We are in the waning hours of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It’s one of those time when I miss my mother as she always reminded me when the holidays were. We are also in the first flush of grief over the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, may she rest in peace. Which was what my parents – and grandparents – would always say after the name of someone who was deceased. RBG will be missed in this world, because her work in the cause of justice and equality was not done. It is work that never ends, but she left a torch for us to pick up and carry on.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Fabulous Fall Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in An Apple a Day Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the September to Remember Giveaway Hop is Viki S.
The winner of the Hello Autumn Giveaway Hop is Caroline B.
The winner of The Ancestor by Lee Matthew Goldberg is Cassandra D.

Blog Recap:

C Review: The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah
Fabulous Fall Giveaway Hop
An Apple a Day Giveaway Hop
B Review: The Investigator by Anna Hackett
A- Review: At the Slightest Sound by M.L. Buchman
Stacking the Shelves (410)

Coming This Week:

The Silence of the White City by Eva Garcia Saenz (review)
The Seventh Perfection by Daniel Polansky (review)
Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots (review)
Burning Roses by S.L. Huang (review)
Remember Me by Mario Escobar (blog tour review)

SAVE THE DATE! Caffeinated Reviewer and Reading Reality are co-hosting the Black Friday Giveaway Hop again this year. The hop runs November 27th through November 30th and signups open TOMORROW!!!

Some weeks I have good books. Some weeks I have books I really, really wonder about – not necessarily in a good way. And then there are weeks like this one, where the books were all wonderful. I live for weeks like this one.

And, to close out one week and open another, A picture of Hecate recharging in the sun. Cats, as we all know, are solar powered. Except George. I’m pretty sure he’s full of espresso beans.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the September to Remember Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Hello Autumn Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Back to School Giveaway Hop is Julie W.

Blog Recap:

A++ Review: All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny
September to Remember Giveaway Hop
Hello Autumn Giveaway Hop
A+ Review: Driftwood by Marie Brennan
A Review: The Brothers of Auschwitz by Malka Adler
Stacking the Shelves (408)

Coming This Week:

Black Friday Giveaway Hop Sign Up!!!!!
The Ancestor by Lee Matthew Goldberg (blog tour review)
Shadows in Death by J.D. Robb (review)
The Deadly Hours by Susanna Kearsley, C.S. Harris, Anna Lee Huber, Christine Trent (review)
A Question of Betrayal by Anne Perry (review)

George is normally a very serious little fellow – although he’s getting bigger every day. But he’s also a surprisingly hard start for cat. Like me, he wakes up slowly and a bit groggy. Which allowed me to catch him in a blep one afternoon, waking up from a nap.

I had some great books this past week, books I’d been looking forward to that really lived up to my anticipation, as well as one (Winter Counts) which has had a lot of buzz and definitely lived up to the hype. I always have mixed feelings about thrillers, but when they grab me, they really, really grab me. As this one did. And as one of this coming week’s books has already done. You’ll see.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Back to School Giveaway Hop (ends TOMORROW!)

Winner Announcements:

The winner of The London Restoration is Carl
The winner of the $20 Gift Card from Rhys Ford is Pamela

Blog Recap:

B+ Review: Cat Me if You Can by Miranda James
A Review: Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews
B Review: Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones
A+ Review: Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne
A Review: Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
Stacking the Shelves (407)

Coming This Week:

All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny (review)
September to Remember Giveaway Hop
Hello Autumn Giveaway Hop
Driftwood by Marie Brennan (review)
The Brothers of Auschwitz by Malka Adler (blog tour review)

Luckily for us, while George may think a mousie in one’s coffee adds just the right touch – as last Sunday’s picture will attest – George himself doesn’t get any coffee or caffeine of any kind. He’s already MUCH too energetic for the older cats to keep up with. But when he naps, he really, really naps.

Last week was Hop and Tour week, but this week we’re back to just reviews. I have some books I’ve really been looking forward to. We’ll see how it goes!

Current Giveaways:

$20 Gift Card from Rhys Ford and ‘Nother Sip of Gin
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Back to School Giveaway Hop
The London Restoration by Rachel McMillan

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Return to Learn Giveaway Hop is Helen B.

Blog Recap:

Back to School Giveaway Hop
B+ Review: Better than People by Roan Parrish
A- Review: The London Restoration by Rachel McMillan + Giveaway
A Review: ‘Nother Sip of Gin by Rhys Ford + Guest Post + Giveaway
B Review: Someone to Romance by Mary Balogh
Stacking the Shelves (406)

Coming This Week:

Cat Me If You Can by Miranda James (review)
Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews (review)
Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden (review)
Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones (review)
Ink and Sigil by Kevin Hearne (review)

As an important reminder from George, all keyboards belong to the cats. We just borrow them now and again.

Someone needs to explain to me the attraction of cats to keyboards when we’re not using them. I understand why they interfere when we’re paying attention to the keyboard instead of to them, but there seems to be an inexplicable desire to feel the caress of keys under their little fuzzy butts that I just don’t get. On the other hand, George also likes to play video games. He will follow the cursor on the TV and try to catch the leaves in any outdoor scenes. Galen just finished playing Ghost of Tsushima, which was awesome. It also has extremely realistic falling leaves. George was mesmerized!

Current Giveaways:

Return to Learn Giveaway Hop STARTS TUESDAY!!!

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Feline Good Giveaway Hop is Ann
The winner of the Seas the Day Giveaway Hop is Nikki

Blog Recap:

B- Review: The Hero of Hope Springs by Maisey Yates
A Review: Anthems Outside Time by Kenneth Schneyer
A- Review: A Royal Affair by Allison Montclair
B- Review: Queen of the Unwanted by Jenna Glass
A- Review: The Friendship List by Susan Mallery
Stacking the Shelves (403)

Coming This Week:

Search the Dark by Charles Todd (review)
Return to Learn Giveaway Hop
The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite (review)
The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis (review)
The Sin in the Steel by Ryan Van Loan (review)

I bought A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking for the title. Some books get bought for their covers, but for this one it was definitely the title. The cover is cute but it isn’t all that. But the book, oh, the book was definitely this week’s winner among some very excellent contenders. I just won’t ever be using Wizard Mona’s recipe for gingerbread. Her book, on the other hand, was terrific!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Feline Good Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Seas the Day Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the $20 Gift Card from Rhys Ford and Silk Dragon Salsa is Sandy

Blog Recap:

A- Review: Hearts and Stones by Robin D. Owens
Spotlight + Excerpt: The Friendship List by Susan Mallery
B Review: Falling for Mr. Townsbridge by Sophie Barnes
A+ Review: A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
A Review: Miss Graham’s Cold War Cookbook by Celia Rees
Stacking the Shelves (402)

Coming This Week:

The Hero of Hope Springs by Maisey Yates (blog tour review)
Anthems Outside Time by Kenneth Schneyer (review)
Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson (review)
A Royal Affair by Allison Montclair (review)
The Friendship List by Susan Mallery (blog tour review)

In addition to being Sunday and George having an extreme case of the zoomies, today is also my husband Galen’s birthday. So Happy Birthday to the love of my life!

But speaking of birthdays, or at least of time passing, this new picture of George that shows just  how big he’s getting to be. This one looks like the way that George will look when he’s full grown, but he’s not quite 6 months old yet. Still, the way he’s sprawled is definitely the shape – and size – of things to come. Which is going to be a bit of an ongoing problem for me, as George likes to sit in front of my computer monitor and try to follow the cursor. The bigger he is the more of the screen he will block!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Feline Good Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Seas the Day Giveaway Hop
$20 Gift Card from Rhys Ford and Silk Dragon Salsa

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Star Spangled Giveaway Hop is Wendy

Blog Recap:

A+ Review: Silk Dragon Salsa by Rhys Ford + Excerpt + Giveaway
Feline Good Giveaway Hop
B Review: The Woman Before Wallis by Bryn Turnbull
Seas the Day Giveaway Hop
A- Review: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Stacking the Shelves (401)

Coming This Week:

Hearts and Stones by Robin D. Owens (review)
The Friendship List by Susan Mallery (blog tour spotlight + excerpt)
Falling for Mr. Townsbridge by Sophie Barnes (blog tour review)
Miss Graham’s Cold War Cookbook by Celia Rees (review)
Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson (review)

To celebrate the end of of this 3-day weekend, here’s a picture of George stretched out very, very long. I have no idea what that thing is in the bottom of the picture. But George has become a very long, skinny drink of water in the last few weeks. Once he grows into his legs and tail he’s going to be a very big boy.

Have you seen the #Hamilfilm this weekend? We saw the play in the theater, in Chicago, but long after the original cast had left – and from slightly obstructed seats. So we’re looking forward to seeing all the parts we missed sometime this weekend. Along with a viewing of one of my favorite movies, 1776. As I was talking with a friend today, I realized that there is a similarity beyond the time period. Both plays, and both movies, rely on the music to tell the story. The sets were minimal, and so was the spoken dialog. It’s the music that moves, and the music that sticks in the mind long after the show is over.

Speaking of things that stick in the mind, this past week The Angel of the Crows really knocked me for a marvelous reading loop. If you like historical fantasy, or urban fantasy, or Sherlock Holmes, or wingfic, or Katherine Addison or Sarah Monette, this book is well and truly awesome. As was The Lost Princess Returns, but Lost Princess is the culmination of a long and deeply involved – and involving – series, while Angel is either an opening number or complete in itself. I sincerely hope it is an opening act, I’d love to see more in this world. And from this author.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Star Spangled Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the June of Books Giveaway Hop is Carl
The winner of the Daddy Shark Giveaway Hop is Jenness
The winner of the Gift Card Giveaway Hop is Molli

Blog Recap:

A Review: The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison
A- Review: Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory
Star Spangled Giveaway Hop
A+ Review: The Lost Princess Returns by Jeffe Kennedy
C Review: The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham
Stacking the Shelves (399)

Coming This Week:

A Cruel Deception by Charles Todd (review)
Witchmark by C.L. Polk (review)
Claim of Eon by Anna Hackett (review)
Miss Graham’s Cold War Cookbook by Celia Rees (review)
Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson (review)

I caught George napping at my feet this morning. He’d made a little nest for himself on the couch and was just peeking over the top. Until he fell asleep. And it’s a bit of a lazy Sunday so I was very tempted to join him in that nap!

It has been a long week in America. I desperately want this to be the end of the long dark night, but I fear that it is not. Concentrating on anything, even on reading, is difficult. Sometimes just sitting and petting the cats is the only option for sanity. Take care of yourselves and your loved ones.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the June of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Movie Night Giveaway Hop is Breanne

Blog Recap:

June of Books Giveaway Hop
B+ Review: The Summer House by Lauren K. Denton
A- Review: Hell Squad: Tane by Anna Hackett
A Review: Riviera Gold by Laurie R. King
B+ Review: Red Sky Over Hawaii by Sara Ackerman
Stacking the Shelves (395)

Coming This Week:

Driving the Deep by Suzanne Palmer (review)
The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho (review)
A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Witherspoon (review)
Automatic Reload by Ferret Steinmetz (review)
Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn (review)

The world is having a really crappy time right now. A kitten picture will not solve anything, unfortunately, but hopefully it will make you smile for a second or two. George’s antics certainly make us smile!

There’s a bird’s nest in the eaves on our front porch just outside my office. Galen went out to take a picture of the nest while George was peering through the window. Supervising. Who could resist that concerned little face?

Speaking of resistance being futile, I couldn’t resist being part of the To Sleep in a Sea of Stars excerpt tour this week. Partially because I was just thrilled to be asked. And also because it gave me a couple of days to just chill and not have to have a review ready. I am very happy when I get a guest contribution from Amy Daltry or Galen – who was responsible for this Monday’s Memorial Day post, but for the most part Reading Reality is a one-woman band, with yours truly being the one beating all the instruments. It’s lovely to get a couple of days off to just read whatever the heck I want to, even if its something that really can’t be reviewed. With the week we’ve all just had, a complete escape was a relief. The only problem is that the world is still the mess it is when I come back to it. It’s starting to look like the future that science fiction warned us about, and I really wish it hadn’t been so damn accurate!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Movie Night Giveaway Hop (ENDS TONIGHT!!!)

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Life’s a Beach Giveaway Hop is Ann B.

Blog Recap:

Memorial Day 2020
B+ Review: Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey by Abigail Wilson
Spotlight + Excerpt: To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
B Review: Out of Body by Jeffrey Ford
Spotlight + Complete Excerpt: To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
Stacking the Shelves (394)

Coming This Week:

June of Books Giveaway Hop
The Summer House by Lauren K. Denton (blog tour review)
Hell Squad: Tane by Anna Hackett (review)
Red Sky Over Hawaii by Sara Ackerman (blog tour review)
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones (review)