Happy birthday, middle daughter! That’s right, now we have three teenagers in the house, heaven help us, 17, 16, and now 13 and 11. And in 2022, our youngest will have her 13th birthday, too. Four teens in one house. Agh! I have no idea how my parents did it with the six oldest kids in our family, who are all only one year apart. The joys of parenthood, I guess. Buying gifts for teenagers is so hard, but at least we’re through the diaper phase. That was almost a decade of wiping someone else’s butt. 😉

Because of my ocular migraines last week (click here to read more about them), I did not make as much progress as usual.

It’s WWW Wednesday. What am I reading/listening to, what did I read, what do I plan on reading?

What am I reading/listening to?

I finally received the ebook of When You Trap a Tiger (Amazon) from the library. The 2021 Newbery Medal winner is good so far. Newbery books always have some sort of lesson and are often coming-of-age stories, which this one is. I’m enjoying reading about the Korean culture, the customs and the folklore.

“Some stories refuse to stay bottled up…

When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni’s Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history. Long, long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers. Now they want it back. And when one of the tigers approaches Lily with a deal–return what her grandmother stole in exchange for Halmoni’s health–Lily is tempted to agree. But deals with tigers are never what they seem! With the help of her sister and her new friend Ricky, Lily must find her voice…and the courage to face a tiger.”

I’m still working on my #NetGalley ARC Castle Shade, the 17th Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes novel by Laurie R. King (Amazon), which comes out in June. I’ve been reading or listening to Mary Russell since about 1999, when I was on a Sherlock Holmes kick and reading all the pastiche I could find. The Mary Russell series quickly won it’s way into my heart. In this volume, Russell and Holmes are in Roumania to help out the queen with a mystery involving it’s newly acquired territory Transylvania, and it may or may not have something to do with vampires. I’m about half way through and taking my time with this one.

I’m also slowly making my way through Adventures Across America: On and Off the Trail of Lewis and Clark by Jennifer White Fischer (Amazon). I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. It’s a quick read, and I’m reading a couple chapters a night. “A travel guide with a twist. The author weaves the exciting story of Lewis and Clark’s exploration of the west during the early 1800s into her story of discoveries throughout America, both on and off the historical trail. Take a road trip into history while discovering present day America.”

Because of my shortened work week, I didn’t get too far in my listening, either. I’m still working on The Songbook of Benny Lament by Amy Harmon (Amazon). It’s a new book, just released on the 16th, with a Kindle price of $5.99 and to add the Audible version was only a couple bucks more. I should have read more reviews, because it’s mob-related, and I really dislike any sort of book or movie involving the mafia. But the music aspect hooked me. The story is interesting, but it’s definitely not going to be one of my favorites of 2021.

What did you finish reading/listening to?

Battle of Brothers: William and Harry – The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult by Robert Lacey

The Ghost of Blackwood Hall (Nancy Drew Mysteries #25) by Carolyn Keene

#NetGalley #ARCReview #Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella (review on Thursday)

Blue by Danielle Steel (review on Monday)

The Kennedy Debutante by Kerri Maher (review on Tuesday)

The Haunting of Heliotrope Lane (Nancy Drew Diaries #16) (review to come Friday or Saturday, depends upon my mood, maybe even next week). The Nancy Drew fatigue continues.

What do you plan on reading/listening to next?

Same as last week. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Amazon) is a NetGalley ARC that I think I’ll tackle next. I don’t like having so many ARCs out there on NetGalley, pulling my percentage down. I haven’t reviewed enough books on the site yet even though I’ve been a member longer than I’ve been blogging, so I’m currently at 80% with 6 ARCs to review. My plan is to continue to work on those and the next Nancy Drew books in the series’.

On Audio a few weeks ago, I picked up Murder at the Mena House: Jane Wunderly Mystery, Book 1 (Amazon), which is supposed to be a book series that fans of Amelia Peabody books by Elizabeth Peters might like. Since Amelia Peabody is my favorite adult series book, I have high hopes. Book 2 in the series was just released this week, and I’m hoping I like it enough because I don’t have enough adult series books to follow.

What are you up to this week? Drop a line in the comments.

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