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 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

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, 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!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

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!

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!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

20Jan2014

The Monday Agenda 1/20/2014

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

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

The Vanishing Dirty Magic (The Prospero's War, #1) Cruel Beauty Heartbeat

The Vanishing by Wendy Webb: Done! My review is here.

Dirty Magic by Jaye Wells: I read a few chapters, then decided it wasn’t for me — at least, not right now. It looks like fun urban fantasy, but I suppose I just wasn’t in the mood. Maybe another time.

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge: Done! My review is here.

Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott: I just finished this book late on Sunday, with more than a few tears in my eyes. Review to follow.
Updated to add: The review for Heartbeat is up now, here.

Dinosaur Summer by Greg Bear: My kiddo and I finished reading this terrific sci-fi adventure story this past week. My thoughts on Dinosaur Summer are here.

Fresh Catch:

It’s a bonanza of books, some new and some picked up from the used bookstore:

The Splendour Falls Joe Golem and the Drowning City: An Illustrated Novel

The Haunting of Hill House Hollow City (Miss Peregrine, #2)

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

First up, a couple of ARCs for January new releases:

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy The Swiss Affair

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee

The Swiss Affair by Emylia Hall

If I finish both of these, I’ll be caught up on review copies for the month, and can then indulge myself with a book or two just for me! The one I’m most looking forward to? The Splendour Falls by Susanna Kearsley! This is one author who has never let me down, and I’m really excited to read this new reissue of one of her older books.

My son and I are debating our choices for our next “together” book. Right now, we’re leaning toward The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King. So far, he’s liked the first few chapters that we’ve read, so this is looking like a definite maybe. My kiddo’s first Stephen King — what a great milestone!

The Outlander Book Club’s re-read of An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon is now underway! The goal is to read a chapter each weekday, from now until June, finishing just in time for the release of the next Outlander book, Written In My Own Heart’s Blood. Up this week in Echo: chapters 4 -8. 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.

14Jan2014

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Here’s a recent addition to my wishlist:

Lock In by John Scalzi
(to be released August 26, 2014)

Synopsis via Goodreads:

A novel of our near future, from one of the most popular authors in modern SF.

Fifteen years from now, a new virus sweeps the globe. 95% of those afflicted experience nothing worse than fever and headaches. Four percent suffer acute meningitis, creating the largest medical crisis in history. And one percent find themselvs “locked in”—fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus.

One per cent doesn’t seem like a lot. But in the United States, that’s 1.7 million people “locked in”…including the President’s wife and daughter.

Spurred by grief and the sheer magnitude of the suffering, America undertakes a massive scientific initiative. Nothing can restore the ability to control their own bodies to the locked in. But then two new technologies emerge. One is a virtual-reality environment, “The Agora,” in which the locked-in can interact with other humans, both locked-in and not. The other is the discovery that a few rare individuals have brains that are receptive to being controlled by others, meaning that from time to time, those who are locked in can “ride” these people and use their bodies as if they were their own.

This skill is quickly regulated, licensed, bonded, and controlled. Nothing can go wrong. Certainly nobody would be tempted to misuse it, for murder, for political power, or worse….

I loved Redshirts, John Scalzi’s previous novel, and although this one is completely different (and — I’m guessing — not at all funny), I’m really excited to read it. Sounds suspenseful and creepy — perfect!

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!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

13Jan2014

The Monday Agenda 1/13/2014

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

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

What Nora Knew

Snowblind Harrowgate

I read The Golem and the Jinni right at the end of 2013, but just posted my review this past week as part of the blog tour for the book’s paperback release. Plus, I had the pleasure of attending a reading by Helene Wecker this week as well, and it was wonderful! She even provided homemade macaroons… yum.

What Nora Knew by Linda Yellin: Done! My review is here.

Snowblind by Christopher Golden: Done! My review is here.

Harrowgate by Kate Maruyama: Done! My review is here.

Dinosaur Summer by Greg Bear: In the final stretch! The kiddo and I have about 30 pages left. Very intense! I should have a mother/son review up within the coming week.

Fresh Catch:

While I was at the author event for The Golem and the Jinni (held at one of my very favorite bookstores), I picked up a couple of additional books — one that I’d already read as a library book, and one that I just couldn’t resist:

Redshirts Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened

A few requests came in at the library this week as well. Now, to find time to read them…

After Dead: What Came Next in the World of Sookie Stackhouse (Sookie Stackhouse, #13.5) Vicious The Lucy Variations

Note: I’m glad I borrowed After Dead from the library. It took ten minutes to read. Completely unnecessary, IMHO.

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

I’m trying to be very diligent about sticking to my schedule for all the ARCs waiting to be read. My next two review copies are:

The Vanishing Dirty Magic (The Prospero's War, #1)

The Vanishing by Wendy Webb

Dirty Magic by Jaye Wells

I’m nervous about whether I’ll be able to keep up my usual reading pace over the next few months, because starting this week, I have THIS coming up:

With Diana Gabaldon’s newest book, Written In My Own Heart’s Blood, due out in June, I know I’m in desperate need of a re-read of the previous one. The Outlander Book Club will be reading one chapter of An Echo in the Bone per day (weekdays only) from January 15th through June 9th. In case you’re keeping count, that’s 103 chapters! My copy of the book has 1,150 pages. So yeah, that’s quite a bit of additional reading I’ll be doing, on top of all the new and upcoming books I plan to read as well. (If anyone wants more info on the Echo re-read, just let me know! New members are always welcome!)

So many book, so little time…

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

7Jan2014

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

For my first wishlist post of 2014, I’ve picked the upcoming new installment in a favorite series:

Skin Game (The Dresden Files, #15)

Skin Game by Jim Butcher
(to be released May 27, 2014)

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, is about to have a very bad day….

Because as Winter Knight to the Queen of Air and Darkness, Harry never knows what the scheming Mab might want him to do. Usually, it’s something awful.

He doesn’t know the half of it….

Mab has just traded Harry’s skills to pay off one of her debts. And now he must help a group of supernatural villains—led by one of Harry’s most dreaded and despised enemies, Nicodemus Archleone—to break into the highest-security vault in town so that they can then access the highest-security vault in the Nevernever.

It’s a smash-and-grab job to recover the literal Holy Grail from the vaults of the greatest treasure hoard in the supernatural world—which belongs to the one and only Hades, Lord of the freaking Underworld and generally unpleasant character. Worse, Dresden suspects that there is another game afoot that no one is talking about. And he’s dead certain that Nicodemus has no intention of allowing any of his crew to survive the experience. Especially Harry.

Dresden’s always been tricky, but he’s going to have to up his backstabbing game to survive this mess—assuming his own allies don’t end up killing him before his enemies get the chance….

I was so excited to see that the next Dresden Files book has a cover and a release date! At 15 books and counting, this series hasn’t lost a bit of steam. The last book, Cold Days, had a major game-changing cliffhanger of an ending. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

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!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

6Jan2014

The Monday Agenda 1/6/2014

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

Welcome to the first Monday Agenda post of 2014! Kicking off the first full week of reading in this sparkly new year…

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

Runaways, Vol. 3: The Good Die Young (Runaways, #3) Perfect How to Save a Life

Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan et. al.: Done! Over the course of a day and a half, I did a binge-read of this entire series — and overall, loved it very much. The series is strongest from volumes 1 – 7, with Brian K. Vaughan at the helm. Once other writers take over, the series seems to lose focus, and I was much less impressed with volumes 8 – 11. Apparently the series was cancelled at that point, as #11 ends abruptly with a cliffhanger — sadly, never to be resolved. I feel disloyal even saying this, but even my adored Joss Whedon, who authored volume #8, can’t match the excellence and edginess of Brian K. Vaughan’s storytelling. Yes, I’m thrilled that I finally made time for Runaways — but could have lived without the last four volumes.

Perfect by Rachel Joyce: Done! My review is here.

How To Save a Life by Sara Zarr: Done! My review is here.

Dinosaur Summer by Greg Bear: My son and I have about 90 pages to go, and we’re right in the thick of the most exciting part of the book! It’s very hard not to peek ahead once my kiddo goes to sleep, but I’m being good. For now.

Fresh Catch:

No new paper-and-ink books this week, but I did get a new ARC and a couple of Kindle books that I’m excited for!

The Possibilities: A Novel Orphan Train Oh Dear Silvia

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

What Nora Knew Snowblind

Harrowgate Parts & Wreck

I’ve just started What Nora Knew by Linda Yellin, which seems like good rom-com fun.

Next up, two books on the creepy side:

Snowblind by Christopher Golden
Harrowgate by Kate Maruyama

But, if I feel like switching things up a bit and going for light urban fantasy, I may give Parts & Wreck by Mark Henry a try.

So many book, so little time…

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

30Dec2013

The Monday Agenda 12/30/2013

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

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

The Promise of Amazing

The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine: Done! My review is here.

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker: It took me most of the week to finish this book, and I probably should have taken even more time to savor the gorgeous writing and storytelling. Wow. All I can say is wow. A beautiful, hopeful, passionate, wonderful book. I’m hosting a blog tour stop for this book on January 7th — so be sure to stop by! And — totally making my day — I just found out that the paperback release launch event will be held at one of my favorite bookstores next week, and I’m definitely planning to attend!

Fables, Vol. 19: Snow White (Fables, #19) Runaways, Vol. 1: Pride and Joy (Runaways, #1) Runaways, Vol. 2: Teenage Wasteland

In graphic novels, I had a terrific day tearing my way through three amazing books:
Fables: Snow White (Fables, volume 19)
Runaways: Pride and Joy
Runaways: Teenage Wasteland
You can see my raves about these books here.

What else happened in my bookish life this past week? Well, I wrote two end-of-year wrap-up posts, one focusing on the books I read, and one taking a look at my 2013 resolutions and seeing whether I lived up to them. (Quick spoiler: Yes and no!)

And in the realm of reading with my kiddo:

Dinosaur Summer by Greg Bear: My current read-aloud with my son. We’re soldiering on with this sci-fi read, but it’s slow going… especially during winter break, when there are so many other things to do besides go to bed on time!

Fresh Catch:

So many new books this week!

I picked up a used copy of a book I’ve been wanting, received an ARC in the mail, and won two bookish holiday giveaways!

The Far Side of the Sky After I'm Gone: A Novel

From Bookish, a book and matching tote bag. Cute!

From Little Brown, a box of books — some to keep for myself, some already claimed by friends and family. So cool!

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

Perfect How to Save a Life What Nora Knew Runaways, Vol. 3: The Good Die Young (Runaways, #3)

Perfect by Rachel Joyce: A new book from the author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry! I’m looking forward to reading this ARC. The book’s release date is 1/7/2014.

How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr: I took this out of the library last week; better read it before it’s due!

If there’s time, then the next ARC on my list is What Nora Knew by Linda Yellin. And if there’s really time (or even if there’s not…), I think I’ll be continuing with my newest obsession, Runaways!

So many book, so little time…

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