Monday Malarkey

As a child, I used to stand on tippy-toes when I sang high notes. Isabel says it also works to look up.

I know the cat singing a high note (or, if you want to get technical, "yawning") is not book-related but I managed to clear a bookshelf specifically for ARCs, this weekend, and I don't want to drag last week's arrivals out here to photograph them. So, you get a cat photo. 


Recent arrivals:

From HarperCollins for review:

• Insurrections of the Mind, ed. by Franklin Foer
• The Way Inn by Will Wiles
• Deep Shelter by Oliver Harris
• G. I. Brides by Duncan Barrett and Nuala Calvi
• The Rescue at Dead Dog Beach by Stephen McGarva

Others:

• I Have a Bad Feeling About This by Jeff Strand - sent by friend
• The Good Girl by Mary Kubica - sent by friend
• The Yeti Files by Kevin Sherry - from Scholastic via Shelf Awareness

Last week's posts:

• The Transcriptionist by Amy Rowland (review in self-interview form)
• *Announcement* and a grumpy cat (just what it sounds like - an announcement and a cat photo)

I seem to be alternating weeks when it comes to quantity -- good week for reviewing, bad week, productive, unproductive. Last week was a migraine-dominated week. Some weeks I just don't feel like writing. Hopefully, this week will be a productive one.


Last week's reads:

• How Strong is an Ant? and Other Questions about Bugs and Insects by Mary Kay Carson
• Why is the Sea Salty? and Other Questions about Oceans by Benjamin Richmond
• Ghost Hunting by Hawes, Friedman and Wilson

Seriously, two children's books and a quick-read book about a TV show I've never seen. Told you it was a lousy week. The children's books were great. I was underwhelmed by Ghost Hunting, although I enjoyed it enough to finish.


Currently reading:

• Season of the Dragonflies by Sarah Creech
• Second Form at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton
• Spillover by David Quammen

I've had Spillover on the "currently reading" list for weeks but I didn't actually read a single page, last week. It's a great book; I will definitely finish it. I'm just not in any hurry, since it's from my personal library. Season of the Dragonflies is a book I'm reading for tour and I initially thought I was going to have to force my way through it because it began with two scenes that fall into territory I despise (stories about actors; graphic sex). However, I DNF'd my last TLC Tour book so I decided I was going to get through this one, no matter what. And, what do you know?  I started to like it about 1/3 of the way in.

Second Form at Malory Towers is a book I bought at a discount bookstore in the UK.  Having heard so many people gush about Enid Blyton being their favorite childhood author, I just grabbed one at random out of curiosity. Second Form at Malory Towers is the second in a series about 10 girls sharing a room at boarding school and it's interesting from a cultural perspective but I probably would have been better off choosing one of Blyton's adventure books -- or, possibly, paying attention to order. I do feel like I missed something by jumping to the second in the series. Maybe I can find one of her adventure books on a future visit to England.

Blog plans:

I'm hoping to review The Story Hour by Thrity Umrigar, Paramédico by Benjamin Gilmour and a few children's books, this week. I'm going to skip reviewing Ghost Hunting because I don't feel like I have anything to say about it. Hopefully, this week will be an improvement over last week. So far, so good -- no migraine but it's so hot I've been looking at photos of Alaska to try to cool myself off. I may have to drag a portable fan to the desk. The air conditioner is just not enough, right now.

No TV or movies worth mentioning, this week.  We did watch the first episode of the new PBS mystery series, Breathless, starring Jack Davenport of the British Coupling. I'm not sure what I think of it, just yet.

Happy Monday!

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