#The Sunday Post -- Second Book in my #SIAM Coming Later Today

  

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme 

I hope you are having a nice January so far, on the weather front, we've had a mild January with very little snow,but we did get a bunch of rain on Wednesday.  It was the kind of rain that makes me grumble and say, "too bad this isn't snow, snow is less wet." 

This month I'm working on cleaning drawers, cabinets, and closets. I highly recommend spending a little time when you can go through the stuff you own to see what you want to keep and what you can get rid of, when you free up space it feels so good!  Speaking of that I need to update my Bookish resolutions to include reading one or two books off my bookshelf each month and then giving away those books. I have quite a few books on my bookshelf that are watching me download ebook after ebook while they collect dust! 

How about you? Do you have a lot of physical books? 

And here are books I'll be talking about this week- 

This is the second book I'm reading for #SIAM! 

Happy New Year! #TheSundayPost

   

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme 

Hi! How are you? Happy New Year! I decided to try a new New Years' tradition for 2023. Have you ever heard of this? 

I'm looking forward to a year of peace, joy, and happiness! I plan to do my best to keep up with reading and then writing about my read here. I have a plan for January--so I'm off to a good start. 

If you are off work this upcoming week and are looking for things to watch. I highly recommend the Love, Lizzo documentary on HBOMAX.  

Thanks for visiting my blog! This week I'll be sharing my thoughts on these books: 

Harry Dresden Book #12 Changes

 Could this book have been more aptly titled?  Not likely.  What happens in this installment of the Harry Dresen Files, really threw me for a loop. Talk about not expecting it. Oh my goodness I thought I knew a few times where this book was going and I was wrong, wrong, and wrong.

Did I love this book? No, I don't know if I like what happened.  I can't discuss what plot point I didn't really like because it would spoil not just the book but the series from this point on. I definitely enjoyed the book even though I didn't like the direction of Harry. It just goes to show the skill of Jim Butcher's writing.

Good writing= Strong reader feelings. 

As the series continues on, and this book is certainly the turning point, Harry is becoming more and more a part of the Never Never and the fairie realms and I think I miss the good old days when he worked as a consultant for the CPD.

Jim Butcher keeps me reading, I say that for sure.

5 stars for this unpredictable ride. 

Proven Guilty Another Installment in the Harry Dresden Series and Sales Tax Holiday

If you are in the state of Illinois we are enjoying a state sales tax holiday, we've not had one before so this is very nice and handy for anyone who needs school supplies--esp. since the holiday includes clothing and shoes. When it comes to saving my motto is every little bit helps.  So sure it's only like 6.5% but it's better than paying 6.5%  The tax holiday runs through 8/14 in Illinois. 

Are there any tax holidays in your state?

Book 8 in the Harry Dresden series, I am slowly making my way through the series this summer, I like spending time with Harry and the crew, and I'm noticing many of the books take place in the hot muggy summers of Chicago--which I am obviously feeling! 

In Proven Guilty we have a Horror Movie Con including people cosplaying as monsters, and actual monsters showing up, and Harry spends time debating how dangerous it is for him to connect with the fallen angel who wants to help him.  Conflicted, angsty Harry is prominent in this book, but it isn't overwhelming. The best part is that we finally get Michael's wife Charity's backstory.  Now we finally understand why Charity has such a loathing for Harry--(it's not really about him!) Also, Molly has left home and is in loads of trouble, so we know Harry will be saving her. Or will he?  

Overall, this book hits all the marks for a book arriving so far into a series.  I have to give it 5 stars, James Butcher does an excellent job of keeping me interested. 

 

Harry Dresden My Favorite Chicago Wizard!

It's handy that electronic equipment fizzles around Harry Dresden that way electronics are less a part of the story and you don't have as many obsolete electronic/internet references.  I read 6, 7, and 8 in the series one after the other, so I had to double-check what happened in what book. I was able to read and listen to this book switching from audio to kindle throughout.

As always I do enjoy the audio version of these books, and when I read them I hear the audio reader in my head. I found Blood Rites one of the books in the series that I *had* to keep reading--I mean we all know Harry is going to survive the latest evils in Chicago, but still!  I worry. 

In this installment, Kincaid is back, Harry hires him to help with Mavra an evil vampire from the Black Court.  I enjoy Kincaid and was glad he was back in a book. However, there is an attraction between Kincaid and Murphy and I somewhat ship Murphy and Harry so, I don't know how I feel about that.  Of course Harry is not a good relationship prospect for anyone. 

Speaking of relationships, in this book Thomas the super hot white court vampire moves up from an occasional guest appearance to being a supporting character. I was very pleased with this development. I like the flawed Thomas and I loved what happens in this story in relation to Harry and Thomas. AND Harry gets a dog. Mouse, Harry doesn't realize it, but we readers know Mouse will grow to become an excellent bodyguard for Harry and is certainly no mere dog.

This book brings the reader a more detailed understanding of the white court. Harry learns more about his mother and Kincaid sort of gets the girl.

Overall 4 stars.  

The Sunday Post, And Now For Something Different

 

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme 

Once I week I usually participate in an online journaling group. This week we had a fun prompt and I liked my responses so I'm going to share it here: 

The prompt was to imagine that the seasons are people, how would you describe them:

Spring has a plan and she has goals. She spent her lunch hour shopping online for a cute pair of sandals and a new dress--floral of course.  She's on a diet but she can't stick to it because life is just too full of good flavors. She's been at her job for 10 years now and she loves it, but she longs for something more.

Summer walks by and the scent of sunblock and a hint of chlorine follows in her wake. She has tickets for all the best outdoor concerts.  She is on her way to meet up with friends on a rooftop and her mouth waters at the thought of an ice-cold beer. Her curly hair is extra curly thanks to the humidity and she revels in it. She hardly puts effort into it but her container garden is flourishing.  All her friends know she is the one to ask what herbs go in what dish and it's her playlists they sync to the Bluetooth speaker. 

Fall is in her 4s and she is cool with that. She loves a good sweater and her favorite boots were pricey but she's had them for 10 years now and they still look amazing. She works exactly as long as she paid to and not a minute more. her job is not her life. Her life is experiences. She is counting down the days to the big girls' trip she is taking to Scotland. Maybe she'll find a handsome lad in a kilt to take her on a tour of a castle or two. 

Winter wears her grey hair in a short bob and stopped wearing makeup the day she retired from her last job. She doesn't smile much, but when she does her whole face lights up. She complains often about an ache in her bones when the temps dip below zero. But for those she lets into her home they only speak of the twinkle in her eyes, like sparks from a fire crackling making the whole house cozy during the long winter nights. 

*****

How was your week? I hope you had a nice one!  This week I'll be sharing my thoughts on a Harry Dresden book, a book on apartment gardening, and Romancing Mister Bridgerton!

Need Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer in Your Ear Holes? Listen to the Dresden Files!

Death Masks by Jim Butcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listen to this series on audio, I don't read any of the books--James Marsters is perfection as Harry Dresden. This is book #5 of this enjoyable series that I tend to pick up, listen to a book and then a few months pass and then I pick it back up. There is enough reiteration of who the main players in the series are to help you remember if you don't binge read the series. I am going to make more of an effort to get through this series in a more timely manner. I have to say I don't really care about the romance aspect of the book, but if Harry is happy I'm happy. Whenever Harry talks about his cat Mister, I think anew that Mister is the perfect name for a cat. And speaking of perfect character names, I hope the next book has more Murphy- the perfectly named police detective- in it.

Love that this book takes place in Chicago. Nice that Harry and modern tech don't get along as this is handy for plot building. The pacing of this book was good, I personally wouldn't mind if there had been a bit more downtime - like maybe 2 fewer battles, but that's just me. I'm going to go see if my library has book #6 before I get distracted by another book on my TBR pile.


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 #ThursdayThought :  Today marks  the 4 week countdown until Thanksgiving.  😱😱😱😱  I'm hungry right because it's lunchtime and my mouth is watering as I am adding to my Thanksgiving Feast Pinterest Board.  Click to see what I'm planning on serving this November. I've also begun creating a Christmas menu as well.

Happy Thursday!

xoxo