Top Three Thursday [3]: Top Three New Releases for the First Half of 2018?

Top Three New Releases for the First Half of 2018?

This is a new feature hosted by Fantasy Buddy Reads over at Goodreads. :)

Being a book lover wouldn’t be nearly as much fun without new releases on the horizon to look forward to. Although I’m anticipating many in 2018, these are the three titles at the top of my list:

Guardian by A.J. Hartley

Starless by Jacqueline Carey

[July 17, 2018] Nyxia Unleashed by Scott Reintgen

Guardian is book three in the Alternate Detective series by A.J. Hartley. The covers are what first caught my attention, and then I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the second book from TOR Teen, and from there I was hooked! Everything about it screams originality to me, because I can’t say as though I’ve read anything quite like it before. I am eager to see what mystery unfolds next in this third book.

Starless is the latest from Jacqueline Carey, one of my all-time favorite authors (famous for her Kushiel Saga, which I love). It appears to be a stand-alone novel. I can’t wait to get back into this writer’s beautiful prose and immersive world building. She’s one of the most lovely writers I’ve ever read and I will continue to devour anything she chooses to write.

Nyxia Unleashed is the second book in Scott Reintgen’s Nyxia Triad series, and even I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the first book. It had great elements of competition and an interesting concept, and I think it’ll only get better as the series progresses.

Honorable Mentions: Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs (not included because I’ve already read it :D), Iron Gold by Pierce Brown, Last Dragon Standing by Rachel Aaron, and Child of a Mad God by R.A. Salvatore (currently reading).

What 2018 releases are you eager for? :-)

Jan 11 2018

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Top Three Thursday [2]: Series I’m Keen to Start in 2018

Top Three Series I’m Keen to Start in 2018

This is a new feature hosted by Fantasy Buddy Reads over at Goodreads. Blog posts aren’t required to participate, but I thought it would be fun to compose one, anyway. :)

Admittedly, the series I’m most excited to start often changes from week to week, but luckily there have been a few I’ve been eager to get to for several months now:

Malice by John Gwynne

Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

Unclean Spirits by M.L.N. Hanover

Malice is the first in the Faithful and the Fallen fantasy series that several friends in my Fantasy Buddy Reads group are seriously losing their shit over. It’s evidently a slow burn, multiple POV series that sounds right up my alley. We have a buddy read for this starting in May.

Burn for Me is the first book in the Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews and it seems to be getting the same amount of positive attention as her Kate Daniels series. As I am now a Kate Daniels super fan, I’m going to trust everybody who says to ignore the super ridiculous & cheesy covers and look forward to diving into more works by these brilliant authors.

Unclean Spirits is the first book of The Black Sun’s Daughter Series by MLN Hanover… A pen name for an author you may recognize as Daniel Abraham or one half of James S. A. Corey. Because I absolutely loved the Long Price Quartet and the Expanse series, respectively, I am hoping this urban fantasy will also knock my socks off. We have a buddy read for this one also starting in May. I can’t wait!

Honorable Mentions (meaning I’ve already started them this year): Unhewn Throne by Brian Staveley & Malazan by Erikson/Esselmont

What series are you looking to start in 2018? :-)

Jan 4 2018

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Top Three Thursday [1]: 2018 Bookish Resolutions

Top Three 2018 Bookish Resolutions

This is a new feature hosted by Fantasy Buddy Reads over at Goodreads. Blog posts aren’t required to participate, but I thought it would be fun to compose one, anyway. :)

Since I achieved many of my goals last year [read only the best books first because life is too short to push through ones you’re not enjoying / finish more of my incomplete series / become more active in the Goodreads bookish community], in 2018 I would like to not only maintain the good habits I got myself into with these goals, but add a few new ones to the mix.

Resolution #1: To become the book challenge master!

Having made great strides with my Incomplete Series Challenge in 2017, I’d like to round that one out by getting under 10 open series within the next few months. Then my focus will switch to my Overflowing Bookshelf Challenge where I will finally attempt to make a dent in the books I valued enough to spend money on. I’ve started a Tracker for this and set some goals, but haven’t made any real strides yet. Hopefully that will change!

Resolution #2: Write more reviews!

2017 started out with a bang, where I was on top of reviews and scheduling, but things got busy and I found myself composing reviews in my head, but never committing them to paper. I also frankly got tired of hearing myself talk about books and felt like I didn’t have anything compelling or interesting to say about them (a lot of this is me being a little too self-critical and needing to redefine my reviewing “voice”). I think I’ve narrowed down all of my problems to one issue: I haven’t been committed to getting my thoughts to paper in a timely manner after finishing the books. It’s very difficult to come up with a detailed, heartfelt review when it has been several months since you read the book. Considering I’m now busier than ever, we’ll see how this goes, but I have the best intentions…

Resolution #3: Read without distraction.

I used to take a few moments to sit and read at least once a day – usually right before bed. However, a couple of years ago I had an obnoxious dry eyes/eyestrain issue that prevented me from reading for at least a year until I got it under control. During that time, I relied heavily on audiobooks to keep me sane. The trouble is, I’m very out of the habit of making time to sit and just enjoy a book. Most of my reading comes in five minutes snatches, but I very seldom make it a priority to sit and just enjoy a book for any longer than that. And it seems that when I do sit down with the intention, I inevitably end up on my phone playing and inane farming app. This must stop! I resolved to leave my phone in the other room and set aside time to do the thing I enjoy the most.

What are your 2018 bookish resolutions? :-)