Sunday Post January 14, 2024/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday January 15, 2024

I am linking with Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? now at The Book Date (at Wordpress)

What Are You Reading? is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Last week was rather difficult for me. My house is within a mile and a half of the worst of the tornado that hit here in my town. I could hear the roar and the wind blew my bedroom balcony door open at 6:15 in the morning. I got the door shut and took the dogs out to sit in the stairwell away from any windows. My damage was fairly minimal compared to those whose homes were ravished. I lost two awnings, a window in the garage door, and had trees down on both ends of the driveway. Neighbors came by and helped clear the drive. Then church members cut the trees. Another neighbor helped me get the generator going to operate the refrigerators and the downstairs water. We were without power from Tuesday until Thursday night.

My next challenge was medical testing on Thursday morning. (I went to the local Pilot Travel Center to shower Wednesday night.) The hospital is an hour away and I started my first test at 8am with an MRI set for 9am. In between they added an ultrasound for more detail. This was the first MRI I have had and I managed the first 20 minutes fine. The second stage of 10 minutes with intravenous contrast was more difficult. I felt itchy right away and felt nauseous. I pushed on through but as soon as they brought me out they realized I had a bad reaction to the contrast medicine. My face was bright red, my eyes glassy, and I started getting hives. They took me over to the emergency room as my face was swelling, my eyes weeping, and I started whizzing. They gave me intravenous medications and watched me for a couple of hours. So I didn't leave the hospital until after 2pm. The good news is that the radiologist didn't see any malignant masses. I see the surgeon in two weeks for further review. 

So my week was pretty shot. I had no computer Tuesday through Thursday. I did get to the office on Friday but by mid afternoon the girls told me to go home as the rash and flush were returning and I didn't have any Benadryl with me. I had follow-up medicine for three days and the symptoms did continue into Saturday morning. Later in the day I developed a cold. Blah!

Needless to say, I am feeling behind in work and blog things. I will be working on Monday even though it is a holiday.

I have been enjoying my yoga which are easy enough even when not feeling so good.

I will continue to pray for the Advent messages all year: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

I think we are all expecting some colder weather this coming week but ours won't be nearly as cold as others.

I've finished three audios and one ebook this week. No reviews completed.

I visited only 11 blogs last week. No shout Out this week.

Audiobooks.com is still sharing some free listens for children.

• Sunday Post January 7, 2023/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday January 8, 2024.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement January 14, 2024 - Pray and Be Bold.

Finished Reading:
1. Audible on Smartphone (ATBR).

Armageddon
Expeditionary Force, Book 8
By: Craig Alanson
Narrated by: R.C. Bray
Length: 17 hrs and 51 mins
4.25. I enjoy the humor and action in this series.
Source: 11/16/22 October Audible Credit.
2024TBR, 2024Alphabet, and 2024Audiobook Goals.
Click on link to see full description.

2. NetGalley App on Smartphone (NGA2023)

Deep Freeze
by Michael C. Grumley
Narrated by Scott Brick
Pub Date: 09 Jan 2024
Archive Date: 16 Jan 2024
4.0. I did like the sci fi irony in this story.
Source: 12/11/2023 received at NetGalley.
2024TBR, 2024NetGalley, 2024Alphabet, and 2024Audibook Goals.
Click on link to see full description.

3. Audible on Smartphone (ATBR).

The Forever, Books 1-2
By: Craig Robertson
Narrated by: Scott Aiello
Series: The Forever Series, Book 1-2
Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
I had finished book 1 in November. Book 2 went off track to a lot of silliness.
Source: April 2022 Audible Plus Catalog.
2024TBR, 2024Alphabet, and 2024Audiobook Goals.
Click on link to see full description.

4. Audible on Smartphone (ATBR.

A Symphony of Echoes: The Chronicles of St Mary's, Book 2
By: Jodi Taylor
Narrated by: Zara Ramm
Series: The Chronicles of St Mary's, Book 2
Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
I wanted to read in a continuing series and this one called to me. It was a quirk listen which I enjoyed.
Source: 9/6/19 Kindle Purchase $3.99 Whispersync Audible Purchase $1.99 = total price $5.98 for a book on my Audible wish list. :-)
2024TBR, 2024Alphabet, and 2024Audiobook Goals.
Publisher's summary
The second book in the bestselling Chronicles of St Mary's series which follows a group of tea-soaked disaster magnets as they hurtle their way around History. If you love Jasper Fforde or Ben Aaronovitch, you won't be able to resist Jodi Taylor.
Wherever the historians go, chaos is sure to follow....
Dispatched to Victorian London to seek out Jack the Ripper, things go badly wrong when he finds the St Mary's historians first. Stalked through the fog-shrouded streets of Whitechapel, Max is soon running for her life. Again.
And that's just the start. Max finds herself in a race against time when an old enemy is intent on destroying St Mary's. An enemy willing, if necessary, to destroy History itself.
From the Hanging Gardens of Nineveh to the murder of Thomas a Becket, via an unscheduled dodo rescue mission, join the historians of St Mary's as they hurtle around History on more hilarious, hair-raising escapades.
©2013 Jodi Taylor (P)2014 Audible Studios

Currently Reading:
1. Kindle (/NetGalley )App on Smartphone (NGeB2023)

The Altered Moon 2: The Tyrant of Unity
By James McGettigan, Jingjing Huntley (Photographer), Fabiana Granado, Kyle Davis, Jason Frank, Serena Lucatero, Jacqui Corn-Uys (Editor), Anthony McGettigan (Editor), Judy McGettigan (Editor)
This is still reading slowly and I am tempted to drop it because I am not loving it. I'm at 27% and I'll give it a bit more.
Source: December 27, 2023 NetGalley.
Archive date 1/11/24 I have it downloaded so I am able to continue to read it.
2024TBR, 2024NetGalley, 2024Alphabet, and 2024ebook Goals.
Click on link to see full description.

2. Audible on Smartphone (ATBR).

The Body Reader
Detective Jude Fontaine Mysteries, Book 1
By: Anne Frasier
Narrated by: Emily Sutton-Smith
Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
I was in the mood for a thriller and
like the look of this one.
Source: 3-3-2022 Audible Sale $3.04.
2024TBR, 2024Alphabet, and 2024Audiobook Goals.
Publisher's summary
A Thriller Award winner, Best Paperback Original Novel.
For three years, Detective Jude Fontaine was kept from the outside world. Held in an underground cell, her only contact was with her sadistic captor, and reading his face was her entire existence. Learning his every line, every movement, and every flicker of thought is what kept her alive.
After her experience with isolation and torture, she is left with a fierce desire for justice—and a heightened ability to interpret the body language of both the living and the dead. Despite colleagues’ doubts about her mental state, she resumes her role at Homicide. Her new partner, Detective Uriah Ashby, doesn’t trust her sanity, and he has a story of his own he’d rather keep hidden. But a killer is on the loose, murdering young women, so the detectives have no choice: they must work together to catch the madman before he strikes again. And no one knows madmen like Jude Fontaine.
©2016 Theresa Weir (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

I expect to get to one or two more audios but haven't chosen yet.

January 14, 2024 - I am enjoying a new Bible in a year study on the YouVersion App called The Bible Recap with Tara Leigh Cobble. (The link is to the plan online.)
I am also enjoying a 21 day Fast, Read, Pray, Acts Challenge.

I finished four books, no reviews done.

NETGALLEY STATUS--
I have finished an audio and continue on an ebook. I now have two more ebooks. I still have an older audio on my shelf I need to listen to.
I still have the two old NetGalley ebook titles.

Other Sources: I have a dozen or so books that I received from Facebook links and newsletter sign-ups, not specific review requests. plus many titles through InstaFreebie over the past few years.

Welcome to Mailbox Monday.

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. This Meme started with Marcia at A Girl and Her Books (fka The Printed Page) and after a tour of hosts has returned to its permanent home at Mailbox Monday. Thanks to the ladies sharing hosting duties: Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, and Me. Emma has retired so we are looking for another person willing to assist.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

One new review title from NetGalley again.
I didn't get to pick any audios this past week.

One new Kindle title this week.
Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

1/12/2024 ebook from NetGalley

If the Boot Fits
By Karen Witemeyer
Pub Date 12 Mar 2024 | Archive Date 21 Apr 2024
Bethany House, Bethany House Publishers
Christian | Historical Fiction | Romance

Won

NONE

Purchased

NONE

Free

I didn't get any new audios but I still have a backlog from December that I hope to list before the month is over.
1/14/2024 Free Kindle through Author Newsletter:

Return to Sanibel Island (Florida Secrets Book 1)
by June Woods


One new free title added to Kindle library.  Free titles might be found at Bookbub, Book Adrenaline, Ereader News Today, Inspired Reads, or Kindle ebooks.