#IMWAYR

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.
Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels or anything in those genres – join them.

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I had a great week, the weather was mostly miserable but such is weather. I went to book club – on the wrong night so I had two nights going out, the second one being the correct night. Some of my sisters visited my niece to see her house and garden – 35 min travel, and we were there. She had oodles of bookcases!!

What I read last week:

The Happy Ever After Playlist was so good on audiobook, so I need to listen to more by this author. Fault Lines was my slow and steady read and gave a great picture of Tokyo and a family – particularly the wife. A Hard Day for a Hangover – so good, so sorry to see the trilogy come to an end. I hope Darynda Jones writes more contemporary novels.

What I am reading now:

I am reading:

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My slow and steady book is…Take My Hand

I am listening to…

Accidentally on Purpose

Up next:

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Last Week’s Posts

Non Bookish Things.

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.
Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels or anything in those genres – join them.

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Hope you all had a great week. My joy of the week was when my great niece ( Miss 7)  sent me a voice message to tell me she was so delighted with herself because she had just read her first book all by herself. She had enjoyed a big book of Billie B. Brown ( by an Australian author).  It was so good to hear the excitement in her voice. Makes me want to run out and buy her some more in the series!  I don’t remember being able to read the first book by myself, do you? I imagine though its like that first wobble off riding a two wheeler by yourself and I do remember that.

I had a good time in the city yesterday, met up with a friend and we went by bus around the harbour, had lunch by the beach and then came back across the harbour by ferry and then back by bus the last little bit. The weather was perfect and though Autumn is setting in there were lots of people out enjoying it all.

What I read last week:

What I am reading now:

I borrowed this one from the library and as soon as I got it of course it had to go right up front on my reading.

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I am listening to…book cover

And my slow and steady is still Fault Lines by Emily Itami.

Up next:

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Last Week’s Post

Books with Animals in them

Strawberry Lane.   Jodi Thomas

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Top Ten Tuesday

Favourite Book Heroines

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Linking Up with That Artsy Reader Girl

I love a good heroine – who doesn’t?

Claire from Outlander. I’ve read the books only not the TV series. I like Claire because she is a time traveller who adapts really well. Plus she has some really amazing adventures.

Sam from the First Family series. Sam is a detective who really goes the whole way to solving murders, she is as well now the First Lady and she is an amazing mother to her adopted children.

Elizabeth Zott from Lessons in Chemistry. Elizabeth really fights for what she believes in.

Sunshine Vicram from Sunshine Vicram series. Sunshine is a local sheriff in New Mexico. She takes on the job even though she didn’t apply for it. Plus she puts her best foot forward in it and she is a great mother to her teenage daughter.

Sophy from the Grand Sophy.  Geogette Heyer.  Sophy is just larger that life and I just plain love her and her kindness and not taking no for an answer.

Kate Coppola.  Kate was the first heroine I met in Karen Rose’s suspense series. All her heroines are great but I’ll always have special love for Kate – Special Agent Kate Coppola is the heroine of Karen Rose’s  book Every Dark Corner. Kate is on a mission to stop the man who is trafficking drugs and acquiring teens for the internet sex trade. Tough as nails, yet compassionate, Kate is an origami and knitting queen, with a songs playlist you wouldn’t expect. She also has a very good reason to always carry a certain genre of book on her. (No, not telling, can’t spoil the surprise.). Meet a badass with a yarn bag and a work partner named Agent Luther Troy.

Daunis Fontaine   –  The Firekeeper’s Daughter As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in—both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When her family is struck by tragedy, Daunis puts her dreams on hold to care for her fragile mother.  She is very brave and stands against the crowd. Won my heart.

Kat Holloway. From the Kat Holloway Mystery Series.  Kat is a cook in a London household. She is a very good one too, and as well when it comes to sorting out murders she is a dab hand. Very practical and.. a great mother to her young daughter.

Sasha Duncan  from Slave to Sensation.  Sasha is a psy in the pay changeling world and she has been deeply affected by Silence. But it falls and then she falls for the leader of the local changeling leopard pack. They make a wonderful pair right through out the series and I love how she operates with Lucas Hunter.

Helen Demetriou.  A Home Like Ours. Helen has been homeless but she is determined to make something more of her life. She stands up for others and she stands up for herself and what she believes in a very ordinary situation against the local council.

Book Connections

Breezy Books

An informal challenge I am doing this year through Emilie Richards Readers Facebook page calls for some sort of weather in the title of the book. So I decided to look at books I have read with some sort of weather in the title or ones I’d like to read.  I didn’t manage to get a lot of weather variety but let’s see. Of course the weather word might not actually be referencing weather but that’s quite okay by me!

A Breath of Snow and Ashes

This is sixth in the Outlander series and of course I have read it. Sitting on my shelves.

It is set in 1772 and the American Revolution is just beginning and of course Jamie is involved. But… through Claire of course, he knows how it will eventually all end.

Mind you I just read #9 in the series and they are still stuck in Revolution times!

Storm Echo This is the latest in the Psy Changeling series by Nalini Singh. Of course I want to read it. I’ll be pre ordering it. This is the USA cover, I’ll most likely get our cover.  Will be too late for the challenge but I thought it had a great weather title to fit in here!

book cover Of course sunshine is what we like in our weather.  A Bad Day for Sunshine is one I’ve read and loved.

Different but so entertaining. I thought ‘really weird’ as I began but soon I was really cheering for all the wacky characters. Plenty of family drama and little surprises.  I’ve read the next one as well, and let me tell you watching out for the next one.

Becoming Rain This is second in a series by K. A. Tucker and I’ve read the first one awhile back now. I want to listen to this one via audiobook.

It’s romantic suspense/crime and has good reviews from Goodreads readers I follow. Just need to get onto it. Could be for April but might not get to it.

The Secret of Snow And the one I am going to read for April and the Emilie Richards Readers Challenge is The Secret of Snow Viola Shipman. I bought it last year but it just didn’t get its turn. So now is the time.

Again it has great reviews, and as I am going into winter, the winter weather flavour is fine. Looking forward to it.

What’s a book with weather in the title that you’ve read and enjoyed?

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Book Connections

Loved Characters of 2021

Often what leads me to love a book are the memorable characters. The ones my heart warms up to when I look back at the cover of the book and think… ” I really loved that character”. I am sure there are more than five but these five are enough to make me put the books on my keeper shelf.

In no particular order!

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Sunshine Victram. She is a mother, with such a great relationship with her teen daughter. And she is a sheriff of the local town. She is very tough with a huge soft centre. She  does not hold back from a challenge and in spite of some bad things in the past she is a wonderful human being. I liked her so much I’ve read the second book with her in it as well this year.

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Helen Demetriou.

Helen is in her mid fifties. She has seen life and experienced homelessness. But she has not stopped there. She runs a community garden and reaches out in the community to those who need it. She is tough, spiky and is a no nonsense communicator. She stands for justice against injustice.

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Letty.  A young woman who when she discovers her sister dead, flees with her young niece looking for safety. She is feisty and caring and doesn’t give up. She finds her way into a small community of people who care for her and are willing to stand by her as danger circles.

book coverDaunis  A young woman – a teen who lives in two worlds. Her father was Ojibwe and her mother white. Her father is dead and she lives with her mother. However she has strong links to her Objiwe relatives. I loved her beautiful caring of the elderly. Her sense of community is strong, she is brave and daring. Faced with a challenge she heads into it.

book coverMegs.  A bright young woman who revels in Mathematics, Science and facts. She has a younger brother who is very ill. I loved how Megs went out of her way to bring about her beloved brothers dream. The way she read The Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis to him, and then even tracked this man down, all for her brother.  She was so warm hearted and loving.

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Month in Review

September Reading Wrap

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Total books read this month:12

New to me authors:

Ali McNamara
Lucy Parker
Carol J. Perry

Top Book for September

Second one in the series. I am hooked.

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Book that Most Surprised me.

I have had this book sitting on my shelf for awhile now, and kept putting it off because well when a husband and wife are really happy and then she gets terminally ill. Not really calling to me. Yet once I was reading it I was sucked in, in spite of its more serious subject. Still so well written and the characters were great.

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Book that I least liked.

It was a second chance romance, but well, it just didn’t hit the mark with me.

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Looking forward to reading in October

Review of Reading Goal for September

My main goal was to read up my Netgalley review books and catch up on them. I didn’t have that many but I had fallen behind.  I caught up and so now I can relax a bit about them. Only 4 I think in the queue.

Libby App at the library. Our library has now switched to this app and it is a lot friendlier. I tried it out and listened to Faro’s Daughter by Georgette Heyer. Not her best book but still good enough.

I cut back my Audible Credits to one a month and I will see how that goes. I still have 8 in hand and some books not listened to.

Main Reading Goal for October

Read some of the more recently acquired books sitting on my print TBR shelf. So a sort of 2:1 ratio. Two print books from my TBR or the library and then one Kindle, be that mine or Netgalley.

Linking up with Nicole from FeedYourFiction Addiction.

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Book Connections

Five Characters I Love

Five book characters I’d love to actually meet up with!

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from The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg.

Arthur an elderly man and a great appreciator. He loved his wife Nola and goes to visit her grave each day and remembers the wonderful loving life they had together.  He is open to eighteen year old Maddy, who wears a ring in her nose, lost her mother at a very early age and has a father who is rather poor at being a father. But he looks with eyes of acceptance at Maddy and is willing to step up for her. He is caring for his elderly neighbour Lucille, especially in her time of great need. Arthur has a lot to teach me about life.

book coverSunshine. – from A Bad Day for Sunshine and a Good Day for Chardonnay. I’ve had two book dates with Sunshine in 2020, I can’t wait to make one in 2021. Sunshine is the sheriff of a small town, she has a delightful daughter and two supportive parents. A great love in her life although that’s complicated but developing. Sunshine is the best of mothers, a fair boss with an eye for great additions to the police force in town. She really goes the extra mile, she really cares. And she solves crimes!

book coverSophy from the Grand Sophy. Most likely Sophy is like many of Heyer’s heroines, but she sure is something. Things happen when she is around. She goes places women don’t, she drives and rides horses as well as any man. She is outspoken and speaks up and out. Vibrant and irrepressible. She is very caring and will risk herself for others when they need it. She can spot someone who is insincere. She mightn’t look perfect to the hoity toy, but I just thought she was a total delight.

book coverLt Sam Holland from Marie Forces series First Family a spin off from Fatal Affairs. Sam is a detective in charge of a homicide team. She is good at what she does, she follows up, goes the extra mile to solve the case. And… she supports her husband who has just landed the biggest job in the land. She is a great Mom to her found family, and very supportive of her friends.

book coverHelen from a Home Like Ours. She is in her mid fifties and is now in charge of a community garden. At one point she was homeless in spite of being well educated. She is spiky, tough talking and a no nonsense kind of person. Most of all I really like her for the way she invites a group of refugee women to take part in the garden and learn how to feed their families. Most of all I really was impressed by how she stood up for what was right and was ready to fight injustice.

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.
Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels or anything in those genres – join them.

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Hope your week went well, as we remembered the events of 9/11.

My part of the country now has had its restrictions lifted for the pandemic, not Auckland though. However we now wear masks going into any place outside our homes. I visited someone in  hospital and it was quite an experience. But good they are taking such precautions.

I listened to #298 of the Modern Mrs Darcy podcast. It’s not often I’ve read some of the books discussed and decided I wanted to read one or two others mentioned.

What I read last week:

A good reading week completed with A Good Day for Chardonnay. Oh my, loved the book, I want the next one sooner than it can be published.

What I am reading now:

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And I’ve started listening to…

Up next:

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Last Week’s Posts

Write My Name Across the Sky.   Barbara O’Neal

Five Additions to my Bookshelf

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Month in Review

August Reading Wrap Up.

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Total books read this month: 13

New to me authors:

Steven Rowley
Lea Wait
Ali Mc Namara

Top Book for August

Very hard to decide! I think I’ll just note that I really liked The Guncle and will be reading more by Steven Rowley. Told with great compassion and love.

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I Was Reminded…

I really enjoy a good historical romance. They are such fun. The Lisa Kleypas book was delightful, and The Grand Sophy on audiobook was so entertaining. Light and fluffy sure, but made me laugh and that’s always a good thing.

Looking forward to reading in September from my bookshelf

I do have a load I’d like to read but as you’ll see for my goal for September other books come first.

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Review of Reading Goals for August

My goal was just to read what I really wanted. So I only read books that I knew I didn’t have to review and I sunk into books I felt like reading as I chose the next book.

Main Reading Goals for September

Well now, I need to gain ground a little and read the review books I ignored in August and then the ones I had on my calendar for September as well.

Our library has now decided to change to the Libby app, so I want to explore that for library audio books to see if improved over last one. Plus I usually get two credits per month at Audible, I have 8 in hand and may just need to cut back to 1 credit a month. I have a heap in my library to listen to as well.

Linking up with Nicole from FeedYourFiction Addiction.

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Book Connections

Five Five Star Reads.

We are at the end of June, the first six months of the year completed. I decided to look back at the books that just struck a chord with me. I will have had more than five five star books, but out of those what just made my heart so happy.  I am a contemporary fiction reader mainly, so those kind of books are more likely to make this list.

Next week I’ll choose five 4 star reads from my list of the 67 books I have completed so far. That will be way more difficult as I have a lot of them!  Audiobooks will be another week, although they are included in the 67!

book coverI read this back in February. It is by Australian author Fiona Lowe. I thought the issues she explored, and the eclectic cast of characters and the challenges they faced were very relevant. One I will most certainly reread. When I can still remember a book I read back in February its a good sign!!

book coverDifferent but so entertaining. I thought ‘really weird’ as I began but soon I was really cheering for all the wacky characters. Plenty of family drama and little surprises. Sunshine and her daughter Auri are just beautiful. Quincy and Levi giving them a shout out too. The whole town actually and the mystery of the missing deputy – priceless. Really looking forward to reading the next one which publishes soon.

book coverWell this is a new tack in a series I’ve loved and I love the new adventures. It’s full of great characters, political shenanigans, (notice the cover – The White House) police procedural and family love. Look I’ll say it simply – I am addicted. I wanted to avoid putting in my top five because I am so addicted, but … it has to go in!

book coverAnd my top historical read of the last six months. It is a beautifully written story of wartime London and the people who faced such hard times during all the bombing that went on. And a bookshop – don’t forget a bookshop!

bookcoverI tossed up between this book The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews and The House Guests by Emilie Richards. But because I have just reviewed the latter five star read I choose The Newcomer. I like most books when someone is on the run with a child in tow. ( I was going to write toe but didn’t seem right until I got the visual). Anyway there is mystery and suspense, eclectic characters and just a good read.

Okay, would love to hear from you of one five star read from the first six months! I might add to my groaning TBR pile!

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