The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 9-17-23

After last Sunday’s picture of poor Tuna standing lonely on the inside of the house while Luna and George tease him from out on the catio, I had to post this picture this weekend to show that Tuna’s life is actually pretty darn good most of the time.

Seriously, is that a face, or is that a face? He’s adorable when he’s being a clown.

Also in reference to last Sunday’s Post, I did manage to actually finish ALL the books I’d planned on reviewing. I think it’s been a while since THAT happened. This week is looking pretty good too, because I’ve already finished the first three books and The Book Club Hotel is for a blog tour so that settles that. I’ve been really looking forward to The Last Devil to Die so I think I’m set but we’ll certainly see in the week ahead!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Summer 2023 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Hello Autumn Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Holiday Kickoff Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Glam and Glits Giveaway Hop is Darlene

Blog Recap:

9/11 2023: Remember the Sky (Guest Post by Galen)
B Review: Fury Brothers by Anna Hackett
A+ Review: Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo
B Review: An Unsuitable Heiress by Jane Dunn
A+ Review: Prophet by Sin Blaché and Helen MacDonald
Stacking the Shelves (566)

Coming This Week:

The Quiet Room by Terry Miles (review)
Starter Villain by John Scalzi (audio review)
Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo (audio review)
The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan (blog tour review)
The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 9-10-23

I’m sure about every day this week except Wednesday. I’ve already read or listened to all the books, but I didn’t write up Mammoths at the Gates for Reading Reality back when I reviewed it for Library Journal, so I need to do at least a re-skim for this week. It was lovely and adorable and so much fun – like every book in the Singing Hills Cycle so far – but my round tuit just wasn’t fully polished that weekend.

Turning to something  – or someone – else that is rather round, take a look at this recent picture of Luna, Tuna and George. Luna and George are out on the screened-in catio, while Tuna is looking on mournfully from the inside side of the cat door. George and Luna spend a LOT of time out on the catio, especially George, but Tuna doesn’t go out there. We don’t think he actually CAN – or at least that the width of his whiskers is telling him that he won’t fit through the door. Lucifer doesn’t go out because he doesn’t wanna, Hecate doesn’t go out because she’s a grumpy little girl who would much rather be an only child, but it’s pretty clear from Tuna’s face that he wants to REAL BAD but thinks he can’t.

So his sister and her buddy tease him unmercifully about it!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Glam and Glits Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Summer 2023 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Hello Autumn Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Holiday Kickoff Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

Labor Day 2023
B Review: Payback in Death by J.D. Robb
Hello Autumn Giveaway Hop
Holiday Kickoff Giveaway Hop
B Review: Forgotten History by Christopher L. Bennett
Stacking the Shelves (565)

Coming This Week:

9/11 (Guest Post by Galen)
Fury by Anna Hackett (review)
Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo (review)
An Unsuitable Heiress by Jane Dunn (blog tour review)
Prophet by Sin Blaché and Helen MacDonald (audiobook review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 7-30-23

This week has been weird. Last week was weird as well. Next week will probably be weird too. But at least the books have been good! AND an excellent way to get away from the weird into the bargain. And I have two books I’m super excited about, Jade Shards and A Pirate’s Life for Tea. I really, really need the cozy fantasy vibes of A Pirate’s Life for Tea this week, and well, I’m still so much in mourning over the end of Fonda Lee’s fabulous Green Bone Saga that even the slightest sliver of that world makes my whole month. Which really truly needs some making.

It’s also been egg-frying on the sidewalk hot here in Atlanta, although still not as bad as some places. Here’s a picture of Luna and Tuna who look like they’re melting although I promise they are not.

Current Giveaways:

Summer 2023 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Christmas in July Giveaway Hop is Megan

Blog Recap:

A- Review: The Book of Gems by Fran Wilde
A- Review: Murder at Half Moon Gate by Andrea Penrose
A Review: The Lady from Burma by Allison Montclair
B- Review: The Horoscope Writer by Ash Bishop
A- Review: Knighthunter by Anna Hackett
Stacking the Shelves (559)

Coming This Week:

Jade Shards by Fonda Lee (review)
Apple a Day Giveaway Hop
Lord of a Shattered Land by Howard Andrew Jones (review)
A Pirate’s Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne (review)
Sherlock Holmes and the Silver Cord by M.K. Wiseman (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 7-23-23

This has been one of THOSE weeks. You know the kind, the weeks where your personal spoon supply runs out on Monday and there’s still entirely too many days to go – every single one of which does its damndest to demand yet more spoons.

So I ended last week flailing for a comfort read, and got so sucked in that I almost picked up the next book in the same series, but that doesn’t usually work for me because as much as I love the world it’s set in, too much too close together usually doesn’t keep me as enthralled as I hope. We’ll see all the way around.

But to keep all of us on our toes, so to speak, here are Luna and Tuna recharging their solar batteries. At least someone is enjoying the overabundance of the stuff, as the humans are mostly just exhausted!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Christmas in July Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Summer 2023 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

A Review: Montego by Brian McClellan
A++ Review: Emergent Properties by Aimee Ogden
A+ Review: Ebony Gate by Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle
B+ Review: Women of the Post by Joshunda Sanders
A- Review: Why Kings Confess by C.S. Harris
Stacking the Shelves (558)

Coming This Week:

The Book of Gems by Fran Wilde (review)
Murder at Half Moon Gate by Andrea Penrose (review)
The Lady from Burma by Allison Montclair (review)
The Horoscope Writer by Ash Bishop (review)
Knighthunter by Anna Hackett (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 7-9-23

When last we left our heroes – or at least when we left the cats for our trip – Tuna and George were getting along a bit better but not all the way towards peace in our time. There must have been more trauma-bonding going on while we were gone, as we’ve seen them playing together since we’ve been back, and this picture seems to show something like peaceable relations. Howsomever, it’s equally possible that Tuna is preparing to dump George on the floor by pulling the support brackets down from the window seat!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Christmas in July Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Summer 2023 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

A Review: The Third to Die by Allison Brennan
Independence Day! (Guest Post by Galen)
B Review: The Housekeepers by Alex Hay
B Review: The Last Drop of Hemlock by Katharine Schellman
Christmas in July Giveaway Hop
Stacking the Shelves (556)

Coming This Week:

A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao (review)
Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose (review)
The Wayward Prince by Leonard Goldberg (review)
Montego by Brian McClellan (review)
The Only Purple House in Town by Ann Aguirre (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 6-11-23

This looks like it for this week. Although, things could change. As they sometimes do. We’re going on a trip in a couple of weeks and I’m already freaking out about making sure there’s content. It’ll work out. Somehow. At least it always has so far! A HUGE thank you to Amy Daltry for coming back after being away from Reading Reality MUCH TOO LONG and helping me out this week!

But speaking of things that worked out to have a LOT of content, I caught Tuna refilling his tank of solar power just outside my office earlier this week. He’s plunked his big self right in the middle of a sunbeam and looks like he’s planning to take on all comers to protect his spot. Which isn’t what happens, as he’s really just a big, fluffy softy – no matter how much it looks like he’s glowering in this pic.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Berry Good Giveaway Hop (ENDS THURSDAY!)
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Hello Summer Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Come Out & Play Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

B Review: The Little Italian Hotel by Phaedra Patrick
A- Review: The Isolated Séance by Jeri Westerson
Hello Summer Giveaway Hop
Come Out and Play Giveaway Hop
A- Review: Witch King by Martha Wells
Stacking the Shelves (552)

Coming This Week:

Rose/House by Arkady Martine (review)
Chef’s Kiss by TJ Alexander (Guest Review by Amy)
Famous in a Small Town by Viola Shipman (blog tour review)
Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale (blog tour review)
Dad-O-Mite Giveaway Hop

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 6-4-23

Today’s cat picture is Tuna, or as we often call him, Big Tunes. Here he’s showing off his bigness by stretching towards me on the couch. This picture is kind of typical of the big guy, as he looks very large and totally not in charge at the same time!

As sometimes happens, last week’s schedule collapsed a bit at the end due to the siren song of a different book I just decided I wanted to read more after another book just reminded me of it so hard. Books lead to other books, just like cats lead to other cats. Which is probably the story of my ENTIRE life.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Berry Good Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Moms Rock Giveaway Hop is Shelly

Blog Recap:

Memorial Day 2023 (Guest post by Galen)
B+ Review: The Benevolent Society of Ill Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman
A+ Review: A Thousand Recipes for Revenge by Beth Cato
Berry Good Giveaway Hop
A Review: What Darkness Brings by C.S. Harris
Stacking the Shelves (551)

Coming This Week:

The Little Italian Hotel by Phaedra Patrick (blog tour review)
The Isolated Seance by Jeri Westerson (review)
Hello Summer Giveaway Hop
Come Out and Play Giveaway Hop
The Antiquity Affair by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 5-7-23

There will be five reviews this week. I just have utterly no idea what the fifth one will be. At the moment, the contenders for that fifth slot are Treacle Walker by Alan Garner and Eastbound by Maylis de Kerangal, with When Maidens Mourn by C.S. Harris as a fallback, but none of them may pan out. Or they all will which will at least result in some decisions for openings in later weeks.

We’ll see.

Speaking of seeing, we finally saw something this weekend that we’ve been waiting FIVE years to see. Luna, Tuna and George finally figured out the cat flap from the living room to the catio. We were beginning to wonder if that would ever happen! Not surprisingly, Luna led the way in this enterprise, as she seems to be the one in charge of both George and her brother. Lucifer was upstairs having his late morning nap and Hecate was off doing catly things elsewhere as she still barely tolerates Luna’s and Tuna’s presence. But we have achieved progress and are looking forward to seeing them sunning themselves in the afternoons from now on!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Come What May Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Life’s a Beach Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

Come What May Giveaway Hop
A- Review: The Bride Wore White by Amanda Quick
A Review: Murder and Mendelssohn by Kerry Greenwood
Life’s a Beach Giveaway Hop
A- Review: For Love of Magic by Simon R. Green
Stacking the Shelves (547)

Coming This Week:

Seven Girls Gone by Allison Brennan (review)
The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead (blog tour review)
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang (review)
Tamam Shud by Kerry Greenwood (audio review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 4-16-23

I ended up throwing last week’s planned schedule into a blender. I was just having a bad case of being unable to settle on a book, not getting anywhere and not getting anything done. So I went looking for short reads and comfort reads to get me over that hump, which is how Who Cries for the Lost ended up kicking off this coming week.

This week’s schedule had Three Debts Paid inserted into it when I learned of the death of its author, Anne Perry, this past week.

Tuna volunteered for this week’s cat picture. The new comforter he’s posed on was a birthday present from one of my oldest and dearest friends, and he just looked so adorable – and adorably confused – laying on it that I couldn’t resist!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Just Because Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Dancing in the Rain Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of ANY book by Barbara Hambly is Anita
The winner of the $25 Amazon Gift Card is Cali
The winner of one of my or the winner’s favorite books so far is Carl
The winner of The Cleaving by Juliet E. McKenna is Nadine

Blog Recap:

A++ Review: The Stars Undying by Emery Robin
A+/D Review: The Way Home by Peter S. Beagle
A Review: Midnight, Water City by Chris McKinney
A- Review: Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee
A- Review: The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown
Stacking the Shelves (544)

Coming This Week:

Who Cries for the Lost by C.S. Harris (review)
Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments by T.L. Huchu (audio review)
Wings Once Cursed and Bound by Piper J. Drake (review)
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix (review)
Three Debts Paid by Anne Perry (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 4-9-23

Today is Easter Sunday. It’s also just about the middle of Passover AND the middle of Ramadan.

Today also marks the end of my TWELFTH Annual Blogo-Birthday Celebration Week – although the giveaways will continue to be open this week so please take this opportunity to get in on a lot of fabulous celebratory prizes!

And neither this week nor any other week here at Chez Reading Reality would be complete without a cat picture. Or, in this case, a picture of two cats. As most people who are owned by cats will tell you, it is IMPOSSIBLE to do ANYTHING alone when you have cats. Or cats have you, as the case may be. Here are Luna and Tuna making sure that their human doesn’t fall in or otherwise disappear while on the “throne”.

Current Giveaways:

Any book by Barbara Hambly
Blogoversary $25 Gift Card Giveaway
Favorite books of 2023 (so far) $25 in Books Giveaway
The Cleaving by Juliet E. McKenna
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Just Because Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Dancing in the Rain Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

A Review: One Extra Corpse by Barbara Hambly + Giveaway
TWELFTH Annual Blogo-Birthday Celebration and Giveaway!
Blogo-Birthday Birthday Book Celebration and Giveaway!
Dancing in the Rain Giveaway Hop
Just Because Giveaway Hop
A+ Review: The Cleaving by Juliet E. McKenna + Giveaway
Stacking the Shelves (543)

Coming This Week:

The Stars Undying by Emery Robin (audio review)
The Way Home by Peter S. Beagle (review)
Midnight, Water City by Chris McKinney (review)
The Winter Knight by Jes Battis (review)
Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh (review)