February 5th's Sunday/Monday Post

 Hi all.  It's time for a Sunday/Monday post, where I will be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Did you miss me while I was gone?  Okay, so you might not have realized I was gone, and I get it.  After all my blog was running like normal, I just didn't do any of the weekly posts I typically do.  But yes, I was on vacation.

Specifically, I took a 10 day Caribbean cruise.  It was fabulous.  It was round trip from Ft. Lauderdale, and we made five stops, six if you could the "private" island (really, a secluded beach) where we stopped along the way.  I had something going on in every port, which made it great.  Plus I got lots of reading in.  I'll be filling the next couple of weeks with the books I read on my trip, and I actually started posting reviews from my trip this last week.

One of the highlights was getting to meet Lyndon Perry.  We'd connected on various social media platforms in  the last year, and I knew he lived in Puerto Rico.  That was the one day I didn't have anything planned.  I had reached out thinking it would be fun to meet up for lunch or something, but he and his wife played tour guide.  We visited the rain forest on the island, walked on the beach, and had lunch together before they dropped me back off.  Definitely a highlight.

Other than that, I did some snorkeling and kayaking.  And did I mention all the reading?

Coming back was brutal.  I'm not talking about the weather, although that was a bit of a shock to the system.  It has been in the lower 80's on the cruise, but now it was in the 50's in Southern California.  But work was crazy my first couple of days back.  Fortunately, it slowed down a bit later in the week, and we successfully closed out the month.

In fact, I got off on time Friday night, which was great since I went to a concert last night.  Jason Gray is one of my favorite artists, so when I found out he was doing a concert an hour from me, I planned to go.  He was in concert with Jonathan Traylor, who I hadn't heard of before, but I plan to get some of his music.  It was a great evening.

And, today, I was back out paddling on the lake.  It's warmed up, and was sunny.  It's about 70 out here right now.  I know, I know, everyone else is freezing.  Sorry.  If it makes you feel any better, it's supposed to drop in temperature back to the 50's tomorrow.  Not helping, am I?  Anyway, the hills are still green from all the rain last month, so it looked great out there.

Two Weeks Ago on the Blog:

Sunday - Disney Pin Review: Prince Charming Regal Carousel
Monday - Movie Review: Signed, Sealed, Delivered - From Paris with Love
Tuesday - Book Review: Irish Coffee Murder by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross
Wednesday - Ornament Review: Top Hat Snowman
Thursday - Book Review: Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie
Friday - Movie Review: John Wick - Chapter 2
Saturday - TV Show Review: United States of Al - Season 2

This Last Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Music Review: One Name by Selah
Monday - Movie Review: The Pacifier
Tuesday - Book Review: Dead-Bang Fall by J. R. Sanders
Wednesday - January 2023 Reading Summary
Thursday - Book Review: Wined and Died in New Orleans by Ellen Byron
Friday - Friday Post featuring Of Manners and Murder
Friday - Book Review: Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post
Monday - Book Review: Of Manners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings
Tuesday - Movie Review: The Curious Caterer - Grilling Season
Wednesday - Book Review: Six Sweets Under by Sarah Fox
Thursday - Ornament Review: To the Victory!
Friday - Book Review: What the Cluck?  It's Murder! by Jacqueline Vick
Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

Of course, I have books to talk to you about.  No, I haven't bought any books, but I've gotten several free books and a pre-order.

I came away with two books from Puerto Rico.  Lyndon gave me one of his books, Secrets and Scents.  Sounds like a fun mystery, so I'm looking forward to getting to it...soon.  (I promise, it will be soon.)  He also had a copy of The Return of Tarzan he'd just finished, and he asked if I wanted it.  I know, not a mystery, but I keep meeting to read at least the first couple Tarzan books, so I took it.

I also won a couple of books from blogs.  From My Reader's Block, I won a book for participating in her reading challenges last year.  I picked The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart.  I keep thinking I need to read some of her books, so this is a great chance to do that.

Then, when Alexis Morgan was guest blogging, I won a giveaway of her newest mystery, Death by Arts and Crafts.  I've had the first book for a while, so maybe this will get me to start the series.

Barnes and Nobel shipped me my pre-order of Cheddar Late Than Dead by Linda Reilly.  I've been looking forward to this one since I enjoyed the first two.  Actually, they shipped it early, and it almost arrived before I left on my cruise.  Instead, it was waiting for me when I got back.

As if these five books weren't enough, my hold on my audio book at the library came in.  Okay, so I was getting to the front of the line, so I postponed it until I got back from my trip, but I'm listening to Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson right now.

What I'm Reading:

I just spoiled part of that, right?  Actually, Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians is a short audio book, just under 5 hours.  Between listening while driving to and from the concert Friday night and the lake on Saturday, I'm already mostly done with it.  Should finish it up this weekend.

On the reading front, I'm reading Life on the Mississippi by Rinker Buck.  I know, a middle grade fantasy and a non-fiction book.  Who am I?  I'm mostly  enjoying this tale of a modern day expedition down the Mississippi River.  It's longer than I'm used to, so it is taking me longer to read, which is why I figured now was the perfect time to read it.  I'm further ahead than normal in my reading schedule, so I have the time.

I think that catches you up on everything.  Have a fantastic week!