What I Got:
Around the World in 50 Years by Albert Podell - I love travel books and I love project books so combine the two and I couldn't resist! I'm not sure I want to go to every country on Earth but I plan on enjoying Podell's travels! (NetGalley)
Treasure on Lilac Lane by Donna Alward - I'm halfway through with the first one in this series and couldn't resist the 2nd book (NetGalley)
Home for Dinner by Anne K. Fishel - We are one of the few families I know that regularly eat dinner together so I was curious to see what this book has to say and I can always use more recipes and tips! (NetGalley)
Behind Every Great Man by Marlene Wagman-Gellar - I love biographies about almost famous people and this biography of women connected to famous men - such as Emma Wedgewood Darwin and Alma Reveille Hitchcock - so this book was impossible to pass up! (NetGalley)
We'll Always Have Paris by Jennifer Coburn - A combination travel memoir and book about strengthening bonds and learning to live without fear seemed impossible to pass up! (France Booktours)
A Sinful Deception by Isabella Bradford - Really all I had to see was the opening blurb that said this was for "fans of Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Sabrina Jeffries." I'm not sure I looked at the blurb until after I requested it! (NetGalley)
Merry Christmas Baby by Jill Shalvis - A Lucky Harbor Christmas novella! This one features one of my favorite couples - Chloe and Sawyer - a few years into their marriage. I'm really excited but now am feeling the need to reread their book! (NetGalley)
Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris - I adore Neil Patrick Harris and from what I've seen of this one it's definitely not going to make me love him any less! (Blogging for Books)
Currently:
Reading: The House on Blackberry Hill by Donna Alward - I'm having some serious house envy reading this one. At Home with Madame Chic by Jennifer L. Scott which I'm really enjoying. The Shiro Project by David Khara which is a fast paced thriller. I alternate it with one of the others when I'm reading at night so I actually have a chance at going to sleep!
Listening: Not a thing! On the hold list for an audio book at the library and haven't had time to really look through the catalog to see what else is available. Hoping to fix this soon!
Watching: Not much new other than football. I tend to watch and read at the same time unless it's an Auburn game and then I end up watching it all. I've started watching The Chew some again and always enjoy it.
Off the Blog:
Well the major news is that Emma got her acceptance letter for her first choice school! We are thrilled and she is enormously relieved since she had managed to make herself believe that she was at best going to be wait listed. I knew she would get in but it's nice to see it in writing. So War Eagle! We're going to go visit her 2nd choice school this weekend so that may change but we'll see.
I had minor oral surgery last week (teeth extraction - I have the mouth of a 6 year old apparently and I had 2 molars that were starting to give me problems) and just wanted to thank everyone for the get well wishes! It went great other than I was kind of annoyed I wasn't immediately better. For the most part I'm pretty healthy and the last time I'd been under any kind of anesthesia was 17 years ago when I had my wisdom teeth removed. Turns out that anesthesia makes you kind of groggy. Don't like it! But all is well and I'm back up and going!
Halloween was a lot of fun though freezing! Our Halloweens tend to run to freezing (well for us which is about 40) to hot (90) so it's always interesting to work costumes around it! We're all Star Wars all the time around here so the Tornado went as Jango Fet and could barely contain his excitement. It's been quite a week for him. We had his field trip Tuesday, his school Halloween party Wednesday night and the Halloween.
Moving on - how can it already be November?? I'm trying to make a list of everything I want to get caught up on before the end of the year. Other than Thanksgiving and Christmas these 2 months will be relatively calm so hopefully I can get at least most of it done. Bunches of blog stuff I want to get caught up with as well as house stuff and holiday planning. I always have craft projects I want to do but when it really comes down to it I'm far more of a baker than a crafter.
I learned a lesson this week about forcing myself to read a book that I'm not in the mood for just because I have it set for a certain day in my head. I read Karen Harper's Forbidden Ground (link below) and while I don't think I would have loved it at the best of times reading it while not in the mood for it is definitely not the way to do this! I'm trying to remind myself to be more flexible at times like this even if it upsets my list-making little soul.
And last thing I promise because I know I'm talking (typing?) your ears off - is anyone interested in reading the Royal Spyness series by Rhys Bowen? I have a trade paperback called A Royal Threesome which is the first 3 books in 1. Anyone interested? If so leave a way to comment you in the comments and I'll send it on your way - First Come First Serve and US only please.
On the Blog
What Happened This Week:
Tuesday: Top Ten Books to Read to Get in the Halloween Spirit - well 8 books and 2 movies
Wednesday: Forbidden Ground - Review
Thursday: A Haunting is Brewing - Review - such a fun paranormal cozy!
Friday: Friday Linkups with excerpts from a short story collection called Even in Death
Coming Up:
Since I'm trying to learn my lesson if the review is not already written and scheduled it'll go down as just a TBD. There will be something that day I just don't necessarily know what!
Monday: At Home with Madame Chic
Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Want to Reread
Wednesday: The Shiro Project - Blog Tour Review
Thursday: TBD but hopefully something Christmas-y
Friday: Linkups with whatever book I'm reading which I hope will be Neal Patrick Harris's autobiography
Saturday: The American Plate - Review
Happy Reading!
I want to read that Neil Patrick Harris book!! Can't wait to see your review. That sucks about your teeth and I am glad you are on the mend. Tooth pain is the worst. Last weekend my husband was in so much pain from one of his teeth we had to go to the ER in the middle of the night (his appointment was Monday) and those pain pills didn't even make a dent in his pain. He is all better now too. I didn't even hand out candy this year for Halloween. We just don't get any trick or treaters so this year I gave up.
ReplyDeleteUck! Glad to know your husband is feeling better. I know I'm glad that my mouth is back to normal! We don't get trick or treaters either and it does feel a little sad.
DeleteSo exciting for Emma!!! That is awesome news. You must be so proud. A Sinful Deception by Isabella Bradford has me curious..cannot wait to see what you think. I hope you have recovered, dental surgery is seriously not fun. Have a wonderful week Katherine!
ReplyDeleteWe are very excited! I'm looking forward to. Sinful Deceptions. I'm hoping it will be as good as the blurb makes sound!
DeleteCongrats to your daughter for her acceptance, that's great! Sounds like you had a cold Halloween, we did too- 30's and so windy it was hard to be out. The kids didn't care though- just us adults who were freezing! :) It was fun though.
ReplyDeleteWe've been watching football too and are enjoying the Thursday night games this year, kind of a nice break during the week.
Your comment about the adults being freezing made me laugh. It's so true! He was fine and I was turning into a block of ice!
DeleteAw that's awesome news for Emma! Glad things went well with the surgery. And omg I love Chloe & Sawyer too! I'll have to go check that out. :)
ReplyDeleteWe are excited and I'm glass to be feeling like myself again!
DeleteYou got so many books this week! O.O I hope you will like them all.
ReplyDeleteHappy Sunday!
Things did get a bit out of control!
DeleteI love all your travel books, they are giving me wanderlust :) And I'm with you, if I'm not in the mood for a book, I just can't read it. I have to put it aside for another day or I'll do it no justice. Hope you love all your books and have a great week :)
ReplyDeleteI can't really afford to ravel right now so I'm all about traveling through books! I definitely learned my lesson about mood reading! Hopefully it will stick!
DeleteSo many fabulous new books! I love the covers on the travel books! Congrats to your daughter...such an exciting time for her.
ReplyDeleteMy Sunday post: http://www.bookclublibrarian.com/2014/11/weekly-book-recap-87.html
Thanks! We are all excited though it's a little scary!
DeleteOh, I feel better about my book week now. You and several other bloggers have bigger hauls. :D
ReplyDeleteI love that you are enjoying a book so much that you went and got book two before even finishing book one. I'll be looking for your review of book one. :) All your travel books look fun too; you had a great book week.
The Tornado looks wonderful in his costume, so adorable.
Have a good week. :)
This week got a little out of control! He had such a good time on Halloween. He's already looking forward to next year!
DeleteI'm happy you are feeling better and congrats to your daughter. It's thrilling to get into the university you chose. Big days ahead for her.
ReplyDeleteI also sometimes grab the next book before I even finished the first one. One time, I was loving a book so much, I got out of bed, went to my computer, and grabbed the next two so I could keep right on reading. Another reason I wait when a new series comes out. No long wait between releases:)
Here's my Sunday Post - http://fuonlyknew.com/2014/11/02/whats-new-on-my-bookshelf-85-and-the-sunday-post/
She's excited and scared. It'll definitely be interesting to see how it goes.
DeleteI do the same thing with series. Nothing worse than finishing a book you loved and having to wait another year for the next one!
Congrats to your daughter! Awesome news...and now she can focus on other things...lol.
ReplyDeleteCute Halloween costume...
I have also had to rethink my reading plans, by kicking some Old TBRs to the curb in favor of newer books I want to read.
Enjoy the month...and the week; and thanks for visiting my blog.
Yes she's so relieved. I've been trying to pull up TBR books as well instead of just review books.
DeleteCongrats to Emma! I have to pretend to know something about SEC schools now that A&M is part of the SEC, but really I don't know much other than what Lisa has told me :) How awesome to have first choice, though!!
ReplyDeleteDo families not eat dinner together because they're so busy? I don't understand this. I think that people these days overbook their children. I think it's good for kids to be involved, but not at the expense of never having family time! Anyway, end rant. I'll look forward to your discoveries!
Tornado looks darling! well...I guess HE doesn't, but great costume. ;)
I definitely agree about overbooking. We tried very hard not too and for the most part it worked. We don't have dinner as much as I'd like but we still manage a couple of times a week. Have the time the kids haul over a friend or 2 as well!
DeleteAll you need to know about the SEC is how to say War Eagle!
Congrats to your daughter--hurray! Also loved that photo of your son on Halloween :) Glad your oral surgery is over and you have recuperated. My daughter and I both had some this year and it's "yucky"--'nuff said.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of your titles so I'm off to check them out. Enjoy your weekend and your football watching.
I don't love having surgery and hopefully it will be a long time before I have to have anything done again! They both had a good Halloween. Emma got her acceptance letter and the Tornado got lots of candy!
DeleteTravel books are great! I agree, I definitely don't want to visit every country, but I sure as hell would love to make my way through a good portion of them. Oh to have the financial freedom to do that...
ReplyDeleteCongrats to, Emma! WooHoo!
Halloween was a wet and freezing one here. Only a few kids. Which is a plus for me, I get to eat all the candy. :) That's one tough looking Jango Fet though! ;)
Happy reading!
Brittany @ This is the Story of My(Reading) Life
He absolutely lived his costume. He was so excited he could barely stand it. Our Halloween was cold but thankfully dry. My favorite part about Halloween is eating the leftover candy! I figure one day we will be able to travel but for me it will be awhile!
DeleteCongrats for your daughter -- that is so exciting! I love the Tornado's Halloween costume. We didn't hand out candy this year and kind of missed not seeing trick or treater's garbs. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteHe loved his costume! It was a good time. We don't get trick or treaters either and I do miss seeing all the kids!
DeleteCongrats on your daughter for getting accepted for her first choice school. That's great news for her!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear your surgery went well, it sounds scary having to go under anesthesia.
Tornado looks awesome in his Jango Fet costume. Sad to hear it was freezing though, must be difficult to plan costumes around really hot or cold weather.
It can be difficult when you have to read a book for a certain date and then am not in the mood for it. I am a mood reader as well and it can be difficult sometimes.
I hope you have a great week!
Thanks! I'm glad the acceptance letter came and surgery is over! Costume planning is definitely a challenge but kids don't seem to feel cold in Halloween. Maybe all the sugar.
DeleteThanks for picking up some Jewell Cove! :) Hope you enjoy both.
ReplyDeleteOh thanks for commenting! I loved Blakberry Hill and am really looking forward to heading back to Jewell Cove!
DeleteCongrats to your daughter! Eck to the dentist, I hate the dentist lol
ReplyDeleteThat costume is ADORABLE! I hope he had a great time trick or treating! It got very cold around here this weekend and I LOVE it ;) I'm a winter girl!
Enjoy your new reads and Have a great week!
Thanks! He had such a good time he's counting down to next Halloween already! I really like my new dentist so I'm hoping things go better from now on.
DeleteCongrats to Emma! That's great news and I'm glad to hear you are recovering from oral surgery.
ReplyDeleteI know the feeling of trying to read a book by a certain date even if you aren't in the mood for it. Not fun!
Have a great week!
Things definitely turned up beat around here! I am much more of a mood reader than I realized.
DeleteWOW, Katherine, you've been busy on all fronts this week! Congrats to Emma for being accepted to her first choice of colleges. That must make her feel really good. Hard work usually pays off :)
ReplyDeleteI hope your mouth is feeling OK now, it's annoying to feel disconnected and strange because of the anesthesia, but at least now it's over with.
You got lots of really good-looking books, too! We try to eat dinner together, too, but it's not always possible, as our oldest son often has hockey practice in the evenings, and he has quite a way to go to get to his hockey rink.
Thanks for stopping by earlier, I hope you'll have a fantastic week.
Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews
The practice thing trips is up too though ours is soccer. We are definitely excited though I'm sure that will ramp down a bit when tuition is due!
DeleteNice book haul. I have Treasure on Lilac Lane coming up soon to read.
ReplyDeleteHigh-five to Emma! Ha, the little guy looks cute in his costume.
Have a great week.
They were both pretty happy. I didn't think we were going to get the Jango Fet costume off him! I'm really looking forward to Lilac Lane
DeleteCongrats to Emma - that's great news!! It's stressful waiting for acceptance letters to come in and I'm very glad she heard so early. The Tornado is adorable in his Halloween costume. Glad the oral surgery is behind you and recovery was smooth. You sure got a lot of books this week :-)
ReplyDeleteWe don't wait well. I think I was almost as impatient as she was! Things did get a bit out of control in the book requesting world! Whoops!
DeleteCongrats to Emma! I really dread going to a dentist, but of course we need to take care of our mouth too. Hope yours is okay now :)
ReplyDeleteHere's mine:
NYZE@everythingnyze
Thank you! She is very excited!
DeleteCongrats to Emma and how cool is little Jango Fet, love that costume. I like to avoid the dentist, they're not fun but I hope you're feeling better.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week and enjoy your new reads.
Sharon @ Sharon's Book Nook!
I don't think I'll ever look forward to going to the dentist but I like her enough that I don't think I'll dread it as much as I used too!
DeleteDon't worry you're not the only one that needs to work on getting caught up on things! I am so behind on blogging and reading right now, I mean, I only read half a book last week! Who does that?
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I hope you have a lovely week!
I've had weeks like that. Hopefully it's gotten better. I'm working on getting caught up but I'm mostly kicking myself for getting so far behind!
DeleteIt took me a long time to learn that pushing myself to read when I was not in the mood only makes things worse. I'm like you and I like to have book reviews done when I set them to be done, but sometimes our brains just aren't working with us! Sorry about your teeth! And on Halloween week too! Sad but I hope you're feeling better!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm feeling much better. I'm glad to know I'm not alone with the scheduling!
DeleteAround the World in 50 Years sounds great. I can't remember where I saw it first, but I added it to my list of titles to order for my school library. I'm so behind on blogging and reading right now as well. It's a bit stressful. Hope your upcoming week is a good one!
ReplyDeleteCheck out my Sunday Post
I'm definitely looking forward to Around the World in 59 years! It looks fascinating! I try not to let myself get stressed out because this is supposed to be fun but it's hard not to get stressed or feel behind!
DeleteAround the World in 50 Years sounds really interesting. I'd love to travel, at least to nice places and the ones with lots of history. :) Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous week!!
ReplyDeleteTressa @ Wishful Endings
I definitely would love to travel more though I think I will stick to the places that have hot water heaters!
DeleteThe Tornado's costume is fabulous! And congrats to your daughter for getting into her top school! WOOT. Teeth extraction though = so not fun. :( My brother had his wisdom teeth out and he was SO miserable and slept a lot because of the anaesthetic. My wisdom teeth are just coming up now, actually, and I'm terrified they'll give me issues. >_< I HATE DENTISTS. Hopefully they'll be fine though. So I hear ya! Hope you're not in too much pain after the surgery now!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by @ Notebook Sisters!
Thank you! I'm feeling fine now. The last thing I had done was my wisdom teeth which was 17 years ago! I'm hoping it will be at least 17 more years before I have to have anything else done!
DeleteThe Albert Podell book sounds interesting -- good for an armchair traveler like me. I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on Neil Patrick Harris' autobiography. Looks super fun!
ReplyDeleteI'm an armchair traveler as well and this book looks perfect for that. The NPH book is just fun! Definitely recommend it!
DeleteChoose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris! I am really curious about that one. I love him too and so will keep an eye out for your thoughts on this one to see if it's something I might like to read. I'm so picky about memoirs and biographies.
ReplyDeleteI try not to force myself to read something I am not in the mood for, but occasionally it happens, especially when I am facing a deadline. It can really impact my enjoyment of a book--or slow my reading way down. It almost happened over the last couple weeks because I was so behind on my tour books. That's what I get for breaking my rule about accepting tour dates so close together. :-(
Congratulations to Emma on getting into her first choice school. That is awesome, Katherine. You must be so proud. And I know she's excited. :-)
I feel for you when it comes to having dental work done. My mouth is very small too. I once was scheduled for a root canal and the traveling dentist who did those types of surgeries had to reschedule my appointment because she didn't have small enough equipment. I was so upset. I had to miss work for the appointment and had mentally prepared for the procedure only have to delay it. I am glad you hear you are doing better and that the procedure went well!
It sounds like you had a fun Halloween. I love Tornado's costume! So cute. We had a nice Halloween too. The rain held off until 10:30 that night, after we were all home in bed. Well, Mouse and I were anyway. My husband's a night owl.
I hope you have a great week, Katherine!
Ugh how awful to have the root canal rescheduled last minute after you've had to deal with all the nerves! We had such a great Halloween and it looked like you did as well! I don't love cold but I'd rather a cold Halloween than a rainy Halloween!
DeleteAround the World in 50 Years sounds awesome! I love travel books!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to your daughter! That's so exciting (: And also, cute costume!
Have an awesome week!
Thank you! We are very excited and I didn't think we were going to get the costume off him!
DeleteLooks like you have picked up lots of reads. And dental surgery sucks! Hope you are doing better. Enjoy your new reads!
ReplyDeleteThanx for visiting My Weekly Wrap-Up!
Naomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace
Thank you! I'm feeling pretty much back to normal. Now I just have to get the books read!
Delete