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?

The Time Tutor After I'm Gone

Better off Friends Whisper Of Jasmine

The Time Tutor by Bee Ridgway: A review — plus a giveaway of the new paperback edition of The River of No Return — will be up a bit later today. Check back to enter!

After I’m Gone by Laura Lippman. Done! My review is here.

Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg: Done! My review is here.

Whisper of Jasmine by Deanna Raybourn: This romantic novella is a prequel to City of Jasmine (see below), and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Fresh Catch:

No new books this week… but in book-related news, Game of Thrones season 3 arrived on DVD!

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

City of Jasmine The Husband's Secret House of Glass

I’m *this close* to finishing City of Jasmine by Deanna Raybourn, and should have a review up in the next couple of days.

Next up, I’ll be reading:

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty (which I’ve been wanting to read — and now need to read for a book group discussion)

House of Glass by Sophie Littlefield

And also in the works:

D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths In the never-ending struggle to keep my kiddo engaged with books, we’re now reading assorted stories from D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths each night before bed, and he’s really enjoying it. It’s been so long since I’ve looked through this book, so I’m getting a kick out of it too!

And my ongoing project:

The Outlander Book Club’s re-read of An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon continues! Coming up this week: Chapters 29 – 33. Want to join in? Contact me and I’ll provide all the details!

So many book, so little time…

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

18Feb2014

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday: The Silkworm

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).

My most wished-for book this week is:

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
(expected US publication date: June 24, 2014)

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Private investigator Cormoran Strike returns in a new mystery from Robert Galbraith, author of the #1 international bestseller The Cuckoo’s Calling.

When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days–as he has done before–and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.

But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine’s disappearance than his wife realizes. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives–meaning that there are a lot of people who might want him silenced.

When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before…

A compulsively readable crime novel with twists at every turn, THE SILKWORM is the second in the highly acclaimed series featuring Cormoran Strike and his determined young assistant, Robin Ellacott.

The announcement was just made this past weekend that Robert Galbraith, aka J. K. Rowling, will have a new book out this June — and I, for one, can’t wait! I had mixed feelings about Rowling’s first post-Potter book, The Casual Vacancy, but I did really enjoy The Cuckoo’s Calling, which Rowling published pseudonymously last year. What I liked best about The Cuckoo’s Calling was the main character, Cormoran Strike, who struck me as smart, unusual, and not-quite-perfect. I’m really looking forward to reading the next Strike mystery, and hope it takes the character in new and complicated directions.

What are you wishing for this Wednesday?

Looking for some bookish fun on Thursdays and Fridays? Come join me for my regular weekly features, Thursday Quotables and Flashback Friday! You can find out more here — come share the book love!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

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!

17Feb2014

The Monday Agenda 2/17/2014

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

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

The Fiery Cross (Outlander, #5) The Winter People See Jane Run The Time Tutor

The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon: I finished this massive 1,400 page book thanks to lots of binge-reading and staying up past my bedtime… but I got it done! I love the series (obviously), and was surprised by how much I enjoyed my re-read of The Fiery Cross. To be honest, I’d been avoiding it, as there are several parts that are just so awful or painful that I couldn’t stand the thought of experiencing them again. And yes, plenty of terrible things happen in this book, but there’s so much to love as well. All in all, I’m really happy that I decided to drop everything else and do a re-read!

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon: I think this one will stay on my “on hold” list for now. I hope to come back to it in a few weeks.

See Jane Run by Hannah Jayne: Done! My review is here, and I should be posting an author feature a bit later this week, so check back!

The Time Tutor by Bee Ridgway: Done! Stay tuned for a review and a very special giveaway coming up next week!

House of Secrets by Chris Columbus and Ned Vizzini: Did not finish. I was reading this one with my son, and neither of us ended up caring enough about the story to want to continue. We’re officially done with this one.

Fresh Catch:

Here’s what arrived this week:

By Blood We Live (The Last Werewolf, #3)

By Blood We Live by Glen Duncan: The third book in the trilogy that begins with The Last Werewolf and continues with Talulla Rising, I expect this book to be just as gory and blood-drenched as the previous two — and just as incredible a reading experience. These books are not for the squeamish, but I do think they’re excellent! I’m really looking forward to reading this one!

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

After I'm Gone Better off Friends City of Jasmine

I’m about half-way through After I’m Gone by Laura Lippman. I’ve never read anything by this author before, since I don’t usually go for crime/mystery novels — but I’m really wrapped up in this book so far! I hope to finish in the next day or so.

And after that, I’m planning to read review copies of two books due out later this month:

Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg

City of Jasmine by Deanna Raybourn

In addition:

My quest to find a book that interests my son continues! We started reading Fahrenheit 451 together a few days ago. I’m convinced that he’ll love Bradbury if he just gives him a chance! So far, so good, although the language and symbolism often go over the kiddo’s head. Still, he’s interested for now, and I’m happy to have an excuse to revisit this book again after so many years!

The Outlander Book Club’s re-read of An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon continues! Coming up this week: Chapters 24 – 28. Want to join in? Contact me and I’ll provide all the details!

So many book, so little time…

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

11Feb2014

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday: I Shall Be Near To You

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

My most wished-for book this week is:

I Shall Be Near To You by Erin Lindsay McCabe
(published January 28, 2014)

Synopsis via Goodreads:

An extraordinary novel about a strong-willed woman who disguises herself as a man in order to fight beside her husband, inspired by the letters of a remarkable female soldier who fought in the Civil War.
Rosetta doesn’t want her new husband Jeremiah to enlist, but he joins up, hoping to make enough money that they’ll be able to afford their own farm someday. Though she’s always worked by her father’s side as the son he never had, now that Rosetta is a wife she’s told her place is inside with the other women. But Rosetta decides her true place is with Jeremiah, no matter what that means, and to be with him she cuts off her hair, hems an old pair of his pants, and signs up as a Union soldier.
With the army desperate for recruits, Rosetta has no trouble volunteering, although she faces an incredulous husband. She drills with the men, proves she can be as good a soldier as anyone, and deals with the tension as her husband comes to grips with having a fighting wife. Rosetta’s strong will clashes with Jeremiah’s while their marriage is tested by broken conventions, constant danger, and war, and she fears discovery of her secret even as they fight for their future, and for their lives. Inspired by more than 250 documented accounts of the women who fought in the Civil War while disguised as men, I Shall Be Near To You is the intimate story, in Rosetta’s powerful and gorgeous voice, of the drama of marriage, one woman’s amazing exploits, and the tender love story that can unfold when two partners face life’s challenges side by side.

I absolutely love the sound of this one — and one of my most trusted book friends has been raving about it. The book is already out, and I really can’t wait to get my hands on a copy!

And besides sounding like a fascinating book, it made me think of this… which brings back tons of old camp memories, near and dear to my heart:

What are you wishing for this Wednesday?

Looking for some bookish fun on Thursdays and Fridays? Come join me for my regular weekly features, Thursday Quotables and Flashback Friday! You can find out more here — come share the book love!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

10Feb2014

The Monday Agenda 2/10/2014

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

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

When Audrey Met Alice Archetype

I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing two new books right in time for their release dates last week:

When Audrey Met Alice by Rebecca Behrens: My review, along with the author’s guest post, is here.

Archetype by M. D. Waters: Suspenseful and altogether terrific. My review is here.

And then things went a bit astray, despite my careful planning…

The Fiery Cross (Outlander, #5) Instead of moving forward to the next ARC on my reading schedule, I decided to reread a truly massive book. So, for the past several days, I’ve been reading Diana Gabaldon’s The Fiery Cross — because I’m in the midst of an attack of Outlander obsession and felt the need to re-read the books I’m less familiar with in order to be ready for the upcoming new book in June. Sigh. I love it, but I’m also shaking my head at myself for starting a 1400 page book when I have so much else to read!

Fresh Catch:

Two very different books came my way this week:

Riot

Riot by Mary Casanova: I just received a review copy of this new book aimed at middle grade readers, set in 1989 during a labor dispute in Minnesota. It sounds quite interesting, if a bit outside of my usual reading topics.

Locke & Key, Vol. 6: Alpha & Omega I am completely thrilled that volume 6 of the incredible Locke & Key graphic novel series has finally been released! I think I need to hold off on reading #6, though, until I have time to re-read #5 (if not all of them), so that I can truly enjoy this final volume with all of the details fresh in my mind. I love these books!

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

The Winter People See Jane Run The Time Tutor

Assuming I finish The Fiery Cross within the next few days (only 400 pages to go!), I’ll return to my regularly scheduled reading with:

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon (which I started last week, then abandoned for my huge red book…)

See Jane Run by Hannah Jayne: I was intrigued by the premise of this new young adult novel, and will be participating in the blog tour next week.

The Time Tutor by Bee Ridgway: A prequel novella connected to The River of No Return — which was one of my very favorite books of 2013!

In addition:

House of Secrets (House of Secrets, #1) House of Secrets by Chris Columbus and Ned Vizzini: My son and I have practically stalled on our read-together venture with this book, but we haven’t quite abandoned it yet. We keep ending up with other things to do besides sitting down to read House of Secrets — which may be a sign that, despite being pretty fun so far, neither of us feels really grabbed by this book. We’ll keep going, and see if we get more into it this week.

The Outlander Book Club’s re-read of An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon continues! Coming up this week: Chapters 19 – 23. Want to join in? Contact me and I’ll provide all the details!

So many book, so little time…

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

4Feb2014

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday: She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

This week, I’m excited about:

She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick
(to be released April 22, 2014)

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Laureth Peak’s father has taught her to look for recurring events, patterns, and numbers–a skill at which she’s remarkably talented. Her secret: She is blind. But when her father goes missing, Laureth and her 7-year-old brother Benjamin are thrust into a mystery that takes them to New York City where surviving will take all her skill at spotting the amazing, shocking, and sometimes dangerous connections in a world full of darkness. She Is Not Invisible is an intricate puzzle of a novel that sheds a light on the delicate ties that bind people to each other.

I just read Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick this past week, which was beautiful and altogether unusual (my review is here if you want to know more), and at this point I’d be willing to read anything by this author! She Is Not Invisible sounds completely different, but there’s something about the synopsis that really appeals to me, and I’m eager to give it a try.

What are you wishing for this Wednesday?

Looking for some bookish fun on Thursdays and Fridays? Come join me for my regular weekly features, Thursday Quotables and Flashback Friday! You can find out more here — come share the book love!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

3Feb2014

The Monday Agenda 2/3/2014

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

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

The Splendour Falls Midwinterblood When Audrey Met Alice

The Spendour Falls by Susanna Kearsley: Done! My review is here.

Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick: Done! I’ve had this book on my shelf for almost a year now, and I’m so happy that I finally took the time to read it. An unforgettable book — no wonder it just won the Printz award! My review is here.

When Audrey Met Alice by Rebecca Behrens: Done! I just finished reading this terrifically entertaining middle grade novel about the life of a First Daughter who finds inspiration in the diary of a former First Daughter, Alice Roosevelt. Check out my blog tour post — today! — to read more about the book, hear some thoughts from the author, and get my take on it all!

Fresh Catch:

I was thrilled to receive these review books this week:

House of Glass The Serpent of Venice: A Novel

Two very different books — and I’m really looking forward to both!

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

Archetype The Winter People

I’m excited to be reading:

Archetype by M. D. Waters

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

In addition:

House of Secrets (House of Secrets, #1) My son and I seem to have settled into House of Secrets by Chris Columbus and Ned Vizzini for our newest read-together book. So far, it’s strange and eerie, set in modern-day San Francisco but with all sorts of weird, occultish things happening already. And seriously, a family buying an old, supposedly haunted mansion in Sea Cliff for $300k? Clearly, something supernatural is going on!

The Outlander Book Club’s re-read of An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon is moving right along. Coming up this week: Chapters 14 – 18. Want to join in? Contact me and I’ll provide all the details!

So many book, so little time…

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

28Jan2014

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

This week, I’m ready for something upbeat and romantic, so I’m picking…

The Opposite of Maybe by Maddie Dawson
(to be released March 11, 2014)

Synopsis via Goodreads:

A heartfelt, funny, and all-together human novel about the best mistakes a person can make

Jonathan and Rosie have been together so long they finish each other’s sentences—so when he (finally) proposes and asks her to move across the country with him, everyone is happily surprised. But when things suddenly unravel, Rosie sends Jonathan packing and moves back home with Soapie, the irascible, opinionated grandmother who raised her. Only now she has to figure out how to fire Soapie’s very unsuitable caregiver, a gardener named Tony who lets her drink martinis, smoke, and cheat at Scrabble.

It’s a temporary break, of course—until Rosie realizes she’s accidentally pregnant at 44, completely unequipped for motherhood, and worse, may be falling in love with the sentimental, troubled Tony, whose life is even more muddled than hers.

It’s not until Rosie learns the truth about her mother’s tragic story that she wonders if sometimes you have to let go of your fears, trusting that the big-hearted, messy life that awaits you may just be the one you were meant to live.

I like the sound of this: multiple generations, a family secret, unsuitable suitors, and grown-ups dealing with love!

What are you wishing for this Wednesday?

Looking for some bookish fun on Thursdays and Fridays? Come join me for my regular weekly features, Thursday Quotables and Flashback Friday! You can find out more here — come share the book love!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

27Jan2014

The Monday Agenda 1/27/2014

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

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy The Swiss Affair Alienated (Alienated, #1)

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee: Done! My review is here.

The Swiss Affair by Emylia Hall: Done! My review is here.

Alienated by Melissa Landers: Done! My review is here.

Fresh Catch:

Just a few new books came my way this week:

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #1) Deep Secret (Magids, #1) Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things (Courtney Crumrin, #1)

Plus, a couple of new ARCs, but I think I’ll hold off on writing about those until I’m a bit closer to reading them!

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

When Audrey Met Alice The Splendour Falls

When Audrey Met Alice by Rebecca Behrens: I’ll be participating in the blog tour for this new release in early February. The book looks terrific!

I’m caught up on all of my ARCs for January, so before moving on to the February list, I’m carving out time for a book from my shelf. I’m really can’t wait to read The Splendour Falls by Susanna Kearsley, whose books just never let me down!

House of Secrets (House of Secrets, #1) In the world of reading with my kiddo, we’ve had a tough time settling on a new book to read together. We started The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King, but it didn’t grab him. After that, we read the first chapter of Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, which also went nowhere. Next, we’re going to try House of Secrets by Chris Columbus and Ned Vizzini. Third time’s the charm? We shall see.

The Outlander Book Club’s re-read of An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon is moving right along. Coming up this week: Chapters 9 – 13. Want to join in? Just let me know and I’ll provide all the details!

So many book, so little time…

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

21Jan2014

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

I’m really looking forward to:

The Possibilities by Kaui Hart Hemmings
(to be released May 13, 2014)

Synopsis via Goodreads:

In this highly anticipated novel from the bestselling author of The Descendants, a grieving mother struggles to overcome her son’s death, when a strange girl enters her life with a secret that changes them both forever.

Sarah St. John, a single mother, is reeling from grief: Three months ago, her twenty-one-year-old son, Cully, died in an avalanche near their home in the ski resort town of Breckenridge, Colorado.

As Sarah tries her best to go through the stages—the anger, the sadness, the letting go—she has trouble keeping her grief at bay and moving on with life. Her father, a retiree who has become addicted to QVC, urges Sarah to go back to work at Breckenridge’s local morning show. Her best friend, a recent divorcee who always manages to say the wrong things, convinces Sarah to sort through Cully’s belongings. Slowly, she comes to terms with a world without the swish of her son’s ski pants or the rolling of his skateboard outside her window. Then a girl named Kit appears on Sarah’s doorstep—and she’s carrying Cully’s child.

The Possibilities is a tender and darkly funny story about the fracturing and healing that takes place within a family after tragedy. Told in Kaui Hart Hemmings’s unsentimental and refreshingly wry style—praised as “audaciously comic” by The New Yorker—this uplifting novel asks difficult questions about what we risk to keep our loved ones close.

I’m so excited to have received an ARC for this book! I really enjoyed The Descendants, and look forward to reading The Possibilities as well — even without the added benefit of the Hawaiian setting of The Descendants.

What are you wishing for this Wednesday?

Looking for some bookish fun on Thursdays and Fridays? Come join me for my regular weekly features, Thursday Quotables and Flashback Friday! You can find out more here — come share the book love!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥