Looking Forward To... (30)

There are so many amazing books already on the shelves and new ones coming out.

For a list of books yet to be released I'm looking to get, you can also look on my right Sidebar at the ever growing list titled Desired Reads - just scroll down.  Of course there are tones of other new books to come out that are amazing as well, but these ones are part of series I have already started or for one reason or another caught my eye (and haven't seen much on other blogs yet). But I will highlight one here each week.

(mentioned in order of Release Date then Alphabetical if there are more than one book coming out on the same date.)

The Next Book Is...

Tempest's Legacy

By:  Nicole Peeler

Due Out:  January 2011

A great Urban Fantasy series!  I've read the first two books and loved the humor in the fun stories Nicole tells of our little Jane True.  There is love, action, snark, and so much more to keep you coming back.  Just pure fun with the great story lines.  Have you read these books yet?  Well, you can check out my reviews of the first two books by clicking the title listed here:
     Tempest Rising
     Tracking the Tempest

Goodreads Synopsis:
Jane True has become proficient in basic magics, confident in herself and her abilities, and happily rooted in Rockabill. Her life is still divided between her supernatural brethren and her human friends and family, but it’s a division she maintains with very little trouble. 

Everything changes, however, when Anyan brings Jane news that will force her to confront her dichotomized existence – supernatural females are being murdered, or have simply disappeared. 

Jane and Anyan must embark on a desperate search to find out who is abducting these women, and how Jane can be protected from them. Aiding them is Jane’s former flame, Ryu. But can his stated motivations be trusted? And who are the mysterious figures dogging Jane’s and Anyan’s footsteps if not minions of Jarl? 

Eventually, the trio stumble upon a secret so huge that it threatens to disrupt the tenuous traditions keeping humanity safe from the supernatural community that has, up until now, been content to lurk in the shadows. 

Will they uncover the truth in time to save Jane’s friends? And just how far will Jarl go to protect his secrets?

Book Cover Released:

CHECK OUT THIS COVER!

This is a new series with the first book coming out in 2011.

Do you remember hearing of the author Philippa Ballantine?  She is the author of Geist.  She did a wonderful blog post here and I reviewed Geist.  

Well, Pip Ballantine is a co-author with Tee Morris in this new series:  

Phoenix Rising:

A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel

I believe this book will be released by Harper Voyager May 2011.

I love this cover! Great look to it.  Makes me want to read the story now.  I'm really curious to get into this one.  Kind of has a futuristic steampunk, old time English, evil fighting feel to it for me. ;)

Curious about what the books about?  Why don't you jump over and visit Pip Ballantine's site and check out the books information and such, CLICK HERE.

But for the moment here's the synopsis that's on Pip's Site:

These are dark days indeed in Victoria’s England. Londoners are vanishing then reappearing, washing up as corpses on the banks of the Thames drained of blood and bone. Yet the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences—the Crown’s top-secret organization whose bailiwick is the strange and unsettling—will not allow its agents to investigate. Fearless and exceedingly lovely Eliza Braun, however, with her bulletproof corset and a disturbing fondness for dynamite, refuses to let the matter rest…and she’s prepared to drag her timorous new partner, Wellington Books, along with her into the perilous fray.

For a malevolent brotherhood is operating in the deepening London shadows intent upon the enslavement of all Britons. And Books and Braun—he with his encyclopedic brain and she with her remarkable devices—must get to the twisted roots of a most nefarious plot…or see England fall to the Phoenix!

Speculative Fantasy Challenge 2011!

Yes, I found one!  This is the same challenge I signed up to do in 2010.  It fits perfectly in my reading genre...fantasy!

This year it is Carolyn at Book Chick City has passed the Hosting torch to Magemanda on her blog, Floor to Ceiling Books.  I'm already a follower of Magemanda and know she will do a wonderful job of hosting this Challenge.

I'm really looking forward to 2011!

This is an easy and fun challenge.  And as an added bonus there will be prizes to win each month, thanks to random picks. :)

Hope you stop by and join up too!

Any Fantasy Challenges?

Are there any Fantasy Challenges for the up coming year, 2011?

Okay, yes. I'm cheating in posting this question instead of searching the blogs.  With the move I haven't really been on blogs since December 15th.  And yes, I'm really having troubles with withdrawal.  I really miss you all, and this world we have all created with books and such.  And now we don't have internet service as we built a new house and no one has the address in their systems yet.  So needless to say, I have to wait on the phone/internet/cable company to get their kesters in gear.  Yes, I've been waiting for about two weeks now and it is a sore subject for me as I've argued with a mean women on the phone already as I was told one time frame (a week) and now getting another story (a few weeks).

But away from that, I was hoping someone could point me to a Fantasy Reading Challenge for the New Year.  I know of one for Urban Fantasy I'm most likely going to join in on, but I love Fantasy reads as well.

So, can anyone help point me in the right directions?

Thank you all very much in advance for your help!

Maybe if there isn't a Speculative Fiction Challenge going, I should try to pull one together. :)

Monday's Beginnings (67)

How are you faring in reading at the beginning of this week?  Are you starting a new book or finishing one up?

Well, I'm taking a short break so this will probably be a short post.  But the moving is going great!  I am still pushing to get my one small book shelf in my den so I can at least put up my books to review and a few small things I want out.  We still have many totes and boxes in the other house and it is snowing!  Well, we have a bad habit of moving at the wrong time of year and it always snows for us. :D Oh well... as for reading... sorry folks not much here.  Been busy with this moving stuff.  But I am working on Bone Gods by Caitlin Kittredge for the Thursday chat with Robyn from The Bookoholic Zone.  I'm not all that far into it yet, but I'm enjoying it and ready to start hiding in the small pantry with a book light. ;D But its one of those weeks.

Have you joined us in our chat for Demon Bound by Caitlin Kittredge?  If not, CLICK HERE.

As for my WANT list... I added 5 books!  For someone that wasn't online much this past week, that is something amazing. :)  Thank you all!

Purchased:
Well, I went to the store on Tuesday as it was a huge release day.  And I bought one new release for the chat on Thursday, and then I went to the used book store for gifts (and found something I wanted too).

Pete Caldecott is trying to survive in Black London without Jack Winter, her teacher and closest friend.  After Jack was turned into a demon, he went to live far out of reach...in hell.  But for Pete, surviving is no easy matter.  The Black is rife with turf wars between mages and necromancers, the witch-hunting Order of the Malleus has resurfaced, and the gods themselves seem to be at each other's throats.  Then Jack reappears, as the head of hell's army, and Pete has to choose between Jack, and her duties as a Weir--which demand she kill him to save the world from certain destruction...

When Henry Atherton arrives at the house of eccentric old Mr. Fogarty, he comes upon crown prince Pyrgus Malvae, who has escaped the Faerie realm, where the Faeries of the Night want to kill him. Mr. Fogarty and Henry decide to help the prince return home. It's a complex situation, involving an evil demon, two avaricious glue factory owners, and Lord Hairstreak, leader of the Faeries of the Night, each with a personal agenda that will lead to taking over the realm. A subplot (Henry realizes that his mother, not his father, is having an affair with his father's secretary) is totally unnecessary, and there are discrepancies in the story and some awkwardness to slow things down. Still, there's enough solid adventure in the Faerie realm to keep readers on the edge of their seats.

So, how are you faring this week?  Does it look like a good reading week?

I don't know about me, but I hope the best for all of you.  Here's to you having a great week in words and pages!  Back to the grind for me. :) Hope to be back on full time later this week. :)

Book Chat (6)...Demon Bound

We are in our second week of the Black London Series by Caitlin Kittredge.  Last week we chatted about Street Magic hosted by Robyn at her blog, The Bookoholic Zone.  If you would like to jump to Street Magic's chat CLICK HERE.  This week we are chatting about Demon Bound, the second book in the series.

Well, lets get started!

We have pulled some questions to start us off...

Robyn:
1.  The dreams that Jack has of Pete and him.  What do you think they represent?
2.  Now that we know Pete and Jack have been split up again by the end of this book.  How do you think she'll react when she sees him again?
3.  What characters did you miss seeing in this book?

Melissa:
1.  The Hecate has mentioned that the fires of war are coming.  What will the war be over and what do you think will happen?
2.  In the end Morrigan visits with Jack to bring him back.  Morrigan mentions he is dead, but the crow-mage cycles.  How do you think Jack will come back?  Will he be with Pete?
3.  At the end of the book Jack and Pete are talking about everyone having a 'fetch,' the one to come and escort your soul in death.  Jack and Pete perform a ritual to make Jack Pete's fetch.  Do you think Jack is her fetch or not?  If not than who?

So, let us know your thoughts!  And what speculation you might have for the next book, now out. :)

No worries, I'll be off line...

I wanted to do a quick post to let you all know I'll be off line for a little while.  I am hoping only about a week.

We have been working on having a house built, and it is done.  I am excited.  I have taken off work Thursday, Friday, Monday, and Tuesday to try to get packed up and moved in.  I'm not really looking forward to moving.  But I am excited to get into the new house.  The nice thing about this move is it is right across the street from where I'm at, so we wont be going far.  When we bought our current home there was two acres that went with the house which was across a small alley.  So we finally got the deal we where hoping for, or at least close to it, and just couldn't pass it up.

I am hoping to be able to sneak in from time to time over the week.  But our internet, cable, and phone will be changed to the new home over the process so I could be down until I get it set up in the new house.  But I will try to check in here if I can.  And my loving husband is taking all next week off to get moved in as well.  So, when he is home I don't get to stop in as much as I would like as he always has projects for me to do, and I am very sure there will be loads of them with moving in. :)

So wish me luck that we don't ding up the walls to badly and it all goes smoothly. :)  Thank you for baring with me.  I will miss you all in this short period of time.

While I'm drowning in boxes, I hope you all have a wonderful time and enjoy your weekend coming up.