Sunday, September 15, 2013

Sunday Post - 9/15/13

The Sunday Post is a meme sponsored by the wonderful Kimba, the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.  It's a chance to share news.  A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

I had a really pleasant week despite a brief heat wave.  On Thursday morning, a good friend dropped over for tea.  Four hours later, we looked up and realized what time it was!  It was ages since I'd seen her; it was wonderful to catch up.

I also spend part of the week choosing music for the fall concert of the two choruses I direct.  I really love working with "my" kids and making beautiful music with them.  Rehearsals start on the last Sunday in September -- I can't wait! And I had my first voice lesson since the end of July.  It felt really good to be singing again.

My computer gave me a bit of a scare on Thursday.  It started freaking out and making a very alarming noise, so I had to shut it down.  I ended up spending much of Friday taking it into town (a 30-minute drive), where the very nice Staples guy opened it up, blew dust out of it, and suggested I send it off to the repair shop for a new fan.  So the warranty people are sending me a box, and on Monday my trusty computer goes to the 'hospital' for up to ten days.  I'll be borrowing my husband's laptop during that time, but I don't know how much time I'll have on it, so the blog may be a little slow for a week and a half.  Oh, well, more time to read, right?

With all the news and photos of flooding in the Denver/Boulder/Fort Collins area, I am worried for the Lambspun yarn shop featured in Maggie Sefton's Knitting Mysteries.  I got to visit the shop on our way home from Utah to Virginia.  It was charming and the people were so friendly!  I don't know how the shop itself is doing, but a photo from a block or two away shows flood waters... and the area where the shop sits is fairly flat.  I really hope they are all right. I was planning to post this coming week about my visit to Lambspun, but I think I'll hold off until I find out how they weathered these storms.

The past week (9/01 - 9/07) on the blog: 




 The coming week:



  • Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books On My Fall 2013 TBR List
  • News & Notes - 8/21/13
  • Reviews: The Wishing Thread and hopefully The Clockwork Scarab


New additions to the hoard:   


For review: 


Thanks to HMH Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for this YA historical mystery set in George I's palace.  It looks like a lot of fun, and it's an era that hasn't featured much in YA yet, so hopefully it will be fresh and interesting as well.

Won:


Thank you to author Judith Anne Barton and blogger Melissa at Readingnks for this one!  It's set in the county where my grandparents lived, and looks very interesting.

Purchased in print:


V. V. Wedding writes historical fantasy, with an emphasis on historical.  She graciously gave me a copy of the first book in this series, which I have got to finish soon!  I'm so impressed so far that I went ahead and bought her second book.  (Actually, I bought it before we left on vacation, but I only got around to opening the mail last weekend, and by then last week's Sunday Post was already finished.)

Purchased or free for my E-reader:



I keep saying I'm not going to download any more freebies or deals unless I really want them, and then something tempting comes along, or I look at the bargains in a weak moment.  Oh, well! Apparently there were several weak moments this week!  The Captain Lacey books in particular look intriguing: Regency-era mysteries.

Challenges:






I've signed up for the Tackle Your TBR Read-a-thon hosted by Colorimetry and Tressa's Wishful Endings.  I didn't set a specific goal in numbers; I just want to make a decent dent in the pile of ARCs on my list! So far, I've finished and reviewed 2 books: Grapes of Death and The Wishing Thread.  I'm currently reading The Clockwork Scarab.  I'm also listening to Rick Riordan's The Red Pyramid.  It's not as much reading as I'd hoped to get done, but several things conspired against my reading time this week!




I signed up for the year-long Cruisin' thru the Cozies challenge hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews.  I read and reviewed 1 cozy mystery in September, Grapes of Death, bringing my total to 9 books so far this year.   My goal for the year is at least 13.



I'm also participating in the year-long NetGalley Challenge sponsored by Red House Books. I finished two books toward that challenge this week: Grapes of Death and The Wishing Thread.

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    24 comments:

    1. Kimberly @ Turning the PagesSeptember 15, 2013 at 12:52 AM

      I remember last year when my laptop went into a coma and was at the repair shop for a month. I have a big honkin' 17 inch laptop and had to switch to the Mister's dinky little netbook...blogging on that was so not fun lol. I hope you get your laptop back sooner than 10 days but it's nice that your hubby is letting you use his :) and dontcha just love those addictive Kindle freebies?

      Come see my Sunday Post!

      Have a great week!
      -Kimberly @ Turning the Pages

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      1. Lark @ The Bookwyrm's HoardSeptember 15, 2013 at 2:49 PM

        Those Kindle Freebies are dangerous! There's no way I'll get them all read. And I don't even have a Kindle yet; I have to read them in the Kindle for PC app. I don't know why I get them when I know I don't have time to read them, but I keep thinking, "Oh, that one looks interesting!"

        As for Mr. Bookwyrm's computer, thankfully it's the same size as mine, so it won't be too bad a switch. It's more the "whose turn is it to be on the computer" issue!

        Delete
    2. Laurel-Rain SnowSeptember 15, 2013 at 9:29 AM

      I hate when computers act up...mine is relatively new, after going through years of "bad behavior" from my old desktop. So far, I'm sailing along, but I always have that niggling feeling: how long before it starts behaving badly?

      Hope yours is back soon...at least you have a back-up.

      I'm reminded that I need to read some more cozies for that challenge. I think I have three more to go...yikes!

      Where has the year gone?

      Here's MY WEEKLY SUNDAY/MONDAY UPDATES

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      1. Lark @ The Bookwyrm's HoardSeptember 15, 2013 at 2:51 PM

        This one started acting up sooner than I expected it to. Our daughter has the same model, which is worrisome since she's in college and can't possibly do without her computer for 10 days.

        I don't know -- the year seems to be flying by!

        Delete
    3. AnonymousSeptember 15, 2013 at 10:07 AM

      Oh, I hope you get your laptop back sooner than expected. The books you got this week look good. The YA mystery set in the court of George I sounds very interesting.

      And isn't it great to get a chance to catch up with friends. It's always so fun. I hope you have a great week.

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      1. Lark @ The Bookwyrm's HoardSeptember 15, 2013 at 2:55 PM

        Thank you, Jan! Yes, I hope they don't take too long to repair my machine. And spending time with friends is great -- I spent an hour after church today talking with another friend I haven't spent time with in a while. Then when we got home, we hung out with our neighbors on their porch and chatted. One of their daughters was there with her young children; she used to be our daughter's art teacher when 'Robin' was in elementary school; I hadn't seen her in years except in passing, and it was wonderful to catch up.

        Have a lovely week! Are you going to the National Book Festival next weekend?

        Delete
    4. Catherine @ Book Club LibrarianSeptember 15, 2013 at 10:28 AM

      Enjoyed reading your post...I can identify with your "weak moments" when it comes to book downloads and purchases. If it's any consolation, know that you are not alone in that...LOL! Have a great week...hope your computer is up and running again soon.

      My Sunday post: http://www.bookclublibrarian.com/2013/09/sundays-weekly-book-recap-35.html

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      1. Lark @ The Bookwyrm's HoardSeptember 15, 2013 at 2:57 PM

        I think a lot of us have a "problem" with freebies, bargain books, ARCs, and book buying in general. Maybe we need a 12-step program? BBA: Book Buyers Anonymous. Nah, on second thought, who wants to stop getting books?! ;-)

        Delete
    5. Adriana @ BooksOnHerMindSeptember 15, 2013 at 12:17 PM

      It's been pretty humid over here too. It's been thundering like crazy for the last half hour though. My laptop has been kaput for ages. Thank goodness you have your husbands and I have my family's main computer! Have fun singing again (:
      That's the second time I've seen Palace of Spies! I really want to read it now... I have to read the whole Red Pyramid trilogy before I read the final book. It's good. You'll like it (:
      Have a great week and fun reading!

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      1. Lark @ The Bookwyrm's HoardSeptember 15, 2013 at 3:01 PM

        Luckily, the weather has turned beautiful here -- sunny and low 70s and not humid at all! I'm sorry to hear about your laptop, but at least you, like me, have a backup. I can't imagine losing my computer and not having one at all!

        Palace of Spies wasn't on my radar until it turned up on NetGalley, but it does look fun. And I'm enjoying The Red Pyramid, even if the woman who reads Sadie over-dramatizes even more than I think Sadie does.

        Thanks for stopping by!

        Delete
    6. UnknownSeptember 15, 2013 at 12:46 PM

      We had buy a new laptop about two months ago, I was so afraid of all the stuff I keep on mine, I stalked Best Buy until they transferred all my stuff. Enjoy the new books and your week ahead. :)

      Jenea @ Books Live Forever's Sunday Post

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      1. Lark @ The Bookwyrm's HoardSeptember 15, 2013 at 3:02 PM

        I'm trying to avoid buying a new one; this one is only about a year or year and a half old. And yes, I worry anytime I give a stranger access to my computer, too.

        Glad you came by! I'll be over in a bit to check out your post.

        Delete
    7. A Voracious ReaderSeptember 15, 2013 at 12:53 PM

      Computer problems are the stuff of my nightmares. *shudders*

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      1. Lark @ The Bookwyrm's HoardSeptember 15, 2013 at 4:53 PM

        My actual nightmares are usually a bit more exotic, but computer problems are definitely the stuff of my waking nightmares!

        Delete
    8. BeaSeptember 15, 2013 at 2:08 PM

      Oh Kindle freebies are SOOOO addictive, lol.

      Sorry to hear about your laptop, it seems to be going around. :(

      Palace of Spies does look interesting; I didn't realize it was YA. I;m looking forward to your review.

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      1. Lark @ The Bookwyrm's HoardSeptember 15, 2013 at 5:01 PM

        Kindle freebies are TOO addictive! :-D And Palace of Spies looks like fun, doesn't it?

        Delete
    9. GregSeptember 15, 2013 at 4:51 PM

      Oh computer problems are no good, hope you get it back quick. That's never fun. Some nice posts this past week and nice to see all the discussion. Palace of Spies looks like fun...

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      1. Lark @ The Bookwyrm's HoardSeptember 15, 2013 at 9:09 PM

        Thank you, Greg. I hope I get it back soon, too! And I agree; it's great to have a post spark some really thoughtful comments.

        Delete
    10. Melissa (My World...in words and pages)September 15, 2013 at 8:14 PM

      Sorry to hear about the computer giving you scares. That's always stressful! To a blogger anyway. :)

      Hope you have a great week this week!

      If you'd like to stop by, I have a Sunday Post up as well...
      http://melissa-melsworld.blogspot.com/2013/09/sunday-post-27.html

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      1. Lark @ The Bookwyrm's HoardSeptember 15, 2013 at 9:10 PM

        Thank you, Melissa! Yes, it is. Worse is knowing that it has to go in for repairs, and I'll be without it. I can work on my husband's laptop during the day, though.

        Delete
    11. chucklesthescotSeptember 16, 2013 at 9:16 AM

      It's a full on panic when the computer starts acting up isn't it! Mine sounds like a jet liner taking off most mornings. Enjoy your books!

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    12. AnonymousSeptember 16, 2013 at 12:36 PM

      I see the Captain Lacey set is only .99 on Amazon today. For that price, I think I will probably go for it, just to see how it is. Thanks for sharing all your titles this week.

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      1. Lark @ The Bookwyrm's HoardSeptember 16, 2013 at 3:50 PM

        That's pretty much what I thought, too! Four books for that price, and in a genre and era I enjoy... too good a deal to pass by. :-)

        Delete

    I love to hear what you have to say -- really! Unfortunately, I've been getting a lot of spam in addition to your wonderful comments, so I've had to turn on comment moderation. That means your comment may not post right away. I promise I'll post it -- and answer it -- as soon as I can!