Sunday Summary: 7 June 2015

I started receiving e-mails at work about closing out the second quarter. Yes, there are three more weeks and the year will be half over! It's intimidating as I look at the challenges I adopted at the beginning of the year. I'm aiming for 200 books, and feeling pretty confident that I'll meet that goal. But, I also signed up for a couple of very specific challenges such as completing three series which had been started prior to the beginning of the year. I'm going to have to use some discipline to make sure that I select books from these series in order to read all 36 book by year end. And that means that I will also have to discipline myself to not request TOO many books for review.

Where I've been reading

Amazingly, I was home all week. I worked from my home office four days and commuted in to the downtown location for an all day meeting on Thursday. That commute gave me a chance to listen to the current audiobook-in-progress, The Hit by David Baldacci. I didn't read as much this week as I had wanted, completing only two books. Both were advanced reader copies for review. And, I have made decent progress in two other books which I should finish early next week.

 

What I've been reading: Completed this week

Format: eBook
Source: eGalley ARC from the publisher via NetGalley
Completed: 1 June

★★★☆☆

I received an advance copy from the publisher, David C. Cook, and finished reading it on the day that it was released. Jack Staples and the Poet's Storm, like the two books before it, is allegorical Christian fiction for young adults. This last book in the trilogy is the culminating battle between the forces of the Assassin and those of the Author.

Format: eBook
Source: eGalley ARC from the publisher via LibraryThing Early Reviewers
Completed: 4 June

★★★★☆

Oh my! What an epic space fiction story. With elements of science and fantasy (or magic), Tarr introduces an intriguing universe filled with amazing characters. I received an advance reader's copy from the publisher through the Early Reviewer's program at LibraryThing. In fact, when the e-mail arrived with a download link, I had almost forgotten that I had requested a copy of Forgotten Suns. Look for a full review this next week.

What I've been reading: In progress

I'm now reading the tenth in Ellis Peters' medieval mystery series starring Brother Cadfael. In The Pilgrim of Hate, a flood of pilgrims arrive at the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul to celebrate the feast day of Saint Winifred. Among them may be the killer of a knight whose death struck Brother Cadfael particularly hard. Now he must observe the many pilgrims and try to determine who is the murderer and why the knight was killed.

Wayne Gladstone's novel, Notes from the Internet Apocalypse asks the reader to imagine waking up one day to discover that the Internet doesn't work. People come up with creative ways to deal with the loss of instant communication and validation such as forming “circles”—real-time gatherings approximating lost Internet apps such as You-Tube, Digg, or Reddit.

This Week on the Blog

1. Review: Murder Freshly Baked
2. Review: Jack Staples and the Poet's Storm
3. Stacking the Shelves (35)

 

I'm pleased to be linking up with The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on the blog, showcase books and things received. Share news about what is coming up on the blog for the week ahead.

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