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

Posted on November 15, 2015November 15, 2015 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Giveaways> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

The Gratitude Giveaways Hop started at midnight, and runs through the end of the month. That means there is plenty of time to get in on a chance at a $10 Gift Card or $10 Book. Plus, there are plenty of other fabulous bookish prizes at all the other stops on the hop!

Home is very definitely where the heart is. We’ve been gone most of the last two weeks, and we’ve missed our own bed, our own stuff, and especially our own kitties. LaZorra stuck to us like glue all night last night, at least as far as we could tell. We were so out of it that we slept in this morning. If we didn’t have tickets to see Adam and Jamie (Mythbusters) tonight at the Fabulous Fox Theatre, I think we’d just stay in and stay in our jammies all day today. It is SO GOOD to be home.

I didn’t get a lot read last week. We were in Cincinnati trying to get my mom settled at her new assisted-living apartment, with limited success. The only things I read were the rest of Anna Hackett’s marvelous Hell Squad series so far, and a very long and absorbing piece of Dragon Age fanfiction at Archive of Our Own. If you like very romantic fanfiction, and Dragon Age, I can’t recommend Finding Joy by NicePumpkinSpice highly enough. I was so lost in it that it helped make the week bearable.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Gratitude Giveaways Hop

Blog Recap:

A- Review: Honour Bound by M.A. Grant
B Review: Christmas on Candy Cane Lane by Sheila Roberts
Readings for Veterans Day, 2015
B+ Review: Wings of Sorow and Bone by Beth Cato
B Review: Game of the Red King by Jael Wye
Stacking the Shelves (160)
Gratitude Giveaways Hop

Coming Next Week:

Devoted in Death by J.D. Robb (review)
Hell Squad: Reed, Roth, Noah by Anna Hackett (review)
The Crescent Spy by Michael Wallace (blog tour review)
The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson (review)
Terms of Service by Jacob Silverman (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 11-8-15

Posted on November 8, 2015November 7, 2015 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

No giveaways this week, and no winners either. Don’t worry, more are coming. Even if one of the tours this week doesn’t include a giveaway, The Gratitude Giveaways Hop is coming at the end of the week, and the Black Friday Book Bonanza not long after.

We’ve been traveling and will be again. Boston was warmer (and drier) than Atlanta this past week. And it’s November! I can only hope that when we are back in Boston in January for ALA Midwinter, the weather won’t be too horrendous. I can hope, but it’s not bloody likely. Darn!

Blog Recap:

A- Review: The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Sydney Padua
A- Review: A Wedding on Primrose Street by Sheila Roberts
B Review: Breton Wolfe by Victoria Vane
A Review: Hissing Cousins by Marc Peyser and Timothy Dwyer
A- Review: Gabe by Anna Hackett
Stacking the Shelves (159)

Coming Next Week:

Honour Bound by M.A. Grant (review)
Christmas on Candy Cane Lane by Sheila Roberts (blog tour review)
Wings of Sorrow and Bone by Beth Cato (blog tour review)
Game of the Red King by Jael Wye (review)
Gratitude Giveaways Hop

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 11-1-15

Posted on November 1, 2015November 1, 2015 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Giveaways> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

I’ll be waiting until midnight Saturday to finalize this post, so the winner of the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop can be added. I don’t know what I’d do without Rafflecopter, but it would probably be fugly. On my other hand, I’m starting to see giveaways powered with Giveaway Tools, and it looks pretty cool, too.

I’m going to be really curious this week to read Romantic Outlaws. It’s a dual biography of Mary Wollstonecraft and her famous daughter, Mary Shelley. I love the concept but I read The Determined Heart a couple of weeks ago, and it is also about Mary Shelley. The Determined Heart drove me bananas, so I’m really, really hoping that the author of Romantic Outlaws did it better. Much, much better.

I’ve been catching up with Sheila Roberts’ Life in Icicle Falls series in preparation for a blog tour review of the most recent book, Christmas on Candy Cane Lane. While I hadn’t forgotten how much fun the series is, they are terrific small town romances and I’m happy for the chance to visit. Also, Icicle Falls has snow in the winter, which is much better between the pages of a book than in real life. I’m glad it’s not something I have to look forward to in Atlanta.

Coming Next Week:

The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Sydney Padua (review)
Hissing Cousins by Marc Peyser and Timothy Dwyer (review)
Romantic Outlaws by Charlotte Gordon (review)
A Wedding on Primrose Street by Sheila Roberts (review)
Breton Wolfe by Victoria Vane (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 10-25-15

Posted on October 25, 2015October 23, 2015 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Giveaways> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

No winners this week. Winners last week, winners next week, but no winners today. Speaking of next week, there is still plenty of time to get in on the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop.

And speaking of all things spooky, Halloween is next Saturday. Which probably means that next Sunday every store that hasn’t already will haul out their Christmas decorations. In honor of Halloween, I’m reviewing Broadcast Hysteria on Friday. The book is about a very real Halloween, October 31, 1938, when Orson Welles broadcast The War of the Worlds on radio, and all too many people believed that it was a real news report and that Mars was invading the Earth. Which would be very scary indeed. Now if the only “Martian” invading the Earth were Matt Damon, I’m sure there would be more than a few people welcoming him with open arms.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop
$25 Gift Card and paperbackof Forever Your Earl by Eva Leigh
The Determined Heart by Antoinette May

Blog Recap:

C Review: The Determined Heart by Antoinette May + Giveaway
B Review: Forever Your Earl by Eva Leigh + Giveaway
A+ Review: Grant Park by Leonard Pitts Jr.
A- Review: Then Comes Marriage by Roberta Kaplan
A- Review: Sisters in Law by Linda Hirshman
Stacking the Shelves (157)

Coming Next Week:

Damage Control by Jess Anastasi (blog tour review)
The Lodge on Holly Road by Sheila Roberts (review)
The Dead Duke, His Secret Wife and the Missing Corpse by Piu Marie Eatwell (review)
After Alice by Gregory Maguire (review)
Broadcast Hysteria by A. Brad Schwartz (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 10-18-15

Posted on October 18, 2015October 18, 2015 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Giveaways> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

It’s not often that I have a week where every single book is awesome. It means that I was up until at least 3 every night because I couldn’t put something down, but it was so worth it. If you are in the mood for historical fiction set in England in the Middle Ages, or a bit later, get thee to a bookstore and pick up either (or even better, both) Candace Robb’s Owen Archer series or almost anything by C.C. Humphreys. I only say almost all on the Humphreys’ books not because they are not all utterly marvelous, but because they aren’t all set in England. If you’re picky, that might matter. If you just want some great historical fiction, start any of his series.

I was sorry to see Delilah S. Dawson’s Blud series end. Her alternate steampunkish-vampirish England is a marvelous invention. But I was glad to see Tish and Criminy’s story come to a happy ending at last in the oh-so-appropriately titled Wicked Ever After.

There’s still plenty of time to enter the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop. Tis the season to have blog hops. Next month is the annual Gratitude Giveaways Hop! And the Black Friday Book Bonanza! YAY!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop
CC Humphreys Book Bundle
Candace Robb 3-book Bundle

Winner Announcements:

The winner of Christmas in Mustang Creek by Linda Lael Miller is Anita Y.
The winner of the $10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Books to Movies Giveaway Hop is Cali M.
The winner of the $10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Books that Need More Attention Giveaway Hop is Maranda H.

Blog Recap:

A+ Review: A Vigil of Spies by Candace Robb + Giveaway
A- Review: Wicked Ever After by Delilah S. Dawson
A- Review: Otter Chaos by P.D. Singer
Spooktacular Giveaway Hop
A- Review: The Kill Box by Nichole Christoff
A+ Review: Shakespeare’s Rebel by C.C. Humphreys + Giveaway
Stacking the Shelves (156)

Coming Next Week:

The Determined Heart by Antoinette May (blog tour review)
Forever Your Earl by Eva Leigh (blog tour review)
Grant Park by Leonard Pitts Jr. (review)
Then Comes Marriage by Roberta Kaplan (review)
Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 10-11-15

Posted on October 11, 2015October 10, 2015 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Giveaways> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

Trial and error is always a fun way to figure something out. Yesterday I figured out that there’s a sweet spot in the “Create Gallery” function of WordPress. It’s 13 pictures. 12 and 14 look really lousy. Maybe it likes prime numbers?

No winner announcements today but plenty of giveaways still going on. Lots of gift cards, and even a Christmas book. It feels early for Holiday books, but that does mean that the winner will have plenty of time to read it before the season is over. Once upon a time, it used to be a big deal when department stores unveiled their Christmas displays on the day after Thanksgiving. Now it feels like they start the minute that “Back to School” sales are done. One month of Christmas carols was OK, but three months (or more!) drives me mental. How about you?

Current Giveaways:

Christmas in Mustang Creek by Linda Lael Miller (paperback)
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Books to Movies Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Books that Need More Attention Giveaway Hop
$50 Amazon Gift Card in the Rock Redemption Blog Tour (ends TODAY)

Blog Recap:

A Review: The Guilt of Innocents by Candace Robb
A Review: An Ancient Peace by Tanya Huff
B+ Review: Christmas in Mustang Creek by Linda Lael Miller + Giveaway
Books to Movies Giveaway Hop
A- Review: Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie
B+ Review: Rock Redemption by Nalini Singh + Giveaway
Stacking the Shelves (155)

Coming Next Week:

A Vigil of Spies by Candace Robb (blog tour review)
Bosworth 1485 by Michael K. Jones (review)
Wicked Ever After by Delilah S. Dawson (review)
Spooktacular Giveaway Hop
The Kill Box by Nichole Christoff (blog tour review)
Shakespeare’s Rebel by C.C. Humphreys (blog tour review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 10-4-15

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

The Books That Need More Attention Giveaway Hop started yesterday, so there’s plenty of time to enter. This seems to be hop season, as there is yet another hop scheduled for this week, and then there’s the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop starting in mid-October. This may not be Christmas yet, but it still seems to be the season to give away books and bookish prizes.

But speaking of giveaways, I don’t say this often because it feels just a bit crass, but Reading Reality is an Amazon Affiliate. Buying one of the books you find on my blog (or any other book, for that matter) by going to Amazon from one of my links nets me a few cents or a dollar per book. Those affiliate fees add up, and they are how I fund the giveaways. So I very, very much appreciate when I see that someone has bought a book through my links, both because it means that I reached that person with my review, and because it helps provide the giveaways that introduce new readers to Reading Reality. So thank you all very much.

And before we end the weekend, let’s take a look at what happened last week. It was a theme week for Banned Books Week, so all the books I reviewed were on topics related to Banned Books Week in some way. One book is currently under challenge, one talks about reading the world and what breaking out of our Western, anglophone reading habits might mean. And then the recent and controversial history of one of the world’s great libraries, as well as a book about our First Amendment rights and then a book about how those rights are being eroded by ubiquitous government and commercial surveillance. The books were fascinating and occasionally frightening. And compelling enough that I only made one change from my original plan – not because I’m not planning to read Terms of Service but because I needed to carry my book around the day I was supposed to read it, and I didn’t have an ebook.

Also, I admit, Patience and Fortitude was about half the length of Terms of Service, and it was starting to matter. These were all marvelous books, but not the kind of thing that keeps one up until 3 am because you want to see what happens next. I may do this again, for next Banned Books Week if no other time. If anyone has any thoughts on the concept or how it worked, please let me know in the comments.

And next week we’re back to our regularly scheduled genre fiction! I need a break from the serious.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Books That Need More Attention Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the $10 Book or $10 Gift Card in the Rockin’ Reads Giveaway Hop is Jennifer H.
The winner of the $10 Book or $10 Gift Card in the Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop is Susan D.

Blog Recap:

A+ Review: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
B Review: The World Between Two Covers by Ann Morgan
B+ Review: Patience and Fortitude by Scott Sherman
A Review: Freedom of Speech by David K. Shipler
A- Review: Data and Goliath by Bruce Schneier
Books That Need More Attention Giveaway Hop

Coming Next Week:

The Guilt of Innocents by Candace Robb (review)
An Ancient Peace by Tanya Huff (review)
Christmas in Mustang Creek by Linda Lael Miller (blog tour review)
Books to Movies Giveaway Hop
Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie (review)
Rock Redemption by Nalini Singh (blog tour review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 9-27-15

Posted on September 27, 2015September 26, 2015 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Giveaways> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

This week is Banned Books Week. You may, therefore, see a theme in my upcoming posts. I certainly intended there to be a theme. Someone recently attempted to ban The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks from her 15-year old son’s high school STEM curriculum and library on the grounds that it is “pornographic”. The other books this week have themes of reading, privacy and freedom. The freedom of speech (or the press) is not as free without the freedom to read what is written or hear what is said. The right to read and hear controversial speech without the fear of reprisal is tied inextricably into the right to keep one’s reading, viewing and listening habits private.

As an exercise in doing a theme week, this is also going to be interesting from my perspective. I’ll confess to wondering if I’m going to bounce off one or more of these books. Not Immortal Life, I’ve already finished it and it is fantastic. But some of the others, or a whole week of serious, may strain my ability to keep up. But if these don’t work, I have other titles in mind. And some of the other books that have been banned are absolutely fascinating.

There are still a couple of days left to enter the Rockin’ Reads Giveaway Hop, and the Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop just started. The prize is the same, either a $10 Gift Card or a $10 Book. The book will be shipped from Book Depository, which allows me to do an international giveaway. They ship everywhere! But I still wish they did gift cards.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Book or $10 Gift Card in the Rockin’ Reads Giveaway Hop
$10 Book or $10 Gift Card in the Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the $10 Book or $10 Gift Card in the Stuck in a Good Book Giveaway Hop is Amy B.

Blog Recap:

B Review: Gold Coast Blues by Marc Krulewitch
A- Review: Marcus by Anna Hackett
Rockin’ Reads Giveaway Hop
B Review: The Race for Paris by Meg Waite Clayton
A+ Review: Jade Dragon Mountain by Elsa Hart
Stacking the Shelves (154)
Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop

Coming Next Week:

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (review)
The World Between Two Covers by Ann Morgan (review)
Terms of Service by Jacob Silverman (review)
Data and Goliath by Bruce Schneier (review)
Freedom of Speech by David K. Shipler (review)
Books That Need More Attention Giveaway Hop

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 9-20-15

Posted on September 20, 2015September 18, 2015 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Giveaways> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

This is giveaway week. The Stuck in a Good Book Giveaway Hop started this morning, and it will still be going strong when the Rockin’ Reads Giveaway Hop stars on Wednesday. This is the end of summer/chilly enough to curl up with a good book giveaway season. Enjoy!

This was a damn good week for reviews. I obviously got very lucky. It’s seldom when every book in the week is a grade A winner. Hopefully next week will be just as good.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Stuck in a Good Book Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of Paris Time Capsule is Megan B.

Blog Recap:

A- Review: The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher
A- Review: Penric’s Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold
A Review: Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran
A- Review: Leaving Orbit by Margaret Lazarus Dean
A- Guest Review: How to Clone a Mammoth by Beth Shapiro
Stacking the Shelves (153)
Stuck in a Good Book Giveaway Hop

Coming Next Week:

Gold Coast Blues by Marc Krulewitch (blog tour review)
The Race for Paris by Meg Waite Clayton (review)
Rockin’ Reads Giveaway Hop
Marcus by Anna Hackett (review)
Jade Dragon Mountain by Elsa Hart (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 9-13-15

Posted on September 13, 2015September 12, 2015 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Giveaways> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

Last week’s schedule fell completely to bits by the end. Hopefully this week will hew a little closer to my intentions from this end of the lens. But sometimes, no matter my best inentions, a book just doesn’t do anything for me, and I drop it. Sometimes the feeling is temporary (I loved both Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh and Heartmate by Robin D. Owens on the second go around, but felt very ‘meh’ about both of them on my first try). But sometimes its permanent, and I can never make myself go back. And of course, sometimes it’s not me, it’s the book. Either it turns out not to be for me, or just plain awful. Not that I haven’t occasionally finished some of those when I think it’s going to make a scathingly funny review.

And sometimes I bounce off of one book because there’s a different one calling my name so loudly that I can’t get a stray thought in until I read it. Has this ever happened to you?

Current Giveaways:

Paris Time Capsule by Ella Carey (paperback)

Winner Announcements:

The winner of Wildest Dreams by Robin Carr is Anita Y.

Blog Recap:

Labor Day 2015
B+ Review: Paris Time Capsule by Ella Carey + Giveaway
C- Review: Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
D+ Review: Ryker by Sawyer Bennett
B+ Review: The Autobiography of James T. Kirk by David A. Goodman
Stacking the Shelves (152)

Coming Next Week:

The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher (review)
Leaving Orbit by Margaret Lazarus Dean (review)
Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran (review)
Sisters in Law by Linda Hirshman (review)
Penric’s Demon (World of the Five Gods #3.5) by Lois McMaster Bujold (review)

Current Giveaways:

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