Tag: Tuna T. Cat

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 10-15-23

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

In this picture, it looks a LOT like Tuna has seen his own shadow and is wide-eyed surprised by the whole thing.

Which is kind of where I was at the end of the week bouncing hard off the final book I intended to review. Starling House was just plain creepy, which I totally expected from that gorgeous cover, but I was still listening to it while starting Blood Sisters and the combination of Gothic creepy but with contemporary thriller aspects of Starling House AND the all-too-real but equally creepy suspense thriller aspects of Blood Sisters was just too much of a fright fest for one week’s reading. Which led me straight to my current comfort read series, Wrexford & Sloane, as historical murders frighten me less than contemporary corporate and bureaucratic skullduggery. Your reading mileage, as always, may vary.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Howl-O-Ween Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Fall Seasons of Books 2023 Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

Indigenous People’s Day 2023: Two Courts
B+ Review: An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka
B Review: A Stroke of the Pen by Terry Pratchett
A- Review: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
A Review: Murder at Queen’s Landing by Andrea Penrose
Stacking the Shelves (570)

Coming This Week:

Silly Pumpkins Giveaway Hop
Generation Ship by Michael Mammay (review)
Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree (review)
The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror: Volume Four edited by Paula Guran (review)
Keep by Anna Hackett (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 9-24-23

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

Today’s picture is Tuna again, this time in the midst of executing a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea. He’s standing on Galen’s desk, using one of his computer monitors for balance, attempting to reach the overhead fan. Which he can, as dangerous an idea as that sounds. Galen snapped the picture and then executed a Tuna extraction because otherwise the literal fallout was going to be epically bad and full of broken glass from the monitor.

Tuna is just big. He can stand on the kitchen table and bat at the light fixture over head – which he does. Unfortunately, especially for a cat, Tuna possesses the family grace, meaning that he is every bit as klutzy as the rest of the family – both human and feline. His pratfalls tend to shake the house. We may not be in an earthquake zone, but we are absolutely in a cat-quake zone.

As far as bookish and bloggy things go, tomorrow’s Fall Seasons of Books Hop technically starts today, but the organizers are very generous about giving people a few days to hop on board. So tomorrow. Giveaway Hops are the BEST way to start a week!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Holiday Kickoff Giveaway Hop (ENDS Thursday!)

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Hello Autumn Giveaway Hop is Piroska
The winner of the Summer Seasons of Books 2023 Giveaway Hop is Suzie

Blog Recap:

B Review: The Quiet Room by Terry Miles
A Review: Starter Villain by John Scalzi
A+ Review: Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo
B+ Review: The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan
A Review: The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
Stacking the Shelves (567)

Coming This Week:

Fall Seasons of Books 2023 Giveaway Hop
A Duke’s Introduction to Courtship by Sophie Barnes (blog tour review)
The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub (blog tour review)
Osprey by M.L. Buchman (review)
Bad Blood by Lauren Dane (review)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)