The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 11-3-24

Did you remember to reset your clocks last night? Or, does everything reset itself in your house?

If you are a U.S. citizen, have you voted yet? If not, do you have plans to vote on Tuesday? The right to vote is precious, and like so many other precious things, either you use it or you lose it – one way or another.

Tomorrow’s review will be The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon. I wanted something just a bit more relevant for just before Election Day than I generally worry about and that book turned out to be a gem as well as fitting for the week, as the thing that many of those unsung heroes fought and in some cases even died for was the right to vote.

The rest of the week is mostly comfort reads, because whatever happens on Tuesday – and after – the world will be different. The question is how much and in what ways.

Which leads me to today’s cat picture and a bit of a story to go with it. This is a portrait of something we refer to in this household as the ‘Butts of Bast’. Our current clowder of cats does not snuggle with each other. We’re still shaking our heads about that, as the previous clowder did, very much and all the time. But that group consisted of a family that had been raised together. LaZorra and Erasmus – the momcat and dadcat – were also siblings from the same litter. They had two daughtercats, Sophie and Mellie, who were also their niececats. (Sort of like an Egyptian pharaoh family, just with cats.) The little girls each had their own respective parentcat. Sophie was daddy’s girl and Mellie was mommy’s girl. I’m referring to their actual feline parents – not the humans. The little girls had very little to do with us by their own choice.

It was only when Mellie was the last survivor, 17 years later, that she started to turn to us AT ALL. At first, she’d sleep on the bed but not touch us. Then she’d let us touch her and pet her – A LITTLE – but only if we approached from her rear so that she could pretend it was the ‘hand of Bast’ – the Egyptian cat goddess – petting her and not those dreadful humans.

This picture is of George and Tuna. They play together now, they chase each other, they shake the house a bit as they’re both rather large. But they don’t cuddle with each other and they don’t cuddle with Luna or Hecate. Tuna doesn’t even cuddle with Luna now, and they are also littermates. They all do cuddle with us, just not each other. In this picture, Tuna and George are clearly touching each other – they were napping butt to butt. BUT, when Galen woke them they both focused on him and refused to acknowledge the other cat touching their butt. Hence, the ‘Butts of Bast’.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Thanks a Latte Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book PLUS EVENT-WIDE AMAZON/PAYPAL PRIZE in the Late Fall Giveaway Event!
$5 Amazon Gift Card + eBook Copy of A Tainted Heart Bleeds by Sophie Barnes
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Fall 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Silly Pumpkins Giveaway Hop is Stacey

Blog Recap:

A- #AudioBookReview: Constituent Service by John Scalzi
A- #BookReview: A Tainted Heart Bleeds by Sophie Barnes + Giveaway
Grade A #BookReview: The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny
B #BookReview: Buried Memories by Simon R. Green
Thanks a Latte Giveaway Hop
Stacking the Shelves (625)

Coming This Week:

The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon (#AudioBookReview)
Election Day 2024 (Guest Post by Galen)
Old Scores by Will Thomas (#BookReview)
The City in Glass by Nghi Vo (#BookReview)
Art in the Blood by Bonnie MacBird (#BookReview)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 10-27-24

This week’s schedule went just a bit awry at the end, because I finished Kevin Hearne’s Candle & Crow AGAIN, (that story is in the review – HINT), this time in audio, and just had to write it up because awesomesauce. Not that the new Gamache book, The Grey Wolf, the book I intended to review on Friday isn’t also terrific, just that I wasn’t quite done with it yet and I had entirely too much to say about Candle & Crow and the whole Ink & Sigil series.

My review of The Grey Wolf will be coming this week, the day before Halloween. Because in it’s own way, it’s MORE than scary enough. You’ll see.

As far as this week’s cat pictures, I sometimes have to remind myself that Luna is NOT a small cat. She is only small in comparison to her brother Tuna, who is HUGE. Last week’s picture was of Tuna, sprawling in the same bed that Luna has primly posed in in this picture. Notice that Tuna filled the whole thing and lopped over the sides. Luna, as I said, is primly POSED. She has space all around herself – the better to look adorable with.

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 Late Fall Giveaway Event!
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Fall 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

A- #BookReview: Murder of a Suffragette by Marty Wingate
A- #BookReview: Murder in Highbury by Vanessa Kelly
B #BookReview: The Mountain Crown by Karin Lowachee
B #BookReview: Fury Brothers: Claim by Anna Hackett
Grade A #AudioBookReview: Candle and Crow by Kevin Hearne
Stacking the Shelves (624)

Coming This Week:

Constituent Service by John Scalzi (#AudioBookReview)
A Tainted Heart Bleeds by Sophie (#BookReview #BlogTour)
The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny (#BookReview)
Buried Memories by Simon R. Green (#BookReview)
Thanks a Latte Giveaway Hop

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 10-20-24

This was an excellent week here at Chez Reading Reality. Not only were there TWO giveaways, but also TWO Grade A or BETTER books! (The final book of the week was also good, it just wasn’t quite so much my exact cuppa as the earlier titles.) Next week also looks surprisingly good for a week that starts and ends with MURDER!

Speaking of having a good week, I also have a great picture of Tuna from earlier this week. He’s in a classic kitty pose, the “If I fits, I sits” position. He doesn’t fit, exactly, but that’s because the biggest cat in the house has decided to nest in the smallest cat bed. You can just see how well that’s working out for him!

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 Late Fall Giveaway Event!
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Fall 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of Reading Reality’s Early Fall Giveaway Hop is Rochelle
The winner of the Scaredy Cat Giveaway Hop is Elizabeth

Blog Recap:

A+ #BookReview: The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski
Grade A #BookReview: Fangs So Bright and Deadly by Piper J. Drake
Silly Pumpkins Giveaway Hop
Late Fall Amazon/PayPal Giveaway Event!
B #BookReview: The Booklover’s Library by Madeline Martin
Stacking the Shelves (623)

Coming This Week:

Murder of a Suffragette by Marty Wingate (#BookReview)
Murder in Highbury by Vanessa Kelly (#BookReview #BlogTour)
The Mountain Crown by Karin Lowachee (#BookReview)
Fury Brothers: Claim by Anna Hackett (#BookReview)
The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny (#BookReview)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 10-13-24

There are plenty of bookish/bloggy things to make a note of this Sunday, starting with Rough Pages by Lev A.C. Rosen, which was utterly awesome, as has been the whole Evander Mills series, and I can’t say enough wonderful things about the narrator, Vikas Adam. I’m going to be SO disappointed if the series doesn’t continue and if Adam doesn’t continue narrating it.

I don’t have a lot of A+ reviews. I do have a lot of B and higher, because if a book isn’t at least that good I’ll probably DNF and just move on. Life is too short to read books that aren’t working. But A+ are rare – as they should be – because a book has to be just about perfect – or at least perfect for me. This was a VERY good reading week!

One note about bloggy stuff, because I got an email about just this kind of thing earlier this month – and it’ll probably happen again. Most giveaway hops start on a specific day and if that’s not a good day for the site the site can’t participate. Which is completely understandable from all sorts of perspectives. Howsomever, because the Versatileer-sponsored giveaway hops, like the Fall 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop and the Late Fall Amazon/PayPal Giveaway Event! are open for six weeks or more, the organizer has a five-day window for sites to post. That specifically means that I’m grateful to be able to participate in the Late Fall Event because I can post on October 17 instead of the official start date October 16, which is the day I’m participating in the Silly Pumpkins Giveaway Hop. And that’s not silly at all. But George – see picture below – certainly is!

Here’s George, looking like he’s having a literal meltdown. Or that he’s melting down into the couch. Or both. Last weekend Galen was out of town as part of a several day trip to see his sister and attend a work conference. The cats ALL made me very aware that I am the inferior cat servant and that they missed him every bit as much as I did! George and Tuna often act like bookends on this couch, one cat on each end, and this end is George’s usual spot. But he’s usually up at the top there, checking out his domain. In this shot it looks like he’s melting down into the thing – possibly as prep for pulling it all over his head!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book PLUS EVENT-WIDE AMAZON/PAYPAL PRIZE in the Early Fall Giveaway Event (ENDS TUESDAY!!!!!)
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Scaredy Cat Giveaway Hop (ENDS TUESDAY!!!!!)
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Fall 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

A- #BookReview: The Village Library Demon Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner
A+ #AudioBookReview: Rough Pages by Lev A.C. Rosen
B #BookReview: Shoestring Theory by Mariana Costa
A- #BookReview: In the Shadow of the Ship by Aliette de Bodard
B #BookReview: What We Sacrifice for Magic by Andrea Jo DeWerd
Stacking the Shelves (622)

Coming This Week:

The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski (#BookReview)
Fangs So Bright and Deadly by Piper J. Drake (#BookReview)
Silly Pumpkins Giveaway Hop
Late Fall Amazon/PayPal Giveaway Event!
The Booklover’s Library by Madeline Martin (#BookReview #BlogTour)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 10-6-24

First things first – as you can see from the sidebar, I’m not just participating, I’m hosting one of the challenges for this year’s Ho-Ho-Ho Readation (#2024HOHOHORAT), hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer. This will be my first time at both, and I’m collecting Holiday/Winter reads to review for the two weeks of the Readathon. There will be prizes available to participants from all of the challenge hosts, so sign up if you love holiday reads.

Today’s picture is of a self-boxing Tuna – although it’s been a day where I feel like I’m the one in the box. Not in a bad way at all, just that my keyboard drawer has been kitty central for most of the day, which is lovely. But it’s difficult to type on the keyboard when I have it shoved out of the cats’ way, which I have to do because they ALL type. Hecate is particularly adept at reducing the screen dimensions to something so tiny it’s invisible to the naked eye. Most of the others merely park their butts on the space bar, but she has a ‘special’ knack.

Which generally causes her humans to say to each other, “We love them. Why was that again?” Sometimes Tuna’s wide-eyed, slightly blank-faced cuteness pays the rent for everyone!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book PLUS EVENT-WIDE AMAZON/PAYPAL PRIZE in the Early Fall Giveaway Event
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Scaredy Cat Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Fall 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Falling into Leaves Giveaway Hop is Darlene

Blog Recap:

B #BookReview: Murder at King’s Crossing by Andrea Penrose
Scaredy Cat Giveaway Hop
A- #BookReview: The Restaurant of Lost Recipes by Hisashi Kashiwai, translated by Jesse Kirkwood
B+ #BookReview: One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery
Grade A #BookReview: Darkside by Michael Mammay
Stacking the Shelves (621)

Coming This Week:

The Village Library Demon Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner (#BookReview)
Rough Pages by Lev A.C. Rosen (#AudioBookReview)
Shoestring Theory by Mariana Costa (#BookReview)
In the Shadow of the Ship by Aliette de Bodard (#BookReview)
What We Sacrifice for Magic by Andrea Jo DeWerd (#BookReview)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 9-29-24

“Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!” No one expects a power failure, either. But with the weather here at the end of the week, let’s just say that it seemed prudent to expect that latter possibility. (I’m still not expecting the Spanish Inquisition!)

Luna, however, DID seem to be expecting the Spanish Inquisition – or at least something equally as bad. She hid – a LOT. When she wasn’t hiding, she expected Galen and I to be her ‘security humans’ – clinging to whichever of us was handy at the time. So today’s picture is Luna, participating in one of Galen’s work meetings. She’s clearly observing the proceedings VERY closely.

On the bookish side of things, that potential power outage had me rearranging the end of the week rather a bit. I already had the review of Fear the Flames written, while I’m still in the middle of reading Murder at King’s Crossing, so Wednesday afternoon I finished up the week with what I had ready and started on Stacking the Shelves and this Sunday Post, just in case either the power or the internet went out. Which they didn’t. The only thing out is the refrigerator, which is ‘out’ of pretty much everything!

One final note on this week’s Sunday Post. I changed my mind about one of the ratings of this week’s books. Or rather, audiobooks. Rating Graveyard Shift as an A- wasn’t sitting right with me over the week. It should have been an ‘A’ Grade, and so now it is!

Current Giveaways:

Falling Into Leaves Giveaway Hop (ENDS TOMORROW!!!)
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book PLUS EVENT-WIDE AMAZON/PAYPAL PRIZE in the Early Fall Giveaway Event
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Fall 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

Fall 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop
Grade A #AudioBookReview: Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio
A- #BookReview: Queen Macbeth by Val McDermid
B #BookReview: The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi, translated by Jesse Kirkwood
A- #BookReview: Fear the Flames by Olivia Rose Darling
Stacking the Shelves (620)

Coming This Week:

Murder at King’s Crossing by Andrea Penrose (#BookReview)
Scaredy Cat Giveaway Hop
The Restaurant of Lost Recipes by Hisashi Kashiwai, translated by Jesse Kirkwood (#BookReview)
One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery (#BookReview #BlogTour)
Shoestring Theory by Mariana Costa (#BookReview)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 9-22-24

Today is the first day of 2024’s Banned Books Week! So celebrate your freedom to read by reading a banned book to see what the challenge really is all about. Learn what is actually IN the book in question to see for yourself why is made so many people so very uncomfortable – which is what banning is REALLY all about. I could say more, but anything I might come up with has been said better elsewhere, to take just one example, Stephen King’s essay from 1992 titled “The Book-Banners: Adventure in Censorship is Stranger Than Fiction”.

I’m going to change back to our usual run of cat and bookish news, inspired by this picture of George saying, “Make it stop, make it stop right MEOW!”

The schedule for this week is more or less solid, although the order may change as I’ve already finished Graveyard Shift – which was terrific in audio. The recap of last week includes a book (The Daughters’ War) that is certainly going to be on my “Best of the Year” list for this year as well as my Hugo nominations next year. Which I can’t believe I’m already thinking about, but now that it’s really, truly fall, even if the temperature is supposed to hit 90° today, the end of the year feels like it’s coming on fast.

Speaking of fall starting and summer ending, the Summer 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop ended at midnight. I may, or may not, be awake and functional at that point. If I’m not awake – which I was not – the winner announcement read TBD but it has now been filled in with the name of the actual winner!

Current Giveaways:

Falling Into Leaves Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book PLUS EVENT-WIDE AMAZON/PAYPAL PRIZE in the Early Fall Giveaway Event

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Summer 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop is Michael

Blog Recap:

Falling into Leaves Giveaway Hop
A++ #AudioBookReview The Daughters’ War by Christopher Buehlman
#BookReview: The Sullivan’s Island Supper Club by Susan M. Boyer
A- #BookReview: Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker
A- #BookReview: The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak
Stacking the Shelves (619)

Coming This Week:

Fall 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop
Murder at King’s Crossing by Andrea Penrose (#BookReview)
Queen Macbeth by Val McDermid (#BookReview)
The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi (#BookReview)
Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio (#AudioBookReview)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 9-15-24

Hecate is often the “odd kitty out” in our cat pictures. She’s never been an only child, but it’s really clear that she’d prefer to be. She certainly is our problem child, as in the last two weeks we’ve discovered that she a)has crystals in her urine, which is a condition that mostly affects male cats. It’s also a condition which necessitates prescription food, so everyone is getting even fancier food now. And b) she has asthma. If it’s seasonal, well, that’s every spring and fall around here. Fortunately, the little witch is very food motivated, so getting her to take her meds with a treat is going well – at least for the moment. She’s a cat, we expect that to change but we’ll take the win while it lasts.

She seldom appears in pictures with the rest of the clowder, so after all of her little issues this month so far – and OMG September is only half over – she deserved a picture of her very own. We even managed to get one where she exhibits a bit of dignity along with her tortitude!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Summer 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book PLUS EVENT-WIDE AMAZON/PAYPAL PRIZE in the Early Fall Giveaway Event

Blog Recap:

A- #BookReview: This World Is Not Yours by Kemi Ashing-Giwa
B #BookReview: Fury Brothers: Take by Anna Hackett
A- #BookReview: A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft
B #BookReview: We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida, translated by E. Madison Shimoda
Grade A #BookReview: Chasing New Suns by Lance Robinson
Stacking the Shelves (618)

Coming This Week:

Falling Into Leaves Giveaway Hop
The Daughters’ War by Christopher Buehlman (#AudioBookReview)
The Sullivan’s Island Supper Club by Susan M. Boyer (#BookReview)
The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak (#BlogTour #BookReview)
Blood and Magic by Lauren Dane (#BookReview)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 9-8-24

Today would have been my mother’s 96th birthday. Today is also Star Trek Day. I have feelings about both of those things, some of which are even sorta/kinda tied up in each other, albeit indirectly. I watched the final season (and admittedly the worst of the three) of Star Trek: The Original Series, as it was broadcast, with my dad. My mom did not understand what either of us saw in the thing, nor why my fascination with it continued even after the show was cancelled. And, for that matter, still does.

That initial fascination led to a life-long love of science fiction, just as my even earlier initial reading of The Hobbit began a fantasy reading habit that is also still with me.

In dubious honor of that earlier triumvirate, I present to you a ‘Three Cat Night’, with George, Tuna and Luna standing – or should that be lying – in for Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Not that there are any resemblances whatsoever.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Summer 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book PLUS EVENT-WIDE AMAZON/PAYPAL PRIZE in the Early Fall Giveaway Event

Blog Recap:

Labor Day 2024 (Guest Post by Galen)
Early Fall Amazon/Paypal Giveaway Event!
B- #BookReview: Passions in Death by J.D. Robb
B #BookReview: Crypt of the Moon Spider by Nathan Ballingrud
B+ #BookReview: Follow the Stars Home by Diane C. McPhail
Stacking the Shelves (617)

Coming This Week:

This World is Not Yours by Kemi Ashing-Giwa (#BookReview)
Fury Brothers: Take by Anna Hackett (#BookReview)
A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft (#BookReview)
We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida, translated by E. Madison Shimoda (#BookReview)
Chasing New Suns by Lance Robinson (#BookReview)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 9-1-24

Today is the first day of September, tomorrow is Labor Day in the U.S., and this feels like the REAL start of the season. Except it doesn’t around here this weekend, as they’re predicting 92°F on Saturday, 90°F on Sunday and 88°F on Monday. Which is too damn hot but climate’s what you expect and weather is what you get and so it goes. (That’s 33°C, 32°C and 31°C for the places we were this time last month!)

I hadn’t realized how symmetrical this week’s reviews are until just now. B books on the outside, Grade A books inside those, and one A- in the middle. Interesting…but also weird.

This picture isn’t exactly symmetrical, but it is certainly adorable. Luna here is squeezed into the middle between Galen and I, looking like the cat who got into the cream or something very much like that. She has the cutest upside-down kitty face, and this time it’s even complete with teefies!

 

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the SUMMER 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Old School Giveaway Hop is Tamara
The winner of Reading Reality’s Late Summer Giveaway Hop is Heather

Blog Recap:

B #BookReview: The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard
Grade A #BookReview: The Kill List by Nadine Matheson
A- #BookReview: Out of the Drowning Deep by A.C. Wise
Grade A #AudioBookReview: Junkyard Roadhouse by Faith Hunter
B #BookReview: Saving Susy Sweetchild by Barbara Hambly
Stacking the Shelves (616)

Coming This Week:

Labor Day 2024 (Guest Post by Galen)
Early Fall Amazon/Paypal Giveaway Event
Passions in Death by J.D. Robb (#BookReview)
Crypt of the Moon Spider by Nathan Ballingrud (#BookReview)
Follow the Stars Home by Diane C. McPhail (#BookReview)