Library Loot - 1st Trip of 2014

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Linda from Silly Little Mischief that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

First library loot post of the new year!  Woohoo!  I got a bit away from doing these types of posts last year which makes me sad because I use my library SO MUCH!  I depend on my library system for all of those times when I come across books in a series and need to start at the beginning.  Or when I just need to browse and relax without the guilt of buying more books.  LOL!  The other day I had the opportunity to go to the library by myself (a very rare treat), and I came out with an armful of books.  But this post also includes just a few of the books that I have been putting on hold lately as well.  Here are all the great library finds that I took home with me:

 

 

 

Look at all of those gorgeous covers!  Of course I would like to read them all but realistically I'm just hoping to read them all.  Kidding!  But seriously, I'm not even sure where to start here.  So that is where you guys come in.  Have you read any of these?  Is there any one book that I should read before all of the others?  I have no idea how to choose which of these to read first so I will take any help that I can get!  Also, I'm just adding these all to my hopeful reads for January because why not?

What books have you brought home from the library lately?

Magic Bites and Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake.

Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up these magical problems. But when Kate's guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta's magic circles."

Likes?

This part is easy: I liked absolutely everything about this book.  I first read this book a few years back and for whatever reason never continued on with the series.  But of course I kept hearing such great things about these books so I decided to reread this one, and then make it a personal goal to catch up with the rest of the series.  I'm so glad that I did because I had forgotten how good this book really was!  Kate is such an awesome main character and I love reading about her adventures.  I also find it very interesting that there is obviously more to her than what meets the eye.  I think that it will be intriguing to see how this all plays out in future books especially the things that she keeps secret like her words of power.  I'm glad that I took the time to reread this one before moving on in the series because there was definitely a lot that I had forgotten about!

Dislikes?

None.  I seriously can't think of a single thing that I didn't like about this book and especially reading it the second time around.  For the life of me I cannot figure out how I didn't continue on with this series before now.  Just goes to show you how true the phrase "So many books, too little time" is!

Final Thoughts:

An awesome beginning to this urban fantasy series!  Andrews has created a fantasy world that is like no other series out there, and I couldn't get enough of it.  I'm super excited to see what other kinds of trouble that Kate will find herself in.  And I also want to know more about her so hopefully some of her secrets will start to come to light.  I would highly, highly recommend this book!

Summary from Goodreads:

"As a mercenary who cleans up after magic gone wrong, Kate Daniels has seen her share of occupational hazards. Normally, waves of paranormal energy ebb and flow across Atlanta like a tide. But once every seven years, a flare comes, a time when magic runs rampant. Now Kate’s going to have to deal with problems on a much bigger scale: a divine one.

When Kate sets out to retrieve a set of stolen maps for the Pack, Atlanta’s paramilitary clan of shapeshifters, she quickly realizes much more at stake. During a flare, gods and goddesses can manifest – and battle for power. The stolen maps are only the opening gambit in an epic tug-of-war between two gods hoping for rebirth. And if Kate can’t stop the cataclysmic showdown, the city may not survive…"

Likes?

Curran and Kate.  Curran and Kate.  Oh my goodness, how I love the almost reluctant friendship that is developing between these two!  I'm hoping that future books in this series give us more of them working together because it is such fun to see them butt heads with one another.  And there is definitely some good chemistry there!  This book was just as intense as the first book and just as strong of a read!  I couldn't put it down!  I'm definitely hooked on this series now and cannot wait to get my hands on the third book.  I also really liked that we got to see so many of the characters from the first book again.  Andrews does an amazing job of writing these books in a way that makes you not want to stop reading.  I just had to know what was going to happen next!  I ended up flying through this book and wanted more when it ended.  Andrews is definitely going on my authors that I will read anything by list.

Dislikes? 

That the book wasn't longer?  Seriously, I wanted more!  I could read about Kate's adventures any day, and I am just so excited now about this series!  Other than that, I had absolutely no complaints.  This book was everything that I hoped it would be and more!

Final Thoughts:

This is a must read urban fantasy series for me!  I'm kicking myself for taking so long to really get to it because I'm just loving it!  I could keep on gushing, but really you should try reading these books for yourself and see if you aren't as hooked as I am.  I am certainly pleased that I have decided to focus on this series because I have some good reading ahead of me!  Highly, highly recommended!

Bottom Line for both of these books:  READ THEM!  Urban fantasy at its' best!

Disclosure:  I checked out both of these books from my local library.  I will definitely be buying my own copies for my keeper shelf at some point.

Starter House by Sonja Condit (thoughts)

In Starter House, Lacey and Eric Miszlak are searching for the perfect house to begin their new lives in.  Almost instantly Lacey finds the house that she believes they are meant to own and love, but it is a house with a dark history.  It doesn't matter to Lacey though as she can already see her future children growing up in there.  And it only begins to play an important role when she starts to realize that they aren't alone in the house.  Dark forces, a mysterious little boy, and a home where numerous people have met their deaths means that Lacey is going to have to do whatever it takes to protect her unborn child.  Because this house doesn't want to let her go...

This was one creepy read!  I'm a sucker for a haunted house story so as soon as I read the summary for this one I knew I wanted to read it.  I'm glad that I had the chance to read this book because it didn't disappoint.  There were some very eerie moments in this book that knocked the suspense level up and kept me on the edge of my seat.  There were also a few moments where I had to go back and reread, because I was reading entirely too fast and didn't understand what was going on.  Everything that was happening was surreal at times and it took me a bit to figure out exactly what was happening.  I thought that the author did a good job of keeping the level of tension high throughout the book.  The atmosphere of the book was both dark and foreboding.  All of this added together in a way that really kept me reading.  I had a hard time putting this book down which surprised me as I didn't always care for the main characters.  Lacey was a bit much for me at times with both the way she acted and her thought processes.  I didn't always understand why she behaved the way she did  but I liked that she did everything she could to protect her family.  She just frustrated me at times!  Eric's character also left me a bit less than impressed but that is because I think that he could have been expanded on more.  I never felt that I really understood him which left me unconnected to both of the main characters.  It didn't affect my level of enjoyment with this book though because the creepiness factor kept me sucked in.

Overall, I think that I will definitely be reading more by this author.  She did a really amazing job in creating a book filled with horrors without being over the top about it.  I appreciated that this book was able to give me chills at times.  Reading it during the dark coldness of winter was perfect because it helped to make my reading experience of this book even better.  I will be recommending this one to fans of horror and thrillers alike.  And I will be waiting to see what this author comes up with next!

Bottom Line:  A suspenseful read that had some moments that sent shivers down my spine.

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book for review thanks to the publisher as part of a TLC Book Tour.  Thoughts are my own!

The Sunday Salon (2014 Goals and Books)

Good morning everyone!  It was back to the grind this week and although I wasn't ready for a full week of work, it didn't go too badly.  It is nice to be back into a routine again but my kids were definitely not quite ready for it.  LOL!  My oldest especially likes to sleep in which makes me realize that sooner rather than later I will have a teenager on my hands.  Where does the time go?  Anyways, 2014 is already moving along and I realized yesterday that I still haven't taken the time to share with you all my goals for the new year.  Before I continue to procrastinate even further (and then eventually never do it), I thought I would quickly share my plans for the new year.

• Read more of my own books- This one is a given.  I read 76 books last year but only a very small portion of them were off of my own shelves.  And with the number of times that I bought books last year...well...this is going to have to change.  This also means accepting fewer review copies (damn you NetGalley) and maybe a few less book tours.  I try to always mix my review books with books that are for pleasure and just because but I want to do this even more.   So read more of my own books!
• Work out consistently.  Hahaha...I think that I am repeating my goals from last year!  I've started out the new year pretty well with this so far but I NEED to stick with it.  I'm bound and determined to shed a few of the pounds that I seem to keep gaining over the years.  And I just want to be healthier.  It is that simple.
• Finish some of the projects that I have planned.  I'm the queen of procrastination so this one is going to be hard for me.  But I really need to follow through and finish up some of my projects that I have had planned for years.  An example would be learning to crochet and knit.  Finishing up redecorating my bedroom.  Organizing all of my closets.  You get the picture, right?  There are a bunch of things that I always say that I'm going to do but then never get done.  This is the year that I'm going to knock a few things off of that list. 

Three goals is enough for me this year I'm thinking.  Now let's see if I can actually stick to ALL of them.  That will be the biggest accomplishment of all!  Anyways, let's move on to the books!   Since this is my first Sunday Salon post for the new year I'm going to catch you up with everything that I have read so far this year.  I've recently finished the following books:

Starter House by Sonja Condit was my first read of the year and definitely an interesting way to start off the new year.  This was a spooky read that left me turning the pages in anticipation of just what would happen next.  I read this one for a TLC Book Tour and my full thoughts on it will be shared this Tuesday. 

Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews was SUCH a good read!  Whew!  I flew through this book and just couldn't get enough.  I'm so glad that I've made it a goal to catch up with this series because I think that it is definitely going to be worth my time.  I'm planning on writing up my thoughts on this one and for Magic Bites as well that will hopefully go up this week.  Maybe mini reviews?  I haven't decided for sure yet. 

In audio, I finished listening to Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell this week.  The interesting thing to listening to books that you have already read is that you find things that you missed when previously reading.  But I will talk more about that when I write up my thoughts.  I'm currently reading the following books:

Forbidden is for a TLC book tour at the end of the month.  And although The Winter People is also a review copy it is one of my most anticipated reads for the new year so I'm not complaining.  I'm reading this one on my ipad and have once again pushed back A Study in Silks.  On audio, I'm currently listening to Ceremony in Death by J.D. Robb. 

Whew!  That is enough out of me for one day.  I'm hoping to get lots of laundry done today, a little bit of reading in both of my current reads, and a few reviews written.  If I can get that all done then this will count as a success!  Oh yeah, and 28 days until The Walking Dead returns!  I cannot wait!

Happy Sunday and happy reading!

Wordless Wednesday (New Year's Fun)

 

Bahahahaha! The second picture is priceless because it just shows my youngest two's personalities perfectly.  We had a quiet beginning to 2014 filled with movies, snacks, and The Walking Dead once the littles crashed out.  What a perfect way to start the new year!

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon 9.0

 "The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 6th and runs through Sunday, January 12th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 9.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team"

It's back!  I love week long read-a-thons so of course I'm joining in with the Bout of Books Read-a-thon.  And besides, didn't you guys see my crazy reading plans for January?  I'm still shaking my head over that one even if I'm on to book two.  Considering that this is going to be my first full week of work in over three weeks (I love PTO), I'm keeping my goals for this read-a-thon pretty darn simple.  I'm hoping to finish two books even though more would be AMAZING (and impossible).  I'm also hoping to find some new to me blogs to follow so I will attempt to visit as many of the participants as I can.  Sounds good, doesn't it?  I'm currently reading Magic Burns which I just started last night so that will be my first book for this read-a-thon.  Then I will be moving on to Forbidden which is for a TLC Book Tour.  If I somehow mange to finish both of these I will be pulling another book from my January reading plans list. 

I'm going to be one busy girl!  Good luck to all of the other read-a-thon participants and Happy Sunday!

January Reading Plans (Nutty Sam Edition)

The title of this post is completely accurate if you count the number of books shown in this picture.  Ten books?  I plan to try and finish ten books in the month of January?  Lmao.  Okay, so maybe I'm not going to read all of these books this month but I will read some of them (and want to read all of them).  What we will skip over is the fact that there are other books that I have coming in from holds at the library.  And of course all of the books on my ipad that are waiting to be read including NetGalley copies.  I have also convinced myself that I will read a bit less this month because I'm going to learn how to knit scarves (that's another topic for my 2014 goals post).  Hmm...I'm not sure how this is going to all work out but I am sure going to try :)  Let's look at the books that I'm hoping to read this month:

• Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews - For my goal to catch up with this series.
• Starter House by Sonja Condit - I'm currently reading this one and it is creepy so far! 
• Ripper by Isabel Allende - Review copy and because of the title.  How could I resist?
• The Perfect Play by Jaci Burton - Because I've been dying to try this series! (and that cover!)
• The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman - It sounds super creepy and I want to read more YA this year!
• The Midas Murders by Pieter Aspe - Review copy and mystery.  I'm excited!
• Forever by Jacquelyn Frank - For a TLC book tour.
• Forbidden by Jacquelyn Frank - Also for a TLC book tour. I've been wanting to read this series for awhile now!
• Fade to Blonde by Max Phillips - Because thanks to King's Joyland I've discovered Hard Case Crime and now have a personal goal to read all of their books.  I love their covers!  I told you I'm book crazy :)
• Firelight by Kristen Callihan - Off of my own shelves! And because I have a review copy of the 4th book but want to read the series in order.  I might change my mind on this though...

 Oh boy!  That is a lot of books to read in one month.  Looks like I better get started but before I go....which of these books should I not miss?  Have you read any of them?  And if it keeps snowing like this I just might be able to read them all :)

Top Ten Reads of 2013

This is one of my favorite times of the year!  There is just something about reading over everyone's best of lists and then reading through all of the 2014 goals' posts.  I love it!  It motivates me, distracts me, and basically makes me want to READ ALL OF THE BOOKS!  I have been putting books on hold at the library left and right thanks to all of your lists.  Taking a (almost) two week blogging break has my bloggy mojo going strong, and I'm looking forward to sharing about my favorites books of the year with all of you.  Maybe I can also motivate myself to get some of these outstanding book reviews written (there are a ton) AND write a goals post for myself.  Maybe join a few challenges?  I've got plans!  But onto the books.  This year was a very solid reading year for me as I read 76 books.  That means I somehow managed to surpass my Goodread's goal of 75 so I'm pretty proud of myself.  I don't think that I would have made it if it weren't for audiobooks but I'm okay with that.  2013 was the year of rereads for me and I've reread/relistened to more books this year then any other year since I've started blogging.  I'm hoping to continue this trend in 2014.  But maybe with more of a focus on the books that are on my own shelves.  That's for a different post though.  Let's move on to my favorite books of 2013!

The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon was one of my favorite thrillers for the year.  It was also one of those books that made me an instant fan of the author, which means I will eventually read ALL of her books.  This is one of those rare cases where two storylines come together perfectly and I didn't prefer one over the other.  Plus, I loved the ending!  I'm super excited to have another of this author's books to look forward to in 2014!

Blackout by Mira Grant is by far MY FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR!  I've adored this zombie trilogy from the very beginning with Feed so it was almost a given that Blackout would make this list.  Almost, because there was that possibility that the book could have fallen short for me (and thankfully it didn't).  I reread both Feed and Deadline before moving on to Blackout which made my reading experience even better.  I just cannot even convey how much I loved all of these books (but it does explain my love for The Walking Dead)!  I'm just sad that it is all over now.  Thank you Mira Grant for pushing the boundaries with each of these books and for making me love these characters.  BEST ZOMBIE BOOKS EVER!

Nightfall by Ellen Connor was one of those books that sucked me in and then just wouldn't let me go.  Out of all of the romances I read this year (and I feel like I read a lot) this one was definitely the best.  And the funny thing is that there were times when I was completely frustrated with the book/main characters but in the end I just could not get enough.  Considering that I read this one pretty early on in the year and it has still stuck with me says a lot!  I cannot wait to read the next book in this trilogy and will definitely be doing just that in 2014!

The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb wins the prize for me kicking myself for waiting so long to read it!  I have had this book on my TBR list for years, and I am so glad that I finally took the time to read it.  A creepy house, ghostly encounters, and all kinds of other gothic elements made this one a surefire winner in my book.  It left me very anxious to read more by this author and thankfully I have two other of her books to look forward to.  Webb is yet another author that I found this year that will go on my automatically to be read list. 

Joyland by Stephen King was my last read of 2013 but one of the best.  It also wins the award for best cover because seriously, how can you not love it?  I haven't taken the time to read (and finish) a book by King in years and this one showed me that I've been missing out.  I loved the carny feel to this book, and King is AMAZING when it comes to really making the reader feel like they are in the pages of the story.  2014 will be a year with me reading more by King!

Lost by S.J. Bolton was a book that took my high expectations and shattered them!  I love how each book in this series seems to get better and better!  And I just cannot imagine how Bolton is going to top this one.  This was yet another book that I couldn't put down and kept trying to read as fast as I could.  I just cannot wait for the next book in this series to release!  2014 shall be an amazing year in books!  And Bolton gets added as one of my very favorite authors!  I love her books!

Full Blooded by Amanda Carlson is hands down my favorite urban fantasy read for the year.  And oh my goodness but that ending...I cannot believe that I've held off on reading the second book.  I definitely won't be resisting in 2014!  This one was action packed and tense with a potential romance that knocked my socks off.  I NEED to see what is going to happen next!  This is definitely an author that I will be reading more of! 

Stranger in the Room by Amanda Kyle Williams makes this the second time this author has graced my best of lists.  This is the follow up to The Stranger You Seek which easily made my best of 2013 list.  This one was even better!  I couldn't get enough of this book and stayed up way too late reading.  I'm sensing a trend of authors here where I will basically read anything that they write (and this author is definitely on that list!).  I cannot recommend this series highly enough! 

  

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn wins the award for most unlikeable characters while STILL being one of those books that you just cannot put down!  (I seem to be on a random awards kick this year, don't I?)  I'm not sure how Flynn does it but she writes some of the most compelling books even when you don't want to actually be reading them.  As much as I hated the characters I loved the book and this one easily made my top reads of 2013 list.  I will continue to adore this author even if I cringe when thinking about what she comes up with next.

The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons takes the final spot on my top ten reads for 2013.  This book was easily the creepiest one that I read this year without being over the top.  Instead I found myself immersed within the pages even knowing that there might not be a happy ending.  I cannot wait to find out what else this author has written.  Thank goodness that I snatched this one up on a visit to my local used bookstore.  I loved this one and highly recommend it!

Honorable mentions this year go to a variety of other books that should have/could have made this list including:

Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan (so cute!)

How To Be a Good Wife by Emma Chapman (a great debut from this new author)

Bronze Gods by A.A. Aguirre (fantastic series debut)

The Black Dudley Murder by Margery Allingham (I loved this one too!)

and so many more!

I didn't even bother including books that I've already read and reread this year because I just couldn't.  I cannot wait to see what 2014 will be like!  I can tell you that I've got lots of reading plans and goals...maybe I should get to working on that post :)  If you feel like sharing then tell me which book is your favorite read of 2013.  I'm working my library holds list like crazy thanks to this time of year.  And I can always use a few more recommendations!

I hope that you all have a wonderful New Year and a FANTASTIC reading year in 2014! Thank you for taking the time to visit me here, to comment, or to just share in my love of books.  I can't tell you guys enough how much I love the friendships that I have made thanks to blogging :)

Impatiently Waiting (2014 Releases that I NEED!)

There is nothing more exciting to me than looking forward to all of the upcoming book releases for the new year.  2014 is shaping up to be a spectacular year of books for me with many of my very favorite authors releasing new books!  I AM SO EXCITED!  (And very impatient.  But so excited!)  I can't even put into words how thrilled I am!   I have entirely too many books already that I want to read but that won't stop me from pining for all of these new releases.  And I am pining!  Let me share with you all just some of the books being published in 2014 that are MUST reads for me:

A Dark and Twisted Tide by Sharon Bolton - OMG! My most favoritest (this is a word) thriller author ever AND one of my favorite series has a new book coming out.  YAY!

Bitter Spirits by Jenn Bennett - I'm dying to read this one based on that cover alone.  Seriously!

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon - I read and loved The One I Left Behind by her this year so I cannot wait to give this one a try.  I was lucky enough to get a review copy for my ipad so I will be reading this one very soon :)

Don't Talk To Strangers by Amanda Kyle Williams - The first book in this series made my top ten reads of 2012 and the second one (which I'm currently reading) has a very good chance of doing the same for 2013.  I love this series and this author's books so of course I can't wait for the 3rd one to release!

Dawn's Early Light by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris - You guys!  This is one of my absolute, very favorite (I love like no other) steampunk series so can I just read this RIGHT NOW???  I feel like I have been waiting for this book for so long now that I'm about to burst!  I NEED IT!

Dirty Magic by Jaye Wells - A new series by one of my favorite authors?  Yes, please!  Another book that I have been wanting to read every since I first heard about it.  I just cannot wait!  And in fact I just got approved on NetGalley for this one so you know it will be my next read.  Woohoo!

The Vanishing by Wendy Webb - I read (and adored)  The Tale of Halcyon Crane this year so of course I am looking forward to reading this new release.  Plus it has that gothic, creepy feel to the cover so it makes me want to read it even more!

Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews - Let's ignore that I am nowhere close to being caught up with this series.  I WANT to be so therefore I'm adding this one.  And it has a gorgeous cover which helps!

Night Broken by Patricia Briggs - Will 2014 be the year that I catch up on some of my favorite urban fantasy series?  I sure hope so!  This is another series that I need to get to reading (I'm super behind) but how could I not want this newest book?  Another amazing cover!

Panic by Lauren Oliver - I have never read any of this author's books yet (although I plan to) but when I heard about this one it instantly went on my TBR list.  It just sounds so good and I want to read it badly!

Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire - Okay so I love, love, love this author's books under the name Mira Grant which means that this one automatically goes on my WANT list!  I will read basically anything that this author writes thanks to the Newsflesh trilogy.  Best zombie books ever!!!

Silver Mirrors by A.A. Aguirre - I loved the first book in this series Bronze Gods so this is yet another book that I will be impatiently waiting for.  And I love the cover!

I could keep going and going here!  Not listed (just because they don't have covers yet) are the new Sarah Waters book, The Paying Guests (eek!), Symbiont by Mira Grant (even though I still haven't read Parasite yet), and The Summer of Ghosts by P.D. Viner.  I'm going to stop now.  Seriously, because there is more and I think that I could just keep going.  2014 is hopefully going to be an amazing year in books and I could not be more excited!

What book or books are you looking forward to in 2014? 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Dec. 16th)

It's Monday! is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey and states:

"Welcome to It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!"

Happy Monday everyone!  The weekend flew by entirely too fast as usual, and I'm feeling the lack of sleep today thanks to staying up Saturday night  until two in the morning watching The Walking Dead.  I'm addicted I tell you!  This also makes me officially old since staying up that late kicks my butt.  It is entirely too easy though to say just one more episode (a few times) when you HAVE to see what it going to happen next.  I'm dreading catching up with the new season because I won't be able to binge watch like this anymore.  Boo!  I've got lots to catch you up on reading wise though so let's get started.  In the past two weeks I have finished the following books:

If You Were Here by Alafair Burke - This is my 2nd read by this author and it definitely won't be my last.  She has a great way of creating tension and suspense so that you just cannot stop reading.  I flew through this one, and I can't wait to read more by this author!

Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan-  I adored this book!  The storyline was cute, the romance was hot, and I loved all of the characters.  But what really surprised me is that this book was more than all of that.  It dealt with family relationships and what truly makes up a family.  I was definitely impressed and it has left me eager to read more by this author.  This was the perfect Christmas read for me to choose!

The Rogue's Proposal by Jennifer Haymore was a solid historical romance and yet another author that I will be reading more of.  The chemistry between the couple in this book was hot, hot, hot!  Wow!  And I loved that the two main characters weren't your typical aristocrats or high society types but instead a step under that.  I will be writing up my thoughts on this one very soon!

In audio I first finished listening to Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn.  It was just as dark as I remembered it and the narrator was so spot on for this book.  It had been such a long time since I read the book that I ended up being just as surprised as the first time by the ending.  This author is just so crazy good!  I then moved on to Four to Score by Janet Evanovich.  And I once again found myself sitting at my desk practically in tears from laughing so hard.  These books are just so much fun to listen to!  Finally on Friday I finished listening to all seventeen disks of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling.  Oh my goodness, I felt all of the emotions with this one and actually felt drained by the end.  (I also found myself close to tears at a few different points...my poor coworkers must think I'm nuts.)  If you haven't listened to these books on audio then you simply must!  It has been an AMAZING experience listening to them so far but I can't tell you how nervous I am to continue on.  I am so emotionally attached to these books :)  Oh boy!

I'm currently reading the following books:

Stranger In the Room by Amanda Kyle Williams - This is the 2nd book in the Keye Street series and I'm loving it just as much as the first (maybe even a bit more).

I'm back to A Study in Silks by Emma Jane Holloway on my ipad which is slowly starting to pick up for me.  It would help if I didn't find myself so easily distracted by everything else (but especially by my print book).  And my new audiobook is In the Woods by Tana French.  I remember loving it when I first read it a long time ago but for some reason I never continued on with the series.  I'm using this listen as a way to get back to this series and hopefully finally continue on to book two. 

That's enough out of me for today as I have a busy few weeks ahead of me.  I hope you all had a great weekend.  Happy Monday and Happy Reading!