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Monday, February 15, 2016

Book Blogger Appreciation Week - About Me...



Good morning everyone and welcome to the first day of Book Blogger Appreciation Week!  This is an event I participated in years ago when I had another blog and I'm very glad that it's back.  Why is it back?  Well, the lovely ladies at The Estella Society decided to give it another whirl, with the blessing of the creator, Amy, of My Friend Amy.  Three cheers for all of them!

Each day this week, I'll be sharing a bit about a topic related to book blogging and some of the wonderful people I've met during my blogging years.  For example, tomorrow I have a great interview with Melwyk of The Indextrious Reader.  I'll also be sharing links to other blogs that I appreciate and love and cherish.  If I don't share a link to your blog, well, just know that I love all of you and am so happy to be back among you again.

Today's suggested topic is to introduce ourselves by telling about five books that represent us as a person or our interests/lifestyle.  I'm a bit of a rebel, so I'm going to tweak that a bit.  Here goes:


My Name:  Kay
My Place:  Central Texas
My Profession:  Former State Tax Auditor and Former Library Supervisor (Best Job Ever!!)
My Sort of Book:  Mostly Mysteries (with a few others occasionally)


Here are 5 types of mysteries that I enjoy with a favorite author/book/series as an example:

Golden Age Mystery



Police Procedural



Amateur Detective/PI



Psychological Thriller



Gothic Suspense



Just to prove that I don't always read mysteries - best non-fiction I've read in many years:




Lastly, my favorite author and series - of any sort of book.  So very talented!! 





I hope this give you a bit of glimpse into what I read and what I talk about on 'kay's reading life'.  And I hope you'll stop by from time to time to visit.  You are very welcome here!!

100 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing your favorites. This sounds like a fun event. Enjoy!

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  2. I hope you have a lot of fun with the event, Kay. I enjoyed your first post.

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    1. Thanks, Cath! Come back on Wednesday and you might see something about you. Hint, hint.

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  3. It took me forever to get around to reading Louise Penny -- so glad I took the plunge.

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    1. I'm very glad too. I tell everyone about her books.

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  4. I need to get back to the Crombie series! Thank you for all the great recommendations over the years. I'm thoroughly enjoying the Ruth Galloway series!

    Have fun with this event. I should've gotten a jump start on it this weekend, but time got away from me.

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    1. So glad you are liking Ruth Galloway. I love that series.

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  5. Totally agree with you on Being Mortal - loved that book! I also just finished When Breath Becomes Air, which reminded me of it a bit, but in more of a memoir style.

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    1. I want to read When Breath Becomes Air, but think I'll wait just a bit. I'm not quite ready for a cancer book quite yet, but soon.

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  6. You used to be a Library Supervisor, sweet. Of course we have similar taste, can't wait to read your posts this week. Thanks for another Agatha C recommendation, I haven't read that one. The Kind Worth Killing is also on my TBR list.

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    1. I was a library supervisor and it was a great job, most of the time. Sleeping Murder is a great Christie book - one that has Miss Marple.

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  7. I need to expand my horizons; I haven't read any of these! Thanks for sharing your favorites!

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  8. I agree with you on Being Mortal - it's such an important book.

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    1. It is an important book. I tell everyone about it.

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  9. Argh, the internet ate my comment! :p

    I love this way of selecting your top five books, and in parTICular, I love that you've chosen Barbara Michaels for one of yours! I cherish her so much. Ammie Come Home is a favorite, and in fact all the books in that set of linked books (not exactly sequels, but) are among my favorites of hers.

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  10. I love mysteries too, but the only author you mentioned that I've read is Christie!

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    1. But that's a perfect one, Nicola. And you should try some of the others. :-)

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  11. Have you read The Dead Key by DM Pulley? I have to read it for book club and am hoping it is good. I always say that I appreciate book clubs for forcing me to read books I wouldn't otherwise choose but I was so sad when it won over The Girl on the Train. :)
    Happy BBAW!

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    1. I have not read it, but I have it on my Kindle. I remember thinking that it would interesting and it seems there were several reviews last year.

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  12. Love your list here! I am going to add Sleeping Murder to my list. I am always looking for good Agatha Christie books to read. Also, love the sound of Ammie Come Home - going to look that up.

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    1. You should try Sleeping Murder. It's a Miss Marple - actually the last Miss Marple. I first read Ammie Come Home when I was in junior high, I think.

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  13. I read so few mysteries, I feel like I should give some a try. Thanks for giving me a starting point!

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    1. They are maybe not for everyone, but they are definitely for me. LOL

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  14. I don't usually gravitate towards mysteries or thrillers, but I have read The Kind Worth Killing. It may be the best thriller I've read! It certainly is one of the few I would consider re-reading. Usually once you know the outcome of a thriller, the thrill is gone, but I think with this one, a second reading would reveal so much that I missed the first time around.

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  15. I would find it a real challenge to choose only five books that represent me as a person. Seems like all my reading have added something to who I am! But it's a great exercise and I look forward to reading all the other choices too! Have bun with Book Blogger Appreciation week!

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    1. Thanks! I had a good time with it and will have more fun this week with other topics.

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  16. Lots of new book ideas for me to explore! I've only recently gotten into mystery. I have a lot of catching up to do!

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    1. Good luck and if you stop by here now and then, you'll see a lot of mystery suggestions - new books and older ones.

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  17. We share very similar taste in books. We lived in Central Texas many years ago.

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    1. Did you live in this area? I'm in the Austin region.

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  18. A fellow library person! :) I have never heard of this Louise Penny, I will have to look her up.

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    1. Oh, I love Louise Penny. You should investigate her books.

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  19. I don't read mysteries much, but when I do, I'll look for one of these.

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    1. Thanks. I love to suggest books for people to try - especially mysteries.

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  20. I've been meaning to read Robert Galbraith - so looking forward to her books

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    1. All I can say is that J K Rowling can write - whatever she wants to call herself. :-)

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  21. I'm starting Being Mortal today...or at least that's the plan. Looking forward to it.

    I'm also a mystery person. That's pretty much my main genre, although lately I've been reading a lot of nonfiction.

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    1. Being Mortal is so good. Hope you enjoy it. Very thought provoking.

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  22. I really, really need to hunker down and read Louise Penny this year. Everyone seems to love her!

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  23. Oh, yes! I love Louise Penny's books on audio! I haven't listened to the latest one because it's a new narrator and I haven't had the heart for it. But I do need to find out what's happening with Inspector Gamache and the village people of Three Pines. I don't have too many mystery authors as favorites, but she and Jane Langton rank right up there! I read a lot of Atul Gawande in The New Yorker and really want to read Being Mortal soon.

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    1. It's so good. You need to read it or listen to it. Truly.

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  24. Big fan of Agatha Christie! I got hooked on reading with mysteries as a teen and I never looked back. Nice to "meet" you Kay!!

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    1. And nice to meet you too, Kristina. Glad to meet another Christie lover.

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  25. I love Louise Penny's series - in audio they are awesome

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    1. They are awesome however you read them, right? I just think she is so talented.

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  26. Love your tweak on this prompt. Psychological thrillers are one of my favorite genres, they are so easy to get hooked on! I've also heard amazing things about Being Mortal and have been planning to pick it up soon.

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    1. Being Mortal is very thought provoking. And I do love psychological thrillers - so many being published lately.

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  27. Mysteries deserve all the love they can get. :-) It's such a diverse genre, and well represented in your reading tastes, Kay. I so enjoy your blog and being able to know you.

    (And I really need to read more Louise Penny.)

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  28. A good chunk of my home library books are Agatha Christies. I'm not much into thrillers but golden age mysteries are my favorite! I still need to get to the Barbara Michaels books seeing as how I love Elizabeth Peters so much. ;)

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    1. You should definitely try a Michaels book. Many have a little more Gothic feel, but so good.

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  29. I'm not typically a mystery reader, but I have been meaning to read Galbraith. I did enjoy In the Woods last year (is that the title? The Dublin Murder Squad). And Being Mortal is high on my list! Every raves about it. For nonfiction, I'm currently listening to Boys in the Boat. Love the narration (Edward Herrmann).

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    1. I bet Edward Herrmann's voice wonderful as narrator. Being Mortal is very thought provoking. And the Galbraith books are great.

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  30. Only in the last couple of years did I actually start reading Golden Age mysteries! I think I had read maybe one Agatha Christie before, but a few years ago, I got into more books by her, also Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh. So so good. I was playing The Body in the Library on audio CD while on a long car trip with my sister and her husband. We all got very into it, coming up with all sorts of theories of whodunit. There are really so many different varieties of mystery and suspense novels - I like how you highlighted some of the varieties here.

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    1. Thanks, Christy! I love listening to Christie books and have read many of them over and over.

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  31. I don't read a ton of mysteries, but I've LOVED the Galbraith books. I tend to like mysteries that are more about the characters than about the actual mystery.

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    1. I like both the character-driven and the plot-driven. I enjoy the puzzle, but I also like to get to know the characters.

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  32. Kay! I love mysteries too! Agatha Christie is a favorite of mine!
    Oh, and I am thinking...how is your sister, Rhonda?
    Take care!
    Love,
    Kay (another one!!)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Kay. Well, my sister passed away almost 2 years ago now. She fought for a long time, but her lung cancer proved too much. I miss her, but am glad that she is out of pain. I appreciate you asking. :-)

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  33. Thanks for sharing, Kay! I know we have some commons in the books we read. :-)

    I'm quite intrigued with Being Mortal; I know it'd be a book that will both enlighten me and blow me away at the same time!

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    1. I think you've said it very well about Being Mortal and I suspect it will do both things. And yes, we do have a lot of tastes in common.

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  34. You know you like mysteries when you can subdivide like that! Awesome - I'm partial to police procedurals and suspense. And golden age. Yeah, I like most mysteries too!

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    1. I've been a mystery lover from way, way back. Since I was a kid. They just 'speak' to me. :-)

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  35. I'm not a huge mystery person, but I do enjoy the Robert Galbraith books! :)

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    1. Aren't they good? That Rowling woman can sure write. LOL

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  36. I didn't know that BBAW was back, and I'm not living under a rock! LOL. My mom loves Louise Penny and keeps telling me I am missing out.

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    1. Nise', you are missing out - pick up STILL LIFE and try it. It might have been publicized when you were sick recently or something.

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  37. Have to say that I haven't read any of these, may have to check them out.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, April. I love how we've all shared such a variety of books today. It's great!

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  38. Hi Kay, I am in love with your list. I am a fan of psychological thrillers, and I look forward to receiving more recommendations from you. Have a great BBAW! :)

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    1. I love psychological thrillers too. And there are so many of them these days. :-)

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  39. It's good to get to know you a little bit better Kay - I think you can tell a lot from the books people like to read and I mightily approve of the choice of A Kind Worth Killing :-)

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    1. Thank you, Cleo! Yes, A Kind Worth Killing is quite a book, isn't it?

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  40. I don't think I knew you were a former tax auditor. I can't imagine a person doing this and loving it...but I could be wrong, I suppose.

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    1. Ha! Well, it had it bright spots, but in the end, I left it and went a different way. There were folks that loved it for many years. It's very tidy and neat and sort of like a treasure hunt. Maybe not so fun for the person or company being audited. ;-)

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  41. Great list! I'm starting to read more mysteries so I'm glad to learn about these sub-genres!

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    1. Yes, mystery includes many different pathways.

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  42. I don't read many mysteries, but Annie, Come Home looks intriguing. I did read Being Mortal, and I am no longer excited about growing old. :)

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    1. I hear you about Being Mortal. Though it did give the reader a lot to think about. You should try Ammie Come Home - it's older, but a good ghostly tale.

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  43. I like your breakdown of the various types of mysteries and, of course, your (and my) favorite author. Lovely post Kay.

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    1. Yes, Margot, you and I love the Louise and her books!

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  44. I used to read tons of mysteries. Not so much now but I do still love them.

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    1. You know, I do think our tastes change over time. And that's a good thing.

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  45. You can't go wrong with Deborah Crombie! I love her books!

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    1. You certainly can't. At least in my book - so to speak. LOL

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  46. I'm never disappointed by an Agatha Christie novel. And she wrote so many! Also love Gothic novels.

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    1. Yes, I love the Gothic and Christie has been a great favorite of mine for many, many years.

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  47. Same taste in books as you, and now I want to look up Being Mortal at the library. Sounds interesting and I've been reading more than my usual of nonfiction lately.

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    1. You should try Being Mortal, Rita. It's got some very thought provoking discussions.

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  48. Nice job! I have read the first two Louise Penny books. Need to get back to them.

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    1. Yes, there's some great books in that series.

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  49. Ooh, ooh, ooh, another Christie fan. I love you already :) I copped out and just put "any Agatha Christie book" ! I'm checking out your other choices, esp, Being Mortal!

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    1. Oh, I love Christie books. Of course I have my favorites, but any Christie book is worth trying. And, yes, Being Mortal is such a good book.

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Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy to hear your thoughts and will respond as soon as I can. Happy Reading!