It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (Feb. 13, 2012)

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 had a good reading week this past week and finished five books. Here they are:

Between the Duke and the Deep Blue Sea by Sophia Nash was an Amazon Vine pick. This was a very entertaining historical romance with very realistic and memorable characters. My review will be posted on Feb. 16.

Witchful Thinking by H.P. Mallory was my only disappointment of the week. I found it repetitious and almost plot-free. I got this one from the Amazon Vine program too.  My review is here.

Twilight: The Graphic Novel Volume 2 by Stephenie Meyer and Young Kim was from my TBR mountain. I was looking for a quick read. It was enjoyable for fans of the series. I liked the art and thought the story was distilled nicely to fit into the graphic novel format. My complete review will be posted on Feb. 18.

When the Sea Is Rising Red by Cat Hellisen is a young adult debut novel that I received from Farrar, Straus, Giroux. I enjoyed this fantasy which features a complex plot, the mandatory love triangle, and an interesting main character. My review will be posted on Feb. 16.

True Blood All Together Now by Alan Ball et al. was another graphic novel from my TBR mountain. It was an original story in the True Blood world which gave some added backstory for the main characters. I liked the colorful art. It gave me my True Blood fix which should hold me until the Season 4 DVDs come out. My review will be posted on Feb. 18.

I am currently reading Touchstone by Melanie Rawn which I received from Amazon Vine. This is the start of a new fantasy series about wizards and other magical creatures. I am enjoying it so far but it is not an easy read. There is a lot of world-building packed into the story to set things up. I almost feel like I should make a list of which magical creature can do what.

These are the ones on the stack for next week:

Just when I thought I had finished with February review books and could dip into my own TBR mountain, I received these two books for review with February publication dates. 

Grave Refrain: A Love/Ghost Story by Sarah M. Glover came to me from Micha at Omnific Publishing. It will be released in ebook and paperback on Valentine's Day. I thought this book blurb sounded good:

Andrew Hayes, a brilliant but troubled musician, has been haunted since childhood by memories of his muse. One night from a San Francisco stage, he spots her, but before he can reach her, she vanishes from sight.

Desperate to find the woman, he accepts a curious offer to stay in the city, moving into a dilapidated Victorian undergoing renovations that stir up far more than dust.

Andrew’s life soon becomes even more chaotic with the arrival of martini-swilling ghosts and a troupe of flesh-and-blood stoner spiritualists bringing bad tidings from the Great Beyond.

The dark side of his obsession creates visions both thrilling and menacing, and as he struggles to solve the mysteries threatening him, Andrew discovers his life is repeating a refrain more deadly than he’d ever imagined.

Inspired by the sexy noirs and comedies of the past, Grave Refrain transports the reader to a place where the things that go bump in the night not only thrill you, but might just take your breath away for good.

I also got The Man from Primrose Lane by James Renner in a surprise package from Elena at Wunderkind PR. It comes on out Feb. 28. I am not sure this one is my style but I am willing to give it a try.

I accepted Darkride by Laura Bradley Rede for review a while ago. It is self-published but when its author asked me to review it, playing on our Minnesota connection, I thought it sounded good. I said I would review it sometime in March and March is coming.

I still hope to read Steel by Carrie Vaughn soon. It didn't get read last week but there is some hope I'll get to it this week.

That was my week. What was your week like? What are you planning to read this week?