The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 1-24-16

Posted on January 24, 2016January 22, 2016 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Giveaways> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

$atlanta snow plows math$ As I write this, Atlanta is battening down for the coming Snowpocalypse. Whether Snowmaggedon will actually arrive still feels like anybody’s guess. (I’m writing this on Friday afternoon. By Sunday, we’ll KNOW).

I’ve lived in two places where it snows buckets (Chicago and Anchorage), two places where a snowfall is a once a century event, if that (Tallahassee and Gainesville) and three places where the entire city comes to a screeching halt when it snows, but it happens just often enough to keep people very wary of the white stuff (Cincinnati, Seattle and now Atlanta). Even though I still know how to drive in the stuff, there’s little chance that enough of the population does to keep the highways from becoming a giant jam. I’m staying home if it hits. Possibly until March.

Coming Next Week:

Hell Squad: Shaw by Anna Hackett (review)
Keir’s Fall by Pippa Jay (review)
The Winemaker Detective Mysteries Omnibus by Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noel Balen (blog tour review)
All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders (review)
By Break of Day by M.L. Buchman (blog tour review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 1-17-16

Posted on January 17, 2016January 15, 2016 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Giveaways> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

We came back from the ALA Midwinter Conference in chilly, windy Boston late Wednesday night. And we’re still a bit tired and frazzled. I love conferences, but they are exhausting. And I was not looking forward to the cold winter weather in Boston. Next year, the winter conference will be here in Atlanta, so it won’t be such a slog to get there, and the weather obviously won’t be any worse than I would have had to put up with anyway.

Oh, and the communal coat racks ate Galen’s coat at an event Sunday night, just as the weather turned really cold. Murphy definitely was an optimist!

But part of my business at the conference was to be on the ALA Notable Books Council and select what we thought were the 26 best books of 2015. That’s 12 Fiction, 12 Nonfiction and 2 Poetry, just in case you’re wondering where that number comes from. For the curious, the list of this year’s selections is here.

We were gone almost a week. LaZorra has turned herself into “cat glue”, pasting herself to my husband’s side at every conceivable opportunity. It’s adorable. And just ever so slightly intrusive. Wait, I think I just said she’s a cat.

And now back to our regularly scheduled blogging:

Current Giveaways:

$10 Book or $10 Gift Card in the Jeepers! It’s January Giveaway Hop (ends tomorrow!)
$10 Book or $10 Gift Card in the Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of Wolf Haven by Lindsay McKenna is Tabathia B.
The winner of a $10 Book or $10 Gift Card in the Hello My Name Is…Giveaway Hop is Danielle.

Blog Recap:

B Review: Thrill-Kinky by Teresa Noelle Roberts
B+ Review: Bad Kitty by Teresa Noelle Roberts
A Review: The Rising by Ian Tregillis
B- Review: On a Barbarian World by Anna Hackett
A Review: Unbound by Jim C. Hines
Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop

Coming Next Week:

The Lady’s Command by Stephanie Laurens (blog tour review)
Give Us the Ballot by Ari Berman (review)
Moonlight Over Paris by Jennifer Robson (blog tour review)
The Rogue Retrieval by Dan Koboldt (review)
Redemption by Kate Douglas (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 1-10-16

Posted on January 10, 2016January 7, 2016 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Giveaways> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

I’m working way ahead here. Which means that next week’s schedule is likely to fall apart, at least at the end.

As you read this, I am in Boston, probably freezing, at the American Library Association Midwinter Conference. In fact, when this goes to “press”, I’ll probably be in a committee meeting finalizing the ALA Notable Books list for 2016. I bet we pick some real winners. But then, we always do!

Wherever you are on this wintry weekend, I hope you are keeping warm, and reading a terrific book.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Book or $10 Gift Card in the Jeepers! It’s January Giveaway Hop
Wolf Haven by Lindsay McKenna
$10 Book or $10 Gift Card in the Hello My Name Is Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of Anything for You by Kristan Higgins is Victoria B.

Blog Recap:

Jeepers! It’s January Giveaway Hop
16 for 2016: My Most Anticipated Books of 2016
B Review: Night Hawk by Lindsay McKenna + Giveaway
Hello My Name is Giveaway Hop
B+ Review: Adrian by Heather Grothaus
Stacking the Shelves (167)

Coming Next Week:

Thrill-Kinky by Teresa Noelle Roberts (review)
Bad Kitty by Teresa Noelle Roberts (review)
The Rising by Ian Tregillis (review)
On a Barbarian World by Anna Hackett (review)
Unbound by Jim C. Hines (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 1-3-16

Posted on January 3, 2016January 3, 2016 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Giveaways> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

As I type this, I’m keeping my fingers crossed (well, sort of) that my webhost service stays up. They’ve been suffering Denial of Service attacks all weekend, so the service, and my blog, have had a terrible case of the “up downs”. While it is frustrating for me, I’m sure it has been an even longer weekend for them. Galen is anxiously awaiting the post-mortem report to find out what went wrong. Me, I just want it to be post. Most of the weekend, all it’s been is mortem.

And I’m anxious because the American Library Association Midwinter Conference starts this week in Boston. I am hoping against hope that Boston will still be experiencing above normal winter temps while we are there. And I’m praying that the webhost service stays up, because I need to get a whole bunch of posts prepped in advance. Mixing ALA and post-writing has proven to be an extremely unsuccessful (and extremely stressful) idea in the past.

Happy New Year everyone!

Current Giveaways:

Anything for You by Kristan Higgins
Sarah MacLean Rule of Scoundrels Bundle

Winner Announcement:

The winner of a $10 Gift Card in the Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop is Kristia M.

Blog Recap:

A- Review: Anything for You by Kristan Higgins + Giveaway
B Review: The Rogue Not Taken by Sarah MacLean + Giveaway
B- Review: Between a Vamp and a Hard Place by Jessica Sims
15 for 2015: My Best Books of the Year
New Year’s Day 2016
Stacking the Shelves (166)

Coming Next Week:

Jeepers! It’s January Giveaway Hop
Most Anticipated Books for 2016
Night Hawk by Lindsay McKenna (blog tour review)
Hello My Name Is…Giveaway Hop
Adrian by Heather Grothaus (blog tour review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 12-27-15

Posted on December 27, 2015December 27, 2015 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Giveaways> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

We saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens, for the first time last weekend. I know we’ll see it again in a theater, possibly more than once, before it finishes its run. Unlike the three prequels that shall not be named, Force Awakens was absolutely the Star Wars I remember. I saw the original movie the summer it came out. I was in college at the time. I didn’t go to many first run movies on a student budget, but the dad of the guy I was dating at the time took us both to see Star Wars. As much of a Trekkie as I was and still am, very few movies have topped the “sensawunder” engendered by that first viewing of the first Star Wars movie. And as a Trekkie, I’m doubly grateful. The overwhelming popularity of Star Wars made Paramount look through their back catalog to figure out whether or not they had a property that might take advantage of the sudden interest in SF. They made a not-very-good movie on the strength of that popularity, the often maligned Star Trek: The Motion(less) Picture. Which, in its turn, made just enough money to get us Wrath of Khan. And that, as they say, is that.

If you have fond memories of the original Star Wars, and have yet to see Force Awakens, GO! And may the Force be with you.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Book or $10 Gift Card in the Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop
A Review: The Silence That Speaks by Andrea Kane
Naughty or Nice Winter Blog Tour
B+ Review: Cat Bearing Gifts by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
Happy Holidays 2015
Stacking the Shelves (165)

Coming Next Week:

Anything for You by Kristan Higgins (blog tour review)
The Rogue Not Taken by Sarah MacLean (blog tour review)
Between a Vamp and a Hard Place by Jessica Sims (review)
Best of 2015

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 12-20-15

Posted on December 20, 2015December 19, 2015 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

This was a good but strange week. We started the week on our way home from a trip to Colonial Williamsburg. One of the unwritten parts of the marriage vows, hidden in the “in sickness and in health” bit, is the corollary about giving each other all the colds we ever get, for the rest of our lives. Galen came down with a cold and lo and behold, now I have it. Have I mentioned that I hate getting a cold? The drippy nose always sends me round the bend, and wakes me up from a sound sleep!

It’s a good thing that I have some great books to read during my periods of nasal-induced insomnia!

While there are no current giveaways, strictly speaking, the Best of 2015 Giveaway Hop just ended on Friday night, and the Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop starts tonight at midnight. So it is still the season to give away bookish prizes. Huzzah!

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Best of 2015 Giveaway Hop is Elizabeth C.

Blog Recap:

A- Review: At Blade’s Edge by Lauren Dane
A- Review: Where Lemons Bloom by Blair McDowell
B+ Review: Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Marty Wingate
A- Review: Lowcountry Bordello by Susan M. Boyer
A- Review: The Alchemist’s Daughter by Mary Lawrence
Stacking the Shelves (164)

Coming Next Week:

Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop
The Silence That Speaks by Andrea Kane
Naughty or Nice Winter Blog Tour
Cat Bearing Gifts by Shirley Rousseau Murphy

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 12-13-15

Posted on December 13, 2015December 11, 2015 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Giveaways> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

Next week’s schedule kind of digs through my backfile just a bit, or at least the end of the week does. When I reviewed Empty Nest a couple of weeks ago, I realized that I hadn’t read the author’s latest book in her other series. And I have been looking for something a bit more lighthearted, and I remembered Susan Boyer’s cozy-ish mystery series might foot that bill as well. The C.S. Harris book, well, I love the series but am not in the least caught up. And I just received an assignment from Library Journal to review the next book in the series, so a bit of catch up seemed in order.

The Best of 2015 Giveaway Hop continues this week. While I’m still whittling my Best of the Year list down to a more manageable 15, the winner of my stop on the hop will get to pick from my entire list. It’s a pretty eclectic list, so there should be something for everyone!

Current Giveaways:

Any book from my “Best of 2015” list in the Best of 2015 Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of Daughter of Sand and Stone by Libbie Hawker is Nadine

Blog Recap:

B+ Review: Target Engaged by M.L. Buchman + Giveaway
A-, B, B+, C+ Review: Burning Bright by Megan Hart, KK Hendin, Stacey Agdern, Jennifer Gracen + Giveaway
A- Review: Intimate by Kate Douglas
B+ Review: Atrophy by Jess Anastasi
Best of 2015 Giveaway Hop
Stacking the Shelves (163)

Coming Next Week:

Where Lemons Bloom by Blair McDowell (review)
At Blade’s Edge by Lauren Dane (review)
Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Marty Wingate (review)
Lowcountry Bordello by Susan M. Boyer (review)
Where Shadows Dance by C.S. Harris (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 12-6-15

Posted on December 6, 2015December 4, 2015 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Giveaways> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is more than a week in the past, and that Hanukah and Xmas are just a couple/three weeks away. Time sure does fly in December! And speaking of the end of November (sort of), both the Gratitude Giveaways Hop and the Black Friday Book Bonanza ended this week, and we have winners.

It’s also coming up on the end of the year, and the “Best of 2015” lists are starting to roll in. I’ve already done my Best E-Originals list for Library Journal, and I’m working on my Best of 2015, the SFR Galaxy Awards, my Most Anticipated for 2016, and the list of things I might want to nominate for the Hugo Awards. Speaking of “Best of 2015” lists, the Best of 2015 Giveaway Hop starts this Friday. So put your thinking caps on! What was your favorite book for 2015?

Current Giveaways:

Mrs. Kaplan and the Matzoh Ball of Death by Mark Reutlinger and The Rhyme of the Magpie by Marty Wingate (ebooks)
Daughter of Sand and Stone by Libbie Hawker (paperback)

Winner Announcements:

The winner of a $10 Gift Card in the Gratitude Giveaways Hop is Corey H.
The winner of a $10 Book in the Black Friday Book Bonanza is Invisiblegirl W.
The winner of The Crescent Spy by Michael Wallace is Amy C.

Blog Recap:

A- Review: Fish Stick Fridays by Rhys Ford
B Review: Empty Nest by Marty Wingate + Giveaway
B Review: Daughter of Sand and Stone by Libbie Hawker + Giveaway
A- Guest review: The Martian by Andy Weir
B+ Review: Pirateship Down by Suzanne Johnson
Stacking the Shelves (162)

Coming Next Week:

Target Engaged by M.L. Buchman (blog tour review)
Burning Bright by Megan Hart, KK Hendin, Stacey Agdern, and Jennifer Gracen (blog tour review)
Intimate by Kate Douglas (blog tour review)
Atrophy by Jess Anastasi (blog tour review)
Best of 2015 Giveaway Hop

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 11-29-15

Posted on November 29, 2015November 29, 2015 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Giveaways> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

It’s difficult to get back into the swing of things after being away for Thanksgiving. We had a blast at a friend’s new house in Houston! But it is also good to be back home. And LaZorra has been acting like a little kitty glue-stick. She’s absolutely welded herself to Galen’s side, and is very, very needy of whoever is in reach. I think she missed us. Even me, and she’s made it very clear to me on multiple occasions that I am the inferior house servant. She prefers her daddy for all things.

I did some reading on the plane to and from, and now I have to write it all up!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Gratitude Giveaways Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Black Friday Book Bonanza

Winner Announcements:

The winner of The Crescent Spy by Michael Wallace is Amy C.

Blog Recap:

A Review: The Shadow Revolution by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith
A- Review: Cat Telling Tales by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
A+ Review: Cast in Honor by Michelle Sagara
Thanksgiving Day 2015
Black Friday Book Bonanza
Guest Post: Zaytouneh and the question of what to do

Coming Next Week:

Fish Stick Fridays by Rhys Ford (review)
Empty Nest by Marty Wingate (blog tour review)
Daughter of Sand and Stone by Libbie Hawker (blog tour review)
The Martian by Andy Weir (guest review)
Pirateship Down by Suzanne Johnson (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 11-22-15

Posted on November 22, 2015November 20, 2015 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Giveaways> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

This was a rest and recuperation week, after two trips two weeks in a row. Most of my schedule fell apart, as nothing I originally planned to read ended up appealing much, if at all. C’est la vie.

There are no winners this week, but there is plenty of time to get in on the Gratitude Giveaways Hop. And this weekend we have the Black Friday Book Bonanza! That means two chances to win either a $10 gift card or $10 book from me, plus tons of fabulous bookish prizes at the other stops on each hop.

The Black Friday Book Bonanza, and all the other stuff about Black Friday, tells us that Thanksgiving is coming this week. This will be the first Thanksgiving in a few years that we haven’t spent it in Canada, where it is not Thanksgiving but somehow is still Black Friday. That still seems weird to me. While the reasons it is called “Black Friday” have more to do with Christmas shopping and retailers hopefulness than the Thanksgiving holiday itself, it is still the Friday after Thanksgiving here. That lots of stores in Canada have Black Friday sales without having had a Thanksgiving Thursday just seems strange.

But speaking of Thanksgiving, the fear-mongering about accepting refugees from Syria has reminded me that one of the things I always have to be thankful for is that all four of my grandparents made it to the U.S. ahead of the Nazis. The members of my family who did not emigrate to the U.S. or Canada before the war died in the camps. There were quotas and immigration restrictions and significant amounts of anti-Semitism, but arriving in the U.S. beat dying at the hands of the Nazis. It is impossible for me not to see the parallels between that situation and the current fear-mongering and hate-baiting against Syrian refugees today.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Gratitude Giveaways Hop
The Crescent Spy by Michael Wallace

Blog Recap:

A- Review: Devoted in Death by J.D. Robb
A- Review: Hell Squad: Reed, Roth, Noah by Anna Hackett
B Review: The Crescent Spy by Michael Wallace + Giveaway
B Review: Wildfire on the Skagit by M.L. Buchman
C Review: The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson
Stacking the Shelves (161)

Coming Next Week:

The Shadow Revolution by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith (review)
Cast in Honor by Michelle Sagara (review)
Cat Telling Tales by Shirley Rousseau Murphy (review)
Black Friday Book Bonanza

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Winner Announcements:

Blog Recap:

Coming Next Week:

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