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.

Back from vacation, ready to catch up with the world once again!

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

I was on a family vacation all of last week, which meant plenty of reading, but not much blogging. May the gods of the interwebs bless my bulky but trusty home computer — trying to get by on a netbook and Starbucks wifi was not a fun experience! I still have some reviews to write, but here’s how I did last week:

Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell. Finished it, loved it, but haven’t had time to sit down and review yet. Stay tuned.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. Done! Amazing, intense, beautiful book. My review is here.

That Time I Joined The Circus by J. J. Howard. Finished last week, but didn’t review until this week.

Fresh Catch:

Despite being out of town, a few new books came my way, via a giveaway (thank you!!) and my lovely neighborhood library branch. Here’s the fresh catch of the week:

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

I’ve started the The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones, but haven’t gotten quite half-way yet. (Tried to read more on the airplane yesterday, but the three-year-old sitting behind me was just a wee bit distracting.)

Next up, either one of the library books (above) or else my new copy of A Tale For The Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, which I had to buy the second it came out but still haven’t had time to read yet!

So many book, so little time…

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

26Mar2013

Wishlist Wednesday

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome to Wishlist Wednesday!

The concept is to post about one book from our wish lists that we can’t wait to read. Want to play? Here’s how:

Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.
Do a post about one book from your wishlist and why you want to read it.
Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of the post at Pen to Paper.
Put a link back to Pen to Paper somewhere in your post.
Visit the other blogs and enjoy!

My Wishlist Wednesday book is:

The Mercy of Thin Air by Ronlyn Domingue

From Goodreads:

New Orleans, 1920s. Raziela Nolan is in the throes of a magnificent love affair when she dies in a tragic accident. In an instant, she leaves behind her one true love and her dream of becoming a doctor — but somehow, she still remains. Immediately after her death, Razi chooses to stay between — a realm that exists after life and before whatever lies beyond it.

From this remarkable vantage point, Razi narrates the stories of her lost love, Andrew, and the relationship of Amy and Scott, a couple whose house she haunts almost seventy-five years later. The Mercy of Thin Air entwines these two fateful and redemptive love stories that echo across three generations. From ambitious, forward-thinking Razi, who illegally slips birth control guides into library books; to hip Web designer Amy, who begins to fall off the edge of grief; to Eugenia, caught between since the Civil War, the characters in this wondrous novel sing with life. Evoking the power of love, memory, and time, The Mercy of Thin Air culminates in a startling finish that will leave readers breathless.

Why do I want to read this?

Okay, I just heard of this book a few days ago, when I found out that I won a different book by this author in a giveaway (yay, me!). I feel like I’m on a roll with picking Wishlist Wednesday books with a New Orleans connection (like my selection a few weeks ago, Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys). A multi-generational story featuring ghosts, New Orleans, modern love, and the Civil War — count me in! I can’t wait to get my hands on this one.

Quick note to Wishlist Wednesday bloggers: Come on back to Bookshelf Fantasies for Flashback Friday! Join me in celebrating the older gems hidden away on our bookshelves. See the introductory post for more details, and come back this Friday to add your flashback favorites!

24Mar2013

The Monday agenda 3/25/2013

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

You’ll have to excuse my brevity and lack of pictures this week. I’m out of town, staying in a lovely hotel which charges an arm and a leg for internet access… hence, my late night visit to the Starbucks across the road, which is apparently closing in 10 minutes. So, the very brief version of The Monday Agenda, courtesy of Starbucks and my finicky netbook.

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

That Time I Joined The Circus by J. J. Howard: Done! Review to follow.

Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell. Started, about 100 pages to go. Really enjoying so far… and learning something too, while I’m at it.

Monday Agenda feature (but not this week): Fresh Catch!

Nothing to report this week. I’m out of town, hauling books and my Kindle everywhere I go, but so far managing not to add to my load by picking up any new books.

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

Since I’m traveling, I’m trying to stay nimble and light. I have two more “real” (i.e., made of paper) books with me, The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones and Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. And I have a feeling those will last me until I’m back home again.

And that’s it! My normal blogging and reading routines are definitely off this week — a small price to pay for an opportunity to visit with family and see some new sights.

So many book, so little time…

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

19Mar2013

Wishlist Wednesday

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome to Wishlist Wednesday!

The concept is to post about one book from our wish lists that we can’t wait to read. Want to play? Here’s how:

Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.
Do a post about one book from your wishlist and why you want to read it.
Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of the post at Pen to Paper.
Put a link back to Pen to Paper somewhere in your post.
Visit the other blogs and enjoy!

My Wishlist Wednesday book is:

Curtsies & Conspiracies (Finishing School: Book the Second) by Gail Carriger

I was so happy to see Gail Carriger’s post this week announcing that book 2 in her Finishing School series is now available for pre-order! Sadly, we still have a while to wait until the book is released in November, but it’s never too early to break out the teapots in anticipation!

From Goodreads:

Sophronia’s first year at Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality has certainly been rousing! For one thing, finishing school is training her to be a spy (won’t Mumsy be surprised?). Furthermore, Sophronia got mixed up in an intrigue over a stolen device and had a cheese pie thrown at her in a most horrid display of poor manners.

Now, as she sneaks around the dirigible school, eavesdropping on the teachers’ quarters and making clandestine climbs to the ship’s boiler room, she learns that there may be more to a school trip to London than is apparent at first. A conspiracy is afoot–one with dire implications for both supernaturals and humans. Sophronia must rely on her training to discover who is behind the dangerous plot-and survive the London Season with a full dance card.

In this sequel to bestselling author Gail Carriger’s YA debut Etiquette & Espionage, class is back in session with more petticoats and poison, tea trays and treason. Gail’s distinctive voice, signature humor, and lush steampunk setting are sure to be the height of fashion this season.

Why do I want to read this?

I became an instant fan of Gail Carriger and her unique fictional worlds from the very first page of Soulless, book one in the unforgettable Parasol Protectorate series. In her new young adult series, Gail takes her steampunk/supernatural Victorian world and inserts one precocious teen with an undeniable talent for trouble and intrigue. I enjoyed Etiquette & Espionage, book one in the Finishing School series (my review is here), although I felt that I’d like to see main character Sophronia move from more childish antics into young womanhood. I’m hoping that as the books in the series progress, we’ll see Sophronia’s development, both as a young lady of manners as well as a first-rate intelligencer, much as we saw Harry Potter grow and mature in each book and each year at Hogwarts.

I was also tickled to learn that book three, while still in the works and not due until sometime in 2014, will have the magnificent title Waistcoats & Weaponry. Fabulous.

18Mar2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I HAD To Buy…But Are Still Sitting On My Shelf Unread

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is:

Top Ten Books I HAD To Buy…But Are Still Sitting On My Shelf Unread

Oh, I am so guilty of the mad, impulse-driven, can’t-sleep-until-I-order it book purchase. And yes, inevitably, for at least some of these must-own-NOW books, they arrive and I never make time to read them. Doesn’t mean I never will — I just haven’t been in the right mood, or the stars haven’t been perfectly aligned, or ____ (insert your favorite excuse here…)

I’ll start with a couple that I couldn’t wait to get this past winter, after I was fortunate enough to receive a nice Amazon gift card in time for the holidays:

1) My Ideal Bookshelf by Thessaly La Force and Jane Mount. I’m still totally in love with the concept behind this beautiful coffee table book about books, but always end up feeling too rushed to sit down, page through, and savor it completely.

And from lovely to not so much:

2) The Walking Dead Compendium, Volumes 1 & 2 by Robert Kirkman. I have not watched the TV show, but I’ve been meaning to read the graphic novels, and thought these huge compilations would be the way to go. Over 1,000 pages each, they just seem like such a BIG commitment that I haven’t started. Yet.

And a whole bunch more that have been languishing on my shelves:

3) The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales by J. R. R. Tolkien. When I finished reading Lord of the Rings years ago, I just had to get these… and then promptly lost interest. Some day, I swear.

4) The Dark Tower series, books #4 – 7 by Stephen King. I was only about 15 pages into The Gunslinger before I decided I had to read the entire series. Bought ’em all, and then never got past book three. I really liked the books that I read; it’s just that I decided I needed a break after the 3rd book, and somehow that break has now lasted over two years.

5) Three novels by Kate Morton (The House at Riverton, The Forgotten Garden, and The Distant Hours). Because why buy only one book by an author who’s new to you when you can buy three? I kept hearing such good things about her novels that when I found these, I had to get them. And have yet to read them.

6) The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers. I happened to browse through this book in an airport bookstore and thought it looked completely charming. I made sure to write down the title and get myself a copy when I got back home. That was years ago. And there it still sits on my shelf.

7) Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore. Like the books by Kate Morton, I’ve only heard good things about these books, and keep buying them as new ones are released, but have yet to read a single one.

8) Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. I know, I know… won lots of prizes, supposed to be amazing, etc, etc… but I just haven’t been in the mood for serious historical fiction. This one is on my 2013 TBR Challenge list, so I really, really have to give it a try.

9) Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley. I always try to keep up with the Printz award winners, and I was dying to get a copy of this one — so I did. And someday, I’ll read it.

10) Moloka’i by Alan Brennert. I love books about Hawaii, and I’m fascinated in particular by the history of the island of Moloka’i and its leper colony. I was so happy to get this book. Like the others on this list — someday, I really will read it.

Whew. I’ve barely scratched the surface. Putting together this top 10 list is a good reminder to me of all the amazing books I ALREADY OWN that I need to read. (In other words, note to self: STOP BUYING BOOKS! Or more realistically, buy fewer books and read the ones you already have!)

Have you read any of these? Which of these should I dive into first?

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18Mar2013

The Monday agenda 3/18/2013

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

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

The Best of All Possible Worlds, by Karen Lord: Done! My review is here. (Amazing book. √ it out!)

Revenge of the Girl With the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg: Finished reading on Sunday – review to follow. Lots of fun!

And in the category of unbelievable accomplishments:

Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm by Philip Pullman: At long last, done! It may have been a struggle at times, but I’m glad I stuck with it. My review is here.

New Monday Agenda feature: Fresh Catch!

In addition to looking at my reading plans from the last week and setting goals for the coming week, I thought it might be fun to provide an update each week on all the new acquisitions that make their way into my home and onto my shelves. So, Fresh Catch for the past seven days:

From the library, I checked out four different urban fantasy anthologies for one specific purpose: To read the short story by Patricia Briggs in each collection! After reading the newly published Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson series, book #7) last week, I felt like a starving woman grasping at crumbs — please, give me more! The Patricia Briggs stories in these collections are not about Mercy herself, but do take place in her world:

book cover of Strange Brew byP N Elrod

Other new books purchased or received:

A Tale For The Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

That Time I Joined The Circus by J. J. Howard

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

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

I’m in pre-vacation mode, heading out of town for a week starting next weekend, and that puts me into serious book decision-making panic. What to bring? What to read on the plane? What do I bring as back-up? See what I mean? Decisions, decisions, decisions.

To start the week, I want to read the review copy I received of That Time I Joined The Circus, a YA novel which sounds like a lot of fun.

I should try to read Eleanor and Park before I leave, so I can return it to the library and into the hands of whoever is eagerly awaiting it. (I understand there’s a rather long waiting list right now).

For “serious” vacation reading, I’m planning to bring with me Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell and The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones. And if I get through those, maybe I’ll finally read one of the 40 or so titles on my Kindle that I still haven’t gotten to!

My son seems to have bailed on our co-read of Down the Mysterly River by Bill Willingham, although he hasn’t yet declared himself officially out. I want to know what happens! If the kiddo decides not to keep going, then I’m definitely going to gobble this one up on my own. It’s quite wonderful so far!

So many book, so little time…

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

12Mar2013

Wishlist Wednesday

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome to Wishlist Wednesday!

The concept is to post about one book from our wish lists that we can’t wait to read. Want to play? Here’s how:

Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.
Do a post about one book from your wishlist and why you want to read it.
Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of the post at Pen to Paper.
Put a link back to Pen to Paper somewhere in your post.
Visit the other blogs and enjoy!

My Wishlist Wednesday book is:

The Love Song of Jonny Valentine by Teddy Wayne

From Goodreads:

Megastar Jonny Valentine, eleven-year-old icon of bubblegum pop, knows that the fans don’t love him for who he is. The talented singer’s image, voice, and even hairdo have been relentlessly packaged—by his L.A. label and his hard-partying manager-mother, Jane—into bite-size pabulum. But within the marketing machine, somewhere, Jonny is still a vulnerable little boy, perplexed by his budding sexuality and his heartthrob status, dependent on Jane, and endlessly searching for his absent father in Internet fan sites, lonely emails, and the crowds of faceless fans.

Why do I want to read this?

This new release has been getting a lot of attention (inevitable, given its instant association with Justin Bieber and other teen pop stars), as well as some excellent reviews. The topic is probably a little outside of my normal reading interests, but I’ll give it a whirl! Has anyone read it yet? Any thoughts?

11Mar2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books On My Spring 2013 TBR List

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top 10 Tuesday new Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is:

Top Ten Books On My Spring 2013 TBR List

Easy-peasy! My TBR (to-be-read) list grows by leaps and bounds. The challenge is not to come up with ten — it’s deciding which ten out of the hundreds of unread books in my house will actually make the list.

Without further ado:

Let’s start with a few books already pre-ordered, which will bump up to the top of my reading pile as soon as they arrive:

1) The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman. From Goodreads: “THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE is a fable that reshapes modern fantasy: moving, terrifying and elegiac – as pure as a dream, as delicate as a butterfly’s wing, as dangerous as a knife in the dark, from storytelling genius Neil Gaiman.” Okay, it’s Neil Gaiman. I’m in.

2) NOS4A2 by Joe Hill. Joe Hill writes some of the scariest horror I’ve ever read. The new book sounds terrifyingly terrific.

3) Tempest Reborn by Nicole Peeler. The 6th and final book in the amazing Jane True urban fantasy series. Jane is a totally kick-butt heroine with a soft spot for good books, yummy food, and hot guys. I’ve love watching Jane’s development of the course of the series from sad, downtrodden town pariah to fully empowered action hero with heart. Go, Jane!

A few books that have been on my shelves for longer than I care to admit:

4) Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell. The only book by this author that I haven’t read yet — and given the fact that I’ve adored everything else she’s written, I’m really looking forward to finally sitting down with this one.

5) The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. I’ve been wanting to get to this silly-sounding series for years! This spring, I’m going to make it happen.

6) The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley. I’ve read three of Susanna Kearsley’s atmospheric, romance-drenched time-slip novels, and want to read this one ASAP, as I understand a character from The Shadowy Horses features in her new upcoming book, The Firebird.

And a few newer acquisitions, which I really, really, really intend to read!

7) Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. I’ve read nothing but good reviews for this new release, and it’s been a while since I’ve read a book that made me cry. (I’ve been warned)

8) The Child’s Child by Barbara Vine. I’m not usually a mystery buff, but this story about family secrets and a book-within-a-book sounds too good to miss.

9) Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain. So much buzz about this book! Must check it out, see if it lives up to the hype.

10) The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones. My city’s public library system is featuring this book as its current “One City, One Book” selection. Coming off the most recent season of Downton Abbey, this tale of an English manor house and the entanglements of its inhabitants sounds very appealing to me.

Whew! That’s ten! If I don’t get distracted by some other ten or twenty books, I hope to make a serious dent in this list over the next few months. Have you read any of these? Any thoughts or recommendations? And what are you planning to read this spring?

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11Mar2013

The Monday agenda 3/11/2013

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

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

Spellbinding by Maya Gold: Done! My review is here.

Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson, book 7) by Patricia Briggs: Done! My review is here. (Short version: Loved it! I want to live in Mercy’s world.)

New Monday Agenda feature: Fresh Catch!

From the library, I picked up copies of A Natural History of Dragons by by Marie Brennan; The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan; and The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones.

Front Cover

Other new books purchased or received:

Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs (of course!); Where She Went by Gayle Forman; and for my son, Stranded by Jeff Probst. (Yes, the Survivor host has written the first in a middle-grade trilogy about a bunch of kids stranded on an island. Hey, write what you know, Jeff!)

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

I received an e-ARC of a new science fiction book, The Best of All Possible Worlds, by Karen Lord. I’ve only read the first few pages, but I’m intrigued. I hope to make a big dent in this one in the next few days.

Next up, I’m expecting a copy of Ruth Ozeki’s new release, A Tale for the Time Being. I loved this author’s My Year of Meats, and I’m really looking forward to starting her newest book.

And if I finish both of these books and still have time, I need to dig into some of the books that have been patiently waiting for me. Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell is inching its way to the top of the pile. Our destinies may finally intertwine by the end of this week.

In the world of reading with my kiddo, we’re still enjoying — and puzzling over — Down The Mysterly River by Bill Willingham, although the kiddo has now discovered the joys of reading books on my IPad, and has ditched our mom/kid reading sessions for individual reading for a few days now. He is totally hooked on Dan Gutman’s hilarious Funny Boy books. Could it be that my boy is finally reading without being pressured to do so? I’m not holding my breath just yet, but perhaps we’re having a breakthrough!

And yes, I’m still reading Philip Pullman’s collection of Grimm fairy tales, a few stories each week. Slow and steady, but I’m getting there. Boy, there are some really gross and disturbing fairy tales in the mix!

So many book, so little time…

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

5Mar2013

Wishlist Wednesday

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome to Wishlist Wednesday!

The concept is to post about one book from our wish lists that we can’t wait to read. Want to play? Here’s how:

Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.
Do a post about one book from your wishlist and why you want to read it.
Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of the post at Pen to Paper.
Put a link back to Pen to Paper somewhere in your post.
Visit the other blogs and enjoy!

My Wishlist Wednesday book is:

A Small Death in the Great Glen by A. D. Scott

From Amazon:

In the Highlands of 1950s Scotland, a boy is found dead in a canal lock. Two young girls tell such a fanciful story of his disappearance that no one believes them. The local newspaper staff—including Joanne Ross, the part-time typist embroiled in an abusive marriage, and her boss, a seasoned journalist determined to revamp the paper—set out to uncover and investigate the crime. Suspicion falls on several townspeople, all of whom profess their innocence. Alongside these characters are the people of the town and neighboring glens; a refugee Polish sailor; an Italian family whose café boasts the first known cappuccino machine in the north of Scotland; and a corrupt town clerk subverting the planning laws to line his own pocket.

Together, these very different Scots harbor deep and troubling secrets underneath their polished and respectable veneers—revelations that may prevent the crime from being solved and may keep the town firmly in the clutches of its shadowy past.

Why do I want to read this?

I’ll be honest — they had me at Scottish Highlands. I’m a sucker for this setting, although most of my Highlands fiction tends to take place centuries in the past, with an emphasis on dashing men in kilts. I’ve yet to read a book set in Scotland within a more contemporary time frame — as soon as I spotted this one in a bookstore, I knew it was for me. The story itself sounds intriguing — local drama and deception, a tragic and suspicious death, a melting pot of townspeople and immigrants. Great ingredients for what I hope will be a terrific mystery!