Monnie > Recent Status Updates

Just started this one and think it's going to be good - relates to mobsters from Steubenville, Ohio - not far from where I live and a place I've been to and passed through several times. Many places I've been have been mentioned already and I'm just getting started.

Whoa - this is GOOD...

Wow. Just wow. How will I ever write a review of this one? I can't even fathom a mind conceiving this story, let alone writing it coherently. Did I say wow?

Wow - a blend of "Soylent Green" and "Brave New World" and a few other futuristic mind-benders - really, really good so far!

Wow - this one's pretty freaky!

This one is really good so far!

Have mercy! Had I realized this book is 900+ pages long I never, ever, would have requested it (note to self: pay attention to length!) It is, though, starting out to be interesting and well-written - but I'll never finish it by the release date given all the other books on my TBR waiting list.

A favorite series - this supposedly the final book - and I wanted to work it in between my ARCs list. I just did something I've never done: set it aside to finish later. Definitely not the way I want to see Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus go out (actually, they don't even appear in the book all that much, so far, at least). What a disappointment!

Ugh - a review dilemma. How do I deal with a lead character - not a Jack Reacher type, but a cozy heroine - who blatantly, knowingly and willingly breaks the law? Not only that, who coerces someone else to be her accomplice? The infraction is serious enough that, if discovered in real life, both characters would be charged with a crime. No way can I condone it or recommend the book to others. Holding review for now.

Bummed - I requested (and got) too many books with the same release date, so now I'm behind. Thank goodness this one is short!

Oh my. I got behind in my NetGalley list, and this one - dubbed a "romantic thriller" - is next up and because of the romance part I was trying to keep an open mind. Then I learned it's 600+ pages. Okay, late or not, it's gonna wait some more.

At this point, I'm thinking I'll never get out of the hole I inadvertently dug for myself by not paying attention to how many books I'd requested from NetGalley with same-month release dates. I'm now starting this one - released yesterday - and I have one more in my pile that was released yesterday as well. Sure hope the publishers are understanding - and, of course, they WILL get their reviews, albeit late (sigh).

This one's starting off good. I can't believe I managed to request - and get - four books all released on the same date (today). I still have one more to go, and on top of that I incorrectly wrote down the archive date for the one I just finished instead of the release date, so it was late even before I started it. Boy, I must be getting old! :-D

I know ARC readers are advised to ignore grammatical kinds of errors, as publishers say all those will be corrected in the final version. But by the time a book has reached the galley stage, it should have gone through a ton of editing. So to find a couple of big bloopers in the first couple of chapters does not bode well, IMHO. In fact, the whole thing so far seems a little sloppy.

Wow, what a great book! I've read some really good ones of late, but it's been a while when I got one I honestly didn't want to put down. If this pattern keeps up to the end, it'll be close to the top of my best five books this year (so far, anyway).

This one won't be released for a while, but it's such a favorite series that I moved it up on my to-read list. I try not to do that very often because it can mean last-minute scrambling later on, but sometimes it's worth it.

Working on it. This one appeared in paperback form in my mailbox a couple of weeks ago with no warning (simultaneously added to my NetGalley shelf) and a request for a review by May 1. Needless to say, I have little wiggle room given the others on my shelf, so I may well miss the deadline. But I'm working on it.

This actual book showed up in our mailbox and came as a total surprise, but I'll try my best to get it finished by the requested May 1. I'm always delighted to get books (although I much prefer that they not be the hold-in-your-hand kind), but knowing ahead of time (or a much farther-out review deadline) is important as well. That said, it's interesting so far.

Well drat - looks like I missed another release date! That's happened a couple of times in the past when I wrote down the archive date instead of the release date by mistake. Oh well - nothing I can do now except apologize.

How is this possible? A relatively small town of around 25,000 has "several different" high schools and "hundreds and hundreds" of students at one single prom. I live within shouting distance of three towns, one with about 80,000. Even that one can't support more than two public schools and one parochial. And forget hundreds at proms, which generally are limited to juniors and seniors. ???

Really good book - the Olympics are cutting into my reading time, but I'm trying to sneak chapters when something boring (to me) is on like cross-country skiing.

This one's sort of crazy but cool...quite interesting.

Did it again - wrote down the archive date instead of the release date on this NetGalley book. So it's already out, and I'm scurrying to finish it ASAP. Which isn't easy with a Clancy book. But it's very good so far.

Have to carve out time in between must-reads on my NetGalley ARC list for the guilty pleasure of reading the latest in a favorite series.

Whew - 750 pages?? Haven't read one that long since the Harry Potter series. Worse, it's a "real" book - haven't read one of those in ages either. Gonna get started because it'll take me a while. It's getting a lot of attention, so hope it's good.

I swear if I read one more "Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes" I'm gonna barf all over my Kindle. Not picking on this author - just weary of reading what has become a trite description. I even found one book where it appeared three times.

Finished this last night - and up front, it's a 5-star book - but review probably won't get done for another day or two at least. It's time for the Olympics, folks!

DYNAMITE! Do NOT miss this book! Review to come.

Oh my - what a delight! This one just keeps getting better and better.

Got this ARC a few days ago and just can't wait to read it even though it won't be released till October. Color me happy!