Ok, I'm going to try doing this at least once per quarter so I can let whoever reads this blog know what sounds good to me. Let me state tho, this is really based on authors or series that I'm already reading since those are the things I follow. I'm not paid to write this blog nor do I have any affiliations with any publishers so I don't receive free books or advance notice of things except what I glean off facebook from people who do have those contacts. Maybe someday.
Blood Trade by Faith Hunter is coming out quickly and has shown me that I need to do this post a month before the quarter. LOL The Master of Mississippi is having problems with vamps who think that humans are simply here to be their food and these vamps are harder to kill than normal. Can Jane figure out how to kill them while staying alive herself?
I admit, I'm a book behind in this series but that just means it's time to grab that book and start reading...quick!
Release Date: April 2
Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris is the conclusion to the Sookie Stackhouse series. I know I'm going to read it but after the last one, I'm just not looking forward to it. I hope we see some actual resolution and I do hope Sookie gets her HEA but this was a series that was hard for me to get into from the start and then got really good and then has cooled off again. I think trying to force it to a certain length was a mistake as there have been a couple of books that really just felt like they were put in as filler and didn't add much to the overall series.
Release Date: May 7
Darkness Unmasked by Keri Arthur is the latest in her Dark Angels series. Risa is still looking for the keys that everyone wants and is under watch by the vampire council as well. This series has been frustrating as I like them but the main plot seems to only go somewhere every other book at most as Risa ends up dealing with her feelings for her two paramours a lot and getting sucked into some other mystery that has nothing to do with her main objective. It looks like this one has her back on task and maybe some resolution about Lucien as well. I can only hope.
Release Date: June 4
Wow, after how many came out first quarter, not so much coming out this quarter. That's okay tho as it gives me time to try and get to things on my to-read pile and see about bringing that one down a bit.
Friday, March 29, 2013
44:120 A Fantasy Medley 2 by Huff, Downum, Kent, & McGuire
A collection of short stories edited by Yanni Kuznia. I admit, I bought it solely because Seanan McGuire had a story about Tybalt in it. I do have some books by Tanya Huff on my to-read pile and this being me, of course I read the whole thing cover to cover. I can't stand only reading one story out of a compilation or even reading them out of order. So now my thoughts on each story:
Quartered by Tanya Huff - Evicka, a Bard, is sent to spy on an assassin but the revelations she comes away with are more than anyone could have imagined. Bards in this world control kigh, spirits of some sort, through their songs and are used not only to spy but also to bring news to others and use their songs to influence people's opinions. Obviously a well built world and I'm intrigued to know more.
Bone Garden by Amanda Downum - Genetian ran away from his people several years ago but now his cousin is on the doorstep of the theater he works and lives at and tells him it has to do with the babies and women being killed. Again, it seemed pretty obvious that this was part of a larger world but I'm still undecided if I want to know more. I just didn't get really invested in it.
The Sergeant and the General by Jasper Kent - A crotchety old man is befriended by a student living in the same building. When the student mentions getting a horse, the old man tells him there is no room and takes him down to the stables to see why. In the stables, there are no horses but only a pendant with the likeness of a horse and a name etched on it but that night and for several afterward, the student hears hooves on the stairs leading to the old mans flat but even when the hooves sound like they are next to him, he sees nothing. A few days later the old man is dead, clutching the horse pendant. Then we are told the meaning behind the pendant. In all, it was well-written but I found it disjointed and hard to care about the characters. It says that it's from a series but I definitely won't be looking for it.
Rat-Catcher by Seanan McGuire - Rand, adopted son of the King of Cats, has been charged to hear the message brought to Londinium, the fairy lands that coincide with London. What he reports back is that there will be fire that will sweep through all the lands and any who stay will burn but when the king decides to ignore the warning, Rand steps up to protect his people and a new king emerges from the battle, Tybalt. Very interesting to read how Tybalt became King of the Cats and my biggest complaint is that the story was simply too short. It told exactly what it needed to but not much more and there is soooooo much more I want to know about Tybalt. I imagine that for anyone who was more familiar with the other worlds in this medley, they felt the same way.
I came away from this happy with the story I bought it for and a new series to look into. Unfortunately, I don't think the other two stories were strong enough to truly stand on their own as good introductions to their wolds for people like me who were completely unfamiliar with them.
Page count: 160p/10,922p ytd/155,342p lifetime
Quartered by Tanya Huff - Evicka, a Bard, is sent to spy on an assassin but the revelations she comes away with are more than anyone could have imagined. Bards in this world control kigh, spirits of some sort, through their songs and are used not only to spy but also to bring news to others and use their songs to influence people's opinions. Obviously a well built world and I'm intrigued to know more.
Bone Garden by Amanda Downum - Genetian ran away from his people several years ago but now his cousin is on the doorstep of the theater he works and lives at and tells him it has to do with the babies and women being killed. Again, it seemed pretty obvious that this was part of a larger world but I'm still undecided if I want to know more. I just didn't get really invested in it.
The Sergeant and the General by Jasper Kent - A crotchety old man is befriended by a student living in the same building. When the student mentions getting a horse, the old man tells him there is no room and takes him down to the stables to see why. In the stables, there are no horses but only a pendant with the likeness of a horse and a name etched on it but that night and for several afterward, the student hears hooves on the stairs leading to the old mans flat but even when the hooves sound like they are next to him, he sees nothing. A few days later the old man is dead, clutching the horse pendant. Then we are told the meaning behind the pendant. In all, it was well-written but I found it disjointed and hard to care about the characters. It says that it's from a series but I definitely won't be looking for it.
Rat-Catcher by Seanan McGuire - Rand, adopted son of the King of Cats, has been charged to hear the message brought to Londinium, the fairy lands that coincide with London. What he reports back is that there will be fire that will sweep through all the lands and any who stay will burn but when the king decides to ignore the warning, Rand steps up to protect his people and a new king emerges from the battle, Tybalt. Very interesting to read how Tybalt became King of the Cats and my biggest complaint is that the story was simply too short. It told exactly what it needed to but not much more and there is soooooo much more I want to know about Tybalt. I imagine that for anyone who was more familiar with the other worlds in this medley, they felt the same way.
I came away from this happy with the story I bought it for and a new series to look into. Unfortunately, I don't think the other two stories were strong enough to truly stand on their own as good introductions to their wolds for people like me who were completely unfamiliar with them.
Page count: 160p/10,922p ytd/155,342p lifetime
43:120 Deadly Sting by Jennifer Estep
The 8th book in the Elemental Assassin series. Gin is still broken-hearted about how things currently stand with Owen so Finn decides to wheedle her into attending a gala event showcasing Mab's jewelry with him to get her out of the house. He even manages to persuade her to go dress shopping with him so he can make her look fabulous. Nothing is ever simple for Gin tho and shortly after the last guest arrives, the gala event has become a heist. Of course Gin isn't going to let that stand, especially when her friends are now hostages.
I really look forward to these books but this one, just didn't do it for me. I like the characters but I think that the fact that almost this entire novel takes place over one night means there is no development in relationships and it's more about setting up the next big bad guy Gin is going to go against for the next several books. Also, again there was too much repetition in Gin's thoughts and it seemed much worse than usual this time which ends up detracting from the whole book. Seriously, we do not need the same thing stated bluntly a few times every chapter. Please treat us like grown-ups who can remember basic things.
Page count: 369p/10,762p ytd/155,182p lifetime
I really look forward to these books but this one, just didn't do it for me. I like the characters but I think that the fact that almost this entire novel takes place over one night means there is no development in relationships and it's more about setting up the next big bad guy Gin is going to go against for the next several books. Also, again there was too much repetition in Gin's thoughts and it seemed much worse than usual this time which ends up detracting from the whole book. Seriously, we do not need the same thing stated bluntly a few times every chapter. Please treat us like grown-ups who can remember basic things.
Page count: 369p/10,762p ytd/155,182p lifetime
Thursday, March 28, 2013
42:120 Goofballs #4: The Mysterious Talent Show Mystery by Tony Abbott
The Talent Show is less than two weeks away and the Goofballs are eager to show off their goofy skills that aren't related to mystery solving...and then a mystery lands in their laps. First a tuba goes missing, than the curtain is stuck, pages of the play are replaced minus a big speech, and then their teacher who is putting on the talent show and play disappears in a puff of smoke! Leave it to the Goofballs to get to the bottom of these mysteries and save the day!
Another fun tale for the 7-9yr old crowd! Tony Abbott definitely seems to be a genius when it comes to writing for them!
Page count: 108p/10,393p ytd/154,813p lifetime
Another fun tale for the 7-9yr old crowd! Tony Abbott definitely seems to be a genius when it comes to writing for them!
Page count: 108p/10,393p ytd/154,813p lifetime
41:120 Kitty Rocks the House by Carrie Vaughn
The 11th book in the Kitty Norville series. Kitty is back from London and she and Rick are busily trying to find allies against The Long Game. Of course, allies are hard to come by and they always want to test your strength, especially when you are dealing with vampires and weres. Now a new werewolf is in town and while he says he's trying to join the pack, something about him is rubbing Kitty the wrong way but is she strong enough to withstand his challenge if he tries for the leadership? And will Rick really be tempted by the new vampire that has just shown up claiming to be from the Order of St. Lazarus telling him that he can be a vampire and have his Christian God too?
While this book doesn't do much in terms of The Long Game story arc, it does a lot in terms of helping Kitty discover her own strengths and changing some of the players up a bit. It also hints that Roman is only the General in The Long Game but not the Caesar which is a scary thought all on it's own.
In all, I liked this installment of the series. I liked that Kitty didn't back down but that she didn't just let her wolf dictate everything when it came to a challenge either. I was saddened by what happened with Rick and hope that he'll be back sooner rather than later.
Page count: 324p/10,285p ytd/154,705p lifetime
While this book doesn't do much in terms of The Long Game story arc, it does a lot in terms of helping Kitty discover her own strengths and changing some of the players up a bit. It also hints that Roman is only the General in The Long Game but not the Caesar which is a scary thought all on it's own.
In all, I liked this installment of the series. I liked that Kitty didn't back down but that she didn't just let her wolf dictate everything when it came to a challenge either. I was saddened by what happened with Rick and hope that he'll be back sooner rather than later.
Page count: 324p/10,285p ytd/154,705p lifetime
Monday, March 25, 2013
40:120 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
"The Timeless Classic of Growing Up and the Human Dignity That Unites Us All" is what it states on the cover of my addition and truly that is a great summarization. Jem and Scout are growing up in a sleep Southern town with their father, Atticus, who is the town's lead defense attorney. Most days it's all playing outside, making up games, and coming up with stupid dares for each other like going to see if you can touch the house of Boo Radley, a hermit who hasn't been seen in 20yrs. School starts for Scout who is a few years younger than Jem and she starts having to learn about new ideas and other ways of thinking and it's a complete shock to her. Then one of the blacks living in the outlying area has been accused of raping one of the poor white girls and Atticus steps up to defend him. Now Jem and Scout are having to learn more about how the rest of the world operates and how bigotry and intolerance hurt more than anything else but that while those things hurt, there is wonder and love in equal measure to be found.
Page count: 281p/9,961p ytd/154,381p lifetime
39:120 Goofballs #3: Superhero Silliness by Tony Abbott
Randall Crandall is once again in need of his Goofball friends in order to keep safe his world famous derder collection from The Dutchman. Randall's hosting a superhero party so the Goofballs done some goofy disguises and try to find clues and stop the thief in his tracks.
Another goofy tale and another hit for Tony Abbott.
Page count: 104p/9,680p ytd/154,100p lifetime
Another goofy tale and another hit for Tony Abbott.
Page count: 104p/9,680p ytd/154,100p lifetime
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