Sunday, December 9, 2012

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (Dec. 10, 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.

My backyard - Dec. 9, 2012
It's snowing! This is our first snowfall of this very unusual winter. There was snow while I was up north in Duluth over Thanksgiving but this is the first snowfall at my home in Southeastern Minnesota. I just got new tires for my car yesterday so I am ready. (I hope my getting new tires wasn't the cause of our snowfall. ;-)) 

I had a great reading week last week and expect an even better week this week. I have finished all but one of my December review books. Here is what I finished:
She Can Tell by Melinda Leigh was an excellent romantic suspense title. I couldn't put it down as I read frantically to see how the characters I really liked solved the mystery and fell in love. My review will be posted on Dec. 13.

Guardians of Stone was also a romantic suspense title. I really liked the banter between the main characters but felt that the story needed more backstory to let us know about the characters. The plot was complex with new characters added frequently. My review is here
Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder was an eARC I got from NetGalley. The book will be published on Dec. 18 but Amazon says they are shipping now. This is the sequel to Touch of Power and has the same excellent writing, fast-paced action, and well-developed characters. My finished copy has been ordered and my review will be posted on Dec. 15.
Shadow's Edge by Maureen Lipinski was an enjoyable young adult paranormal about a girl who was born to be a Creatuir Shaman but who wants to give it up to be an ordinary high school girl. I liked the way this story combined the paranormal and high school life. The characters were likable, the plot fast-paced, and the writing well-done. My only complaint is with the word Creatuir since I don't know how to add accents over the e and the u with my keyboard. My review will be posted on Dec. 13.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken was an eARC I got from NetGalley. This one was less successful for me because I felt that it was too long. There were long stretches of the story that seemed unneeded. The premise of this science fiction story was good, the execution faltered for me. My review is here
Having some gaps in my blog calendar that don't need to be filled with review books, I went shopping my own TBR mountain to decide what to read next. I chose Fire Season by David Weber for my first free choice book. This is his second young adult novel and follows A Beautiful Friendship. These take place in the same world as his adult Honor Harrington series but much earlier in time.

These are the other books I have planned for next week:
Dying to Tell by Rita Herron is my last December review book. This is a romantic suspense title that I got from Amazon Vine. It will be released on Dec. 25. 

The Perfect Hope by Nora Roberts is the final book in her Inn BoonsBoro trilogy. I have been wanting to read this one since it first arrived on Nov. 6.
Aurelia by Anne Osterlund has been sitting on my YA TBR mountain since Jan. 15, 2010. I think it about time that I got to it. 

Dragon's Heart by Jane Yolen has been on the stack even longer. I got it Jan. 5, 2010. This is the fourth book in a YA fantasy series. I read the first three books years ago. This fourth book was published 12 years after book three in The Pit Dragon series and 27 years after the first book was published. 

This should be a good reading week. I don't have any after-school meetings or commitments and my Christmas shopping is nearly complete. What do you have planned for this coming week?

14 comments:

  1. I hate snowy weather and I'm hoping that we won't get any winter weather until after the holidays!

    I'm glad you enjoyed Scent of Magic. I want to read that one soon. I am behind on my review books.

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  2. I'm looking forward to reading Scent of Magic next week!

    Wishing you a wonderful reading week

    Shelleyrae @ Book'd Out

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  3. I loved Aurelia, from what I remember, it was sweet fairy-tale-like fantasy, although it's been at least a couple of years since I read it, so I hope you'll enjoy it :)

    I'm really excited about Scent of Magic, I got the galley, too, so I'm hoping to read it soon!

    Happy reading!

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  4. Dragon's Heart by Jane Yolen caught my eye. I am a huge Yolen fan, but I haven't read this one yet. And yes, you HAVE done a LOT of reading. December seems to fly by so fast and I still have a great deal on my plate. Here's to having a great reading week for all of us! :)

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  5. Oh very nice!! Only one I recognize is Maria's book, which I loved!! The tell tale ending...maybe not so much, but only because I have to wait a whole year til the next one comes out!

    Happy Reading!


    Here's my Monday Wrapup

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

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  6. Your snowy backyard looks gorgeous! But I must admit I prefer not living in snow....

    I loved She Can Tell, too, and I'm already eager to read the next one.

    And I have only read the first Inn Boonsboro book, but in the new year, I'll read the others (for a sequels challenge).

    Enjoy your week, snow and all. Here's MY MONDAY MEMES POST

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  7. Several added to my TBR-thanks for the recommendations! Beautiful picture of the snow..just how I like it..somewhere else!

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  8. Awesome list.. I have a few of them on my TBR list!
    Here's what I'm reading

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  9. Gorgeous snow photo! I am still waiting on the snow to reach us this winter. Not too much but a little always puts me in the holiday spirit! I have never read Nora Roberts but I think I would enjoy this series.
    Have a great week!
    Rebecca @ The Key to the Gate

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  10. We had one snowy morning here in London which is rare for this time of year. By the afternoon it had all melted away.
    Your book list looks really intriguing hope you get all your reading done and have a lovely week.

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  11. I haven't started the Inn BoonsBoro trilogy but saw the last book on someone else's Monday post. I'm bumping it higher on my list -- I don't want to be the last person to read it!

    Joy's Book Blog

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  12. Just how I like my winter snow - in pictures. (What can I say I live in the south). I'm going to try to do better at getting to the bottom of my review TBR pile in 2013 (I've started towards the end of summer, and I have made some progress).

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  13. oooh, snow! *-* I'll see it someday. LOL. Can't wait to start snyder's newest series!

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  14. I haven't read any Maria V. Snyder, but I'm thinking about picking up Poison Study.

    It's nice to see another fantasy focused book blog!

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