Posts Tagged ‘jim butcher’

A Reading Funk – what’s a blogger to do?!?

It’s a bird…. no, it’s a plane… no! It’s a post from ME! Sound the alarms… bring out the donuts! *grin*

I know – it’s like I disappeared off the blogging planet. The truth is, I’ve been in a reading funk. But the first step to fixing it? I hear it is admitting it! or something. With the help of a little poking from a friend on twitter, I decided today would be the day I step back into my blogging shoes… or fuzzy slippers as they may be and just write what I have been thinking. Basically.. how did I get into this funk!??! I think I have read may 4 books over the last 2 months…. I was reading 2-3 books a week at one point.

The first thing to consider when questioning why a blogger may be in a funk…. what is going on in my life? Is something I am doing causing me to be in a funk? But really.. the answer is no. Life is pretty much the same as it always has been… the exception that I actually have had more time to read over the summer and plenty of opportunity since I find myself at the gym quite a bit. The kids may drive me batty with their bickering, but they are easy enough to send to their room and let myself cuddle up with my Kindle.

Is it just me? Maybe I need to take a break and stop reading and recollect myself? Maybe I burnt myself out reading 300+ books since I got my Kindle? I took a good hard look at this one, because its possible! Yet, I don’t think its the number one factor. Yes, I read a lot and needed a break.. I’ve taken a bit of one by reading less… by not accepting every review offered to me so I don’t feel obligated. Yet some books I’ve picked up lately, I just felt “meh” about anyway. At the same time, at least one book I picked up over the last 2 months I absolutely LOVED.

What all this rambling comes down to is this…. I think my tastes as a reader have evolved. I have read some really fantastic books over the last year. Moira Rogers, Jim Butcher, Ilona Andrews, Shiloh Walker… all authors that have absolutely blown me away in one way or another with their work. The more I read from them, and other authors of their caliber, the higher I set my standards for a book. At first, I thought maybe this is a bad thing? Maybe they are artificially inflating my expectations for their respective genres?

But really, how could expecting great reads be too much? Why should I settle for things that are “meh” or good when I know there is better waiting for me? The more I think about it, the more I feel this is where I am at. Will I eventually want to spend my time on the just “good enough” ..? I am sure I will. But for now, I want to be completely captivated and blow away when I pick up a book. I want that feeling that you get when you can not bear to set a book down, splashing cold water on your face at 3 am because you do not want to sleep til you get to the next chapter. Maybe this is too much to ask… but then I have to ask you… why would it be?

2009 Reading Wrap Up

Peer pressure, I am a sucker for it! So, I am joining in with the 2009 wrap up posts going around!

My *5 Star* Books Read & Published in 2009

I couldn’t narrow it down to a top 10, so you are getting all the books that were published this year and I gave 5 stars to.

Since I started the blog late in the year, below isa list of books I have read throughout 2009 according to Goodreads (174 total). If there is a review, it is linked! You can see a nifty collage of covers here and check out all the books below and the star ratings I gave them at Goodreads.

Non Series books

The Wednesday Sisters: A Novel (Hardcover) Clayton, Meg Waite
Firefly Lane (Hardcover) Hannah, Kristin
The Necklace: Thirteen Women and the Experiment That Transformed Their Lives (Hardcover) Jarvis, Cheryl Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
The Forgotten Garden (Paperback) Morton, Kate
Seduced by a Rogue (Mass Market Paperback) Scott, Amanda
Unbound (Mass Market Paperback) Anthology
Strange Brew (Paperback) Anthology

Series books – alphabetical order

Kiss of Midnight (Midnight Breed, #1) Adrian, Lara
Kiss of Crimson (Midnight Breed, #2) Adrian, Lara
Midnight Awakening (Midnight Breed, #3) Adrian, Lara
Midnight Rising (Midnight Breed, #4) Adrian, Lara
Ashes of Midnight (Midnight Breed, #6) Adrian, Lara
Veil of Midnight (Midnight Breed, #5) Adrian, Lara

Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels, #3) Andrews, Ilona
On the Edge (The Edge, #1) Andrews, Ilona

Haunted (Women of the Otherworld, #5) Armstrong, Kelley
No Humans Involved (Women of the Otherworld, #7) Armstrong, Kelley
Personal Demon (Women of the Otherworld, #8) Armstrong, Kelley
Living with the Dead (Women of the Otherworld, #9) Armstrong, Kelley
Men of the Otherworld (Women of the Otherworld) Armstrong, Kelley
Frostbitten (Women of the Otherworld, #10) Armstrong, Kelley
The Summoning (Darkest Powers, #1) Armstrong, Kelley
The Awakening (Darkest Powers, #2) Armstrong, Kelley
Exit Strategy (Nadia Stafford, #1) Armstrong, Kelley
Made to Be Broken (Nadia Stafford, #2) Armstrong, Kelley

Full Moon Rising (Riley Jenson Guardian, #1) Arthur, Keri
Kissing Sin (Riley Jenson Guardian, #2) Arthur, Keri
Tempting Evil (Riley Jenson Guardian, #3) Arthur, Keri
Dangerous Games (Riley Jenson Guardian, #4) Arthur, Keri
Embraced By Darkness (Riley Jenson Guardian, #5) Arthur, Keri
The Darkest Kiss (Riley Jenson Guardian, #6) Arthur, Keri
Deadly Desire (Riley Jenson Guardian, #7) Arthur, Keri
Bound to Shadows (Riley Jenson Guardian, #8) Arthur, Keri
Destiny Kills (Myth and Magic, #1) Arthur, Keri

Witch Fire (Elemental Witches, Book 1) Bast, Anya
Witch Blood (Elemental Witches, Book 2) Bast, Anya
Witch Heart (Elemental Witches, Book 3) Bast, Anya
Witch Fury (Elemental Witches, Book 4) Bast, Anya
The Chosen Sin (Paperback) Bast, Anya

The Devil Inside (Morgan Kingsley, #1) Black, Jenna
The Devil You Know (Morgan Kingsley, #2) Black, Jenna
The Devil’s Due (Morgan Kingsley, #3) Black, Jenna
Speak of the Devil (Morgan Kingsley, #4) Black, Jenna

Moon Called (Mercedes Thompson, #1) Briggs, Patricia
Blood Bound (Mercedes Thompson, #2) Briggs, Patricia
Iron Kissed (Mercedes Thompson, #3) Briggs, Patricia
Bone Crossed (Mercedes Thompson, #4) Briggs, Patricia
Cry Wolf (Alpha & Omega, #1) Briggs, Patricia
Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega, #2) Briggs, Patricia

Storm Front (The Dresden Files, #1) Butcher, Jim
Fool Moon (The Dresden Files, #2) Butcher, Jim
Grave Peril (The Dresden Files, #3) Butcher, Jim
Summer Knight (The Dresden Files, #4) Butcher, Jim
Death Masks (The Dresden Files, #5) Butcher, Jim
Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, #6) Butcher, Jim
Dead Beat (The Dresden Files, #7) Butcher, Jim
Proven Guilty (The Dresden Files, #8) Butcher, Jim
White Night (The Dresden Files, #9) Butcher, Jim
Small Favor (The Dresden Files, #10) Butcher, Jim
Backup (The Dresden Files, #10.2) Butcher, Jim
Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, #11) Butcher, Jim

Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires, #1) Caine, Rachel
The Dead Girls’ Dance (The Morganville Vampires, #2) Caine, Rachel
Midnight Alley (The Morganville Vampires, #3) Caine, Rachel
Feast of Fools (The Morganville Vampires, #4) Caine, Rachel
Lord of Misrule (The Morganville Vampires, #5) Caine, Rachel
Carpe Corpus (The Morganville Vampires, #6) Caine, Rachel
Fade Out (The Morganville Vampires, #7) Caine, Rachel
Ill Wind (Weather Warden, #1) Caine, Rachel
Heat Stroke (Weather Warden, #2) Caine, Rachel
Chill Factor (Weather Warden, #3) Caine, Rachel
Windfall (Weather Warden, #4) Caine, Rachel
Firestorm (Weather Warden, #5) Caine, Rachel
Thin Air (Weather Warden, #6) Caine, Rachel
Gale Force (Weather Warden, #7) Caine, Rachel
Cape Storm (Weather Warden, #8) Caine, Rachel
Undone (Outcast Season, #1) Caine, Rachel

Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate #1) Carriger, Gail

Touch the Dark (Cassandra Palmer, #1) Chance, Karen
Claimed By Shadow (Cassandra Palmer, #2) Chance, Karen
Embrace the Night (Cassandra Palmer, #3) Chance, Karen
Curse the Dawn (Cassandra Palmer, #4) Chance, Karen
Midnight’s Daughter (Dorina Basarab, #1) Chance, Karen

A Hunger Like No Other (Immortals After Dark, #2) Cole, Kresley
No Rest for the Wicked (Immortals After Dark, #3) Cole, Kresley
Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night (Immortals After Dark, #4) Cole, Kresley
Dark Needs At Night’s Edge (Immortals After Dark, #5) Cole, Kresley
Kiss of a Demon King (Immortals After Dark, #7) Cole, Kresley
Dark Desires After Dusk (Immortals After Dark, #6) Cole, Kresley

Nightwalker (Dark Days, #1) Drake, Jocelynn
Dayhunter (Dark Days, #2) Drake, Jocelynn
Dawnbreaker (Dark Days, #3) Drake, Jocelynn

At Grave’s End (Night Huntress, #3) Frost, Jeaniene
Destined for an Early Grave (Night Huntress, #4) Frost, Jeaniene

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

White Witch, Black Curse (Rachel Morgan/The Hollows, #7) Harrison, Kim

Fatal Shadows (Adrien English Mystery Series #1) Lanyon, Josh

Coyote’s Mate (Breeds, #18) Leigh, Lora
Bengal’s Heart (Breeds, #19) Leigh, Lora
Nauti Boy (Nauti, #1) Leigh, Lora
Nauti Dreams (Nauti, #3) Leigh, Lora
Nauti Nights (Nauti, #2) Leigh, Lora
Nauti Intentions (Nauti, #4) Leigh, Lora
Dangerous Games (Tempting SEALs, #2) Leigh, Lora
Hidden Agendas (Tempting SEALs, #4) Leigh, Lora
Killer Secrets (Tempting SEALs, #5) Leigh, Lora
Wild Card (Elite Ops, #1) Leigh, Lora
Wicked Pleasure (Bound Hearts, #9) Leigh, Lora
Forbidden Pleasure (Bound Hearts, #8) Leigh, Lora
Maverick (Elite Ops, #3) Leigh, Lora
Marly’s Choice (Men of August, #1) Leigh, Lora
Sarah’s Seduction (Men of August, #2) Leigh, Lora
Only Pleasure (Bound Hearts, #10) Leigh, Lora
Heather’s Gift (Men of August, #3) Leigh, Lora
Submission & Seduction (Bound Hearts, #2 and #3) Leigh, Lora
Wicked Sacrifice (Bound Hearts, #4 and #5) Leigh, Lora
Menage a Magick (Wizard Twins, #1) Leigh, Lora
Shameless Embraces (Bound Hearts, #6 and #7) Leigh, Lora
Ties That Bind (Includes: Bound Hearts, #1) Leigh, Lora
Surrender (Bound Hearts, #1) Leigh, Lora
Heat Seeker (Elite Ops, #4) Leigh, Lora
Wicked Intent (Bound Hearts, #4) Leigh, Lora
Submission (Bound Hearts, #2) Leigh, Lora
Night Hawk (Elite Ops, #2) Leigh, Lora
When Wizards Rule (Wizard Twins, #2) Leigh, Lora
Shameless (Bound Hearts, #7) Leigh, Lora
Seduction (Bound Hearts, #3) Leigh, Lora
Sacrifice (Bound Hearts, #5) Leigh, Lora
August Heat (Men of August, #4) Leigh, Lora
Embraced (Bound Hearts, #6) Leigh, Lora
Wolfe’s Hope (Breeds, #10) Leigh, Lora
The Breed Next Door (Breeds, #6) Leigh, Lora

Succubus Blues (Georgina Kincaid, #1) Mead, Richelle
Succubus On Top (Georgina Kincaid, #2) Mead, Richelle
Succubus Dreams (Georgina Kincaid, #3) Mead, Richelle
Succubus Heat (Georgina Kincaid, #4) Mead, Richelle
Storm Born (Dark Swan, #1) Mead, Richelle
Thorn Queen (Dark Swan, #2) Mead, Richelle

Blood Vice (ebook) Melton, Keith

Darkfever (Fever, #1) Moning, Karen Marie
Bloodfever (Fever, #2) Moning, Karen Marie
Faefever (Fever, #3) Moning, Karen Marie
Dreamfever (Fever, #4) Moning, Karen Marie

The Scent of Shadows: The First Sign of the Zodiac (Mass Market Paperback) Pettersson, Vicki
The Taste of Night: The Second Sign of the Zodiac (Mass Market Paperback) Pettersson, Vicki
The Touch of Twilight (Sign of the Zodiac, Book 3) Pettersson, Vicki
City of Souls (Sign of the Zodiac, Book 4) Pettersson, Vicki

A Rush of Wings (The Maker’s Song, #1) Phoenix, Adrian
In the Blood (The Maker’s Song, #2) Phoenix, Adrian

Crux (Southern Arcana, Book 1) Rogers, Moira

The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld, #1) Showalter, Gena
The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld, #2) Showalter, Gena
The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld, #3) Showalter, Gena
The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld, #4) Showalter, Gena

Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Kitty Norville, Book 1) Vaughn, Carrie
Kitty Goes to Washington (Kitty Norville, Book 2) Vaughn, Carrie
Kitty Takes a Holiday (Kitty Norville, Book 3) Vaughn, Carrie
Kitty and the Silver Bullet (Kitty Norville, Book 4) Vaughn, Carrie
Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand (Kitty Norville, Book 5) Vaughn, Carrie
Kitty Raises Hell (Kitty Norville, Book 6) Vaughn, Carrie

Stray (Shifters, #1) Vincent, Rachel
Rogue (Shifters, #2) Vincent, Rachel
Pride (Shifters, #3) Vincent, Rachel
Prey (Shifters, #4) Vincent, Rachel

Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #1) Ward, J.R.
Lover Eternal (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #2) Ward, J.R.
Lover Awakened (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #3) Ward, J.R.
Lover Revealed (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #4) Ward, J.R.
Lover Unbound (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #5) Ward, J.R.
Lover Enshrined (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #6) Ward, J.R.
Lover Avenged (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #7) Ward, J.R.
The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider’s Guide (Trade Paperback) Ward, J.R.
Covet (Fallen Angels, #1) Ward, J.R.

Red-Headed Stepchild (Sabina Kane, #1) Wells, Jaye

Cover Reveal: Dark and Stormy Knights Anthology

Ilona Andrews is at it again, teasing us poor readers. Today, my birthday, she flaunts this yummy anthology goodness! I can’t even tell you how excited I am to learn about this anthology…. Its all I can do to not cackle with giddiness. Jim Butcher, Vicki Pettersson, Ilona Andrews, and more…. all in one book? An urban fantasy fangirl’s ultimate dream!

It looks like it is set to be published in July 2010 and the paperback is available for preorder from Amazon here. No kindle version yet. Check out Ilona Andrew’s blog for the small snippet from the Kate Daniels story in the anthology.

Wishlist Wednesday (4)

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme thought of by Book Chick City. It allows us to share the books we haven’t bought yet but are waiting to be bought and devoured. I know my wishlist is huge and I use it more to track what I want to buy next than to ask for gifts from the hubby, but this gives us a chance to share authors/series we are looking forward to! Check out the ‘On My Wishlist’ post from Book City Chick here.


I generally try to stick to books that have been released for this meme, but I can’t resist adding the upcoming installment to the Harry Dresden series. I can’t wait to find out what happens next with the sexy wizard! The summary … talk about holy suspense batman! I read it and was like “wahhhh???”

Title: Changes
Author Jim Butcher
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: ROC
Publication Date: 6 April 2010

Summary: Long ago, Susan Rodriguez was Harry Dresden’s lover-until she was attacked by his enemies, leaving her torn between her own humanity and the bloodlust of the vampiric Red Court. Susan then disappeared to South America, where she could fight both her savage gift and those who cursed her with it.

Now Arianna Ortega, Duchess of the Red Court, has discovered a secret Susan has long kept, and she plans to use it-against Harry. To prevail this time, he may have no choice but to embrace the raging fury of his own untapped dark power. Because Harry’s not fighting to save the world…

He’s fighting to save his child.

Books In Series:
1. Storm Front
2. Fool Moon
3. Grave Peril
4. Summer Knight
5. Death Masks
6. Blood Rites
7. Dead Beat
8. Proven Guilty
9. White Night
10. Small Favor
11. Turn Coat
12. Changes


I don’t remember where I heard or saw this book, but I put it on my wishlist at one point or another! I think I saw the cover to the second book and was intrigued!

Title: Wages of Sin
Author Jenna Maclaine
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Publication Date: 29 July 2008

Summary: Dulcinea Craven descends from a long line of witches, and she has just inherited wild, untrained magical powers that she has no idea how to control. Now a ruthless vampire and an age-old demon are determined to enslave Cin and steal her power for their own. Her only hope is The Righteous, a band of warrior vampires who slay the rogue undead. Among them is Michael, a fierce swordsman who inflames Cin’s most primal hungers. Showing her a sensual pleasure beyond anything in the mortal realm, she must choose between the human existence she has always known, and immortality as a vampire—a new life filled with forbidden urges, dark yearning, and unearthly passions…

Books In Series:
1. Wages of Sin
2. Grave Sins
3. Bound by Sin

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1 star- blah, put me to sleep. I wouldn't recommend

2 star- I didn't like it, but you might.

3 star- Good book - but not good enough to keep me up.

4 star- Great book, but I managed to get a tiny bit of sleep while reading.

5 star- I stayed up all night finish this book. You must read!
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