Some Happy Tuesday Reader's Motivation

You know, sometimes I wonder what it’s like to be a part of the “in” crowd. To be all sweet and likable and relatable. Smart and intellectual. To read what’s new and noteworthy, or seasoned and classic. To be able to analyze a piece of literature down to its core, and articulate my findings breathlessly. To be the one viewers go for information and understanding of broad concepts. And to read what’s in-demand to further my studies. To read all the profound and meaningful literary pieces to grasp an understanding of the human condition. To be a bubbly darling, while staying in sequence with all entails being a darling (one being a specific look that I don‘t match). To read the books that are “right” and “necessary” before storming forth with a cause and call to action. To read with purpose–as oppose to just wanting some author to tell me a good freakin’ story first.
Ahhhh, I wonder what that’s like…

Then after a while I get bored at the thought and go read and do whatever it is I want to do. Because I honestly just don't feel like doing all that, and would much rather just get things off my chest as they come. I’ve never been a very good team player anyway.

Besides, my credit score won’t be affected either way.

HAPPY TUESDAY, READERS OUT THERE. REMEMBER TO DO YOU AND READ ALL THE BOOKS YOU WANT TO READ! :P

#WeekendReads (Or Whateva)...

CHOP IT UP: Crime & Poetry by Amanda Flower

#Weekday READS (Quick, Fast & In a Reading Hurry)

A Touch of Robert Jordan's The Eye of the World Reading Wheel of Time Update

See previous #FridayReads Post

Soooo I'm on page 650 out of 782 (edit two days later; I'm done with the book) pages in Robert Jordan's first The Wheel of Time book, The Eye of the World.  Almost done, man.  Almost DONE.  It's been an epic fantasy ride–for sure.  It was a little lumpy on the ennui concerning the pace hit in the middle of the book.  Yet, still a really fun high-flying fantasy adventure ride.  Luckily the opening chapters were pretty smooth in pace and engagement, it wasn't until later did Jordan hit the gas on a bit of info dumps that caused me to really sit up and pay attention.  I expected that as the book progressed.  I mean, there is a lot to digest and unpack here.  From the characters themselves, to the various towns they visit throughout the journey.  Toss in their adversaries.  The various stages of unfolding lore within this world.  And, well, I can say I'm constantly referring to the glossary in the back of the book to keep me abreast.  Even on into these final pages.

Besides using the glossary in The Eye of the World to keep me inline with all the intricate details unfolding in the story itself, I also find myself Goolge fan sketches and paintings to get an idea of the Jordan's characters and towns/spaces.  But just for an extra kick in the pants, I went to the library yesterday and checked out this The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time book (released in 1997).  I've poked and flipped around carefully through this book to keep from spoilers, but it's pretty neat.  Can't say I'm totally won by the character portraits, though.

Still, in fact, this is my absolute favorite of all the cover arts featured in the series.  Something about that moon and the night.  And, well, Moiraine and Lan looking all solid and regal and dogged on their horses.

{FauxCast} CHOP IT UP: Mrs. Morris and the Ghost by Traci Wilton

CHOP IT UP: Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister by Jung Chang

#FridayReads {1/3/2020} is about The Wheel of Time, eh?

Goodreads Reading Challenge Goal for 2020

As always I'm rolling with my favorite number, 17.  Just because...

Musing on 2020

My 2020 Mood Be Like...

Despite losing my aunt (another mother to me, basically) last year, I'm optimistic and in an okay place entering 2020.  Therefore, needless to say, 2019 was heartbreaking and incredibly hard to make sense of.  I'm learning how time, doing your inner work, and focusing on your goals helps with the healing process.  But, most importantly as well, being strong enough to get real help when needed.  Either way, I don't believe there's a such thing as "healing" after a family member's death.  That's something you'll carry forever.  Every.  Day.

While 2019 was tough, I had many personal rewards and soaring highs come my way via my platform/interactions.  Many of those highs I didn't expect.  Like the time someone hacked into my domain account to try to steal it from under me.  Nice try, though.  I shelled out that $90 (no problem, boo) and now comictowel belongs to me until I renew again in 2023.  I've created/owned it since July of 2013, and it'll remain so, honeybun.

End-of-the-Year Goodies & THANGS

Went to Nashville with my cousin this past weekend.  Needless to say, I messed around and ran across the best shrimp Alfredo IN MY LIFE (so far)!  OMG.  Pasta.  Cheese.  Alfredo.  Bread.  Grilled shrimp.  ALL ON POINT!  Same went for the lobster bites and crab cakes.  Chile.  Chile.  Chile-chile-chile.  The place was called Boston Commons, located in Nashville's 5-Points area (my moving spirit considered transporting to the area in 2020).  

Anyway, I love eating out with my cousin because she's a foodie like me.  Her and I love, adore and appreciate food.  Shoot, we should've been food critics.  We have similar tastes and can tell you when some ish ain't right in a dish.  Plus, she's fun to go out to eat with because she likes to spend money trying new places and dishes.  See, I can't stand going out to eat with someone who is petrified of the menu.  Or scared to crack into his or her wallet to try something new.

2019 END-OF-THE-YEAR Goodreads Stats

FOLLOW IT UP: Buried Bones by Carolyn Haines

FOLLOW IT UP: Framed in Lace by Monica Ferris

Crime and Poetry Detour ~ MAKE IT MAKE SENSE

THIS IS THE BOOK...

THESE ARE A FEW OF THE STRANGE MOMENTS...

Wellllll, she did discover the body.  She did see the scarf wrapped around the body's neck.  I mean... AFTER ALL.  Like, what the hell did she think?  The thought that the guy strangled himself really crossed her mind?

3 Popular Cozies I'm (ADORE) FOLLOWING-UP (eoty TBR)

FOLLOW IT UP ~ Shades of Earl Grey by Laura Childs

"Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning is finally invited to a social event that she doesn’t have to cater—but there’s more than champagne bubbling… 

Theo is mingling with the cream of Charleston society at the engagement soiree of the season. But as they eagerly await the dazzling young couple’s arrival—the groom meets with a freak accident. The exquisite wedding ring—a family heirloom from the crown of Marie Antoinette—is mysteriously missing.

Theodosia suspects that trouble is brewing. But when she goes to the authorities, they treat her like she’s been reading tea leaves—and that’s the surest way to put Theodosia’s kettle on the boil…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There is a bit of disappointment in writing this post. Why? Well, I found the third book in Laura Childs’ Tea Shop Mystery series, Shades of Earl Grey, uneventful and "gray". Earlier this year I did a video describing how I adored the series. I especially adored Childs’ red-headed amateur sleuth and tea shop owner, Theodosia Browning. Theodosia came across as the quiet type of character. She seemed reserved and soft-spoken. While standing as a determined type of character. I could see myself getting attached to her, as well as her murder mystery excursions down the road. You see, I gravitate towards the cozy sleuth who harbors a bold and witty and coy personality. Theodosia was the opposite, but she was cool. I adored my time with her within the first two books of the series.

Then came the third book, Shades of Earl Grey. Afterwards, my enthusiasm for Theodosia “regressed” a bit.

THE NOT-SO MURDER MYSTERY

But first things first–the actual story/murder mystery. So Shades of Earl Grey does contain a murder. And it's no doubt a murder of the wrong-place-wrong-time variety. Yet the book isn't about said death, per se. Instead the story orbits around the jewel-stealing, heist-plotting contrivances of a small-town cat burglar. This left some of the suspecting characters, as well as his or her various failings in connection to the victim, elsewhere. The need to care about the majority of the story seemed removed to me, as the focus wasn't on the victim (as in the dead one and not the victims of burglary, of course). This lacking may or may not be part of my eventual disillusionment with Theodosia from this entry. Either way these events need notice.

So back to my original point about Theodosia herself…

END OF THE YEAR BOOK TAG, HOMIE (no real answers, though)

Well, I Guess...

Bookmarked for Death.  Book #2 in Lorna Barrett's Booktown Mystery book.  

Well, the main character, Tricia Myles, STILL hates her older sister Angelica.  To the point where she has to fight the urge to punch the poor woman...  LOL.

Last-Month-of-the-Year COZIES TBR!

I'm just going to drop this here.  No details.  No explanation.  Other than I've slowed down reading from September to November, and am ready for some major end-of-the-year cozies.  Particularly those series I started last year and am now ready for the follow-ups.

Another J. D. Robb Golden in Death Pre-Order UPDATE

Did you guys get this email from St. Martin's Press regarding a pre-order bonus consisting of a necklace?  Oh yeah, in celebration of Golden in Death, book #50 in J. D. Robb's In Death series!  If not, let me share the images (thanks to St. Martin's Press for the download ease of them) as well as the link where you can grab one for yourself.  This is really neat, though.

According to the email, it's:

"In anticipation of Golden in Death , J.D. Robb's 50th In Death book, St. Martin's Press partnered up with Swarovski® to create a necklace that's as iconic as the series' kick-ass detective, Lieutenant Eve Dallas. This special, limited-edition necklace features Swarovski® crystals and was inspired by Roarke's beautiful gift to Eve, The Giant's Tear, and her NYPD badge, as pictured below."

You can pre-order the set of Golden in Death along with the necklace, exclusively HERE ON BOOKPALS' WEBSITE.

Golden in Death releases February 4th, 2020!

BWMW Reads ~ Author Terris McMahan Grimes's Two Theresa Galloway Books

Book #1 in Grimes's Theresa Galloway series:

Somebody Else's Child

"Theresa Galloway knows a call at three a.m. means trouble, especially when it's from her septuagenarian mother.  Mrs. Barkley, always keenly watching her deteriorating Sacramento neighborhood, phoned to report that something nasty was sure going on with an old friend next door.  And she was right.  Within hours the neighbor would be brutally murdered, and a little boy would be missing.  Theresa hates to admit it, but Mama usually does know best... until she insists Theresa has a better chance than the police to track down the killer and find the child."

Book #2 in Grimes's Theresa Galloway series:

Blood Will Tell

"Her mother said there'd be days like this, but today's shock of her life is the red-haired stranger who moved into her mother's Sacramento home, claiming to be her father's "love child."  Being an African-American career woman juggling a stressed-out husband, two kids, and a meddlesome mom who is a magnet for trouble is more than enough for Theresa–who needs a long-lost brother? 

But what really sends Theresa over the edge is when that very same young man is suddenly missing–and then turns up as a corpse."

A Peep Into J. D. Robb's In Death #51

I totally credit the website fantasticfiction.com for this (gurllll, I'm over there checking regularly).  I'll provide the link HERE.  Yet, in other words, apparently this is the 51st In Death entry coming in September of 2020.  Shadows in Death.

And you guys.  We still have the 50th entry, Golden in Death, releasing in February of 2020.  But I just learned the Barnes & Noble edition has bonus content.  The overview on the site state it as:

"This Barnes & Noble Exclusive Edition celebrates the 50th novel in J.D. Robb's In Death series with bonus content, including a personal essay from JD Robb's longtime editor and a quick look at every case in the series so far."

I'M GOING FOR THIS ONEEEEEEE AS MY PRE-ORDER!

Bless you, J. D. Robb.  Just... bless you.

Oh, yeah.  Remember to peep my selfie in the fan collage behind the dust-jacket of Golden in Death. :)

These Kids Are Getting BOOKS for Christmas ~ 2019

Since all this COPPA [Children's Online Privacy Protection Act] business from the FTC [Federal Trade Commission] is stirring up YouTube, I’ve decided to skip making a video sharing the books I’m giving my little cousins for Christmas this year. For those interested in my 2018 picks, you can go back and check out the video from last year. So ain’t nobody got time to deal with all that COPPA/FTC stuff (or that potential over $40k infringement fine), but because we’re here to talk about books, we’ll do it here.

Below is a synopsis from the first book in the series, The Last Kids on Earth

"Ever since the monster apocalypse hit town, average thirteen year old Jack Sullivan has been living in his tree house, which he's armed to the teeth with catapults and a moat, not to mention video games and an endless supply of Oreos and Mountain Dew scavenged from abandoned stores. But Jack alone is no match for the hordes of Zombies and Winged Wretches and Vine Thingies, and especially not for the eerily intelligent monster known only as Blarg. So Jack builds a team: his dorky best friend, Quint; the reformed middle school bully, Dirk; Jack's loyal pet monster, Rover; and Jack's crush, June. With their help, Jack is going to slay Blarg, achieve the ultimate Feat of Apocalyptic Success, and be average no longer! Can he do it? "

My eleven-going-on-twelve-year-old cousin has Christmas then his birthday coming up five days down the road. So in celebration of both, I got him the first three books in The Last Kids on Earth series. He's a sixth-grader so the books are right on time, considering the reading Grade is from 3-6. Anyway, the series arrived toted as Diary of the Wimpy Kid blended with The Walking Dead. And, well, he picked them out. I thought they sounded/looked cool myself (who doesn't love zombies!?). I push for him to read more, so luckily the hunt for his interests went smooth. I didn't have to wonder if this or that series would grab his attention.

Anyway, the first book in this series released in 2015; the books are also up for a Netflix series. And two things rang when I learned this. One: there were plenty more books up ahead to keep him reading. Two: kids love Netflix so what better way to keep him reading as he relates the two forms of media.

2020 Mystery Series Catching Up List

Hi, folks.  I wrote this list in Google Docs and just wanted to share it.  I have GOT to get these series under control.  With that said, while I won't say this listing is "tentative" I will stretch around when needed.  This is from just one single shelf–out of four.  I also want to focus on this list to see what's going to stick around and what isn't. 

2020 Mystery Series Catching Up List

1st BOOK SHELF

I’m making this list because I’m tired of myself starting a new series, while having series I already need to read hanging around my shelves.  

This list will be used to help me stay focused!  Other genres in-between will come as well.

Mrs. Murphy Series by Rita Mae Brown

Book #13: Cat’s Eyewitness

Book #14: Sour Puss

Book #15: Puss N’ Choots

Book #16: The Perrfect Murder

(The rest of the series I’ll check out from the library)

John Le’ Carre Smiley Spy Series

Book #3 The Spy Who Came Out of the Cold

Book #4 The Looking Glass War

Stand-Alone: A Small Town in Germany (This’ll be my first read)

Suzanne Arruda’s Cameron Del African Series

It is vital that I finish this series this year.  I only have five books left to read.  The last two I’ll have to order.  Nevertheless, I must finish this series in 2020.

Book# 3: The Serpent’s Daughter

Book #4: The Leopard’s Prey

Book #5: Treasure of the Golden Cheetah

(I have to order the following two for my personal library.  Will not do until I’m done with BOOK #5)

Book #6: The Crocodile’s Last Embrace

Book#7: Devil Dance

Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley Series

Book #3: Well-Schooled in Murder

I have to either order or check out the following books in this series.  I’m still in limbo about my approach with this series.  Maybe after I wrap up a few other series will I come back to this one.

Nikki Bakker’s Virginia Kelly Series

(Will be completed with these three books)

Book #2: The Lavender House

Book #3: The Long Goodbye

Book #4: The Ultimate Exit Strategy

Charlotte Carter’s Nanette Hayes Series

(Will be completed with these two books)

Book #2: Rhode Island Read

Book #3: Drumsticks

Tanya Huff’s Torin Kerr Series

(Will be completed with these three books)

Book #1: An Ancient Peace

Book #2: A Peace Divided

Book #3: The Privilege of Peace

Tony Hillerman’s Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee Series

(Really excited to continue forward in this series.  I will not buy the following 3-book collection UNTIL I finished the one I currently am up-to-date with)

Book #4: People of Darkness

Book #5: The Dark Wind

Book #6: The Ghostway

Elizabeth Peter’s Amelia Peabody Series

This is probably going to take the longest.  I have all the remaining books in this series, and they’re all long-winded reads.  But, if able, maybe I can finish this series in 2020.  It’s possible with nine books left.  One or two books a month, perhaps?

Book #13: Lord of the Silent

Book #14: The Golden One

Book #15: Children of the Storm

Book #16: Guardian of the Horizon

Book #17: The Serpent on the Crown

Book #18: Tomb of the Golden Bird

Book #19: A River in the Sky

Book #20: The Painted Queen

I will focus on these series for the time being.  That is before starting any new series.

A Touch of Sailor Moon-Related Updates

Yoooooooo. Listen. Errr… read. I finally bought my first Sailor Moon S.H. Figuarts figure. I picked my favorite character, Aino Minako. And she's here in my favorite of her two heroine identities as Sailor V. As opposed to Sailor Venus–which I plan on getting sooner than later. Sailor V is Naoko Takeuchi’s first Sailor Senshi. So that counts as well.

Anyway, I stopped buying Sailor Moon figures and collectibles a long time ago. I suppose that's a product of my getting older and focusing more toward the manga and video releases. Still, I wanted to make the exception here with this figure.

Few Favorite "Becoming" Moments

#nonfictionnovember WRAP-UP (week one - or whatever)

Favorite Lines on Death From Tembi Locke's "From Scratch"

When You Understand Someone You Love Is Dying

3 of my Favorite Messages from Tyler Perry's Higher is Waiting

Relationships Are Like Quilts

WEEK TWO #NonFictionNovember ~ CLASS & CHINA

So what’s next on the #NonFictionNovember reading TBR? The image is obvious, but to walk it on down through there it goes like this…

Becoming by Michelle Obama

"In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same." 

Yes, yes, yes. I’m a year late to this party. But, as I always say, when a book comes it comes at the right moment in which it needs to be one's hand (or, heck, e-reader). Which, as a given, is now about Michelle Obama's Becoming for me. I wanted to use this #NonFictionNovember to lean into inspirational memoirs/autobiographical stories. You know, to get my own inner seas a glimpse of direction. Besides, life is a recipe that takes the right amount of timing of ingredients to bring it taste. BOOOOMMMMM! Put that expression on a T-shirt, buddy. It sounds like an opening tagline for a Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member. I’m picturing Cynthia Bailey. (But did y'all see what I just did there?)

But I digress. Y’all get the gist. I'm taking on the story of one of my most classiest of classiest women ever to exist. And that twinkle of thought is only the beginning. Basically, I'm looking for more confirmation to commit to this...

Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister: Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth-Century China by Jung Chang

"Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister is a gripping story of love, war, intrigue, bravery, glamour and betrayal, which takes us on a sweeping journey from Canton to Hawaii to New York, from exiles' quarters in Japan and Berlin to secret meeting rooms in Moscow, and from the compounds of the Communist elite in Beijing to the corridors of power in democratic Taiwan. In a group biography that is by turns intimate and epic, Jung Chang reveals the lives of three extraordinary women who helped shape twentieth-century China."

Author Jung Chang tackles China’s history in the most storytelling of fashions. And finally we have a new release (you better believe it was on my pre-orders list) from her. Chang hasn’t released a book since 2013’s Empress Dowager Cixi (CLICK HERE TO SEE MY THOUGHTS ON THAT BOOK). Now she’s back with Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister: Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth-Century China. As I said, Chang knows how to relay China's history and make it both real, fascinating and enjoyable to digest. With this book I’m particularly interested in getting into Madame Chiang Kai-shek’s story. Years ago I attempted to read a biography of her story, but also that of her surrounding sisters. Let’s just say that biography didn’t have the spell-binding gusto and finesse as a Jung Chang book. HA! Now’s my chance to go further into this fascinating woman in history. And just China's history as a whole. Considering I have a deep fascination with The Cultural Revolution–among other eras of extremeness within China's history.

Anyway, I’m off to read. How about yourself, eh?