T5W || Side characters that deserve their own series

This was an interesting topic because while there are a plethora of side characters, how many are deserving of their own series?  Well after wracking my brain, and frantically trying to remember books that had great side characters, I finally came up with five characters that I would love to read more of.  So, here goes...

5) Charlotte Lucas (Pride & Prejudice)

Practical, level headed, and BFFs with Lizzie!, Charlotte is an often overlooked figure.  I'd love to go behind the scenes and see what she thinks of Lady Catherine DeBurgh (and her husbands world class brown nosing skills).

4) Somerset (In Death)

Give it up for Somerset!  The former conman, and now snobbiest butler out.  Would love to follow him through the Urban Wars, or when he was looking after a young Roarke ;-D

3) Lula (Stephanie Plum)

I love Lula ;-D  She's so confident in herself, and isn't ashamed of what she's done in her life.  Instead of a series, I'd like a collection of short stories.  Snippets from the existing books in the series, but from her POV.

2) Gallowglass (All Souls Trilogy)

Gallowglass was a character that made his first appearance in book 2, Shadow of Night, and I adored him.  A world travelling, tattoo wearing, vampire who was tasked to watch over our main character and waited centuries to fulfil his duty.  Of course he fell in love with her, but that would be an interesting part of a series.  His getting over her, and finding another.

1) Arizona Snow (Arcane Society series, and mentioned in the Rainshadow series as well)

While we meet Arizona Snow when she is a strange, security obsessed old lady, I would love to read about her adventures and escapades in the Arcane Society when she was a younger woman.  Especially after the information we find out about her in the futuristic paranormal romance book "The Hot Zone" where it is discovered by an descendant that Arizona possessed some unique paranormal abilities.  Could be soooo good!

Well, that is my T5W list done for another week.  I really enjoyed this week, and last weeks topics, but the frantic searching through all my bookshelves for suitable books could be classified as a part time job I think... it took that long!

As always, T5W was created by the lovely Lainey at GINGERREADSLAINEY and I'll include a link to the Goodreads group {HERE} if you would also like to participate. 

Please feel free to leave a comment below.  I love to hear from you ;-D

Top 5 Wednesday - Top Worlds

This week we're counting down the Top 5 Worlds.  When I think of worlds, I think of the amazing world-building in my favourite series that allow you to effortlessly jump into a book or series and not question the environment {people, places, objects, technology, etc} around the characters at every turn.

So in honour of the Top 5 Worlds, I have mentally sifted through the hundreds of books on my shelves and after careful consideration, I finally narrowed it down to my top 5 worlds...

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

The world of Harry Potter is wonderfully imaginative.  I love the idea of a

 magical world hiding from the everyday, Muggle, world. 

Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh

This is a fabulous series about angels and vampires and Archangels {oh my!}

With a great storyline, amazing characters, action, romance, and every other

emotion from A-Z, the Guild Hunter series is a great way to spend a few hours.

 

Anita Blake Vampire Executioner series by LKH

 The Anita-verse comes in third for world building.  Although I haven't enjoyed

 the last couple of books in the series, the world building has remained

 amazing.  It takes skills to make shapeshifters, zombies, necromancers 

and vampires seem like everyday folk you might share a town with.

 

In Death series by J.D. Robb

With 38 books in the series published - and counting - the In Death series is just

a brilliant collection that revolves around the life of Lt. Eve Dallas, and her husband, Roarke,

in the not too distant future of 2060.  Robb's imaginative ideas of what our world might be like

in 50 or so years is so well done that I almost expect to see some of the tech ;-D 

 

Lord of the Rings + The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

OMG!  The world building in the LOTR trilogy (and The Hobbit) is just so complex

and imaginative.  With languages, poetry and appendices full of information, J.R.R. Tolkien

built a world that is so rich in details that you don't even have to watch the movies to

picture it in your mind.

So that's it for my Top 5 this week.  I hope you enjoyed your stay ;-D.  If you leave a link below to your Top 5 list I'd love to check it out.  Oh, and if you want to join the fun, then head on over to the Top 5 Wednesday page on Goodreads {here}.

Until next time,

 

Delusion in Death

Coming soon to a bookstore near you September 11, 2012

Delusion in Death
'In Death' Book 35
J.D. Robb

Inside flap

What would cause someone to want so many people, surely many of them strangers, to slaughter each other?'

The scene that greets Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her team one terrible evening in New York is more shocking than any of them have ever witnessed. The usually comfortable downtown bar is strewn with bodies - office workers who have been sliced, bludgeoned or hacked to death with the nearest weapon available. It appears they all turned on each other in a desperate blinding rage.

As Eve and her husband Roarke - who owned the bar among his many properties - investigate the big-business workers of the city, they link the attacks back to the Urban Wars and the chemical warfare used all those years ago. With another slaughter imminent, Eve must turn to unexpected sources in order to stop a killer who is getting revenge by creating mass carnage...

Oh God, I want it now!  This sounds soooo good.  Eve Dallas is getting better by the book.

Is the 'In Death' series sinking?

The short answer is maybe? I got my hands on the newest offering from JD Robb yesterday and spent the next few hours devouring it. I was expecting more insight into Eve and her tortured past... the nightmares, the occasional fight with Roarke, and her ever increasing heartache at being a homicide cop.

But what did I find? A cop who wasn't too emotionally involved with this case, who was more interested in nailing the villain to the wall than in actually solving the case. It was one of the least dramatic/suspenseful stories in the saga of Lt. Eve Dallas.

To be fair, it is a good read. There are some truly funny moments, especially with Eve & Peabody....

"Marriage is mostly a sucker bet"

"Spoken by the woman with Dream Husband"

"You just said Dream Husband might tak a turn down the road and decide he wants to do threesomes or ___ "

"Me! Me!" Peabody shot up a hand. "Pick me!"

In all I would recommend it to all the In Death fans. Just be aware that if you are looking for a heartwrenching Eve story... forget it!