, I read some of them. However, life got in the way, and I never finished reading this eleven-book series. I own several of them. I don't read as many books like this these days, but they are superb.
5. Deputy Tempe Crabtree by Marilyn Meredith - I can't believe I am even admitting this. Marilyn, I hope you're not reading this. Marilyn and I met when I worked with Dorothy, owner of Pump Up Your Book. I ended up promoting several of these books and creating video trailers for some of them. I just never went back and read the books before Smell of Death, even though I own them.
6. Daughter of the Mayflower by various authors - I loved everything about this series, but I couldn't keep up with how quickly the books were coming out. So, I stopped requesting them. I think I own the entire series. Really need to make time for them. 
7. Murder, She Wrote by Jessica Fletcher et al. - I loved this as a television series, so one would think I would have discovered the books decades ago. Nope. I only own three of them--the last two that Jon Land wrote and another that I picked up from a library book sale. I've read Land's books. Considering there are now 64 books in the series, there is no way I will ever read them all.
8. Lighthouse Library Mystery by Eva Gates - I bought the first two books in the series because they are set on the Outer Banks. Have I read them? No. My schedule is always so crazy. With 13 books in the series, it is not looking good for me.
9. Lucy Stone Mystery by Leslie Meier - I met this author at a local writers conference decades ago. I bought one of these books, but have never read it. So far, there are 32 books. No hope of catching up with this one.
10. Secrets of the Blue and Gray by Vanessa Lind - This one caught my eye recently, and I would love to read these four books. Have you read them yet? 

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.

Tell Me Something Tuesday is on hiatus until September. Check back for more prompts then.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? & Mailbox Monday - Aug 17

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. 

Oh, golly, Miss Molly, it is Monday again! Hope you enjoyed your week. The Lil' Diva celebrated a birthday last Tuesday, and the Lil' Princess visited for a few days. It was nice to have both of them around. Work is still kicking my behind, and at this point, I am glad this isn't my first year in real estate, or there wouldn't be another one. SpongeBob states my feelings exactly. 

Managed some reading last week, and I hope to get some writing done this coming weekend. We will see how that goes. Here are a couple of photos:

Sunday night dinner

The Lil' Princess and us at her favorite place

As far as reading goes, I still need to write my review of The Ladies Hall by Vanessa Miller.

I didn't read The Eyes of River last week. 

Need to pick up Staged by Caitlin Rother this week. 

I started Massawa by Pam Weber on Saturday.

I am almost finished with Food is Medicine by Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DRPH.

Also need to read:

• A Christmas Carol Devotional: 25 Advent Reflections from Charles Dickens's Beloved Classic by Rachel Dodge
• The Christmas Yes List by Melissa Ferguson
• Beginner's Guide to Using an AI Assistant by Hank Quense

Upcoming Events

• The Call to Authorship by Tim Lindsay - Aug 17 (Book Blast & Giveaway)
• This Never Happened: A Call Girl in D.C. by Kent Heckenlively - Aug 19 (Spotlight)
• Enheduanna's Song from the Sands by Ellen Rachlin - Aug 21 (Interview)
• Evan's Stormy Voyage by Karen Charles - Sep 24 (Review at TC&TBC)
• She Forgot She Was Free by Giselle Mascarenhas - Oct 14 (Review)

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 week, I picked up A Castle Christmas by Jimmy Bennett at the local Goodwill for $2. 

Giselle Mascarenhas is touring with her book, She Forgot She Was Free. I will be reviewing this one.

Christmas Year Round

Journey through Christmases Past explores Christmas 1869 this week. You can read that here.

The Children's and Teens' Book Connection

I shared a book I will be reviewing in September at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection. You can see that here.

Laura's Little Houses

Nothing new at Laura's Little Houses this week, but I am finally caught up on the Little House on the Prairie 50th Anniversary Podcast. I am sure that will spark ideas. 

Off to bed before a final walk through this morning. Enjoy your day!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? & Mailbox Monday - Aug 10

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. 

Happy Monday! Welcome to my express version of this post, because it is almost 3 am, and I haven't made it to bed yet. Work is nuts, but life is good. Made some yummy food this weekend and took in a Red Sox game with the husband, who caught a fly ball in the grandstand. 

In my reading world:

My review of The Ladies Hall by Vanessa Miller is coming soon.

I didn't pick up The Eyes of River last week. 

I finished and adored Love on the Shelf by Sheila Roberts. Check out my review here.

Need to get moving on Staged by Caitlin Rother, which is the sequel to Hooked.

Massawa by Pam Weber is a book I have not yet started.

Also need to read:

• A Christmas Carol Devotional: 25 Advent Reflections from Charles Dickens's Beloved Classic by Rachel Dodge
• The Christmas Yes List by Melissa Ferguson
• Food is Medicine by Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DRPH
• Beginner's Guide to Using an AI Assistant by Hank Quense

Photo credit: Freepik

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. 

Grabbed His Treasured Bride by Patti Stockdale and Jody Hedlund as a Kindle freebie this weekend. 

Christmas Year Round

Celebrated Book Lovers Day on Sunday at Journey through Christmases Past. You can find that here.

The Children's and Teens' Book Connection

Nothing new at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection.

Laura's Little Houses

Curious what I think are the Five Most Traumatic Little House on the Prairie Episodes? Check out my latest post at Laura's Little Houses here.

That's it for me. Enjoy your Monday!