It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Jan. 20, 2014)

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.

Last week ended our first semester at school. It also included two "early out" days - one planned and one unplanned. Potential blizzard conditions had us sending our students home right after lunch on Thursday. Friday was a planned early out for the end of the quarter. Adding to that I wasn't feeling well early in the week and spent Wednesday afternoon moaning on my couch. Even with all the disruptions, I have finished all of my semester grades and have planned at least one week for my each new classes.

Before the new semester starts, we do have two in-service/work days. Monday and half of Tuesday we will be learning about vocabulary in relation to the new English Language Arts Common Core Standards. I'm not sure how relevant it will be to me as Media Specialist but it should be interesting. Tuesday afternoon I'll have some work time to get ready for my new classes.

Last Week:

I did get a lot of reading done this past week.

Do or Die by Suzanne Brockmann is her latest romantic suspense title. It begins a new series and was an engaging and entertaining story. My review will be posted on Jan. 29 for this Feb. 4 release.

Be Mine Forever by Marina Adair was a surprise addition to my review stack. It was sent to my Kindle by Montlake Romance (a division of Amazon). I liked this contemporary romance. You can read my review here.

Love on Mimosa Lane by Anna DeStefano also came from Montlake Romance. This one was less successful for me because the romance was overpowered by issues of divorce and the foster care system. My review will be posted on Jan. 22.

Perfect Lies by Kiersten White is the sequel to YA Paranormal Mind Games. I was as action-packed and emotionally fraught as the first book. It does require a sophisticated reader because of the nonlinear story line and the alternating of the two viewpoint characters. I found it worth the work because I really sympathized with both characters. My review will be posted on Feb. 8 for this Feb. 18 release.

I padded my total this week by reading Howling for You by Chloe Neill. This novella highlights the romance of one of the side characters in Neill's Chicagoland Vampires series. My review will be posted on Feb. 5.

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge was a young adult fantasy that has elements from the classic Beauty and the Beast story mixed with Greco-Roman mythology. It had an incredibly slow start but did pick up the pace to a very satisfying conclusion. Readers who can stick with the book should be satisfied. My review will be posted on  Jan. 29 for this Jan. 28 release.

Currently:

Since I have a couple of spaces on my calendar for books from the TBR stack before I return to review books, I chose Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews. This urban fantasy began on their blog but has now been released as an ebook. I did read a couple of chapters on the blog as it was being written and look forward to reading the whole story now.

Next Week:

Some adult book possibilities living on my Kindle include:

His Purrfect Mate by Georgette St. Clair

Grave Memory by Kalayna Price

Girl with the Cat Tattoo by Theresa Weir

My next adult review book is Runner by Patrick Lee. This is a thriller that I got via NetGalley. It will be released on Feb. 18.

On the young adult side, I am starting to read the review books that will be released on Feb. 25 since I have four of them. This week's choices are print books that I received from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group.

Tin Star by Cecil Castellucci is a science fiction story.

Grandmaster by David Klass is a contemporary story about a boy, his father, and chess.

Reviews Last Week:

• Be Mine Forever by Marina Adair
• To Dance with the Devil by Cat Adams
• One Sweet Ride by Jaci Burton
• The Girl Is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines
• The Rule of Three by Eric Walters

What does your week have in store for you? Leave me a link and have a great week.