Category: Virtual Nightstand

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 11-8-20

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

Sunday Post

This is certainly a weekend of highs and lows. A light has been lit in what has felt like the long dark night of the American soul, as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were finally confirmed (Yes, I know the media doesn’t confirm the results of any election but it still feels that way) as the President-Elect and Vice-President-Elect of the United States. We have four years to make normal, well, normal again before the next election – which has the potential to be just as acrimonious and contentious as 2016 and 2020. But we have hope.

(I break with one of my long-standing traditions in celebration of that hope. Normally, the book cover to the left of the recap is of the highest rated book that week. But today, the only cover that’s appropriate is the one for Hope Rides Again. Because it does.)

But a light has also gone out. A light that has lit our television screens for the past 36 years has died. Alex Trebek, the host of Jeopardy, the quizmaster to end all quizmasters, lost his fight with pancreatic cancer earlier this day. He’ll be missed.

The picture below is from last night. No one in this house got much of anything done except glee-scrolling. as Freddie settled in on the couch for a much-needed nap, while I tried to settle down to read something, anything for Monday’s review.

Blog Recap:

B Review: Hope Rides Again by Andrew Shaffer
B Review: Sherlock Holmes and the Ripper of Whitechapel by M.K. Wiseman
B Review: Museum of Forgotten Memories by Anstey Harris
A- Review: The Patriots by Winston Groom
A Review: Murder by Other Means by John Scalzi
Stacking the Shelves (417)

Coming This Week:

The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan (review)
Super Stocking Stuffer Giveaway Hop
The Forgotten Sister by Nicola Cornick (blog tour review)
The Fate of a Flapper by Susanne Calkins (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 11-1-20

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

Sunday Post

March is supposed to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb. 2020, being the thoroughgoing bastard of a year that it is, just comes in and takes all the lions. RIP Sir Sean Connery.

Speaking of 2020, if you are a U.S. citizen and have not already voted, make a plan to vote on Tuesday. Your vote matters. If it didn’t, they wouldn’t be trying so hard to take it away from you.

Because of, well, everything, concentration is even more difficult than usual this week. Hence tomorrow’s book.

Winner Announcements:

The winner of The Light at Wyndcliff is Anne
The winner of the Thanks a Latte Giveaway Hop is Sara

Blog Recap:

A Review: The Secret Women by Sheila Williams
A++ Review: The Memory of Souls by Jenn Lyons
B+ Review: Masquerade in Lodi by Lois McMaster Bujold
B Review: The Art of Deception by Leonard Goldberg
A+ Review: Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
Stacking the Shelves (416)

Coming This Week:

Hope Rides Again by Andrew Shaffer (review)
Sherlock Holmes and the Ripper of Whitechapel by M.K. Wiseman (blog tour review)
Museum of Forgotten Memories by Anstey Harris (review)
The Patriots by Winston Groom (blog tour review)
Murder by Other Means by John Scalzi (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 10-25-20

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

Sunday Post

The picture below is titled Ethereal Freddie for the way the light is shining in his face. It could also be “Mischievous Freddie” as this is one of his little tricks to get attention. Both because he’s up on the headboard over Galen’s head, and because he’s about to play with the lampshade. Freddie is not the most graceful cat, and this particular position pretty much guarantees that he’ll either fall on Galen’s face, pointy-side out, or that he’ll knock the lamp off the table onto the floor, causing an unholy clatter and if he’s really lucky, a broken light bulb. If he’s especially clumsy, both. It’s guaranteed to cause human panic and garner him some negative attention, so he wins no matter what happens.

But he’s adorable all the same. We love him. We love him even when he’s driving us bananas.

And we have books. We always have books! I’ve been listening to The Memory of Souls for WEEKS, and I finally finished it. It’s every bit as awesome as the previous books in the series, and I wanted to finish it faster, but I’m not doing nearly as much driving as I used to. And while I do have the ebook, this series works so much better in audio. This story has footnotes, which flow much better when read as asides by the narrator, and both of the narrators are marvelous.

Current Giveaways:

The Light at Wyndcliff by Sarah E. Ladd
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Thanks a Latte Giveaway Hop
$10 Amazon Gift Card from Sophie Barnes and A Duke for Miss Townsbridge

Winner Announcements:

The winner of Millicent Glenn’s Last Wish is Laura D.
The winner of Return to Virgin River is Danielle H.
The winner of the Meowloween Giveaway Hop is Ashley T.

Blog Recap:

A Review: Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
B+ Review: A Duke for Miss Townsbridge by Sophie Barnes + Giveaway
B+ Review: The Troubleshooter by Anna Hackett
A- Review: The Light at Wyndcliff by Sarah E. Ladd + Giveaway
A- Review: Stories from Suffragette City edited by M.J. Rose and Fiona Davis
Stacking the Shelves (415)

Coming This Week:

The Secret Women by Sheila Williams (review)
The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton (review)
Masquerade in Lodi by Lois McMaster Bujold (review)
The Memory of Souls by Jenn Lyons (review)
Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 10-18-20

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

Sunday Post

Election Day in the U.S. is just 15 days away. Have you voted yet? If not, do you have a plan for voting? You may think that your vote doesn’t count, but it does. If it didn’t, they wouldn’t be trying so hard to discourage you from voting. Think about it. Please!

Current Giveaways:

Millicent Glenn’s Last Wish by Tori Whitaker
Return to Virgin River by Robyn Carr
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Meowloween Giveaway Hop (ends TUESDAY!!!)
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Thanks a Latte Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the $10 Gift Card from the authors of Bad, Dad and Dangerous is Erica F.
The winner of the Color Me Lucky Giveaway Hop is Shannon P.

Blog Recap:

A- Review: Millicent Glenn’s Last Wish by Tori Whitaker + Giveaway
A- Review: Return to Virgin River by Robyn Carr + Giveaway
A+ Review: The Emperor’s Wolves by Michelle Sagara
A- Review: The Four Profound Weaves by R.B. Lemberg
Thanks a Latte Giveaway Hop
Stacking the Shelves (414)

Coming This Week:

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse (review)
A Duke for Miss Townsbridge by Sophie Barnes (blog tour review)
The Troubleshooter by Anna Hackett (review)
The Light at Wyndcliff by Sarah E. Ladd (blog tour review)
Stories from Suffragette City edited by M.J. Rose and Fiona Davis (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 10-11-20

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

Sunday Post

It’s time for another cat picture. Here’s Freddie giving George a thorough cleaning – and George looking rather smug in return. And so he should be. He seems to have single-handedly (single-pawedly?) gotten every single cat in the house to snuggle with him. They still don’t snuggle with each other, but everybody snuggles with him – just not at the same time. Progress!

Speaking of progress, I had some fascinating books this week, spent a lot of incredibly good time with the Pets in Space, and have more great books to look forward to this week. AND I was able to verify that my mail-in ballot has already been accepted. Make sure your voice is heard this year. Your vote counts! VOTE!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Color Me Lucky Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Meowloween Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card from the authors of Bad, Dad and Dangerous

Blog Recap:

A- Review: Bad, Dad and Dangerous by Rhys Ford, Jenn Moffatt, TA Moore and Bru Baker + Excerpt + Giveaway
Meowloween Giveaway Hop
B Review: Murder on Cold Street by Sherry Thomas
A Review: Pets in Space 5 by S.E. Smith and more
A- Review: Daughter of Black Lake by Cathy Marie Buchanan + Excerpt
Stacking the Shelves (413)

Coming This Week:

Millicent Glenn’s Last Wish by Tori Whitaker (blog tour review)
Return to Virgin River by Robyn Carr (blog tour review)
The Emperor’s Wolves by Michelle Sagara (blog tour review)
The Four Profound Weaves by R.M. Lemberg (review)
Thanks a Latte Giveaway Hop

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 10-4-20

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

Sunday Post

First, a picture of George. The red gentleman on the red comforter. His stripes are particularly well delineated in this shot, as is the winsome expression on his little face.

And, we have a week of books. Last week included two absolutely awesome books, The Dragon Waiting and A Deadly Education. This coming week features the annually awesome Pets in Space collection and the Meowloween Giveaway Hop. The eyes in the hop image look very much like our Lucifer. (See, I can always get back to cats as well as books!)

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Color Me Lucky Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Fabulous Fall Giveaway Hop is Kimberly R.
The winner of An Apple a Day Giveaway Hop is Kate F.

Blog Recap:

A+ Review: The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford
A- Review: At the Clearest Sensation by M.L. Buchman
B+ Review: Happily this Christmas by Susan Mallery
Color Me Lucky Giveaway Hop
A++ Review: A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
Stacking the Shelves (412)

Coming This Week:

Bad, Dad and Dangerous by Rhys Ford, Jenn Moffatt, TA Moore and Bru Baker (blog tour review)
Meowloween Giveaway Hop
Murder on Cold Street by Sherry Thomas (review)
Pets in Space 5 (review)
Daughter of Black Lake by Cathy Lee Buchanan (blog tour review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 9-27-20

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

Sunday Post

Today is the first day of Banned Books Week, and it seems more appropriate than ever. Because censorship is one of the tools of tyranny. It may seem as if the point of Banned Books Week is to talk about the books that have been banned or challenged, and it is. But it’s really about the idea that someone else can restrict what you read – because restricting reading, and restricting what is available to read – is one of the many tools that authoritarian governments use when they want to keep their people ignorant and unthinking. Think about it. And READ!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Fabulous Fall Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in An Apple a Day Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

A+ Review: The Silence of the White City by Eva Garcia Saenz
B- Review; The Seventh Perfection by Daniel Polansky
A++ Review: Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
A- Review: Burning Roses by S.L. Huang
B+ Review: Remember Me by Mario Escobar
Stacking the Shelves (411)

Coming This Week:

The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford (review)
At the Clearest Sensation by M.L. Buchman (review)
The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry (review)
Color Me Lucky Giveaway Hop
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 9-20-20

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

Sunday Post

We are in the waning hours of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It’s one of those time when I miss my mother as she always reminded me when the holidays were. We are also in the first flush of grief over the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, may she rest in peace. Which was what my parents – and grandparents – would always say after the name of someone who was deceased. RBG will be missed in this world, because her work in the cause of justice and equality was not done. It is work that never ends, but she left a torch for us to pick up and carry on.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Fabulous Fall Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in An Apple a Day Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the September to Remember Giveaway Hop is Viki S.
The winner of the Hello Autumn Giveaway Hop is Caroline B.
The winner of The Ancestor by Lee Matthew Goldberg is Cassandra D.

Blog Recap:

C Review: The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah
Fabulous Fall Giveaway Hop
An Apple a Day Giveaway Hop
B Review: The Investigator by Anna Hackett
A- Review: At the Slightest Sound by M.L. Buchman
Stacking the Shelves (410)

Coming This Week:

The Silence of the White City by Eva Garcia Saenz (review)
The Seventh Perfection by Daniel Polansky (review)
Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots (review)
Burning Roses by S.L. Huang (review)
Remember Me by Mario Escobar (blog tour review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 9-13-20

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

Sunday Post

We’re starting to have hints that it might be fall here. Eventually. It’s in the low 80s instead of the low 90s. And the upstairs air conditioning managed to breathe its last BEFORE it started cooling down, so that was weekend project.

I would say that the picture is Freddie’s way of hinting that it’s time to have a toasty fire in the fireplace to help him keep cozy, but we’ve never used a fireplace anywhere we’ve ever lived, and this house is no exception. So for anyone worrying about him being on the inside, there’s no need. It’s never been lit, either in his presence or his absence. But it does make a cute picture.

 

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the September to Remember Giveaway Hop (ENDS TUESDAY!!)
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Hello Autumn Giveaway Hop (ENDS WEDNESDAY!)
The Ancestor by Lee Matthew Goldberg

Blog Recap:

Black Friday Giveaway Hop Sign Up
B Review: The Ancestor by Lee Matthew Goldberg + Giveaway
A- Review: Shadows in Death by J.D. Robb
A- Review: The Deadly Hours by Susanna Kearsley, C.S. Harris, Anna Lee Huber, Christine Trent
A- Review: A Question of Betrayal by Anne Perry
Stacking the Shelves (409)

Coming This Week:

The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah and Agatha Christie (review)
Fabulous Fall Giveaway Hop
An Apple a Day Giveaway Hop
The Investigator by Anna Hackett (review)
The Silence of the White City by Eva García Sáenz (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 9-6-20

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

Sunday Post

SAVE THE DATE! Caffeinated Reviewer and Reading Reality are co-hosting the Black Friday Giveaway Hop again this year. The hop runs November 27th through November 30th and signups open TOMORROW!!!

Some weeks I have good books. Some weeks I have books I really, really wonder about – not necessarily in a good way. And then there are weeks like this one, where the books were all wonderful. I live for weeks like this one.

And, to close out one week and open another, A picture of Hecate recharging in the sun. Cats, as we all know, are solar powered. Except George. I’m pretty sure he’s full of espresso beans.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the September to Remember Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Hello Autumn Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Back to School Giveaway Hop is Julie W.

Blog Recap:

A++ Review: All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny
September to Remember Giveaway Hop
Hello Autumn Giveaway Hop
A+ Review: Driftwood by Marie Brennan
A Review: The Brothers of Auschwitz by Malka Adler
Stacking the Shelves (408)

Coming This Week:

Black Friday Giveaway Hop Sign Up!!!!!
The Ancestor by Lee Matthew Goldberg (blog tour review)
Shadows in Death by J.D. Robb (review)
The Deadly Hours by Susanna Kearsley, C.S. Harris, Anna Lee Huber, Christine Trent (review)
A Question of Betrayal by Anne Perry (review)