In with the new ....

 Friday. TGIF. Three-day weekend. The last one until May.

 

 Tomorrow I'll spend the afternoon at the coffee shop for bead group. I'll work on inking my reading journal. Tomorrow night I'll watch Casablanca.

 

 Otherwise no plans for the weekend. I'll also watch some Jack Ryan episodes because we didn't last weekend. I've got another episode of The Chosen on Sunday. Reading and napping.

 

 Here's 22 of my 23 in 2023 list, revised. I have room for one more.

FIRST BINDING by R. R. Virdi (fantasy)

ASSASSIN’S APPRENTICE by Robin Hobb (fantasy)

BABEL by R. F. Kuang (fantasy)

STATION ETERNITY by Mur Lafferty (scifi)

SPELLS FOR FORGETTING by Adrienne Young (fantasy)

CASSIEL’S SERVANT by Jacqueline Carey (fantasy)

FOUNDRYSIDE by Robert Jackson Bennett (fantasy)

HIS MAJESTY’S DRAGON by Naomi Novik (fantasy)

CALIBAN’S WAR by James S. A. Corey (scifi)

WINTER’S FURY by A. E. Rayne (fantasy)

THE WAY OF KINGS by Brandon Sanderson (fantasy)

GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB by David Lagercrantz (mystery)

THE BLADE ITSELF by Joe Abercrombie (fantasy)

SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo (fantasy)

A COURT OF MIST AND FURY by Sarah Maas (fantasy)

THEFT OF SWORDS by Michael Sullivan (fantasy)

A DARK ANATOMY by Robin Blake (mystery)

IN THE KING’S SERVICE by Katherine Kurtz (fantasy)

A NATURAL HISTORY OF DRAGONS by Marie Brennan (fantasy)

FREEDOM & NECESSITY by Stephen Brust/Emma Bull (RR) (fantasy)

REDWALL by Brian Jacques (fantasy)

NICCOLO RISING by Dorothy Dunnett (historical fiction)

 

Yes, it's very fantasy heavy. These have been piling up so I want to see if I like them or not, read the series/trilogy or unhaul them from my reading. And the last book, I'd like to add either another mystery or science fiction. I thought about nonfiction. We'll see.

 Have a good weekend and Happy New Year

 

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

WHY are short weeks so long?

 Thursday

 

I mostly worked on my reading journal again last night. I reworked (again!) (told you so) my 23 in 2023 list. Tweaked it because I left off one I had intended to add which meant something had to come off, etc.

 

 And I re-configured some pages. This Saturday at bead group, I will work on inking all the pages. Tonight I'll probably add a page or two more to the series pages.

 

 My reading focus now until Saturday is to finish the Ashley Gardner book. I don't want that to cross over into the new year.

 

 And then I can continue in the Darcie Wilde I started as long as I don't finish it AND I can start one of the epic fantasies on my 23 list. 

 Have a good day

 

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

I said it's time to go home now

 Wednesday.

 

 

 I didn't read as much as last as I planned last night because I got to working on my 2023 reading journal. 

Part of my goal, I think I already stated, is to finish or continue in series I've started but left unread completely. So I worked on some spreads to list the authors I want to read and the titles of the books left. And then it grew and grew.

 

 Between all the series' books, my new releases, and my 23 in 2023 list (below), I should never want for something to read ever again ... or at least all year.

 

 My 23 in 2023 list may change (of course and it already has a few times), but my criteria for those I chose are they are ones that I've been meaning to get to ... but haven't yet. And several are quite large books so....

 

 Great intentions, right? 

FIRST BINDING	Virdi, R. R.
ASSASSIN'S APPRENTICE	Hobb, Robin
BABEL	Kuang, R. F.
STATION ETERNITY	Lafferty, Mur
SPELLS FOR FORGETTING	Young, Adrienne
CASSIEL'S SERVANT	Carey, Jacqueline
FOUNDRYSIDE	Bennett, Robert Jackson
HIS MAJESTY'S DRAGON	Novik, Naomi
CALIBAN'S WAR	Corey, James S. A.
WINTER'S FURY	Rayne, A. E.
WAY OF KINGS	Sanderson, Brandon
GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB	Lagercrantz, David
THE BLADE ITSELF	Abercrombie, Joe
SHADOW AND BONE	Bardugo, Leigh
A COURT OF MIST & FURY	Maas, Sarah
THEFT OF SWORDS	Sullivan, Michael
A DARK ANATOMY	Blake, Robin
IN THE KING'S SERVICE	Kurtz, Katherine
THE GOLDEN AGE OF MURDER	Edwards, Martin
FREEDOM & NECESSITY	Brust, Stephen
WITH THE LIGHTNINGS	Drake David
REDWALL	Jacques, Brian
NICCOLO RISING	Dunnett, Dorothy

 

 One book is a re-read from a very long time ago. One book is released later this year. Other new releases in 2023 I'm not listing here because I'll be reading them regardless. These are mostly fantasy with a handful of mysteries. No nonfiction.

Tonight, Steve's got the gun range. I'll read or work on the reading journal.

 

Have a good day

 

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Back to work

 Tuesday.

 It was a good long weekend. Didn't go anywhere. Christmas dinner came out okay. I mostly read. I finished a couple "danglers" --  books I've started but didn't finish very quickly.  

Currently reading HMS NIGHTINGALE by J. A. Sutherland. 4th of 6 in the Alex Carew series, science fiction. 

For Lieutenant Alexis Carew, it should be the perfect assignment — a command of her own and a chance to return to her home star system. What she finds is a surly crew, the dregs of every frigate and ship of the line to pass through on the way to the war’s front, a first officer who thinks the command should have been his, and colonial worlds where they believe a girl’s place is somewhere very different than command of a Queen’s starship. Add to that the mysterious disappearances of ships vital to the war effort and an old enemy who seems intent on convincing her he’s changed. Then there’s the mongoose with an unnatural affinity for her boots.

Published 2016; 482 pages.

And a new release today, that I've started, THE SECRET OF THE LOST PEARLS by Darcie Wilde. 6th of 6 in series featuring Rosalind Thorne, a minor heiress in 19th century London.

 

 Rosalind Thorne may not have a grand fortune of her own, but she possesses virtues almost as prized by the haut ton: discretion, and a web of connections that enable her to discover just about anything about anyone. Known as a “most useful woman,” Rosalind helps society ladies in need—for a modest fee, of course—and her client roster is steadily increasing. Mrs. Gerald Douglas, née Bethany Hodgeson, presents Rosalind with a particularly delicate predicament. A valuable pearl necklace has gone missing, and Bethany’s husband believes the thief is Nora, Bethany’s disgraced sister. Nora made a scandalous elopement at age sixteen and returned three years later, telling the family that her husband was dead. But as Rosalind begins her investigations, under cover of helping the daughters of the house prepare for their first London season, she realizes that the family harbors even more secrets than scandals. The intrigue swirling around the Douglases includes fraud, forgery, blackmail, and soon, murder. And it will fall to Rosalind, aided by charming Bow Street officer Adam Harkness, to untangle the shocking truth and discover who is a thief—and who is a killer.

Published 2022; 400 pages.

This weekend I worked a little on my reading journal for 2023. I plan to keep one diligently to track my reads, my goals, etc.

 The goal for the week ... is to get through the week with as little drama as possible.

 

Have a good day

 

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Merry Christmas Eve Eve

 TGIF. (and no, I can't have cookies either).

 

No plans for the long weekend other than relaxing and reading. No bead group tomorrow so I don't have to go anywhere. I've got all the food supplies needed so I don't have to go anywhere even though it's going to warming up dramatically starting tomorrow.  Not. Going. Anywhere.

 

 It's a three-day weekend for us with Christmas falling on a Sunday so we're closed Monday. We'll pay for it on Tuesday but it will be nice to have it just the same.

 

 We'll be binge-ing season three of Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime. I figure two episodes starting tonight we'll have it done by Monday night. I'll also have episode three of The Chosen on Sunday to watch. Otherwise, I hope read quite a lot. 

 Today at work I'm listening to the audio of THE HANOVER SQUARE AFFAIR by Ashley Gardner. 1st of 16 in series featuring Captain Gabriel Lacey, a former cavalry officer in Regency-era London, England.

 

Cavalry captain Gabriel Lacey returns to Regency London from the Napoleonic wars, burned out, fighting melancholia, his career ended. His interest is piqued when he learns of a missing girl, possibly kidnapped by a prominent member of Parliament. Lacey's search for the girl leads to the discovery of murder, corruption, and dealings with a leader of the underworld. Lacey faces his own disorientation upon transitioning from a soldier's life to the civilian world, redefining his role with his former commanding officer, and making new friends--from the top of society to the street girls of Covent Garden.

Published 2003; 262 pages or 7 hours 36 minutes in audiobook. I never did get around to this series even though I love the time period.   

Another thing I'm looking forward to this weekend is that book YouTubers I follow are going to be doing some reading sprints so that will be nice concentrated reading time. 

I stopped by Barnes and Noble yesterday, after picking up Steve's gift, to purchase some fantasy-series paper books that I plan to read in 2023. I suppose I could start one of them this weekend if I wanted to because, being fantasy, they're epic and they're BIG reads so I won't be finishing any of them quickly.

 

 So I'll just be hanging out with Ryker, we'll be napping, and I will have my beloved beef Thai salad. Steve will have turkey on Christmas. That's about it.

 

 Have a good weekend

 Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Yeah, negative 24, people

 Thursday. Freakin' cold.

 

Putting aside the Susan Elia MacNeal for a while. It wasn't grabbing me like I wanted and I had already DNF's another read so I didn't want to bring on a slump.

Currently reading MISS MORIARTY, I PRESUME by Sherry Thomas. 6th of 7 series featuring Charlotte Holmes, a disgraced young gentlewoman solving cases under the pseudonym Sherlock Holmes, beginning in 1886 London.

 

 A most unexpected client shows up at Charlotte Holmes's doorstep: Moriarty himself. Moriarty fears that tragedy has befallen his daughter and wants Charlotte to find out the truth. Charlotte and Mrs. Watson travel to a remote community of occult practitioners where Moriarty's daughter was last seen, a place full of lies and liars. Meanwhile, Charlotte’s sister Livia tries to make sense of a mysterious message from her beau Mr. Marbleton. And Charlotte’s longtime friend and ally Lord Ingram at last turns his seductive prowess on Charlotte—or is it the other way around? But the more secrets Charlotte unravels about Miss Moriarty’s disappearance, the more she wonders why Moriarty has entrusted this delicate matter to her of all people. Is it merely to test Charlotte's skills as an investigator, or has the man of shadows trapped her in a nest of vipers?

Published 2021; 365 pages. I needed a sure thing.

I have to run an errand at lunch. I came up with a better idea for Steve's Christmas present. It has curbside pickup so I won't even leave the car.

 The usual stuff tonight.

Have a good day

 

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Somebody dreamed a little too hard of a White Christmas

Wednesday. Fetching cold out. -12.
 

 Happily Steve's Wednesday at the gun range has been canceled. Our bead group decided not to get together today already.

 

 Which reminds me.... the third season of Amazon's Jack Ryan series just released today. Woot!

 

 And it looks like they did all eight episodes at once instead of eaking them out over several weeks.

 

We'll be watching these over the holiday weekend for sure but maybe starting tonight. 

 

 Have a good day

 

Much love

PK the Bookeemonster