Tag: Sunday Post

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 7-17-22

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

This is one of the new members of our household. This is Luna. Her brother, Tuna is still being shy. They are both in the spare bedroom at the moment so that they can feel a bit more secure together while everyone has the chance to bat paws and sniff under doors at each other.

Luna and Tuna are both just over a year old. They’re a bonded pair and are biological siblings. This is the second time in their young lives that they have been re-homed because their human was no longer able to take care of them. We expect our home to be their forever home – even if that home moves location again sometime in the future. After all, our previous clowder moved with us, back and forth across the country, 11 times during their lives. Home, for us, is where the kitties are!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Christmas in July Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Summer 2022 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop is Shelley

Blog Recap:

A+ Review: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
B Review: The Edge of Summer by Viola Shipman
A- Review: Remember Love by Mary Balogh
A Review: The Binding Room by Nadine Matheson
D Review: Miss Eliza’s English Kitchen by Annabel Abbs
Stacking the Shelves (505)

Coming This Week:

Three Miles Down by Harry Turtledove (review)
Till Sudden Death Do Us Part by Simon R. Green (review)
This Place of Wonder by Barbara O’Neal (blog tour review)
The It Girl by Ruth Ware (review)
One Shot Harry by Gary Phillips (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 7-10-22

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

I made the mistake of adding up how many pages I am intending to read this week – and then I went GACK! and wondered how I was going to make it happen. Something I am STILL very much wondering about – so we’ll certainly see, won’t we?

Speaking of things to see, here’s a picture of Hecate in profile. I would say she’s showing off her good side, but I don’t think she has a bad side – although her sides are different thanks to being a tortie. She’s a very pretty girl even if she doesn’t always know it!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Christmas in July Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Summer 2022 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

July 4th, 2022
B- Review: The Yeoman’s Tale by M.J. Trow
A- Review: A Dress of Violet Taffeta by Tessa Arlen
B- Review: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Christmas in July Giveaway Hop
Stacking the Shelves (504)

Coming This Week:

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher (review)
The Edge of Summer by Viola Shipman (blog tour review)
Remember Love by Mary Balogh (review)
The Binding Room by Nadine Matheson (blog tour review)
The It Girl by Ruth Ware (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 7-3-22

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

It turned out to be an excellent thing that I had so much of this week pre-prepped because of ALA, since we brought the plague home from ALA. It’s been a long week so it’s great we have a long weekend to recuperate. We are both getting better, with the able assistance of our nurse-kitties. Here’s a picture of Lucifer and George overseeing our progress.

The primary feature of the picture seems to be George showing off his murder mittens again, but it also makes it really clear that George is half-again as big as Lucifer, who has a gigantic head but nowhere near the body to match it.

So, it’s going to be a quieter than usual weekend here at chez Reading Reality, as we’re still quarantining. And we’re beyond grateful that Instacart is a thing, because it’s not good for either of us to be tackling a grocery store run at the moment although the cupboard is getting rather bare. But we’re on the mend enough that reading is back to being a real thing and look to be out of the woods later this week. YAY!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Summer 2022 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Dad-O-Mite Giveaway Hop is Laurie D.

Blog Recap:

A Review: The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
A- Review: Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances by Aliette de Bodard
B Review: The Protector by Anna Hackett
A Review: A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers
Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop
Stacking the Shelves (503)

Coming This Week:

Fourth of July 2022 (Guest Post by Galen)
The Yeoman’s Tale by M.J. Trow (review)
A Dress of Violet Taffeta by Tessa Arlen (blog tour review)
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (reviwe)
Christmas in July Giveaway Hop

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 6-26-22

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

Because I’m out of town when this gets posted, I’m putting it together a few days ahead. Which means I’m guessing more than a bit, and I may or may not get in to add the ratings for the books I think I’m reviewing this week. We’ll see.

Does anyone else have the feeling that summer is flying by? It’s hard to believe that next week is the Fourth of July weekend already!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Dad-O-Mite Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Summer 2022 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop 

Blog Recap:

Juneteenth 2022: Readings and a Question (Guest Post by Galen)
Summer 2022 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop
A+ Review: Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
A- Review: You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo
B Review: Last Call at the Nightingale by Katharine Schellman
Stacking the Shelves (502)

Coming This Week:

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill (audiobook review)
Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances by Aliette de Bodard (review)
The Protector by Anna Hackett (review)
The Yeoman’s Tale by M.J. Trow (review)
Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 6-19-22

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

Today is Father’s Day in the U.S. and a host of other countries. This year, Father’s Day falls on Juneteenth, which will be observed tomorrow – probably today too. Galen will have one of his guest posts tomorrow for the holiday.

I also have the sad duty to report that Freddie lost his battle with whatever the hell was wrong with him on Wednesday. He started having seizures and just couldn’t stop. He went to the Rainbow Bridge where Mellie is probably taking up his “cat lessons” again. There were a few things he never quite got but she was elderly and he was rambunctious and some of her training didn’t take. Now  she has the opportunity to impart all the lessons he couldn’t quite sit still for.

This is one of the first pictures we ever took of Freddie, and it’s the one from which we derived his name. He tended to hang out in the bookshelves when he was feeling insecure, and with his coloring he very much resembled “Frederick the Literate” from the print by Americana artist Charles Wysocki.

We open our doors and our hearts to the little furry monsters, we take care of them for as long as they let us, and we love them forever. Rest in Catnip and Mousies, sweet boy.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Dad-O-Mite Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Berry Good Giveaway Hop is Kim M.

Blog Recap:

B Review: Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
B Review: The Blue Diamond by Leonard Goldberg
A Review: Love and Saffron by Kim Fay
Dad-O-Mite Giveaway Hop
B- Review: Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
Stacking the Shelves (501)

Coming This Week:

Juneteenth 2022 (Guest Post by Galen!)
Summer 2022 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree (review)
A Quick Trip to Moab by Kevin T. Jones (review)
Last Call at the Nightingale by Katharine Schellman (audiobook review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 6-12-22

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

Freddie is still hanging in there. And here’s a picture of him hanging out under the bed with his buddy Lucifer.

What’s strange about this picture is that Lucifer looks bigger than Freddie. He’s actually not, not even with the weight Freddie has lost. But Lucifer has a big head and at the moment a whole lot more presence. As I’m typing this Lucifer is presently jogging my elbow for more scritches!

Yesterday was the OMG 500th Stacking the Shelves post here at Reading Reality, which is still kind of hard to believe. I’ve been posting STS for ten years, and Reading Reality has been going for 11 years. That’s a long, long time in internet years!

This is one of those weeks where I’m not entirely sure the planned schedule is going to be the actual schedule except for the first entry and the bloghop on Thursday. Not that I don’t want to read ALL THE BOOKS – but I have a deadline I’m currently behind on that is resulting in a bit of a scramble! One of Murphy’s Laws is that “Due Dates are (ALWAYS) Closer Than They Appear!”

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Berry Good Giveaway Hop (ENDS WEDNESDAY!)

Blog Recap:

A+ Review: Lightning by M.L. Buchman
C- Review: As Seen on TV by Meredith Schorr
B Review: A Proposal They Can’t Refuse by Natalie Caña
A+ Review: Find Me by Alafair Burke
A- Review: Road of Bones by Christopher Golden
Stacking the Shelves (500!)

Coming This Week:

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel (audiobook review)
The Blue Diamond by Leonard Goldberg (review)
Love and Saffron by Kim Fay (review)
Dad-O-Mite Giveaway Hop
You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 6-5-22

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

This week I have yet another update on poor Freddie. After yet another vet visit on Saturday, it looks like the underlying condition that has been making him act so very off is probably toxoplasmosis. (Not that he didn’t have a urinary blockage, but that’s been cleared up for over a week and he hasn’t been getting better.) It will take a few days for the tests to be run to be certain, but in the meantime we’ve started treatment and he already seems a bit livelier. Now we just have to figure out how the hell he managed to get it. None of our cats go outdoors and we’ve never seen any critter other than the occasional bug in the house. Bugs are not generally a source for this disease, so we’re stumped. We’ll need to get the pest control people in to see if we missed something that he unfortunately didn’t.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Berry Good Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Moms Rock Giveaway Hop is Bea

Blog Recap:

Memorial Day Post 2022 (by Galen)
A- Review: A Sunlit Weapon by Jacqueline Winspear
Berry Good Giveaway Hop
B+ Review: The Boardwalk Bookshop by Susan Mallery
A Review: The Appeal by Janice Hallett
Stacking the Shelves (499)

Coming This Week:

Lightning by M.L. Buchman (review)
As Seen on TV by Meredith Schorr (review)
A Proposal They Can’t Refuse by Natalie Cana (blog tour review)
Find Me by Alafair Burke (review)
Road of Bones by Christopher Golden (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 5-29-22

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

Between Freddie’s weekend vet visit and managing to tweak my entire left leg in Pilates on Friday, this week has certainly been a week. One I’d rather not repeat any time soon. Neither Freddie nor I are back to our usual selves, which goes a long way towards explaining why this past week’s proposed schedule and this past week’s actual schedule turned out to be rather different. I’m on the mend, but I’m still worried about Freddie. He’s strong enough to fight the meds, but he’s still not acting like his old self. From the looks of this picture, Lucifer is also still a bit concerned even if he’s trying to pretend he’s above it all – as he usually does.

Current Giveaways:

Moms Rock Giveaway Hop (ENDS TUESDAY!!!)

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Life’s a Beach Giveaway Hop is Darlene
The winner of the May Flowers Giveaway Hop is Leonie

Blog Recap:

A Review: Flirting with Fifty by Jane Porter
B Review: Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders by Aliette de Bodard
A- Review: The Honeymoon Cottage by Lori Foster
A- Review: Never Coming Home by Hannah Mary McKinnon
A Review: Start the Chase by M.L. Buchman
Stacking the Shelves (498)

Coming This Week:

Memorial Day (Guest post by Galen!)
A Sunlit Weapon by Jacqueline Winspear (review)
Berry Good Giveaway Hop
The Boardwalk Bookshop by Susan Mallery (blog tour review)
The Appeal by Janice Hallett (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 5-22-22

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

As I’m typing this on Saturday, we’re all still in the process of calming down. Freddie scared us more than a bit this morning, so we took him to the vet to see why he was listless and he’d lost his appetite. He didn’t even fuss about being put in the carrier, when normally he makes us chase him around for half an hour. He had his first “senior cat” blood work up along with a bunch of tests and even x-rays. He’s lost a pound that he could afford to lose, but he was dehydrated and his tummy was empty so he got sub-q fluids. By the time we got him home he wasn’t exactly bouncy but he did nibble several times and gave us a blep for the scare he put us through.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Life’s a Beach Giveaway Hop (ENDS TUESDAY!!!)
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the May Flowers Giveaway Hop (Ends Friday!)
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Moms Rock Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

Moms Rock Giveaway Hop
A- Review: Last Exit by Max Gladstone
A- Review: Captain of the Guard by Anna Hackett
B Review: The Roguish Baron by Sophie Barnes
A Review: Beach House Summer by Sarah Morgan
Stacking the Shelves (497)

Coming This Week:

Flirting with Fifty by Jane Porter (review)
The Honeymoon Cottage by Lori Foster (blog tour review)
Never Coming Home by Hannah Mary McKinnon (blog tour review)
The Mad Girls of New York by Maya Rodale (review)
Black Tide by K.C. Jones (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 5-15-22

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

Here’s that picture I promised yesterday. I present to you…George, Destroyer of Worlds! (Or at least, destroyer of boxes, packing paper, and OMG shoes!

After George had his fun we cleaned up after him. He has such a good time with the boxes and the packing materials that we can’t resist letting him play for a bit. We’re also grateful that the pair of slippers in the picture hasn’t been subject to his depredations – at least not yet. As they have neither straps nor shoelaces they are probably safe, but we don’t dare leave him with any shoes unsupervised.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Life’s a Beach Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the May Flowers Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

A+ Review: When Blood Lies by C.S. Harris
Life’s A Beach Giveaway Hop
B Review: The Impossible Us by Sarah Lotz
A- Review: Heroic Hearts edited by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes
May Flowers Giveaway Hop
Stacking the Shelves (496)

Coming This Week:

Moms Rock Giveaway Hop
Last Exit by Max Gladstone (audio review)
Captain of the Guard by Anna Hackett (review)
The Roguish Baron by Sophie Barnes (review)
Beach House Summer by Sarah Morgan (blog tour review)