Reading Update and We’re Going to WV

Hubby and I are taking an unplanned trip to WV today. To get a copy of Hubby’s birth certificate. Seems he let his passport expire back in June and we need the birth certificate so he can get on the ship later this month for our cruise.

You’d think he’d kept his birth certificate secure somewhere. Like, where all the other certificates are kept. But nope. He got his passport while in the Army and has never needed his birth certificate (or he needed it for the original passport and promptly lost it). So we’re going to Charleston because we don’t trust we’ll get it in the mail before we leave.

He processed getting a renewed passport on Saturday, but he won’t get it back until after our cruise. However, at least we’ll have it before our February cruise. I hope.

We would have noticed the expiration date if we’d been able to go on ANY of the cruises we had booked since December 2019. But since those were all cancelled… Oh well, not much we can do about it now.

Except drive to WV and get his birth certificate. Do you think I’ll let him forget this?

No way.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 52

Dates read: November 6-15, 2021
Title: Mercury Striking
Year of publication: 2016
Author: Rebecca Zanetti
Genre: Post-apocalyptic romantic suspense
Series: Scorpius Syndrome #1
# of Pages: 362
Paper or plastic: Mass market paperback
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from book: With nothing but rumors to lead her, Lynne Harmony has trekked across a nightmare landscape to find one man—a mysterious, damaged legend who protects the weak and leads the strong. He’s more than muscle and firepower—and in post-plague L.A., he’s her only hope. As the one woman who could cure the disease, Lynne is the single most volatile—and vulnerable—creature in this new and ruthless world. But face to face with Jax Mercury… Danger has never looked quite so delicious.
My thoughts: Man, when I started reading this, I thought… COVID? I mean, this was written in 2016 and while COVID isn’t as bad as Scorpius, there are just too many similarities, especially when they mentioned what the virus looked like. It was kind of eerie. But this is the beginning of a series, and it leaves a few threads hanging (except the romance, which is a good thing!). I’m all in now and will get the rest of the books soon.

So… is your passport still valid? Do you have your birth certificate in a secure place? Might want to check on those things now, just in case…

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Reading Update and Exercising

Exercising sucks! Unfortunately, it’s an evil necessity for me since I’m not an active person naturally.

I don’t mind walking, though. That’s fun. But not so fun when the temps drop. Then it makes me miserable (I hate being cold). Why’d we pick to live in Ohio? Oh yeah… it’s cheap here. Well, cheaper than California.

So last year I took up step aerobics during the cold weather. Which led me to realize I needed my heart valve fixed, but we know how that ended up. So far. Anyway, I pulled out the step a couple of weeks ago. Figured it was better to exercise a little than not at all (I don’t even bother putting in the risers—I can’t handle them anyway).

But now I hurt. I think I pulled a muscle in my thigh. This is what I get for all that walking? Step aerobics is way more strenuous than walking, but you couldn’t tell that from my Fitbit. Ugh.

Yeah, exercise sucks. But I need it in my life. So I hope my thigh feels better soon. I can’t afford to be away from exercising for very long. Otherwise, I may never start up again.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 51

Dates read: October 28-November 5, 2021
Title: Driven
Year of publication: 2021
Author: Rebecca Zanetti
Genre: Romantic suspense
Series: Deep Ops #4
# of Pages: 379
Paper or plastic: Mass market paperback
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from book: Angus Force is determined to hunt down the serial killer he’d once shot dead—or so he thought. But an anonymous source reports that Lassiter is alive. Force hasn’t slept since, knowing it’s only a matter of time before “The Surgeon” strikes again. And soon, a body is found, bearing Lassiter’s same maniacal MO. It’s just the beginning of a murderous trail blazing through DC and Virginia, right to Force’s backyard…
    Nari Zhang is the shrink for the ragtag Deep Ops Unit, though she isn’t Force’s shrink—which is a very good thing. Because once they’re thrown together on the case, their attraction is explosive and irresistible. They’ll just have to fight that much harder to keep the heat between them from flaming out of control. But things are about to become far more challenging, and deadly, than they could have imagined…
    Once the killer catches a glimpse of Nari, she becomes his new obsession. She is now the focus point—for both Force and Lassiter—in a dangerous dance for survival…
My thoughts: Oooh, nice twist at the end. Great romantic suspense. I really like this series.

So… how do you keep fit in cold weather? Do you bother? I miss my old fitness center, but it got bought out by a larger company and it’s just not the same anymore so I didn’t bother renewing my membership (not that they contacted me and asked me to). I also moved farther away, so there’s that, too. Yes, I can be THAT lazy.

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Reading Update and… I reached my reading goal!

I reached my reading goal…2 months early. Whoo hoo! I didn’t think I’d reach it this early, that’s for sure. Feels good to accomplish something. Which means, I probably should set goals for other things. I should, but I probably won’t. Not unless I’m confident I’ll reach the goal. Does that make me a cheater? Or possibly a coward? Hmmm…

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 50

Dates read: October 18-28, 2021
Title: Frankenstein
Year of publication: 1818?
Author: Mary Shelley
Genre: Horror
Series: N/A
# of Pages: 206
Paper or plastic: Mass market paperback
How obtained: Borrowed from daughter
Blurb from book: Written in 1816 when she was only nineteen, Mary Shelley’s novel of “The Modern Prometheus” chillingly dramatized the dangerous potential of life begotten upon a laboratory table. A frightening creation myth for our own time, FRANKENSTEIN remains one of the greatest horror stories ever written and is an undisputed classic of its kind.
My thoughts: I thought I had read this before (I had marked it read in Goodreads back in 2013), but as I got into the story, I realized I’d never read it. I saw the movie version with Robert DeNiro as the monster a few months ago, which got me interested in reading the book. It’s all told in first person by several people—as letters or stories told to another. And while the events are horrendous, I can’t really say it’s horror. At least, not in this day and age. I associate horror with suspense. Thrills. Or just plain old spookiness. You don’t get much of that here. But it is an interesting tale and I’m glad I can now say that I’ve actually read this book!

So… Have you reached any of your goals—reading or otherwise—that you set earlier in the year? Did you set any goals?

Happy Reading!

Stacy