Reading

  • ‘Tis the season to read holiday romances …

    We are in the thick of the holiday season. Some of my favorite things to do this time of year are read holiday romances and watch holiday movies. Here are some holiday books that I’m hoping to add to my TBR pile. Note that the descriptions are from Amazon.

    The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan

    In the snowy Highlands of Scotland, Suzanne McBride is dreaming of the perfect cozy Christmas. Her three adopted daughters are coming home for the holidays and she can’t wait to see them. But tensions are running high…

    Workaholic Hannah knows she can’t avoid spending the holidays with her family two years in a row. But it’s not the weight of their expectations that’s panicking her—it’s the life-changing secret she’s hiding. Stay-at-home mom Beth is having a personal crisis. All she wants for Christmas is time to decide if she’s ready to return to work—seeing everyone was supposed to help her stress levels, not increase them! Posy isn’t sure she’s living her best life, but with her parents depending on her, making a change seems risky. But not as risky as falling for gorgeous new neighbor Luke…

    As Suzanne’s dreams of the perfect McBride Christmas unravel, she must rely on the magic of the season to bring her daughters together. But will this new togetherness teach the sisters that their close-knit bond is strong enough to withstand anything—including a family Christmas?

    My thoughts: I like Morgan’s contemporary romances, and I’m interested to read her take on what sounds like more of a women’s fiction book.

    Lone Star Christmas by Delores Fossen

    A family crisis brings him home…

    Just in time for Christmas

    Cattleman Callen Laramie has no intention of returning to his hometown of Coldwater, Texas, until a Christmas wedding and a family secret convince him he has no choice. And when he’s reunited with his childhood crush, the girl who’d always been off-limits, Callen knows leaving might not be so easy this time.

    Shelby McCall is as pretty as a Christmas snowfall, and Callen wants to kiss her under the mistletoe…and the Christmas tree…and the stars. But once Shelby knows the whole truth behind this homecoming, will their holiday fling come to an abrupt end? Or will she accept the gift of his heart?

    My thoughts: I haven’t read Fossen before, but I like holiday western romances, and this one sounds like a fun read.

    Mistletoe Miracles by Jodi Thomas

    A small-town Texas Christmas story, where hearts are lost, love is found, and family always brings you back home.

    Griffin Holloway is desperate: the Maverick Ranch has been in his family for generations, but lately, it’s a money pit. He’d sooner marry one of his horses than sell the ranch. Marriage, though, could be a solution. If he can woo a wealthy bride, he might save the ranch—just in time for Christmas.

    Jaxon O’Grady likes his solitude just fine, thank you very much. But when a car accident brings the unexpected to his door, he realizes just how much one person can need another.

    Crossroads is the perfect place for Jamie Johnson: avoiding nosy questions about why she’s single, she’s happy to keep to her lakeside home. So she’s baffled when she gets the strangest Christmas present of all, in the form of a Mr. Johnson, asleep on her sofa. Who is he, and why does everyone think he’s her husband?

    In this uplifting novel, three unlikely couples discover just what Crossroads, Texas, can offer: romance, belonging, and plenty of Christmas spirit.

    My thoughts: I’ve enjoyed some of Thomas’s other books, and this one sounds interesting.

    Season of Wonder by RaeAnne Thayne

    It’s a long way from New York to Idaho…but could they have found a home at last?

    Dani Capelli has never truly belonged anywhere. And from her earliest days as a foster child in Queens, she would have been lost if it weren’t for her love of animals. Until high school, when she fell hard for the wrong boy, and found herself pregnant—and married—by graduation. Two daughters later, Dani realized her mistake and filed for divorce, and with the help of scholarships and loans—and a lot of macaroni and cheese dinners—she enrolled in vet school. Things were finally looking up…until her ex-husband became her late husband, in the most notorious way possible.

    Now Dani and her daughters need an out-of-town pass more than ever. So when the retiring Haven Point veterinarian offers her a chance to settle in the small Idaho town and take over his practice, she jumps at it. But adjusting to the charming mountain community isn’t easy; thirteen-year-old Silver begins acting out while six-year-old Mia is growing too attached to Haven Point and everything in it, especially their next-door-neighbor, Deputy Sheriff Ruben Morales. And Dani can’t blame her. Ruben is everything she’s secretly wanted—and everything she can’t bear to risk loving…and losing.

    As the holidays draw near, their shared concern for Dani’s daughters brings them closer together, giving Ruben the chance to show this big-city woman just how magical Christmas in Haven Point can be…and that the promise of a home at last is very real in the most wondrous season of the year…

    My thoughts: This sounds like another fun holiday romance.

    Snowed in for Christmas by Noelle Adams, Zoe York, and Samantha Chase

    Three all-new holiday novellas about couples finding love while trapped together in the snow.

    Stranded in the Snow (Holiday Acres, Book 2) by Noelle Adams

    Olivia Holiday doesn’t expect to spend the weekend stranded in a romantic cottage during a snowstorm with the one man she dislikes the most. Scott is a player and holds a grudge against her family, and she’s determined not to give in to the deep feelings for him she’s been hiding.

    A Christmas Rescue (Silver Bell Falls, Book 4) by Samantha Chase

    Saving a litter of puppies right before Christmas was incredibly rewarding for Bailey Walsh. But getting snowed in with her sexy-yet-grinchy veterinarian boss turns out to be rewarding in a whole other way.

    Love on the Edge of Reason (Pine Harbour, Book 8) by Zoe York

    Tom Minelli doesn’t know why Chloe Davis has fled Pine Harbour, but she’s pregnant with his baby and he wants her back. But a winter storm rolls in just as he finds her, trapping them together in a cabin on the lake.

    My thoughts: I like anthologies because they give me a chance to check out different authors all at once, and the theme of this anthology sounds really fun.

    A Tall, Dark Cowboy Christmas by Maisey Yates

    It’s Christmas in Gold Valley, and this wounded widower is about to get another shot at love…

    Grant Dodge didn’t expect to find a woman sleeping in an abandoned cabin on his family ranch. Or to find her so intriguing. Unlike every other woman in town, McKenna Tate doesn’t know Grant’s a widower. There’s no pity in the looks she gives him. McKenna wants him, and Grant has forgotten what it’s like to feel like a man. A no-strings fling for Christmas might be the kind of holiday cheer Grant needs…

    With only a suitcase to her name, McKenna came to Gold Valley to confront her birth father. She didn’t plan to work at the Dodge ranch or fall for the gorgeous cowboy who keeps his heart roped off. But there’s no denying the way their broken pieces fit together. Hope brought her to Gold Valley—but will it be the gift that could finally heal Grant, and McKenna’s own wounded heart?

    Also includes a bonus Gold Valley novella, Snowed in with the Cowboy!

     
    My thoughts: I’ve seen a lot of good reviews for Yates’s books, and I’ve been meaning to check them out. And this one has a bonus novella. 🙂
     
    What about you guys? What holiday books do you want to read this year?

  • How do you read …

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    Note: I posted this over at Magical Musings last week and wanted to share it here as well.

    How do you read?

    Do you start at the beginning and read straight through a book, with no skipping ahead at all? Do you flip through a book, stopping here and there to skim a few pages before you start reading in earnest? Or do you immediately go to the very last page to see how the book ends?

    Me? Well, I admit that I tend to fall into that last category. I like a little sneak peak at the end of the book for a variety of reasons.

    Snow Like AshesMost of the time, I just want to see how many pages a book is, so I can estimate what kind of time commitment I’m making. I especially tend to do this with epic fantasy books, simply because they tend to be longer than books in other genres.

    Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch and The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch are some of the many fantasy books where I have looked to see how long they were. Don’t get me wrong. Epic fantasy is one of my favorite things to read, but sometimes I just don’t have time to read several hundred pages over a weekend. I tend to read fantasy books when I have a lighter schedule and can really immerse myself in the book, story, and world building.

    Other times, I will flip to the back of the book to see if there is a cliffhanger, especially if I know that the book is the first in a trilogy. I don’t mind story threads continuing on into the next book, but I’m not a fan of huge, epic cliffhangers where every single character is in mortal danger, especially if I have to wait months or even years for the next book in the series. If I see that a book does have a massive cliffhanger, then I am likely to put it back on the shelf and wait until the next book is out before I read the first one in the series.

    While I’m looking at the back of the book for page counts and cliffhangers, I usually find myself reading a paragraph or two … or three or four …

    And sometimes, I end up spoiling the whole book for myself. Um … whoops … my bad …

    It’s happened more than once, especially when it comes to mysteries and thrillers where the killer is revealed on the very last page. That’s happened enough times now that I have been cutting down on my sneak peaks. Just a quick glance at the page count, and I am back to the beginning to start reading straight through.

    What about you guys? Do you look at the end of a book before you get there? Why or why not?

  • Checking out the TBR pile …

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    So I thought I would share some books that are waiting in my TBR pile and some others that I am looking forward to that are being released soon. Silly work, getting in the way of my reading time. LOL.

    Note: The descriptions are from Goodreads.

    Ruin and RisingRuin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

    The capital has fallen.

    The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

    Now the nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

    Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

    Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova’s amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling’s secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

    Wake of the Bloody AngelWake of the Bloody Angel by Alex Bledsoe

    Twenty years ago, a barmaid in a harbor town fell for a young sailor who turned pirate to make his fortune. But what truly became of Black Edward Tew remains a mystery—one that has just fallen into the lap of freelance sword jockey Eddie LaCrosse.

    For years, Eddie has kept his office above Angelina’s tavern, so when Angelina herself asks him to find out what happened to the dashing pirate who stole her heart, he can hardly say no—even though the trail is two decades old. Some say Black Edward and his ship, The Bloody Angel, went to bottom of the sea, taking with it a king’s fortune in treasure. Others say he rules a wealthy, secret pirate kingdom. And a few believe he still sails under a ghostly flag with a crew of the damned.

    To find the truth, and earn his twenty-five gold pieces a day, Eddie must take to sea in the company of a former pirate queen in search of the infamous Black Edward Tew…and his even more legendary treasure.

    Heir of FireHeir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

    Release date: Sept. 2

    Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien’s only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan’s Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King’s Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan’s biggest threat – and his own toughest enemy.

    While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love?

    What’s in your TBR and what books are you looking forward to as we get closer to fall?

  • ·

    Graphic novels — to read in print or e-book?

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    So a couple of months ago, the e-book for Black Widow: The Name of the Rose by Marjorie Liu and Daniel Acuña was on sale. The story sounded interesting, and I always like a bargain, so I downloaded it to read on my tablet.

    Black Widow The Name of the RoseHmm. It was an interesting experience.

    The story was good, and the art was cool. Overall, I enjoyed the graphic novel, and I’d recommend it to Black Widow fans or those who enjoy the Marvel universe and its characters.

    But reading a graphic novel isn’t quite the same as reading a print novel on an e-reader. Which was something that I had never considered before.

    For one thing, there seemed to be a set limit as to how big I could make each page. I was a little disappointed by that, as it made some of the dialogue a bit hard to read. I could tap on each individual panel and make them bigger that way, but with three or four or more panels on a page, that got a little tedious at times. I don’t have an iPad, but I imagine that if I had read the graphic novel on it, I would have had a better experience, as that screen would have been bigger than my tablet one.

    So lesson learned. In the future, I’ll probably stick with print versions of graphic novels, just so I can see everything better.

    What about you guys? Do you read graphic novels and comics on your e-reader or tablet? Why or why not?

  • ·

    Anticipated reads …

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    Today I thought I would share some of the books I’m looking forward to reading this year. Note that all the descriptions are from Goodreads:

    Lothaire by Kresley Cole: I know, I know, this one actually came out earlier this week, but I need to catch up and read Dreams of a Dark Warrior first before I tackle the latest book in the Immortals After Dark paranormal romance series:

    ALL FEAR THE ENEMY OF OLD

    Driven by his insatiable need for revenge, Lothaire, the Lore’s most ruthless vampire, plots to seize the Horde’s crown. But bloodlust and torture have left him on the brink of madness — until he finds Elizabeth Peirce, the key to his victory. He captures the unique young mortal, intending to offer up her very soul in exchange for power, yet Elizabeth soothes his tormented mind and awakens within him emotions Lothaire believed he could no longer experience.

    A DEADLY FORCE DWELLS WITHIN HER

    Growing up in desperate poverty, Ellie Peirce yearned for a better life, never imagining she’d be convicted of murder — or that an evil immortal would abduct her from death row. But Lothaire is no savior, as he himself plans to sacrifice Ellie in one month’s time. And yet the vampire seems to ache for her touch, showering her with wealth and sexual pleasure. In a bid to save her soul, Ellie surrenders her body to the wicked vampire, while vowing to protect her heart.

    CENTURIES OF COLD INDIFFERENCE SHATTERED

    Elizabeth tempts Lothaire beyond reason, as only his fated mate could. As the month draws to a close, he must choose between a millennia-old blood vendetta and his irresistible prisoner. Will Lothaire succumb to the miseries of his past … or risk everything for a future with her?

    Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas: I love Kleypas’s contemporary romances, and I’m looking forward to this second book in her Friday Harbor series:

    Lucy Marinn is a glass artist living in mystical, beautiful, Friday Harbor, Washington. She is stunned and blindsided by the most bitter kind of betrayal: her fiancé Kevin has left her. His new lover is Lucy’s own sister. Lucy’s bitterness over being dumped is multiplied by the fact that she has constantly made the wrong choices in her romantic life. Facing the severe disapproval of Lucy’s parents, Kevin asks his friend Sam Nolan, a local vineyard owner on San Juan Island, to “romance” Lucy and hopefully loosen her up and get her over her anger.

    Complications ensue when Sam and Lucy begin to fall in love, Kevin has second thoughts, and Lucy discovers that the new relationship in her life began under false pretenses. Questions about love, loyalty, old patterns, mistakes, and new beginnings are explored as Lucy learns that some things in life — even after being broken—can be made into something new and beautiful.

    Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore: I thought Graceling, the first book in the Seven Kingdoms young adult epic fantasy series, was really excellent, and I’m hoping this one is too:

    Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle — disguised and alone — to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.

    Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

    What about you guys? What books are you looking forward to reading in 2012?