Sunday Summary: 27 September 2015

I started this past week having lunch with hubby's parents. They're both in their early nineties, and I hope I'm as “with it” when I reach that age. They live in the house they've occupied for over 20 years and Dad still drives, so that makes them totally independent. Mom is an avid reader and we've shared many books over the years. She's not reading as much right now because it's baseball season! Once the World Series is over, her reading pace will pick up. I'll be researching books from her favorite authors and seeking out new authors who write in a similar style.

Where I've been reading

This week's travel was a leisurely trip to San Antonio. It's only a one-hour flight away and I flew down on Monday morning and home on Thursday afternoon. I was very busy all week long and didn't have time for a lot of reading. (That's the down-side of those short flights!) I did, however, have time to relax and rest up for the frenzied travel that is scheduled for next week.

 

What I've been reading: Completed this week

Format: eBook
Source: borrowed from library via Freading
Completed: 20 September

★★★☆☆

Slowly but surely, I'm reading my way through the Brother Cadfael mysteries. The Hermit of Eyton Forest is the 14^th volume in Ellis Peters' very popular series featuring a Benedictine Monk living in the middle of the twelfth century.

The civil war between King Stephen and Empress Maud continues. Fighting is sporadic and far from the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul where ten-year-old Richard is a resident student.

When Richard's father dies, his grandmother wants him sent home to marry the twenty-year-old heiress of lands neighboring on Richard's estate. Abbot Radulfus, having been appointed as Richard's guardian, is equally adamant that Richard is to remain at school. And thus begins a struggle for control. As usual, there's a murder with clues to be sorted out by Brother Cadfael and Hugh, sheriff of the county.

Format: eBook
Source: borrowed from library via Freading
Completed: 22 September

★★★★★

It's a very rare book that I rate with five stars. Miriam's Well is in that elite company. This was a re-read of a book which made a tremendous impression on me sometime in the mid-1990s. I don't remember when it was that I first read Miriam's Well, but I have repeatedly recommended it ever since then. Sadly, the book went out of print, so you can imagine my joy when I saw that it was being released in e-book format by Open Road Media. As soon as the book was available, I borrowed it from the library's subscription to the Freading catalog. I quickly read it and enjoyed it as much as before.

So what's the book all about? Miriam belongs to a fundamental Christian sect. Adam is Jewish. And this becomes relevant when Miriam falls ill. Her family and church are opposed to any medical intervention, but the hospital goes to court to have a guardian assigned so that she can receive treatment for bone cancer. When the church hires Adam's father to represent them, Adam just cannot believe that his father could possibly ask a judge to take action that could cost Miriam her life.

Format: eBook
Source: eGalley ARC from NetGalley
Completed: 25 September

★★★★☆

Fated is the third book in Sara Fine's Servants of Fate paranormal romance series. I've read the entire trilogy this year and enjoyed it very much. As I said in reviews of earlier books, the only criticism I had is that the love-making scenes were just too explicit for my taste. But oh my gosh! What a story! And told so very well.

Servants of Fate draws from Greek mythology: Moros is Death itself, one of the offspring of Nyx and brother of the Fates. Charon is the ferryman of Hades who carries souls of the newly deceased across the rivers that divided the world of the living from the world of the dead. In Fine's retelling Jason Moros is Lord of the Kere who mark those destined to die and Aislin Ferry has been elected Charon, the head of a family with the responsibility of escorting souls of the dead to Heaven or Hell.

I received an early review copy of Fated from NetGalley and will be posting a full review this week.

What I've been reading: In progress

I've been greedily reading through the In Death (or Eve Dallas) mysteries this year. It's like eating chocolate—so good, but gone too soon. After Nadine Furst writes a best-seller based on one of Eve's past cases, the book is optioned for a movie. In Celebrity in Death, filming is coming to an end and Eve is attending a cast party at the New York home of the film's director. Actress K. T. Harris, playing the role of Peabody, is found dead in the swimming pool and Eve is only too happy to stop being a celebrity guest and revert to her preferred role as a murder cop.

This Week on the Blog

Life and work not only interfered with reading, but it didn't leave me any time to write posts for the blog. As mentioned last week, I have three reviews which need to be written soon, particularly with two of the books having publication dates this week. I've been attracted to October's Blog Ahead event, but I have so much trouble simply keeping up, I'm not sure I'd ever be able to get ahead. However, I might aim to get four posts written for November during Blog Ahead.

1. Stacking the Shelves (50)

 

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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