It's Monday! What Are You Reading? & Mailbox Monday - Aug 3

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 to August! Is it feeling like the year is passing too quickly? It sure is for me. Four closings expected this month, and two more anticipated for September if all goes well. Expecting three new listings between now and September as well. 

Other than work, I managed to squeeze in some reading time, planned all our meals for August, and moved my office down to the first floor — with the help of my other half, of course. It's not done yet, but I'm down here more than upstairs now. 

The Lil' Diva will celebrate a birthday soon, and the Lil' Princess is coming down here that week to spend some time with us. Life is good.

Here is a reading rundown:

Did not touch The Ladies Hall by Vanessa Miller, and I wonder if I will get to it. 

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

Almost finished Love on the Shelf by Sheila Roberts. 

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. 

Nothing new in the mailbox this week, thank goodness. I am so far behind on my reading. 

Upcoming Events

Staged by Caitlin Rother - TBD (Review)

Massawa by Pam Weber - TBD (Review)

Love on the Shelf by Sheila Roberts - TBD (Review)

Christmas Year Round

Thought it would be fun to talk about some toy crazes for this week's Journey through Christmases Past. You can find that here.

The Children's and Teens' Book Connection

At The Children's and Teens' Book Connection, I'm discussing the growing trend to return to print-based learning and handwriting. You can read that here.

Laura's Little Houses

I am working on an article about traumatic episodes of Little House on the Prairie. Doesn't that sound cheery?

That is it from my place on the planet. Catch up with you soon!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? & Mailbox Monday - Jan 5

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 New Year, everyone! Hope you enjoyed your holidays. Were you able to relax a bit? Like many, I return to work today. Granted, my schedule is more flexible than others, but I've appreciated having some time to refresh and restore my tired body and soul. 

Here are some recent photos: 

Gifts from one of my real estate clients

Spent a wonderful amount of time

in the kitchen

Travis took over my new basket

Dwight likes my wrapping supplies

Between Christmas and New Year's, I was able to catch up on reading and blogging. 

My review of this Advent devotional by Cynthia Ruchti appears here.

My review of the seasonal romance, Christmas on Reindeer Road by Debbie Mason appears here. 

I am halfway through reading the I Heard The Bells Christmas novella collection by the Fab Four authors. 

I also started Hooked by Cailtin Rother. 

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. 

I downloaded a Kindle freebie a couple of days ago. Doesn't Write Me a Ghost Story by Phillipa Wozniak sound good? 

Myrtle Glubber came to the Hawaiian writers’ retreat looking for sunshine, snacks, and some lighthearted mystery—not an actual corpse.

Instead, the seasoned sleuth and her steadfast sidekick Stanley are swept into a chilling mix of island folklore, ghost stories, and a suspicious group of mystery authors who may be hiding more than plot twists. Before the workshops even begin, a murder shatters the tropical calm, and Myrtle finds herself at the heart of a real-life whodunit. Trapped on the island by a washed-out bridge and surrounded by writers with shifting stories and shady motives, Myrtle must rely on her instincts—and Stanley’s quiet support—as the danger creeps closer. A thoughtful retired detective offers help and history, but even his steady presence can’t protect them from the rising tension… or the next murder.

Can Myrtle unravel the tangled mystery before the killer strikes again?

Rich with ghostly legends, sly humor, and an older heroine who’s still got it, this paranormal cozy is a page-turner for anyone who believes murder and mayhem don’t retire when you do.

Buy this Myrtle Ghost Story today—because on this island, the spirits are restless, and the killer has a deadline.

Upcoming Events

Hooked by Catilin Rother - January (Review)

Tender Dreams, Harsh Reality by John Beilharz - Jan 26 (Interview)

Artsy Rambler by Evy and Rich Journey - Feb 3 (Spotlight)

Winter's Season by R. J. Koreto - Feb 13 (Spotlight)

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

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

Christmas Year Round

At my Christmas blog, I posted my final Christmas... in the news segment for Christmas 2025. I'm thinking of ideas for what to replace it with until Christmas news is plentiful again. You can check it out here.

The Children's and Teens' Book Connection

I shared some of the children's books that are currently on my Kindle. Check them out here. I also linked to my New Year's Day post at Christian Children's Authors. You can find that here.

Laura's Little Houses

My top five favorite episodes from the eighth season of Little House on the Prairie are posted here. 

That's it from me this week. Wishing you a blessed 2026! 

Top ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books with Honorifics in the Title

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.    

It is Tuesday again. Mine is going to be filled with meetings and appointments, but if you comment, I will visit you. This week's Top Ten Tuesday is all about honorifics (“…an honorific is a form of address conveying esteem, courtesy or respect. These can be titles prefixing a person’s name, e.g.: Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms., Mx., Sir, Dame, Dr., Cllr, Lady, or Lord, or other titles or positions that can appear as a form of address without the person’s name, as in Mr. President, General, Captain, Father, Doctor, or Earl.”) Not sure how many of these I will get, but let's see how it goes.

Top Ten Books with Honorifics in the Title

Madame Presidentess by Nicole Evelina. You can read my First Chapter Review here.

What the Bishop Saw by Vannetta Chapman. You can read my review here. 

Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara. This one made a TTT for one of the top ten books I read before I was a blogger. You can see that list here. 

Once We Were Kings by Ian Alexander. Read my review here.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Love me a good revenge story. 

For the King by Catherine Delors. You can read my review here. 

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman by Teresa Warfield. This novel is based on the television series. 

The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb: A Novel by Melanie Benjamin. This was the first novel by Benjamin that I read. You can see my review here. 

I featured The Spinster, the Rebel, and the Governor by Charlene Bell Dietz in 2024. You can read an excerpt here. 

Hooray, It's Three Kings Day! by Annette M. Clayton. You can read my review here.

Enjoy browsing these books with honorifics in the title.