I’m linking up with Sunday Post, Sunday Salon, and It’s Monday! What are you reading? Thank you for hosting, Kimberly, Deb, and Kathryn.

Christmas has come and gone, but I wanted to share the holiday cards I received from the two card exchanges I participated in this year. One was hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and the other was LibraryThing’s Holiday Card Exchange. I’m looking forward to doing it again next Christmas! Have I already purchased next year’s cards? Yes. Yes I have.

My reading for the last quarter of 2023 has been sluggish. I’ve read some good books, but I’ve either been too busy or too distracted to make much of a dent in my TBR pile. Here’s a recap of my October | November | December books read:

• DREAMING OF WATER by A.J. Banner (3.5 Stars)
• THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE WILD by Peggy Townsend (4 Stars)
• GOOD GIRLS DON’T DIE by Christina Henry (4 Stars)
• BLOOD SISTERS by Vanessa Lillie (3 Stars)
• THE MIDNIGHT WITCH by Paula Brackston (3 Stars)
• IN A DARK, DARK ROOM by Alvin Schwartz (4 Stars)
• THE HIDDEN by Melanie Golding (4 Stars)
• CHRISTMAS PRESENTS by Lisa Unger (4.5 Stars)
• THE WINTER SPIRITS by Bridget Collins, etal. (3.5 Stars)

It took FOREVER to finish writing this post because Goodreads is being a total clunker. But I still love it. I have one final book to finish by tomorrow to reach my reading goal of 52 books for the year. I’m a third of the way through EVERYONE WHO CAN FORGIVE ME IS DEAD by Jenny Hollander and I’m hooked. How great is that title??? Wish me luck!

Until next time,
𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓪

Happy New Year!

This week I’m linking up with Sunday Post, Sunday Salon, and It’s Monday! What are you reading? Thank you for hosting, Kimberly, Deb, and Kathryn.

Happy Fall! I meant to do my September post a couple of weeks ago, but I’ve been busy with organization and redecorating projects around the house. Nothing major, just things like a new bookcase to get piles of books off the floor, and new lamps/pillows/pictures etc. I hate clutter, so I’ve invested in some new storage options here and there. It’s amazing how a few small changes can make a big difference.

• Recent Reads •

• STRANGE SALLY DIAMOND by Liz Nugent [4.5 Stars]
• THE SEPTEMBER HOUSE by Carissa Orlando [4 Stars]
• EVERYONE HERE IS LYING by Shari Lapena [4.5 Stars]
• THE BOOK OF SILVER LININGS by Nan Fischer [4.5 Stars]
• HER, TOO by Bonnie Kistler [4 Stars]
• THE FURY by Alex Michaelides [3 Stars]
• THE WIFE IN THE PHOTO by Emily Shiner [2 Stars]

Most of my recent reads have been really good. I haven’t had a chance to write a review for HER, TOO, but I’d definitely recommend it, though the subject matter is very difficult. It’s part legal thriller, psychological suspense, and revenge story in one.

• Currently Reading •

MURDER ROAD by Simone St. James

“A young couple find themselves haunted by a string of gruesome murders committed along an old deserted road in this terrifying new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Cold Cases.”

Simone St. James’s next book comes out in March 2024, and I was so excited to get approved to read it on NetGalley. It’s so good!! It’s a creepy ghost story set in the mid-1990s about several cold case murders in the backwoods of Michigan. Chilling!

Until next time,
𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓪

This week I’m linking up with Sunday Post, Sunday Salon, and It’s Monday! What are you reading? Thank you for hosting, Kimberly, Deb, and Kathryn.

Summer is almost done, for me at least. School starts back on Monday, which means less time to read and blog, unfortunately! I’m going to try my best not to disappear as much as last year. I’ll still be blog hopping around and commenting when I can.

I caught a Goodreads review plagiarizer recently, which was a weird experience. This particular account had sent me a friend request on GR, and I always quickly check profiles to make sure they look legit before accepting. Anyway, I noticed that their most recent review was for a book called Iceberg, which I had read several months earlier, and lo and behold, it was my review! They had just cut and pasted my words, then altered the capitalization and punctuation.

Needless to say, I was miffed! Out of curiosity I checked a couple of their other book reviews, and easily found much earlier reviews from other accounts that they had copied from word for word. So I called them out! They claimed that even though the reviews sounded similar, they did not copy. Hahaha. Gaslighting, right? I noticed they ended up deleting the books/reviews in question from their account a day later.

Had they not sent me a friend request, I probably never would have known. I declined, by the way. So weird! Have you ever had something like that happen?

Another odd thing that happened was I recently received an email offering to pay me for book reviews. No! Just no. I’ve heard of this, and I’ve seen Bookstagrammers who say they accept payment for reviews, but I’ve never been propositioned before.

The emailer specified that the money is not intended as payment for the review itself, but it’s a commitment fee. Personally I have NO interest in doing this — it makes me uncomfortable and goes against my disclosure policy — so I’m not going to respond. I just feel like old school book bloggers would cringe at this. However, what are your thoughts? Am I just behind the times?

• Recent Reads •

• THE VANISHING HOUR by Seraphina Nova Glass [5 Stars]
• MY HUSBAND by Maud Ventura [3 Stars]
• THE DROWNING WOMAN by Robyn Harding [5 Stars]
• YOU LOVE ME by Caroline Kepnes [2.5 Stars]

• August Hopefuls •

• THE BOOK OF SILVER LININGS by Nan Fischer
• THE FURY by Alex Michaelides
• THE STRANGER UPSTAIRS by Lisa M. Matlin
• THE SEPTEMBER HOUSE by Carissa Orlando

• Currently Reading •

STRANGE SALLY DIAMOND by Liz Nugent

“…a wickedly dark, twisted, and brilliantly observed new novel about an enigmatic woman confronting her unknown past.”

Remember that the R.I.P. Reading Challenge will be starting on September 1st. Will you be participating? Thank you for stopping by & have a wonderful August! — 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓪