George is normally a very serious little fellow – although he’s getting bigger every day. But he’s also a surprisingly hard start for cat. Like me, he wakes up slowly and a bit groggy. Which allowed me to catch him in a blep one afternoon, waking up from a nap.

I had some great books this past week, books I’d been looking forward to that really lived up to my anticipation, as well as one (Winter Counts) which has had a lot of buzz and definitely lived up to the hype. I always have mixed feelings about thrillers, but when they grab me, they really, really grab me. As this one did. And as one of this coming week’s books has already done. You’ll see.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Back to School Giveaway Hop (ends TOMORROW!)

Winner Announcements:

The winner of The London Restoration is Carl
The winner of the $20 Gift Card from Rhys Ford is Pamela

Blog Recap:

B+ Review: Cat Me if You Can by Miranda James
A Review: Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews
B Review: Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones
A+ Review: Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne
A Review: Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
Stacking the Shelves (407)

Coming This Week:

All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny (review)
September to Remember Giveaway Hop
Hello Autumn Giveaway Hop
Driftwood by Marie Brennan (review)
The Brothers of Auschwitz by Malka Adler (blog tour review)

Luckily for us, while George may think a mousie in one’s coffee adds just the right touch – as last Sunday’s picture will attest – George himself doesn’t get any coffee or caffeine of any kind. He’s already MUCH too energetic for the older cats to keep up with. But when he naps, he really, really naps.

Last week was Hop and Tour week, but this week we’re back to just reviews. I have some books I’ve really been looking forward to. We’ll see how it goes!

Current Giveaways:

$20 Gift Card from Rhys Ford and ‘Nother Sip of Gin
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Back to School Giveaway Hop
The London Restoration by Rachel McMillan

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Return to Learn Giveaway Hop is Helen B.

Blog Recap:

Back to School Giveaway Hop
B+ Review: Better than People by Roan Parrish
A- Review: The London Restoration by Rachel McMillan + Giveaway
A Review: ‘Nother Sip of Gin by Rhys Ford + Guest Post + Giveaway
B Review: Someone to Romance by Mary Balogh
Stacking the Shelves (406)

Coming This Week:

Cat Me If You Can by Miranda James (review)
Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews (review)
Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden (review)
Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones (review)
Ink and Sigil by Kevin Hearne (review)

As an important reminder from George, all keyboards belong to the cats. We just borrow them now and again.

Someone needs to explain to me the attraction of cats to keyboards when we’re not using them. I understand why they interfere when we’re paying attention to the keyboard instead of to them, but there seems to be an inexplicable desire to feel the caress of keys under their little fuzzy butts that I just don’t get. On the other hand, George also likes to play video games. He will follow the cursor on the TV and try to catch the leaves in any outdoor scenes. Galen just finished playing Ghost of Tsushima, which was awesome. It also has extremely realistic falling leaves. George was mesmerized!

Current Giveaways:

Return to Learn Giveaway Hop STARTS TUESDAY!!!

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Feline Good Giveaway Hop is Ann
The winner of the Seas the Day Giveaway Hop is Nikki

Blog Recap:

B- Review: The Hero of Hope Springs by Maisey Yates
A Review: Anthems Outside Time by Kenneth Schneyer
A- Review: A Royal Affair by Allison Montclair
B- Review: Queen of the Unwanted by Jenna Glass
A- Review: The Friendship List by Susan Mallery
Stacking the Shelves (403)

Coming This Week:

Search the Dark by Charles Todd (review)
Return to Learn Giveaway Hop
The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite (review)
The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis (review)
The Sin in the Steel by Ryan Van Loan (review)

I bought A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking for the title. Some books get bought for their covers, but for this one it was definitely the title. The cover is cute but it isn’t all that. But the book, oh, the book was definitely this week’s winner among some very excellent contenders. I just won’t ever be using Wizard Mona’s recipe for gingerbread. Her book, on the other hand, was terrific!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Feline Good Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Seas the Day Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the $20 Gift Card from Rhys Ford and Silk Dragon Salsa is Sandy

Blog Recap:

A- Review: Hearts and Stones by Robin D. Owens
Spotlight + Excerpt: The Friendship List by Susan Mallery
B Review: Falling for Mr. Townsbridge by Sophie Barnes
A+ Review: A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
A Review: Miss Graham’s Cold War Cookbook by Celia Rees
Stacking the Shelves (402)

Coming This Week:

The Hero of Hope Springs by Maisey Yates (blog tour review)
Anthems Outside Time by Kenneth Schneyer (review)
Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson (review)
A Royal Affair by Allison Montclair (review)
The Friendship List by Susan Mallery (blog tour review)

In addition to being Sunday and George having an extreme case of the zoomies, today is also my husband Galen’s birthday. So Happy Birthday to the love of my life!

But speaking of birthdays, or at least of time passing, this new picture of George that shows just  how big he’s getting to be. This one looks like the way that George will look when he’s full grown, but he’s not quite 6 months old yet. Still, the way he’s sprawled is definitely the shape – and size – of things to come. Which is going to be a bit of an ongoing problem for me, as George likes to sit in front of my computer monitor and try to follow the cursor. The bigger he is the more of the screen he will block!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Feline Good Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Seas the Day Giveaway Hop
$20 Gift Card from Rhys Ford and Silk Dragon Salsa

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Star Spangled Giveaway Hop is Wendy

Blog Recap:

A+ Review: Silk Dragon Salsa by Rhys Ford + Excerpt + Giveaway
Feline Good Giveaway Hop
B Review: The Woman Before Wallis by Bryn Turnbull
Seas the Day Giveaway Hop
A- Review: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Stacking the Shelves (401)

Coming This Week:

Hearts and Stones by Robin D. Owens (review)
The Friendship List by Susan Mallery (blog tour spotlight + excerpt)
Falling for Mr. Townsbridge by Sophie Barnes (blog tour review)
Miss Graham’s Cold War Cookbook by Celia Rees (review)
Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson (review)

To celebrate the end of of this 3-day weekend, here’s a picture of George stretched out very, very long. I have no idea what that thing is in the bottom of the picture. But George has become a very long, skinny drink of water in the last few weeks. Once he grows into his legs and tail he’s going to be a very big boy.

Have you seen the #Hamilfilm this weekend? We saw the play in the theater, in Chicago, but long after the original cast had left – and from slightly obstructed seats. So we’re looking forward to seeing all the parts we missed sometime this weekend. Along with a viewing of one of my favorite movies, 1776. As I was talking with a friend today, I realized that there is a similarity beyond the time period. Both plays, and both movies, rely on the music to tell the story. The sets were minimal, and so was the spoken dialog. It’s the music that moves, and the music that sticks in the mind long after the show is over.

Speaking of things that stick in the mind, this past week The Angel of the Crows really knocked me for a marvelous reading loop. If you like historical fantasy, or urban fantasy, or Sherlock Holmes, or wingfic, or Katherine Addison or Sarah Monette, this book is well and truly awesome. As was The Lost Princess Returns, but Lost Princess is the culmination of a long and deeply involved – and involving – series, while Angel is either an opening number or complete in itself. I sincerely hope it is an opening act, I’d love to see more in this world. And from this author.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Star Spangled Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the June of Books Giveaway Hop is Carl
The winner of the Daddy Shark Giveaway Hop is Jenness
The winner of the Gift Card Giveaway Hop is Molli

Blog Recap:

A Review: The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison
A- Review: Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory
Star Spangled Giveaway Hop
A+ Review: The Lost Princess Returns by Jeffe Kennedy
C Review: The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham
Stacking the Shelves (399)

Coming This Week:

A Cruel Deception by Charles Todd (review)
Witchmark by C.L. Polk (review)
Claim of Eon by Anna Hackett (review)
Miss Graham’s Cold War Cookbook by Celia Rees (review)
Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson (review)