Monday, August 6, 2012

It's Monday!!!!! Hi there

This might just end up to be the summer of spotty meme posts.  However, I have been doing pretty good at catching up on some book reviews that I haven't written in AGES. :)  I'm beginning to think it doesn't really matter if I post reviews, because NO body comments on them. (hey!  I've been posting reviews, seemingly to the dark void of space.  Would love if someone made a comment on a review - and I promise to try to do the same.)  Though when I started this blog, I did so with the sole intent for me to just write down what books I liked, not to get too ambitious, etc....I still can't help feeling a little lonely over here.... 


It's Monday, What Are You Reading?, Is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey - very fun meme, where we visit other blogs to see what's happening on the book reading front.  For some of us, this is the only time we get comments on our blogs...see above parenthisized comment.  heehee 


Since I missed last week, and I'm not feeling so great right now (not sickly, just achy bones and muscles) I'm keeping this short....short and sweet....sweet and sticky....not sure where that came from...but Here Are The Books I've finished reading. :)




In the last two week, I've finished Hunted by The Others by Jess Haines (waited quite a while to start it), and e-arc by Suzanne McLeod - The Shifting Price of Prey (coming out in the UK August 30, and OMG, you have to get it - the remain consistant in there greatness!) and another ARC titled The Iron Wyrm Affair - Lilith Saintcrow's addition to the steampunk genre, very enjoyable book. 


  I also finally found a copy of Chasing Magic by Stacia Kane - had to order, and then I saw these e-novellas by her, one was free, one was under $2, so I ended up with those on my kindle- Finding Magic (early Chess) and Home (Downside #3.6)  In the last two weeks, every single book I read, I loved reading.  It was like a dream two weeks. ;)

Now that I've read so many good books in a row, I usually end up having to read a palate cleanser book - something in a completely different genre so I'm not utterly disappointed by a book I would normally like - however, I know there are at least two books sitting here that I'm gonna want to read, right away - correction, three. One of those, I've already started...


 Having already started reading this, I can tell it's going to be just as good as the Kate Daniel's book - Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews is Andrea's story.  It reads (so far) a little darker pov than Kate's voice, which is fine because this isn't Kate.  So far, I really like this.  I also re-found my Transformation Space novel - the final in the series by Marianne De Pierres, and I was starting to freak out a bit about this.  I've really enjoyed the other three books, and couldn't imagine having to buy another copy, having to wait even longer.... Happily it just showed up on a shelf I previously checked (really, I'm NOT completely batty, missing books that I've looked for a few times.  These books seriously play games with me, hiding, moving around, pretending they're inanimate objects....ahem).  AND I received a b-day book, by an author I've heard of before, yet never yet read.  The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvator is the first in this series and looks very interesting - thanks again Julie!



On to the rest of the week.  My summer is almost at a close, the days of lazing around hedonistically (didn't know I knew big words, did ya?), staying in pajamas, no bra, debating for about five seconds whether to brush my hair or not ...those days are almost through for the summer.  And I didn't even get that much reading done, thanks to CASTLEVILLe!  evil, evil Zynga/facebook combo.  It's definitely cut into my reading time.  I seriously had to just move away from the computer a few times, just to get some reading done.  I've never had that issue before, it's always been finding enough time to read, not making myself read.  lol.  life and world changes - they're all interconnected.

31 comments:

  1. Mardel: You crack me up! I love the concept of a palette cleanser when reading too many of the same genre in a row! I hope you feel better soon and I'm sorry your summer days are almost done. I didn't really get a summer, but I still will be sorry for you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Belle - Thanks....I did wasted it. Although if you consider the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed being super lazy and reading, sleeping, and playing on the laptop...then it really wasn't a waste. I accomplished my goals. :) The trick is to pick goals you can live with, right?

      Delete
  2. I've heard good things about The Scorpio Races but haven't read it yet. Hope you enjoy it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Heather - I'm reading it very soon..

      Delete
  3. I know what you mean about Facebook games. I am addicted to a bunch of the slot machine games. I only wish the money was real! I recently read The Scorpio Races and loved the writing. Have a great reading week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wouldn't that be GREAT???? At one time I had four million on Farmville - but no farmville cash, so big deal. I have 2 million on Cityville, and I had almost a million on Castleville, but the buildings are so expensive. I've been playing Zingo once in a while....or Hidden Chronicles....or Castelville. I played the slots once...couldn't get into it, which is probably good, since they keep trying to trick you into spending real money to level up etc. :)

      Good luck with those -

      I'm looking forward to the Scorpio Races, for sure.

      Delete
  4. I also love it when a week is full of great books....thanks for sharing yours, and for visiting my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love the sound of your holiday! I do palate cleansers too. I seem to go from dark to wholesome, dark to wholesome - both sides of me, lol!

    I'm adding some of these books to my list, if I can get them on ibooks. Love the look of the Iron Wyrm Affair.

    Btw, I left some comments on some of your reviews. Thanks for dropping by my blog; now I know you're here.:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wendy Sice - you're wonderful, thanks for visiting some of my reviews. :)

      Thoroughly enjoyed The Iron Wyrm Affair, going to review it pretty quick. I think it comes out tomorrow (the 7th) and it will be e-book as well as print. If you've read Lilith Saintcrow before, it's a bit different from her urban fantasy, but there is her distinctive style there, but it reads like a true steampunk - dialogue sounds properly victorian, etc. Good book.

      Delete
  6. Someone is in a paranormal mood :) Always a little fun for a little fang action!

    Happy reading this week!!!
    Check out what I'm reading and enter for a giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. lol - urban fantasy is one of my favorite genres, as well as SciFi - but it's harder to find SciFi I love than UF. I used to read a lot of historical romance, but I burned out on that as I grew older and real life never measured up (haha), so now it's UF, SciFi and occasional regular fiction, like Jennifer Weiner. I stay away from heavy tomes of deep feelings though - they always bring me down. :)

      Delete
  7. I definitely understand your woe as far as the reviews go!! Last year, I was like, hmm it's time to get professional looking so let's cut out the memes. Did that and it was like a wasteland. And I was lonely.
    Still not a lot of commenting..but now I am doing memes again so I feel like that's the only way I'll get traffic. Oh well.
    My Monday post

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Memes are fun - although I can see where it's easy to get so involved in them that you forget to post reviews, so a happy medium is in order. I try to do at least two memes, and lately it's been hard for me to keep up with those. But they're fun.

      I took a look at your blog - beautiful. :)

      Delete
  8. Some of these covers are interesting! Thanks for stopping by.

    Sam @ The Little Munchkin Reader

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am IN LOVE with Stacia Kane - she is my book lover. I thought she stopped writing for a while - and then I just picked up her last two books and I can't WAIT to dive in and roll around with them! :)

    Can't wait to see your reviews.

    xo,
    JL
    Between the Bind

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She's had a move from the States to England, and been writing... but with the Chess books (or Downside books) when she wrote the first one, she worked on the first three - and they published one a month in the summer. Same thing with the second three of the books - there will be one more coming. Have you read the short stories in the Downside series? There's at least two you can get, outside of an anthology. One is free and the other is very inexpensive. Both are good - on in between book, and the other is Chess at the beginning of her career. You probably already know about the one in Home Improvement (Maddie Carver?)

      I love her writing also, especiallhy with the Downside series.

      Delete
  10. I definitely want to read Gunmetal Magic. My books move too, must be like that bookstore You Tube short, when the lights are out they dance around the room! I'm a palate cleanser too, I try not to read the same genres back to back very often.

    Have a great week, Now I am going to read and comment on some of your reviews :)

    Shelleyrae @ Book'd oUt

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for visiting some of my reviews. I also need to do this for other reviewers, because I noticed, i've been reading them, but not commenting. sometimes I feel like I don't have anything different to say, but then I would like to know people are reading my reviews, so I should comment also.

      My books are mischevious!

      Delete
  11. I have to drift around from genre to genre. Fantasy, historical fic, something more "literary" for the book club, non-fiction...If I read too much in one genre, I burn out quickly. Enjoy your week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I tend to obsess with genres, thus the need for palate cleansers - because after reading quite a few very good books, even books that would normally be enjoyable pale in comparison. So I read a different genre and then go back. But now I'm finding myself more and more interested in regular fiction, so another whole world of books is now beginning to open for me.....(as if I don't have enough on my TBR mountain.)

      Delete
  12. Stacia Kane's novels are on my TBR mountain, as is The Scorpio Races and the 1st three books in the Spellcracker series ... sigh, just not enough hours in the day.

    I will try and check out some of your reviews, when you want to share your love of books it's a little sad if you're whistling in the wind. Have a great week and happy reading :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your TBR mountain....haha - I have one of those too, in three places....

      I recommend both Suzann McLeod's Spellcrackers series (She's in Britain) AND Stacia's Downside series (she's also in Britain now) - both are mile above the average writer. Both of them have different styles, but as far as dialogue, narration and just pure fun for reading, I'd pick them over many of the others out there. You'd be doing yourself a favor if you moved them up in the line, or list, or...however you choose your next book. :)

      Delete
  13. I completely understand your frustration when you write a really good review and no one says anything about it! This blogging business is strange; the way some posts get a lot of traffic and some get none. I hope you have a great reading week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Lindsey. I also need to remember to comment on other blogs - I read reviews and I used to comment a lot, but I find I've really slowed down, possibly because I wasn't feeling the love....haha. I'm really not trying to whine, but sometimes it's time to speak up, right?

      btw - I love your Wednesdays with David. Now that my granddaughter and grandson are getting older (5 and 4) I should start asking their opinion on the many books we read together. I've noticed my granddaughter is more into the books than my grandson. We have stories every night (three or four) and at a couple times during the day. The grandson only wants a story when she's getting one. :)

      Delete
    2. I think too that sometimes I don't comment on things because I feel like I have nothing new or interesting to say! You don't want to leave fourteen comments that say "this sounds really interesting!"
      Thanks so much. I'm glad my little guy likes to read...I know he comes by it honestly! How fun that you read every night to your grandkids. It's such a special time.

      Delete
    3. "I feel like I have nothing new or interesting to say"

      Same here - I feel like I have nothing original to say. That's one of the reasons I haven't asked an author to do an interview, what the hell am I going to ask her that hasn't already been asked? We sure do a number on ourselves, don't we? At least we aren't the only ones - there's probably lots of us sitting around, delaying commenting, because really - it's all been said before, one way or another. LOL - I better stop before I convince myself never to even post again!

      Have a good week!

      Delete
  14. The cover of Iron Wyrm Affair looks really alluring! I love that icy blue with the red dress.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My version is pretty trippy - have you ever seen those old, old movie posters from the 1950's (or around then). They have those words pasted across - one word descriptions of the movie like "DANGER!" "MYSTERY!" "LUST", etc. My book is an ARC, and it has the cover, but over the regular cover are the words pasted diagonally across, staggered down the cover

      SORCERY!
      SEDUCTION!
      DEDUCTION!

      I kind of like the effect.

      Delete
    2. That sounds like a fun version of the cover!

      Delete