Last weekend was the calm before the storm. This weekend, it’s the calm after the storm! In between, there was a storm. We were lucky. We didn’t lose power and we didn’t have any trees fall on the house. So it’s all good.

But the storm did change what I planned to read. I ended up grabbing some comfort reads, because I couldn’t settle down to much of anything else. I’m past the halfway point in my Phryne Fisher series read, and still enjoying them very much. But speaking of Phryne, I got to the books from the TV series, which I absolutely adored. There are plans in the works for a Phryne Fisher movie on the big screen, with the same cast as the TV show. They have a Kickstarter, and so far it’s going great guns. But it can always use a bit more support. The difficulty seems to be, as always, proving to the “powers that be” that there is tremendous interest in any kind of movie with a female lead. I’m willing to help send that message, and I’ve kicked into the kickstarter. If you love Phryne (and Jack!) too, and want to add your bit, here’s the link to the Kickstarter.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of The Long Way Home is Holly W.
The winner of the $10 Book in the September Book of Choice Giveaway Hop is Megan S.

Blog Recap:

A- Review: The Prisoner in His Palace by Will Bardenwerper
A- Review: Fatal Charm by Blair McDowell
B+ Review: Secrets in Death by J.D. Robb
B Review: Away with the Fairies by Kerry Greenwood
Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop
Stacking the Shelves (253)

Coming Next Week:

Casualty of War by Charles Todd (review)
Tramps and Thieves by Rhys Ford (review)
Sugar Pine Trail by RaeAnne Thayne (blog tour review)
Defending Hearts by Rebecca Crowley (blog tour review)
Fool Me Once by Catherine Bybee (review)

The track of Hurricane Irma is scheduled to reach Atlanta Monday night as a Tropical Storm. Which still means winds up to 72 mph. Which is OMG, but not as OMG as what hit Florida or the Caribbean. It helps to be inland. Pretty damn far inland. The expectation for this area is lots of rain, lots of wind, trees down and power outages. Nothing that can’t be survived, but needless to say a fun time will not be had by much of anyone when it hits.

We went out yesterday to buy the ingredients for “milk sandwiches” at the grocery store. Not that there really are such things as “milk sandwiches” but the way that people run out to buy milk and bread just before a major storm event, makes it seem possible. Peanut butter sandwiches, or something similar, are much more likely. And more useful, as peanut butter doesn’t spoil in a power outage. I suppose it could eventually, but it never lasts that long in this house!

Stay safe everyone. This looks like one for the history books.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the September Book of Choice Giveaway Hop
$25 Amazon Gift Card from Harlequin and Maisey Yates
The Long Way Home by Kevin Bannister

Winner Announcements:

The winner of Thief’s Mark by Carla Neggers is Laura T.
The winner of The Talented Ribkins by Ladee Hubbard is Nadine
The winner of The Summer That Made Us by Robyn Carr is Kathy D.

Blog Recap:

Labor Day 2017
B+ Review: Wild Ride Cowboy by Maisey Yates + Giveaway
A- Review: Unmapped by Anna Hackett
B Review: The Long Way Home by Kevin Bannister + Giveaway
B+ Review: Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
Stacking the Shelves (252)

Coming Next Week:

The Prisoner in His Palace by Will Bardenwerper
Fatal Charm by Blair McDowell
The Ruin of Angels by Max Gladstone
Virtue by Victoria Vane
Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop

Interesting and short week coming up. I have several books in series to review this week, and they are all in series that I’ve really, really enjoyed. So a week of good reading, starting with a day off thanks to the Labor Day holiday.

While I’m always happy for a three-day weekend, Labor Day seems a bit anti-climactic these days. It used to be the unofficial start of fall, and school started this week. Now it starts in August, and that just seems WRONG. Of course, that was before they started air conditioning the schools, which may have had something, or a lot, to do with it!

Current Giveaways:

The Talented Ribkins by Ladee Hubbard
The Summer That Made Us by Robyn Carr
Thief’s Mark by Carla Neggers
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the September Book of Choice Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winners of the book prize packs in the Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Hop are Polly and Courtney

Blog Recap:

B Review: The Talented Ribkins by Ladee Hubbard + Giveaway
A Review: The Shift of the Tide by Jeffe Kennedy
A- Review: The Summer that Made Us by Robyn Carr + Giveaway
B+ Review: Thief’s Mark by Carla Neggers + Giveaway
September Book of Choice Giveaway Hop
Stacking the Shelves (251)

Coming Next Week:

Wild Ride Cowboy by Maisey Yates (blog tour review)
Unmapped by Anna Hackett (review)
The Long Way Home by Kevin Bannister (blog tour review)
The Ruin of Angels by Max Gladstone (review)

OK, how many people dropped everything to view the eclipse on Monday?

We drove to Anderson, SC, which was just within the totality. Of course the totality chose to hide itself behind a cloud, but we did have a great view of the moon covering the sun both before and after. As crazy as the whole scenario was, it was terrific to be part of the shared experience of viewing the eclipse. The shared experience of driving back to Atlanta in bumper-to-bumper traffic, not so much. I was very fortunate that Galen was willing to drive, and I was able to spend a good part of the insanity reading Glass Houses by Louise Penny. I adore Inspector Gamache, and can’t wait until next year’s visit to Three Pines.

Current Giveaways:

Book Prize Pack in the Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Hop (ENDS Wednesday!)
3 copies of Highland Dragon Warrior by Isabel Cooper
$100 Amazon or B&N Gift Card from Harlequin and Susan Mallery

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the $10 Gift Card in the Oh the Places You’ll Go Giveaway Hop is Julie L.

Blog Recap:

B Review: Highland Dragon Warrior by Isabel Cooper + Giveaway
B Review: A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas
A Review: Forty Autumns by Nina Willner
A- Review: You Say It First by Susan Mallery + Giveaway
A Review: Glass Houses by Louise Penny
Stacking the Shelves (250)

Coming Next Week:

The Talented Ribkins by Ladee Hubbard (blog tour review)
The Shift of the Tide by Jeffe Kennedy (review)
The Summer That Made Us by Robyn Carr (blog tour review)
Thief’s Mark by Carla Neggers (blog tour review)
September Book of Choice Giveaway Hop

It turned out I was reading ahead a bit this week. Susan Wiggs’ book isn’t out for a couple of weeks, Cat Shining Bright isn’t out until next week, and when the Sherlock Holmes book I originally planned to read didn’t quite work, I picked up A Conspiracy in Belgravia, which also isn’t out for a couple of weeks. Then I saw the announcement that there was a new Penric novella and I dropped everything.

There’s always a bright, shiny new book to dive into, isn’t there?

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Oh, the Places You’ll Go Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of Another Man’s Ground by Claire Booth is Dianna G.
The winner of A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang is Marjorie R.

Blog Recap:

B Review: Map of the Heart by Susan Wiggs
B Review: Untraveled by Anna Hackett
Oh, the Places You’ll Go Giveaway Hop
A- Review: Penric’s Fox by Lois McMaster Bujold
B Review: Cat Shining Bright by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
Stacking the Shelves (248)

Coming Next Week:

Down Home Cowboy by Maisey Yates (blog tour review)
Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Hop
The Great Quake by Henry Fountain (review)
Halls of Law by V.M. Escalada (review)
The Daughters of Ireland by Santa Montefiore (blog tour review)

I almost included an “Around the Blogosphere” section this week, because Reading Reality has been busy elsewhere as well as here, this week in particular. My spotlight on science fiction and fantasy will be published in the August issue of Library Journal. Of course, the complete article is also available online, under the genre-appropriate title: Galaxy Quests. These annual spotlights are generally forward-looking, showcasing titles that are scheduled to be published in the upcoming months. I have also received a commission to write a “Collection Development” article next spring on one of my fave genres, Science Fiction Romance. It is intended to be a guide to which SFR titles, both forthcoming and previously published, libraries should have or try to get. I’m really looking forward to the research and the writing for that one.

I also had the opportunity to be a “guest commenter” on All Things Urban Fantasy as part of their regular, and regularly terrific Cover Art Coverage feature this week. It was a blast! I always love reading this feature, and it was fun to be part of it. I hope they ask me again sometime.

Current Giveaways:

Another Man’s Ground by Claire Booth
A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang

Winner Announcements:

The winner of Assassin’s Price by L.E. Modesitt Jr. is Susan
The winner of The Innkeeper’s Sister by Linda Goodnight is Jennifer

Blog Recap:

A- Review: Another Man’s Ground by Claire Booth + Giveaway
B+ Review: A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang + Giveaway
B Review: The Painted Queen by Elizabeth Peters and Joan Hess
B Review: Warriors of the Wind by Anna Hackett
B- Review: Death Before Wicket by Kerry Greenwood
Stacking the Shelves (247)

Coming Next Week:

Map of the Heart by Susan Wiggs (review)
Untraveled by Anna Hackett (review)
Oh the Places You’ll Go Giveaway Hop
From Holmes to Sherlock by Mattias Boström (review)
Cat Shining Bright by Shirley Rousseau Murphy (review)

I have good books to look forward to this week. Well, I always try to have good books! But seriously, Betrayal at Iga and Illumination are both the latest books in series that I have really enjoyed. And Amy’s guest review of Sovereign is a real, although not as funny a gem as her review of Tender Wings of Desire. Now that’s a review that will live in infamy!

But a bit of a recap before we move on to this week’s coming attractions. If you’ve ever heard the phrase “net neutrality” and wondered what it meant or why it should matter to you, please take a look at my post from Wednesday about the Battle for the Net. Even better, take a look at Fight for the Future. If you spend any part of your workday or leisure time anywhere on the net, and I know you do if you are reading this message, Net Neutrality matters to do. And you’ll seriously miss it if it’s gone – along with all too many of the creative and entertaining sites that you love and follow. Because if net neutrality falls, so will many of us.

Winner Announcements:

The winner of Serenity Harbor by RaeAnne Thayne is Tracee
The winner of the $10 Book or $10 Gift Card in the July Book of Choice Giveaway Hop is Miki
The winner of the $10 Book or $10 Gift Card in the Freedom to Read Giveaway Hop is Beth T.

Blog Recap:

A Review: Four Princes by John Julius Norwich
B+ Review: Secrets of the Tulip Sisters by Susan Mallery
Battle for the Net
B Review: File M for Murder by Miranda James
A Review: Dark Saturday by Nicci French
Stacking the Shelves (244)

Coming Next Week:

Betrayal at Iga by Susan Spann (blog tour review)
Illumination by Susannah Sandlin (blog tour review)
The Branson Beauty by Claire Booth (review)
Sovereign by April Daniels (guest review by Amy)
Branded as Trouble by Delores Fossen (blog tour review)

Last week’s schedule fell completely apart at the end. I was expecting to review both Heroine Worship and Beren and Luthien, but things didn’t quite work out. As much as I loved Sarah Kuhn’s first book in her series, Heroine Complex, I simply could not work my way through Heroine Worship. Although both books feature the same set of protagonists, and I love the superhero world she created, we spent the second book inside the head of the character I liked least in the first book, and that includes the demons. I just didn’t want to spend another minute there.

Beren and Lúthien, on the other hand, was richer than I expected, I just couldn’t figure out how to review it. Although it does tell the story of Beren and Lúthien from Tolkien’s Silmarillion, it tells it in multiple versions. More than the legend itself, the book Beren and Lúthien is really about the creation of a modern myth. So interesting, but probably mostly of interest to people who are really, really steeped in the minutiae of Tolkien’s worlds. Which I was, once upon a time, but discovered to my chagrin that I no longer am. It may be time to re-read The Lord of the Rings again. It’s obviously been awhile.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the July Book of Choice Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Freedom to Read Giveaway Hop
Serenity Harbor by RaeAnne Thayne

Winner Announcements:

The winner of Lockdown by Laurie R. King are Darlene O. and Amy M.

Blog Recap:

B+ Review: Liar’s Key by Carla Neggers
July 4th 2017
B Review: Serenity Harbor by RaeAnne Thayne + Giveaway
B+ Review: Thieves’ Quarry by D.B. Jackson
B+ Review: Raisins and Almonds by Kerry Greenwood
Stacking the Shelves (243)

Coming Next Week:

Four Princes by John Julius Norwich (review)
Secrets of the Tulip Sisters by Susan Mallery (blog tour review)
American Eclipse by David Baron (review)
First Watch by Dale Lucas (review)
Dark Saturday by Nicci French (blog tour review)

So, when are the fireworks in your part of the country? The great thing about living in a major metro area with lots of towns and neighborhoods is that there are always plenty of opportunities to see fireworks on the holiday. The fireworks in our village are visible from our front yard. As long as it doesn’t rain Monday night, we’re all set.

When we lived in Anchorage, the whole summer fireworks things was a bit weird. It doesn’t get dark there this time of year, but people’s patience generally runs out about midnight. It does get kind of twilight-ish between 1 and 3 in the morning, but no one wants to wait quite that long. Attempting to see fireworks when it’s not really even dusk is an interesting experience.

But speaking of fireworks and Independence Day, we did see Hamilton when we were in Chicago for ALA. And wow! Even with a slightly obstructed view it was still marvelous and I’m so glad we went. I’d love to see it again, but the ticket prices have become even more obscene than they were just a few months ago. Hopefully, one of these days a film of the play will be available through Fathom Events at the movies.

Current Giveaways:

Lockdown by Laurie R. King
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the July Book of Choice Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Freedom to Read Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the $10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Splash into Summer Giveaway Hop is Adik

Blog Recap:

B+ Review: Take Out by Margaret Maron + Giveaway
B- Review: Cocoa Beach by Beatriz Williams
A+ Guest Review by Amy: Kith and Kin by Kris Ripper
B+ Review: Barbarian by Anna Hackett
B Review: A Most Unlikely Duke by Sophie Barnes + Giveaway
July Book of Choice Giveaway Hop
Stacking the Shelves (242)
Freedom to Read Giveaway Hop

Coming Next Week:

Liar’s Key by Carla Neggers (review)
Serenity Harbor by RaeAnne Thayne (blog tour review)
Heroine Worship by Sarah Kuhn (review)
Beren and Lúthien by J.R.R. Tolkien (review)