Today’s blog has two purposes, the weekly “What Are You Reading?” post, and also the last giveaway of the year. First, the discussion of what we’re reading. Then, check below the line for this week’s giveaway.
Some of us are lucky enough to have a long weekend for the Thanksgiving holiday. To me, that means extra reading time! I have a stack of books beside me as I write this. I’ve just started Michelle Obama’s Becoming. I’m also reading two forthcoming books, so if either of these sound interesting to you, write them down to get at your library or pre-order at your favorite bookstore. Julia Kelly’s The Light Over London has two storylines. One is about an antiques dealer who discovers a diary from World War II. The other storyline is about the woman who wrote the diary, a young woman who defied her parents to join the women’s branch of the British Army in the anti-aircraft gun unit. It’s a January 8 release.
I’m also reading Wine and Punishment, the first in Sarah Fox’s new Literary Pub mystery series. Booklover Sadie Coleman is excited about her new life as the owner of a pub with a literary theme. But, her ex-husband shows up, a man with a gambling addiction. And, he’s found dead near her pub. I love mysteries with a literary connection, so I’m looking forward to getting deeper into this one. Release date is Dec. 18.
I’m hoping to spend a good part of the weekend reading. Now, if you stopped back again today, off schedule, tell me what you’re reading. I’d love to know.
*****
I am NOT giving away the two books above. But, I do have two Christmas mysteries to give away. This is the last giveaway until January. I usually stop the contests during December because I don’t like to go to the post office and stand in line during the Christmas shipping season. So, I hope you enter the contest, and come back for the next one in January.
Lark! The Herald Angels Sing is this year’s Christmas book by Donna Andrews. Meg is helping out with Caerphilly’s festivities. While directing a nativity pageant, she finds a surprise in the manger, a live baby. The mother left a note saying Meg’s brother is the father, and it’s his turn to take care of baby Lark. When Meg searches for the baby’s identity, she uncovers something that could endanger her friends and family.
Or, you could enter to win Maia Chance’s Naughty on Ice. Set in the 1920s, society matron Lola Woodby and her Swedish cook Berta return for the latest addition to the Discreet Retrieval Agency series. An anonymous Christmas card asks them to recover an antique ring at a family gathering in Vermont. When the two women find the ring on a woman’s finger, she drops dead, and the police show up to catch them red-handed with the ring. It’s an obvious set-up.
Which Christmas mystery would you like to win? You can enter to win both, but I need separate entries. Email me at Lesa.Holstine@gmail.com. Your subject heading should read either “Win Lark” or “Win Naughty on Ice.” Please include your name and mailing address. The giveaway will end Thursday, November 29 at 5 PM CT. Entries from the U.S. only, please.
Thank you for the review on the books. I am going to look for them at my library. Thank you for the giveaways, too! Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving!
I was so full from dinner last night. And today: leftovers!
Current reading? O. Henry's collection of stories about grifters (no, not the Trumo family) Jeff Peters and his buddy. These are mostly a lot of fun. Also (after a very strong recommendation) reading Susie Steiner's MISSING, PRESUMED, the first in her Det. Sgt. Manon Bradshaw in Huntingdon (Cambridgeshire). A college post-graduate student has disappeared from her home, leaving her car and keys, and the door is open. Her father is a surgeon to the Royal Family, so the pressure is on. Her boyfriend seems to have a strong alibi. Days pass with no body and no sightings. Is she dead? If not, where is she? Manon's personal life (she is 39 and very lonely) also plays a part. So far, it is very good.
I better read faster because I picked up the new Lee Child at the library the other day, and I now have another EIGHT books waiting to be retrieved! Don't you hate when everything comes in at once? Oh well, I will do my best,
I finished:
The Sixth Idea by P J Tracy
Bolt Action by J J Hensley
Destination Murder (book 2) by K J Emrick
Now reading:
Off the Grid by P J Tracy
Alas, She Drowed by Monica Knightley
No Cats Allowed by Miranda James
Reading a book is exciting!
📕☕️🥰
I finished :
A cozy mysteryKILLER GREEN TOMATOES by Lynn Cahoon
A paranormal mystery/romance set at the North Pole MISS FROST CHILLS THE CHEATER By Kristen Painter. This is the last in an ongoing series.
HOW TO LOOSE AN ALIEN IN 10 DAYS by Fiona Rourke, the second book in her alien truck stop romance series
SEANCES ARE FOR SUCKERS by Tamara Berry. This one features a fake psychic who’s hired by a rich Englishman to go to England and uncover who’s haunting the ancestral home. I wouldn’t really consider it a cozy though. I liked the story but felt it dragged a bit in the middle.
I’m currently reading Fiona Rourke’s third alien truck stop book, MY BIG FAT ALIEN WEDDING. It’s a good day for a light read.
Lesa, enjoy your extra time off that you have to spend reading. Have some hot chocolate to make it even more enjoyable.
Jeff, I agree with you about all the books you place a hold on all come in at the same time. It can be overwhelming.
I am going to download a sample of Missing. Your review sparked a interest.
Good morning, Deb! Thank you. It was a very nice Thanksgiving. Happy reading!
I agree with Charlotte, Jeff. Missing, Presumed sounds good. I'm going to have to look for that one. I have Lee Child's new book as well. I don't know how soon I'll get to it, though. There are sixty-some people waiting for Michelle Obama's book at the library. I really need to read that this weekend. 3 days! Yay! Good luck with that TBR pile.
Charlotte! That's exactly what I had this morning – hot chocolate and toast. As soon as I finish posting links,, I'll read for a while. Enjoy your reading time this week. Hugs!
Sandy, I have one of Lynn Cahoon's books someplace as well. Sounds as if you're enjoying your light reading with that truck stop series. Have a good weekend!
Not much reading time this week getting ready for my family to arrive for Thanksgiving but I am enjoying MARILLA OF GREEN GABLES by Sarah Mccoy.
I read:
The Black Ops by WEB Griffin; another military themed soap opera, this one based in the modern day.
Operation Typhoon Shore by Joshua Mowl; A boy's adventure story that has so many aides, footnotes, and assorted other explanations that I lost track of the story.
Deadline by Chris Ewan; an abduction negotiator's wife is abducted, and somebody is going to pay–That's non-negotiable.
Testimony by Scott Turow; a lawyer has a midlife crisis, works for the Hague, finds love with an Eastern European woman half his age. Didn't even have to buy a red convertible.
Donut Turn Around by A. Gardner; A fairly lame cozy, with a sleuth who doesn't make donuts, just eat them.
Crocodile Man by Graham Wilson; a mystery with magical realism that doesn't get too annoying.
Reap by Frank J. Edward; A medical thriller that makes zero sense.
Sharon, Thanks for stopping by when I'm sure it's been hectic with family. I hope you enjoyed every minute with them.
Glen, I missed your comments last week. So happy to have you and your comments back. "Didn't even have to buy a red convertible." Ha!
Reading Elephant company : the inspiring story of an unlikely hero and the animals who helped him save lives in World War II by Vicki Croke and enjoying it very much, Shade: a photographic tale of two presidents …and Ariel Burger's story of his years with Elie Weisel, as student and as assistant at BC.
P.S. I put The light over London on my library list, it is on order at this time. Thanks for the suggestion.
Hope everyone had a tasty Thanksgiving. My Kentucky family (nieces and nephews and strays) had lasagna (!) for the main course so yesterday I cooked a turkey breast just for me – I love leftovers.
I, too, am reading Becoming. I'm loving it but it's slow going since there's a lot of words on each page (no conversation) but I'm really enjoying it. As of last night I'm beginning the White House years. She's a very good writer. Her description of her growing-up years was enlightening. I also finished Whispering in French (Nash) and have started Beautiful Ruins (Walter).
Currently binge reading Terry Shames' Samuel Craddock series which I am loving! This Sara Fox book sounds very interesting, Lesa – Adding it to my list, Thank You! Also, I read Michelle Obama's "Becoming" and can't say enough good things about it. Can't wait to hear what you think.
Late again!
s
Reading Do This For Me by Eliza Kennedy. Very funny at the beginning, but so much that I am nearing the end.
Also Blended by Sharon M. Draper. Good story for children with large print.
In tiny print, I am going very slowly with Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Philbrick. It is an in-depth book about Benedict Arnold. I want to reach inot to book and tell George Washington, that it will eventually be better!
This week I amazed myself by reading two books.
I finished Dark Sacred Night By Michael Connelly. I think this is the first time that Rachel Ballard and Harry Bosch have worked a case together.
I also read El Deafo by Cece Bell. This is a youth graphic novel. It's an autobiographical story about a young girl who becomes deaf after suffering a bout of meningitis It explores the feeling she goes through growing up – feeling alone and ostracized from her classmates.
I just started "Last Call" by Paula Matter – a book I won through one of Lesa's giveaways.
I also wanted to comment on Lesa's post earlier in the week about Stephen King Novels. I too was turned off by Stephen King after one of his early scary novels. But in 2006, I stumbled upon "Cell." It wasn't too creepy. In 2011, I read "11/22/63." A book about the Kennedy assassination. That was a fascinating book about a time-traveler. After that I started to selectively read his books. I read "Joyland." And after that "Revival" and "Outsider". I've come to realize that not all of books will make me sleep with the lights on at night. I've got "Elevation" on hold at the library and can't wait until my number comes up.
For us, this was a hard Thanksgiving so we kept our heads down and in books. That is, once my son, Scott finished his finished his final paper for the semester assuming his very absent minded professor does not change his mind on the parameters…again. One professor has had everything lined up from start to finish and she never changed anything which was very nice as things went like clockwork every Monday. The other one, his Thursday evening guy, contradicts himself week to week and often minute to minute.
Anyway, when we were not catching up on the DVR television stuff or watching football (thank you Longhorns and Cowboys), I was reading and just finished BLEAK HARBOR by Bryan Gruley. I was a big fan of his Starvation Lake Trilogy and teh very different from them BLEAK HARBOR does not dissappoint. I write all my reviews longhand and this one is written and awaiting typing up by Scott.
In digital format I just finished the July issue of Mystery Weekly Magazine as well as NOT A GOOD TEACHER by CS DeWildt. He has published several short stories and they all seem to be super dark noir style tales. His pi novel, SUBURBAN DICK was dark in a couple of spots and a very good read, but the short stories from him I have read so far make that look like a visit to the park filled with sunshine and flying unicorns. Reviews of both are also written and awaiting the typing.
Your resident wierdo in NE Dallas,
Kevin
(who always checks the "I'm not a robot" box even though he thinks that is what a robot would also do and can't swear he isn't a robot though he has never actually dreamed of electric sheep)
I loved everyone's added comments about their books and Thanksgiving. And, Kevin, thanks for the update as to how you and Scott are doing. You're right. A robot would check the box, and they'd probably do a better job than I do sometimes figuring out the pictures. (smile)
Looking back I realize now that I was long winded and proably over shared. Sorry about that, folks.
K
Don't be sorry, Kevin. Those of us who know you were interested and read the post. Others could skip it if they wanted. Don't apologize.