Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge for May 18, 2022

Each Wednesday, Long and Short Reviews hosts a weekly “blog hop”. For more details on how to participate, please click here.

Today’s topic is: What do you do when you’re not feeling well?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Was SO EXCITED to Get, but Still Haven’t Read

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I’m a big-time mood reader so, often, when I finally get a book that I’ve been waiting ages for, it doesn’t get read immediately.  More often than not, it gets forgotten completely until I see a bazillion people posting about it and I think, “Hmm, I should get that – wait, I HAVE IT.”

Yeah, it’s a problem.

So, here are ten books I was thrilled to finally have and… haven’t managed to read yet.  Oops.

The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski.  I bought the entire set in July 2019.  I wanted to read at least the first before the Netflix series started and gifted them to myself for my birthday.  To date, I’ve read two out of the eight books.

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen.  I love these two authors and devour every book of theirs I get.  And yet, I haven’t cracked this one open yet.  BOTM selection for February 2022.

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood.  Another BOTM selection (as most of these are!) from October 2021.

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham.  This book drew me to it like a moth to a flame.  And now it’s residing on my nightstand, waiting.  BOTM selection for February 2022.  I really need to start resisting those dang add ons!

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.  I bought this book back in um… June 2014 in preparation for a trip to Huntington Beach, CA.  I was eager to read it, but I thought my daughters would enjoy it as well.  They did – one read it on the trip down, one on the way back.  Me?  Not yet.

Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena.  I got excited when I saw this was one of the BOTM selections in August 2021.  I’d read her book, The Couple Next Door, and was so eager to read this new one.  Hah.

Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby.  This at least wasn’t an ignored Book of the Month choice.  I grabbed it quickly when the ebook was on sale.  Cheap… in July 2021.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid.  This was my first BOTM choice because of all the hype I’d seen in regards to both the book and the author.  I’d had good intentions with this, but the minute I took it out of the box, my kid grabbed it and said, “Oooh, I’ve been hearing about this book.  Thanks.”  By the time she’d finished it, I was eyeball deep in something else.  BOTM for June 2021.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.  Another ebook deal that I couldn’t pass up but couldn’t be bothered to read either.  June 2021.

Imaginary Friends by Stephen Chbosky.  Yet another ebook deal that suckered me in and then was soon forgotten.  February 2021.  What I really need help with is my addiction to one-click buying!

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge for May 11, 2022

Each Wednesday, Long and Short Reviews hosts a weekly “blog hop”. For more details on how to participate, please click here.

Today’s topic is: Do you believe in aliens? Why or why not?

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge for May 4, 2022

Each Wednesday, Long and Short Reviews hosts a weekly “blog hop”. For more details on how to participate, please click here.

Today’s topic is: Best Mother in a book, movie or TV show

Top Ten Tuesday: One-Word Reviews for the Last Ten Books I Read


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I wrote this post a few weeks in advance due to a scheduling issue, so there may be a couple of newer reviews from me on this site that aren’t included in this list. With that being said, here are ten books that I’ve recently read and reviewed here.

 

New Era by Tommy B. Smith

My One-Word Review: Frightening

 

The Chronologist by Ian R. MacLeod

My One-Word Review: Complex

 

When the Time Is Right by Bill Bush

My One-Word Review: Amusing

 

Xenocultivars: Stories of Queer Growth by Isabela Oliveira and Jed Sabin

My One-Word Review: Refreshing

 

Pooch Problems by Christopher Poston

My One-Word Review: Sensible

 

Out of a Jar by Deborah Marcero

My One-Word Review: Reassuring

 

The Proud & the Dumb by Bob Freville

My One-Word Review: Sarcastic

 

Carson Crosses Canada Linda Bailey 

My One-Word Review: Perfect

 

Redlocks and the Three Bears by Claudia Rueda

My One-Word Review: Creative

 

The Assumption of Death by David Vernon

My One-Word Review: Uneven

 

Book of the Month Poll Winner ~ Monkey Business: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Films of the Marx Brothers by Josh Pachter


Monkey Business: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Films of the Marx Brothers by Josh Pachter
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races, Duck Soup, Animal Crackers…over the two decades between 1929’s The Cocoanuts and 1949’s Love Happy, the Marx Brothers—Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and sometimes Zeppo—entertained movie-goers around the world with their madcap antics, rapid-fire dialogue, and prowess on the piano, the harp, and in song.

Now, a Who’s Who of award-winning crime writers pays homage to the Marxes in fourteen short stories, each inspired by one of the brothers’ thirteen studio films. (Wait a second: fourteen stories inspired by thirteen films? How does that add up? You’ll find the answer to that question…and so much more!…inside the covers of this book.)

The authors? Donna Andrews, Frankie Y. Bailey, Jeff Cohen, Lesley A. Diehl, Brendan DuBois, Terence Faherty, Barb Goffman, Joseph Goodrich, Robert Lopresti, Sandra Murphy, Robert J. Randisi, Marilyn Todd, Joseph S. Walker, and editor Josh Pachter, who is a recent recipient of the Short Mystery Fiction Society’s Golden Derringer Award for Lifetime Achievement and the editor of two previous “inspired by” anthologies from Untreed Reads, The Beat of Black Wings: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Joni Mitchell and Only the Good Die Young: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Billy Joel.

To paraphrase Groucho: Outside of a dog, this book will be your best friend. (Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.)

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE!

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge for April 27, 2022

Each Wednesday, Long and Short Reviews hosts a weekly “blog hop”. For more details on how to participate, please click here.

Today’s topic is: Book, movie or TV show you can’t wait for

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge for April 20, 2022

Each Wednesday, Long and Short Reviews hosts a weekly “blog hop”. For more details on how to participate, please click here.

Today’s topic is: One meal everyone should try

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Merchandise I’d Love to Own


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I’d like to tweak this week’s theme a little bit. While all of these items certainly caught my eye, they were also things I’d happily buy for someone else if they asked for a bookish present and trusted my judgement.

I am not entirely sure what the copyright laws say about posting images of gifts that are being sold by small businesses, so I’ll share links to these Etsy accounts and briefly describe them only with words in this post. In a few cases, I’ll expound on why I chose that item.

1. Death by TBR sweatshirt

2. Bookish Stickers

3. Just One More Chapter tote bag

4. Never Too Many Books tote bag

My city has slowly been phasing out plastic bags. Stores have charged for them for a long time now, and now more of them aren’t offering them at all with each passing year. I’ve learned to always have a reusable bag in my pocket when I go out shopping.

5. I’d Rather Be Reading t-shirt 

6. Butterbeer tea 

7.   Never-EndingTBR zippered pouch

This could hold anything from pencils to makeup to first-aid supplies if, say, you’re going on a camping trip or hike!

8. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy stickers

9. Pumpkin book stack sticker

10. Book beat Toque

A toque is a type of knitted hat that is quite warm and durable. Traditionally, they was made of wool, but there are synthetic options available now for people who are allergic to wool or who prefer not to use it for other reasons. Toques can be knitted by hand or by machines depending on your preference and budget.

I look forward to seeing how all of you have answered this week’s prompt!

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge for April 13, 2022

Each Wednesday, Long and Short Reviews hosts a weekly “blog hop”. For more details on how to participate, please click here.

Today’s topic is: What’s on your TBR list?