Top Ten Tuesday, April 25th

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's question is:

Top Ten Things That Make Me Instantly 

NOT Want to Read a Book

This is a hard question because it takes a lot for me not to want to read.  There are definitely some things however, that will deter me from picking up a book...

• If I know it is a huge tearjerker. I don't mind crying in a book but I don't like to finish a story and feel depressed or cry through the entire thing. A sad part or two is fine but if it is more than that, I stay away. 
• If an animal dies. Not just any animal but an animal that is a main focus of the story. So, there is no Old Yeller or Love That Dog for me. No thanks. 
• If the characters on the cover are half naked with their facial expressions in the throes of ecstasy. I'm no prude but this just turns me off completely, even if I have heard the book is fantastic. 
• If the print is so tiny, I can barely read it. I have decent vision but I deplore teeny tiny print. Is is hard to focus and unattractive. 
• No meaningful relationships. It doesn't have to be romance, but some sort of relationship deepens a story. I find books without them to be bland. 
• Horrible grammar. Unless it is purposeful, I have no interest in books that have a ton of grammatical errors. 
• Books about sports. Boring... 
• Books with a ton of bad reviews. I may read it eventually, but not until someone convinces me that it is worth picking up. 
• Books of poetry. Just not my cup of tea. 
• Overdone love triangles. I don't mind it for a few chapters but please don't spread it over the whole book or series. I hate that. 

How about you?

WWW Wednesday, April 5th

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme is now hosted by Taking on a World of Words. Just answer these three questions to share what is going on in your reading life and to give others some great book recommendations. 

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

I always have one print book/kindle book and one audio book going at the same time.  Right now, I'm reading The Bone Witch and I'm listening to Jane Steele.

I just finished listening to Witchy Sour.  This is book 2 in the Magic and Mixology mystery series.  I'm really enjoying this series.  It's light and fun.

I have a few books waiting in the wings. I plan to read Jinx and Tonic, which is the 3rd book in the Magic and Mixology series. I'm also planning to start Neverwhere and Almost Missed You.

What are you reading?

Stacking the Shelves: April 1st

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves. This includes books you buy in the store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!  In my case, it includes audiobooks too because I love them and listen every day on my journey to and from work.

Not too many added to the shelves this week but I do have a few:

I'm excited to read all of these.  Witchy Sour and Jane Steele are both audiobooks for my commute.  Almost Missed You was given to me to read and review for SheReads.org, and I just heard such great things about Neverwhere and The Lost Girls that I picked those up on my own.

Have a great weekend!

Review: Ghostly Echoes

Ghostly Echoes is the third book in William Ritter's Jackaby series that follows R.F Jackaby, Abigail Rook, and their friends, as they try to solve mysteries in late 1880's New England.

I love this series and a large part of what makes me love it are the characters.  Jackaby and Abigail are so well written and likable that you can't help but continue to turn the pages to see what happens next. Over the three books, their backgrounds have slowly been shared so that, as a reader, I feel like I know them and I am invested in their lives.  Even Jenny, Douglas, and Charlie have captured my heart.

There are a couple of mysteries being investigated simultaneously in this third book.  We have the ongoing mystery of what happened to Jenny plus an additional investigation that actually ends up connecting to Jenny's story.  It's all very engaging, with a mix of drama and quirky humor and just a tiny bit of romance.  I'm really looking forward to the next book.

First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intro, March 21st

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros is hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea and is all about sharing the first paragraph, maybe two, of a book that you are reading or plan to read soon. I'm almost finished with the book I am reading so I'll probably start this one next week and I'm really looking forward to it. Hopefully, it will not disappoint. 

"It's been sixty-four years.  That doesn't feel so long, strange though it may seem to you, but Mother is dead, and Father, and Lilith; I am the last.  When I am gone, it will be as though that summer never happened.  I've thought about this as I sit in my chair on the porch, as I take my evening walk up to the bridge, and as I lie awake listening to the water shifting in the dark.  I've even taken to sleeping in Lilith's and my old room, in the small bed that used to be mine.  Last night I watched the moonlight on the ceiling and thought of the many nights I have lain there: as a child, as a young girl, and now as an old woman.  I thought about how easy it would be to let all of it pass from the earth."

So, based on this passage, would you keep reading or pass on this one?

Top Ten Tuesday: March 14th

Top 10 Books on My Spring TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. I have quite a few books on my TBR list, I cannot lie, it is a bit longer than is realistic.  This was actually a nice organizer for me to prioritize what books I will be reading next.

• The Apothecary's Poison (Glass and Steele Book 3)
• Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices Book 2)
• Dying Breath: A Paranormal Romance Novel (Krewe of Hunters)
• The Medium: Emily Chambers Spirit Medium Series, Book 1
• Witchy Sour (The Magic & Mixolo​gy Mystery Series 2)
• The Darkness of Light: Historical Fantasy (The Dia Chronicles Book 1)
• Retribution Falls (Tales of the Ketty Jay Book 1)
• Against a Brightening Sky (Delia's Shadow Book 3)
• Carve the Mark
• Dating-ish (Knitting in the City Book 6)

Have a great week! Can't wait to see what everyone has on their spring reading lists!

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at the Book Date and is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and are about to be reading over the week and it's an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to that ever growing TBR pile! 

What I finished last week:

What I am reading this week:

Next week, I will most likely still be working on these two books but when I finish them, I do have my next two books waiting in the wings.

Looks like I am going to have off from work tomorrow due to the snowstorm here in the mid Atlantic region.  Extra reading time for me! Have a great week everyone!