It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

 

This is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn @ The Book Date.

 

I've been slacking in the blogging department lately. Been reading a lot but not in the mood to blog/write.  I'm sure it will come back to me soon! It's been super busy for me lately, and we have a LOT of travel planned this year, so 2017 is going to be crazy. A business trip for my husband, a business trip for me, two weddings out of state, and a vacation to Kona make up our April through August of 2017!

What I Just Finished Reading/Listening To

 

I listened to The School of Essential Ingredients on audiobook from the library and it was delightful!

What I'm Currently Reading/Listening To

 

  I love Anna Kendrick's writing so far! And I've really gotten into audiobooks, and was happy to find one by Sarah Jio that I haven't read yet!

 

What I Plan To Read Next

 

No idea....I'll see what I feel like!! It's hard to know ahead of time and I just started these two!

 

What are you reading this week?

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

 

This is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn @ The Book Date.

What I Just Finished Reading

 

Liked it, but didn't love it!

What I'm Currently Reading/Listening To

 

What I Plan To Read Next 

 

  

W...W...W...Wednesday

 

W… W… W… Wednesday, hosted by Taking on a World of Worlds is a weekly meme showcasing what you just finished reading, what you are currently reading, and what you plan to start reading next. 

What I Just Finished Reading/Listening To

What I"m Currently Reading/Listening To

 

What I Plan To Read Next 

 

OR

? (I haven't decided yet!)

What are you reading this week?

TLC Book Tours: Lift And Separate (GIVEAWAY!)

About Lift And Separate

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (December 1, 2016)

Marcy Hammer’s life has been turned upside down. Her husband, the head of a global brassiere empire, didn’t think twice about leaving her after thirty-three years of marriage for a 32DD lingerie model. Now Harvey the Home-Wrecker is missing in action, but Marcy’s through thinking about what a cliché he is. What she needs now is a party-size bag of potato chips, a good support system, and a new dress.
Striking out on her own is difficult at first, but Marcy manages to find traces of humor in her heartbreak. Even while devastated by Harvey’s departure, she still has her indomitable spirit and her self-respect. She has no intention of falling apart, either, even when her adult children drop a few bombshells of their own and she discovers a secret about her new, once-in-a-lifetime friend. Life may be full of setbacks, but by lifting herself up by her own lacy straps, Marcy just may be able to handle them all.

“Lift And Separate is a laugh-out-loud, heartwarming story that begs to be a blockbuster starring Nicholson and Keaton and shares the vulnerability, wisdom, and brilliance of Nora Ephron’s Heartburn.” —Jennifer Belle, bestselling author of High Maintenance
“Lift And Separate takes us on a funny but moving journey through heartbreak, hilarity, betrayal, and healing. Marcy Hammer is a hammer indeed! Rooting for her all the way, one is exhilarated by the journey Marilyn Simon Rothstein gives her without ever burning a single bra! Hip-hip hurrah!” —Lanie Robertson, writer of Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, the Tony Award–winning play

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

 

 I loved this book! I adore the cover.  At first glance, this book looks like a light, happy, chick lit romance.  Though it does have light and fun elements, so much of the book is very emotional and much  deeper than chick lit. Despite being younger than Marcy, I really related to her in a lot of ways, particularly in her relationship with her mother and her children.  The issue of dealing with loss in this book--loss of marriage,  losing the mother she once knew due to aging and cancer--is handled beautifully. This book could be just downright depressing, but the author handled the subject in such a way that you can find the positives in a potentially miserable situation. Poor Marcy just has one problem after another thrown at her, and the author made it easy to root for her throughout the whole book since she was such a likable character.

I loved the author's writing style! I flew through this book's effortless writing because I had to know what happened next. It was a hard one to put down! This is an excellent debut novel, and I look forward to future books by Marilyn!

About Marilyn Simon Rothstein

For more than twenty-five years, Marilyn Simon Rothstein owned an advertising agency in Connecticut. She grew up in New York City, earned a degree in journalism from New York University, began her writing career at Seventeen magazine, and married a man she met in an elevator.
Lift And Separate is her debut novel.
Connect with Marilyn 
Facebook | Amazon



  a Rafflecopter giveaway

  

Follow the rest of the tour here.

Five Things Friday: January 13th

My awesome blogger friend Brandie from Brandie is a  Book Junkie has started doing this Five Things Friday post, and I love it!  Check out her blog--it's fantastic!

 

1. This Week in Reading

 

   

The Twilight Wife has been on my TBR since I first heard of it a couple months ago, and I immediately requested it from the library. It came in this week and I've been flying through it! I'm currently listening to All the Bright Places on audio book (via the Overdrive app) and I'm loving it so far as well. It's one of those I've been meaning to read forever and I've finally gotten to!

2. New Books I'm Excited About

 

 

 

Just got approved for this one on NetGalley! 

I meant to start reading this one this week but my library hold came in. Excited to start it soon!

 

3. Fun Thing(s) from the Week

 

As you probably know, I live in Oregon, near the capital of Salem. We normally don't get a lot of snow and have pretty mild winters...except this year. So much snow. On Wednesday we had a big snowstorm (big for us, at least) so I got to stay home from work.  As you remember from this post, Peyton LOVES the snow. We played outside a lot on Wednesday, and naturally, I had to do some yoga and got his adorable shot:

4. Life Happens 

I've been super busy lately and pretty crappy about reviewing books on the blog. I've posted some reviews on the books on Goodreads but haven't been motivated to write full reviews. Perhaps it's because I hate winter and I'm not motivated in Winter in general. I'll get back at it, I promise!

5. Looking Ahead 

Three day weekend for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday! Happy dance! No real plans but I can't complain about having a Monday off!

 

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Top Ten 2016 Release I Didn't Get To...But Plan To!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This Week's Topic:

Top Ten 2016 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To (But TOTALLY plan to)

Have you read any of these? Which should I make a priority to read?

Happy Reading!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn @ The Book Date.

 

This past week was Bout of Books (see my updates here) so I got a lot of reading done! It was also VERY cold, and we got quite a lot of snow (for my part of Oregon at least--only takes a few inches for us to freak out).  One of our pipes froze on Friday, so that was an adventure. Luckily, we got the pipe thawed, it didn't burst ,and we had no further issues. Needless to say, I am already ready for spring. Winter is NOT my season!

Just Finished:

This was a delightful read. It took me right back to Maui, which is just what I needed during this cold and snowy week!

Not my favorite CoHo, but still a great read!!

Currently Reading:

Enjoying this read! Look for my review on the blog next Monday!

Up Next:

What are you reading this week? Happy Reading!!

2017 Library Love Challenge

 

Library Love Challenge

The 2017 Library Love Challenge is co-hosted by Bea's Book Nook and  Angel's Guilty Pleasures. 

I absolutely love going to the library!! I am there almost once a week or so. I also download audio books through Overdrive, and sometimes ebooks. I couldn't resist this challenge! Here's the info from the hosts:

If you love to read and/or listen to books then you also love to buy every book you want to read. And, well, that puts a hurt on your wallet. Checking books (print, ebook, or audios) out from the library can save you LOTS of money and in most places getting a library card is FREE.


Details:

1. Runs: January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2017. You can join any time.
2. Put a sign up post on your blog or (dedicate a Goodreads shelf or LibraryThing) and link it below. Make sure it’s public.
3. The goal is to read at least twelve (12) books from the library, but you can read more. While twelve is the minimum, there is no maximum limit. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you.
4. Any format will work for this challenge (print, ebook, or audio); as long as you checked it out from the library, it counts.
5. Books can be any genre (fiction, nonfiction, romance, fantasy, mystery, thriller, horror, etc.).
6. Crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed, including re-reads. The goal is to support your local library and save money.
7. Write a review - 2 sentences or an essay, whatever works for you, but there is a minimum of 2 sentences. Not sure what to write? How about something like, "The plot was a delight, but the characters didn’t capture me."

Levels:

• Dewey Decimal: read 12 books
• Thrifty Reader: read 24 books
• Overdrive Junkie: read 36 books
• Library Card on Fire: read 50+ books

As an added bonus: We are offering up a GIVEAWAY with this Challenge. Winner will be picked at the end of the year!! The entries are the direct links to your book reviews and you will have until Jan. 2nd, 2018 to enter your reviews in the Rafflecopter.

What you could win: Winner gets their choice of 2 books (shipped from Book Depository) or ebooks (nook or kindle) up to $12 each. (Open INT)

My Goal: 

• Overdrive Junkie: read 36 books
• I will be tracking my progress on this Goodreads Shelf!

Bout of Books 18: Goals, TBR, Updates

What a great way to start off 2017--Bout of Books! The readathon starts tomorrow. If you want more information, here's my sign up post!

I'm A Bout of Books Expert!



Have a question about Bout of Books? Feel free to ask! I've participated in several rounds of Bout of Books and would be happy to help and encourage you!

Goals

1. Read as much as possible (but not stress out about it). Read on lunch break, evenings, etc.

2.Participate in Twitter Chats/challenges/other events to connect with other bloggers/readers

3. Finish at least one book

4. As in the last Bout of Books...I'm not caring about a page goal....all I care about is to HAVE FUN!

TBR

Started this today (Sunday). It's delightful so far. I want to finish it during the readathon!



Got my hands on this one today for $1.99 on Amazon's kindle deal!



 Reviewing this one for TLC Book Tours on January 16th!

Daily Progress

Monday 1/2:

Reading time today: 226 pages! Yay for days off!

Books read from today:The Aloha Quilt
Number of books completed so far: 1

Tuesday 1/3:

Reading time today: Audiobook 45 minutes (All the Bright Places), Kindle 25 pages (Too Late)
Total pages this week: 251

Number of books completed today: 0
Number of books completed so far:1

Wednesday 1/4:

Reading time today: 253 pages

Total pages this week: 504

Books read from today: Too Late  
Number of books completed so far: 1

Thursday 1/5:

Reading time today: 97 pagesTotal pages this week: 601

Books read from today:Too Late

Number of books complete today: 1: Too LateBooks completed so far:2

Friday 1/6:

Reading time today:  30 mins audiobook
Total pages this week: 601

Books read from today: All the Bright Places

Number of Books completed today: 0
Number of books completed so far:2

Saturday 1/7:

Reading time today: 95 pages
Total pages this week: 696

Books read from today: Lift And Separate
Number of books completed today: 0
Books completed so far:2

Sunday 1/8:

Reading time today:80 pages

Total pages this week:776

Books read from today:  Lift And Separate

Number of books completed today: 0

Number of books completed so far: 2

Grand Total:

Pages Read:776

Books Completed:   2