On Tuesday, Galen had to check to see if our webhost died under the strain. Or out of shock. I always tweet my reviews to the publisher, and also to the author unless the grade is bad. So I copied Neil Gaiman on the tweet of my review of The View from the Cheap Seats. I figured it would just languish in the thousands of tweets he must receive on the average day. Instead, he retweeted. And I started squeeing all over the house. It turned into one of the best days this blog has ever had when I wasn’t giving stuff away. Thank you.

This was, however, yet another week when parts of the schedule fell to bits. Unfortunately, I had to bow out of a tour. I started the book and absolutely couldn’t make myself continue. It’s not that the book was badly written. Unfortunately it was well written and extremely scary, creepy, uncomfortable for this reader. Awful stuff kept happening to the protagonist, and as the book was written from the first person point of view, the readers were in her head as it all happened. I just couldn’t continue, but I’m still feeling bad about it.

The book I was originally intending to review on Friday was interesting, but after reading it I just couldn’t figure out how to tackle it in a review. So I went for the better part of valor and posted one of Amy’s lovely guest reviews instead. I just hope she has a review of the final book in that trilogy on tap. She’s leaving all of us hanging.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Book or $10 Gift Card in the Life’s A Beach Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the $10 Gift Card in the Love In Bloom Giveaway Hop is Stephanie Y.

Blog Recap:

Memorial Day 2016
A Review: The View from the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman
B- Review: My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
A Review: For Crown and Kingdom by Grace Draven and Jeffe Kennedy
B+ Guest Review: Black Rose by Nora Roberts
Stacking the Shelves (187)

Coming Next Week:

The Summer Guest by Alison Anderson (blog tour review)
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (blog tour review)
How Secrets Die by Marta Perry (blog tour review)
Defender by Diana Palmer (blog tour review)
Uncharted by Anna Hackett (review)

Last week’s schedule suffered epic fail. I had really been looking forward to reading Jane Steele, and I came out of it extremely disappointed. I also came out of it extremely fast. The story is in the first-person singular, and the voice of the main character did not resonate with me at all. Since my resolve last week was to only read books I really, really wanted to read, I picked up the copy of Treachery’s Tools by L.E. Modesitt, even though I can’t publish the review until October. But I’m much happier, and able to go in to this week’s books with a much lighter heart. And I can tell myself I’m working ahead. Way, WAY ahead.

But I really am couple of days ahead, since I published one of Amy’s marvelous guest reviews on Friday, and tomorrow is the Memorial Day holiday here in the U.S.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Book or $10 Gift Card in the Love in Bloom Giveaway Hop (ends TONIGHT!)
$10 Book or $10 Gift Card in the Life’s a Beach Giveaway Hop
Texas West handbag and wallet set courtesy of Victoria Vane

Winner Announcements:

The winners of the Blue Apron Giveaway are Bonny B. and Taylor C.

Blog Recap:

B- Review: The Pages of the Mind by Jeffe Kennedy
Life’s a Beach Giveaway Hop
B+ Review: Saddle Up by Victoria Vane + Giveaway
B+ Review: Undiscovered by Anna Hackett
B+ Guest Review: The Shadow Matrix by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Stacking the Shelves (186)

Coming Next Week:

Memorial Day 2016
The View from the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman (blog tour review)
My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout (review)
He Will Be My Ruin by K.A. Tucker (blog tour review)
The Yid by Paul Goldberg (review)

When I end up reading tomorrow’s book at dinner the night before, that means my schedule is in deep, deep trouble. Which is what happened this week, so I rearranged things a bit. When that happens, I’m trying to only shift things by a week, just so this mess doesn’t get way out of hand. I probably also need to change things up a bit, I may be in a slight reading slump – which scares the crap out of me. I don’t have time for a reading slump. I need to find a real reading pick-me-upper to get out of it. Any suggestions?

Current Giveaways:

A Front Page Affair by Radha Vatsal
$25 Amazon Gift Card from Mia Sosa

Winner Announcements:

The winner of The Admiral by Sean Danker is Anita Y.
The winner of Out Rider by Lindsay McKenna is Jo J.

Blog Recap:

A Review: Emperor of the Eight Islands by Lian Hearn
B Review: One Night with the CEO by Mia Sosa + Giveaway
B Review: A Front Page Affair by Radha Vatsal + Giveaway
A Review: The Crown of the Queen by Jeffe Kennedy
B+ Review: The Service of the Dead by Candace Robb
Stacking the Shelves (184)

Coming Next Week:

The Drafter by Kim Harrison (blog tour review)
Love in Bloom Giveaway Hop
Death of a Fixer-Upper by Sarah T. Hobart (review)
Operation Thunderbolt by Saul David (review)
Rise of the Rocket Girls by Nathalia Holt (review)

This was a week with some lovely books. Anna Hackett’s Lost in Barbarian Space was marvelous, as she always is. ‘Til Death Do Us Part was absolutely yummy. And Flash of Fire was loads of action-adventure-romance fun.

This was also the week when the Hugo nominations were announced. As someone who gets at least a supporting membership in Worldcon every year, I was able to nominate, and this year I made sure to do so. The final ballot we now have in front of us is still stained with a lot of puppy-puke. If you want to wade into, ahem, discover what all of the fuss this year and last year was about, take a look at the awesome File 770. There are a few categories this year where we have real contenders, but this year, just like last year, Noah Ward (otherwise known as “No Award” will probably add a few more rockets to the metaphorical stash in his imaginary basement. This is the last year, we all fervently hope.

I resent the implication, as propagated by the followers of the Sad and Rapid Puppies, that I only like what I like because it ticks off certain social justice boxes. When the fact of the matter is that I like what I like because I like it. Because it speaks to me. And that is why we all read whatever it is that we read and love.

This may be all I will say on the topic for a while, if not ever. Which won’t stop me from watching the train wreck via File 770 and attending the Hugo Awards Ceremony in Kansas City this summer at MidAmericon II.

Scrambling down off soapbox now.

Current Giveaways:

5 copies of Pure Heat by M.L. Buchman

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the $10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Rain Rain Go Away Giveaway Hop is Rebecca O.
The winner of the $10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Showers of Books Giveaway Hop is Heather B.

Blog Recap:

B Review: The Rivals of Versailles by Sally Christie
B Review: Mug Shot by Caroline Fardig
A- Review: Lost in Barbarian Space by Anna Hackett
A Review: Til Death Do Us Part by Amanda Quick
B+ Review: Flash of Fire by M.L. Buchman + Giveaway
Stacking the Shelves (182)

Coming Next Week:

This Gun for Hire by Jo Goodman (review)
Wilde Lake by Laura Lippman (blog tour review)
The Service of the Dead by Candace Robb (review)
Out Rider by Lindsay McKenna (blog tour review)
Admiral by Sean Danker (review)

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in my Blogo-Birthday week. Wow! There were a lot of giveaways and a lot of people visited Reading Reality to get in on the fun. Thanks a bunch!

And the fun continued this week with two more blog hops. This isn’t the end. There are two more hops coming in May. And in the meantime, there are plenty more fantastic reviews coming your way, hopefully for books that were as interesting and or fascinating as this week.

Current Giveaways:

$25 Victoria’s Secret Gift Card from Kasey Michaels
$10 Book or $10 Gift card in the Rain Rain Go Away Giveaway Hop
$10 Book or $10 Gift card in the Showers of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of a $15 Book or $15 Gift Card in my Blogo-Birthday Giveaway is Lauren B.
The winner of a hardcover copy of The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie R. King is Susan N.
The winner of their choice of book in the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear is Mai T.
The winner of a paperback copy of Once a Rancher by Linda Lael Miller is Laura JJ
The winner of a paperback copy of What We Find by Robyn Carr is Joy H.

Blog Recap:

A- Review: A Scandalous Proposal by Kasey Michaels + Giveaway
Rain Rain Go Away Giveaway Hop
B+ Review: Terrible Virtue by Ellen Feldman
B Review: The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu and Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts by Joshua Hammer
B+ Review: For Dead Men Only by Paula Paul
A Review: Wild Man’s Curse by Susannah Sandlin
Guest Post by Susannah Sandlin + Giveaway
Showers of Books Giveaway Hop
Stacking the Shelves (180)

Coming Next Week:

Caught Up in Raine by L.G. O’Connor (blog tour review)
Doing it Over by Catherine Bybee (blog tour review)
Aunty Lee’s Chilled Revenge by Ovidia Yu (blog tour review)
Trouble in Mind by Donna S. Frelick (review)
Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye (review)

I’ve been getting stuff for the weekend done on Thursday or Friday pretty often recently, so this is the first time I’ve had to put together the Sunday Post on Sunday for a while. It’s always weird writing it ahead of time, but it is nice not to have to do much on the blog over the weekend. Life just kind of happened at the end of the week.

This has been my annual Blogo-Birthday week, so I hosted a giveaway every day. Some of them were on my own hook, some were sponsored by publishers or tours, but it is great to be able to do this once in a while. Or once a year as the case may be. I hope that everyone has enjoyed the giveaways, and the comments on the Blogo-Birthday giveaway were very thoughtful. Thanks to all of you for being readers and followers.

And now we’re back to our regularly scheduled calendar of reviews and giveaways. Oh look, there are two more blog hops coming up. I thought April showers brought May flowers, but it also seems to be Giveaway Hop season! Fantastic!

Current Giveaways:

$15 Gift Card or $15 Book in my Fifth Annual Blogo-Birthday Blast
The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie R. King
Winner’s choice of title in the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear
Once a Rancher by Linda Lael Miller
What We Find by Robyn Carr

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Fool for Books Giveaway Hop is Dana

Blog Recap:

Fifth Annual Blogo-Birthday Blast
A- Review: The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie R. King + Giveaway
A Review: Journey to Munich by Jacqueline Winspear + Giveaway
B+ Review: Once a Rancher by Linda Lael Miller + Excerpt + Giveaway
B+ Review: What We Find by Robyn Carr + Giveaway
Stacking the Shelves (179)

Coming Next Week:

A Scandalous Proposal by Kasey Michaels (blog tour review)
Rain Rain Go Away Giveaway Hop
Terrible Virtue by Ellen Feldman (blog tour review)
The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer (review)
For Dead Men Only by Paula Paul (blog tour review)
Wild Man’s Curse by Susannah Sandlin (blog tour review)
Showers of Books Giveaway Hop