Posts filed under ‘Weekly Update’
My weekly…um monthly…um semi-annual…update
Well, yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve done a “weekly” update, hasn’t it? <g>
On the personal front, the kid is back in school, and we are now in the midst of soccer season. Twice weekly practice, and weekly games make it a big part of our week. Things are pretty hectic, what with making sure soccer clothes are clean, and homework is done before practice. But, once we’re at the park, it’s all fun and games. 
Things are also going to get crazier yet, since next week I will be having surgery to remove my gall bladder. I’ve been told it’s a minor out-patient surgery, so I’m hoping I’ll bounce back relatively quickly. And, if nothing else, it’ll serve as a great excuse to spend the following week reading and relaxing. (Hey, I’ve got to take my opportunities where I can!)
Can you believe, that after almost a year of living in our place, we finally unpacked our books a couple of weeks ago? We’d been waiting for some furniture changes in our office, and I really didn’t want to have to move the books once they were unpacked. Our furniture situation was finally resolved, and there were no more excuses. And, while we did have to move the graphic novels over to the shelves that hold the comic book boxes—yes, we have custom shelving for the comic book boxes, can you get any geekier?— we were able to fit all of our fiction onto one wall, filled with bookcases.
Let me tell you, there is nothing more goofy than 2 Lit majors arguing over how to shelve books. If you were a fly on our wall, you’d have heard questions like:
- Honey, should I put the Asian lit together with the Asian American lit? (Answer: a quick vehement NO)
- Does Balzac’s Seraphita go on the European lit shelf or on the literary criticism shelf? (Answer: a ridiculously long debate that ended in putting it on the lit crit shelf)
- Should Octavia Butler’s books be classified as contemporary fantasy or sci-fi? (Answer: a still debatable sci-fi shelving)
I have to say that my guy and I thoroughly enjoyed the day organizing our books. And, I actually spent an additional morning just playing among my bookcases (the 2 on the left, pictured here, and my other small “imminently tbr” in my bedroom). It felt so satisfying getting things organized and cleared up. We now even have additional guest sleeping space in the office, as well as a comfy reading nook, just for me!
I’ve just finished listening to Killing Floor by Lee Child. I don’t often read suspense-thrillers, but I’d heard so many good things about the Jack Reacher series, I thought I’d give it a go. It was a fun, pulpy read. Jack Reacher’s character made the book stand out. He really reminds me of Clint Eastwood’s “Man with No Name” character in the Sergio Leone movies. I’m still mourning the fact that Tom Cruise has been cast in the Jack Reacher role for an upcoming movie. You know. The 6’5″ 250lb ex-military policeman. *headdesk* (This fact was broken to me on Twitter during a highly amusing and very depressing conversation with @younglibrarian, @SonomaLass, @cjewel, and @MeganMulry.)
This past weekend, I also read Pharaoh’s Concubine by ZA Maxfield and The Tempering of Men by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear. Both were excellent reads. Here’s a couple of mini-reviews I did for them over at Goodreads:
Pharaoh’s Concubine by ZA Maxfield:
I really liked this romantic suspense. It put me in mind of Jane Seville’s Zero at the Bone and Brooke McKinley’s Shades of Gray.
Dylan and William go on the run, to prevent Dylan’s mobster lover from killing William in retaliation for a botched kidnapping attempt on Dylan. There’s lots of suspense and angst. Dylan’s character grows so much through the story, as he makes peace with his past and reunites with some of his family. I loved Williams low-key intensity, and his ability to see through Dylan’s pretty-boy image, and into his heart.
The Tempering of Men by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear:
I’m currently reading Song of Scarabaeus by Sara Creasy. I’ve heard so much buzz about this sci-fi romance, and was thrilled to find it when I went to the Borders closing sale in Rancho Cucamonga. I really like the originality of the world, and Finn and Edie’s relationship. I’m already planning on reading book 2, Children of Scarabaeus.
I’ve also started Cherie Priest’s Hellbent in in audio. I really enjoyed the first in the Cheshire Red series, and though the narrator sounds a little too smirky at times, the narration is mostly well done.The story itself is really good, and I like how Raylene, despite her desire to be a tough cookie, keeps finding herself taking care of those around her.
Later this week, I’m hoping to get to Midnight by Ellen Connor, Good Girls Don’t by Victoria Dahl.
So, that’s what’s been going on with me. What’s been going on with you? Read any good books lately?
Update: Surgery and Books
I’m recovering nicely from surgery. It’s hard to believe it was already 2 weeks ago. I guess with everything I’ve had going on with my mom, my mind has been focused on other things.
The brace isn't QUITE this big, but it sure feels like it is.
However, after a 6 day stay in the hospital, the surgeon let me go, in time for all of the planning and funeral arrangements.
The hip replacement has shiny new plastic and metal parts. The upside: it hopefully won’t need any more work for another 15 years.
The downside is that the surgery was sort of intense and in order to do what they needed to do, they had to leave my hip joint in a precarious state, and it could easily dislocate. The result is that I will need to wear a VERY large brace (repeat: VERY large. Like, from waist to left knee) for the next 6 months. While typically not something one wears after a surgery like this, I’ve worn one before when I dislocated my right hip (which is what it’s really for).
Family has been wonderful, pitching in, helping to take care of the kid and me. My guy had a business trip that we wouldn’t let him cancel. (He wanted to cancel so he could stay and take care of us, but my family assured him they had it covered while he was in D.C.)
In the mean time, I’ve been mostly listening to audiobooks. My brain has been too befuddled by events, pain, and painkillers to really focus on reading a story. However, I’ve been just fine with listening to audiobooks, especially since I can do that with my eyes closed.
I’ve been working my way through the Virgin River series by Robyn Carr. For the most part, I’m enjoying it. I really love the building of a world through multiple books, be it fantasy or contemporary. The community has been my favorite part. And while I have some peeves with some of the series tendencies (like: does EVERYONE have to have a baby immediately upon entering Virgin River? and, why is almost every heroine described as having “small hands”?) it has been a good, reliable, undemanding story, with the assured HEA at the end of every installment.
However, now that I’ve reached #7, Paradise Valley (Rick’s story), I’m feeling a bit burned out. I really didn’t like Luke, the hero in #6 (you can read my Goodreads comments about him to orannia), Temptation Ridge, and need a bit of a break. I’m listening to podcasts while I make up my mind to move on to #7, or listen to something completely different.
I’ve been DYING to start an audio re-read of Lisa Kleypas’ Wallflowers series, but am still waiting for Devil in Winter from my library. The other 3 are already loaded onto my iPod, but I have a feeling that once I start Secrets of a Summer Night, it’ll kill me to have to stop and wait for DiW, which is #3 of the quartet. So, I’m biding my time and trying not to check my online library account repeatedly to see if it’s on it’s way to me. (I’m #4 on the list now…)
In the meantime, I’m considering starting Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series. I bought the 1st book, Maisie Dobbs, during Audible’s 1st in a Series sale.
I’m finally feeling up to reading again, and am starting both Jordan Castillo Price’s GhosTV (Psycop #6) and Julie Anne Long’s The Perils of Pleasure.
I’ve been SO looking forward to the new Vic and Jacob story, and missed JCP’s announcement for its release in my overflowing inbox. However, I saw that Chris was reading it over at Goodreads, and ran over to JCP’s site and bought it immediately. I fell asleep last night before I could start it, but will be doing so shortly!
I’d heard so much pre-release buzz about Julie Anne Long’s What I Did for a Duke (Pennyroyal Green #5), but found myself unable to start the series that far in, despite assurances that it stands alone just fine. So, The Perils of Pleasure (Pennyroyal Green #1) it is. So far, so good.
So, that’s what’s geen going on with me! What about you? Reading anything good?
And, so it begins…
The holidays are here, can you believe it?
And, I’ve had plenty of time traveling to our various Thanksgiving celebrations to read this weekend. First, we traveled to my aunt’s house for a very large family reunion type of celebration. I saw cousins I hadn’t seen in years. I was sort of ambivalent about breaking with our usual Thanksgiving closer to home, but I’m really glad we went. My son got a chance to meet cousins he didn’t know he had (boys! his age!) and my mom, who is in the depths of dementia, got to see her sister, and remember her for a time.
Then, it was up to the High Desert on Friday for my guy’s family celebration. It was great to have all of our favorite dishes his mom makes, especially after missing out on home cooked food on Thursday. (My aunt’s was catered.) We even got to make our corn pudding on Friday, which is our “command” dish.
The rest of the weekend was spent alternately relaxing and catching up on stuff around the house. We’re STILL not completely unpacked. I’d hoped we would be by Thanksgiving, but now I’m hoping Christmas will at least see all but the office completed.
Currently, I’ve been reading a lot of urban fantasy. I usually try to vary my genres, but when I picked up the slim volume (177 pp) of Jackie Morse Kessler’s Hunger, as an alternative to lugging around the large hardcover of Kat Richardson’s Labyrinth, I didn’t think about the fact that I was also listening to Richelle Mead’s Succubus Shadows. That’s a lot of uf! I’m enjoying them all, but I will definitely be reading a romance: historical, contemporary, or m/m, next.
As for Hunger, I’ve really been — I don’t know if enjoying is the right word for such a dark story— but I appreciate what a good story it is. It’s unflinching in its portrayal of an anorexic teenage girl who is selected to be the Horseman of the Apocalypse, Famine.
The story is wholly original, and I’m really curious about how the rest of the series is going to play out.
Labyrinth, too, is really good. Sometimes I find that the Harper Blaine series takes a while for the action to get up and running, but with this one, I was caught from the get-go. I’m also really enjoying how Harper and Quinton’s relationship is developing. The story is definitely not a romance. Harper is the main character, with their romance somewhat peripheral. However, there’s a lot of character growth that Harper is going through because of her relationship with Quinton.
Succubus Shadows will catch me up on the Georgina Kincaid series. I’ve prioritized finishing series that I’ve fallen behind on, and over the last month I’ve listened to the series’ previous 2 books. When I finish Succubus Shadows, I will then be ready for the last in the series, Succubus Revealed, to be released September 2011.
I’ve been feeling really ambivalent about some of the directions the series storyline has gone, with regards to Georgina and Ben’s relationship. (I’m trying to be very careful to avoid spoilers.) 
At this point, I’m not even sure where I want things to go with them. I guess I’ll have a better idea after I finish Succubus Shadows.
As for what’s coming up, I’m looking forward to a change of pace with books 2 and 3 of the St Nacho’s series by ZA Maxfield. I really enjoyed book 1, St Nacho’s. It was deliciously angsty, without being too over the top. Physical Therapy, which has a character from book 1 as the main character, is calling to me. Jordan is nothing if not a conflicted character, and I’m interested in what ZAM will do to make him a sympathetic hero.
I also plan on getting back to Marta Acosta’s Haunted Honeymoon. I’d had to put it aside when I realized that Labyrinth was due at the library soon, and then got distracted. I’ve really been neglecting Milagro for far too long, and this is another book in my finish the series reading drive.
Lastly, I’ll definitely need to be reading me some romance. Maybe Brenda Novak’s romantic suspense, White Heat. Or, Samantha Kane’s Brothers in Arms #5, Retreat from Love (I started the first few pgs after I finished #4, but had to get back to Labyrinth.) Or, Seven Nights to Forever by Evangeline Collins.
Decisions, decisions…
Doesn’t it just figure?
I unexpectedly found myself with a couple of free hours earlier this week. It’s happened too rarely lately, and I can really see how my down time is directly tied to the amount of energy I have to write posts.
My first inclination when faced with 2 hours to myself was, “I have so many posts I want to write. I’ve gotta get crackin’!” But, it quickly became clear that I felt completely uninspired. I sat there looking at my drafts folder, and just didn’t see anything that sparked my imagination.
Then, in the midst of my frustration, I remembered the book I’m reading. Over the last week, I’ve only been able to read a few pages of it before drifting off to sleep. And, last weekend’s book club commitment took me away from in the the little amount of reading time I did have.
So, I cracked open the book and it felt so good just to read! I think that sometimes I get so caught up feeling I ought to blog, I forget the reason that I started this crazy bloggin’ adventure: my love of reading.
Now, the really ironic thing is that as soon as I started really getting into the book (Warrior by Zoë Archer, btw, which has been really great), a couple of ideas came to me that I needed to jot down for possible future posts. Because things just work like that, don’t they?
So, I’ve really been enjoying Warrior, but as usual, I’m already looking ahead to the books that came into the house this week.
I was SO excited that I won LB Gregg’s Dudleytown over at Chris’ Stumbling Over Chaos blog!
This was one of the releases I was really looking forward to this month, and I got this Halloween-themed story just in time for some spooky-sexy weekend reading. Can’t wait to read it Saturday night, while my guy is at the USC football game.
I also won a copy of The Iron Duke (The Iron Seas, book 1) by Meljean Brook over at Katidom. There has been such buzz about this book, and it’s just my kind of story! Spec fic (steampunk, actually) and romance hybrid. Most steampunk I’ve read (with the exception of Dru Pagliasotti’s Clockwork Heart) has tended toward less on the romance, more on the tech and adventure. I’m looking forward to seeing how Meljean Brook weaves it all together.
Big thanks to both Kati and Chris!
I made a brief jaunt to B&N on Monday, and picked up Kalayna Price’s Grave Witch. I hadn’t heard of it until Holly brought it to my attention. This is the first in Kalayna Price’s Alex Craft series. I always enjoy private investigators in urban fantasy settings, and Alex assists Falin, a homicide detective in catching a supernatural serial killer. And, a sexy Death puts in an appearance, too. I’m intrigued.
I was also lucky enough to receive Jill Shalvis’ Simply Irresistible in the mail this week from a little bird. I love Jill Shalvis’ writing, and Simply Irresistible is the breath of fresh air I’ll be needing after the hefty dose of paranormal and fantasy I’ve been reading and listening to lately.
A recurring theme with Shalvis’ heroines are women going off to the wilds, looking for a fresh start. In SI, Maddie’s fresh start leads her to coastal Washington and hunky contractor Jax.
This book appears to be the start of a new series, and I’m always ready for the prospect of more books by Jill Shalvis!
I also picked these up from the library:
Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings (audiobook), the first in his Stormlight Archives series, and Brenda Novak White Heat, the first in her new romantic suspense series.
Sanderson is my big fantasy discovery this year. I absolutely loved the Mistborn trilogy. This new series is being touted as his big, ambitious major work. While a 36 disc, 47 1/2 hour audiobook is a bit intimidating, I figure I’ve been doing it with Gabaldon’s Outlander series, so The Way of Kings should be totally doable.
I haven’t read Brenda Novak before, but I was intrigued by White Heat‘s setting (contemporary, romantic suspense, Arizona desert) and I always love the “security firm” setting (Troubleshooters, anyone?). I’m hopeful that this is the beginning of a great series that I can stick with.
Whew! So, that’s what I’ve had going on this week. How about you? Reading any good books?
And the beat goes on
Wow! It’s been a while since I’ve done an update, but it feels good to pause and think about what I’ve been reading lately.
We went on a crazy turnaround road trip last weekend, driving 6 hours north to pick up a cedar chest I had bought. From there, we drove another hour to Oakland and spent the night. The next afternoon we hopped back in the car and drove home. And, while I wouldn’t recommend doing this on 2 consecutive days (it would have been nice to have more down time between car rides), it did allow for a lot of reading time.
I was really excited, since I had Dragon Soul (the 3rd in the Havemercy series) by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett. I planned on making inroads on it and Carolyn Crane’s newest Disillusionists book, Double Cross. Unfortunately, when I went to start Double Cross the night before the trip, I realized I bought book 1, Mind Games, which I already own. ::headdesk:: This snafu had everything to do with having a 7 year old bouncing off of the walls while I was trying to bookshop. So, no Packard and Justine for me. 
In the end, I wasn’t in the mood for a 2nd heavy fantasy read, since I was already listening to NK Jemisin’s The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, so I put Dragon Soul away in the first 100 miles, and instead read Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. I had picked it up when I attended the Smart Chicks Tour, and people that were next to me in line for the book signing were raving about it.
I’m currently about 1/2 way through Beautiful Creatures—it’s pretty long for YA, at over 550 pages, and am enjoying it so much. I love Ethan’s voice, and the blend of storylines: Ethan’s and Lena’s relationship, the Civil War era story line, Lena’s experiences with the snobby girls of Gatlin. I was raving about it to my guy, and he even sounds interested in reading it!
This week, I’m hoping to finish Beautiful Creatures, and will probably crack open Zoe Archer’s Warrior, the first book in The Blades of the Rose quartet. I love the Indiana Jones-inspired cover, and the story sounds like tons of fun: adventure-romance that takes place in a Victorian-era magic-based world. Cool stuff!
So, that’s what I’ve been up to lately. How about you? Reading any good books?
People are going to talk…