Closing it down...'and they all lived happily ever after'!

Hello everyone...I hope that everyone has had a nice summer.  Since today is the last day of the 'traditional' summer, I decided it would be a good day to post my future intentions.  First, may I say that I have had a great time getting to know everyone and sharing my love of books here on 'kay's reading life'.  As most of you know, this was not my first blog.  I finished one a few years ago and then deleted it entirely.  Then I missed it and began again.

This summer has been a good one for us.  We've traveled and enjoyed family and friends.  We've visited our favorite part of New Mexico - the Ruidoso area.  We've watched a nephew get married and marveled at how time has flown.

In early July, I decided that it was time for me to get serious about my health and weight.  I rejoined Weight Watchers and have been very happy doing so.  I have also gotten very, very serious about my quest to move more.  So much so that I'm finding my focus turning from books and sitting to activity.  This is long overdue in my life.  I am very, very pleased with my progress.  And I know my doctors will be pleased with it when they see what I've accomplished.  I have a lot more work to do, but I'm determined to make these changes in eating and movement permanent parts of my life.

I know that I could do 'book focus' and 'health focus'.  I know this intellectually.  However, at least for now, I seem to need to continue with my 'health focus'.  I'm still reading some, but I am listening to audio books all the time because I am up and doing.

So, I am going to say goodbye to 'kay's reading life'.  I'm going to leave it up (for a year or so at least), but don't plan to post again at this time.  If I should change my mind in the future, it will still be here for a time.  My blog reading has been sporadic and my commenting has been nil.  I suspect that will not change either.  You know, our lives go through stages and seasons.  Mine seems to be changing to a new season.

Much love to you all.  You've been great friends.  I wish you happiness, joy, and lots and lots of good reading.  God bless.  I plan to live 'happily ever after'!

Rapture in Death - J. D. Robb

Rapture in Death by J. D. Robb


First Paragraph:

The alley was dark and stank of piss and vomit.  It was home for quick-footed rats and the bony, hungry-eyed felines who hunted them.  Red eyes glinted in the dark, some of them human, all of them feral.
     Eve's heart tripped lightly as she slipped into the fetid, damp-edged shadows.  He'd gone in, she was sure of it.  It was her job to follow, to find him, to bring him in.  Her weapon was in her hand, and her hand was steady.


My Thoughts:

Rapture in Death is the 4th book by J. D. Robb.  Eve and Roarke are now married and the first death that occurs is at an off-planet resort that Roarke owns.  They are sharing the 'honeymoon suite' and Eve is on vacation, but she has to pull on her 'cop' persona (which never really leaves her) and dig in.  This book was published in 1996 and it is 21 years old now.  The series is set in the mid-21st century - 2058 or so.  There are futuristic elements for sure, but I find it interesting how many things mentioned are now, in 2017, at least possible or maybe even available.  Sort of like the old 'Star Trek' show and the Engineer Scottie saying 'Computer...' or noticing those 'tricorders' in their hands.  Doesn't it remind you of all of us gazing at our phones in our hands or saying 'Siri' or 'Alexa'.  Curious, right?  And the re-reading binge continues...


Blurb:

They died with smiles on their faces. Three apparent suicides: a brilliant engineer, an infamous lawyer, and a controversial politician. Three strangers with nothing in common—and no obvious reasons for killing themselves. Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas finds the deaths suspicious. And her instincts pay off when autopsies reveal small burns on the brains of the victims.

Was it a genetic abnormality or a high-tech method of murder? Eve’s investigation turns to the provocative world of virtual reality games—where the same techniques used to create joy and desire can also prompt the mind to become the weapon of its own destruction...

Immortal in Death - J. D. Robb

Immortal in Death by J. D. Robb


First Paragraph:

Getting married was murder.  Eve wasn't sure how it had happened in the first place.  She was a cop, for God's sake.  Throughout her ten years on the force, she'd firmly believed cops should stay single, unencumbered, and focused utterly on the job.  It was insane to believe one person could split time, energy, and emotion between the law, with all its rights and wrongs, and family, with all its demands and personalities.


My Thoughts:

Immortal in Death is the 3rd book in J. D. Robb's series featuring Eve Dallas and Roarke.  As always, aptly narrated by Susan Ericksen.  And, in case you were wondering, Nora Roberts (the author behind the name of J. D. Robb) wanted to reach a different set of readers with these books.  Apparently, it wasn't until about #9 that the 'secret' came out.  In this tale, Eve and Roarke are planning their wedding.  Well, Roarke is planning it - Eve is busy with murder, as usual.  Mavis, one of Eve's closest friends, has been arrested for second degree murder.  The dead woman - Pandora - mega-famous model.  Eve is determined to find the real killer because she knows that it's not Mavis.  We get to know more about several of the secondary characters, and this is the book that Officer Delia Peabody makes her debut as Eve's assistant.  I'm happily doing listen/read combos on these books.


Blurb:

She was one of the most sought after women in the world. A top model who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted—even another woman’s man. And now she was dead, the victim of a brutal murder. Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas put her life on the line to take the case when suspicion fell on her best friend, the other woman in the fatal love triangle. Beneath the facade of glamour, Eve found that the world of high fashion thrived on an all-consuming obsession for youth and fame. One that led from the runway to the dark underworld of New York City where drugs could be found to fulfill any desire—for a price…