Monday Malarkey - Of spring and books and cats in windows

Spring has arrived in all its glory, in our area. The photo above is already outdated. The pear trees are done blooming, blossoms fallen like snow edging the sidewalks, their trees nearly in full leaf.  Redbuds and Japanese magnolias are blooming; the daffodils are done. And, yet, we managed to drop down to the 50s, yesterday, so I'm happy.  I do love a long winter ("long" meaning more than 2 weeks worth of fireplace weather).  

I was a little under the weather, last week, so I may resort to a few one-paragraph reviews to catch up. We'll see.  I never know what's going to interfere with my computer time, these days.

Arrivals since my last Monday Malarkey post (this feels a bit like confession):

For review from HarperCollins:

• A Replacement Life by Boris Fishman
• Closed Doors by Lisa O'Donnell
• Up At Butternut Lake by Mary McNear
• Bellagrand by Paullina Simons

For book tour:

• The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell from Berkley
• For Such a Time by Kate Breslin from Bethany House

Surprise books from Algonquin:

• Acts of God by Ellen Gilchrist
• A Dangerous Age by Ellen Gilchrist

Purchased:

• The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
• The Martian by Andy Weir (already read this and am very happy I spent the last of my Christmas gift card money on it)

From Splinter for review:

• Itch Rocks by Simon Mayo (sequel to Itch, which I loved so much I looked for Itch Rocks while in the UK, last year . . . unsuccessfully, so I'm excited to finally have a copy)

Received via Paperback Swap:

• Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain
• The Frozen Lake by Elizabeth Edmondson

Whew!  That's all.  As if that's not more than enough.

Posts since last Malarkey:

• Goodnight Songs by Margaret Wise Brown, book and CD (review)
• The Taste of Apple Seeds by Katharina Hagena (review)
• Fiona Friday - Cuddle bunnies (kitty photos)

Books finished:

• Children's Wartime Diaries: Secret Writings from the Holocaust and WWII, ed. by Laurel Holliday
• The Riverman by Aaron Starmer
• The Martian by Andy Weir
• Savage Harvest by Carl Hoffman
• A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams
• Mr. Owita's Guide to Gardening by Carol Wall

Currently reading:

• Countdown City by Ben H. Winters - The second in the Last Policeman series; very excited to finally read this!
• The Heaven of Animals by David James Poissant - Short stories. So far, I am loving this book, which resonates with deep truths about being human.

In other news, the cats are really enjoying smelling the outdoor smells as it's been nice enough to throw open the windows.  Sorry this is such a lousy photo but I think the sniffy face is so cute:

Happy Monday!

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