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 10 2018
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Coming Soon: Wizard for Hire by Obert Skye

Title: Wizard for Hire

Author: Obert Skye

Series: N/A

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Release Date: March 6, 2018

The Overview: Fourteen-year-old Ozzy lives near Portland, Oregon, and is desperate for help. His scientist parents have been kidnapped after discovering a formula that enables mind control. Their work was so top secret Ozzy is afraid to go to the police, but without help, he fears he’ll never find his parents. Then he stumbles across a classified ad in the local newspaper that says “Wizard for Hire. Call 555-SPEL.” Ozzy has read about wizards in books like Harry Potter, but wizards couldn’t actually exist today, could they? After Ozzy meets the wizard Labyrinth–aka Rin–he’s even more skeptical. -Goodreads

Nik’s Notes:

That interesting cover has my immediate attention (Shadow Mountain always has the coolest covers)! I read the first few of Skye’s Leven Thumps series several years ago and thought it was a cool middle grade series. I’m looking forward to picking this one up to amuse my inner 10 yr old self. It doesn’t look to be part of a series (based on the info I have at the moment), will which means I can pick it up without messing up my incomplete series challenge. #win

by Niki Hawkes

Jan 9 2018
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Book Review: Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews

Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews

Title: Magic Binds

Author: Ilona Andrews

Series: Kate Daniels #9

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

The Overview: Mercenary Kate Daniels knows all too well that magic in post-Shift Atlanta is a dangerous business. But nothing she’s faced could have prepared her for this… Kate and the former Beast Lord Curran Lennart are finally making their relationship official. But there are some steep obstacles standing in the way of their walk to the altar… Kate’s father, Roland, has kidnapped the demigod Saiman and is slowly bleeding him dry in his never-ending bid for power. A Witch Oracle has predicted that if Kate marries the man she loves, Atlanta will burn and she will lose him forever. And the only person Kate can ask for help is long dead. The odds are impossible. The future is grim. But Kate Daniels has never been one to play by the rules… -Goodreads

The Review:

It’s official: Kate Daniels is my favorite urban fantasy series.

It continues to deliver with incredible consistency (aside from the first book), and I’ve loved every moment along the way. It has the perfect balance of action, mystery, humor, and romance. The romance isn’t a huge focus, but it’s done soooo well. Curran is a great example of how to present a strong male lead who doesn’t sacrifice masculinity for sentimentality (he also never loses his backbone/identity/complexity, something I appreciate immensely). The relationship between he and Kate is my favorite aspect of the series because it feels organic and realistic (compared to other relationships in the genre). The relationship is not cheesy or sickly perfect, but filled with real-people arguments and issues, and it’s a totally hilarious delight watching them work through some of them. I especially love that the authors don’t ever put them through senseless conflict and misunderstandings just for the sake of perpetuating the plot. It’s a relationship born of two strong-willed people trying to figure out how to not fuck it up. I love it.

What’s more, even the side characters are rounded and realistic (spawning several fantastic novellas, all of which I’ve read and enjoyed), making every aspect of this series that much more rich, vibrant, and immersive.

Magic Binds was a strong penultimate novel that has me agonizing for the final book in the series. I can’t believe I waited so long to get to this point in the series, but I’m equally delighted I don’t have to wait as long for the conclusion as the die-hard fans who have been keeping up to date with the series for years. All I can say is, Magic Triumphs is definitely in my top three most anticipated releases of 2018. I can’t wait!

Recommendations: if you’re an urban fantasy lover, Kate Daniels is a must-read! I’ve read a lot of good ones, but Kate takes the cake as my favorite, and that’s a fact. If you can get past the mediocre first book, you’re in for a fantastic series that gets better and better with each installment!

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Jan 8 2018
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Bout of Books Read-a-thon! (6)

Bout of Books

Bout of Books is my favorite Read-a-thon, and since my Goodreads group has started our first Team Reading Competition at the beginning of the year, this seems like a great way to rack up some points. :) I’m actually going to make a concerted effort to read a little more this week rather than just tracking status quo like normal.

Here’s a little more about the event:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 8th and runs through Sunday, January 14th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 21 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

Niki’s Goals:

1. Consciously spend more time at work listening to audiobooks instead of watching Netflix.
2. Finish at least 5 books from my TBR Tackler Shelf.
3. Choose reading before bed (instead of apps) every night this week through the Read-a-thon.

Here’s a look at the books on my immediate radar:
(subject to change if I see something shiny)

I’m halfway through a couple of these, so having a head start is nice. Four of them are scheduled Buddy Reads that I’m concerned not having time for, so a concerted effort this week for this challenge will help keep my on track for my most over-scheduled Buddy Read month to date.

 Daily Updates:

 Monday:

Pages: 153 / Books Finished: 0
A good start page-wise. Comparatively.

 Tuesday:

Pages: 227  / Books Finished: 2

 Wednesday:

Pages: 239  / Books Finished: 0
I will say this is the most pages I’ve ever maintained for this challenge

 Thursday:

Pages: 167 / Books Finished: 0
It felt like I wasn’t as focused yesterday.

Friday:

Pages: 184 / Books Finished: 2
2 Finished books – booya! 

Saturday:

Pages: 192  / Books Finished: 0

 Sunday:

Pages: 230  / Books Finished: 0

Total:

Pages: 1392 / Books Finished: 4

Yes!! This is the single best Read-a-thon I’ve ever done! I usually don’t even break 1000 pages. And considering how long the books are that I’m reading, 4 books completed is awesome! :D

by Niki Hawkes

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? :-)

Jan 4 2018
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Tackling the TBR [30]: January 2018

tackling the TBR

It’s once again time for my favorite feature: Tackling the TBR! There’s nothing I love more than picking out which books to read next, and this slightly organized method of reading has really amped my enjoyment to the next level. Bring on the mantras!

Read the best books first.
&
Life is too short to read books you’re not enjoying.

However you put together your TBR for the next month, the goal is to reduce the amount of obligation in reading and increase the fun.

Here’s a look at how the system works:

1. Identify the titles that take top priority in your TBR.
2. Combine them all in your own Tackling the TBR post.
3. Throughout the month pick from that pile as the mood strikes you. <-November 2017 I’m trying something new and reading them in a specific, carefully pre-determined order.

Here’s what mine looks like:

January 2018 TBR Tackler Shelf:

I didn’t get through a handful of last month’s books, mostly because I decided on a whim to join the Buddy Read for When the Heavens Fall by Marc Turner. Dang book took me a full two weeks to get through (3 stars). In any case, my first TBR Tackler Shelf in 2018 contains series I’m trying to complete along with a bunch of books I’m reading with my FBR Goodreads group. We’re embarking on the Malazan Ultimate Reading Order adventure, which I’m super excited for, and continuing on a few series started in December (I’m most excited to continue with Staveley’s Unhewn Throne Trilogy). Overall, I have so many good reads planned this month, I doubt I’ll get through them all, but it sure will be fun to try! 

Niki’s Incomplete Series Challenge [Via Fantasy Buddy Reads]

Year-End Update:

Series Finished: 25
 Series Brought UTD: 21
Series Progressed: 56
New Series Started: 22
DNFed: 5
Abandoned: SOOO Many.

I’m thrilled with my progress in 2017 to reduce the number of open series I had going. I started my challenge with 129 incomplete series (O_o) and ended the year with only 45 open (24 of which are UTD). Of the new series I started in 2017, I’m only carrying 6 into the new year. My goal is to be under 10 series within the next few months and I hope to maintain that going forward. Here’s to a good year in reading!

 

 

What books are you Tackling this month? Even if you don’t specifically use my system, feel free to share your versions of how you manage your TBR pile (and the links to your posts if applicable) in the comments. :)

by Niki Hawkes