It's Monday 9/26! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by The Book Date

 Life

 Life last week was more of the same for me. My chronic illness is still stuck in a severe relapse. The first treatment protocol didn't work, even though it has in the past. This week, I am trying something new, based on recent research. It's only Day 3 on that, but for the first time in about seven weeks, I woke up this morning at my "normal" time, about 7:45, and felt well enough to get right out of bed! Symptoms began creeping in again by 10 am, so I am back on the couch--but sitting up!--and hoping this is a sign of better days ahead.

I was determined to break out of my rut this weekend. My husband took me on a lovely drive Saturday, out to a favorite farm market in rural Pennsylvania. It was a gorgeous fall day, and it was wonderful to be outside, looking at the blue sky! And, bonus ... we got hot, fresh apple cider donuts at the market, sat on rockers outside, and even enjoyed some live music. It was a wonderful outing and a nice change of pace!

Local apples & fresh donuts!

A lovely fall day!

Saturday evening, our oldest friends (we all used to live in New Orleans back in the 80's) came over, brought takeout from a local brewpub, and we had a campfire in our firepit. I was able to lie down in a lounge chair, and I SO enjoyed their company (and being outside).

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 On the Blog

One review last week:

The Butterfly Cabinet by Bernie McGill - a dark, historical family drama 

 

And some big news:

I started a monthly newsletter in September!

It includes a book quote of the month, a blog of the month--someone new to discover, an update on my reading life, a look back at my blog from previous years, and more bookish fun!

To receive my once-a-month newsletter, you can sign up here or by clicking the Subscribe button in the blog's sidebar. Sign up now, and you'll get October's newsletter next week.

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On YouTube

Two new videos:

Traveling with Books Tag - a fun video all about traveling & reading - including some travel pics!

Friday Reads 9/23/22 - my brief weekly wrap-up 

 

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What We're Reading: 

Totally immersed in the R.I.P. Challenge for fall!

 

I finished reading The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais, a friend, two-time Booktopia author, and one of my favorite authors! I absolutely loved Bianca's first two books, Hum If You Don't Know the Words (in my top 10 of all time) and If You Want to Make God Laugh. This new novel is quite different but just as fabulous! It's about five octogenarian witches trying to save their beloved home and land, as both the bank and an angry mob threaten them. It's about witches and magic, yes, but it's also about friendship, aging, sisterhood, and feminism. As with all of Bianca's novels, she tackles some difficult topics with a wonderful (one might say wicked) sense of humor. This book is lots of fun and was the perfect pick-me-up for a sick week! 

 

Now I am reading The Falcon and the Owl by Matty Dalrymple, book three in her Ann Kinnear Suspense series. I don't often read series, but I love this one! I previously read books one and two, The Sense of Death and The Sense of Reckoning, and I enjoyed them both, as did my husband. Ann, the main character, can sense spirits and gets hired--sometimes by the police and sometimes by a grieving loved one--to learn what secrets someone took to the grave. This time, two men, both excellent pilots, have died in a plane crash. Ann gets hired by the business partner of one of the men to find out where he hid a contract, but the man's wife is also interested, since she has secrets to keep related to her husband's death. I love the suspense and the unique mysteries in these books, with a supernatural twist.

 

I started a new audiobook for the R.I.P. Challenge: The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz. I've been meaning to try out his unique series of mysteries for adults for ages. He himself is one of the main characters! His real self, with his real writing credits and history, has in this novel agreed to work with a fictional detective, Hawthorne, to write a true crime book about him solving his latest murder case. A woman walked into a funeral home, planned and prepaid her own funeral, and then was murdered six hours later. Horowitz and Hawthorne move around London, interviewing witnesses and suspects and visiting crime scenes. The two have a kind of Sherlock-Watson vibe. I'm enjoying it so far.

 

My husband, Ken, is still reading This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger, which I loved this spring (my review at the link). In fact, it is one of my top books read this year so far. This is the story, beautifully told, of four orphans who escape from an abusive facility during the Depression and make their way downriver in a canoe. They encounter all kinds of people and situations as they head toward the Mississippi and uncertain futures. This wonderful novel includes history, suspense, family drama, humor, and so much more. So far, he's enjoying it as much as I did.

 

When our son, 28, was visiting last week, he went to the used bookstore and bought books eight through eleven of the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind - he obviously likes this one! I'm sure he's well into book eight, Naked Empire, by now, and maybe even further!

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What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

You can follow me on Twitter at @SueBookByBook or on Facebook on my blog's page.  

What are you and your family reading this week?