Reading Update and My Daughter Bought a House!

When my daughter found out her rent was increasing (again) for her small, one-bedroom apartment, I suggested that if she qualified for a mortgage, it would probably be cheaper to buy a house (or condo). Well, she DID qualify and after three failed offers, her fourth one won. And it was for a house that is literally next door to the first house Hubby and I bought (and she grew up in). How cool is that?

Housing prices here are going crazy, so I’m glad she was finally able to get an offer accepted. And while her new mortgage payment is higher than her current rent, it’s lower than what rent is going for on two-bedroom apartments (and she really wanted a larger place). Now she'll have a three-bedroom house and I hope she enjoys it for a long, long time (she lived in her apartment for 11 years, so she's not one for moving about).

I’m so happy for her!

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 13

Dates read: April 16-24, 2022
Title: Lover Arisen
Year of publication: 2022
Author: J.R. Ward
Genre: Paranormal romance
Series: The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series #20
# of Pages: 418
Paper or plastic: Hardcover
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from the book: Possessed by the demon Devina, Balthazar is once again on the hunt for the Book of Spells—and fighting an undeniable attraction to a woman. As a thief, he has stolen a lot of things…but he never thought his heart would be taken by another. Especially not a human.
    As a homicide detective, Erika Saunders knows there is something otherworldly going on in Caldwell, New York. Mutilated bodies that cannot be explained are all over her case list—and then there are her nightmares, in which she’s hunted by shadows and captivated by a mysterious man who is both a suspect and a savior.
    When Devina’s wish for true love is finally granted, Balthazar and Erika unwittingly become the gateway for the rebirth of an old enemy of the Brothers. Will the very thing that brings them together lead to the ultimate destruction of the Brotherhood? Or will they have to lose everything in order to save the race’s most sacred defenders…?
My thoughts: So nice to read a familiar world and characters. I really needed this.

My son and daughter-in-law have also bought a house recently (they close mid-May). They were living in a condo and having lots of issues with it. The house is next door to their friend (whose father lived in it and had passed away recently) and he offered them a great deal. I’m happy for them. Not just for the house, but they’ll be about 10 miles closer to us! Yay!

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Reading Update and Ohio’s Screwy Weather

I’ve lived in Ohio for nearly 31 years, you’d think I’d get used to the screwy weather in April. Or at least REMEMBER that April is full of screwy weather. I’ll blame the remembering part on my old brain.

But on Monday, April 18 (half-way through the month!!), it snowed here. For half the frickin’ day! Didn’t stick to the roadways so much, but it did stick to the grassy areas, the trees & shrubs, AND my car (of which I was using because I had a LOT of errands, of course). Plus, it was cold! I’m ready for spring. It’s supposedly been here a month already, so what’s with the snow?

Oh… spring is coming Saturday. Or rather, summer is poking its head in. It’s supposed to reach 80 on Saturday. Frostbite to sunburn within one week. Yep, April weather is screwy in Ohio.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 12

Dates read: April 5-14, 2022
Title: Hollow’s End
Year of publication: 2013
Author: Marianne Morea
Genre: YA Paranormal
Series: The Legend #1
# of Pages: 245
Paper or plastic: Trade paperback
How obtained: Purchased from author
Blurb from the book: Two hundred years of secrets and lies are bleeding into the present, and high school seniors, Hunter Morrissey and Rowen Corbett find themselves linked with unseen forces shrouded in mystery and violence. In the quaint river town of Sleepy Hollow… But the dark water of the Hudson River is not the only blackness looming in the distance. Truths, buried and long forgotten, have risen at a time when the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest.
    Only Hunter and Rowen hold the key to locking the past in the past. And setting old wrongs to right.
    Can justice be served?
    Can the two find a way to straddle both worlds and solve the mystery when they don’t understand the clues?
My thoughts: The copy I have had way too many grammatical mistakes that kept taking me out of the story. But the story does end and it was interesting. If you like YA paranormal, give this a try. On the book it’s labeled a YA romance, but it’s not, not really, although there is romantic elements. And in Goodreads, it’s listed as a horror, but I didn’t really find it all that horrific. It’s certainly suitable for young adults.

On Monday (during the freakish snow storm), I ordered some “computer” glasses after my eye appointment (of which my eyes haven’t changed all that much). These will be bifocals with the middle range on top and the reading range on the bottom. I normally wear trifocals with a really narrow middle range that isn’t suitable for a computer screen. At least, not for me. I’m hoping the new glasses will make it easier for me to write. At this point, I’m trying everything to make it easier to write (or at least eliminate the excuses??). Wish me luck that it works. I need something to work.

So… Do you wear glasses? How annoying are they for you?

Happy Reading!

Stacy

This is Where I Am Right Now

No book to report this week, but I do have news.

Saw my oncologist on Monday. The spot on my lung is growing. Since I have metastatic kidney cancer (apparently, I will always have this), the odds are high that the spot is kidney cancer. It could be metastatic breast cancer, or even lung cancer. They wouldn’t know without a biopsy, but since I’m being treated to keep from getting metastatic breast cancer and I don’t smoke (or aren’t near smokers), there’s no reason to put me through a biopsy when treatment will tell the answer. And yes, there is a treatment for metastatic kidney cancer. One that has a 63% chance of putting the tumor(s) into remission or dormancy.

Unfortunately… there’s this issue with my heart valve. I was looking for the go ahead to have the surgery. Well, I got it, just not the way I had hoped. My oncologist would prefer I had it fixed before I start treatment. He doesn’t want to start treatment, then pause it for surgery.

Oh, and this treatment? It’s immunotherapy given via IV every two-four weeks. And I can expect to have it the rest of my life. Fun, huh? But hey, if it will prolong my life…

Now I just have to hope that however the cardiac surgeon goes about fixing my leaky heart valve that I won’t need anti-rejection meds after. Because if I do, all that therapy treatment is null and void. And I don’t want that (and neither does my oncologist). I really hope I have options.

I started the somewhat slow process about getting my valve fixed. It took months before I was able to even see the surgeon last April, but I’m hoping my case will be pushed through more quickly this time. Yeah, I really don’t want to cancel any of our trips, but I also would like to start the treatment as soon as I can. In the meantime, I’m scheduled for another CT scan in July so my oncologist can monitor the growth.

This all sucks, you know? But hey, what can I do about it? It is what it is. I’m just thankful that my leaky heart valve was the catalyst for finding out what I have going on now. If not for that, I’d be walking around unaware that cancer was slowly killing me.

That’s a scary thought, huh?

You’re probably thinking that all of this is why I haven’t finished reading a book this week. Well, you’d be wrong. It’s just the book I’m reading has numerous grammatical errors that it keeps pulling me out of the story. If a copy editor or proof reader was used, they didn’t do a very good job. But I’m determined to finish the story; it’s just taking me a while. But I’ll have it finished by next week. I’m sure. I got a book in a series I love waiting for me to finish so I can get to it next!

So… Do you think it’s bad I have to motivate myself to finish reading a book? Would you stick with a book with numerous mistakes? Or do you not notice mistakes when you read? I found that once I started writing, I’m more critical with my reading. Before I wrote my first book, mistakes didn’t bother me, if I noticed them at all.

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Reading Update and Waiting

Had my CT scan on Monday. Had to drink a litre of PowerAde with contrast—thank goodness it didn’t taste bad—two hours prior to the scan and then I was injected with more contrast during the scan. Surprised I didn’t glow in the dark!

But now the waiting begins. I see my oncologist on Monday. I’m hoping I get good news.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 11

Dates read: March 30 - April 4, 2022
Title: Mercy
Year of publication: 2021
Author: Brett Battles
Genre: Suspense
Series: The Night Man Chronicles #3
# of Pages: 383
Paper or plastic: Trade paperback
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from the book: With their jobs in the spy world on suspension, all Nate and Jar wanted was a little vacation time out of the city. But not even two days on the road, their plans are hijacked by a teen’s cry.
    What starts out as helping the kid out of a tricky situation leads Nate and Jar into the dark world of fire and hate, of greed and corruption.
    As much as they might want to continue on their way, neither would ever do so.
    Because helping those who aren’t in a position to help themselves is Nate and Jar’s specialty.
My thoughts: I love Nate and Jar. They’re also featured in the Jonathan Quinn series, but in this series, it’s them between jobs doing Nate’s hobby (helping people). I had a hard time putting this book down.

I realized last week that our future cruise credit with Carnival (from previously cancelled cruises) was due to expire at the end of March, so Hubby and I booked another cruise. We already had two cruises booked: one for Jan 2023 and one for April 2023. Since we aren’t sure if we’ll be able to take the January cruise (October may be the best time to get heart surgery, unless I’m able to get it next month, but I’m not holding my breath there), we decided to book a cruise back-to-back on our April transition cruise. Transition, meaning, the ship is moving from Miami to Seattle (for their Alaskan cruises). So we’ll be on the ship, sailing the Caribbean, eight days prior to that transition cruise, making it a total of 24 days!

Heck, if we didn’t have a trip scheduled (and paid for) in September, we would have seriously looked at booking an Australian cruise (transition from Seattle, I think, to Sydney). The cruise was really cheap. The flight home wouldn’t have been, but man…Australia! But like I said, we already have a trip scheduled for September (touring National Parks out west), and we’re really looking forward to that.

So… do you have any vacation plans scheduled for this year? Where are you going?

Happy Reading!

Stacy