I just finished reading Captivate, by Carrie Jones, the sequel to Need. It’s about pixies, but not cute, glittery Tinker Bell pixies. No. These are blue, have scary-sharp teeth, and sometimes eat people. Yeah. So NOT Disney-approved. But still very cool.

Zara is half-pixie, half-human. Her father is a sometimes-insane pixie king she keeps imprisoned. Nick is her werewolf/guardian boyfriend. Then there’s Devyn, another were, and Issie, who is human. Together, the four of them patrol for pixies and lock them away for the safety of their small town. But then things change. Astley, another pixie king shows up. Someone has to take over the territory left untended by Zara’s father, so the pixie kings are circling like vultures. This in turn draws the Valkyries, who are searching for warriors. Nick is a warrior. He’s determined to protect Zara, which puts him in danger. And Zara has to decide between giving in to what she fears the most to protect Nick, or remaining true to herself.

This book is an excellent read. Once I started it, there was no putting it down. The voice is light-hearted and fun, yet serious and angsty at the same time. Very fitting for a YA book. Some funny moments, lots of tension and drama, and some pretty cool relationship moments. My only issue? The fact that it ended and I can’t find out what happens. RIGHT. NOW. Can’t wait for the next one to come out! (Whenever that is.)

Okay, honestly, I haven’t really been reading that much lately. Shocking, I know, but I’m trying to keep up with Holly Lisle’s HTRYN class, so that’s taking up a lot of my time. And before that, it was NaNo, so there went a whole month’s worth of “free” time. But I did make time to read two much-anticipated (and big) novels by some of my favorite authors.

First up was Gathering Storm, by Robert Jordan and Brian Sanderson. When Robert Jordan passed away, I wondered if the Wheel of Time series would ever be finished, and if it was, if it would measure up to the rest of the series. Yes, I know there’s a lot of flack out there for this, ah, never-ending, overly-detailed storyline. So? I like it. I like getting to know characters and caring about them, and finding out all the little details of their lives. And I’m pleased to say that I enjoyed Gathering Storm quite a bit. It’s been quite a while since I read the other books, so I was more than a little bit fuzzy on recent happenings, but it didn’t take long to get my memory refreshed. Frankly, I think Sanderson’s writing blended seamlessly with Jordan’s storytelling, and I was very happy with the results. Yes, it’s detailed. Yes, it’s long. Yes, there are a lot of characters to keep up with. But this book built steadily from the beginning, and while there wasn’t really a resolution at the end (How could there be?), it had a satisfying (to me) ending.

I also read Under the Dome, by Stephen King. Every time I read a King book and I scare myself silly, I swear I won’t read another one. And then the next one comes out, and I can’t wait to read it, and end up scared again. This book…wasn’t scary. At all. I don’t think it was meant to be. This is more of a character study. And King creates some great characters, so I really enjoyed this book. Interesting premise, about a small town (in Maine, of course) that gets trapped under a mysterious dome (hence the title). And what changes the trapped townsfolk undergo. I liked the MC, “Barbie” a lot. He was a good character, a strong, upstanding and stubborn guy. The supporting cast is vividly realized, and I found myself actively hating Rennie and wishing horrible things on him (Admittedly, I thought he deserved a LOT more bad things.) In the end, the explanation for the dome was a little bit…out there, but what King story doesn’t have a little bit of the strange and weird in it? I still enjoyed the story a lot, and I’d recommend it to anyone who’s afraid to read King. This one’s not scary. Not even a little bit.

Lately I’ve been reading quite a bit of YA. Some of it in series I’m familiar with, and then a series I’ve been wanting to read for a while and just hadn’t. I enjoy YA books. I guess they speak to a part of me that never really grew up, and maybe that’s why a lot of my own writing ends up being YA. Either way, the books I’ve read lately have been excellent.

First up is Tempted, by P.C. and Kristin House, the sixth book in the House of Night series. By this time, the characters are well-established and I’m completely invested in the series. Completely. Anytime one of these books hits my hot little hands, that’s all I’m doing for the next couple of hours. This book was no exception. There’s a great mystery in this one, with Stevie Rae keeping major secrets from everybody, and of course, Zoey has her little secret as well, not to mention boyfriend issues. A lot of them. This time we get to see some of the action through the eyes of other characters as well, which was really enjoyable. I really like how Aphrodite is turning out, despite my immense dislike of her in the first few books. I…didn’t care for the ending. At all. But it fits the book, so I’m not really complaining (Can I help it if I like a HEA ending?). Just saying. I can’t wait for the next one.

Next is Fade Out, by Rachel Caine, book seven in the Morganville Vampire series. These books are also one my “Must Sit Down And Read Immediately” list. So I did. Another entertainingly good read. Things have settled down a little bit for Claire since Bishop is gone, but things still aren’t good in Morganville. Amelie is having issues and everyone is worried about her. There’s a new Goth chick that is trying to take Claire’s place as Eve’s BFF. And, just for laughs, Ada the crazy computer/ghost is out to get Claire. This book didn’t have the usual dangling-over-a-cliff ending, but I’ll still be anxiously awaiting the next one.

And the “new” (new to me) series I’ve been wanting to read for a while: the Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter, which have really awesome titles. The first one is I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have To Kill You. The second is Cross My Heart And Hope To Spy. The Gallagher Academy bills itself as super exclusive private school for rich girls, but in reality, it’s an all-girls spy school. This doesn’t have a Harry Potter feel, if you’re wondering. They’re in a chick lit, fun voice, that had me drawn in by the second page. The books are about Cammie and her three best friends. Cammie’s mom runs the Gallagher Academy, and was a super spy herself. (No pressure to live up to parental standards there.) The girls know how to do all kinds of things, including speaking umpteen different languages, and killing someone with a paper clip, but when Cammie meets a regular boy from the local town, she’s clueless how to handle him.

In the second book, boys from the even-more-secret boys spy school arrive at the Gallagher Academy; the sparks really fly for Cammie and her friends. There are some awesome little details in these books that make the stories really come alive, from the classes the girls take (like Covert Ops, taught by an Indiana Jones-esque new professor), to the magazines they read (Espionage Today), and things like Evapopaper (paper that disintegrates, of course). Really excellent reads, both of them. The series is now on my automatic buy list.

And, that’s all I have for now. Happy reading!

I haven’t been doing as much reading as normal lately. I’m not sure why. It just seems like I’ve been super busy, and reading has actually fallen by the wayside (Unheard of, I know). I’m only up to around 112 books read for the year, and that’s pretty far short of my year goal of 165. I’m not sure if I’m going to make that one…

I read the newest book in Patricia Cornwell’s Scarpetta series, The Scarpetta Factor. I’ve read this entire series, and I enjoyed most of them immensely. There were a couple of books, probably the last three or so before this one, that I thought weren’t quite up to Cornwell’s normally stellar standards, but they were still good reads. I think The Scarpetta Factor brings back a lot of the wonderful things I liked from the earlier books.

All of the familiar characters are back: the reformed Marino, self-destructive Lucy, and of course, Kay and Benton. There’s an interesting murder case, as well as a missing person, a bomb delivered to Kay’s door, and a mysterious singing Christmas card that really gave me the creeps (Good thing I didn’t get that little gem in the mail.) The ending felt a little rushed to me, but it was a good, fast-paced read, and I had trouble putting it down.

A book I absolutely could not put down was Diana Gabaldon’s An Echo in the Bone, the newest book in the Outlander series. I read the rest of the series back-to-back during the summer, and was honestly confused to come back to the real world and not find myself in Scotland. (It just felt wrong to not be surrounded by warrior-type men in kilts. Wrong, and sad.) The newest book was absolutely wonderful! I love the characters, feel like I know them personally (I wish, anyway.). Ms. Gabaldon makes the setting, whether it be an early American hillside, the dells of Scotland, or the deck of a sailing ship in the middle of a sea battle, come to life so vividly it amazes me. She’s a marvelous writer, and even the minor characters come to striking life on the page.

I stayed up far, far too late reading this book (more than one night), and I have to say, I wish it had been even longer. However, the ending about drove me mad. I wanted so badly to find out what happened next that I could have cried. And when I realized the previous book came out four years ago and I might have to wait that long to actually find out what happens, I did cry. (Huge tears of frustration.) However, I did manage to refrain from banging my head against the wall, so there’s one small victory. If you haven’t read this series yet, you should run right out and get it. But when you come dragging in some morning, having been up all night glued to the page, and growling because Jaimie and Claire are in limbo while waiting for the next book, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Yes, this will be the post about books I’ve read lately. Except I’m not going to list all the books I’ve read since I last talked about it. There are far too many, and not because I’ve read a lot this year. (I haven’t. I’ve only read 43. I’m woefully behind on my goal of 165.) It only means I’ve been horrible about posting here. But I’m trying to remedy that, I swear.

I mentioned three of the books I’ve read lately (Outlander; Need; Tattoo) in my post about Conestoga, so I won’t mention them again here. (Except to say you should really go buy them. Right now.) So, skipping those, and touching on a few of the books I really, really enjoyed over the past couple of months.

First up are a pair of books by Maria V. Snyder: Magic Study and Fire Study. These two are the last books in the trilogy that started off with Poison Study, which I read last year. I don’t know how I managed to forget that there were more books in this series, but when I saw them on the shelf, I immediately bought both of them. How to explain just how sucked into these books I became? I can’t. The first one, Poison Study, intrigued me from the very first page, when Yelena is taken from the dungeon, where she’s about to be put to death, and offered a position as the General’s poison taster. Freedom or death? Hmm. Not a tough choice. The catch is, she’s given a poison, Butterfly’s Dust (I think that was the name of it), for which she has to come to Valek, the General’s chief of security and über-spy, every day for an antidote. Of course, much chaos and intrigue ensue, at the end of which, she’s revealed as having magic, and therefore is banished…back to the homeland from which she was kidnapped as a child.

In Magic Study, she is reunited with her family, and then taken to the Citadel to learn how to use her magic. Except that there’s a crazy-mad magic-wielder out there who is kidnapping girls and torturing them in a bizarre ritual to gain unlimited power (aren’t they all after unlimited power?), and she ends up as his final victim. This story carries over somewhat into Fire Study. Ms. Snyder’s writing and storytelling kept me absolutely riveted, and I found myself staying up far too late on several nights, desperate to find out what happened. Her newest book, Storm Glass, which is set in the same world, came out last week, and I’m eagerly anticipating its arrival in my mailbox.

I’m a huge fan of Rachel Caine, especially the Morganville Vampires series (new book out in approximately one month), but I enjoy the Weather Warden series as well. She has a new series out, the Outcast Season, the first book of which is Undone. This one is set in the same world as the Weather Warden books, and it’s about Cassiel, a Djinn who refuses to do as she’s ordered, and gets cast out and into a human body. Needless to say, this does not make her very happy. Or well-adjusted. But she ends up working for the Wardens with a human partner, and discovers that something evil is after her new friends.

And I just finished reading Nobody’s Princess, by Esther Friesner. The cover caught my attention first, so I picked up the book and read the back cover copy. Helen of Troy as a young girl who can’t figure out why everyone thinks she’s so pretty, nor does she understand why it even matters? I immediately fell in love with the idea. She doesn’t care about being pretty, she just wants to be a warrior, like her brothers. For a Spartan, you wouldn’t think that was such a big deal, but she is a princess, so apparently that’s a no-no. But she manages, and when her sister is sent off to the neighboring kingdom to be married, she goes along to comfort her, then ends up on several grand adventures of her own. Adventures that would make even her Spartan-king father have a heart attack. This one is firmly YA, and I really liked it. There’s a second book of Helen’s adventures, too, called Nobody’s Prize. I assure you, it will be making an appearance on my bookshelf in the near future as well.

I’ve been to this con three times now. Does that qualify me as a regular? Possibly. I have to say, this year seemed a lot… tamer than previous years have. Not nearly so many people in costumes this time around, which was something of a disappointment. I always enjoy checking out the costumes.

We did sit in on some interesting panels. And, of course, discovered some great new (to me) writers. One of them was Carrie Jones. I went out and bought her newest book, Need, which came out in December and is on it’s 7th print run. 7th! Isn’t that awesome? And the book was great. I think I read it in under 3 hours. Actually, I owe Carrie a great big thank you. Her YA tale of pixies running amok kept me entertained in the airport AND distracted during my flight. And I’m terrified of flying, so that should tell you what a great book it is.

I also-finally-read books by two authors I “discovered” at Conestoga last year. The first one was Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander. Yes, I know that book has been out a little while, and many people have told me to read it, I just…didn’t have time, okay? But I couldn’t put it down. LOVED it. I love me some Scotsmen in kilts. And how many hot red-headed protagonists do you really see these days? Not enough of them, if you ask me. I already bought the next two books in the series (and would have bought more, if the bookstore had had the third one in stock just then).

I bought Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ Tattoo. I’ve been on a bit of a YA kick lately. It seems my own writing is running to YA, and I’ve always loved reading it, it just seems to be dominating in my reading pile the last few months. Although, glancing at said TBR pile, I seem to have run out of YA. Hmm. Well, Rachel Caine’s new Morganville Vampires book will be out in June. Guess I can wait ’til then. I think. Anyway, enough blathering. Tattoo was an excellent, engaging read. I liked the premise, loved the characters. I’m a sucker for a four-friends book anyway, but the girls in this one were so different and yet so compatible, I really enjoyed it. The idea of temporary tattoos that give you cool Sidhe powers and only having three days to save the world from an evil fairy, all while getting ready for the biggest dance of the school year, is awesome, too. I definitely recommend this.

Caine, Rachel: Chill Factor (01/03/09)
Caine, Rachel: Windfall (01/04/09)
MacInerney, Karen: On The Prowl (01/08/09)
Caine, Rachel: Lord of Misrule (01/10/09)
Frost, Jeanine: At Grave’s End (01/11/09)
Black, Jenna: The Devil’s Due (01/14/09)
Evanovich, Janet: Plum Spooky (01/16/09)
Gaskell, Whitney: Good Luck (01/17/09)*
Banks, L.A.: Bite the Bullet (01/21/09)
Henry, Mark: Happy Hour of the Damned (01/24/09)*

These are the books I’ve read so far this year. Currently, I’m reading three hardcopy books simultaneously, and seven through DailyLit. (Which is awesome, by the way, but I tend to get over-excited and grab a ton of books all at once. Which is why I’m reading seven.)

I see this list is skewed heavily in favor of Rachel Caine. What can I say? I love gift cards for Christmas! And I’ve been dying to read Lord of Misrule for months. Seriously, though, the endings just kill me. And I’m now hooked on the Weather Warden books as well.

Mark Henry was a new author to me. Sort of. I did sit in on one of the panels he was in last year at Conestoga (And yes, the whole zombie sex comment he made contributed to my buying this book–that was too funny to pass up.) This book had me laughing out loud! Zombie fashionistas, a flamboyant vampire, and psychotic baristas? Oh, yeah. I’m there. Normally, footnotes in a fiction book drive me crazy, but these just made me laugh harder. I will definitely be buying Road Trip of the Dead when it comes out next month.

And speaking of laughing, if you want to read a book that will immediately make you feel like your life isn’t as bad as you thought, read Good Luck by Whitney Gaskell.