It's Monday! What Are You Reading? & Mailbox Monday - July 13

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. 

We are back! Our family arrived home early from vacation, which allowed us to see the Lil' Princess, who drove down from Maine. Over the weekend, I celebrated my 58th birthday with all the kids here. Now, I am back to work. Today will be filled with appointments. 

Happy birthday to me!

Hanging at the OBX house

Dinner at Miller's Waterfront 

Fireworks in Manteo

Girls at The Elizabethan Gardens

Mural at The Dunes 

Replica glider at The Wright Brothers National Memorial

I didn't read half as much as expected on vacation. Partially because we were dealing with some nonsense in getting the Lil' Princess' car picked up and dropped off in Maine, and also because I had an unexpected medical issue while there. Nothing too serious (I hope), but I will head to my primary care next week after some tests are done this week. 

I have less than an hour left with Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. Loving so much about it.

I  have not picked up The Ladies Hall by Vanessa Miller while here, because other books need to be read first. 

I am done with The Ledger by Steven Manchester, a companion to his novel The Menu. Look for my review soon. 

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

I read some of Love on the Shelf by Sheila Roberts. 

Staged by Caitlin Rother, which is the sequel to Hooked. I need to get back to this one. 

My review of the second book of The Old Cranberry Ladies Garden Club, The Widow Murderess, appears here. 

Book three is The Sparrow and the Crow. I posted a First Chapter Review of this one on July 10. You can read it here.

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

Joyce McCullough sent me a copy of Max and Her Stacks to review. 

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. 

Got this great book that I saw in Downtown Books in Manteo for my birthday. I have already opened Andy Griffith's Manteo: His Real Mayberry by John Railey. 

Upcoming Events

The Ledger by Steven Manchester - TBD (Review)

Staged by Caitlin Rother - TBD (Review)

Massawa by Pam Weber - July (Review)

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

Christmas Year Round

Journey through Christmases Past talks about the origins of Christmas in July. You can find that post here.

The Children's and Teens' Book Connection

Nothing new. This blog celebrates its 17th anniversary on July 14. 

Laura's Little Houses

Nothing new, but I did watch the first episode in the Netflix adaptation of Little House on the Prairie. My thoughts will be coming soon. 

Audible Book Review: Next Is Now by Leigh Brown

 

We know her. We love her. And Leigh Brown is back with the book that has been on her heart for a while, Next Is Now: How to Move Forward When Disruption, Doubt, and Discomfort Hit All at Once. 

If you're living a life that appears successful but isn't filling your cup, Next Is Now should be your next purchase. This is a book about getting real with yourself and embracing your calling. It's a book about learning what is in your way and why you can't move forward, shutting off the outside voices, building trust, and embracing what you feel called to do--even if it doesn't make sense to everyone else. 

I've been privileged to know Leigh for years, and while we are separated by the miles, every time I take one of her classes or read one of her books, I feel like she understands right where I am and comes to me with bold advice I can immediately put into practice. She's not afraid to tell her story and use it as a way to lift up others. While I knew some of the stories that unfolded, I learned more about what she went through and respected her even more through the humble way she gave of herself in this book. You cannot listen to Leigh and walk away without pearls of wisdom. She is a woman of character, a woman of faith, and a person who can motivate you to uncover your purpose despite the disruption, doubt, and discomfort that tries to interfere.

Highly recommended!

Listening Length	3 hours and 22 minutes
Author	Leigh Brown
Narrator	Leigh Brown
Audible.com Release Date	December 03, 2025
Publisher	Leigh Brown
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B0G4SNR8SZ

I downloaded this book with an Audible credit. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

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

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! How was your week? Did anyone have special plans this weekend? Friday is date night, so the other half and I went out to dinner. Nothing special. Just the local UNO's. The Lil' Princess is out of town, spending time with her fiancé, so we are getting a taste of life as empty nesters. Not sure I will be ready for it when it comes. 

Another productive week for me. It helps when real estate is steady, but not hectic.

• I have meal plans in place for the next four weeks.
• Participated in #Questpit for the first time on X (formerly Twitter).
• Sold one of my books, which means it will soon be out of print. Wish I could affordably bring them back into the marketplace.
• I also organized all of my bookshelves and cataloged all my titles by or about Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House on the Prairie television show starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert. I also cataloged all my books by Lucy Maud Montgomery, tie-in books to Anne of Green Gables, and biographies about the author. 

Here are a few photos from the past week:

I am now the lucky wearer of three different pairs of glasses. In addition to my regular progressives and my sunglasses, my old eyes need these computer progressives to work any length of time on the screen. Can't drive with them, but they definitely make it easier to work at my desk. 

Poor Boots had to have a nail extracted from her paw. She is doing fine but wasn't a huge fan of the visit.

Dwight checking everything out from his perch on the kitchen wall. 

Travis taking advantage of the rug we have laid down so Theo won't slip on the floor. 

In my reading world, I am reading all three of these right now. 

Grabbed Gilbert's book with an Audible credit after it was recommended by a workshop coordinator. 

These are next.

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've been on a bit of a book-buying binge lately. The books from Thriftbooks arrived Saturday and were added to my bookshelves. This one below arrived from a publicist. It will be released on March 25. Look for my review coming at the end of March or early April. 

This digital copy arrived on Friday. I will be posting a First Chapter Review on March 11th. 

I also ordered two books from Amazon from an author whose launch party I will be participating in. I've reviewed a couple of her books in the past. More about that coming soon. 

Upcoming events:

• Review of Body Parts by Catlin Rother - Feb 24 (Review)
• Sunset Bay by Karen Stewart - Mar 11 (First Chapter Review)
• Gitel's Freedom by Iris Mitlin Lav - Date TBD (Review) 

This week at Christmas Year Round I shared "Three Things to Do in February to Prepare for Next Christmas." You can read it here. 

At The Children's and Teens' Book Connection I chatted about my #QuestPit experience. I also use this blog to share writing updates and news.

At Laura's Little Houses, I posted a link to my latest Anne with an E fanfiction story, "A Scandal in Avonlea." I tend to think of Anne Shirley as the Canadian version of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Even their authors had some connections. You will also find a post titled Transitions and Simplicity, which talks about stage of life changes and choices I'm making.

In the United States, today is President's Day. We use it to celebrate our presidents, even though, as history.com indicates, it was originally established to commemorate George Washington's birthday. 

That's it for me today. Looking forward to visiting your blogs and catching up with you. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - Oct 28

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 of October, the last Monday before Halloween. How many trick or treaters are you expecting? We have fewer every year, but I am hoping that with some house sales in our neighborhood that might change. 

Last week was a blur. Made it through two closings, but they weren't easy ones because of last minute things that came up. Then I drove around clients for two days. Love my job; it just made for a crazy week, considering I also met with a writing friend and attended a class.  We drove to the Berkshires on Sunday to photograph the fall foliage. 

Top of the hairpin turn

Wigwam Western Summit

Drought conditions in our area

Mohawk State Forest Trail treasure

Looks like I won't be ready for NaNoWriMo this year. I haven't finished plotting Sheltered Hearts yet. I might try my hand at tackling it anyway to see how far I get. I am almost finished an editing project and have another one waiting, so not sure how much time I will have to write.

As for reading, it was a slow one. Started this one for a November review. 

Read this one on our drive to the Berkshires. Very cute! 

Have about 20 minutes of this one left. Definitely one of my favorites from this year in personal development titles.

I downloaded this one for a December review. The author is doing an amazing job of social media marketing. I see ads all over the place. 

Upcoming events:

• A Celtic Yuletide Carol by Jennifer Ivy Walker - November 20 (Review)
• Princess Sophie and the Christmas Elixir by Mike Martin - December 2 (Review - TC&TBC)
• Jingles by D.F. Jones - December 11 (Review)

I am looking to review Christmas picture books, chapter books, and clean romance novellas this year. You can check out what other products I'm looking for here. I've also been reviewing Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas movie premieres. I missed all of them from this week, but since I signed up for Frndly TV, I will catch them later. 

You can read the latest Christmas news at the Christmas Year Round blog. This week Neiman Marcus, Dollar Tree, and a crafting YouTuber from the North of England made the news. You can check it all out here!

I will be late in checking in at your blogs this week, but I will visit. Enjoy your day!