By Tessa Pulyer Posted on

Sunday Post 46 | September Wrap-Up

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

I survived (just barely) the group activities I had to participate in as part of Leadership Week last week at the nonprofit I’ve been helping out part time. I can’t figure it out. I just don’t get group activities with adults. Now, I am great at pulling people together to work out an issue or to plan out something. I get a lot from that. But to make a 3D representation of what you think it means to be a leader as a group project …yeah, that did nothing for me except make me wonder about some people.

I started letting Theo out on the second story deck because he’s been trying to run out the front door whenever I open it. I figured if he wanted to experience the outside that bad, the deck is a much safer place to do it. But I think I’ve created a monster. All he wants to do is hang out on the deck even more so than eating his food or other basics like that.

September Wrap-Up: I read 16 books last month and I’m at 130 books read for the year, so far. I posted 13 reviews plus the Sunday Post, WWWWednesday, and Book Blogger Hop weekly. Thank you all for bearing with me as I’ve been figuring out when reading and sharing everyone’s posts fits into my new schedule each day.

NetGalley

From the author of the breakout thriller Every Last Fear, comes the electrifying new novel about a pair of small-town murders fifteen years apart—and the ties that bind them. “The night was expected to bring tragedy.” So begins one of the most highly-anticipated thrillers of 2022. It’s New Year’s Eve 1999. Y2K is expected to end in chaos: planes falling from the sky, elevators plunging to earth, world markets collapsing. A digital apocalypse. None of that happens. But at a Blockbuster Video in New Jersey, four teenagers working late at the store are attacked. Only one inexplicably survives. Police quickly identify a suspect, the boyfriend of one of the victims, who flees and is never seen again. Fifteen years later, more teenage employees are attacked at an ice cream store in the same town, and again only one makes it out alive. In the aftermath of the latest crime, three lives intersect: the lone survivor of the Blockbuster massacre who’s forced to relive the horrors of her tragedy; the brother of the fugitive accused, who’s convinced the police have the wrong suspect; and FBI agent Sarah Keller who must delve into the secrets of both nights—stirring up memories of teen love and lies—to uncover the truth about murders on the night shift. Twisty, poignant, and redemptive, The Night Shift is a story about the legacy of trauma and how the broken can come out on the other side, and it solidifies Finlay as one of the new leading voices in the world of thrillers.
Friday Night Lights meets Mare of Easttown in this small-town mystery about an unlikely private investigator searching for a missing waitress. Pay Dirt Road is the mesmerizing debut from the 2019 Tony Hillerman Prize recipient Samantha Jayne Allen. Annie McIntyre has a love/hate relationship with Garnett, Texas. Recently graduated from college and home waitressing, lacking not in ambition but certainly in direction, Annie is lured into the family business—a private investigation firm—by her supposed-to-be-retired grandfather, Leroy, despite the rest of the clan’s misgivings. When a waitress at the café goes missing, Annie and Leroy begin an investigation that leads them down rural routes and haunted byways, to noxious-smelling oil fields and to the glowing neon of local honky-tonks. As Annie works to uncover the truth she finds herself identifying with the victim in increasing, unsettling ways, and realizes she must confront her own past—failed romances, a disturbing experience she’d rather forget, and the trick mirror of nostalgia itself—if she wants to survive this homecoming.
In this raucous psychological thriller, a disillusioned millennial joins a cliquey fan club, only to discover that the group is bound together by something darker than devotion Day after day our narrator searches for meaning beyond her vacuous job at a women’s lifestyle website—entering text into a computer system while she watches their beauty editor unwrap box after box of perfectly packaged bits of happiness. Then, one night at a dive bar, she hears a message in the newest single by international pop star Adriana Argento, and she is struck. Soon she loses herself to the online fandom, a community whose members feverishly track Adriana’s every move. When a colleague notices her obsession, she’s invited to join an enigmatic group of adult Adriana superfans who call themselves the Ivies and worship her music in witchy candlelit listening parties. As the narrator becomes more entrenched in the group, she gets closer to uncovering the sinister secrets that bind them together—while simultaneously losing her grip on reality. With caustic wit and hypnotic writing, this unsparingly critical thrill ride through millennial life examines all that is wrong in our celebrity-obsessed internet age, and how easy it is to lose yourself in it.
A popular sorority girl. An unsolved murder. A campus podcast with chilling repercussions. Lucas Vega is obsessed with the death of Candace Swain, who left a sorority party one night and never came back. Her body was found after two weeks, but the case has grown cold. Three years later while interning at the medical examiner’s, Lucas discovers new information, but the police are not interested. Lucas knows he has several credible pieces of the puzzle. He just isn’t sure how they fit together. So he creates a podcast to revisit Candace’s last hours. Then he encourages listeners to crowdsource what they remember and invites guest lecturer Regan Merritt, a former US marshal, to come on and share her expertise. New tips come in that convince Lucas and Regan they are onto something. Then shockingly one of the podcast callers turns up dead. Another hints at Candace’s secret life, a much darker picture than Lucas imagined—and one that implicates other sorority sisters. Regan uses her own resources to bolster their theory and learns that Lucas is hiding his own secret. The pressure is on to solve the murder, but first Lucas must come clean about his real motives in pursuing this podcast—before the killer silences him forever.

The Write Reads Blog Tour ARC

Not on NetGalley

In the fires of World War II, a child must save his people from darkness… Ten-year-old Uriel has always been an outcast. Born mute in a Jewish village known for its choir, he escapes into old stories of his people, stories of angels and monsters. But when the fires of the Holocaust consume his village, he learns that the stories he writes in his golden notebook are terrifyingly real. In the aftermath of the attack, Uriel is taken in by Uwe, a kind-hearted linguist forced to work for the commander of the local Nazi Police, the affably brutal Major Brandt. Uwe wants to keep Uriel safe, but Uriel can’t stay hidden. The angels of his tales have come to him with a dire message: Michael, guardian angel of the Jewish people, is missing. Without their angel, the Jewish people are doomed, and Michael’s angelic brethren cannot search for him in the lands corrupted by Nazi evil. With the lives of millions at stake, Uriel must find Michael and free him from the clutches of the Angel of Death…even if that means putting Uwe in mortal danger. The Book of Uriel is a heartbreaking blend of historical fiction and Jewish folklore that will enthrall fans of The Book Thief and The World That We Knew.

From the Publicist through Edelweiss+

Beyond the mirror, the darkest fairy tales come alive. . . . For years, Jacob Reckless has enjoyed the Mirrorworld’s secrets and treasures. Not anymore. His younger brother has followed him. Now dark magic will turn the boy to beast, break the heart of the girl he loves, and destroy everything Jacob holds most dear. . . . Unless he can find a way to stop it.

I couldn’t find any interesting new movies or series to watch this week, but a new season of The Great British Baking Show started on Netflix. That’s always fun to watch.

I mentioned that I switched from HuluLive to YouTube TV for my normal network TV watching, a few weeks ago, and I’ve got to say, I really like it. I’m also very glad they worked out their agreement with NBC Universal this week. If they hadn’t, it could have totally disrupted by Bravo reality series watching. Lol. I don’t know what I’d do without Below Deck or Real Housewives as background noise when I’m typing up book reviews and such.

  • Monday, September 27th: Book Review of Falling in Louvre by Fiona Leitch ☀️ ☀️ ☀️ ☀️.5 (RomCom)
  • Tuesday, September 28th: Book Review of the Scholomance series by Naomi Novik ☀️ ☀️ ☀️ ☀️☀️ (YA Fantasy)
  • Wednesday, September 29th: WWW Wednesday
  • Thursday, September 30th: Book Review of The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward ☀️ ☀️ ☀️☀️ ☀️ (Psychological Horror Thriller)
  • Friday, October 1st: Book Blogger Hop
  • Monday, October 4th: Shadow Stained by Rachel Hobbs (Dark Fantasy Horror) – First Impressions & Excerpt
  • Tuesday, October 5th: Book Review of Luminous by Mara Rutherford ☀️ ☀️ ☀️ ☀️☀️ (YA Fantasy)
  • Wednesday, October 6th: WWW Wednesday
  • Thursday, October 7th: Book Review of The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews ☀️ ☀️ ☀️☀️ ☀️ (Holiday Fiction)
  • Friday, October 8th: Book Blogger Hop

How was your week – bookish or otherwise?

28 Replies to “Sunday Post 46 | September Wrap-Up”

  1. Jenny Mcclinton says:

    I’m glad you got through the group session, you must be relieved its over 😊 I’m struggling to keep up with reading through all the blog posts at the moment, going back to work has certainly made me a lot more tired 💕

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lady Tessa says:

      Work definitely puts a crimp in things. And I’m so relieved to have that behind me for sure. ❤️

      Like

  2. Louise H says:

    We share identical views on those “team building” events. I also think about all the very useful things I could be doing rather than wasting time on a pointless exercise. I’m sure for many they hold a benefit but I never feel as though I gain anything from them.

    Theo is clearly stamping his authority and showing you he is the boss 😂. Have a great week.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lady Tessa says:

      He is totally boss. ❤️😍❤️. And, yeah, it’s hard to stop thinking of all the more productive ways the time can be spent.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Flora says:

    Yeah, adult team building. I’m not a fan.
    I think I’ve may have bitten off more than I can chew this month – I’ve joined #Blogtober. What was I thinking?! It’s only the third day and I’m panicking! Lol!
    I love that Theo’s putting his paw down and showing you where his territory is. 😂 I hope you have a great week, Tessa. 💚

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lady Tessa says:

      More power to you! You’ve got this ❤️
      And, yes, Theo is totally coming into his own since our old cat passed. It’s very interesting to watch. And very traumatic for my female cat who liked the more docile Theo much better. Lol.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. writerravenclaw says:

    Pay Dirt Road, what a great name for a book. I’m off in a week, so I’m going to try and read more then. I still need to finish the book I’m reading first though.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. vee_bookish says:

    Do they really call it The Great British Baking show and not The Great British Bake Off? That’s so odd because we just call it Bake Off here 😂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lady Tessa says:

      They do. I double checked because I could have just as easily miss wrote it but that’s what it’s called in the US. I love exploring the differences in things we share like book covers/titles and other media like TV and movies.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. D. Wallace Peach says:

    I’m glad you survived your week, Tessa. Lol. And I thought I was reading a lot. You’re way ahead of me. Lots of fun, isn’t it? And thanks for sharing your haul. The cover of Funke’s Reckless series are jaw-dropping gorgeous. I’d read those simply for the covers! Lol. I look forward to your review(s) and just might end up adding them to my constipated kindle. 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lady Tessa says:

      Funke is a very original and somewhat dark weaver of fairy tales for the YA and adult reader. I look forward to exploring this new series.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Adira says:

    Happy Sunday, Tessa!

    I feel you on the group work with adults. It makes no sense, but everyone always wants to do these type of activities with adults at work and it annoys me so much. 😅

    I’m excited to read Cornelia Funke’s newest series. I really loved Inkheart.

    Here’s my Sunday Post:

    How It Feels to Read As An Empath

    Have a good week!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lady Tessa says:

      Me too!!! I love her story telling. That’s why I even bothered with this with this whole set. I’m glad to meet someone else who enjoyed Inkheart as well ❤

      Like

  8. Jinjer says:

    Awww Theo is so happy on his balcony! That’s like my cat…she would live on our screened in back porch if she could. I think it’s because she can sleep deeply and feel safe whereas if she’s out in the yard she has to be on high alert and can only doze? IDK.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. WendyW says:

    Theo is adorable! I’ve also been watching The Great British Baking Show on Netflix, it’s always fun.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Teri Polen says:

    It may not work for all cats, but we put Bond on a long leash (15-20 feet) and let him out on the patio with us. He can move around freely, but he’s slipped the collar a few times chasing butterflies or birds. At this point, he figures he’s got it pretty good here, so he doesn’t go far, lol. I finished Lucifer last week and actually needed a tissue.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lady Tessa says:

      I have a leash but getting the harness on him that goes with the least has been a challenge. I think he would actually be a cat I could take for a walk if I could get the harness on him ❤️

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Grab the Lapels says:

    I’m also watching The Great British Baking Show. It’s so weird how Netflix has this thing where they are now releasing episodes one at a time. I also watched the new season of Nailed It, and I have Love on the Spectrum season 2 ready to go. I also found a show on Netflix called Deaf U, which is about students at Gallaudet University. Mostly, it’s been about hook-up culture, which emphasizes 20-somethings gonna be 20-somethings no matter what.

    That WWII book sounds interesting. Mostly, I do not read novels set in WWII for a variety of reasons, mainly because they feel all the same. However, the book you added sounds more akin to Pan’s Labyrinth, which uses scary creatures and folklore to emphasize what happened in WWII without actually being obviously about WWII.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lady Tessa says:

      I thought the book sounded interesting too – it was definitely intriguing enough to give it a try. And my husband is so frustrated with the one episode per week thing. He said it was so 2010 of Netflix. Lol.

      Like

      1. Grab the Lapels says:

        Have you seen that Tweet that went viral about the dad telling his pre-k daughter that Netflix used to come in the mail, and she mocked him, saying, “Back in my day, the internet came in the mailbox!” Such a hoot.

        Like

  13. Carla says:

    I like group sessions, but that sounds a bit over the top to me. Theo is a beautiful boy, he must love the sunshine. Enjoy all those new books. I totally get the fitting in blogs. I follow so many that I just can’t visit them all everyday, I would do nothing else. I hope this past week was less busy, Tessa.

    Liked by 1 person

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