Dec 29 2014
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2014 Reading Recap!

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 The end of the year is finally here! And I’m celebrating by putting together the post I’ve been most looking forward to: the annual book review recap!

 I started a book blog for a couple reasons, but one of them was because it is a great way to keep track of all the fantastic books I’ve read (one that didn’t involve a journal and printouts of the covers – the method I was using before I discovered the wonders of blogging).

Sharing my love of books has become a passion all its own, and I have discovered some profound things in my own reading habits that I may not have otherwise. Most notably, I have come to truly appreciates the idea that life is too short to read boring books. This epiphany hit me in early 2013. It was eye-opening because I realized the books I was most looking forward to reading were getting left on the shelf in favor of books I felt like I was obligated to read (does anybody else have that problem?). Anyway, I made the decision to read the books I was most excited for first rather than last and, as this post will illustrate, it has made for one of the best years of reading I have ever had!

So without further ado, here’s a look at The Obsessive Bookseller’s year of book love:

1 Star: didn’t like it at all

1.5 Stars: didn’t like it, but it had some merit

2 Stars: it was okay

2.5 Stars: it was a little better than okay, but I’m not sure if I liked it or not

3 Stars: I liked it

3.5 Stars: I liked it, but not quite as much as a 4 star book

4 Stars: I really liked it!

4.5 Stars: I really, really liked it!

5 Stars: I LOVED it!!!!

I read 89 books this year (9 books more than last year) totaling 38095 pages (6948 pages more than last year). And I enjoyed every minute of it! I’d like to note that next year will probably show fewer books but more pages. I am finally a little worn out on YA novels and have already started to shift my focus towards Fantasy and Science Fiction. Bring it on!

As you can see, 2014 was definitely filled with more good reads than bad ones. I still can’t believe how many five-star books came out of this year – I could fangirl over them for hours.

I’d like to note that most of the books in my 2 star category were ARCs, which is why I also had a goal to stop requesting so many. It took about three months of effort to stop asking for every title I thought I might want to read. Incidentally, that has also helped me enjoy reading this year – less obligations!

What did your year of reading look like?

by Niki Hawkes

Dec 23 2014
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Niki’s Seven Deadly Book Sins

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In lieu of the Top Ten Tuesday I present you a Book Tag post that Chanzie over at Mean Who You Are tagged me for almost three months ago! Even though procrastination is the main culprit, I’m choosing to blame my incredibly slow (but brilliant) creative process for the delay. ;-)

I may have taken a few creative licenses with this post. Originally I was supposed to be answering specific book questions like “What is the most expensive book you bought this year?” for the Greed category, but I decided my sins ran a lot deeper than any one offense, so here we have:

Niki’s Seven Deadly Book Sins

10845984_10202966163624334_503165865379896020_n1. Greed: This is easily the sin I am most likely to commit in my daily life, but it’s never more evident than when it comes to books. You see, I don’t just want some books or lots of books, I want ALL THE BOOKS!! (See photo to the right for reference). The funny thing is, I now own just about every book I wanted, so aside from upcoming releases, I almost don’t know how to handle myself anymore. What do greedy people do when they finally get all the things? I’ve even already replaced some of my favorite paperbacks with hardcover versions. Maybe my next step will be to buy shelves that don’t threaten to break under the weight of a couple of books (seriously, it has one job!). My husband thinks my book spending has abated because I’m getting better at moderating myself. Little does he know, the real reason is because I have finally run out of things to buy.

2. Gluttony: For me, gluttony can be closely paired with greed, because not only do I want ALL THE BOOKS!, but I want them all RIGHT NOW! No matter how much I’m enjoying the book I’m currently reading, I’m always eyeballing my shelves wishing I was reading all of those other books too. This is why my “Currently Reading” shelves on Goodreads always has about ten books on it – I just can’t seem to be content reading only one book at a time. This is also evident when I am picking my next book – I will pull at least twenty books from the shelf for every one I actually read. Road trips? Forget about it! I take at least ten books with me, even if I’m only going to be gone for a couple of days! I’m not actually going to read them all, I bring them just in case… aaaaaand because I’m a book glutton.

3. Wrath: When I was a kid, I lent one of my precious Redwall books to my best friend. It was a copy of Mossflower that I’d read at least half a dozen times beforehand, but the cover and even the spine were still in perfect condition. Upon its return, there was a single crack down the back of that paperback’s spine… And I lost it! It’s not just that I was upset on principle and trying to make my friend aware of what she had done, it was that I was so spitting mad could hardly function. Looking back, I realize just how irrational it was, but I can distinctly remember being angry for at least a month over that book and in fact still get a little peeved whenever I see it today. It is important to note that I started cracking the spines on my paperbacks a long time ago (in exactly 50 page increments, of course) but that “Redwall Betrayal” is still one of the few times in my life I can remember being downright wrathful.

4. Sloth: Of all the deadly sins, I think I am least guilty of this one. Oddly, it’s the one I wish I were the most guilty of because, even on my days off, I have a hard time sitting still long enough to read (even though that’s the ONLY thing I usually want to do). Frankly, I’m not quite sure how I manage to read so many books throughout the year given how little time I actually spend reading… it will remain a mystery.

10347643_10154390695845296_5449585575170190089_n5. Pride: You might already be able to tell this by how often I post pictures of my library, but I am incredibly proud of it. This might actually be my second most frequently committed sin, because not only am I proud of my library, I’m proud of how much I know about the books within it. I blame the chart on the right. I think it’s highly interesting, but the bottom portion of it, “Reading one hour per day in your chosen field will make you an international expert in 7 years,” is what 1st inspired me to call myself a speculative fiction expert. I’m standing by claim… mostly.

6. Lust: Every time I think I can name all of the seven deadly sins, I forget this one. Don’t ask me why, in some ways it sounds like the most fun… just kidding. In any case, I could make an argument that I lust after ALL THE BOOKS! (which I do), but I think that tendency still falls under the greed category. I do enjoy books that are, shall we say “steamy” on occasion, for which I make no apologies. I also have an embarrassing number of books boyfriends…

7. Envy: Okay, so it’s probably clear up to this point that I have an extensive book collection and am way too proud of it. But the one thing I don’t have (and rarely managed to get) are early copies of the books I’m most looking forward to. I know they’re out there – thanks to the dozens of blogs I stalk solely because of their impressive Stacking the Shelves posts – so all I can do is stare at and covet all the beautiful ARCs that will never adorn my shelves… Woe is me! Seriously though, who else doesn’t feel this on occasion? I mean, with all of the amazing books coming out it’s hard not to feel sad and a bit jealous that everyone seems to be getting an early copy of them except for you. And here’s the thing, I don’t even want ALL THE ARCS!, just the small handful of ones I’m dying to read. One day, maybe…

Well, there you have it! I hope you enjoyed my confessions. What deadly book sins do you commit?

By Niki Hawkes

Dec 17 2014
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Book Review: Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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Title: Killer Instinct

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Series: The Naturals #2

Genre: Teen Fiction

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Seventeen-year-old Cassie Hobbes has a gift for profiling people. Her talent has landed her a spot in an elite FBI program for teens with innate crime-solving abilities, and into some harrowing situations. After barely escaping a confrontation with an unbalanced killer obsessed with her mother’s murder, Cassie hopes she and the rest of the team can stick to solving cold cases from a distance. But when victims of a brutal new serial killer start turning up, the Naturals are pulled into an active case that strikes too close to home: the killer is a perfect copycat of Dean’s incarcerated father—a man he’d do anything to forget. Forced deeper into a murderer’s psyche than ever before, will the Naturals be able to outsmart the enigmatic killer’s brutal mind games before this copycat twists them into his web for good?

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The Review:

Considering that The Naturals was my favorite YA book of 2013, you can understand why I was so concerned Killer Instinct wouldn’t live up to my expectations. After all, the first book BLEW ME AWAY and it seemed like two outstanding, well-crafted novels in a row might be just too much to ask. So imagine my delight when I settled in to binge read Killer Instinct and it was just as AMAZEBALLS as the first one!

Both books in the series have been consistent with these attributes: fantastic characters who I want to learn more about with every passing page, an excellent and perfectly creepy perspective that takes you into the mind of the killer, a cool concept for a plot that is complex without being convoluted, and really interesting applications for each of these teenagers’ talents (which is my favorite element – it’s really neat to see how an analyzer, a statistician, an emotion reader, and a lie detector pull together their skills to solve crimes).

Barnes puts together these complex mysteries that somehow make you feel like your part of the story. I learned from The Naturals that, as far as suspects go, every character is fair game. It made the story interactive in a way, because with every new character introduced or new situation unveiled, I immediately had to reevaluate what I knew up to that point to try to figure out “whodunit.” It was written so well that I was literally suspicious about everyone! It makes these books so much more fun to read because I felt involved in trying to figure out who the killer was throughout both entire novels. The difference for this book is, while last time I was a casual detective, this time I was in full-blown Sherlock Holmes mode! It was so much fun to read, I can hardly stand it.

Part of why I think I enjoyed it so much is that I don’t get to utilize my freakishly honed detective skills very often (I may be exaggerating a little bit). You see, I’ve always been fascinated with shows like Criminal Minds, and love learning how crimes are solved, but I am usually too squeamish to actually sit down and watch them… pathetic, I know. In any case, The Naturals series provided all the same crime solving awesomeness, but without the gore (the visual stuff, anyway. I can totally handle the written stuff).

Overall, I think I’m in love… These books are self-contained mysteries, but there’s an overall arc growing between them that makes me want to pee myself with excitement over what the next novel might bring. I can’t believe I have to wait a whole year to see what happens next – this is seriously the biggest woe us book-lovers have to deal with, isn’t it? I can tell you one thing though, it will be well worth the wait!

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Dec 16 2014
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Top Ten Books I Read in 2014!

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Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Oh my gosh – two TTT’s in a row! I was seriously slacking in the blogging department this week (I blame the holidays… and finals). On the bright side, at least my two lists are related. One of my favorite things to do at the end of the year is look back and figure out which books totally rocked my world. This year, these books were so good they kind of made my decision for me…

Top Ten Books I Read in 2014!

One of my resolutions for 2014 was to “read the best books first,” and based on the killer titles on this list, I’d say I definitely achieved my goal! Last year I chose a top adult and a top young adult novel, but these titles were all so amazing that I couldn’t bring myself to pick just one of each. Many of these books have become my favorites EVER within their respective genres. Yeah, they were that good!

What were the best books YOU read this year?

By Niki Hawkes

Dec 9 2014
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Top Ten New-to-Me Authors in 2014!

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I read a ton of killer books this year, some of which are now among my all-time favorites!

Top Ten New-to-Me Authors in 2014!

You might notice that almost all of them are teen books. I did read a disproportionate number of them this year, but the reason there aren’t many fantasy, sci-fi, or urban fantasies on this list is because I’ve been focused on finishing out series I’d already started. That’s not to say there aren’t still some great books here – The Girl of Fire and Thorns is easily my new favorite teen fantasy and Not a Drop to Drink is also way up on my list of dystopians. I am also in love with Perfected and The Lies of Locke Lamora and… well, all of them lol.

What new authors did you read this year?

Dec 4 2014
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Book Review: Spider’s Bite by Jennifer Estep

Spider's BiteTitle: Spider’s Bite

Author: Jennifer Estep

Series: Elemental Assassin #1

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: They call me the Spider. I’m the most feared assassin in the South — when I’m not busy at the Pork Pit cooking up the best barbecue in Ashland. As a Stone elemental, I can hear everything from the whispers of the gravel beneath my feet to the vibrations of the soaring Appalachian Mountains above me. My Ice magic also comes in handy for making the occasional knife. But I don’t use my powers on the job unless I absolutely have to. Call it professional pride. Now that a ruthless Air elemental has double-crossed me and killed my handler, I’m out for revenge. And I’ll exterminate anyone who gets in my way — good or bad. I may look hot, but I’m still one of the bad guys. Which is why I’m in trouble, since irresistibly rugged Detective Donovan Caine has agreed to help me. The last thing this coldhearted killer needs when I’m battling a magic more powerful than my own is a sexy distraction…especially when Donovan wants me dead just as much as the enemy.

The Review:

I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I was going to. I’ve been reading the likes of Briggs, Harrison, and Butcher lately, so I was understandably nervous that Spider’s Bite might fall short of such high standards. While it wasn’t quite as brilliant, it definitely holds its own within the urban fantasy genre.

I now more than ever appreciate Jennifer Estep for her great ideas. This urban fantasy world contains Elementals who, you guessed it, control the elements. On top of that, there’s the usual array of paranormal creatures, so the combination of magic and paranormal (of this specific variety) is within itself an interesting twist that I haven’t come across before. Considering how many urban fantasies I’ve read, that’s getting harder and harder to do. Top everything off with a kickass assassin with an interesting back story, and I’m sold! It had the same creative appeal as her Mythos Academy series (which I also enjoyed).

Even though the ideas and themes behind the book were my favorite elements, I also appreciated the characters. As I mentioned before, I really liked Gin and especially appreciated how she handled herself in deadly situations – she’s definitely one tough cookie! She was also an incredibly consistent character, by which I mean she didn’t turn into a pansy when something tragic happened, thereby maintaining her assassin persona. Although she was sad, her focus quickly shifted to getting even. I definitely don’t mind when characters get emotional within books, but a simpering heap of an assassin would have ruined her badass character profile. I also loved Caine as a potential love interest and enjoyed the dynamic he and Gin had right from the start.

Really, there weren’t many things I didn’t like about the story. Sure, it lacked a little bit of complexity (as the story was pretty straightforward), but what was there was done really well. The only thing that bothered me a little is almost too stupid to mention (which means I’m going to talk about it for at least a paragraph): Estep had a reoccurring descriptive lead-in that fixated on the characters’ eyes. “I looked at him with my gray eyes,” “he peered at me with his golden eyes,” “her green eyes widened in surprise.”… You get the idea. It was actually a clever way to draw attention to a unique feature, but it happened so often (at least once a chapter) that it was almost funny. My hazel eyes are going to light up with delight if I catch more than a couple in the next book. :-)

Overall, I consider Spider’s Bite and entertaining read and definitely worth your time if you’re a fan of the urban fantasy genre. I will definitely be continuing on in the series.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes