Category: Virtual Nightstand

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 5-22-22

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

As I’m typing this on Saturday, we’re all still in the process of calming down. Freddie scared us more than a bit this morning, so we took him to the vet to see why he was listless and he’d lost his appetite. He didn’t even fuss about being put in the carrier, when normally he makes us chase him around for half an hour. He had his first “senior cat” blood work up along with a bunch of tests and even x-rays. He’s lost a pound that he could afford to lose, but he was dehydrated and his tummy was empty so he got sub-q fluids. By the time we got him home he wasn’t exactly bouncy but he did nibble several times and gave us a blep for the scare he put us through.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Life’s a Beach Giveaway Hop (ENDS TUESDAY!!!)
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the May Flowers Giveaway Hop (Ends Friday!)
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Moms Rock Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

Moms Rock Giveaway Hop
A- Review: Last Exit by Max Gladstone
A- Review: Captain of the Guard by Anna Hackett
B Review: The Roguish Baron by Sophie Barnes
A Review: Beach House Summer by Sarah Morgan
Stacking the Shelves (497)

Coming This Week:

Flirting with Fifty by Jane Porter (review)
The Honeymoon Cottage by Lori Foster (blog tour review)
Never Coming Home by Hannah Mary McKinnon (blog tour review)
The Mad Girls of New York by Maya Rodale (review)
Black Tide by K.C. Jones (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 5-15-22

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

Here’s that picture I promised yesterday. I present to you…George, Destroyer of Worlds! (Or at least, destroyer of boxes, packing paper, and OMG shoes!

After George had his fun we cleaned up after him. He has such a good time with the boxes and the packing materials that we can’t resist letting him play for a bit. We’re also grateful that the pair of slippers in the picture hasn’t been subject to his depredations – at least not yet. As they have neither straps nor shoelaces they are probably safe, but we don’t dare leave him with any shoes unsupervised.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Life’s a Beach Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the May Flowers Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

A+ Review: When Blood Lies by C.S. Harris
Life’s A Beach Giveaway Hop
B Review: The Impossible Us by Sarah Lotz
A- Review: Heroic Hearts edited by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes
May Flowers Giveaway Hop
Stacking the Shelves (496)

Coming This Week:

Moms Rock Giveaway Hop
Last Exit by Max Gladstone (audio review)
Captain of the Guard by Anna Hackett (review)
The Roguish Baron by Sophie Barnes (review)
Beach House Summer by Sarah Morgan (blog tour review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 5-8-22

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

First of all, Happy Mother’s Day! (No the cats didn’t get me anything for Mother’s Day – not unless you count George destroying the empty book boxes and packing paper last night. He clearly had a great time. The humans, cleaning up after him the next morning, not so much.

And since no Sunday Post is complete without a picture of at least one of my fur children – and because George is as photogenic as he is destructive – here’s George, looking out the back window, watching over what I’m sure he believes is HIS little patch of forest.

This week was a great week for books. They were all excellent which is always wonderful. I have to confess that as much as I was on the edge of my seat reading Woman on Fire, I had an absolutely terrible time writing it up. There’s so much there, and it was so fascinating, but I struggled to get it into words. So a great book, but not one of my best reviews. Books were good, but long week was long.

Blog Recap:

A- Review: Kiss Hard by Nalini Singh
B+ Review: When She Dreams by Amanda Quick
A- Review: The Dachshund Wears Prada by Stefanie London
A- Review: By the Book by Jasmine Guillory
A Review: Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr
Stacking the Shelves (495)

Coming This Week:

When Blood Lies by C.S. Harris (review)
Life’s A Beach Giveaway Hop
The Impossible Us by Sarah Lotz (review)
Dark Stars edited by John F.D. Taff (review)
May Flowers Giveaway Hop

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 5-1-22

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

As far as reviews go, this week started with a bang and ended pretty close to a bang, but in the middle there were a couple of days of whimpering. A couple of books that I expected to be much better than they actually turned out to be. C’est la reading vie. At least this week’s reviews are already off to an excellent. start. I finished Kiss Hard and it was as good a read as I was expecting. The one I’m really curious about, however, is The Dachshund Wears Prada. If the book even half lives up to that title it’s bound to be a winner.

Speaking of winners, here’s a picture of our two tabby boys, not exactly snuggling. I think they’re both looking for the brain cell, just in opposite directions.

Blog Recap:

A+ Review: The Jade Setter of Janloon by Fonda Lee
C+ Review: Love, Hate and Clickbait by Liz Bowery
C+ Review: Boss Witch by Ann Aguirre
A+ Review: The Wrong Victim by Allison Brennan
B+ Review: Mirror Lake by Juneau Black
Stacking the Shelves (494)

Coming This Week:

Kiss Hard by Nalini Singh (review)
When She Dreams by Amanda Quick (blog tour review)
The Dachshund Wears Prada by Stefanie London (blog tour review)
By the Book by Jasmine Guillory (review)
Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 4-24-22

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

WHEW! I made all my deadlines both here and at Library Journal but it was certainly a bit of a mad dash to get all the books read and written up this week! The novellas I reviewed here turned out to be a VERY interesting bunch! Spear was utterly wonderful – especially in the audio – and Detroit Kiss was just plain fun. An excellent week all in all.

But speaking of fun – here’s George basically Georging. He normally has such a serious expression on his little face, but once in a while, he’s just a total clown. And this was definitely one of those whiles!

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the first April Showers Giveaway Hop is Sharon B.
The winner of the second April Showers Giveaway Hop is Angela H.

Blog Recap:

A- Review: Detroit Kiss by Rhys Ford
B+ Review: And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin
A- Review: Acadie by Dave Hutchinson
A- Review: The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark
A Review: Spear by Nicola Griffith
Stacking the Shelves (493)

Coming This Week:

The Jade Setter of Janloon by Fonda Lee (review)
Love, Hate and Clickbait by Liz Bowery (blog tour review)
Boss Witch by Ann Aguirre (review)
The Wrong Victim by Allison Brennan (blog tour review)
Last Exit by Max Gladstone (audiobook review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 4-17-22

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

Happy (almost) everything. It’s Easter Sunday, Passover started Friday night and tomorrow is Tax Day. Two good things out of three ain’t bad. Or maybe that should be 50/50, as this marks the official end of my annual Blogo-Birthday Celebration, as the giveaways have closed and the winners have been chosen. (Except for the two April Showers blog hops. Those end when the organizers say they end.)

This week has turned out to be novella week. Due to a lack of planning on my part, or an overindulgence in the demon procrastination, I have five additional books to read and review this week for Library Journal. Poor planning on my part definitely equals an emergency on my part as well. Life isn’t just what happens when you’re making other plans, sometimes life is what happens because you forgot to plan at all. (I’d say something about “live and learn” but I’m a procrastinator from way back and have never learned no matter how often I’ve gotten myself into this fix!)

But I can’t close out this Sunday Post without a cat picture. Galen managed to snap a picture of Hecate while she was rolling on the floor doing the feline equivalent of the “hoochie-coochie”, showing off all the pretty colors on her underside. How she’s managing to look cute and disgruntled at the same time I’ll never know!

Current Giveaways:

April Showers Giveaway Hop #1 (ENDS TUESDAY!!!)
April Showers Giveaway Hop #2 (ENDS FRIDAY)

Winner Announcements:

The winner of The Detective or The Medic by Anna Hackett is Lysette
The winner of ANY book by T. Kingfisher is Teresa
The winner of $25 in Books in my Blogo-Birthday Celebration is Elizabeth
The winner of the Honey Bunny Giveaway Hop is Sherry
The winner of a $25 Amazon Gift Card in my Blogo-Birthday Celebration is Susan

Blog Recap:

B Review: Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham
B Review: Summer at the Cape by RaeAnne Thayne
B Review: Sand Dollar Lane by Sheila Roberts
B Review: The Sacred Bridge by Anne Hillerman
B+ Review: Two Storm Wood by Philip Gray
Stacking the Shelves (492)

Coming This Week:

Detroit Kiss by Rhys Ford (review)
And Then I Up by Malcolm Devlin (review)
Acadie by Dave Hutchinson (review)
The Black God’s Drums by P. Djeli Clark (review)
Spear by Nicola Griffith (audiobook review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 4-10-22

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

First and foremost, I want to thank each and every one of you who participated in my Blogo-Birthday Giveaway Celebration this week. I wish I had prizes for all of you. Your readership, comments and support mean the world to me.

But it is done for another year, except for the giveaways which will be awarded at the end of this week. As always, it’s been a blast for me and I hope for you, too.

And now, for our regularly scheduled cat picture. Here’s George, looking down from above – as he often does – auditioning for the part of “Ceiling Cat” in a LOLCAT movie. George may not exactly be a “divine kitteh” but he certainly does look down and judge all of OUR actions.

Current Giveaways:

$25 Amazon Gift Card in my Blogo-Birthday Celebration Giveaway
$25 in Books in my Blogo-Birthday Celebration Giveaway
The Detective OR The Medic by Anna Hackett
Any Book by T. Kingfisher
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Honey Bunny Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the (first) April Showers Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the (second) April Showers Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

Blogo-Birthday Celebration and Giveaway!
April Showers Giveaway Hop (#1)
A Review: The Medic by Anna Hackett + Giveaway
A+ Review: Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher + Giveaway
April Showers Giveaway Hop (#2)
Stacking the Shelves (491)

Coming This Week:

Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham (audio review)
Summer at the Cape by RaeAnne Thayne (blog tour review)
Sand Dollar Lane by Sheila Roberts (blog tour review)
Two Storm Wood by Philip Gray (review)
The Sacred Bridge by Anne Hillerman (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 4-3-22

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

This week marks the OMG 11th Anniversary of the start of Reading Reality. My birthday is also this week. Hence the term “Blogo-Birthday” as both the blog and I have a celebration this week. YAY!

As is usual here at Reading Reality, this is a Hobbit birthday, meaning that I give presents. There will be a giveaway every day this week. Normally I review books by some of my favorite authors and give away their books, but this year is a bit different. I have two reviews with giveaways, two bloghops with giveaways (they have the same name which is weird), and my usual big giveaway post to start the week.

I also have jury duty this week, which makes scheduling a bit dicey as I won’t know until each night before whether or not I’ll be spending the day at the County Courthouse. Which is not exactly where I planned to spend my birthday on Tuesday but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

But speaking of cookies crumbling, or at least paper rattling, here’s Hecate as the picture of innocence, in the middle of her field of destruction, saying “I didn’t do it.”

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Honey Bunny Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Chasing Rainbows Giveaway Hop is Marisela

Blog Recap:

A- Review: Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May
A- Review: Sweet Home Cowboy by Maisey Yates, Nicole Helm, Jackie Ashenden, Caitlin Crews
A- Review: Under Lock and Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian
B+ Review: Tough Justice by Tee O’Fallon
Honey Bunny Giveaway Hop
Stacking the Shelves (490)

Coming This Week:

Blogo-Birthday Celebration and Giveaway!!!!!
April Showers Giveaway Hop (the first hop with the same name as the second hop)
The Medic by Anna Hackett (review + giveaway)
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher (review + giveaway)
April Showers Giveaway Hop (the second hop with the same name as the first hop)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 3-27-22

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

Suspicious George is still VERY suspicious. It’s not that we haven’t been forgiven, it’s more like he’s just petrified that we’re going to leave him again. Which is true in the long term, as now that it seems safe-ish to travel, we’ll probably do it a bit more. But we’ll always come back, which he hasn’t had a chance to learn yet. We miss them all terribly while we’re away!

But in the short term, there is plenty coming up on Reading Reality. This Friday is April 1, which means that next week is my annual Blogo-Birthday Celebration. As usual, there will be giveaways EVERY DAY, so stay tuned.

In the into each life a little rain must fall category, I’m also on call for jury duty that week. I might get called, I might not, and I won’t know until the night before. I’d prefer not to be spending my birthday at the County Courthouse, but c’est la vie!

Current Giveaways:

$!0 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Chasing Rainbows Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Let’s Get Lucky Giveaway Hop is Wendy

Blog Recap:

A- Review: Comeuppance Served Cold by Marion Deeds
A Review: Gouda Friends by Cathy Yardley
B Review: Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell by Taj McCoy
A- Review: Ogres by Adrian Tchaikovsky
B Review: The Lying Club by Annie Ward
Stacking the Shelves (489)

Coming This Week:

Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May (review)
Sweet Home Cowboy by Maisey Yates, Nicole, Helm, Jackie Ashenden, Caitlin Crews (blog tour review)
Under Lock and Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian (review)
Tough Justice by Tee O’Fallon (blog tour review)
Honey Bunny Giveaway Hop

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 3-20-22

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

We did get home from the cruise last Saturday night around midnight. We spent 12 hours in the Fort Lauderdale airport on Saturday, so by the time we got home my brain was completely fried, our house was freezing as there had been a cold snap that day, and the cats were clinging to us like little kitty glue pots. Very suspicious glue pots, but extremely clingy. Here’s a picture of George’s VERY serious and suspicious face, which is pretty much the way he looked at us ALL WEEK!

The cruise was wonderful. Not just because the weather was gorgeous the entire time, but because it was just such a good time. The author guests I was following from panel to reading to discussion – hopefully not in a stalkerish way at all – were John Scalzi, Ryka Aoki and Ursula Vernon AKA T. Kingfisher. So of course I read at least one book by each of them on the trip! Along with several other books, because relaxing. And then the all-day airport extravaganza.

But a good time was absolutely had by all! We’ll probably do it again sometime, although not next year. We’ll probably be saving our pennies for the 2024 WorldCon which has an excellent chance of being in Glasgow, Scotland as they are the only bid at this point in the process. This year is Chicago, and we’re planning to go. Next year is in Chengdu, China so we’ll probably to go the NASFiC whether that turns out to be Orlando or Winnipeg – although talk about a contrast!

I have to say that it feels good to be talking about traveling again. We are both fully vaccinated and boosted, and everyone on the cruise wore masks unless we were outdoors, eating or in our cabins. So it felt very safe and made us both feel better about traveling again. I don’t think either of us realized quite how much we needed the break!

Speaking of plans, if you haven’t already entered the Let’s Get Lucky Giveaway Hop today is your absolute last chance! The hop ends tonight at midnight!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Let’s Get Lucky Giveaway Hop (ENDS TONIGHT!!!!!!!!)
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Chasing Rainbows Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Lady Luck Giveaway Hop is Janie

Blog Recap:

B Review: Engines of Empire by R.S. Ford
B+ Review: The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery
Chasing Rainbows Giveaway Hop
A- Review: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
B Review: Cold Clay by Juneau Black
Stacking the Shelves (488)

Coming This Week:

Comeuppance Served Cold by Marion Deeds (review)
Gouda Friends by Cathy Yardley (blog tour review)
Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell by Taj McCoy (blog tour review)
The Lying Club by Annie Ward (blog tour review)
Ogres by Adrian Tchaikovsky (review)