Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Wednesday Reads and a Foot Update

A new year and a new goal. I decided to go with 93 as my reading goal. I’ll try to make sure my average page count goes up, too. Unless I get desperate there at the end, then…forget it! J Here’s what I read this week:

Jan 5: “Fatal Secrets” by Allison Brennan, second book in the FBI trilogy, a romantic suspense at 428 pages. Blurb from book: When a top lieutenant in a notorious ring of human traffickers agrees to turn state’s evidence, Immigration and Customs Enforcement senior agent Sonia Knight believe she’ll finally take down the illegal operation’s devilish mastermind, Xavier Jones. But when an FIB sting on Jones’s criminal enterprise collides with an ICE stakeout, Sonia is enraged: Her informant’s life and her evidence are in grave jeopardy. FBI agent Dean Hooper has been chasing Jones for years on money-laundering and tax-evasion charges and doesn’t need or want a hot-headed ICE agent second-guessing his every move. When the Bureau is ordered to join forces with ICE, Sonia is just as livid: Her job is to save lives, not money. But their team effort pays off as fierce mutual resentment fades and passion flares—along with risk. For Jones is just one piece of a deprave puzzle, answering to an even more dangerous predator. Denied his expected prey, this pitiless fiend intends to make Sonia and Dean pay with their own blood. I stayed on the bike until I finished this (I had about 30-some pages left to read at the time), which should tell you something since I hate riding that thing! I was a little worried at the beginning of this book, thinking this would be an “I-hate-you-I love-you” kind of couple, but it wasn’t. Yeah, there’s some friction at the beginning, but only because they don’t know one another, so no hate involved. Yay! (I really don’t like couples who hate each other in the beginning. Annoyed is okay, but not hate. Hate is very hard to overcome. I don’t care who you are). There’s also lots of suspense in this. Really, the perfect read for me (as her other books have been, too).

So far my foot is on the mend; it’s getting easier to walk on it. I’ve been riding the bike as a warm up to my exercises and I may stick to that all week just to be on the safe side. Plus, I’ve been doing the strengthening exercises the physical therapist said I should do.

I’ve been surprised that the fitness center hasn’t been all that busy this week. Of course, I get there at 6:30am. It’s probably packed after 5:00pm. So glad I can go in the morning.

So… Have you taken down your holiday decorations yet? Mine are still up. Maybe I’ll get to it today since I doubt I get any writing done anyway. I have to take a trip to Springfield to meet the former treasurer of COFW (Central Ohio Fiction Writers—a local chapter of RWA) so she can pass on the responsibilities. Yep. I’m the new treasurer. J

Happy Reading!

Stacy

8 comments:

JeffO said...

Our Christmas tree generally stays up until the needles all fall off, hah hah. Taking ornaments down, wrapping up the lights--that's a job no one really wants to do.

Glad your foot is feeling better, hope it continues to do so!

Maria Zannini said...

Glad your foot is better.

Christmas is all done for the year at our house. We took it down on Sunday.

I miss all the cheeriness in the room, but it was time to move on.

Stacy McKitrick said...

Jeff - Our tree was up later than usual because of two things. One--we hadn't bought a box to store it in yet (our old box for our old tree was too small to fit the whole thing). Two--my son's girlfriend's daughter wasn't able to spend Christmas with us and she didn't get to open her gifts until Monday. Not that I needed that excuse, but it was viable!

Stacy McKitrick said...

Maria - It's time to put the stuff away, that's for sure. I want my breakfast nook back. The tree is blocking all the natural light! :)

dolorah said...

Gald you are on the mend. PT can be frustrating, but beneficial. Who gets up at 6:30a just to exercise? Gluttons for punishment, I say.

My decorations are all down, but i did not put that much up. Leaving the lights on the house though, just not plugging them in.

93 books is still a lot of reading. I'm lucky to read 9 or 10 a year.

Stay warm and SAFE.

Stacy McKitrick said...

Donna - Not many of us are at the fitness center at 6:30am, so that makes it the BEST time to go! Don't have to wait or fight for the equipment. I'm an early riser anyway, so it's not a hardship for me. Good thing, huh?

Blogoratti said...

Great goals indeed and nice review. Best wishes as you achieve that. Greetings!

Stacy McKitrick said...

Blogoratti - Thanks for stopping by! Always love new visitors. :)