Finished Reading “Halloween Murder: Trick or Treat Murder” and I’m Home

I’m finally home. But not for long. Hubby and I leave again on Saturday for a mini trip to Chattanooga, TN. He’s always wanted to visit the city and there are some National Parks around (and on the way), so we actually found some time where we were free and are taking advantage.

Never a dull moment for us, huh?

On our drive back from Baltimore, we stopped at three National Parks (Flight 93, Johnstown Flood, and Allegany Railroad). But it was raining so bad at times, we weren’t able to enjoy them like we wanted (he got the stamps in his book, though), so we’ll probably revisit them someday. But man, when I say it was raining… Let’s just say that after our last stop we headed home and got an alert on our phones that we were driving in a Tornado WARNING area. Yikes! Luckily, we avoided that and made it home safely.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 13

Dates read: June 6 – 11, 2025
Title: Halloween Murder: Trick or Treat Murder
Year of publication: 1996
Author: Leslie Meier
Genre: Mystery
Series:  Lucy Stone #3
# of Pages: 206
Paper or plastic: Nook
How obtained: Freebie from B&N
Blurb from Goodreads: While Lucy Stone is whipping up orange-frosted cupcakes for her town’s annual Halloween festival, an arsonist is on the loose in Tinker’s Cove. When arson turns into murder, a little digging in all the wrong places puts Lucy too close to a shocking discovery that could send all her best-laid plans up in smoke . . ..
Recommend: Maybe
My thoughts: This book dragged on for me. Too much detail in it that I didn’t care about. Not a lot about the murder mystery. Halloween Murder is a compilation of two Lucy Stone stories. I’m not bothering to read the second one. Just not what I enjoy reading. But, if you like what they call cozy mysteries, you might have a better time with it.

So… the weather has finally been great for walking. I wasn’t able to do any walking on the cruise (too cold and I forgot my blood pressure medicine), and really looked forward to getting back into some walking. So what happens? First few days home it rained. I had doctor appointments on all the perfect days! Aaaargh! Hopefully I’ll get some walking in at Chattanooga. Provided it doesn’t rain!

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Finished Reading “The Crazy Cheetah Lady” and Stuff

New year, new reading goals. I decided to stick with 30 this year since I managed to reach that goal last year. Not gonna put any stress on my reading and I don’t see this year being all that different from last.

I have started the year off right, though. I finished a crochet project before the 4^th. I had been working on it since October and realized that I wouldn’t meet with the woman I give my projects to until February if I didn’t finish it by the 4^th, because I was meeting her that day. I made it (on the 3^rd—talk about cutting it close) and she was very thankful.

I also finished revising Alien Desires! I still need to go over the last chapter I “fixed,” but that shouldn’t take long (hopefully will get to it today). I emailed my editor to see if she could start working on in next week. She can! Now I just have to get the blurb written so I can get the cover made. Let’s see if I can get that done before the 16^th, when we leave for Florida to cruise and spend time with friends.

Yep, we’ll be gone about three weeks. Some of it on a cruise. Some of it in Ft Lauderdale. Some of it with our friends in their timeshares (Titusville & Kissimmee). At least it should be warm down there. Well…warmer than here!

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 1

Dates read: December 30 – January 5, 2025
Title: The Crazy Cheetah Lady
Year of publication: 2015
Author: Pepper McGraw
Genre: Paranormal romance (MMMF)
Series:  Murrysville Coalition #1
# of Pages: 172
Paper or plastic: Trade paperback
How obtained: Purchased from author
Blurb from Book: Abby doesn’t exactly believe in the paranormal, even though she’s made a career of writing about it. Then she saves a trio of cheetah cubs from the river and everything changes.
    Alpha shifters, Marcus, Peter, and James are on the trail of their kidnapped triplet nephews. They’ve tracked the cubs to Abby’s town and heads are going to roll.
    When the men reclaim their nephews and leave Abby behind, she follows their trail, determined not to lose the cubs she saved. This is fine with the alphas since they’ve decided she’ll make an excellent shifter mate. For them.
Recommend: Yes
My thoughts: Didn’t realize that this was a male/male/male/female erotica paranormal story when I bought the two books. I thought it was going to be a funny series. It’s light-hearted, but not humorous. And very short. I thought there would be more to it, but when it's erotica, it’s all about the sex, I guess. I don’t mind reading these when I’m prepared. And frankly, with my memory, it could be I just forgot what these books were about when I bought them from the author I sat next to at a book convention.

We’re expecting a lot of snow later today. I’m hoping it’s all hype and blows over. Or maybe it just shifts away from us. I really don’t want to clean up snow. Why do I live in Ohio again? Oh yeah, family. I have so little as it is, don’t want to be away from it. So I guess I just deal with snow. Ugh.

Happy Reading!

Stacy 

Reading Update and I’m Here

It’s been awhile huh? That’s what happens when it takes awhile to finish reading a book. And not much else is happening.

I’ve survived two treatments so far. I’m not noticing many side effects, but man, the weekend after treatment is rough. Both times I ended up with a migraine-like headache that lasted a couple of days. And urinating out what was put in me caused a few issues (which I wasn’t sure there was a correlation until the second treatment). I hope this is only because of the drug I have to take only 4 times. If I have the same issues after the drug I’m supposed to take forever (or close to forever), I won’t be a happy camper.

Of course, I may not be a happy camper during Christmas, as that falls in the weekend after my 4th treatment. Fun, fun… not.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 36

Dates read: October 26 – November 14, 2022
Title: Heat 2
Year of publication: 2022
Author: Michael Mann & Meg Gardiner
Genre: Crime Drama
Series: N/A
# of Pages: 466
Paper or plastic: Hard cover
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from book: One day after the end of Heat, Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer) is holed up in Koreatown, wounded, half delirious, and desperately trying to escape LA. Hunting him is LAPD detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino). Hours earlier, Hanna killed Shiherlis’s brother in arms Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) in a gunfight under the strobe lights at the foot of an LAX runway. Now Hanna’s determined to capture or kill Shiherlis, the last survivor of McCauley’s crew, before he ghosts out of the city.
    In 1988, seven years earilier, McCauley, Shiherlis, and their highline crew are taking scores on the West Coast, the US-Mexican border, and now in Chicago. Driven, daring, they’re pulling in money and living vivid lives. And Chicago homicide detective Vincent Hanna—a man unreconciled with his history—is following his calling the pursuit of armed and dangerous men into the dark and wild places, hunting an ultraviolent gang of home invaders.
    Meanwhile, the fallout from McCauley’s scores and Hanna’s pursuit causes unexpected repercussions in a parallel narrative, driving through the years following Heat.
    Heat 2 projects its dimensional and richly drawn men and women into whole new worlds—from the inner sanctums of rival crime syndicates in a South American free-trade zone to transnational criminal enterprises in Southeast Asia. The novel brings you intimately into these lives. In Michael Mann’s Heat universe, they will confront new adversaries in lethal circumstances beyond all boundaries.
My thoughts: I read this because I enjoy Meg Gardiner’s books. Don’t know how much she contributed, but the story did start out a bit slower than I like (and it took me nearly 3 weeks to read it, but that’s a whole ’nother reason). I haven’t seen the movie “Heat” but was informed I didn’t have to (and that was correct). But I probably will eventually see it. Once I can find it on the television! It’s funny, I hadn’t read the book jacket before reading the book and didn’t know who played who in the movie. I really didn’t picture any of those actors playing the parts. Not even close.

Last week, Hubby and I took a little trip to Virginia to spend a couple of days with friends (they have a timeshare in Massanutten). We would have spent more than two days, but I had to be back for lab work and then my second treatment. It was nice to get away, even for a little bit. Saw James Monroe’s estate, a civil war site, and drove most of the Skyline drive this time around. Most of the leaves were gone or dead, but the last time Hubby and I drove the Skyline drive, it was snowing! So, we at least got to see some of the views this time around. Also saw lots of deer. But did I take any pictures? Of course not! I just don’t think about that until it’s too late. Oh well…

Happy Reading!

Stacy

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 Some GOOD News

On Friday, I got a biopsy on the nodules on my thyroid. On Tuesday, the doctor called with the results (I was expecting them in 1-2 weeks, so him calling early kind of made me nervous). BENIGN! Best news ever. And one less thing I have to worry about.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book #37

Dates read: June 30-July 6, 2021
Title: Haunted
Year of publication: 2003
Author: Heather Graham
Genre: Paranormal romantic suspense
Series: Harrison Investigations #1
# of Pages: 370
Paper or plastic: Mass market paperback
How obtained: Purchased.
Blurb from book: Matt Stone doesn’t believe in ghosts. But there are those who are convinced his home, a historic Virginia estate that dates back to the Revolutionary War, is haunted. Pressured to get at the truth about some strange happenings at Melody House, he agrees to let Harrison Investigations explore the house. But he isn’t ready for beautiful, intriguing Darcy Tremayne.
    As a paranormal investigator, Darcy has learned to believe in the unbelievable. And she’s given Matt fair warning: sometimes people don’t like the skeletons she finds. She never dreamed that warning would apply to herself. For she’s about to discover that Melody House holds much more than a simple mystery from the distant past. What it holds is a very real and lethal danger, one that will cast her into a struggle against the worlds of both the living and the dead.
My thoughts: I read book 3 (Ghost Walk) a long time ago and have been meaning to get to the rest of this series (it appears I don’t need to read them in order—I just want to). Wish I didn’t wait so long. I liked this story. Lots of suspense, ghosts, and romance. What’s not to like?

This past weekend Hubby, daughter, and I travelled to West Michigan (along Lake Michigan) to visit some friends. It was a nice little getaway to a place I’d never been to before. The weather was awesome (in the 70s with barely any humidity) and I got a lot of walking done (hit over 10K steps both Friday and Saturday). When we got back home on Sunday, it was still humid here. Heck, it’s been raining every day since we left!

So… Have you taken any weekend trips lately? How far are you willing to travel? It took us a little over 5 hours to get to our destination. Not a bad drive, either.

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Reading Update, Walking, and Dr. Appts.

My back has finally shut up and I’m back to walking. The weather has been cooperating, too. I still won’t go far (not my usual 2-3 miles), at least not until it’s been four weeks since surgery (which is the time frame I’ve been given to not lift anything heavier than 15 lbs).

I finally got an appointment to the endocrinologist (for my thyroid nodule). September 16th!! Man, I sure hope I don’t have anything serious. That seems crazy. But I was told there are only 3 endocrinologists in the Dayton area, so it is what it is. I do see my primary care physician next week, so if she’s not worried about it, I won’t be. And if she is worried about it, then I’ll leave it up to her to hurry things along.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book #33

Dates read: June 9-14, 2021
Title: Far from Home
Year of publication: 2020
Author: Kate L. Mary
Genre: Horror
Series: Far Series Book 1
# of Pages: 307
Paper or plastic: Trade paperback
How obtained: Free from author
Blurb from book: As the only child in an upper-middle class family, Rowan has had it easy. Doted on by a mother who never wanted anything but a child to love, she’s never wanted for anything. Kiaya’s life, however, has been anything but easy. Parents who didn’t want her, followed by being torn away from her only sibling by the foster care system, she knows what it means to have to work hard for the things she wants.
    When a deadly virus sweeps the country, Rowan and Kiaya are away at college and far from everything they love. Desperate to make it home, they team up, but as the world around them dies, an unexpected detour leaves them stranded in Vega, Texas where they make a shocking discovery. The virus isn’t just killing people. It’s turning them into zombies.
    When former cop, Devon, sweeps in to save the day, it looks like their luck has shifted. With hundreds of miles left to cross and the dead taking over, the trio is determined to do whatever it takes to get home. Traveling historic Route 66, Rowan, Kiaya, and Devon fight for survival as they struggle to come to terms with the changing world.
My thoughts: As I started into this book, I could see it being like The Stand, but then the zombies came into play and I realized it’s not. And since this is the beginning of a series, there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight. Because of that, I won’t bother reading the next book. I’m not really into zombies anyway (I didn’t watch The Walking Dead, but if you liked that series, you’ll probably like these books). I did enjoy the story. I just wish it…ended.

Are you doing anything special this July 4th? Hubby suggested we go somewhere, but I can’t think of any place to go for the weekend that we haven’t already visited. Then I suggested we just stay home and visit things in the area that we haven’t seen. So we might do that. And Cincinnati has some interesting tours that we could possibly take. That might be fun. Do you have trouble figuring out what to do when you want to get away? I’d really love to just go to the beach and walk along the shore, but, unfortunately, they’re a little far from here.

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Reading Update and I was Supposed to Start my Vacation

Hubby and I were supposed to board a cruise today, but COVID-19 spoiled all that. It was going to be an awesome cruise, too. With stops to Iceland, Greenland, Scotland, Ireland, and ending in London. Then, we were to start the next leg of our vacation: a European land tour traveling through 9 countries. We would have been gone for a month.

I knew it was too good to be true. We’d never ever planned such an elaborate vacation before. It certainly makes me gun shy to try and schedule another. Because it sure is a pain in the you-know-what when you have to try and get your money back. Which we really didn’t get back. Oh, sure, we got credit for the cruise and land tour. The flight home, not so much. Luckily, credit for the cruise will be easy to use as we have some future cruises booked and not paid for yet. But that land tour? They do have tours in the US, but what if they go out of business? What if the cruise line goes out of business? It really is something to worry about.

Something we also worry about this year is our season tickets to the Dayton Dragons. We’ll really be surprised if they even have a season this year. Don’t know what that will mean for our tickets. Especially since I read that many minor league teams just might go under. I don’t know if Dayton is in danger of doing that, but who knows? I think right now I’ll be happy to have my tickets good for next year. Better than losing outright.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book #22

Dates read: May 21-28
Title: A Taste of You
Year of publication: 2017
Author: Teri Anne Stanley
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Romantic Comedy
Series: Bourbon Brothers #3
# of Pages: 216
Paper or plastic: Trade paperback
How obtained: Purchased from author
Blurb from Book:. Office supply addict Eve McGrath’s meticulously organized life is on the verge of crashing at her feet. Blue Mountain distillery’s new tasting and visitor center has to be finished pronto or her mother will lose her mind. Good thing Eve likes a challenge—which is exactly what she’ll face trying to convince the flaky contractor’s hot son to finish the job.
    Nick Baker is back in Kentucky just long enough to get his wayward dad back on his feet. Then he’s gone. Unfortunately, he can’t resist helping Eve, the sexy distiller-in-distress, whose addictive, bourbon-flavored kisses threaten his carefully constructed boundaries. And if he can’t rein himself in, the uncomfortable secrets of his past will nail him to the wall…
My thoughts: The author is a friend of mine, but that’s not why I read her books. I read her books because they’re fun. Lighthearted. And really good stories. I can count on Teri Anne to give me a laugh and make me go awww.

So… Did you have any vacation planned for this year? How about tickets to events? How’s that turning out for you?

Stacy

Reading Update and I'm Bummed

As I scheduled to post this, I discovered it was Wednesday night and not Tuesday night, thus this is posted a day later than I planned. My bad!

To think I actually write the stupid day on the white board, too!! Sheesh!

Remember that 16-day cruise to Iceland, Greenland, Scotland, Ireland, and London I was going to take in June? Followed up with a 14-day European land tour?

Cancelled. All cancelled.

Thanks, COVID-19!

We spent a LOT of money for that trip. We got full credit for the cruise, which we’ll just transfer to one of the other cruises we already have booked. We also got credit for the land tour, which is fine, except we’d have to pay extra to use this credit, as we’d have to get to the tour somehow. I have no idea what’s going to happen to our flights. We had a flight to NYC via American Airlines for the cruise and a flight home from Paris via Aer Lingus. I expect we’ll get another credit for the AA flight. Aer Lingus, I’m not so sure. Our travel agent suggests we wait until it’s closer to the flight. If they cancel, then we may get more (or something!) than if we cancel. But I don’t know what a credit will do us unless we want to go to Ireland.

So yeah, I’m totally bummed!

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book #14

Dates read: March 28-April 4
Title: The Sinner
Year of publication: 2020
Author: J. R. Ward
Genre: Paranormal romance
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood #18
# of Pages: 498
Paper or plastic: Hardback
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Book:. Syn has kept his side hustle as a mercenary a secret from the Black Dagger Brotherhood. When he takes another hit job, he crosses the path not only of the vampire race’s new enemy but also of a half-breed in danger of dying during her transition. Jo Early has no idea what her true nature is, and when a mysterious man appears out of the darkness, she is torn between their erotic connection and the sense that something is very wrong.
    Fate anointed Butch O’Neal as the Dhestroyer, the fulfiller of the prophecy that foresees the end of the Omega. As the war with the Lessening Society comes to a head, Butch gets an unexpected ally in Syn. But can he trust the male—or is the warrior with the bad past a deadly complication?
    With time running out, Jo gets swept up in the fighting and must join with Syn and the Brotherhood against the ultimate evil. In the end, will true love prevail … or was the prophecy wrong all along?
My thoughts: Another awesome book in this series. I like how a character from the Fallen Angels series has popped up into this one and I look forward to seeing what kind of havoc she will bring in later books!

Weather has been really nice the last few days. I got to go walking (finally!) and Hubby and I actually drove in the fun car with the top down yesterday! The nights have been stormy, though. Scary stormy. Tuesday night/Wednesday morning brought lightning and hail. Luckily, the hail didn’t damage the cars. I was sure it had. It was so loud (woke me up at 3:30am).

So… have some of your plans been cancelled because of COVID-19? Have you been enjoying the nice weather (provided you’ve gotten nice weather)? Are your days all screwed up? Tell me what you’ve been doing!

Happy Reading!

Stacy

What Day is it?

I don’t know about you, but I’m losing track of days. It was easy when Hubby went to work. Now that he and our daughter are here all the time, I’m losing track. Maybe I should write what day it is on the white board. J

Daughter and I were supposed to leave for Vegas today. I was so excited for this trip when we made the plane reservations back in January. And the room reservations in February. And when we bought our tickets to the hockey games. So excited!

Now I’m bummed.

Hubby and I are supposed to go on our Transatlantic cruise in June. Take a European land tour after. Vacation all June long. Now I’m wondering if even that trip will go, or which part will get cancelled and we’re unable to make the other part.

What a mess.

I submitted my flight cancellation through Travelocity on the 12^th or 13^th after Daughter decided to cancel our Vegas trip. After I hit submit, a box popped up and said I’d hear back from someone in five days, but I never got any email confirmation the cancellation was received. I waited more than five days and still… nothing. So I called the number on Wednesday (since the flight was now less than 7 days away) and got cut off. Then the number wasn’t working. Tried again yesterday, same thing. I checked the website and it says the flight is still a go. Really? I tried their virtual chat—what a joke! I really hate those virtual chat rooms. They can NEVER help you. I went over to the FB page and finally found (in the comments) an e-mail address I could try (because heaven forbid Travelocity lists that on their website). At least I got a bot to respond to my email saying I’ll hear back in 48 hours. I probably won’t but at least I have SOMETHING! I’d really like to get some of my money back (or at least credit toward another flight).

So … today is Friday, right? I was going to post this last night, but finally (FINALLY) got the edits back for Finding the Perfect Mate and spent all day reading over the book (again) to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Now it’s in my formatter’s hands (that would be Hubby). I have to upload that book on Smashwords by Saturday to meet the pre-order date. I have a few extra days to upload on KDP and B&N, but man, it’s been stressful (and I can’t even blame the virus for this). I’ll be so happy when I finally upload the book and don’t have to worry about it any longer.

I think the next time I’m not going to set a pre-order date when I don’t have the book ready to upload. It’s too stressful. I need less stress in my life.

So… are you losing track of days? Finding life to be a little more stressful now? Maybe it’s a good thing my cardiologist put me on blood pressure medicine!

Happy Friday and keep your distance!

Stacy

Happy (?) Friday the 13th

I’m beginning to think this year is one big Friday the 13th. It’s certainly not a very good year so far.

Guess I didn’t need to worry about my trip to Las Vegas. Since the NHL has suspended the rest of the season (so we didn’t even get to go to the Pens game last night), there wasn’t any reason to go to Las Vegas, so we cancelled.

Actually, I wasn’t going to go anyway. I didn’t trust I wouldn’t get the disease at the airport and Hubby cannot be exposed (his immune system has been compromised, and technically so has mine, from cancer). So I’m glad the NHL made it easier to tell my daughter. I really didn’t want to be the one to disappoint her.

Luckily, I was able to get a refund on the room. Still working on the plane tickets, though. Travelocity is having phone issues (I wonder why). Even if I have to pay a cancellation fee, I’ll be happy to get most of my money back (those tickets were stupidly expensive).

My daughter was also able to get a refund on the Grand Canyon trip. The only issue in limbo is getting refund on the games.

Since the season is suspended, the games could just be postponed to another date. If that becomes the case, we’ll have to see if we can sell our tickets. I won’t hold my breath that we’ll get our money back.

But hey, if the Pens-CBJ game is postponed to a later date, at least we’ll be able to go (as long as we don’t have other obligations!).

Hubby is now working from home indefinitely (for both his night teaching job and his day job). We still go out to dinner but even that may end up being curtailed (I’m actually stocking up the freezer with food!), especially if anyone in the area becomes infected.

This disease really sucks. I’m hoping we’re all overreacting, but doubt we are.

So … how has this disease disrupted your life?

Happy Friday!

Stacy

Reading Update and Vegas, Baby!

I’m going to Las Vegas! My daughter wants to celebrate her 35th birthday there, so she can attend the last three games of the Vegas Golden Knight’s home games (that’s hockey for those of you who don’t know). We have the plane tickets and the hotel room (staying at Excalibur). Still need the hockey tickets, but we’re waiting to find out how many people are coming. So far it’s just three of us (me, her, and her friend). And we might even take a trip to the Grand Canyon. Should be fun!

It’s hard to believe she’s turning 35, though. She’s my baby!!!

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book #4

Dates read: January 20-28
Title: The Library of the Unwritten
Year of publication: 2019
Author: A.J. Hackwith
Genre: Fantasy
Series:  Hell’s Library #1
# of Pages: 372
Paper or plastic: Trade paperback
How obtained: Library
Blurb from Book:. Many years ago, Claire was named head librarian of the Unwritten Wing—a neutral space in Hell where all the stories unfinished by their authors reside. Her job consists mainly of repairing and organizing books, but also of keeping an eye on restless stories that risk materializing as characters and escaping the Library. When a hero escapes from his book and goes in search of its author, Claire must track and capture him with the help of former muse and current assistant Brevity and the nervous and sweet demon Leto.
    But what should have been a simple retrieval goes horrifyingly wrong when the terrifying angel Ramiel attacks them, convinced that they hold the Devil’s Bible. The text of the Devil’s Bible is a weapon in the power struggle between Heaven and Hell, so it falls to the librarians to find a book with the ability to reshape the boundaries between Heaven, Hell … and Earth.
My thoughts: A friend recommended this book, said it was something I might enjoy. She wasn’t wrong. I enjoyed this immensely (and it doesn’t even have romance!). I look forward to the next in the series (no, this does not end on any kind of cliffhanger), which doesn’t come out until October. Boo.

My writing is still going well. Ideas are still flowing. I might actually figure out whodunnit, too! Yeah, I still don’t know who killed my ghost. That should be a good thing, right? If I don’t know, the reader shouldn’t be able to figure it out, either. Right? Haha!

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Reading Update and My Trip to Washington DC

My reading has slowed to a crawl (which is why I didn’t post last week). And I really thought it would pick up this time of year. But every time I start reading a book (and it doesn’t seem to matter what book), I fall asleep. I’m getting a bad case of fatigue. Don’t know whether to blame that on my funky heart or my lack of exercise. Walking can certainly wipe me out (as I found out in DC last weekend), but I should probably add other types of exercise to get in shape. I just wish I was motivated to do more.

Needless to say, I have no books to report this week.

I had fun in DC last weekend, though. Daughter’s Footy team was playing against the DC team (they lost, by the way) and the game was at the ball fields near the FDR Memorial. We arrived early so we could walk around and sight-see. Saw FDR Memorial, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and the WWII Memorial (all three added since our last trip to DC). Here are some pictures I took:

FDR Memorial (which is a whole bunch bigger than just

this statue. I was very impressed with it).

Hubby and Daughter across from the

Washington Monument

MLK Jr Memorial

(If you look near his head, you'll see the moon!)

Lincoln Memorial as seen from the WWII Memorial

(which I apparently forgot to take pictures of??).

Washington Monument from the WWII Memorial

I’m also crocheting again. Almost finished with the baby blanket I plan on donating to the Literary Love convention in Savannah for raffle next year. I made it because I wanted to see how it turned out. And it’s turning out really nice. I’ll post a picture when I finish.

That’s all I have for now. I may be getting lazy in my reading and blogging, but at least I’m still getting my writing done. Problem is: I should be revising Finding the Perfect Mate instead of writing Ghostly Protector.

What a problem to have though, right?

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Wednesday Reads and I'm Wearing a Heart Monitor

You know, you tell your cardiologist that you might have felt some fluttering in your chest since you last saw her six months ago and the next thing you know, you’re wearing a heart monitor.

This thing is itchy. I wasn’t expecting that. But then it’s taped on, so why wouldn’t it itch, right? And it’s bigger than I thought. I’m supposed to wear it for 14 days (if it stays on that long—I’ve been warned it might come off before then) and push the device if I feel anything … different. Considering the differences I feel every now and then are not all that frequent, I’m wondering if I’ll push it at all. But we shall see.

Here’s what I finished reading this week:

Book #37

Dates read: August 5-8
Title: The Fractured
Year of publication: 2018
Author: Brett Battles
Genre: Suspense thriller
Series:  Jonathan Quinn #12
# of Pages: 351
Paper or plastic: Trade paperback
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from book: Jonathan Quinn has had better years… But now most of the trouble is behind him, if not forgotten.
    There is one issue that remains unresolved—the break between him and his partner, Nate. Quinn has come to accept the only potential path to healing the wound is via the passage of time.
    The secret world has other ideas.
    Quinn and his girlfriend, Orlando, are hired for a new mission, but they must include on their team the operative who is one of the few to have ever seen the face of the job’s target. This operative is unknown to the client, but not to Quinn and Orlando.
    Now, to stop a plan that could slaughter tens of thousands of people, they must turn to the one person who wants nothing to do with them.
    If they can even find him in time.
My thoughts: It’s always a joy to return to Quinn’s world. And I hated putting this book down (but of course, you know, I have other things I have to do, like…write). If you’re looking for a good suspense thriller series, start this one at the beginning. You won’t be disappointed. It’s one of my favorite series.

My only qualm with Brett Battles is that his books show up on Amazon first and I have to wait for the paperback to appear on Barnes & Noble. I was notified last month that his latest Quinn book (The Damaged) was released when I realized I never got the one before that (The Fractured). I’m sure I had forgotten about it after searching a few times. So I made sure to save the latest e-mail to remind me to search B&N for the newest book until it shows up and I can purchase it. And it’s a good thing I don’t normally read on my Nook, or I’d never be able to read this series again. That’s how much I refuse to buy books from Amazon. Even when the books are written by one of my favorite authors.

Last weekend we went to Nashville to watch Daughter play Footy on Saturday. Both the women and men lost to the Nashville teams, and it was a stinkin’ hot day, but we had fun. Hubby and I got to sit in the shade at least (no sunburn for us!) and root for Columbus. What we don’t do for our kids, huh?

So… Did you know Dragon Con is only 15 days away? Fun fun! Maybe one of these days I can go as a guest. But I think I need to either sell more books or write more books before my application gets notice. And since I can only control the writing portion, I guess I better get to it, huh?

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Wednesday Reads and Weekend Trips

When August rolls around, it seems our weekend trips pick up. We can thank Daughter’s footy team for part of it, I suppose. An unanticipated trip (well, unanticipated on our part, she knew about it and said she put it on our calendar) is because of an away game.

This weekend we’ll be in Nashville watching her play. Thank goodness it’s only a five-hour drive, so we don’t have to leave until Saturday morning (her game is at 3). The following weekend is my family reunion in New Jersey (a longer trip, so we’ll leave on Friday). I’m looking forward to seeing all my cousins again (the ones on my father’s side—he had four sisters and one brother, so lots of cousins!).

We get a little reprieve as the weekend after that is free, but then on the 28^th we leave for Dragon Con! This will be my tenth year!! I see some photo opportunities this year (David Tennant for one) and lots of fun ahead.

What a busy month. Sure hope I get some extra reading done (like, maybe in the car when I’m not the one driving). I’m so far behind on my reading goal.

Here’s what I finished reading this week:

Book #36

Dates read: July 26-August 4
Title: Shadow Game
Year of publication: 2003
Author: Christine Feehan
Genre: Paranormal romance
Series:  GhostWalkers #1
# of Pages: 323
Paper or plastic: Mass market paperback
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from book: The classified experiment is the brainchild of renowned scientist Peter Whitney and his brilliant daughter, Lily. Created to enhance the psychic abilities of an elite squadron, it can transform their natural mental powers into a unique military weapon. But something has gone wrong. In the isolated underground labs, the men have been dying—victims of bizarre accidents. Captain Ryland Miller knows he is next. When Dr Whitney himself is murdered, Ryland has only one person left to trust: the beautiful Lily. Possessed of an uncanny sixth sense herself, Lily shares Ryland’s every new fear, every betrayal, every growing suspicion, and every passionate beat of the heart. Together, they will be drawn deeper into the labyrinth of her father’s past…and closer to a secret that someone would kill to keep hidden.
My thoughts: I almost did not finish this book a few times. It was torture for me to read. The story was interesting, but the head hopping was annoying. It was so bad that I couldn’t really get into either character. I don’t know if this will keep me from reading any more of her books, but I’m not going to bother with this particular series. Maybe her newer stuff isn’t so annoying? I don’t know. I hear such good stuff about her books, but it’ll be awhile before I chance another one.

So… What are you reading now? Anything good? I’m reading a good one now. Know how I can tell? I don’t want to put it down (and I was half-way through it in the first day of reading it).  

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Pictures From Hot Sarasota

Today will be a SUPER long one. We’re driving home in one shot (Hubby has to be at work on Tuesday). That’s okay, though. It’s really not that bad of a drive. And once my daughter wakes up (she tends to party after Nationals), she’ll probably drive most of the way!

Heck, she drove most of the way coming down to Florida (I got a whole book read!).

We’ve attended Nationals at Louisville, Mason (Cincinnati), Dublin (Columbus), Austin (twice), and now Sarasota. Out of all those, I believe Sarasota had the nicest fields. The grass was very similar to a golf course and the fields were nice and flat. My only complaint was there were no trees to sit under because it was stinkin’ hot! Even when we were in Austin, the temps were usually in the mid 70s. It was near 90 in Sarasota. And humid. I kind of felt sorry for the players. Footy is a very physical sport.

I thought I was smart, though. I brought an umbrella and used that for shade. But imagine my surprise when I still got sunburned! That just doesn’t seem fair. I really did not want to make my “farmer’s” tan any worse. Oh well…

With football ending early on Sunday, Hubby and I were able to go into town (on the island) and check it out. We parked at one of the parks between bridges and walked the rest of the way. Found a restaurant for dinner (Cha-Cha Coconuts) and then walked around the circle (shops are located around their traffic circle), where I found a little cupcake shop. I had been looking for dessert to bring back to the hotel, too. Man, that was one yummy cupcake.

Anyway, below are some of the pictures I took (even of the cupcakes). I wish we were able to get to the beach while it was still daylight, but we weren’t thinking clearly. We did get there, but it was pretty dark.

Jillaroos (in pink) lining up for inspection.

Daughter is the one in the black leggings.

Fighting for the ball. Yes, they tackle. No, they don't wear
protective gear. Yes, they get hurt.

Taken from the little island between the mainland (in the
distance)  and the island we were headed to (Lido Beach).
Very beautiful and peaceful. I thought our car would
have been the last one there when we returned, but
the place is even more popular after the sun sets!

Bridge from Sarasota to the island off to the right.

Hey look, you can see my shadow!
Oh, and my car!

Neat bird!

Houses or a resort on the bay/gulf/whatever

Another neat bird!

This is Lido Beach. Too dark to see anything, though.

Hotels on Lido Beach. Kind of blurry (sorry).

This is where I got our cupcakes from.

Mine (on the left) was Snickerdoodle. Hubby got
Peanut Butter Cup. Super yummy! Glad I found Gigi's!

 

FYI – The Jillaroos didn’t win any games, but they played hard. And the Jackaroos made it to the Div 2 final, but lost to the Calgary Kangaroos.

Football Update:

• High School: Wayne Won!
• College: OSU Buckeyes won! (what a close one, too). USC Trojans won!
• NFL: Steelers & Rams lost. L I don’t know what happened with the Steelers (I expected a blow out going the other way), but the Rams played a close one. I really thought they might come out on top, but nope.

So… Have you ever used an umbrella for shade? How’d that work for you?

Have a great Monday.

Stacy

Our Weekend in Chicago (In Pictures!)

I spent the weekend in Chicago and actually took some pictures!

We rode the "L" to the museum area and walked along the lake to Navy Pier. The Chicago River looked nice. Well, except for that big TRUMP building staring at me. Ugh.

Proof I made it to the Navy Pier!

I have yet to ride the new Ferris wheel, mainly because it was kind of dreary out. Maybe another time.

The Tall Ships were visiting the Navy Pier, so we decided to check them out.

I love taking pictures of the masts!

More masts!

Thought this was a cool perspective.

Hubby and me!!

 

This ship came from Norway!

 

After all the ship viewing (we actually got to get onto the ships and check them out), we ate dinner at Giordano's. I've been there a couple of times, but this was the first time I actually got the Chicago style stuffed pizza (ours was stuffed with cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, and onions). Oh. My. God. I think that was the best pizza I've ever eaten! Will definitely have to go back. Maybe the one in Indianapolis (since it's the closest!).

And of course, a trip to Chicago means a trip to Racine and the O&H Danish Bakery. We bought TWENTY Kringles. Yep. 20. They're nicely packed in our freezer.

Actually, they're stuffed in there!

All in all it was a wonderful weekend. It had been too long since our last getaway.

So... Did you do anything fun this past weekend?

Have a great Monday!

Stacy

Pictures From My Columbus Zoo Trip

Here are some pics we (Hubby and I) took while at the Columbus Zoo (clicking on the picture should enlarge it).

This is Nora. She was born at the zoo on Nov 6, 2015. Five days after her birth, they had to pull her from her parents (who are still at the zoo), since the mother was no longer caring for her. They still keep her separated from the older polar bears. When she gets bigger, she'll probably end up at another zoo.

 

We managed to get to the zoo early enough to see her swim.

 

She's such a cutie!

 

Here's a video about her from YouTube (in case you want to see more).

 It always seems like the animals are sleeping when we go to the zoo. But these lions just cracked us up. Looks like they had partied hard!

 



They're zonked out all over!

 

Couldn't resist taking this one. :)

 

This here is Oswald Cobblepot. He was named via a naming contest (the little fella was born in March). Gee, I wonder why that name won?



 These are Humboldt penguins.

 My daughter just loves penguins of all sorts!

 

The hyena in the pond is searching for some goodies (even though there aren't any fish in the pond!). You can also see the zebras in the background.

So... Do you like to visit zoos? If you do and you're ever in the Columbus area, this is a nice one to visit. We may go back some day (Hubby goofed and didn't clear his memory stick and he ran out of room, so he didn't get all the pictures he wanted).

Hope you have a great weekend!

Stacy