Sunday, August 19, 2018

This Week in Reading - August 19

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:



Marigold for Malice by Bailey Cattrell - I've been wanting to read this book since the first book came out because the covers are all gorgeous and it sounds like a lot of fun.  I'm really looking forward to this one! (Publisher)

The Cats Came Back by Sofie Kelly - I've never really been a "cat" cozy person but this series involving magical cats looks fun so I'm thinking I might be changing my mind! (Publisher)

Hitting the Books by Jenn McKinlay - This is one of my favorite cozy series and I loved the last one so I'm super excited to read the next entry.  (Publisher)

Drink Me by Nick Perry - This is a little different for me but I couldn't resist a book of Alice in Wonderland themed cocktails!  I can't wait to try some.  (Publisher)



Currently:

Reading:  I just finished Fade to Black by Heather Graham and am about to start Meet Me in Atlantis by Mark Adams which I'm looking forward to.  I also just started the Mystery of Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah which is the newest Hercule Poirot.  

Listening: 
Written in Red by Anne Bishop and mixing in Keep Moving by Dick Van Dyke which is more about aging than the memoir I was expecting.

Watching: I've been watching some of the Hallmark Movie Mysteries - I'm in the middle of a Hailey Dean marathon right now but I don't think it's a series I'll continue.  It's okay but there's a few things about it that annoy me.  The Garage Sale Mysteries are my favorite.

Off the Blog:

It's been a bit of a weird week.  J has been out of town for the last two weeks and just got in late Friday night.  Work took him to the Southern California area so I've had him scouting out some areas.  I think we're going to go to Disneyland/Legoland/San  Diego Zoo and anything else I can come up with in the area next year.  Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Mostly, I'm still getting used to not having Spots around.  Sadness aside it's just so unbelievably weird not to have a dog around.  I didn't realize how many of my routines involved her or just how much I talked to her.  I think the cat really misses her too.  He seems to be looking for something most of the time and needs a lot more attention.  He's a pretty needy cat at the best of times but that's really ramped up lately.

I am starting to get back into reading.  I've had a few months where I've been kind of meh about it.  I was reading good stuff but for really the first time I can remember I just wasn't wanting to sit down and read.  That does seem to be getting better which is a huge relief!

On the Blog:

What Happened:

What's Coming Up:

Monday:  The Three Things Tag
Tuesday:  Top Ten Tuesday - Books to Pull You Out of  a Slump
Wednesday:  Classic Movie Essentials
Thursday:  Books from the Backlog
Friday:  Friday Linkups with Current Book
Saturday:  TBD

Have a great week and happy reading!

17 comments:

  1. The Cats Came Back and Hitting the Books both sound promising! And SoCal sounds amazing- I do want to get to the San Diego Zoo someday, they say it's great!

    Aw, that's gotta be tough about Spots. It's so hard to lose an animal friend, and my heart goes out to your cat too! The animals don't understand when there's an absence, I think. All best wishes to you guys as you grieve...

    Glad to see another Classic Movies post coming.

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  2. Oh your Cali vacation plan sounds excellent. I want to do the same but have to wait a few years until the baby is older. Sorry about Spots. Glad you are getting back into reading! Have a great week!

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  3. My cat was extra affectionate and needy when we lost our other cat at Christmas. I spent a fair amount of time trying to work out whether she was going all out trying to comfort us over the loss or seeking comfort for herself (or both!). Animals are amazing.
    I'm sorry to hear you lost your dog.

    The Marigold for Malice cover is really pretty. :)

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  4. The book with the Marigold cover is so pretty. I hate to admit that covers are important to me, even when I'm checking out e-books. I bypass ones with amateur or cheesy pictures.

    Sorry about your dog. We've been losing several pets over the past couple of years as the group ages out here. It's never easy at all to say goodbye.

    If you want recommendations for SoCal, I have plenty since I lived there a couple of years ago. Besides the Zoo, which is pricy but well worth it, I say Balboa Park (beautiful grounds, free and cheap museums, etc), La Jolla, where you can see all the seals and sea lions lying on the rocks right next to the crowds. Our kids are all grown so we didn't do Disneyland or Legoland, but Universal has a new Harry Potter World, which I wish I did get to see. There is a large Oldtown in San Diego, which has still-standing historical sites, Mexican restaurants, gift shops, nice scenery, etc. And Laguna, has the beautiful 1000 Step Beach. If you need anymore info, you can email me :)

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  5. It must be so hard to be without your dog. They are such amazing animals.

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  6. I am sorry I missed about your dog! The loss of a pet is really hard. My Buttons looked for our Dog Baylee for a long time after he passed, she actually didn't come out for 3 years, only to eat and use the box. It's so weird without them. I also think that was why we got the kittens. I missed Buttons so much when she passed (still do) but the chaos of the house has kept be from falling apart. They really are a huge part of our lives. Ok, I made myself cry so I need to stop! I am very sorry for your loss! (((HUGS)))

    Let me know what you come up with about California, I have wanted to take the kids, they are so much older now but it might still be fun to visit Disneyland since I haven't done that yet :)

    I feel like this was the year of the slump, so many of my blogging friends seem to be slumping more than normal. It might mean we are all in for a fresh new beginning with new and exciting things...Maybe?

    Have a great week, Katherine! Happy Reading! ox

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  7. It's been two months since we lost our dog, so I understand exactly what you're feeling now... so much about daily life involves pets. Still feels too quiet here, but we aren't going to get another dog right away. Hugs.

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  8. I have Marigolds for Malice for audio review but still need to listen to book two! So behind! Those other sound really good too!

    I don't mind the Hailey Dean mysteries and it was interesting finding out the killer of her fiance. It's just not one of my favorites. I like Garage Sale Mysteries but my favorite is still Murder She Baked and now the new Fixer Upper Mysteries I wish they would do a marathon of them like they do Garage Sale, I mean how many of those are there! THere are only three Fixer Uppers so we should get a month of them! :)

    It's interesting how other animals miss another one when it's gone, it's like that little human part of them.

    Have a great week and happy reading!!
    Stormi
    Week in Review

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  9. Marigold for Malice is gorgeous! I always love your cozy titles, and hope to read some.

    I love the Garage Sale Mysteries the most, too, although the Aurora Teagarden and the Murder She Baked are close behind. I also like Hailey Dean, but it is not quite as engaging.

    Enjoy your week, and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

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  10. I think we all go through those meh reading cycles and just have to wait it out! You have me reading a few more cozies than I have in the past! I wish I'd actually gone more for the Jenn McKinlay series (read first one) but I'll stick with the Bibliophile series and then come back to that one.

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  11. A trip to Southern California sounds amazing. I lived there when I was a little kid, but I don’t remember it very well. I haven’t been back since we moved. Have a good week.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  12. The magical cat cozy has me curious. I hope you like it. I might have to try it too. :-) You'll be in my neck of the woods when you come to California then! There's a lot to do and see. I haven't seen too many of the Hallmark mysteries. I never seem to catch them on when I am watching television. I hope you have a great week, Katherine!

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  13. Blogger ate my comment. 😡

    Here's a quick recap... My mother reads the Cat Who cozies. Have you read any of those? I have multiple friends in SoCal, I'll ask them for kid friendly things to do. 👍

    Have a wonderful week. 🌞

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  14. I'm addicted to all the Hallmark mystery movies. The Garage Sale Mysteries are my favorite, too. I have the Sofie Kelly book to review. I love that series. Hope you have a great week!

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  15. I agree with La Jolla and Old Town San Diego like someone above suggested. I'm not sure how old your son is, but he might like the Mormon Battalion Museum in Old Town. It's educational, free and has lots of hands-on activities geared toward kids. Also, if you (or your family) is interested in touring old boats, the U.S.S. Midway aircraft carrier in San Diego Harbor is pretty cool.

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  16. I'm sorry about the Spots-shaped hole in your life... I recall when we lost Diesel - that was the worst bit, the sudden lack of companionship.

    I'm glad your reading mojo is back - it's always miserable if you pick up a book and find you really can't be bothered to open it up...

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  17. When I re-typed my comment in short form I forgot to give you (((((((((((HUGS)))))))) about Spots. I'm so sorry.

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