Waiting on Wednesday

So, I'm starting to think that all my favorite authors got together, had a party, and decided to come out with new books in the near future.  There are so many books on my to-get list.  Obviously, I'm so excited about the official release of Shattered, but there are almost a dozen others that I'm waiting for.  Namely: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare, A Shiver of Light by Laurell K. Hamilton, Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater, Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux: Beginnings & Lux: Consequences & Lux:  Opposition, and I'm uber excited about C.C. Hunter's Reborn and Eternal!

If you don't read any of these authors, I highly recommend them all.  And, if you do, I'm sure that you share my excitement!  F.Y.I., for those of you who read C.C. Hunter, there's a promo going right now:  http://us.macmillan.com/SMP/promo/TheRebornPreorderSweepstakes

If you pre-order Reborn and present proof of purchase under this link, you get a FREE copy of Shadow Falls:  The Beginning.  How cool is that?

Happy Readings!

Kate

Teaser Tuesday: Scorched & Shattered

Alright, guys, it's my Dragon week.  Mari Mancusi's Dragons.  So here are some teasers from Scorched and Shattered.

Scorched by Mari Mancusi
They came at noon, black shadows dancing across the sky, drowning out the sun.  Their cries echoed through chambers and courtyards.  Their fire blazed down narrow streets.
Some dropped to their knees in prayer.  Others tried to flee.  But in the end, they all fell down--ashes choking their lungs, flames singeing their flesh.
There was no place to run.  No place to hide.
They would find you.
And when they did...you would surely burn.

--The Scorch

by Julian Bachman, year 54 PS

 

Awesome, right?  And that's just the prologue.  My review upcoming!

And now for Shattered, which for those of you who don't know, is the sequel to Scorched.

 

 

Shattered by Mari Mancusi

The monster was back.

Somehow Scarlet could always tell.  As if she had a sixth sense, warning her when he was near.  A hint of smoke, tickling her nostrils, a low growl echoing in her ears.  An uneasiness prickling at the back of her neck as her pulse throbbed in her throat--her consciousness gearing up for the inevitable fight or flight that was sure to come.

Should she face him this time?  Or was it better to run?

With the monster, it was usually better to run.

 

Alright, that should be enough to whet your appetite for more.  And if it isn't, check out what I have to say in my upcoming review.

Happy reading!

 

Kate





Barbara Vey 3rd Annual Reader's Appreciation Luncheon 2014

The Barbara Vey Luncheon was this past Saturday!  For those of you who missed it, look out for next year's.  Website is here:  http://www.barbaraveyreaders.com

60 authors attended, all shown in the photo above (which I got from Barbara's Vey's page).  60!  That's almost ten times the amount of authors that I'd ever been in a room with until Friday night's Q&A session.  From all over the country, authors I'd probably never have gotten the opportunity to meet came to this Milwaukee event.  For the price of my entrance fee, I received a tote of books, a bag of coverflats/bookmarks/various swag, a seat at Mari Mancusi's table for lunch, the opportunity to win any of the authors' doorprizes, gifts from Mari for being one of her table, and entry to the book-signing event which included opportunities for more free swag.
I met more than a dozen authors that I already read, and another several dozen that I've added to my TBR list.  My "Shirt of Authors" was a big hit with the 40 authors I managed to get to the tables to sign it.  Christie Craig a.k.a. C.C. Hunter spent an entire hour Friday night just talking to my friend Julia, her Mom, and I!  We totally fan-girled for that, not to mention Saturday afternoon when we got to know Mari Mancusi.  Everyone was so nice and friendly, and it was very much as Debbie Macomber said in her keynote: a big family reunion.
None of our table won Mari's doorprize, so she "raffled" off an ARC of Shattered, which comes out on September 1st, and I was the lucky winner, since my birthday is September 10th.  Will be reviewing both Scorched and Shattered here and on GoodReads in the next week or so, as I promised Mari on Saturday.

  Until then, Happy Readings!  Kate

Harry Potter, Divergent, Tithe, & Reality

So.  Having a pretty sucky week, here in reality.  Much unpleasantness from last Thursday on.  Resorted to re-reading Harry Potter again.  Just in case you've been living under a rock, Harry Potter is beyond compare.  It's an excellent world to lose yourself in.  Already mid-way through Goblet of Fire, and putting together a playlist while I'm at it.
By the way, I'm of the mind that Owsley's Zavelow House is wholly appropriate representation of The Riddle House.  Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZOyVq6sxlE
Highlights of the week: spent Monday evening with my awesome cousins, who passed along Holly Black's Tithe trilogy, which I should be getting to in a few days, after Harry Potter.  Also, got to check out this huge Barnes & Noble on Tuesday, and picked up a special edition of Divergent, which may or may not out-rank Tithe in my reading schedule.
Anyway, since I've been a total slacker about posting this year, here's a couple teasers:
Tithe by Holly Black
His hand fascinated her despite herself.  It seemed like he was tangling it in imaginary hair.  "How did you make it do that?"

Divergent by Veronica Roth
"You look a little young to be walking around by yourself, dear," he says.
I stop tugging, and stand up straighter.  I know I look young; I don't need to be reminded.  "I'm older than I look," I retort.  "I'm sixteen."
His lips spread wide, revealing a gray molar with a dark pit in the side.  I can't tell if he's smiling or grimacing.  "Then isn't today a special day for you?  The day before you choose?"
"Let go of me," I say.  I hear ringing in my ears.  My voice sounds clear and stern-not what I expected to hear.  I feel like it doesn't belong to me.
I am ready.  I know what to do.  I picture myself bringing my elbow back and hitting him.  I see the bag of apples flying away from me.  I hear my running footsteps.  I am prepared to act.
But then he releases my wrist, takes the apples, and says, "Choose wisely, little girl."

Super-cool, right?  I've been wanting to read both of these for awhile.  And, according to my cousin, Tithe is similar in style to Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely, which I adore.  No childlike picture of fairies.  Both these series' encompass the inherent darkness from the Irish Fae legends.  Meanwhile Divergent is one of the books I've been looking into since finishing the Hunger Games trilogy.  I'm psyched to finally have gotten my hands on both of these.
Happy Readings!
Kate

2013

Happy New Year's everybody!
So, for my first post of the year, I'm gonna A) Outline my reading goals of the year B) Put in some teasers, 'cause it's my sister's birthday tomorrow and I'll likely be offline all day and C) Give you a preview of Wendesday, because I'm super-obsessed over this book that comes out tomorrow.
Oh, and I'm also including some 2012 wrap-up.  So, here goes:
2012 wrap-up:
For perhaps the first Christmas EVER, I haven't purchased books with Christmas money.  But I did get an illustrated anniversary edition of The Hobbit.  It's gorgeous.  And a Vampire history book that I'm still not sure about.
My cousin Aubri shamed me by powering through the first three Mortal Instruments books over break.  I've yet to read City of Ashes.  To be fair, I've been trying to make sure I've got all seven of the current books before I get going so I can make a straight shot of it.  But still, way to go Aubri, for showing me up.
My top ten books of 2012: Crossed by Ally Condie, The Hunger Games trilogy (yes, I know that's technically three books and none of them came out last year, but they definitely made my year even though they were super hard on my emotions), The Darkest Powers trilogy by Kelley Armstrong (I know, another trilogy, but one of my goals for the year was to get through four trilogies and I'm super excited about the two I did make it through), Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl & Kami Garcia (I'm not finished yet, but it's just as fantastic as my cousin Drew said), Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout (which rocks, by the way, and I was super-excited when it turned out that I'd won a signed copy from one of the numerous blog contests I entered Dec 2011), Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells (a fantastic take on the Vampire Myth and one I thoroughly enjoyed.  For those of you who prefer Werewolves, I compare the mythology shift to the like of what you find in Shiver, which is another fantastic book and trilogy), Shatter Me by Tahreh Mafi(I LOVE this!  It does put one in mind of Rogue, who's always been one of my favorite superheroes and definitely my fave X-Man, but I love the character arc when paired with dystopia.  Eagerly awaiting the sequel Unravel Me), City of Bones by Cassandra Clare(Jace is still my current favorite hero, and he also channels the misunderstood bad boy which makes him so much more yummy), & Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout(I admit to having picked this up because the main character is a major book-aholic named Katy, which I adore, but the alien storyline in fantastic also  Jenn Armentrout is one of my top authors currently).
My new book obsession to be discussed on Wendesday: Doomed by Tracy Deebs

As for current reading, I'm feeding my "Part-Apocalypse" addiction as my cousin calls it.  Doomed is what I'm doing my best to get my hands on, but all my Dystopian books will be making an appearance until I can. So, for teasers: Shatter Me, City of Bones, and Doomed.
Shatter Me by Tahreh Mafi:
Couldn't I see what I'd done, is what they asked me.  Couldn't I see that I'd ruined everything.
I tried so hard to fix what I'd ruined.  I tried every single day to be what they wanted.  I tried all the time to be be better but I never really knew how.
I only know now that the scientists are wrong.
The world is flat.
I know this because I was tossed right off the edge and I've been trying to hold on for 17 years.  I've been trying to climb back up for 17 years but it's nearly impossible to beat gravity when no one is willing to give you a hand.
When no one is willing to risk touching you.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare:
"It's a girl," Jace said, recovering his composure.  "Surely you've seen girls before, Alec.  Your sister Isabelle is one."  He took a step closer to Clary, squinting as if he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing.  "A mundie girl," he said, half to himself.  "And she can see us."
"Of course I can see you,"  Clary said. "I'm not blind, you know."
"Oh, but you are," said Jace, bending to pick up his knife.  "You just don't know it."  He straightened up.  "You'd better get out of here if you know what's good for you

Doomed by Tracy Deebs:
Except this time when I pull up my e-mail account, there's another message there.  One that reads Happy Birthday in the subject line.  Only it's not from my Mom or any of my friends.
It's from Mitchell Walker.
From my Father.
For long seconds, I don't move.  Don't breathe.  Which is ridiculous, I know, but I can't help it.  My Dad's been the bogeyman my Mom has used to scare me for too long.  There's no way I can be blase about an e-mail from him, even if it is just birthday wishes.

Alright, so the Doomed excerpt is a bit too close to the beginning to give you any real idea of what it's about.  I promise a longer, more fun excerpt on Wednesday.  And here's a few highlights for those like me who chomp at the bit for information: it's based in a Greek myth (Pandora, specifically), it involves an Apocalyptic/Dystopian environment, has a love triangle, and involves a spunky girl about my age with Daddy issues.
Okay, Tracy Deebs, how did you figure out all of my weaknesses and wrap them together so nicely?  Seriously, I've been following the Blog Hop/Scavenger Hunt and another blog tour Giveaway and the excerpts there have driven me to a high level of obsession to read this immediately.  It's like Tracy picked my brain and included everything I'd enjoy in a novel.  But, more on that on Wednesday.
Happy New Year and Happy Readings!
Kate

Waiting on Wendsday

Hiya everyone!
Hope everyone had a great Christmas and successfully channeled their inner 5-year-old for maximum enjoyment of gift-giving and family time.  I certainly did.  Hope to do so again when my cousins make an appearance and my BFF has made it through her holiday plans.
Still working on Beautiful Creatures and a bit bummed that A) Amazon is out of the hardcover collection & B) that I couldn't afford the collection even IF it was still in stock.  Sad face.  Oh well, I'll probably look into buying them individually here & there, like every series I'm working on filling in.  So, instead of a ton of new releases, I'm waiting on some books I just haven't been able to get my hands on yet:

Only Unravel Me isn't out yet, but that's one of the sequels I'm most eager to get ahold of.  Tahreh Mafi, Ally Condie, and Veronice Roth are some Dystopian authors I've been looking into since I first read City of Bones by Cassandra Clare and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  L.J. Smith is an author I've been following since I first picked up The Vampire Diaries vol 1, and I'm quite excited to see what else is going to happen in The Divide.  City of Lost Souls and Clockwork Prince are the last of The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices that I don't have copies of, that I can't track down at my local library.  Jennifer Armentrout is one of my new favorite authors, and I adore Alex, Aidan, Daemon and Katy.  Kristin Cashore and Rachel Vincent are two more, with the Graceling and Soul Screamers worlds.  Tamora Pierce is a longtime favorite, but especially the Beka Cooper trilogy.  Beautiful Creatures is excellent, and I can't wait to get ahold of Beautiful Darkness and check out the movie.
Happy Reading!
Kate

Christmas & Teasers

Merry Christmas, people everywhere!
I know, I know, I'm early.  But tomorrow I fully intend to be channeling my inner 5-year-old and playing with my presents, like anyone in touch with their inner 5-year-old should.  So, I'm doing Teaser Tuesday tonight.  I'm working on Beautiful Creatures today, because I've been putting it off and the movie hype has got me worked up about it...well, that and my cousin Drew, who's way into the series.  I plan to re-read Obsidian next, and then check out Fated, and then I'll have Christmas books to check out.

So, teasers.
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl:
"Can you come up with a better name?"
"There's not one word that describes all the people in my family.  Is there one word that describes everyone in yours?"
I wanted to break the tension, to pretend she was just like any other girl.  To convince myself that this could be okay.
"Yeah.  Lunatics."
"We're Casters.  That's the broadest definition.  We all have powers.  We're gifted, just like some families are smart, and others are rich, or beautiful, or athletic."
I knew what the next question was, but I didn't want to ask it.

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout:
His eyes widened suddenly.  "Kitten?"
"Would you stop calling me--?"
"Be quiet," he hissed, gaze fixed over my shoulder.  He placed his hand on my arm.  "Promise me you won't freak out."
"Why would I freak out?" I whispered.
Tugging me toward him, he caught me off guard.  I placed my hands on his chest to stop from tumbling over.  His chest seemed to...hum under my hands.  "Have you ever see a bear?"
Dread pushed through my calm and blossomed.  "What?  There's a bear--?" I pulled out of his grasp and spun around.
Oh, yeah, there was a bear.

Fated by Alyson Noel
"I won't pretend to imagine how you feel right now.  Only you know that.  And whatever feelings you're experiencing, whatever thoughts you may have, I have no doubt they're justified.  What I can say is that the drive to Albuquerque runs around seven  hours.  And then it's another three from there to Enchantment where your grandmother lives.  You and I have a long trip ahead, but we can spend it however you choose.  We can talk if you want, and if you don't, that's fine too.  If you get hungry, we'll stop.  If you need to get out and stretch your legs for a bit, we'll stop for that too.  If you just want to speed on through, aside from filling up on gas when we need it, we can manage that as well.  I have no expectations.  I ask nothing from you.  Whatever it takes to make your trip comfortable, you tell me, and I'll do my best to see that it's done.  Any questions?  Anything you'd like me to know about you?"
I pause, unsure how to respond.  The speech I'd prepared--the one where I make clear that I'm not one to be messed with--is no longer appropriate.

So, there's that.  Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy Reading!
Kate