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?

Roomies Gathering Storm The Firebird (Slains, #2)

Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando: Done! My review is here.

Gathering Storm by Maggie Craig: Done! Historical fiction set in Scotland in 1743 — not as “romance-y” as it looks. I’ll have a review posted a bit later in the week.

The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley: Just started — but I’m so excited to finally be reading this one!

Dinosaur Summer by Greg Bear: My son and I are about 80 pages into this science fiction novel, which is a follow-up to the 1912 novel The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The early chapters were a bit confusing for both of us, but now the action in Dinosaur Summer is picking up and we’re having a slightly easier time with it. The jury is still out in terms of whether this will ultimately be an enjoyable choice for the kiddo and me — but we’re hanging in there!

Fresh Catch:

No new paper-and-ink books this week — which is a relief, since I’m about to be drowned by my TBR piles! I did pick up a few Kindle titles, taking advantage of holiday season price drops:

The Luminaries The Goldfinch The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking, #1) After the Golden Age (Golden Age, #1)

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

The Firebird (Slains, #2) Dear Mr. Knightley The Promise of Amazing

The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley: I’ve only just begun… so I expect this novel will take up most of my reading time this week.

BUT… if I’m able, then I’ll plan to start two ARCs that are in my queue for December:

Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherin Reay

The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

So many book, so little time…

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

9Dec2013

The Monday Agenda 12/9/2013

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

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

Racing Savannah Hoot (Juvenile, #1)

Racing Savannah by Miranda Kenneally: Done! Light and romantic, this YA novel totally suited my mood at the beginning of the week. My review is here.

Dangerous Women, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois: This anthology is HUGE (784 pages), and I just don’t have the patience to read it all the way through, especially since I am notoriously bad at reading short stories in general. I wrote up my thoughts (here) on the first five stories that I’ve read. From here on out, I’ll be jumping in and reading stories in between other things — I just can’t read more than one or two stories in a row, no matter how good they are, without wanting to rip my hair out.

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen: Done! My son and I had such a great time with this book — and loved the movie too. My thoughts on both are here.

Fresh Catch:

I adore the world of Fables by Bill Willingham, so I had to get my hands on Fairest in All the Land! Here’s the synopsis (per Goodreads):

In the spirit of FABLES: 1001 NIGHTS OF SNOWFALL and FABLES: WEREWOLVES OF THE HEARTLAND comes the first ever original graphic novel from the pages of #1 New York Times bestselling writer Bill Willingham’s FAIREST.

FAIREST has explored the secret histories of the most stunning beauties in Fabletown: Cinderella, Snow White, Briar Rose, Rapunzel, and the list goes on and on. In FAIREST IN ALL THE LAND, the best names in comics take their turns fleshing out the pasts of the loveliest Fables in existence. For all those wanting to dive into FAIREST or FABLES, this original graphic novel is a fantastic entry point, as well as a great new chapter for those that have been following Bill Willingham’s fairy tale epic for years.

Awesome, right? And seriously, if you haven’t tried Fables… what are you waiting for? It’s brilliant. Period.

Also this week, I got a bunch of new ARCs, and they all look terrific!

Don't Call Me Baby

Fan Art After the End (After the End, #1) See Jane Run

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

Roomies Gathering Storm The Firebird (Slains, #2)

Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando: This young adult novel about getting ready for a fresh start in college seems really promising.

Gathering Storm by Maggie Craig: I was thrilled to receive a copy of this novel from the author. Historical fiction set in Scotland during the 1740s? Yes, please!

The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley: If you want to see me beat my head into a wall, ask me about my habit of buying new releases the second they come out and then not finding time to read them! I’ve had The Firebird since its release in June, and I love this author… so I’m putting my foot down. This book WILL be read this coming week!

And finally:

My son and I have just started Dinosaur Summer by Greg Bear, which was recommended to me by a friend who’s a true aficionado of science fiction and thought it might appeal to the kiddo. It’s actually an adult science fiction book, but so far seems more or less accessible so long as I pause to explain unfamiliar terms and concepts. It’s pretty cool so far… we shall see whether it works for the kiddo after we get a bit further in.

So many book, so little time…

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

2Dec2013

The Monday Agenda 12/2/2013

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

Did everyone survive Black Friday? I avoid shopping frenzies like the plague… except I did venture out on Small Business Saturday to shop at my local (and wonderful) used book store. Always a great pick-me-up… any excuse to browse and play with books works for me.

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

The Lover's Dictionary Rose Under Fire Racing Savannah

The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan. Done! My review is here.

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein: Done! My review is here.

Racing Savannah by Miranda Kenneally: Just started. A romantic, contemporary YA novel feels perfect right about now.

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen: One chapter to go! The long weekend, with all the holiday festivities, really threw off our reading schedule. We should be done with Hoot today — a mother/son review will likely follow in the next few days.

Fresh Catch:

It’s a George R. R. Martin kind of week!

According to Amazon, my copy of Dangerous Women, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, has shipped! I’m expecting delivery on Tuesday. Why am I so excited about this book? Read on…

The Wit & Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister

My lovely daughter gave me a copy of The Wit & Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister as a Hanukkah gift — perfect!

Last but not least:

I had a bookstore voucher burning a hole in my pocket… expiration date just a few days from now… so I used it. Wisely, wouldn’t you say? Me + used book stores = throwing moderation to the wind! The new Jane Eyre I picked up is especially cute, with a rubbery purple cover. Adorbs.

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

17279560

I absolutely can’t wait to get my hands on my copy of Dangerous Women, which should be here on Tuesday. Why? First and foremost, this anthology includes a brand-new novella by Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander series. “Virgins” is a Jamie Fraser story (!) that takes place chronologically before the events in Outlander. Be still my heart! In addition to “Virgins”, I’m most looking forward to “The Princess and the Queen” by George R. R. Martin, a novella set in Westeros a couple of hundred years prior to A Song of Ice and Fire, and “Bombshells” by Jim Butcher, a story set in the Dresden Files world which focuses on Dresden’s protégé Molly. I think eventually I’ll read many of the other stories in this collection, but for now these three are my priority. (Jumping up and down now. Can it be Tuesday already? Please?)

Since I’m usually terrible about reading short stories, once I read these three, I’ll probably put the anthology aside for a bit and just pick it back up here and there for random reading.

Meanwhile, for the rest of this coming week? For once, I really have no idea what I’ll read next, once I put down Dangerous Women. The suspense is killing me!

So many book, so little time…

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

25Nov2013

The Monday Agenda 11/25/2013

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

After spending two days in bed with a fever and chills (woe is me!), I’m getting back in the swing of things. I’d like to say that it was refreshing to be off-line for a couple of days — but really, it was mostly just frustrating and left me with a back-ache. On the plus side, I did get a lot of reading done! Without two days in bed, I probably wouldn’t have finished anything this week… so, yay?

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

Shadows The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic

Shadows by Robin McKinley: DNF. I stuck with Shadows through 150 pages, but ultimately had to face the fact that it just wasn’t working for me. Unfortunately, I never felt involved with the characters and found the world-building in this book confusing and slow to develop. I’m generally a big fan of Robin McKinley and have really loved many of her books, but — sad to say — Shadows just isn’t for me, and I won’t be finishing it.

The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker. Done! My review is here.

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen: Well, we should have been done with Hoot this week… but I was too out-of-commission to finish the last couple of chapters this weekend. My kiddo and I are both really hooked on the story — it’s totally fun, with lots of laughs and some good heart-felt content too.

Fresh Catch:

Nada! I didn’t go the library, and I didn’t buy any books. What’s the world coming to?

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

The Lover's Dictionary Rose Under Fire The Universe Versus Alex Woods

I’m planning to start with The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan.

Next — FINALLY — I’ll be reading Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein. I loved Code Name Verity so much, and have been really looking forward to this one for months.

And if there’s time, I’ll read The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence, which has been sitting on my Kindle for far too long now.

So many book, so little time…

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

18Nov2013

The Monday Agenda 11/18/2013

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

How did I do with last week’s agenda?
The Rosie Project

Picture Me Gone

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. Finished at the end of last week, posted my review this week. This book just makes me happy. 🙂

Just One Year by Gayle Forman: Done! My review is here.

Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff: Done! I chose not to write a review for this book, as I found myself in the unusual (for me) position of just not really having anything to say. This book is well-written, and I’ve loved some of the previous books by this author, but Picture Me Gone simply didn’t work for me. The story was kind of flat, not much happened, and I didn’t find the characters’ actions and motivations terribly compelling.

Unthinkable by Nancy Werlin: Done! My review is here.

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen: Moving right along! My son and I are really enjoying Hoot, and hope to wrap it up within the next two weeks.

And in book news… Outlander fans were saddened to learn that the March publication of book #8 in the series (Written In My Own Heart’s Blood) would be delayed… but all heaved a big sigh of relief when a new release date was announced a couple of days later. So who else is counting the days until June 10, 2014??

Fresh Catch:

Three new books this week:

The Lover's Dictionary Sinful Folk Damn' Rebel Bitches: The Women of the '45

The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan: Borrowed from the library. After reading so many of the author’s young adult novels, I’ve been wanting to check this out too — I’ve heard great things!

Sinful Folk by Ned Hayes: Just received a review copy, looking forward to reading and reviewing this one closer to its January publication date.

Damn Rebel Bitches by Maggie Craig: I treated myself to this history book focusing on the women of the Jacobite rising of 1745 — a gift for my inner Outlander fanatic!

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

Shadows The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic

First up, I’m really looking forward to reading Shadows by Robin McKinley.

Next, I’d like to start The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker. Guilty confession: I’ve had this ARC sitting on my Kindle for a long time now… but I haven’t forgotten about it!

I think these two will take up the whole week, but if there’s time, I’ll dig into The Lover’s Dictionary as well.

So many book, so little time…

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

11Nov2013

The Monday Agenda 11/11/2013

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

How did I do with last week’s agenda?
Palace of Spies Bellman & Black: A Ghost Story The Rosie Project

Palace of Spies by Sarah Zettel: DNF. I got about 75% through this book, and came to the sad realization that I was just forcing myself. Palace of Spies seems charming, and I’m sure plenty of young adult readers will enjoy this tale of false identities, royal intrigue, schemes and blackmail, and — oh, yes — even love. It’s well-written and lively — but it just wasn’t for me.

Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield: Done! My review is here.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. Finished late Sunday. What fun! Review to follow.

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen: My kiddo and I are about a third of the way into this book, and it’s a lot of fun so far! Our reading time has been pretty scattered this week, but we hope to make more progress this coming week.

Fresh Catch:

One new book this week:

S. by J. J. Abrams and Doug Dorst. I’m completely intrigued by this work of art, which is hard to look at as “just” a book. With marginalia and scraps of paper filling up the book within the slipcase, I’m not sure I’ll even know where to start when I’m finally ready to read it. Still, it is rather superb just to look at.

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

Wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles, I’ve basically reached my goal of catching up on my NetGalley backlog! I swore that I wouldn’t read anything else until I’d gotten through all of my review copies for books published up through the beginning of November, and ta-da! I made it.

Okay, I did decide to omit a few that I received on the late side. Since they were already post-publication, I figured there was no rush… but overall, I’m just tickled pink to be where I wanted to be… and to finally be able to dig into the books I’ve been drooling over for the past several weeks!

My new number one goal? Get through the stack of four new YA novels that I’ve been dying to read!

My most wanted (to read) list:

Just One Year by Gayle Forman
Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff
Unthinkable by Nancy Werlin
Shadows by Robin McKinley

I’ll definitely be starting with Just One Year, and then will let fate (or, okay, my arbitrary whims) decide what I read next.

Yippee and hurray!

So many book, so little time…

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

4Nov2013

The Monday Agenda 11/4/2013

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

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

Parasite (Parasitology, #1) The Tulip Eaters The Expeditioners and the Treasure of Drowned Man's Canyon

Parasite by Mira Grant: Done! My review is here.

The Tulip Eaters by Antoinette van Heugten: Done! My review is here.

The Expeditioners by S. S. Taylor: Done! My son and I really loved this steampunk adventure. My review is here.

Fresh Catch:

One new book this week, and it’s gorgeous! I’m thrilled to have my very own copy of the brand-new Fables Encyclopedia:

Fables Encyclopedia

If you’re a Fables fan, you’re going to want this! And if you’re not a Fables fan, what are you waiting for? Fables is my super-duper, absolute favorite comic series. Start with the first paperback volume (Legends in Exile), and you’ll be hooked!

What’s on my reading agenda for the coming week?
Palace of Spies Bellman & Black: A Ghost Story The Rosie Project

I’ve just started Palace of Spies by Sarah Zettel, and so far, it’s a lot of fun.

After that, I’ll be reading one review book and one library book:

Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Hoot And in the world of reading with my kiddo, we’ve just started Hoot by Carl Hiaasen. We read Chomp earlier this year and loved it, so we have high hopes for Hoot as well. Judging by the first few chapters, this should be a… ~~hoot~~ (no, I won’t go there!) blast.

Once I finish Bellman & Black, I’ll be caught up on my review copies! I still have quite a few more to get through, but none are late (except for the ones I intentionally held off on, and even those, I’ll get to in the coming month).

Do you know what that means? I can finally start digging into my Pile of Sadness (aka, the books I simply HAD to buy the second they came out, but haven’t allowed myself to read yet)! Next week should be fun too:

So many book, so little time…

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

28Oct2013

The Monday Agenda 10/28/2013

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

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

Science fiction, contemporary fiction, YA fiction, and a graphic novel — what a fun week it’s been!

The Incrementalists by Steven Brust and Skyler White: Done! My review is here.

How To Be a Good Wife by Emma Chapman: Done! My review is here.

Reality Boy by A. S. King: Done! My review is here.

RASL by Jeff Smith: This newly released hardcover compilation of Jeff Smith’s RASL comic series is about parallel universes, art theft, Nikola Tesla, quantum physics, and government conspiracies, among other things. Plus there’s a very creepy little girl, lots of desert landscapes, and plenty of sex and violence. In other words, not for kids! Jeff Smith is the creator of one of my all-time favorites, the Bone series, which my son and I both love. RASL is not one that I’ll be sharing with him any time soon! That said, I really enjoyed RASL. It’s mind-bendy, twisty, smart, and fast-paced, with a great hero and plenty of food for thought to go with all that action. If you like a good graphic novel every once in a while, check it out!

The Expeditioners by S. S. Taylor: Such a great kids’ adventure story! The end is in sight…

Fresh Catch:

I’m still respecting my self-imposed reading diet — no reading books from my shelves (or the library’s shelves) until I catch up on all of my review copies! I did get one new book this week, preordered some time ago:

Argh! It’s so hard to be good!

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

This week I’ll be reading:
Parasite (Parasitology, #1) Palace of Spies The Tulip Eaters

I’ve just started Parasite by Mira Grant. This is going to be a good one!

Once I’m done, next up will be two more review books:

Palace of Spies by Sarah Zettel
The Tulip Eaters by Antoinette van Heugten

Bellman & Black: A Ghost Story And if by some miracle I get through all of these (which is unlikely), then I’ll move on to Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield, which I’ve really been looking forward to.

Believe it or not, after these four books, I’ll be caught up (for now!), and can start sprinkling in some of my new on-my-shelves books in between upcoming review copies! Oh, happy day!

So many book, so little time…

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

21Oct2013

The Monday Agenda 10/21/2013

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

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

What with one thing and another, it’s been a pretty slow (but fun) reading week:

Longbourn

Longbourn by Jo Baker: Done! I loved this inside-out look at the world of Pride and Prejudice, as told from the perspective of the Bennets’ servants. My review is here.

Bad Houses by Sara Ryan and Carla Speed McNeil: Done! A quick and engaging graphic novel. My preview of this upcoming new release is here.

The Incrementalists by Steven Brust and Skyler White: Still reading — about 70 pages to go. A lot of the virtual reality stuff is going pretty much over my head, but it’s still interesting and puzzling enough for me to keep going and see if I can make it all make sense.

The Expeditioners by S. S. Taylor: My read-aloud book with my son — going great! I think we have another week or two to go.

Fresh Catch:

I’m still trying to be good and stick to the plan of finishing off all my current (and a teeny bit late) review books before digging into all the new books begging to be read. Meanwhile, two of my requests came in at the library this week:

Two very different books, but I’m looking forward to both!

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

Still sticking with my commitment to focus on review copies, this week I’ll be reading:

Reality Boy Parasite (Parasitology, #1)

First, I’ll be trying to finish up with The Incrementalists. And after that, I have a few more books lined up that I’m excited about:

How To Be a Good Wife by Emma Chapman
Reality Boy by A. S. King
Parasite by Mira Grant

I realize that I’m being overly ambitious and probably completely unrealistic in thinking that I’ll make it through four books this week… but hey, a reader can dream, can’t she?

So many book, so little time…

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

14Oct2013

The Monday Agenda 10/14/2013

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

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

It’s been a pretty fun and eclectic reading week:

Charming (Pax Arcana, #1) Before I Met You Will in Scarlet Longbourn

Charming by Elliott James: Done! A terrific first book in a new urban fantasy series. My review is here.

Before I Met You by Lisa Jewell: Done! Contemporary fiction meets historical fiction in a novel set in both the 1920s and 1990s. My review is here.

Will in Scarlet by Matthew Cody: Done! An exciting middle grade book about Robin Hood and his Merry Men. My review is here.

Longbourn by Jo Baker: Just started over the weekend, and I’m currently about 25% of the way into this new look at the world of Pride and Prejudice… as viewed by the servants below-stairs.

And in kids’ books, my son and I are about 1/3 of the way into The Expeditioners by S. S. Taylor, and we’re really enjoying it. It’s a steampunk adventure story, filled with mysterious maps and clever kids. After a bit of a slow start, we’re hooked!

Fresh Catch:

In keeping with my new need to name everything, I’m calling this my Pile of Sadness:

Why? Because these four books are YA new releases that I bought for myself and can’t wait to read… but I’m trying to stick to a vow* that I made to get caught up on my NetGalley backlog before reading anything else. It’s the right thing to do, and it seems to be working… but then I look at my Pile of Sadness and feel all sorts of tearful longing building up inside…

Must. Be. Strong.

*So what’s this vow about? I wrote a post yesterday about, among other things, my mid-October reading resolutions. And whatever else came to mind. You can read it here.

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

Sticking with my decision to catch up on review copies, I have this coming week’s reading all queued up:

Longbourn

First up, I’ll need to finish Longbourn by Jo Baker. Then onward with:

The Incrementalists by Steven Brust and Skyler White
Bad Houses by Sara Ryan and Carla Speed McNeil
How To Be a Good Wife by Emma Chapman

I’m actually loving everything I’m reading these days… but that Pile of Sadness is so tempting… and I just got an email notification that I have some library requests ready for pick-up. Must. Be. Strong.

So many book, so little time…

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