It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Sept 22

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 Monday! And for some of us... Happy Fall!!! We have now entered my favorite season: cinnamon and apples cooking or baking, cooler weather, the smell of wood-burning fireplaces, and pretty colors. 

Life is pretty much work, work, and work some more, but I did make time to grab breakfast with my sisters on Sunday morning. It's so nice having both of them living in Massachusetts again. My oldest sister always has, but my middle sister lived in other areas of the country for decades. She moved home last year. 

The Lil' Princess is planning a trip home at the end of this coming week, which will be nice. 

In my reading world, I didn't get to Behind the Scenes by Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley. I don't want to remove it from my list, because it's a book I really want to finish. 

Look for my First Chapter Review of Ride a Dark Trail by Winter Austin coming on Tuesday.

Check out my reviews of these two books. 

The review of Little Angel's Christmas Song by Kerstin Hau can be found here.

The review of Never Let a Unicorn Meet A Reindeer by Diane Alber can be found here.

I started this poetry collection this week, Singing the Forge by G. H. Mosson. 

I also started Eleanor Roosevelt's Nightly Prayer by Donn Mitchell, which is a NetGalley download.

The Man Next Door, another romantic comedy by Sheila Roberts, is next.

I want to read Old Flames, New Beginnings by Lea Schizas during the holiday season. 

Ms. Pennypickle's Puzzle Quest by Chris Grabenstein and The Curiosities by W.H. Eatons are middle-grade NetGalley downloads I need to read. 

I am awaiting the arrival of The Bell Tolls at Traeger Hall by Jaime Jo Wright for an October 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. 

I grabbed Sacred Trust by Hannah Alexander last week as a Kindle freebie.

I also bought The End of Treachery by H. B. Berlow. Loved the first book in the series. Need to read the second book before diving into this one.

Upcoming Events

• Ride a Dark Trail by Winter Austin - Sep 23 (First Chapter Review)
• The Bell Tolls at Traeger Hall by Jaime Jo Wright - Oct 29 (Review)
• One Foot in the Ether: Whispers of the Pendle Witches by Kayleigh Kavanagh - Oct 30 (Spotlight)
• The Man Next Door by Sheila Roberts - Oct 31 (Review)
• Singing the Forge by G. H. Mosson - Nov 25 (Review)

The latest Christmas... in the news post is up at Christmas Year Round. This week, you can watch a video about what to buy now and what to buy later, see a year-round Christmas mural, and discover a new holiday rom-com. Check it all out here.

At The Children's and Teens' Book Connection, I posted the reviews mentioned for the children's books above.

Laura's Little Houses didn't get my attention this week. I'm thinking about my next post on favorite episodes from Season 2. 

I am waiting on news at the end of the month. Would appreciate some good vibes and prayers. That's it for me this week. I am on the road part of today, but I will visit your blogs and comment as I am able. Enjoy your day!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Jan 1

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.   

Happy New Year, everyone! Welcome to the first Monday of 2024. How long do you think it will be before you stop writing 2023 on everything?

I worked a limited schedule between Christmas and today, but by tomorrow I will be back focused on real estate. Spent some time getting organized for 2024 and need to finalize my business plan. 

During the break, I edited my NaNoWriMo project and sent it out to a couple of beta readers. Market research and query letter are next, so that once all the edits are done, I will have a plan for submissions. I also wrote my latest Love Comes Softly fanfiction story. That makes three. You can find them at Fanfiction.net if you're interested.

In my reading world, I finished this one, so my January 17th review will be on time. It is already posted on Goodreads if you want to read the review earlier. 

I finished the following middle grade book on Saturday. My review appears here. That will be my last read of the year. I read 70 of the planned 60 books. Not bad considering how busy work and life were in 2023. 

I need to add this one into my reading schedule. 

As usual this time of year, I do my best to organize my reading. I created my 2024 TBR spreadsheet. That list has 314 titles on it; some I owe reviews on, but most are books I've bought or won and want to read. 

My free Kindle book spreadsheet sits at 692 books. Some have been featured at Shelf Control (when I participated) or First Chapter Review. I also started eliminating books from my list that are no longer of interest or not available. I'll continue to whittle down the list this year, including my Goodreads list. My "Want to Read" list sits at 801. We both know that isn't happening. 

The Christmas Year Round blog got a slow start in 2023. While I posted a lot and promoted it, the traffic isn't outstanding. Book giveaways seem to be the most popular. That blog was on a break between Christmas and today, but tomorrow will feature a Christmas movie review.  

Upcoming virtual book tours:

• A Yellow House in the Mountains by Glenn Hileman - January 17 (review)
• Civil Twilight by Anique Taylor - January 23 (guest post)
• The Location Shoot by Patricia Leavy - January 31 (interview)  

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.

An author contacted me about a new release coming in January. I downloaded the NetGalley copy of this one.

I reached out to the author of this next book and requested to read it. 

I'm sure we will talk more about 2024 in the days ahead and all our plans. Please feel free to share if you have already settled what you're doing. And if you're wondering what others are reading for their first book of 2024, you can check out Sheila at Book Journey's post here.

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Jan 23

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 back to Monday! Is anyone else amazed that we are four Mondays into 2023?

I am down to only one Christmas tree in the house--the main one. It is sad when all the lights are put away, so I usually don't take the last tree down until the end of January. Most of the decorations are tucked away, and having bought a new artificial 9 foot tree for the family room for 2023, once I take off all the decorations, the old tree will head onto the porch to await the junk removal contractor's truck. 

Travis wanted to supervise my taking down of the upstairs tree, while Dwight was content to hide under my book cabinet.

In other family news, it seems my mother-in-law is moving in. Please pray the transition goes smoothly, and that we can figure out the expenses and the minor construction it will require. 

Not a ton of reading going on, but I am almost finished listening to this book. If you are in a leadership role, I highly recommend it. I might also read Lee Cockerell's book, Career Magic.

Look for my review of this thriller today.

These three are up next.

Upcoming virtual book tours:

• Dead Heat to Destiny by J. B. Rivard - Feb 7
• Family Gatherings at Promise Lodge by Charlotte Hubbard - Feb 20
• Kiss My Boots by Jennifer Learmont - Feb 23
• The Code by Sean Keefer - Mar 6

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.

I had a $10 reward from Audible, so I grabbed this book that I learned about during the training class I took earlier this month. 

One recent December, at age 53, John Kralik found his life at a terrible, frightening low: his small law firm was failing; he was struggling through a painful second divorce; he had grown distant from his two older children and was afraid he might lose contact with his young daughter; he was living in a tiny apartment where he froze in the winter and baked in the summer; he was 40 pounds overweight; his girlfriend had just broken up with him; and overall, his dearest life dreams--including hopes of upholding idealistic legal principles and of becoming a judge--seemed to have slipped beyond his reach.  

Then, during a desperate walk in the hills on New Year's Day, John was struck by the belief that his life might become at least tolerable if, instead of focusing on what he didn't have, he could find some way to be grateful for what he had.

Inspired by a beautiful, simple note his ex-girlfriend had sent to thank him for his Christmas gift, John imagined that he might find a way to feel grateful by writing thank-you notes. To keep himself going, he set himself a goal--come what may--of writing 365 thank-you notes in the coming year.

One by one, day after day, he began to handwrite thank yous--for gifts or kindnesses he'd received from loved ones and coworkers, from past business associates and current foes, from college friends and doctors and store clerks and handymen and neighbors, and anyone, really, absolutely anyone, who'd done him a good turn, however large or small. Immediately after he'd sent his very first notes, significant and surprising benefits began to come John's way--from financial gain to true friendship, from weight loss to inner peace. While John wrote his notes, the economy collapsed, the bank across the street from his office failed, but thank-you note by thank-you note, John's whole life turned around. 

365 Thank Yous is a rare memoir: its touching, immediately accessible message--and benefits--come to readers from the plainspoken storytelling of an ordinary man. Kralik sets a believable, doable example of how to live a miraculously good life. To read 365 Thank Yous is to be changed.

That is it from me this week. I hope you enjoy the week ahead and that it is filled with blessings.

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

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.   

Well, here we are closing in on the end of October. Halloween is just a week away, and stores and Instagram reels have been sharing winter holiday inspiration, décor, and DIY ideas. Here in New England, we are watching the leaves change and fall. 

Snapped this as I walked through a new construction area in Hampden County. 

Speaking of winter holidays, Hallmark Channel started their 2022 Countdown to Christmas this past weekend. Great American Family also began their holiday line up titled, Great American Christmas. Good Housekeeping shared their "15 Best Movies to Watch During Hanukkah with the Whole Family" list here. 

I remain optimistic I will get some down time to deep clean the house and get the bonus room organized, but the last few weeks have been a mad rush of listings, open houses, traveling to see the Lil' Princess, outings with her while she was home, completing the extra content for my next children's picture book coming out in 2023, and meetings. 

Now, let's talk fun stuff...books and reading!

My review of this great young adult novel, the first in a new series, appeared at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection. 

My review of this historical novel, second in the series, appeared here on Friday. 

I highly recommend both of these books and look forward to more from these talented authors. 

Look for my review of Stephanie Ziebarth's spiritual mentorship book this Friday, October 28.

I opened this Sheila Roberts book over the weekend because I have a review coming in November.

I also will be reading this time travel novel for a November review. This is the second in a series. I read the first and loved it. When that happens with a genre I don't read often, that is a plus. 

I need to read this one next. 

Though I had others on my list, I've removed them for now. The last quarter of the year is a time for me to go through my shelves and decide what I am keeping and what I will give away. That might change what I want to read.  

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.

This book arrived in my mailbox and is now available for purchase. I've enjoyed Karen Whiting's books in the past and look forward to reading this one. 

I also grabbed these two Kindle freebies over the weekend. The Lightbound Saga will be going on a virtual tour in November and December with Pump Up Your Book. You can check out the tour page here.

That's it for me this week. I plan to dedicate time to the two editing projects on my desk. Maybe I will sneak in a couple of first chapter reviews. Hope you have a fabulous week!