How Many Books Have You Read?

Found this lovely bookmark at our local library and thought that others might like to have it too.  If you're crafty, you can make/print a copy to mark off how many books you've read in this National Year of Reading 2012.

This bookmark is 300dpi and is shown at original size.  If you want to see any of the other downloadable stuff, head over to love2read2012.

Where's the Nightshade?

I've been reading Michelle Sagara's fabulous Chronicles of Elantra and just realised something. . . None of the women on the covers has a Nightshade tattoo on their cheek!

Yep, checked my book's covers again.  No tattoo in sight.  Since this symbol is nearly as well commented on as the ruins that cover her body, why have the artists forgotten to add it?  A mystery, perhaps?

Review - Cast in Ruin

Cast in Ruin (Book 7, Chronicles of Elantra)

Michelle Sagara

Release Date: 20 September, 2011

Seven corpses are discovered in the streets of a Dragon’s fief. All identical, down to their clothing. 

Kaylin Neya is assigned to discover who they were, who killed them–and why. Is the evil lurking at the borders of Elantra preparing to cross over? 

At least the investigation delays her meeting with the Dragon Emperor. And as the shadows grow longer over the fiefs, Kaylin must use every skill she’s ever learned to save the people she’s sworn to protect. Sword in hand, dragons in sky, this time there’s no retreat and no surrender….

I've just finished reading Book 7 of the Chronicles of Elantra and I only have one thing to say... WOW!

Kaylin Neya is finally growing up, but I have to admit that those Dragon's need a clip under the ears.  I'm hoping at some stage that Kaylin definitely gives them what for seeings how they treat her like dirt at times and she the freaking Chosen one!  For those of you who haven't read it yet - and there can't be many of you - I won't say who ends up as Kaylin's staunch supporter (and it's not Severn), but it's nice to know that Kaylin finally has someone of power who doesn't think of her as useless because of her mortality.

Lord Diarmat is a complete and total prat.  He reminds me very strongly of Sgt. Mallory, who replaced Iron Jaws for a while, in that he seems to intensely dislike Kaylin for things that she can't control.  I would just love to see old fussy-britches Dragon get his comeuppance.  Arkon plays more of a part in this tale.  He has some very scary moments, even going so far as to reduce another Dragon's clothing to ash - while they're still wearing it!  Lord Tiamaris and Tara are also key in the story.  Nightshade makes an appearance, and a request that will come to pass in Cast in Peril.

However, there is no interaction with the Foundlings or Marrin in this book which I found a little disappointing.  Kaylin needs all the unconditional love and support she can get, and Marrin and the children play a huge part in that.  Surprisingly, there was also no SOS from the Midwives Guild.  I think in part it is because the egg she is mothering will play an important role.  The egg itself is quite mysterious, and what happens to Teela when she tries to touch it is quite startling.  Although I think the race of the inhabitant of the egg is hinted at with the colours it turns - gold, orange and red.  Ring any bells?

Anyway, I found this to be a wonderful book.  Severn and Kaylin are more open about their feelings, and her past in the fief of Barren.  I think she'll have to make a choice soon.  Severn or Nightshade.

Janet Evanovich Contest!

Found this on Twitter...

Wicked Business Shout Out – Win Bulgari Green! 

Tweet a pic. of you or your pet trying to bend a spoon, 

#janetevanovich, contest ends July 17

Janet Evanovich (@janetevanovich)

Hurry up and get those pics up ASAP!

It's Ranger's scent!  Whoa momma, hold me back.

Cast in Peril - release date and cover

It's not long until the newest book in the Chronicles of Elantra is released, but finding the cover art has just been frustrating!  So far, all I've been able to find is a teeny-weeny little image at GoodReads.com.  If this is indeed the final cover design to be used, then it's great... although Kaylin Neya all neat and tidy in a dress?  I'll also assume that she's holding her magical egg-baby in her hands too.  Can't wait to see what she becomes mamma to :-D

From the back cover:

USUALLY DISASTER DIDN'T STRIKE QUITE SO CLOSE TO HOME...

It has been a busy few weeks for Private Kaylin Neva. In between angling for a promotion, sharing her room with the last living female Dragon and dealing with more refugees than anyone knew what to do with, the unusual egg she'd been given was ready to hatch. Actually, that turned out to be lucky, because it absorbed the energy from the bomb that went off in her quarters....

So now might be the perfect time to leave Elantra and journey to the West March with the Barrani. If not for the disappearances of citizens in the fief of Tiamaris-disappearances traced to the very Barrani Kaylin will be traveling with...

Release Date: 18 September, 2012

A Discovery of Witches and sniffles

Hello my lovelies,  I'm here hold up in bed with a stuffy head - thanks to whomever must have passed on their germs to me - and, being stuck in bed I decided to grab a few books to tide me over for however long this stupid headcold lasts.

Yesterday I finished re-reading A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, and let me tell you it was as great the second time as it was the first.  Of course, now I just want to get my hands on the next book, Shadow of Night, but unfortunately, the local library doesn't hold any copies of it yet.  Grrrr!  Anyway, what can I say?  I loved it.  Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont are wonderful - although IMO Matthew does in some ways remind me of an older, more mature version of Twilight's Edward with all the brooding he can manage - and I certainly loved the whole Ashmole 782 angle (and the fact that it is a real manuscript that has been missing for over 100 years!) plus the uber-witch angle.  The woman who for the first time since she was 7 will have to embrace her witchy-ness if she wants any chance of surviving. . . and, any book that includes witches, vampires and daemons just has to be worth checking out.

Now, I will admit that I did start to see parallel's with Twilight and other paranormal star-crossed lovers stories.  I guess when you're doing a forbidden love story you just can't get away from some stereotyping, but even that is not enough to put me off the book.  Now while the book is great, there are a few harsh moments when the reality of the world creeps to the forefront.  For those of you who haven't yet picked up ADoW, Diana's treatment at the hands of some vampires and a certain witch aren't for the squeamish.  It's a definite reminder that Diana and Matthew are involved in a cut-throat world where the weak don't survive long.  But, take heart dearies, while heavy moments like those are present, they are more than outnumbered by the relationship that's building between our witch and her man, and their families (plus a touchy cat, ghostly witch ancestors and a house that I would personally love to live in!

So, that is my quick once-over of the first installment of what promises to be a fabulous trilogy.  Next on the list, the Chronicles of Elantra by Michelle Sagara.  Wish me luck!

Final Trilogy named!

Yes!  It's official.  Kylie Chan has released the details of the final trilogy to her very engaging and fabulous contemporary Chinese mythology series.

The final trilogy is the Celestial Battle Trilogy, with Book One: Glass Citadel picking up right after the events of Heaven to Wudang.

I have been faithfully buying these books since White Tiger was first released and though it will be sad to see them go - I can't wait to get my hands on Book 7, Glass Citadel, which according to Ms. Chan's website may be in stores in Australia as soon as September 2012.

The working titles for the final trilogy have been posted on her FAQ page, but so far they are listed as:

• Glass Citadel
• Mountain Fortress
• Celestial Palace

Remember, these may not be the titles the books are published under, so you'll have to double check before it's time to order them.  As far as I know there is no cover art available yet, but I'll post an image as soon as it is released.

Can't wait to get my hands on them...

The Witness

Synopsis

Elizabeth Fitch's short-lived teenage rebellion began with L'Oreal Pure Black, a pair of scissors, and a fake ID. It ended in blood...


Daughter of a cold, controlling mother and an anonymous donor, studious, obedient Elizabeth finally let loose one night, drinking too much at a nightclub and allowing a strange man's seductive Russian accent to lure her to a house on Lake Shore Drive. The events that followed changed her life forever.


Twelve years later, the woman now known as Abigail Lowery lives alone on the outskirts of a small town in the Ozarks. A freelance programmer, she works at home designing sophisticated security systems. Her own security is supplemented by a fierce dog and an assortment of firearms. She keeps to herself, saying little, revealing nothing.


Unfortunately, that seems to be the quickest way to get attention in a tiny southern town.


The mystery of Abigail Lowery intrigues local police chief Brooks Gleason, on both a personal and professional level. Her sharp, logical mind, her secretive nature, her unromantic viewpoints leave him fascinated but frustrated. He suspects that Abigail needs protection from something, even if he doesn't know what - and that her elaborate defenses hide a story that must be revealed.


Accustomed to two-bit troublemakers, Gleason is about to walk into the sights of very powerful and dangerous men. And Abigail Lowery, who has built a life based on security and self-control, is at risk of losing both.

**********

I don't know how Nora Roberts does it?  Just how does she release two In Death books a year, plus other novels... and where can I get some.  

As with the last few stand alone titles, The Witness revolves around woman with a past.  There are shades of Angel's Fall in this story where our heroine is hiding from her past.  Enter the handsome county Sheriff and voila.  The first part of this story is about how Abigail manages to get herself in trouble.  This section lasts quite a while and is full of great moments.

As with all her novels, you know that our leading lady will be strong, fit, exceptional in some way as well as having attracting our hero like a moth to a flame.  In this regard nothing has changed.  Abigail has a photographic memory, she's got an IQ that's off the charts and she is straight forward about everything.  

Now, Brooks - yes, that's his name - is an all round good guy.  Smart, loving and has some morals.  He pushes his way into Abigail's life (as they all seem to do) and seems to win her over in a matter of a week or two.  It's amazing how they always seem to fall in love in under a month, isnt' it?  But having said that, it's a formula that works well for Ms. Roberts.

The only problems I had was with some unresolved story lines.  Exactly what does happen with her mother, the stone cold Doctor?  And I also feel let down that after all the tension building with the nasty Mr Blake and son, all we get is a casual mention in a paragraph later as we near the end.

Compared to some of her other stand alone's, it's good.  Not as great as say, Black Hills, but still better than Northern Lights or Montana Sky.

Review - Kiss the Dead

Kiss the Dead

Laurell K Hamilton

01 June 2012

When a fifteen-year-old girl is abducted by vampires, it’s up to U.S. Marshal Anita Blake to find her. And when she does, she’s faced with something she’s never seen before: a terrifyingly ordinary group of people—kids, grandparents, soccer moms—all recently turned and willing to die to avoid serving a master. And where there’s one martyr, there will be more…   But even vampires have monsters that they’re afraid of. And Anita is one of them…

My response...

This series has been a pain in the butt in recent years, and after being a faithful follower since the late 90's, I have been reluctant to read the last few.  So, instead of pre-ordering, I reserved a copy from my local library.  Yesterday I picked up my book and when I got home I was still a bit reluctant to read it.  Thank God I did!

KtD was so much like her earlier books, that apart from 2 or 3 sex scenes, it was like reading Anita at her best.  I think it was because of the involvement of RPIT, and Anita being back to her Marshal-ling ways.  We find Anita chin-deep in vampire trouble again, only this time it seems to be aimed at her.  The storyline is complete, not jumping here and there, and once again it is set in St. Louis.  No flying for this Vampire Executioner.  I liked the fast pace of the story, and like a most of the recent books, it's set over a few days, not weeks.

For those on Team J-C, he does have a few scenes with Anita and Asher.  But don't get me started on Asher... he was a total dick this time round.  I don't want to give it away so I won't tell you what happens, but lets just say that J-C, Anita and everyone else, have reached the end of their tethers with the pouty vampire.  His latest actions have serious consequences for him, and possibly set up a new story arc.

Micah and Nathaniel are prominent fixtures, and surprisingly Richard only gets a mention once or twice.  It was nice not to have to go through all the angst of the self-hating Richard.  Anita has a new twist to her powers, and there is a new Marshall in town.  Marshall Larry Kirkwood (Anita's one time trainee) is back and boy is he a pain in the arse... both him and his wife are.  Det. Arnett, that obsessive man-stealing cop is back.  She's still ragging on Anita about her relationship with Nathaniel, and has a real grudge against Anita.  I foresee this only getting worse - if I was Anita I would want to knock her on her arse after their latest confrontation.  I was pleased to see that Dolph has settled down - he's almost back to his old self! - and what can I say about Zerbrowski?  He's still the same guy we've always know.  Oh, and for all those wondering, there is no Ted cameo.  Sorry :D

So, after being disillusioned with this series, I will wait for the paperback and add it to my collection.  And while it wasn't up to the classic Anita (pre-ardeur), it was refreshing to not be skipping pages as Anita was off boffing one of her harem.  If LKH keeps that side of Anita's life in the background (perhaps mentioned, but not in full on chapter sized details) I'll be a happy camper again.  If you liked Narcissus in Chains then you'll probably enjoy this one too.

New Kannon Dupree:Timestalker book

Heads up for all the Kannon Dupree: Timestalker fans.  The third book is due out later on in the year (yeah!) and it sounds like a good one...


Coyote - A Kannon Dupree: Timestalker Novel
Rhonda Roberts

Release Date: 01 September 2012


Synopsis

A fabulous new TimeStalker novel.

A missing diary holding dark secrets, a lost Spanish royal treasure and a serial killer operating in the Wild Wild West...

Kannon Dupree, the time travelling detective, is hired to go to New Mexico in 1867 to find the missing diary of a Wild West hero. Disguised as a bounty hunter, the chase takes Kannon from gunfights in Old Santa Fe, across hostile territory in the middle of an Indian War, via a mysterious convent of nuns banished to die in the desert and into an ancient pueblo city on a cursed mesa sacred to Coyote, the trickster god.

But what she doesn′t know is that the diary holds a spine-chilling secret that someone in the present may be willing to do anything to hide...

Audio Books

Yes, I admit it.  I am a proud listener of audio books.  As a nearly-qualified library technician, I find that this is a format that is still thought of as an old person's book, but if you find a book with a good narrator, then it's amazing how much you can enjoy listening to them.

Take the Janet Evanovich series Stephanie Plum.  I enjoy the books, I re-read them on a regular basis.  However, once I'd listened to the audio book, To the Nines (read by Lorelei King) I was hooked.  There is just something about the way Ms. King reads them that seems to make it funnier.  I just love her interpretation of Lula.  So, having listened to #9, I haunted my library for any other Plum books they had on CD.  I have bought some as well (1-4, 11, 15, 17) and have ordered a few from other libraries (5, 12 and 14).  Now all I have to do is track down 1-3 in unabridged form.  I really thought that when the movie was released, plus a re-release of the book, that the audiobooks would also be re-issued... but alas, only the abridged version was {grrrr}

Here's a list of the audiobooks I've got so far...

• One for the Money
• Two for the Dough
• Three to Get Deadly
• Four to Score
• High Five (library)
• Seven Up  (library)
• Hard Eight
• To the Nines
• Ten Big Ones
• Eleven on Top
• Twelve Sharp (library)
• Lean Mean Thirteen   (library)
• Fearless Fourteen (library)
• Fingerlickin' Fifteen
• Smokin' Seventeen
• A Kiss of Shadows
• A Lick of Frost   (library)
• Mistral's Kiss   (library)
• Swallowing Darkness   (library)
• Divine Misdemeanors (library)
• Guilty Pleasures
• Micah   (library)
• Blood Noir (library)
• Dark Light - Jayne Castle
• Double Cross - James Patterson
• Magic Bites - Ilona Andrews
• Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
• Naked in Death   (library)
• Ritual in Death   (library)
• Indulgence in Death   (library)
• Possession in Death
• Chaos in Death

Okay, that's quite a few, but I have them loaded on my iPod that's docked on my bedroom's alarm clock, and instead of listening to the radio at night sometimes I just press play and fall asleep listening to whichever book starts.  They are also great for having on while I'm studying as I find that the talking doesn't distract me like songs would (I start singing along and there goes the studying!).  They are also great for longer car trips as well.

Explosive Eighteen

Explosive Eighteen
Janet Evanovich

"Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum’s life is set to blow sky high when international murder hits dangerously close to home, in this dynamite novel by Janet Evanovich.
Before Stephanie can even step foot off Flight 127 Hawaii to Newark, she’s knee deep in trouble. Her dream vacation turned into a nightmare, and she’s flying back to New Jersey solo. Worse still, her seatmate never returned to the plane after the L.A. layover. Now he’s dead, in a garbage can, waiting for curbside pickup. His killer could be anyone. And a ragtag collection of thugs and psychos, not to mention the FBI, are all looking for a photograph the dead man was supposed to be carrying.

Only one other person has seen the missing photo—Stephanie Plum. Now she’s the target, and she doesn’t intend to end up in a garbage can. With the help of an FBI sketch artist Stephanie re-creates the person in the photo. Unfortunately the first sketch turns out to look like Tom Cruise, and the second sketch like Ashton Kutcher. Until Stephanie can improve her descriptive skills, she’ll need to watch her back.

Over at the bail bonds agency things are going from bad to worse. The bonds bus serving as Vinnie’s temporary HQ goes up in smoke. Stephanie’s wheelman, Lula, falls in love with their largest skip yet. Lifetime arch nemesis Joyce Barnhardt moves into Stephanie’s apartment. And everyone wants to know what happened in Hawaii?

Morelli, Trenton’s hottest cop, isn’t talking about Hawaii. Ranger, the man of mystery, isn’t talking about Hawaii.  And all Stephanie is willing to say about her Hawaiian vacation is . . . It’s complicated."

I found myself a little lost at the beginning with SP storming back from the airport.  It was one of the odder openings, but after she hits Trenton proper and ends up chin-deep in trouble again I felt like I was back in the groove.

However it was the mystery of the abrupt departure from Hawaii, a tan line on her ring finger and her two beau's being left behind that I found myself being drawn to, not the mysterious photograph and the dead guy on the plane (who really didn't have anything to do with the story after the first few pages).  I know that seems odd, but all the secrecy surrounding Hawaii and what happened there - with little hints dropped here and there like breadcrumbs - was just distracting.  Once I found out what happened regarding Morelli/Ranger and the ring mark, I was way more interested in the crimes at hand.  


Beware - in this installment, there isn't a huge Ranger presence, and even Morelli is more on the backburner compared to past books.  I do like the fact that Ranger and Morelli have had their bust up, but did it have to happen in Hawaii where it only gets told in a by-the-way manner?  That was huge!  We fans have been waiting for this inevitable clash since Book 1... and when it did happen it wasn't even part of the story!

Apart from that huge detail, nothing much has changed in the Burg.  Vinnie's still running his bail bond business from Mooner's van while his business premises are being rebuilt.  Grandma Mazur is still a lovable nut, and Lula is just as crazy as always - just wait till the love potion fiasco - while Morelli and Ranger are still interested in SP.  However, Morelli still doesn't know about the reason's for Ranger being there with SP, so there seems to be a more serious conversation that needs to be had in the future.  After 18 books I think the storyline regarding this love triangle has reached a point where a choice has to be made soon.  We don't want it to go the way of other great series where SP just keeps bed-hopping and ends up with no one.

So, all in all, what did I think?  I thought that Explosive Eighteen was a fun read.  I enjoyed it more than the last few books where it has been all about the blowing up of cars, falling in garbage and finding dead bodies left, right and on your sofa.  The ending is funny, and I could see what happens next as a great opening for Notorious 19.

New Titles Nearly Here

Wow, I can't believe it's nearly time for the next titles in some of my favourite series.  It doesn't feel like a year (give or take a few weeks) since I eagerly awaited the last books.  First on my 'to get' list are:

• Archangel's Storm - I know, I know, its not out for a few months, but I will pre-order
• Gunmetal Magic - can't wait to see what happens to Raphael and Andrea!
• Cast in Peril
• The Lost Night - what can I say... love those dust bunnies!
• Echoes of Dawn
• Wicked Business - hmmm, Diesel...
• Notorious Nineteen - out in November.  Are we getting to the last of the Plum series?

Other books that are out soon (or recently out) in mass market paperback format are...

• Celebrity in Death
• Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch
• Explosive 18
• Daughter of Smoke and Bone - looking forward to this title.

There are of course lots more, but these are the few that I can think of off the top of my head.  I wish I could buy every book that tickles my fancy, but alas, I don't have a money tree!

'Kiss of Snow' . . . addictive!

Sorry I'm a bit late with this review.  After reading KoS I immediately ransacked my bookshelf and started rereading the Psy-Changeling series from Slave to Sensation, finishing with a second reading of KoS.

As the faithful followers know this is the book we've all been waiting for - Hawke and Sienna's story.  I couldn't wait for my copy to arrive from Book Depository UK, so I tracked a copy down at the library. 

What can I say?  I loved it!  Hawke is the tough as nails alpha of the SnowDancers who buried his heart along with his mate over two decades ago.  He's been, if not content, then at least stoic, to go through life knowing that a mate and family are not in the cards for him.

Then in pops Sienna Laurens, literally.  A troubled Psy who defected from the Psy net with her family, and who now is working her way up the pack structure.  But this flame-haired hellion is hiding a dangerous ability.

Set amidst the ever increasing attacks by the Psy.  This story takes you on Hawke's journey as he reluctantly navigates his way through the roadblocks that he himself seems to be throwing in the way.  His guilt over his lost his mate and certainty that he can't offer Sienna a bonding as well as his anger at the Psy for their role in the losses he suffered in his youth.

At the end, it's a beautiful story about recognising love - even when you don't really want it.  Hawke's is the story I most wanted to read as soon as he was introduced in Slave to Sensation.  It took five years, but its definitely been well worth the wait!

Kiss the Dead

To read, or not to read?  That is my question.
I've been trolling the blogs for book reviews and much to my horror, it seems like KTD is just as bad, if not worse, than Hit List.
Has Ms Hamilton lost her mojo?  Anita Blake was always a series I got excited about when a new book was being released.  The plot was great, dialogue snappy and you formed a real bond with various characters.  Sex was hinted at, but Anita had her reasons for declining and the resulting sexual tension just made the series fabulous!
Now, 15+ years later, sex is just a vehicle for the lack of plot, and too many characters and subplots.  The series itself seems to have lost the plot.  Anita's gone from a strong woman who is trying to keep her integrity in a tough and violent world to (as one Amazon reviewer put it) a Super S - and it rhymes with nut - who seems to hit the sheets more than she sits down for a meal.
As a long time fan, I think LKH should take a break from this muse and really try to salvage this previously great series before it's beyond saving.