It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Sep 18

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! The days they go so quickly. Last week involved a new listing, blogging at the 4RV Publishing blog, showings, and saying goodbye to a real estate friend whose daughter my husband and I went to high school with. Now that the Lil' Princess in North Carolina, and the Lil' Diva is usually gone Thursday through Sunday, Friday night has once again become date night for my husband and me. Usually that means dinner out. We both had great steaks at Max's Tavern. Here are a few photos from the week.

Is it any wonder I have trouble sleeping at night?

Steak from Max's Tavern

This robin took a dip in our bird bath. 

As far as reading goes, I accomplished more than I thought I would. 

I finished listening to this one.

I am on the last portion of this collection, which are all stories about Christmas. 

I started this one last week. My review is due October 4th. 

I finished and reviewed this holiday classic from Audible. 

I also downloaded this free one on Audible and started listening to it.

These are next.

Upcoming virtual book tours:

• Grace and the Golden Rule by Negrita Smart - September 26 (review at TC&TBC)
• Murder at Midnight by Katharine Schellman - October 4 (review)
• Death and the Sisters by Heather Redmond - October 17 (review)
• Racing the Dream by M. T. Bass - October 23 (first chapter review)
• Resparking Creativity by Fatemah Mirza & Sumayyah Rafiq - November 20 (review)
• The 12 Months of Christmas by Sheila Roberts - November 21 (review)
• The King Who Lost His Colors by Glen Liset - November 27 (review at TC&TBC)

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.

My physical mailbox remained empty, but I grabbed this free offering on Audible to listen to while I am driving to appointments. 

The Compound Effect contains the essence of what every super achiever needs to know, practice, and master to obtain extraordinary success. Inside you will hear strategies on: 

How to win-every time

Eradicating the bad habits that are derailing your progress

Painlessly installing the few key disciplines required for major breakthroughs

The real, lasting keys to gaining and sustaining motivation

Capturing the elusive, awesome force of momentum 

The acceleration secrets of superachievers

Inside you will learn how to get the success you desire and the life you deserve.

That's it for me this week. I have appointments throughout the day, but I will check in as I can. Hope you have a lovely day. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Sept 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 unofficial end of summer, or as we call it in the States, Labor Day. By now, most of our schools have opened for the 2023 - 2024 year. While this holiday is steeped in historical significance, like many of our federal holidays, Labor Day is mostly celebrated as a long weekend to enjoy with family and friends. 

I am drafting this post early, so I'm not sure what my weekend will look like. I have photos for a new listing Saturday morning, and then I hope to take at least one day off. My house is in desperate need of cleaning. I'm also in the middle of starting a new blog. Not that I really have time for a new blog, but it's one I have wanted to start for years. It's all about Christmas. Once it has more content, I'll share a link. If you have any ideas of what you would like to see on such a blog, please leave a comment below. 

In my reading world, I finished this book. My review appeared here.

My review of this one appeared here.

My review of this great picture book appears here.

I also read this one and scheduled a review for September 26 at TC&TBC during the author's virtual book tour. 

I listened to this book as I drove around this week. This will probably end up as a DNF for me. While I find the Zen-based approach to writing interesting, and the author provides sound advice about the importance of writing practice, there is no way I can listen to nearly nine hours of it.  

Book related but not books are these two podcasts I listen to. 

Wilder on the Prairie finds author Annie Kontor discussing the world of Laura Ingalls Wilder one Little House book at a time. Each episode covers a chapter from the series in order. I am up to date on this wonderful podcast. The length of each episode varies by how long the chapter is and what Kontor's research turns up.

Wilder, from iHeart Productions, uses an historical documentary approach to explore Laura's legacy, which host Glynnis MacNicol calls "as powerful, mesmerizing, controversial, and violent as the America she represents." I came away from this one for a while because I didn't find it overly engaging in the first episode. All the episodes are at least 48 minutes long, which is another drawback when you listen in tiny snippets. 

These books are up next. 

Upcoming virtual book tours:

• Grace and the Golden Rule by Negrita Smart - September 26 (review at (TC&TBC)
• Murder at Midnight by Katharine Schellman - October 4 (review)
• Death and the Sisters by Heather Redmond - October 17 (review)
• Resparking Creativity by Fatemah Mirza & Sumayyah Rafiq - November 20 (review)

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.

Empty physical mailbox this week, but NetGalley approved my request for this one. 

Turn back the clock with History Comics! In this volume, learn how millions of Americans joined the fight by working assembly lines, growing vegetables, and collecting scrap metal during World War II!

When we think of war, we often focus on the battlefields. But during the war years of 1941 to 1945, Americans at home did whatever they could to support the troops and defeat the Nazis. While millions of soldiers ship out to fight on battlefronts in Europe and the Pacific, millions of men, women, and children step into new and exciting roles in cities and towns all across the United States. Four curious kids take us into factories, farms, and even kitchens to show what the fight on the home front looks like up close!

That's it for me. Looking forward to visiting your blogs today. 

Book Review: Reversal of Fortune by F. M. Meredith

 The Rocky Bluff P.D. is back investigating its latest murders in Reversal of Fortune by F. M. Meredith.

Beth Milligan and Kayla Duval stumble upon the body of the  town's fortune teller. Detective Doug Milligan and his partner, Detective Felix Zachary, arrive to investigate. Reviewing the woman's long list of clients, it soon becomes apparent more than one person could have a reason for wanting Bernadette Wolfort dead. 

When the body of one of their prime suspects is discovered on the fortune teller's property, Doug and Felix know the two murders are related. But who wanted both of them dead? And why? 

It is so wonderful to be back in the small beach town of Rocky Bluff, where the understaffed and overworked members of the Rocky Bluff P.D. live. Having followed this community for years, it is always good to catch up with what is going on in my favorite characters' lives. 

As Doug and Felix investigate these murders, the personal lives of the Rocky Bluff P.D. unfold in the background. Meredith does a fabulous job of sprinkling in a bit of backstory and bringing readers up to date with our favorite Rocky Bluff P.D. members, with one or two of those personal stories unfolding as subplots during the investigation. In Reversal of Fortune, Kayla Duval, the mayor's daughter and Beth's best friend, is dealing with a pushy aunt who has got it in her mind that the girl's deceased mother would prefer Kayla live with her in Los Angeles instead of staying with the father she didn't even know until her mother was diagnosed with cancer. The other subplot is that trouble could be brewing for Gordon Butler and his wife Lizette. 

Reversal of Fortune, like other books in the series, stands alone as an engaging and easy read. You can sit down and read a book in one or two sittings and feel totally satisfied with the outcome when done. I am not sure what is up next for the Rocky Bluff P.D., but I know I will keep reading as long as Meredith keeps writing.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09XLQCNZB
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (April 9, 2022)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 212 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8449705860

I received a paperback copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

F. M. Meredith, also known as Marilyn Meredith, has had 48 books published as well as two short stories, most are mysteries, but also a few Christian horror, a roman with supernatural elements, and a cookbook. She’s taught writing in many venues including for Writers Digest and many conferences. She lives in the foothills of the Sierra with her husband. 

You can visit her website at http://fictionforyou.com/ or her blog at https://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Nov 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.

Welcome to Monday and the first day of November. Hope you had a great weekend. We were a bit disappointed by the low number of trick-or-treaters, but trunk or treats seem to be the way of things these days. At least I have some good candy left over. LOL! 

The first two weeks of November will pass by in a blur. I have many work commitments as I start my transition to President of the Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley and have several showing appointments. In addition, Theo turns five today and the Lil' Princess will turn 18 on Friday, so we will have some birthday fun this week. I'm putting together everything I need to fly out to San Diego next Thursday. I'll have to get some cooking and food shopping done this weekend. 

Homecoming dance

Birthday boy Theo

My virtual book tour for A Christmas Kindness starts today. I hope you'll follow along. You can find my tour schedule at the Pump Up Your Book website.

In my reading world, I reviewed these two books.

Review here

Review here

Next up are all of these.

After that, maybe something for sheer enjoyment like one of these.

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. 

Nothing in my physical mailbox, but I downloaded these Kindle freebies over the weekend. Try not to chuckle at how these two are such polar opposites. 

As we enter the season of thanksgiving, I hope you find many blessings to be thankful for.