I know Sheri was reading Evanovich's Plum series from the beginning last month (sorry I goofed on your name originally, Sheri, my apologies), as was Alina, and Booklight said Amanda Quick's backlist was on the reading schedule – how are you enjoying them?
This week I've tried to read two self-published works, one full length and one short story, and had problems with both. But this weekend I'm spending about 10 hours in the car, and it's audio book time for me, which I'm looking forward to more than I expected. I am curious to see if I recall the story enough to review it when I'm done listening.
So what are you reading this week? Are you embarking on a massive backlist read-a-thon? What books are you loving right now?
“pinged my squickdar” is easily, hands down, the best phrase of the year.
Reading Second Chance at Sugar Shack. Just recently finished Shannon Stacey’s 3 in her Kowalski brothers books – excellent funny family novels.
LOL I’m reading the same thing you are. I started an ARC of Nora’s the Witness just this evening. I’m JUST at the point where they move to present day (and I’ve already cried), and I’ve got some things (and people) I’m worried about. LOL.
To all of you who are reading The Hunger Games: I saw the movie this weekend, and I can pretty much summarize my reaction as “OMG SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” You should see it. Now.
Witchling by Yasmine Galehorn. I bought 9 out of 11 of the series. The bookstore does not have number 8 and 10.
snarky humor=Harlen Coben’s Myron Bolitar series. I’m listening to the audiobooks and LOVE them. They’re a little Stephanie Plum-ish (funny, smart, quick, etc.). Just discovered Roxanne St. Claire; I read two of her books and thought they were great. Also, Julie James (smart, funny) and Kristen Higgins (sweet, funny). Good luck with the treatments. I went through chemo a year ago, and I much prefer being on this side of things!
Just finished the first two books in the 50 Shades trilogy. I had never heard of it until this site, and I have to admit, I was pretty angry all throughout the first book for many reasons, but surprisingly really enjoyed the second. I am looking forward to the third in April.
Wait, Anne McCaffrey died?!! How did I miss that? I still have all my original copies of the Pern books. They were my gateway to scifi/fantasy. F’lar and Lessa, how they made my 12yo heart pound. And F’nor, prototype hot beta male. So sad… I see a massive reread in my future.
Anyhow, I just finished Gail Carriger’s “Timeless”. Beyond awesome. I cannot express how sad I am that the series is done. Even tea will not help.
Austentatious, by Alyssa Goodnight. Cute, contemporary romance set in Austin, Texas, my beloved home town. A young woman with a Plan for life has all her best-laid plans upended by a sexy Scottish rock n roll singer (in a kilt! riding a motorcycle), and a magical journal inhabited by the spirit of Jane Austen. If it doesn’t make you want to move to Austin, nothing will.
Good luck Joan!
I finished Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia. I am surprised how much I enjoyed it.
Library Addict….I read Red Heat. Didn’t enjoy it at all. But I really enjoyed Nina Bruhn’s other books. If Red Heat is the first one you have read give the others a try.
50 Shades of Grey by E. L. James. I like it! I don’t want to put it down. Not for the faint of heart.
I just finished Megan Hart’s “Broken”, which blew me away. So excellent. But heartbreaking. I cried and cried.
I agree. I just read the first and third in that series and liked them. I would have liked them more but the cover art threw me off some. I think they’re a little better than Garwood. Garwood’s heroines were always such ninnies.
Same here, just finished it last night, found out about in on here and am glad I did.
I’m reading My Mother Killed Christ: But God Loves Me Anway. The writing is incredible and it actually includes a very sexy love story.
I am reading Lavender Lane by JoAnn Ross
I’m terribly tempted to pick up “Ghost” by Carole Cummings.
I want to try m/m in a fantasy setting, but I’m having such a terrible time picking one to read!
I’m reading Avenging Angel by Tara Janzen. It’s good so far!
Linda Lael Miller Dont Look Now and Never Look Back was very very good. Catherine Anderson Here to Stay
I have been in a reading slump lately :(. I think part of the reason is that I am burned out on Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy, in fact anything with . So for the weekend the plan is to read an Elizabeth Chadwick novel that I got from the library, and the return it since it is overdue.
After that, I’ll probably read an ARC, and write the review. After THAT I am writing a note, informing my blog readers I am taking a blogging hiatus for May. Since it is a bit hard to review books in a reading slump 🙂
I’m reading the new book from Lauren Willig called The Ashford Affair. It’s a departure from her Pink Carnation series, set mainly in Kenya in the 1920s. I’ve been looking forward to this and Deanna Raybourn’s A Spear of Summer Grass which apparently has a similar setting (due on 30 April) in contrast to her usual Sebastian St Cyr series.
I’m also re-reading Dirty Kiss and Dirty Secret by Rhys Ford so I can read the latest, Dirty Laundry.
I had plans to read Lover At Last on the day it was released, but various annoyances put paid to that notion. I’ve since caught up with the BDB. Good. That’s…good. Sternums with alacrity! Wonder Twin powers, activate! That’s a haiku if you aren’t bound to society’s notions of how to count.
I took up with the BDB in early 2011, and that was a glorious glom, my friends. I went through the available 8 in short order and enjoyed the crap out of that good crazy. (I read comics, so I am familiar with the cray.) Even better, the next one was coming out in just six weeks: long up enough to build up some anticipation but still fairly soon. This was Lover Unleashed, and I was definitely interested in Payne. Then the book came out, and…well, okay. Same with the next two.
It’s not just the BDB, though. I can’t think of any series I’ve glommed in the past few years where I’ve felt…I don’t know, satisfied?…by any of the post-glom New Releases. I’m trying to figure out why.
I can’t say I’ve done any research (although the Breaking Up With A Series discussion was interesting) but for these open-ended series, it seems the prevailing opinion is that series get worse, not better. Vampire entropy? (Or werewolf or psychic waitress or bounty hunter or [Your Premise Here].)
Maybe it’s that there is something satisfying about having a small stockpile of books you’ve just discovered you enjoy, and a single book just can’t compare.
Do any of you experience this?
I´m finished “Lover at last” by J.R. Ward this morning and i loved the “Qhay”-Story. I´m not sure which book next, maybe “Cowboy Casanova” by Lorelei James or one or two litttle shortstorys by Lora Leigh.
Greetings from Germany, Silke
I’ve been in a reading slump too. I was reading a ?cs forrest book and simply couldn’t care what happened next and DNF’d. Read all 5 gregor the overlander books – by suzanne collins which I highly recommend – but note that the protagonist is 11.
Currently reading Singh’s psy changeling series and still liking it – am up to #5. But I’ve been having real trouble finding books I like, so shall stalk this thread with interest.
I too adore Carla Kelly, and pounce as soon as one of her backlist is Kindled.
I’m re-reading a couple of series that I enjoyed. Right now, I’m on Jane and his Lordship’s Legacy by Stephanie Barron (mystery series with Jane Austen as the protagonist). Next up is Traitor’s Gate by Anne Perry, then it will be Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich.
My current audiobook is Angel’s Blood by Nalini Singh. It’s my first by her and probably the last. I find myself rolling my eyes too much and wanting to slap the characters. Might just be that I’m not in the right mood and I’m not even halfway through yet, so there’s still a chance. We shall see.
On paper I just started Brandon Sanderson’s Alloy of Law. It’s too early to say anything about it except that I wish there was more standalone fantasy books around.
On the kindle I’m between books while rereading bits of Ilona Anerews’ Kate Daniels, just finished that series a week or so ago and still going through withdrawal.
If it’s safe to enthuse over a book that I’m only halfway through, I’m going to greatly praise Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin—yes, the SF author, but this is a retelling and reflection on the Aeneid, featuring a remarkable woman, an absolutely fascinating setting, reflections on history, fiction, war, and personal choice, and gorgeous writing.
On the romance front, Skybound by Alexandr Voinov was excellent and beautiful, though melancholy.
Bear Meets Girl by Shelly Laurenston.
I’m almost done with Her Sky Cowboy by Beth Ciotta. It;s been a busy week and has taken me a while to read it but I really like it. It was an impulse pick up at the library. Steampunk set in 1887 England (different from the ones usually set in like 1815) with influences from 20th United States. very cool world. and I’m loving the story and characters as well as the hero is a cowboy. Yum!
Up next – Tangle of Need and Wild Invitation and I will finally be caught up on then psy changelings
Just started The Mermaid’s Madness by Jim C. Hines. Fairy tales + kickass heroines, what’s not to love?
Just finished The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks, which is a really good SF book, but fairly dark, so probably not a great alternative to the news atm.
I’ve been reading slump, but that seems to have broken. I just finished Edith Maude Hull’s The Sheik which was…rapey…but, surprisingly, very readable. I just couldn’t buy the romance. Also, the heroine’s fear of the supposed hero made for some uncomfortable reading at times. I also recently finished Frank Tuttle’s Hold the Dark. Really good, but I didn’t like how the romance was handled. I wanted more buildup and instead it was instalove. Right now I’m reading the Jane Fletcher’s The Temple at Landfall. I finished almost half of it in one sitting – I’m enjoying it a lot. It’s f/f sf-fantasy, the second book in this series that I’ve read. The pacing of this one is so much better than the other one I read (Rangers at Roadsend), but the romance aspect could be better. Still, I love it so far and will probably finish the rest of it today.
@Vasha – I loved both Lavinia and Skybound.
I’ve been re-reading James Herriot’s memoirs on my commute – I’m on All Things Bright and Beautiful – and I’m enjoying going back to 1930s Yorkshire. It’s perfect commuting reading – engaging enough to keep me happy on the train, but not so engaging that I’m tempted to keep reading during my work day.
I’ve been reading a lot of new books recently (I mean books that were recently published), which is a little unusual for me.
I read Slash, the new one by JL Merrow and it was meh – entertaining enough but the narrator annoyed me. I read the new Kim Dare, Once a Brat, and was pleasantly surprised. I don’t usually like her contemporary m/m, but this is with a new publisher and it doesn’t have her more annoying writing tics. It’s a light, sexy read and just what I needed.
And I read Love Irresistibly, the new Julie James, this week, and it was so, so good. I skipped the previous book in her FBI/US attorney series, but I’m glad I didn’t skip this one.
That’s Slam by JL Merrow. Argh.
I just finished The Lady Most Willing…by Eloisa James, Julia Quinn and Connie Brockway. It was a great three part story that had me giggling at times. Next up is Mind Games by Kiersten White
Weird. I also have been in a reading slump for the last few months. I still kind of am, with one big exception. I just read Anne Bishop’s new book, Written in Red. I loooooved it! I read it in one night last weekend (‘til the wee hours), and then read it a second time during the week. Now, maybe it was the contrast with all the mediocre books I have been reading lately (which have left me feeling unsatisfied and a little cranky), but that book just made me happy. Like sitting-alone-on-a-rainy-weekend-afternoon-with-a-cup-of-steaming-tea-and-some-cookies-with-nothing-to-do-but-read-a-good-book kind of happy. Believe me, in my life, that kind of happy doesn’t happen very often (not that I am complaining—I have a very good life, just not one that leaves me with much down time).
Anyway, I won’t summarize the plot—numerous people have done it on Amazon and Good Reads, but if you like fantasy or scifi or even paranormals, I think you would really enjoy this book. The romance aspect takes a back seat, but the story is just lovely.
But now I am struggling with the downside of reading a great book in the middle of a reading slump … what do I read next? Looking forward to seeing other recs here.
I’m reading Nora Roberts new book “Whiskey Beach”. I haven’t started it yet but I have high hopes.
I recently finished Love Irresistibly by Julie James. I’m in the mood for some more contemporary romance, so I’m hoping to start Come Fly With Me by Addison Fox soon.
I LOVE Austenland! Have only read it though, not listened to it on audiobook. Currently I’m reading The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah Ladd for a blog tour…it’s pretty good!
I just inhaled Radclyffe’s Honor series (seriously, 7 books in a week and a half and I have a full-time job and I’m married with a toddler) and now I’ve moved on to Tessa Dare’s Spindle Cove series, which I’m also enjoying.
I’ve been in a horrible reading slump for a while, but that seems to have broken. I recently finished Olivia Stowe’s By the Howling (f/f cozy mystery). It started off promising but didn’t turn out to be as good as I hoped. Also, lots of editing errors.
Frank Tuttle’s Hold the Dark (fantasy, with a feel that reminds me a lot of Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden books) is another one I recently finished. It was really good, but I didn’t like how the romance was handled. I thought Markhat should have had to earn Darla’s trust and love over several books, but they became a lovey dovey couple really quickly.
A Dear Author post prompted me to read Edith Maude Hull’s The Sheik, which was more readable than I expected but very…rapey. I already knew that would be the case going in, but the depth of the heroine’s fear almost made me quit reading a few times. I wanted to scream when she suddenly she decided she loved him after he chased after her and killed her beloved horse.
Right now, I’m reading Jane Fletcher’s The Temple at Landfall (f/f soft sci-fi). I LOVE IT. I got to the 40% mark in one sitting and will probably finish the rest of it today. I wish I hadn’t agreed to go grade papers at a spelling and vocab contest, or I guarantee you I’d finish it by lunchtime. This is the second book in this series I’ve read. The pacing is much better than the other one (Rangers at Roadsend), although so far I liked the romance aspect of Rangers at Roadsend more.