The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 2-18-24

Posted on February 18, 2024February 17, 2024 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

This week has definitely better. I finally stopped feeling like all I was full of was snot sometime late last Sunday. Clearly, it’s better to be full of piss and vinegar than snot, because you get more done that way. But c’est la vie, it is what it is, etc., etc., etc. The hurrieder I go, the behindeder I get. I’m working on it.

This past week’s books were all just really, really good. I can’t wait to see what this coming week’s books bring, particularly as I’ve been chomping at the virtual bit to dig into The Lantern’s Dance. I remember listening to the first book in the series, The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, OMG THIRTY YEARS AGO, and thinking that the concept really shouldn’t work, but damned if it didn’t anyway. And it still does. Does it ever!

Last week’s picture was of Tuna’s sister, Luna, in more-or-less the same upside-down-kitty-face position. (They are biological and not merely adopted siblings from the same litter. You can kind of see the resemblance around the eyes and face although there’s certainly a lot more of Tuna to love.) When Tuna actually posed for me a few days ago, I couldn’t resist snapping him in the same position before he woke up enough to figure out what I was doing. Doesn’t he look winsome as well as handsome?

Coming This Week:

Presidents’ Day 2024 (#GuestPost by Galen)
Village in the Dark by Iris Yamashita (#BlogTour #BookReview)
The Lantern’s Dance by Laurie R. King (#BookReview)
The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai (#BookReview)
Glory Be by Danielle Arceneaux (#BlogTour #AudioBookReview)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 1-14-24

Posted on January 14, 2024January 12, 2024 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

We are almost two weeks into 2024 and it feels like it’s already zipping by at a breakneck pace. I’m not sure I’ve buckled up nearly good enough for this year – and it’s barely begun!

This week was quite the surprise, reading wise. I did not go into Holmes, Marple & Poe with high hopes. I’d tried Patterson before and DNF’d early on. But this was a delight! Whether that’s due to the co-author or that the mystery played with not just one but three of the towering figures of the genre, I’m not entirely sure. But I’m certain I’ll be back if this turns out to be first in a series!

And here’s this week’s cat picture, featuring ‘Old Man’ Lucifer and his faithful guard cat Tuna. Lucifer seems to have mastered both the art of perspective AND the ability to look over the tops of eyeglasses that he isn’t even wearing. It’s all just a part of his many, many charms.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the New Year New You Giveaway Hop (ENDS TOMORROW!!!!!)
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Winter 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

A- #BookReview: Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olson
Grade A #BookReview: Holmes, Marple & Poe by James Patterson and Brian Sitts
A- #AudioBookReview: A Body on the Doorstep by Marty Wingate
#BookReview: Wild and Distant Seas by Tara Karr Roberts
#BookReview: That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming
Stacking the Shelves (583)

Coming This Week:

The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler (review)
Winter Wishes Giveaway Hop
Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire (audio review)
Demon Daughter by Lois McMaster Bujold (review)
Random in Death by J.D. Robb (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 12-31-23

Posted on December 31, 2023December 29, 2023 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

Tonight is New Year’s Eve, tomorrow it will be 2024. Which still seems unreal, as 2023 went by really, really fast. Nevertheless, today is 123123 and this is the last post of the year.

In the words attributed to the immortal Groucho Marx, “Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.”

It’s also looking like it’s going to be cold, gloomy and just plain nasty this weekend, which makes this picture of Tuna very apropos as he’s definitely brought all the cozy he can into this pose, and we’ll probably spend most of the weekend cuddled up right along with him!

All of us here at Chez Reading Reality, including Mr. Tuna up there, wish you a happy, healthy, safe and snuggly New Year!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Winter 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Let It Snow Giveaway Hop is Seyma

Blog Recap:

Christmas Day 2023 (Guest Post by Galen)
Best Books of 2023
A- Review: Paladin’s Faith by T. Kingfisher
A Review: Murder at the Serpentine Bridge by Andrea Penrose
A+ Review: The Limehouse Text by Will Thomas
Stacking the Shelves (581)

Coming This Week:

New Year New You Giveaway Hop
Most Anticipated Books of 2024
Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire (audio review)
The Twilight Queen by Jeri Westerson (review)
The Night Island by Jayne Ann Krentz (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 11-26-23

Posted on November 26, 2023November 25, 2023 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

It feels like Thanksgiving was early this year. So early, in fact, that there’s nearly and entire additional week of November coming this post-Thanksgiving Day week!

But I couldn’t let the week pass without giving away a little extra something, so Friday’s review of the seasonally apropos Evergreen Chase included a bit of a giveaway to mark the unofficial yet official beginning of the holiday season.

Before this weekend completely slips away, here’s a picture of Tuna being very Tuna, whether he’s showing off his own version of a turkey coma or just being his usual silly self, this was a pose that I absolutely could not resist!

Current Giveaways:

$5 Gift Card or $5 Book in Reading Reality’s Black Friday Giveaway
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the In All Things Give Thanks Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Super Stocking Stuffer Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Fall 2023 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

A+ Review: Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas
B- Review: Stephen Leeds: Death and Faxes by Brandon Sanderson
B Review: Chaos Terminal by Mur Lafferty
Thanksgiving 2023 (Guest Post by Galen)
B Review: Evergreen Chase by Juneau Black + Giveaway
Stacking the Shelves (576)

Coming This Week:

Anything with Nothing edited by Mercedes Lackey (review)
Uncanny Vows by Laura Anne Gilman
Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night by Sophie Hannah
Sunset, Water City by Chris McKinney
Holly Jolly Giveaway Hop

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 11-5-23

Posted on November 5, 2023November 4, 2023 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

Did you remember to “fall back” last night? And just how badly do you end up wishing they’d just make up their damn minds and stick to one or the other? I wish we stayed on Daylight Saving Time all year round, but then I’d also enjoy the day more if it started later. People who have to put kids on school buses seem to prefer Standard Time because it’s dark in the morning when they have to get the kids on the bus. I honestly don’t care enough to even argue the point. I’d be thrilled if they’d just pick one and stick to it even if it’s not the one I’d personally prefer. You’d think this would be a popular enough thing that even Congress could pass something, but NOOOOOO.

Rant over until March 10, 2024.

This week ended with a “flail and bail” where I flailed over the last two books I intended to review this week and bailed on both of them. I just hit a wall of “I can’t even” after several days of horror and horror-adjacency in a row, Halloween was OVER and the new month just screamed for different books. So it goes.

A couple of Sunday Posts ago I mentioned that Tuna’s size is a bit hard to measure because he doesn’t seem to pose for pictures where a size comparison can be made. Galen caught the above picture earlier this week with both Luna and Tuna in the frame. Tuna looks huge and Luna looks tiny by comparison. It’s still not a great way of judging Tuna’s size, as Luna isn’t really a small cat. She’s pretty much an average sized cat – she only looks small in comparison to her brother. Which means that Tuna in photo is even larger than he appears!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Thanks a Latte Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Fall Seasons of Books 2023 Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Silly Pumpkins Giveaway Hop is Will G.

Blog Recap:

A- Review: A Season of Monstrous Conceptions by Lina Rather
B+ Review: The Dead Take the A Train by Richard Kadrey and Cassandra Khaw
Thanks a Latte Giveaway Hop
A- Review: Warriorborn by Jim Butcher
B+ Review: Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens by Andrea Penrose
Stacking the Shelves (573)

Coming This Week:

Twilight Falls by Juneau Black (review)
The Wishing Bridge by Viola Shipman (spotlight + excerpt)
Chaos Terminal by Mur Lafferty (review)
Super Stocking Stuffer Giveaway Hop
A Power Unbound by Freya Marske (audiobook review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 10-15-23

Posted on October 15, 2023October 13, 2023 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

In this picture, it looks a LOT like Tuna has seen his own shadow and is wide-eyed surprised by the whole thing.

Which is kind of where I was at the end of the week bouncing hard off the final book I intended to review. Starling House was just plain creepy, which I totally expected from that gorgeous cover, but I was still listening to it while starting Blood Sisters and the combination of Gothic creepy but with contemporary thriller aspects of Starling House AND the all-too-real but equally creepy suspense thriller aspects of Blood Sisters was just too much of a fright fest for one week’s reading. Which led me straight to my current comfort read series, Wrexford & Sloane, as historical murders frighten me less than contemporary corporate and bureaucratic skullduggery. Your reading mileage, as always, may vary.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Howl-O-Ween Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Fall Seasons of Books 2023 Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

Indigenous People’s Day 2023: Two Courts
B+ Review: An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka
B Review: A Stroke of the Pen by Terry Pratchett
A- Review: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
A Review: Murder at Queen’s Landing by Andrea Penrose
Stacking the Shelves (570)

Coming This Week:

Silly Pumpkins Giveaway Hop
Generation Ship by Michael Mammay (review)
Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree (review)
The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror: Volume Four edited by Paula Guran (review)
Keep by Anna Hackett (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 9-24-23

Posted on September 24, 2023September 23, 2023 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

Today’s picture is Tuna again, this time in the midst of executing a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea. He’s standing on Galen’s desk, using one of his computer monitors for balance, attempting to reach the overhead fan. Which he can, as dangerous an idea as that sounds. Galen snapped the picture and then executed a Tuna extraction because otherwise the literal fallout was going to be epically bad and full of broken glass from the monitor.

Tuna is just big. He can stand on the kitchen table and bat at the light fixture over head – which he does. Unfortunately, especially for a cat, Tuna possesses the family grace, meaning that he is every bit as klutzy as the rest of the family – both human and feline. His pratfalls tend to shake the house. We may not be in an earthquake zone, but we are absolutely in a cat-quake zone.

As far as bookish and bloggy things go, tomorrow’s Fall Seasons of Books Hop technically starts today, but the organizers are very generous about giving people a few days to hop on board. So tomorrow. Giveaway Hops are the BEST way to start a week!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Holiday Kickoff Giveaway Hop (ENDS Thursday!)

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Hello Autumn Giveaway Hop is Piroska
The winner of the Summer Seasons of Books 2023 Giveaway Hop is Suzie

Blog Recap:

B Review: The Quiet Room by Terry Miles
A Review: Starter Villain by John Scalzi
A+ Review: Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo
B+ Review: The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan
A Review: The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
Stacking the Shelves (567)

Coming This Week:

Fall Seasons of Books 2023 Giveaway Hop
A Duke’s Introduction to Courtship by Sophie Barnes (blog tour review)
The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub (blog tour review)
Osprey by M.L. Buchman (review)
Bad Blood by Lauren Dane (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 9-17-23

Posted on September 17, 2023September 16, 2023 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

After last Sunday’s picture of poor Tuna standing lonely on the inside of the house while Luna and George tease him from out on the catio, I had to post this picture this weekend to show that Tuna’s life is actually pretty darn good most of the time.

Seriously, is that a face, or is that a face? He’s adorable when he’s being a clown.

Also in reference to last Sunday’s Post, I did manage to actually finish ALL the books I’d planned on reviewing. I think it’s been a while since THAT happened. This week is looking pretty good too, because I’ve already finished the first three books and The Book Club Hotel is for a blog tour so that settles that. I’ve been really looking forward to The Last Devil to Die so I think I’m set but we’ll certainly see in the week ahead!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Summer 2023 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Hello Autumn Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Holiday Kickoff Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Glam and Glits Giveaway Hop is Darlene

Blog Recap:

9/11 2023: Remember the Sky (Guest Post by Galen)
B Review: Fury Brothers by Anna Hackett
A+ Review: Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo
B Review: An Unsuitable Heiress by Jane Dunn
A+ Review: Prophet by Sin Blaché and Helen MacDonald
Stacking the Shelves (566)

Coming This Week:

The Quiet Room by Terry Miles (review)
Starter Villain by John Scalzi (audio review)
Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo (audio review)
The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan (blog tour review)
The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman (review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 9-10-23

Posted on September 10, 2023September 9, 2023 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

I’m sure about every day this week except Wednesday. I’ve already read or listened to all the books, but I didn’t write up Mammoths at the Gates for Reading Reality back when I reviewed it for Library Journal, so I need to do at least a re-skim for this week. It was lovely and adorable and so much fun – like every book in the Singing Hills Cycle so far – but my round tuit just wasn’t fully polished that weekend.

Turning to something – or someone – else that is rather round, take a look at this recent picture of Luna, Tuna and George. Luna and George are out on the screened-in catio, while Tuna is looking on mournfully from the inside side of the cat door. George and Luna spend a LOT of time out on the catio, especially George, but Tuna doesn’t go out there. We don’t think he actually CAN – or at least that the width of his whiskers is telling him that he won’t fit through the door. Lucifer doesn’t go out because he doesn’t wanna, Hecate doesn’t go out because she’s a grumpy little girl who would much rather be an only child, but it’s pretty clear from Tuna’s face that he wants to REAL BAD but thinks he can’t.

So his sister and her buddy tease him unmercifully about it!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Glam and Glits Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Summer 2023 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Hello Autumn Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Holiday Kickoff Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

Labor Day 2023
B Review: Payback in Death by J.D. Robb
Hello Autumn Giveaway Hop
Holiday Kickoff Giveaway Hop
B Review: Forgotten History by Christopher L. Bennett
Stacking the Shelves (565)

Coming This Week:

9/11 (Guest Post by Galen)
Fury by Anna Hackett (review)
Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo (review)
An Unsuitable Heiress by Jane Dunn (blog tour review)
Prophet by Sin Blaché and Helen MacDonald (audiobook review)

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 7-30-23

Posted on July 30, 2023July 29, 2023 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

This week has been weird. Last week was weird as well. Next week will probably be weird too. But at least the books have been good! AND an excellent way to get away from the weird into the bargain. And I have two books I’m super excited about, Jade Shards and A Pirate’s Life for Tea. I really, really need the cozy fantasy vibes of A Pirate’s Life for Tea this week, and well, I’m still so much in mourning over the end of Fonda Lee’s fabulous Green Bone Saga that even the slightest sliver of that world makes my whole month. Which really truly needs some making.

It’s also been egg-frying on the sidewalk hot here in Atlanta, although still not as bad as some places. Here’s a picture of Luna and Tuna who look like they’re melting although I promise they are not.

Current Giveaways:

Summer 2023 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Christmas in July Giveaway Hop is Megan

Blog Recap:

A- Review: The Book of Gems by Fran Wilde
A- Review: Murder at Half Moon Gate by Andrea Penrose
A Review: The Lady from Burma by Allison Montclair
B- Review: The Horoscope Writer by Ash Bishop
A- Review: Knighthunter by Anna Hackett
Stacking the Shelves (559)

Coming This Week:

Jade Shards by Fonda Lee (review)
Apple a Day Giveaway Hop
Lord of a Shattered Land by Howard Andrew Jones (review)
A Pirate’s Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne (review)
Sherlock Holmes and the Silver Cord by M.K. Wiseman (review)

Current Giveaways:

Winner Announcements:

Blog Recap:

Coming This Week:

Share this:

Current Giveaways:

Blog Recap:

Coming This Week:

Share this:

Current Giveaways:

Winner Announcements:

Blog Recap:

Coming This Week:

Share this:

Current Giveaways:

Blog Recap:

Coming This Week:

Share this:

Current Giveaways:

Winner Announcements:

Blog Recap:

Coming This Week:

Share this:

Current Giveaways:

Blog Recap:

Coming This Week:

Share this:

Current Giveaways:

Winner Announcements:

Blog Recap:

Coming This Week:

Share this:

Current Giveaways:

Winner Announcements:

Blog Recap:

Coming This Week:

Share this:

Current Giveaways:

Blog Recap:

Coming This Week:

Share this:

Current Giveaways:

Winner Announcements:

Blog Recap:

Coming This Week:

Share this: