Thanksgiving Eve

Wednesday. Four-day weekend ahead (and there was much rejoicing).

Not a whole lot of plans. On Friday morning, I have to take Keo in for a blood draw. I've got sprints tomorrow and Saturday. Otherwise, reading and crocheting, napping and walking Keo. Really, doing as little as possible.

I'd like to make good progress in the March wedding blanket. Catch up on some YouTube. I'd like to finish the three books I'm reading. I'd like to make a dent in the yarn/bead/books hoard. 

I am very near to letting go my inklings to write a book after many decades. I came to the realization that I like to think of the characters, plots, and themes/concepts but not to fully execute after that. However, I had another idea that I'll maybe play with and/or research into this weekend. 

Have a good (long) weekend!

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Hold your horses, not the 4-day yet

Tuesday

Looking at the possible December scavenger hunt prompts, this book was one. And I decided to start it, strike while the iron's hot, so to speak.

THE MOST WONDERFUL CRIME OF THE YEAR by Ally Carter. Stand alone. 

Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan

She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery. He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy. She hates his guts. He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.) But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself. That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone. She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust? As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor. Assuming they don’t kill each other first.

Published 2024; 303 pages. I'm picturing him as a cross between Ryan Reynolds and Glen Powell. She is kind of a mix of Jewel of the Nile Kathleen Turner and Daisy Edgar-Jones from Twisters. At the moment, both characters are kinda annoying.

I'll most likely be returning the City Spies book back to the library for a later read.

I'm afraid my food plan is on hold this week. I got a good start at it last week. This week, to be obvious, is a holiday that has a big meal as the focus. 

So I will allow myself to not be strict until next week. I could be but I'm also coming to some enlightenment that I should also enjoy things from time to time. Because holidays and gifts of food from Steve have to take precedence. 

Sprints tonight. Reading and/or crocheting.

Have a good day

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

And the countdown begins ....

Monday. 

I finished a book!

I finished THE SHORT DROP by Matthew Fitzsimmons. Political thriller, first in a series of five, I think. 4 stars. 

Currently reading a library book, DARK SPACE by Rob Hart & Alex Segura. Scifi thriller. 

If life were fair, ace pilot Jose Carriles should have ended up a desk jockey like his former friend Corin Timony, back on the lunar colony of New Destiny. Instead, he’s the pilot of the Mosaic—a massive ship taking the Interstellar Union’s first-ever mission to outside our solar system. Timony should have been the best spy at the Bazaar, the lunar colony’s international intelligence arm. Instead, she’s been demoted to admin duties like monitoring long-range communications. She has no one to blame but herself—and maybe Carriles. But when the Mosaic experiences a series of strange malfunctions and Carriles is forced to take a wild gamble to save the ship, he begins to suspect the reasons behind the exploratory mission weren’t exactly on the up and up. At the same time, Timony’s old instincts kick in as she realizes the distress call she received from the Mosaic has been wiped without a trace. As people start to end up dead and loyalties are tested, Timony and Carriles find themselves entangled in a star-spanning conspiracy that drags them through the darkest corners of their government—and their own personal failures—and face-to-face with a reckoning that could destroy humanity as we know it.

Published 2024; 318 pages. 

We got our prompts for the December Scavenger Hunt on the discord group. Very seasonal as was expected.

December 8th 

***Holiday word in the title***

AND

December 15th

***Tree/Holiday decorations on the cover.***

(It can be just a regular tree or Christmas tree)

Here's what I've come up with for options that sound interesting to me so far.

I was playing with yarn this weekend and have decided to make a beanie/winter cap for myself. I tried out different YouTube patterns and looked at the yarn I had on hand and later afternoon yesterday hit upon the right combination. I've never done one before and you know how I love to learn new things.

No sprints tonight. 

Have a good day

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

What Friday afternoon feels like

TGIF

I'm reading and enjoying THE SHORT DROP by Matthew Fitzsimmons. 1st of 5 in political thriller series. 

A decade ago, fourteen-year-old Suzanne Lombard, the daughter of Benjamin Lombard—then a senator, now a powerful vice president running for the presidency—disappeared in the most sensational missing-person case in the nation’s history. Still unsolved, the mystery remains a national obsession. For legendary hacker and marine Gibson Vaughn, the case is personal—Suzanne Lombard had been like a sister to him. On the tenth anniversary of her disappearance, the former head of Benjamin Lombard’s security asks for Gibson’s help in a covert investigation of the case, with new evidence in hand. Haunted by tragic memories, he jumps at the chance to uncover what happened all those years ago. Using his military and technical prowess, he soon discovers multiple conspiracies surrounding the Lombard family—and he encounters powerful, ruthless political players who will do anything to silence him and his team. With new information surfacing that could threaten Lombard’s bid for the presidency, Gibson must stay one step ahead as he navigates a dangerous web to get to the truth.

Published 2015; 397 pages. 

I'll be reading and playing with yarn this weekend. Napping. Have ridiculously big salad. 

Possibility of white stuff this weekend. I've got a haircut tomorrow and sprints. 

Have a good weekend

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Yeah, not these books either

Thursday

I don't know if I'll stick with the books I mentioned yesterday or not. Slumps suck. 

Observing it, a book sounds kinda interesting -- if it made it past the Bah! No! phase -- but then after a couple chapters it becomes Meh. 

Sprints tonight. 

Have a good day

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

It's only Wednesday?

 Wednesday.

Starting DEADLY SCANDAL by Kate Parker. 1st of 11 in historical mystery series. 

Olivia Denis is a contented young wife with a carefree life in late 1930's London. Then her world is shattered with the violent death of her husband, Reggie. The police want to call it a suicide and close the case, but Olivia knows Reggie couldn't possibly have fired the fatal shot. Further mysteries surface surrounding her husband's death. Did the trustworthy Foreign Office employee betray government secrets? Was his murder linked to the death of a German embassy clerk the same night? And who searched their flat? Her desire for answers and her need to support herself cause her to break away from the pampered life she's known and take a job. But with the much-needed paycheck as a society reporter for a newspaper comes a secret secondary assignment - one that involves her in the increasingly dangerous world of European politics as the continent slides toward war.

Published 2016; 334 pages. Looks like I've owned this since publication date. Let's give it a try.

Also started a nonfiction, NOT JUST JANE by Shelley DeWees.

Jane Austen and the Brontës endure as British literature’s leading ladies (and for good reason)—but were these reclusive parsons’ daughters really the only writing women of their day? A feminist history of literary Britain, this witty, fascinating nonfiction debut explores the extraordinary lives and work of seven long-forgotten authoresses, and asks: Why did their considerable fame and influence, and a vibrant culture of female creativity, fade away? And what are we missing because of it? You’ve likely read at least one Jane Austen novel (or at least seen a film one). Chances are you’ve also read Jane Eyre; if you were an exceptionally moody teenager, you might have even read Wuthering Heights. English majors might add George Eliot or Virginia Woolf to this list…but then the trail ends. Were there truly so few women writing anything of note during late 18th and 19th century Britain? In Not Just Jane, Shelley DeWees weaves history, biography, and critical analysis into a rip-roaring narrative of the nation’s fabulous, yet mostly forgotten, female literary heritage. As the country, and women’s roles within it, evolved, so did the publishing industry, driving legions of ladies to pick up their pens and hit the parchment. Focusing on the creative contributions and personal stories of seven astonishing women, among them pioneers of detective fiction and the modern fantasy novel, DeWees assembles a riveting, intimate, and ruthlessly unromanticized portrait of female life—and the literary landscape—during this era. In doing so, she comes closer to understanding how a society could forget so many of these women, who all enjoyed success, critical acclaim, and a fair amount of notoriety during their time, and realizes why, now more than ever, it’s vital that we remember. Rediscover Charlotte Turner Smith, Helen Maria Williams, Mary Robinson, Catherine Crowe, Sara Coleridge, Dinah Mulock Craik, and Mary Elizabeth Braddon.

Published 2016; 320 pages. Looks like I've had this one since 2017. Sheesh. 

I hope I can get past this slump

No sprints tonight. Have a good day

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Not bad, just frustrating sometimes

Wednesday

I forgot to show this photo of the birthday gift Steve had made for me. My favorite scene from Empire Strikes Back, and really the whole trilogy. (the other movies don't exist). 

So cute. 

I finished the cowl for myself. It turned out nice. I do have extra yarn since I didn't use as much as I thought I would. So I'm starting either a lap blanket or a ruana. 

Sprints tonight. Reading and crocheting.

Have a good day

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

I'm here, let's not make a big deal about it

Monday

Started on Saturday, CITY SPIES: MISSION MANHATTAN by James Ponti. 5th of 6 in series.

The City Spies head to the Big Apple when a credible threat is made to a young climate activist who is scheduled to speak in front of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly. With Rio acting as alpha and a new member in their ranks, the team’s mission to protect a fellow teen takes them on an exciting adventure in, around, and even under the greatest city in the world as they follow leads to the outer boroughs, the UN Headquarters, and even the usually off-limits stacks that extend deep under the main branch of the New York Public Library.

Published 2024; 430 pages. 

I'm still slumping so I'm only putting the covers of the ones I may be reading so I don't jinx myself.

So we shall see.

No sprints tonight. Crochet perhaps. I started a cowl for myself with yarn from a project I'm not doing anymore. It's pink, the colorway is called parfait, but I'm calling it peppermint. Pink isn't really my color but it was there. 

Have a good day

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster