On the one hand, both of us are sick. One of the folks we visited over Thanksgiving had the crud, and now we have the crud. No one is happy about the crud.

On that other hand, in spite of the above, we went to the second night of Elton John’s farewell tour last night here in Atlanta. And it was absolutely awesome. Captain Fantastic is still fantastic, and the show was terrific. I’m so very glad we went, even if we’re both paying for it a bit today. If the tour is coming to your town, get tickets.

And on my alien third hand, it was a damn good week for books. And this coming week includes one of my annual treats, the latest collection of Sherlock Holmes inspired stories edited by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger. I’m planning to start it this afternoon, and it looks like fun. As always. A cup of tea, a sleepy kitty, and Sherlock Holmes. If I have to be sick, that’s great company to spend the day with!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Amazon Gift Card or $10 Book in the December Of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the $10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Black Friday Giveaway Hop is Jennifer R.
The winner of the $10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Super Stocking Stuffer Giveaway Hop is Polly K.
The winner of the $10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Gratitude Giveaway Hop is Allie G.
The winner of the $10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the November of Books Giveaway Hop is Jaime L.

Blog Recap:

A+ Review: Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny
B- Review: Mission: Her Security by Anna Hackett
A- Review: Someone to Trust by Mary Balogh
A- Review: An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten
B+ Review: Markswoman by Rati Mehrotra
December of Books Giveaway Hop
Stacking the Shelves (316)

Coming This Week:

The Frame-Up by Megan Scott Molin (blog tour review)
Winter is Coming Giveaway Hop
For the Sake of the Game edited by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger (review)
A Duke Changes Everything by Christy Carlyle (blog tour review)
Ask Me No Questions by Shelley Noble (blog tour review)

Did you remember to set your clocks back? Did they all do it for you automagically? I just realized that my bedside clock is only semi-automagic – I have to sync it with my iPhone to get it to automatically reset itself. No wonder I feel like I got enough sleep!

If you live in the US and have not voted yet, don’t forget that this Tuesday, November 6, is Election Day. As a reminder to vote, and that your vote does count, I leave you with the immortal words of Lazarus Long, as promulgated by the late and often great SF writer Robert A. Heinlein:

If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There
may be no candidates and no measures you want to vote for
… but there are certain to be ones you want to vote against.
In case of doubt, vote against. By this rule you rarely go
wrong.

If this is too blind for your taste, consult some well-meaning
fool (there is always one around) and ask his advice. Then
vote the other way. This enables you to be a good citizen (if
such is your wish) without spending the enormous amount of
time on it that truly intelligent exercise of franchise requires.

Current Giveaways:

Snowfall on Lighthouse Lane by JoAnn Ross
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the November of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the $10 Amazon Gift Card in the October of Books Giveaway Hop is Patricia
The winner of the $10 Amazon Gift Card in the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop is Lauren B.

Blog Recap:

B Review: The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter by Hazel Gaynor
B+ Review: Snowfall on Lighthouse Lane by JoAnn Ross + Giveaway
B+ Review: Very Important Corpses by Simon R. Green
November of Books Giveaway Hop
B Review: First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones
Stacking the Shelves (312)

Coming This Week:

Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews (blog tour review)
Midsummer Mayhem by Marty Wingate (review)
An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris (review)
Want Me, Cowboy by Maisey Yates (review)
Why Not Tonight by Susan Mallery (review)

There’s a very good chance that one of this week’s reviews is going to be postponed to make room for a review of The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi. I’m in the middle of the audiobook right now and so far it is absolutely awesome. And the man himself is going to be just a hop, skip and a jump away from us this week. On Thursday he’ll be doing a reading in Athens GA sponsored by Avid Bookshop. If you like his writing, or just like SF, and you’re going to be within reasonable driving distance of Athens (or somewhere else on The Consuming Fire tour), Scalzi always gives a great reading and an interesting and amusing time is always had by all.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the October Of Books Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of Hero by Anna Hackett is Linda R.
The winner of the $10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Howl-O-Ween Giveaway Hop is Dan D.

Blog Recap:

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop
A- Review: When the Men Were Gone by Marjorie Herrera Lewis
B+ Review: Mission: Her Rescue by Anna Hackett
A- Review: Mycroft and Sherlock by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Whitehouse
B+/C+ Review: Putting the Science in Fiction by Dan Koboldt vs. The Science of Science Fiction by Mark Brake
Stacking the Shelves (310)

Coming This Week:

Six Cats a Slayin’ by Miranda James (review)
The Bartered Brides by Mercedes Lackey (review)
Time’s Children by D.B. Jackson (review)
Phoenix Unbound by Grace Draven (review)
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse (review)

Welcome to the “I have no idea what I’m doing this week” edition of the Sunday Post. I’m sure about tomorrow, because I’ve already finished the book. And I’m sure about Wednesday and Thursday, because I promised that those would be the days. Tuesday and Friday, especially Friday, aren’t nearly so certain. The political mess in the US has me so upset and angry that I’ve been retreating into fanfiction just to get some guaranteed catharsis – because I need to read something where the good guys do win – and Facebook sure isn’t helping at the moment. I’ve also decided to turn off the radio in the car and just listen to audiobooks – because there’s only so much a person can take.

If you have any recommendations for great books that are guaranteed to instantly take me far, far away from this mess (I know it’s only temporary but a bit of distance sometimes is needed), please let me know in the comments to this post. THANKS!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the October Of Books Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Howl-O-Ween Giveaway Hop
$25 Amazon Gift Card from Sophie Barnes

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the $10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the September Of Books Giveaway Hop is Audrey S.
The winner of Season of Wonder by RaeAnne Thayne is Bn100
The winner of A Tall, Dark Cowboy Christmas by Maisey Yates is Linda R.

Blog Recap:

October of Books Giveaway Hop
Howl-O-Ween Giveaway Hop
B- Review: The Silver Shoes by Jill G. Hall
A Review: The Love that Saved Him by Sophie Barnes + Giveaway
A/A Joint Review with Galen: Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
Stacking the Shelves (308)

Coming This Week:

Dead Man Walking by Simon R. Green (review)
Robots vs. Fairies edited by Dominik Parisien and Navah Wolfe (review)
Desert Hunter by Anna Hackett + Pets in Space 3 Spotlight + Giveaway (blog tour review)
The Arrows of the Heart by Jeffe Kennedy (blog tour review)
Mycroft and Sherlock by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Whitehouse (review)