Good morning readers! These are all of the books that I acquired/received/borrowed onto my shelves, virtual and/or physical, for the entire month of May:
I borrowed all of these from Libby.
These two are First Reads choices for the month of May.
Remember how I said I would not request a lot of books on NetGalley this year? OOPS!!!!
I receive a complimentary audiobook from William Morrow’s Scene of the Crime program.
The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading?What did you recently finish reading?What do you think you’ll read next?
I am reading the last book in the Vegas Shadows trilogy, The Bone Stalker. When I saw it on NetGalley I HAD to request it!
I am just starting Heather by Caitlin Mullen. Celadon Readers Program sent me an audiobook widget, and since it’s set in New Jersey (where I live) I accepted the book via NetGalley!
I own a paperback copy of The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson and decided to read it as I heard this book was really good! And so far I am really enjoying it!!
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Since I last posted, all of the books pictured above have been finished and rated &/or reviewed on Storygraph.
ARC Alert! I have these three NetGalley ARCs in my possession and they are at the top of my list to read and review. Definitely my priority reads this month!
What is the Sunday Salon? The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It’s also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. Hosted by Readerbuzz.
What is the Sunday Post? The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up.
My son graduated Magna Cum Laude from Seton Hall University last Monday!!! We are so incredibly proud of all he has accomplished and can’t wait to see what God as in store for him in the next chapter of his life!
I am reading the last book in the Vegas Shadows trilogy, The Bone Stalker. When I saw it on NetGalley I HAD to request it! I’m 15% in and it’s already keeping my interest. I hope Lazarus and Piper end up together.
I started listening to Five by Ilona Bannister thanks to Libby. I’ve been hearing good things about this one and the beginning has really drawn me in. I’ve only listened to an hour as of the writing up of this post.
I also started The Kind Worth Killing (a paperback I own) a few weeks ago. The first four chapters were really good! I am going to make this one a priority this week.
Randomly decided to watch this show because Netflix suggested it to me. It’s a really good show. I have one episode left in this season! I heard a second season was green lit.
What is the Sunday Salon? The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It’s also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. Hosted by Readerbuzz.
What is the Sunday Post? The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up.
It’s been a freakin week!!!!!! Monday my husband had a work dinner meeting so I got some housework done and then watched some TV. Tuesday my husband had a soccer board meeting after dinner and I pretty much went to bed right after he walked out the door. Wednesday my daughter came home from college for the summer and we went out to dinner after unloading all of her stuff. Thursday my parents came up to visit for the weekend as my son is graduating from college. Friday my daughter and I went shopping to look for clothes for the graduation (nothing like last minute running around because I can’t find a dress I am happy with). And I worked all week. Saturday was spent at the salon getting beautiful (I never spend money / do anything for myself but I decided it was time) and spending time with my family the rest of the day. Today is church, getting the dog situated with the sitter and heading to the hotel. Tomorrow is my boy’s college graduation!
Reading one hundred percent look a backseat this week. I sometimes didn’t even have the energy to read or even listen to a book, which is unlike me.
With that being said, I am reading The Night Collector on my Kindle. Book three comes out in June (that I have a ARC for) so I am trying to make this one a priority so I can get to the next book. Currently at 64%.
I am halfway through Pines, a series I’ve been wanting to read for awhile now. I’m a Blake Crouch fan. I may of seen this TV show when it came out because it’s feeling familiar… which is actually making me not want to finish the book. IS that weird?
I also started The Kind Worth Killing, a paperback I personally own. The first four chapters were really good! I may hold this one until later in the month when I am on vacation, but I haven’t decided if that’s gonna be the official plan yet.
I am also listening to It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica. My Libby hold came in and I accepted it instead of suspending it. I have so many books on suspend with Libby because I am not ready for them when it’s my turn, lol! This one is getting realllllllly good!!!
Randomly decided to watch this show because Netflix suggested it to me. They must know I like Matthew Goode! Episode 1 was pretty good- that’s as far as I’ve gotten.
Celadon Readers Program sent me a widget for Heather by Caitlin Mullen through NetGalley.
A rep for Little, Brown and Company sent me a widget of The Country Road Murders through NetGalley.
James Patterson Street Team sent me a hardcover copy of 26 Beauties.
What is the Sunday Salon? The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It’s also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. Hosted by Readerbuzz.
What is the Sunday Post? The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up.
Work and a whole lot of nothing else. My husband worked late most nights this week so I was just home with the dog, doing a whole bunch of nothing exciting.
Today is Mother’s Day! This is the FIRST time since I’ve been a mother that none of the kids are physically with me celebrating. I plan to spend the day with my husband and Rollo, and go for a hike since the weather is supposed to be in the mid 70s! If you consider yourself a mother in any capacity, Happy Mother’s Day to you!!!!!!
And one more week until my son graduates college. I have SO MUCH to do and I’m gonna be stressing all week trying to get everything done beforehand.
I am not too far in to The Night Collector. Book three comes out in June (that I have a ARC for) so I am trying to make this one a priority so I can get to the next book.
I have halfway through Pines, a series I’ve been wanting to read for awhile now. And I’m a Blake Crouch fan.
I finished Detective Hole. Great stuff all around!
Randomly I’ve been seeing some clips on TikTok of The Twilight Zone and the girl in the video is narrating what goes on in said episode she’s reviewing. I’ve seen a few random episodes before, and they were good, so I thought I’d watch a few more to pass the time.
Edison Bixby is wealthy, handsome, and, due to a traumatic brain injury, impulsively rude. He’s also a brilliant insurance investigator who solves baffling crimes by figuring out how the design of the man-made world around us makes them possible. Enter Wally Nash: a struggling actor hired to keep Bixby from offending everyone he meets.
Their first case together looks like a simple accident. Caroline Crowley took a nasty fall down a staircase at a shopping mall in front of dozens of witnesses. Video clearly shows the deadly misstep. But Bixby is certain she was murdered by design, subtly manipulated into causing her own demise. The mall itself made the crime intentional, if not inevitable.
Now Bixby must prove his outrageous theory before a very cunning killer gets others on his hit list to murder themselves, too.
After META decided that I was a fake person after having a personal Facebook page since 2012- that page and all my accounts linked to that Facebook page were lost in the void. I swore off any social media for months afterwards because I was so angry at losing all my family’s photos / memories, and my Bookstagram posts that I worked so hard on during the pandemic.
Then one random day I decided to make a blog and start over from scratch. I can talk about books on a new blog instead of on Facebook and Instagram. I Am really enjoying my blog space on the internet and for the most part I have been consistent with my writing/posting. Eventually, I ended up making an Instagram page. It gets no traction whatsoever because of the new algorithm style and how little I have decided to be on social media as of late.
In 2019, the U.S. Senate officially designated June as Great Outdoors Month. The month aims to raise awareness of the…
My latest Instagram posts:
So today, this blog is one years old! It may not be fancy looking, or have a lot of followers, but it’s my space on the internet and I love what I’ve done with the place!
What is the Sunday Salon? The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It’s also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. Hosted by Readerbuzz.
What is the Sunday Post? The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up.
New month… and a busy one at that. My son is graduating college in a little more than two weeks! And then we are planning a big family vacation at the end of the month to celebrate. I have a TON to do in order to be ready for both big events, so of course I am stressing already! One day at a time I suppose.
Also, I had my personal Facebook page for almost a year (remember how Meta said I was not a real person after having a Facebook page since 2012 and deleted my page, along with all my family memories?). I decided to make a Facebook page for my blog and attached it to my personal page. And I linked my Instagram to it as well. Lets see if Meta lets me have them all, or deletes all my social media pages on me like they did last year.
I barely started Run On Red by Noelle W. Ihli. The first chapter really drew me in, but I am not surprised as the other Ihli book I read was soooooooooo good.
Since I am trying to keep up with series books, I am reading book 2 of Arlington Hall, titled The Surrender. I am a little more than halfway done with this one.
And I will be finished with The Alchemist and An Amaretto by Annette Marie on Monday. I had a ton of time to listen while I cleaned my house yesterday.
I am almost done with this season of Detective Hole. And wow wow wow! I am also watching it in it’s original Swedish (with subtitles) as when the voices don’t match up to the lips I can’t focus on anything else.
Title: The Invitation Author: Jodi Ellen Malpas Format: eBook Length: 329 pages Rating: 4 stars Publication Date: July 1, 2025
I stayed up all night reading this book, which is rare for me. Was it a masterpiece? Not really. But I was totally invested in Amelia and Jude’s relationship. I liked the witty banter the characters had with each other and did laugh out loud a few times. I wish Jude would of came clean instead of just yelling “wait, wait” at her while Amelia was running away. Anyway, I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
I chose this book as a First Reads choice in June 2025.
Good morning, readers! This month was a great reading month for me! It helped that my husband was working late a lot of days this month and I had the time to sit and read uninterrupted, lol.
If you’re not following me on Storygraph, you should! I live on that app and update it every single day of the week. This is my page.
I absolutely LOVE using my library for all my books and audiobook needs. I do not have a lot of money to blow on a hobby, so I found a good way to support my community, my library and my reading habit! The library has a ton of resources and I always check there first for audiobooks I want to listen to or books I want to read. Libby is my friend and I have multiple library branches hooked up to my account for maximum borrowing.
I thought it’d be fun to post monthly updates about my library stats, on top of keeping up with my official challenge page.
*I use Amazon pricing, or the price on the receipt when I leave the library*
Good morning readers! These are all of the books that I acquired/received/borrowed onto my shelves, virtual and/or physical, for the entire month of April:
I borrowed all of these from Libby.
I did not choose a First Reads book this month.
I requested both of these books through NetGalley and was approved!
I borrowed these two from within the Facebook group I am apart of.
What is the Sunday Salon? The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It’s also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. Hosted by Readerbuzz.
What is the Sunday Post? The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up.
I totally have not been on my laptop working on my blog, or social media at all this week. I’ve been actively reading A LOT (for me)!
My daughter came home from college this weekend. Her freshman year is almost over already, which is nuts!
My husband has been feeling under the weather all this week. He finally went to the walk in the other day and it turns out… he has a cold. He gets like a super huge baby when he’s sick so I’ve been taking care of him all this weekend, bringing him food in bed, giving him hot tea to drink and letting him rest. But now I’m starting to feel run down – lovely.
I am reading The Undoing of Alejandro Velasco by Diego Boneta. It’s an Amazon First Reads backlog book. It’s definitely a slow burn mystery so right now I think it’s just alright. I’m about halfway done with the eBook.
I just started Run On Red by Noelle W. Ihli. The first chapter really drew me in, but I am not surprised as the other Ihli book I read was soooooooooo good.
And since I think I need a break from thrillers (I read so many this month) I also started The Invitation by Jodi Ellen Malpas, another Amazon First Reads backlog book.
If you’d like to be friends with me on Storygraph, this is my profile page. I stopped using Goodreads and refuse to go back.
Still in my Joel Kinnaman phase, I watched the first episode of Detective Hole. And wow wow wow! I am also watching it in it’s original Swedish (with subtitles) as when the voices don’t match up to the lips I can’t focus on anything else.
Title: Hellbound Guilds & Other Misdirections Author: Annette Marie and Rob Jacobsen Format: audiobook Length: 8 hours 12 minutes Rating: 3 stars Publication Date: September 14, 2021
I wanted to give Kit a chance, but I am just not feeling this series. I did like how the events that happened on Halloween with the demon are in all three series (Spellbound, Warped and Demonized) though. I will continue on with this series as it’s part of the read-along I am doing but it’s not my favorite.
From the bestselling author of Parents Weekend comes one of the most anticipated thrillers of the year.
Today became an anniversary they would never celebrate.
One fateful night in 1992, Jules and Quinn’s lives are changed and intertwined forever. Quinn Riley, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks, is arrested after he innocently tries to break up a fight but ends up nearly killing someone. Jules Delaney, high school royalty, survives an attack by the elusive and terrifying May Day Killer—a predator who strikes every May 1st in small Midwestern towns.
A year later, Jules is struggling with trauma and guilt, tormented by the question: Why was I spared? Quinn is newly released from juvenile detention and returns home to fresh heartbreak: the unsolved murder of his mother.
Over the next decade, their lives are revisited on a single day each year, May 1st. As secrets unravel and the paths of Quinn and Jules converge, two mysteries edge closer to the truth. All the while, the May Day Killer is still out there—and the clock is racing toward another anniversary.
Twisty, high-concept, and emotionally charged, this novel is an utterly compelling story of the hunt for a serial killer. But it’s also a heartfelt—and heartrending—novel about fate, innocence lost, and two souls who find that sometimes being broken is the only way for the light to get in. The Anniversary reaffirms Finlay as one of the leading thriller writers today.
The mystery-a-thon took from April 12th to April 19th, hosted by the COYER Discord group. Real simple rules: If it’s a mystery it counts. It can be suspenseful or a cozy. As long as someone is trying to find out who done it, it counts.
What is the Sunday Salon? The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It’s also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. Hosted by Readerbuzz.
What is the Sunday Post? The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up.
The only thing of note is that my husband won free concert tickets on the radio and we went to go see Patrick Mayberry, Seph Schlueter and Crowder at the NJPAC in Newark, NJ. And the seats were fantastic- we were in the third row!!!!
The weather this week has been HOT during the day and GORGEUS at night. After work I’ve been sitting in the yard and trying to get my skin used to the sunlight again (so I don’t burn this summer lol). The dog has been loving being able to run around in the yard. Sunshine really does wonders for my soul!
Also, I need to catch up with everyone and I’m so sorry I’ve been super distant in the blogosphere. I have mostly just been avoiding being online for relaxing and reading time.
I am listening to The Launch Party by Lauren Forry, an Edelweiss ARC I received in 2024 and hadn’t gotten around to reading it via Kindle. It’s a slow paced mystery set on the moon. It’s not holding my attention at the moment so I have been barely listening.
I am reading Yours Always by Corinne Sullivan on my Kindle. I’m into the story and hope to have it done in the next day or so.
If you’d like to be friends with me on Storygraph, this is my profile page. I stopped using Goodreads and refuse to go back.
For no reason I am rewatching Altered Carbon. Joel Kinneman just does it for me, what can I say?
The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading?What did you recently finish reading?What do you think you’ll read next?
I am about to listen to The Launch Party by Lauren Forry. I borrowed the audiobook of an Edelweiss ebook I accepted awhile back and haven’t gotten around to reading. Easy way to catch up on my ARCs TBR shelf.
On my Kindle I am reading Yours Always by Corinne Sullivan. It was an Amazon First Reads choice last month, and it’ll work for a HRCYED prompt I need. I’m about halfway through the book at this point.
Also on Kindle I am tackling book 2 in the Vegas Shadows series The Night Watcher by Victor Methos. I just received book 3 via NetGalley and wanna read it as soon as possible lol.
I reviewed both of these on Storygraph last week.
All of these above books I need for multiple challenges I am doing. I am trying to juggle everything lol!!!
