March 2021 TBR

This month is clean up reading so I can start the next quarter and the next season with a fresh, clean slate. The new books added to my TBR for this month is just book club reads.

First up, I need to get back on the series reading track. I’ve got Tempest (Old West #3) by Beverly Jenkins and Blue Skies Tomorrow (Wings of Glory #3) by Sarah Sundin. I started Appetites and Vices (The Truitts #1) by Felicia Grossman back in December and haven’t touched it since. I want to finish it so I can move on to book two in the spring.

Book club reads: The No.1 Detective Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith for the mystery book club at the library (which I have finished reading and HATED IT) and Uprooted by Naomi Novik for COYER. I’m skipping April’s book club meeting because the book chosen (by the host/library, not voted on by the members, which is not giving me a good feeling) is one I’m not interested in at all and I’m not going to waste my reading time reading other people’s assigned books.

For my B.A.B. reading goal, I am reading Colour Bar: The Triumph of Seretse Khama and his Nation by Susan Williams and In the Midst of Life by Jennifer Worth.

A reading challenge my library is doing on Beanstack is prompt focused, so I needed to read a book about space aliens. So I picked up from the library a graphic novel Star Trek: Manifest Destiny by Mike Johnson, Ryan Parrott, and Angel Hernandez.

Random choices: since the book club is already started to fizzle out, I picked up An Unladylike Profession: American Women War Correspondents in World War I by Chris Dubbs and Wild Rain (Women Who Dare #2) by Beverly Jenkins.

Middle Grade March is whatever my kids pick out. So far, my daughter borrowed Diana and the Island of No Return (Wonder Woman Adventures #1) by Aisha Saeed, Snowflake Freezes Up (Grimmtastic Girls #7) by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams, Thea Stilton and the Secret of the Old Castle, and Trouble at Trident Academy (Mermaid Tales #1) by Debbie Dadey. I’m waiting on son to borrow somethings from the school library.

It is less than my usual, but if I have any month left over I will just start some April reads. The other clean up I need to do is write some reviews – I have a very long list of books needing reviews, even if it is just a few sentences. I lost the writing mojo back in October…I still don’t have my book review writing mojo back, but I am just going to post something and call it good.

COYER Seasons: Spring Sign Up

Really looking forward to spring after last month’s nasty winter weather. And in this season, library books count (Muppet Arm flailing!). The one big goal I have is to catch up on reading and reviews – that way I can start fresh with new reads in April.

Come join us: #COYER Seasons ~ Time to sign up for Spring! ~ Because reading is better than real life

February 2021 Haul

My reading has been really weird since the middle of January and all of February (so far) – I will start a book and for the first 30% of the book I am slogging through, hating the characters and writing…and then boom! It’s like a switch turns on and I ended up loving the book and look forward to reading more in the series or from the author. It didn’t matter the format, the genre, whether the author was new to me or a returning favorite – I had the same slog and then boom cycle. Even with this cycle, I got a lot of reading done so GO ME!

Here is February’s haul…yeah, the book buying ban is pretty much out the window at this point in the year.

From the Library:

• The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith – choice for local library mystery book club for March (Saved: $10.49)
• Uprooted by Naomi Novik – choice for COYER book club for March (Saved: $14.45)

Saved: $24.94

Added to TBR:

• The Historians: A Novel of WWII by Cecilia Ekback – historical fiction set somewhere else other than Germany Part I (set in Sweden). (Spent: $12.74)
• Our Darkest Night: A Novel of Italy and the Second World War by Jennifer Robson – historical fiction set somewhere else other than Germany Part II (Spent: 13.49)
• The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White – historical fiction set on the RMS Lusitania (Spent: $6.00)
• Murder in the City of Liberty (A Van Buren and Deluca Mystery #2) by Rachel McMillan – historical mystery (Spent: $5.00)
• Love Finds you in Galveston, Texas: Madeline’s Search by Kathleen Y’Barbo – historical inspirational romance/mystery (Spent: $5.00)
• The Children’s Train by Viola Ardone – historical fiction immediately post WWII in Europe set somewhere else other than Germany Part III (Spent: $12.74)
• A Cowboy to Remember (California Cowboys #1) by Rebekah Weatherspoon – contemporary romance (Spent: $0.99)
• Once Upon a Sunset by Tif Marcelo – contemporary women’s fiction (Spent: $1.99)
• Obviously: Stories from my Timeline by Akilah Hughes – nonfiction book of essays from a great voice (Spent: $2.99)
• The Way of the Brave (Global Search and Rescue #1) by Susan May Warren – contemporary inspirational romance (Spent: $1.99)
• The Duke Who Knew Too Much (Heart of Enquiry #1) by Grace Callaway – historical romance (Spent: FREE)
• Western Bride (Cooper Kings #1) by Janelle Daniels – historical Americana romance (Spent: FREE)
• A Brush with Shadows (Lady Darby #6) by Anna Lee Huber – historical mystery (Spent: $1.99)
• The Beauty of Being Beastly by Jennifer Estep – fairy tale retelling novella (Spent: $0.99)
• The Difference One Duke Makes (Reckless Brides #7) by Elizabeth Essex – historical romance (Spent: $1.99)
• Rogue for Hire (Rogues of the Road #1) by Sasha Cottman – historical romance (Spent: $0.99)
• Pandora: Romancing a God by Charley Marsh – fantasy romance (Spent: FREE)
• Scandalous Secrets (Jackson Falls #2) by Synithia Williams – contemporary romance (Spent: $1.99)
• Death Below Stairs (Kat Holloway Mysteries #1) by Jennifer Ashley – historical mystery (Spent: $1.99)
• American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt by Stephanie Marie Thornton – historical fiction (Spent: $3.99)

Spent: $73.88

February 2021 TBR

Welcome February! Reading plans, I have a buddy read with two online book friends and participating in 24in48 readathon (February 6th-7th). I am going to the live online discussion at my library for Circe on the 20th.

Personal Goals:

• Finish Breathless (Old West #2) by Beverly Jenkins
• Read Tempest (Old West #3) by Beverly Jenkins
• Finish Blue Skies Tomorrow (Wings of Glory #3) by Sarah Sundin
• Finish The Berlin Wall by Frederick Taylor
• Finish Circe by Madeline Miller for NEA Big Read Wichita
• At least start Colour Bar: The Triumph of Seretse Khama and his Nation by Susan Williams

Library Love 2021:

• To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han for COYER Book Club
• Panic! The Story of Modern Financial Insanity edited by Michael Lewis
• Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir by Natasha Trethewey
• Murder on the Last Frontier (Charlotte Brody #1) by Cathy Pegau for Cloak & Dagger 2021 challenge
• A Geek Girl’s Guide to Murder (Geek Girl’s Mystery #1) by Julie Anne Lindsey for Cloak & Dagger 2021 challenge
• Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
• Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe, buddy read

January’s reading was off to a rough start and with February being a short month, I am holding off on doing a wrap up of both months until after March – I will be doing quarterly wrap ups this year, but keeping to monthly TBRs and hauls to show what I’m reading and adding to the TBR.

January 2021 Haul

One of my reading goals was to read down my huge collection of unread books and to put myself on a book buying ban for the next couple of months. So why am I doing a haul? Because that book buying ban was broken the day after domestic terrorists stormed the Capitol and my mental health took a dive. Once the dam was broken, it went downhill fast. So here we are…

What I got from the Library:

• One of Us Is Lying (One of Us Is Lying #1) by Karen McManus – this book was voted on by COYER book club members as the YA book to read in January. I read it and will read the sequel later on this year. Review coming….sometime. (Saved: $13.00)
• Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson – finished this book for Library Love 2021 challenge and it’s going on my best reads of 2021 list. Highly recommend. Review coming…. (Saved: $19.02)
• Murder on the Last Frontier (Charlotte Brody Mysteries #1) by Cathy Pegau – currently reading for Cloak & Dagger challenge, Library Love 2021 challenge, as well as Finish That Series resolution. (Saved: $12.75)
• A Geek Girl’s Guide to Murder (A Geek Girl Mysteries #1) by Julie Anne Lindsey – currently reading for Cloak & Dagger and Library Love 2021 challenge. (Saved: $5.60)
• To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #1) by Jenny Han – this is the YA choice for COYER book club for February; also helps with the Library Love 2021 challenge. (Saved: $10.99)
• Panic!: The Story of Modern Financial Insanity edited by Michael Lewis – I am a Lewis fangirl and that is the only reason I picked this up from the library. Considering the Wall Street hedge funds vs. Redditors situation going on this week, I may have been unknowingly influenced to pick this up. (Saved: $13.99)
• Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir by Natasha Trethewey – this book has been on my radar for a while and it was there at the library so I brought it home. (Saved: $13.99)
• Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker – this book has a lot of good buzz from readers I trust, so I took the chance and borrowed it. (Saved: $25.09)
• She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs by Sarah Smarsh – a challenge I am doing at one of my libraries has a prompt to read a book by a Kansas author or an author who lives in Kansas. Smarsh is a native of the greater Wichita area and she currently lives in central Kansas; I read her memoir last year and fell in love with her writing. Also Dolly Parton. I am on the waiting list but should get the book in my hands by the latter half of February. (Saved: $19.99)
• Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe – buddy reading this with a few online reading friends and I am so excited to get into this book. Coming through via ILL so I should have it in my hands by the end of next week. (Saved: $24.67)

Library Savings: $159.09

What I bought:

• Under the Tulip Tree by Michelle Stocklee (ebook) – historical fiction set in the Great Depression era U.S. (Spend: $1.99)
• Theodora (Lady Archer’s Creed #1) by Christina McKnight (ebook) – Lady. Archers. Enough said. (Spend: $Free)
• The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis (hardcover) – my local Kroger’s grocery store had a big bin of bargain priced books and I had this book on my wish list. I took it as a sign that the universe wanted me to have this book. (Spend: $6.00)
• Some of the Best from Tor.com 2020 edition by Various Authors (ebook) – I have another year’s edition on my NOOK so I pulled this one too. I’m not big on fantasy or Sci-Fi so these smaller works are just enough when I am in the mood to read those genres. (Spend: $Free)
• Pains & Penalties (A Geek and Things Cozy Mystery #1) (ebook) by Sarah Biglow – I am a sucker for free copies of first book in cozy mystery series. (Spend: $Free)
• The Best Laid Plans by Sarah M. Eden (ebook) – a Regency era romance that is not about the titled or the very wealthy. Sold. (Spend: $1.99)
• Harpoon: Inside the Covert War Against Terrorism’s Money Masters by Nitsana Darshan-Leitner and Samuel M. Katz (hardcover) – my local Dollar Tree sometimes get books and I always check to see if there is anything that catches my eyes. I never heard of this book but after reading the blurb I was ready to add it to my collection. (Spend: $1.00)
• A Snapshot of Murder (Kate Shackleton #10) by Frances Brody (ebook) – I have two other books in this historical cozy mystery series so I added one more to the pile. (Spend: $1.99)
• A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins (ebook) – I wanted to read this historical romance since it came out late last year. (Spend: $2.99)
• Love Your Frenemies by Mina V. Esguerra (ebook) – trying to expand my romance reading to include more Asian voices, especially from the Philippines. (Spend: $0.99)
• Last Chance Rodeo: A Blackfeet National Novel by Kari Lynn Dell (ebook) – again, expanding my romance reading to include more Native American voices as well. I have a bunch of Dell’s works on my e-readers so what’s one more? (Spend: $1.99)
• Six Weeks with a Lord by Eve Pendle (ebook) – pretty cover and pretty price. Yes, I am very shallow. (Spend: $0.99)
• Matzah Ball Surprise by Laura Brown (ebook) – again, expanding my romance reading to include more Jewish voices and also food based title. (Spend: $0.99)
• Death by Dumpling (Noodle Shop Mystery #1) by Vivien Chien (ebook) – reader friends really enjoyed this series, so I figured I give the first book a chance. Also, again a food based title. (Spend: $2.99)
• A Love Concealed (Mary’s Ladies #3) by Belle McInnes (ebook) – Queen Mary of Scots era romance; I have book one on my NOOK already. (Spend: $1.99)
• Dangerous (The Outcasts #1) by Minerva Spencer (ebook) – That. Blurb. OMG. (Spend: $1.99)
• Beachfront Bakery: A Killer Cupcake (A Beachfront Bakery Cozy Mystery #1) by Fiona Grace (ebook) – food based title and first in a cozy mystery. (Spend: $Free)
• The School Mistress (Emerson Pass Historicals #1) by Tess Thompson (ebook) – I dig school teachers in my Americana romance reading. (Spend: $Free)

Spending: $26.90; divided by the 18 books listed, comes out to $1.49 per book.

I feel really good about the library savings. I am swearing off even looking at sales emails/posts in the month of February (although it wasn’t as bad as I thought). Hopefully, February’s haul will be much, much smaller.

January 2021 TBR

First, NEA Wichita Reads is happening January 9th – February 21st. This is a program designed by the NEA and the Greater Wichita Public Library system to get everyone in the greater Wichita area to read and discuss a book. The book chosen is Circe by Madeline Miller. I already have a copy sitting on my physical shelf, so I can start a little early and read it at my leisure. I want to get at least 50% of the book read this month.

Bout of Books cycle 30 is January 4th-10th. I want to get three books done during this week: Becoming by Michelle Obama, Dance with Me (Dance Off #2) by Alexis Daria, and Blue Skies Tomorrow (Wings of Glory #3) by Sarah Sundin. I am going to listen to the audiobook of Becoming, which I am getting from the library (Library Love challenge). The other two books are on the readathon TBR so that I can finish off both series (Finish that Series challenge) and ones that I bought for less than $2 each, so I can get some COYER credit in as well. I am hoping to get to one or two more books during this week but keeping it open so I can pick a book by my mood.

My other two Library Love books will be and Murder on the Last Frontier (Charlotte Brody Mystery #1) by Cathy Pegau. The Charlotte Brody book is the first of two Cloak and Dagger challenge book; the other is Ask Me No Questions (Lady Dunbridge Mystery #1) by Shelley Noble.

I have a bunch of Beverly Jenkins books on my e-readers, so I decided to read one Jenkins’ book a month until they are all read, with the last book read before Halloween Bingo starts. This month’s choice is Breathless (Old West #2) and was a free book the author signed for me at RT Con 2017. Breathless is also on the Finish that Series list, so bonus point.

My B.A.B. (Big Ass Book) choice this month is The Berlin Wall: A World Divided 13 August 1961- 9 November 1989 by Frederick Taylor. I’m starting on the small size from the master list of B.A.B. but I am keeping the really big ones for the summer. This book has 493 pages, 449 reading pages with the rest being notes, citations, and index. If you followed my 24 Festive Tasks, this book should look familiar as it was the book chosen by playing the dreidel game.

This is the list of planned reads – giving myself some space to read based on my mood. Let’s see what I actually accomplish when my monthly wrap up is posted.

2021 Reading Goal: Finish That Series

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com

This is one of two personal reading goals I have; the rest is COYER or Cloak and Dagger. First goal is to finish a bunch of series that are just sitting on my e-readers and physical shelf, unread. My starting goal is to finish 15 series.

1. Dance Off by Alexis Daria – 1 novel left
2. Destiny by Beverly Jenkins – 3 novels left
3. Old West by Beverly Jenkins – 2 novels left
4. Charlotte Brody by Cathy Pegau – 3 novels left
5. Crooked Rock by Pamela Sanderson – 4 novels left
6. Modern Love by Alisha Rai – 2 novels left
7. The Great War by Jennifer Robson – 3 novels left
8. Honey Badger Chronicles by Shelly Laurenston – 3 novels left
9. Lively St Lemonston by Rose Lerner – 3 novels and 1 novella left
10. Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyers – 3 novels, 4 novellas, 1 short story
11. Matched to Perfection by Priscilla Oliveras – 3 novels left
12. The Knickerbocker Club by Joanna Shupe – 3 novels and 1 novella left
13. Wings of Glory by Sarah Sundin – 1 novel left
14. Sunrise at Normandy by Sarah Sundin – 3 novels left
15. Chronicles of the One by Nora Roberts – 3 novels left

This is a little less than half of my GoodReads goal of 100 books. I want to focus on series that are complete and published or will be so in 2021. And since I am one of those readers who have to read in order and can’t read more than one book from an author in the same month, a bunch of these series will be started in the first four months of the year. The question is…how many will I finish by the end of the year? I plan on doing quarterly check ins to show progress and keep me on track. Seven of the fifteen series listed are by authors from marginalized communities to keep my reading diverse as possible.

Christmas Book Haul

Photo by stein egil liland on Pexels.com

Absolutely no connection between subject of this post and the above picture. It was just a really pretty picture and I’ve wanted to use it for a while.

Joshua got two books for Christmas: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate and Cat Kid Comic Club by Dav Pilkey.

I think we will gift him the second book for his birthday in February.

We stan all things Dog Man in this house.

Sophia received Eva in the Spotlight (Owl Diaries #13) by Rebecca Elliott and Never After: The Thirteenth Fairy by Melissa de la Cruz.

Wonderful series for the not quite struggling reader, not quite fluent reader.

Fairy re-tellings are my daughter’s jam and I enjoy this author’s work.

I bought two holiday gift boxes from independent romance-centered book stores. First up, I got a Trope Box: There is Only One Bed from The Ripped Bodice in Los Angeles, California. This box contains a “blind date” book, a package of tea, one piece of swag that went along with the book, and a notebook. Here’s what I got:

I really loved this box and think Leah and Bea did a great job coming up with it. I think Conventionally Yours (True Colors #1) by Annabeth Albert got the short end of the promo stick this year since it came out in June of this year. Onto the next holiday box, this time from Love’s Sweet Arrow in Chicago, Illinois. I went with the mini version of the All I Want for Christmas is a Fake Relationship box (my favorite contemporary romance trope), plus I added a regular blind date book. Here’s what I got:

I had Tracey Livesay’s Like Lovers Do (Girls Trip #2) on my wish list since it came out and there was great word-of-mouth about it from different bloggers I follow. I’m not too sure about Stealing Mr. Right because the blurb sounds like everything I hate and makes me avoid contemporary romance. I was very glad to see that there were three price tiers for the boxes from Love’s Sweet Arrow – I don’t subscribe to any monthly book boxes because they are usually filled with things that are pretty but just take up space and collect dust. So having different tiers allows customers to buy boxes with ALL THE GOODIES or focus more on THE BOOK. I’m definitely a latter reader, but I will always accept a candle as a gift, so the mini version was perfect for me.

One small quibble from both boxes – why wasn’t there a historical fiction option? Grrrr……

Picked this up on a daily sale:

Baseball plus Christmas from a favorite author. Done!

While waiting for my boxes to come in, I went to Barnes & Noble and picked up three books:

Bought book 2 back in October and I’ve been thinking about this book since then. Duology complete.

Was not waiting on my library’s list for a book I know I will want to keep, so I bit the bullet and just got it.

Well…I can’t have one without the other, now can I?

After the holiday, I ventured onto Barnes & Noble website and went down a rabbit hole of bargain priced historical fiction physical books – and with free shipping on orders over $35, I decided to throw restraint out the window and bought the following:

Book 2 in A Certain Age series; I’ve got book one on my NOOK.

Book 1 in the Schuyler Sisters

1920s single gal + NY Yankees = I HAD TO GET THIS BOOK

Dual perspectives and timelines – Max from a time leading to WWII and Hanna ten years later.

Set in the 1940s but NOT about WWII!

Based on true events of New London, Texas

I will read anything about Josephine Baker.

Some of the books I was interested in wasn’t available online or in my local store, so I went to Abe Books and bought more used historical fiction:

My library’s OverDrive system’s license for this book expired. I was tired of waiting for it to be renewed.

Spanish Civil War-era historical fiction!

Bought on the strength of the authors alone. Never heard of this book.

Book 3 in the trilogy. I’ve got books 1 and 2 on my NOOK. This one never seemed to go on sale.

1920s Yemenite Jewish family. I mean if that descriptor doesn’t draw you in….

I swear the book buying ban goes into affect 12:01 am on January 1st unless the book is for a gift.

24 Festive Tasks – Door 2

Guy Fawkes Night , also known as Bonfire Night, is an annual commemoration observed on November 5, primarily in Great Britain. Its history begins with the events of November 5, 1605, when Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators of the so-called Gunpowder Plot were arrested for planning to blow up explosives placed beneath the House of Lords. Celebrating the fact that King James I had survived the attempt on his life, people lit bonfires around London, and several months later an Act of Parliament enforced an annual public day of thanksgiving for the plot’s failure.

One of the things I miss about living in England is Bonfire Night. My little town always had a huge turnout, it was always fun and peaceful, and it was a wonderful

Book Prompt: Read a book set in the UK, a political thriller, a book involving any monarchy or revolution, a book about arson or related to fires and burning, or a book that is self-published. I have planned to read the two short stories from Roseanna White’s Culpepper Ring series, Fairchild’s Lady and A Hero’s Promise. The series is about George Washington’s spy ring during the American Revolution and War of 1812.

Task 1: Start a (publishing) revolution! What would you change / reform / get rid of in the book world?

• No giving HUGE advances to anyone who worked in/profited from the Trump administration or BREXIT. No advances at all. Don’t publish these people. PERIOD.
• Ebooks should be priced lower than the print version.

Bonus Task #2: Host a traditional English tea party, or make yourself a nice cup of tea and settle down with a good book to read. Pictured is my breakfast this morning: Pumpkin Spice Black Tea from The Republic of Tea with sugar and a splash of milk, toast with butter and caramelized onion jam along with reading the second half of The Imitation Game: Alan Turing Decoded by Jim Ottaviani and Leland Purvis.

Points: 3

24 Festive Tasks – Door 3

Japanese Culture Day is a national holiday held annually on November 3 for the purpose of promoting culture, the arts, and academic endeavor. Festivities typically include art exhibitions, parades, and award ceremonies for distinguished artists and scholars.

Book Prompt: Read a book that is set in Japan or featuring Japanese characters; or read a graphic novel or a book set in a school or academic setting. I read Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka, a graphic novel set during his childhood with a big focus on his schooling. It ends at his high school graduation. I gave it 5 stars and highly recommend.

Task 1: Have some Japanese food! Sushi with my best girl helper, Sophia on Christmas Eve day for lunch before we cleaned the house and prepped food for the holiday.

Points: 2