On My Nighstand December 24, 2022

Well, my work week came to a close yesterday when the storm came through and the power went out. The power is back now, and I’m looking forward to a few days off. Plans are to eat, read, and relax!

Happy Holidays and STAY WARM!

This week I’m reading:

Tru & Nelle A Christmas Tale by G. Neri - I have been wanting to read this one forever. Looking forward to it!

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith- A beloved book I like to re-read this time of year.

Maggie-Now by Betty Smith - I’m on an unintentional Betty Smith kick this week I guess. I got this for Christmas two years ago, and I’m just reading it now.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nighstand December 18, 2022

Friday was my annual work holiday party (out at a restaurant!) That traditionally means the end of my busy season. I’m still working for the rest of the year, but pretty much everyone gives up on deadlines, and things are much slower. I thought I would have a relaxing weekend, but yesterday the long ago paid guys showed up to replace our roof at 8 am. Grateful to have a paid for new roof that is actually getting installed, not so grateful to have to get dressed at 8 am on a Saturday on my first non-work day off since August. My son had a job about 45 minutes away that he needed a ride to so my daughter and I decided to pivot and spend the day at the very fancy Target near there.Target is fun when you don’t really need anything. We also tried a new to us dumpling place for lunch, toured an outdoor Christmas market, and watched a bit of the World Cup on the huge outdoor TV. We went in a bookstore and I didn’t buy anything! I am evolving. It was a great day, and we came home to a mostly done roof.

Today I got up with plans to start baking only to find a clogged sink full of dishes. OH WELL. Here I sit with my tea while I wait for the Draino to kick in. Why do I always forget that this is what December is like?

Assuming my roof and plumbing are in order this week, and my kids don’t take any more jobs on (what might as well be) the moon I hope to catch up on my blog reading, and post my reading wrap up for this year as well as my goals for next.

Last week I posted about my best fiction reads from November.

Why did it take me three tries to spell November even with spell check? I need a nap!

Have a great (and restful) week!

This week I’m reading:

Taste by Stanley Tucci - This has been fun to listen to while I run Christmas errands (and sink willing cook.) It’s pretty much a love story to food.

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny - My favorite series. I’ve been taking my time with this one, but I should finish this week.

Tru & Nelle A Christmas Tale by G. Neri - I have been wanting to read this one forever. Looking forward to it!

Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nighstand December 4, 2022

As I write this post I’m in between batches of cookies in the oven. I’m just starting with a few favorites this weekend so we have proper fuel for decorating. Next weekend the baking starts for real.

This is my best time of year for reading, although once again I had to abandon a print book for an audiobook because the print was too small. I am getting old! Oh well, there’s plenty of other books to curl up with by the tree, and plenty of audiobooks to listen to while making cookies. (If your curious the book is Search by Michelle Huneven - really good so far! I’ll hopefully get to the audiobook next week.)

Have a great week!

This week I’m reading:

The Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley - I’m abut 70% through this audiobook now, and wow is it good. Seriously, I did extra laundry just to keep listening. I got the audiobook from the library, but just saw it’s included with Kindle Unlimited if you’re a subscriber.

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny - I made myself hold off a few days on this one since it will be such a long wait for the next. I think I’ve waited long enough though, and will start this week. This is my favorite series, and I read the books over and over.

Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian - I heard rave reviews about this book, but it might just be too grim for me right now. I’ll read about an hour more, but if I’m still struggling I’m going to save it for another time.

Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Show Us Your Books April 2020

Channeling my inner Pete The Cat

Just another average reading month for me. Nothing exciting happening. How about you?

Most of my March reading took place before social distancing took place. You would think that staying at home most of the time would lead to an increase in reading, but my brain is scribble scrabble. Obviously 2020 isn’t turning out to be the year to care about reading goals or challenges. In the mean time I’m doing puzzles, making bread, and working in the yard.

Here are a few things I did manage to finish:

My favorites

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - This is the one book I did manage to finish in the first few weeks of staying at home. The world of Anne is so comforting, and I can’t wait to read the rest of this series. I feel lucky to just be discovering this series now.

The Day The World Came To Town by Jim Defede - It was inspiring to me to read about how people came together during another time of crisis.

Good Stories To Pass The Time

Finding Mrs. Ford by Deborah Goodrich Royce - Mrs. Ford is living the good life until the FBI shows up. If you like the twists of Ruth Ware books I think you’ll like this one too.

Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips - This one is getting a lot of good reviews, and I think they’re deserved. It starts with an abduction of two sisters in Russia, but the book itself is only slightly related to the abductions. Instead we get a story each month about others in the community which of course includes mention of the missing sisters. It’s very interesting how it all comes together. I had to return it to the library, but if I hadn’t I would have read it again right away once I knew how it all fit together.

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett - Good, old-fashioned girl power YA dystopia. Give it a try of you like that kind of thing.

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March Show Us Your Books

I have a ridiculous amount of books out of the library right now. I’m not sure what happened. I had been doing such a good job of keeping on top of my holds.

February was a good reading month for me. I’m doing a #AuthorAMonth challenge on Litsy, so took a deep dive into Colson Whitehead. Also, current events seem to be strongly impacting my reading choices.

Here are the best books I read last month:

Best of the Best

(One fiction, one non)

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead - I think most people know what this book is about by now, so I won’t re-tell the synopsis. After reading two other books by Whitehead earlier in the month I didn’t think I would like this, but it really is a masterpiece. I’m so glad I finally read it.

On the Clock by Emily Guendelsberger - My co-worker suggested this because she knew I had liked Nickel and Dimed. Sure enough I was fascinated by this updated version where a woman works at Amazon, a call center, and McDonalds. This book seems especially powerful in light of all the conversations we’ve been having lately about lack of paid sick leave.

It’s the End of the World As We Know It

(Where my Twitter feed and the daily news subliminally impacts what I read.)

The Stand by Stephen King - Stephen King’s plague book. My copy is an old, beaten up paperback that doesn’t include the expanded versions from the 1990’s. Sorry King purists, but I prefer it that way. I think it’s a better, cleaner story for the editing.

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice - This book was interesting- a total breakdown of society as experienced by a First Nation tribe. When phone, internet, and services are cut off they think it’s a normal interruption and go about living as they normally would. Eventually they find out it’s something more.

Zone One by Colson Whitehead - This is Whitehead’s zombie apocalypse book, although I read it as more tongue and cheek. Maybe I’m just not deep enough, but I kept feeling like there was more to the story than I was getting.

Vox by Christina Dalcher - This dystopian novel had an excellent premise. In the not too distant future the US has become extremely conservative to the point where women and girls are only allowed to speak 100 words a day. Unfortunately after a impactful opening the book just kind of fizzled. However this book did give me the momentum to finally get my real ID, renew my passport, and check on my voter registration. So there’s that.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - My second post-plague book of the month, I read this as part of my project re-read. This book gets a lot of hype for good reason.

And a Few More Good Books Worth Talking About

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson - Another book for project re-read. I think I said this last month too, but more and more I’m really starting to appreciate books that feature older people having lives and maybe even falling in love.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell - This one was a ROLLER COASTER. A girl inherits a house and a whole lot of baggage. Read this if you’re a fan of Ruth Ware.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi - Again, I feel like I’m probably the last person to have read this so I won’t re-tell the plot. I’ll just say the world building and magical realism in this YA chunkster were great fun. I’ve read that the next book in the series isn’t as good, and I’m bummed. I’ll still give it a try though.

We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg - One of my favorite themes in books is families we’re born into and families we make. This book had that in spades, and was just the feel good palate cleanser I needed during the doom and gloom of last month.

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May 2017 Audiobooks

Camping near the Chesapeake Bay

I've been everywhere this month which means plenty of time for audio books. I've found some winners too. Everything I've listened to has been 4 or 5 stars.

Brunelleschi's Dome by Ross King - I listened to this book for project I'm working on thinking I would grin and bear it. I ended up loving it! It's a super interesting account of building the dome on the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral in Florence.

The Outermost House by Henry Beston - I grew up near Cape Cod and still go back every year. The Cape Cod that Beston wrote about when he lived there after World War I was a lot different than the one I know! I really enjoyed this narrative ofyear in a place that I love more than anyplace else.

It by Stephen King - 44 hours! That's how long this audiobook was. I think Stephen King is a better writer now, but I still enjoyed my re-read of one of his earlier gory works.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas - This book took my breath away. Any description I give it won't do it justice, so I'll just say: read it, even if you don't think you like young adult fiction.