The Upcoming Fiction Releases page is updated with the new titles coming out on Tuesday and Thursday. There aren't as many new titles this week as in the previous two weeks, but some interesting-sounding reads are coming out. Personally, I'm going to be taking a look at Lauren Oliver's Delirium. It's a(nother) post-apocalyptic YA novel, but sounds like a fun read. :-)
Hardcover
Taylor Anderson - Rising Tides
David Halpern - Journal of a UFO Investigator
Lauren Oliver - Delirium
Paperback
Martha Grimes - Fadeaway Girl
Lucy Monroe - Moon Burning
Gabriella Pierce - 666 Park Avenue
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Updated Upcoming Fiction Releases Page
I've just finished updating my Upcoming Fiction Releases page. It's a big release date next Tuesday with some other great hardcover and paperback books hitting bookstore shelves on the 20th and 24th.
Here's a sample of what's going to be available for your reading pleasure. . .
Hardcover:
While Mortals Sleep - Kurt Vonnegut
Tick Tock - James Patterson
Restless Heart - Wynonna Judd (yeah, that Wynonna)
Paperback:
Doomwyte - Brian Jacques
Dragon Keeper - Robin Hobbs
Fire - Kristin Cashore
And while this one isn't fiction, I'm going to be taking a look at it to see if I want to add it to my reading list - Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the New Girlie-girl Culture. I have been increasingly disturbed by the focus on the princesses, etc. and worried over what it's telling little girls about themselves and how to envision their future. Looks like I'm not the only one.
Just click the Upcoming Fiction Releases link at the top of the page to view the full list.
Here's a sample of what's going to be available for your reading pleasure. . .
Hardcover:
While Mortals Sleep - Kurt Vonnegut
Tick Tock - James Patterson
Restless Heart - Wynonna Judd (yeah, that Wynonna)
Paperback:
Doomwyte - Brian Jacques
Dragon Keeper - Robin Hobbs
Fire - Kristin Cashore
And while this one isn't fiction, I'm going to be taking a look at it to see if I want to add it to my reading list - Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the New Girlie-girl Culture. I have been increasingly disturbed by the focus on the princesses, etc. and worried over what it's telling little girls about themselves and how to envision their future. Looks like I'm not the only one.
Just click the Upcoming Fiction Releases link at the top of the page to view the full list.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Book Review #1 - Bloodring by Faith Hunter
I have decided to post reviews of the books on my reading list which I find to be most entertaining (or informative in the case of non-fiction). You can see a full and updated list by clicking the My Planned Reading List for 2011 link at the top of the page. So, without further ado, here is the first.
Thorn St. Croix is the most hunted of beings in the Post-Ap world – an unlicensed witchy-woman. She must keep herself, as well as the power she feels through and from stone, hidden. No one must know what she is. To be discovered means a torturous death; either at the hands of the Seraphs, or through the slow descent into insanity that return to her Enclave would mean.
And for years she has been able to fool those around her into believing she is nothing more than human. Then Thaddeus Bartholomew arrives in Mineral City.
He has a secret of his own. One even he doesn’t fully realize. A Hand of the Law, he is investigating the disappearance of Thorn’s ex-husband, Lucas.
Finding Lucas isn’t exactly at the top of Thorn’s to-do list, until she learns that his kidnappers plan to do harm to his daughter and daughter-of-her-heart, Ciana. The child puts all her trust in Thorn, telling her that God the Victorious has told her that Thorn will get her father back.
Left with little choice, for finding Lucas now means saving Ciana, Thorn begins to explore the powers she was born with in order to locate him. The hunt will take both Thorn and Thadd closer to their destruction than either ever considered.
*****
This was one of the best dark fantasies I’ve read in a long while. While some of the descriptions were a bit tedious (Do I really need to know the color and cut of every outfit her flamboyant, gay best friend wears?) it pulled me into the author’s Post-Apocalyptic vision of a world where humans, mages, half-breeds, Seraphs and devil spawn co-exist in a tumultuous mixture teetering on the brink of another war.
The main character was likeable and just flawed enough that she wasn’t an overly-righteous stereotype of a heroine. The supporting characters were vibrant especially Rupert (the one with all the fabulous outfits) and his partner Audric, a huge black man who is more than he seems.
I would recommend this to all lovers of the genre. It does draw upon religious themes, but not in a preachy manner (if it had been preachy, I wouldn’t be recommending it). It’s well-written and comes to a satisfying ending with just enough left unanswered to pull you forward to read the next of the series “Seraphs,” which I will be picking up next.
Thorn St. Croix is the most hunted of beings in the Post-Ap world – an unlicensed witchy-woman. She must keep herself, as well as the power she feels through and from stone, hidden. No one must know what she is. To be discovered means a torturous death; either at the hands of the Seraphs, or through the slow descent into insanity that return to her Enclave would mean.
And for years she has been able to fool those around her into believing she is nothing more than human. Then Thaddeus Bartholomew arrives in Mineral City.
He has a secret of his own. One even he doesn’t fully realize. A Hand of the Law, he is investigating the disappearance of Thorn’s ex-husband, Lucas.
Finding Lucas isn’t exactly at the top of Thorn’s to-do list, until she learns that his kidnappers plan to do harm to his daughter and daughter-of-her-heart, Ciana. The child puts all her trust in Thorn, telling her that God the Victorious has told her that Thorn will get her father back.
Left with little choice, for finding Lucas now means saving Ciana, Thorn begins to explore the powers she was born with in order to locate him. The hunt will take both Thorn and Thadd closer to their destruction than either ever considered.
*****
This was one of the best dark fantasies I’ve read in a long while. While some of the descriptions were a bit tedious (Do I really need to know the color and cut of every outfit her flamboyant, gay best friend wears?) it pulled me into the author’s Post-Apocalyptic vision of a world where humans, mages, half-breeds, Seraphs and devil spawn co-exist in a tumultuous mixture teetering on the brink of another war.
The main character was likeable and just flawed enough that she wasn’t an overly-righteous stereotype of a heroine. The supporting characters were vibrant especially Rupert (the one with all the fabulous outfits) and his partner Audric, a huge black man who is more than he seems.
I would recommend this to all lovers of the genre. It does draw upon religious themes, but not in a preachy manner (if it had been preachy, I wouldn’t be recommending it). It’s well-written and comes to a satisfying ending with just enough left unanswered to pull you forward to read the next of the series “Seraphs,” which I will be picking up next.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
On the Verge
So, I find myself upon the precipice of a new project. I've caught another cold, which seems to be messing with my ability to think clearly. However, it hasn't stopped me from perusing the sites of publications I'd like to submit my work to in the future.
A few days back I found a new anthology on Pill Hill Press' Open Submissions page which brought an idea I've been keeping on the back burner once again to the front of my thoughts. The anthology is called "How the West Was Wicked."
Months ago the idea occured to me that perhaps one of the most infamous outlaws in history, really wasn't what he seemed. Maybe Billy the Kid wasn't to blame for the path of destruction he cut across the wilds of Arizona and New Mexico in the 19th century. What if - it was something beyond his control which made him kill?
So, I've decided to try and get the story from my brain onto the screen and submit it to the anthology. There is no deadline, only the ominous "open until filled" appears below the editor's name. I am in a race against the time and the punctuality of my fellow writers. Let the battle begin. ;-)
A few days back I found a new anthology on Pill Hill Press' Open Submissions page which brought an idea I've been keeping on the back burner once again to the front of my thoughts. The anthology is called "How the West Was Wicked."
Months ago the idea occured to me that perhaps one of the most infamous outlaws in history, really wasn't what he seemed. Maybe Billy the Kid wasn't to blame for the path of destruction he cut across the wilds of Arizona and New Mexico in the 19th century. What if - it was something beyond his control which made him kill?
So, I've decided to try and get the story from my brain onto the screen and submit it to the anthology. There is no deadline, only the ominous "open until filled" appears below the editor's name. I am in a race against the time and the punctuality of my fellow writers. Let the battle begin. ;-)
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
2011 already? Wow! :-o
Ok, so I've been really preoccupied with applying to law school and have been sadly neglecting this blog. *sigh* However, seeing as it is a new year, fresh start and all that jazz - I'm going to try and be better about posting at least weekly again.
Today's post stems from a reading challenge set forth by one of the moderators of the Sci-fi/Fantasy section of the Writer's Digest forums. She is also probably well known to you all, Miss Lydia Sharp, or as she's known on the WD forums, Lexi. :-)
She has challenged us on the forum to read either 50 or 100 books during the upcoming year. Personally I have pledged to read 50 books. Because I plan to enter law school in September, I doubt I can read more. So, without further ado, here is my planned reading list, in no particular order (as it stands so far).
*I've put and NF after every book that is non-fiction.
1. The Keepers' Tattoo - Gill Arbuthnott
2. The Gift - James Patterson and Ned Rust
3. The Storm Witch - Violette Malan
4. Crusade - Robyn Young
5. Templars - Robyn Young
6. Bloodring - Faith Hunter
7. Host - Faith Hunter
8. Little Princes - Conor Grennan (NF)
9. Heaven's Net is Wide - Lian Hearn
10. Across the Nightengale Floor - Lian Hearn
11. Grass for His Pillow - Lian Hearn
12. Brilliance of the Moon - Lian Hearn
13. The Harsh Cry of the Heron - Lian Hearn
14. First Rider's Call - Kristen Britian
15. The High King's Tomb - Kristen Britain
16. Grave Goods - Ariana Franklin
17. The Children's Blizzard - David Laskin (NF)
18. The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova
19. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
20. A Day in the Life of Ancient Rome - Alberto Angela (NF)
21. As the Romans Did - Jo-Ann Shelton (NF)
22. Daily Life in Ancient Rome - Jerome Carcopino (NF)
23. Life and Leisure in Ancient Rome - J.P.V.D Balsdon (NF)
24. Karavans - Jennifer Roberson
25. The Light Bearer - Donna Gillespie
26. How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy - Orson Scott Card (NF)
27. Beyond the Whiteness of Whiteness - Jane Lazzare (NF)
28. Save the Cat! - Blake Snyder (NF)
29. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
30. The Vikings - Robert Ferguson (NF)
31. The Rose Labyrinth - Titania Hardie
32. Witch & Wizard - James Patterson & Gabrielle Charbonnet
33. The Rebel Prince - Celine Kiernan
Those are just books I have sitting on my bookshelf which I haven't have time to get to yet. The remaining slots I plan to use for expanding to new authors. Because I work at a bookstore, that shouldn't be too difficult. I'll just cruise down an aisle and grab a book that looks interesting. :-)
So, how many books do you plan to read in 2011? Come on by the WD forums and join our challenge. :-D
Today's post stems from a reading challenge set forth by one of the moderators of the Sci-fi/Fantasy section of the Writer's Digest forums. She is also probably well known to you all, Miss Lydia Sharp, or as she's known on the WD forums, Lexi. :-)
She has challenged us on the forum to read either 50 or 100 books during the upcoming year. Personally I have pledged to read 50 books. Because I plan to enter law school in September, I doubt I can read more. So, without further ado, here is my planned reading list, in no particular order (as it stands so far).
*I've put and NF after every book that is non-fiction.
3. The Storm Witch - Violette Malan
4. Crusade - Robyn Young
5. Templars - Robyn Young
7. Host - Faith Hunter
8. Little Princes - Conor Grennan (NF)
9. Heaven's Net is Wide - Lian Hearn
10. Across the Nightengale Floor - Lian Hearn
11. Grass for His Pillow - Lian Hearn
12. Brilliance of the Moon - Lian Hearn
13. The Harsh Cry of the Heron - Lian Hearn
14. First Rider's Call - Kristen Britian
15. The High King's Tomb - Kristen Britain
16. Grave Goods - Ariana Franklin
17. The Children's Blizzard - David Laskin (NF)
18. The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova
19. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
20. A Day in the Life of Ancient Rome - Alberto Angela (NF)
21. As the Romans Did - Jo-Ann Shelton (NF)
22. Daily Life in Ancient Rome - Jerome Carcopino (NF)
23. Life and Leisure in Ancient Rome - J.P.V.D Balsdon (NF)
24. Karavans - Jennifer Roberson
25. The Light Bearer - Donna Gillespie
26. How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy - Orson Scott Card (NF)
27. Beyond the Whiteness of Whiteness - Jane Lazzare (NF)
28. Save the Cat! - Blake Snyder (NF)
29. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
30. The Vikings - Robert Ferguson (NF)
31. The Rose Labyrinth - Titania Hardie
Those are just books I have sitting on my bookshelf which I haven't have time to get to yet. The remaining slots I plan to use for expanding to new authors. Because I work at a bookstore, that shouldn't be too difficult. I'll just cruise down an aisle and grab a book that looks interesting. :-)
So, how many books do you plan to read in 2011? Come on by the WD forums and join our challenge. :-D
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