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’s pick:

The Splendour Falls by Susanna Kearsley
(to be released January 2014)

Synopsis via Amazon:

An Ancient Castle, a Tragic Love, and a Web of Secrets Begins to Unravel…

Emily Braden has stopped believing in fairy tales and happy endings. When her fascinating but unreliable cousin Harry invites her on a holiday to explore the legendary town of Chinon, and promptly disappears—well, that’s Harry for you.

As Emily makes the acquaintance of Chinon and its people, she begins to uncover dark secrets beneath the charm. Legend has it that during a thirteenth-century siege of the castle that looms over the city, Queen Isabelle, child bride of King John, hid a “treasure of great price.” And in the last days of the German occupation during World War II, another Isabelle lived in Chinon, a girl whose love for an enemy soldier went tragically awry.

As the dangers of the past become disastrously real, Emily is drawn ever more deeply into a labyrinth of mystery as twisted as the streets and tunnels of the ancient town itself.

The Splendour Falls is actually an older book by Susanna Kearsley, first published in 1995, which is getting a spiffy new cover and relaunch this coming January. Sourcebooks has been reissuing the author’s earlier works over the past several years, mixed in with some newer ones, and just looking at covers, the results are phenomenal. I mean, they’re all so pretty, I just have to have them on my shelf!

But hey, it’s about more than just looks! I’ve read all of the above (except for The Firebird, which I hope to get to in the next few weeks), and have reviews posted for Mariana and The Shadowy Horses. Susanna Kearsley is a lovely writer, with lush and romantic settings and descriptions, a fine touch when it comes to tugging at the heartstrings, and a keen ability to weave historical threads into contemporary stories. At this point, she’s really one of my auto-buy authors, so naturally I’ll be reading The Splendour Falls once it’s reissued in January!

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!

25Nov2013

The Monday Agenda 11/25/2013

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.

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.

20Nov2013

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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:

The Winter People

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
(to be released February 2014)

Synopsis via Goodreads:

West Hall has always been a town of strange disappearances and legends. The most mysterious is that of Sara Harrison Shea, who was found murdered in the field behind her house in 1908, a few short months after the tragic death of her daughter, Gertie, drove her mad. People say that Sara’s ghost still walks after dark, and some leave offerings on their doorstep to keep her from entering their homes uninvited.

Now, in present day, Ruthie lives in Sara’s farmhouse with her mother, Alice, and her younger sister, Fawn. Alice has always insisted that they remain on the fringes, living off the land without internet or outside interference. But one morning Ruthie wakes up to find that Alice has disappeared without a trace. When she searches the house for clues, she is startled to find a secret compartment beneath the floorboards that contains two objects. One, a gun. And two, a copy of Sara Harrison Shea’s diary.

The story the diary tells is one of a mother skating on the edge of sanity, willing to do whatever she can to bring her daughter back even if it means dabbling in dark and dangerous territory. As Ruthie gets sucked deeper into the mystery of Sara’s death, she discovers that she’s not the only one looking for someone that they’ve lost. But she may be the only one who can stop history from repeating itself.

Why do I want to read this? Mysteries, ghosts, dual time-lines. secret diaries… The Winter People sounds like it has all the ingredients of a terrifically chilling read!

What are you wishing for this Wednesday?

So what are you doing 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!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

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.

12Nov2013

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

This week’s pick:

Release date: April 1, 2014

Frog Music by Emma Donoghue

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Emma Donoghue’s explosive new novel, based on an unsolved murder in 1876 San Francisco.

Summer of 1876: San Francisco is in the fierce grip of a record-breaking heatwave and a smallpox epidemic. Through the window of a railroad saloon, a young woman called Jenny Bonnet is shot dead.

The survivor, her friend Blanche Beunon, is a French burlesque dancer. Over the next three days, she will risk everything to bring Jenny’s murderer to justice–if he doesn’t track her down first.

The story Blanche struggles to piece together is one of free-love bohemians, desperate paupers and arrogant millionaires; of jealous men, icy women and damaged children. It’s the secret life of Jenny herself, a notorious character who breaks the law every morning by getting dressed: a charmer as slippery as the frogs she hunts.

In thrilling, cinematic style, FROG MUSIC digs up a long-forgotten, never-solved crime. Full of songs that migrated across the world, Emma Donoghue’s lyrical tale of love and bloodshed among lowlifes captures the pulse of a boomtown like no other.

Can I just say how very excited I am for this book? It has so many ingredients that I love: San Francisco’s early, wild days; saloons and burlesque and the Wild West feel; an epidemic and a murder mystery… Wow, it sounds terrific. Plus, this is by Emma Donoghue, and while I haven’t read any of her historical fiction, I did love Room and was impressed by her imagination and talent.

What are you wishing for this Wednesday?

So what are you doing 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!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

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.

5Nov2013

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

This week’s pick:

The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman
(release date February 18, 2014)

Synopsis:

From the beloved, bestselling author of The Dovekeepers, a mesmerizing new novel about the electric and impassioned love between two vastly different souls in New York during the volatile first decades of the twentieth century.

Coney Island: Coralie Sardie is the daughter of the impresario behind The Museum of Extraordinary Things, a boardwalk freak show that amazes and stimulates the crowds. An exceptional swimmer, Coralie appears as the Mermaid in her father’s museum alongside performers like the Wolfman, the Butterfly Girl, and a one-hundred-year-old turtle. One night Coralie stumbles upon a striking young man photographing moonlit trees in the woods off the Hudson River.

The dashing photographer is Eddie Cohen, a Russian immigrant who has run away from his father’s Lower East Side Orthodox community and his job as an apprentice tailor. When Eddie captures with his camera the devastation on the streets of New York following the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, he becomes embroiled in the mystery behind a young woman’s disappearance.

New York itself becomes a riveting character as Hoffman weaves her magic, romance, and masterful storytelling to unite Coralie and Eddie in a sizzling, tender, and moving story of young love in tumultuous times. The Museum of Extraordinary Things is Hoffman at her most spellbinding.

I seem to have a love/hate relationship with Alice Hoffman’s books. When they work for me, I simply love them! But when they fall flat, it’s way more than just dislike — no middle ground for me! In this case, from the brief synopses I’ve seen so far, I’d say that The Museum of Extraordinary Things sounds like it’ll go in my “love” column. New York, early 1900s, Coney Island, mystery, romance… so much to look forward to!

What are you wishing for this Wednesday?

So what are you doing 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!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

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.

29Oct2013

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

This week’s pick is the third and final book in a series:

Sunrise by Mike Mullin
(release date April 15, 2014)

Synopsis:

The Yellowstone supervolcano nearly wiped out the human race. Now, almost a year after the eruption, the survivors seem determined to finish the job. Communities wage war on each other, gangs of cannibals roam the countryside, and what little government survived the eruption has collapsed completely. The ham radio has gone silent. Sickness, cold, and starvation are the survivors’ constant companions.

When it becomes apparent that their home is no longer safe and adults are not facing the stark realities, Alex and Darla must create a community that can survive the ongoing disaster, an almost impossible task requiring even more guts and more smarts than ever — and unthinkable sacrifice. If they fail . . . they, their loved ones, and the few remaining survivors will perish.

This epic finale has the heart of Ashfall, the action of Ashen Winter, and a depth all its own, examining questions of responsibility and bravery, civilization and society, illuminated by the story of an unshakable love that transcends a post-apocalyptic world and even life itself.

Boy, does this sound bleak. BUT — I loved the first two books in the series (click to see my reviews of Ashfall and Ashen Winter), and can’t wait to see how it all works out. Alex and Darla are memorable, incredibly brave characters, and these books are absolutely compulsive reading, just impossible to put down. I really don’t want to wait until April! Meanwhile, if you haven’t read this series yet, give Ashfall a try! I’m willing to bet that you’ll be hooked.

What are you wishing for this Wednesday?

So what are you doing 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!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

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.