First of all, I did a thing. On January 31, 2019 the winners of the SFR Galaxy Awards were announced. We had a terrific fleet of winners this year – as we do every year. I’ve already added stuff to the virtually towering TBR stack. If you like science fiction romance, or action adventure romance, this year’s winners will be a real treat. And if you’re new to the genre or just want to see what all the fun is about, the list of ALL the award winners, from this year and previous years, should provide you with plenty of places to start. (Full disclosure, I’m one of the judges).

Second thing, as in previous years, I have been appointed to one of the American Library Association committees that produces a “best books of the year” list. This year it’s The Reading List, which judges genre fiction in the categories of Adrenaline, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction and Women’s Fiction. Almost all of the categories are my jam to one degree or another, so I’m really looking forward to this year’s selections. Which will never be highlighted on any of my Stacking the Shelves posts or in my reviews – but they will be there.

Third, speaking of ALA, I just got back from the Midwinter Conference. The committee I served on this past year, the Carnegie Medals, announced the winners at this year’s conference.

And I picked up what would be an actual metric buttload of books at the conference – if I got print ARCs instead of eARCs. That list is in yesterday’s Stacking the Shelves.

It’s great to be home. The cats really missed us – to the point where they seem to be clinging to us all night and underfoot all day – at least when they’re not cat napping!

Current Giveaways:

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

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Hats Off! Giveaway Hop is Cassandra D.

Blog Recap:

A- Review: Target of One’s Own by M.L. Buchman
B Review: Connections in Death by J.D. Robb
A- Review: Cast in Oblivion by Michelle Sagara
A- Review: Forged in Blood I by Lindsay Buroker
February of Books Giveaway Hop
Stacking the Shelves (325)

Coming This Week:

Forged in Blood II by Lindsay Buroker (review)
The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff (blog tour review)
Duchess by Deception by Marie Force (review)
The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons (review)
Oria’s Enchantment by Jeffe Kennedy (review)

I’m writing this very far ahead, as when you read it I’ll be in Seattle for the American Library Association Midwinter Conference. Where it will probably be gray, gloomy and a bit rainy, but hopefully not snowy. Or so my memories of living in Seattle tell me. But “climate is what you expect, weather is what you get” so we’ll see what really happens.

But that means that my attempt to predict what I will post the week of 1/28 probably counts as attempting to see into a crystal ball – or read tea leaves. At least at home I actually HAVE tea leaves, but that doesn’t mean my powers of prognostication are all that good. Divination is generally bunk – but we’ll see just how good I am at predicting my own behavior in the weeks to come.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Hats Off Giveaway Hop (ends THURSDAY!)

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the $10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Jeepers! Its January Giveaway Hop is Monique S.

Blog Recap:

A Review: The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty
B Review: The Show by John A. Heldt
A Review: Endgames by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
A+ Guest Review by Amy: Perennial: A Garden Romance by Mary Anne Mohanraj
Spotlight + Excerpt: The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff
Stacking the Shelves (324)

Coming This Week:

Target of One’s Own by M.L. Buchman (review)
Connections in Death by J.D. Robb (review)
Cast in Oblivion by Michelle Sagara (review)
Forged in Blood I by Lindsay Buroker (review)
February of Books Giveaway Hop

This was an excellent week in a way that very few weeks manage to live up to. All Grade A Reviews – including Amy’s guest review of one of my all-time favorite SFR authors/books. If you like space opera-type SF with a touch of romance, you absolutely cannot go wrong with Linnea Sinclair – not ever. I just wish there were more!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Jeepers! It’s January Giveaway Hop (ends TUESDAY!)
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Hats Off Giveaway Hop
$20 Amazon Gift Card from Jeffe Kennedy

Winner Announcements:

The winner of The Best of Us by Robyn Carr is L Lam
The winner of the $10 Gift Card or Book in the 3…2…1 Giveaway Hop is Joanna P.

Blog Recap:

A Review: The Last Sun by K.D. Edwards
A+ Guest Review by Amy: Finders Keepers by Linnea Sinclair
Hats Off Giveaway Hop
A- Review: Warrior of the World by Jeffe Kennedy + Giveaway
A+ Review: Medusa Uploaded by Emily Devenport
Stacking the Shelves (323)

Coming This Week:

Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty (review)
The Show by John A. Heldt (review)
Target of One’s Own by M.L. Buchman (review)
Perennial: A Garden Romance by Mary Anne Mohanraj (guest review by Amy)
The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff (guest post/excerpt)

I got distracted while writing this. There are two new “Dear Kitten” videos from Friskies! If you have a cat, or if you just enjoy well-done and funny videos, this series is a gem.

Back to books – one of the few times where that’s actually difficult!

Also, what I really want to do is go back to reading Wild Country. I swear there is crack between the pages of that series. I’m couldn’t resist reading a 400 page book that I can’t post a review of for TWO MONTHS! What was I thinking? But I can’t resist them!

It feels like life is back to “normal” after the long holiday weekends. This is probably a good thing, but it was fun to laze around, read a lot and cuddle the kitten – while the big boys look on with tolerance. I’ve also discovered that closing my office door when I go to bed is useless. It doesn’t latch, and the new carpet seems to be much too fascinating for certain people to knead half the night. I walk in each morning and discover blue and white tufts EVERYWHERE!

Everything belongs to them. Everything. Including the humans.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Amazon Gift Card OR $10 Book in the 3…2…1 Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the December of Books Giveaway Hop is Angela C.
The winner of the Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop is Heidi R.

Blog Recap:

A Review: The Gown by Jennifer Robson
3…2…1 Giveaway Hop
19 for 2019: My Most Anticipated Books for 2019
B Review: Zachary’s Christmas by M.L. Buchman
A- Review: Nightchaser by Amanda Bouchet
Stacking the Shelves (321)

Coming This Week:

The Best of Us by Robyn Carr (blog tour review)
Jeepers! It’s January Giveaway Hop
Touch of Eon by Anna Hackett (review)
Untouchable by Jayne Ann Krentz (review)
Death Shall Come by Simon R. Green (review)

It’s hard to believe, but this week coming up is the last full week of 2018 – then it’s on to 2019! They say that time flies when you’re having fun. While this year has certainly flown by, it hasn’t all been fun. Let’s just say it’s been interesting, with “interesting” being a euphemism that covers a whole lot of ground!

This was the week that I posted my Best Books list for the year. If you like looking at best books lists, there’s an awesome compilation of all the best books lists compiled every year by largehearted boy.

It is the middle of the holiday season, and lots of people have a long-weekend this weekend – and even next weekend. Some people are even off the entire week! (That was one of the awesome things about being an academic librarian – colleges and universities are often closed during the holiday week.)

Whatever you’re doing this week, whether it’s kicking back and enjoying the time off, running around getting last minute presents, and/or spending time with friends and family, all the best to you and yours.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Amazon Gift Card or $10 Book in the Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop
$10 Amazon Gift Card or $10 Book in the December Of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the $10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Winter is Coming Giveaway Hop is Debbi

Blog Recap:

B- Review: Not the Duke’s Darling by Elizabeth Hoyt
A Review: Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep
B Review: The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
Best Books of My 2018
A- Review: Tutus and Tinsel by Rhys Ford
Stacking the Shelves (319)

Coming This Week:

Dare to Love a Duke by Eva Leigh (blog tour review)
The Journey by John A. Heldt (review)
Not Quite Over You by Susan Mallery (review)
Blood and Betrayal by Lindsay Buroker (review)

I got new monitors yesterday. I use two, side-by-side, and the previous pair were neither the same size nor the same height. I got used to it, but it was always a bit strange. Now I have two the same size and the same height. OMG do they light up the room – which was not the intention, but so it goes.

This is obviously the season of giving, as I’m in the middle of three blog hops! Lots of chances to win either a gift card or a book!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Amazon Gift Card or $10 Book in the Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop
$10 Amazon Gift Card or $10 Book in the Winter is Coming Giveaway Hop
$10 Amazon Gift Card or $10 Book in the December Of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of The Frame Up by Meghan Scott Molin is Danielle H.

Blog Recap:

A- Review: Script of the Heart by Robin D. Owens
B+ Review: The Temple by Jean Johnson
A Review: Edge of Eon by Anna Hackett
D+ Review: Want Me Cowboy by Maisey Yates
A- Review: A Study in Honor by Claire O’Dell
Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop
Stacking the Shelves (318)

Coming This Week:

Not the Duke’s Darling by Elizabeth Hoyt (review)
Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep (review)
The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory (review)
Best of 2018
Tutus and Tinsel by Rhys Ford (review)

On the one hand, both of us are sick. One of the folks we visited over Thanksgiving had the crud, and now we have the crud. No one is happy about the crud.

On that other hand, in spite of the above, we went to the second night of Elton John’s farewell tour last night here in Atlanta. And it was absolutely awesome. Captain Fantastic is still fantastic, and the show was terrific. I’m so very glad we went, even if we’re both paying for it a bit today. If the tour is coming to your town, get tickets.

And on my alien third hand, it was a damn good week for books. And this coming week includes one of my annual treats, the latest collection of Sherlock Holmes inspired stories edited by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger. I’m planning to start it this afternoon, and it looks like fun. As always. A cup of tea, a sleepy kitty, and Sherlock Holmes. If I have to be sick, that’s great company to spend the day with!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Amazon Gift Card or $10 Book in the December Of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the $10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Black Friday Giveaway Hop is Jennifer R.
The winner of the $10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Super Stocking Stuffer Giveaway Hop is Polly K.
The winner of the $10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Gratitude Giveaway Hop is Allie G.
The winner of the $10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the November of Books Giveaway Hop is Jaime L.

Blog Recap:

A+ Review: Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny
B- Review: Mission: Her Security by Anna Hackett
A- Review: Someone to Trust by Mary Balogh
A- Review: An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten
B+ Review: Markswoman by Rati Mehrotra
December of Books Giveaway Hop
Stacking the Shelves (316)

Coming This Week:

The Frame-Up by Megan Scott Molin (blog tour review)
Winter is Coming Giveaway Hop
For the Sake of the Game edited by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger (review)
A Duke Changes Everything by Christy Carlyle (blog tour review)
Ask Me No Questions by Shelley Noble (blog tour review)

Did you remember to set your clocks back? Did they all do it for you automagically? I just realized that my bedside clock is only semi-automagic – I have to sync it with my iPhone to get it to automatically reset itself. No wonder I feel like I got enough sleep!

If you live in the US and have not voted yet, don’t forget that this Tuesday, November 6, is Election Day. As a reminder to vote, and that your vote does count, I leave you with the immortal words of Lazarus Long, as promulgated by the late and often great SF writer Robert A. Heinlein:

If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There
may be no candidates and no measures you want to vote for
… but there are certain to be ones you want to vote against.
In case of doubt, vote against. By this rule you rarely go
wrong.

If this is too blind for your taste, consult some well-meaning
fool (there is always one around) and ask his advice. Then
vote the other way. This enables you to be a good citizen (if
such is your wish) without spending the enormous amount of
time on it that truly intelligent exercise of franchise requires.

Current Giveaways:

Snowfall on Lighthouse Lane by JoAnn Ross
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the November of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the $10 Amazon Gift Card in the October of Books Giveaway Hop is Patricia
The winner of the $10 Amazon Gift Card in the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop is Lauren B.

Blog Recap:

B Review: The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter by Hazel Gaynor
B+ Review: Snowfall on Lighthouse Lane by JoAnn Ross + Giveaway
B+ Review: Very Important Corpses by Simon R. Green
November of Books Giveaway Hop
B Review: First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones
Stacking the Shelves (312)

Coming This Week:

Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews (blog tour review)
Midsummer Mayhem by Marty Wingate (review)
An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris (review)
Want Me, Cowboy by Maisey Yates (review)
Why Not Tonight by Susan Mallery (review)