Mar 31 2014

Image

Stacking the Shelves – March 2014 Edition!

Stacking the shelves

Okay, brace yourselves… I went a little hogwild buying books this month. You see, I left my job of eleven years with Barnes and Noble Bookstore, and the terror of having to pay full price for books after more than a decade of employee discounts made me a bit irrational. I may have drained my savings…

Anyway, I now have practically every book that was on my To Be Purchased list, which is a lot of excellent reading to look forward to:

Hardcopies (Adult):

My favorite aquisition in this category is probably the new Brandon Sanderson – it’s gorgeous!

Hardcopies (YA):

I’ve already read most of these, but I am excited to have so many pristine hardcovers to add to my colleciton!

Because of the circumstances, my Read 4, Buy 1 challenge went completely out the window. So much so, that I have decided to put myself on a book buying ban. We will see how long that lasts, ha ha. Stay tuned for April’s edition of Stacking the Shelves: Niki’s failed attempt at a book ban.

Library:

Yes, I am finally utilizing the library for the first time in my life… I can’t possibly support my habit without it now. I figure it will allow me to read the books before I buy them, and become a little more picky in deciding which ones actually spend money on.

Signed Awesomeness:

This month I was lucky enough to meet Patricia Briggs, Brandon Mull, Chad Morris, and Dan Wells – which pretty much makes this the best month ever! The signed Brandon Sanderson I got from BN.com as an exclusive preorder, and the Ann Aguirre I acquired from a post she did on goodreads. :-)

ARCs:

Yup, just one. That’s a vast difference from the ten I had on last months list. What can I say, I’ve managed to show a bit of restraint… But there also hasn’t been anything I’ve been just dying to read. Sad to say, but I’m pretty sure I went a little bit overboard in ARC requests last month, a decision I’m paying for. It wouldn’t of been so bad, but I requested a bunch of sequels to series I haven’t started yet simply because they were ones I was planning on reading eventually… not my brightest moment. My plan going forward is to limit myself to requesting sequels only if I am caught up in the series.

Anyway, if you need me, I’ll be reading…

What books stacked your shelves this month?

by Niki Hawkes

Mar 25 2014

Image

Top Ten Authors I Would Love to Meet!

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week was supposed to be attributes to the top ten things on my bookish bucket list. Since over half of the things were desires to meet my favorite authors, I decided to switch it up a little:

Top Ten Authors I Would Love to Meet!

They all take turns as my favorites, depending on whom I’m reading at the moment. But the person I’d most like to meet right now is:

1509081_10201504142674724_612125518_n

Seriously, though, they’re all amazing authors. I would be willing to travel across a few states to meet these authors. Everyone of them is among my all-time favorites, and I hope to one day include them all in the “top ten authors I’ve met” list. :-)

Here’s a list of some of the authors who would have been included on my list, had I not already had the pleasure of meeting them:

Patricia Briggs

Dan Wells

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Brandon Mull

David Farland

Rachel Caine

Just to name a few… :)

by Niki Hawkes

Feb 21 2014

Image

Book Review: Caliban’s War by James S. A. Corey

Title: Caliban’s War

Author: James S. A. Corey

Series: Leviathan #2

Genre: Science Fiction

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: The alien protomolecule is clear evidence of an intelligence beyond human reckoning. No one knows what exactly is being built on Venus, but whatever it is, it is vast, powerful, and terrifying. When a creature of unknown origin and seemingly impossible physiology attacks soldiers on Ganymede, the fragile balance of power in the Solar System shatters. Now, the race is on to discover if the protomolecule has escaped Venus, or if someone is building an army of super-soldiers. Jim Holden is the center of it all. In spite of everything, he’s still the best man for the job to find out what happened on Ganymede. Either way, the protomolecule is loose and Holden must find a way to stop it before war engulfs the entire system.

caliban's war 2

The Review:

I was a little hesitant to pick up Caliban’s War because the first book (Leviathan Wakes) was so amazing, how could the second book possibly compare? I was even worried I’d get bored because I thought I’d figured out which characters we’d be following and what direction the story was headed… Boy was I wrong! And happy to be so. It was definitely different from the first novel, and didn’t lack any of the adventure and excitement!

As I mentioned, I thought I knew which characters we’d hear from in Caliban’s War and was pleasantly surprised with the introduction of a handful of brand-new POVs who added fresh perspectives to the story without losing any momentum. Of course, it wouldn’t have been the same without Holden and his crew and I’m thrilled he seems to be the through-line for the series. Some of the new characters are among my favorite so far (specifically Avasarala, the feisty old politician – if I had half of her gusto, I’d be unstoppable!). As always, each character was interesting and well-rounded and I am eager to see who’s featured in the third novel.

The conflicts in this novel are a lot narrower, but by no means less exciting. It’s all working to build this brilliant momentum, and great momentum is what sets apart good books from great books in my opinion. Most of my favorite series have that in common. To that end, Caliban’s War gets an A+ for pacing. It’s that “holyshit-hold-your-breath-until-it-over” type of stuff that I love. I actually had to stop reading it before bed because it would get me too wound up to sleep.

Overall, if you like fast-paced adventure and excitement in your books, you’ll love these! I am certain I will be reading them again.

Recommended Reading: I would hand this series to sci-fi lovers, but it’s definitely a space opera (my new favorite genre). This is also an excellent series to hand someone wanting to try either genre. All I can say is, hold onto your seats – it’s going to be a wild ride!

Other books you might like:

: Grimspace by Ann Aguirre

: Beholder’s Eye by Julie E. Czerneda

: Foreigner by C.J. Cherryh

: Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

: Survival by Julie E. Czerneda

by Niki Hawkes

Jan 21 2014

Image

Top Ten Topics on my Reading Wishlist!

Top ten Tuesday pink

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I’ll admit I was a little unsure of this week’s topic at first… Then I got to talking about it with Charlotte over at Apathy and Rhetoric and she convinced me it could be a fun one. Although it took me ages to compose, I actually think this may be my favorite TTT within the last couple of months. It’s essentially a wishlist of topics I’d like to see authors writing more about (and a celebration of those who have already done them well). Please enjoy:

Top Ten Topics on my Reading Wishlist

#1 Dragons:

Joust by Mercedes Lackey

The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb

Dragon Champion by E.E. Knight

Dragons represent everything I love about fantasy. I read anything I can get my hands on and in fact have never read a dragon story I didn’t like at least a little. Many are among my all-time favorites.

#2 Schools:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

The Name the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

I will go out of my way to read anything involving a school of some sort – especially if they are studying something exotic like dragon riding or potions.

#3 Competitions:

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Selection by Kiera Cass

March 4, 2014

From football to dog shows, I’m a sucker for any sort of competition… What can I say, I just want to see who wins, and I will give almost any novel a try that has this element. I have to say many of the ones I’ve been reading recently have come up short (excluding the books above, of course).

#4 Cool Magic Systems:

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

The Legend of Eli Monpress by Rachel Aaron

First Truth by Dawn Cook

People doing extraordinary things through an intrinsic or learned (preferable) ability? Sign me up!

#5 Epic World Building:

A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

The Last Stormlord by Glenda Larke

I love books that transport me to new and exotic places – especially if they also have complex storylines and amazing characters like the books above.

#6 Space Operas:

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey

Grimspace by Ann Aguirre

Survival by Julie E. Czerneda

This is a genre I haven’t fully appreciated until the last year or so. To me, they read like urban fantasies set in space – the characters are fun and cheeky and the possibilities are endless. I also think there a lot more fun to read than traditional, serious science fiction because the extra focus on characterization makes them more accessible.

#7 Elves:

Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

Tinker by Wen Spencer

Homeland by R.A. Salvatore

Elves are seriously underutilized in my opinion. I love their cultures and would gladly welcome a few new novels surrounding them.

#8 Profound Love Stories:

Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind

I crave the kind of epic love story that you’d cross oceans to find… provided it’s not the only aspect of the story. I’d also like plenty of world building and a complex storyline to go along with it. Not too difficult, right?

#9 Ocean Life:

The Dargonesti by Paul Thompson and Tonya Cook

Pendragon: the Lost City of Faar by D.J. MacHale

The Aware by Glenda Larke

Okay so this is the only truly bizarre one on my list. I just want to read a few books exploring an ocean world without involving mermaids. I feel like there’s so many opportunities for creativity here – heck, I’d even take a retelling of Atlantis. Even the titles above are a bit of a stretch – a good deal of them take place on the surface of the ocean rather than below it. I think it would make a cool concept for a high fantasy… Maybe I’ll write one.

#10 Series with Good Endings:

Fool’s Fate by Robin Hobb

Crusader by Sara Douglass

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

I want loads more good endings… Preferably of the happy sort, but I would just settle for greatness at this point. Several books that I’ve read lately could’ve easily ended up in my favorites category had they not had such sucky endings. A good ending will make me cherish a series far longer than an ending that is “non-cliché” or “non-realistic”.

So there you have it – my top ten book cravings! A real winner usually contains two or more of the items on my list and many of my all-time favorite novels have at least five of the items… I definitely know what I like to read about!

What are your wish lists topics? Do any of these appeal to you?

By Niki Hawkes