I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by the wonderful Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking to Stacking the Shelves hosted by the great Team Tynga's Reviews and Marlene of Reading Reality a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently. I am linking up to Nicole of Feed Your Addiction's Monthly Wrap-Up Post, where any book bloggers who write monthly wrap-up posts can link up and visit other bloggers to see what they have been reading.
Oh how I love October! We have been able to open our windows in the evenings now, and people are starting to put out their fall and Halloween decorations. My daughter's been begging us to put up ours. I guess we should get a start on it! Wouldn't you know it, I hurt my arm early last week; my dominate arm, at that. After a week of being in pain, I finally went to the doctor. Fortunately, it is just as I suspected, a strained, muscle, but, boy, does it ever hurt! As a result, my online presence has been spotty this past week and likely will be for another week or so.
New to My Shelves in September:
E-Book Purchases:
Zig Zag Girl (Magic Men Mysteries, #1) by Elly Griffiths
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
The Ripper's Shadow (Victorian Mystery, #1) by Laura Joh Rowland
A Matter of Grave Concern by Brenda Novak
Bound (A Doyle Witch Mystery, #1) by Kirsten Weiss (free)
Ground (A Doyle Witch Mystery, #2) by Kirsten Weiss
Gone With the Ghost (Murder by Design, #1) by Erin McCarthy (free)
Murder, Mayhem and Mama by Christie Craig (free)
The Ragged Edge of Night by Olivia Hawker (free)
Wandfasted (Black Witch Chronicles, (0.5) by Laurie Forest
My husband's most recent purchase (he has this manga series in Japanese and is so excited that it is now coming out in English so he can read it):
Dragon Half (Volume 2) by Ryūsuke Mita
My Birthday Books:
The Voodoo Killings by Kristi Charish
City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong
The Black Witch by Laurie Forest
Drama by Raina Telgemeier
Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
Josie: A story of Faith and Survival by Susan Lowe and Diane-Iverson
(personalized/autographed- gift from my mom)
Someone trying to steal my birthday candy!
What I Am Reading: I am reading The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel by Alyssa Palombo at the moment, and enjoying it. I did sneak in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving first since Palombo's novel is a re-telling of that original short story.
What I Am Watching: Our first month without cable went by without a hitch. I was able to finish the 13th season of Supernatural, and I watched the first season of Jack Ryan, which I really enjoyed. My daughter got me hooked on Mako Mermaids, an Australian show about teenage mermaids. I binge watched The Innocents, a Netflix original, about two teens who run away together and discover one of them is a shapeshifter. I was not sure I would like it at first, but I soon found myself invested in the characters. I enjoyed it, but did not love it. I recently started Netflix's Maniacs. The jury is still out.
What I Am Watching: Our first month without cable went by without a hitch. I was able to finish the 13th season of Supernatural, and I watched the first season of Jack Ryan, which I really enjoyed. My daughter got me hooked on Mako Mermaids, an Australian show about teenage mermaids. I binge watched The Innocents, a Netflix original, about two teens who run away together and discover one of them is a shapeshifter. I was not sure I would like it at first, but I soon found myself invested in the characters. I enjoyed it, but did not love it. I recently started Netflix's Maniacs. The jury is still out.
Off the Blog: September was a full month. I celebrated my birthday, and Nutcracker rehearsals got underway. Mouse officially started with her new Girl Scout Troop. We spent the last day of September on a Girl Scout outing, enjoying the OC Children's Book Festival, which I will talk more about in a future post. My boss went on vacation for three weeks and left me and another colleague in charge. We had a few bumps, but overall it went well. I am just so glad she was back this week! September was a rough month at work as it was.
Does anyone else hate fundraisers as much as I do? I know there's a need for them (and I am very grateful for what we are able to earn--it really helps), but I hate asking people to buy things or for money. Ugh. Mouse has three going on right now: school, dance and Girl Scouts.
Does anyone else hate fundraisers as much as I do? I know there's a need for them (and I am very grateful for what we are able to earn--it really helps), but I hate asking people to buy things or for money. Ugh. Mouse has three going on right now: school, dance and Girl Scouts.
Here is what I finished reading in September:
Tell me what you have been up to! What are you reading, listening to and watching? How was your September? Do you have anything planned for this month?
- The Impossible Girl by Lydia Kang
- Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye
- Phoenix Unbound by Grace Draven
September was another slow reading month for me. I think I reached a really long portion of War and Peace because I spent a lot of time trying to stay on top of my reading of that. My reading of Les Miserables is still going well. The chapters with that one mostly fly by. Remind me to never do two one-year long read-alongs at the same time again, please. Of the books I finished, I enjoyed them all very much.
I was on top of my blogging in September, and while I wasn't always quick about responding to comments, I feel like I managed pretty well, even with everything going on (I am behind already this month, however, thanks to my arm). I keep hoping I can get ahead in my blogging by more than a week, but so far it hasn't happened. This past month I introduced one new feature (Poetry Corner) and a twist to an old one (Mouse's Corner), both of which I would like to make more regular features on my blog.
This Past September In Reading Mews:
- Six Degrees of Separation: From Where Am I Now to Jane Steele
- Sunday Mews: Goodbye August & Hello September
- Bookish Thoughts: Sparrow Hill Road & The Girl in the Green Silk Gown by Seanan McGuire
- Top Ten Tuesday: Bingeworthy TV Shows/Movies
- Waiting to Read Wednesday (#13)
- Winner of September's TBR List Poll
- Bookish Thoughts: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
- Waiting to Read Wednesday: The Christmas Edition (#14)
- Where Is Your Bookmark? (A Peek Into Jane Steele, My Favorite Fictional School, and a Wolfish Cover)
- Poetry Corner: Sunday Sugar by Q. Gibson
- Bookish Thoughts: Scandal Above Stairs by Jennifer Ashley
- Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Fall 2018 TBR
- Waiting to Read Wednesday (#15)
- Where Is Your Bookmark? (A Peek Into Phoenix Unbound/Cloudy Covers/Polygamous Reading)
- Mouse's Corner, The Sunday Edition: Smile by Raina Telgemeier
- Bookish Thoughts: Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf
- Top Ten Tuesday: Books By My Favorite Authors That I Still Haven’t Read
- Waiting to Read Wednesday (#16)
- Where Is Your Bookmark? (A Peek Into The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel & More Bookish Fun)
Tell me what you have been up to! What are you reading, listening to and watching? How was your September? Do you have anything planned for this month?
*
Thank you for helping me decide what book from my TBR collection I should read next:
My TBR List is a meme hosted by the awesome Michelle at Because Reading. It’s a fun way to choose a book from your TBR pile to read. The 1st Sunday of every month, I will list 3 books I am considering reading and take a poll as to which you think I should read. I will read the winner that month, and my review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise).
As I was deciding what books to include in this month's TBR List Poll, I kept coming back to my last Top Ten Tuesday post featuring books by my favorite authors that I still haven’t read. Here are three books I have had on my shelf for quite some time and am kicking myself for not yet reading. All of these are a part of series I have already begun reading. Which do you think I should read next?
Plagued by a war between magic and technology, Atlanta has never been so deadly. Good thing Kate Daniels is on the job.
Kate Daniels may have quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but she’s still knee-deep in paranormal problems. Or she would be if she could get someone to hire her. Starting her own business has been more challenging than she thought it would be—now that the Order is disparaging her good name. Plus, many potential clients are afraid of getting on the bad side of the Beast Lord, who just happens to be Kate’s mate.
So when Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead calls to ask for help with a vampire on the loose, Kate leaps at the chance of some paying work. But it turns out that this is not an isolated incident. Kate needs to get to the bottom of it—and fast, or the city and everyone dear to her might pay the ultimate price… [Goodreads Summary]
Being a different breed of shapeshifter-a walker-Mercy Thompson can see ghosts, but the spirit of her long-gone father has never visited her. Until now, on her honeymoon with the Alpha werewolf Adam. An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River-and innocent people are dying. As other walkers make their presence known to Mercy, she must reconnect with her heritage to exorcise the world of the legend known as the river devil... [Goodreads Summary]
It's a tough life for witch Rachel Morgan, sexy, independent bounty hunter, prowling the darkest shadows of downtown Cincinnati for criminal creatures of the night.
She can handle the leather-clad vamps and even tangle with a cunning demon or two. But a serial killer who feeds on the experts in the most dangerous kind of black magic is definitely pressing the limits.
Confronting an ancient, implacable evil is more than just child's play -- and this time, Rachel will be lucky to escape with her very soul. [Goodreads Summary]
© 2018, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
I love October too, and the windows have been open here as well. It's nice to not be so hot. And yay for City of the Lost and Sleepy Hollow!
ReplyDeleteI've been interested in The Spellbook as well, and for the same reason- Sleepy Hollow! Ha ha I hope it's good, I may get that one. And Mako Mermaids! We used to watch that around here too- they're fun! I bined The Innocents too a couple weeks ago- it wasn't bad. Maniac I gave up on- too weird for me. :)
I voted for Magic Slays. :)
Greg - We actually got rain yesterday today and today. Heaven!
DeleteI ended up giving up on Maniac too. I just couldn't get into it. I am glad I am not the only one who likes Mako Mermaids (besides just my daughter, LOL).
Thank you for visiting and voting!
I also love October, but I actually had to close the windows Friday evening, it was so so chilly. Happy belated birthday, I hope it was great.
ReplyDeleteJovita - Thank you. It was a nice birthday--seems so long ago now. LOL I saw on your post that you've had to turn on your heat already. We haven't had to fortunately. Not yet, anyway. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteBelated Happy Birthday! So many people have been having September birthdays.
ReplyDeleteThat's a huge haul! Enjoy!
Angelica @ Paperback Princess.
Angelica - Thank you! August is the big birthday month for my family, but I do know a couple of others with September birthdays. :-) Thank you for visiting!
DeleteI'm reading The Ragged Edge of Night right now! I really liked The Black Witch, and I have enjoyed the Rockton series by Armstrong.
ReplyDeleteHope your arm is feeling better!
Jenclair - I am glad to hear you really liked The Black Witch. I cannot wait to read it. And I couldn't resist The Ragged Edge of Night. My arm is feeling better this weekend, although not completely back to normal yet. It's at the point where I forget it's hurt and then go and do something that reminds me it's still healing. :-( Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI hope Mouse is enjoying her new troop!
ReplyDeleteThe Ripper's Shadow sounds interesting! Hope you get to it soonish so I can read your review(:
Eustacia - She loves her new troop. She has a lot of fun with the other girls, many of whom she met this past spring and came from the in-between troop. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteI hope you feel better soon. A strained muscle can be very painful. That's such a great book haul. You got so many wonderful stories (I hope you enjoy them all).
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge fan of Mercy Thompson, so my pick is obvious. =P
Happy readings! ;)
Tânia @MyLovelySecret
Tânia - Thank you for the well wishes! Fortunately my arm is feeling better, although I keep being reminded that I still need to take it easy until it heals all the way. I'm excited about all these new books! Thank you so much for voting and visiting!
DeleteI hope your arm feels better soon! 💪
ReplyDeleteI am so happy you got The Black Witch! It got dragged on Goodreads for being "racist" (it's not). The book got over a thousand one and two star ratings (by people who didn't read the book) over a period of 48 hours because of a mob started by the author of Dread Nation and her friend. Last time I looked it still had about 700 of those reviews. I really liked it. I need to read Wandfasted, and I just recently saw that Hoopla has the second book. 📚
I'm not doing well with The Spellbook, too much "fire rising between her legs" for me. 😂
Have a wonderful week and happy belated birthday. 🌞
La La - Thank you for the well wishes. I am really looking forward to reading The Black Witch. I hadn't heard of the controversy. I am not sure where I stand with The Spellbook myself right now. Katrina is one of those characters I know I am supposed to like, but I'm just not there yet, I guess. I knew enough about the book to know it was heavy in the romance department, but wish I found it more engrossing. It's still early yet for me, so we'll see.
DeleteThank you for stopping by!
I hate fundraisers too. My step-daughter gets really into them and harps on people to donate. We had to have a talk with her about how rude that is. *sigh And her fundraiser for school gives parties every day to the classroom that raised the most money. The same classroom won all week. I feel that having my step-kids compete against each other for a party is inappropriate. We told them to please just focus on the junk they give as prizes. (We didn't call it junk to them, of course.)
ReplyDeleteRachel - There seems to be a fundraiser for everything . . . A friend had warned me that once my daughter reached school age the fundraisers would feel never ending. She was right. And my daughter is only in 2nd grade. We have many more years of this to go! Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteVoted and you had a great week, month even! I loved Phoenix Unbound.
ReplyDeleteSophie - Thank you so much for voting and visiting! I really enjoyed Phoenix Unbound too.
DeleteSo sorry to hear about your arm - I hope it feels better soon.
ReplyDeleteI used to hate those fundraisers too. I thought the worst part was the pressure they put on the kids with those silly prizes.
Kathy - Thank you! It is doing much better than it was. Hopefully it will be back to normal in another week or so.
DeleteYes! And those prizes are cheap and forgotten soon after they come home. Argh! I do understand the purpose and need for fundraising. I just don't like doing it.
Thanks for visiting!
I hope your arm heals quickly! My neighbors have had their Halloween decorations up since the end of last month. I guess they were eager. Have a great October!
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
AJ - Thank you! We had a couple of neighbors like that too! More and more decorations are going up every day. Ours will go up tomorrow, I have a feeling. I think I said that last week too. LOL Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteOctober is my favorite month, partially because it's my birthday month...and my #2 son's birthday. He sent photos from his birthday bash, which looked like fun. I wasn't there, of course, because they're several hours away...and I hope to see him and his kids (and fiance) later in the season.
ReplyDeleteI have my painful arm issues, too. I went to a massage therapist, who said it was frozen shoulder and gave me exercises/stretches to try...but they're not really helping. I may need to go to the doctor. Sigh.
Enjoy your week! I'm still pondering putting out the Halloween stuff...I think I have to dust everything first! And I'm procrastinating.
Here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES
Laurel-Rain - I hope you have a wonderful birthday month! My brother has a birthday in October too. :-) I am so sorry to hear about your arm issues. If it isn't getting better, I do suggest going to the doctor. I hate having to go myself. We still haven't put our Halloween stuff up. Hopefully tomorrow. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteOctober is my favorite month. I have all our Halloween decorations up. I hope your arm heals quickly.
ReplyDeleteEllen - Thank you! I had hoped we could get our Halloween decorations up this past weekend, but it wasn't meant to be. We don't have many anyway, but I know my daughter likes to get them up. I do much more for Christmas. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteThat's a great bunch of new books you got. I thought the Zig Zag Girl was a very fun mystery. And I had to vote for the Patricia Briggs book on your poll because Mercy Thompson is awesome. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteLark - Thank you for voting! I can't wait to see which one wins! Right now it's a three way tie! I want to read all three books, but am not sure I can swing that this month. LOL Thank you for visiting!
DeleteHope your arm is feeling better :(
ReplyDeleteThe cover for Anya's Ghost is so cute, I love it.
Oooh, Mako Mermaid's is strangely addictive. Australian shows can be very charming, I'm a fan of a few of them (Heartbreak High is a classic!).
My vote's for Kate Daniels, they keep getting better!
Reese - Thank you! It is doing much better this weekend, thankfully. I am looking forward to finally reading Anya's Ghost. I have wanted to read it for awhile now.
DeleteI do love the Australian shows. And Canadian. It's so nice being able to see other countries shows besides just the U.S. for a change.
Thank you for voting and visiting! I love Ilona Andrews.
OK, first---I hope your arm bounces back quickly! Not using it and possibly constriction(like a soft brace or wide ace bandages) may help.
ReplyDeleteI just watched "Goodbye Christopher Robin" and it was beautifully done. Sad, but heartwarming.
And Happy Birthday! When was it?
Donna Marie - Thank you! The doctor gave me a sling to help keep me from using my arm, and that's helped some. It's feeling much better, although now that it is, I am at risk of overdoing it too soon. I'm trying not to though. You have it much worse and I do hope you are healing up well.
DeleteI am glad you enjoyed Goodbye Christopher Robin. I have been hearing good things about it.
My birthday was in early September. We didn't do much to celebrate--just a cake for the three of us, lunch out and a trip to the bookstore. It was nice.
Thank you for visiting!
Oh, fundraisers are the worst. D:
ReplyDeleteMy daughter was very into the Mako Mermaids show a few years back. (Well, one of them, I believe there are something like 2 or 3 spin offs.)
Happy belated birthday!
Have a great week!
Shannon - I don't often get into the shows my daughter likes to watch, but occasionally one sucks me in--Mako Mermaids was one of them. :-) Thank you for the birthday wishes and for stopping by!
DeleteOctober definitely has its charms. But at the moment I still can't seem to get over the fact that Summer is over. Time is going by so fast!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you have some great new books! I love Kelley Armstrong! I haven't read this one though.
Have a great week and happy reading!
Maureen - This year really has gone by fast, hasn't it? And it's been an especially big year for you, I know! So many life changes. I hope you have a great weekend and thank you for visiting!
DeleteI hope your arm feels better soon, Wendy.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you've a lovely book haul there. I hope you enjoy reading them all. :)
Melody - Thank you! It is doing better, although still giving me some trouble here and there. I hope it will be back to normal in a week or so. If I can keep from overdoing it now. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteThe Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a good one especially during this time of year. I keep seeing The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel around blogland, it sounds good. Enjoy all your books and happy belated birthday! I hope your arm feels better soon.
ReplyDeleteNaida - I read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow years ago and only vaguely remembered it. I think I remembered the movie more. Thank you for the well wishes and birthday wishes! And for stopping by. :-)
DeleteI hope your arm feels better soon :) It looks like you had a great and really busy week! Hope you got enough time to relax.
ReplyDeleteI also struggle to keep ahead in terms of blogging but always fail terribly 😂 Have a great week!
ERK - Thank you! It is doing better this weekend, thankfully. Staying ahead with blogging is such a challenge for me! We do what we can though, right? Thank you for visiting!
DeleteI love the Kim Harrison series and not enough people are reading it so it gets my vote. Stormi and I are planning on making 2019 the year of the Kate Daniel series and read one together each month. I'm excited. I hope your arm is healing. Of course it would have to be your dominant hand. That's an awesome birthday haul - I loved Anya's Ghost. And now I need to check out The Innocents. I guess I never knew what it was about.
ReplyDeleteBarb - I got a really late start on the Kim Harrison series, but really enjoyed the first book. How fun that you will be reading the Kate Daniels series with Stormi this coming year! My arm is feeling much better, thank you. I still have to be careful with it. Just putting my daughter's hair in a bun today set the pain off again. I'm managing though. I can't wait to read Anya's Ghost and am glad to hear you loved it. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteI hope your arm is doing much better! And, of course a very happy birthday! October is a wonderful month. I love Fall (even though it's still hot here!) and Halloween.
ReplyDeleteIliana - Thank you! My arm is feeling better, thankfully. I am still babying it some, but hopefully in another week or so it will be back to normal. I hope you start seeing cooler temperatures soon! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteHappy birthday!
ReplyDeleteGlad it's just a sprain, and hope the pain improves soon. With fundraisers it depends on the way they're run - door to door or similar, not great. But with an event or something it can be more fun. I can imagine you're not enjoying it much at all if there are three on the go.
If you're reading two tomes that's a pretty awesome, slow be damned :)
I'm reading Eloisa James' This Duchess of Mine which is okay, and Jenny Colgan's Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop which I picked up on a whim and has turned out to be really good. September was pretty good though I couldn't tell you what happened - October's so busy!
Charlie - Thank you! The medication helped a lot with the pain, fortunately, and keeping it still. My arm is already doing much better and hopefully will be back to normal in another week or so.
DeleteI feel like I'm always hitting people up for the fundraisers. My selling circle isn't that large, I'm afraid. And people only have so much money. We aren't going door to door, fortunately. We've done that when selling Girl Scout cookies, but not very successfully--and if my daughter and I had our way, we wouldn't do it that way at all. So this next year, we will probably skip the door to door all together.
My goal is to finish both Les Miserables and War and Peace before the year is out. Hopefully I can manage it!
I've read one of Jenny Colgan's books and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I am glad you are enjoying Christmas at Rosie Hopkin's Sweetshop.
Thank you for visiting, Charlie!
Sorry about your arm, Wendy. Hope it's better soon. And a very happy belated birthday to you! Looks like some good books. I've read both the graphic novels you got. As Iliana says, we've still been quite warm, but cold fronts are beginning to make their way to us to cool us down a bit. Fundraising - yes, I remember those days. Now I just contribute to the cause and don't take the candy or whatnot. Ha!
ReplyDeleteKay - Thank you, It is feeling better, thank goodness. Thank you also for the birthday wishes. I do like that so many of the fundraisers do offer options to give without having to actually buy something. Girl Scouts has the "I Care" program and even her latest dance once gives an option for donating money, which is nice. I have friends at work though who say they want something for their trouble. LOL Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteSeems like September was really good for your blog. So many posts :)Don't worry about the reading though. Sometimes, it is okay to be slow on reading front.
ReplyDeleteI wish we had something like fall here too. October for us is just similar to any other month :D
You got a lot of good books. I hope you enjoy reading them and have a lovely October :)
Sim - Thank you for your kind words. :-) And thank you for visiting!
DeleteOMG no! How can you make me choose between Kate Daniels and Rachel Morgan?! Those two are some of my most favourite series ever!
ReplyDeleteSucks about your arm, I hope it heals quickly. October rocks!
Nicci - It is a hard choice, isn't it? I can't decide myself. :-) Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteOur October went from 80s to 40s in a day, so way too fast into way too cold. I had to cover my garden last night because we had our first frost. Books always make great birthday gifts for me too. Happy late birthday!
ReplyDeleteDanielle - That is crazy! I thought our 12 degree drop was big. I hope you are finding ways to stay warm. Thank you for the birthday wishes. Thank you for visiting!
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