Time to talk about what we’re reading, and to begin buying more books than we could ever hope to read, right? Right!
Currently I’m reading a book that was a recent Kindle Daily Deal. I think I bought it at about 6 in the morning, before I had my glasses on and before I’d ingested caffeine. My impulse control is weak first thing in the morning.
It’s called The Paper Magician, and it’s the first of what so far is a two book series. It’s got a mix of gothic, magic/fantasy, and mystery that I like.
The heroine, Ceony, went to a school of magical training and wanted to apprentice to a Smelter, a magician of metal. Once a student is apprenticed, they’re bonded permanently to that form of magic. Due to low numbers, Ceony is forced into Folding, or paper magic, and is apprenticed to the requisite mysterious, slightly broody, slightly secretive dude, and begins learning about what Folding is all about.
Then bad shit happens and she flies on a paper plane to go kick ass – and I haven’t finished it yet, but so far, my brain is really happy.
Elyse: Right now I’m reading Lecia Cornwall’s How to Deceive a Duke. The heroine and her family are nobility but penniless. The heroine’s sister is engaged to a notorious rake/ duke that she’s never even met, but she panics on the wedding day so the heroine takes her place.
I’m also reading Fossil Hunter by Shelly Emling because Mary Anning was a bad ass.
If anyone is interested, my husband just finished The Rook by Daniel O’Malley ( A | K | G | AB | Au | WorldCat ) on audio and loved it. I caught snippets. It’s a contemporary paranormal about a group called the chequey that fights supernatural creatures. The heroine wakes up in a body she doesn’t recognize with amnesia, only to find out she has supernatural abilities and is a member of the chequey.
Amanda: Definitely seconding The Rook. A few of my friends can’t recommend it highly enough!
Right now, I’m switching between First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au ) and The Senate Intelligence Committee Report on Torture ( A | K | G | AB ).
A bit of an odd pairing, I know. But I sure as hell need a book for a buffer because the Report is ROUGH, though I do enjoy the looks I get on the train when I read it.
RedHeadedGirl:I’m reading Duke of Thorns ( A | K | G | AB ) (American privateer heroine, duke with a bad luck curse hero), and I’m about to start Code Name Verity, FINALLY .
Amanda: BIG UPS TO CODE NAME VERITY!
Carrie: Oh god. Code Name Verity just gutted me but in a good way.
I am reading Emma ( A | K | G | AB | Au ) side by side with the Emma section of Bitch in a Bonnet II ( A | Au )I’m also reading Speakeasy Dead by Vicki Loebel.
RedHeadedGirl: I just love how charming Emma is. She tries so hard to be a good person and a good friend! She’s just not always successful.
So what about you? What are you reading right now? Anything you recommend? Anything you’re looking for? It’s the most expensive comment thread of the month, so join in!
Anna Richlaand – I totally agree with your enthusiastic rec of Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf. Great work.
My best HR reads this month, to date, have been two publications by Erin Satie, A Secret Heart and The Lover’s Knot. I preferred the the first book in the series, because I was intrigued by the similarities/contrasts of the two disciplines (dancing and boxing) that were the obsessions/refuges of the h and H respectively. And I enjoyed the overt ruthlessness of the h as she plotted and planned to force the aristocratic H to marry her. While I had some reservations about both books, Satie is now an author who has gone on my autobuy list.
I have also just read a HR oldie, The Duke’s Dilemma, a re-release into Ebook format, written by Nadine Miller. Every so often I need to read a HR that I know will omit the cliched and lazy left nipple/right nipple, tightest sheath scenes that are used as fillers in many contemporary HRs – and Miller’s book offered just that.
I’ve just started reading the saga, The Sekhmet Bed, by L Ironside, having received it as a free offer on Amazon. And, to read next, Victoria Holt’s The Secret Woman, which was offered at a very cheap deal. Haven’t read either of these bargain deals before now and not sure if I will like them.
Thanks to the rec by Elyse above, I’ve just bought Fossil Hunter. I visited the Pitt Rivers Museum and Natural History Museum in Oxford last year to check out the exhibit about Mary Anning (intrigued by her battle with breast cancer, as well as her talented eye, drive to survive poverty, her generosities, brusqueness and the way in which some, but not all, contemporary palaeontologists tried to overlook and/or pinch her successes) and was disappointed at the paucity of material. Hadn’t read this book and it looks to be a good find. So, until I can get to the Lyme Regis museum, it might prove to be a good substitute for seeing more of her fossils up close.
Just took a brief break from romance and read an incredible nonfiction book, A FIFTY YEAR SILENCE: LOVE, WAR, AND A RUINED HOUSE IN FRANCE by Miranda Richmond Mouillot. The author tells of her journey to discover why, after escaping from war-time France together, her grandparents refused to speak to each other for fifty years. Miranda discovered a lot about herself and her family as she fell in love with an old cottage her grandparents bought years ago. An engrossing read.
@Vasha:
Theres no need for a poll. As long as its not relying very heavily on a character who was suddenly pulled out of her ass introduced in the last book (Tir Alainn and Ephemera), with a bouncing baby Mary Sue to end all Mary Sues (Black Jewels), or other outbreak of sudden onset bad writing, I don’t think I’ll be too annoyed with the ending.
Rats, strike through doesn’t work anymore. 🙁
I’ve been zipping through the Regencies after overdosing on lame contemporary “holiday” romances last month. I am currently reading What a Lady Craves by Ashlyn MacNamara which is a second chances story (catnip to me) with a strong heroine and a bunch of great secondary characters. Not loving the hero. I think he is meant to be a beta hero but he comes off a bit whiny. Loved In Bed With a Spy by Alyssa Alexander. Her second book and I think she is one to watch. Also discovered Christi Caldwell and liked For Love of the Duke which has a bear of a hero (not a shapeshifter, just a big dude who growls). Earlier this month, I read The Duke’s Guide to Correct Behavior by Megan Frampton and Mr. L kept asking me why I was giggling in the living room. Sounds like I need to move Rose Lerner’s latest up in the TBR list. I will be waiting impatiently for Julia Quinn’s new Smythe-Smith book to hit the doorstep on Tuesday as I must read her on paper.
After Historical overload, I made a deal with myself to alternate one romance with one General fiction book. I am now reading All Out Of Love by Lori Wilde and alternating with The Guensey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Barrows and Schaffer. I can honestly say that so far so great for both. I am enthralled by both. The Lori a Wild Contemporary is nicely balanced by the Gurnsey Book. Tuesday 1/27 all bets are off when the new Julia Quinn releases. I love her books.
I just recently discovered the wonder that is Courtney Milan (I know, I’m a n00b) and am working through her backlist. I just finished Trial by Desire, which I impulse bought after Proof by Seduction
I’m re-reading some perennial favorites in the archaeology/mystery genre. I can not rave enough about the Lindsay Chamberlain series by Beverly Connor. Lindsay is a Georgia University prof who gets into some amazing situations, and the field techniques are accurate. Do not start reading the series about the forensic museum director. That’s a whole ‘nother kettle of fish. Go for the 5 Lindsay books. Then I’m working through the Faye Longchamp oeuvre: Faye is a mixed race, older woman who has a decrepit, but history laden plantation on a private island off Florida. She is poor but determined and doesn’t get a degree until well into her 30s. Intermixed with the plot in the first book, “Artifacts”, is the story of how her great grandmother, a slave, came to own “Joyeuse”‘ the family home. There is a lot of archaeology in the 8 books in this series: survey, excavation, research, oral histories, cultural resource management, curation….. My personal catnip. Not much romance in the first books in either series, but there is some as the characters develop. Mary Anna Evans is the author of the Faye Longchamp books. Both these women are auto buys for me.
I’m finishing up ‘Four’, by Veronica Roth.
Then after a short break, I’ll be starting ‘Outlander’. (Not sure if I’ll read the entire series, but I did purchase the first three books.)
I am glomming on Susan Mallery’s Fool’s Gold series. I have read 5 books in two days. I should probably buy book 5+ 10-15 so that I have the whole series.
( This series is my best bargain ever.I got the first 8 books for free, thanks to an Amazon price glitch in November.)
Am I the only one who deleted Rose Lerner’s ‘Sweet Disorder’ off my Kindle after finishing it? Honestly, I thought it was the least-satisfying Regency I’d read in a while (although I usually rely on here to avoid the really bad ones). She kept info-dumping about politicking in small corrupt boroughs, and when the sex scenes came along, the writing kept making me cringe.
Well, I’ve become addicted to Miss Fischer’s Murder Mysteries since my last post:)
I recently read The Baby That Changed Her Life by Louisa Heaton (a debut) friends to lovers theme category which I really liked.
Buying things, buying things!
I had mixed reactions to The Paper Magician that were not entirely the book’s fault. Parts were fun, parts were offputting… and at the end I found that the author is, like basically all f/sf authors, part of the same small community / religion / university writing program. I am tired of the lack of variety. I don’t begrudge this community their voices; I just want to hear from someone else for a while. So I walked away from f/sf, with the exception of indies. I feel bad about that, because I don’t want real-life factors to interfere with my reading choices that much. But it kept bothering me.
The rec of Invisible is exactly what I need right now, then. I hope it will lead me to a lot of new-to-me voices.
Romancewise, I am still catching up with everybody else. 🙂 Read the first two Brothers Sinister novels by Courtney Milan because I am under-educated in the Regency genre. And I suspect I picked an unusual place to start! But I’m enjoying them. They just aren’t what I expected from Regency. Sex scenes, premarital in one case!, feminism, BBWs… I expect these things from contemporaries! Which is why I’m catching up on more subgenres and educating myself.
I’m currently reading my very first Sarah McLean, A Rogue By Any Other Name. As I said, it’s my first book by her, but seeing as I love Courtney Milan (fun fact, last month, my mom told me about this series she was reading and it was amazing, and had I heard of the Brothers Sinister, and then I had to gently tell her that I had read them months ago) and Tessa Dare, I’m hoping for happy Regency reading time. I’ve honestly done quite a lot of reading this month, due to a nuclear strike on my immune system by the flu. Some of it was Meh (This Song Will Save Your Life, Suddenly Last Summer), some of it was Gimme Gimme Gimme More (The Infinite Sea, Golden Son, The Young Elites, it was a good month for YA sci-go and fantasy).
Also, hey The Rook looks pretty good. You guys and your Amazon links with the Buy With One Click button make my impulse control problem even worse. Of course I bought it.
I’ve been meaning to read the latest books from Joanna Bourne, Eliabeth Hoyt, Theresa Romain, Miranda Neville, Tessa Dare, Sarah MacLean, and on and on. But instead I signed up for the 3 months free Scribd trial, and I’m really loving it. I’ve been gobbling up old books like mad. Reading a 4 part series by Deborah Simmons that begins with “The Vicar’s Daughter”, “An Honorable Thief” by Anne Gracie, rereading some old Julia Justiss books, and “Deirdre and Desire” by M.C. Beaton, which was quite delightful. I also just started “His Saving Grace” by Sharon Cullen. The premise is a married couple, and the husband was thought dead, but then comes home from the Crimean War with a traumatic brain injury. So far, so good.
P.S. Elyse, I LOVE the last minute bride-switching trope! I think I must make a book list. There are 2 variations; one is where the bride substitutes herself and the groom doesn’t find out until later he married a different woman. And the other is when the bride or groom is jilted at the last minute, and someone else(often a sister) steps in, because reasons.
I just finished Hope Rising by Stacie Henrie, a WWI-set inspirational romance. It was well-written and a moving story about love after loss, but as a spiritual agnostic, I didn’t identify with the characters’ relationship with God. Currently reading an eARC of Diary of an Accidental Wallflower by Jennifer McQuiston, and I love it! I’ve been really stressed out and busy at work and as a result, it’s easier for me to read during my downtime (especially romance) because it’s so soothing!
Tam, I haven’t been impressed by any of Lerner’s books, honestly. People keep reccing them and they sound right up my alley, but then I go and try them again and they are just endlessly flat and blah to me.
I also haaaaated The Rook, so apparently I’ve been drinking deep of the contrarian waters of late.
I’ve been working on my knitting, which I can’t do and read at the same time (although I can listen to podcasts, so yay!). AND my Kindle went all twitchy on me so I had to reset to factory default, erasing my chosen books. It has been a bad month for the books. BUT, I read “A Bollywood Affair” (crying mightily), “Queen of Ambition” (an Ursula Blanchard mystery), and “Lost for Words.”
Up next is “Cold, Cold Heart” by Tami Hoag (because it is due next week and the reserve list is long), and “Trust No One” by JAK, after I finish the my library e-book of “Much Ado About You” (enjoying this romp!) and my January Prime book “Regarding Ducks and Universes” (need to clear the decks for February’s book). I also have “Trade Me” in the lineup along with however many gazillion books in the Kindle and Library TBR. I will live forever because my TBR list is endless.
@RedHeaded Girl – Loved “Code Name: Verity” – good book noises and sobs, both at the same time!
@Danker – Loved the two Erin Satie’s books – she’s now on autobuy. Without this site I would passed them buy (I had twice before) and really missed out on some great stories.
Hi, I’m new here. I’m also kind of new to romance and slowly navigating it. I’m loving it so far!
Recently, I’ve read two romance novels and one chick lit that was heavy on the romance. I tore through Lisa Kleypas’ “Devil in Winter” and then was completely consumed with “Dreaming of You.” Be still my heart, Derek Craven. I liked “Dreaming of You” better than “Devil in Winter” but both of them opened my eyes to the romance genre’s high points (for me at least). Then I just finished Jill Mansell’s latest, “Three Amazing Things About You” yesterday. Reading it was so mixed for me. It was a compulsive read for me, and I read it in less than 24 hours. However, I gradually came to dislike it and was alarmed of the kind of questions it raised. Now I’m reading “Hard Time” by Cara McKenna, “Breathe” by Kristen Ashley, and “A Kiss at Midnight” by Eloisa James. I have a shipment of novels coming in from Better World Books sometime soon, hopefully tomorrow–weather permitting!
I read A Bollywood Affair and It Happened One Wedding recently because of reviews here and am so glad I did! A Bollywood Affair was particularly fun because I also went to college in Yspilanti (go EMU) and could tell the author did her research and put things in the right place – yes, even the infamous water tower!
Just finished A Spear of Summer Grass for the Vaginal Fantasy book club and really loved that as well. Now I’m reading The Kraken King and swooning over Ariq and all the steampunky goodness. I really like the non-European setting as well.
I’ve been working my way through the Maiden Lane series as well and plan to start on book #4 soon – I started the series out of order with #6, then #3, then #5, but the character relationships got too complicated to keep track of so I had to go back to the beginning (no, my name is not Inigo Montoya).