Archive for the ‘What I am reading today’ Category

Wooops – this should have been posted early this morning but hey, better late than never

So let’s see what just came out (I’m sure there will be many that I can’t resist, and I’ll just have to get the e-books). Have I mentionned lately how much I love my iPad?

Ooooh and Jennifer, I did end up watching that movie you told me about ”Grace” – eeeeeeeeeeeek!!! That’s all I gotta say about that one! I just wish we knew WHY (or how) the baby became whatever it was…any ideas?

Anyway, I digress. Back to e-book window shopping, shall we?

• Sin Undone (Demonica, Book 5) by Larissa Ione <– YES to this one! Her potential love interest is that hot half-vampire/half-Were ambulance guy…this is on my MUST READ list!
• Demon from the Dark (Immortals After Dark Series, Book  by Kresley Cole <– another must-read (I love Kresley’s writing pace. There’s always a new book in this saga right around the corner.)
• Kisses from Hell - a YA anthology that has great authors!
• Bond with Me by Anne Marsh <– This one sounds awesome too! “As fallen angels, Brends and his brethren can grant humans any fantasy they choose. But in exchange they demand a bond, and only a woman who dares all accepts the invitation, Bond with me.”

Ok is it still my birthday or something? Many of the books that I’ve been anxiously awaiting will be released this week (well…if we include the 31st of August too which I’ll do next week.) That’s a BIG release day also, but one week at a time – I can only read so much…

YES! YES! YESSSSSSS!!!! Jeaniene DO NOT STOP!
This was….AMAZING! I will review this evening – I need to go get some air…

Apple iPad Tablet (64GB, Wifi + 3G)

My sweet sweet husband…the techie. Just dying for an excuse to buy the latest and greatest. Each time we’d stop in an electronics store, there’d always be the obligatory iPad touching, and his trying to convince me of how badly we needed one – that somehow, it MUST have something that would make our lives easier, right? 

So this weekend (while yet again, on another business trip),  he asked me what I wanted for my birthday (and my answer is usually, oh I dunno…books, or anything to do with books), I shrugged and said hrmmm…how about an iPad? Now I wasn’t really expecting one, but I had heard good things (especially for ebook reading), so why not? What do I want for my birthday – sure – let’s go with that! Why not blow his mind a little since usually my requests are sorta lame and uninspired. LOL! I should have known my suggestion was actually the “okay – go get one” that he had been waiting for. 

And he did. Within an hour of my nonchalant suggestion, I had one, complete with 3G abilities, He even proceeded to load it up with the Kindle and Barnes and Noble readers, and purchased me some books from each that I could start reading. What an amazing business trip this turned out to be. He was especially happy since the 3G versions are out of stock everywhere in our area. Looks like he’d been doing his research…Why do I have a feeling this was his plan alllll along? 

Now if only I could get my Sony E-books on there too, my life would be complete! Do you even know how many Sony ebooks I’ve amassed? So until Sony makes nice, still have to use it to read what I’ve got on it. But let’s just say, I’ve got way more room to play now with my iPad. 

So far, despite  my limited experience with my iPad, here are the most obvious “improvements”. 

• It’s a full color screen (my Sony is black and white)
• It’s fairly light (roughly 1lb 9oz), while my Sony Reader is just shy of a pound (barely a difference in weight between the two), but my iPad has an amazingy huge screen size that makes me feel like I’m reading nice big hard cover pages. The screen is roughly 7.75″ x 5.75″ while my Sony screen is only about 5″ x 3.75″.
• It is backlit! No more scrambling for book light batteries, and uneven screen lighting.
• I can highlight book passages and make notes (to help with my reviews) along with bookmarks while my Sony Reader would only allow me to bookmark (and I’m not sure if I mentioned this before, but it had a bad habit of rebooting on some books, deleting all the bookmarks I had saved from it). GRRRRRR!!! Hard to do reviews with no bookmarks of my favorite parts.
• I can have multiple readers in it and take advantage of multiple e-book stores sales and freebies (along with, of course, the occasional issue of a book not being available at Sony, while it was available elsewhere – like Amazon). Now I’m not limited. And who likes limits? Not I!
• And of course, the iPad is pretty much like a mini laptop. All sorts of extremely usable productivity “apps” that allow for word processing, intricate to do lists and scheduling, games, videos (yeah I’ll admit it – I watched the video release for Jersey Shore, Season 2 – LOL but I promise!! I did roll my eyes in exasperation many, many times). Browsing the Internet, full email capabilities, it was almost exactly like dragging my laptop around, but easier to carry. I even spent a nice evening at the hotel bar with my colleagues while we watched crazy YouTube videos like this one, and this one. Ok yeah, we think cats are funny! So will you, you’ll see (although I think we drove the bartender crazy with the first one).

So there you have it! Here are a few pics of my own iPad (below) and a screen shot of the next book in my Christine Feehan “Dark Series” marathon (that one’s up at the top). Looks great doesn’t it!!!?? 

"The Situation" telling us how it is.... *eyeroll* tee hee!

The book I'm reading right now "My Sister is a Werewolf" by Kathy Love - and I LOVE it.

Pleasure of a Dark Prince
You can now officially call this “Exhausted’s Book Blog” cause that’s my new name. Just got back from yet another business trip (which my poor blog can attest to – it has been sorely neglected), but I intend on finishing this book this week, and will review too.

So far, so good!! It’s neat cause the main character of this book, was the character in the very first book that helped “Lachlain” (who chewed and clawed through the ceiling of their Valkyrie prison to get to his mate). Garreth held the “ceiling” to keep it from falling. You know…cause the structure of the ancient house was severely weakened from all of the Valkyrie high pitched shrieking and lightening strikes, and chewing through the ceiling to get out didn’t help it. It was practically crumbling all around them.

LOL! Anyway, for those of you who haven’t yet read the series, this one’s mostly been pretty great, so I do recommend it.

Alright, I gotta get to work (again) – can’t wait until tonight to relax with my book.

Yup, that’s right! I’ve amassed such a huge collection of books, most that were recommended to ME before I started this site. Old stuff from Christine Feehan, P.C. Cast, Katie MacAllister, Maggie Shayne, Christine Warren and so on. Alright…I’ll admit my "To Be Read" pile is outta control…I gotta put a dent in it. And this isn’t even half of it, but it’s what I’m planning on reading first (Oh boy…where to start?)

I’ve been so busy trying to catch up with all the latest releases. Unfortunately, I’ve discovered that some of them, lately, have not thrilled me as much as the stuff I was reading a year ago, when I first started in this genre. I have lots of series that I started but never finished because  there was so much new stuff to choose from. In the beginning, I would read through an entire series without interrupting the pace. As I started collecting, and my "TBR" pile grew, I became like a kid in a candy store. A bite here, a  bite there, I couldn’t stop nibbling on all of ‘em. But it’s time I settle down again, and immerse myself like I used to.

So while I will continue to read & review the new releases I am super excited about (you know, new releases from a series that I already love, like Infinity from Sherrilyn Kenyon, and  Eternal Kiss of Darkness from Jeaniene Frost, anything from J.R. Ward etc…), I’m going to do a marathon of "oldies" (meaning a marathon of reviews on them, too).

Right now, I’m reading "Dark Challenge" from Christine Feehan, and after I pummel my way through these, I think I’m going to go right to her "Ghost Walker" series (you know all those books that have "Game" in the title…Shadow Game, Mind Game, Night Game and so on…) I hear those are REALLY good. Thing is, if I remember correctly, I found Ms. Feehan’s "Dark" series a bit too *much* to read them all in a row (sickly sweet and would induce extreme "eye rolling" in the romance department), so I will intersperse my Feehan marathon with some of the highly anticipated newbies.

So what’dya think? Good idea? I’m excited. All these old book just waiting to be read. I remember how excited I was to get them, and how dreamy they made me feel while I started each new series, so I’m hoping going "back to my roots", and finishing them, will bring that feeling back again.

Hope you guys enjoy!

Oh poop! Someone please tell me where I just put my Dark Challenge book?! I lost it already. I pulled out all sorts of books to take a neat picture…and put them all away again and guess what? I probably put that one away too! Grrrrrr!! Now I gotta search through the piles again (and it’s cuttin’ into my reading time!)

Bullet
Yup…still reading it…. Guys, I don’t think I’m gonna make it. This will be a first (at least in this genre). I’ve never read a book so slowly in my life. I keep falling asleep (and with this book I don’t even try to struggle to stay awake). I’m literally halfway through the book, and NOTHING exciting has happened.

Everything’s so convoluted, I never really have an exact idea of what’s going on. Maybe cause it’s making me fall asleep. With all the metaphysical stuff and the ardeur, it’s just a big dreamy haze. I can’t grasp any of it. I just can’t relate to any of them. The characters run hot and cold, the whole lot of them. Whiny, bully, emotional wreck, bully (they even physically bully Anita). How can she be attracted to any of them? And personally, Anita has become so unfeeling and prides herself so much in being the “man” in the relationship (she does!!). I guess it’s her way of proving she’s tough amongst so much whiny alpha male. I can’t connect to any of them. They’re all so weird!

Yup right after orgy #1 (in the first quarter of the book) we headed right into orgy #2 (we hadn’t even hit half way mark yet) and Anita had no choice again. Cause it’s Haven (the “Rex” – head of the lions) and he’s mad cause Anita hasn’t chosen him completely yet, and he is making demands. And well it would be important for Jean-Claude and Anita to…*ahem* “DO HIM” and his clan together in a power force to absorb whatever power will now make lions their latest “animal to call” (meaning I guess, sorta…oh I dunno, animal slave, guard? Something like that).

Apparently in this series, that’s the only logical way to control the situation. ”DO” ’em all into submission. But of course, it’s logical. The “Ardeur” and all that…

Something goes arwy, in Anita’s “group power surge”, and they suddenly want to feed on death. The only way to fix it is to switch power gears from death to sex (Jean-Claude releases the “ardeur” – at FULL force - again). Wait…wasn’t that the plan, sorta, anyway? I dunno…

I had a moment of my skin running cold with fear, and then I suddenly felt a whole lot better about waking up nude, in the middle of what looked like a hell of an orgy. It was better than not waking up at all.

Uhhh….ewwwww!

And it just keeps getting worse for me. LKH just keeps adding more and more characters, animals, reasons (well, not reasons more then just – opportunities) for the animals to want to worship Anita, scenes where the animals power struggle against each other (and Anita)…it’s like putting 7 different species of animals together in a cage and demanding they all get along. Impossible right? Oh but they will GET ALONG as long as Anita orgy’s them in some way shape or form…and “orgy” them she does. And I’ll be honest…even the sex scenes bore me.

Oh sure…some sort of excitement. Another surprise power visit by the Mother of Darkness. She’s a threat I guess. Gonna take everyone over. Of course she wants Anita (who doesn’t, right?). Now they have to plan. That’s where I’m at. Jean Claude is gonna finally become a scary vampire… (evil but for the right reasons, of course). 

“Are you planning to force them to give up power, even if they refuse?”

“To keep Morte d’Amour and the Mother of All Darkness from raping this country, oh yes.”

“This will make you the bad guy,” Richard said.

“I am aware of that.”

“Are you planning on us metaphysically raping the reluctant masters?”

“If necessary.”

“Isn’t that exactly what we’re fighting to keep the council from doing?” Richard asked.

“Yes but we are not doing it for evil purposes.”

“So they just have to trust that we mean well,” Richard said.

“No,” Jean-Claude said, “they just have to do what I tell them to do.”

So that’s pretty much where I’m at. Actually a little further (Haven’s whining, being a bully), they’re cleaning up the orgy (it’s really kinda gross).

So does it get better? Should I continue, or should I move on?

Quick Update: I’m forging on and guess what? Chapter 21 – 25 —>I liked them. This is better. I felt Anita’s nerves, anger, triumph and extreme sadness (very emotional scene). Deeper and more connected, and more realistic then all the metaphysical stuff. This was good.

Bullet
I’m only a quarter of the way through…maybe a bit more, so I’m gonna give it a chance, but…I dunno about this one.

Anita feels a little different to me, or maybe I’ve changed? As I mentionned to my friend Lily in our book discussion today:

I’m reading Bullet right now…not sure how I feel about it yet. I’m starting to kinda not like Anita…and well all of them.

• Gorgeous almost irresistible Asher‘s being a baby (he feels unwanted and instead of talking it out with those he supposedly loves, starts in with some pretty serious threats)…now THAT’S gonna win some hearts
•  Richard‘s had a change of heart and is suddenly being really cooperative (which is a nice change) but why am I resentful of him anyway? Too little, too late? There was a time in the series when he could do NO wrong…then he just started becoming angrier and plain scary that he just seems broken to me.
• …and Jean Claude the absolute most amazing “real” vampire ever, and yet….he just doesn’t get any attention and doesn’t really say anything about it. While he is important (it seems) to this book, he is almost already backburner-ish – he’s there but not ever angry or emotional. Maybe he never really was, and I just projected emotion onto his character because I liked him so much (one of the first vampires I ever loved LOL!). No wait. I swear He USED to be emotional. He’d get jealous, act indifferent, become angry and threatening and scary but now… none of that. He’s just “perfect”. Never overreacts, always polite and completely accepting of Anita and her needs. Oh come on, man!
• Anita. What can I say? What I hate is I can no longer relate to her. From her extreme public affection with each lover, to their unrealistic overall acceptance of each other (‘cept for Asher – who really only wants JC and is becoming quite resentful of Anita). I mean, I sorta get the “ardeur” thing (well…not really) but whatever – I’ll accept it as an integral part of the series (a side effect of being bonded to the “vampire line” that dominates through their sexuality – something important is bound to happen because of it, right?). And the need to help control her beasts is just so sexually complicated too. But even with her internal musings, she never admits being really in love with any of them. Basically, she loves everyone (equally?) which is almost as bad as loving no one to me. How she acts with her lovers, no real tenderness…no real emotion…no real attachment. Just a bunch of convenient arrangements.

I don’t *feel* any of them anymore. Not even Jean Claude Did I ever think this had an aspect of romance in it? I think I keep reading because I’m hoping to connect once again to the characters I’d grown so attached to.

New to the series? Do not mistake this series as being a vampire romance one – while it did have that touch once upon a time, it is quite clear that Anita’s kind of love is no longer conventional. Still interesting, I guess. Just not heart-warming or sigh-inducing anymore.

Wow…all of these impressions from  me and I’m not even halfway through the book. Maybe I’m just taking this all too seriously. It’s just that this was one of my first paranormal series that I got hooked on, and Jean Claude, to me, was just breathtaking, and now…nothing. He’s lost that loving feeling. Or maybe I have.

Oh sheesh, now I’M being whiny! I’m hanging too much with Asher and Richard I think

Okay, so for those of you who have read the book. Am I jumping the gun? What did you think (without any spoilers yet please).

Off I go to see if I can bond with any of them again.

So I went on a tiny book shopping spree today, and came home with a bunch of great books to read. It’s not like my “To Be Read” pile isn’t already sky high, but hey, I can’t get enough! It’s an addiction I tell you! Who can walk away from such great books? Not I!

While I didn’t blog much this weekend (cause I’ve been caught up in Lover Mine), I figured I’d take a little time out to list  my latest batch. So many book “ones” of all sorts of series I haven’t started yet, but now I can:

• The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld) by Gena Showalter
• Heart of the Dragon (Atlantis) by Gena Showalter (book one of the Atlantis Series)
• One Bite Stand (MacKenzie Vampires, Book 4) by Nina Bangs
• Playing With Fire by Katie MacAlister (book one of the “Silver Dragon” series)
• Up in Smoke (Silver Dragons, Book 2) by Katie MacAlister
• Watchers in the Night (The Guardians of the Night, Book 1) by Jenna Black
• Angels’ Blood by Nalini Singh (book one)
• The Summoning (Darkest Powers, Book 1) by Kelley Armstrong

My “My Bookshelf” page needs some serious updating…you should see all of the latest e-books I need to add to the collection too. Yup, I think I need therapy…wait, the books ARE therapy!

So off I go (I’m on the last 50 pages of Lover Mine and I really need to know what happens). I’m already feeling the sadness as I know the end of the book is near. But let me tell you…I LOVE it! So many stories going on at once, and I’m so wrapped up in the Black Dagger Brotherhood world that I have done everything to prolong the weekend experience.