Not dead ... just away

Yes, there were no posts to this blog in 2016 or 2017. I'm sure that some who followed the blog thought that it had been abandoned. It felt like that to me as well. Rather than enjoying the blogging and the reading, it had become a chore what with the challenges, memes, and the ARC reviews. In 2017, I didn't sign up for any challenges at all, and I didn't participate in any read-a-thons. And now I'm relaxed enough that I'm resurrecting the blog and have plans to post regularly. I'm hoping at least weekly, but I'm not going to be stressed if more time elapses between posts.

So, other than challenges, what's changed? Well, I've bought no books printed on paper in the past two years. And, the only electronic books that I've bought were with gift cards. Of the 182 books that I read in 2017, 156 of them were borrowed—either from the library or from Kindle Unlimited. Most of the books I read were in series. Lots of the books I read were pure fluff—which made the reading of them so relaxing.

Currently Reading

My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier & Christopher Collier
A Clash of Kings by James R. R. Martin
To Cache a Killer by Karen Musser Nortman

My Brother Sam is Dead was selected as a Newbery Honor book in 1975. I try to read the Newbery Medal book each year shortly after the awards are announced in the Spring. Then, I read a few of that year's Honor books or Medal and Honor books from previous years. I borrowed My Brother Sam is Dead in electronic format from my local library. Another borrowed book—but this time from Amazon's Kindle Unlimited subscription—is To Cache a Killer. This is the fifth book in Karen Nortman's Camping Can Be Murder series. They're cozy mysteries that I'm thoroughly enjoying.

The last “in progress” book is A Clash of Kings, second in James R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire. Having watched all the episodes on television, I decided that I'd read the books to fill in the details that simply get left out when they translate the book to video. And, I'm reading this book with my ears instead of my eyes. I'm listening to the unabridged audiobook. With 33 hours remaining (of the 37.25 hours total length), I figure it will be July or later before I finish it. You see, I only listen to books when I'm driving and I'm alone in the car. So unless I find other times when I can listen, it's going to be a long time until I reach the end of this book.