2014

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?

Lizzy and Jane

Lizzy & Jane by Katherine Reay: Done! My review is here.

Us by David Nicholls: Done! Loved it. Watch for my blog tour post coming up on 11/21!

Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede: My son and I finished up the 2nd book in the Enchanted Forest series, and really enjoyed it. Here’s my Goodreads post with my initial reaction.

And also… I dove back into The Unwritten series, re-reading volumes 1 and 2 and then continuing on with 3 and 4. I feel an obsession coming on!

Fresh Catch:

I didn’t buy or borrow any new books this week, but I did receive this one — my first ever win via Goodreads First Reads!

The Expeditioners and the Secret of King Triton's Lair (The Expeditioners, #2)

Signed and everything! My kiddo and I loved the 1st book in this series, and we’re really excited to get a copy of #2 for our very own.

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

A book club pick, and then we’ll see. I find myself not really feeling like doing a whole lot of planning this week. Maybe because I’ll end up just wanting to continue reading every volume of The Unwritten series until I’m all caught up!

But assuming I stick to my agenda, here are the books coming up next for me:

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

The Martian by Andy Weir

Hello From the Gillespies by Monica McInerney (the November book for Fields & Fantasies!)

Pop culture goodness:

Is anyone else watching Jane the Virgin? I’ve just inhaled the first four episodes, and I think it’s kinda hilarious.

Ongoing reads:

Shared with the kiddo:

Calling on Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles, #3)

Calling on Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede: We’ve just started the 3rd book in the Enchanted Forest series. My reaction after just one chapter? Too many talking cats, not enough dragons. In fact, no dragons. Sigh. I’ll need to keep reminding myself that it’s only the first chapter, and hope for a quick improvement.

Now playing via audiobook:

I’m working my way through a re-read (re-listen?) of the Alpha & Omega series by Patricia Briggs. I just finished up Cry Wolf over the weekend, and now I’m moving on to Hunting Ground. I adore the characters and the stories as a whole, and listening to the audiobooks is a treat.

Book club reading:

The Scarlet Pimpernel A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander, #6)

Classic read: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy. (One chapter per week)

A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon: Reading and discussing two chapters per week, from now through the end of 2015!

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes: Outlander Book Club’s book-of-the-month for November.

Want to join any of the group reads? Let me know and I’ll provide the links!

So many book, so little time…

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

Happy reading!

4Nov2014

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday: A Murder of Magpies

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

There’s nothing like a Wednesday for thinking about the books we want to read! My Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday post is linking up with two fabulous book memes, Wishlist Wednesday (hosted by Pen to Paper) and Waiting on Wednesday (hosted by Breaking the Spine).

This week’s pick:

A Murder of Magpies by Judith Flanders
(to be released February 24, 2015)

A whip-smart, impeccably crafted debut mystery that takes readers on a whirlwind tour of London and Paris with an unforgettably original new heroine

It’s just another day at the office for London book editor Samantha “Sam” Clair. Checking jacket copy for howlers, wondering how to break it to her star novelist that her latest effort is utterly unpublishable, lunch scheduled with gossipy author Kit Lowell, whose new book will dish the juicy dirt on a recent fashion industry scandal. Little does she know the trouble Kit’s book will cause—before it even goes to print. When police Inspector Field turns up at the venerable offices of Timmins & Ross, asking questions about a package addressed to Sam, she knows something is wrong. Now Sam’s nine-to-five life is turned upside down as she finds herself propelled into a criminal investigation. Someone doesn’t want Kit’s manuscript published and unless Sam can put the pieces together in time, they’ll do anything to stop it.

With this deliciously funny debut novel, acclaimed author Judith Flanders introduces readers to an enormously enjoyable, too-clever-for-her-own-good new amateur sleuth, as well Sam’s Goth assistant, her effortlessly glamorous mother, and the handsome Inspector Field. A tremendously entertaining read, this page-turning novel from a bright new crime fiction talent is impossible to put down.

Does it make me sound completely shallow if I say that I wanted to read this book as soon as I saw the cover? I mean, is that cute or what? This sounds like a really fun read, and since I just got a copy via NetGalley, I can happily pencil it in on my reading calendar for early 2015!

What are you wishing for this Wednesday?

Looking for some bookish fun on Thursdays? Come join me for my regular weekly feature, Thursday Quotables. You can find out more here — come play!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Do you host a book blog meme? Do you participate in a meme that you really, really love? I’m building a Book Blog Meme Directory, and need your help! If you know of a great meme to include — or if you host one yourself — please drop me a note on my Contact page and I’ll be sure to add your info!

3Nov2014

The Monday Agenda 11/3/2014

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

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

My spooky, creepy, icky Halloween reading included:

Rooms Brood

Rooms by Lauren Oliver: Done! My review is here.

Horns by Joe Hill: Check out my Fields & Fantasies Book Club post from last Friday, here.

Brood by Chase Novak: Done! My review is here.

Fresh Catch:

So many books arrived this week!

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

After so many horror-ific Halloween picks, it’s time for a change of pace!

Lizzy and Jane

This week, I’m looking forward to:

Lizzy & Jane by Katherine Reay

Us by David Nicholls

Ongoing reads:

One with the kiddo:

Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede: Almost done! Should be wrapping up in the next few days — and then the big question will be, do we move onto book #3 in the Enchanted Forest series or start something completely new?

Now playing via audiobook:

I’ve developed a fondness for listening to audiobooks while I drive or exercise. (Sadly, I do a lot more of the former than the latter.) I’ve found, though, that my mind constantly wanders, no matter how many times I remind myself to focus on the story. My solution is to listen to books that I’ve read before, for a couple of reasons. One, if I get distracted by traffic or random seagulls (it happens), I won’t have missed essential information. Two, I find that if it’s a book I’ve enjoyed, revisiting it via audio only enhances the overall experience. I’ve been working my way through the Outlander audiobooks, but decided to take a bit of a break. My newest audiobook is Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs, part of the amazing Alpha & Omega series. There’s a new Alpha & Omega novel coming out in the spring, so I thought I’d get ready by giving a listen to the previous books and reacquainting myself with Charles and Anna.

Book club reading:

The Scarlet Pimpernel A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander, #6)

Classic read: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy. (One chapter per week)

A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon: Reading and discussing two chapters per week, from now through the end of 2015!

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes: Outlander Book Club’s book-of-the-month for November.

Want to join any of the group reads? Let me know and I’ll provide the links!

So many book, so little time…

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

Happy reading!

28Oct2014

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday: The Girl on the Train

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

This week’s pick:

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
(to be released January 27, 2015)

A debut psychological thriller about a woman who becomes emotionally entangled in a murder investigation because of something she witnesses on her daily commute.

Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and every night. Every day she rattles over the same track junctions, flashes past the same stretch of cozy suburban homes. And every day she stops at the same signal and she sees the same couple, breakfasting on their roof deck, living the perfect life that Rachel craves for herself—a lifestyle she recently lost. She looks forward to observing this household every morning, even makes up names and narratives for its residents. Then one day Rachel sees someone new in their garden, and soon after, the woman who lived there disappears.

Unable to keep this information to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and in the process is drawn into the lives of the couple she thought of as Jason and Jess but whose names—she has learned from the news—are really Megan and Scott Hipwell.

But the police accuse Rachel of being unreliable, and it’s true that her memories can’t always be trusted. Plus there are the stories that her ex-husband’s new wife has been spreading about her. By the time Megan’s body is found, Rachel is in over her head, intricately entangled in the details of the investigation, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she put others in danger? Has she done more harm than good?

A compulsively readable, emotionally immersive, Hitchcockian thriller that draws comparisons to Gone Girl, The Silent Wife, or Before I Go to Sleep, this is an electrifying debut embraced by readers across markets and categories.

I just entered a giveaway for this book, and I really hope I get a copy!

What are you wishing for this Wednesday?

Looking for some bookish fun on Thursdays? Come join me for my regular weekly feature, Thursday Quotables. You can find out more here — come play!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

27Oct2014

The Monday Agenda 10/27/2014

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

IRL:

I skipped the Monday Agenda last week — did you miss me? I spent a few days traveling to see family, and got to spend my dad’s 83rd birthday with him! All that travel was very good for reading. Many hours on planes = many hours with books, despite the highly (ahem) *energetic* children who all seemed to be clustered around my row on the plane.

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

Night of a Thousand Stars

The Ship of Brides

Night of a Thousand Stars by Deanna Raybourn: I posted my review and blog tour feature earlier in the week. Check it out here.

Horns by Joe Hill: Loved it! My Fields & Fantasies Book Club post is coming later this week. And now, I’m dying to see the movie!

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith: Done! My review is here.

The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes: Done! My review is here.

The Unwritten by Mike Carey: I’m hooked. I read volumes 1 & 2 during my travels. Note to graphic novel readers: People do indeed look at you funny on airplanes when they see you reading “comic books”. But who cares? I loved the first two volumes, and can’t wait to continue!

Fresh Catch:

Don’t you love it when you stumble across Kindle price drops? (It’s the little things that make me happy.) Here are a few titles I scooped up for my Kindle this week:

Noggin Station Eleven The Ghost Bride

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

Since it’s the last week of October, I figured I’d stick with spookiness and horror to kick off the week… but if there’s time, I’ll throw in some lighter fare as well.

Brood Rooms Lizzy and Jane

Brood by Chase Novak

Rooms by Lauren Oliver

Lizzy & Jane by Katherine Reay

(And I have a sneaking suspicion that I may take a detour and dive into volume 3 of The Unwritten.)

Ongoing reads:

One with the kiddo:

Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede: We’ve read about 1/2 of book #2 in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. A very different feel than book 1, but we’re liking it all the same!

And two book club picks:

The Scarlet Pimpernel

Classic read: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy.

A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander, #6) A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon: Reading and discussing two chapters per week, from now through the end of 2015!

Want to join one or both of the group reads? Let me know and I’ll provide the links!

So many book, so little time…

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

Happy reading!

14Oct2014

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday: I Was Here

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

This week’s pick:

I Was Here by Gayle Forman
(to be released January 27, 2015)

Cody and Meg were inseparable.
Two peas in a pod.
Until . . . they weren’t anymore.

When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, who broke Meg’s heart. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.

I Was Here is Gayle Forman at her finest, a taut, emotional, and ultimately redemptive story about redefining the meaning of family and finding a way to move forward even in the face of unspeakable loss.

So far, I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Gayle Forman, and I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on her upcoming new release!

What are you wishing for this Wednesday?

Looking for some bookish fun on Thursdays? Come join me for my regular weekly feature, Thursday Quotables. You can find out more here — come play!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

13Oct2014

The Monday Agenda 10/13/2014

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

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss, #3) Dealing with Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles, #1) Night of a Thousand Stars

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins: Done! My review is here.

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede: My son and I have started a co-read of this four-book series (the Enchanted Forest Chronicles), and so far, we’re (sorry) enchanted. A strong, smart princess who prefers to find her own way rather than being rescued or married off to a handsome prince? Yes, please! We finished book #1 this past week, and we’re plowing right ahead with the rest of the series.

Night of a Thousand Stars by Deanna Raybourn: Just finished! I’ll be posting a review on October 21st, as part of the blog tour for this book.

Fresh Catch:

More library books! Is it crazy to complain that my holds are arriving too quickly?

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

October is the perfect time to focus on horror:

Brood

Horns by Joe Hill: The October pick for Fields & Fantasies Book Club!

Brood by Chase Novak — the sequel to the super-creepy Breed!

And in non-horror reading, I think it’s about time that I finally make a dent in my graphic novel to-read pile, starting with volume 1 of The Unwritten by Mike Carey. Maybe instead of trying to find time to plow through a whole series, I should just make time for one volume per week…

Life and family:

Heading out of town this coming weekend… so there may or may not be a Monday Agenda post next week. Meanwhile, I’m busy pondering the oh-so-important question: What books should I pack for my trip?

Ongoing reads:

One with the kiddo:

Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede: We’ve just started book #2 in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles.

And two book club picks:

The Scarlet Pimpernel

Classic read: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy.

A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander, #6) A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon: Reading and discussing two chapters per week, from now through the end of 2015!

Want to join one or both of the group reads? Let me know and I’ll provide the links!

So many book, so little time…

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

Happy reading!

8Oct2014

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday: We Are Pirates

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

This week’s pick:

We Are Pirates by Daniel Handler
(to be released February 3, 2015)

Mega-bestselling author Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) gives us his long-awaited and most ambitious novel yet: a dark, rollicking, stunningly entertaining human comedy.

A boat has gone missing. Goods have been stolen. There is blood in the water. It is the twenty-first century and a crew of pirates is terrorizing the San Francisco Bay.

Phil is a husband, a father, a struggling radio producer, and the owner of a large condo with a view of the water. But he’d like to be a rebel and a fortune hunter.

Gwen is his daughter. She’s fourteen. She’s a student, a swimmer, and a best friend. But she’d like to be an adventurer and an outlaw.

Phil teams up with his young, attractive assistant. They head for the open road, attending a conference to seal a deal.

Gwen teams up with a new, fierce friend and some restless souls. They head for the open sea, stealing a boat to hunt for treasure.

We Are Pirates is a novel about our desperate searches for happiness and freedom, about our wild journeys beyond the boundaries of our ordinary lives.

Also, it’s about a teenage girl who pulls together a ragtag crew to commit mayhem in the San Francisco Bay, while her hapless father tries to get her home.

Pirates! Daniel Handler! San Francisco! All around, I’d say this book is just full of awesome.

What are you wishing for this Wednesday?

Looking for some bookish fun on Thursdays? Come join me for my regular weekly feature, Thursday Quotables. You can find out more here — come play!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

6Oct2014

The Monday Agenda 10/6/2014

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

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

Season of Storms Prototype (Archetype #2) Lies We Tell Ourselves

Season of Storms by Susanna Kearsley: Although I finished reading this book last week, I didn’t manage to post a review until a few days ago. Check it out here.

Prototype by M. D. Waters: Done! My review is here.

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley: Done! My review is here.

Fresh Catch:

Our local library’s Big Book Sale was last week, and here’s what I came home with:

Not too shabby, right? What could be better than supporting a good cause AND getting armfuls of new books?

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

Mixing things up this week… my agenda includes contemporary YA, historical romance, and horror!

Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss, #3) Night of a Thousand Stars Brood

I’m looking forward to reading:

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Night of a Thousand Stars by Deanna Raybourn

Brood by Chase Novak

Pop culture goodness:

Still pouting over having to wait until April…

Ongoing reads:

One with the kiddo:

Dealing with Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles, #1)

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

And two book club picks:

The Scarlet Pimpernel

Classic read: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy.

A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander, #6) A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon: Reading and discussing two chapters per week, from now through the end of 2015!

Want to join one or both of the group reads? Let me know and I’ll provide the links!

So many book, so little time…

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

Happy reading!

29Sep2014

The Monday Agenda 9/29/2014

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

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

Season of Storms Archetype Prototype (Archetype #2)

Season of Storms by Susanna Kearsley: Done! Review to follow.

I did a re-read of Archetype by M. D. Waters, and I’m so glad I did! I enjoyed it every bit as much the 2nd time around (you can read my original review of Archetype here), and re-reading was a perfect lead-in to starting the sequel, Prototype.

Fresh Catch:

The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor and the Ship That Sank Twice

I’m so excited to have received an ARC of Us by David Nicholls! I’ll be participating in a blog tour for this book in early November.

My other new arrival: The latest Unwritten release… despite the fact that I haven’t read any of the volumes already on my shelves. Soon…

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

Prototype (Archetype #2) Lies We Tell Ourselves 100 Sideways Miles

I’m about half-way through Prototype by M. D. Waters, and if only I didn’t have to sleep, work, and interact with my family, I’d finish it today!

Coming up next:

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith

Pop culture goodness:

It’s hard to believe we’ve reached the mid-season finale of Outlander already! What an amazing experience it’s been watching the book I love come to life through such a creative and devoted production. And now, we wait…

Ongoing reads:

One with the kiddo:

Dealing with Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles, #1)

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

And two book club picks:

The Scarlet Pimpernel

Classic read: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy.

A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander, #6) A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon: Reading and discussing two chapters per week, from now through the end of 2015!

Want to join one or both of the group reads? Let me know and I’ll provide the links!

So many book, so little time…

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

Happy reading!