Reading for April 2018

Here are my April reads - a varied read this month.

Read: 11
Series: 6
TBR: 0 (was that type of month were my TBR reading is continuing but no books were finished).
Audio: 6
AWW: 0
Graphic novels: 4



Paranormal Romance/ Urban Fantasy

• The Beginning (Hunter Legends Series 0.5) by Sherrilyn Kenyon | short story | 4 stars
• The Mystery of Grace by Charles de Lint (audio narrated by Tai Sammons & Paul Michael Garcia) | 5 stars - Favourite book of the month. Loved the style and the audio version was really good.

Mystery

• A Test of Wills (Inspector Ian Rutledge #1) by Charles Todd (audio narrated by Samuel Giles) | 3.5 stars
• The Lost Days of Agatha Christie by Carole Owens (audio narrated by Wanda McCaddon) | 4 stars

Graphic Novels

• Snow White: a graphic novel by Matt Phelan | 4 stars
• Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Circus of the Damned, Volume 2: The Ingenue (Anita Blake Graphic Novels) by Laurell K. Hamilton,  Jessica Ruffner, and Ron Lim (Illustrator) | graphic novel | 4 stars
• Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Circus of the Damned, Volume 3: The Scoundrel (Anita Blake Graphic Novels) by Laurell K. Hamilton,  Jessica Ruffner, and Ron Lim (Illustrator) | graphic novel | 4.5 stars
• Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier | graphic novel | 4 stars

Non-fiction

• I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World (Young Readers Edition) by Malala Yousafzai  and Patricia McCormick (audio narrated by Malala Yousafzai and Neela Vaswani) | non-fiction | YA | 4.5 stars - fascinating and has an outlook of hope. 

Children's

• The Marvelous Land of Oz (Oz #2) by L. Frank Baum (audio narrated by Tara Sands) | children's | 3 stars

Classics

• Carry On, Jeeves (Jeeves #3) by P.G. Wodehouse (audio narrated by Jonathan Cecil) | 4 stars - Chuckling read.  A few stories was in the the previous Jeeves compilations.

Happy Reading!

~E~

I'm still here and still reading!

Thanks to a dip in the health again, I haven't been online for a few months. The exception to the rule has been to pop into into Facebook on a rare occasion, and mark my reading on Goodreads from my devices, but I haven't really been able to sit at the desktop for more than five minutes. And I mostly blog from the desktop.


This past week or so, I've managed a couple of sessions so I thought I'd do a quick post about my reading. I have kept at it - you'll see half have been audio. For those who like numbers, I read 43 stories, 24 of which were audio.

Here are my reads from April to July...

YA (romantic elements)

• Dead Actually by Kaz Delaney | 5 stars 
• Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth (audio read by Emma Galvin) | 4.5 stars 
• The Vittra Attacks (Trylle #2.5) by Amanda Hocking (short story) | 4 stars
• Ascend (Trylle #3) includes short story Ever After (#3.5) by Amanda Hocking | YA | 4.5 stars

Historical Romance

• Any Duchess Will Do (Spindle Cove #4) by Tess Dare (audio read by Eva Kaminsky) | 5 stars 
• Romancing the Duke (Castles Ever After #1) by Tessa Dare (audio read by Carmen Rose) | 5 stars
• The Autumn Bride (The Chance Sisters #1) by Anne Gracie | 5 stars - wow, just wow!
• Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (audio play by BBC Drama) | 4 stars
• The Devil Who Tamed Her (Reid Family #2) by Johanna Lindsey (audio read by Laural Merlington) | 4 stars
• Say Yes to the Marquess (Castles Ever After #2) by Tessa Dare (audio read by Carmen Rose) | 5 stars
• A Night Like This (Smythe-Smith Quartert #2) by Julia Quinn | 5 stars
• Starling (South Landers #1) by Virginia Taylor | 4.5 stars - loved a story set in my home town
• When A Scot Ties the Knot (Castles Ever After #3) by Tessa Dare (audio read by Carmen Rose) | 5 stars
• Lord Dashwood Missed Out (Spindle Cove #4.5) by Tessa Dare (audio read by Eva Kaminsky) | novella | 5 stars
• Second Sight (Arcane Society #1) by Amanda Quick | 4 stars
• The Sum of All Kisses (Smythe-Smith Quartet #3) by Julia Quinn (audio read by Rosalyn Landor) | 5 stars

Urban fantasy/paranormal romance/fantasy

• The Taken (Celestial Blues #1) by Vicki Petersson (audio read by Kevin Fabian) | 4.25 stars
• Rubies and Black Velvet (Four Sided Pentacle #1.5) by Denise Rossetti | novella | 5 stars 
• Twilight Phantasies (Wings in the Night #1) by Maggie Shayne | 3.5 stars
• Magic Burns (Kate Daniels #2) by Ilona Andrews (audio read by Renée Raudman) | 5 stars
• Shattered Dance (White Magic #3) by Caitlin Brennan | 4.5 stars
• Swallowing Darkness (Meredith Gentry #7) by Laurell K. Hamilton (audio read by Claudia Black) | 4.25 stars
• The Summons (Shadowlands #0.5) by Shona Husk | Short story | 4 stars
• Alliance Forged (Light Blade #2) by Kylie Griffin | 5 stars 
• A Very Vampy Christmas (Love at Stake #2.5) by Kerrelyn Sparks | short story | 3.75 stars
• Power Unbound (Dream of Asarlai #2) by Nicole Murphy | 4.5 stars
• Deep Secret (Magids #1) by Diana Wynne Jones (audio read by Christopher Webster and Harriet Carmichael) | 4 stars

Children's

• Gregor the Overlander (Underland Chronicles #1) by Suzanne Collins (audio read by Paul Boehmer) childrens | 5 stars
• Ever by Gail Carson Levine (children's) | 3.5 stars
• Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (Underland Chronicles #2) by Suzanne Collins (audio read by Paul Boehmer) | 5 stars 
• The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman | children's | 4 stars 
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz #1) by L. Frank Baum (audio read by Tara Sands) | children's | 3.5 stars 
• Princess in the Spotlight (The Princess Diaries #2) by Meg Cabot (audio read by Anne Hathaway) | MG | 4 stars

Crime/Mystery

• Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet (Agatha Raisin #2) by M.C. Beaton (audio read by Diana Bishop) | 4 stars 
• Shakespeare's Christmas (Lily Bard Mystery #3) (audio read by Julia Gibson) | 4.25 stars
• Willy and Alvirah: Collection of #1 Bestselling Short Stories by Mary Higgins Clark (audio read by Carole Higgins Clark) | 4 stars (3 short stories taken from The Lottery Winner collection, plus bonus two short stories not related to Willy and Alvirah)
• Cat Under Fire (Joe Grey #2) by Shirley Rousseau Murphy (audio read by Susan Boyce) | 3.75 stars
• Huntress Moon (Huntress/FBI Thrillers #1) by Alexandra Sokoloff | 5 stars- very compelling 
• Princess Elizabeth's Spy (Maggie Hope Mysteries #2) by Susan Elia MacNeal (audio read by Susan Duerden) | 4.25 stars

Graphic Novels

• Mercy Thompson: Moon Called volume 1 by Patricia Briggs and David Lawrence (graphic novel) | 5 stars
• Mercy Thompson: Moon Called volume 2 by Patricia Briggs and David Lawrence (graphic novel) | 5 stars
• Soulless Volume 3 (The Parasol Protectorate Manga #3) by Gail Carrier, REM et al. | graphic novel | 5 stars
• Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: The Laughing Corpse, Volume 2: Necromancer (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: The Laughing Corpse #2 graphic novel) by Laurell K. Hamilton, Jessica Ruffner (text) and Ron Lim (Illustrations) 
• Mercy Thomspon: Homecoming graphic novel (Mercy Thompson #0.5) by Patricia Briggs | 4 stars

SciFi/Steampunk

• The Memory of Earth (Homecoming Saga #1) by Orson Scott Card (audio read by Stefan Rudnicki) | 3.5 stars
• Wild Cards (Wild Cards #1) edited by George R.R. Martin (mosaic novel) | 4.5 stars - really interesting
• Circus Escape (Circus #1) by Lilliana Rose | novella | 4 stars

Other

• The Inimitable Jeeves (Jeeves #2) by P.G. Wodehouse (audio read by Frederick Davidson) | 4 stars

Happy Reading!

~ E :)

Finally some reads...

While my reading hasn't been at high speed, I at least have achieved something in the last few months. And have started with unabridged audio books - this helps with the long ride to campus two nights a week. And helps me feel connected with reading.

I notice when I don't get time to read I get really bummed out and that's not good for the psyche. So I try to read something even if it's only a few pages a day. Slow going but it helps. I know there is no way I will reached my goals that I set at the beginning of the year. I didn't expect the study load to be so intense, but then again, I didn't expect that I would be doing 4 subjects.


A quick review of the books....


Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh
Two worlds collide in this book - the first in a series. The world is divided between the Psy, who are controlled and without emotion, and the Changelings, who are very emotional and not always in control. Sascha is hiding behind her psy facade and believes she is going mad as she does feel, but she can't let her leader mother know, and so she works with Lucas, a Changeling over a housing project. This is when she finds out about murders of Changelings. Intiguing read - thoroughly enjoyed - it just got better and better.


Secret Ones by Nicole Murphy
Love the invention of a new race on earth - the Gadda. Found what they could do with the power interesting. On to book 2, me thinks.

Moonlight Becomes You by Mary Higgins Clark
I reread this book having read it when i first got it in the 1990s. I remembered only one aspect of the book, but not who or why. So it was a pleasant read. As a teenager I read as many Mary Higgins Clark books as I could get my hands on, and it had been a long while.

The Liar by Stephen Fry
I heard this on audio book and I laughed, gasped, and enjoyed the reading by Stephen Fry. Excellent stuff. I was a little confused at the first jump - the story goes from the main character being at public school in the UK - to being at University in the UK. There was also an intriguing mystery happening where the characters are not named by name but by what they are wearing - eg The tweet suit. I didn't know what was going on half the time with these passages but by the end it's all clear.


You Had Me At Halo by Amanda Ashby
Loved it! Funny, quirky, witty and totally absorbing. You want to know the mystery of why Holly found herself in heaven with no memory of how she got there. Thoroughly enjoyed.


The Keepers by Heather Graham
This is book 1 of The Keeper trilogy. The supernatural world is set into sub-groups and each of these subgroups, there is a Keeper. In New Orleans, it's the MacDonald sisters. This book concentrates on Fiona, the Keeper of the vampires, who must work with vampire police detective, Jagger, to get the bottom of murders that appear to be done by a vampire. Some pretty nifty world-building and mystery.


The Shifters by Alexandra Sokoloff
The second book on The Keepers trilogy. Alexandra continues the great mystery, world-building, and tackles the most prickly of the three sisters - Caitlin. One thing I think was different was referring to the supernatural communities as Others. Great story.


Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
I heard this on audio and did enjoy the tale. I did think it moved slow and there was something about Tessa I couldn't connect with at the beginning. SI enjoyed the other characters more especially the Shadow Hunters. Set in Victorian England, American Tessa Gray comes into the unseen world of the Shadow Hunters.



Enchanted Realms by Eleni Konstantine
Yes, I'm putting my own work in there. I had to do the final edits and my editor helped me think about things and that was a good thing. Enjoyed working with her on it.

April reading

I can't believe it's a week into May. Time is flying, but my reading is not so much. Though I was happy with my April reads.


Getting Even With Fran by Christine Stinson 

Truly a lovely read. A look at the lives of 7 women just before a 30th year high school reunion. There are secrets, lies, betrayal, new love, lost love, difficult relationships - and there is humour in there too. Just a joy to read.


Castles by Colin Thompson
Picture book - different made up castles and object is for reader to see how many kings, queens, princes and princesses they can find. Lovely illustrations.


One Good Knight (Book 2 of The Five Hundred Kingdoms series) by Mercedes Lackey
We follow princess Andromeda in her quest for acceptance to be considered an adult by her mother the Queen. When she shows intelligence in research and matters of state, the Queen is pleased...but then a dragon appears terrorizing the countryside. Only one solution can be found - a virgin must be sacrificed every week until a Champion can arrive. The Tradition maneuvers to bring about the 'traditional path' in the lives of the Five Hundred Kingdoms. But it can be manipulated or steered in another direction. An enjoyable read - and love the dashes of humour here and there.... Bookwyrm!! :)


Wild Ride by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer
An amusement park called Dreamland, five trapped demons, five guardians, one crow - it's all a wild ride. I enjoyed reading this book, but I had to return to the library half way through. Second time around, I read it quite effortlessly. I love the humour of the characters and the way they look at life.

April

A quiet month this month of actually finishing books. I've been reading but I've been reading in short bursts from various books. 


So April completed reads=

Destiny Kills by Keri Arthur (Paranormal Romance)
Loved this book. Loved the beginning lines, just hooked me right in until the end. Great story and great world-building. Thoroughly enjoyed.


Sizzle, Seduce & Simmer compiled by Marion Lennox

Fantastic stories and recipes from Australian romance authors. Enjoyed the variety of the stories and the variety of the recipes.

Yum, yum

So going slowly & surely. I had a whole bunch of holds come to me from the library at once. No, I can't read them all, so back they go. Let the next person in line enjoy them. :)