Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Teaser Tuesday: Dead As A Doornail by Charlaine Harris

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:


  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

They say that when one door shuts, another door opens. But they haven't been living at my mouse.


Most of the doors I open seem to have something scary crouched behind them, anyway.
Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris is the fifth in the Sookie Stackhouse series. This episode is more concerned with the shapeshifters than the vampires. Jason has been bitten and is now turning into a were-panther at the full moon. A sniper is targeting shifters. There is also a struggle for pack leadership after Colonel Flood dies in a car accident. Alcide ropes Sookie in to read some minds.


I have decided to read the Sookie Stackhouse series again. I am enjoying this second read almost more than the first time because I am reading the whole series back-to-back-to-back which lets me see how the characters grow and change through the series. 


Sunday, August 29, 2010

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (August 30, 2010)

It's Monday, What are you reading is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey 
It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.



My last week of summer vacation was packed full of reading.
Death's Excellent Vacation was edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner -- My favorite story was the Cat and Bones story by Jeaniene Frost. The Katie MacAlister story was also fun since it is nice to get a whole story from Jim's point of view. 

Burning Up included stories by Nalini Singh, Angela Knight, Meljean Brook and Virginia Kantra. I really liked the stories by Nalini Singh and Meljean Brook.

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto was a lot like Twilight in the over-the-top melodrama and extensive verbiage. I can see some of my younger teens loving this one.

The God of the Hive by Laurie R. King is the latest Sherlock Holmes-Mary Russell story. This has both characters on the run and separated. They are running from unknown villains. Mycroft is also in trouble. The villain is a madman with good intention.
I pulled out my Kindle to find something interesting and found:

Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett is a cozy mystery. It is first in a series about the proprietor of a mystery bookstore.

Eternal Hunter by Cynthia Eden is paranormal suspense. Assistant DA Erin Jerome has attracted a stalker who is leaving bloody corpses as presents for her. She enlists shapeshifter Jude Donovan to protect her and find the stalker.

A Certain Wolfish Charm by Lydia Dare combines Regency England and werewolves in a romance. 

Toward the end of the week the stress of getting ready to move back to my winter home and start the new school year started to get to me. I went looking for comfort books and found the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris.

Dead Until Dark introduces a small town barmaid named Sookie who is a telepath and introduces her vampire sweetie Bill.

Living Dead in Dallas has Sookie and Bill visiting Dallas and getting involved with the Fellowship of the Son as they try to track down a missing vampire.

Club Dead has Sookie and Alcide travel to Jackson, Mississippi to track down Bill who has gone missing. Sookie learns that Bill has reconnected with his maker and plans to leave Sookie behind. She rescues him anyway but the relationship is broken.

I am currently reading Dead to the World. I think that I will shift away from the Sookies after this one because I have a bunch of other books that I need to read for the first time.

Waiting for me at work are Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins and Blameless by Gail Carriger. Both are third books in series that I am enjoying. I hope I'll have time to read them after the media center is set up and ready to got and I have some idea what my classes are going to be doing.




Saturday, August 28, 2010

KINDLE GIVEAWAY BLOG TOUR

Author Scott Nicholson and Amazon are giving away two Kindles as part of his fall book blog tour from September through November, including a stop here on Oct. 2. A Kindle DX will be given away through the participating blogs, and a Kindle 3 will be given away through the tour newsletter at scottsinnercircle-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. A Pandora's Box of free ebooks will be given away through Nicholson's  hauntedcomputer  Twitter
account.

“The digital era is great for connecting readers and writers,” Nicholson said. “So it’s perfect timing to embark on a digital tour and celebrate the book blogs, readers, and a device that has enhanced the joy and education of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.”

Nicholson is author of 12 novels, including The Skull Ring and Speed Dating with the Dead, as well as five story collections, four comics series, and six screenplays. A freelance editor and journalist, he lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

As a bonus, if Nicholson hits the Top 100 in the U.S. or U.K. Kindle Store during the tour between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30, he will give away an extra Kindle 3 through the blogs. No purchase necessary, and the contest is international. Co-sponsored by Kindle Nation Daily and Dellaster Design. Details at www.hauntedcomputer.com.



I am excited to be one of the stops on the Kindle Giveaway Blog Tour. Scott will be guest posting here on Oct. 2 but don't forget to go to his website on September 1 to get registered for the Kindle and find out where the tour is going. 


In My Mailbox (August 29, 2010)

The weekly In My Mailbox post is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It is fun to see what everyone else gets in their mailboxes, shopping bags, and library visits. Click on the link to The Story Siren's site to see the rules and join in the fun.
 
I guarantee that your TBR pile will grow when you see all the cool books everyone gets. You will discover lots of wonderful blogs and lots of books that you won't be able to live without.

Everything was for my Kindle this week.
Dark Deceptions by Dee Davis - This romantic suspense title sounded good when I read about it on someone's blog.

Kiss Me If You Can by Carly Phillips - This traditional romance sounded like a nice change of pace from all the urban fantasy and paranormal romance that I have been reading lately.

But I couldn't abandon paranormal completely.

Slave by Cheryl Brooks is the first in the Cat Star Chronicles. I had seen a review of the most recent title in this series and decided to try the first one. I read quite a few screens and then abandoned it. The writing was entirely too much "tell" and not enough "show". I found the part I read very repetitious and I couldn't get a feel for the main character who is telling the story in the first person.  

The Feline Fugitive by Esmerelda Bishop sounded like a cute premise with a man masquerading as a woman's pet cat while trying to catch a murderer and convince her that she is his mate.

The Panther's Lair by Esmerelda Bishop sounded like an interesting erotic paranormal.

That is what passed for my mailbox this week. Even though all I had to do was click and turn on my Kindle to get them. What did you get this week?



Review: Dead Until Dark & Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

I was in need of some comfort reading and chose to visit the world of Sookie Stackhouse again. I tend to do this sort of reading when I am feeling stressed. Am I the only one who does this?


Dead Until Dark
Author: Charlaine Harris
Publication: Ace (September 1, 2006)


Description: Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out....Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea.


My Thoughts: This book was as compelling to read a second time as it was the first. Sookie is an interesting character. Another character once describes her as an eclair on the outside and a pit bull on the inside. On the outside she is cute, blond, buxom and looks brainless; on the inside she is hiding that she is a tough-minded woman. She has had to be. She can read others' thoughts whether she wants to or not. When she meets Bill Compton she is initially fascinated because vampires are rare in her part of Louisiana. Later she comes to love him because she can't hear his thoughts. The main problem in this book is that someone is killing young women who have had sex with vampires. Sookie herself is targeted. Her brother Jason is under suspicion because he dated the women who were killed.


The writing is seemless. It doesn't get in the way of the story. It is easy to get involved in the story and care about the characters.


Favorite Quote:
"I read a policeman's mind," I muttered. I snuck a look to see how Eric was taking this, and he was staring at me the same way the Monroe vampires had. Thoughtful. Hungry.


"That's interesting," he said. "I had a psychic once. It was incredible."


"Did the psychic think so?" My voice was tarter than I'd meant it to be.


I could hear Bill's indrawn breath.


Eric laughed. "For a while," he answered ambiguously.


Living Dead in Dallas
Author: Charlaine Harris
Publication: Ace (September 1, 2006)


Description: When a vampire asks cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse to use her telepathic skills to find another missing vampire, she agrees under one condition: the vampires must promise to behave and let the humans that are involved to go unharmed. Easier said than done. All it takes is one delicious blond and one small mistake for things to turn deadly.


My Thoughts: Now that Eric knows that Sookie is psychic and that she has agreed to work for him, he loans her out to the vampires in Dallas. They have lost a member of their nest and want him back. Sookie and Bill travel to Dallas where they run afoul of the Fellowship of the Sun. This anti-vampire hate group has kidnapped the other vampire and also kidnaps Sookie. Sookie also meets a vampire named Godric who wants to commit suicide because of the many evil things that he has done. She is rescued from the Fellowship by Godric and by a shapeshifter. The shapeshifter was undercover at the Fellowship spying for other shapeshifters who are determined to remain unknown to the human population.


Again, the writing does not get in the way of the story. The book is a fascinating read. Sookie is gradually losing her innocence as she sees things that don't fit into her former idea of right and wrong. She is also expanding her world view as she meets other supernatural creatures.


Favorite Quote:
I glared at him, so incensed I could hardly speak. "I am a message to you," I said, almost in a whisper. "this woman in the woods made Bill's car stop, and maybe even made us argue, and then she came up to me with this hog."


"A pig?" Eric could not have been more astonished if I'd said she had a canary up her nose.
Now I am ready to begin reading Club Dead and watch the further growth and development of Sookie Stackhouse. I think this is why I love reading series so much. One book - even a very good book - can't tell me enough about characters I care about. A good series adds depth and richness to a character and to a world. I recommend this one to lovers of the paranormal.


Check this link to find out about all of Charlaine Harris's books.


Challenges: RYOB Reading Challenge, Flashback Reading Challenge

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Friday Memes: Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Happy Friday everybody!!


Book Beginnings
Book Beginnings on Friday is a meme hosted by Becky at Page Turners. Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading. If you like, share with everyone why you do, or do not, like the sentence.
The Friday 56

Rules:
  • Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
  • Turn to page 56.
  • Find the fifth sentence.
  • Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
  • Post a link along with your post back to Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
  • Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

I was in need of a comfort book today and so I grabbed Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris for a re-read. I recently watched the first two seasons of True Blood on DVD and am surprised how very much like the beginning of the first book the series is. Later on series diverges a lot. At least, I think so. It has been a long time since I read the books. As it happens, I am reading a copy of the book with the new cover. I also have a copy of the original cover.

Beginning:
I'd been waiting for the vampire for years when he walked into the bar.
Page 56, sentence 5:
"You were married."


"Yes, I became a vampire when I was thirty. I had a wife, and I had five living children. My sister, Sarah, lived with us. She never wed. Her young man was killed in the War."


"The Civil War."
I felt like I needed to provide the context for my sentence. It made no sense by itself. As it is, it helps set the feel of the book and shows how much has changed for Bill.


What are you reading? 

An Eclectic Mix of Reviews

Here is what I have been reading lately. I went the Kindle to find my next books.

A Certain Wolfish Charm by Lydia Dare
In Lydia dare's debut trilogy, Regency England has gone to the wolves!

He gets crankier and crankier as the moon gets full...

The rules of Society can be beastly-especially when you're a werewolf and it's that irritating time of the month. Simon Westfield, the Duke of Blackmoor, is rich, powerful, and sinfully handsome, and has spent his entire life creating scandal and mayhem. It doesn't help his wolfish temper at all that Miss Lily Rutledge seems not the least bit afraid of him, and in fact, may be as untamable as he is...

A woman whose charm is stronger than the moon...

When Lily's beloved nephew's behavior becomes inexplicably wild, she turns to Simon, the boy's cousin and guardian, for help. But Simon's idea of assistance is far different than hers, and Lily finds herself ensconced in his house and engaged to the rogue.

They both may have bitten off more than they can chew when each begins to discover the other's darkest secrets...
This is also a first book in a series that combines the Regency Period with paranormal creatures. The Duke of Blackmoor is a werewolf. He is not entirely comfortable with his beast and hopes to keep him a secret from Lily. Lily is his ward's aunt and has been raising the orphaned boy. But now the boy is twelve and starting to develop his werewolf abilities. Blackmoor has to step in and teach the boy what he needs to know. However, he can't tell Lily why he is doing this and she refuses to abandon the boy. They do fall in love but have major problems because of his need to keep secrets. This book was OK. I think I prefer books where the weres are more accepting of themselves.

Eternal Hunter by Cynthia Eden
Assistant DA Erin Jerome has a secret. Make that two. One: She's not entirely human-she's Other, desperately trying to keep her supernatural strength under wraps. Two: she's got a killer stalking her-an Other rogue set on "gifting" her bloody corpses, not to mention nights lying awake in terror. Small wonder she's been having bad luck with men.

But the bounty hunter on her new case isn't worried about any of that. Jude Donovan is a shapeshifter himself, and the new DA's midnight hair and addictive scent tell him all he thinks he needs to know: She's gorgeous, she's definitely not human, and she's bringing out the animal in him in a really good way. He might have to track a psychotic Other stalker through half of Louisiana. But he might also get the chance to watch Erin's wild side come out and play.
Erin has a problem. Besides hiding the fact that she is Other and has some unusual talents, she has also attracted a stalker who is determined to win her love by killing anyone who argues with Erin and leaving the gruesome corpses as a present for her. The stalker is also Other. Erin goes to Jude to get help. Jude is immediately attracted to Erin and determined to help her. Jude is a hunter who hunts down Other criminals that the law and the courts can't touch. He is a white tiger shifter. She is determined to keep secrets from Jude. She feels that she was abandoned by her mother because she was not able to shift into her animal form and has determined to live as a human. However, she is stronger than humans and also inherited psychic dreams from her father. Jude has to convince her that he loves her just the way she is and that she doesn't have to change herself for him. This was a very enjoyable read.

Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett
The streets of Stoneham, New Hampsire are lined with bookstores...and paved with murder.

When she moved to Stoneham, city slicker Tricia Miles met nothing but friendly faces. And when she opened her mystery bookstore, she met friendly competition. But when she finds Doris Gleason dead in her own cookbook store, killed by a carving knife, the atmosphere seems more cutthroat than cordial. Someone wanted to get their hands on the rare cookbook that Doris had recently purchased-and the locals think that someone is Tricia. To clear her name, Tricia will have to take a page out of one of her own mysteries-and hunt down someone who isn't killing by the book.
This was a pleasant cozy mystery. It is the first in a series. Tricia Miles has opened a mystery bookstore. The town has become a mecca for booklovers. Her neighbor who runs the cookbook store is a rather unpleasant person. When Tricia finds her murdered and a valuable cookbook stolen from her shop, she becomes the chief suspect. Tricia also has to cope with the arrival of her older sister who is going through a fourth divorce. The two sisters have always been rivals but Angelica is trying to make a new start. She assists Tricia in solving the crime and clearing her name and supplies wonderful treats. The recipes are included in the back of the book. This was a pleasant mystery.

That is it for me. A Regency romance with paranormals; a contemporary paranormal suspense book with a murderous suitor; and a cozy contemporary mystery with recipes. This is a sample of the kinds of books that I enjoy.

Booking Through Thursday: August 26, 2010

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme. Anyone can play along! Just comment to the following: 
If you’re not enjoying a book, will you stop mid-way? Or do you push through to the end? What makes you decide to stop?

If I am not enjoying a book, I stop a lot sooner than half-way. I usually give a book a few pages to grab my attention. If it fails, I set it aside and try something else. I have over 800 books on my TBR stack currently either in physical form or on my Kindle. I also read for pleasure. It is not a pleasure if I am not enjoying a book. 


Here are some things that will stop me from reading a book:

  • writing style - Do I have to stop and re-parse sentences before they make sense to me? Is the style overly "cute"? Did the author fall in love with their thesaurus? I avoid both stream of consciousness and over-abundance of dialect in the books I choose.
  • characters - Can I identify in some way with the main character? Is the character interesting to me? Are there interesting and well-developed secondary characters?
  • story - Is the author getting into actually telling a story or spending huge amounts of words setting up the story? Give me action and start it NOW. Something needs to happen. Is there a problem that needs to be solved?

Now, all of these things are very subjective. I story that I can't connect to might well be someone else's favorite book of all time. I also have to note that I am a mood reader. A book may be perfectly wonderful but I am not in the mood for it. Sometimes I want something light and happy; sometimes I want something darker or requiring more thought. In most cases, I give a book more than one try before I abandon it for good and move it along to find it a good home.


If you have thoughts on the topic I would love to hear them. Write a post and link it here. And, good luck! I hope the book you are reading now is not one that you will give up on.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Review: The God of the Hive by Laurie R. King

The God of the Hive
Author: Laurie R. King
Publication: Bantam; 1 edition (April 27, 2010)


Description: In Laurie R. King’s latest Mary Russell–Sherlock Holmes mystery, the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author delivers a thriller of ingenious surprises and unrelenting suspense—as the famous husband and wife sleuths are pursued by a killer immune from the sting of justice.
 
It began as a problem in one of Holmes’ beloved beehives, led to a murderous cult, and ended—or so they’d hoped—with a daring escape from a sacrificial altar. Instead, Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes, have stirred the wrath and the limitless resources of those they’ve thwarted. Now they are separated and on the run, wanted by the police, and pursued across the Continent by a ruthless enemy with powerful connections.

Unstoppable together, Russell and Holmes will have to survive this time apart, maintaining tenuous contact only by means of coded messages and cryptic notes. With Holmes’ young granddaughter in her safekeeping, Russell will have to call on instincts she didn’t know she had. But has the couple already made a fatal mistake by separating, making themselves easier targets for the shadowy government agents sent to silence them?
 
From hidden rooms in London shops and rustic forest cabins to rickety planes over Scotland and boats on the frozen North Sea, Russell and Holmes work their way back to each other while uncovering answers to a mystery that will take both of them to solve. A hermit with a mysterious past and a beautiful young female doctor with a secret, a cruelly scarred flyer and an obsessed man of the cloth, Holmes’ brother, Mycroft, and an Intelligence agent who knows too much: Everyone Russell and Holmes meet could either speed their safe reunion or betray them to their enemies—in the most complex, shocking, and deeply personal case of their career.



My Thoughts: This was an excellent read. I couldn't put it down and stayed up much too late to finish it. Mary and Holmes are both on the run. Holmes needs to find medical care for his son David who was shot. He kidnaps and young Scottish female doctor and they end up in Holland. Mary has separated from him and has his granddaughter Estelle with her. And in London, Mycroft is also in danger. He is being harassed by Scotland Yard and is kidnapped when he leaves the Yard. Each of them has to find a way to protect the people with them and figure out why they are being pursued and who is pursuing them. This was very suspenseful.


One of the characters that most interested me was a young man that Mary encounters in her flight. He reminds her of Robin Goodfellow or the Green Man. He is living very close to nature. She learns that he is a shell-shocked victim of the first world war who was so traumatized that he has created an entire second personality. 


Challenges: RYOB Reading Challenge

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Review: Death's Excellent Vacation edited by Charlaine Harris

Death's Excellent Vacation
Editors: Charlaine Harris & Toni L. P. Kelner
Publication: Ace Hardcover; 1 edition (August 3, 2010)


Description: The editors of Wolfsbane and Mistletoe and Many Bloody Returns deliver a new collection-including a never-before-published Sookie Stackhouse story. 

New York Times bestselling authors Charlaine Harris, Katie MacAlister, Jeaniene Frost-plus Lilith Saintcrow, Jeff Abbott, and more-send postcards from the edge of the paranormal world to fans who devoured Wolfsbane and Mistletoe and Many Bloody Returns. 

With an all-new Sookie Stackhouse story and twelve other original tales, editors Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner bring together a stellar collection of tour guides who offer vacations that are frightening, funny, and touching for the fanged, the furry, the demonic, and the grotesque. Learn why it really can be an endless summer-for immortals.

My Thoughts: This was an interesting anthology that introduced me to a number of mystery writers that I have never read before. I liked the Cat and Bones story by Jeaniene Frost and the Effrijim story by Katie MacAlister. I thought the Sookie story by Charlaine Harris was pretty weak. I didn't really see any of Sookie's personality in the story. I really enjoyed Pirate Dave's Haunted Amusement Park by Toni L. P. Kelner where a new werewolf goes to relive her childhood as a part of adjusting to being a werewolf and discovers that the pirate at Pirate Dave's is a vampire.


Challenges: RYOB Reading Challenge, Paranormal Reading Challenge

Teaser Tuesday: The God of the Hive by Laurie R. King

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I am just getting ready to begin The God of the Hive by Laurie R. King. I enjoy this mystery series about the exploits of a retired Sherlock Holmes and his much younger wife Mary Russell. I got this book back in April and wanted to save it until I had time to devote to it. It got buried in the TBR stack and just resurfaced.
I felt as if someone fleeing Vesuvius with me had stopped to fret about the carpets. The obituary had buried any lesser consideration: To my mind, the Brothers case was in a box and temporarily closed away. Who would worry about a mere killer when the world was being engulfed?
This comes from page 150 and I have no idea what is going on. I need to start this book now to find out.


What is sitting next to you? 

Monday, August 23, 2010

Review: Shadow Zone by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen

Shadow Zone
Authors: Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen
Publication: St. Martin's Press; 1 edition (July 20, 2010)


Description: While mapping the ancient underwater city of Marinth in the Atlantic Ocean, submersible designer Hannah Bryson makes a shocking discovery: she may have finally uncovered the truth about the once-glorious city’s mysterious demise. Long ago it was a thriving metropolis bursting with culture and life—Marinth’s sudden disappearance has plagued scientists for years. But now, with her unexpected new findings, Hannah realizes that the ancient city’s explosive secret could have dire consequences for the modern-day world.


But Hannah isn’t the only one who realizes it. When her key artifact is hijacked en route to a research lab, she is thrust into an adventure in which she must match wits against a terrifying enemy who will kill anyone who stands in his way. And when Hannah becomes his target, she knows that her best hope for survival lies with Kirov, a mysterious and deadly man from her past. Together they will race to unravel Marinth’s last great secret in order to prevent a catastrophe of global proportions. Before the lethal game is over, however, Hannah will realize that no one is above suspicion.


My Thoughts: This was a great story of romantic suspense that was much heavier on the suspense than on the romance. Hannah Bryson and her custom submarines are helping a friend explore an underground civilization when they find an algae that has potential to be a bioweapon of unimaginable force. It may have ended the ancient civilization. Arms dealer Gadaire wants to sell it to the highest bidder and is willing to kill anyone who would prevent that. Kirov is after Gadaire and in a race to keep the potential weapon from being exploited.


Hannah and Kirov are both alpha characters. Trusting and sharing are not at all part of their personalities. Neither is ready to be vulnerable. They make a terrific team for going after bad guys though.


This is a sequel to Silent Thunder. I recommend reading that book first for deeper understanding of the characters in this one.


Favorite Quote:
"Did we go to bed together? No. Would it have happened if I hadn't still been mourning Connor and not able to think of anything else? Possibly. Kirov is sexy as hell. Very male. Very confident. Charisma galore. Sort of Sean Connery meets Harrison Ford."
Challenges: RYOB Reading Challenge


Sunday, August 22, 2010

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? August 23, 2010

It's Monday, What are you reading is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey 
 
It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I finally finished my Lois McMaster Bujold this week and dove into the TBR stack to read some new things.
Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold sees Miles Vorkosigan on a mission from Gregor to a planet where few people die. Most choose to by cryo-frozen until some specific future. The cryo-corpses are managed by large corporations and now one corporation wants to set up on Komarr. Miles uncovers a number of plots there. (I'll be reviewing this one when it is published in October.)

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel was a book I should have been sent from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. My  copy went astray but I purchased one anyway. This is a different take on the usual vampire story. A vampire wants to be human again and through a combination of magic and sacrifice becomes a 16-year-old girl 500 years outside of her time.

Kiss Me Deadly edited by Trisha Telep contains 13 paranormal love stories of one sort or the other by some of the leading writers of YA paranormal literature. Most of the stories were interesting and all would be good samples of an author's style and voice.

Jealousy by Lili St. Crow is the third in the Strange Angels series for YAs. Dru Anderson should now be safe at a school that will teach her about her new powers as a half-vampire but she is under attack from both outside and inside the school. She doesn't know who she can trust.

Almost to Die For by Tate Hallaway is the first in her new YA paranormal series. Ana is having a really bad 16th birthday. Her mother wants her to perform magic to be inducted into the coven of witches that her mother belongs to but she can't do magic. She meets her father for the first time and discovers that he is king of the vampires. There is bitter rivalry between the witches and the vampires.

Shadow Zone by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen is a thriller. Hannah Bryson who designs underwater vehicles is testing her newest creation and helping a friend explore an ancient civilization under water. They discover the cause of the end of the civilization and it looks like it could be used as a weapon of bioterrorism. She needs to keep it out of the hands of a villain who will do anything to get it. (Review to be posted later on Monday.)

I am currently reading Death's Excellent Vacation edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner. This contains stories by a number of author's in the paranormal genre all having something to do with vacations. 
What's next? I really haven't decided yet. I will continue to choose from my most recent TBRs and try to alternate between YA and adult titles. 

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto is getting a lot of attention on the YA blogs I follow. I won this ARC about three angels who come to Earth and how one of them falls in love with a human.

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore has also been getting attention. I understand that a movie will be made of this one. Aliens are among us and still other aliens are trying to hunt them down. This is the story of the fourth alien to be hunted who is currently a 15-year-old boy in a small town in Ohio.

Veil of Night is the most recent book by Linda Howard. This is a murder mystery where a wedding planner and detective team up to find out who killed the bridezilla.

The God of the Hive by Laurie R. King is the latest in the Mary Russell-Sherlock Holmes series. This one should be good and it has been sitting on my TBR stack for too long unread.

That was my week. This is my last week of summer vacation. I am hoping for a nice relaxing week before the school year begins.

What did you read?


Saturday, August 21, 2010

In My Mailbox (August 22, 2010)

The weekly In My Mailbox post is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It is fun to see what everyone else gets in their mailboxes, shopping bags, and library visits. Click on the link to The Story Siren's site to see the rules and join in the fun.
I guarantee that your TBR pile will grow when you see all the cool books everyone gets. You will discover lots of wonderful blogs and lots of books that you won't be able to live without.

I got one lonely book this week. I am a big fan of Iris Johansen and have been for quite a few years. I have 67 of her books in my personal collection according to LibraryThing. So I was very excited to receive a copy of Shadow Zone this week.


Here is the product description from Amazon:
While mapping the ancient underwater city of Marinth in the Atlantic Ocean, submersible designer Hannah Bryson makes a shocking discovery: she may have finally uncovered the truth about the once-glorious city’s mysterious demise. Long ago it was a thriving metropolis bursting with culture and life—Marinth’s sudden disappearance has plagued scientists for years. But now, with her unexpected new findings, Hannah realizes that the ancient city’s explosive secret could have dire consequences for the modern-day world.

But Hannah isn’t the only one who realizes it. When her key artifact is hijacked en route to a research lab, she is thrust into an adventure in which she must match wits against a terrifying enemy who will kill anyone who stands in his way. And when Hannah becomes his target, she knows that her best hope for survival lies with Kirov, a mysterious and deadly man from her past. Together they will race to unravel Marinth’s last great secret in order to prevent a catastrophe of global proportions. Before the lethal game is over, however, Hannah will realize that no one is above suspicion.
A nice small mailbox will give me a chance to feel like I am catching up a little. What did you get in your mailbox this week?