Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
*Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

With Joe Castle still unconscious in a New York Hospital, Warren Tracey was hated everywhere he went. His name was toxic.

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Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading 

This week’s question:
Would you choose to review a book if its description sounded interesting but the cover was terrible? [thanks to The Bookish Brunette for the idea for today’s MM question!]

My response:
Absolutely.    I would say that 99% of the time, I don’t see the cover until I have accepted to read and review a book.    Covers do matter but it’s the plot that I am more interested in.   I have read some great books with not so great covers and wonder who and/or why designed and decided to choose that particular cover.     However, if I were to be in a book store, then covers would play a role in deciding if I pick it up to read the synopsis.

What about you?  Do book covers play a role in your reading?

March is being hosted by Diary of an Eccentric

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A girl and her books and is now on tour. According to Marcia, “Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.”

                         Partners In Crime Tours     WOW Tour –Author

Facebook link

Another week has flown by!!!    And it was a busy one for me on all fronts, as I recall and will now share what happened.

Reading:
I finished 3 books this week, The Good Father by Noah Hawley and one that has been sitting on my “requested review shelf” for quite some time, The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship by Lisa Verge Higgins and, White Elephants by Chynna Laird.   All great reads.   All with a similar theme and that is relationship dynamics.  I have noticed that lately, instead of my usual suspense/mysteries that I enjoy, I am reading books, which fictionalize kinship connections that are profound.   Maybe it’s due to the time and place that I am in my real life.   But on an overall reading productivity, I hope I don’t jinx myself, but I finally feel that I am back to my regular pace of reading and am finally making some progress with my back log or it could be that all 3 books were excellent.  I just hope that this stride continues.

Blogging:  
I wrote up 2 reviews, hosted 2 Guest Authors, posted 3 giveaways and picked winners for 2 books.   I drafted some posts for future guests and giveaways.  I don’t know about you, but I like to prepare some posts way in advance, just in case real life interferes.  This way I don’t scramble at the last minute trying to pull it all together.  I am getting a bit more comfortable with WordPress, I still have a lot to learn, but it is getting a bit easier since I made the switch.   I also had a lot of work to do with Partners In Crime Tours,  with 2 current tours still in progress and 3 more gearing up for kick off.

Real Life:  
The weather here in New England has been spring like and I’m loving it.  Have the windows opened,  my daffodils  are sprouting and checking the calendar and counting the weeks until my husband and I go on vacation!!   I have already started my mental list on packing, the most important items to pack for me, which books will be coming along.   I have a couple in mind but not going to say until the time gets closer.

I am still in the process of breaking down my Mom’s house, which is hard both physically and emotionally.   I always come away with an array of feelings during this process from sadness to missing my Mom and seeing my childhood home dismantled to relief that I am getting close to being done, to put it on the market.   Trying to accomplish this has been an overwhelming mammoth undertaking, especially due to my own physical limitations and being the sole person responsible.  But I am trying to be optimistic that, with the help of a fantastic estate woman now helping me, we are nearing the end.  During this process, I have also learned a lot more about my Mom that I didn’t know, which makes it so much harder, because now I have so many questions that will not get answers.  Have you been in this position?  Would love to know and share to see how you handled it.  Did you have the same emotions?

How was your week?  Would love to hear!!!

Hosted by An Island Life 

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.
If you’d like to participate, visit An Island Life answer the question and then post your own question on your blog and leave your link below. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

MY QUESTION:
Do you believe in an after life?
If yes, have you had any experiences with someone who has passed?

http://btt2.wordpress.com

This week’s question:
A while ago, I interviewed my readers for a change, and my final question was, “What question have I NOT asked at BTT that you’d love me to ask?” I got some great responses and will be picking out some of the questions from time to time to ask the rest of you. Like now.
Ted asks:
Have you ever used a book to instruct someone of something or is there anyone for whom you would like to do that? (I don’t mean a text book for a class, but a work of fiction or non-fiction that would get a certain message across either through plot or character). What is the book and what do you wish to impart?

My answer:
Hard question this week.   I really can’t think of a book where I would “instruct” someone.   However, I have strongly encouraged a lot of people to read The Left Behind Series, which is a story that is written as fiction but based upon a non-fictional book, The Revelations in the Bible.

My bff had tried talking me into reading this series for quite a while but I thought it would be full of theology.  She begged for a long time and said to read, at least the 1st book, because she knew “I wouldn’t be able to put it down”.  Knowing she isn’t a reader but so enthusiastic about this book, I had to see.   She loaned me the 1st book.  And she was right, I couldn’t put it down and read the entire 13 books in a matter of weeks. That was 5 years ago and to this day, when something happens in the world, we will call each other to say “that was in the book”.

I strongly suggest (instruct) others, to read this series for both believers and non believers.  What do I wish to impart?   To take stock of one’s life and preparation.

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
*Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I am going to alter from the usual Teaser Tuesday format.  Instead, I will be posting a review and giveaway for a book that, in my opinion, was a 5+.   A Teaser Tuesday Special.  Stay tuned…..

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

This week’s question:
What book do you wish you were reading right now?  Where would you take it to, if you could go anywhere to read for a while?

My answer:
This is one musing that I need not give a lot of thought.   Let’s start with the latter question first.

Destination and/or place to read is Aruba.  OK..that’s a reality because the hubby and I are going in a month or so  (it’s our favorite destination and went last year at the same time).  Last year we decided that this will be a yearly trip to have something to look forward to.  A week of doing nothing but enjoying the beach everyday with books and a couple of frozen drinks lol, dining and maybe the casinos at night and total relaxation.

I have already started, well I actually started at least a month ago, making a mental list of packing.   Well not actually packing but what books will be coming along.  There are some authors that I hope they will have books either published  or have an ARC tour and that I can be a part of.  Authors like Michael Baron, Melissa Foster and Vin Zandri.    And if not, since I already know the time and place of the destination, there are plenty of books screaming for me to read in my TBR pile.  And from now until then, I will decide on what books will be coming along on our vacation.

March is being hosted by Diary of an Eccentric 

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A girl and her books and is now on tour.  According to Marcia, “Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.”

                                     Author                            Doubleday