Musing Mondays: Currently reading

 Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by The Purple Booker that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

I am currently reading Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts and it is fantastic! I belong to a Nora Roberts group on GoodReads and as I said there, I started this book last night with the intention of reading a few pages and going to sleep. Go ahead and laugh because you know I didn't read only a few pages! Nope, I read NINE chapters before literally forcing myself to close the book and get some sleep! This book is character driven in Roberts' trademark style. The story starts with a shooting in a mall and part one of the book has dealt with the characters who live trying to actually live their lives after the atrocity. Needless to say, I have cried a few times. It's a fantastic book so far and I highly recommend it!

Musing Mondays: Montana Sky by Nora Roberts

 Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by The Purple Booker that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

When Jack Mercy died, he left behind a ranch worth nearly twenty million dollars. Now his three daughters—each born of a different mother, and each unknown by the others—are gathered to hear the reading of the will. But the women are shocked to learn that before any of them can inherit, they must live together on the ranch for one year. For Tess, a screenwriter who just wants to collect her cash and get back to Hollywood, it’s a nightmare. For Lily, on the run from her abusive ex-husband, it’s a refuge. And for Willa—who grew up on the ranch—it’s an intrusion into her rightful home.They are sisters…and strangers. Now they face a challenge: to put their bitterness aside and live like a family. To protect each other from danger—and unite against a brutal enemy who threatens to destroy them all.

I read Montana Sky years ago - probably about twenty years ago now. I remember feeling that the book was gory or at least too much so for my taste at the time. Montana Sky is the Book of the Month on the Nora Roberts Groupies board on GoodReads so I decided to give the book a re-read. I'm only a few chapters in but I am really liking it so far. It's not too gory as of yet so either I'm remembering it wrong or I can handle more than I once did. Either way, I am enjoying the book and look forward to continuing it this evening. 

Musing Monday: Background sounds

 Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by The Purple Booker that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

This weeks random question: Do you like something playing in the background while reading?

NO! I used to be able to shut out the background noise - television, music, idle chatter - of my surroundings while reading but no more. Now I prefer the quiet when I read. Therefore, I tend to do most of my reading at night once my husband and children have gone to sllep for the night. It's more peaceful to me. I can concentrate on what I'm reading and get immersed in the story. 

Musing Monday: New book

 Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by The Purple Booker that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

Last week the new J.D. Robb book came out. It's called Secrets in Death and I will be reading it later this week. The In Death books are one of my favorite series so I am really looking forward to reading this book. 

Musing Monday: A new series

 Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by The Purple Booker that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

Susan Mallery has a new series called Happily Inc. The first book in the series is called You Say it First and it comes out tomorrow! I am a HUGE fan of her Fools Gold series so I am super excited about this new series! Needless to say I will be buying a copy of You Say it First tomorrow and diving right into it!

Currently reading

 Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by The Purple Booker that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

I am currently reading One Dance with a Duke by Tessa Dare. THis is the first book I've read by her and I am loving it! Lucky for me this is the first book in a trilogy. So far I'm not overly thrilled with the male characters of the next two books but that's all right. I figure they have a lot of room to grow!

Musing Mondays: Currently reading...

 Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by The Purple Booker that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

I'm currently reading Heart of the Sea by Nora Roberts. It's the third in her Gallaghers of Ardmore series. I've read this series before but I love it so I enjoy re-visiting the stories and the characters every so often. Part of what I love about this series - along with the characters and the mythological piece of the story - is the setting of Ireland. I've never been but it is definitely on my list of places to travel to. The pictures I've seen of Ireland are so beautiful and every time I read a book that is set there I can see it so clearly in my mind.

Musing Monday: Secrets of the Tulip Sisters

 Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by The Purple Booker that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

I can't wait to get a copy of Secrets of the Tulip Sisters by Susan Mallery. It comes out tomorrow and I have been really looking forward to it! The only thing I'm undecided about is whether to purchase the paper or electronic version. I'm leaning toward the paper version because she is one of my favorite authors. Also, I love the cover. Tulips are my favorite flower and they're definitely displayed on the cover of the book. Okay, I'm decided: the paper version of the book it is!

Musing Mondays: Favorite time to read

 Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by The Purple Booker that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEKS RANDOM QUESTION: Do you have a favorite time of day to read?

I do have a favorite time of day to read and that is at night when my home is quiet and everything is done for the day. This is also usually in bed which is my favorite place to read. Now, that being said, I will read any time of day or night and often get in pages here and there through the day.

Musing Mondays: Fast or slow

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Do you prefer fast-paced novels, or slow, descriptive novels?

I generally prefer fast paced novels over slow ones. However, I have read slower paced books that were so beautifully and lushly described that I was in love with the book. One in particular is called Eternal on the Water by Joseph Monninger. It's a slow, stunning, emotional book. Overall I do prefer the fast-paced page turner, though. 

Musing Monday: Key players

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Who are the key players in your current book? (or current themes, if nonfiction)

I am currently about halfway through a re-read of the Inn Boonsboro trilogy by Nora Roberts. The book I'm reading now is the second in the trilogy and called The Last Boyfriend. It's really good and I'm enjoying it a lot! The main characters in the book are Avery MacTavish and Owen Montgomery. They've known one another all of their lives. When they were little kids Avery had a crush on Owen and told him he was her boyfriend and that they'd grow up and get married. He bought her a bubblegum machine ring which his brothers love to tease him about as adults. Avery and Owen have been friends for years and thought that's all they were. Things change with the mild meddling of a ghost and they come to realize they mean so much more to one another than simply being friends. 

With her trademark style Nora Roberts fills this book with family, loyalty, hard and rewarding work, a bit of mysticism and at the heart of it all - love. 

Musing Mondays: Library sale and a new series

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: What is currently on your TBR pile?

My daughter and I went to the used book sale at our library this weekend. We both came away with several books and big smiles. I added to my Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb collection which makes me happy. 

I also got a few new-to-me books. One of which is called Flirting With Danger by Suzanne Enoch. It was released in 2005 and is the first book in a series. I am thoroughly enjoying the book so far and hoping to be able to get the next four books in the series. 

Musing Mondays - Excited for and wish I'd written

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Which book do you wish you'd written yourself?

I'm a huge fan of J.D. Robb's In Death series. Next Tuesday, September 6th, the latest installment in the series Apprentice in Death will be released. I cannot wait to get my hands on that book! It's the 43rd book in the series which is amazing to me.

As for the random question about which book do I wish I'd written - there are a few. However, the first one that came to mind was The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I read this book a few years ago and I still think about it. It haunted me and made me think hard about the era it was set in and all that the people of the time went through. I haven't watched the movie but will definitely read the book again at some point. 

Musing Mondays: Currently reading

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Name a favorite book you’d take to the beach.

I am currently reading two books. I am reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child with my children. We're one-third of the way through the book. I admit to wanting to gobble the book up in a couple of huge greedy bites. However, I am also enjoying the experience of discovering the book (or rather, the screenplay) with my kids. When I started reading the Harry Potter series I didn't have children. Heck, I hadn't even met my husband yet. LOL When the last book was released my youngest child was a baby. So now, to be reading this installment of a series that has meant so much to me with m children (who also LOVE this series) is incredibly meaningful. So, while a part of me does want to inhale the story I'm happy to be savoring it with my kids. It makes the entire experience of reading it richer.

I am also reading Sting by Sandra Brown. It is a romantic suspense that I started yesterday afternoon. It sucked me in from page one and is so good!

Musing Mondays: Re-reading a book

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Name a book that you hope to re-read some day.

It just so happens that I am planning to re-read Born in Ice by Nora Roberts this week. This is the very first book I ever read by her. To this day it is one of my favorites by her, as well.

Musing Mondays: Favorite 'chunky' book

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: What’s your most favorite “chunky” book? (over 500 pages)

I have more than one 'chunky' book that I adore. However, the one that comes to mind right away is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The hardcover comes in at 652 pages. I have no idea how many pages the paperback is but I assume more than that. Of course, I have Harry Potter on thebrain since the new book/play comes out on Sunday. My kids and I are all excited to get our hands on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. 

Musing Mondays: New books

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Finish the sentence: “If _____ and _____ were to get together and write a book…”

I was reading through the list of prompts above and thought I didn't buy any books in the past week because I was at the RWA conference. However, that is not at all true because I went to the Literacy Autographing last Wednesday and bought books there. I bought The Obsession by Nora Roberts and she signed it. I already have the book on my Nook but of course I wanted to meet her and have her sign it so now I have it in hardcover, as well. I'm perfectly all right with this too because it is a great book. Plus, I met Nora Roberts! Yes, I am still giddy about that!

I also bought two books by Jill Shalvis at the Literacy Autographing: Nobody but You and Sweet Little Lies. I haven't read either of these and I'm excited to get into them in the near future. Jill Shalvis was also very nice and signed my books. It was quite the fun experience and definitely my fangirl moment(s) at the conference. 

Musing Mondays: My next read

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: What book have you wanted to read for a long time, but still haven’t?

Tomorrow the new Nora Roberts book comes out and I can't wait to read it. It is called Bay of Sighs and it is the second book in The Guardians Trilogy. Here is the description for it from Good Reads:

The new Guardians Trilogy novel from the #1 New York Timesbestselling author of Stars of Fortune. 

To celebrate the rise of their new queen, three goddesses of the moon created three stars, one of fire, one of ice, one of water. But then they fell from the sky, putting the fate of all worlds in danger. And now three women and three men join forces to pick up the pieces…
 
Mermaid Annika is from the sea, and it is there she must return after her quest to find the stars. New to this world, her purity and beauty are nothing less than breathtaking, along with her graceful athleticism, as her five new friends discovered when they retrieved the fire star. 
 
Now, through space and time, traveler Sawyer King has brought the guardians to the island of Capri, where the water star is hidden. And as he watches Annika in her element, he finds himself drawn to her joyful spirit. But Sawyer knows that if he allows her into his heart, no compass could ever guide him back to solid ground...
 
And in the darkness, their enemy broods. She lost one star to the guardians, but there is still time for blood to be spilled—the mermaid’s in the water and the traveler’s on the land. For she has forged a dangerous new weapon. Something deadly and unpredictable. Something human

Musing Mondays: Favorite childhood book

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: What is your most favorite book from your childhood?

There are three books that automatically come to mind for me when I recall my childhood. They are: Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. To this day I love all three of these books and they all hold a special place in my heart. Black Beauty and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer are books that my Grandma helped me to learn to read with. I fell in love with books at the same time I was falling in love with Black Beauty. A Wrinkle in Time is my most favorite from childhood, though. This book opened so many doors in my imagination. It is also the book that helped me to realize I could be a writer, too.