Sunday, September 25, 2016

This Week in Reading - September 25

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:

Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen - This is a psychological thriller about a woman who comes home to discover not just her live in boyfriend, Matt, gone but every single trace that he ever existed.  It looks like a serious page turner and I can't wait!  (Publisher)

Send in the Clowns by Julie Mulhern - I'm so excited to have this 4th book in the Country Club murders series I can barely stand it!  This is a series that just keeps getting better and better and this one sounds like it's going to be lots of fun!  (Blog Tour)

Only 2 this week!  I'm trying to make some progress with books I already own and get through my ridiculous NetGalley backlist but I don't feel like I'm making as much progress as I'd like.  I only have 1 request pending on NetGalley and it's one that's been there for awhile that I really don't expect to get.  Fingers still crossed though!

Currently:

Reading:  I'm finishing up Christmas in Eternity Springs by Emily March for a blog tour later this week and almost done with Pies and Prejudice by Ellery Adams.  

Listening:  I finished Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson and loved it!  I'd read the book and enjoyed it but I think I enjoyed the audio even more.  I've been listening to podcasts the last few days but am planning on downloading Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley.  It's the 3rd Flavia de Luce mystery and I've really enjoyed the first 2.  The narrator is so good on this series!

Watching:  J and I are watching the 3rd season of The Blacklist and I have to admit I'm not loving it.  It's not that it's awful it's just as good as it has been the first two seasons.  I've heard rumors that it gets better so I'm keeping my fingers crossed there.  I'm finishing off the last season of Catfish and than am going to go back to watching Blindspot.  I've got a couple of new fall shows recorded (Bull and Designated Survivor) as well as the season premieres for some favorites but haven't really watched any of those yet.

Off the Blog:

It is officially fall though no one seems to have told the temperature that.  It's hard to start thinking about pumpkins and cinnamon and sweaters and boots when it's 95 degrees outside!  However, the nights are getting a little cooler and according to the weather people it will be in the 80s next week so I'm excited!  We pulled out all the Halloween decorations yesterday and the Tornado and I had a good time decorating though now I'm down to the pile of regular stuff that we usually have on tables and things that need to be packed up and a small pile of stuff that I don't really have space for that I need to either get rid of or pack back up.  This is my least favorite part of holiday decorating.

We're in car shopping mode right now because my beloved Toyota Sequoia is showing it's age and needs a few more repairs.  We've gone back and forth on deciding between doing the repairs (especially since J can do them all) or calling it done.  It's 14 years old and has 250,000 miles on it but it is the most reliable car I've ever owned and still drives really nice.  I'm definitely a fan of Toyotas!  However, we don't think it's going to make it the 4 more years until the kids are out of college so we're going car shopping for a car to get us through then until our budget opens up and I can buy the car I really want.  We're looking at the Honda Pilot, GMC Acadia, Nissan Pathfinder, and Toyota 4Runner.  Anyone have experience good or bad with any of these?  I'm also remembering how much I HATE car shopping.  I know people who buy new cars every 2 or 3 years and I have no idea how they do it.  My blood pressure just can't take it!

Fall break is coming up here and we're actually planning on going on vacation!  We're really excited as this is the first real vacation that the Tornado has gone on in his memory.  The last few have either been to stay with family or help move one of the kids but this we're going to spend a few days in a hotel and all the vacation-y stuff.  Really I think the Tornado would be thrilled with the staying in a hotel part even if that was all we did!

On the Blog:

What Happened:

What's Coming Up:

Monday:  Munich Girl - Fiction/Historical Fiction Review
Tuesday:  Top Ten Tuesday - Fall TBR
Wednesday: Christmas in Eternity Springs - Contemporary Romance Review
Thursday:  Beyond the Books - Do You Believe in Ghosts
Friday:  Friday Linkups with Teasers from Current Book
Saturday: Pies and Prejudice - Cozy Mystery Review with Pie Recipe

Have a great week and happy reading!

21 comments:

  1. Oh, I am very excited about the 4th Julie Mulhern book! I wasn't sure there would be more, so I'm happy.

    I also love the look of Gone Without a Trace.

    Thanks for sharing, and have a great week.

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  2. Gone Without a Trace sounds great, I love that premise. And Send in the clowns- can't wait for that one. Such a good series. I just started Blacklist after a friend recommended it, but I'm only a few episodes in. I used to really like James Spader so I'm curious. And Blindspot is another show I'd like to get back to.

    I like the cooler temps at night and in the mornings, although it sounds like it's cooler here than there. :) And car shopping- yeah no fun. My uncle had an Acadia a few years ago but i don't know how they liked it, they had it for a couple of years. They're one of those who buy new or nearly new every few years. :)

    Have a great week ahead!

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  3. I'm no use on the car front. I'd had my last one for about 7 years and this one as long I think.

    Gone Without a Trace does look good - can't wait to hear what you think. And a holiday sounds lovely - what nice memories you'll be creating for the Tornado!

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  4. I'm excited about Gone Without a Trace. It sure sounds good. I still have the first three Julie Mulhern books to read. Hopefully soon.

    I am so glad to hear you liked Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson! I got that through Audible and need to listen to it.

    Yeah, the third season of Blacklist wasn't my favorite. I caught the season premiere and it was good.

    I need to start pulling out our fall decorations (which include the Halloween ones). I'm sure Mouse will love helping me put them out. :-) She's very excited about Halloween. And also a little sad. She realized the other day that she won't be spending Halloween at her old school and going trick-or-treating with her friends there.

    I wish you luck with the car shopping, Katherine. I hate it with a passion.

    I hope you have a wonderful fall break! Sounds like it will be fun. :-) Have a great week, Katherine!

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  5. We are a Toyota household but when I got my last car, I didn't have a dog. We have been considering selling my car and getting one of the Toyota SUV line. I test drove a couple and they drive really well. But, more expensive and use more fuel. So, I am on the fence. My Corolla has these weird material seats and my hair and the dogs fur is everywhere all the time...

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  6. I am so excited to put up my decoration but I have to wait until next week because I need to purge the house of summer lazy first. I just have stuff all over and I need to organize that before I can get decorating. I am so excited. I love decorating the house.

    I will never finance a car again. The car we have isn't even payed for yet and is costing me more than it is worth. We are hoping once it's paid off we can wait a few months and lease a new one. It's just easier because you don't have to deal with all the issues of it falling apart. I just hate this car and what it needs right now it's cheaper to lease one.

    I hope you have a great time on your vacation. When we went to Florida that was like the first time for my daughter since she doesn't remember being there. I can't wait to take her back because she loved every minute of it.

    I hope you have a great week, Katherine! Happy Reading! ox

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  7. I am glad the Country Club murders are starting to be on audio now and I can get them that way to review. I have the first one I believe. :) I will get caught up eventually...lol. Gone Without a Trace sounds really good!

    I don't really decorate for any holiday, I have to many curious doggies. :)

    Stormi
    Week in Review

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  8. I watch The Blacklist too and I have to admit I skipped a lot of the 3rd season a picked up towards the end and it's definitely getting better this season. I'm going to have to check out Pies and Prejudice. I have to check out anything Pride & Prejudice related. lol! I'm obsessed.

    Hope you have a great week!

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  9. I hate car shopping! We keep our cars as long as possible though - so it's not too bad. And we buy older cars with cash, because financing just never seems worth it. I know nothing about the cars youre looking at, so no help here - but good luck!

    We don't decorate for Halloween - not enough space really in this apartment. Not really enough for the Christmas tree, but I MAKE that work. Hopefully this is our last holiday season without a house though!

    Have a great week!

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  10. You got Send in the Clowns?? I'm jealous! ;-) Need to see if it's on Netgalley yet... We woke up to temps in the 30s this morning, so I've given myself permission to make a pumping pie this afternoon. Have a great week, Katherine. Good luck with the car shopping.

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  11. I got an offer to review Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen and need to check it out. Furiously Happy is one I have on my wishlist, good to know it was so good on audio. I haven't watched any tv this week at all. Good luck with the car shopping, Our weather is like yours, we were 96 one day and 70 the next.

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  12. I have only ever owned / driven fords so can be no help with cars I'm afraid. I like the sound of Gone Without a Trace...my type of book. Have a good week.

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  13. Our weather is whacked too. 90's today and tomorrow. The first day of autumn was cool and the day after where it was 60 something in the morning. But temps started creeping up, boo! We traded in our 2008 Prius which was really showing wear and tear Labor Day weekend and got a used Honda CR-V that only had like 38K miles and one owner. I love it. We were at the BMW dealership up in the city for hours. That was no fun. My husband used Auto Trader but it sounds like you're getting a new ride which is awesome.

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  14. That is great that you had your car for so long! We were in a similar situation with our Dodge Caravan. We have had it for 19 year! But it breaks down a lot. So we are leasing a Honda Odyssey. When the three years are up, my kids will be out of the house (fingers crossed) and then we can downsize to a smaller car.
    Gone Without A Trace looks like a fun book. Have a good time reading it.

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  15. Yay for Furiously Happy on audio. Love that book. I fell off Blacklist season 2. Not sure why anymore though. Wow it is hot by you!! We have nice fall weather right now and I love it. Good luck car shopping. I agree it is the worst. Have a great week!

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  16. oh wow Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen looks really good. Hope you enjoy it!
    Also it's starting to feel like fall here, the temps dipped so fast >.< hopefully it will cool down some for you. 95? yuck

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  17. I have my post for Eternity Springs coming up on Thursday, love that series. Nice the temp is dropping to the 80's will be more pleasant! All the best for the car buying, I have one 24 years old but half that mileage and its yellow so I keep it!

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  18. We had been having the hot and humid days with chilly nights for a couple of weeks, but two days ago it seems to have flipped the switch to full on fall weather up here, complete with cold nights. Hotels are great just in themselves. I agree. My mother used to book a room every now and then in a local hotel for the weekend, just to get away from us. Ha ha. Have a stellar new week. :)

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  19. I am trying to back off on requesting so that I can catch up on my back list as well. It doesn't work for me every day but I am trying. Planning a vacation sounds like fun! My daughter is taking up all of our vacation budget with her school trips but maybe we can squeeze one in soon. Have a great week!

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  20. We just got a set of storms move in late Saturday. It rained for most of Sunday afternoon and everything has been dark and dreary, but today we finally had "fall" weather! It was kind of nice! I also don't understand how people can finance new cars (and I mean NEW) every couple of years. My brother has done it (I think he's had 3 or 4 trucks financed) but he has no idea what he's doing and has gotten screwed and had to rollover the remaining amounts. The last time I said I would help him try to figure it out, he owed over $50K on a truck with nearly a $900 monthly payment, and balance was more than the KBB valuation. However, my grandfather was one who would get a new vehicle every 4 years or so. I don't know how he did it. I can't give any input on those particular cars because I have a Jeep. :)

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  21. I am intrigued by Gone Without A Trace - look forward to hearing your thoughts on that one when you get round to reading it.

    I hope the temperatures cool down for you soon; enjoying the season without the appropriate weather is a little hard. Here autumn has well and truly arrived... Which in Wales means a whole lot of rain!

    A vacation sounds fun, especially for your child. I bet it's great when your child can actually participate in the vacation prep and such.

    I hope you have a great week!

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