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:

Monday: Ramblings from the Stacks: "I Just Read Junk"

Tuesday:  Top Ten Tuesday: 5 Audio Recommendations for Beginners and My 5 Favorite Audio

Wednesday: The Bookshop on the Corner - Blog Tour Fiction Review

Thursday:  Beyond the Books - Signs I'm Getting Older (even though I'm not that old)

Friday: Friday Linkups with Teasers from Real Murders

Saturday:  52 Pins in 52 Weeks - September Edition

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!

52 Pins in 52 Weeks - September Edition

I love Pinterest.  I love pinning recipes from my favorite food blogs or scrolling down the Everything section to see what everyone else has been pinning.  I love the idea of all the crafts and recipes and everything else right there at my fingertips.

Right now I have around 10,000 pins in 60 boards.  I do use Pinterest a pretty good bit but tend to stick to the boards regarding Dinner and let other delicious looking recipes or fun crafts languish unused and ignored.  This year I'm trying to get more use out of Pinterest so at the beginning of the year I created my 52 Pins in 52 Weeks Board as well as a Results Board to keep track of it.  I'll be posting my results the last Saturday of each month.

This week went find though I'm not feeling too enthused.  I'm really excited for the Halloween treats I have coming up next month!  I've had them on my board for far too long.

Week 36:

Pin: Ice Cream Sandwiches and Other Valentine's Day Treats from The Idea Room

Reason Picked:  Honestly, I didn't know what the pin was and thought it was a chocolate chip cookie sandwich with frosting.

Basic Idea:  Make your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and then take two cookies and put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle and roll in holiday colored (which ever holiday you're in the mood for) sprinkles and have yummy deliciousness.

The Results: Ice cream sandwiches are just ridiculously good!  I forgot how good they are.   I used the Cook's Illustrated Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe (which you can find here) though I used 1 cup of chocolate chips instead of a cup and a half like the recipe calls for.  I also pulled out a little contraption that's been lounging around forgotten in my gadget drawer - an ice cream sandwich maker I got from Williams Sonomoa.  It's super easy to use and actually really works.  You put a cookie at the bottom, then your ice cream, then the 2nd cookie and put the top on and squeeze and a perfect ice cream sandwich pops out.  You could do all kinds of flavors and different combinations.   I'll definitely be making these again - though maybe a peanut butter cookie and chocolate ice cream or a sugar cookie with some kind of fruity ice cream.  While this isn't exactly the point of the pin it did get me thinking and ice cream sandwiches will be on the menu much more frequently now!

Week 37:

Pin: Beef Rissoles with Grilled Potatoes from Curtis Stone on The Chew

Reason Picked:  I watched Curtis Stone make these on The Chew and it looked so good but somehow I kept passing it by.

Basic Idea: A larger meatball with onions and bacon mixed in and cooked on the grill along with a vinegar based potato salad (which aren't grilled in anyway shape or form that I saw) and salad greens tossed in a light vinaigrette.

The Results: Mixed.  The potato salad which isn't grilled was super good but I found the Rissoles themselves lacking in flavor.  I'll probably make the potato salad again but not the Rissoles.  They weren't bad but just not worth going back for.

Week 38:

Pin:  Online Cooking Lessons from Kathleen Flinn

Reason Picked:  I've always wanted to try cooking lessons and this seemed like an easy way to do it.

Basic Idea:  Basically taking a cooking class but in my own kitchen which is way more comfortable!

The Results:  The original pin linked to an offer that has long since disappeared.  However, Flinn has a number of tutorials that seem to be around 10 minutes where she really walks you how to do things.  I watched one about cutting an onion and knife skills and really felt like i learned a few techniques.  I'm definitely looking forward to trying more even if it wasn't what I was originally going for.

Week 39:

Pin:  Easy DIY wall art from a pin that links back to Better Homes and Garden but the actual pin doesn't exist anymore.

Reason Picked:  I'm not artistic and this looked simple enough that even I could manage it.

Basic Idea:  Get a canvas and paint the entire canvas.  After it dries use painter's tape to make some kind of pattern and paint another color on top.  Remove painter's tape for clean lines.

The Results:  You're not getting a picture because I didn't end up finishing this because once I started I realized it really just wasn't me.  However, I did experiment enough to verify that it does work and would be a really fun project and look good if done by the right person.  I do recommend using spray paint over acrylic or anything else just because spray paint finishes so much smoother.

I'm linking up with Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads

Friday Linkups: Real Murders

It's Friday linkup time!  I'm linking up with the Book Blogger Hop hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer, Book Beginnings of Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, and the Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice

This Week's Book Blogger Hop Question:
How many years have you been blogging?  Anything special you want to share about your experiences?

My Answer:
I started blogging on August 1, 2013 but didn't really start focusing on it until February of 2014.  I'm not sure I have any particularly special experiences but it has been a wonderful experience.  I love talking to other readers and dealing with authors and publishers.  I just wish I could figure out a way to read more!

This week's book is a reread and one I read years and years ago.  I really liked Charlaine Harris' Harper Connolly series but had struck out with her Shakespeare series.  However, the Aurora Teagarden series was a hit!  I'm so excited about the new one coming out in October so I just had to get my hands on the first book for a little reread.  Real Murders is the first book that introduces us to Aurora Teagarden and her book club friends.

The Beginning:
"Tonight I want to tell you about that most fascinating of murder mysteries, the Wallace case," I told my mirror Enthusiastically.
I tried Sincere after that; then Earnest.

My Thoughts:
Right from the beginning I'm remembering why I liked this series so much!  I can definitely see myself doing this if I had to give a speech.  In fact I used to do this before presentations!

The 56:
Either he is a murderer and is setting up his alibi, or the real murderer is making sure Wallace will be out of the house Tuesday evening.  And this dual possibility, that almost hanged Wallace, runs throughout the case.

My Thoughts:
One of my favorite things about this book in particular is not just the interest in but the discussion of real crimes.  I love this part where they are dissecting a crime and everyone is tossing around their theories.

So what do you think?  Keep reading?  Do new books in a favorite series make you want to go back and do a reread?

Beyond the Books - Signs I'm Getting Older

This week I'm linking up with KissinBlueKaren for Beyond the Books.  This is a meme where we all answer a non-bookish question.  It's always so fun to see everyone's answers and get a peak at the blogger beyond the books.  This week's topic is - Signs I'm Getting Older

Well this is a hole with no bottom or list with no end or other expressions that mean roughly the same thing!

1.  Normally I don't feel all that different from how I think I felt when I was in college - until I spend lots of time around college students.  Then I remember that I am definitely NOT 18 - 22.

2.  I'm aware of every joint I've injured ever.  It all twinges periodically and my ankle which I managed to spectacularly break lets me know when it's going to rain more accurately than any weather report.

3.  If I have been sitting down for long periods of time I don't just bounce up and go on my way.  There's always a few limping steps first (see #2) and some occasional stretching that must be done.

4.  I have opinions on things I used to think were mind numbingly boring.  Like windows, and retirement plans, and organic food and all kinds of stuff.

5.  I've noticed that I don't get called "miss" anymore in public - it's always "ma'am".

6.  I accidentally turned the camera around on my phone and was horrified to get a very close and unexpected look at my face.  Who knew the Grand Canyon had taken up residence between my eyebrows.  Thankfully wrinkle cream helps diminish that a bit.

7.  I now know that wrinkle cream helps.


That's all the signs I can think of at the moment but I'm sure I'm forgetting some (which maybe should be #8!).  What made you realize you might be getting older?

The Bookshop on the Corner - Blog Tour Review

About The Bookshop on the Corner

• Paperback: 368 pages • Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (September 20, 2016) “Losing myself in Jenny Colgan’s beautiful pages is the most delicious, comforting, satisfying treat I have had in ages.”—Jane Green, New York Times bestselling author of Summer Secrets Nina Redmond is a literary matchmaker. Pairing a reader with that perfect book is her passion… and also her job. Or at least it was. Until yesterday, she was a librarian in the hectic city. But now the job she loved is no more. Determined to make a new life for herself, Nina moves to a sleepy village many miles away. There she buys a van and transforms it into a bookmobile—a mobile bookshop that she drives from neighborhood to neighborhood, changing one life after another with the power of storytelling. From helping her grumpy landlord deliver a lamb, to sharing picnics with a charming train conductor who serenades her with poetry, Nina discovers there’s plenty of adventure, magic, and soul in a place that’s beginning to feel like home… a place where she just might be able to write her own happy ending.

My Thoughts:

I'm going to be honest here - I went into this book fully expecting to really like it.  I mean it's a mobile bookshop - how could I not?  Than when I opened the book I was greeted by a delightful introduction written by the author about all the possible places to read and their challenges and advantages and then I was pretty sure that not only was I going to like the book but that Jenny Colgan falls on my "kindred spirit" list.  And my initial thoughts were so right.  Not only did I like this book but I LOVED this book and I loved it right from the beginning.  I clicked with Nina right away which surprised me as she definitely starts out a bit on the nervous side but I loved her love of books and her feelings that there is the right book for everyone jst waiting to be found.  And really it only got better.  The only thing I enjoy more than a bookish book is a book about someone who finds their place in the world and figures out what really makes them happy and really this book does both gloriously.

Basically this book was total and complete comfort reading.  It is the bookish equivalent of the very best comfort food eaten in front of a cozy fire while wearing the softest comfiest clothes and wrapped in the warmest of blankets all while rain falls on on a metal roof overhead.  And I also want to move it Scotland.

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About Jenny Colgan

Jenny Colgan is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels, including Little Beach Street Bakery, Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop, and Christmas at the Cupcake Café, all international bestsellers. Jenny is married with three children and lives in London and Scotland. Find out more about Jenny at her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Top Ten Tuesday: Audio Freebie

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic from The Broke and The Bookish is an audio freebie.  When I started blogging a few years ago I kept seeing mentions of audio books and how great they were to get in some extra reading but I never thought that they would be for me!  I don't have a commute and don't spend that much time driving by myself and it never really occurred to me that I could use them other places!  Eventually I discovered that my library has a great digital site full of audio books that I can download right to my phone so I decided to give it a try.   It did take awhile to get used to listening to stories and focusing enough that I followed along as well as figuring out which tasks have the right amount of mindlessness that I can add an audio too.  Basically anything cleaning or laundry related works but nothing in the cooking realm unless I want to hit the rewind button a LOT!

5 Audio Books for Audio Book Beginners

For me the first step to getting into audio books was discovering the right books to start with.  I had to learn to listen and if you're like me you might have better luck sticking with humorous nonfiction and children's books at first.  These are a few that really helped me become and audio book listener!

1.  Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming read by David Tennant -  I've seen a few other narrators but if you can get the one narrated by David Tennant it's so worth it.  Seriously, I could listen to that man read a phone book (if you could find one these days) and be completely enthralled.  It doesn't hurt that this story is action packed and so much fun!

2.  Yes Please by Amy Poehler read by Amy Poehler - This book had me laughing to the point of tears a number of times and I think if anything it's better in audio because not only do you have Amy's inflections and infectious sense of humor shining through but you also have guest stars like Seth Meyers and Patrick Stewart who randomly show up and do readings.  It also really helps that each chapter is basically a stand alone essay if you're having trouble focusing on a book.

3.  Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain read by Anthony Bourdain - Like Yes Please the chapters in this book are basically stand alone essays which works great if your attention span isn't quite used to audio books.  Also, Bourdain is hilarious!  I'm not a huge fan of him from his television appearances but this was another book that had me laughing to the point of tears and the peek into Bourdain's world is just fascinating.

4.  The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister read by Cassandra Campbell - This was the first adult fiction book I listened to and the first book narrated by Cassandra Campbell.  It really worked because 1. Cassandra Campbell is amazing and 2. While it is an actual regular length book we meet the characters basically one at a time so it almost feels like a book of connected short stories.

5.  The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan read by Jesse Bernstein - This is a little longer and a little more complex than the other stories I've mentioned but it's so action packed that it's hard not to pay attention!  Plus Bernstein does a fantastic job of really bring Percy to light.

My Favorite Audio Books

1.  In a Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Ware read by Imogen Church - I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery on it's own merits (though don't go in expecting a super twisty Gone Girl type story or you'll be disappointed) but Imogen Church was amazing and really brought the story to life.  I would listen to pretty much everything she reads.

2.  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows read by Paul Boehmer, Susan Duerden, Rosalyn Landor, John Lee, and Juliet Mills - This was my first audio book that was told by multiple narrators and my first that was told in an epistolary style.  I wasn't sure how well either would work but it was wonderful.  It made me cry at times and laugh at others and was fascinating in between.

3.  Cinder by Marissa Meyer read by Rebecca Soler - I was super nervous starting this one because while I've wanted to read Cinder for ages it's really different from my usual read but Soler really brought Cinder to life and kept me interested in the story in a few parts that I think I would've been tempted to put it down if I had been reading it.

4.  Bossy Pants by Tina Fey read by Tina Fey - This was actually a reread (well listen).  I had read the book soon after it came out and had liked it though wasn't blown away by it.  After I listened to Yes Please and absolutely loved it I decided to give Bossy Pants another try.  I enjoyed it so much more listening to it than I did reading it.   I think I needed Fey's inflections and just her own spin on it to really make it hilarious.

5.  Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee read by Reese Witherspoon - I was dead set against reading this book when it first came out.  While I enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird and understand its importance it isn't one of those books that really stayed with me and then the whole way the book came to be just felt a little hinky.  But when all the controversy started my contrary side kind of woke up and all of a sudden the book started looking way more appealing!  Then when I discovered that not only did the library have a digital audio copy available but that it also was under 6 hours I just couldn't pass it up!  Story-wise it reads like what it is - a manuscript that was turned down - but I really enjoyed it on an academic level.  I could really see why the publisher asked for more of Scout as a child and I really feel like I understand TKAM more after listening to this.  Plus, Witherspoon's accent is flawless and I just loved listening to her.

So what would make your list of favorite audios?  What books would you recommend for audio beginners?

Ramblings from the Stacks - "I Just Read Junk"

At 36 I don't think I'm anywhere near old but I am firmly in the realm of adult.  One of the best things about getting older is that I find I'm caring less about what people think.  I mean I care what the people who are close to me think of me and I want to be the best person I can be but my concern on whether the woman in front of me thinks I have too much processed food in my cart has pretty much dropped to zero.  As well feeling the need to create an image of me that isn't quite me is pretty much me.  I will freely admit that I watch all kinds of junk television and would happily hole up in my house wearing comfy clothes for days at a time.  Yet I found when people asked me what I read I was replying "I just read junk!"

This got me thinking.  Why am I saying this?  Why am I dismissing what I'm reading and what I enjoy and what about what I'm reading makes me be so dismissive?   The genres I tend to hide that I read are romance, cozy mysteries, and women's fiction aka "chick lit".    I have no problem admitting to nonfiction and classical or thriller type mysteries.

Part of this is because I think my role model readers (otherwise known as my mother and grandmother) very much looked down on romance which given what was starting to be published in the 70s and early 80s is understandable (though for a fascinating discussion of the ins and outs of one of the first modern romances The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen Woodiwiss go to the Avon on the Air podcast featuring Sarah Maclean for 2/18/16 - it's so interesting!).  But there attitude of romance not being worth reading definitely penetrated my thoughts as well.  It stayed that way until my early 20s when Lisa basically gave me a set down in the middle of a used bookstore and told me that romance was "really just a story with a happy ending that focused on a relationship and I couldn't run it down until I tried it."  And I tried it and pretty much read nothing else for the next year or so because it turned out I really really liked the genre.  But for the most part I hid them.

And then when cozies became a thing I kind of hid them too because they didn't feel like "improving books" and they kind of felt like they were in the same area of romances.  And the same with the more women's fiction titles.

But you know what?  Since I had this epiphany I'm coming to terms with admitting what I read without dismissing or excusing it because I LIKE what I read.  And there's nothing wrong with it.  Yes, there is some junk in the romance or cozy mystery genres but find a genre that there isn't junk hidden somewhere in the shelves.  And while I've been thinking about all this I've come to another epiphany that it's really the blogging community that gave me the extra boost to feel perfectly good with what I'm reading because everyone is so accepting of everyone's opinions and it's really really nice.

So that's my confession for today.  Do you have any reading secrets?  Or things you find yourself hesitating to admit?  As for me I will be loading my grocery cart full of chips and soda and stacks of Julia Quinn novels!