Monday, March 24, 2014

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 The photo above is already outdated.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:


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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3 comments:

  1. I'm so glad yours (and our) weather is taking a turn for the better. And what a bunch of goodies in the mail!

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, for once I'm actually okay with spring's arrival. I have allergies and summer here truly sucks so spring always makes me cringe a bit, but we had such a nice, long winter that I can cope!! Glad you're enjoying spring, too!

      Lots of goodies! Most of those came in one week. Last week, I think I maybe got two books. I was happy not many arrived last week because one can only read so fast, ya know?

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    2. I'm going to have to take a peek at The Martian, as you and Andi have both mentioned it. I've seen it at work, but haven't even given it more than a quick glance.

      Hope your allergies aren't too horrible. We are still several weeks away from the pollen season, but it looks like we might get some rain tonight, which is certainly better than snow!

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