Bitchery reader Falon gave me a heads up to a book she really, REALLY enjoyed, as in, read the whole dang thing in one sitting. As I am a sucker for YA, I’m going to look for it next time I visit the book commerce locations online or in Jersey: Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. Have you read it? What’d you think?
Then, Early Ink maven Mollie forwarded me a really cool link to a UK publications catalog. The Bookseller
uses a program called Ceros to publish their Autumn Paperback Preview – and damn, does it kick the crap out of Adobe in terms of function, zooming, and ease of use.
Both links got me thinking – time to consult the reading power of the Bitchery. What are you reading now that you’re digging? And what are you looking forward to in upcoming releases?
I’m enjoying some library profession literature on the “quality vs. demand” issue myself. But in pleasure reading (see the blog) I’ve hit a streak of awesome—The Spellman Files, The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, and more. There’s a 2 foot stack of library books taunting me, and my local has put out a wanted poster for overdue books with my face on it. Oh, dear.
I’m drowning in dissertation reading, but on the sly I’ve just picked up Night Angels by Danuta Reah, a shot-in-the-dark mystery/thriller that I had to forcibly put away from me after the 15-page test. I might also be re-reading Harry Potter.
What I really want to be reading is an old-fashioned romance of the Heyer-variety. But my library has a terrible selection and, alas, I am poor.
I finally got around to Demon Angel and loved it, so I’m looking forward to Demon Moon. I haven’t picked it up yet.
Nora Roberts’ Angels Fall stuck out for me in the last week or two and I’m re-reading A Ring of Endless Light by Madeline L’Engle which has been a (maybe the) favorite since I was 10 or 11.
I also enjoyed the Raintree books and will buy the third. I can’t wait for Gail Dayton’s The Eternal Rose.
I’m kind of in a reading slump lately. Unless you can count Eating Well When You’re Expecting and similar literature.
I have a stack of Adele Parks books (British chick-lit) and am currently reading “Playing Away” – for the second time! I can never read a really good book only once…
I thought Angels Fall was a great read. I picked up who did it – but it was great clue planting. In my mind you should be able to figure it out by the end.
I recently read Jeffery Archer False Impressions – who I used to LOVE – and was not thrilled. Really big plot holes.
I’m looking forward to Julia Quinn’s latest and because of what I’ve read on this sight I think I’m going to give Loretta Chase a try.
I’m reading Star Wars: X-Wing: Solo Command at the moment which is was written by Aaron Allston who is fabulous at making me laugh out loud. Prior to that I read Stardust on SMTB’s recommendation and I loved it.
I’m definitely looking forward to Agnes and the Hitman as well as The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes because that just sounds like a nice summer read. Oh and I guess I should say I’m looking forward to the last Harry Potter even though I keep forgetting it’s coming out next month.
Not really romance, although there is a running relationship between the two main characters – Paul Levine’s Solomon & Lord legal mysteries. Cover blurbs from Harlan Coben, Carl Hiassen, and Dave Barry – how can you lose?
Thanks to the nod from the SBs about Mrs. Giggles, I checked out her keeper list and have been ASTOUNDED at how much I loved many of the recommended books from Eloisa James and Julie Anne Long. Color me speechless with delight because historical romance usually makes me nuts.
Thanks again to the SBs for their singular praise of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust, to which I am listening. I adored Good Omens, The Anansi Boys and Coraline, but struggled hugely with, and never finished, American Gods. Mr. Gaiman is the narrator of Stardust and who better to give voice and life to his characters? It is a jewel.
Back to my home base of mysteries, I just finished Stephen Booth’s The Dead Place. Great atmospheric and character-driven series set in England’s Peak District.
Looking forward to: Suzanne Brockmann, JR Ward and Jasper Fforde.
Oh! And Meg Gardiner’s new book, Kill Chain. I was a fan before Stephen King hopped on board and can’t understand why she isn’t published more in the US. OK, I’m done now. Maybe.
I am loving J. R. Ward’s books, which I only got into recently. I have also been reading and loving Carol Berg’s Bridge of D’Arnath series (at least the first book) and the first book in Kate Elliot’s Crown of Stars series, neither of which are romance at all, although there is a strong romantic element in Berg’s book.
Also, of course, I am still reading more adventures of Miles Vorkosigan, thanks to the bitchery.
I’m reading Star Wars: X-Wing: Solo Command at the moment which is was written by Aaron Allston who is fabulous at making me laugh out loud.
Awesome! I was just looking at that on my shelf the other day.
Between dissertation stuff and student papers, I’m reading The Dante Club, which I’m quite enjoying (though I know next to nothing about American literature) and Lynn Peril’s fascinating College Girls, which is a social history on that subject.
I’m looking forward to Agnes and the Hitman…not sure what else off the top of my head, aside from The Big Damn Book (Deathly Hallows), which I’m dreading as much as I’m anticipating.
(*snerk* verification? game69. Sounds like an interesting game.)
Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series is ab-fab (and it just won a Lucust for best first novel/s). Going today to pick up the new Janet Evanovich but otherwise haven’t had anything really capture my attention.
Just finished Michel Faber’s “Under the Skin”, and still reeling from it. That and his “The Crimson Petal and the White” are my faves of the year thus far.
Thanks to all you Nora Roberts Bobblehead fanatics, I’m prepared to give her another try. But there’s so many – which one to choose? Also ready to make a foray into sci fi/romance genre. I’m missing Octavia Butler.
Currently re-reading Gabriel’s Ghost by Linnea Sinclair. It was a recent RITA winner and for once I can say that they made a good choice.
I love Linnea’s characters. If you like a little scifi romance, I’d recommend Gabriel’s Ghost and Games of Command. With GoC you get some cyborg lovin’.
I just finished Mr. Impossible, my first by Chase thanks to you all SBs, and it rocked so hard that I now have a big stack of her books awaiting me. (I completely understand the adoration now.) Also, I am nearly finished with Kushiel’s Justice which is truly wonderful. If you have read the other books in the Kushiel saga by Carey, I do believe you will loose sleep over this one. I know I have. Now to get to the end… and attack that stack of Loretta Chase books.
I’ve been rereading George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire in between new books, lately.
Last week I read P.C. Cast’s Goddess of Love in the store in about two and a half hours. Because I got tired of waiting for it in the mail, not because I’m hesitant to spend money on it. It’s definitely going on the reread list. I also read a bit of Lovecraft over the weekend, because I’ve been feeling a bit guilty about making Chthulu jokes all these years without ever reading any of the stories.
I’m eagerly awaiting The Eternal Rose as well, but that’s about it on my book shopping list until Labor Day.
i just finished re-reading HP:OOTP and HBP in anticipation of next month – Movie! and Book! coming out within a week of each other!!
I’m currently reading Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neal Gaiman. It was a bit slow and difficult to follow in the beginning* but it has started livening up and is really very chuckle-worthy now.
In my TBR pile is Cell by Stephen King and Master of Dragons by Angela Knight.
————-
Just for argument’s sake, let’s define “the beginning” as the first two-thirds of the book.
I recently finished WICKED LOVELY and loved it! Highly recommended.
Reading Obsession by Karen Robards which so far gripped me by the throat, have just finished reading a few Harlen Coben’s (my current fav),Jodi Picoult and Juliet Marrillier. I have three shelves of TBR many of which don’t inspire me, but am looking forward to Joey Hill’s new Vampire one, the new Kushiel, some Stella Duffy, some Henry Miller and don’t quite know why I agreed to read Jude the Obscure as part of my reading group. Doubt I’ll get that one done. Loved Crimson Petal and the White! I thought it incredibly erotic and my reading group thought I was mad.
I’ve been all about the YA for a the past couple weeks. For me, the absolute standout of the year has been Megan Whalen Turner’s Attolia series (The Thief; The Queen Of Attolia; The King Of Attolia). And I very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Liz Carlyle’s Never Lie To A Lady.
Recently acquired Lord of Scoundrels on recommendations here. I’m on vacay next week, so that’s when I expect to read it.
I’m finding Jim C. Hines’s Goblin series hilarious (though how likely that is to appeal to the Bitchery, I can’t say). Also rereading the Harry Potter books in anticipation of July 21.
I recently broke down and bought Kelley Armstrong’s No Humans Involved and really liked it. (No, not as strong as Dime Store Magic, but hey, I like Paige and Jeremy.)
I have been going through and re-reading all the old Linda Howard novels and blogging on how throwback some of them are, some of them are so funny. But I love Linda Howard even when things from her 1980s books make me cringe. An Independent Wife, and MacKenzie’s Mountain! So funny. Unintentionally.
I also read Christopher Moore’s Practical Demonkeeping and I’m not sure I get the whole fangirl phenom with this author. He seems like a slightly boring Carl Hiassen. Maybe I picked the wrong book of his to read.
I’m just about ready to start Robin McKinley’s Sunshine after reading Dara Joy’s Ritual of Proof—my first Dara Joy and I liked it (reminded me of Jayne Castle). But didn’t realize all the controversy over Joy, that’s been fun to read about.
I just finished listening to Charlaine Harris’ latest Sookie Stackhouse book, Altogether Dead. It ends rather abruptly with a lot of unanswered questions. I am, however, eagerly waiting for the next book in the series. This series is raising some interesting questions beyond Sookie’s sexual relationships.
I’m about 3/4 of the way through See Delphi and Die by Lindsey Davis. Marcus Didius Falco shepherds a family party through a tour of Greece in pursuit of the killer of two young women who had both been in parties taken to Olympus by the Seven Sights Tour Service. Davis gets to show off her knowledge of Greece and once again the ordinary people of the Roman Empire seem both familiar and exotic.
Last night I ordered four Juno Books—Bone Whistle,, Strangeling, Beyond the Hedge, and Jade Tiger—and Tanya Huff’s The Heart of Valor because I like her space opera.
I’m so-so on YA. Some of it is great, and some of it just seems like watered-down “grown up” fare, as if the wee little teenagers might get confused easily, or else their poor virgin eyes would be offended by scandelous print. But I must admit that I’m totally looking forward to the next Georgia Nicholson book, “Love Is a Many Trousered Thing.” (Next month!) And for “The Sweet Far Thing,” by Libba Bray. (Not next month! December! Waaaaaah!) And “The Seduction of the Crimson Rose.” (February! How in the Hell and I expected to wait that long?) Though that last one isn’t really YA.
Like everyone on the planet, I am also madly looking forward to DH. (Next month! I’m scared!)
Others that I’m looking forward to? Well, I read “Twilight,” by Stephanie Meyer, and am sort of look forward to the next six books in the series, and sort of worried that they will ruin the wonder of “Twilight,” for me.
I just finished finals, so I’m not really reading anything, right now, except for “The Notebook,” by Nicholas Sparks. I’m having trouble getting into it. Dare I say that the movie is better?
Oh, and I’m about to start Dicken’s “Bleak House.”
I definitely second the love for Novik’s Temeraire series, and I’m really looking forward to reading Carey’s latest Kushiel book as well. I didn’t think it was out yet, so clearly I need to get myself to the bookstore. (As if I ever need an excuse.) On recommendations here, I’ve been gobbling up Loretta Chase, although I liked Lord Perfect a tiny bit more than Mr. Impossible. I’m also looking forward to Candice Hern’s next in her Merry Widows series.
Some other things I’ve read recently and loved:
Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet, a memoir about growing up as an autistic savant.
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, her memoir about raising herself and her siblings despite batshit insane parents.
Bright of the Sky by Kay Kenyon, a brilliant SF/F read whose premise is too complex for me to briefly summarize but which rocks anyway. Really looking forward to the next in this series (3 more books planned).
Carrie Vaughn’s Kitty series.
Karen Chance’s series about Cassandra Palmer.
Some things I’ve read recently and do not recommend:
Brenda Joyce’s painful foray into paranormal romance. Have burned the title from my memory for my own sanity. This book is really, really, pathetically, horribly wrong.
Suzanne Enoch’s Sins of a Duke. Hated the heroine, who is not only a thief and a con-artist, but continuously assaults and humiliates the hero in public. In fact, her behavior made so little sense that I came to the conclusion she had a screw loose. I couldn’t get excited about the hero either, and ended up putting the book down about halfway through it.
Eloisa James’s Desperate Duchesses. I love James, and I was really looking forward to this new series, but the principle h/h were so dull I think even James got bored with them. The book has some interesting secondary characters, as usual, so I’ll probably tune in for the next installment.
Wow, sorry this got so long!
Usually around this time of year I get excited for the latest Stephanie Plum novel, but for some reason, I just don’t care this year. I used to adore Janet Evanovich but some of her stuff lately has been meh. Probably because I’m expecting too much.
What I’m looking forward to instead are new discoveries for me, some comics and graphic novels. I just ordered the first 4 issues of Buffy The Vampire Slayer season 8 and the issues of Wonder Woman written by Jodi Picoult. Also, I picked up Watchmen and Fables: Legends in Exile at the library to see if I would enjoy them.
Other books I’m looking forward to:
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Neptune Noir edited by Rob Thomas
But the book I will probably devour as soon as I get my hands on it is High Noon by Nora Roberts. (Also her new trilogy and next JD Robb title, but those don’t come out until the end of the year.)
I’m currently reading (and loving) Divine by Mistake by PC Cast – can’t believe it has taken me so long to pick this one up!
Next on the TBR is Rises in the Night by Colleen Gleason, the latest Cindy Gerard (I think it’s called Into the Dark) and the Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown… I’m also going to reread Stardust at some point soon before the movie comes out.
I’m very impatiently waiting for Agnes and the Hitman, Caressed by Ice by Nalini Singh and the next JR Ward.
Just read two books in ARCs that were absolutely fabulous. One was DEMONS ARE FOREVER, the third in Julie Kenner’s Demon-hunting soccer mom series and then UNDER THE ROSE, which is the second in Diana Peterfreund’s Secret Society Girl series. Both were brilliant. Now I’m reading Kenner’s PRADA PARADOX, the third and final in the Play.Survive.Win series. So far, so good!
I have Tanya Huff’s new one in my TBR pile, and I’m saving it for long dull plane flight next month, along with Bujold’s The Sharing Knife, and Carey’s Kushiel’s Justice.
Lean Mean 13 is coming in from Amazon, along with the Kushiel book, but I’ll go ahead and read it 🙂
I got an ARC of Wicked Lovely and it is FAB. A must read for sure.
Currently reading Bloomsbury which is by the fellow who wrote Thank you for smoking. Good read.
I very much enjoyed the YA fantasy novel Keturah and Lord Death. I’ve been recommending The Yiddish Policeman’s Union to scads of friends, and just got Kushiel’s Justice by J. Carey.
Finishing BOOK by Robert Grudin, which the jury is still out on. Not sure if it’s brilliant or lame salad. Next up is Madhur Jaffrey’s CLIMBING THE MANGO TREES, followed by ELLA MINNOW PEA. With probably some E. James and L. Chase thrown in there for spice.
Being a gal who reads to an almost overtly psychotic degree (I’ve recently made an X-Men analogy to it in that I devours books as fast as Phoenix devours planets)
Since I had some well-deserved time on my hands after recently graduating from uni I challended myself to six books in three weeks (library check out limit). Have actually read 8-9.
And they were (in order):
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova- I was flipping through it at Borders and was so absorbed I bought it. It was the type of story that really creates a picture (of 1950s/1970s Europe) and there’s a lot of detail in setting and history of Vlad Tpesh’s time. It was also one of the most genuinely suspensful books I’ve read.
The Autobiography of King Henry VIII (With Notes from his Fool) by Margaret George- This book is long. I mean LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG. 700+ pages (read about four and half inches thick) and a good chunk of the book deals largely with Katherine of Aragon and his boyhood crush and marriage and subsequent divorce and his relationship with Anne Boleyn. It does also go into all his other wives. I had gotten into the Tudors on Showtime so it was an interesting read.
The Queen’s Fool by Philippa Gregory- I actually wanted to read the Constant Princess but it is being ever elusive at my library so I checked out this story of Spanish/Jewish Hannah who becomes Bloody Mary’s court fool and her subsequent encounters/relationship with the court, her intended husband, and as go-between between Mary and Elizabeth. Hannah also has a type of ESP/clairvoyance.
Hood by Stephen R. Lawhead- Is the first in the Raven King Trilogy and is a story based on the Robin Hood myth set in 1093 Wales and has elements of Celtic myth/folklore. It was a rather fast read actually.
The Serpent and the Rose by Kathleen Bryan- Fantasy with some religious undertones, I really was more fascinated with the protaganists Averil and Gereint and their struggles in their roles and their mutual (forbidden) adolescent attraction.
What Price Love? by Stephanie Laurens- Who should have stopped writing Cynster novels after All About Passion even though the Amanda/Amelia books weren’t horrible the series just went really downhill by then and is now rather boring. Sad because I was such a big fan of the first seven.
Mary Queen of Scots and the Isles by Margaret George- This was a little harder to get through than Henry’s book. Mary torn between French/Scottish loyalties. Court conspires against Mary. Lot of people names James. Mary and Elizabeth keep intending to meet and never do and have a rather false comraderie. Elizabeth is a petty bitch as portrayed in the book. I think it was a mistake of me to put this last on my list of the six because at that point I was a little Tudored out.
Recently just read the Nature of Monsters by Clare Clark set in 1718 London told in the shifting point of view of sixteen year old protagonist Eliza Tally and switching to the notations and journal perspective of Dr. Grayson Black, her employer. This book is very dark and very visual in describing London of that time as that not of the decadence and gaiety as usual seen in Regency/Victorian romance. This look at London is of a dirty, gritty, somber city still recovering from the Great Fire of 1666.
Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert- Actually the first in this list set in present day about information theif/hacker/psychic Gabriel Blackstone investigation the disappearance of a former flame’s stepson and being drawn into the world of sisters Morrighan and Minnaloushe Monk- solar witches with an intense interest in alchemy. I thought this was a rather cool concept incorporation alchemy and its chief goal of transformation into a mystery with elements of supernatural. I also very much wished I could see a house like Monk House (despite the scary sounding African masks).
I’m the type of person who needs a spotter at the library to either help carry books (I had checked out only six simply because I couldn’t carry anymore) or to tell me no when checking out too many books.
Side note- Am very excited to see Stardust at the movies this August! I love that book so very dearly.
I read Wicked Lovely a couple months ago. I immediately passed it on to a friend and have not yet gotten it back. Here’s a short review I did for a bookseller’s group:
There’s been a war amongst the courts of Faerie for 900 years, since
the Winter Queen killed the previous Summer King and bound the new
Summer King’s powers. Since that time Keenan, the Summer King, has
been searching for the mortal girl who will be his queen and unlock
his power.
Aislinn (Ash to friends) has a problem. She can see faeries. She’s
always been able to see faeries, just as her mother and grandmother
before her. She’s learned to deal with her problem by living with 3
simple rules: don’t stare at invisible faeries, don’t answer invisible
faeries, don’t ever attract faeries’ attention. The trouble starts
when the Summer King notices Ash and decides that she is his queen.
With the help of her best friend, Seth (an artist with multiple
piercings who lives in a converted train car), Ash goes against
everything she’s been taught to confront the faeries and seize her
destiny.
This is an exciting debut fantasy. The characters are developed well
and there is great tension throughout the story. It’s perfect for fans
of Charles deLint, Emma Bull, or Holly Black. My only problem with
this book is the ending. The story builds so well, and then the
conclusion happens in a very brief amount of pages. It just seems a
bit rushed, but leaves a possibility for subsequent books. It’s a
minor flaw in what is, overall, a very well rounded first effort.
I really enjoyed the book. Bear in mind that I do spend most of my time with children’s books, so that may taint my opinions.
sorry about the formatting ^ up there.
So, aside from wicked lovely, here’s what i’ve been reading:
just finished: Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale – not my favorite of hers, but still very readable.
How to Seduce a Duke – Kathryn Caskie – was ok. a friend of mine liked it much more than i did. i’ll still read the 2nd book
currently reading: Aurora County All-Stars – Deborah Wiles – set in the same county as Each Little Bird That Sings and Love, Ruby Lavendar. so far so good. I’m enjoying it and have high hopes.
next up: Lady Beware – Jo Beverly
Last Hellion – Loretta Chase
and Silent in the Sanctuary – Deanna Raybourn
i’m anticipating all being fun, but i have the highest hopes for the Raybourn. the first book (Silent in the Grave) was so unexpectedly great that i can’t help but hope this one is just as good (if not better).
Just remembered to mention Anne Bishop’s second in her new Ephemera series, called Belladonna. I’m liking this new world and set of characters she’s created. And I see that she has a new Black Jewels novel coming out in March of 2008. Hmmm, should be interesting. Unfortunately, it looks like it’ll be hardcover. Damn, I loved that series, but I just can’t start buying hardbacks of everything, now can I? Maybe my library will come through for me on this one, too.
I’m puttering through The Complete Writings of Emily Carr at a decent rate for my summer reading. I’ve done Klee Wyck and am working on The Book of Small. It’s not romance by any means, or even really fiction, but I’m a total whore for historical anything and I like Carr’s writings much better than her paintings, and her paintings are still pretty good.
Coupla things struck me from above.
I was unimpressed with the first in the Karen Chance series. Expanding on the history of any of the vamps (Rasputin, Jack the Ripper, Cleo, Iron Mask Man) would have been more interesting than Cassie’s cluelessness and endless need to be shelted from teh !DANGER! If Tomas had knocked her to the floor one more time, that book would have hit the frickin’ wall.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t get the Christopher Moore thing. I was assured I’d be pissing myself with laughter, but the most I got out of it was a mild snerk. I read a different book, Lust Lizards, so either he’s truly brilliant and just happened to bomb with the two books we happened to read, or he’s overrated.
I just finished Kelley Armstrong’s Bitten, which cleansed the bad taste in my mouth left by the last couple of books I read.
I recently devoured Lynn Viehl’s Darkyn series, which straddle the line between fantasy and romance. There’s a hookup in each book (a la romance), but just as many pages are devoted to The Grand Scheme (the psycho monks, the virus, family dysfunction, vamp politics) (a la fantasy).
I’m taking a 3-day weekend on behalf of HP and the DH (Hewlett-Packard and the Dear Husband?), in case I need to read it twice.
The TBR pile is huge, but the only thing jumping out at me at this point is the Linnea Sinclair. My wish list inlcudes Meljean Brook, The Dream Thief and Stardust in PB, Gil’s All Fright Diner (a vampire and a werewolf walk into a diner… sounds like a good joke – I’ll have to see how it works as a novel), and new Marjorie Liu, Rachel Caine (David = yummy), and J.R. Ward.
And fine, I’ll confess. Sherrilyn Kenyon is in there, too. One paperback, one wait-for-it-in-paperback, and if Ash comes out in hardback, I might pony up for it because he is crack.
*too15* – As in “hands off the pool boy, he’s too 15”?
Kushiel’s Justice. I’ve been so busy with edits I haven’t had much time to read lately but I purposely took the afternoon off on the 11th so I could purchase and read it and all I have to say is WOW. The series gets better with each progressive book. Jacqueline Carey is definitely WAY up on my list of favorite authors and has been since Kushiel’s Dart. If you haven’t read it yet, by all means get it fast!
You know, I’m glad someone else liked The Historian. I read it a few years ago and I’ve found that it’s either a love (or at least like) it or hate it book. I enjoyed it quite a lot. I liked how the Historian of the title was at least 3 different people. And it was suspenseful. Very rarely do I read a book and not figure every thing out way before the end.
One book I recently read and surprisingly enjoyed was Shana Abe’s The Dream Thief. I say surprisingly because it was a donation from somebody and the description on the back wasn’t that great. But the book was good enough that I’m wondering if anyone’s read The Dream Thief and if so is it worth it to get it now or should I just wait until it comes out in paperback?