In My Mailbox (August 1, 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.

This was another one of those weeks for me. You know, buy two books, read one.

Here are the print books I have already read and reviewed.

Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost - This was such a good book. I couldn't put it down until the last page was read.

Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong was another strong entry in the Women of the Otherworld series. Savannah is a character that we have watched grow up. Now she is doing her first solo investigation and learning that bad things happen even with the best of intentions.

Infamous by Suzanne Brockmann was supposed to be my break from the paranoramal and back into romantic suspense. It was romantic suspense but one of the main characters was a ghost. 

I got a couple more print books too.

Wicked  Becomes You by Meredith Duran was in my mailbox yesterday from Monica from Laurel, MD. I must have won it in a contest but I don't remember doing so. I already have the Kindle version that I bought in May.

Large Print: An Unshelved Collection by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum is the most recent collection of the internet comic Unshelved. It is great library humor. Once a week they do a book review in graphic format. 

I also added some books to my Kindle this week. These are the ones I paid for.

Water Bound by Christine Feehan is the newest entry in the Sea Haven series. I was wondering if the series had ended because all of the sisters had their romances. I am eager to get to this one.

The next two have received a lot of attention on the blogs I follow and so I decided to jump on the bandwagon and give them a try. I downloaded and read the samples for my Kindle before I took the plunge and bought:

• The Passage by Justin Cronin
• Private by James Patterson

These were free this week for my Kindle (and I can never pass up a bargain).

• The Goddess of Fried Okra by Jean Brashear
• Bright of the Sky by Kay Kenyon
• The Malacca Conspiracy by Don Brown

• Beyond the Reflection's Edge by Bryan Davis
• Eternity's Edge by Bryan Davis
• Mixed Bags by Melody Carlson

I really don't know anything about any of the free ones. But the blurbs made them sound like a book I might like to read someday. Assuming "someday" ever comes.

That was my mailbox this week. What did you get in yours?

July Monthly Report

It is time for an overview of what I got and what I read in July 2010.

July was a great month. I spent a lot of it relaxing and reading.. I didn't link them but all of the books listed are reviewed either on this blog or on Ms. Martin Teaches Media. I read a total of 35 books.

Adult Books (25)

Time Weaver by Shana Abe

Blood Song by Cat Adams

Kitty Goes to War by Carrie Vaughn

Red Hot Fury by Kasey MacKenzie

Romancing the Dead by Tate Hallaway

The Accidental Werewolf by Dakota Cassidy

Bonds of Justice by Nalini Singh

The Search by Nora Roberts

Twice Bitten by Chloe Neill

Discord's Apple by Carrie Vaughn

In Other Worlds by Sherrilyn Kenyon

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Barely a Lady by Eileen Dreyer

Honeymoon of the Dead by Tate Hallaway

The Mane Event by Shelley Laurenston

The Beast in Him by Shelley Laurenston

The Mane Attraction by Shelley Laurenston

The Mane Squeeze by Shelley Laurenston

Beast Behaving Badly by Shelley Laurenston

Cast in Chaos by Michelle Sagara

Infamous by Suzanne Brockmann

Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost

Dark and Stormy Knights edited by P. N. Elrod

Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong

A Safe Harbor: Building Sanctuary by Moira Rogers

Young Adult Books (7)

Other by Karen Kincy

Majix: Notes from a Serious Teen Witch by Douglas Rees

Legacies by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus

The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride

Beautiful Malice by Rebecca James

Middle Grade Books (3)

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

Magic Below Stairs by Caroline Stevermer

The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman

Added to the TBR Stack

I added 58 books to my LibraryThing account this month. 23 of the books for ebooks for my Kindle. That leaves 35 print books which equals the number I read this month. This is the second month in a row when the number of books I read equals the number of print books I received. Since I read some ebooks this month the stack of physical books did grow though.

I currently have 811 books tagged TBR in my LibraryThing account.

Progress on Challenges

I raised the goals on a number of the challenges because I have already met my former goal. I hope these are more realistic for what I read this year. My next task is to go into my blog and adjust the progress bars to reflect the new reality.

2010 YA Debut Author (Goal = 24 36 books)

Jan. - March = 10
April - June = 11
July I read: 5

Total to Date: 26

2010 YA Reading Challenge (Goal = 25 75)

Jan. - March = 19
April - June = 40
July I read: 10

Total to Date: 69

Flashback Reading Challenge (Goal = 6)

Jan. - March = 3
April - June = 2

July I read: 0

Total to Date: 5

2010 E Book Reading Challenge (Goal = 20 50)

Jan. - March = 18
April - June = 10
July I read = 6

Total to Date: 34

RYOB Reading Challenge (Goal = 100 250)

Jan. - March = 47
April - June = 71
July I read = 35

Total to Date: 153

2010 TBR Reading Challenge (Goal = 12)

Jan. - March = 4
April - June = 2
July I read = 0

Total to Date: 6

Bottoms Up Reading Challenge (Goal = 36)

Jan. - March = 6
April - June = 3

July I read = 5

Total to Date: 14

In the Middle Reading Challenge (Goal = 10)

Jan. - March = 8
April - June = 12
July I read = 3

Total to Date: 23

I am currently reading Fire Lord's Lover by Kathryne Kennedy on my Kindle. This happens to be the first book I added to LibraryThing in July. I just began it and don't really expect to finish it today. There are too many other things on the agenda to devote much time to reading.
I have one more month of vacation. I start work again one month from today. I am hoping to have another good reading month and limiting the number of books I buy. (She says with a head shake knowing that 5 more books are in the mail coming to her from Amazon as she does this post!)

Book Review: Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong

Waking the Witch
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publication: Dutton Adult (July 27, 2010)


Description: At twenty-one, Savannah Levine-orphaned daughter of a notorious dark witch and an equally notorious cutthroat sorcerer-considers herself a full-fledged member of the otherworld. The once rebellious teen has grown into a six-foot-tall, motorcycle-riding jaw-dropper, with an impressive knowledge of and ability to perform spells. The only problem is, she's having a hard time convincing her adoptive parents, Paige and Lucas, to take her seriously as an adult. She's working as the research assistant at the detective agency they founded, and when they take off on a romantic vacation alone, leaving her in charge, Savannah finds herself itching for a case to call her own. (She's also itching for Adam, her longtime friend and colleague, to see her as more than just a little girl, but that's another matter.) 

Suddenly, Savannah gets the chance she's been waiting for: Recruited by another supernatural detective, she travels to Columbus, Washington, a small, dying town. Two troubled young women have been found in an abandoned warehouse, murdered. Now a third woman's dead, and on closer inspection small details point to darker forces at play. Savannah feels certain she can handle the case, but with signs of supernatural activity appearing at every turn, things quickly become more serious- and far more dangerous-than she realizes. 



My Thoughts: This was a fast paced mystery. Savannah is a great combination of confidence and insecurity. She wants to prove herself as a private investigator. She knows a lot about the supernatural world but not as much about working with ordinary humans. Luckily, she finds that there is quite a bit supernatural going on in Columbus. 


There is quite a large cast of characters in this story. Important characters include the mother and young daughter of one of the first dead girls, the brother of the last dead girl who is also a detective and romantic possibility for Savannah, a cult that bakes cookies with a charismatic older man and a variety of young women, the local witch and her creepy abusive husband, and a half demon who convinces Savannah to take the case in the first place. Some of our old friends from other books appear briefly including Jamie Vega, Paige, and Adam.


My favorite character is 9-year-old Kayla who is the daughter of one of the first victims and who is also investigating the crime with her junior detective kit. Savannah sees a lot of herself in Kayla. She is an odd child, surrounded by adults and acts older than her age. Her mother's irresponsibility, drug use, and lifestyle has matured her too early.


I will admit that I had a pretty good idea who the villain was about halfway through the book but I had no idea why until the end. Speaking of the end, I thought the ending was rather abrupt and absolutely demands a sequel. I'll be looking for it.


Favorite Quote:

I started a cover spell, but Tina had already spotted me. I considered a knockback spell - make her trip and give me time to escape. But that would, sadly, not be a good way to launch my week playing a responsible adult.

Challenges: Paranormal Reading Challenge, RYOB Reading Challenge

Review: Dark and Stormy Knights Anthology

Dark and Stormy Knights
Anthology edited by P. N. Elrod
Publication: St. Martin's Griffin (July 20, 2010)


Contents and Comments:


A Questionable Client by Ilona Andrews - In which Kate meets Saiman and we see Kate's ethics and Saiman's lack of them.


Even Hand by Jim Butcher - John Marcone comes to the reluctant rescue of Justine and child fleeing from a Fomor. He tests his magical defenses.


The Beacon by Shannon K Butcher - Ryder has been traveling around killing Beacons to prevent Terraphages from coming to Earth and killing everyone in sight because Terraphages are impossible to kill. But this time the Beacon is a little girl and Ryder needs a Plan B.


Even a Rabbit Will Bite by Rachel Caine - The last dragonslayer and the last dragon meet and battle.


Dark Lady by P. N. Elrod - This Jack Fleming story concerns a damsel in distress, missing money and a bomb.


Beknighted by Deidre Knight - The artist is a knight who needs to create a puzzle box to free another knight - or does she?


Shifting Star by Vicki Pettersson - Baffling story; Skamar a Tulpa made physical is hunting other Tulpa and is assisted by a human cop who is hunting for missing girls.


Rookwood & Mrs. King by Lilith Saintcrow - A woman comes to a detective to ask him to kill her husband. He is a vampire and is turning her. The detective has also been bitten and is out for revenge.


God's Creatures by Carrie Vaughn - Cormac is on the case of a werewolf that is losing control and attacking cattle. 


This was a good collection of short stories that can help introduce a reader to an author's world or style. I chose it because I am a fan of Carrie Vaughn, Rachel Caine, Jim Butcher, and Ilona Andrews. After reading these stories, I will also be looking for the work of Shannon K. Butcher.


Challenges: Paranormal Reading Challenge, RYOB Reading Challenge

Friday Memes: Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong

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.

My nearest book is the one I am just getting ready to start. I have chosen to read Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong because I like her style and I like her Women of the Otherworld series. 

At twenty-one, Savannah Levine-orphaned daughter of a notorious dark witch and an equally notorious cutthroat sorcerer-considers herself a full-fledged member of the otherworld. The once rebellious teen has grown into a six-foot-tall, motorcycle-riding jaw-dropper, with an impressive knowledge of and ability to perform spells. The only problem is, she's having a hard time convincing her adoptive parents, Paige and Lucas, to take her seriously as an adult. She's working as the research assistant at the detective agency they founded, and when they take off on a romantic vacation alone, leaving her in charge, Savannah finds herself itching for a case to call her own. (She's also itching for Adam, her longtime friend and colleague, to see her as more than just a little girl, but that's another matter.)

Suddenly, Savannah gets the chance she's been waiting for: Recruited by another supernatural detective, she travels to Columbus, Washington, a small, dying town. Two troubled young women have been found in an abandoned warehouse, murdered. Now a third woman's dead, and on closer inspection small details point to darker forces at play. Savannah feels certain she can handle the case, but with signs of supernatural activity appearing at every turn, things quickly become more serious- and far more dangerous-than she realizes. 

Beginning:

For the first time since Claire Kennedy died last week, there wasn't a police officer guarding the site of her murder.

Page 56, sentence 5:

Megan moved in for the block, swinging the kitchen door partially closed.

I'm eager to start reading this one. I wonder who Megan is and who Claire Kennedy was. 

Review: Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost

Eternal Kiss of Darkness
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Publication: Avon (July 27, 2010)


Description: An immortal war has been brewing in the darkness...and now one woman has stumbled into the shadows.


Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. But her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from inside a warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she's only imagined in her worst nightmares.

At the center is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master vampire who thought he'd seen it all. Then Kira appears - this fearless, beautiful....human who braved death to rescue him. Though he burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life. Yet sending her away is unthinkable.

But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose either the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.

My Thoughts: This was another one of those books that grabbed me and didn't let me go until I got to The End. It is very satisfying to find out more about characters who have appeared in other stories. I have always been curious about Mencheres. The idea of living for more than 4000 years fascinates me. How do you maintain interest and enthusiasm in a life where you have done everything - and probably more than once? Mencheres thinks this is the time to end it and seems to be contemplating "death by ghoul" when Kira shows up to save him. Kira doesn't have the personality that lets her walk away from someone she sees as being in trouble.


I liked that Kira was attracted to Mencheres for himself. She didn't know that he was a supremely powerful vampire with massive wealth. In many ways this surprises him because it hasn't happened to him for a while. Everyone in his world knows all about him and treats him with either respect bordering on awe or hates him. 


Kira finds herself caught in the ancient conflict between Mencheres and his enemy Radje. It is usual to erase the memories of humans who get caught in vampire business but he can't erase hers. She is injured trying to rescue him and he uses his blood to heal her. He thinks that is why his memory erasing isn't working. He brings her home with him to give the blood a chance to dissipate before he can try again. While she is with him they get to know each other and begin to fall in love. After some days and other tries Mencheres realizes that he can't erase her memory but comes to trust that she will keep his secrets and sends her home to keep her safe.


Kira wants to keep up the relationship though and tries to find him. Her searching puts her in danger and through a variety of circumstances it becomes necessary for Mencheres to turn her into a vampire. We see a lot about what it is like for new vampires as she learns about her new life.


This was a wonderful addition to Jeaniene Frost's body of work. Recommended for lovers of paranormal romance.


Jeaniene Frost's bibliography is here.


Favorite Quote:

As a result of Kira's baffling, selfless act, combined with his inability to control her mind or hear her thoughts, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her. Even as the day slipped into evening and he sent another vampire to deliver food and refreshment to her room, Mencheres couldn't banish her from his thoughts. 

Challenges: RYOB Reading Challenge, Paranormal Reading Challenge

Review: Infamous by Suzanne Brockmann

Infamous
Author: Suzanne Brockmann
Publication: Ballantine Books (July 27, 2010)


Description: In her first paperback original in more than six years, New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Brockmann delivers an unforgettable novel of contemporary romance and thrilling suspense.
 
When history professor Alison Carter became a consultant to the film version of the Wild West legend she’d dedicated her career to researching, she couldn’t possibly have known that she would not only get a front-row seat to a full-blown Hollywood circus but would innocently witness something that would put her life in peril. Nor did she expect that a tall stranger in a cowboy hat would turn the movie—and her world—completely upside down.

A. J. Gallagher didn’t crash the set in dusty Arizona to rub elbows with Hollywood’s elite. Unable to ignore ghosts from the past that refuse to stay buried, A. J. came to put an end to the false legend that has tarnished the reputation of his family. But when he confronts Alison, sparks fly. And when Alison is targeted by ruthless criminals, suddenly she and A .J. must face the intense attraction that threatens to consume them—and survive the danger that threatens their very lives. 

My Thoughts: This was a great story. Brockmann knows her way around realistic contemporary romance. Neither character was a typical romance character. Alison, daughter of an alcoholic, is determined not to have a relationship with A.J. out of her very realistic fears that he will begin drinking again. She is very guarded. A.J. isn't at all sure that he isn't crazy when he starts seeing the ghost of his beloved great-grandfather Jamie. A.J. has PTSD after his experiences in the first Gulf War and lost years to alcohol addiction. But he has been sober for ten years now. The slow steps as they learn to trust each other plays well again the diary entries of Melody Quinn, abused wife and the love of Jamie's life. 


All three of them need to figure out who is trying to kill Alison and why. It is even more difficult because who ever it is has been framing A.J. for the crime. 


I recommend this to lovers of romantic suspense. I also recommend the books in her Troubleshooters Inc. series as additional romances between realistic adult characters.


Favorite Quote:


This begins with an entry from Melody's diary and is quoting Jamie:

"If ever I hit you," he told me with those tears in his beautiful eyes, "you will leave me. You'll walk away. Or hell, you'll pick up a gun and order me out of our house, if we ever have a house. Promise me right now that you won't take that abuse from me or from any other man, God forbid something happens to me."

A.J. repeats the promise to Alison this way:

"I can't give you guarantees," he told her. "I can't promise you I'll never slip or even fall. But I do know this. You must promise me, that if I ever drink again the way your mother did, if I ever throw away my sobriety for more than one brief moment, if I leave you frightened and guessing and uncertain, you will leave me. You'll walk away. Or you'll pick up a gun - after I show you how to use one - and you'll order me out of our house. Promise me right now that you won't take that abuse from me or any other man, God forbid something happens to me.

Alison nodded. "I promise," she told him, as she carefully watched him put that diary back.

Suzanne Brockmann's bibliography is here.


Challenges: RYOB Reading Challenge

Review: Cast In Chaos by Michelle Sagara

Cast in Chaos
Author: Michelle Sagara
Publication: Luna; Original edition (July 2010)


Description: Kaylin Neya is a Hawk, part of the elite force tasked with keeping the City of Elantra safe. Her past is dark, her magic uncontrolled and her allies unpredictable. And nothing has prepared her for what is coming, when the charlatans on Elani Street suddenly grow powerful, the Oracles are thrown into an uproar and the skies rain blood….


The powerful of Elantra believe that the mysterious markings on Kaylin's skin hold the answer, and they are not averse to using her—how ever they have to—in order to discover what it is.


Something is coming, breaking through the barriers between the worlds. But is it a threat that Kaylin needs to defend her city against—or has she been chosen for another reason entirely?


My Thoughts: This is the sixth entry in this epic fantasy series. As usual with epic fantasy, the main problem in the book requires saving the world. Kaylin is an orphan and a street kid from the wrong part of town who has been marked with magical symbols in an ancient language. Because of her marks and because she enforces the law, Kaylin interacts with a number of the powerful in her world of Elantra. The city where she lives is ruled by dragons including the Dragon Emperor. Dragons are immortal and testy. In this world are also the immortal Barrani, the Leontines, the Aerians, the Thalanni, and humans. She is a wonderful character who is smart, kind and who makes friends wherever she goes. But she is under-educated and is currently in need of both magic and etiquette lessons so that she can more safely interact with the powerful. If only there would be time between the crises. 


Kaylin is just trying to do her job enforcing the law on Elanti Street where fortunes are told and cures for baldness are sold when all of the sudden the cures begin to actually work and the fortunes are distressingly real. This causes upset because the Oracles are all beginning to predict some sort of major magical disaster that will occur there on Elanti Street.


The story takes place in a rich, complex fantasy world. I recommend it for lovers of fantasy and lovers of strong female characters. It is necessary to begin this series at its beginning - Cast in Shadow - to experience the full richness of the world and the characters.


More information about the books in the series can be found at Sagara's site and at Fantastic Fiction.


Favorite Quote:

It was also magic that was at the heart of etiquette lesson. The Dragon Emperor was not famed for his tolerance and sense of humor. He was, in fact, known for his lack of both. But Sanabalis, Tiamaris, and even the ancient Arkon who guarded the Imperial Library as if it was his personal hoard - largely because it was - all felt that she would soon have to come to Court and spend time in the presence of the Dragon who ruled them all. They wanted her to survive it, although Sanabalis on some days seemed less certain.

Challenges: Paranormal Reading Challenge, RYOB Reading Challenge