Summer Reading: Part 1

Summer is here so I am away a lot with the kids.  It's only July 7th and we already spent three days down the shore for July 4th weekend and two day in Mystic, CT meeting relatives from England. Next week we leave for eight days in Texas.  Hence, not a lot of blogging time.  I have been reading though, and listening to books also.  Below is what I have been reading over the last few weeks.

Heather Graham always satisfies my need for a good ghostly romance.  Her Krewe of Hunters series follows a group of gifted FBI agents as they investigate real crimes with paranormal elements.  They aren't too deep so they are great for a beach or weekend read.

Haunted Destiny is one of my favorites and I have read A LOT of Heather Graham books.  I love the setting of the cruise ship where a serial killer is said to be hiding.  The two main characters are the piano bar pianist/singer on the cruise ship and the FBI agent who boards the ship looking for the killer.  We meet ship ghosts murdered long ago, sail through a storm where all communication is lost, and follow a list of suspects who could all potentially be the killer.  The characters were all likable and I always have fun trying to guess who the killer really is.

The Vampire of Blackpool was generously given to me in exchange for an honest review.  I like vampire books and I enjoy seeing how different authors create their stories surrounding the vampire/supernatural world.  This is a quick read and focuses on an ancient female vampire named Meredith.  She considers herself content at the start of the story until one night she meets an intriguing witch and is attacked by a vampire hunter. This night begins her journey to finding the happiness and meaning that she didn't realize she was looking for in her life. The book was engaging but on the shorter side.  I think the characters and relationships could have been developed a bit more.  However, I very much liked how the author dealt with the vampire hunter in the end.  Very creative and I didn't see it coming. I'd actually like to read his story in the future, starting with where this book ended with Meredith as a minor character.

This brings me to book #32 in the #sixtybooks challenge.  I'm hoping to read a couple more books this week before we leave on our trip and I'll have three hours on the plane too!  

Have a great week!
Laura

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!!

                                                                                                                                     

Review: All of Us and Everything

All of Us and Everything was kindly given to me in exchange for an honest review.  It was part of our SheReads.org spring book selection.  While I had never heard of this author before, the book synopsis was intriguing.

What did I think of the story?  I actually really loved the plot idea.  A mom who made a decision to be with someone and have children with him when he couldn't truly be part of their lives.  The children, growing up without a dad, were told that he couldn't be with them because he was a spy and it would put them all in danger; an outlandish story thought to be a substitution for the truth.  The children, all girls, all adults with their lives falling apart in one way or another.  After a hurricane in their old hometown, they all return to their mother and finally learn the truth about their father and begin to put themselves right.

I did enjoy the book.  I thought that the idea of the father really being a spy was creative and the girl's issues in adulthood were realistic for the most part, if a bit on the depressing side.  I loved how the girls came back home as three separate people who wanted nothing to do with one another and ended up on the path to being a true family again, understanding what sisterhood should really be.  The addition of Atty, Esme's daughter, showed us how easily our own messed up lives can affect our children.  The epilogue gave a glimpse into how each character in the story ended up, even the minor ones, and I felt satisfied knowing they were all looking upward and onward.  On the downside, I must admit that I felt the story was missing something.  I'm not sure if it flip flopped too much from one character to the next or if everything just fell together too easily.  Maybe I thought the father's story should have been more exciting. Something was amiss for me and it took away from my complete investment in the story.

I'd give this one about 3.5 out of 5 stars if I were rating it.  As a book about families who have fallen apart and go on a journey to put themselves back together, it was good.  I just think it had the potential to have been even better.  However, don't knock it until you try it.  If you like family drama, you may enjoy this one.

It's Monday, What are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at the Book Date.  She describes it as a place to meet up and share what you have been reading, are currently reading, and are about to be reading over the week. She also mentions that this is a meme that often causes our already overflowing TBR lists to grow even longer.  So true...

Spring is crazy for us here in the Agnella household.  One child has soccer, karate, and track and the other has art, karate, and basketball.  I feel during this season, that I live in the car. However, one advantage to this is that I get some extra reading time in while I wait for them to finish their activities.  

I try to always have one book in print and one audiobook with me at all times.  This way, I am never without a way to enjoy reading while I am out and about. :)

Last week I read

    

This week I am reading

    

Next up, I plan to begin

     
What are you reading?

Review: The Dirt on Ninth Grave

This is my guilty pleasure series. Whenever a new book comes out in the Charley Davidson series, I have no doubt that I will love it. It's a given. I remember picking up the first book in the series, First Grave on the Right, and wondering if it would be something I would enjoy. I had been reading another series and finally got sick of the repetitiveness of the plot. It just wasn't fun anymore and I was looking for something new. I swear that I read the first chapter and knew that Charley was going to be my new favorite badass heroine. Nine books later, I'm not bored or frustrated and I'm really excited for the tenth story. If you haven't read the series, there might be a bit of spoilage ahead but I'll try not to give too much away.

The Dirt on Ninth Grave finds Charley in Sleepy Hollow, NY with no memory at all. She doesn't know who she is or how she got there. I was hesitant about this at first because there are so many amnesia stories out there but this one was done well. As Charley slowly navigates life in NY, we realize that all of her friends and family are there too, supporting her and waiting patiently for her to remember who, and what, she is. The small cafe where Charley works is a perfect setting for the story and we meet some new characters who may or may not show up again in future books.

Charley was still Charley even without her memory. She was still just a little bit trashy (in a good way), inappropriate, and sassy. She still managed to get herself into trouble on several occasions and frustrate the hell out of her friends with her impulsive nature. There were also still a plethora of departed souls seeking her out, each with their own story, which added to the charm of the book. Add in a slightly unstable police officer/stalker, a few demons from hell, an angel trying to kill her, and her husband, the son of satan himself, and you've got quite a ride from beginning to end. A lot of suspense and a lot of fun with a couple of emotional moments thrown in for good measure. And of course, every chapter begins with a quote from a meme or t-shirt. My favorite from this book is...

“A dyslexic man walks into a bra- T-shirt”

The Dirt on Ninth Grave is another winner by Darynda Jones in my opinion. I finished it this morning and I'm still smiling.