What I Got:
Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Woolstonecraft and her daughter Mary Shelley by Charlotte Gordon - How could I resist? 2 Women I've heard of but really don't know much about. (NetGalley)
Then things got a little crazy and I went on a mystery spree and ended up with:
Gilt by Association by Karen Rose Smith - To be honest getting this one is kind of hazy because I was in a requesting daze but it looks good!
Toured to Death by Hy Conrad - I was going to resist this one but than I saw it was written by one of the writers on the TV show Monk and I couldn't resist.
Second Street Station by Lawrence H Levy - I enjoy historical mysteries with women detectives and this sounds quite interesting.
and a romance/women's fiction:
Hearth Stone by Lois Greiman- this was compared to Susan Wiggs and I love her contemps so I thought I'd give it a try.
all from NetGalley.
I also got 2 cozies in the mail:
Sugar and Iced by Jenn McKinlay - this is the newest in her cupcake series which I enjoy though not as much as her library series.
A High End Finish by Kate Carlisle - I love her bibliophile series so I'm really excited to start her home renovation series.
Currently:
Reading: The Monogram Murders by Agatha Christe/Sophie Hannah. You know when you read a book and you have a hard time coming up with enough to say in a review? That won't be the case with this one though so far I am very much enjoying it. If the Viscount Falls by Sabrina Jeffries.
Listening: I started listening to Wild by Cheryl Strayed but after a couple of hours decided that Strayed is not for me and moved on to Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain.
Watching: We're changing cable companies and they're coming to do the install on Monday so I'm frantically trying to get all the things on the DVR watched before it goes away. So I'm watching a lot of those true crime shows and the backlog of Sleepy Hollow.
Listening: I started listening to Wild by Cheryl Strayed but after a couple of hours decided that Strayed is not for me and moved on to Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain.
Watching: We're changing cable companies and they're coming to do the install on Monday so I'm frantically trying to get all the things on the DVR watched before it goes away. So I'm watching a lot of those true crime shows and the backlog of Sleepy Hollow.
Off the Blog:
We are nailing down Emma's college expenses and it's starting to make my head swim. I remember with Eleanor how confusing it was the first time so I know that it won't be a big deal next semester but figuring out dorms and meal plans is headache inducing. Plus, it's becoming real that in August we'll be down to only having 2 kids in the house.
Speaking of schools we're having to make decisions for the Tornado in terms of kindergarten. I'm so not prepared for this to be happening. Time just seems to be flying. At this point we're thinking of keeping him in the school he's in now for Kindergarten. It's private so it'll be a small class and a shorter day without having to worry about nap time and all that. However, he'll be at the very good public school for first grade and is it better to have him start there in Kindergarten? I'm not worried about the academics but more the social aspects. Of course the Tornado seems to be one of those kids you can pitch into just about any situation and he'll be fine.
No Spend January is still going though we've had a little cheating - I couldn't resist getting a chicken biscuit the other day from a fast food place. February is going to be a bit stricter. I'm already working on the list of rules!
Speaking of schools we're having to make decisions for the Tornado in terms of kindergarten. I'm so not prepared for this to be happening. Time just seems to be flying. At this point we're thinking of keeping him in the school he's in now for Kindergarten. It's private so it'll be a small class and a shorter day without having to worry about nap time and all that. However, he'll be at the very good public school for first grade and is it better to have him start there in Kindergarten? I'm not worried about the academics but more the social aspects. Of course the Tornado seems to be one of those kids you can pitch into just about any situation and he'll be fine.
No Spend January is still going though we've had a little cheating - I couldn't resist getting a chicken biscuit the other day from a fast food place. February is going to be a bit stricter. I'm already working on the list of rules!
Challenge Progress:
So far I'm doing pretty well in keeping up with my challenges! I decided to add a little section for the last Sunday Post of the month to keep me honest!
This month I've read:
4 out of 14 to 18 books in the Foodie Reads Challenge
1 Library book
3 New to Me Authors
0 Historical Romances
January's Reading Assignment Challenge Book
I've read books that start with C, F, R, J and T
and visited Maine and Colorado in book form.
To see what challenges I'm doing check out my sidebar or visit my Reading Challenge Page
This month I've read:
4 out of 14 to 18 books in the Foodie Reads Challenge
1 Library book
3 New to Me Authors
0 Historical Romances
January's Reading Assignment Challenge Book
I've read books that start with C, F, R, J and T
and visited Maine and Colorado in book form.
To see what challenges I'm doing check out my sidebar or visit my Reading Challenge Page
On the Blog:
What Happened This Week:
Monday: Jaded - YA SciFi Review
Saturday: A Kitchen in France - A Cookbook Review
What's Coming Up:
Monday:A Rant of Ravens Mystery Review
Tuesday:Top Ten Books I'd Like to Read with a Book Club
Wednesday: TBD though hopefully If the Viscount Falls by Sabrina Jeffries
Thursday: A Valentine's Day Murder - Cozy Mystery Review
Friday: Linkups with whichever book I'm reading
Saturday: TBD
Happy Reading!
I am so happy our city's university had the second best program in the US for my son's major, so he could just stay at home. I would be ripping my hair out trying to figure the most cost effective living arrangements. We have been living small because I am trying to get him through under graduate school without him having to take out any school loans. Have a wonderful week.
ReplyDeleteOur goal is no loans for the 3 or failing that less than 10000. Paul may actually go to the university in town but he will probably live on campus. It will end up working out I'm sure!
DeleteUgh college expenses are awful. I remember when I had to help my mom plan everything out, and it was a serious pain.I hope you can figure out Tornado's schooling conundrum, it's definitely a tough decision.
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to read another Agatha Christie book lately, I might have to pick one up in the next week or two.
We are leaning towards keeping him where he is for now and moving him to a bigger school for 1st. I'm not looking forward to college costs but it's only for a few years!
DeleteDo read Agatha! Her books are my version of comfort food!
I am curious about Second Street Station by Lawrence H Levy. I love female detectives too. College hunting is so much fun, and I say if you can keep the little guy in a smaller setting or Kindergarten do it! Oh yes get caught up on Sleepy Hollow. Hope the installation goes smoothly.
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited about Second Street. I've got awhe before I get to it though because I don't think it comes out till June.
DeleteShe's made her school choice but all the dorm stuff and food plans make me want to cry!
I would love to read that book on M. Wollstonecraft and M. Shelley ! If the Tornado will be happy anywhere, chose the best solution for you :) Have a great week !
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited about the Romantic Outlaws book. It looks so interesting! I'm leaning towards the small school for kindergarten and yeah it's mostly for me. :)
DeleteThe Monogram Murders sound good. And good luck with cable! We've been staying home more to eat, although we did splurge this weekend. Sometimes it's fun to just bring a bag of food home. :)
ReplyDeleteOh it's definitely fun to bring a bag home for dinner. I miss french fries! I'm liking Monogram Murders as long as I keep in mind it isn't Chrisie!
DeleteIt always amazes me how expensive it is to go to college in the US. We are very lucky here, because it's almost free ($500 per semester). Mostly, kids continue to live with their parents while studying, too, especially in our city, as there are great options for all kinds of majors.
ReplyDeleteThat Romantic Outlaws book looks very intriguing! I will look for your review :)
Have a fantastic Sunday and a great week.
Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews
I'm excited about Romantic Outlaws! It looks so interesting. Our college costs are high but in the plus side in our area out public schools are very good so their first 13 years are free!
DeleteCan't wait to hear what you have to say about The Monogram Murders. I have a feeling I'm going to be buying very soon! And you are going for no spend Feb as well, I'm impressed, it's such a hard thing to do. I'm spending less and even that is painful!
ReplyDeleteI miss spending! Target calls my name. I know it missed me :)
DeleteSo far I'm enjoying The Monogram Murders though it's definite a very different feel from Christie.
I'm very curious about THE MONOGRAM MURDERS. It's a big endeavor to take on Christie's Poirot. I have been meaning to read Sophie Hannah's mystery series for a long time. Will be interested to hear what you think about this one. And good luck with your college decisions and DVR watching. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying Monogram Murders but it's very definitely not a Christir . It's got much for of a thriller vibe.
DeleteThanks! I need all the luck I can get with the DVR watching. I'm overdosing on TV!
I am leaning toward The Monogram Murders...Sophie Hannah has such an interesting twist to her storytelling. Thanks for visiting my blog, and enjoy your vow to curtail spending. What a challenge, huh?
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely missing spending! I'm enjoying Monogram Murders. I'd love to read some more of Hannah's other books.
DeleteLove the sound of all your Net Galley acquisitions. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteMy Sun/Mon post: http://www.bookclublibrarian.com/2015/01/weekly-book-recap-95.html
Thanks! I looking forward toreador g them!
DeleteYou're off to a great start on your challenges!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I do need to get going on the Historical and Library challenges though.
DeleteI think kids are resilient and if you assure him and support him he'll be fine either way. My school system switched us around for Kindergarten, and then in HS kids from the local Catholic school came in. I think people did equally well. Also kids from private schools tend to be more prepared academically in any event.
ReplyDeleteThat' my theory anyway, but I don't have kids. If cats went to school I would, however, be an expert!
My post: http://fangswandsandfairydust.com/2015/01/sunpo-1-25-15.html
Thankfully our public school system is excellent. Emma will go into college with the equivalent of a year worth of credits. The private schools here actually tend to be inferior but that's very specific to our area and is definitely not always the case!
DeleteYou're doing great with your challenges and even your budgeting.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as if both options for the Tornado are good ones; what's his preference? If you like both options, let him make the choice. He's the one that has to live it. I don't envy you dealing with college, good luck!
I've also been on a mystery binge and I got a bunch more last week. I finally read my first Agatha Christie! Took me long enough. :D I'm glad you're enjoying The Monogram Murders.
Yay on reading an Agatha! I need to get moving on a couple of challenges though. I think the Tornado will probably stay where he is. He will be fine wherever but I'm not ready for him to go a full day!
DeleteI always do an update of my progress with the challenges I'm participating in in my Month in Review posts. My husband is a big Agatha Christie fan...I've actually never read her, but am very intrigued by The Monogram Murders.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!!!
The Monogram Murders is very good but definitely doesn't have that Christie feel!
DeleteWhy is it so darned hard to figure out those college expenses?! I swear, with our daughter's school (which we otherwise love), we get a different bill each month.
ReplyDeleteIt can be so bittersweet to see them grow up and go off to college. I'm sure it will indeed feel very different with two daughters away next year. I wish I had some sage or snappy advice, but all I can say is, you have friends who are going through similar experiences, and we can all support each other.
Enjoy all those new mysteries, and I can't wait to see your thoughts on The Monogram Murders! Have a lovely week with plenty of time to read. :-)
Yes to all! The food plans alone make me want to cry! Thanks Lark! You may get some tearful emails when it's official. It will definitely seem quieter around here. I'm trying to focus on the positive though and I can't help but be excited for her!
DeleteI've always got a shoulder for a friend! :-)
DeleteMy middle son is probably joining Uni in the North of England (Bradford) by September, so I will only have 2 children left at home. My eldest son is still living at home though - renting is too expensive around here, and his job in retail does not pay enough. Enjoy your books.
ReplyDeleteThe Pegster Reads
Thanks! Good luck with your sons. We are lucky to live in an area with a low coat of living but high quality of life.
DeleteYou have some good reads going on here. I love a good mystery!
ReplyDeleteIt's like a drugged induced daze whenever I pop onto Netgalley. I have very little control over my fingers. :/
ReplyDeleteI feel like your house might be a whole lot quieter come August. :) But hey, growing up. Apparently it happens.
Okay a biscuit is barely a cheat. I think you can be forgiven. Lol.
I feel like I should do this too. February being a shorter month seems like a good place to start. Although, I already have some books on pre-order. Hmmm....
Happy reading!
Brittany @ This is the Story of My(Reading) Life
Yes! Drug induced state describes it perfectly! I always have the best of intentions but then I blink and have a dozen pending requests.
DeletePreorders don't count towards no spending so no worries there!
Hearth Stone sounds really good and it's different from what I usually read. But I went on a request spree with Edelweiss so let me see if those get approved first. It's so hard to stay away from both sites!
ReplyDeleteI think your plan to stay at the school he's currently in is good. From what you say he wouldn't have a problem adjusting to the new school. For my girls they were both in a small daycare so I moved them to the school. They adjusted fine to the change so it worked out good.
Enjoy your new books and have a great week!
Of all of my kids he's the one I worry about the least at this age! I don't think I'm quite ready for him to be in full day school so we'll probably keep him in half day just for me! Good luck with your Edelweiss requests! I'm looking forward to Hearth Stone!
DeleteFiguring out all the college stuff is tricky... so thankful we have only a couple more semesters left to pay for. They're on their own for grad school!
ReplyDeleteJust finished my last book from Netgalley and will try to stay away for a few months now... we'll see how that goes. Have a great week :)
I can't imagine ever having no pending NetGalley books!
DeleteOh the college stuff! All the meal plans and dorms and deposits are making my eyes cross.
It looks like you are off to a good start for the year!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI first discovered McKinlay last year and found a liking for cozy mysteries with her Hat Shop series and just in the last month read the first in the library series. I haven't really found other series in this genre that I enjoy but I've been thinking about picking up her cupcake series since I liked the other two. For some reason I have in my head that she writes under another name as well??
ReplyDeleteMy son is in 2nd grade now and went to Kindergarten at a small private school (no other options past that) and then to 1st grade at our public school. He is pretty quiet and I worried about the social aspect as well. However, he makes friends easily and it was a pretty easy transition. I do think one thing that helped was on the first day he saw a kid that he had a "summer day camp" with so if you can meet other families with kids his age that might help. I know that was one of the suggestions that his Kindergarten teacher made. We didn't because we thought he was going to be at another public school but then changed our minds literally days before school started.
The Tornado's pretty confident but my daughter was a little on the shyer side so I think she would've benefitted from a smaller school.
DeleteI don't know about McKinlay writing under another name but I love her books under her name! Will have to check that out!
You've got to watch out for that Netgalley! Got me too. LOL
ReplyDeleteOne going into college and one into kindergarten. However you manage to get them registered is a miracle. Exciting and sad at the same time isn't it?
My Sunday Post - http://fuonlyknew.com/2015/01/25/whats-new-on-my-bookshelf-94-and-the-sunday-post/
You are doing remarkably well on your challenges! Good job.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on keeping up with your challenges! I love the idea of doing updates in the last Sunday post of the month, at the moment I'm just planning on doing up an update later this week!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy your new books and have an awesome week! =)
Oh, I want to check out Romantic Outlaws! Wow, two will be in college and one will start kindergarten. My son went to private school until 7th, and then to public. There were definitely some negatives and positives about it.
ReplyDeleteSome interesting books you have there! I used to read a lot of mystery, but lately have gotten into it so much.
ReplyDeleteYou're doing well on your challenges, I feel so behind on mine already...But there's still time!
I hope you have a great week and enjoy your new reads! =)
Enjoy your new books and the new challenges. Hope the weather is not too scary this week!
ReplyDeleteHarvee
Book Dilettante
I still haven't read any (cozy) mysteries this year, even though I planned on reading more of them this year. I love it when I enjoy a book so much that I don't have any trouble knowing what to say in my review, although for some reason I more often have that with 3 or 4 star books when I have a lot of both positive and negative points.
ReplyDeleteFiguring out all the college expenses sounds like a lot of work, luckily you only have to do at the start of each year.
You're doign good with all the reading challenges, keep up the good work. I haven't read any historical romances yet either :(.
Wow, romantic outlaws . . . that sounds fascinating! You've got quite a lot done on those reading challenges . . not so much for me. :[ Oh, well, hoping to make up for it in February!
ReplyDeleteWe actually were lucky in that the school where we enrolled our children - private and good academically - had a kindergarten. I can't imagine having two girls in college and the Tornado entering kindergarten. You have your hands full, Katherine. It will be a huge change having only two children at home!
ReplyDeleteWhew! Look at you motoring through the challenges! That's great on your no spend Jan too. A wee bit of cheating isn't too bad ;) Hope you have a great week!
ReplyDeleteNetGalley can be so addictive can't it. I went and requested a bunch of books on their today.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're doing well with your challenges.
Have a great week.
The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Woolstonecraft and her daughter Mary Shelley looks so good! I am glad you are enjoying Monogram to Murders. I look forward to reading it too.
ReplyDeletePlease don't talk about kindergarten. I'm not ready! LOL Seriously though, talk about it so I know what to expect next year.
Have a great week!
I know how it feels to race and try to finish watching EVERYTHING on your DVR. I haven't had to do it when switching cable companies but I've purchased a new box before and we've had to hurry and watch everything. We have an external hard drive on ours so believe me there is a TON of stuff on there.
ReplyDelete