What Am I Reading? 

It's that time again—another late-night scramble for my Sunday Post! To be honest, I had every intention of posting earlier this week, but life threw me a curveball, and here I am, squeezing it in at the last possible moment.

Last week was a whirlwind. I didn’t even get around to starting a new book until Friday night! But I'm thrilled to dive into Robin Cook's Bellevue. This medical drama has a fascinating Gothic vibe that keeps me on my toes. As of page 203, I'm hooked! I expect to wrap it up by Wednesday, which will pave the way for my next read: Mark Greaney's Midnight Black.

What Am I Reading? 

What Am I Reading? 

As I pen this on a Saturday afternoon, I’m diving headfirst into chapter seven of C.J. Box’s gripping Battle Mountain, and I’m determined to finish it by Monday. On my Kindle, I’m engrossed in Ted Bell's Monarch by Ryan Steck, with my sights set on wrapping that up by Tuesday. After that, I’ll be diving into the thrilling worlds of Robin Cook’s Bellevue and Mark Greaney’s Midnight Black.

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. 

What Am I Reading? 

I'm all set to dive into Brad Taylor's Into the Gray Zone, a NetGalley eBook that’s been sitting on my Kindle for the past few weeks. By the way, I think the fuss around Kindle removing the download and transfer option is a bit overblown by some users, especially those who claim they’re switching to Kobo, which, in my opinion, isn't any better than Kindle. Yes, they’re saying, “They’re forcing you to have a Kindle device to read Kindle books,” but we all knew that already. And the concerns about not truly owning Kindle eBooks because Amazon could take them away at any time? That’s also old news. An eBook is still just an electronic format, and while I understand the convenience and space-saving benefits of a Reader, it doesn’t change the fact that nothing can replace a physical book. Honestly, many of the comments I've encountered in articles and on Reddit feel like people are just reacting for the sake of reacting. Take the comment, “If I delete my Amazon account, my Kindle eBooks will be lost forever”—isn’t that just common sense?

Anyway, I plan to start Into the Gray Zone tomorrow morning. I’m aiming to read it quickly so I can move on to other ARCs—some of which are now past their release dates. I’ve tucked a bookmark into Sleep Tight by James Markert, which means I’ll be picking that up soon, too.

What Am I Reading? 

I wasn't planning to post anything today, but here I am, writing this on a Sunday evening while enjoying Lacuna Coil's new album. I'm sounding like a broken record—my reading mojo is still in limbo. Currently, I'm stuck on chapter five of Lee Child's Persuader. If all goes according to plan, I’ll squeeze in some reading tonight and push through this block to finish the book before the season premiere of Reacher on Thursday.

What Am I Reading? 

What Am I Reading? 

Once again, it was a slow week for reading. I should have Forty Times A Killer! read by the time this post goes live. Next, I'll begin Tom Clancy's Defense Protocol by Andrews and Wilson, followed by a NetGalley ARC Into the Gray Zone by Brad Taylor.

What Am I Reading? 

My cold is finally gone, but my reading mojo hasn't returned yet. I had to put aside Forty Time A Killer! and speed-read another book for an upcoming book tour; I have now returned to the Western and hope to finish it in the next day or two before moving on to my long-delayed read of Defense Protocol.

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.