I promise I haven’t died or anything. I’ve just had a busy couple of weeks, but now my schedule looks more empty, so look forward to more book reviews from me.
I didn’t review anything this week, but I did go on a little shopping spree, and picked up the following books:
Jennifer Crusie, Trust Me on This: (Chick-lit) I love Ms. Crusie. No, seriously. I’ve read a lot of her books, and I just keep reading more. I saw on her blog where she talked about the selection for the color of the suitcase on the cover, and all I could think of was, “what a cute dog!” Okay, so I’m a bit of an animal lover. lol And I know I said I probably wouldn’t review any of Ms. Crusie’s books (because the reviews would be biased), I just can’t help myself. I picked this book up around 6 in the evening and had it finished by about 7:30. Look for this one soon.
Dennie Banks is an investigative reporter chasing down the biggest story of her career. Alec Prentice is a government agent working undercover to catch an elusive grifter. When they meet by accident, it’s a case of mistaken identities at first sight. What they don’t mistake is the instant attraction they have for each other, an attraction they’ll do everything in their power to resist—because Dennie thinks that Alec is running interference for her interview subject, and Alec suspects that Dennie is linked to his swindler. As the confusion grows, so do their feelings for each other, and what begins as a romantic comedy of errors may just end in the love affair of a lifetime. (from back cover)
The first two volumes of The Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine: (YA) I first attempted to read Glass Houses as an e-book a few years ago, and decided that I couldn’t do it (I did much the same with the first book of the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris). E-books just aren’t for me. Lucky me, the MV series is being published in volumes now (or at least, the first few books are being published this way). There’s a ridiculous number of books in this series, and I haven’t even started! Anyway, the first volume contains Glass Houses and The Dead Girls’ Dance. The second volume contains Midnight Alley and Feast of Fools.
Glass Houses: College freshman Claire Danvers moves off campus and into an old house in the small town of Morganville. Her new roommates have her back when the town’s deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood…
The Dead Girls’ Dance: Claire may have a great roommate and a new boyfriend, but when she’s invited to the Dead Girls’ Dance all hell breaks loose—literally. Because this time, the living and the dead are ready to tear up the night…
Midnight Alley: Claire Danvers has pledged herself to Amelie, the most powerful vampire in town. But her protection doesn’t offer much comfort when people start turning up dead and an ancient bloodsucker extends a chilling invitation for private lessons in his secluded home, giving a terrifying new meaning to “night school”…
Feast of Fools: The tenuous good-neighbor policy between the vampires and humans of Morganville is turned on its head with the arrival of bad-to-the-bone Mr. Bishop. What the ancient old-school vampire wants from the town is unthinkably sinister. It’s only at a formal ball that Claire realized the elaborately evil trap Bishop has set for the warm-blooded souls of Morganville.
(summaries from back covers)
Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl, Beautiful Creatures (Casters #1): (YA) I started this one as soon as I got it. I’d heard so much hype about it when it first came out that I couldn’t resist. I should have a review coming up for it in the next few days.
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she’s struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps, and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.
Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town’s oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.
In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything. (from back cover)
Gayle Forman, If I Stay: (YA) I started this one, too, but it couldn’t hold my attention at the time. I’m hoping to go back to it soon and post a review. I heard a lot of good things about this one, and it’s a really short book, so I should have it finished pretty quickly.
In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year- old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck… A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands.
(from back cover)
Stephen King, The Regulators: (as Richard Bachman) I have a great love for Stephen King. It’s rare that I’ll find a book of his that I dislike. I especially love all of the books written as Richard Bachman. They’re a little darker than some of his other works.
There’s a place in Wentworth, Ohio, where summer is in full swing. It’s called Poplar Street. Up until now it’s been a nice place to live. The idling red van around the corner is about to change all that. Let the battle against evil begin. (from summary inside)
Dianne Sylvan, Queen of Shadows: (Urban Fantasy; Shadow World #1) I stumbled across this book when someone posted about a giveaway on twitter. I immediately called around to my local bookstores, searching for it. I finally found it at Borders (boo! hiss!), reserved it, and went that night to pick it up. Of course, I started reading it as soon as I got home, and couldn’t put it down. Didn’t even take me a day to finish. Look for a review for this book soon.
Spread throughout the dark corners of our world lies the Shadow World, a society of vampires that feeds off the living. In Austin, Texas, one woman’s madness will drive her into a world that few people ever see – or even know exists…
Shortly after she picked up a guitar, Miranda Grey conquered the Austin music scene with a newfound ability to psychically manipulate her audience’s emotions. But as her powers outgrow her control, her mind is increasingly invaded by haunting secrets and overwhelming sadness. Unable to look anyone in the eye, Miranda is fast approaching the edge of insanity – with no one to catch her fall…
When he outlawed killing humans, David Solomon ignited a civil war among Austin’s vampires. As Prime of the South, his sympathy for mortals angered the old guard who refuse to control their violent urges. David has his hands full with the growing insurgency, but he takes in a broken-down woman, a musician in need of supernatural guidance. Little does he know that Miranda Grey has the power to change his world as well… (from back cover)
I also picked up four books at the library:
Jodi Picoult, Nineteen Minutes
Lauren Oliver, Before I Fall
Meg Cabot, Being Nikki (Airhead #2)
Irene Nemirovsky, Suite Francaise
Books from the Addict 