Stacking the Shelves (Jan. 6, 2013)

Tynga of Tynga's Reviews has a meme to spotlight the books we receive each week. Visit her site to check out the linky and see what everyone gets. I guarantee that your TBR pile will grow.

Remember that New Year's Resolution I had—to read down TBR mountain and not add to it. Well, I totally blew it this first week of 2013. Here is what I added to my shelves.

For review:

I agreed this week to take part in the Fall in Love with the Sullivans blog tour which will take place from Jan. 7 through Jan. 20. I have been eager to read something by Bella Andre and was pleased to get ebooks for all of the seven books in the series. There are lots of prizes being given away and, as of Friday afternoon, they were still looking for more bloggers to participate.

The Look of Love

From This Moment On

Can't Help Falling In Love 

I Only Have Eyes for You

If You Were Mine

Let Me Be the One

Come a Little Bit Closer

I also received a print copy of Allan Topol's The Spanish Revenge for review. This is a thriller which was released on Sept. 1, 2012.

I bought some too:

For my Kindle (In my defense, all of these titles were really great deals. I didn't pay more than $1.99 for any one of them and most were $.99.)

Mariana by Susanna Kearsley

The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley

The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

Dead Weight (The Lizzy Gardner Series, Book 2) by T. R. Ragan

Abducted (The Lizzy Gardner Series, Book 1) by T. R. Ragan

Opal Fire (A Stacy Justice Mystery, Book 1) by Barbra Annino

Bloodstone (A Stacy Justice Mystery, Book 2) by Barbra Annino

Tiger's Eye (A Stacy Justice Mystery, Book 3) by Barbra Annino

Print Books:

• Collared: A Gin & Tonic Mystery by L. A. Kornetsky - I just learned that the author I know as Laura Ann Gilman also writes these mysteries. I love Gilman and want to try this book too.
• Big Red Tequila by Rick Riordan - I also just learned that Riordan has written mysteries in addition to the young adult books he writes. 

Finally, I bought a copy of the new edition of Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews both for the bonus materials included and because the book is trade paperback sized. I have already read the story (at least twice).

Those were my additions to my stack this week. What did you get?

Book Review: Pale Demon by Kim Harrison

Pale Demon
Author: Kim Harrison
Publication: Harper Voyager (February 22, 2011)

Description: Condemned and shunned for black magic, Rachel Morgan has three days to get to the annual witches’ conference and clear her name, or be trapped in the demonic ever-after . . . forever after.

But a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car going across the country? Talk about a recipe for certain disaster, even without being the targets for assassination.

For after centuries of torment, a fearsome demon walks in the sunlight—freed at last to slay the innocent and devour their souls. But his ultimate goal is Rachel Morgan, and in the fight for survival that follows, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.

My Thoughts: What happens when a witch, a pixy, a vampire and a fairy take a road trip? Sounds like a setup for a bad joke. Rachel, Trent, Jenks and Ivy have to get to the West Coast in three days. Rachel has to get to the annual Witches' Meeting where she is supposed to have the sanctions on her lifted. Trent has his own secret reasons for needing to go to the coast too. Jenks and Ivy come along to help Rachel and Rachel agrees to help Trent with his journey in exchange for his positive testimony at her hearing.

I loved the family dynamics and the sly humor of the road trip. I cracked up when Trent asked the universal question, "Are we there yet?" But it wasn't an ordinary road trip. Along the way they are joined by Coven witch Vivian who was following along to report to the Coven if Rachel did any black magic and Pierce who is sent by Al to keep Rachel alive even though he currently hates her for preventing him from killing Al.

They also have to deal with a group of pixies kidnapping Jenks and a day-walking demon named Ku'Sox who has the nasty habit of eating souls and who is more than a match for Rachel's skills. I liked that Rachel is learning more about her demon powers and coming to some self-acceptance. I also liked that the long-running conflict with the Coven looks like it is coming to some sort of resolution.

The most interesting part of the story for me was Rachel's changing relationship with Trent. She has always had sort of a love-hate relationship with him. Trent doesn't make it easy to love him as he is extremely guarded and shifty. We get more of a chance to see into his character in this one than we have in previous books. I look forward to continuing on in the series to find out what happens next with that relationship.

This story had a lot to do with changes. Rachel grows and changes throughout the series but this one seemed especially to focus on her growth. Rachel wants to have her life back and resume the activities she did earlier in the series. She is kind of blind about what is happening to her. It takes Ivy talking to her for her to realize that she isn't the same anymore and has to find a new normal. 

This story was well-written and engaging but not a good entry point for readers new to the series. Fans will love it and not want to miss it though.

Favorite Quote:

My eyes narrowed, and I turned up the heat even more. "Trent, you are a stiff-necked, overbearing, cold--"

"I'm not cold."

"--impersonal son of a bitch. Try making a decision by looking at something other than logic. You might have more friends that way."

Jenk's mouth shut, and he looked surprised. Trent, too, seemed taken aback. "Just because I don't wear my heart on my sleeve--"

"You don't even wear your heart in your chest," I interrupted. "But one thing you aren't is stupid." I flung a hand in the air, exasperated with him and not even knowing why I was trying to help. He'd given me nothing but grief. And a chance to save myself.

This is the ninth book in the Rachel Morgan series. I bought it. You can buy your copy here. 

Friday Memes: Pale Demon by Kim Harrison

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

In my quest to catch up on Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series, this week I am spotlighting book number 9 - Pale Demon. Here is the description of this urban fantasy novel:

Condemned and shunned for black magic, Rachel Morgan has three days to get to the annual witches’ conference and clear her name, or be trapped in the demonic ever-after . . . forever after.

But a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car going across the country? Talk about a recipe for certain disaster, even without being the targets for assassination.

For after centuries of torment, a fearsome demon walks in the sunlight—freed at last to slay the innocent and devour their souls. But his ultimate goal is Rachel Morgan, and in the fight for survival that follows, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.

Beginning:

"Brown or green for the drapes, Rache?"

Friday 56:

"I'm at the arch," she continued. "Stay on I-70, then take the South Memorial Drive exit just after the bridge."

Hmm? I have to say that neither of these have the flavor of an urban fantasy novel. Both sound really domestic and normal. The cover does help give the urban fantasy feel though.

Book Review: Redoubt by Mercedes Lackey

Redoubt: The Collegium Chronicles Book Four

Author: Mercedes Lackey

Publication: DAW Hardcover; 1 edition (October 2, 2012)

Description: Mags, a young Herald trainee in Haven, the capital city of the kingdom of Valdemar, has talents not commonly found in Herald trainees. Recognizing this, the King's Own Herald decides to train Mags as a spy in order to uncover the secrets of a mysterious new enemy who has taken an interest in Mags himself. Why is the even deeper mystery. The answers can only be found in the most unexpected corners of Mags' past...assuming he can live long enough to find them.

My Thoughts: This fourth book of the Collegium Chronicles starts out as one sort of book and then turns into something else. When the story begins, Mags and the rest of Haven are preparing for the wedding of Crown Prince Sedric and his bride Lydia. So the story begins with a romance that turns other characters' thoughts to romance too. Mags questions the consequences of his feelings for his mentor's daughter Amily and Bear and Lena run off to get married which solves some major problems for both of them that were begun in earlier books in this series. It was a good story about growing up and forming adult relationships. But there was more...

We also get to see Mags playing his beloved game of Kirball and learning in every situation not excluding watching rope walkers entertain at the wedding. Mags is constantly observing everything which is a large part of why he is being trained by the King's Own to be a spy. But the one thing that he is willing to overlook is the mystery of his own beginnings. He has done some research and learned that his parents where well-dressed foreigners who died when he was two or three. He has come to a dead end in his search to learn more.

It looks like they mystery is coming to him when he is kidnapped, drugged and dragged into Karse by the same assassins who have been attempting to kill or kidnap other Valdemarans and who have attempted to kidnap him before. 

The sections of the story where he is experiencing drugged hallucinations about the terrible time he spent as a small child in the mines were very moving. (As was the description of his life there that he was finally able to share with his mentor Nikolas and a Healer.) Gradually, he gains control of his mind and manages to escape his captors in a raging thunderstorm. 

Then we have a survival story of a young man who isn't trained in wilderness survival and has few assets but who has a strong will and desire to survive and return home. After being attacked by demons, Mags is rescued by a hermit Karsite priest and his suncat. He learns that life isn't good for anyone is Karse because of the abuse of the black robed priests who control the demons. He is recaptured, drugged again by the assassins, and gets some information about his past that he will still need to sort out since it came as a series of drug-induced visions. 

Beginning with romance and ending with heart-pounding danger, REDOUBT moves the story of Mags along. I look forward to more volumes so that more of the mysteries will be solved. 

Favorite Quote:

But when he asked Dallen to help him out with Amily, Dallen would only chuckle and say, :That sort of thing is best left for you to discover for yourself.:

Definitely nothing like fair. I don't want to work it out fer myself, he thought with irritation. I want instructions, like! I want...maps! Guidebooks! All this discoverin' for yourself stuff is overrated!

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

WoW: The Trouble with Fate by Leigh Evans

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This is where we can post our links and see what books others are waiting for. It spotlights upcoming releases.

This week I am waiting for The Trouble with Fate by Leigh Evans. I was intrigued by the description of this new urban fantasy novel which was released on Dec. 24. Here is the description:

My name is Hedi Peacock and I have a secret. I’m not human, and I have the pointy Fae ears and Were inner-bitch to prove it. As fairy tales go, my childhood was damn near perfect, all fur and magic until a werewolf killed my father and the Fae executed my mother. I’ve never forgiven either side. Especially Robson Trowbridge. He was a part-time werewolf, a full-time bastard, and the first and only boy I ever loved. That is, until he became the prime suspect in my father’s death…

Today I’m a half-breed barista working at a fancy coffee house, living with my loopy Aunt Lou and a temperamental amulet named Merry, and wondering where in the world I’m going in life. A pretty normal existence, considering. But when a pack of Weres decides to kidnap my aunt and force me to steal another amulet, the only one who can help me is the last person I ever thought I’d turn to: Robson Trowbridge. And he’s as annoyingly beautiful as I remember. That’s the trouble with fate: Sometimes it barks. Other times it bites. And the rest of the time it just breaks your heart. Again…

My TBR Mountain Today

I decided a while ago not to take part in any challenges in 2013. I didn't want the pressure or the feeling that I had to read books in certain categories. But that doesn't mean I don't need to challenge myself in a couple of areas. 
The biggest area has to do with my TBR pile. I recently took a look at this blog post and was tempted to join his TBR Double Dog Dare Challenge. However, I have made commitments to read a bunch of review books before April 1 and can't just read what is already on my stack. 
Here is a picture of my physical TBR pile:

It is getting kind of scary when you have a room devoted to TBR books and the room is full! I'm almost afraid to mention that I have 635 books marked To Read on my Kindle too.

The second area where I should challenge myself is something that I have been seeing on a number of blog posts. I need to read some in my blind spots - the categories of books I never try to read. For me that would be nonfiction books. I have gathered a few that appealed to me and a few that would enhance my professional life but they have just been sitting around unread. 

Those are areas where I want to do some reading in 2013. What challenges are you going to do? And what are your reading plans for 2013?

Teaser Tuesday: Redoubt by Mercedes Lackey

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

This week my teaser is from Redoubt by Mercedes Lackey. This is the fourth book in her Collegium Chronicles which is about the early days in her fantasy world of Valdemar. Here is the description:

Mags, a young Herald trainee in Haven, the capital city of the kingdom of Valdemar, has talents not commonly found in Herald trainees. Recognizing this, the King's Own Herald decides to train Mags as a spy in order to uncover the secrets of a mysterious new enemy who has taken an interest in Mags himself. Why is the even deeper mystery. The answers can only be found in the most unexpected corners of Mags' past...assuming he can live long enough to find them.

Teaser:

"You gotta deal with your past, Mags, you have to. If you don't, it'll just keep coming back to haunt you, and one day it'll do something to you that you can't get out of."

I have been reading the Valdemar fantasy books for about 25 years now and always enjoy each new visit and series.