The Sunday Salon: Back to Normal?

A week back from Disney and I'm just now starting to feel like we are getting back to normal.  Or our version of it, anyways :)  There is nothing like coming back from vacation and then jumping in both feet first with all of the craziness.  We had baseball games, soccer games, practices, and all sorts of other of fun stuff to keep up with.  My suitcases are unpacked though and my house is clean.  I just need to really dig into my laundry piles.  Happily enough, we also spent yesterday planning and planting my very first garden.  I went completely overboard (when do I not do this?) and bought too many vegetables to plant.  I'm planning a post to share with you all hopefully for later this week.  It is going to be a lot of work but I'm sure that it will be completely worth it (the garden not the post..haha!)

It has been a few weeks though since I have updated you on the books I've been reading.  And even though I haven't been reading as  much as usual, I do have books to share with you.  I've actually been in the blogging mood lately so hopefully I can get some posts written up.  I have TONS of reviews that I need to write. Now I just need to find some quiet time to actually write them.  Since I last shared I have finished the following books:

Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire- I loved this one!  I had it languishing on my book shelves for way too long but thank goodness that I finally changed that.  This is one of my favorite authors (as Mira Grant) for many reasons but the main one is she isn't afraid to put her characters thru the ringer.  She always does the unexpected and this book reflected that.  I had a hard time putting it down and cannot wait to pick up book two.

Under a Silent Moon by Elizabeth Haynes- I read this one as part of a TLC book tour and have already shared my thoughts here.  It was a great beginning to this new series, and it cemented my love for this author's writing.  She seems to have a dark side to her books but always in a way that really makes them suspenseful.  I cannot wait for the second book to come out!

Something About You by Julie James- Another book that I really enjoyed.  I'm always on the lookout for good romantic suspense reads and this one fit that mold perfectly.  I loved the tension between the two main characters, but I especially loved the heat that they created.  I should have given this author a try way before now because this one didn't disappoint.  This is yet another author that I plan to read more of!

All Day and a Night by Alafair Burke- I just finished this one on Friday, and it was a great way to end the week.  I've read two books by this author previously but never any from this series.  I will be rectifying that now because this was one of those mysteries that you just don't want to put down.  There is something about this author's writing that really sucks me in as the reader.  I enjoy being immersed in her stories!  I read this book out of order (it's the 6th one I believe) but it didn't detract from my reading enjoyment at all.  I will be writing up my thoughts on this one hopefully this week.

I'm currently reading the following book:

I've been wanting to read this one since it was released but I am just now getting to it.  As I checked it out from the library (and it is due back soon) I decided to pick it up yesterday.  Especially since I was completely waffling on what book I wanted to read after finishing All Day and a Night.  But that is a post in itself, I'm thinking :)

Today's plans include laundry, watering my garden, and taking my daughter to t-ball pictures.  I need to get organized for the week as well considering we have a lot going on before the upcoming long weekend.  I'm hoping to write up a few reviews and maybe upload my pictures from Disney.  Do you think that I can get all of that done on my one lazy day of the week?  I sure hope so!

So tell me, what are you doing on this beautiful Sunday? 

Under a Silent Moon by Elizabeth Haynes (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Two women share one fate.

A suspected murder at an English Farm. A reported suicide at a local quarry.

Can DCI Louisa Smith and her team gather the evidence and discover a link between them, a link which sealed their fate one cold night, Under a Silent Moon?"

My Thoughts:

Under a Silent Moon starts a new mystery series that didn't disappoint.  Filled with extras or "source material" the book is one of those crime puzzlers that just won't let you go.  I guessed parts of the mystery early on but it was more the how of it that really kept me guessing.  I wanted to know how it was all going to come together.  And I should admit that I wanted to know that I was right.  The book follows DCI Louisa Smith as she leads a homicide murder investigation.  We get the chance to see the evidence as the police come across it.  We also are given the chance to see the inner workings of the investigation which was really fun for me to read about.  I really enjoyed all of this.  It almost makes you feel as you are part of the investigation.  

This book is also told from multiple viewpoints which worked surprisingly well.  I don't always care for when books switch back and forth but the author did a nice job of making it feel almost necessary.  This way we were able to see different character's motivations and thoughts that helped to contribute to pieces of the mystery.  I just really liked the multiple ways that this author pulled me in as a reader so that I didn't want to set the book down.  I flew through the pages of this one and it definitely kept my interest throughout.  I'm eager to see Louisa in action again as hopefully this is just the beginning of her murder investigations.  The tone of this book was darker than I expected it to be but I liked that.  The author isn't afraid to take chances with her storylines and I really appreciate that.  This was just a really solid start to this new mystery series.

Overall, I really ended up enjoying this one, and am looking forward to more by this author!   I am especially looking forward to reading more in this series.  I'm just going to hate the wait till the next one is released.  I feel like the author was able to convey her knowledge of police investigations into this book in a way that really enhanced the story.  I hope that the author continues to let the reader feel like that they are part of the investigation because that was my favorite part of the book.  Highly recommended but especially to fans of mystery and police procedurals.

Bottom Line:  A great beginning to this thrilling mystery series!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book for review thanks to the publisher.  The thoughts are my own.

 

Books! Books! Books!

Because Mother's Day fell on the day after we got back from vacation, I had no plans whatsoever and no expectations for it.  Much to my surprise (and delight) the family took me to the used bookstore and Starbucks for a coffee.  What a perfect way for me to spend Mother's day!  I overindulged and bought WAY too many books but I just couldn't seem to help myself.  There were just so many that I wanted, and I couldn't resist bringing them all home with me.  Now no more bookstore trips for me until I actually read some of these :)  Here are the books that I decided to bring home:

• Touch the Dark by Karen Chance- 1st in this urban fantasy series.  I found a ton of great sounding urban fantasy series that I haven't started yet.  It was hard for me to figure out which ones that I absolutely NEEDED for my shelves but this was one of them.
• The Walker in Shadows by Barbara Michaels- Ummm..because this is by Barbara Michaels.  So of course I had to have it! 
• Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur- I actually have already read this one but somehow I fell out of reading this series.  I want to get back to it since I really enjoyed it so I decided to grab book one and start again.  I'm so excited to get back to this series!
• Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland- Another first in a series that I'm looking forward to reading.  This is an author that I've been meaning to try and now I am actually going to do it! 
• Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean- I've read and loved a different book by this author so I'm super excited to start this trilogy.  Plus, I need some historical romance in my life!
• The Lost Night by Jayne Castle- 1st in a paranormal romance series that I've also been wanting to try.  I was on a paranormal kick today! 
• Deception Cove by Jayne Castle- 2nd in this paranormal romance series.  These both sound really great!
• Spellbent by Lucy A. Snyder- Another 1st in an urban fantasy series.  Sensing a trend here?  I've been craving good urban fantasy and I think my book selections reflect that.  I love the cover for this one as well!
• The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters-  Yay!  I have the third book in my hands now.  You guys don't know how hard it is for me to keep from starting this one RIGHT NOW!  I'm going to try to finish my current read first.
• Promise Not to Tell by Jennifer McMahon- Because I have LOVED every book that I have read by this author.  This is her debut novel, and I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to reading it.

I'm overwhelmed just writing this post up!  I cannot wait to read all of these and I'm hoping that the Bout of Books read-a-thon will help me with that.  I'm starting to think that I need to take a month to just read books off of my own shelves.  It is sounding really good especially looking at all of these!  Have you read any of these?  Which ones should I read first?

Or better yet tell me about your latest book acquisitions so I won't feel like such a book hoarder!  It would be nice to know that I'm in good company :)

Bout of Books Read-a-thon

I'm back!  It is going to take me a bit before everything gets back to normal but it is SO good to be home!  Vacation was wonderful (of course) and I will share more about it later.  But it was so busy that I honestly didn't read more then a couple of pages here and there.  I'm not worried about that as I got in plenty of quality time with my family.  This week though as things get back to normal I would like to dive back into my books a bit.  What better way then participate in a week long read-a-thon???  The Bout of Books read-a-thon is a week long affair that challenges participants to just read more.  I can definitely do that!  Here is the official blurb from the hosts:

"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, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th 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 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team"

My goals for the week are to finish both books that I'm currently reading which are

All Day and a Night is my current print read and I've barely dug into it yet.  I've enjoyed both of the other books by this author that I have read so I'm looking forward to it.  Dirty Magic is getting good but I just keep shoving it aside to read other books since I'm reading it on my ipad. (Such a bad habit of mine) I WILL finish this one this week!

Other goals for the week are to write up two of my outstanding book reviews since I'm falling behind at a rapid rate.  And I would like to visit at least two other participants each day of the read-a-thon.  Any additional books or reviews that I complete will be a bonus and help me catch up when it comes to staying ahead of my Goodreads goal.

Here is to hoping that I get lots of reading accomplished this week!  Are you participating in the Bout of Books read-a-thon?  And if you are, what are you planning on reading?

April Reading Wrap-up 2014 (and Unplugging)

This was taken last summer at the beach.  I am SO ready for days just like this coming up....this year is going by so fast already!  Somehow April is already over and May has begun.  April was a solid month of reading but it wasn't amazing.  I wanted to finish a few more books but just ran out of time.  I also wanted to post a few more reviews but just lacked the motivation.  Ehhh...what can you do?  May shall be better, maybe.  We leave for vacation this weekend though which means I am unplugging for the next week or so.  I will be taking tons of pictures and spending lots of quality time with the family.  I can't wait!  Before I leave though I wanted to share what I managed to finish in April.  In April I read the following books:

• Dark Witch by Nora Roberts
• Summoning the Night by Jenn Bennett
• Pies and Prejudice by Ellery Adams
• The Walking Dead: Volume 3, Safety Behind Bars by Robert Kirkman
• Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
• Under a Silent Moon by Elizabeth Haynes
• Something About You by Julie James

Seven books isn't so bad!  But I just realized that I haven't written reviews for any of them.  Oh dear!  I really will need to get my butt in gear for May when it comes to review writing.  I enjoyed all of the books that I read this month but my favorite would have to be

Rosemary and Rue was such an amazing start to this urban fantasy series and I cannot wait to continue on with it!  I should have never waited so long to read it (I do that too often).  But at least now I know how good it is and book two is already on my shelves!

When I return from vacation I am planning on doing the 30 day shred for 30 days straight.  It is going to take a lot of discipline on my part not to skip a day but I REALLY want to do it.  Other than that, I don't have any major goals for May.  Just read, read, read!

I'm off to finish up my packing.  I'm looking forward to some sunny weather and lots of fun times ahead.  I will be back in a week or so but until then, tell me what you read in April that was just amazing.  I would love to know!

Crocodile on the Sandbank and The Curse of the Pharoahs by Elizabeth Peters (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Amelia Peabody, indomitable Victorian, embarks for Egypt armed with confidence, journal, and umbrella. Enroute to Cairo, she rescues dainty Evelyn, abandoned by her lover. They sail up the Nile to the archeological dig of the Emerson brothers - irascible but dashing Radcliffe and amiable Walter. A lively mummy, visitations, accidents, kidnap attempt - evil is afoot."

My Thoughts:

This is one of the best mystery series that I have started in a really long time!  I actually read this book about 4 or 5 years ago and then never continued on with the series.  Reading it a second time was like reading it for the first since I basically didn't remember much about it.  When I finished I was left wondering why I had never continued on with this series!  This book is just so good!

I adored this book for so many reasons but the main one was Amelia Peabody!  Amelia is one of those characters that you instantly like and laugh at in equal measure.  She has this dry sense of humor that had me cracking up.  And the situations that she gets herself into.  Priceless!  One of the best parts of this book were the interactions between Amelia and Radcliffe.  I instantly adored them both, and I loved how they annoyed each other.  This book was just a pleasure to read!  The mystery was fun, the pages flew by, and I found myself not ready to leave Egypt by the time this book ended.  

Books like this are why I read!  It is as simple as that.  This book had some suspense and tense moments but it really was just a fun read.  I cannot tell you how many times I found myself laughing out loud.  It was like an adventure/mystery/romance all rolled into one!  I loved it!  I found myself enchanted by the main characters and eager to continue on with the series.  This mystery series has skyrocketed as one of my favorites just from this reread.  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  A must read for mystery fans!

Summary from Goodreads:

"Victorian Amelia Peabody continues to journal her Egypt adventures, toddler Ramses left in England. Husband Radcliffe Emerson's old friend Lady Baskerville fears a curse killed her husband Sir Henry, and soon engages the attentions of American Cyrus. The will funds continued excavation. But a lady dressed in white floats, flutters, spreads fear, and more death."

My Thoughts:

My love for this series has been cemented with this second book.  Was it as good as the first book?  Honestly, I don't think that it was but I still enjoyed it so much!  I still found myself grinning at Amelia's antics.  I especially love how she always manages to get herself caught up in these crazy situations that make me laugh out loud.  It makes these books so much fun to read!

I guessed the identity of the killer in this book early on but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book.  Instead, I just found myself curious to see how it would all play out.  And I will admit that there were parts of the ending that still managed to catch me by surprise.  I can already tell that this is a series that I will read for the characters over the mysteries....just because I love the characters so much!  I love the relationship that has developed between Amelia and Radcliffe.  I pretty much just loved it all.  Oh yes, but how could I forget to talk about the setting of the book??  Having this series basically set in Egypt is also so interesting and fun because it makes me want to study Egyptian history.  I remember some of it from my history classes in school but reading these books make me want to go back and learn more.  It is obvious that the author has a deep love for Egypt, and its' history and that just makes these books that much better in my opinion!  I'm hooked!

Overall, this was a great follow-up to the first book in this series.  I've become a huge fan thanks to these two books and plan to read book three soon!  This is honestly one of the best mystery series that I have started in a long time.  It's kind of exciting!  Books like these make you want to read more...make me want to read the series back to back which is something I never do anymore.  I should though!  Highly, highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  Just as fun as the first book!  And a new favorite series of mine!

Disclosure-  I purchased both of these books from my local used bookstore.  They were well worth it!  And happily I have passed both of them on to my Mom (she loved them too) and now they will go on to my sister.  How fun is that?!?

Library Loot - April Edition

As if I didn't have enough books that I wanted to read this month, I went holds crazy at the library about a week ago.  Of course they all came in at once as holds usually tend to do.  These are all going to be unofficially added to my April reading plans because why not?  I'm super excited about all of these for various reasons.  Here is what I picked up:

• Mark of the Witch by Maggie Shayne - I'm in the mood for some paranormal romance and this has been on my TBR list since it first came out.  I am more than ready to finally give it a try!
• Charm & Strange by Stephanie Kuehn - I picked this one up thanks to another blogger who had this great post about if you like this type of book, try this with recommendations.  This was one of her recommendations for unreliable narrators and I couldn't resist.  Sadly, I have no clue whose blog this post was on or I would share with you.
• The Walking Dead, Volume 4: The Heart's Desire by Robert Kirkman - The last volume left off on a bit of a cliff hanger so I instantly requested this one from the library!
• The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood - Oh my goodness, I added this one to my TBR list when I saw Stephen King tweet about it.  Then I read the premise and it became a must read!  I cannot wait to read this one as it sounds super creepy!
• Omens by Kelley Armstrong-  Remember when I said I want to read some chunkier books soon.  Well, this will definitely fit and I have also had this one on my TBR list since before it came out. 

 Don't these all look great?  Which one would you read first if you had to choose?  This weekend I'm currently reading Under a Silent Moon by Elizabeth Haynes.  Good so far but I've just begun.  I'm also really starting to get into Dirty Magic by Jaye Wells.  Finally!  Sometimes my reading suffers a bit when I read on my ipad.  Just too many other distractions :)  I'm off to get my house clean and laundry started.

I hope everyone has a great Easter weekend!

The Sunday Salon: Reading Randomness

Happy Sunday!  Whew, I feel like these last two weeks flew by in a blur.  It was a lot of go, go, go and not a lot of down time.  That's okay because today is going to be one of those rare quiet days where we have absolutely nothing going on.  Priceless!  Although the last two weeks were super busy, I managed to fit in a fair amount of reading in there.  That's a positive!  The flu ran through our house though which was definitely not fun.  My youngest had it the worst, and he is just now starting to act like himself again.  What else?  Oh yes, my oldest son was outside practicing baseball and managed to get a black eye after missing a pop fly.  Just in time for school pictures.  LOL!  I just may have to buy one to keep.  Other than that it was a just a normal albeit busy two weeks.

In 2014, I have already managed to read 28 books including graphic novels and audios.  That is fantastic for me and means that I'm six books ahead of my goal to read eighty books (according to Goodreads).  I was pretty happy with that number until I realized that I really haven't settled down with a good chunky read yet.  This is going to have to change!  I have a bunch of longer books that I want to read but never actually take the time to read.  I've already made my reading plans for this month but in May I shall be picking one large book that I want to focus on.  Because I know that I constantly say that I want to read ALL of the books, but really my focus is quality over quantity.  I could be missing out by not reading some of those longer books off of my TBR list.  I haven't decided yet which book that I want to read but possibles include It by Stephen King, Parasite by Mira Grant, and The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters.   I'm open to suggestions if you have any other big books that you've loved recently.

On to the books I finished in the last two weeks which were:

Dark Witch by Nora Roberts- This was a good read for me but it didn't suck me in like other trilogies of hers have.  It was good enough that I definitely want to read the next book, but I was glad that I waited for my library to get a copy.  I feel like I liked it better then some other reviews I've seen, but it wasn't as great as I hoped.  Review to come.

Summoning the Night by Jenn Bennett-  This is good urban fantasy and was a great read!  I love the characters, love the unique storylines, and always find myself eager to grab the next book.  In fact, I'm already putting the third book on hold at the library because I want to read it NOW.  I will be reviewing this one very soon!

Pies and Prejudice by Ellery Adams- This was a cute beginning to a cozy mystery series with some paranormal aspects.  I almost instantly found myself caught between the pages but the ending of the book was a bit of a let down.  I'm hoping that the next book in the series will give us more of the answers that I didn't find from this book.  I'll be writing up my thoughts on this one as well.

The Walking Dead: Volume 3, Safety Behind Bars by Robert Kirkman- I'm so loving reading these comics.  I never know what to expect, and they are getting darker and more intense as I go on.  This one left off with a cliffhanger so I'm putting the next one on hold asap!  I just hope that it comes in fast at the library.  I probably will wait to share my thoughts on this one until I have at least read one more volume.  So review to come.

I'm currently reading the following:

I haven't even had the chance to crack this one open yet but it will be my next read.  I've been meaning to start this one for ages (in fact according to Goodreads I added it to my TBR list back in 2011).  I'm finally pulling it off of my shelves, and am ready to see what the buzz about this series is all about.  Up next will possibly be this one:

Squee!!  I saw this on NetGalley and instantly requested it.  I just loaded it onto my ipad so I'm ready to go.  This may be my MOST anticipated read for 2014 so I will not be waiting long to read it.  Yay, yay, yay!  Happy days!

Plans for today include laundry and reading.  That's it!  It's raining outside, my house is clean (mostly), and I have nothing else planned.  I shall blog, read, and then maybe blog so more!  It sounds perfect!  What are you doing on this rainy Sunday?

Happy Reading!

Mind of Winter by Laura Kasischke (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"On a snowy Christmas morning, Holly Judge awakens, the fragments of a nightmare-something she must write down-floating on the edge of her consciousness.

Something followed them from Russia."

My Thoughts:

Wow!  This book is one that sure took me by surprise!  The book started off slowly for me but turned into quite the page turner by the end.  The book had a sinister feel to it where you knew from the very beginning that something wasn't right but you weren't sure what was off.  And that bad feeling continued to grow as the book moved on which caused more suspense than if something would have jumped out at me.  I found myself trying to read faster but this book isn't meant to be read fast.  It is meant to slowly build up to a thrilling ending and that is exactly what it did.  I knew that something was wrong but I still found myself completely blown away by the ending.  What a great ending!

 I went into this book not really knowing anything about it.  That really worked for me as I had no expectations other than thinking that it would be a creepy read.  It was exactly that but it was also more.  It was a book filled with secrets, with sadness, and I think regrets.  The author took the snow storm and built the book around it in such a way that there was an isolated feel to it.  It was almost as if there was a layer of unreality where everything was happening but then it wasn't.  Does that make sense?  Probably not but I think that you will understand if you read the book.  That questioning feel really made the book more tense and suspenseful then it would have been otherwise.  I couldn't trust everything that was going on and I didn't know why.  Just thinking about it makes me excited to hear what other readers think about this book!

Although I really enjoyed this book it wasn't perfect.  It started slowly and took a bit of time for me to sink my teeth into it.  It was definitely worth the wait though!  I also found Holly a bit off putting at times.  It took me awhile to connect to her character and I never fully understood her actions.  It helped add to the mystery of the book because once again I could never completely trust what was going on.  This book would be one to reread just to see all of the clues and hints that the author probably gave us and I missed.

Overall, I ended up finding myself quite impressed with this book.  It wasn't your typical thriller but instead slowly built up to a stunning climax.  I'm really eager to read more of this author's books after finishing this one.  If they are half as good as this one turned out to be then I shall be in for a real treat!  My reading recommendations for this one are take your time with it.  Let the spooky atmosphere and suspense slowly pull you in...and trust that it will all be worth it in the end.  Recommended to readers of suspense, thrillers, or just fiction lovers in general!

Bottom Line:  A book filled with questions and suspense...what a ride!

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

Kindling the Moon by Jenn Bennett (thoughts)

In Kindling the Moon we meet Arcadia Bell, a bartender in hiding, thanks to her famous parents who are on the run for murder.  Because her parents are wanted by the occult community, Arcadia has to keep her identity secret from everyone around her.  Everything changes though when her parents are spotted for the first time in years.  Now the occult community is demanding justice: either her parents or Arcadia herself are what they want and they want retribution.  It is up to Arcadia to figure out what really happened all those years ago and to find the demon that was present during the murders.  Can she find the truth before time runs out?

This was one of the best beginnings to an urban fantasy series that I have read in a long time!  Arcadia's one of those characters that you just can't help but like.  I found myself instantly drawn into the story.  In fact, one of the best things about this book in my opinion is that I was never overwhelmed by the world building even though this is the first in a series.  Very often an author can give almost too many details as they set up a new series, but Bennett managed to set up this new world without overdoing it.  I also appreciated the fact that she managed to leave questions unanswered especially in regards to Cady (as Arcadia is known) and her abilities.  In fact, I feel like we just skimmed the surface a bit when it comes to all of the characters and what we know about them.  But in the best possible way!  We were given a taste and I'm thinking that future books will really allow for us to learn more about all of the main characters.  I'm hoping that means we continue to see lots more of Len as I loved the relationship that was beginning to develop between him and Cady.  He isn't your typical hero as he is part demon, older, and has a child of his own that he raises.  I thought he was great!  And I really want to see more of him!

This book was very fast paced and hard to put down.  I found myself eager to keep reading even when I should have been doing other things.  Like laundry.  I was very, very close to instantly picking up the second book as soon as I finished this one.  As it is, I'm more than ready to pick up Summoning the Night right now!  The ending of this book didn't take me by surprise as halfway through I kind of guessed the direction that this book was going.  It didn't matter though as I still found myself reading with breathless anticipation.  Very satisfying conclusion but bring on book two!

All in all, this was a great beginning to this series, and I'm kicking myself for not starting it sooner.  I am super excited to have found such a great series though so that is a positive!  I finished this one in a matter of days and was left feeling completely satisfied.  Such a great read!  This book is one that I would easily recommend to fans of both urban fantasy and paranormal romance.  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  A fresh and original beginning to this urban fantasy series!  Oh so good!

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