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.

 

What I've been reading: Completed this week

Celebrity in Death
by J. D. Robb
Format: eBook
Source: borrowed from library via Overdrive
Completed: 28 September

★★★☆☆

Celebrity in Death expands on earlier books in the Eve Dallas series. Nadine's book Deadly Perfection is being made into a movie. Eve, Peabody, Dr. Mira, and others from the real-life Icove case and the book are invited to a dinner party at the producer's NYC condo. During the party, an actress is found floating in the pool. Eve recruits her husband Roarke to help sort through the computer records to try and figure out which of the guests might be responsible for the murder.

The Heist
by Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg
Format: eBook
Source: borrowed from library via Overdrive
Completed: 30 September

★★★☆☆

On the recommendation of a friend, I reached out to get a copy of The Heist first in the newest series by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg. Nick Fox is a con man who gets partnered with FBI agent Kate O'Hare with a mission to run cons against criminals. They're going to recover stolen articles and with some luck, bring the criminals to trial. It's a fun story as Nick and Kate combine forces to catch Derek Griffin, a corrupt investment banker charged with stealing millions from his clients.

The Confession of Brother Haluin
by Ellis Peters
Format: eBook
Source: borrowed from library via Freading
Completed: 1 October

★★★☆☆

Next up as I read my way through all of the Brother Cadfael mysteries was The Confession of Brother Haluin. Falling from a second story roof, Brother Haluin suffers a serious head injury and falling roof tiles crush his feet. With all fears that he will not recover, Brother Haluin confesses a serious sin to Abbot Radulfus. But recover he does. He'll never walk with ease, but with shoes fashioned to cradle his crippled feet and crutches, Brother Haluin sets out on a pilgrimage to make amends to those he had wronged so long ago.

What I've been reading: In progress

I am so glad that I selected Elm Creek Quilts as a series to complete in 2015. I enjoy every book in the series. In The Union Quilters, the reader is taken back to the 1860s and the U. S. Civil War. Many of the men from Water's Town and the Elm Creek Valley of Pennsylvania have joined the Union Army. Two men who are left behind have very different attitudes. Hans Bergstrom (ancestor of Sylvia Berstrom Compson) is a pacifist and refuses to bear arms, while Able Wright is continually frustrated that the army will not accept colored men as soldiers.

Although I have not yet finished reading The Union Quilters, I'm fascinated by a different view of the war from the perspective of a Northern community. (I was raised in the South and have always lived here, so that's the story that I heard so much of the time.)

The second book in the Fox and O'Hare series, The Chase, has been tearing along a mile a minute ever since I opened the cover. When the Chinese government insists on the return of an antique brass artifact from the Smithsonian, Nick Fox and Kate O'Hare are called in to assist. Seems like the item in the Smithsonian is a forgery—the original was stolen and is now in the possession of former White House chief of staff, Carter Grove. Can they steal the artifact and switch it for the counterfeit before the Chinese find out about the substitution?

October Blog-Ahead

My goal is to have 10 posts written and scheduled for November and beyond. So far I have no completed posts, although I have many ideas and a couple of partially written posts. I'm confident that I will meet my goal.

This Week on the Blog

1. October Blog Ahead Challenge
2. Review: Fated by Sarah Fine
3. Review: Fires of Invention by J. Scott Savage
4. Stacking the Shelves (51)

 

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.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which the BookObsessed online community will receive a few cents if you make purchases.