Book Spot Lights - January

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

When Richard Mayhew stops one day to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London pavement, his life is forever altered, for he finds himself propelled into an alternative reality that exists in a subterranean labyrinth of sewer canals and abandoned subway stations. He has fallen through the cracks of reality and has landed somewhere different, somewhere that is Neverwhere.

Switched by Amanda Hocking

When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy finds out her mother might've been telling the truth. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - and it's one she's not sure if she wants to be a part of.

The Iron Fey Series:

The Iron King Julie Kagawa

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing.

Unless he can earn a soul.

To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Horror & Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge

I received an invitation from Book Chick City to participate in their Horror & Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge this year.  I participated in GoodReads reading challenge last year, 2011, and did quite well I think with 58 books.  I had a whole mixture of fantasy, fiction, literature, non-fiction and a couple of biographies.  Horror is one genre I have not yet attempted, mostly because I don’t want to sleep with the light on or freak out at every noise.  But I think it’s time to take the plunge into Horror.  I have committed to 24 books in this challenge.  I hope I get through this unscathed.  I have a link on the sidebar for those who would like to take the challenge or follow my progress throughout the year.  

2012 Book Preview

Switched  by Amanda Hocking

When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy finds out her mother might've been telling the truth. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - and it's one she's not sure if she wants to be a part of.

Angelina’s Secret by Lisa Rogers

As a child, Angelina spent years in counseling learning that Josie, her imaginary friend, wasn't real, but it turns out her childhood friend wasn't imaginary after all.

Now Angelina has to accept she's either (A) crazy or (B) able to see ghosts. Wanting to believe in her sanity, she chooses (B) and welcomes Josie back into her life. But even Josie can't help her deal with Shelly, the spirit of a confused teenager, and things go very, very wrong.

When Angelina finds herself in a psychiatric hospital, she faces a choice: she can spend the rest of her life pretending to be someone she isn't, or she can embrace who she is and take a chance that she may never get to go home.

The Calling by Kelley Armstrong  - Release date April 10, 2012

Book 2 – The Gathering #2

Maya Delaney’s paw-print birthmark is the sign of what she truly is—a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly anyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it’s only a matter of time before she’s able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents.

Now, Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they’re kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home. Plentiful action and romance in this second installment in the Darkness Rising series will keep readers enthralled to the very last page!

Insurgent by Veronica Roth – Release date May 1, 2012

Book 2  - Divergent #2

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

The Soul by Stephenie Meyer

Book 2 - The Host Book 2

Book 2 of The Host is scheduled to be published this year, 2012.  No other information is available as to the story, the book cover or actual date it will go on sale.  275 early reader copies have been given out. 105 have reviewed the book and rated it with 4.2 stars out of 5.  

Banned Words for 2012

Living in a household full of teenagers and MTV, should it be surprising that I have become somewhat of a “syntactical scrooge?”  I am listing a few words that I think should be banned from everyone’s vocabulary due to overuse and general uselessness.  Let’s not get me started on a list due to misuse!

Words that should be banned for 2012 are:

“man-cave” – gross overuse of this word

“a-ha moment” – general misuse of this word

“sh**-cray” – complete uselessness of this word

That is my list.  Feel free to add to this list any words you might find overused, misused, or useless.

Best Books I’ve Read in 2011:

 Rather than listing the “best books of 2011” list most publications have, I am going to list the “best books of 2011” that I have read myself.

The obvious books are:

-The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

-The City of Bones series by Cassandra Clare

-The Help by Kathryn Stockett

These two series are “a given” in the referral list.  These well known books were widely blogged about and discussed in many book forums and have quite a following.  The Hunger Games series is currently being made into a movie coming out around summer of 2012.  Aside from listing the obvious, I prefer to list the more nondescript books. 

The books you might not have heard of yet:

The Promises of Dr. Sigmundus series by Brian Keany

-The Hollow People

-The Cracked Mirror

-The Resurrection Fields

The Chronicles of Faerie by O.R. Melling

-The Hunters Moon

-The Summer King

-The Light-Bearer’s Daughter

The Guardians of Time trilogy by Marianne Curley

-The Dark

-The Named

-The Key

The Darkness Rising series by Kelly Armstrong

-The Gathering

The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa

-The Iron King

-The Iron Daughter

-The Iron Queen

-The Iron Knight

(Two mini novellas that go along with this series)

-Winter’s Passage

-Summer’s Crossing

The Aurora Tea Garden series by Charlaine Harris

-Real Murders

-A Bone to Pick

-Three Bedrooms, One Corpse

-The Julius House

-Dead Over Heels

-A Fool and His Honey

-Last Scene Alive

-Poppy Done to Death

All of these books are worth reading but if I were to pick one series from this list to recommend, it would be The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa. If you liked Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, this series is definitely for you.  If you are not a Twilight fan or have not/will not read that series, The Iron Fey is still a must read. It’s an easy YA read with a fairly fast flowing story.