Thursday, February 2, 2023

Bookish Randomness...

 Quick book recommendation:



Winterkill by C.J. Box

This is the first Joe Pickett novel I've read, and I quite enjoyed it. He's a Wyoming Game Warden and in this book he has to deal with a murder, a winter storm, the return of his foster daughter's birth mother, a band of extremists, and a crazy Forest Service bureaucrat. It's a tense and compelling thriller. C.J. Box is an author I would definitely read again.




February's Reading Plan:

Between the unread books on my shelves, the stack of library books near my bed, and all the books on my ever-growing TBR list, I sometimes have a hard time deciding what I want to read next. It can be a real juggling act between new and old, borrowed and owned. Especially when I want to read all of them all at once. So how do you decide? I still don't have a good answer. But for February, I think I'm going to focus on those sequels and series I need to catch up on, or finish. Like these books I just checked out of the library:

A Single Light by Tosca Lee
Flamebringer by Elle Katherine White
The Bride of Blackfriars Lane by Michelle Griep
When She Was Good by Michael Robotham
Dark Night by Paige Shelton
Winter's End by Paige Shelton
Still Waters by Sara Driscoll
Murder on Madison Square by Victoria Thompson
On Spine of Death by Tamara Berry

Melody and I are also planning a buddy read this month:  A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy Lin.


Meet Moose!  This Bavarian Mountain Scent Hound was the inspiration for Moose, my favorite character in Ghosts of Grayhaven, the Kindle Vella story me and my sister wrote last year. We posted the final episode of this story in December, but it's still there for all to read. We hope to write more about Moose in the future because he's not your ordinary hound...he has supernatural skills. If you're curious, you can check out the first 3 episodes of our story for free at the link above. 



Happy Reading!

34 comments:

  1. Oh, I'm exactly like you when trying to choose what to read next. There're my physical tbr shelves, my Kindle books and the library pile which I try to keep manageable but last time I went in they had several new to me sci-fi books. Plus three I had on reserve are ready to collect. Oh my goodness, I'm a lost cause!

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    1. I am, too! And I keep putting more books on hold at my library than I can read, and then they all come in at once, and usually when there are five other books I was planning on reading...it's a whole thing. ;D

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  2. I am 100% a mood reader so I truly never know what I am going to read from one book to the next. It's totally based on what I feel like reading in the moment. I hope you enjoy whatever you decide to pick up next! :)

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    1. I get that! I sometimes check out books from the library and bring them home only to discover I'm no longer in the mood to read them. ;D

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  3. Other than ON SPINE OF DEATH, I haven't read any of your February books. I hope you enjoy them all!

    Moose is so cute with his mismatched head and body. I'll have to check out your story. Sounds fun.

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    1. Thanks, Susan! And I saw that picture of Moose and fell in love instantly. :D

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  4. Winterkill looks perfect for this weather.

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    1. Doesn't it? Very cold and snowy...which is the weather we've been having where I live.

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  5. Good luck with choosing your next books, Lark! I haven't read any from your library list, but my husband loves the C.J. Box series and is caught up on that one I think. I'll try to take a look at the stories about Moose that you and your sister have written. He's very cute. And I always love hearing about the buddy reads that you and Melody do.

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    1. I want to read more by C.J. Box...he's written some other series I want to check out next.

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  6. Good luck on your February reading! I'm a mood reader, so I don't usually plan too far ahead. And Moose is a cutie! I'm excited that you're planning to write more about him. :D

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    1. I'm trying to do more planned reading this year, but I do also try to allow room for changing book moods along the way. :D

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  7. Moose is such a cute dog!! I read On Spine of Death and really liked it.

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    1. I'm looking forward to reading that one; I really loved the first book!

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  8. I have that CJ Box series on the future reading list. For me, I rely on reading challenges and readathons as well as arc release dates to help me come up with a reading schedule that brings in all my book sources.

    I had never heard of our seen Moose's breed. He's stunning and your paranormal story sounds good.

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    1. Reading challenges do really help you prioritize books!

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  9. I am with you, I have a stack of library books out (just took some back because I had them out for SO long), I think I still have 14 out. Several of them are for series I want to read, a few of them are ones I own on Kindle so I can read it in paperback...then of course the ones for challenges that I own...where is the balance...oops, and the ARCs.

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    1. It's hard to juggle so many different reading demands. At least, it is for me. I always find myself wanting to read too many books all at once. ;D

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  10. I am another mood reader, and for the last month I have been re-reading, despite the stacks of library books I keep optimistically bringing home. It always feels good to find other mood readers who also sometimes struggle with what to read next. I never thought about focusing on sequels!

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    1. They've been hanging over my head and I thought if I could get some of them read and finished maybe I'd feel better about my other book lists.

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  11. Happy Friday my friend. Happy reading. Regine

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  12. Like you, I'm always overwhelmed by the sheer amount of books at my disposal. I think 2023 has started with me getting more books from publishers than I've ever received. I'm a mood reader, so I continue to pick up whatever book is calling my name. Still, that's not always the best way to stay up with my ever-growing TBR.

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    1. I think keeping up with my TBR pile is hopeless! It grows faster than I can read. ;D

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  13. Good luck reading all the books you have. I hope they are all good.

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    1. I hope so, too. And I hope I'm still in the mood to read all of them as the days and weeks pass this month. ;D

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  14. I definitely need to try C.J. Box. That's an author that's been on my list for ages but the books never seem to make it to the top. I've read all but the most recent of the Paige Shelton series and have really enjoyed it and I love the Victoria Thompson series. I'm hoping to get to the Tamara Berry book in February as well. I loved the first book!

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    1. That first Tamara Berry book was so fun. I loved it. And if you ever do get a chance to read one of C.J. Box's books I think you'll like it. His writing is great.

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  15. I can't wait for our next buddy read, Lark! And Moose is such a cute dog! 😍

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    1. I'm looking forward to our next buddy read, too. :D

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  16. What a cool dog! I read a couple of C.J. Box books a long time ago with one of my mystery book groups and really enjoyed them but not sure why I haven't picked up another! Is the Victoria Thompson book a new title? I have fallen a bit behind on the series and wasn't sure if I wanted to continue with it as I felt like Sarah and Frank were kind of pushed to the side for other characters but I'd love to see if they take front and center again. Have fun with all of your February reading plans!

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    1. That Victoria Thompson mystery came out last year. And Frank and Sarah are very much front and center in it again. There's a new Gaslight mystery coming out in March or April, I think, which is why I wanted to get this one read first.

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  17. Oh thanks for sharing about your Kindle Vella and Moose. I need to check it out! I have not seen that kind of dog before. Interesting.

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    1. Isn't he great? As soon as I saw him I knew he'd be the perfect dog for our ghost story. :D

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