2013

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Not a lofty, ambitious to-be-read list consisting of 100+ book titles. Just a simple plan for the upcoming week — what I’m reading now, what I plan to read next, and what I’m hoping to squeeze in among the nooks and crannies.

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

The Best of All Possible Worlds, by Karen Lord: Done! My review is here. (Amazing book. √ it out!)

Revenge of the Girl With the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg: Finished reading on Sunday – review to follow. Lots of fun!

And in the category of unbelievable accomplishments:

Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm by Philip Pullman: At long last, done! It may have been a struggle at times, but I’m glad I stuck with it. My review is here.

New Monday Agenda feature: Fresh Catch!

In addition to looking at my reading plans from the last week and setting goals for the coming week, I thought it might be fun to provide an update each week on all the new acquisitions that make their way into my home and onto my shelves. So, Fresh Catch for the past seven days:

From the library, I checked out four different urban fantasy anthologies for one specific purpose: To read the short story by Patricia Briggs in each collection! After reading the newly published Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson series, book #7) last week, I felt like a starving woman grasping at crumbs — please, give me more! The Patricia Briggs stories in these collections are not about Mercy herself, but do take place in her world:

book cover of Strange Brew byP N Elrod

Other new books purchased or received:

A Tale For The Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

That Time I Joined The Circus by J. J. Howard

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

What’s on my reading agenda for the coming week?

I’m in pre-vacation mode, heading out of town for a week starting next weekend, and that puts me into serious book decision-making panic. What to bring? What to read on the plane? What do I bring as back-up? See what I mean? Decisions, decisions, decisions.

To start the week, I want to read the review copy I received of That Time I Joined The Circus, a YA novel which sounds like a lot of fun.

I should try to read Eleanor and Park before I leave, so I can return it to the library and into the hands of whoever is eagerly awaiting it. (I understand there’s a rather long waiting list right now).

For “serious” vacation reading, I’m planning to bring with me Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell and The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones. And if I get through those, maybe I’ll finally read one of the 40 or so titles on my Kindle that I still haven’t gotten to!

My son seems to have bailed on our co-read of Down the Mysterly River by Bill Willingham, although he hasn’t yet declared himself officially out. I want to know what happens! If the kiddo decides not to keep going, then I’m definitely going to gobble this one up on my own. It’s quite wonderful so far!

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

11Mar2013

The Monday agenda 3/11/2013

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

Spellbinding by Maya Gold: Done! My review is here.

Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson, book 7) by Patricia Briggs: Done! My review is here. (Short version: Loved it! I want to live in Mercy’s world.)

New Monday Agenda feature: Fresh Catch!

From the library, I picked up copies of A Natural History of Dragons by by Marie Brennan; The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan; and The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones.

Front Cover

Other new books purchased or received:

Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs (of course!); Where She Went by Gayle Forman; and for my son, Stranded by Jeff Probst. (Yes, the Survivor host has written the first in a middle-grade trilogy about a bunch of kids stranded on an island. Hey, write what you know, Jeff!)

What’s on my reading agenda for the coming week?

I received an e-ARC of a new science fiction book, The Best of All Possible Worlds, by Karen Lord. I’ve only read the first few pages, but I’m intrigued. I hope to make a big dent in this one in the next few days.

Next up, I’m expecting a copy of Ruth Ozeki’s new release, A Tale for the Time Being. I loved this author’s My Year of Meats, and I’m really looking forward to starting her newest book.

And if I finish both of these books and still have time, I need to dig into some of the books that have been patiently waiting for me. Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell is inching its way to the top of the pile. Our destinies may finally intertwine by the end of this week.

In the world of reading with my kiddo, we’re still enjoying — and puzzling over — Down The Mysterly River by Bill Willingham, although the kiddo has now discovered the joys of reading books on my IPad, and has ditched our mom/kid reading sessions for individual reading for a few days now. He is totally hooked on Dan Gutman’s hilarious Funny Boy books. Could it be that my boy is finally reading without being pressured to do so? I’m not holding my breath just yet, but perhaps we’re having a breakthrough!

And yes, I’m still reading Philip Pullman’s collection of Grimm fairy tales, a few stories each week. Slow and steady, but I’m getting there. Boy, there are some really gross and disturbing fairy tales in the mix!

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

4Mar2013

The Monday agenda 2/25/2013

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler: Done! My review is here.

Spellbinding by Maya Gold: Started, but still have about half-way to go.

What’s on my reading agenda for the coming week?

I hope to finish Spellbinding in the next day or two. And this is important, because it’s time to clear the decks for this week’s new arrival:

Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs, book #7 in the Mercy Thompson series, comes out this week! I absolutely cannot wait, and want to be able to start reading it the second it arrives. I just discovered this series last year, and fell head-over-heels in love with it.

After Frost Burned, I really should try to make a dent in the TBR shelf — but what exactly I’ll read is TBD.

The kiddo and I are making steady progress with Down The Mysterly River by Bill Willingham, although it just took a big turn for the weird –which is probably a very good thing. So far, so good. Onward we go.

And yes, I’m still inching my way through Philip Pullman’s collection of Grimm fairy tales. Emphasis on inching. Forward motion is happening in very small increments, but it is indeed happening.

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

25Feb2013

The Monday agenda 2/25/2013

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Happy Monday! Scanning the reading horizon for turbulence… and here we go.

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

Wild by Cheryl Strayed: Done! My review is here. This was a tremendously inspiring and involving read, to the point that it was hard to settle on just one thing to read next. I started two different books for me, plus a new one with my son. I haven’t made more than a dent in any, so…

What’s on my reading agenda for the coming week?

Digging into the books I’ve just begun:

First up is Spellbinding, a not-yet-released YA novel by Maya Gold that I received as a digital ARC. I enjoyed the first several chapters, but had to take an ill-timed break when my Kindle battery died unexpectedly. I’ll dive back in within the next couple of days.

I’ve also just started The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler, described on Amazon as “an unforgettable novel about a mysterious mail-order bride in the wake of WWII, whose sudden decision ripples through time to deeply impact the daughter she never knew”. Great opening chapter — can’t wait to read more.

My son and I have just started Down The Mysterly River, a middle grade novel written by Bill Willingham, author of the amazing Fables graphic novel series. ‘Nuff said. I’m in.

I’m still moving forward, tiny bit by tiny bit, in my quest to get through my book of fairy tales. Some are weird, some are totally familiar, all are quite fun. Onward!

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

18Feb2013

The Monday agenda 2/18/2013

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Happy Monday! Three day weekend = more time to read!

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

Y: The Last Man (graphic novel series) by Brian K. Vaughan: Done! My review is here. I could not put these books down. Highly recommended.

Fairy Tales From The Brother Grimm by Philip Pullman. Making progress, bit by tiny bit.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Have only read the first few chapters, but I’m hooked.

What’s on my reading agenda for the coming week?

First up will be to finish Wild. The first chapter was incredibly sad, but I’m looking forward to learning more about the author’s journey.

I’ll be continuing in my quest to get through my book of fairy tales, a few stories each week, until I’ve read the entire collection. Onward!

If I manage to finish Wild by the end of the week, I’ll have to make a hard choice between some of my latest arrivals. The “fresh catch” this week included two new young adult novels that I’m very eager to read: Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick and Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys. Both are sitting within easy reach as I write this — I’m hoping one will make it to the top of my reading pile by week’s end!

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

11Feb2013

The Monday agenda 2/11/2013

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Happy Monday! Looking back and looking forward…

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan: Done! My review is here.

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger: Done! My review is here.

I finally cracked open my copy of Fairy Tales From The Brother Grimm by Philip Pullman. I’ve only read the introduction thus far, but hey, it’s a start!

Lastly, I re-read volume one and started volume two of the graphic novel series Y: The Last Man. I’m planning a Last Man read-a-thon for the coming week.

What’s on my reading agenda for the coming week?

First on my agenda will be getting through the entire Y: The Last Man series. The first volume is amazing — can’t wait to see what happens next!

One of my reading resolutions for 2013 was “Attack the Fairies!”, meaning, I need to force myself to actually read the book of fairy tales that I was so excited to receive back in November. I’m a terrible short story reader, and usually get impatient and walk away, no matter how good the individual stories are or how much I like the author. But in the case of Fairy Tales From The Brothers Grimm by Philip Pullman, I’m determined to actually read the entire collection. My strategy, at least for starters, is to read one story a night, rather than trying to read the whole book straight through. We’ll see how it works, and if I can overcome my deeply ingrained aversion toward all short stories.

Finally, a coworker lent me her copy of Wild by Cheryl Strayed, a book that’s been on my “must read eventually” list. I have tickets to hear the author speak in April, so now is the time to read it. Plus, this will be my first non-fiction read of 2013, and I did vow to break out of my fiction world once in a while during the current year.

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

4Feb2013

The Monday agenda 2/4/2013

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Happy Monday! Looking back and looking forward…

From last week:

The Round House by Louise Erdrich: Done! A beautiful book that I can’t get out of my mind. My review is here.

I received an ARC of Garden of Stones by Sophie Littlefield. Very moving story. My review is here.

Finally, I managed to crack open Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan while the rest of the world was busy watching the Super Bowl.

And this week’s new agenda:

I’ve read about 50 pages of Nick and Norah, and I can’t say I’m won over yet. Perhaps it’ll just take a bit more time; I’ve read and loved these authors’ other two collaborations, so I still have high hopes for this one.

I can’t wait to get my hands on Etiquette & Espionage, the first book in Gail Carriger’s new Finishing School series. It’s due to arrive on Tuesday, and I’ll be diving in the second it arrives.

I plan to devote some time to reading the graphic novel series Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan.

If I manage to find time for anything else, I’ll most likely start Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, which has been at the top of my to-read pile for two weeks now, although I’d also like to check out more of Sophie Littlefield’s books.

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

28Jan2013

The Monday agenda 1/28/2013

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Happy Monday! Looking back and looking forward…

From last week:

A little slower on the book front this past week:

Just One Day by Gayle Forman: Done! I liked it much more than I’d expected to. My review is here.

The Round House by Louise Erdrich: Reading now, only about 50 pages into it so far.

I read a bunch of my son’s graphic novels and reviewed them here.

My long-awaited new Fables paperback arrived last week! I loved Fables: Cubs in Toyland (volume 18), but now have the usual complaint — I don’t want to wait months for the next one to come out!

I also read the first volume of a new (to me) graphic novel series, Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan. Very intriguing story; I think I’ll be be reading the rest as soon as I can get my hands on them.

And this week’s new agenda:

I think it’ll take me a good part of the week to read The Round House, which is quite good, but fairly heavy.

After that, I may tackle one or two books from my TBR pile, probably An Abundance of Katherines by John Green or Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by David Levithan…

…although I’m also terribly tempted by my new arrivals, Me Before You by Jojo Moyes and The Child’s Child by Barbara Vine.

I believe this is what’s called an embarrassment of riches! Having too many books to choose from is definitely not a problem I mind having.

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

21Jan2013

The Monday agenda 1/21/2013

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Happy Monday! It may be a holiday, but that’s no reason to skimp on the agenda.

From last week:

Three reviews and two books completed:

Mariana by Susanna Kearsley: I finished this lovely book the previous week, but didn’t have time to get the review done until I came home from a trip.

The Cranes Dance by Meg Howrey: Done! My review is here.

Mrs. Queen Takes The Train by William Kuhn: Done! My review is here.

I also enjoyed reading a few of my son’s graphic novels over the weekend, and will try to write a mini-review/round-up about these books in the next day or so.

Online book group: I’m behind. The Outlander Book Club is doing a re-read of The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon, and I am not keeping up. I love the series — can’t wait for the newest book to come out (fingers crossed) in the fall — but I don’t think I can devote time to re-reading a huge novel right now.

And this week’s new agenda:

Where to begin? I look at my shelves, and I want to read everything. Now.

I’m just getting started with the YA novel Just One Day by Gayle Forman. After that, I’m thinking that it’s time to start The Round House by Louise Erdrich, which I expect will take some time and a lot of attention. I doubt there will be room for anything more this week, but if there is, I’d guess that I’ll be wanting something a bit lighter to round out my reading.

My son and I are enjoying Here Be Monsters! by Alan Snow, which is quite good fun — although we seem to have less and less time to read before bed these days.

Updated to add: How could I forget? Fables, volume 18 is due out this week! And the second my copy arrives, I’ll be dropping everything else to read it.

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

14Jan2013

The Monday agenda 1/14/2013

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Happy Monday! It’s time to dive right in with this week’s agenda.

From last week:

I’ve just returned from a wonderful 3-day weekend in Victoria, British Columbia, which I shared with my lovely daughter — who happens to be a book fanatic just like me. We spent a good couple of hours haunting used book stores. Oh, what fun! Between the plane rides and some scattered down time in the hotel, I did manage to get in a bit of reading, although I’m now behind on my reviews and blog posts. Totally worth it, as the weekend was fantastic. So here’s where my reading stands:

Mariana by Susanna Kearsley: Done! The review is yet to come, but for now I’ll say that I really enjoyed it — so much so that I stayed up until about 1 a.m. to finish. I can’t wait to read more by this author!

Because I didn’t want to carry too much, I opted not to bring any hardcovers on my trip, and instead started The Cranes Dance by Meg Howrey (which was one of my Wishlist Wednesday books in 2012). I’m about 1/3 of the way into the book, and I’m hooked. (Side note: Are all fictional ballet dancers crazy? Discuss.)

In terms of my online book group commitments, I’ve bowed out of the Jane Eyre read, since I read it again just last year, but I did manage to start re-reading The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon so I can jump into the group discussions.

And this week’s new agenda:

It’ll probably take me a few more days to finish The Cranes Dance.

After that, I’m looking forward to my newest library book, Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn. And if I manage to finish that one as well, I’ll have some choices to make: I may go back to Susanna Kearsley for one of her other books already on my shelves, either Shadowy Horses or Season of Storms. Or, I could dip back into the YA world and read Just One Day by Gayle Forman. I’ve never read anything by this author, but I keep hearing good things — and I actually won this one in a giveaway!

For The Fiery Cross, we’ll be discussing chapters 2 and 3 this week. And if you happen to be a Diana Gabaldon fan and want to jump in and participate, just let me know and I’d be happy to connect you with the group.

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.