And another one...

I had the time to read and finish Through the Grinder Cleo Coyle early this morning on the tail end of my shift. Such a good series and this one was a humdinger.
I decided to read Stolen Kelley Armstrong as my purse book and bedside book and see if I can't finish it before the two challenges start on 1 Jun. It's not a biggie dah if I don't. I will have to see how I want to read the books for the challenge. One at a time or one in my purse and one at my bedside. I takes my challenges seriously....even putting forth some effort to my exercise challenge I joined.....too bad one can't burn copious calories while reading.

And another one gone...

The Ghost and the Dead Deb Alice Kimberly is finished as of this afternoon. I woke after 6 straight hours after my mid shift and decided to be a bum for a bit and finished the book. It was a good addition to the series.
I started Stolen: Women of the Otherworld Vol 2 Kelley Armstrong. Bitten is the first in the series and was humdinger good. I expect the same from this one. Armstrong is a fine writer.

I am on tape 4 of 8, side 1 The Quilter's Legacy Jennifer Chiaverini. Such a good story. I look forward to my commutes with this one.

I hope to finish my purse book Through the Grinder Cleo Coyle tonight on shift. It's quiet, except for the TV is tuned to some kind of VH1 Tribute to the Hair Bands....

Only a few more days until the two challenges I joined begin. Looking forward to that.

Dun did red.....

I finished Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident Eoin Colfer BOCD in the car last night on the way home. Very good story and I admire the growing personalities of Artemis and his compatriots. What a wonderful telling of an alternate world underground.

I began Jennifer Chiaverini The Quilt Legacy. A gentle series that sort of is a mystery type, but not exactly. The narrator is Christina Moore and she continues to a fab job with the characterization of each person. I think this is my third one to listen to (not actually read one as yet). I don't read them in any kind of order, I don't think it's absolutely necessary.

I am a little over halfway through The Ghost and the Dead Deb Alice Kimberly. I hope to go upstairs in a bit and read for a while. If I can't actually take a nap, I can at least rest. Two days in my rotation seem to be the most difficult for sleep, the day of my second swing shift due to coming home at midnight and finally sleeping at 1am, to be awakened at 6 or earlier by Lady K. The other day is after my last mid and I only want to sleep for a couple of hours so I can sleep well that night while on break. I know, 'Want some cheese to go with that whine?'

I hope to actually read some more in my purse book Through the Grinder Cleo Coyle. Finding the time is a bit difficult some days. And I think I will be starting up cross-stitch again, so that will likely eat into my reading time as well as my computer time. ***gasp***

Joined another challenge!

AWESOME!! Another challenge to read mysteries! See connector thingy in the sidebar for Summer Mystery Reading Challenge. Just have to read new-to-me mystery authors and that is a cinch as I already challenged myself on the Medical Mystery Madness Challenge starting 1 June. All new-to-me authors and first in series books. WHOO-HOOOOO!!!

Monday Mourning...I mean Morning......

It's Monday morning and I am at work, second day of rotation...no sleep to speak of the last few nights due to various issues such as DH snoring, sirens from the fire station down the street. No fan in the 'Sugar Room' as Lady K has named spare room #2, so it was a bit too warm for really good sleep. Ah well. My dad was here visiting this weekend and told us he is moving in the fall. We will help all we can and he has told us he will bring out all the potting soil, terra cotta containers, rocks and handmade cement containers we can handle. Driftwood, too, as we like all manner of garden decoration. Yay! He had a good visit and even stayed an extra day even though I had to work yesterday. So glad he likes DH to hang with him. They put the table saw together and brought in the boxes of wood flooring for DH's project that will start this weekend in our master bedroom. Table saw was my anniversary present to DH last year. Fifth anniversary is wood and steel I think ( that's my story and I'm sticking to it).

I am on CD 4 of 5 in car book Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident. Eoin Colfer has an interesting imagination. It's very good and I love the narrator, Nathaniel Parker. I am almost halfway through my purse book Through the Grinder Cleo Coyle, thanks to some quiet time yesterday. I really like this series. Good characters and descriptions how they make those foo-foo coffee drinks at the lovely places that are not Star$$. I am a little more than halfway through The Ghost and the Dead Deb Alice Kimberly as bedside book. I like this series, but getting a bit tired of every descriptive thing coming out of Jack Shepherd (the ghost) as 'hardboiled'. Ah well, still a good cozy series with not just her issues with the ghost, but with her dead husband's uber-snob family. I'll keep reading it and the rest of the series. And just found another author to look for, Shirley Darmsgaard. She writes the Abby and Ophelia series. Looks to deal with paranormal and that is my favorite, at least well-written paranormal mysteries are my favorite.

And another one....

Just now finished On What Grounds Cleo Coyle. I was able to read for a glorious hour after I woke from post mid shift nap. I immediately gave myself permission to stay in bed and start The Ghost and the Dead Deb Alice Kimberley. In a mood to read cozies for a while, I guess. It's all good.

It's Raining It's Pouring.....and finished another...

It's been raining off and on since yesterday afternoon. Our plants and lawns are looking swell. What a great day for sleeping. Just off a mid shift and ready to wander upstairs and read myself to sleep with nice calm On What Grounds Cleo Coyle. It was my purse book and I decided it would make a great bedside book instead. Tried to make Nightseer, Laurell K Hamilton's debut novel, my next purse book, but it was too paranormal intense, especially for a mid shift. Verbage anyway. So, I set it aside and will try The Venus Fix M.J. Rose. Smoother dialogue that fits better with a late night read.

I finished Kill the Messenger Tami Hoag this morning on the way home from work. I think this is the best of her books that I have read. Very well written characters and a surprise in the whodunnit/s. Just wonderful. I will have a difficult time with a follow up for my car book, but have decided to try Eoin Colfer Artemis Fowl:The Arctic Incident.

Two More Down, Gazillion More to Go (like that's a bad thing)

I finished Sweet and Deadly Charlaine Harris last night on shift and started On What Grounds Cleo Coyle pretty much immediately. Kind of like chain reading.....I finished Murder of a Pink Elephant Denise Swanson this morning, thanks to my reason for being able to celebrate Mother's Day. Got home a little after midnight and had to read to wind down from my swing shift, so didn't really get to sleep until 1am. Wake up from sweet patootie Lady K at a little before 6am, so I read since she really didn't want me to go back to sleep. And DH was getting his sleep-in he treasures on weekends. Our neighbors were (I guess) celebrating the completion of their bricked up supports on their back porch. They were hootin' and hollerin' when I got home and DH said he heard them until he finally got to sleep at 1:30 or so. I reminded him of the earplugs I keep in my nightstand drawer (clean unused ones!!) as well as the fact that there are two other spare rooms in the house and the basement. He said he didn't think of that. If he hadn't been sleeping in, I'd have got out the lawn mower when I woke at 6am and started it up. I'd have left it right on their side of the garden, too. I reckon I am a little pissy like that.
I haven't started a new bedside book as yet. I may bring in some from my order of books I received from my buddy, Pamala, Our Lady of the Books. After a few cozies, I am ready for something a little gritty.

Something to be Said for Early Mornin' Wake-Up...

So DH woke early for work, I woke early cuz he woke early....he got ready for work and I got to read for an hour or so in latest bedside book Murder of a Pink Elephant Denise Swanson. I finished Bump in the Night various authors and was just glad I finished. The first story by JD Robb was passable, but I always like catching up with Eve and Roarke and the gang. The last story, by Mary Kay McComas, was the best of the lot. A woman rediscovers her invisible friend from childhood. It is a very funny and warm story. The other two were mooshy romance and I am not partial to mooshy romance, especially when they are purported to be paranormal. They were vaguely that. Anyway, it's over and done and I can move on to the delightful Murder of a Pink Elephant. I just love Denise Swanson.
I also finished The Laughing Corpse Laurell K Hamilton, my last purse book, and started Sweet and Deadly Charlaine Harris. Another of my absolutely favorite authors and this is book is a very good example of her art.
I am on tape 4, side 1 Kill the Messenger Tami Hoag in the car. When I am not on my way to and from work, I don't get much time to listen to my car books, so going slowly on this one. It's a very good story.
I am about to go upstairs and sort through some books to send out to my sister and some friends and take to Goodwill. Clear the shelves as it were. I have a box of books from my enabler, Pamala. Thanks Pamala!

I Love Those Reading Kind of Nights

I am ploughing through The Laughing Corpse Laurell K Hamilton thanks to a very quiet night. I have a bag full on standby in the car. I paid a visit to my favorite little bookstore, The Bookmark, today and found six. Including one, Blindsighted Karin Slaughter, for the Medical Mystery Challenge.

I finished Vineyard Prey Philip R Craig in the car last night on the way home. I tried to start and enjoy Locked Rooms Laurie R King, but could not for the life of me get into it. Not sure if it's the narrator or I am simply tired of the series. I packed up those two audiobooks to send back to RecordedBooks and started Kill the Messenger Tami Hoag, narrated by Scott Brick.

I hope to get through a couple of books in the next couple of days. I tend to when on mids. Some of it is the drive to and from work, some of it is when I am trying to wind down for sleep or wake up from my nap in prep for work.

April Book Journal Entries

We're Just Like You, Only Prettier: Confessions of a Tarnished Southern Belle - Celia Rivenbark, BOT, omigod snort laugh funny!!! I emailed her with my thanks for writing as she does and she emailed me a response!

Aunt Dimity and the Duke - Nancy Atherton, HB, A wonderful cozy series and good book even though Aunt Dimity really wasn't in this one much

Dead Beat - Jim Butcher, pbk, #7 in the Harry Dresden series. My first and definitely not the last

Hidden Prey - John Sandford, BOT, I think this series has run it's course for me

Reunion in Death - JD Robb, pbk, Don't mess with Eve Dallas, what a humdinger series

The Last of the Red-Hot Vampires - Katie MacAlister, pbk, Whoo-heee, what a ride!!!

Acts of Violets - Kate Collins, pbk, good series, especially the flower shop premises

What the Dead Know - Laura Lippman, BOCD, WOW!!! Thanks to Sarah Stewart Taylor for recommending this book!!!

5 books and 3 audiobooks this month, makes 37 for the year.

1 May and I Forgot My Book Journal ta Home....

I was going to post my April books this morning, but left my book journal on my nightstand in my 'rush' to get to work.

I am on tape 3 of 4, side 1 Vineyard Prey Philip R Craig in the car, pretty interesting story.
Still no significant reading in purse book The Laughing Corpse Laurell K Hamilton. This is one of those that you remember the saying, Never judge a book by its cover.....the female on the cover with her head tilted back in what looks to be rapture does not convey the substance within. It is a gooooood book and I really wish I could get back to it.
I am well into the second story in bedside book Bump in the Night various authors.

Yesterday, I bought (& hid from myself) two of the books for the Medical Thriller Mystery Challenge. I had to hide them because I really would like to read them before the 1 Jun start date of the challenge. I have so many in Mt Git'R'Read, so it's 'easy' to set them aside. I do plan to read Nightseer Laurell K Hamilton's debut novel. I picked that up as well. I had a 15% coupon that was about to expire! That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. I think that's going to be the next purse book. My bedside book is going to have to change up to I, Mona Lisa Jeanne Kalogridis, as it is a Big Ol Book challenge on one of my favorite message boards on Weight Watchers. We post Tues and Fridays and I am already behind the power curve. It started today...I forgot....