The It’s Monday! What Are You Reading meme is hosted at BookDate
I’m also linking to The Sunday Post @ Caffeinated Reviewer
And the Sunday Salon @ ReaderBuzz
Life…
I’m still in self isolation because I haven’t yet managed to entirely shake off this cold, and now my oldest daughter, and oldest son are also sick with it. I did venture out to the supermarket late Friday night right before closing but by desperately trying to smother a cough I pulled a muscle in my back, so I’m not doing that again any time soon. Honestly I had a bit of a freak out mid week because I am vulnerable health wise if I get Covid-19, and the numbers are steadily climbing here, but I have it better than many so I’m choosing to suck it up.
Otherwise though we are all managing. Hubby still goes to work everyday. The kids’ school has formally begun online education, and they are working out their own ways of socialising, for example my eldest sons weekly Dungeon & Dragons games have moved online. One side of my family have started a regular zoom conference call every Sunday evening for about a dozen of us which is fun. I’m hoping I can get a regular routine happening this week because I am behind on my review commitments, which I really dislike.
I hope you and yours are safe and well.
It’s the last Monday of the month so time to check in with my challenge progress. I’m not where I should be … but hey… pandemic 🤷🏻♀️
Nonfiction Reader Challenge: 5/12
Australian Women Writers Challenge: 17/50
Aussie Author Challenge: 10/24
Nerd Reading Challenge: 16/52
Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: 11/25
SwordsnStars Challenge: 3/10
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What I’ve Read Since I last Posted…
The Origin of Me by Bernard Gallate
Sheerwater by Leah Swann
The Salt Madonna by Catherine Noske
Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawson
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New Posts…
Review: Our House Is On Fire by Marlena Ernman, Svante Thunberg, Greta Thunberg and Beata Ernman
Review: The Origin of Me by Bernard Gallate
Review: Sheerwater by Leah Swann
Review: The Salt Madonna by Catherine Noske
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What I’m Reading Now…
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What I’m Reading This Week…
Why would someone bury a bucket of precious jewels and gemstones and never return?
Present Day. When respected American jewelry historian, Kate Kirby, receives a call about the Cheapside jewels, she knows she’s on the brink of the experience of a lifetime.
But the trip to London forces Kate to explore secrets that have long been buried by her own family. Back in Boston, Kate has uncovered a series of sketches in her great-grandmother’s papers linking her suffragette great-grandmother Essie to the Cheapside collection. Could these sketches hold the key to Essie’s secret life in Edwardian London?
In the summer of 1912, impoverished Irish immigrant Essie Murphy happens to be visiting her brother when a workman’s pickaxe strikes through the floor of an old tenement house in Cheapside, near St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The workmen uncover a stash of treasure—from Ottoman pendants to Elizabethan and Jacobean gems—and then the finds disappear again! Could these jewels—one in particular—change the fortunes of Essie and her sisters?
Together with photographer Marcus Holt, Kate Kirby chases the history of the Cheapside gems and jewels, especially the story of a small diamond champlevé enamel ring. Soon, everything Kate believes about her family, gemology, and herself will be threatened.
Based on a fascinating true story, The Lost Jewels is a riveting historical fiction novel that will captivate readers from the beginning to the unforgettable, surprising end.
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When top-flight journalists Hadley Callahan and Mitch Samuals married two years ago, theirs had been declared the celebrity wedding of the year. But, now, Hadley unexpectedly returns to Stringybark Creek alone to tell her parents one major piece of news while determinedly hiding another even more explosive secret.
Hadley’s big society wedding had killed any hopes that Oliver Dawson, the Callahans’ neighbour and Griff Callahan’s best friend, had nurtured since his teenage years when Hadley was his best friend’s little sister and thus out-of-bounds.
While Hadley’s in town, the shocking suicide of one of their old school friends brings them together as they mourn their loss. Hadley and Ollie begin a campaign to raise awareness of rural mental health, both wanting to make a difference.
With Mitch putting pressure on Hadley to keep quiet, and the secret she’s keeping causing her great anguish, Hadley’s feelings for Ollie take her by surprise. But her life is so messed up at the moment – what future could they possibly have together?
Return to Stringybark Creek concludes the Callahan family trilogy with a delightfully irresistible story of loyalty, hope and the importance of staying true to yourself.
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Birth. Death. Wonder … One woman’s journey to the edge of love and loyalty from the bestselling author of The Lace Weaver
London, 1702. When her husband is lost at sea, Mary Burton Gulliver, midwife and herbalist, is forced to rebuild her life without him. But three years later when Lemuel Gulliver is brought home, fevered and communicating only in riddles, her ordered world is turned upside down.
In a climate of desperate poverty and violence, Mary is caught in a crossfire of suspicion and fear driven by her husband’s outlandish claims, and it is up to her to navigate a passage to safety for herself and her daughter, and the vulnerable women in her care.
When a fellow sailor, a dangerous man with nothing to lose, appears to hold sway over her husband, Mary’s world descends deeper into chaos, and she must set out on her own journey to discover the truth of Gulliver’s travels . . . and the landscape of her own heart.
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It all began when I met you, Lily.
Beautiful, dangerous, precious you.
At first Katherine dismisses her early-twenties intern as a millennial ‘snowflake’: entitled, moralistic, soft. Yet as Lily’s youth and beauty increasingly remind Katherine of everything she once had, she begins to develop a dark fascination with her new colleague.
But is Lily as perfect as she seems, or does she have a sinister hidden agenda? As Katherine is drawn into an obsessive power struggle with the intern, a disturbing picture emerges of two women hiding dark secrets – and who are desperate enough to do anything to come out on top…
With shocking twists at every turn, Precious You is a powerfully gripping story of obsession, revenge and deceit.
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I am sorry to hear that others in your family are now sick with the cold. My mom’s cold hung on for quite a while too. She’s only lately been feeling a bit better. Which reminds me. I should call her today. I was sorry you pulled your back muscle. I did something to my neck and it’s giving me a lot of trouble. It feels like if it is not one thing, it is another. I hope you and your family continue to stay safe. It sounds like you are all adjusting as best you can under the circumstances. Take care and I hope you feel better soon!
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I hope she continues to feel better.
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I hope you all feel better soon. We’re going to reopen our small business tomorrow but only for contactless curbside sales. Customers will have to call in and pay for their order and then we’ll place it in the trunk or back end.
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That’s smart..stay well and protect yourselves!
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I think under the circumstances that it’s okay to let your “review commitments” go. You and your family’s health are what is important now. 🙂
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My dad had a cold a few weeks ago, and I’m so glad he was able to go to the doctor and treat it before it got worse. It would be bad if he had to go in the hospital right now as he is 93.
I hope you all stay safe during this time. We are staying at home and having our groceries delivered.
Don’t worry about your reading. It will all work out in the end, I think.
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The first week of isolation was challenging…it’s starting to feel like the new normal so week two has been better….but March is lasting a loooong time! One day at a time! My family had been working on not touching our faces and washing our hands every 30 minutes! The vast majority of Covid is contracted by touching your face so we’re trying to take control of that at least! It’s harder than I thought!!! I think we’re each going to need one of those dog face cones!! 😂 Take care!
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I hope that everyoen will get better soon! And stay safe.
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This is just the worst time to be sick. I struggle with allergies, and every time something changes, I get paranoid. I’m really hoping to settle into a new routine this week, too.
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Shelleyrae, I really hope you and your children feel better soon! 🙂
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Sorry that you’ve been sick… and to deal with a pulled back on top of that. So miserable. The Zoom calls with family sounds fun. If my sisters were even slightly able to manage such a thing I’d be setting one up but they would both be totally lost. LOL
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We’ve started a Sunday evening family Zoom with my family, too… it’s so much fun! I haven’t been able to concentrate on books the last few weeks, but feel like we’re settling into a new routine . Hope I’ll get back to reading and blogging this week. Hope you are feeling better soon!
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Urg… pulled back muscles are so painful. Have you a TENS machine? I swear by mine as it stops the muscles spasming and cuts down a lot of the misery. I suspect that authors and publishers are willing to let reviews slide a bit in the circumstances and I hope you and your family feel a LOT better very soon.
Very impressed to see that you’ve completed 46 books already this year:)). Take care, Shelleyrae.
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I’m so sorry to hear you and your family have been sick. I hope you start to feel better. At this point, staying at home is the best thing.
Thank you for your kind words for the loss of my kitty. I appreciate it.
Take care and stay safe!
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I understand as I hope we will get a better routine with spring break ending. I hope you and your family are feeling better soon. We’ve just stayed home and done grocery delivery once. My daughter hasn’t been out since March 16 and I have to make a pharmacy run tomorrow but I have stayed home also. I’m a more moody reader and I’m trying to do my ARC commitments too.
Stay safe and happy reading!
Anne – Books of My Heart Here is my Sunday Post
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You are doing really well on your challenges! I think routines are what are going to get many of through this with our sanity intact. Our kids doing school, the adults working (from home or not), etc will all help.
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It’s super rough when you get a regular cold at the moment as everyone assumes the worst… I hope you manage to recover quickly and that your back heals!
Fingers crossed you managed to avoid C-19. It’s scary enough thinking about it as it is, I can only imagine how much worse it is when you’re vulnerable. 😦 Hope you stay safe!
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I hope you and your family feel better soon. Glad to hear that your kids can now learn online. Here in Germany it runs not everywhere smoothly. From some kids in the neighborhood I heard that the internect connection isn´t good enough or the system is simply not able to stand the storm of all the kids who want access. Ah yeah. We will go through this. Hand in there and stay safe.
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I can relate to feeling behind with reviewing commitments. I hope that you and your family are all well, soon. Take care.
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I hope everyone feels better soon! I’m also way behind on writing book reviews, but I’m trying not to worry about it. We have more than enough to worry about!
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Oh no sorry to hear you are sick! Hope it’s not Covid and either way hope you are feeling better soon. Sending lots of good vibes and well wishes your way.
That’s neat that your family are meeting up online. I’ve played D&D with some friends of mine online too, it’s nice to be able to still get together virtually. 🙂
Take care this week and hopefully you are all on the mend soon!
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Ugh, I hope you get well soon!! It’s so scary right now. I’m at home, thankfully, but my husband is a police officer so we never really know who he’ll come into contact with. Hope you have a better week this week!
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Ouch. A pulled back muscle can be painful. I hope you are all feeling better. I’m still going to work and don’t see us closing down. Cross my fingers each time I go in.
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I hope you are your family get over your colds soon. I’m not coughing but I felt the urge more than once while grocery shopping last week. I think it was the power of suggestion at work. I have been reading my review books and really enjoying the ones coming out soon. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
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I have been almost paranoid about getting colds from others, since group living in a residential place is something quite foreign to me, having lived completely alone, almost hermit-like (lol), for several years. Being around so many people freaks me out, still, so the isolation to the apartment has been a kind of blessing for me. I do miss going to the stores, though.
I hope you get better soon.
I am so glad for books, and I just realized I am halfway through my Nonfiction Challenge, having finished my third (of six) book this past week.
Enjoy your time with family…and isn’t it great that kids all love going online? That must help.
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I’m hoping that one of the benefits of this time, is getting back in touch with my blogging community and having the time to read and comment thoughtfully again.
Our country’s version of lockdown is only 2 days old so far, but I’m already looking back on how busy and rushed and hectic our lives used to be and wondering why we did it.
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Ooops also meant to say I hope you’re feeling better now and that the family is getting better too. Take care xo
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Stay safe and I hope the cold disappears soon. Reading has been a bit of a challenge, just when we expected to perhaps read more.
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I hope you are all feeling better quickly. Yes, it is hard to hold a sneeze or cough if you go out. It is strange to be behind our reading goals when we have more time, but our minds are elsewhere.
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I see some good Australian reads mixed in here! Hope that cold goes, not good pulling a muscle in your back. Stay safe, stay well as best you can. It is scary times. I just went out to the shop, quick in and out, used Paywave for the first time in my life but felt safer!
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I’m so sorry to hear that you haven’t been feeling well. I hope you’ll be on the mend soon and that you and your family stay safe from Covid-19.
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I’m sorry to read you’re still having a cold. I hope it gets better soon. And for your family as well.
The Lost Jewels looks really good!
Stay safe and happy reading.
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A sore back is the last thing you need! Hope you feel better soon.
I do like the sound of the Kirsty Manning book
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Ugh, being sick right now must be really tough on top of everything else. One of my coworker’s threw out his back this week from sneezing! I hope you’re feeling better now.
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My allergies really kicked into high gear and the first few days I worried that it was not just allergies. My reading and reviewing have really fallen off which is really sad as I had just really gotten into a good grove of being on top of my review.
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Yes, I’ve had a cold for three weeks, and as each of my kids came down with it, I’ve worried it’s not just my cold…
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