January 1st-January 7th, 2023
The Sunday Post
The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ 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. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme
#14 When Good Things Come to An End...
In just mere days, the winter break is over. My six year old has been pretty much gorging himself on Minecraft YouTube videos and seems to have love/hate relationship or rather big anxiety with school and routine. (Maybe I should be relieved that on Thursday it will be his favorite teacher, but what to do about Wednesday?) He loved the New Years presents he got which included a big art kit (he's definitely an artist, painted and colored scenes of technology and water) as well as a microphone, a Lego tank and some highlighters. He was pretty excited about the gifts. Wish me luck for Wednesday....
Besides going for an eye exam and getting cool new purple glasses which will be ready, umm who knows when, I pretty much stayed home. We got ready for New Years and I got the books that I will reveal next week (can I say I am excited about them?) we planned on having my younger sister come, (and no, no gifts from her) but then she got sick with COVID and there are also, well, dog issues. (Her first dog has passed away, she got another, but unfortunately the one she got doesn't like the one she has.)
Last Week On The Blog:
The Autodidacts by Thomas Kendall
the oleander sword by tasha suri
one dark window by rachel gillig
coming attractions for january 2023
This Week On The Blog:
Light perpetual by Andrzej Sapkowski, all that we are by mariah stewart, Margot By Wendell Steavenson (Coming In January 2023), The Ghost Season By Fatin Abbas (January 2023)
New Arrivals at svetlanas reads and views
It's Monday! What Are You Reading?
(From The Book Date)
Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
How it works:
I assign each Tuesday a topic and then post my top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join me and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.
You’ll find the schedule of upcoming TTT topics below so you can plan ahead. I’ll post a Linky here on the blog each week so you can link up your post (if you want). If you don’t have a blog, post your picks in the comment section below! Have tons of fun talking books and getting to know your fellow bloggers!
NOTE: If a weekly topic is listed as a “freebie”, you are invited to come up with your own topic. Sometimes I will give your topic a theme, such as “love”, a season, or an upcoming holiday. That just means that you can come up with any topic you want that fits under that umbrella.
You’re more than welcome to use the Top Ten Tuesday image I designed above (or any of my older/seasonal ones), or make your own that fits your site’s theme.
January 3: Favorite Books of 2022
1. Hostage of Empire Trilogy by S.C. Emmett: Raise your hands who is surprised that I would choose this particular trilogy as my favorite 2022 reads. Apparently I'm a political junkie who loves scandals and salacious gossip, which this book offered plenty of.
2. One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig: Gothic romance, darkness and mysteries as well as a cliffhanger? Honestly, what's NOT to love about this book?
3. Ithaca by Claire North: I psotiviely hated The Odyssey and the treatment of women in the "classic" so this novel was delightful to read and I look forward to the next two books, which I am crossing my fingers that I will read. 
4. The Burning Kingdoms Trilogy (Two books for now) by Tasha Suri: Kingdom based on India as well as politics, magic and a sapphic romance? Sign me up!
5. Big Girl by Mecca Jamilah Sullivan: Its probably the first time I saw a big girl portrayed realistically. I also loved the message behind the book.
6. The German Wife by Kelly Rimmer: My favorite author dares to go back to WWII featuring a family from Nazi Germany and has the readers question on whether who's right or wrong. Definitely a tear jerker.
7. The Five Wounds by Kirstin Valdez Quade: Daily life feautring a low income family as well as their attempts to either improve themselves or else make peace with changes that are coming their way. Another beautifully written novel.
8. The Immortal King Rao by Vauhini Vara: What will happen to the future to all the data that we let everyone see? This is a novel that will go into that. Perhaps a rare instance which I enjoyed the science fiction multicultural fiction mix.
9. The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah: So a 1,001 Arabian nights retelling but told from a Middle Eastern author's point of view? Definitely a treasure.
10. Atomic Anna by Rachel Barenbaum: Another rare instance of science fiction featuring time travel and asking very tough questions. Can I say I loved it?
There are plenty others I loved a lot...but the list will be way too long.
Shelf Control
Welcome to Shelf Control — an original feature created and hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies.
Shelf Control is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up! For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out my introductory post, here.
Want to join in? Shelf Control posts go up every Wednesday. See the guidelines at the bottom of the post, and jump on board!
Title: Coming Up For Air
Author: Karen Foley
Published: 2012
Length: 219
What it’s about (synopsis via Goodreads):
Subject: Army Major Chance Rawlins, Helicopter Pilot.Current Status: Soon-to-be-deployed to Afghanistan.
Mission: Report to Captain Jenna Larson for a sexy, one-night inspection.
Obstacle: She's mistaken him for another man!
Major Chance Rawlins has a bit of a reputation, both in and outside of the helicopter cockpit. He's a hotshot, and he knows it. But when he enjoys a spontaneously naughty night with Captain Jenna Larson, Chance realizes Jenna has no idea who he is …and that she's mistaken him for his twin brother!
Since it was just a one-nighter, Chance decides not to give the game away. But when their paths cross again in the dry heat of Afghanistan, Chance sees an opportunity to show Jenna exactly who he is—and what he can do to her. After all, the best pilots know when to hold back…and when to engage in a little sexy fire!
How and when I got it: Either I won it or bought it. I got it on July 29th, 2012.
Why I want to read it: I think because its a companion piece to No Going Back.
What do you think? Would you read this book? And if you’ve read it, do you recommend it?
Please share your thoughts!
Books from Backlog
Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks.
If you would like to join in, please feel free to enter your link, link back to this post, and then spend some time visiting some of the other posts.
This week’s neglected book
Book Title: No going back
Series: N/A
Publisher: Harlequin Blaze
Genres: Romance, Adult, military, suspense, contemporary
Pages: 217
Format: Print
Source: Print, either bought it or got it from publisher on September 17th, 2012
Summary:
Subject: Army Special Ops Major Chase Rawlins
Current Status: On tour in Afghanistan
Mission: Babysitting civilians
Obstacle: Keeping his mind on his duty…and his hands off a certain sexy civvy
Major Chase Rawlins is one of the toughest military SOBs around. His job? Take out terrorists. So why is he escorting publicist Kate Fitzgerald around the base in order to prep for a visiting pop star? It's the last thing he wants to do. Even if Kate does make his blood run hotter than the Afghan desert….
Thanks to her starlet half sister, Kate is used to "challenging" situations. But when Major Sexypants informs her that he will handle all of her needs, Kate finds herself tempted to do her own reconnaissance…under Chase's uniform!
One week. One chance. And once they start, there's no going back!
Why did I add No Going Back to my bookshelf?
I'm not sure if I won this book or if I bought it because its a companion piece to Coming Up For Air.
What are your thoughts? Have you read this book? Would you recommend it?
Let's Talk Bookish
January 6: 2023 Reading & Blogging Goals (Aria)
Prompts: What are your reading goals for 2023?
To be honest, I'm not really sure. Maybe read some books that are long overdue or begin to read some books that I finally got my hands on such as Demon Copperhead or The Floating Girls. Perhaps even begin a YouTube channel that will be in addition to this blog.
Do you have a specific number of books, or particular genres you want to read?
Not really. Maybe read at least sixty books or read backlog books I got from Orbit or start first books of certain series.
What are your blogging goals for 2023?
To begin a YouTube channel where I will do a possible year long book challenge or just show off my almost 2000 book collection :D or what new books I got.
What do you want to do differently with blogging than you did last year?
Possibly begin my YouTube channel and promote videos on my blog along with book review links if available.
Stacking the Shelves
Book Titles I got this week: (if available)
Planned Reviews: (If available. Use pictures):
I'm glad to hear your boy liked the New Year's gifts he received! I hope you have a wonderful 2023! And, sorry to hear about your sister's dog situation. :( I also hope Wednesday at school isn't so bad.
ReplyDeleteMy Sunday News
Hi Jenni Elyse! Thanks so much for your well wishes. My sis and her husband owned three dogs. Her husband's dog passed away last year, I believe, and the one that passed away few weeks back, she raised her since the dog was a pup. So only one dog is left, a male. They tried to adopt a big dog, another male, but that one wasn't friendly and aggressive to one they own. Thus they had to return him.
DeleteI hope your sister feels better soon. Sorry to hear about her dog.
ReplyDeleteMy post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-favorite-books-of-2022/
Hi anonymous! Thank you so much. My sis and her husband owned three dogs, but unfortunately one passed away last year I believe, and another few weeks back. She tried to adopt another dog, but unfortunately the new dog couldn't get along with one they own, so they had to return the new one.
DeleteLooks like you had a great 2022 for reading. Sorry about your sister's dog thing.
ReplyDeleteI've not read any of these, but The German Wife is on my TBR, so I hope I enjoy it as much as you did!
ReplyDeleteMy TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2023/01/03/top-ten-tuesday-401/
Hi iloveheartlandX! Kelly Rimmer is actually one of my favorite authors, thus I hope you'll have a chance to read and enjoy her novels as well. What I love about her writing is that the situation isn't black and white but instead its very human. She has also influenced my thoughts and opinions a lot, and caused me to change my mind about several opinions.
DeleteI read the Stardust Thief in 2022. It good but not my favorite of 2022.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week.
Hi Snapdragon! Happy to hear you also liked Stardust Thief, although it wasn't a favorite of 2022. I definitely hope to read the sequel this year. Hope your week is also good.
DeleteI'm glad your son liked his gifts! Hopefully school wasn't too bad. Good luck with your 2023 goals! I'm not brave enough for YouTube.
ReplyDeleteHi Aj@Read All The Things! I am happy he loved his gifts too. Much to mine relief, no symphony of why he doesn't want to go back to school last week, and I am hoping that tomorrow will also be a calm morning. Thanks so much for wishing me luck. I hope I can start YouTube channel this year definitely. I think anxiety and worries mostly stop me...:(
Delete