What Am I Reading? 

What Am I Reading? 

Song of the Week

Recently Reviewed

Books

We Kept Her in the Cellar

★★★★✰

The Primal Hunter: Vol. 1

★★★★✰

Movies

Wicked

★★½✰✰

What's in the Mailbox?

What’s going on with Amazon? You can’t seem to keep a simple paperback reprint in stock, yet you had no trouble sending out a "new" paperback release with the same publication date. The other Western I ordered is The First Mountain Man: Preacher's Strike by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone (written by a ghostwriter). The shipping was slow, but at least I received it in the end.

Putnam sent me an ARC of Robin Cook's Bellevue. Wait a second, can I even call this an ARC? The book came out in early December, and I’m only just now getting my copy.

What's New on the Bookshelf?

I stumbled upon a bunch of "new" free books at my local library. I couldn’t resist grabbing Swift Vengeance by T. Jefferson Parker and Killing Reagan by Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard.

I also made another trip to the thrift store and picked up a handful of paperbacks: three Louis L'Amour Westerns—The Broken Gun, Milo Talon, and Tucker—as well as Dana Fuller Ross's Wagon West: The Frontier Trilogy (which includes Westward!, Expedition!, and Outpost!). I found The Cabinet of Curiosities by Preston & Child and Star Wars: The Last Command by Timothy Zahn, too.

The monthly Star Trek eBook sale, which has recently been lacking, surprised me this January with over twenty titles on sale for just $1.99 (up from 99 cents). I added a bunch to my Kindle: Klingon Empire: A Burning House by Keith R. A. DeCandido, S.C.E.: Blackout by Phaedra M. Weldon, S.C.E.: The Cleanup by Robert T. Jeschonek, S.C.E.: Honor by Kevin Killiany, TNG: Slings and Arrows: That Sleep of Death by Terri Osborne, New Frontier: Martyr by Peter David, TOS: The Shocks of Adversity by William Leisner, DS9: Objection: Bajor by John Peel, DS9: Betrayal by Lois Tilton, DS9: Warpath by David Mack, TNG: Fortune's Light by Michael Jan Friedman, Enterprise: The Good That Men Do by Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin, and Mirror Universe: Obsidian Alliances by Keith R. A. DeCandido, Peter David, and Sarah Shaw.

Additionally, I’ve added Outlaw Kingdom by Matt Braun, Black Hills Blood Hunt by William J. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone, and The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier to my Kindle library.

🎉 Happy New Year! 🎉

I hope everyone survived the Christmas chaos. Sorry if I sound like a humbug, but Xmas was stressful for me—the ice maker supply line busted on Christmas night. Besides staining the basement ceiling tile, no other damage was done. The supply line is turned off, and I'll use ice trays in the freezer until a new line gets installed. There are other things I'm overly stressed about, but won't go into details here.

What Am I Reading? 

Once again . . . my reading plans did not go as planned. I placed a bookmark inside Defense Protocol this morning, so that'll be the next read.

Song of the Week

Recently Reviewed

Books

Christmas in Bethel

★★½✰✰

Clive Cussler's Desolation Code

★★★★★

What's in the Mailbox?

I don't recall the day, but last week I received a copy of Dawn to Dusk by Ellis K. Popa. I had reviewed the first book via a book tour but declined to participate in the sequel's tour because of a lack of time, etc. Nevertheless, the author or publisher sent me a copy, probably hoping I would review it.

UPDATE: I did sign up for the Dawn to Dusk book tour. I really should write things down because apparently, I cannot remember things.

Why is Hamilton Books faster at shipping than Amazon during the holiday season? I'm still waiting on an Amazon package from Dec. 13th, but my Hamiltion Books order arrived within a few days. The books are Hell for Breakfast and The Shotgun Wedding by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone, and Rebecca—the audio script adapted from the original film screenplay by Robert E. Sherwood and Joan Harrison (and directed by Alfred Hitchcock) that itself was an adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier's novel.

I received a few bookish things for Christmas: The Party by Natasha Preston, a 2016 Sterling Books Edition of Star Trek: The Classic Episodes, An Unfinished Murder by Jude Deveraux, and a Fire Max 11 tablet with keyboard—it has a Kindle app.

What's New on the Bookshelf?

I was in the city on Friday and stopped by Half Price Books. There was a 20% off sale, and I bought several books, of which a few were already on clearance. The titles are: Luke Jensen, Bounty Hunter: Dead Shot, Bloodshed of Eagles, The Last Gunfighter: Sudden Fury, and Last Gunfighter: Montana Gundown by William J. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone; Golden Buddha, The Chase, Trojan Odyssey, and Corsair by Clive Cussler; Star Trek: Strange New Worlds II and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds IV edited by Dean Wesley Smith with John J. Ordover and Paula M. Block; Star Trek: The Klingon Gambit by Robert E. Vardeman, Star Trek: Chain of Attack by Gene DeWeese, Star Trek: Stargazer: Enigma by Michael Jan Friedman, and Star Trek: The Lost Era: The Sundered by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels, and Babylon 5: In the Beginning by Peter David.

Note to self: Never go to Walmart two days after Christmas. It was a madhouse—in vain to the old Black Friday sales—my anxiety went through the roof. I was surprised the book section was even stocked, let alone have a new release on the shelves. I picked up Clive Cussler's The Heist by Jack Du Brul.

🎄 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 🎄

What Am I Reading? 

I hope this message finds everyone in good spirits amidst the hustle and bustle that the holiday season brings. Personally, I've had a challenging week. I accidentally smashed my big toe, which has made it quite painful to get around, and I also strained my lower back. To add to that, my recent attempts to tackle too many activities at once finally caught up with me, resulting in a week where I was far less productive in my reading and blogging.

What Am I Reading? 

Currently, I find myself engrossed in Becoming the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar, and I’ve managed to make it to page 165. I’m planning to dig into a few more chapters tonight after watching Yellowstone and the KC Chiefs game. After that, I’ll dive into one of the many “to-be-read” books that are piling up on my shelf.

What Am I Reading? 

What can I say? It was a hectic week, and I didn't have time to read until Thanksgiving night. Friday was also a jam-packed day. Then, I crashed and burned for most of Saturday, though I did watch Survivor Series: War Games on Peacock. 

So, what am I reading? It's the same book I mentioned last week, Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar, a fictionalized true-crime yarn. I'm on page 247, and Goodreads says I've read 57%, which is wrong; my eyes tell me I'm 3/4 through the book.

What Am I Reading? 

What Am I Reading? 

I'll begin reading James Patterson's Lies He Told Me tonight. Then, I'll move on to one of the many books in my TBR pile.

* Weekly Tidbits * 

What Am I Reading? 

I know this sounds like a broken record, but I will play catch-up on reading and writing this month. I have a medium-sized chalkboard calendar and will use it to plan future review posts. 

What Am I Reading? 

• The plumbing problems have returned; left a message with the plumber, but it's the weekend, so next week, maybe. The toilets are flushing—for now. Thus, I'll be spending this morning at the laundry mat. 

• The New York Yankees knocked the Kansas City Royals out of the playoffs. Hopefully, they can acquire some power hitters in the offseason. 

• Saturday - The KC Royals won their Wild Card Series; Game One vs. the New York Yankees is late this afternoon. 

• Despite a horrible offense, the KC Chiefs have won their first four games. Let's hope their luck continues Monday night. 

• It must be allergy season because I've been ill for the past few days. I have new meds, so I hope they'll work. 

• Despite losing nine of their last thirteen games, the Kansas City Royals snagged a Wild Card spot and will play a best of three games series against the Baltimore Orioles. The first game is Tuesday afternoon.

• I plan on watching the "clown show"—the vice presidential debate—on Tuesday night.

What Am I Reading? 

• This past week was hectic—my reading and blogging time was replaced with other things. I believe this coming week will be about the same, so going to have to put myself on a new schedule and stick to it. 

• I had to buy a new fan in September. Will the autumn weather hurry up and get here? I'm sick of this heat. 

• What the heck is wrong with the Kansas City Royals? They've lost seven games in a row, and their "Wild Card" spot is now in jeopardy if they don't win their final two series of the season. I know there are a few injuries, but good grief, at least try to get in a few runs per game. 

What Am I Reading? 

What Am I Reading? 

I have several books to read this week. I have a few pages left in "Star Trek: Picard: No Man's Land"; I'll probably write and post the review on September 23rd. I'm on chapter seven of "Confronting the Presidents" by Bill O'Reilly. I'm also reading "The Hitchcock Hotel" by Stephanie Wrobel on my Kindle. Later this week, I'll start reading "Anti-Hero Blues" by Christopher Lee Rippee; I have a book tour review scheduled for September 26th. I'll also be reading the graphic novel "Beyond Real" for another book tour, and the review will also get posted on September 26th.

What Am I Reading? 

What am I reading? That's a great question. I placed a bookmark inside Tom Clancy's Shadow State, so that'll probably be the next read.

What Am I Reading? 

• There was a split second where I thought the autumn weather was arriving early, but Mother Nature played a trick and ramped up the humidity, causing my allergies to go to wonkers. I spent the week sick and got more blogging written in one week than I've done all year.

• I got my Real ID. Surprisingly, there wasn't a long line at the driver's license bureau—that's what it's called in my neck of the woods; no DMV—and I wasn't there for ten minutes.

• The KC Chiefs lost their second—out of three—preseason game last night. Hopefully, this isn't a premonition of things to come.  

What Am I Reading? 

What Am I Reading? 

I did a tad of reading this past week; I finished Anne Hillerman's Lost Birds and read 3/4 of Tom Clancy's Act of Defiance by Andrews & Wilson. I should finish the latter later tonight. Then I'll move on to a library loan, Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay; it's a shorter book, so I hope to have it knocked out of the park by Wednesday. I have a few ARCs coming, so I'll either move on to one of those—if I receive them soon—or start another library loan, Josh Malerman's Incidents Around the House.