My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

What did I read last week?

Inside the O’Briens by Lisa Genova: Moving and powerful. My review is here.

The Truth About Us by Janet Gurtler: Thought-provoking YA fiction. My review is here.

Prudence by Gail Carriger: If I can find a few minutes to read today, I’ll be done. Stay tuned for my reaction later this week .

Pop culture goodness:

It’s the return of Outlander! I was absolutely thrilled by our first new episode after a six-month break. Check out my Outlandish obsession post, here.

Fresh Catch:

I went to the public library’s spring sale this past week — all hardcovers $3, all paperbacks $2. I showed remarkable restraint, compared to my past book sale adventures. Here’s what I brought home:

The other exciting new book to come my way this week is — naturally — connected to the world of Outlander. I was more than a wee bit excited when the newly revised edition of The Outlandish Companion, volume I arrived!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

I’m so excited to be reading Susanna Kearsley’s newest book, A Desperate Fortune! She’s one of my favorite authors, and I’ve never yet been disappointed.

Next up will be The Hurricane Sisters by Dorothea Benton Frank. Watch for my blog tour post next week!

Hmm, interesting to see the covers of these two, side by side — women seen only from the back, faces hidden, gazing at the sea. I love both covers!

Now playing via audiobook:

Continuing on with my audio re-read of the Mercy Thompson series: I finished #6, River Marked, and I’m very close to finishing up #7, Frost Burned, as well… which means only one more Mercy book to go. What will I do when I’ve finished the whole series?

Ongoing reads:

Eragon by Christopher Paolini: Reading with my kiddo. We didn’t make any progress this week, since kiddo has been on spring break and hasn’t wanted to touch a book while he’s on vacation. Are we sure we’re actually related?

A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon: Reading and discussing two chapters per week with Outlander Book Club, from now until whenever!

Outlander Book Club’s Book-of-the-Month read for April is The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. Discussion starts April 22nd. All are welcome!

So many book, so little time…

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

What did I read last week?

The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M. J. Rose: Terrific, atmospheric historical fiction with an overlay of supernatural menace. Check out my blog tour post here.

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: My write-up of this amazing book includes a guest review by my friend Heidi. You can you see the post here.

Around the web:

This was my favorite fandom find of the week — a little thank you from Jesse L. Martin and friends to Joss Whedon for funding their Kickstarter:

Seriously, if you’re a Firefly fan… this is a must-watch… and watch… and watch.

Fresh Catch:

No new books! None bought, none borrowed… How unusual!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

I’ve just started Inside the O’Briens by Lisa Genova, and I can’t put it down.

Now playing via audiobook:

Continuing on with my audio re-read of the Mercy Thompson series, I’m about one long walk away from finishing #6, River Marked.

Ongoing reads:

Eragon by Christopher Paolini: Reading with my kiddo. Still.

A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon: Reading and discussing two chapters per week with Outlander Book Club, from now until whenever!

So many book, so little time…

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

What did I read last week?

Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein. I suppose it’s a sign of the fact that I didn’t much enjoy this book that it took me ALL WEEK to get through it. My friends got sick of hearing me whine, I’m sure. I wrote a quickie review, here.

The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M. J. Rose: Not done yet, but making progress! Watch for my blog tour post coming up later this week.

Off-line:

Travel planning ate up a lot of my (practically non-existent) free time this past week. My daughter and I are planning a trip to Alaska for May, and we’re busily researching and plotting our ideas for how to spend our time there. So exciting!

Fresh Catch:

I picked up a couple of books at the library. Because it’s not like I already have any books in my house to read.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

I need to finish The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M. J. Rose, and hope to get a lot more reading time this week than I had last week!

After that, I can either read about a shade of magic or the color of magic! I’m not sure which I’ll read first, but I’m hoping to spend quality time with with books by V. E. Schwab and Terry Pratchett.

Now playing via audiobook:

Continuing on with my audio re-read of the Mercy Thompson series, I finished #5, Silver Borne and started #6, River Marked. Love, love, love these books.

Ongoing reads:

Eragon by Christopher Paolini: Reading with my kiddo. Still.

A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon: Reading and discussing two chapters per week with Outlander Book Club, from now until whenever!

So many book, so little time…

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

What did I read last week?

Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs: LOVED IT. A new book in a favorite series is always a treat. Check out my review here.

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy: This was a book group pick, and reading it in our tiny increments (one chapter per week) was not the ideal way to enjoy it. I’m glad to finally be done… although I’m also glad in the end to have read it. My review is here.

In Falling Snow by Mary-Rose MacColl: Done. My book club will be discussing this book during the coming week, so I buckled down and plowed through the last 50% over the weekend. My review is here.

Off-line:

Fangirl heaven! I went to a talk by Neil Gaiman (in conversation with Michael Chabon) this week, and it was amazing. Plus, I got to meet Neil Gaiman at the reception before the event, and he was nice and charming and wonderful. Sadly, he didn’t do a book signing, but I was able to buy a pre-signed copy of his newest book. All in all, a fantastic evening. Wish you’d been there? Here’s the video from the event:

Fresh Catch:

My copy of Neil Gaiman’s Trigger Warnings was my only new book this past week. And it’s signed!

I don’t usually read short stories, but in this case, I’m happy to make an exception.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

I’m about 50 pages into Elizabeth Wein’s newest, Black Dove, White Raven. Really excited to finally be reading it!

I’m behind on my review books, and need to get cracking in time for the blog tour for The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M. J. Rose.

Now playing via audiobook:

Continuing on with my audio re-read of the Mercy Thompson series, I finished #4, Bone Crossed, this past week, and I’ve started #5, Silver Borne. Yup, still loving the heck out of this series.

Ongoing reads:

Eragon by Christopher Paolini: Reading with my kiddo. Still.

A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon: Reading and discussing two chapters per week with Outlander Book Club, from now until whenever!

So many book, so little time…

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

What did I read last week?

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park: Very enjoyable! My review is here.

Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs: I’ve barely had time to read this week, which is SO INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING, especially since I finally have Patricia Briggs’s new Alpha & Omega book in my hands. I’m trying to savor every moment, even though my reading is all happening in teeny, tiny snippets.

Off-line:

An insanely busy week at work plus a hectic home schedule has kept me hopping (and not reading). But on the plus side, my wonderful daughter came home for a few days and we’re having fun family time.

Fresh Catch:

Two books I’ve been dying for arrived on their release day — Dead Heat (see above), plus the newest from Mary Doria Russell, who is just brilliant no matter what she writes about:

And look what else came in the box along with Epitaph! Okay, it’s not a book, but I was still thrilled when it arrived (and hey, it’s based on a book!):

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

First up, I need to finish Dead Heat! (Although, to be honest, I kind of hate the idea of finishing and then just having to wait for another installment in the series.)

After that, I need to start tackling a book club book (In Falling Snow) and a review book for an upcoming blog tour (The Witch of Painted Sorrows).

Now playing via audiobook:

It’s a Patricia Briggs era chez moi, for sure. Continuing on with my audio re-read of the Mercy Thompson series, I’m about halfway through with book  #4, Bone Crossed. I’m loving every moment.

Reading with my kiddo:

Eragon by Christopher Paolini: Week 3 of our Eragon read. Sloooooooow going. But we’re hanging in there.

Book club reading:

Classic read: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy. One chapter per week… we’ll be done next week!

A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon: Reading and discussing two chapters per week, from now through the end of 2015.

OBC Book of the Month for March: In Falling Snow by Mary-Rose MacColl. I’m really looking forward to this one! Discussion opens March 18th.

Want to join any of the group reads? Let me know and I’ll provide the links!

So many book, so little time…

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

What did I read last week?

Lost & Found by Brooke Davis: I DNF’d this one after about 50 pages. The quirkiness just didn’t gel into a compelling storyline for me.

Fairest: Levana’s Story by Marissa Meyer: Finished. My mini-review is here.

Beastkeeper by Cat Hellisen: I finished it, but just barely. I was under the impression that Beastkeeper would be a YA fairy-tale retelling, and thought it sounded quite fun from the synopses I’d seen. But… well, the protagonist is 12 years old, yet the writing seemed a bit older than middle grade, and the story itself was oddly complicated in some ways without actually ever making a whole lot of sense. The best I can say about this book is thank goodness it was a quick read! Otherwise, I might have just walked away.

Off-line:

My son and are I working our way through my Firefly blu-ray set, and we’re having a blast! We’ve managed to watch seven episodes so far, and seeing him get into it is so good for my devoted old Browncoat heart.

Fresh Catch:

Two new books arrived this week, thanks to the speedy (and free) delivery elves at Book Depository:

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

I’ve just started Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park — but need to finish up pretty fast because this is going to be a big week for new releases, and I have books arriving Tuesday that I absolutely want to start the second I open up my Amazon box!

Now playing via audiobook:

I finished Iron Kissed, book #3 in the Mercy Thompson series, and moved immediately onward with #4, Bone Crossed. Despite having read Iron Kissed before, it still made me cry. Iron Kissed is probably the most upsetting of the Mercy books, but it’s also incredibly powerful and moving. I love this series!

Reading with my kiddo:

Eragon by Christopher Paolini: Week 2 of our Eragon read. It’s holding our interest, but left to my own devices, I’m not sure that I’d want to stick with Eragon. It feels a bit too much like a LOTR wannabe, in my humble opinion.

Book club reading:

Classic read: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy. One chapter per week… and the end is finally in sight!

A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon: Reading and discussing two chapters per week, from now through the end of 2015.

OBC Book of the Month for March: In Falling Snow by Mary-Rose MacColl. I’m really looking forward to this one! Discussion opens March 18th.

Want to join any of the group reads? Let me know and I’ll provide the links!

So many book, so little time…