Tag: Sunday Post

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 12-28-25

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

This is the FINAL Sunday Post of 2025! It’s almost time to say goodbye to this year – and I’m more than ready. But ready or not, 2026 is ON ITS WAY! I hope that each and every one of you has a fantastic New Year’s celebration of the kind you most prefer and can look forward to a HAPPY 2026!

Today’s picture is of Hecate turning her back on the whole thing. Technically, it’s Hecate turning her back on the new cat bed we got specifically FOR HER in the hopes that I wouldn’t have to wrestle my coat out from under her fuzzy butt every time I want to go out. Yes, I know I could hang the coat up, and yes, I know I’m bigger than she is and I can just move her, BUT she’s so cute nestling sleeping in my coat that I hate to make her move. Howsomever, this picture clearly demonstrates her thoughts about the whole mommy’s coat vs. new cat bed situation. Her Majesty is not amused and does not approve.

She probably won’t approve of Wednesday night’s fireworks, either, and neither will the rest of the clowder. Which doesn’t stop her humans from again wishing you HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Dashing December Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book PLUS EVENT-WIDE AMAZON/PAYPAL PRIZE in the Thanksgiving, Black Friday & Holiday Giveaway Event! (ENDS WEDNESDAY NEW YEARS’ EVE!!!)
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Winter 2025-2026 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

Winter 2025-2026 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop
Best Books of 2025
A- #AudioBookReview: You Better Not Pout by Mia Sosa
#GuestPost: Christmas 2025
B #AudioBookReview: Every Day I Read by Hwang Bo-Reum, translated by Shanna Tan
Stacking the Shelves (685)

Coming This Week:

Dance with Death by Will Thomas (#BookReview)
A Ruin, Great and Free by Cadwell Turnbull (#AudioBookReview)
Best Wishes from the Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki, translated by Jordan Taylor
New Year New You Giveaway Hop (starts at 9 am EST!!!!!)
Most Anticipated Books of 2026

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 12-21-25

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

This is the penultimate (meaning next-to-last) Sunday Post of 2025. This year is winding down. A lot of people are not going to be sorry to see this one go, myself included.

I couldn’t resist this picture of Luna for this week, because she looks like she’s bracing for impact right along with the rest of us!

Is that a face, or is that a FACE?  She’s always adorable but she’s looking spooked or scared or ready for action or all of the above in this one.

She’s not the only one uncertain about what’s heading our way. I’m not even 100% certain about what’s heading towards this week. The whole time period between Xmas and New Year’s is always a bit of a limbo, not quite work, not quite break, not quite this year, not quite next year, and all in all, not quite like real time. We’ll see how it goes – and what Luna decides to do about it – as the week continues.

Happy Holidays!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Dashing December Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book PLUS EVENT-WIDE AMAZON/PAYPAL PRIZE in the Thanksgiving, Black Friday & Holiday Giveaway Event!

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the #2025HoHoHoReadathon Holiday Book Bingo is Jackie
The winner of the Holly Jolly Giveaway Hop is Nicole
The winner of the Fall 2025 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop is Viki

Blog Recap:

A- #AudioBookReview: All Wrapped Up in You by Rosie Danan
Dashing December Giveaway Hop
A+ #AudioBookReview: The Mysterious Death of Junetta Plum by Valerie Wilson Wesley
B #BookReview: The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah by Jean Meltzer
A+ #BookReview: Edge by Tracy Clark
Stacking the Shelves (684)

Coming This Week:

Winter 2025-2026 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop (begins MONDAY at Reading Reality!)
Best Books of 2025
You Better Not Pout by Mia Sosa (#AudioBookReview)
Christmas Day 2025 (#GuestPost by Galen)
Every Day I Read by Hwang Bo-Reum, translated by Shanna Tan (#AudioBookReview)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 12-14-25

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

Tonight marks the first night of Hanukkah – which pretty much explains one of this week’s reviews. The Holly Jolly Giveaway Hop ends TOMORROW NIGHT, just in time for the Dashing December Giveaway Hop to dash in on the very last day of the 2025 Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon. It’s been fun being one of Caffeinated Reviewer‘s elves again this year, and I’m already looking forward to the next one!

This upcoming week’s reviews includes Edge, a book I have literally been waiting all year for, since last December’s marvelous Echo. Every book in this compelling mystery series has been a contender for my Best Books of the Year list, with the unannounced but already anticipated next book on my Anticipated Books list for the new year – and I do not expect this fourth book in the series to be an exception.

To the point that I’m holding off on my Best Books of 2025 list until next week so I can include this one if it earns the slot I expect it to. We’ll certainly see by the end of this week.

And speaking of anticipation, this week’s cat picture is Tuna, for this portrait of anticipation as his humans were busy wrapping holiday presents. He is certainly anticipating either getting something to play with out of the paper and the boxes and especially the ribbons – or if not just getting to slide across the table on wrapping paper. We were forced to disappoint him as ribbons are not good for kitty tummies and cat claws are not good for wrapping paper, but he tried. I love his single helicopter ear in this pic!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Holly Jolly Giveaway Hop (ENDS TOMORROW!!!!!)
$15 Gift Card or $15 Book in the 2025 Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon Holiday Book Bingo Challenge!
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Fall 2025 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book PLUS EVENT-WIDE AMAZON/PAYPAL PRIZE in the Thanksgiving, Black Friday & Holiday Giveaway Event!

Blog Recap:

B #BookReview: Burn the World Down by Anna Hackett
A- #AudioBookReview: Merry and Bright by Ali Rosen
B #BookReview: Christmas at the Shelter Inn by RaeAnne Thayne
Grade A #BookReview: Crescent City Christmas Chaos by Ellen Byron
B+ #BookReview: A Christmas Journey by Anne Perry
Stacking the Shelves (683)

Coming This Week:

The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah by Jean Meltzer (#BookReview, #2025HoHoHoRat)
Dashing December Giveaway Hop
The Mysterious Death of Junetta Plum by Valerie Wilson Wesley (#AudioBookReview)
All Wrapped in You by Rosie Danan (#AudioBookReview)
Edge by Tracy Clark (#BookReview)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 12-7-25

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

Clearly, the 2025 Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon is in full swing here at Reading Reality. So many holiday books, so little time, and so many mysteries! (I postponed a couple of reviews last week and this week because the books just were NOT in the spirit of things.) Also I had forgotten to check for this year’s Amazon Originals holiday collection. I discovered last year that they were PERFECT for the Readathon, and so far this year that’s been true as well.

Today in history is the anniversary of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the “day that will live in infamy” according to FDR. Whether it does or does not, the date certainly got drummed into my head in school.

Not nearly so infamous – not yet anyway – are George and Tuna. This picture makes them look a bit like a two-headed “catopus”, even though George is trying to hide behind Tuna a bit. There’s certainly plenty of room for him to do so even though the boys are the same size. They’ve also done a particularly good job of composing the picture, as silver-gray Tuna is lying solidly on the blue rug while ginger George is posed against the color-matched stained floorboards.

Aren’t they handsome? And don’t they look all snuggly together?

Current Giveaways:

$15 Gift Card or $15 Book in the 2025 Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon Holiday Book Bingo Challenge!
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Fall 2025 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book PLUS EVENT-WIDE AMAZON/PAYPAL PRIZE in the Thanksgiving, Black Friday & Holiday Giveaway Event!

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Season for Spies Black Friday giveaway is Angela C.

Blog Recap:

Holly Jolly Giveaway Hop
C #BookReview: The Last Death of the Year by Sophie Hannah and Agatha Christie
Grade A #AudioBookReview: A Case of Life and Limb by Sally Smith
Grade A #BookReview: A Christmas Witness by Charles Todd
A- #AudioBookReview: Snow Place Like Home by Laura Pavlov
Stacking the Shelves (682)

Coming This Week:

Burn the World Down by Anna Hackett (#BookReview, #2025HoHoHoRat)
Merry and Bright by Ali Rosen (#AudioBookReview, #2025HoHoHoRat)
Christmas at the Shelter Inn by RaeAnne Thayne (#BookReview, #2025HoHoHoRat)
Crescent City Christmas Chaos by Ellen Byron (#BookReview, #2025HoHoHoRat)
Undead and Unwed by Sam Tschida (#BookReview, #2025HoHoHoRat)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 11-30-25

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

George is back! Or, actually, George’s back. Technically, this picture isn’t really about George even though it is. It’s about what George is watching through the catio screen. From early spring to late fall, the view from the catio is trees. All trees. ALL THE TREES. We have no grass in the backyard – and not much in the front either – because there are SO MANY TREES. Now that it’s late fall, the leaves have all fallen, and there’s a new vista for the cats to visually explore – the neighboring backyards on the other side of the creek. It’s a brand new season for ‘Kitty Television’ and George seems fascinated. Not that the others aren’t interested but George is just all about watching anything new, and he’s very serious about being on overwatch for EVERYTHING.

Today also marks the end of the Thanksgiving weekend AND the very last day of the penultimate (next-to-the-last) month of the year. Tomorrow is December 1st, and the holiday season has now truly begun.

This year’s #HoHoHoReadathon is off to a fine start, with the Holiday Bingo Board on Wednesday and my review of the historical holiday-themed mystery, A Season for Spies (with a GIVEAWAY!), kicking off my participation in the event. (If you haven’t signed up for the #Readathon, just hop on over to Caffeinated Reviewer and join the fun. There’s still plenty of time to read your way to the holidays and participate in the giveaways!) Not every day during the #Readathon is going to feature a holiday story here at Reading Reality, but most will. It looks like most of the holiday books I picked up this year are holiday mysteries instead of holiday romances, so there’s going to be as much holiday mayhem as holiday cheer this time around. Then again, some holiday seasons are just like that!

Current Giveaways:

$5 Gift Card in A Season for Spies Black Friday Giveaway
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Fall 2025 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book PLUS EVENT-WIDE AMAZON/PAYPAL PRIZE in the Thanksgiving, Black Friday & Holiday Giveaway Event!

Blog Recap:

A- #BookReview: Second Chance Romance by Olivia Dade
A- #AudioBookReview: 3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years by John Scalzi
2025 Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon Holiday Book Bingo Challenge
Thanksgiving Day 2025: #GuestPost
B #BookReview: A Season for Spies by Iona Whishaw + #Giveaway
Stacking the Shelves (681)

Coming This Week:

Holly Jolly Giveaway Hop
The Last Death of the Year by Sophie Hannah and Agatha Christie (#BookReview, #2025HoHoHoRat)
A Case of Life and Limb by Sally Smith (#AudioBookReview, #2025HoHoHoRat)
We Will Rise Again edited by Karen Lord, Annalee Newitz and Malka Older (#BookReview)
A Christmas Witness by Charles Todd (#BookReview, #2025HoHoHoRat)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 11-23-25

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

This was a TERRIFIC reading week – even though it was very little like the reading week I expected. C’est la reading vie.

In upcoming big news, the 2025 Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon begins Wednesday. I’m already putting the final touches on the ‘Holiday Book Bingo Board’ I’m posting this year. But that’s not UNTIL Wednesday, so there’s still plenty of time for participants to sign up over at Caffeinated Reviewer!  This is definitely a case of the more the merrier, so come be merry with us!

Today’s cat picture represents the exhaustion of the run-up to the holidays. Well, it does for humans. For the cats, it’s a successful attempt at holding their favorite human in place, at home, where he belongs, so that they can use him as a backrest and ‘security human’ for the night. Every night!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Fall 2025 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book PLUS EVENT-WIDE AMAZON/PAYPAL PRIZE in the Thanksgiving, Black Friday & Holiday Giveaway Event!

Blog Recap:

A- #BookReview: Menu of Happiness by Hisashi Kashiwai, translated by Jesse Kirkwood
Grade A #JointBookReview: How a Game Lives by Jacob Geller
A+ #BookReview: Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz
C #AudioBookReview: Days at the Torunka Café by Satoshi Yagisawa, translated by Eric Ozawa
A+ #BookReview: The Witch’s Orchard by Archer Sullivan
Stacking the Shelves (680)

Coming This Week:

Second Chance Romance by Olivia Dade (#BookReview)
Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Maria Griffin (#BookReview)
2025 Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon Kick-Off (#2025HOHOHORAT)
Thanksgiving Day (#GuestPost by Galen)
A Season for Spies by Iona Whishaw (#2025HOHOHORAT #BookReview)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 11-16-25

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

Galen was away this past week, which makes this picture particularly unusual. Hecate and Luna don’t like each other all that much, and are seldom in even this close a proximity. Nevertheless even enemies must band together when there are not enough humans around to serve everyone’s needs!

Now that Galen is home, of course, they are remaining as far from each other as possible. Both still looking adorable, but from separate corners!

Speaking of Galen being back, and in reference to the upcoming week’s schedule, there’s a book we’re reviewing together, How a Game Lives, that will either be this week or early next week depending on when we each get around to our respective bits. We both play video games rather a lot – and my back is currently suffering from a bit too much gaming while he was away and I had the Playstation to myself – but Galen plays more types of games while I’ve been playing longer. We both have opinions, on the book and even on the title of the book, so we’ll see how that whole thing turns out. The problem is for both of us to grab the ’round tuit’ at the same time!

Meanwhile, it’s less than two weeks until the Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon AND Thanksgiving. The turkey may not fly but the time certainly does!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Fall 2025 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book PLUS EVENT-WIDE AMAZON/PAYPAL PRIZE in the Thanksgiving, Black Friday & Holiday Giveaway Event!

Blog Recap:

Thanksgiving, Black Friday & Holiday Giveaway Event!
#GuestPost: Veterans Day 2025: Readings
A+ AudioBookReview: Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree
A- #BookReview: Testimony of Mute Things by Lois McMaster Bujold
A- #AudioBookReview: The Blackfire Blade by James Logan
Stacking the Shelves (679)

Coming This Week:

Menu of Happiness by Hisashi Kashiwai, translated by Jesse Kirkwood (#BookReview)
The Witch’s Orchard by Archer Sullivan
Dead and Breakfast by Kat Hillis and Rosiee Thor
The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Days at the Torunka Cafe by Satoshi Yagisawa, translated by Eric Ozawa (#AudioBookReview)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 11-9-25

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

Clearly, this was a week where I was spoiled for choice when it came to selecting the Book of the Week! All of this week’s books turned out to be fan-damn-tastic. I just LOVE it when a plan comes together!

Speaking of plans, the Thanksgiving, Black Friday & Holiday Giveaway Event! officially started YESTERDAY at Versatileer. I’ll be posting Reading Reality’s participation TOMORROW. As always, I’m ever so grateful for Versatileer‘s ‘versatility’ about when participating blogs post their participation.

It also turned out to be easy to choose this week’s cat picture. Hecate and George are just about posing in this one.

Hecate is in her new favorite spot. She even moved the cat bed down onto the chair ALL BY HERSELF!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Fall 2025 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

A- #BookReview: Psychopomp & Circumstance by Eden Royce
Guest Post: Election Day 2025: Consider the Small Ones
A++ #BookReview: The Black Wolf by Louise Penny
Grade A #BookReview: Turns of Fate by Anne Bishop
A+ #BookReview: Haze by Katharine Kerr
Stacking the Shelves (678)

Coming This Week:

Thanksgiving, Black Friday & Holiday Giveaway Event!
Veterans Day 2025: Readings (#GuestPost by Galen)
Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree (#AudioBookReview)
Testimony of Mute Things by Lois McMaster Bujold (#BookReview)
The Blackfire Blade by James Logan (#AudioBookReview)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 11-2-25

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

Did you remember to set your clocks back last night? Or this morning? AND, did you curse the ancestry of everyone involved with the manufacture of any clocks that you still have to remember to change? We don’t have a lot left, just the microwave, one last actual windup clock, and the cars. I hate changing the clock in the car, because I never think of it before I get on the road, then I check the time but can’t fix it until I reach my destination.

I was right to be worried last Sunday that the week to come would not go according to plan – because it absolutely did not. This week is set – if only because I’ve already written three of the reviews, I’m in the middle of the fourth book and Galen has something he wants to say about Election Day this year. Whew!

But I definitely needed someone to keep me on track this past week. Fortunately for me, Luna volunteered for the job and is clearly up to the task!

 

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Fall 2025 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Fall Football & Halloween Giveaway is Shelly
The winner of the Silly Pumpkins Giveaway Hop is Carol

Blog Recap:

A+ #AudioBookReview: To Clutch a Razor by Veronica Roth
A- #BookReview: The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2025 edited by Nnedi Okorafor
Grade A #BookReview: Witches of Dubious Origin by Jenn McKinlay
B+ #BookReview: Spread Me by Sarah Gailey
B #BookReview: Cathedral of the Drowned by Nathan Ballingrud
Stacking the Shelves (677)

Coming This Week:

The Black Wolf by Louise Penny (#BookReview)
Election Day 2025 (Guest Post by Galen)
Psychopomp & Circumstance by Eden Royce (#BookReview)
Turns of Fate by Anne Bishop (#BookReview)
Haze by Katharine Kerr (#BookReview)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 10-26-25

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

This time LAST week, I thought I might have a bit of a ‘bail and flail’ at the end of THIS week. I also predicted that the cats and I would all be a bit off-kilter because Galen was away for part of the week.

I was a bit too right on both counts. Luna was especially ‘off’, so much so that she got taken to the vet after Galen came home. While she was very pleased about THAT, she was much less thrilled with the vet visit – as this picture will attest.

She’s fine, but I feel better that she got checked out. It wasn’t a wasted trip, either, as she was due for her annual check-up next month, along with George and Tuna. One less cat to wrangle will make THAT trip a bit easier, although the vet informed Galen that she is NOT looking forward to seeing George. He doesn’t like going to the vet and isn’t shy at all about reminding everyone all about it.

For my part – or at least for the bloggy part of this upcoming week – I’m not 100% sure what will happen after To Clutch a Razor, because that’s already done and it was excellent. I’m sure I’ll have a horror title on Halloween Friday, but in between, well, I have a list. And I have substitutes for the titles on the list. In some cases, I even have subs for the subs. Something WILL get read! And reviewed! I promise!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Silly Pumpkins Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book PLUS EVENT-WIDE AMAZON/PAYPAL PRIZE in the Fall Football & Halloween Giveaway Event!
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Fall 2025 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

B #AudioBookReview: The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park by Michiko Aoyama, translated by Takami Nieda
Grade A #BookReview: Slayers of Old by Jim C. Hines
A- #BookReview: The Ex-Boyfriend’s Favorite Recipe Funeral Committee by Saki Kawashiro, translated by Yuka Maeno
B #BookReview: Hole in the Sky by Daniel H. Wilson
A+ #BookReview: The Dentist by Tim Sullivan
Stacking the Shelves (676)

Coming This Week:

To Clutch a Razor by Veronica Roth (#AudioBookReview)
The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow (#BookReview)
The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (#BookReview)
The Last Spirits of Manhattan by John A. McDermott (#BookReview)
The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi (#BookReview)