Dec 4 2013

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Out This Month – Noteworthy Releases December 2013!

A dance of mirrors

One of my favorite things about working in the shipping department of a large bookstore was opening up boxes of new releases – it felt like Christmas all year round! So now that the holidays are actually upon us, here’s a look at some new and upcoming releases for the month:

December 3, 2013

December 17, 2013

December 3, 2013

December 10, 2013

December 3, 2013

December 24, 2013

I wish I could say I was excited to read any of these novels… The trouble is, I’m not caught up enough in the series to enjoy any of these this month but I will say the Gini Koch books always catch my attention.

What releases are you excited for?

by Niki Hawkes

Dec 2 2013

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Top Ten 2014 Releases I’m Dying to Read (Excluding YA)!

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

The topic a couple of weeks ago was the Top Ten Sequels I Can’t Wait to Get My Hands On, which kind of killed my momentum for this post because I featured all upcoming releases (I guess I should have looked ahead). Anyway, because all but one of the books on the aforementioned list were YA, I’m devoting this list to the adult genres:

Top Ten 2014 Releases I’m Dying to Read (Excluding YA)!

: February 4, 2014

: The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison

: March 4, 2014

: Night Broken by Patricia Briggs

: May 6, 2014

: Thief’s Magic by Trudi Canavan

: The Immortal Crown by Richelle Mead

: Cibola Burn by James S. A. Corey

: August 5, 2014

: Not soon enough 2014

There are a lot of fantastic authors on this list but I’d have to say the one I’m most looking forward to reading is the final Patrick Rothfuss book (It remains my favorite fantasy to date). Although, I am also super eager for anything new by Abraham/Corey!

What 2014 releases are you looking forward to?

by Niki Hawkes

Dec 2 2013

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November 2013: Review Recap!

Ever feel obligated to read certain books? I used to all the time, whether it be a popular seller, and advanced book, or even a continuation to a series I only kind of liked. Somewhere around March of this year I decided that I’d had enough of reading books that I wasn’t immediately excited about – especially considering my perpetual 20+ list of books that I’m just dying to read. As a result, I have had more fun reading in the last several months than I’ve had since I was a kid. Here’s my new motto and I’m sticking to it: Life’s too short to read books that don’t excite you!

So here’s a look at what I’ve been up to this month:

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

False Sight by Dan Krokos

Perdition by Ann Aguirre

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – 5/5 stars

False Sight by Dan Krokos – 2.5/5 stars

Perdition by Ann Aguirre – 4/5 stars

Alienated by Melissa Landers

Champion by Marie Lu

Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre

Alienated by Melissa Landers – 5/5 stars!

Champion by Marie Lu – 4/5 stars

Blue Diablo – 3/5 stars

Even though they weren’t all five-star books, I was still super eager to read each one. My favorite this month was probably The Naturals followed very closely by Alienated!

Waiting on Wednesday features:

: August 19, 2014

: Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

: January 7, 2014

: Thief’s Magic by Trudi Canavan

Considering how much I love Richelle Mead, it’s no surprise that the book I most looking forward to reading is Silver Shadows.

What amazing books did you read this month? :-)

I want to start out by thinking Blog of Erised for hosting such a fun challenge.

Last month, I figured out that my challenge count was a bit inaccurate. I was only counting the dystopians I’d read and reviewed, leaving out the ones I hadn’t done a post for yet. According to the rules, all read books count so this month we will see a rather larger jump in my overall score. :-)

This month, I finish the following dystopians:

: Champion by Marie Lu

: False Sight by Dan Krokos

: Pawn by Aimee Carter

: Enclave by Ann Aguirre

: Outpost by Ann Aguirre

: Skinned by Robin Wasserman

A total of 6 – add that to the 19 books accumulated as of last month and we end up with:

The Official Tally:

25/24

Level 4: Leader!

Yay – challenge met!

What dystopians did you read this month?

by Niki Hawkes

Nov 18 2013

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Top Ten Books I Recommend to Nonreaders! (11/18/2013)

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

For avid readers like myself, there is no end to the number of great books just waiting to be added to our colossal TBR piles. For nonreaders, however, it can be really difficult finding quality reading if you’re not immersed in the book world. It has been my experience that most nonreaders select their next books based solely on word of mouth and personal recommendations.

Because they are not familiar with many of the subgenres of speculative fiction, I always try to get them started on “gateway” novels – ones that aren’t too intimidating for the casual reader but are good enough that I can recommend them confidently to a wide range of people. As a side note, I consider anyone who reads fewer than five books a year to be a nonreader. These recommendations also work for avid readers looking to explore other genres.

Top Ten Books I Recommends to Nonreaders!

: Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

: Magician Apprentice by Raymond E. Feist

: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

: Graceling by Kristin Cashore

: Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

: Partials by Dan Wells

: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

: The Name the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Now keep in mind that I wouldn’t hand any of these titles to people who only like creative nonfiction or biographies. They have to be interested in these genres to begin with, and I do a lot of brain picking before I throw my heart and soul into a recommendation. I actually have a list of about five titles per genre that I mention to an interested person, but tried to pick the best from each one to represent here. Would any of these make your list?

by Niki Hawkes

Nov 5 2013

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Coming Soon: Thief’s Magic by Trudi Canavan

Title: Thief’s Magic

Author: Trudi Canavan

Series: Millennium’s Rule #1

Genre: Fantasy

Release Date: May 27, 2014

The Overview: In a world where an industrial revolution is powered by magic, Tyen, a student of archaeology, unearths a sentient book called Vella. Once a young sorcerer-bookbinder, Vella was transformed into a useful tool by one of the greatest sorcerers of history. Since then she has been collecting information, including a vital clue to the disaster Tyen’s world faces.

Elsewhere, in an land ruled by the priests, Rielle the dyer’s daughter has been taught that to use magic is to steal from the Angels. Yet she knows she has a talent for it, and that there is a corrupter in the city willing to teach her how to use it — should she dare to risk the Angels’ wrath. But not everything is as Tyen and Rielle have been raised to believe. Not the nature of magic, nor the laws of their lands… and not even the people they trust.

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

This is one of those authors that I absolutely love… but am uber behind in reading. To get myself back on track, I’ve decided to read at least one of her trilogies before this new series comes out in May. Based on the quality of work of what I have read, I can’t imagine this new trilogy being anything less than amazing! If you haven’t tried her yet, consider starting with The Magician’s Guild and get ready for loads of entertainment!

What book are you waiting on?

by Niki Hawkes

Nov 2 2013

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Stacking the Shelves – October’s Edition!

Hosted by Tynga’s Reviews

Considering I own over 4000 books, I have a difficult time justifying the purchase of new books when there are so many unread ones on my shelves. I did the math, and if you subtract the ones I’ve already read, then divide the remaining by my average 100 books read per year, it will take me at least 35 years to read everything in my current collection. That’s not even taking into account all of the new amazing books that will come out in that timeframe (I can think of at least 20 I want in the next few months alone). Because of this, I have recently started to clear out some of the titles I know I won’t get to within the next ten years. There are so many unread series that I am excited for that I honestly haven’t missed the ones I was only casually interested in. Let the book purge begin!

Does that mean I’ve stopped purchasing books altogether? Uh, no. Not even close. I’m just a little more picky. :-)