I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer and The Sunday Salon (TSS) hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz 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 It's Monday! What Are you Reading? hosted by Kathryn of Book Date where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.
I am linking up Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene of Reading Reality a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently.
It was a busy week here--one with lots of bees. Early in the week we noticed bees were getting into the house. Not a lot, but enough that it made us worry. After a look around the outside of the house, my husband found bees swarming around one of the little vents leading into the house. While we don't think that is how they were getting into the main area of the house (we think they slipped in through a small gap near the sliding glass door), we do think they got into the walls. The bee expert thinks we caught them in time to get them out without having to start putting holes in the walls--and I sure hope he's right! This entire ordeal has brought to mind an early scene in Sue Monk Kidd's book, The Secret Life of Bees, with Lily and the bees living in her bedroom wall. That's the extent of the excitement in my life at the moment. I hope you have had a good week. What have you been up to?
She may not be the most affectionate cat, but Nina does not mind a close up.
This was the closest I could get to a decent photo of Gracie today.
She was all movement and no cooperation.
It was with mixed feelings that I finished reading Cold Curses (Heirs of Chicagoland #5) by Chloe Neill, the final book in the series. I enjoyed the book as I have the previous books in the series, but I am sad to see the series come to an end. One of these days I plan to pick up the first book in the Chicagoland Vampire series, the prequel series. I probably should have read that first, although I think I was more motivated to start fresh with her newer series because it was just coming out and the earlier series was thirteen books long.
This past week, I also slipped in a little listening time and finished Sweep in Peace (Innkeepers Chronicles #2) by Ilona Andrews. I first read this one in 2018 and decided to listen to the graphic audio edition this time around. I think I was more prepared for the full cast and background music and sounds this time around.
I continue to read David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. I have been reading about a chapter a night, right before bed. One of my favorite scenes so far was when David's aunt gives Mr. Murdstone a piece of her mind. That man deserved it and more. I am liking the book very much so far.
I very recently started reading An Inconvenient Wife: A Modern Tudor Mystery by Karen E. Olson, which I have been eagerly anticipating.
Thank you to everyone who voted in my April TBR List Poll! It was a very close race between the top two vote getters, going back and forth between which would take the lead.
Ali Hazelwood's Bride did not fare as well as the other two, but it did get 4 votes. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt made a good showing with 9 votes. And although Jimmy Fallon book club voters may not have picked The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo as their book club choice for the month, it did win my poll with 10 votes. I am excited about reading The Fox Wife next. I enjoyed both of Yangsze Choo's previous novels. I had the chance to meet her at a book signing a few years ago, and she was wonderful.
Thank you again for voting!
New to my shelves:
arrived in the mail from The Mysterious Bookshop (Yippee!)
Rise of the Crones (The Crone Wars #5) by Lydia Hawke
Have you read either of these books? If so, what did you think?
I hope you have a great week! Let me know what you have been reading!
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Bees. Urgh. I saw some carpenter bees out this week, I have trouble with them every year since they love wood and we have wood around our house.
ReplyDeleteThe Fox Wife looks fun :)
Greg - Carpenter bees would be a problem. I am sorry you have deal with them every year. I have high hopes for The Fox Wife. :-) Thank you for visiting!
DeleteThe Crone Wars looks like it could be up my street, I'll have to look it up. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteMaree - I have enjoyed the series and feel like each book has gotten better than the last. I hope you give it a try! Have a great week too and thank you for stopping by!
Delete“David Copperfield” is really a great work of satire and demand for social justice. I reread it recently to find out how Barbara Kingsolver used it when creating “Demon Copperhead.” I was amazed at how much she had borrowed from Dickens. Now I feel as if I should reread more DIckens — somehow in the course of my life I’ve read all his books at least once.
ReplyDeletebest, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Mae - I am actually reading David Copperfield because I want to read Demon Copperhead after, knowing it was inspired by the Dickens' novel. I forget how much I enjoy Dickens until I'm actually reading his work. I haven't read much by him, but he is such a good story teller. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteI love bees! But having them in the house is indeed a problem. I hope you'll be able to get them to move without killing them. Happy Sunday!
ReplyDeleteSophie - I like bees from a distance, but not close up. I really hope we've seen the last of them in and around the house (except in the yard and among the flowers--they are always welcome there). Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteThe bee experience sounds a little scary, although bees are the one insect I actually like and don't mind, although bees in my house would be another story, lol. Have a good week, Wendy!
ReplyDeleteTammy - Bees are so good for the environment. I like them too, but not up close and definitely not inside the house. I hope you have a good week too! Thank you for visiting!
DeleteOooh!! I'm so glad The Fox Wife won!! I'm so excited for you to read it and to hear your thoughts on it. I just recently read it and loved it and I hope you do too!
ReplyDeleteHaze - I am really looking forward to The Fox Wife. I just know I am going to love it too. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteI am not a fan of bugs or critters in the house. In Minnesota, we had some ladybugs in the winter some years. They didn't seem so bad. Enjoy your new reads!
ReplyDeleteAnne - Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
Anne - Me either! I'm more tolerant of spiders because I know they eat some of the other bugs, but I still prefer not to actually see them. LOL Thank you for visiting!
DeleteOh dear - bees:((. Lovely in the garden - but not welcome in the house! I have the first two books in the Crone Wars waiting to be read. Have a great week, Wendy:).
ReplyDeleteSarah - Exactly! I am happy with them in the garden, but not in the house! I hope you enjoy the Crone War books when you read them. I think the books get better with each one. I still need to read the one before this latest one, but hopefully soon! I hope you have a great week too, Sarah! Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteAutographed books are so fun! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteCindy - Yes, they are! I hope you have a great week too. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteYour cats are beautiful. Look at those blue eyes! And I'm partial to torties since mine is a dilute tortie. I am terrified of bees. I think I'd have to move into a hotel room until that situation was resolved! I hope they are all outside now where they can thrive. :)
ReplyDeleteMeezan - Thank you! Her eyes do look blue in the photo, don't they? They are actually green. She does have pretty eyes. Does your tortie has as much of an attitude as mine does? LOL I was ready to ask my mom if I could come stay with her if things had gotten any worse with the bees. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteWonderful kitty pictures sometimes my cat loves photos other times not so much. I hope you got the bee issue under control that does not sound like fun at all. Happy reading.
ReplyDeleteJan - Thank you! Sometimes I think Nina wants me to take her photo because she's always right there when I start taking pictures. LOL I hope the bee problem is in the past too! Thank you for visiting!
DeleteYour cats are really cute.
ReplyDeleteI would lose my everlovin mind if bees were in my walls or getting into my house. I don't have many phobias but bees are the biggest ones. lol
Mary - I was about ready to call my mom and ask her if I could stay with her. LOL I haven't been stung by a bee and so have no idea if I'm allergic. I'm very afraid to find out! Thank you for visiting!
DeleteNina and Gracie are so gorgeous. I’m happy to hear you caught those bees in time!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy your newly added books. Take care and have a great week ahead!
Sara - Nina and Gracie say thank you. :-) I hope you have a great week too. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteWe had honey bees swarm to our old house years ago... it was pretty scary. Luckily the beekeeper was able to help! I'm glad you're enjoying David Copperfield. It's been on my list for a long time and moved closer to the top after reading Demon Copperhead. Have a good week, Wendy!
ReplyDeleteJoAnn - It is scary. I like bees from a distance, but not up close! I do hope to read Demon Copperhead, which is actually what motivated me to read David Copperfield. :-) I hope you have a good week too. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteI think bees are better than wasps, but not in your walls! We have a lot of wasps around our house and they're such a nuisance! They get into our wood pile and sort of go dormant in the cold but when we bring the wood into the house they come alive. Ugh. Cute kitties. Yes, they're not always cooperative when you want to take a photo, lol. Love The Innkeeper Chronicles, but haven't tried the graphic audio. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteRachel - We have had wasps make nests in our garage. They are such a pain too. I keep trying with the kitty photos. LOL The Innkeeper Chronicles is one of my favorite series. I hope you have a great week too. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteI would not be happy if I had bees getting into my house and in my walls. I am so glad you caught the swarm early and got it all taken care of!
ReplyDeleteHelen - I was pretty freaked out when we discovered them. I am glad it's been taken care of too. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteGlad you were able to get those bees out! My parents had a huge issue with them swarming in the house and had to call a guy to help. Your cats are adorable and it looks like you've had some good reads lately too.
ReplyDeletewww.lisahoweler.com
Lisa - I really hope we got them all out! Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have a great weekend!
DeleteI hope you are able to evict the bees with haste and without issue!
ReplyDeleteWishing you a great reading week!
Shelleyrae - We thought perhaps we had, but I think we aren't so lucky to have them gone. :-(
DeleteOh my! Bees in your house! That has to be very upsetting. Does it make you feel any better to know that my friends are dealing with bats who have chosen to live in their home?
ReplyDeleteI am glad that The Fox Wife pulled ahead. I'm eager to hear your thoughts about it.
Deb - We thought the problem was resolved, but there's been more bee activity as of late. We really need to figure out how to keep them out. I don't think I would want to have bats in the house either. I hope your friends were able to get the bats out.
DeleteBees can be tough. Glad you were able to get rid of them. David Copperfield is on my list to read as well. Hope you have a nice week.
ReplyDeletehttps://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2024/04/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-and_01668899258.html
Cheryl - We are still battling the bees. I do hope the end will be in sight soon!
DeleteI hope the bees are gone! Having them in the house would be a nightmare situation.
ReplyDeleteAJ - I wish I could say the bees were gone, but no such luck.
DeleteWe once had wasps make a huge nest underneath our siding. HUGE. What a hassle to get rid of them. Glad you caught yours before the swarm moved in!
ReplyDeleteAnne - I am not sure we were lucky enough to catch them as early as we thought. They must really like our house. :-( We had wasps build a nest in our garage a few years ago. That was no fun!
DeleteBefore I cute down all my blackberries bushes I had wasps swarming around the blackberries. It made it hard to pick the berries.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week.
Snapdragon - I can imagine picking blackberries with wasps in the bushes would be very difficult indeed!
DeleteWe had hornets a few years ago. My husband got stung multiple times while cutting the lawn before he realized they had a hive in a bush on our property!
ReplyDeleteJodie - Ouch! I feel for your husband. I haven't been stung by bees, wasps or hornets yet--and hopefully never will be.
DeleteOne of the main reasons I couldn't WAIT to get out of Arkansas was the paper wasps that were always getting in. Or else they'd be in the carport blocking me from getting in my car to go anywhere.
ReplyDeleteI love your beautiful cats!
Jinjer - I wouldn't want to have to deal with paper wasps either!
DeleteI'm so glad you caught the bees in time! I know that can be such a hassle to deal with. I really want to read An Inconvenient Wife. I'm really looking forward to seeing what you think of it! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - I am not sure we did catch the bees in time after all. We're still dealing with them. :-( I really enjoyed An Inconvenient Wife.
DeleteMy first husband and I had bees in our house shortly after we moved in, and my husband and I had a swarm outside on our porch when we were in the process of selling the house to move to Oregon. Very unsettling!
ReplyDeleteI recently finished Demon Copperhead and am now inspired to read David Copperfield. I may listen to the audio this fall.
Les - It's been an experience with the bees. I am so sorry you had to deal with them too. I am looking forward to reading Demon Copperhead.
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