WHEW! I made all my deadlines both here and at Library Journal but it was certainly a bit of a mad dash to get all the books read and written up this week! The novellas I reviewed here turned out to be a VERY interesting bunch! Spear was utterly wonderful – especially in the audio – and Detroit Kiss was just plain fun. An excellent week all in all.

But speaking of fun – here’s George basically Georging. He normally has such a serious expression on his little face, but once in a while, he’s just a total clown. And this was definitely one of those whiles!

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the first April Showers Giveaway Hop is Sharon B.
The winner of the second April Showers Giveaway Hop is Angela H.

Blog Recap:

A- Review: Detroit Kiss by Rhys Ford
B+ Review: And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin
A- Review: Acadie by Dave Hutchinson
A- Review: The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark
A Review: Spear by Nicola Griffith
Stacking the Shelves (493)

Coming This Week:

The Jade Setter of Janloon by Fonda Lee (review)
Love, Hate and Clickbait by Liz Bowery (blog tour review)
Boss Witch by Ann Aguirre (review)
The Wrong Victim by Allison Brennan (blog tour review)
Last Exit by Max Gladstone (audiobook review)

Happy (almost) everything. It’s Easter Sunday, Passover started Friday night and tomorrow is Tax Day. Two good things out of three ain’t bad. Or maybe that should be 50/50, as this marks the official end of my annual Blogo-Birthday Celebration, as the giveaways have closed and the winners have been chosen. (Except for the two April Showers blog hops. Those end when the organizers say they end.)

This week has turned out to be novella week. Due to a lack of planning on my part, or an overindulgence in the demon procrastination, I have five additional books to read and review this week for Library Journal. Poor planning on my part definitely equals an emergency on my part as well. Life isn’t just what happens when you’re making other plans, sometimes life is what happens because you forgot to plan at all. (I’d say something about “live and learn” but I’m a procrastinator from way back and have never learned no matter how often I’ve gotten myself into this fix!)

But I can’t close out this Sunday Post without a cat picture. Galen managed to snap a picture of Hecate while she was rolling on the floor doing the feline equivalent of the “hoochie-coochie”, showing off all the pretty colors on her underside. How she’s managing to look cute and disgruntled at the same time I’ll never know!

Current Giveaways:

April Showers Giveaway Hop #1 (ENDS TUESDAY!!!)
April Showers Giveaway Hop #2 (ENDS FRIDAY)

Winner Announcements:

The winner of The Detective or The Medic by Anna Hackett is Lysette
The winner of ANY book by T. Kingfisher is Teresa
The winner of $25 in Books in my Blogo-Birthday Celebration is Elizabeth
The winner of the Honey Bunny Giveaway Hop is Sherry
The winner of a $25 Amazon Gift Card in my Blogo-Birthday Celebration is Susan

Blog Recap:

B Review: Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham
B Review: Summer at the Cape by RaeAnne Thayne
B Review: Sand Dollar Lane by Sheila Roberts
B Review: The Sacred Bridge by Anne Hillerman
B+ Review: Two Storm Wood by Philip Gray
Stacking the Shelves (492)

Coming This Week:

Detroit Kiss by Rhys Ford (review)
And Then I Up by Malcolm Devlin (review)
Acadie by Dave Hutchinson (review)
The Black God’s Drums by P. Djeli Clark (review)
Spear by Nicola Griffith (audiobook review)

This week marks the OMG 11th Anniversary of the start of Reading Reality. My birthday is also this week. Hence the term “Blogo-Birthday” as both the blog and I have a celebration this week. YAY!

As is usual here at Reading Reality, this is a Hobbit birthday, meaning that I give presents. There will be a giveaway every day this week. Normally I review books by some of my favorite authors and give away their books, but this year is a bit different. I have two reviews with giveaways, two bloghops with giveaways (they have the same name which is weird), and my usual big giveaway post to start the week.

I also have jury duty this week, which makes scheduling a bit dicey as I won’t know until each night before whether or not I’ll be spending the day at the County Courthouse. Which is not exactly where I planned to spend my birthday on Tuesday but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

But speaking of cookies crumbling, or at least paper rattling, here’s Hecate as the picture of innocence, in the middle of her field of destruction, saying “I didn’t do it.”

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Honey Bunny Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Chasing Rainbows Giveaway Hop is Marisela

Blog Recap:

A- Review: Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May
A- Review: Sweet Home Cowboy by Maisey Yates, Nicole Helm, Jackie Ashenden, Caitlin Crews
A- Review: Under Lock and Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian
B+ Review: Tough Justice by Tee O’Fallon
Honey Bunny Giveaway Hop
Stacking the Shelves (490)

Coming This Week:

Blogo-Birthday Celebration and Giveaway!!!!!
April Showers Giveaway Hop (the first hop with the same name as the second hop)
The Medic by Anna Hackett (review + giveaway)
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher (review + giveaway)
April Showers Giveaway Hop (the second hop with the same name as the first hop)

Suspicious George is still VERY suspicious. It’s not that we haven’t been forgiven, it’s more like he’s just petrified that we’re going to leave him again. Which is true in the long term, as now that it seems safe-ish to travel, we’ll probably do it a bit more. But we’ll always come back, which he hasn’t had a chance to learn yet. We miss them all terribly while we’re away!

But in the short term, there is plenty coming up on Reading Reality. This Friday is April 1, which means that next week is my annual Blogo-Birthday Celebration. As usual, there will be giveaways EVERY DAY, so stay tuned.

In the into each life a little rain must fall category, I’m also on call for jury duty that week. I might get called, I might not, and I won’t know until the night before. I’d prefer not to be spending my birthday at the County Courthouse, but c’est la vie!

Current Giveaways:

$!0 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Chasing Rainbows Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Let’s Get Lucky Giveaway Hop is Wendy

Blog Recap:

A- Review: Comeuppance Served Cold by Marion Deeds
A Review: Gouda Friends by Cathy Yardley
B Review: Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell by Taj McCoy
A- Review: Ogres by Adrian Tchaikovsky
B Review: The Lying Club by Annie Ward
Stacking the Shelves (489)

Coming This Week:

Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May (review)
Sweet Home Cowboy by Maisey Yates, Nicole, Helm, Jackie Ashenden, Caitlin Crews (blog tour review)
Under Lock and Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian (review)
Tough Justice by Tee O’Fallon (blog tour review)
Honey Bunny Giveaway Hop

We did get home from the cruise last Saturday night around midnight. We spent 12 hours in the Fort Lauderdale airport on Saturday, so by the time we got home my brain was completely fried, our house was freezing as there had been a cold snap that day, and the cats were clinging to us like little kitty glue pots. Very suspicious glue pots, but extremely clingy. Here’s a picture of George’s VERY serious and suspicious face, which is pretty much the way he looked at us ALL WEEK!

The cruise was wonderful. Not just because the weather was gorgeous the entire time, but because it was just such a good time. The author guests I was following from panel to reading to discussion – hopefully not in a stalkerish way at all – were John Scalzi, Ryka Aoki and Ursula Vernon AKA T. Kingfisher. So of course I read at least one book by each of them on the trip! Along with several other books, because relaxing. And then the all-day airport extravaganza.

But a good time was absolutely had by all! We’ll probably do it again sometime, although not next year. We’ll probably be saving our pennies for the 2024 WorldCon which has an excellent chance of being in Glasgow, Scotland as they are the only bid at this point in the process. This year is Chicago, and we’re planning to go. Next year is in Chengdu, China so we’ll probably to go the NASFiC whether that turns out to be Orlando or Winnipeg – although talk about a contrast!

I have to say that it feels good to be talking about traveling again. We are both fully vaccinated and boosted, and everyone on the cruise wore masks unless we were outdoors, eating or in our cabins. So it felt very safe and made us both feel better about traveling again. I don’t think either of us realized quite how much we needed the break!

Speaking of plans, if you haven’t already entered the Let’s Get Lucky Giveaway Hop today is your absolute last chance! The hop ends tonight at midnight!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Let’s Get Lucky Giveaway Hop (ENDS TONIGHT!!!!!!!!)
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Chasing Rainbows Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Lady Luck Giveaway Hop is Janie

Blog Recap:

B Review: Engines of Empire by R.S. Ford
B+ Review: The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery
Chasing Rainbows Giveaway Hop
A- Review: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
B Review: Cold Clay by Juneau Black
Stacking the Shelves (488)

Coming This Week:

Comeuppance Served Cold by Marion Deeds (review)
Gouda Friends by Cathy Yardley (blog tour review)
Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell by Taj McCoy (blog tour review)
The Lying Club by Annie Ward (blog tour review)
Ogres by Adrian Tchaikovsky (review)

The picture below is Freddie’s confused face. I know that he’ll be confused while you’re reading this because we’ll be away on vacation and the clowder will be relying on the catsitter to keep them fed and watered and their litter boxes clean. They’ll have each other for entertainment but we know that’s not the same. They’ll be missing us and we’ll be missing them but we’re still glad to be able to take a real vacation after two years. See you on the flipside!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Lady Luck Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Wish Big Giveaway Hop is Susie

Blog Recap:

B+ Review: A Matter of Death and Life by Simon R. Green
Lady Luck Giveaway Hop
B Review: The Detective by Anna Hackett
A- Review: The Misfit Soldier by Michael Mammay
B Review: Lost Worlds and Mythological Kingdoms edited by John Joseph Adams
Stacking the Shelves (486)

Coming This Week:

Dirty Work by TA Moore (blog tour review)
Let’s Get Lucky Giveaway Hop
Crowbones by Anne Bishop (review)
The Circus Infinite by Khan Wong (review)
Westside Lights by W.M. Akers (review)

I’m gearing up to be away for a week, and it’s already stressing me out more than a bit. I won’t have much internet access while I’m gone, so I’m trying to get everything done ahead of time – which means a LOT of non-stop reading. Which actually isn’t such a bad thing – nor is it all that much different from the rest of the time!

It is very nice to have giveaways again! Mama the Fox, who organizes giveaway hops every month on the 1st and the 16th, does a wonderful job of putting stuff out there, and I’m always happy to participate in her hops. But the calendar worked against me in January as both 1/1 and 1/16 were on the weekends. Things get MUCH better from here!

Speaking of things getting better, no Sunday Post is complete without a kitty picture. Here are George and Lucifer. I want to say they are cuddling, but that doesn’t seem to quite be it based on the expression on Lucifer’s face!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Wish Big Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Heart 2 Heart Giveaway Hop is Molli

Blog Recap:

A- Review: Mickey7 by Edward Ashton
B Review: Fires of Edo by Susan Spann
Wish Big Giveaway Hop
B Review: Ten Rules for Marrying a Duke by Michelle McLean
A+ Review: Sword and Shadow by Michelle Sagara
Stacking the Shelves (484)

Coming This Week:

The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery (Spotlight + Excerpt tour feature)
The House of Cats and Gulls by Stephen Deas (review)
The Bachelor Betrayal by Maddison Michaels (blog tour review)
Sisters of the Forsaken Stars by Lina Rather (review)

I’m not quite sure if this week’s coming attractions are actually going to be this week’s coming attractions. The “back to work” week after the holidays is always a bit like that.  The only ones I’m sure about are Where the Drowned Girls Go and The Sorority Murder, because I’ve already finished the one and am committed to a tour for the other because I really liked another book by the same author. Otherwise, we’ll see. The problem is that book hangover from Jade Legacy, which I still can’t get over. I’m looking for another experience that is just that awesome and just that fantastically absorbing and immersive, which is a damn high bar to get over.

And today’s cat picture – which is what at least some of you are really here for – is Freddie with his bewildered face on. I’m not sure what we did to put this expression on his face, but it must have been seriously confounding!

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Dashing December Giveaway Hop is Beth S.

Blog Recap:

B Review: Guild Boss by Jayne Castle
B+ Review: Cry Wolf by Hans Rosenfeldt
A++ Review: Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee
Top 10(ish) of 2021: Best of 2021
Top 10(ish) of 2021: Most Anticipated Books for 2022
Stacking the Shelves (477)

Coming This Week:

Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire (review)
Fated Blades by Ilona Andrews (review)
The Sorority Murder by Allison Brennan (blog tour review)
The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian (review)
Black Water Sister by Zen Cho (review)

Today is the first day of Kwanzaa. It’s also Boxing Day, at least sorta/kinda, in the U.K. and many current and former Commonwealth countries. It’s primarily known as a shopping holiday. Not exactly like the U.S. Black Friday but not totally different, either.

But there’s Boxing and then there’s BOXING, with or without any Marquess of Queensberry rules. And, there’s kitty-boxing, as pictured below. I want to say that both Hecate and George would be middleweights for cats, but she’s more roly-poly and he would be a lean, mean fighting machine – if he were at all capable of being mean, that is. They’re playing of course, but the expression on Hecate’s face is mighty fierce!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Dashing December Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Winter is Coming Giveaway Hop is Monique

Blog Recap:

A Review: The Untold Story by Genevieve Cogman
A- Review: Ghost of the Bamboo Road by Susan Spann
A+ Review: The Last Daughter of York by Nicola Cornick
A+ Review: Murder Under Her Skin by Stephen Spotswood
B+ Review: Fire of the Frost by Darynda Jones, Jeffe Kennedy, Grace Draven, Amanda Bouchet
Stacking the Shelves (476)

Coming This Week:

Guild Boss by Jayne Castle (review)
Cry Wolf by Hans Rosenfeldt (blog tour review)
Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee (review)
Top 10 of 2021: Best of the Best (feature)
Top 10 of 2021: Books I’m Looking Forward to in 2022 (feature)

As a contrast to last week’s picture of Hecate in supreme disgruntlement, this week she’s showing off her skills as a mighty huntress. There are toy mousies everywhere in the house, so obviously her humans are no good at hunting them down. She has to show us how it’s done. And in case you’re wondering, she was absolutely crowing about it to make sure we praised her extravagantly for her prowess!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Winter is Coming Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Thankful for Books Giveaway Hop is Anne
The winner of the In All Things Give Thanks Giveaway Hop is Sarah
The winner of the Super Stocking Stuffer Giveaway Hop is Laura

Blog Recap:

A- Review: Knot of Shadows by Lois McMaster Bujold
B+ Review: Someone Perfect by Mary Balogh
Winter is Coming Giveaway Hop
A- Review: Forever Home by Elysia Whisler
A- Review: Observations by Gaslight by Lyndsay Faye
Stacking the Shelves (473)

Coming This Week:

When the Goddess Wakes by Howard Andrew Jones (audio review)
Sherlock Holmes and the Singular Affair by M.K. Wiseman (blog tour review)
The Taste of Ginger by Mansi Shah (blog tour review)
The Deadliest Sin by Jeri Westerson (review)
The Women of Pearl Island by Polly Crosby (blog tour review)