Tag Archives: books

May 17 2015
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Tackling the TBR [1]: An Introduction

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Tackling the TBR: An Introduction
(I’m going to need a better banner)

I’ve always been envious of those people who are perfectly happy reading only one book/series at a time. I used to be like that – back in my adolescence where the closest bookstore was an hour and a half away – but that changed as soon as I became a bookseller. It got worse when I became a book blogger. My level of awareness of the sheer number of amazing titles on the market skyrocketed, and I suddenly found myself struggling to read ALL THE BOOKS.

My solution at the time was to purchase all of the titles I might want to read, resulting in a 4000+ book collection and a massive TBR. The books sit on my shelves, taunting me as I walk by, just begging to be read. I’m desperately trying to get through them all, but the math just doesn’t work: if I read 100 books a year, it will take me 40 years to get through my current collection. That doesn’t even take into account new titles coming out. I need to downsize, but that’s a topic for another post… In any case, it has led me to the following philosophy:

 The TBR pile is simultaneously a book-lovers best friend and worst enemy.

 So, no matter how much I’m enjoying a particular title, I always have one eye on my shelves, wishing I was reading those books too. If I spend too long on one series, I get impatient, and that sucks the fun out of the whole process. It also stresses me out to have unread books from favorite authors, especially since many of them reached their series-enders more than a year ago and I still haven’t managed to finish them. It’s reading ADD at its finest, and I’ve already implemented many different strategies to try and counter it and make my reading process as enjoyable as possible (such as the mantra “only read the best books first” and “life is too short to read books you’re not enjoying” – both of which have been life-changing), but it’s not quite there yet… I’m still stressed.

So what I need is a system that’s flexible, allowing me to bounce around between series and genres, but I also need one that helps me finish series I’ve started and keep my favorite authors at the top of my priority list. Today, I had an epiphany on how to make that happen… I’m calling it “Tackling the TBR” And it works like this: 

  At the beginning of each month, I will select an author from each of my favorite genres, compile all of their unread books onto my TBR Tackler shelf, and pick from that pile throughout the month as the mood strikes me.

 I think it’s brilliant.

 But then again, I haven’t actually tried it yet. :P

  I did try a version of this method where I devoted a month to a particular genre, but that didn’t give me enough flexibility to follow my moods. I also seem to feel more satisfied when I use TBR shortlists and can see it getting smaller as time goes by, so the fact that I’m compiling specific authors, but from a range of speculative genres into one place to pick from, is incredibly appealing.

 I know I’m starting a little late, but here is my TBR Tackler pile for the remainder of May 2015:

 Science Fiction: Rachel Bach
Urban Fantasy: Kim Harrison
 Fantasy: Sara Douglass
Romance/NA: Ann Aguirre
Young Adult: Rae Carson

These are all the unread titles from my chosen authors… So many good ones! Instead of posting updates, I will probably just keep using the same post to track my progress, kind of like what I do with my Bout of Books posts.

 I’m really excited to try out the system – I’m hoping it will help me focus my reading while giving me the excuse I needed to finally finish some of these series. Wish me luck!

 Anybody want to try out Tackling the TBR with me? Let me know in the comments – I could use all the help and support I can get. :P

by Niki Hawkes

May 13 2015
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Coming Soon: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

queen of shadowsTitle: Queen of Shadows

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: Throne of Glass #4

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Release Date: September 1, 2015

The Overview: Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . . She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return. Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

Waiting on Wednesday
Hosted by Breaking the Spine

I realize I am probably the last person in the blogosphere to select Queen of Shadows for my WoW feature, but I’m kind of okay with that. Even though I enjoyed every book up to this point (and am intrigued where the story is headed – dragons!), it just has not been at the top of my radar compared to a handful of other titles coming out this fall that I’m DYING to read. Even so, I’ll probably pick this one up before the year is out, and look forward to listening to everyone around me geek out about it. If you haven’t read this series yet you are seriously behind the YA Fantasy times. ;)

If you can’t stand the wait until September 1st and need something to help hold you over, check out my Top Ten Books You Might Like If You Enjoyed Throne of Glass! list.

What book are you waiting on?

by Niki Hawkes

May 11 2015
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Bout of Books Read-a-thon! (3)

bout of books

I participated in my very first Read-a-thon back in August and had so much fun I decided to do it again in January. I came in shy of my ridiculously low goals both times, and I’m hoping that third time is a charm! I was incredibly busy during the last two events, so this time I feel like I have a fair shot to least do better than last time (books completed: a whole whopping 1, pages read: 754). Wish me luck!

Here’s a little more about the event:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 11th and runs through Sunday, May 17th 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 13 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

Niki’s Goals:

– Finish at least 3 books

– Read at least 1000 pages

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

If I’m lucky I might finish more than one book this time, but since I’m just starting a 700 page fantasy, it’s not looking too good. Notice how pessimistic I am this time around? That’s to soften the blow if I have a repeat pathetic performance. :-) Best case scenario is that I get to complete my goals… Although I would be incredibly happy just to get my page count up.

Daily Updates:

 Monday:

Pages: 40  / Books Finished: 0

Whoa! This is off to a killer start.

 Tuesday:

Pages: 120  / Books Finished: 0

 Wednesday:

Pages: 187  / Books Finished: 0

 Thursday:

Pages: 129 / Books Finished: 0

Friday:

Pages: 164  / Books Finished: 1

Saturday:

Pages: 157  / Books Finished: 0

 Sunday:

Pages:  / Books Finished:

Total:

Pages:  Books Finished:

May 7 2015
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Mini Book Review: The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead

the ruby circleTitle: The Ruby Circle

Author: Richelle Mead

Series: Bloodlines #6

Genre: Teen Paranormal

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: Their forbidden romance exposed, Sydney and Adrian find themselves facing the wrath of both the Alchemists and the Moroi in this electrifying conclusion to Richelle Mead’s bestselling Bloodlines series.

When the life of someone they both love is put on the line, Sydney risks everything to hunt down a deadly former nemesis. Meanwhile, she and Adrian becomes enmeshed in a puzzle that could hold the key to a shocking secret about spirit magic, a secret that could shake the entire Moroi world and alter their lives forever.

The Mini Review:

I want to start out by saying Richelle Mead is my all-time favorite author… Although if you’ve been following for any length of time you probably already know that. I gush about her so much in my reviews that I’m going to make this one a mini review to help tone it down a little. :-)

Considering Silver Shadows was one of the best books I’ve read EVER, The Ruby Circle had a lot to live up to. It was a decent series ender – filled with all the things we love about the VA world – but I couldn’t help but come away thinking it felt a bit rushed (flash forward to the Richelle Mead signing I attended where she stated: with a newborn to deal with, “it’s a miracle this book got published it all,” and it all starts to make sense… I have a tendency to forget that authors are real people with busy lives of their own, which is ironic considering I am an aspiring author). Richelle did mention that she left a few things open because she wanted to give herself room to revisit this world in the future (we can hope). Even slightly rushed, it was still a great book – Sydney had a lot of obstacles to traverse with her magic, the romance was as sweet as ever, and there were a few surprises that practically knocked me out of my chair (you’ll see). As for the series as a whole, I wasn’t convinced I was going to like it at first, but I ended up loving it even more than VA and found Sydney to be the female character I identify most with from any series, so that’s kind of neat. Ooooh and something else cool – the characters visit my hometown at some point in the book – SHOUT OUT!!!! I feel famous. Anyway, if you like YA paranormal and haven’t read this author, you’re missing out on who I consider the best in the genre… just saying.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

May 6 2015
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Book Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

angelfallTitle: Angelfall

Author: Susan Ee

Series: Penryn & the End of Days #1

Genre: Teen Post-Apocalyptic

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

The Overview: It’s been six weeks since the angels of the apocalypse destroyed the world as we know it. Only pockets of humanity remain.

Savage street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night.

When angels fly away with a helpless girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back…

The Review:

I haven’t been so excited for the beginning of a post-apocalyptic series since I picked up Partials by Dan Wells two years ago… and trust me, I’ve read a LOT of books from this genre between then and now. Angelfall just had an X-factor that immediately grabbed my attention and held it from start to finish. So much so that a hundred pages into the first book I was already online ordering the next two in the series. It was one of those books that made me a believer early on, and I’m kicking myself for not picking it up sooner.

The biggest thing that stood out to me about Angelfall was how incredibly well it was written. Susan Ee has a way with words and descriptions that allowed me to completely lose myself in the story. All of the interactions between her characters seemed so organic and natural, and that’s part of the reason why I think the book flowed so well. For everyone I’ve ever heard complain about insta-loves in YA, this would be an excellent series for you – the relationship development in Angelfall was gradual, based on shared experiences between the characters and a combination of little moments… i.e. my favorite kind of love story.

The other thing that stood out was the concept and how it was executed – this is a post-apocalyptic world where angels (of all things) are responsible for its destruction. Now, up until this point I haven’t had any interest in the angel trend permeating the YA market because it always seems to come across a little cheesy (as it did occasionally in Daughter of Smoke and Bone). What Ee managed to do was take all of the traits indicative to angels and make them kind of badass. The creatures in her novel were dangerous, and you could feel that deadly force emanating from the pages with each new conflict. It was awesome. And if the great concept wasn’t enough, add to that heart-wrenching back story to Penryn and her family (which added a ton of interesting depth and dynamics the story) and you have one robust, well-rounded novel that is sure to knock your socks off.

I was certain this was going to be a 5-star read across the board, but right at the very end the story took a left turn that I did not enjoy as much as everything that came before it. Since that’s just a personal preference kind of thing, I will have no problem recommending Angelfall as killer read to anybody who loves YA post-apocalyptic is much as I do. Now gimmie the next one.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Apr 30 2015

Book Reviews: The Dresden Files [Books 2-4] by Jim Butcher

Fool Moon by Jim Butcher
Grave Peril by Jim Butcher
Summer Knight by Jim Butcher

The Dresden Files [Books 2-4]
by Jim Butcher

That’s right, I’m reviewing in bunches now because 1) reviewing them by themselves just seems so repetitious unless I’m willing to discuss spoilers (which I’m not), 2) there are so many books in this series that to review each one individually would totally bombard you with Butcher, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I like a little more variety on my blog, 3) I’m reading so much faster than I’m reviewing these days that if I waited to do these individually you wouldn’t hear about them until next year (totally not kidding… I finished Fool Moon in June 2014) and finally 4) after three years of book blogging I finally figured out that I make my own rules for my blog and can review more than one book at a time if I want to… This seems like a really stupid epitome, but it has been liberating (I am blogger, hear me roar)!

So let’s talk about The Dresden Files for a minute. :-)

I can definitely see why Jim Butcher is considered a staple in the Urban Fantasy genre – he has an excellent main character (who is a tad whiny at times, but that’s kind of why I like him), loads of paranormal that will continually ding your creep-o-meter (even though I admit it doesn’t take much to set mine off), and plenty of action, humor, and intrigue. Overall, if you’ve never read an urban fantasy, this author is a great place to start. The best thing about him is that he seems to get better with each book.
                                                                                                                                                                

Fool Moon:

I think this one might of been my least favorite so far, but when you’re dealing with 4 to 5 star titles, that’s not really a big deal. If you read negative reviews of this author, one of the number one complaints is the objectifying and over-sexualization of women in his novels. While I definitely see what they are talking about, I personally didn’t find it offensive… I found it funny. And because I found it funny, it made it difficult for me to take the book seriously. The story would start to spike my adrenaline with these ridiculously scary werewolves running around tearing people to pieces, then they would switch back to human and creepy went out the window in favor of bodies, bodies, and more bodies (and not of the deceased variety). I can’t quite figure out if Butcher is doing it on purpose or not – oversexualizing every female so that the most normal and relatable woman in the story, Murphy, stands out even more. If it was in fact a deliberate misdirection, it’s brilliant… Murphy always looks the most appealing to me because she has the most substance, and she’s one of the main reasons I was excited to keep reading at this point in the series.

4/5 stars
                                                                                                                                                                

Grave Peril:

I remember hearing an interview where Jim Butcher talked about Grave Peril being the book where most fans thought the story came alive, and I can’t say I disagree – there seemed to be a lot more in-depth character development, as well as richer side characters who really added to the completeness of the story. Now was there still ridiculously over-sexualized women at every turn? Totally, but this time it felt like it was integral to the plot, making the bad guys seem a lot more dangerous in their allure rather than just being over the top for kicks and giggles (of which I have no issue with, other than they don’t add much substance to the plot that way). I also thought this book was the funniest one so far and think Bob is one of the best sidekicks I’ve read to date. Where Fool Moon dealt with werewolves, Grave Peril focused on Vampires, and I appreciate that each book seems to have a different paranormal focus. For the record, this one scared me the most… but keep in mind that I’m a wimp.

4.5/5 stars
                                                                                                                                                                

Summer Knight:

The “whodunit” framework for this novel was a lot of fun – especially since the culprits were Fae and poor Dresden got caught up in their politicking. I think the overall atmosphere for Summer Knight was my favorite element – it had lots of magic, some interesting creatures, and we got to learn a lot more about the Fae and how they operate. Even though the “monsters” in this novel were a little more lighthearted than in the previous ones, the internal conflicts Dresden faced were as serious as I’ve seen them. Even though there was a lot of character growth (which I always like), there was no shortage of paranormal, action, and overall plot advancement. I think this one may have been my favorite so far simply because Murphy was really involved in the plot – I love the dynamics between her and Dresden. As of now, the series is going strong and I am eager as ever to pick up the next book.

5/5 stars
                                                                                                                                                                

Overall, The Dresden Files are a ton of fun to read and I recommend them to anybody who likes urban fantasies… In fact, you’re kind of not in the cool-kids club until you’ve read them… just sayin’. I’d heard amazing things about Butcher for ages before I finally picked up Storm Front, but it was only after I read a couple of his blog posts I knew we’d get along. He had this one hilarious post where he copied and pasted at least fifty soul-crushing, vicious reviews of his books, and I’m talking pages and pages of Butcher-hating slander, then at the very end simply wrote* “sometimes it’s hard to get motivated.” And lucky for those of us who love him, his books are permeated with that awesome humor.

*Disclaimer – it has been years since I’ve seen that post and I haven’t yet taken the time to look it up, so forgive me if I misquoted him…. you get the gist, though.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes