Saturday, October 31, 2015

Stacking the Shelves (54)

Oh my gosh! I went crazy at the library yet again. Well, I have to blame the librarians a little bit, too. I used the “Recommend a Book” option in the Overdrive application and they approved the recommendations right away. So suddenly, I had two eBooks that I had thought would arrive much later. That wouldn't be so bad, except that I had put a reserve on Sonoma Rose by Jennifer Chiaverini and it became available on Thursday. When I stopped by the library to pick it up, I saw the latest book by Alexander McCall Smith and walked out of the library with it.

Given that I've not read any of these (well, not yet), I'm not going to try to include a blurb of any kind. Rather, just click on the cover image or the title to be taken to Amazon to find a synopsis and reader reviews.

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Sunday Summary: 25 October 2015

Arghhh! I need to spend more time reading, or I need to pick shorter books, or both. I'm still behind schedule to meet my goal of 200 books by the end of the year. With nine more weeks left in the year and 42 books to read, I'm going to need to average close to 5 books per week to meet my goal.

Yes, I picked a goal that I knew was going to make me push, but I also expected to be reading a lot more middle-grade books than I have so far. Guess I need to take a look at my TBR stack and line up some of those YA and MG books, moving them to the top of the list.

However, when it comes to the Blog Ahead Challenge, I've finally made some progress.

Where I've been reading

After a delightful weekend at home in Texas, I traveled to St. Louis on Monday morning. Spent an uneventful week there—longish days, but no crises. The trip home on Thursday night made up for it, though. Due to stormy weather in Dallas, my flight was diverted to Shreveport where we sat on the ground for almost three hours before we could take off to complete our trip to Dallas. It wouldn't have been so bad except that there was no airflow within the plane. I usually get quite chilled during a flight, but that wasn't the case at all this time! Everyone was hot and cranky by the time we landed in Dallas at 1:15, four hours later than scheduled.

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Stacking the Shelves (53)

There was no Stacking the Shelves post last week because I didn't receive any new books. But I made up for it this week. I hit the online library catalog and grabbed a couple of high-interest books.

From the library:

Book Cover: The Heretic's Apprentice by Ellis Peters Book Cover: The Potter's Field by Ellis Peters The Heretic's Apprentice and The Potter's Field are the 16th and 17th books in Ellis Peters' medieval mystery series starring Brother Cadfael. I have challenged myself to finish all the books in this series by the end of the year. With 20 books in the series, I need to read at least two books this month and next.


Sunday, October 18, 2015

Sunday Summary: 18 October 2015

It was an interesting week for reading. I started out at my sister's house in Orlando and eventually found my way home on Friday evening, just in time to join with over 2000 other readers in Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon. Reading all of Saturday (well starting at 7am!) helped to bring my weekly average up just a little bit. I read a total of 472 pages in the 24 hours of the read-a-thon, reading one book from beginning to end and finishing half of another. AND, I have now read 155 books toward my goal of 200. That's one more book than I read in 2014.

Where I've been reading

Spent another week away from home. Mid-day on Sunday, I left my sister's house and drove to Jacksonville, Florida. I had meetings with customers on Monday and Wednesday, working from my hotel room on Tuesday. On Thursday, I flew to Birmingham (Alabama, not England) by way of Charlotte, North Carolina, and met with a customer on Friday before flying home to Texas.

 

Dewey's: Wrapping it All Up

And, now as the sun rises here in Texas, another Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon has come to an end. I took more breaks this time than in years past, and I didn't even try to stay awake throughout the night. Instead, I took myself to bed and set an alarm so I'd be up and reading during the final hour.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog and left some words of encouragement. It really means a lot to see those comments and know that someone actually read what I wrote. See all you Dewey folks next April.

 

Dewey's: After the Nap

Just a quick update. Shortly after midnight, I gave up and took myself to bed. As usual, I read myself to sleep—probably only a page or two—and now I'm up at at 'em for the final hour. It's been fun. It's been intense, even though I no longer have the stamina to read for the full 24 hours. I'll be back in an hour.

Hour 23 Update

Reading Location: My house in Texas

Currently Reading: The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley

Book Cover: The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley

Total Pages read so far: 433 pages

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: Entering the Home Stretch

Yes, there are only 8 hours left in the October 2015 Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon. Here in Texas, it's 23:00 (11 pm for those who don't do military time). Having just finished reading Calculated in Death, I took an hour off of reading from 9 to 10, spending it visiting other Read-a-Thon-ers and leaving comments as well as scanning Tweets. For the last hour, I've been back into reading with The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley.

Hour 16 Update

Reading Location: My house in Texas

Currently Reading: The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley

Book Cover: The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley

Total Pages read so far: 417 pages

Other Readers I have visited:
1. Shaunesay at The Space Between
2. Judith at Leeswammes' Blog
3. Michelle at Because Reading
4. Rachael at Rachael Turns Pages
5. Olduvai at Olduvai Reads

Mini-challenges completed: Introductory Questionnaire and Mid-event Survey

Finished Books: 1 : Calculated in Death by J. D. Robb

Book Cover: Calculated in Death by J D Robb

Comments: I'm thinking I might fire up an audiobook for a little while and play some Sudoku while I listen. Or, I'll return to The Door in the Hedge. I haven't decided.

Dewey: The Half-Way Mark

Twelve hours have passed since Dewey's Read-a-Thon began. I've been reading steadily—not constantly. Since my last update, I've nearly completed reading Calculated in Death, visited with my daughter, and eaten dinner. Daughter suggested we have supper together tonight and I happily agreed, but when it came time to decide which restaurant, she said she'd really like to stay in. But it's DEWEY'S. I'm not cooking. So, we threw rice into the cooker and hubby went through the drive-in window at Wendy's, bringing home chili for everyone. Chili on rice is a favorite meal, and getting it at Wendy's means no one had to cook. Score!

I didn't finish reading Calculated in Death before supper, but I'm getting really close to the end now. Also, since I took time away from reading to visit with my daughter, I haven't had time to check out other readers on Twitter or their blogs. I'll plan to do that as soon as I finish this book and before I start the next one.

Mid-event Survey

1) What are you reading right now?

Still reading Calculated in Death by J. D. Robb. I'm getting really close to the end, though.

2) How many books have you read so far?

Just the one. I'll be starting a second book in a short while

3) What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?

I've decided to read The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley. It's one of the books for the Overdrive Big Library Read. I missed the online chat on the 13th, but it's still fun to participate in a group read-along.

4) Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

I've been my own distraction, starting out this morning frequently falling asleep in my chair. I've taken time out for a visit with my daughter as well. I've not been reading continuously, because I like the social side of Dewey's and visit blogs as well as reading Twitter posts.

5) What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?

No surprises. I'm a veteran of several Dewey read-a-thons, and I pretty much know what to expect.

Hour 12 Update

Reading Location: My house in Texas

Currently Reading: Calculated in Death by J. D. Robb

Book Cover: Calculated in Death by J D Robb

Total Pages read so far: 300 pages

Total Time spent reading so far: Totally don't know.

Other Readers I have visited:
1. Shaunesay at The Space Between
2. Judith at Leeswammes' Blog
3. Michelle at Because Reading

Mini-challenges completed: Just the Introductory Questionnaire

Finished Books: 0

Comments: Feeling really good. Nearly finished with Calculated in Death and thinking about what to read next. Not going to take time to visit other Read-a-thon-ers right now, because I'm so close to the end of my book. (Every avid reader understands the NEED to finish a book, right?)

Another Dewey Update

The first third of Dewey's read-a-thon is now over. So much more fun yet to come. I'm making progress in Calculated in Death—now well past the mid-point.

Hubby took us out for lunch at a nearby pizza place. As with breakfast, I took the Kindle, reading on the way to the restaurant and while we were eating. Got a slice of “S’mores pizza” for dessert.

Stopped by the pharmacy on the way home to get the annual flu shot. I didn't stop reading. Here's the proof. The pharmacist was probably amused that I asked for a photo, but she was a good sport.

We had one more place to stop on the way home from lunch—dropping off a package at the UPS store. Then, with all of our errands out of the way, we returned home where I checked in on Twitter and Facebook as well as checking out a few more blog posts. Got to get back to reading, though. My book is really interesting now.


Hour 8 Update

Reading Location: My house in Texas; Double Dave's Pizza; Walgreen Drugs; UPS Store

Currently Reading: Calculated in Death by J. D. Robb

Book Cover: Calculated in Death by J D Robb

Total Pages read so far: 204 pages

Total Time spent reading so far: I've lost track

Other Readers I have visited:
1. Shaunesay at The Space Between
2. Judith at Leeswammes' Blog
3. Michelle at Because Reading

Mini-challenges completed: Just the Introductory Questionnaire

Finished Books: 0

Comments: I'm feeling all energetic after a good lunch of pizza and Diet Coke. I have a mid-afternoon snack of grapefruit sections all ready for me to dig in. Hope to finish reading Calculated in Death by supper time, so I need to get back to reading.

Dewey so far

And now that Dewey's read-a-thon has run for 5 hours, it's time for another update. I find that I'm not reading very fast, and I think the reason is that I'm too comfortable. I keep drifting off and then snapping back to the page. Looking at the clock, I'm not gone for more than a minute, but it definitely is eating into the reading progress. I'm going to relocate for a while. First, since it's noon here in Texas, hubby is taking me out to lunch and I'm going to get my annual flu shot while we're out. And when I return, I'm going to sit at my desk instead of curling up in the recliner. That should help a little bit.

Hour 5 Update

Reading Location: My house in Texas

Currently Reading: Calculated in Death by J. D. Robb

Book Cover: Calculated in Death by J D Robb

Total Pages read so far: 115 pages

Total Time spent reading so far: 155 minutes (estimated)

Other Readers I have visited: 1, Shaunesay at The Space Between

Mini-challenges completed: Just the Introductory Questionnaire

Finished Books: 0

Comments: OK -- this dozing off is cutting into my reading progress. Time to move around, stir up the blood, and get wide awake.

Dewey Begins

OK, so at the beginning of the 3rd hour, I'm taking a break from reading to post and go visit the blogs of other readers.

I barely got out of bed in time to begin reading at the 7am start time of Dewey's 24-hour read-a-thon, and I caught myself dozing from time to time. By 7:45, hubby was up and talking about breakfast, so we got in the car and drove to a nearby diner for a substantial meal of breakfast burritos with tomatoes and avocado on the side. I read all the way to and from the diner and even read through most of the meal.

As the 24 hour read-a-thon begins, participants are asked to answer the introductory questionnaire.

Introductory Questionnaire

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?

I'm at home in Texas. I'll ride along with my hubby as he runs errands, and we're eating out all day, but otherwise I'm planning on kicking back in the recliner and reading my heart out.

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

I don't know that I have one I favor over the others. I'm conscious that I have library books which will need to be returned in just over a week, so I'm concentrating on them first.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

I don't stock up on snacks for the read-a-thon. I will keep myself will hydrated with lots of water and the occasional caffeine-free Diet Coke.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

I am an avid reader of various fiction genres. Since I've become a grandmother I've noticed that I have less stamina to stay awake for the entire 24 hours of the event, but that's OK, too. I'll still spend my day focusing mostly on reading and avoiding other distractions.

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?

I plan to take regular breaks to visit other read-a-thoners and post updates. And over-all, I plan to have fun!

Hour 2 Update

Reading Location: My house in Texas & Old West Cafe

Currently Reading: Calculated in Death by J. D. Robb

Book Cover: Calculated in Death by J D Robb

Total Pages read so far: 66 pages

Total Time spent reading so far: 80 minutes

Other Readers I have visited: None so far

Mini-challenges completed: Just the Introductory Questionnaire (see above)

Finished Books: 0

Comments: I'm getting a good start to the read-a-thon. Feeling very energetic now that I've had breakfast.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

It's Dewey time again

I almost let the Fall 2015 edition of Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon slip by. It starts bright and early on Saturday morning and as the title says, runs for 24 hours. While I like to participate in read-a-thons, Dewey's is the most intense of all them all. It challenges readers (over 1000 this time around) to read as much as they can in the 24 hours of the event. This read-a-thon is held twice a year and runs from noon UCT on a Saturday to noon UCT the next day. Everyone starts and ends at the same time, so since I live in Texas, my start time is 7am CDT.

I have a couple of library books checked out that I need to read and return, so I'll be focusing on those off the bat. I'll be starting off with Calculated in Death by J. D. Robb as well as The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher. Yes, I'll be reading two books, bouncing back and forth between them. And as soon as I finish one or the other, I'll be plunging into The Banished of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler or perhaps The Heretic's Apprentice by Ellis Peters. Now, I reserve the right to change my mind—particularly when I'm sleepy and get a bit grouchy. But for now, I have a bit of a plan.

Book Cover: Calculated in Death by J D Robb Book Cover: The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher Book Cover: The Banished of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler Book Cover: The Heretic's Apprentice by Ellis Peters

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Sunday Summary: 11 October 2015

I keep having to pinch myself to remember that it's really October. The year is flying to a close so quickly! This week I again completed three books, but that's one short of the number I need to read each week if I'm going to get to 200 by the end of the year. I should find a little more time to read next week since I have several flights and I'll be taking my suppers alone.

Where I've been reading

Ah yes! I've been in Florida. From Monday through Friday, I attended a conference in Orlando and then drove up to my sister's house just north of Orlando to spend the weekend. I enjoyed the conference very much. Many of the technical sessions were educational and I picked up some new information about the software that I use. I also enjoyed getting to spend time with various colleagues throughout the week.

 

What I've been reading: Completed this week

Book Cover: The Union Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini The Union Quilters
by Jennifer Chiaverini
Format: Hardback
Source: borrowed from the library
Completed: 4 October

★★★★☆

The Union Quilters is the 17th (of 20) books in the Elm Creek Quilts series. Set in the time of the U. S. Civil War, the women of Elm Creek Valley in Pennsylvania are left behind when their husbands, sons, and brothers are mustered into the Union Army. The Bergstrom women—Anneke and her sister-in-law, Gerta—join with their neighbors to make quilts and raise funds to support the troops from their community. Weaving the account of the company's battles in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia with the stories of the community they left behind, Jennifer Chiaverini has delivered a compelling account of a war that changed the very fabric of American life.


Saturday, October 10, 2015

Stacking the Shelves (52)

This week was a bit weird when it came to new books. First of all, I've been away from home all week and won't return to Texas for another week. So I'm reading whatever happens to be on my Kindle. However, last week, I put a HOLD on the next two In Death books at the library thinking like the previous book, I'd have to wait the full 21 day checkout period before they became available. On Sunday, I received notice that both were ready for download. I had already downloaded one book, and that gave me three new library books to read. And then last night, I received a notice that the library had purchased The Aeronaut's Windlass on my recommendation and it was being held for me. Of course I downloaded it right away. I'm just lucky that the library gives me a 21 day check-out period.

Thursday, October 08, 2015

Review: The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra

Book Cover: The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan
Published August 2015 by Mulholland Books
Source: eGalley ARC from NetGalley

On the day he retires, Inspector Ashwin Chopra inherits two unexpected mysteries.

The first is the case of a drowned boy, whose suspicious death no one seems to want solved.

And the second is a baby elephant.

As his search for clues takes him across the teeming city of Mumbai, from its grand high rises to its sprawling slums and deep into its murky underworld, Chopra begins to suspect that there may be a great deal more to both his last case and his new ward than he thought.

And he soon learns that when the going gets tough, a determined elephant may be exactly what an honest man needs...

Monday, October 05, 2015

Month in Review: September 2015

September was a pretty good month for reading. I read fewer books—only 15—which contributed to falling behind just a little bit in my annual goal. However, some of the best books I've read all year were among the ones read this month.

So now that we're at the 3/4 mark in the year, Goodreads tells me that I'm 1 book behind schedule to complete 200 books this year. I hope to make a bit faster progress toward this goal by selecting books that “read fast”. That's generally a factor of the vocabulary and writing style of the author. My reading mood can also affect whether or not I'm reading a book slowly or quickly.

I've read 42,674 pages toward my secondary goal of 50,000 pages. (I set the page goal to keep myself from getting to the total number of books by reading short books.) I'm way ahead of the pace to complete 50K pages.

Sunday, October 04, 2015

Sunday Summary: 4 October 2015

As I write this, I'm sitting in the living room of a dear friend who lives in Auburn, AL. We're here to celebrate Homecoming, the annual gathering of alumni for parties, tailgaiting, and football. We have made it a tradition to get back to Auburn each year for Homecoming even though we now watch the game on TV instead of trekking to the stadium. We have BBQ planned for supper around half-time and lots of snacks for before and after. No one will leave here hungry!

Where I've been reading

You wouldn't believe my travel schedule this past week. I flew 7 segment in 3 days to get from Dallas to Poughkeepsie to Louisville and back to Dallas. This was to facilitate two back-to-back meetings in Poughkeepsie and Louisville, respectively. As soon as I landed in Dallas, hubby packed me into the car and we started cross-country toward Auburn. With all those flights, I did have plenty of time to read—when I wasn't dozing. I didn't take as much advantage of the time in the car because I was definitely sleeping to make up for the overnight flights on Tuesday night.

 

Saturday, October 03, 2015

Stacking the Shelves (51)

Congratulate me. Another week has gone by and I haven't bought a book. I'm still satisfying my craving for new (or new-to-me) books by borrowing from the library.

From the library:

Book Cover: The Heist by Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg So, did you ever watch White Collar on television? You know, a charming con-man gets sprung from jail and works with the FBI to capture other con-men. Well, that's sort of the premise of Janet Evanovich's new Fox and O'Hare series which starts with The Heist. Nick Fox is a con man and he gets partnered with FBI agent Kate O'Hare—with a huge slush fund to draw from to set up their cons. It's a fun series with high-speed chases, first class flights, champagne and chocolate, and a bit of romantic tension on the side.