Weekly Mews: What I Have Been Reading, What I am Reading Now & What I Will Be Reading Next

I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by 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 The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz where participants discuss what they are reading and other bookish topics. In addition, I am linking to Stacking the Shelves hosted by 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 Kathryn of The Book Date It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? where readers share what they have been reading throughout the week.

 I had every intention of posting Friday night, but we ended up going out with friends for dinner after dance classes, and Saturday was a full day with dress rehearsals for both The Greatest Showman and Don Quixote. This is the first chance I have had to get on the computer (and put my feet up!). We will likely be running a couple errands Sunday to make sure we have everything we need for the performance weekend. We are in countdown mode now.

My husband and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary this past week. It was a quiet affair. And work has been uneventful for the most part--always a plus! The best part is the air conditioning vent near my desk at work has finally been fixed and is blowing cold air instead of hot air. Just in time for the triple digit temperatures we are enjoying.

Tell me what you have been up to! 

What I Am Watching: I did not watch much of anything this past week, other than a couple more episodes of Legacies on Netflix. There are a couple of movies out in the theater I know we want to see, but I am not sure we will be able to swing it with our current schedules.

What I Am Listening To: I am still in the same place I was last week in Marie Lu's Warcross. It was just not a week for listening, I am afraid.  I am hoping I can sneak in some listening time soon though. I want to get back to the story!

What I Am Reading: I have made progress in The Gossamer Mage by Julie E. Czerneda. It got off to a slow start, but I am enjoying it more now. Mouse and I recently read another A to Z Mystery by Ron Roy, The Vampire's Vacation, which was cute.


What are you reading, listening to and watching? 

Along with my mini reviews, I am linking to both Book Beginnings, a meme in which readers share the first sentence of a book they are reading, hosted by Gillion Dumas of Rose City Reader and Friday 56 hosted by Freda of Freda's Voice, in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading.

The Book Supremacy (Bibliophile Mystery #13) 
by Kate Carlisle
Berkley, 2019
Crime Fiction/Cozy; 288 pgs

It was our last day in Paris. [Opening of The Book Supremacy]

"It's so not fair," I muttered, closing the book and carrying it up to the checkout counter. "All she wanted to do was meet a nice guy." Instead she met the hypnotist-cyber-date serial killer. 

ho didn't love a good hypno-cuber-date serial killer thriller? [excerpt from 56%]

This is the first book I have read in Kate Carlisle’s Brooklyn Wainwright, book restoration expert, cozy mystery series, but the 13th in the series. Talk about jumping in late! Even so, I had no problem picking up with this book, and, in fact, enjoyed every second of the novel. Why I haven’t I gotten around to reading this series sooner?!

After her honeymoon in Paris, where she finds the perfect rare book for her new husband, Derek, the happy couple returns home. Derek isn’t quite able to settle in at home the way he would like to. Things at the office have reached a boiling point. Meanwhile, Derek is reunited with an old colleague from his spy days. Set in one of my favorite cities, San Francisco, add in escape rooms, and a murder--all ingredients making this one cozy mystery I was sure to love. The mystery itself took a while to get off the ground, but I did not mind given I had some catching up to do with the character’s background. It was all very relevant and interesting for the buildup of what was to come. Both Derek and Brooklyn are likeable characters. This novel almost has me convinced I should give the whole escape room experience a try—but the jury is still out on it. A bit of humor, mixed in with action, romance and mystery, The Book Supremacy was a real hit for me.

The Night Tiger by by Yangsze Choo

Flatiron Press, 2019

Fiction (Historical); 384 pgs

The old man is dying. [Opening of The Night Tiger]

This is becoming a terrible evening for William. He swallows, reminding himself that he hasn't committed a crime.  [excerpt from 56%]

Set in 1930’s Malaysia, The Night Tiger is about a boy on a mission to find a lost finger for his former employer, and the young woman moonlighting as a dancehall girl to pay off her mother’s debts who pickpockets one off a customer. What comes next is a beautiful and at times heartbreaking story as the reader follows the characters over the next 49 days. Steeped in Chinese folklore and history, The Night Tiger is a mystery with a dash of romance and a hint of the supernatural. I adored Ji Lin and Ren, two of the main characters, who stole my heart from the first. There is so much to love about The Night Tiger, from its depth of character, it’s natural tie-in of the historical and political climate of the times as well as cultural superstitions and traditions, and the twists and turns the author took the various threads of the story. Yangsze Choo has proven again what an amazing author she is.

New to My Shelves (all books purchased by me): 

My local independent bookstore was donating 10% of their purchases this past holiday weekend to RAICES, as if I need another excuse to buy books. My daughter found two books she wanted as well.

Salvation of A Saint by Keigo Higashino

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So Fabulous Life by Rachel Renee Russell

Who Was Rosa Parks? 

Have you added any new books to your shelves recently?

Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

What do you like/dislike about self-published works? (submitted by Nicki @Nicki J. Markus/Asta Idonea)

Self-published books have a reputation of being poorly edited and sometimes the authors are a bit more pushy or even rude when it comes to getting reviews. Both of which I have experienced at one time or another. That said, I have read a few self-published books that have been very good, and so I am not as quick to judge a book based on how it was published as I might have once been. And most of the self-published authors I have worked with have been very nice and professional. In reality, there are poorly edited traditionally published books out there as well, and not all of traditionally published author's are reader friendly. Self-publishing has opened many doors for authors, whether new or veteran authors who want to do or try something different, and also for readers as well, particularly in providing a more diverse range.

What about you? 

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 Saturday 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). 

Nic Stone's Dear Martin made a decent showing with 10 votes (37%), but ultimately Vox by Christina Dalcher came out on top by stealing the majority (55.6% - 15 votes). Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan only came away with 2 votes. Thank you again to everyone who voted! I am eager to read Vox this month.

Vox by Christina Dalcher 

Set in an America where half the population has been silenced, VOX is the harrowing, unforgettable story of what one woman will do to protect herself and her daughter.

On the day the government decrees that women are no longer allowed more than 100 words daily, Dr. Jean McClellan is in denial--this can't happen here. Not in America. Not to her.

This is just the beginning.

Soon women can no longer hold jobs. Girls are no longer taught to read or write. Females no longer have a voice. Before, the average person spoke sixteen thousand words a day, but now women only have one hundred to make themselves heard.

But this is not the end.

For herself, her daughter, and every woman silenced, Jean will reclaim her voice. [Goodreads Summary]

I hope you all have a wonderful week! Happy Reading!

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