It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (June 16, 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.

Well, I survived my first week of vacation. The weather here has been odd. One day it is nice and summer-like, the next day it is very spring-like. I wore a jacket and dodged raindrops as I went grocery shopping on Saturday. We've run both the furnace and the air conditioner this week.

I am enjoying being home, and being able to read at my leisure, very much.

Read Last Week

I began the week by getting two book off my adult review stack. 

First, I read Vanished by Kendra Elliot which was an excellent romantic suspense title heavy on the suspense. I got this one from the author and will be reviewing it on June 18.

Then I read Straddling the Line by Jaci Burton. I got this book from Penguin's First to Read program and suffered from eye strain to read it using Adobe Digital Editions. While it was a spicy romance, there wasn't a lot of romantic tension. That the characters would get together for their happy ending was a given. There was only internal conflict. My review will be posted on June 28 for this July 1 release.

Next, I read a review book from my young adult stack. But before I read Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne, I read Poison Dance which was a free Kindle novella prequel to the book. While it gave an interesting back story to one of the villains of Midnight Thief, it wasn't necessary to enjoy the novel. My review of Poison Dance will be posted on June 18 and my review of Midnight Thief will be posted on July 3. The book will be released on July 8.

Before starting on my summer reading stack, I decided to read a couple of books that I recently got on my Kindle. Shield of Winter by Nalini Singh is the most recent in the Psy/Changeling series of urban fantasy novels. I liked the romance and I liked the resolution to a plot arc that has been building through the last few books. My review will be posted on July 3.

I read Wild by Alex Mallory from my young adult review stack. This is a retelling of the Tarzan story in modern time as a 17-year-old boy is found living in a National Forest in Tennessee. He was raised by his parents to believe that a biological disaster occurred leaving him and his parents as some of the few survivors. His interaction with modern society and survival skills in his wilderness home make up the bulk of the story but there is also a sort of love triangle. My review will be posted on July 5.

These next two books probably best indicate the range of my reading interests as they couldn't be more different. A Shiver of Light by Laurell K. Hamilton is the latest in her Merry Gentry series. In this episode, Merry has triplets, has to do DNA testing to find out which of her lovers are the fathers, and has to protect the babies from the evil intentions of her aunt the Queen of Air and Darkness and her uncle Taranis who is also the ruler of a faerie court. My review will be posted on July 12.

A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd is a middle school story that is magical, lyrical, and amazing. A twelve year old girl has to break a magical curse in order to claim the home that she has been longing for. The book is filled with wonderful, quirky characters. My review will be posted on July 10.

I read Hounded by Kevin Hearne from my TBR mountain this week. I enjoyed this start of an urban fantasy series about the last remaining Druid. I have two more in the series on my stack and just ordered the next three. (Yes, I know. That doesn't help me read down TBR mountain, but I plan to give these to my brother with the first three books. I think he'll really like them.) The series has a sort of Dresden Files feel which is only a positive to my way of thinking. My review will be posted on July 10.

I also read The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson from my YA review stack. I got this fantasy from Macmillan with a note from Ksenia saying how much she enjoyed it. I loved it too and can't wait to talk about it with other readers. My review will be posted on July 12.

Currently

I'm still in a sort of book hangover from finishing The Kiss of Deception and haven't started anything new yet.

Next Week

Next week my choices are mostly from the summer reading stacks I brought home with me.

I am going to continue on with the Iron Druid Chronicles by reading Hexed by Kevin Hearne which I have had since June of 2011. 

I am also going to catch up on Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series by reading Angels' Flight which contains novellas. It has been on my stack since February of 2012.

I am going to throw in one review book this week too. I just got Cast in Flame by Michelle Sagara on Sunday. I have read all the books in this long-running fantasy series. This one will be released on July 29.

The two I have chosen from my YA summer reading stack are Starglass by Phoebe North and Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. Starglass has been on my stack since November of 2013. Lola has been on the stack since September of 2011.

Reviews Posted

• That Night by Chevy Stevens
• The Quick by Lauren Owen
• The Body in the Woods by April Henry
• Dark Metropolis by Jaclyn Dolamore

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

• Inside of a Dog
• Ms. Martin Teaches Media

While many of my colleagues are trying to read a book a day, I have set myself a goal of reading 2000 pages a week. Some of the books on my stack are real "chunksters" that I doubt I can read in a day and none of the books on the pile are particularly short.

Do you set reading goals?