It’s Monday! What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.
I will be combining my YA and adult reading and purchases on this one weekly roundup. YA and middle grade reviews will still be posted on Ms. Martin Teaches Media - my other blog.
Other Than Reading...
This was a quiet week. I brought my new car back up to the dealer for a follow-up visit where someone answered any questions I might have about it. It was nice to get a refresher because there were so many things to remember when the salesman went through it all when I picked the car up. I also got a $50 gas card for doing the visit which made it well worth an hour of my time. I have a total of 92 miles on my car so I laughed when the helper on my return visit asked if I knew where to fill the gas tank. I drive so little that I may only have to fill it once a month.
We had a little more snow bringing our season total to 19.5 inches but not all of it is on the ground. We have had some warmer, sunny days that melted some of the accumulation. Of course, we also set a new low temperature record when it was -5 on Thursday morning. It is supposed to warm up some this week. In fact, they are predicting a rain-snow mix for next Friday when Duluth holds its annual Christmas City of the North parade. I've never attended given that I was working in southern Minnesota previous years but I hear nasty weather of some kind is the norm for that parade.
On the homefront, I've been trying a number of new recipes lately when it is my turn to cook. Actually I found the recipe and my brother cooked it for one of them - a Thai chicken and noodles dish. It was really good and we've added it to our keeper file. I cooked a PF Chang's copycat recipe for Zucchini-Mushroom Chicken that also got added to the keeper file. My brother's crazy work schedule means we take turns cooking depending on who is home. He still does most of the cooking because he likes to cook but I have been doing more lately. Speaking of crazy - he works from 5:30 until midnight on Thanksgiving and then works Black Friday from 6 AM to 1 PM. You'd think less than six hours between shifts would be against the law.
Read Last Week
The Door in the Alley by Adrienne Kress was a fun middle grade adventure with footnotes. Great characters, fast-paced action, and lots of humor were found. I just bought this one because I wanted to add the sequel to my review stack and hate starting a series anywhere but with book 1. My review will be posted on Nov. 22.
Charles Darwin by Kathleen Krull has been on TBR mountain since April of 2013. I used to do a research project with fifth graders about scientists and added quite a few of Krull's biographies to my stack for my own research. I liked the way the author personalized the scientist as well as discussing his scientific discoveries. My review will be posted on Dec. 1.
No Place Like You by Emma Douglas was a review book from NetGalley. It was a traditional romance about a traveling musician and the girl he left behind (for a while). My review will be posted on Dec. 2.
A Case of Syrah, Syrah by Nancy J. Parra is also from my review stack. This cozy features a main character I wanted to throttle. She didn't follow good advice and constantly found herself in danger as she investigated. She was a prime example of TSTL (Too Stupid to Live). Despite the annoying main character, the mystery was entertaining. My review will be posted on Dec. 6.
A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert was the final one I grabbed from my review stack this week. I liked that the main character was a librarian who played to her strengths as a researcher when she was confronted with a mystery. I liked the romance in this one too. My review will be posted on Dec. 9.
Almost to Die For by Tate Hallaway has been on TBR mountain since August 11, 2012. This is a YA urban fantasy about a girl who has been raised as a True Witch finding out that her father is a vampire king and that her mother hates her father. High school drama, urban fantasy, and a St. Paul, Minnesota, setting made this a fun story. My review will be posted on Dec. 6.
Currently
Next Week
- Almost Everything by Tate Hallaway - final book in trilogy
- Killman Creek by Rachel Caine - review book
Reviews Posted
On Ms. Martin Teaches Media:
- Into the Bright Unknown by Rae Carson
- Fragments of the Lost by Megan Miranda
- Truth Be Told by Kendra Elliot
- Breath of Fire by Amanda Bouchet
- City of Lies by Victoria Thompson
- A Spoonful of Magic by Irene Radford
Bought:
- Going Underground by Michael Leese - Kindle daily deal. I was intrigued by the idea of an autistic detective
- The Time of the Dark by Barbara Hambly - Kindle daily deal. I've read my print copy shabby and was glad to get a convenient Kindle copy of this book.
- Killman Creek by Rachel Caine (Dec. 12)
- Cast in Deception by Michelle Sagara (Jan. 23)
- The Philosopher's Flight by Tom Miller (Feb. 13)
- Fire and Bone by Rachel A. Marks (YA; Feb. 20)
- Searcher of the Dead by Nancy Herriman (March 13)
- The Reckless Rescue (The Explorers) by Adrienne Kress (YA; April 24)
