Monday, June 24, 2013

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (June 24, 2013)

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 have been reading lots of books since my vacation began. Since our weather isn't at all summer-like, I haven't been tempted to do anything outside.

Here is what I read:

Review Books
A couple of review books recently arrived with rather short timelines. I read Luck of the Dragon by Susannah Scott which I got from Entangled Publishing. This was an interesting paranormal romance that featured dragons. My review will be posted on June 29 for this July 24 release.

The King's Deception by Steve Berry was a very entertaining thriller set in England and had a plot that included historical impostors, buried treasure, and political intrigue. My review will be posted on July 3 for this June 11 release.

From my TBR Mountain:
Shadow of Freedom by David Weber is the 18th in the Honor Harrington series. This one has a massive cast of characters, space battles, and complex interstellar politics and intrigue. My review will be posted on July 4.

Dangerous Refuge by Elizabeth Lowell is classic Lowell romantic suspense. Well-developed characters and a romance that makes sense were the highlights of this one. My review will be posted on July 6.

From my YA TBR Mountain:
Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter is the second book in the Gallagher Girls series and was just as entertaining as the first book. My review will be posted on July 4.

I also enjoyed Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter which is the third book in the Gallagher series. My review will be posted on July 8.
Wednesdays in the Tower by Jessica Day George is a middle grade fantasy and the sequel to Tuesdays at the Castle. It was entertaining but marred by a cliffhanger ending. My review will be posted on July 11.

Loki's Wolves by K. L. Armstrong and M. A. Marr is a middle grade fantasy collaboration between these two established YA authors. It mines Norse mythology for its inspiration. This was largely a set up for the rest of the series but still an entertaining read. My review will be posted on July 6.

Still more from TBR Mountain
I finally had a chance to read Crossfire by Dick Francis and Felix Francis. Dick died in 2010 and his last book was completed by his son Felix. I have been a fan of Francis' mysteries for years and really enjoyed this one too. My review will be posted on July 13.

Playing to Win by Jaci Burton is a spicy sports romance. This one has to do with a football player who has an attitude problem and the image consultant the team hires to remake him. I liked the characters in this one. My review will be posted on July 11.
Poison Princess by Kresley Cole is from my YA TBR Mountain. This one is Cole's first YA and begins a new post-apocalyptic paranormal series. I liked the world building and the characters. My review will be posted on July 13.

Currently Reading:
Shelter by Harlan Coben has been on my TBR mountain since Feb. 2, 2012. I chose it because I like mysteries, had never read a book by Coben, and it was selected as a YA Edgar nominee. I have just cracked the cover and don't have an opinion yet. 

Next Week:

I'll be traveling next week to ALA. I don't know how much reading time I will have. I also want to leave room for the ARCs I expect to get. So I looked at my Kindle for some possibilities. Here is what I might read (unless I get a better idea.)
Influential Magic by Deanna Chase is urban fantasy.
Glitter Baby by Susan Elizabeth Phillips is a romance.
Heart of Iron by Bec McMaster is steampunk.
Golden by Jessi Kirby has been talked about a lot on blogs I read.
Werewolf Dreams by Katie Lee O'Guinn features my favorite paranormal creature.
Crossing the Line by Katie McGarry is a novella by my current favorite author of YA contempories.

Those are my plans for the week. As you can see, I did manage to get a number of posts scheduled. I am good with reviews and most memes through July 13. 

What have you got planned?

16 comments:

  1. Did you enjoy Loki's Wolves? I love Norse mythology but I don't want there to be too much play with the Gods... I want to be able to recognize them...

    I just finished Influential Magic today, and I loved it! I hope you'll enjoy it as well.

    Have a wonderful week, and if you have time to stop by, here's my It's Monday... post for this week.

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  2. Such great variety! Lokies Wolves looks great! Its hot here today but tonight I will mow with audio... a favorite summer thing to do!

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  3. Such a wide selection. I love Harlan Coben but haven't started on his YA series yet. If you like Katie McGarry's writing you'll love The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay.
    Have a great week and happy reading :)

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  4. I've got Loki's Wolves waiting for me, too. I really need to work on my children's books after I get home from ALA!

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  5. I am not familiar with any of these titles but "the Kings Deceptions" has piqued my interest and I look forward to your review! Happy reading :)

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  6. So many great books. I always enjoy Harlan Coben's books. I hope you liked this one.

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  7. You're not kidding about a TBR mountain! Glad you are enjoying The Gallagher Girls. I love Ally Carter and am excited for her new series coming in 2015 (I think).

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  8. What a great group of books! I love jumping around from one kind to another. :-) Thanks for stopping by my blog! I also am excited for more new Tamora Pierce novels. The Gallagher Girls series is probably one of my all-time favorite YA series! I can't wait for the last book in the series to come out!!

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  9. Wow, you read so many books this week! I hope you have a great time at ALA and bring home lots of fantastic ARCs. :)

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  10. How do you like Weber's Honor Harrington series? Is there a lot of 'infodumping' or just good storyline, narrative and conversation? I've been tempted to try them, especially with a female main character, but I've been leery - one of the books I've recently tried had way too many explanations of terms and it just went on and on... I never finished it. I think it was by Drake,though. David Drake (might be wrong). Anyway, you have a lot of interesting covers pictured. I hope the books are as good as the covers.

    Enjoy your reading

    My Reading Week

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  11. I am reading "Monster High: Ghoulfriends Forever" (MH: Ghoulfriends #1).

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  12. What a great selection of books! Y'know, I used to read only fantasy when I was younger (student days mostly) but I never read anything by David Weber - I've always hated that style of fantasy covers and I really struggle to look past them. One of those weird things. Rather astounding to hear the series is up to 18 books!!

    I really enjoyed Poison Princess but not as much as her Immortals After Dark series, which I am seriously in love with. She made the transition to YA well though I thought.

    Glitter Baby has been on my TBR pile for a while too. Have a great week and a great time at ALA!

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  13. Enjoy your reading week.

    Dangerous Refuge looks good.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My It's Monday, What Are You Reading

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  14. Golden is awesome! Grab that one first! I SO admire that you always read cross-genre and include middle readers and YA as well. I read some YA and middle readers (I have a middle reader at home and some YA readers out on their own that I look for books for). I'm going to have to look into The King's Deception ... for some reason, I thought it was more pure thriller, but from your description, it seems to be a nuanced sort of thriller. Enjoy your time at ALA and enjoy your reading week!

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  15. What a good week. Happy Reading ahead!

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