Sunday, April 10, 2011

Hilcia's Weekly Reads

Hey a Weekly Reads post from me! It's been a while since I posted one of those, right? But then, it has been a while since I read enough books in one week to do so. Also, two posts in one day... that doesn't happen often around here either. But hey... why not? I've had a good beginning to April and decided to share it with you.
  • Chill (Jacob's Ladder, Book 2) by Elizabeth Bear was a book that I began reading in March, but finished in April. This is the followup to Dust, the book that obsessed me back in February. It turns out that as a middle book, it was not as gripping as the first one and it took me a long time to finish it. It does suffer from a bit of the "middle book syndrome" in my opinion. The gorgeous world building is set, the principal cast of characters have been introduced, and now it's a matter of getting them to that finale. There's development of the characters and there's another interesting quest that furthers the overall plot line, but overall it was not as interesting as that first book, Dust. I am, however, really looking forward to reading the end of the trilogy and can't wait for this crew to get to their awaited destination, the planet. The book Grail has been sitting on my coffee table all this time and I just can't wait to find out what happens in the end. Grade C+
  • I continued by picking up one of my most anticipated March releases, Children of Scarabaeus (Scarabaeus, Book 2) by Sarah Creasy, the second and last book in her Scarabaeus series. This is the follow-up book to Song of Scarabaeus, a book that I really enjoyed reading and reviewed by February. I have a review on the works, but I can tell you that I definitely look forward to reading other books by Ms. Creasy in the science fiction romance sub-genre.
  • The Sweetest Thing (Lucky Harbor #2) by Jill Shalvis came next on list, and that was a wonderful surprise for me as you can read on my review. I didn't really like Tara, the female protagonist, in the first book and I truly dislike triangles, but ended up giving this book an A! The majority of my re-reads are contemporary romances and this book will be placed on that section of my bookshelf once I get the print edition. :)
  • I followed by picking up another highly anticipated read, It Happened One Season (Anthology) with Stephanie Laurens, Mary Balogh, Jacquie D'Alessandro and Candice Hern. I took my time reading this anthology and read other books in between the novellas -- I actually finished The Sweetest Thing and Children of Scarabaeus in between novellas. As my Sunday Mini post states this was a mixed bag, but one I enjoyed.
  • Yesterday I finished Slow Dancing on Price's Pier by Lisa Dale. This book was one of my anticipated releases for the month of April, and a book I've been looking forward to reading for over a year. I'll be reviewing it, so I won't say too much except that I continue to enjoy Ms. Dale's writing and the way she puts together a story, as well as her in-depth characterization.
  • And last, but not least, yesterday I began and finished reading Kiss Across Swords by Teal Ceagh. I won this book over at lovely Leslie's blog, Leslie's Psyche. I downloaded the ebook and just... read it right then and there! It's an erotic, time travel, vampire tale -- MMF. The author was a guest on Leslie's blog on March 31st and I remember loving her post about Claddagh Rings, and also being intrigued at the time because well... the characters in this story go back to the fall of Jerusalem during the Crusades. It seemed as if the historical details alone would be up my alley. Plus, hey, time travel, vampires AND MMF... what's not to look forward to, right? I will be sharing a bit more about this book with all of you soon.
At this moment I'm reading Maisie Dobbs (Book 1) by Jacqueline Winspear. I have Winspear's latest release A Lesson in Secrets on my TBR already, but I decided to at least read the first book in the series to get an idea as to the character before reading her last release. I'm about 29% into the book (Kindle edition), and this is what I had to say in my Goodreads update:
"I'm really taken with how the plight of English soldiers, during and after WWI, is depicted in this mystery novel. I'm loving the details, and the characters so far. Just went backward in time to Maisie's childhood and I'm surprised that I'm enjoying that part of it as much as her "present" time."
That's it for me for the week! Wish me luck, maybe I can do another one of these next week too. :D How was your reading week?

9 comments:

  1. Ohhh. That's one interesting group of books read in the last week. I am, after reading your reviews, going to pick up Dust at some point this year. Not for a couple of months - my library hold list is looking very messy for May & June - but perhaps late winter... And I so need to read Song of Scarabaeus!

    All the best for this week.

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  2. Wow, you've been a reading machine, Hils!! I don't know if it's the month of April, because me as well. LOL, I should really do a weekly read post, but I don't feel like it ^_^;

    Like I say, looking forward to the Lisa Dale.

    Glad to hear you've enjoyed Children of Scarabaeus. I've tried to start Song of Scarabaeus, but no success so far ^_^; Doesn't bode well for me, sigh.

    Overall, not only lots of read, but lots of good reads, that's even better! :)

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  3. I like your blog. Great Article....Daniel

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  4. Orannia, it turned out to be a good week of reading and yes! a different bunch of books. I didn't really think of that. LOL! Hope you enjoy Dust and Song of Scarabaeus when you get to them.

    Nath, it felt so good to read like this again. And I know what you mean about April. I think every year, I go nuts reading in April too, maybe it has something to do with all those great releases at the end of March/beginning of April. *g*

    Hmm... no luck with Song of Scarabaeus? It's that SFR with you! I know it! It's okay, Nath... not all genres and books are meant to be for all of us. ;P I'm definitely going to put something together for the Lisa Dale book soon... she's definitely still in my list of authors. That's a good thing. :D

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  5. Excellent week Hilcia!!

    I have a Kiss Across Swords in my e-TBR pile, so I'll definitely have to check it out now. :P

    Maisie Dobbs is a series I've been thinking about starting, so I hope you enjoy that first one.

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  6. Thanks Ames, it felt good to read more than two books in a week for a change, lol!

    I think you'll enjoy Kiss Across Swords, especially if you enjoy the historical setting. The MF takes center stage in this book, but the MM and the MMF is quite good and very emotional, which is important to make these relationships work. Hope you enjoy it.

    Maisie Dobbs had an awesome beginning! I finished it last night and cried my eyes out at the end. I can tell you that I'll keep reading the series. I loved her character and the setting. :D

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  7. I got the Bear books from the library - the covers are kind a erie in a cool/creepy way. LOL

    Loved the Shalvis! I can see re-reading this series too.

    Wow - you read the Ceagh fast!

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  8. Wow. A "What I read this week?" post??! Hils, I'm so impressed. ^_^

    Looks like you've been reading some really neat stuff. I'm keeping an eye on your impressions on the Maisie Dobbs books.

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  9. Leslie, I know! I kind of like those weird/cool covers for the Bear books. I hope you enjoy Dust. The Shalvis is definitely re-read material for me and the Ceagh was an impulse read! I downloaded it, began to skim and just read the whole thing that day. :D

    Christine, yeah! I actually read for a change, lol! I'll post something on Maisie Dobbs soon. :)

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