It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This weekly meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey and it's where we share the books we've read, reviewed and the books we plan to read in the coming week.

BOOKS I FINISHED:

I finished a couple of books last week, both of which I had been very anxious to read. The first book is DEAD EVER AFTER, the controversial final novel from the Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris. The other book I finished was the highly anticipated new novel from Beth Hoffman, LOOKING FOR ME. I'll be posting reviews for both these books this week. 

     

REVIEWS POSTED:

• THE EXPATS by Chris Pavone (Audiobook)
• SWIMMING AT NIGHT by Lucy Clarke
• ORPHAN TRAIN by Christina Baker Kline
• SIX YEARS by Harlan Coben (Audiobook)

BOOKS I'LL BE FOCUSING ON THIS WEEK:

Somehow I've managed to get my nose into three books this week, which I rarely do. I typically try to stick with two at a time, but I couldn't help myself! Here's what I'm reading this week:

• THE FIREBIRD by Susanna Kearsley. This book is being released tomorrow!
• WHILE WE WERE WATCHING DOWNTON ABBEY by Wendy Wax, a new-to-me author!
• SPRING FEVER by Mary Kay Andrews, one of my all-time favorite escapist writers! I picked this one up on a whim because I'd been missing her and wanted something fun to read!

I almost forgot, I'm also listening to a couple audios as well. 

• THE POISONWOOD BIBLE by Barbara Kingsolver
• BEST KEPT SECRET by Jeffrey Archer (Clifton Chronicles #3)

I'm excited about the books I've listed and I hope you'll come back and check my upcoming reviews! Have a wonderful week in books!

Its Publication Day for Julie Kibler's CALLING ME HOME!

CALLING ME HOME is a heart-piercing story set in present day that tells the stories of two women; one of which takes readers 

back to the early 1940's to a small town in Kentucky where

segregation is the ruler.

It's the story of forbidden love, family and desperate choices.

Congratulations to Julie Kibler on her fantastic 

debut novel that hits shelves today!  

Its Monday! What Are You Reading?

Happy Monday Everyone! This weekly meme is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. Wediscuss the books we've read and what we're planning to read for the week.

Books I Read and Talked About Last Week -

I finished reading THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER by Stephen Chbosky last week. The book is made up of a series of letters written by 16-year old Charlie over the course of a year. One reason I wanted to read the book is that I wanted to watch the movie version starring Paul Rudd (who I have a crush on) but I wanted to have already read the book. 

I posted a review of ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE by Jess Riley last week. It's a humorous look at one family's dysfunction that also deals with some serious topics. I encourage you to check it out. 

If you follow me on Twitter, (@SouthrnGrlReads) you'll know that last week I talked alot about Julie Kibler's debut, CALLING ME HOME, last week. It is our February selection for She Reads Book Club and it was a fantastic choice. 

I started reading Sarah Jio's BLACKBERRY WINTER and I know I'm going to really like it. 

Books I'll Be Focusing On This Week -

My main focus is going to be on THE SILENCE OF BONAVENTURE ARROW by Rita Leganski. I started it last evening and right away the lovely lyrical prose is blowing me away! Not to mention the mystical locale of New Orleans and all that that entails. This will definitely be a real treat for my literary senses. 

I will also continue reading BLACKBERRY WINTER this week. I'm hooked on it! Now I know what all the fuss was about when it was making a loud splash on the blogs.

Reviews I'll be posting this week are THE RIVER WITCH by Kimberly Brock and THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER by Stephen Chbosky. 

I'm really looking forward to this week in books and I hope your week is full of great books as well! Thanks for stopping by today!

The Sunday Salon: Bookish Priorities

Happy Sunday everyone! I haven't posted a Sunday Salon post in so long and I thought it was time. Speaking of time, I just don't know it all goes! February is already bearing down on us, even though down here in Florida its been feeling more like Spring time. The weather has been crazy - highs in the 70's and 80's, then it will drop down into the 40's at night again. I'm so glad I got my flu shot a few months ago or I'd be in trouble. One day I'm in a t-shirt and flip-flops and then it goes back to jeans and sweater weather! My azalea bushes already bloomed at the end of January, which is just nuts! So when Spring actually gets here, I won't have any blooms at all because they're already gone!

On thereading front, I've read some really great books lately. In January I became a member of the She Reads Book Club and so far the book selections have been fantastic. I'm actually reading BLACKBERRY WINTER by Sarah Jio right now that was one of they're selections last year. I'm late to the party, but I'm really enjoying it. Our February selection is CALLING ME HOME by Julie Kibler. It was an emotional and heartbreaking story that really grabbed my attention right away. If you'd like to read my review, you can find it here. Our March selection is THE SILENCE OF BONAVENTURE ARROW by Rita Leganski. I plan to start it today and I'm very excited about it.

I've decided that this year I'm focusing more on books that I've had in my library that I've never gotten around to reading, more than accepting review copies. I'm not saying I won't do any ARC's but I have some really great books that need to be read. For example, I've had THE BOOK THIEF starring up at me from my coffee table for so long and I feel guilty every time I pass it up. I've also wanted to read SHADOW OF THE WIND for two years, when I got the book! The other day I finally started reading ANNA KARENINA. I'll be reading that in between other books, so that will be a slow mover.  I'm planning to read a chapter or two each night before bed, the way I did with JANE EYRE. There are others too, like THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN and THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE. These are all books that I OWN! No more excuses, I have to read these books!

All that being said, Beth Hoffman just emailed me and asked if I'd be interested in reading her new book coming out in May, LOOKING FOR ME!. And of course, I said YES!!! Thanks Beth, you just made my day! Now you see why some of the books on my shelves get pushed to the side! Let's face it, its a good problem to have!

Aside from reading, there are also my television shows I like that take up my time. All I can say is: Thank God For My DVR and OnDemand! Every year I say I'm not going to get involved in anymore series, but every year I do! A few of the new shows I like are NASHVILLE and CHICAGO FIRE. Then there are my older favorites: TOP CHEF, SUITS, DOWNTON ABBEY, THE GOOD WIFE and of course SURVIVOR, which starts up again this week! One new show that just started a few weeks ago is THE FOLLOWING with Kevin Bacon. That is one crazy, twisted show! And I LOVE it!! Wow, I never realized how much of a TV watcher I was until I started naming all of my shows! So you see, it's a miracle I get any reading done at all!

I've had to cut back on my audio books for now because my iPod is so old, many of the newer releases aren't compatible with it anymore. (Thanks to the iBook format). Or so I'm told.  I'm not the most tech savvy person when it comes to my iPod so I could be wrong about that, but I simply don't want to waste anymore time messing around with it. Hopefully a new iPod will cure the problem.

Well, that is what is going on with me. What books are you looking forward to in the months to come? And, does television get in your way too or are you able to walk away from it? I hope everyone has a great Sunday and to my friends up in the New England area: I'm thinking of you and praying that you all stay safe and warm! The weather up there looks absolutely frightening! I haven't lived up north for 30 years, but looking at the news reports brings it all back in a rush!

So, I'm haaving dinner at my friend, Brenda's house, so I need to get moving and get some things done first. Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you'll come back soon! Happy Reading!