My To Be Read List - February 2016 - Feeling Pretty

Welcome to my February 2016 edition of My To Be Read List, hosted by Michelle @ Because Reading. This is a monthly meme where we offer up 3 choices from our TBR pile for our readers to pick from to help us make the super hard decision of "what do I read next?" a little easier and to whittle away at the ever growing TBR Mountain! 

Theme: Feeling Pretty: these all have a dress on the cover, and I thought that was a good February theme.  Feel free to leave me a comment and tell me which you chose and why.

The poll will stay open through Friday 2/12 , and I'll update this post with the winning book on Saturday 2/13, then post a review on the 4th Saturday of the month, 2/27.

If you think this sounds fun and would like to join (the more the merrier, because we love voting!) please head on over to Because Reading where Michelle lays out the rules for us!

And the choices are...

From Goodreads: (Sophie Katz #5) Overjoyed at Maryanne's engagement, amateur sleuth Sophie Katz can't wait for the wedding vows and party toasts to begin. But then Dena—best friend, bridesmaid and all-around vixen—is mysteriously shot just after the announcement. Leave this to the authorities? No way. Dena may never walk again, and Sophie vows to marry her fists with the shooter's face. Problem is, the number of suspects is off the charts—from jaded lovers to anti-free-lovers to just plain old haters. Dena's made plenty of enemies thanks to her popular sex shop—and, yes, she's no saint—but really, who deserves to be shot? With an überlogical almost boyfriend condemning her vigilante quest, and a wedding planner going vicariously bridezilla over the dream princess wedding, Sophie's barely thinking straight. But if she can keep her cool (and avoid all errant taffeta), she just might nab her man and save the (wedding) day. Big if.

From Goodreads: Lara Lington has always had an overactive imagination, but suddenly that imagination seems to be in overdrive. Normal professional twenty-something young women don’t get visited by ghosts. Or do they? When the spirit of Lara’s great-aunt Sadie—a feisty, demanding girl with firm ideas about fashion, love, and the right way to dance—mysteriously appears, she has one request: Lara must find a missing necklace that had been in Sadie’s possession for more than seventy-five years, because Sadie cannot rest without it. Lara and Sadie make a hilarious sparring duo, and at first it seems as though they have nothing in common. But as the mission to find Sadie’s necklace leads to intrigue and a new romance for Lara, these very different “twenties” girls learn some surprising truths from and about each other. Written with all the irrepressible charm and humor that have made Sophie Kinsella’s books beloved by millions, Twenties Girl is also a deeply moving testament to the transcendent bonds of friendship and family.

From Goodreads: Heather Wells Rocks! Or, at least, she did. That was before she left the pop-idol life behind after she gained a dress size or two — and lost a boyfriend, a recording contract, and her life savings (when Mom took the money and ran off to Argentina). Now that the glamour and glory days of endless mall appearances are in the past, Heather's perfectly happy with her new size 12 shape (the average for the American woman!) and her new job as an assistant dorm director at one of New York's top colleges. That is, until the dead body of a female student from Heather's residence hall is discovered at the bottom of an elevator shaft. The cops and the college president are ready to chalk the death off as an accident, the result of reckless youthful mischief. But Heather knows teenage girls . . . and girls do not elevator surf. Yet no one wants to listen — not the police, her colleagues, or the P.I. who owns the brownstone where she lives — even when more students start turning up dead in equally ordinary and subtly sinister ways. So Heather makes the decision to take on yet another new career: as spunky girl detective! But her new job comes with few benefits, no cheering crowds, and lots of liabilities, some of them potentially fatal. And nothing ticks off a killer more than a portly ex-pop star who's sticking her nose where it doesn't belong . . .

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Claus: Legend of the Fat Man by Tony Bertauski

From Goodreads: Some legends are forged in fire. Others are born in snow. In the early 1800s, Nicholas, Jessica and Jon Santa attempt the first human trek to the North Pole and stumble upon an ancient race of people left over from the Ice Age. They are short, fat and hairy. They slide across the ice on scaly soles and carve their homes in the ice that floats on the Arctic Ocean. The elven are adapted to life in the extreme cold. They are as wise as they are ancient. Their scientific advancements have yielded great inventions -- time-stopping devices and gravitational spheres that build living snowmen and genetically-modified reindeer that leap great distances. They’ve even unlocked the secrets to aging. For 40,000 years, they have lived in peace. Until now. An elven known as The Cold One has divided his people. He’s tired of their seclusion and wants to conquer the world. Only one elven stands between The Cold One and total chaos. He’s white-bearded and red-coated. The Santa family will help him stop The Cold One. They will come to the aid of a legendary elven known as… Claus.

I know, it's a little late, or early, to be reviewing a holiday book, but I'm FINALLY getting around to writing it up!

I have mixed feelings on this one. I had friends who rated it highly, so maybe that made my expectations too great going in. You don't really get very many holiday fantasy reads, and that is how I would classify this, so that is a point in it's favor. I did like the Reindeer and Frosty, and the manifestation of traditional Christmas ideas into an almost sci-fi setting. Even though it took place here on earth, the technology level of the elven far surpassed the humans, as you can tell just from the blurb above. The plot was fine, I think what I really didn't like was Jack. I know he had to be awful, that was his role in the story, but his constant yelling and childish desires with a ruler's power behind them were annoying, even though I realize that was the point. He was a child throwing a continuous tantrum and it was tiring to me. Now, he does have a plausible reason for being the way he is, but I wonder if we didn't start getting into that too late for me, because I was already done with him by then. He was just too over the top.

I do recommend it if you're looking for some holiday reading, especially fantasy, since most of what it is out there is romance and cozy mysteries. I'm not sure if I'll be continuing the series, we'll see if I'm in the mood around the holidays. I gave this one a 3/5.

This was my first read for the winter edition of COYER. 

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

From Goodreads: The three laws of Robotics: 1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2) A robot must obey orders givein to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. With these three, simple directives, Isaac Asimov changed our perception of robots forever when he formulated the laws governing their behavior. In I, Robot, Asimov chronicles the development of the robot through a series of interlinked stories: from its primitive origins in the present to its ultimate perfection in the not-so-distant future--a future in which humanity itself may be rendered obsolete. Here are stories of robots gone mad, of mind-read robots, and robots with a sense of humor. Of robot politicians, and robots who secretly run the world--all told with the dramatic blend of science fact and science fiction that has become Asmiov's trademark.

Finally! I have read I, Robot, as well as it being my first book by Asimov! I had a hard time deciding what image to use above, as the one I listened to from the library was of course the newest cover from the movie starring Will Smith.  Here is another cover that I found on Wikipedia that says it is the first edition from 1950.

The book is very different from the movie, in fact the movie itself comes entirely, and with a lot of artistic license and expansion from only one of the short stories in the collection, Little Lost Robot.

Asimov is a giant in the science fiction genre, and while I've been aware of him most of my reading life, from at least junior high on, I've felt I should read some, but also steered away, fearing it would be too dry and not interesting to me.  I couldn't have been more wrong.  The collection of stories are set up as reminiscences by Dr. Susan Calvin, Chief Robopsychologist, as she is getting ready to retire from U.S. Robotics and Mechanical Men, and are all centered around times that robots have "gone wrong" or not behaved as expected.  Almost every time it comes down to a dilemma over how to interpret the first rule of robotics: 1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.  Often the robot's interpretation is different from our own, or extends farther than we intended because they are being logical and are not able to make distinctions in levels of harm, considering them all the same, which causes some very difficult situations.

Far from being dry however, there is plenty of humor and emotion in the stories, even the robots seem to exhibit feelings on occasion that we would not normally attribute to them.  There is also the fear that what we have created will take over, and sometimes they did.  A couple of recurring characters, Powell and Donovan, always get into tough spots as field testers.  One of my favorites was the robot that didn't believe they had put him together, and went on to form his own pseudo-religious order at the base, even after they showed him how they had put him together, he came up with explanations for it.  It's not unlike some of our own current dilemmas.

I enjoyed this collection very much, it's insightful and thoughtful, at the same time as being entertaining and I at least really felt for Susan Calvin, as we travel with her through her life and how it has been shaped by the robots, in one instance very painfully, and again because of an unforseen interpretation of the first law.  There is another book, I, Robot: To Protect by Mickey Zucker Reichert, set in the same world that tells the story of Susan Calvin at the beginning of her career, I hope to read that one soon, my husband just did when I brought it home and really enjoyed it.  It is the first of a trilogy, each one focusing on one of the 3 laws and featuring Susan.  Of course there are also many more robot books by Asimov as well that I will get to eventually!

So what have I learned?  Don't fear the classics, they are often more engaging than you think they will be!  I definitely recommend I, Robot to anyone wanting to get into reading Asimov, and who are interested in robots as characters and the dilemmas that arise when human thinking and emotion vs. rigidly established rules and logic.

#MyTBRList 

Juding by the Cover #3 - Gene Mollica

I discovered Gene Mollica through a little series call The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne. I love the story and I loved the covers! Gene really brought Atticus to life, so when I saw a drawing that I think Kevin Hearne shared to win some of the cover art, naturally I entered, following the artist, and looking around at some of his other work, which were covers of other things I had seen and was interested in reading, I recognized almost every cover in his website gallery!

I love Gene's people, they are ready to come off the page on the downswing of a sword or the landing of a jump,  and the backgrounds behind them are just full of color and movement.

Gene is very active on his facebook page, sharing works in progress, and his website is also beautifully done, you can view many probably familiar covers in their original form without the title printing over them, and also purchase signed prints. I'm really tempted to get myself an Atticus, the problem would be deciding which one!

Gene Mollica Facebook       genemollica.com

 

   

Kindred by Octavia Butler

From Goodreads: The first science fiction written by a black woman, Kindred has become a cornerstone of black American literature. This combination of slave memoir, fantasy, and historical fiction is a novel of rich literary complexity. Having just celebrated her 26th birthday in 1976 California, Dana, an African-American woman, is suddenly and inexplicably wrenched through time into antebellum Maryland. After saving a drowning white boy there, she finds herself staring into the barrel of a shotgun and is transported back to the present just in time to save her life. During numerous such time-defying episodes with the same young man, she realizes the challenge she’s been given: to protect this young slaveholder until he can father her own great-grandmother.

"I lost an arm on my last trip home. My left arm."

Is that an opening hook or what? Of course you have to keep reading to find out how she lost her arm!  This is not a happy book, but it is an important one.  There is the sci-fi time traveling element,  but more striking to me was Dana's realization of how easy it was to accept the situation when trying to survive.  As she first finds herself thrown back in time, she is acting a part to survive, but then alarmingly begins to feel like the past is more home than her present.  There is the helplessness of slavery on several levels, the overall black slavery of the time period, her inability to control being jerked back into time, and that she has to keep helping this person who is growing to be such a detestable man, so that she can preserve her own timeline.  Such a daunting and terrifying prospect, being thrown back into that nightmarish time when everything that she is, black, independent and educated, is the exact worst combination of things for her to be to get along.

A definite recommend from me, and I will be looking forward to more of Octavia Butler's work.  Sadly we lost her in 2006, but as this was my first read by her, I have many more to catch up on.

This was my first read for the 2016 Reading Assignment Challenge #2016HW

Undeniable by Bill Nye

"Evolution is one of the most powerful and important ideas ever developed in the history of science. Every question it raises leads to new answers, new discoveries, and new smarter questions. The science of evolution is as expansive as nature itself. It is also the most meaningful creation story that humans have ever found."—Bill Nye Sparked by a controversial debate in February 2014, Bill Nye has set off on an energetic campaign to spread awareness of evolution and the powerful way it shapes our lives. In Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation, he explains why race does not really exist; evaluates the true promise and peril of genetically modified food; reveals how new species are born, in a dog kennel and in a London subway; takes a stroll through 4.5 billion years of time; and explores the new search for alien life, including aliens right here on Earth. With infectious enthusiasm, Bill Nye shows that evolution is much more than a rebuttal to creationism; it is an essential way to understand how nature works—and to change the world. It might also help you get a date on a Saturday night.

Evolution is such a controversial subject. It seems to either make perfect sense to a person or the complete opposite. For the record, I'm on the side of evolution, it just makes sense to me, so in this case Bill was preaching to the choir. This was a fun listen for me because I enjoy science talk when the person lecturing is excited about their subject and can make it fun. Bill is well versed in doing exactly that having had his Bill Nye the Science Guy show, aimed at getting kids interested in science. He's conversational and humorous and just super excited about it! He also makes no bones about which side of the fence he's on, and what he thinks of those who are on the other side. I'm not sure how this would go over with someone who is undecided about evolution vs. creationism, but it certainly isn't going to change the mind of someone firmly on the Creationist side. Instead I think it would put them on the defensive and make them even more determined to fight their case. And lets face it, in most subjects where there are such opposing views that are passionately defended, neither side is going to change the mind of the other.

I'm going to say, if you're already on board, and want a fun science lecture packed with interesting information, definitely give it a listen since Bill narrates himself.  If you're undecided, still give it a listen and see what you think, and try to give Bill a pass for being not so diplomatic about the opposing side.  If you're firmly on the side of Creationism... well... I don't know, I'll have to leave that up to you. :)

Read/Listened to for the 2016 I Love Libraries Challenge

A Winter's Respite Read-a-thon - January 18th - 24th, 2016

Come join us over at Seasons of Reading for the Winter's Respite Read-a-thon! Now that the hustle of the holidays is done, it's time to relax with a book or three and work on those 2016 reading challenges!

The sign up page is HERE.

TBR:

I'd like to finish these three up this week, and maybe get a start on something new, we'll see.

 


Update:
I did manage to finish all three of these, so I think I'll call it done and a success!

24 in 48 Read-a-thon - January 16-17, 2016

I'm going to join the 24 in 48 Read-a-thon for the first time, because I just can't resist! I know I will get no where near 24 hours over the weekend, but we'll see how I do anyway.

Beginning at 12:01am on Saturday morning and running through 11:59pm on Sunday night, readers read for 24 hours out of that 48 hour period. You can split that up however you’d like: 20 hours on Saturday, 4 hours on Sunday; 12 hours each day; six 4 hour sessions with 4 hour breaks in between; whatever you’d like. -- from the 24 in 48 website

Currently Reading:



Updates:

9:00 AM Sat: 7% of Nefertiti's Heart, 36 minutes
10:30 AM Sat: 35 minutes of Undeniable
7:15 PM SAT: 6% of Nefertiti's Heart, 30 minutes  and 45 minutes of Undeniable.
10:20 PM SAT: 8% of Nefertiti's Heart, 40 minutes
11:00 AM SUN: 8% of Nefertiti's Heart, 60 minutes, 11 minutes of Undeniable.

Total Time: 4:28
Total Pages:  83 pages of Nefertiti's Heart, and 51 pages of Undeniable = 134 pages


Finished: Nada!  I finished NOTHING! lol!

My favorite reads in 2015 - recommendations

And now it's time for the list you didn't know you were waiting for!  I actually meant to post this a week ago, but you know, stuff and things, they happen. ;)

I hope you had a great reading year in 2015, were able to complete your challenges (but don't be hard on yourself if you didn't, they were just for fun after all!), and are looking forward to more fantastic literary adventures in 2016!  

I'm going to recap with my top 10 reads for the year, just in case you're looking for some recommendations, I know I always am, even though my TBR is enough to keep me busy for several lifetimes!

These are in no particular order but made me laugh, cry, renewed my confidence, inspired me, or took me back to fond memories.  Sometimes all within the same book.  They are books that when I closed the cover on the last page, made me just sit for a bit feeling like I had been allowed to share something special.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes The Princess Bride was a favorite movie for myself and my friends. I was about 14 when it came out. We quickly fell in love with Cary Elwes, and listening to him read his own memoirs of making the movie just made me fall in love with him all over again. Not that I ever stopped! ;)

The Martian by Andy Weir I wasn't sure if I would like this one at first. I was afraid the science talk would be too dry. I couldn't have been more wrong, I loved it! The science is actually interspersed with enough personality and humor of the main character that it never bogs down. I felt like they did a good job on the movie as well, even adding a little to the end to give me the closure I wanted in the book that wasn't really there.

The Dalai Lama's Cat and the Art of Purring by David Michie I love these so much, I love stories told from the animals point of view.  HHC is so much fun because she is so very much a cat, but at the same time tries so hard to understand and employ the Buddhist philosophy in her life.  She has many adventures, and is always in the middle of whatever is going on in the village, not to mention having to help try out new staff who just don't seem to understand how important she is! She gets a real surprise about her own past in this one!  I'm really looking forward to the next installment, The Power of Meow.

You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day  Like many people I discovered Felicia through her web episodes of The Guild, which depict a group of online gamers who decide to meet up in real life. I am an online gamer, though not quite into all the headphones and chat channels, but I have done it, so I can relate.  I loved it, and have seen her a few other places, so when I saw she had written a book, I thought hey, that sounds like fun, and I love the cover!  I love it also when the author is able to read/perform their own work, that makes it so much more special for me (Cary Elwes above, and John Taylor's book from past years being among THE TOP for me).  What I'm struck by is when you start hearing their story, and relating the time during which you became the most aware of them, seems to be the time when they were having the most difficulty in their own lives, and you realize that being a celebrity is not the dream we all think it should be.  I dearly loved listening to Felicia describe her awkward situations and could relate to her in so many ways.  A wonderful read, and I felt like I'd found a kindred spirit by the end.

The Perfect Hope (Inn Boonesboro #3) by Nora Roberts I really never expected to be a Nora Roberts fan, but she got me with this trilogy.  The characters were wonderful and I feel like I could just get in the car and drive to this town and see it all for real. Actually I believe Nora has created some of this for real, so obviously I wasn't the only one who felt that way! I think it would be fun to visit some day.  I definitely recommend this trilogy if you're needing a feel good happy ending story of some bachelor brothers meeting their matches, and helping a ghost find her way in the process. Check out Inn Boonsboro if you'd like to see the real place.

The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde I really enjoy Jasper's Thursday Next series and have enjoyed this one as well.  It's more a kids series in comparison, but is still very witty and enjoyable for adults. Poor Jennifer Strange is still having to hold Kazam Mystical Arts Management together in the absence of it's true leader, who is able to appear only rarely for a few moments at a time.  A fun fantasy series!

In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters I tried this out when it came up as one of the Big Library Reads where the e-book is available to anyone for several weeks to all read at the same time. I was drawn by the idea of capturing spirits in photography, and actually learned about a time period in history when there was a terrible flu epidemic, and spiritualism was very popular to try and contact or photograph lost loved ones.  It was an intriguing and intense read and I look forward to more from Cat Winters!

Aunt Dimity Digs In (Aunt Dimity #4) by Nancy Atherton Aunt Dimity has become one of my favorite mystery series of all time. I love Aunt Dimity herself, Reginald and his cousins, the way Nancy Atherton can weave a mystery without a murder (not saying there are not deaths, but not centered around a current murder), and just the whole town in general.  This episode had a Roman Archeological theme, and the antics of the townspeople were hilarious! I can't recommend these cozies enough!

Children of the Storm (Amelia Peabody #15) by Elizabeth Peters As much as I love Aunt Dimity, Amelia Peabody IS my favorite mystery series of all time. Amelia and her family are a riot, and Barbara Rosenblat performs the audiobooks to perfection, reading Amelia and her husband Emerson exactly how I pictured them in my head.  If you love all things Egyptian and a lot of mischief, then make sure to take your parasol, and an extra shirt, and hop on the dahabeeyah for a fun ride!

His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire #1) by Naomi Novik I love Temeraire, he's equal parts innocence, intelligence, mischievous,  sensitive and adventurous and I picture him as being like a cross of  movie version Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon and Tom Hiddleston, because he's also so nice and polite and really doesn't want to bother anyone, though he does have his own ideas and really isn't sure about this duty thing he keeps hearing of.  This is a fun alternate historical fantasy and I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of the series!

2016 Reading Assignment Challenge

Yay! Another reading challenge I shouldn't join, but I'm gonna, cause I wanna!

There are rules and things here -----> 2016 Reading Assignment Challenge Sign Up

I'm declaring Reading Level 1 which is 12 books for the year, 1 per month.

Book List:

1. The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness
2. Black and White - Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge
3. Tiger's Curse - Colleen Houck
4. Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
5. The Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness
6. Kindred - Octavia Butler
7. Firelight - Sophie Jordan
8. Infinite Days - Rebecca Maziel
9. The King's Mistress - Emma Campion
10. Rivals for the Crown - Kathleen Givens
11. Queen of Kings - Maria Dahvana Headley
12. The Red Wyvern - Katherine Kerr

These are all books I've received from other Bookcrossers and I need to get them read and passed along!

Bout of Books 15 - January 4th - 10th, 2016

It's Bout of Books time again! Just in case you don't know what that means:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 4th and runs through Sunday, January 10th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 15 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.                                                                  - From the Bout of Books team

Currently Reading: 

All done!

Progress:

1/04/16: 33% of Claus, 59:33 of Riddle
1/05/16: 70% of Claus, 1:51:51 of Riddle
1/06/16: 100% of Claus, 2:29:29 of Riddle, started Magician
1/07/16: 3:12:45 of Riddle, 31% of Magician
1/08/16: 7:12 of Riddle, 58% of Magician
1/09/16: 78% of Magician
1/10/16:  100% of Magician

Finished: 



That's a wrap for this Bout of Books, I'm very pleased with my result! Thanks again to our hostesses for another great Bout of Books, and I'll see you for the next one in May!

My To Be Read List - January 2016 - Classic Sci-Fi

And the Winner is.....

 I'll be honest, I wanted this one to win, though I am still interested in the others.  I have seen the movie, which I realize is probably a lot different than the book.  I was able to check out the audio from our library, which will help a lot because once again I've overestimated how fast I can read! lol!

******************

Welcome to my January 2016 edition of My To Be Read List, hosted by Michelle @ Because Reading. This is a monthly meme where we offer up 3 choices from our TBR pile for our readers to pick from to help us make the super hard decision of "what do I read next?" a little easier and to whittle away at the ever growing TBR Mountain! 

Theme: Classic Sci-Fi - My husband and I are both voracious readers, but sometimes have very different tastes.  I asked him to pick 3 books he'd like me to read.  Feel free to leave me a comment and tell me what you chose and why.

The poll will stay open through Friday 1/8 , and I'll update this post with the winning book on Saturday 1/9, then post a review on the last Saturday of the month, 1/30.

If you think this sounds fun and would like to join (the more the merrier, because we love voting!) please head on over to Because Reading where Michelle lays out the rules for us!

And the choices are...

From Goodreads: NAME: Valentine Michael Smith ANCESTRY: Human ORIGIN: Mars Valentine Michael Smith is a human being raised on Mars, newly returned to Earth. Among his people for the first time, he struggles to understand the social mores and prejudices of human nature that are so alien to him, while teaching them his own fundamental beliefs in grokking, watersharing, and love.

From Goodreads: The three laws of Robotics: 1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2) A robot must obey orders givein to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. With these three, simple directives, Isaac Asimov changed our perception of robots forever when he formulated the laws governing their behavior. In I, Robot, Asimov chronicles the development of the robot through a series of interlinked stories: from its primitive origins in the present to its ultimate perfection in the not-so-distant future--a future in which humanity itself may be rendered obsolete. Here are stories of robots gone mad, of mind-read robots, and robots with a sense of humor. Of robot politicians, and robots who secretly run the world--all told with the dramatic blend of science fact and science fiction that has become Asmiov's trademark.

From Goodreads: Simak's "City" is a series of connected stories, a series of legends, myths, and campfire stories told by Dogs about the end of human civilization, centering on the Webster family, who, among their other accomplishments, designed the ships that took Men to the stars and gave Dogs the gift of speech and robots to be their hands.

#MyTBRL

Judging by the Cover #2 - Kinuko Y. Craft

Welcome to Judging by the Cover, where I showcase artists that I've discovered through book cover art. 

Kinuko Y. Craft has a unique and enchanting style of art that is immediately recognizable. Her work is so detailed, from ringlets and delicate tendrils in hair, to braiding on clothing and flower petals, there is an ethereal quality to her paintings that is hers alone.

I am mostly familiar with her from the covers of Patricia McKillip novels which I've shown here, but she has also been commissioned to work for Time, National Geographic and The New York Times. Other book covers include Stephen King, Andre Norton and Isaac Asimov, just to name a few.

In addition to those lofty credits, she has illustrated quite a few fairytale retellings, the newest is Beauty and the Beast through Harper Collins which should be out in 2016. You can look at one of her paintings many times and always find a new detail that you had not noticed before.  Visit Kinuko Craft's Website for more details on her life and work.

Wishlist Wednesday #12 - Rook by Sharon Cameron

Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop where we will post about one book per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added (it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wishlist and onto our wonderful shelves. It is hosted by Pen to Paper, just click on the button to the left if you'd like to join us!

From Goodreads: History has a way of repeating itself. In the Sunken City that was once Paris, all who oppose the new revolution are being put to the blade. Except for those who disappear from their prison cells, a red-tipped rook feather left in their place. Is the mysterious Red Rook a savior of the innocent or a criminal? Meanwhile, across the sea in the Commonwealth, Sophia Bellamy’s arranged marriage to the wealthy René Hasard is the last chance to save her family from ruin. But when the search for the Red Rook comes straight to her doorstep, Sophia discovers that her fiancé is not all he seems. Which is only fair, because neither is she. As the Red Rook grows bolder and the stakes grow higher, Sophia and René find themselves locked in a tantalizing game of cat and mouse.

I really enjoyed listening to Sharon Cameron's The Dark Unwinding and I'm looking forward to the next one as well.  This is a stand alone that also sounds interesting!

What books are on your wishlist?  

Holiday Grind (Coffeehouse Mystery #8) - Cleo Coyle

From the back: When Village Blend manager and head barista Clare Cosi finds a red-suited body in the snow, she adds solving Santa's slaying to her coffeehouse menu. Clare's grown very fond of Alfred Glockner, the part-time comic and genuinely jolly charity Santa who's been using her coffeehouse as a place to warm his mittens. When she finds him gunned down in a nearby alley, a few subtle clues convince her that Alfred's death was something more than the tragic result of a random mugging -- the conclusion of the police. With Clare's boyfriend, NYPD detective Mike Quinn, distracted by a cold case of his own, and ex-husband Matt "investigating" this year's holiday lingerie catalogs (an annual event), Clare charges ahead solo and discovers this Santa had a list that he was checking twice -- and the folks on it were not very nice. Then someone tries to ice Clare, and she really gets steamed...

This is a fun series. You can always count on Clare to get herself into trouble while piecing together who-done-it. This installment also includes around 80 pages of recipes and coffee facts.  Things get a bit rocky for Clare and Quinn, and her ex, Matt, seems to be the one coming to her rescue every time she's in a fix.  Clare's ex-mother-in-law, Madame, is force to be reckoned with, and always has something up her sleeve and connections to everyone.  She is always so tickled to get involved in helping Clare investigate! The coffee house setting makes me wish I had a Village Blend nearby and coffee trade facts that are included are interesting, fleshing out the theme, and making it more immersive than just knowing it is the setting.  I really wish some of the Fa-la-la-la Latte flavors they came up with were real!

Wishlist Wednesday #11 - The Gospel of Loki by Joanne M. Harris

Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop where we will post about one book per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added (it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wishlist and onto our wonderful shelves. It is hosted by Pen to Paper, just click on the button to the left if you'd like to join us!

From Goodreads: The novel is a brilliant first-person narrative of the rise and fall of the Norse gods - retold from the point of view of the world's ultimate trickster, Loki. It tells the story of Loki's recruitment from the underworld of Chaos, his many exploits on behalf of his one-eyed master, Odin, through to his eventual betrayal of the gods and the fall of Asgard itself. Using her life-long passion for the Norse myths, Joanne Harris has created a vibrant and powerful fantasy novel. Loki, that’s me. Loki, the Light-Bringer, the misunderstood, the elusive, the handsome and modest hero of this particular tissue of lies. Take it with a pinch of salt, but it’s at least as true as the official version, and, dare I say it, more entertaining. So far, history, such as it is, has cast me in a rather unflattering role. Now it’s my turn to take the stage. With his notorious reputation for trickery and deception, and an ability to cause as many problems as he solves, Loki is a Norse god like no other. Demon-born, he is viewed with deepest suspicion by his fellow gods who will never accept him as one of their own and for this he vows to take his revenge. From his recruitment by Odin from the realm of Chaos, through his years as the go-to man of Asgard, to his fall from grace in the build-up to Ragnarok, this is the unofficial history of the world’s ultimate trickster.

I have not read anything by this author yet, but have several friends that have and enjoyed her.  I think this is a bit different from her usual maybe, I'm not sure.  But it's Loki!  I'm sure I'll be picturing Tom Hiddleston as I read, unless the voice is just too different.  I like reading established mythologies or legends from the point of view of the villain, Morgan Le Fay, Mordred, etc.  I guess I just have a soft spot for them!

What books are on your wishlist?  

Doctor Who: The Drosten's Curse by A. L. Kennedy

From the Back: "I shall make you the jewel at the heart of the universe." Something distinctly odd is going on in Arbroath. It could be to do with golfers being dragged down into the bunkers at the Fetch Brothers’ Golf Spa Hotel, never to be seen again. It might be related to the strange twin grandchildren of the equally strange Mrs Fetch--owner of the hotel and fascinated with octopuses. It could be the fact that people in the surrounding area suddenly know what others are thinking, without anyone saying a word. Whatever it is, the Doctor is most at home when faced with the distinctly odd. With the help of Fetch Brothers' Junior Receptionist Bryony, he'll get to the bottom of things.  Just so long as he does so in time to save Bryony from quite literally losing her mind, and the entire world from destruction. Because something huge, ancient, and alien lies hidden beneath the ground, and it's starting to wake up...

The Celtic knotwork on the cover caught my eye, that it was Doctor Who, an interesting premise and that it was the 4th Doctor, who was my first, all led me to choose this one from Blogging for Books. A. L. Kennedy really delivered for me, because having finished it, I now want to go watch all of the 4th Doctor episodes! Usually what that means is that the book characterization and feel really worked for me and I'm not ready to be done yet! But alas I have finished it and it's time for me to tell you how fun it was.  It was super FUN!

The feel of what I consider the trademark of Doctor Who for me was portrayed very well, that he's such an intense entity that it's difficult for him to stay serious for long, because that's just too much, too painful and too dangerous.  That way lies madness.  So the pressure is relieved through ridiculousness, but very intelligent silliness, and sometimes he's difficult to follow because his mind is just working too quickly and too deeply to keep up with.  He's also pretty impatient of us poor slow humans, and other aliens, but pretty fond of us all too.

Bryony and Putta remind me a bit of Eleven's companions Amy and Rory, and are a cute, bumbling addition to the Doctor's team.  The Tardis is also portrayed as having a mind of its own and how Bryony and Putta were getting different feelings from it just speaks well for the author's characterization in my opinion. 

Doctor Who is a great combo of fun, action and a message, in this case love conquering hate and fear, and Kennedy does a fantastic job of capturing that spirit in this novel.  I enjoyed it, and definitely recommend it to Doctor Who fans.

Aunt Dimity's Christmas (Aunt Dimity #5) by Nancy Atherton

From the back cover: Lori Shepherd can hardly wait to celebrate Christmas this year with her husband, Bill, and their twin sons in the beautiful cottage willed to her by Aunt Dimity. But then Lori makes a disturbing discovery beneath the cottage's snow-covered lilac bushes -- the body of a mysterious stranger, barely alive. Lori puts her plans on hold to team up with Julian Bright -- a devilishly attractive Roman Catholic priest -- and seek out the tramp's identity. Their adventure takes Lori and Julian from abandoned World War II airfields to homeless shelters -- places where the Christmas star shines dimly, if at all. With Aunt Dimity's ghostly guidance, Lori unveils the tragic secret that led the stranger to her door, and must confront painful truths about herself and the true meaning of a perfect family Christmas.

Once again I must sing Nancy Atheron's praises with her Aunt Dimity series. The way she crafts a mystery, it's so much more than just figuring out the answer, it's the journey of self-discovery at the same time. In this case a reminder of the true spirit of Christmas, which we ALL need as we run that race to get it all done in time.

Lori wants to uphold all the traditions that makes it feel like the holidays to her, but instead finds herself involved in discovering the identity of the tramp, after a little prodding from Aunt Dimity.  The village Nativity Play seems like a ship out of control as well when Lori's father-in-law must step in to fill Bill's place while he is gone and everyone has their own interpretation of how things should go.  Personalities clash, and the worst comes out in everyone, until they are reminded of what's really important, not the trappings of the season, but the spirit of giving and love. Then, like most of us when shown how selfish we were being without even realizing it, they step up to the plate in a big way, and somehow everything works out.  We also get to meet another of Reginald's "cousins" which is always a poignant treat.

I can't recommend this series enough, I feel like Finch is just right around the corner and waiting for me to visit!  Check out the Aunt Dimity's World Website for more info.  I'm so glad I have so many more books to look forward to!

Wishlist Wednesday #10 - The Conjuror's Riddle (The Inventor's Secret #2) by Andrea Cremer

Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop where we will post about one book per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added (it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wishlist and onto our wonderful shelves. It is hosted by Pen to Paper, just click on the button to the left if you'd like to join us!

From Goodreads: The Revolution is beginning–and Charlotte may be on the wrong side. In this sequel to The Inventor's Secret, Charlotte and her companions escape the British Empire, but they haven't left danger behind. In fact, if they go against the revolutionaries, they face even greater peril. Charlotte leads her group of exiles west, plunging into a wild world of shady merchants and surly rivermen on the way to New Orleans. But as Charlotte learns more about the revolution she has championed, she wonders if she's on the right side after all. Charlotte and her friends get to know the mystical New Orleans bayou and deep into the shadowy tunnels below the city–the den of criminals, assassins and pirates–Charlotte must decide if the revolution's goals justify their means, or if some things, like the lives of her friends, are too sacred to sacrifice. This alternate-history adventure series asks the questions: What would have happened if America had lost the Revolutionary War? And what would people be willing to do to finally taste freedom?

I must have found The Inventor's Secret not long after it came out because it seems like I've been waiting for a long time for #2.  But it's finally here just back in November, so hopefully I'll get to it soon!  I like alternate history stories.

What books are on your wishlist?  

Rest You Merry (Peter Shandy #1) by Charlotte MacLeod

From Goodreads: Professor Peter Shandy finally succumbs to Jemima Ames, Chairperson for Balaclava Agricultural College's major fundraiser, the Grand Illumination. He buries his small brick house under an avalanche of tawdry plastic and escapes on a sea cruise. But he returns to find Jemima dead on his living room floor and a murder to solve.

Poor Peter, he thought he'd pulled a fast one on the overbearing wife of his good friend when he finally caves to her demands of Christmas decorating, goes completely overboard, and then skips town for the holidays before he can be discovered. Only nothing works out as he planned, and his little joke ends up with him being responsible for solving her murder. I really enjoyed Peter's character, he's a smidge curmudgeon, but also unexpectedly mischevious. I kept imagining a middle aged aged Ian McKellan or Peter O'Toole, even though the character is not British, it was that twinkle they get when they're up to no good that made me smile in imagining.  There is also a dash of romance for our scholarly bachelor, if he can keep out of trouble long enough!

This is my first Charlotte MacLeod read and I give it a definite recommend for holiday reading and cozy mystery lovers.  I'm looking forward to seeing what trouble Peter gets into next!