It's Monday! What Are You Reading? & Mailbox Monday - July 21

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.

It's only Sunday, but I am hoping to get a head start on my week because it will be a busy one. Lots of real estate work. Fifty-four percent of my annual goal is closed or under contract. Wish I were further ahead, but I also want to do other things: gardening, writing, and oddly, cross-stitching. Can't say I've had the desire to do that in years, but suddenly want to get back to it again. 

Here are some photos from last week:

Travis likes to hang with Paddy on Sundays

Theo got a grooming

I made blueberry oat and rice flour pancakes on Saturday

Spicy Chilli Sauce Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and asparagus for date night

Considering we just got back from vacation, I didn't have high hopes for any reading. I've been journaling and setting myself up with three things to do each day. The most important one is to start or end each day with prayer. So far, so good. 

Hope to have my review of Stop That Witch! posted this week. I reviewed My Dad Thinks He's a Scream today. You can find that review at The Children's and Teen's Book Connection.  

I didn't read Behind the Scenes by Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley on my Kindle this week. The new device is, however, set up, synced, and fully charged. 

I snuck in a few pages of The Bible Simplified by Zach Windahl on NetGalley. 

I didn't touch Like Driftwood on the Salish Sea by Richard Levine. Since the review is in September, I have some time.

Look for my First Chapter Reviews of these books coming July through September!

Whispers by J. Herman Kleiger

Gone to the Ground by Morgan Hatch

What Lies We Keep by Janet Roberts

Whatever It Takes by Alan Benham 

Need to read Old Flames, New Beginnings by Lea Schizas soon. 

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 didn't buy anything this week, but I added Marrying Noel by Melanie D. Snitker to my Kindle Unlimited library. This is the sixth book in Snitker's Brides of Clearwater series. 

Upcoming Events

• Whispers by J. Herman Kleiger - Jul 23 (First Chapter Review)
• Shooting Stars Above by Patricia Leavy, PhD - Jul 24 (Author Interview)
• Arabesque by M G da Mota - Jul 31 (Book Spotlight)
• Gone to the Ground by Morgan Hatch - Aug 7 (First Chapter Review)
• Like Driftwood on the Salish Sea by Richard Levine - Aug 12 (Author Interview)
• What Lies We Keep by Janet Roberts - Aug 20 (First Chapter Review)
• Whatever it Takes by Alan Brenham - Sep 2 (First Chapter Review)
• Like Driftwood on the Salish Sea by Richard Levine - Sep 15 (Review)

At Christmas Year Round, you will find two new posts:

Christmas in July Crafting Supply Sales

Christmas... in the news

The Children's and Teens' Book Connection has my review of My Dad Thinks He's a Scream. (link above). 

At Laura's Little Houses, I posted another look into which areas of the world visit the blog the most. You can find that post here. 

That's it for me. Might be later in the day when I check in at your blogs. It's going to be a couple of days to start the week.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - July 29

Welcome to It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

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 and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.   

Welcome to the last Monday in July! That sure was fast. We are preparing to bring the Lil' Princess back to college. Where did the summer go? 

My garden is limping along. I've got three peppers, two tomatoes, and a couple of cucumbers. The herbs are doing well. I'll see what the potatoes look like. The berry bushes are coming in nicely. The only thing that is going gangbusters are the mini-pumpkin plants. They have taken over that corner of the yard. Pumpkins don't tend to like my yard; they flower, pumpkins start to grow, and then they die. Not sure I will plant them again. 

Hubby invested in some goofy hats to protect us from bugs

I updated my look with the first pair of shades I've had in 30 years and some new eyeglasses

Reading is also limping along. I reviewed this cute and fun picture book at my children's book blog. You can read my review here.

I finished this one, so hopefully my review appears this week. If you enjoy women's fiction, Sheila Roberts is an author you should check out.

I should finish this one soon. 

I won't make a July review for this one, so looks like August. 

NetGalley says I have 12 days to read this one. 

These are next.

After that, I am in the mood to grab something from my TBR pile. Maybe this one.

Upcoming events:

• The Righteous Arrows by Brian J. Morra - August (Review)
• Truth and Dare by Ann M. Trader - August 5 (First Chapter Review)
• Affiliate Marketing for Beginners by Audrey K. Andado - August 12 (First Chapter Review)
• Dishing Love Daily by Susanne Clark - August 14 (First Chapter Review)
• Knowing by Mark Cox - August 22 (Review)
• Death in St. George's by M. A. Monnin - August 23 (Review)
• Hollywood Underworld by Lindy S. Hudis - August 30 (Review)

You can read the latest Christmas news at the Christmas Year Round blog. Lots of fun Christmas news lately. You can read about the latest here.

That's it for me. Hope you have a great week!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Dec 4

Welcome to It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday.   

 

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 and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.     

Welcome to the first Monday of December. When we started this year in January, did you think time would pass so quickly? I swear, when we were kids, it took forever to get to the holidays. 

My hope was that last week would allow me some time to decorate, but I've barely started. The good thing is that I surpassed 50,000 words on my NaNoWriMo project on November 28th, and typed "The End" on December 2nd. Now comes the editing, which I really enjoy. Thankfully, the Lil' Diva and her friends put up outdoor Christmas lights Saturday night.

Travis helped inspect the lights.

Also over the weekend, the Lil' Diva danced at the Festival of Trees in support of the Springfield Boys & Girls Club. It is so fun to watch her dance. 

Dwight was keeping an eye on Giggles one morning. Not sure what she saw out the window, but it was probably a bird. 

Last week on the blog I posted this book spotlight from Once Upon a Christmas Castle by Virginia Barlow. You can find it here. 

I also reviewed this book at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection. You can read the review here. The giveaway ends soon.

As for reading, I am back at this one. 

This next one will be a DNF for me. With more than five hours left, I just can't do it. 

Nine hours left on this next one. I am going to make it through the next chapter to see if I will proceed. 

I would like to re-start this one. 

I read this book over the weekend. You will find my review today at my children's book blog. It is cross posted to my Christmas Year Round blog. 

Also look for my First Chapter Review of Christmas Cove by Sarah Dresser at this blog today. 

Upcoming virtual book tours:

• The Location Shoot by Patricia Leavy - January 31 (interview)  

At Christmas Year Round last week:

• Christmas Errors, Flubs & Fails: Internet Browsing
• Christmas Quotes
• Children's Holiday Book Giveaway Winner!

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

The only book in my mailbox this week was another one I grabbed with a gift card. It's a topic I find fascinating, though I don't know if this book will make it to the top of my list in 2024. 

If today’s brands want to succeed, they have to be in the conversation, and influencers make that happen. The Age of Influence is an essential guide for marketing professionals and business owners who want to create and implement a highly effective and sustainable influencer marketing plan.

We are in the midst of an unprecedented digital transformation and tapping into this change is vital to any brand in today’s climate. Social media has democratized authority and influence, and information is created and consumed in ways that are constantly evolving.

In The Age of Influence, Neal Schaffer, an internationally recognized social media marketing expert, explains how that shift plays a significant role in online marketing in the Influencer Era. Influencer marketing is about establishing relationships, turning fans into influencers and leveraging that influence to share your message in a more credible and authentic way. This is a handbook for anyone who wants to successfully spread a message in the age of social media.

Schaffer teaches entrepreneurs, marketing executives, and cutting-edge agencies how to:

Identify, approach, and engage the right influencers for their brand or product.
Determine what resources to put behind influencer campaigns.
Manage the business side of influencer marketing, including tools that will help measure ROI.
Develop their brand’s social media voice to become an influencer in its own right.
This book is the definitive guide to addressing the issues disrupting marketing trends, including declining television viewership, growing social media audiences, and increasing usage of ad-blocking technology.

That's it for me folks. I have morning meetings, so probably checking in with you later today. Hope you have a great week.