{Sunday Post} — Books Can Be Addicting

What Am I Reading? 

Maybe a new month will jumpstart my reading again. I began Brad Taylor's Into the Gray Zone over a week ago, reading eight full chapters in one sitting. All I can say is that life happens, and I haven't read anything since. I need to come up with a daily reading schedule so I can get caught up on ARCs. 

Song of the Week

Recently Reviewed

Tom Clancy's Defense Protocol

★★★★★

Not the Killing Kind

★★★½✰

What's in the Mailbox?

New books in the mailbox include two ARCs, Battle Mountain by C.J. Box and Midnight Black by Mark Greaney, and one I ordered from Amazon, Safe Enough by Lee Child.

What's New on the Bookshelf?

Books can be quite an addiction for book lovers, and I can speak from personal experience. I've picked up quite a few newly released titles in the past few weeks. Let’s start with the Westerns: I grabbed Shot in the Back, Halfway to Hell, and Guns of the Timberlands. The last one is a reprint by Louis L'Amour, and the first is my very first purchase at the regular price of $4.95 for a book by the late, great Western author. The other two are ghostwritten stories released under the name of William W. Johnstone and his niece, J.A. Johnstone, who is still alive. I find it a bit puzzling how she's involved with these new stories. Does she come up with the plots and then select other writers to bring them to life?

Additionally, I picked up William W. Johnstone's non-Western paperback, The Dead We Honor, along with the military thriller The Bin Laden Plot by Rick Campbell, Ward D by Fredia McFadden, and Danger in Numbers by Heather Graham—I found the latter at a Dollar Tree.

Please note that this account was written on March 1st. I wonder if it had been two or three weeks since my last trip to the thrift store. I skipped the visit on the 17th for a couple of reasons: it was President's Day, and the weather turned quite nasty with a few snowy days. On Monday, the 24th, I made a stop at the local Salvation Army. Although there wasn't a book sale where you could fill a bag for just $1, I immediately spotted plastic crates tucked under the clothing racks, which usually indicates an influx of donated books. Before I knelt down to sift through the crates, an employee (or perhaps a volunteer) who usually organizes the books approached me and asked, “Aren't you the one who loves westerns?” I replied with a simple, “Yeah,” or something along those lines. Then, in a conspiratorial whisper, she mentioned that she would set aside any Westerns for me in the cabinet of the bookcase at the back—essentially their designated book section. Of course, I thanked her, but for the life of me, I can’t recall her name; I’ve been told it before, but it’s slipped my memory. While I didn’t find any Westerns that day, I couldn’t help but wonder if there might have been some in the past two weeks.

Did I come away with any books during my visit? Well, I ended up with quite a haul, perhaps more than I anticipated!

First off, I discovered The Keeper and The Stars Below, which are books two and four in the Vega Jane series by David Baldacci. I already own books one and three; the third book is a paperback, and I would love to track down a hardcover edition if I happen to find one.

Next, I picked up five paperbacks by Karin Slaughter: Indelible, Blindsighted, Triptych, A Faint Cold Fear, and Fractured. I also grabbed four paperbacks by Clive Cussler: Shockwave, Spartan Gold, Sacred Stone, and The Navigator.

There were quite a few titles by Iris Johansen available, but I only selected four that I thought were missing from my collection. I really need to make a list to keep on my phone! Fortunately, I only ended up with one duplicate—Deadlock, which I’ll donate. The other three are Killer Dreams, Long After Midnight, and Storm Cycle.

Lastly, I picked up Tom Clancy's End War: The Missing by Peter Telep, Thr3e by Ted Dekker, and The Voice of the Night by Dean Koontz.

This past Monday, I visited the thrift store again and checked the cabinet, where I found four Westerns but ended up picking only two: Support Your Local Deputy and the paperback collection Triumph of the Mountain Man / Battle of the Mountain Man by William W. Johnstone — and yes, it’s not ghostwritten! I also discovered two additional Westerns on the regular book rack: Dead Head Crossing by James Reasoner and Shane by Jack Schaefer.

On the bright side, I managed to snag a better copy of David Baldacci's The Width of the World. It's a paperback, not a hardcover, but I’m happy with it. I also picked up Michael Crichton's Sphere, which I read many years ago and don’t believe I’ve kept any copies of.

Furthermore, I found some hardcovers: Gone by Lisa Gardner and Dead Aim by Iris Johansen. In the paperback section, I grabbed Dust to Dust (The Prophecy: Book 1) by Heather Graham, Picture Me Dead by Heather Graham, Nightwalker by Heather Graham, Faithless and Beyond Reach by Karin Slaughter, and On the Run by Iris Johansen, along with Alone by Lisa Gardner.

New titles on my Kindle are Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier, Centennial by James A. Michener, The Party's Over by Caroline B. Cooney, Dead Head by C.J. Skuse, Star Trek: The Lost Era: The Serpents Among the Ruins by David R. George III, Star Trek: Tales From the Captain's Table edited by Keith R. A. DeCandido, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds IX edited by Dean Wesley Smith.