Sunday Post – 6/04/2023

June 4, 2023 Sunday Post 13

The Sunday Post is hosted by the wonderful Kimberly, the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news, recap the past week, take a look ahead, and showcase our new treasures—I mean books!

Last Week

In real life: Still working on my indexing project. It’s a very interesting book, but slow going. I know it looks like I’m complaining about it in the “What I’m Reading” section down below, but I’m really fascinated; it’s just requiring a lot of time and focus.

My Fitbit broke, so I had to order a new one. The actual tracker still works, but the shell broke right where the strap connects, so the strap doesn’t stay connected on that side. A wearable tracker is not much good if it won’t stay on your wrist! The new one should arrive today or tomorrow.

It looks like the unseasonably cool weather from May has broken (alas!), and we’re headed into the summer heat.

Recent Posts

Looking Ahead

  • Why You Should Preorder Books
  • One Perfect Rose, by Mary Jo Putney – review
  • other reviews TBD – very tentative
  • Sunday Post – 6/11/2023

What I’ve Been Reading/Watching

Reading: I started Psyche and Eros (Luna McNamara; ARC), but I wasn’t in the right mood, so I switched to Gryphon in Light (Mercedes Lackey; ARC.) I enjoyed it, but was mildly irked when it ended on a cliffhanger—something I’ve really never seen Lackey do before. Still, I’m always happy to spend time in Velgarth (the world of Valdemar)!

Given the amount of mental energy the index is requiring, I wanted something familiar and predictable next. Rather than reread, I pulled out my ARC of Mary Jo Putney’s Silver Lady way ahead of schedule. I was surprised but pleased to see she is wading back into the historical-fantasy-romance pool with this book. It’s not nearly as rich and immersive as her early books, but I liked it, and will enjoy seeing where the series goes next. There are several siblings who deserve romances of their own.

Still in the mood for familiar and predictable with a touch of magic, I decided to reread The Marriage Spell, an earlier (and better) historical fantasy romance also by Putney. After that, I started A Fatal Illusion by Anna Lee Huber (ARC), but ran into the same lack-of-mental-energy problem, so I set it aside and pulled out One Perfect Rose, book 7 in Mary Jo Putney’s Fallen Angels series, one of my favorites. I finished in in the wee hours this morning.

A Fatal Illusion and Psyche and Eros both got off to good starts, and I’m still looking forward to reading them. The problem right now is very much me being mentally exhausted, not any issue with the books themselves. I’ll get back to them as soon as I can focus on something other than work. I’ll also get back to The Lord of Stariel one of these days.

Listening to: I didn’t finish Tricked by Kevin Hearne. It’s book four in the Iron Druid readalong, and the discussion is this afternoon, but I’m not going to make it, because (are you sensing a theme here?) I need to work. I have been listening to A Short History of the World According to Sheep by Sally Coulthard; I listen in short spurts while I’m getting ready for bed, because it’s better for winding down with than the Iron Druid book!

Playing (occasionally): the NYT Spelling Bee

Watching: We watched the finale of Picard Season 3 and absolutely loved it. It’s totally fan service, but in the best way. I have loved seeing the Next Gen crew back together again, and everything they did with the characters, both in-show and in terms of the characters’ stories over the intervening years, was just perfect. Just thinking about the final scenes brings a smile to my face.

I also re-watched Campion: “Look to the Lady”, a two-part adaptation of one of Margery Allingham’s novels. I love the series, and this is one, or rather two, of my favorites episodes.

Added to the Hoard

For Review or Consideration

Many thanks to Minotaur (St. Martin’s) for The Curse of Penryth Hall! This book won the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award, a competition for unpublished mystery writers, and it sounds really good.

Purchased or Free (Kindle, print, or audio)

Print:

Kindle: Penelope Pops the Question (author freebie); Winds of Change (with Kindle Points credit); A Matter of Class; An Impossible Imposter; The Golden Enclaves. The only two I haven’t read before are Penelope Pops the Question and The Golden Enclaves. Everything was on sale.

Audiobooks: The Work of Art (on sale.)

(Click title for Goodreads page or my review.)

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay kind… and may you find books a haven in the coming weeks.

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13 Responses to “Sunday Post – 6/04/2023”

  1. Greg

    It’s gotten hot here too. After cool weather and rain it’s been in the 90’s and HOT.

    I love the look of that Huber book. I finally started one of her series and liked it.
    Greg recently posted…Sunday Post 507My Profile

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      I think we have one or two more coolish days (low 70s), and then it climbs into the 80s. As for the Huber series, I very much like the Lady Darby books. I haven’t tried her Verity Kent series yet, but they look good.

  3. Literary Feline

    I always feel a sense of glee when I see a book by Mercedes Lackey pop up on a blog. I haven’t read one of her books in ages, but her books mean so much to me, especially her Valdemar books. Elspeth is one of my favorites of her characters. Psyche and Eros is on my wish list. I love that cover and it sounds so good. Hopefully the next time you pick it up, it will work better for you. I understand how important timing can be when reading certain books depending on what’s going on in our lives. I hope you have a great week!
    Literary Feline recently posted…Weekly Mews: School Is Out for the Summer (if only work was too)! (Please Vote in June’s TBR Poll)My Profile

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      I like what I have read of Psyche and Eros so far. It’s just that I don’t have the mental/emotional bandwidth for anything new right now, unless it’s by an author whose work and world I know really well. So the Lackey and Putney books worked for me, but I need to tackle Psyche and Eros when I am better able to appreciate it.

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      It was wonderful! And I hope that post-credits scene was a hint at a possible new series. I’m looking forward to Season 2 of SNW, too. And the final season of Discovery, though I don’t think that will air until 2024.

  5. A Voracious Reader

    I loved our May weather! I wish it would last longer, but it looks like we’re going to be climbing into upper 80s and into the 90s soon. Living in NC you’d think it’d be more temperate for longer, but that’s not been my years of experience here. lol

    I’ve had my Fitbit for several years now and I keep wondering how much longer it’s going to last. *knocks on wood*

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      I hope you get more years from your Fitbit than I did (which was less than 2.5 years.) Still, mine has been useful, and I’m kind of hooked on it.

  6. Katherine

    Mental exhaustion times call for rereads. I’m glad it’s interesting even if it’s draining. I have yet to get a fitbit but I’m so tempted. Hopefully your replacement arrives soon. Have a great week!

  7. Lisa+Mandina+(Lisa+Loves+Literature)

    Psyche and Eros looks good, hope you’re able to get back to it and enjoy it. I feel like I have to replace my Fitbit every couple years no matter what because it tends to stop connecting to my phone. In fact with the last update on the one I have, for some reason I keep ending up with it on some do not disturb mode which I didn’t set.
    Lisa+Mandina+(Lisa+Loves+Literature) recently posted…Weekly Wrap-Up #121 – June 4th, 2023My Profile