Sunday, August 31, 2014

Tackle Your TBR read-a-thon

While I was looking at some of the links posted at this week's Stacking the Shelves, I discovered a new-to-me read-a-thon called Tackle Your TBR, sponsored by Wishful Endings. This is long read-a-thon, running for almost two weeks 8-20 September. The goal is to “encourage us all to read so that we can tackle those tbr piles, not to cause extra stress.” While I don't really need any encouragement to read, I do enjoy socializing with other read-a-thon participants, visiting their blogs, and seeing what everyone else is reading.

I haven't had time to put together any goals other than the main goal of paring down my TBR list. There are two books which have been tagged as Reading Now for quite some time and yet I've made no progress in them, so I'm going to make those two the highest priority for this read-a-thon. That means, I plan to complete reading U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton and Mission of Honor by David Weber. After those, I'll continue reading down the ARCs I offered to review, any library books on hand, and then the massive stack of books from Bookcrossing.com that I'd like to pass along.

U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton Mission of Honor by David Weber

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Stacking the Shelves (1)

This week I'll be linking up with other book bloggers with my first Stacking the Shelves post. According to the reviewers at Tynga's Reviews who host the meme:

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Since I'm on a self-imposed book purchase ban, the books I receive will be freebies, library books, swaps, gifts, and review copies. Yes, I said “review copies”. I saw a mention in an online forum that Warren Adler was giving away copies of American Quartet to all who requested a copy at Netgalley. While I was on the Netgalley site, I picked out a couple of additional books to read and review. And, two library books that I had put requests on came in this week. I won't bother listing the various Kindle freebies that I picked up at Amazon—many of which I may not read.

From Netgalley:

American Quartet by Warren Adler The Dancer and the Raja by Javier Moro The Oblate's Confession by William Peak Murder Tightly Knit by Vanetta Chapman

American Quartet by Warren Adler. (Thank you Mr. Adler and Stonehouse Productions.
The Dancer and the Raja by Javier Moro. Thank you to Open Road Media.
The Oblate's Confession by William Peak. Generously provided by Secant Publishing.
Murder Tightly Knit by Vanetta Chapman. Courtesy of Zondervan Publishing.

From the library:

The Care and Management of Lies by Jacqueline Winspear The Handmaid and the Carpenter by Elizabeth Berg

The Care and Management of Lies by Jacqueline Winspear. Kindle edition through Overdrive.
The Handmaid and the Carpenter by Elizabeth Berg. Hardback edition.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday; 26 August 2014

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they provide a prompt and other book lovers join in with their own top ten list.

This week's theme is “Top Ten Books I Really Want To Read But Don't Own Yet”.

I feel obliged to add a disclaimer that I've imposed a book-buying ban for 2014, so “don't own yet” really means “have not obtained a copy”. I'm relying on the library and gifts for any books that I don't already own. With that said, here's the top ten drawn primarily from my wishlists at Goodreads, Amazon, and the libraries where I have borrowing privileges:

  1. The Care and Management of Lies by Jacqueline Winspear The first book on my list is one that I've placed a hold for at my library. According to the library's Overdrive web site, I'm #1 of 7 people waiting for a copy of The Care and Management of Lies by Jacqueline Winspear. Although this book is not part of Winspear's “Maisie Dobbs” series, it draws from the same time frame. According to reviews, the book begins shortly before the outbreak of World War I and tells the story of two young women, close friends from school days, whose experiences of the war are very different. Kezia marries Thea's brother and remains in England to keep the family farm going once her husband Tom enlists and suffragette Thea finds herself driving an ambulance in France. I feel sure I'll get the notice that it's available any day now.

     

  2. Aunt Dimity and the Wishing Well by Nancy Atherton In addition to a book buying ban, I'm aiming to finish reading all the books in several long series during 2014. Among these is the Aunt Dimity mysteries by Nancy Atherton. I just need to read one more book, Aunt Dimity and the Wishing Well, and I'll have completed the series. Well, that is, until the 20th book in the series is published next year. My library doesn't own a copy, but they'll request it from a nearby library—but only after the book has been in the collection for at least six months. Given that this book had a publication date of 17 April, the earliest I can request it will be mid-October. I'm anxious to read this book before the end of the year, and I don't see a gift occasion any earlier than Christmas, so I guess I'll just have to be patient until October.

     

  3. Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau Also at the top of my list is Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau. This is the third and last book in Charbonneau's YA Dystopian trilogy which began with The Testing. I read a number of reviews at Goodreads which were extremely critical of the entire series. Yes, the primary character is a teen and it's a bit improbable that she'd wind up with such a position of influence. But, this is YA fantasy, folks. I don't expect it to be realistic. I enjoyed reading the first two books and I expect to enjoy this one. I've placed it on my Overdrive wishlist at my library.

     

  4. The Handmaid and the Carpenter by Elizabeth Berg A book I placed on my wishlist a couple of years ago is The Handmaid and the Carpenter by Elizabeth Berg. I probably should save this novel about the Nativity until closer to Christmas, but I just placed a hold on it at my library. I expect it should become available within the next week. Reviews say that the dramatization of the betrothal of Mary and Joseph and how they individually deal with her miraculous pregnancy make this an excellent book. I certainly hope all that is true.

     

  5. Terrier by Tamora Pierce A set of related series that I have enjoyed in the past were Tamora Pierce's fantasy stories set in the lands of Tortall. In 2006, she introduced a new character, Beka Cooper, who steps from the usual roles taken by females in her time to become a member of the law-enforcing Provost's Guard. The first book, Terrier, tells of Beka's introduction into the Guard, her training, and her first assignment to the Lower City. Once I've read Terrier, there are two more Beka Cooper books to enjoy.

     

  6. The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin The Internet is magic. Last weekend, while visiting the blogs of some readers participating in the Bout of Books read-a-thon, I stumbled across a book that I immediately added to my wishlist, The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin. This historical fiction is written in the first person, telling the story of Lavinia “Vinnie” Warren, the diminutive entertainer who joined P T Barnum's circus and then married Charles Stratton aka “General Tom Thumb”. I'm looking forward to clearing my reading queue so that this book can move to the top.

     

  7. A Spy in the House by Y S Lee Another historical fiction that I'm looking forward to reading is A Spy in the House by Y. S. Lee. This is the first in a mystery series set in 1850s London. Teen thief Mary Quinn is recruited for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency. What's not to like about a strong female protagonist, compelling mystery, and the age of Queen Victoria? The only thing holding me back is that I'm reluctant to start YET ANOTHER series when I have so many on my “should finish” list.

     

  8. Rubbed Out by Riley Adams If I can lay my hands on Rubbed Out by Riley Adams, I can add one more series to the lists of those I have completed—or at least have read all available. Rubbed Out is the fourth book in Adam's Memphis Barbecue Mysteries. Since I thoroughly enjoyed the first three books in the series, I look forward to reading this most recent chapter in the story of Aunt Pat's Barbecue Restaurant. By the way, “Riley Adams” is a pseudonym for Elizabeth Craig who has three series published under three different pseudonyms. All her series are cozy mysteries set in the deep South and after I finish this one, I'll have two others to choose from.

     

  9. Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon For nine months, I anxiously awaited the premier of Outlander on the Starz network. I read the first three books of Diana Galbadon's series in the fall of 2007, and now that I've seen a couple of episodes of the TV series I'd like to pick it back up. Drums of Autumn is the fourth book in the series and I definitely want to read it before the TV series gets to this point in the saga. Fortunately, with the popularity of the series, I shouldn't have any trouble picking up a copy of Drums of Autumn at the library.

     

  10. Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers by Alexander McCall Smith I get so frustrated with Alexander McCall Smith's U.S. publisher. Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers was published in August 2013 in the U.K., but is not available in a U.S. edition yet. That means that there's no Kindle edition and the libraries don't have a copy—all you can get is an import of a hardback or paperback from England. And, to add insult to injury, I prefer this series in audio books. The unabridged audio was just released in the U.K., so it may be quite a while before it's carried at Amazon or Audible. This type of situation makes me more sympathetic with pals in Europe and Australia who face long waits for works from their favorite U.S. authors.

     

Monday, August 25, 2014

Bout of Books 11 -- Day 7

I awoke very early and picked up Destroyer Angel to finish the last few chapters. I am now caught up with this series and waiting on Nevada Barr to publish another in the mystery series starring ranger Anna Pigeon. Next up was a choice between A Mortal Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters, the first book in her Brother Cadfael medieval mystery series, and Cooking the Books, the last in Kerry Greenwood's Corrina Chapman mystery series. After reading a couple of pages of the Cadfael boook, I decided to read Cooking the Books. It promises to be a rather quick read.

I didn't spend quite as much time reading as on Saturday. In addition to a few family commitments, hubby and I watched the final episode of True Blood. (Although I enjoyed the TV adaptation, I did find it tiresome and I'm glad it has ended. The books were better overall.) All-in-all, my read-a-thon experience was very good. I read over 1000 pages and completed four books. I'm looking forward to Bout of Books 12.

Visited

Saturday, 23 August

Number of books I've read today: 2
Number of pages I've read today: 159
Total number of pages read: 1186
Number of books completed today: 1
Total number of books completed: 4

Currently reading

Cooking the Books by Kerry Greenwood

Completed Books

Forbidden Fruit by Kerry Greenwood Miss Tonks Turns to Crime by M C Beaton Beginnings, edited by David Weber Destroyer Angel by Nevada Barr

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Bout of Books 11 -- Day 6

As the last day of the Bout of Books read-a-thon begins, I have finished another book—but I'll have to report that in my Day 7 report. As I had hoped, I found a lot of time to read on Saturday and made it most of the way through Destroyer Angel by Nevada Barr. I just couldn't stay awake long enough to finish the last couple of chapters.

Saturday was a good day. Even before I started reading in Destroyer Angel, I finished reading “Obligated Service”, the last short story in Beginnings. Our grandson, Aiden, spent Friday night at our house and then he played here until we took him home in the late afternoon. In addition to finding small periods of time to read when he was entertaining himself, I got in two full hours of reading in the car during the round trip to his house. And, the only TV I watched was the season premier of Dr. Who.

In addition to reading, I did make return visits to the blogs of a couple of others participating in Bout of Books 11.

Visited:

Statistics

Saturday, 23 August

Number of books I've read today: 2
Number of pages I've read today: 339
Total number of pages read: 1027
Number of books completed today: 1
Total number of books completed: 3

Currently reading

Destroyer Angel by Nevada Barr

Completed Books

Forbidden Fruit by Kerry Greenwood Miss Tonks Turns to Crime by M C Beaton Beginnings, edited by David Weber

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Bout of Books 11 -- Day 5

With the Bout of Books 11 read-a-thon going on this week, I've spent almost all my spare time reading. I just have not had much free time during the work week. But, during a three hour flight from Raleigh to Dallas, I was able to read many more pages than earlier in the week.

I resumed reading “Beauty and the Beast” where I had left off on Thursday. This short story by David Weber—one of five in the anthology, Beginnings—tells the story of how Honor Harrington's parents met in medical school. When I finished it, I moved on to the next story, “The Best Laid Plans”. By the time we landed, I had finished that story and started reading the last one in the book, “Obligated Service”.

Hubby picked me up at the airport and brought a library book that I had had on hold for several weeks and which finally became available while I was out of town. It was nice of him to pick it up for me at the library. I was able to read several chapters in Destroyer Angel by Nevada Barr on our way home from the airport.

Statistics

Friday, 22 August

Number of books I've read today: 2
Number of pages I've read today: 196
Total number of pages read: 688
Number of books completed today: 0
Total number of books completed: 2

Currently reading

Beginnings, edited by David Weber Destroyer Angel by Nevada Barr

Completed Books

Forbidden Fruit by Kerry Greenwood Miss Tonks Turns to Crime by M C Beaton

Friday, August 22, 2014

Bout of Books 11 -- Day 4

Thursday was a great day for reading. I got up early and read through breakfast and was able to take almost an hour for lunch and read all that time as well. That meant that I read a short novel in one day! I read Miss Tonks Turns to Crime, the second book in M. C. Beaton's “Poor Relations” Victorian romance-mystery series. I have found these books quite charming and expect to read right through them in the next couple of weeks. I also read part of a short story by David Weber in Beginnings and listened to just over an hour of Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford.

Statistics

Thursday, 22 August

Number of books I've read today: 3
Number of pages I've read today: 205
Total number of pages read: 492
Number of books completed today: 1
Total number of books completed: 2

Currently reading

Beginnings, edited by David Weber Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford

Completed books

Forbidden Fruit by Kerry Greenwood Miss Tonks Turns to Crime by M C Beaton

Thursday, August 21, 2014

BTT: Mysteries

Booking Through Thursday logoIt's Thursday and Deb has posted another Booking Through Thursday prompt. This week, bloggers are asked:

Do you read mystery novels? If so, why? Is it the mysteries themselves that appeal to you? The puzzle-solving? The murders? Or why don’t you read them? What about them doesn’t appeal?

Yeah, I read mysteries. In fact, the majority of books that I read each year are mysteries. So far this year, over half of the books I've read have been mysteries.

I think one reason why I read so many mysteries is because they tend to be published in series—sometimes very long series. I've stated that I really like long novels and series because they allow me to spend lots and lots of time with characters that I've come to like. I do lean toward cozy mysteries and historical mysteries rather than hard-boiled and procedural crime novels. I like a good story and well-developed, likeable characters and I try to avoid gory stories and those with strong psychologically “evil” characters. You won't catch me reading any of the “Hannibal Lector” books!

Here are some books from the mystery series that I've read this year:

The Refuge by Sue Henry Whisper to the Blood by Dana Stabenow Ghost Gone Wild by Carolyn Hart The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley Farm Fresh Murder by Paige Shelton Leaving Everything Most Loved by Jacqueline Winspear City of Darkness and Light by Rhys Bowen Through the Evil Days by Julia Spencer-Fleming Aunt Dimity and the Lost Prince by Nancy Atherton A Question of Death by Kerry Greenwood Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich Running Blind by Lee Child Death of a Perfect Wife by M C Beaton Devil's Food by Kerry Greenwood King and Maxwell by David Baldacci Destroyer Angel by Nevada Barr