It's Sunday Post time! This is hosted by the awesome Caffeinated Book Reviewer and gives us all a chance to recap our week.
What I Got:
So when I sat down to put this list together I had been thinking that it had been a really quiet week. Turns out that was last week. This week wasn't so quiet though I suppose it could have been worse!
Summer on Lovers' Island by Donna Alward - The House on Blackberry Hill was one of my favorite reads of last year and I was very intrigued by Josh - one of the side characters. I'm really excited that he has his own book and was incredibly thrilled when I was contacted about reading this one! (Publisher)
Alice's Portrait, Baxter's Draw, and Langston's Daughter by Juliette Harper - I got this series for a blog tour for Alice's Portrait. It involves sisters, a deceased but tyrannical father, a ranch and lots of secrets. (Blog Tour)
Killing Weeds by Joyce and Jim Lavene - I've enjoyed their Missing Pieces series and I love gardening so I thought this would be a fun read. Plus I'm hoping for motivation since it's time to put plants in the ground! (Blog Tour)
Myth and Magic by Mae Claire - This is a second chance romance with a ghost and a lodge. Ghosts and hotels/bed and breakfasts are my weakness! (NetGalley)
Sea Glass Sunrise by Donna Kauffman - I really enjoyed Kauffman's previous Blueberry Cove books so I'm looking forward to this spin off series. (NetGalley)
Just One Taste by Kimberly Kincaid - I was beating myself up for missing the previous book in this series so I was excited to see this novella. It involves a sous chef, a dilapidated lake house, and the best friend's sister trope which I love! (NetGalley)
Razing the Dead by Sheila Connolly - This is the latest in her museum mystery series. I love this one because it reminds me of my time working at a museum in high school and college and something about Connolly's books just click with me (Paperbackswap)
Bran New Death by Victoria Hamilton - I have a feeling I'm going to be in a baking mood when I finish this cozy! (Paperbackswap)
Heroes Are My Weakness by Susan Elizabeth Phillips - I had absolutely no intention of getting this but then I picked it up to read the blurb and there's a writer and a mysterious house and hints of gothic and before I knew it the book had pushed my hand away and jumped into my bag. Really I had nothing to do with it! (Library)
Alice's Portrait, Baxter's Draw, and Langston's Daughter by Juliette Harper - I got this series for a blog tour for Alice's Portrait. It involves sisters, a deceased but tyrannical father, a ranch and lots of secrets. (Blog Tour)
Killing Weeds by Joyce and Jim Lavene - I've enjoyed their Missing Pieces series and I love gardening so I thought this would be a fun read. Plus I'm hoping for motivation since it's time to put plants in the ground! (Blog Tour)
Myth and Magic by Mae Claire - This is a second chance romance with a ghost and a lodge. Ghosts and hotels/bed and breakfasts are my weakness! (NetGalley)
Just One Taste by Kimberly Kincaid - I was beating myself up for missing the previous book in this series so I was excited to see this novella. It involves a sous chef, a dilapidated lake house, and the best friend's sister trope which I love! (NetGalley)
Razing the Dead by Sheila Connolly - This is the latest in her museum mystery series. I love this one because it reminds me of my time working at a museum in high school and college and something about Connolly's books just click with me (Paperbackswap)
Bran New Death by Victoria Hamilton - I have a feeling I'm going to be in a baking mood when I finish this cozy! (Paperbackswap)
Heroes Are My Weakness by Susan Elizabeth Phillips - I had absolutely no intention of getting this but then I picked it up to read the blurb and there's a writer and a mysterious house and hints of gothic and before I knew it the book had pushed my hand away and jumped into my bag. Really I had nothing to do with it! (Library)
Currently:
Reading: Still reading Great Expectation by Charles Dickens but mixing in a little Heroes are My Weakness by Susan Elizabeth Phillips as well as Gummy Bears Should Not Be Organic by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor to lighten the mood.
Listening: I'm giving David Sedaris a break and have returned to The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. This is the first Flavia de Luce and I'm curious to see where the story goes.
Watching: I'm getting my genealogy geek on and really enjoying Who Do You Think You Are on TLC. There's been some interesting stories this season. I'm also enjoying CSI: Cyber since they haven't had anymore shows that involve selling babies and am loving NCIS: New Orleans.
Off the Blog:
The Tornado had a field trip this week to a farm that was lots of fun. They had 4 baby lambs that were quite possible the cutest thing I've ever seen. And yes I know baby and lamb is kind of the same thing but I feel like I need to emphasize how cute these things were. I'm trying to talk J into a couple of lambs and a Great Pyrenees to watch them but he is against the idea. He's also against chickens. Apparently since my farm animal experience is basically zero I don't get to make livestock decisions.
Emma's birthday went well. We went to a local Mexican restaurant because she has an obsession with cheese dip and then came home for a chocolate cake and a raspberry sauce. She got lots of books most of which I'd seen on everyone's blogs. She got Since You've Been Gone and Roger and Amy's Epic Detour (or something like that) by Morgan Matson as well as Don't Look Back by Jennifer L Armentrout and We Were Liars. The main reason she got We Were Liars was because I wanted to talk about it with someone! She got other things too but the books are always the most interesting.
Not much else going on here. I'm hoping to get my garden cleaned up and ready to get some veggies in this week. I'm hoping to plant a variety of tomatoes, zucchini, peppers and cucumbers. I'm going to try summer squash again and am keeping my fingers crossed that I have better luck with it this year than I have the last few years. I'm looking forward to having a deck full of fresh herbs again as well!
On the Blog:
What Happened:
Monday: A Fright to the Death - Cozy Mystery Blog Tour Review
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Characters I'd Like to Check In On
Wednesday: French Coast - Fiction Review
Thursday: Still the One - Romance Review
Friday: Friday Linkups Featuring Louisa May Alcott's Eight Cousins
Saturday: Eating Rome - Cookbook and Travel Book Review
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Characters I'd Like to Check In On
Wednesday: French Coast - Fiction Review
Thursday: Still the One - Romance Review
Friday: Friday Linkups Featuring Louisa May Alcott's Eight Cousins
Saturday: Eating Rome - Cookbook and Travel Book Review
What's Coming Up:
Monday: Slayed On the Slopes - Blog Tour Review + Giveaway
Tuesday: Top Ten Book Quotes
Wednesday: Review TBD (maybe Eight Cousins)
Thursday: Review TBD (maybe Gummy Bears Should Not Be Organic)
Friday: Friday Linkups featuring current book
Saturday: Cookbook Review
Have a great week and happy reading!
Katherine, Wow! Great post! You got lots done last week :) I like to grow veggies to but not very good at it. So I think only herbs for me this year :)
ReplyDeleteSome years are better than others with the gardening thing but I'm hopeful. Herbs are fantastic because not only are they tasty but they're pretty too!
DeleteWhew lots of nice books this week. I really need to give SEP a try.
ReplyDeleteYou haven't read SEP??? Fix that now! Not all of hers are winners but most are pretty fun!
DeleteYou got some great book this week :) We got some flowers planted this week. It's starting to feel like Spring :)
ReplyDeleteMy Sunday Post
http://readingawaythedays.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/sunday-post-12-us-virtual-road-trip.html
Thanks! I'm looking forward to reading them!
DeleteBaby lambs - too cute. But a lot of work I would expect. I have a friend who has some chickens. They are a lot of work too. :-)
ReplyDeleteHave a good week! Fresh herbs sound wonderful. I have a no gardening gene at all. Kind of have a superpower for killing plants - inadvertently of course. LOL
Oh I can believe lambs and chickens are a lot of work! I have no business owning either! Herbs can be fussy. Last year my mint just upped and died and I can't grow thyme to save my life!
DeleteI love the cover of Sea Glass Sunrise - something about the blue and white in the bouquet. I wish I could start gardening. Still a good month out and I have a lot of interior trim to paint.
ReplyDeleteI'm listening to a book for book club which I hate. The sad part is that it is by a "famous" writer who lives nearby and who is coming to book club. So, I guess I have to finish it. Then I can ask her questions like" WTF were you thinking?"
LOL! If you ask that question I want to hear the answer! It's too bad you're not liking it but I guess all books can't be winners. The Kauffman is set in Maine and I've really enjoyed her previous books.
DeleteWhat a great week! Thanks for sharing, and enjoy your next one. Sea Glass Sunrise looks like one I'd enjoy...great cover, too.
ReplyDeleteHope your garden comes together the way you want....and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES
I'm excited about new reads and the garden. I'm really hoping they all work out!
DeleteI read Bran New Death and it is a good one. Many of those on your list are on my wishlist. Sea Glass Sunrise looks excellent but I want to read that author's other series first. They all look so good.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
Oh I'm so glad you liked Bran New Death! I'm excited about the series though I have a feeling it will make me want muffins!
DeleteI usually have to mix Dickens (and most long classics, for that matter) with something totally different, too. Gummy Bears Should Not Be Organic is such a fun title... look forward to hearing more about that one!
ReplyDeleteA deck full of herbs sounds wonderful. Traditionally, we don't plant in our area until Memorial Day weekend. The snowbanks should be melted by then ;-)
Are you enjoying Great Expectations? I was forced to read that book twice--once in HS and once in College. In college, we watched the horrendous Ethan Hawke adaptation. I am not a fan of Dickens!
ReplyDeleteTerri M., the Director
Second Run Reviews
Field trips are fun, glad the Tornado had a good time. You have a nice collection of books this week. I loved Great Expectations, but it had been a while since I've done a re-read. Enjoy! The Gummy Bear book sounds like a fun one.
ReplyDeleteThat's how I felt until I put together my post and looked at next week. Yikes! You were quite busy. Oh, I love baby lambs. They are so adorable you just want to take them home. LOL
ReplyDeleteMy Sunday Post - http://fuonlyknew.com/2015/04/12/whats-new-on-my-book-shelf-104-and-the-sunday-post/
Hi Katherine,
ReplyDeleteWow! You had a great haul of books this week and all of them are ny new to me authors. You seem to have quite a few cozy mysteries and whilst this is not a genre I read too often, it is always good to have a reserve list for when I need a lighter read, so I am off to check out a few of the titles which caught my eye.
I am also an avid fan of the UK version of 'Who Do You Think You Are?', although MIL is the big genealogy expert in our family and found out some pretty awful stuff about one of hubbie's ancestors, who was apparently hung for treason!
We live in quite a rural part of the southern UK, so lambing has been going on all around us for some time now and the fields are full of the little bundles of energy. Farm trips are also a standard part of the curriculum for the youngsters in our schools, although this week, the potential candidates for Prime Minister in our forthcoming elections, made some great campaign mileage by being filmed feeding lambs ... all rather sickening to watch actually!
Great post, you have definitely been busier than you thought, so I hope that this week settles down for you and that you enjoy your reading :)
Yvonne.
You got a truly great haul this week, Katherine! I hope you'll enjoy all your new books.
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, baby lambs (meaning they're really teeny-tiny and all fluffy, right?) are among the cutest animals ever.
You're lucky to have someone who might soon read a book you've enjoyed, too. My oldest is the only other real reader in the family, but she reads a lot of French authors, and I prefer reading in English...
Have a wonderful week ahead, and happy reading.
Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews
Summer sounds good! Hope you enjoy and have a great upcoming week.
ReplyDeleteLambs ARE too cute, but I like to eat lamb so....there is a conundrum for me!!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good week for you. The chocolate cake and raspberry sauce sounds amazing and now I want some.
Good luck with the gardening. We have squash in already. Last year we had a diseased bunch and all of it to be sacrificed but we are hoping for a better year now. Peas and beans are in the ground!
What a great week, and you are truly setting the mood for Spring with your cozy and light romance titles! Lake houses, gardening, baking, sea glass beaches, hotel getaways, summer islands.... I'm making a quick list so I won't miss out on a good thing here. I will be checking out all your titles further, thanks!
ReplyDeleteYou have a lot great books this week! I would love to see your garden. We tried growing vegetables one year but we weren't lucky. But I do need to clean up all the weeks and get more bark and plants. It's nice that weather has been warming up for both of us. Have a great week with all your new books!
ReplyDeleteWow, you got a lot of books. Maybe you can share some pics of your garden later. You had quite a busy week! I hope this week will be a good one for you.
ReplyDeleteAw, those baby lambs sound cute! But yeah, raising livestock does sound hard ;) Glad you had such a nice (albeit busy!) week. And what a great book haul! Hope you enjoy these, and have a wonderful week :)
ReplyDeleteShannon @ It Starts At Midnight
Ah, gardening ! I used to have a garden and loved working in it, it's so peaceful and frankly, the vegetables you grow yourselves are the best ! And fresh herbs give so much flavor to what we eat - I'm going to grow some on my kitchen window as soon as the weather stops freezing at night. Too bad for the animal farm, but have fun with the garden. Will you do some gardening with the Tornado ?
ReplyDeleteDunno know if you remember this, and I'm certain Emma doesn't, but one time the three of us went out to eat at Outback and got cheese fries. I remember getting her her very own bowl of ranch, or maybe just sacrificing ours? and she spent much of the meal happily dipping. Perhaps this led to cheese dip obsession?
ReplyDeletelol - You gt her a book for her birthday so you'd have someone to talk about it with. Nice move! Hope you have a great week and enjoy your books.
ReplyDeleteYou got some nice sounding books this week! I got accepted for a few books on netgalley as well this week, i really should try and stay away, but there are so many good books on there. I woudl lvoe to own a goat once we have a bigger house and a garden. Chickens are nice to as then you can get lots of eggs to eat as well. I hope you can convince him ;). I've heard of most of the books your daughter got for her birthday, although I haven't read any of them. Good luck with your garden and planting veggies!
ReplyDeleteYour new books sound like they will be good. I don't blame you for picking up Heroes Are My Weakness at the library. I hope you are enjoying it. It sure sounds good.
ReplyDeleteI am glad Emma had a nice birthday. Books are always the best presents. :-) I would call them baby lambs too.
Good luck with the gardening! With the drought in full gear where I live, I have been putting serious thought into more drought friendly gardening ideas--but I really have no clue what I'm doing. I google ideas and find so many, I feel a bit lost. I wish I could afford someone to come tell me what to do. LOL
Awww what a lovely visit to the farm, Katherine! Sounds like Emma has a wonderful taste in books and a great birthday. I hope you enjoy all of your reads, what a wonderful haul!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you've got some great new books, so hope you enjoy them all.
ReplyDeleteI love gardening, and have just managed to get outside to tidy up and get some seeds planted. The weather is SO unpredictable right now though - one minute it's really hot, the next morning you wake up to a hard frost. I wish it would make its mind up :D
Have a great week!