Showing posts with label Nalini Singh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nalini Singh. Show all posts

Sunday, May 18, 2025

Reading Log as of May 18th - Archangel's Ascension

 



Time To Talk

By

Robert Frost


When a friend calls to me from the road
And slows his horse to a meaning walk,
I don’t stand still and look around
On all the hills I haven’t hoed,
And shout from where I am, What is it?
No, not as there is a time to talk.
I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground,
Blade-end up and five feet tall,
And plod: I go up to the stone wall
For a friendly visit.

Why this poem is apropos for today! I had the exact opposite issue today – No time to talk, no time to post.  Hubby and I spent the day doing a deep clean at the shop.  My techs will probably hate me for reorganizing their benches in the process.  Oh well….





I finished Nalini Singh’s Archangels Ascension, #17 in the Guild Hunter series which was all about Aodhan and Blue, two male angels who are best friends and have to navigate Aodhan’s dark past to become lovers. Fortunately the story didn’t get too graphic.

Currently reading Lisa Jewel’s Breaking the Dark which is the first book in a Marvel crime series with a female detective, Jessica Jones.

Also rereading Anne Bishop’s Written in Red which is the first book in the other’s series:

“As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut—a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg’s Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard—a business district operated by the Others.

Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she’s keeping a secret, and second, she doesn’t smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she’s wanted by the government, he’ll have to decide if she’s worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow.”

 

Our Saturday Night movie was Woman in Gold with Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds which was excellent. 

Sunday, May 11, 2025

Reading Log as of May 11th - Happy Mother's Day


 

Happy Mother's Day! 

Currently reading Nalini Singh’s newest in her Guild Hunter Series #17- Archangel’s Ascension:

“Aodhan and Illium. Adi and Blue. Sparkle and Bluebell. Friends become lovers, their future a wild unknown.

Finally reunited in New York, they must now learn to navigate the monumental shift in their relationship. But for these two members of Archangel Raphael’s legendary Seven, there is no time to rest. As they investigate a case for the Tower that echoes the darkness from Aodhan’s past, they will be forced to confront not only the scars that mark them both, but the promise of a vast power that flickers in Illium.

The threat of ascension has haunted and troubled Aodhan’s Blue for too long, the forces of change immutable and without mercy…and uncaring of Illium’s fierce wish to remain part of the Seven. Change is a constant in an immortal’s life, and this new horizon will bring with it both terrible heartbreak and a joy extraordinary enough to reverberate through time…”

Plus All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley which is wonderfully written:

“Millions of people climb the grand marble staircase to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art every year. But only a select few have unrestricted access to every nook and cranny. They’re the guards who roam unobtrusively in dark blue suits, keeping a watchful eye on the two million square foot treasure house. Caught up in his glamorous fledgling career at The New Yorker, Patrick Bringley never thought he’d be one of them. Then his older brother was diagnosed with fatal cancer and he found himself needing to escape the mundane clamor of daily life. So he quit The New Yorker and sought solace in the most beautiful place he knew.

To his surprise and the reader’s delight, this temporary refuge becomes Bringley’s home away from home for a decade. We follow him as he guards delicate treasures from Egypt to Rome, strolls the labyrinths beneath the galleries, wears out nine pairs of company shoes, and marvels at the beautiful works in his care. Bringley enters the museum as a ghost, silent and almost invisible, but soon finds his voice and his tribe: the artworks and their creators and the lively subculture of museum guards—a gorgeous mosaic of artists, musicians, blue-collar stalwarts, immigrants, cutups, and dreamers. As his bonds with his colleagues and the art grow, he comes to understand how fortunate he is to be walled off in this little world, and how much it resembles the best aspects of the larger world to which he gradually, gratefully returns.”


And my Nora Robert’s bedtime read – Midnight Bayou – which I can’t remember a thing so like reading it again for the first time.

“Declan Fitzgerald had always been the family maverick, but even he couldn’t understand his impulse to buy a dilapidated mansion on the outskirts of New Orleans. All he knew was that ever since he first saw Manet Hall, he’d been enchanted-and obsessed-with it. So when the opportunity to buy the house comes up, Declan jumps at the chance to live out a dream.

Determined to restore Manet Hall to its former splendor, Declan begins the daunting renovation room by room, relying on his own labor and skills. But the days spent in total isolation in the empty house take a toll. He is seeing visions of days from a century past, and experiencing sensations of terror and nearly unbearable grief-sensations not his own, but those of a stranger. Local legend has it that the house is haunted, and with every passing day Declan’s belief in the ghostly presence grows.

Only the companionship of alluring Angelina Simone can distract him from the mysterious happenings in the house, but Angelina too has her own surprising connection to Manet Hall-a connection that will help Declan uncover a secret that’s been buried for a hundred years.”


Our Saturday Night movie was the original Pink Panther with Peter Sellers. De dum de dum 🎢🎷



Saturday, August 31, 2024

August Reading Log

 


August Reading Log 


August 3:  I spent all day yesterday reading Nalini Singh’s Primal Mirror, #8 in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series. Awesome addition to the series and will say no more as I know others may not have read it yet.

“Daughter of two ruthless high-gradient telepaths, Auden Scott is not the child her Psy parents wanted or expected, even before her brain injury. Her thoughts are scattered, her memories fuzzy—or just terrifyingly blank. The only thing she knows for certain is that she must protect her unborn baby…a baby she has no recollection of conceiving and who draws an abnormal intensity of notice from her dead mother’s closest associates.

Leopard alpha Remi Denier is a man driven by the primal instinct to protect. Protect his pack, protect his allies… and protect the mysterious woman who has become a most unlikely neighbor. With eerie eyes that see too much and a scent that alters in ways disturbing and impossible, Auden Scott is the enemy…but nothing about this strange Psy is what it seems, Remi’s feline heart as fascinated by her as the human half of his soul.

Then Auden asks Remi to help her shatter the wall of secrets that is the Scott bloodline. What they unearth will reveal a nightmare beyond imagination. This time, the battle is to the death…”

Rating:  *****

Still in the midst of A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvia Cathrall and looking forward to starting Brennan’s 3rd book in the Lady Trent Series.


August 10:  I’m still in the midst of Diana Setterfield’s Once Upon a River and enjoying the mystery of it all as well as A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvia Cathrall in which I think I’m finally getting to the meat of the mystery, plus ebook Debra Webb’s Deeper than the Dead which has me wondering what the heck is going on.

“Crime analyst and newly disgraced deputy police chief Vera Boyett doesn’t visit home often, and she certainly doesn’t venture back into the cave on her family land. But when the remains of her long-missing stepmother are discovered, Vera will have to face a past that threatens all she is.

She and her sister Eve had a fairy-tale childhood: good until it was tragic, with a stepmother they never found a bond with. At least they had each other, a baby half-sister, and a mutual devotion that would have them do the unthinkable.

It’s a summer in small-town Tennessee, so thick with humidity it could drown you and so rife with secrets it could smother you. And deep beneath the surface, there are more bodies than you’d think.”

On the nightstand waiting is e book Lady Trent as well as Joanna Quinn’s Whalebone Theatre.

Saturday Night Movie:  Pacific Rim.


August 12:  Welp!  Almost gave up on Deeper than the Dead,  but wanted to find out who did the murders  and what a convoluted mess. Not sure I’ll read any more of the series since didn’t like the female lead character when all was said and done.

Finished A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvia Cathrall which was entertaining and enthralling.

Decided to take a break and re-read Patricia Briggs Moon Called last night and ended up reading until 3:00 a.m.  Fortunately it was hubby’s turn to work today.  Hee!

Oh, downloaded  Pray for Silence, the first book in the Kate Burkholder series and it’s good. I’m enjoying so far.


August 18:  Currently rereading Mercedes Thompson series and on Bone Crossed.

In the midst of breakfast book – Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield and bedtime book – Joanna Quinn’s Whalebone Theatre.

Saturday Night Movie:   Eye in the Sky


August 24: Finished Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield which was a mystery with magical realism elements. It was character driven and the story slowly bloomed. Just when you thought you had the answer, it changed.  Very well done!

“On a dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. The regulars are telling stories to while away the dark hours, when the door bursts open on a grievously wounded stranger. In his arms is the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later, the girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic? Or can science provide an explanation? These questions have many answers, some of them quite dark indeed.

Those who dwell on the river bank apply all their ingenuity to solving the puzzle of the girl who died and lived again, yet as the days pass the mystery only deepens. The child herself is mute and unable to answer the essential questions: Who is she? Where did she come from? And to whom does she belong? But answers proliferate nonetheless.

Three families are keen to claim her. A wealthy young mother knows the girl is her kidnapped daughter, missing for two years. A farming family reeling from the discovery of their son’s secret liaison, stand ready to welcome their granddaughter. The parson’s housekeeper, humble and isolated, sees in the child the image of her younger sister. But the return of a lost child is not without complications and no matter how heartbreaking the past losses, no matter how precious the child herself, this girl cannot be everyone’s. Each family has mysteries of its own, and many secrets must be revealed before the girl’s identity can be known.”

Rating:  *****

In the midst of rereading Patricia Brigg’s Mercedes Thompson series and about to begin #8 Night Broken.

Saturday Night Movie:  School of Rock!


August 27:  Just discovered in my reread of the Mercedes Thompson series, I never read #8 Night Broken which I just finished and learning much about Christy.  Reading # 9 Fire Touched now which I absolutely don’t remember but Good reads said I did way back when.




Sunday, December 25, 2022

BW52: 2022 Year End Wrap Up!


Wow. It's week 52 in our 52 books quest and it seems like this year just flew by.  My reading year was a mixture of new reads and rereads. I had a plan at the beginning of the year and was pretty good with writing some reviews until about mid year, then meandered completely off the path. 

My goal at the beginning of the year was to read and whittle down my physical stack.  I read a total of 160 of which 42 were physical books and 10 were over 500 pages.  I finished updating goodreads but their numbers and mine don't agree and I'm not quite sure what's up with that. 

I was good and read only from my physical and virtual stacks, and stuck to my buying ban until June. Then I went off the rails, especially by the end of the year. 2023 buying ban is now officially in force.  

Category breakdown's, (Not including entire series): Fantasy (17), Books about books (14), Science Fiction (11), Romance (11), Mystery (9), historical fiction (8), Thrillers (7), and police procedurals (6).   Included in those numbers are 26 new to me authors. 

Discovered that over the past few years I'd started several series, but not at the beginning, but somewhere in the middle, and I'm not sure how that happened. I'm a series completionist so once I discovered that, I ended up reading them from start to finish.  The series included:  

Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak (20) 
Devon Monk's Ordinary Magic (6)
Drew Hayes Super Powereds (4)
Ilona Andrews Hidden Legacy (3)
Keri Arthur's Lizzie Grace (9) 
Louise Penny's Armand Gamache (18)
M.L. Buchman's Miranda Chase (11)
Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter (15)

I started the year with Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel which I adored and was not a book to speed through. The story was complex and I read it in small sips, finding there were phrases and images which stuck with me. Quotes I wanted to save of Cromwell’s wit, reactions of his family, his thoughts pebbled throughout from childhood to adulthood.  

The read that stuck with me as well was Stabenow's Kate Shugak which not only pitted the characters against the elements, but involved mysteries as well as the politics and culture of Alaska and native Alaskans. I was totally emersed for a full month. It had all the feels and ran the gamut of emotions from surprise to tears to laughter to anger. 

Another entertaining series was M.L. Buchman's Miranda Chase series which was about an autistic woman who worked for the NTSB solving airplane crashes for the military mainly. The story delved into how her autistic nature affected her working and personal relationships and how she learned to handle them.

The story and character that made me want to live in their world was The Choice, part of  Nora Robert's Dragon Heart Legacy series which was set in Ireland. I loved all the characters and the fact there was a portal to fairy right next door to her house. Oh, and the dragons, of course. LOL! 

Michael Chabon's Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay left me with a book hangover and the feeling of having read and excuse the pun, an amazing, yet exhausting adventure.

In The Bookshop at Water's End, everyone down to the children had baggage of some sort and it was an emotional story which I usually wouldn't enjoy but the writing was so well done, it pulled me into the characters lives, rooting for them all the way. 

N.K. Jemisin's The Fifth Season was a dark story, but  oh my f''ing God, it was so good. The theme of slavery was pervasive through out the story, child were hated because of their ability to control the land, and unfortunately they were abused and or killed because of it.  The story was so well written and the author very bluntly showed the reader what was happening, without getting preachy.  There were several twists and turns and of course the story didn't end. It will be continued in the Obelisk Gate, which I have on the shelves for the new year.

I loved the cast of characters in Louise Penny's Armand Gamache series with the mystery playing out in the midst of some personal crisis, how they solved the crime. After a while the descriptors attached to some of the characters got a little old but other than that, each story's killer was unique. There were enough surprises and red herrings to throw every one off.

In Faith Hunter's Final Heir, the last book in her Jane Yellowrock series, there are so many moments. Moments that made me sad, moments that were so powerful. Moments that were amusing or scary.

Elizabeth Bear's Ancestral Night sucked me in and I had a book hangover when I finished.   My mind so full from the vastness of outer space and all that happened and I had to sit with the story for a little bit as it as was a very complex story involving philosophical, cultural, political, and psychological themes.  

Drew Hayes Super Powered series was a great series and however much I'd like to compare it to Harry Potter, there really was no comparison. The characters were college age kids, each with a special super power, no wands, who learned how to use their powers amidst the angst of college and real life battles. It will be well worth reading again. 

I had so many book hangovers this year.  LOL! 

Attica Lock's Bluebird, Bluebird was a disappointment and depressing because for a law abiding Ranger, he drank too much, suffered from black outs, didn't always follow the rules or the laws, and got himself into hot water. 

One book that I think everyone should read?  So so hard to choose just one but if  have to it would be Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak's A Cold Day for Murder. If you enjoy the first one, then get ready for a ride because you'll want to read them all.  

So many good books and I know I leaving something out. One of my goals for next year is to not fade mid year and at least try to write a mini review of each read so I can remember why I enjoyed it so much.  




Sunday, October 23, 2022

BW43: More spookiness. Yes, no, maybe!!!

 


It's book week 43 in our 52 book quest and continuing our October Spooktacular. 


I've been thoroughly enjoying M.L. Buchman's Miranda Chase series about an autistic NTSB agent and her cohorts.  I caught up with the series just in the time for book #11 Skibird which is being released tuesday.

"Those who work there call Antarctica “The Ice.” A secret Russian cargo jet crashes into a crevasse near an Australian Station. The Aussies call in the top air-crash investigators on the planet.

The best of them all, Miranda Chase, must face the Russians, Chinese, and use her own autistic abilities to keep her team alive. As the battle spreads across The Ice, are even her incredible skills enough?

Or will they all be buried in the frozen wasteland?"


And excited for the new release of Nalini Singh's 15th book in the Guild Hunter series "Archangel's Resurrection on the 25th as well. 


Tonight our family movie choice was Replicas with Keenu Reeves. It was quite intense as he is a neuroscientists and tries to clone his family when they die in an accident. 

Sunday, August 14, 2022

BW33: A bit of this, a bit of that


It's book week 33 in our 52 books quest and I finished Nalini Singh's Storm Echo which was very exciting with a lot happening and well worth a reread. Can't say more without spoiling.

Currently rereading Ilona Andrew's Guild Hunter series with Kate Daniels.

I finally gave up on Middlemarch. Got to the chapter 26, then decided I was done. Skipped to read the last chapter to find out what happened with the characters. Glad decided to quit.....

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Steven James, Dana Stabenow, and Nalini Singh, OH MY

 I finished rereading the psychological thriller The Bishop by Steven James. #4 in the Patrick Bowers series. Don't know why I skipped around for this one, but one day I'll have to go back and reread the series in order.  The lead character is a criminologist and the characters gets deep into philosophy as well  which was interesting so lots of deep thinking.  The first book, The Pawn, is available on Kindle Unlimited if you want to check it out. 

Read Dana Stabenow's 2nd book in her Kate Shugak series - A Fatal Thaw - which fit in with our 52 books bingo category since Kate's side kick is Mutt, a female part wolf, part husky. 

Nalini Singh's #6 in her psy/changeling series, Storm Echo arrived today so excited to begin reading it. 


 

Thursday, October 28, 2021

Bookish Notes and Links - Crime Fiction and Ancient Wisdom


Sigh! Just finished Nalini Singh's Archangel's Light (#14 in the Guild Hunter) about Illium and Aodhan and fills in their backstory. Already looking forward to reading it again.

I making major progress with my current WIP, so I had some time to to browse the interweb. Which brings us to NaNoWriMo. I'll only be participating in spirit due to being elbow deep in rewriting and editing said WIP. 

However for those of you who are, here are 7 Novels About Writers to Inspire You This NaNoWriMo

Bookish love with an Ode to Librarians: 6 Books Dedicated to a Love of Literature. I have the Bad Ass Librarians of Timbuktu on my shelves.

Maria of Brainpickings is celebrating her 15th anniversary and decided to change the name to The Marginalian. Have enjoyed reading her posts for quite some time. Lots to ponder and learn, along with getting caught up in following multiple rabbit trails.

For crime fiction aficionado's I know October is almost over, but check out October's Best International Crime Fiction. And for November, the ones to look forward to.

Here's something I stumbled across which history buffs will appreciate. Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers.

And from one of my favorite authors, Jayne Ann Krentz mulls over how she lost control of her Jayne Castle World. Two words - Dust bunnies. πŸ™‚
 

    Sunday, October 24, 2021

    BW43: Sunday's Book Babble - A Well Read Woman is a Dangerous Creature




     

    It's week 43 in our 52 Books quest and doing the happy dance as we're having lots of rain which should put out all our fires and snow in the mountains. 

    Enjoyed Reread of Chesapeake Bay series by Nora Roberts and moved on to Carnal Innocence which is a murder mystery thriller based in a small town and a serial killer is at large. Scary enough for Halloween.

    “Burned out and still reeling from a love affair gone bad, world-class violinist Caroline Waverly goes to her grandparents’ home in Innocence, Mississippi, for some much-needed rest and relaxation. Instead she finds herself overwhelmed all over again—first by Tucker Longstreet, a charming local with a sideline in no-strings-attached relationships, and then by a deadlier, more disturbing development. 

    For Innocence is being stalked by its very own serial killer, whose brutal knife blows have pierced the veil of tranquility in this sleepy Southern town and left a trail of mutilated female corpses in their wake. When a federal agent arrives to investigate, the town’s deepest secrets bubble to the surface and suspicion turns on Tucker as the most likely suspect. After Caroline finds the latest murder victim floating in the murky waters behind her house, she too is inexorably drawn into the path of a crazed killer who may be closer than she could have ever imagined.”

     Looking forward to Nalini Singh’s Archangel’s Light #14 in her Guild Hunter series which is coming out in a couple days.

    Speaking of Nalini Singh, I was at the grocery store Saturday and happened to be wearing my A Well Read Woman is a Dangerous Creature shirt.   The Gal bagging my groceries who I bonded with in previous visit over the netflix movie Enola Holmes, asked me what were my favorite genres and favorite authors and I clutched. Couldn't think of anything, then almost said all of them, but finally went with Urban Fantasies. Couldn’t remember any names for a moment before Nalini and Faith Hunter came to mind.  Happily she was into urban Fantasies as well so we had a lovely conversation about books.  πŸ˜€

    Ready Player Two still waiting in the wings.  

    Thanks to a friend tell me about about the kindle credit last week, added three books to my kindle stacks: Summer at the Garden Cafe: A Novel (Finfarran Peninsula Book 2) by Felicity Hayes-McCoy,  A Good Day for Chardonnay: A Novel (Sunshine Vicram Book 2) by Darynda Jones; and When Sorrows Come: An October Daye Novel by Seanan McGuire.  Yep, all series books. 

     

    Sunday, July 25, 2021

    BW30: Sunday's Book Babble - Inniskeen Road: July Evening


     It's book week 30 in our 52 Books quest and I stumbled across this poem by Patrick Kavanaugh that I fell in like with:

    Inniskeen Road 

    The bicycles go by in twos and threes -
    There's a dance in Billy Brennan's barn tonight,
    And there's the half-talk code of mysteries
    And the wink-and-elbow language of delight.
    Half-past eight and there is not a spot
    Upon a mile of road, no shadow thrown
    That might turn out a man or woman, not
    A footfall tapping secrecies of stone.

    I have what every poet hates in spite
    Of all the solemn talk of contemplation.
    Of being king and government and nation.
    A road, a mile of kingdom. I am king
    Of banks and stones and every blooming thing.
    Oh, Alexander Selkirk knew the plight

    *****

    Reading Nalini Singh’s Last Guard which makes me want to go back to the beginning and read the first four books again in the psy changeling trinity series.

     “Termed merciless by some, and a robotic sociopath by others, Payal Rao is the perfect Psy: cardinal telekinetic, CEO of a major conglomerate, beautiful—and emotionless.

    For Canto Mercant, family and loyalty are everything. A cardinal telepath deemed “imperfect” by his race due to a spinal injury, Canto cares for the opinions of very few—and ruthlessly protects those he claims as his own. Head of intel for the influential Mercant family, he prefers to remain a shadow in the Net, unknown and unseen. But Canto is also an anchor, part of a secretive designation whose task it is to stabilize the PsyNet. Now that critical psychic network is dying, threatening to collapse and kill the entire Psy race with it.

    To save those he loves, Canto needs the help of a woman bound to him by a dark past neither has been able to forget. A woman who is the most powerful anchor of them all: Payal Rao. Neither is ready for the violent inferno about to ignite in the PsyNet . . . or the passionate madness that threatens to destroy them both.”

     

    Haven’t made much progress in the 14th and last book in the Wheel of Time series, A Memory of Light which will probably take me a while since it’s a chunky book.   

    Saturday, December 28, 2019

    2019 Reading Wrap Up






    I finally put together my reading list. I lost track along the way and had to do a bit of hunting to put together my final list. 


    Tell us about your reading year? What was your goal this year and did you have a plan, and/or follow rabbit trails or wing it?
    I started out the year with a book buying ban in place, except for new releases preordered, and a  plan to read from my shelves.  I read 25 physical fiction books and 10 physical nonfiction books so managed to make a small dent.  I didn’t buy any new books until mid May I think and those were mainly ebooks. Stress about the completion of the house project got the better of me and I turned to revisiting old friends for three months or so and reread several series and afterwards, just sort of winged it.  I managed to complete 7 out of 10 of my original 10 x 10, failing completely with 1001 books, book chain and hubby picks because I forgot which books he gave me. Bad me.  However, based on the books I did read, I replaced those with three new categories -  steampunk, romance and thrillers and there is a little overlap.  Not including the rereads, I read a total of 88 books.

    Which book had the most original, most unique story?   Black God’s Drums by P. Djeli Clark. It may have been the shortest book I read, but it was the most unique with a mixture of dystopian, steampunk, and Haitian culture.   

    Which book made you laugh? Weaver Takes a Wife by Sheri Cobb Smith.  I enjoyed the by play between the two main characters.


    Which new to you authors did you discover and would you read another book by this author?  I really liked S.K. Dunstall, and Rebecca Roanhorse and will definitely read more of their books. 

      
    Which authors and/or detectives would you like to continue exploring from Whodunit Bookology.  I definitely want to read more of Ellis Peter, Kwei Quartery, and Fred Vargas.  Plus read the first book in the series of the authors I somehow never quite finished for some odd reason: Donna DeLeon, Harry Kemelman, and Stuart Kaminsky. 


    Which one made you cry?  The Lost Art of Letter Writing by Menna Van Praag touched my heart.
    Non Fiction – From my shelves 
    1. Benedict Option - Rod Dreher (304 p)
    2. The Cat Who Came for Christmas - Cleveland Armory  (256 p)
    3. View from the Cheap Seats - Neil Gaiman  (544 p)
    4. Thanks a Thousand - A.J. Jacobs  (160 p)
    5. King Alfred's English - Laurie White  (170 p)
    6. Writers and their Notebooks - Diana Raab (208)
    7. Writer's Guide to Persistence - Jordan Rosenfeld  (234 p)
    8. Writing from the Inside Out - Dennis Palumbo (256 p)
    9. Story Trumps Structure - Stephen James (304 p)
    10. A Secret Sisterhood: Literary Friendships  of Jane Austen, Charlotte BrontΓ«, George Eliot, and Virginia Woolf - Emily Midorikawa  and  Emma Claire Sweeney (352 p)

    Steampunk
    11. Lady of Devices - Shelley Adina (#1 Magnificent Devices)
    12. Her Own Devices #2
    13. Magnificent Devices #3
    14. Brilliant Devices #4
    15. A Lady of Resources #5
    16. A Lady of Spirit #6
    17. A Lady of Integrity #7
    18. A Gentleman of Means #8
    19. Devices Brightly Shining #9
    20. Fields of Air #10 
    21. Fields of Iron #11  
    22. Fields of Gold - Shelley Adina #12
    23. The Black God's Drums -  P. Djeli Clark  

    Romance

    24. Act Like It - Lucy Parker (#1 London Celebrities )
    25. Archer's Voice - Mia Sheridan  
    26. Black Hawk - Joanne Bourne (#4 spymaster, historical romance)
    27. Forbidden Rose - Joanna Bourne (historical romance)
    28. Changing Habits - Debbie Macomber ( 400 p)
    29. Dangerous to Trust - Teresa Hill (#1 Spies, Lies and Lovers)
    30. Must Love Weiners - Casey Griffin. (359 p)
    31. Summer on Mirror Lake - Joanna Ross  (#3 Honeymoon Harbor,  432 p)
    32. Barefoot in the Sun – Roxanne St Claire (#3 Barefoot bay)
    33. Barefoot by the Sea (#4 Barefoot Bay)
    34. Barefoot Bound (#7 Barefoot Bay)
    35. Old Dog, New Tricks - Roxanne St Claire (#8 The Dogfather)
    36. Hot under the Collar - Roxanne St Claire (#1 Dogmothers, 376 p) 
    37. Three Dog Night – Roxanne St. Claire (#2 Dogmothers)
    38. Under Currents - Nora Roberts   (Romantic suspense, 448 p)
    39. Weaver Takes a Wife - Sheri Cobb Smith (Historical London)


    Detective 

    40. A Better Man - Louise Penny (#15 Armand Gamache, 448 p)
    41. Kingdom of the Blind - Louise Penny  (#14 Armand Gamache,  400 p)
    42. Connections in Death - J.D. Robb (#48 In Death, 384 p)
    43. Vendetta in Death - #49 (368 p)
    44. Golden in Death #50 (400 p)
    45. Amnesia - G.H. Ephron (#1 Peter Zak Medical )
    46. Chalk Circle Man - Fred Vargas   (#1 Adamsberg)
    47. Killing Floor - Lee Child (#1 Jack Reacher, Thriller)
    48. Morbid Taste for Bones - Ellis Peters (#1 Brother Cadfael, 12th Century mystery)
    49. Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie (Mystery)
    50. Wife of the Gods - Kwei Quartey  (#1 Darko Dawson)
    51. Cocaine Blues – Kerry Greenwood (#1 Phyrne Fisher) 

    Thriller

    52. Deep Fathom  - James Rollins  (608 p)
    53. Crucible - James Rollins #13 Sigma Force, 637 p) 
    54. Origin - Dan Brown (656 p)
    55. Promise Not to Tell - Jayne Ann Krentz (Suspense thriller, 464 p)
    56. Rise of Magicks - Nora Roberts (Supernatural thriller, 480 p)
    57. The First Prophet - Kay Hooper  (#1 Bishop files, Paranormal thriller, 400 p)

    Fantasy, paranormal, and science fiction

    58. Circle of the Moon - Faith Hunter (#4 Soulwood, 368 p)
    59. Shattered Bonds - Faith Hunter  (# 13 Jane Yellowrock,  400 p)

    60. Archangel's War - Nalini Singh (Guild hunter series)
    61. Silver Silence - Nalini Singh (#1 psychangeling/trinity series)
    62. Ocean Light - Nalini Singh (#2 psychangeling/trinity series)

    63. Black Kiss – J.R. Ward (#1 Black dagger legacy)
    64. Blood Vow (#2)
    65. Blood Fury (#3)
    66. Blood Truth (#4)
    67. The Beast (#14 Black Dagger Brotherhood)
    68. Chosen (#15 BDB) 
    69. Thief  (#16 BDB)
    70. The Savior (#17 BDB)
    71. Where Christmas Finds You (#18 BDB)

    72. Hunter Hunted - Keri Arthur (#3 Lizzie Grace)
    73. Demon's Dance - Keri Arthur (#4 Lizzie Grace)
    74. Unlit - Keri Author (#1 Kingdoms of Earth and Air)

    75. Diamond Fire - Illona Andrews (Hidden Legacy)
    76. Heat Stroke - Rachel Caine (#2 Weather Warden)
    77. Justice Calling - Annie Bellett 
    78. Linesman - S.K. Dunstall (#1 Linesman, Science Fiction)
    79. Night and Silence - Seanan McGuire (#12 October Daye)
    80. The Shape of Water - Guillermo Del Toro
    81. Storm Cursed - Patricia Briggs  (Fantasy, 368 p)
    82. Trail of Lightning - Rebecca Roanhorse (#1 Sixth World, dystopian sci fi, 304 p)
    83. Wild Country - Anne Bishop (#2 Others, Fantasy , 496 p)

    Literary and Miscellaneous

    84. Lost Art of Letter Writing - Menna Van Praag (Literary - Cambridge England, 320 p) 
    85. Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami (Japan, magical realism, 467 p) 
    86. Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore - Matthew Sullivan (Literary, 337 p)
    87. Nick of Time - Ted Bell (#1 Nick McIver Adventures, time travel 464 p)
    88. The Source - James Michener (Historical Fiction, Israel, 1104 p)

    Rereads

    1. Death and Relaxation - Devon Monk (Ordinary Series)
    2. Psy Changeling series # 1 -18 -  Nalini Singh,
    3. Dirk and Steele series 1 -3  Marjorie M Lui
    4. Black Dagger Brotherhood - J.R. Ward
    5. Barefoot Bay series - Roxanne St Claire
    6. Night Stalker series - M.L Buchman 
    7. Soulwood Series - Faith Hunter
    8. Guild hunter series - Nalini Singh
    9. Northern Lights  - Nora Roberts 
    10. Born of Darkness - Lara Adrian (#1 Midnight Breed Hunter Legacy,)
    11. Death of the Red Heroine - Qui Xiaolong (China, 90's detective)

    How'd your reading year turn out? 


    Thursday, January 3, 2019

    2018 Reading Wrap Up

    Courtesy of Josephine Wall 


    2018 Reading Wrap Up 


    Yikes, I only read 37 physical books versus ebooks this year and explains why my book stacks didn’t decrease much.  Plus it tells me I've been spending way too much time on my Ipad getting distracted by the internet. 
    During your travels did you have time to stop and smell the flowers with our Blossom Bookology challenge or explore a plethora of mysteries with 52 Books Bingo? 
    I finished the Blossom Bookology spelling challenge and squeaked by the last three months with flowers mentioned in the stories as colors or characters.  I forgot to keep track of all the reference mentioned in my reads, but pretty sure there were more than a few mentions of a variety of flowers so I'm calling this challenge completed. 
    Did you stay on the detective bus, join the rebel bus or hang around with Bertram Wooster?  
    I joined the rebel bus and bounced back and forth between London.  I did manage to make it to London Scotland Yard, York, Buckinghamshire, Herefordshire, Leicestershire, Somerset, Kent and back again to London.
    ·         London: Spymaster's Lady What Angels FearMidnight Riot as well as Last Chance Christmas Ball
    ·         York - Sunne in Splendour as well as I found You
    ·         Buckinghamshire - Flowers from the Storm
    ·         Herefordshire - Foxglove Summer
    ·         Leicestershire – Dinner Most Deadly
    ·         Somerset - For Deader or worse  and Cozy Tea Shop in the Castle
    ·         Kent – Midsummer Moon
    Did you remain earthbound or take off for worlds unknown? I think I remained pretty much earthbound although I did visit quite a few alternate realities.  I also traveled through different centuries to England, Africa, Germany, France, Antarctic, Ireland, Canada, Amsterdam, and Ceylon.
    Did you reach your reading goal or did you decide to just meander about and follow rabbit trails and end up getting lost in the enjoyment of reading?  I totally lost track two thirds of the way through the year but I did make my goal of 100 books.
    Did you set any aside to read again at some point and savor the story all over again?   Oh yes. Rachel Caine’s Great Library series, Nalini Singh’s Psy/Changeling trinity with Silver Silence and Ocean Light, as well as Roxanne St. Claire’s Dogfather series are all well worth rereading.  
    Which books intrigued or entertained, made you laugh, cry, dance or sing?  So many and it is hard to narrow it down.
    • Anna Richard’s The Road Home and Laura Kinsale’s Midsummer’s Moon touched my heart.  Thank you to KarenI  for introducing me to these two authors.
    • Lian Dolan’s Elizabeth the First Wife and  Laura Kinsale’s Flowers from the Storm made me laugh.
    • Robyn Cadwaller’s The Anchoress and Julia Drosten’s The Elephant Keeper’s Daughter enthralled me while and Sharon Kay Penman’s The Sunne in Splendour pulled me into the history of the times.  
    • Tahareh Mafi’s Shatter Me and Mindy McGinnis’  A Madness So Discreet and Dean Koontz Innocence gave me the chills.
    • Mark Helprin’s Soldier of the Great War pulled me from the present into the past and back again and put my emotions through the ringer.
    • Two WWII novels - Leon Leyson’s The Boy on the Wooden Box made me cry while John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas irritated me with the child’s naivete.
    Stats Wise
    I read 114 Fiction books and 9 non fiction. I read quite a few series so have many repeat authors I enjoy which include Nora Roberts aka J.D. Robb, James Rollins, Keri Arthur, Nalini Singh, Jennifer Estep, Roxanne St. Claire, and Faith Hunter to name a few. 
    Female authors -  47
    Male authors – 11
    New to me authors – 29
    The majority of my reads were Fantasy and Mystery/Suspense/Thriller with quite a few contemporary romance, historical and a few nonfiction thrown in.