Showing posts with label Lisa Plumley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lisa Plumley. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

2012: Xtra Scary Recs + Upcoming Holiday Reads

It's Halloween. For those of you celebrating the day, have a Happy Halloween! I've been reading many a scary book (or short story) these past few months. You can even read my recommendations post here where I chose some of my favorite books. The following three books are the last of my Halloween recommendations and I'm done for the year.


  • The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer released on May 8, 2012. I purchased this huge piece for my collection and have been reading stories here and there and believe me, it's no easy task to finish this book! I haven't finished it yet and am taking my time. There are 110 amazing stories, plus the introduction by VanderMeer alone is worth buying this collection. From Lovecraft to Borges, and from Mieville to Murakabi and Gaiman, there is no waste to this book.

  • Occultation and Other Stories by Laird Barron. This collection features the following short stories: The Forest, Occultation, The Lagerstatte, Mysterium Tremendum (original to this collection), Catch Hell, Strappado, and The Broadsword. If you like horror, read this collection! It is definitely on my list of favorite books read this year/ released in a previous year (May 2011).

  • The Light is the Darkness by Laird Barron is a novella that includes everything I expected to find in Barron's full-length novel The Croning, and sadly did not. This novella was released September 2012 by DarkFuse and it is worth reading. Here is the very short description: A man searches for his missing sister, while taking part in brutal modern-day gladiator fights and encountering cosmic horror on a grand scale. No kidding! Creative cosmic horror, grand scale, creepy, and all of it offered in a concise, bare bones writing style.

Now, I'm gearing up for Thanksgiving and Christmas reads! Here are some of the books I already have in my TBR to read and review:

From Kensington Books here are four titles and book descriptions:

  • Together For Christmas by Lisa Plumley (Zebra - Contemporary Romance): In a hilarious and heartwarming novel from USA Today bestselling author Lisa Plumley, a down-home diner owner meets a sexy Scrooge—but will it be a match made in holiday heaven?

  • The Trouble with Cowboys by Melissa Cutler (Zebra - Contemporary Romance): Cowboys have never been good for Amy Sorentino. First her hard-riding father bankrupted the family farm. Then her all-hat-no-cattle boyfriend sold her out on national television, ending her promising career as a chef. Now she and her squabbling sisters have partnered up in a final attempt to save their land by starting an inn and local restaurant. So it figures that with everything on the line, Amy’s key supplier is just the kind of Stetson-tipping heartbreaking bad boy she’s sworn to avoid. But Kellan Reed has a few secrets of his own–and cowboy or not, Amy can’t resist this kind of wild ride…

  • His Mistletoe Bride by Vanessa Kelly (Zebra - Historical Romance): When Major Lucas Stanton inherited his earldom, he never dreamed his property would include the previous earl’s granddaughter. Phoebe Linville is a sparkling American beauty, yes, but with a talent for getting into trouble. Witness the compromising position that forced them into wedlock. Whisked away to Mistletoe Manor, his country estate, it isn’t long before she is challenging his rules—and surprising him in and out of bed. Phoebe has no intention of bowing to Lucas’ stubbornness, even though he offers all that she wants. His kisses and unexpected warmth are enticing, but Phoebe is determined to show the Earl of Merritt what real love is all about. And if that takes twelve nights of delicious seduction by a roaring fire, she’s more than willing to reveal her gifts very slowly…

  • Season For Surrender by Theresa Romain (Zebra - Historical Romance): Alexander Edgeware, Lord Xavier, has quite a reputation—for daring, wagering, and wickedness in all its delightful forms. But the wager before him is hardly his preferred sport: Xavier must persuade a proper young lady to attend his famously naughty Christmas house party—and stay the full, ruinous two weeks. Worse, the lady is Louisa Oliver, a doe-eyed bookworm Xavier finds quite charming. Yet to refuse the challenge is impossible—he will simply have to appoint himself Miss Oliver’s protector… Louisa knows her chance for a husband has passed. But she has no desire to retire into spinsterhood without enjoying a few grand adventures first. When Lord Xavier’s invitation arrives, Louisa is more intrigued than insulted. And once inside the rogues’ gallery, she just may have a thing or two to teach her gentlemen friends about daring…

The Trouble with Cowboys by Melissa Cutler and His Mistletoe Bride by Vanessa Kelly look extra good to me! I think this is a good start, but I do have a few other Christmas books in my list and a couple of Americana historical romances that I want to read for Thanksgiving. How about you? Any holiday books you're looking forward to reading?