In the Mail

Oh, goodie!  Annie from Buttery Books sent me her copy of Darling Jim!  Thanks, Annie, I really appreciate it.  It is a perfect choice for Carl's Once Upon a Time challenge, and I can't wait to read it!

Death of a Musketeer is from Sarah D'Almeida, the author.  Thanks, Sarah, I've always loved The Three Musketeers and look forward to this version of their adventures.

Elynia is an ARC from Dark Coast Press.

I'm still working on the previous stack, but I've been so caught up in other things lately that it is going rather slowly.

Have to finish catching up on reviews, too.

New books that are on my Must Read List:

Reginald Hill's The Woodcutter.  Not part of the Dalziel and Pascoe series (which is probably my favorite series of all time), this is a stand-alone about Wolf Hadda who was thrown in prison for a crime he didn't commit.  When a psychiatrist helps Hadda win parole, Hadda plans revenge.  Although I've never liked his stand-alones as well as the Fat Man and Pascoe novels, Hill is always, always good.

Tana French's Faithful Place.  Frank Mackey, mentioned in French's second book The Likeness, is the protagonist in French's new novel.  Mackey returns to Dublin when the remains of his girlfriend are discovered 25 years after she disappeared.  I liked The Likeness even better than In the Woods, her first novel-- so I hope this will be at least as intriguing as her first two.

Martin Edward's The Serpent Pool.  DCI Hannah Scarlett is investigating the death of an aspiring writer seven years previously when she becomes involved with the murders of rare book dealers.  Yeah, the rare book dealer theme always draws me in.

I guess the weather has me in a reading mode; so darn hot!  Rather than do anything on my list of chores, I find myself curled up with a book in hand. I'm really getting tired of summer.  Stinker has the right idea--sprawl out, blink a few times, and go to sleep.

Even knowing that cooler weather in our neck of the woods is a long way off, everyone is yearning for fall.  We yearn for fall for much of the summer, actually.

TBR List

I've been adding books to my TBR list like crazy, even though my reading has slowed down.  Here are some of the titles I've jotted down in the last two days:

Blood Harvest by S. J. Bolton and author Dorothy Whipple- recommended by Danielle.  Blood Harvest sounds super spooky (sssss) and love the cover.  And I'm determined to try Ms. Whipple at some point.


Border Songs by Jim Lynch - recommended by Sam.  Sam says the characters remind him of The Confederacy of Dunces--'nough said.

Cherries in Winter, Dead End Gene Pool (I turned down an ARC, my bad), and The Passage - recommended by Nancy.

The Affinity Bridge - recommended by Iliana.  "Steampunk is making a comeback, and with this novel Mann is leading the charge….An engaging melodrama that rattles along at a breakneck pace.” —The Guardian"  Another cover to love.

Even though my reading has slowed down, I'm still experiencing book lust.  Is that a deadly sin?

In Progress, Kindle

My reading has slowed down a bit.  I need to review my latest Lee Child read, Echo Burning, and I'm busy reading Citizens of London (excellent) , Walking to Gatlinburg(eccentric), and Mark Stephens' Teaching Yoga (impressive).

This morning, I gave in and ordered a Kindle DX.  I'm looking forward to taking this when we attend little Kris' wedding in St. John's...I won't have to pack books to take with me!

So a few questions...

What are your experiences with ebook readers?

Can you get Advanced Reader Copies on a reader?  That would be such a savings for publishers and would prevent the pile up of books on the shelves, tables, and floor!

Does your library provide access to ebooks?

I'm sure I'll have more questions, but those are my most obvious concerns at the moment.  I did a little research and chose the DX because of the larger size and its ability to get more text on the screen, but the actual decision was almost impulsive.  Kind of "let's get it over with"...