It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Apr 15

Welcome to It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday.   

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.   

Happy Monday! Here in Massachusetts, we are celebrating Patriots Day, which commemorates the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The 128th Boston Marathon will take place, and it is also the start of school vacation week. I kind of forget about that one since the kids are no longer that age.

Last week was stressful with work and trying to balance everything. I also had trouble sleeping. I've found I've gotten away from meal planning, daily prayer, and journaling, which felt like it kept me centered. I'm renewing my commitment to all those and am hopeful that will help. 

In my reading and reviewing world, I'm also seeking focus. 

On Saturday, I reviewed this personal growth book. You can read my review here.  

I started this one on Audible, but have determined it is not for me. 

Our book club met on Wednesday to discuss The Secret Garden. You can find my review here.

 

Though I didn't read any of this one, but I need to get back to it. 

I read some of this one. 

I need to start this one. 

I'm listening to this one on Audible.

I need to finish this one for an April 25th review. 

I need to read this one for a May review. 

This is our selection for May's book club, so I need to get back to reading this. I started it when it first arrived, but review books tied me up. Then I wandered off to read other things. 

I also need to start this one for a May 31st review.

I would really like to continue with this series after I catch up on review books. 

You can find books I have listed for sale on ebay by clicking here. I will be adding more soon. 

Upcoming virtual book tours:

• It Will Have Been So Beautiful by Amanda Shaw - Apr 25 (review) 
• My Career Journal by CareerTuners - May 1 (review) 
• Be Resilient in Your Career by Dr. Helen Ofosu - May 16 (review)
• Mastering Your Scenes by J. A. Cox - May 17 (review)
• I Will Ruin You: The Twisted Truth Behind the Kit Martin Murder Trial by Emilio Corsetti III - May 31 (review)

At the Christmas Year Round blog, we are talking about the filming of a new movie in historic downtown Long Grove, which stars Mario Lopez as the mayor of the town. You can read more here. 

 

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Nothing this week, but as you can tell, I  have enough books to keep me busy. 

Looking forward to visiting your blogs today. Hope you have a nice week!

Audible Book Review: Level Up by Rob Dial

 

I grabbed a copy of Level Up by Rob Dial when I upgraded my Audible account. Dial is a speaker, coach, and the host of The Mindset Master Podcast. In Level Up, Dial shares how to get focused, stop procrastinating, and upgrade your life. 

In the introduction, Dial breaks getting results down into six steps. The rest of the book is broken down into three parts: 

• Why You're Not Taking Action,
• How to Take Action, and 
• Creating Habits and Making Them Stick

As Dial engages the reader with stories, past experiences, and the science of the brain, the six steps unfold. The audio book features a Q&A with the author after each chapter, which was an excellent way to build upon the concepts in the book. 

Dial isn't the first person to talk about these concepts, but especially with the audio book, his energy and charisma shine through. I'm not always a fan of when authors narrate their own audio books, but Level Up is one of those that I can't imagine being narrated by another person successfully. This is a book I will want to add to my home library to refer back to from time to time. 

If you're ready to focus on making a difference in your life, Level Up is a necessary tool for your toolbox. 

Listening Length	7 hours and 42 minutes
Author	Rob Dial
Narrator	Rob Dial
Audible.com Release Date	October 03, 2023
Publisher	HarperAudio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B0BT12K2CR

I used an Audible credit to purchase this book. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Classic Books I've Never Read

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.  

Welcome to Tuesday! Did any of you catch the eclipse? I was working when it came through Massachusetts. Boston was said to have the best view of it, and we are not anywhere close to that. 

Today is a Top Ten Tuesday freebie, so I figured I would talk about books I haven't read for a change. I've never been a big reader of classics. I didn't enjoy 1984, The Great Gatsby, All Quiet on the Western Front, Ivanhoe, Ulysses, or Lord of the Flies. Maybe I was too young in school to appreciate them, but I don't plan to go back to them either. 

This week's list includes classic books I haven't read, but would consider reading. Here are my...

Top Ten Classic Books I've Never Read

Here is a list of 100 Best Classic Books to Read Before You Die. How many have you read?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Apr 8

Welcome to It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday.   

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.   

Posting early this week since the morning is busy. Still wishing you all a happy Monday. I hope you had a nice week. My week was filled with meetings and appointments, but I came away feeling productive because I reworked some of my marketing materials for consultations.

We are dog sitting for a couple of days while my brother-in-law takes his family to see the eclipse. Anyone else traveling for it?

You will see Travis is up to his old tricks of hopping into any open door or cabinet.

In my Facebook memories, the last photo of Yia-yia popped up. Today marks one year since she left us. I had no idea when I took this photo it would be the last one. I only took it so my daughter, who was coming home the next day, would see she was safely with us. I'm glad I was inspired to take it, because she had such a great day with us. It was almost like she was her old self before her dementia diagnosis. 

I listed a few books for sale on eBay. You can find them here. 

With my busy week, I didn't read a ton, but here is what I accomplished. I'm over halfway through this one on Audible. Book club is Wednesday, so I will have to finish it while driving to appointments this week. 

I didn't read any from this graphic novel approved by NetGalley. 

I read some of this one. 

I didn't read from this one last week. 

Didn't read this one on Audible because I need to finish The Secret Garden.

I started this one.

This one might be next after review books. 

This week at Christmas Year Round, we talked about the Christmas in April organization. You can find the post here.

Upcoming virtual book tours:

• It Will Have Been So Beautiful by Amanda Shaw - Apr 25 (review) 
• My Career Journal by CareerTuners - May 1 (review) 
• Be Resilient in Your Career by Dr. Helen Ofosu - May 16 (review)
• Mastering Your Scenes by J. A. Cox - May 17 (review)
• I Will Ruin You: The Twisted Truth Behind the Kit Martin Murder Trial by Emilio Corsetti III - May 31 (review)

 

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

This arrived mid-week for my May review.

So you want to write an engaging scene, do you? This book was written with one main to help give authors a creative boost in their scene writing and toss writers' block into the oblivion of the abyss. In order to accomplish this, each chapter is written in a workbook-like format so that the steps provided can easily be implemented after they are explained. For each element of scene writing that is presented, J.A. Cox explains the How, Why, and When of its use along with his own description so that the information is easy to assimilate. He provides copious examples from his own writing of these elements in action as well as from shows and movies.

Here are the elements that you will be learning:

• Sketching
• Location
• Time
• Characters
• Perspective
• Resistance
• Objective

No new-fangled way of writing is about to be forced on you, but advice offered to help you realize things you are likely not seeing as you struggle to come up with ideas. As you make your way through these pages and consider these elements, you will end up in a state where it is difficult to shut down the tsunami of ideas that will come your way.

Finally, there is a completed outline format that can be used over and over for every scene you write to keep that creative pump primed. Therefore, you will no longer have to fuss over figuring out what prompts or hooks to use to start a chapter as your answer will come to you as you outline your scenes from the various questions provided for you to ask with each element.

This book will revolutionize the way you look at your scenes in the future...

That is all from my end of the world. Hope you have a fabulous day. See you around the blogosphere. 

National Library Week - April 7 - 13

 

Today is the kick off for National Library Week! This is our week to show local libraries our love and celebrate how libraries and their workers help to transform lives and strengthen our communities. Here are some special days this week:

Right to Read Day  - April 8 

National Library Workers Day - April 9

National Library Outreach Day - April 10

Take Action for Libraries Day - April 11

These days, I use the local library for research purposes, most recently books on historical homes, restoration and decorating, and our town's history.

How will you celebrate libraries this week? How often do you visit a library? What is your favorite thing about or program offered by your local library?

Book Spotlight: The Book of 5 Mews by M. G. Rorai

 

Shhhh – don’t tell the humans. This is a cat’s guide to world domination; learn how to win hearts and get cheese with your kitty charm.

Meet Marble, a cat on a mission to rule the world with cuteness and get cheese. Marble is not your ordinary cat. She is a philosopher, a strategist, and a master of Catness. She knows the secrets to manipulate humans and get what she wants. Thus, Catness wisdom and insights are littered throughout this hilarious and insightful book, written mostly from a feline point of view (as the way it should be).

But Marble’s plan is not without challenges. She must win over a dog-loving human and keep up an endless supply of Colby-Jack cheese.

The Book of 5 Mews is a book for cat lovers, dog lovers, and anyone who enjoys a good laugh mixed in with a heartwarming story. It is a book that celebrates the bond between humans and animals, and the power of love and healing. It is a book that will make you rethink your relationship with your cat, and maybe even inspire you to join a quest for world domination. Not that you’d be welcome, unless you’re a feline.

Book Excerpt:

Introduction

I have spent many lives training in the Way of Catness; Humans might liken the Way to strategy. It is a gifted set of guidelines most felines stumble across during at least one of their nine lives—and, subsequently, become obsessed with mastering. Catness is water to the soul, yoga for the mind, and grooming for the world. 

Yet there will always be trials mixed with reward. Peaks and valleys merge to create the landscape—Catness is the pathway for past friends becoming feral; love becoming loss; treat bowls becoming empty. The Way of Catness is like a Cat’s mew: it can be the loveliest sound or the sharpest shriek, when needed.

There are different thoughts on Catness, but I live to no particular paw path; my prints are my own, defined by my experiences. True, I have taken some from other paths, as have most cats, though at the core each cat’s walk, their Catness, is defined by self, circumstances, and survival. But it can be shredded down to Five Mews: Paw, Slink, Roar, Tail, and Clarity. 

I will explain Catness in writing for the first time. 

Harper’s Commentary: Day 0

It’s hard starting over. New job, new town, new perspectives. So hard. Isolating. My plants are only so much company, and at the urging of text messages from family I decided to seek out volunteer work. 

My new career in technology blessed me with all the people drain I needed, so I went with the animal persuasion. I’m a dog person at heart. Grew up with mostly dogs and some cats but had more connection with the canines. Plus, the last feline I had contact with was my cousin’s girlfriend’s cat who pissed in the same corner all the time, despite having three litter boxes. 

So yeah, dogs were better. Cats okay. 

Wispy Paws seemed like a good fit…

Buy Links:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | BooksAMillion | Apple | Smashwords | Everand 

M.G. Rorai enjoys hanging with her cats and annoying her husband. Visit her online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Apr 1

Welcome to It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday.   

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.   

Welcome to April! Proving New England weather likes to play jokes, we are expecting a nasty storm this week with the potential for snow. At least Easter Sunday was nice. 

Here are some photos of my visit to North Carolina to see the Lil' Princess. We had so much fun together. Can't wait to go back this month for the dance show.

We visited the community where she will be living next year

First two days were cold

Burgwin-Wright House Museum and Gardens

Burgwin-Wright House Museum and Gardens

Burgwin-Wright House Museum and Gardens

Carolina Beach

My reading world was a bit sparse considering my visit.

I didn't read any from this graphic novel approved by NetGalley. 

I'm halfway through this one. 

I didn't read from this one last week. 

I finished this one on Audible. 

Started this one on Audible. 

I need to read this one for an April review. 

This one might be next after review books. 

Upcoming virtual book tours:

• The Book of 5 Mews by M. G. Rorari - Apr 3 (spotlight)
• It Will Have Been So Beautiful by Amanda Shaw - Apr 25 (review) 
• My Career Journal by CareerTuners - May 1 (review) 
• Be Resilient in Your Career by Dr. Helen Ofosu - May 16 (review)
• I Will Ruin You: The Twisted Truth Behind the Kit Martin Murder Trial by Emilio Corsetti III - May 31 (review)

 

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Nothing new because I have so much to read, but we visited a couple of neat book stores in Wilmington.

That's it from me. Hope you have a nice week.