Hope you're having a great weekend. Time for my 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?
Anyone participating in March Madness? One of my co-workers organized a competition, so I have a bracket going for the second year in the row. There's a reason that I wouldn't have participated if he had wanted to charge to enter. I'm in fifth out of six, which is higher than I started out, which was sixth. And I'm still losing to the person who already completely had her bracket busted, too. I read instead of watch sports, can you tell? Or at least pay attention to the sports I have on.
In book related news, I went to a signing today. Stuart Gibbs was out promoting his two newest books. I went with a couple of friends, which was a lot of fun. Not only did I not drive, which was nice, but the conversation was wonderful.
After the signing, the three of us went to lunch. We wound up at the location of the old Mystery Bookstore near UCLA. It was fun to be back in the neighborhood since I went to a lot of signings in that bookstore back in the day. But it also made me miss it. Obviously, a dedicated mystery bookstore would get a lot of business from me. We used to have several in the greater LA area, but they've all closed now. I found so many authors I still enjoy either from book signings or just browsing the shelves in those stores. Not that I have any trouble building my to be read mountain range these days, but I still miss those stores.
This Past Week on the Blog:
This Coming Week on the Blog:
Book Haul:
I started off with two more June ARCs. I still don't have ARCs for most of the books I'm planning to review in May, but I'm getting the ARCs for June already.
The first is Passport to Spy by Nancy Cole Silverman. This is the second in her Kat Lawson series, which features a former investigative reporter turned FBI asset who works on art crimes. I'm looking forward to seeing where this series goes.
The second one is Fatal Fudge Swirl by Meri Allen. We're already getting into Halloween books, which is crazy to think about. This is the third Ice Cream Shop Mystery, and I enjoyed the first two, so this one should be good as well. Besides, how can you go wrong with a title like that?
Then comes The Ghost of Christmas Granny, a novella in the Ghost of Granny Apples series from Sue Ann Jaffarian. This novella actually came out last year right before Christmas. I didn't have a chance to get to it back then, but she offered me a copy of it this week. Since I'm never one to turn down books I plan to read but haven't bought yet, I jumped at the chance.
The final book for the week is Whale Done by Start Gibbs. I know you were waiting for me to include what I bought today. I only bought one of the books he was promoting, the newest in the FunJungle series. I have the other one, a graphic novel, on my radar still, but I didn't pull the trigger and buy it today. Anyway, I love the FunJungle series, and can't wait to get to it.
What I'm Currently Reading:
No, I'm not reading Whale Done, at least not yet. My plan is to read it next. I might be starting it as early as Monday.
It all depends on how quickly I get through The Clairvoyant Countess by Dorothy Gilman, my current read. As much as I love her Mrs. Pollifax series (Carstairs came from the series), this is only the second of her non-Mrs. Pollifax books I have read. Her books are shorter than the books I typically read, but I didn't get nearly as much reading time in today as I thought I would. I'd originally hoped to finish it tomorrow, but now I'm thinking it might be Monday before we finish it. We'll see.
Have a great week!
A lot of the used bookstores near me have closed too. There used to be a dedicated mystery bookstore in ann Arbor here but they closed as well, sadly. I was only there a couple of times since I don't always get over that way- I wish they were still around.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard for 2nd hand bookstores to survive or even some of the chains - hard to compete with Amazon. A few years ago I made the major shift away from purchasing books and am relying on my library now. (though I still have shelves full of books I bought and haven't read yet!) Have a terrific week.
ReplyDeleteTerrie @ Bookshelf Journeys
The book signing sounds like fun. I hope you have a great week, Mark
ReplyDeleteI think you will enjoy Whale Done, and how fun that you got to go to a Gibbs event! I love Gilman's work, and your blog offers so many temptations for me to go off topic and read adult mysteries, but I try to stay strong. You might enjoy the book I'm reading now, 102 Days of Lying About Lauren, because the main character is living in an amusement park after being abandoned by her mother. Thanks for the little virtual trip!
ReplyDeleteNo March Madness for me but I've been following NFL Free Agency very closely.
ReplyDeleteI also read instead of watching sports. I'd be useless at the bracket thing. I wish bookstores were more profitable. We don't have any in my town.
ReplyDeleteBook signings are a lot of fun! Have a great week ahead!
ReplyDeleteA book signing event sounds fun! I haven;t been to one in years.
ReplyDeleteA whole bookstore devoted to mysteries? That's my kind of store. It makes me sad that so many indie bookshops have closed down. We're so lucky in Santa Barbara to have Chaucer's.
ReplyDeleteA book signing is always fun when it's an author you enjoy! Glad you were able to go with friends. Nice book haul. Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteWe only have one used bookstore in my town and it's still open. I don't go there often because it's it's filled to the brim with books and you can barely walk through it. I either get books from Amazon or the library, or go to a used book store or bookstores in a few of the malls in nearby towns.
ReplyDeleteI wish there were some book signings around here. That would be fun to go to. I haven't been to one in years. Hope you have a great week!
ReplyDeleteI miss old bookstores around L.A., too, and had never heard of the mystery bookstore near UCLA. Very cool that you went to hear that author presentation.
ReplyDeleteI just did a quick Google and here's one that still exists!!!
ReplyDeleteMystery Pier Books, Inc.
8826 Sunset Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90069
I've been one of those opposed to Amazon from the beginning and have been an Audible holdout, even when they have exclusives that I really want to listen to, but Amazon is a tidal-wave force that is almost impossible to resist 100%! We have some independent bookstores still in our area, but none in my actual (small) city of residence.
ReplyDeleteI admire your excellent organizational skills and schedule of posts!
A mystery bookstore would be the absolute best though very very dangerous for my budget! I like most sports but have never really gotten into basketball. I just finished Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish and am really looking forward to reading her non-Mrs. Pollifax books. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteOh, Fatal Fudge Swirl looks really interesting. I hope you enjoy your new books and have a great week. - Katie
ReplyDeleteMY STS if you care to visit - https://justanothergirlandherbooks.blogspot.com/2023/03/stacking-shelves-18-march-2023.html
The book event sounded great. I look forward to going to some this year (hopefully).
ReplyDeleteMary @Bookfan
I love to go to author readings, and it's especially fun when you go with friends. Well Done looks promising.
ReplyDeleteWe have a fabulous mystery bookstore here in Houston called Murder by the Book. We get some wonderful mystery writers.
I got Fatal Fudge Swirl this week too. I haven't read the earlier books in the series but it sounds like a book I'd enjoy. I miss author signings. I used to live an hour out of the Cities where there were lots. Now I'm 2 and half hours away and don't go anymore. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteI liked going to basketball games in high school, but other than that, I've never been a fan of basketball. I enjoy pro football and pro ice hockey, but I'm even starting to lose interest in those as other interests like reading and blogging evolve. I may change to a less expensive live t.v. plan that doesn't have any sports, but right now I have so much DVR'd I don't want to have to start over. That's cool there's a mystery bookstore in your neck of the woods. I'm watching The Cases of Mystery Lane today and I'm going to post my review on Wednesday. It will be fun to compare notes. Have a great week! :-)
ReplyDeleteI like The Clairvoyant Countless that looks good!! Have a good week!!
ReplyDeletehttps://justmeandmyblogreviews.blogspot.com/2023/03/its-monday-what-are-you-reading.html
No sports for me. I have never seen a limited genre book store but it sounds like a great idea. Except I would need one with mystery and sci fi. :-) I like the looks of Whale and I have enjoyed a few Gilman mysteries. Hope you have a good week and Happy Reading!
ReplyDeleteYour day out with friends and a book signing and nostalgia at an old book haunt sounds really perfect.
ReplyDeleteI picked Kansas for March Madness, so while I was watching I'm not any more. Bring on baseball season!
ReplyDeleteJill
http://www.allthebooksihaventread.com/blog-1/2023/3/12/on-my-nightstand-march-12-2023-3x56s
No March Madness for me, but I did participate in a Fantasy Iditarod League which is another sport I know little about.
ReplyDeleteOoh Dorothy Gilman, neat! I also so so loved her Mrs Pollifax series (actually all in audio through my library on Hoopla, with the best narrator ever). But I also read this one, and it was really good too.
ReplyDeletehttps://wordsandpeace.com/2023/03/19/sunday-post-83-03-19-2023/
I'm from North Carolina, where March Madness is a BIG DEAL. And I don't pay attention to it at all. If you ask me to say choose a college basketball team to root for, I'll say UNC, but I'm just vaguely aware when they win or fall out of the tourney. My o;d boss asked me the first year I worked for her, "You don't want a March Madness bracket, do you." Period, no question mark. I'd only worked for her about six months but that was long enough to know!
ReplyDeleteI read a handful of Mrs. Pollifax mysteries as a teen but my library didn't have very many. I remember that I liked them but I should revisit those some day.
Enjoy your week!