Top Ten Tuesday: June 14th

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a different original question so that all of us book lovers can share our top ten lists with one another.  This, of course, caused everyone to add multiple books to their TBR lists, which is both good and bad, depending on how long these lists already are...

This weeks Top Ten Tuesday:

Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases For The Second Half Of The Year 

Ok, most of these are coming out in the second half of the year, but a few are already out and I just haven't gotten to them yet.  So we can just call it, "books I am looking forward to" instead.

I am most looking forward to Empire of Storms by Sarah Maas. I've been listening to these in the car and they are fantastic.  The reader has the perfect voice for Calaena, the main character.  The Pursuit, Beard Science, Curse of Tenth Grave, Against a Brightening Sky, and Ghostly Echoes are all series books that I am excited to read.  Heather Graham books always satisfy my ghost story craving and there are two of those coming over the next few months.  Jane Steele just looks really interesting and I want to see where the author takes the main character.  Finally, Ink and Bone is a stand alone mystery/thriller.  I've read Lisa Unger before and actually met her last night at the library.  Grabbed a copy and she signed it for me.  :)

What are you looking forward to in the second half of the year?

                                                                                                                                       

Review: Throne of Glass Series

Over the last couple of months, I become slightly obsessed with a series that I had heard a lot about, but just never got around to picking up.  My original intention was only to read the first book, Throne of Glass and since my print book TBR list was so long, I grabbed it on Audible and figured I would listen to it on the way to and from work for the next week or so.

Four books and several weeks later...

I have spent more time in my car and walking around the neighborhood in the last month then I have in my house.  This is a true fact.  I cannot begin to say how sorry I am that I didn't pick this series up sooner and that I have to wait until fall to get my hands on the fifth book. At least I will have something to look forward to when school starts in September and my commute begins again.

I don't want to give away any spoilers for those who haven't read the books but I will say a little bit about the main character, who for the first two books, goes by the name Celaena Sardothien.  She is one of the strongest female leads I have read about in a long time. A fierce warrior with a heart of gold who comes from immensely tragic beginnings to learn about who she really is and what her role in the world will be.  I can honestly say that there was not one moment in any of these four books where I was disinterested or distracted.  There were moments where I gasped in surprised and groaned with realization of what was to come.  There were also moments where I smiled at her snarky comments, and almost cried during her moments of heartbreak.  

Within these books are intense battles, both of wills and weapons, and whenever one book came to an end, I was immediately on the Audible site buying the next.  It is that good.  And on a final note, I must also say that the narrator, Elizabeth Evans, is absolutely amazing and makes the listening experience a true pleasure.  

                                                                                                                                           

Stacking the Shelves: June 4th

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! For me, it also includes Audible books since I have a 40 minute drive to and from work in the mornings. I always try to have one print book and one audiobook in progress at the same time.

This week, I received a few of books to review, one from NetGalley, and bought a new audiobook. Here is my haul for the week:

Five out of the six books above were given to me in one form or another.  I am lucky enough to be on Penny Reid's ARC list so just received Grin and Beard It in my e-mail a few days ago.  I've loved every Penny Reid book I have read so far so I'm really looking forward to this one as well.  Also in my e-mail, I was given Chakana in exchange for an honest review.  It promises to be Indiana Jones-esque and who doesn't love a good adventure?

From NetGalley this week, I was approved for The Curse of Tenth Grave, which is part of the Charley Davidson series, one of my favorites.  I was so excited to get this one and plan to start it asap. Between looked interesting while I was browsing so I requested and received this one also.

Through snail mail, I got Last Ride to Graceland.  I am a reviewer for SheReads.org and this is one of our books of summer.  I love the cover art on this one.

Finally, I just purchased and began listening to Queen of Shadows from the Throne of Glass series.  I have to say this series is one of the best fantasy series I have read in a while.  I use every excuse in the book to find extra time to sneak in a few extra minutes. Fabulous!

What did you stack on your shelves this week?  Happy reading!!