Amy's Book Nook

I'm a posting fool today!

The Books I Want to Read in June:
1. Face Value by Kathleen Baird-Murray - a women's fic about fashion and journalism. Sign me up!

2. The Importance of Being Married by Gemma Townley - Women's fic about a woman has to be married to get an inheritance. Hmmm....

3. Severance Package by Duane Swierczynski - a mystery/thriller about a group of office workers about to get picked off, literally. Sounds like The Office meets a horror movie. I REALLY want to read this!

4. Sweet Love by Sarah Strohmeyer - Romance. I read a previous book of hers and enjoyed it.

5. The Writing Class by Jincy Willett - Mystery having to do with writing. Gee, why would I like that?

6. Whacked by Jules Asner - Mystery having to do with celebs. A book that blends my E! watching? Fun!

7. Killing Bridezilla by Luara Levine - Another mystery. What's up with me and mysteries this month?

8. Mind the Gap by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon - urban fantasy by one of my favorite Buffy-book writers about a woman caught in another world. Could be scary. You ever read Golden's vampire works? Eech!

9. Falling Out of Fashion by Karen Yampolsky - another women's fic about a fashion and journalism. They keep writing 'em, I'll keep reading them.

Already On The Shelf:

1. Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen - Reading now. I loved her last book, Garden Spells, and am enjoying this one so far. Her books are gentle romances with a hint of magic. Nice, relaxing stories. The Led Zeppelin of romance books.

2. Tall Tales and Wedding Veils by Jane Graves - A couple accidentally gets married. I love those kind of books. And I think I've read her books before and enjoyed them.

3. Weddings Can Be Murder by Christie Craig - What's up with the wedding murder mysteries? I don't know, but it sure is fun and timely! And I'm pretty sure I've read Craig's books before too.

4. Pitch Black by Susan Crandall - Murder Mystery!

5. Bound by Shadow by Anna Windsor - NYPD and paranormal. Sounds fun!

Review from Graffiti Magazine: Rogue by Rachel Vincent

I knew I was emotionally invested in Rachel Vincent’s “Rogue” when I was getting angry and upset with how the other characters were treating Faythe. I found myself wanting to defend her actions and her mistakes to a group of fictional people.


So I was hooked.


“Rogue” is the sequel to Vincent’s equally engrossing “Stray” - a story of a Pride of werecats and in particular, the Alpha’s daughter, Faythe, who escaped her family’s hold on her in search of a normal life at college, complete with roommates and boyfriend. In”Stray,” Faythe found her old life coming back in the form of her ex-boyfriend, Marc, who also happened to be her father’s enforcer, and was trying to protect her from a dangerous non-Pride cat, a Stray. Faythe’s independent streak and well, brattiness, ended up putting her in danger and she was kidnapped by the Stray. And Faythe had to grow up fast and became a very interesting character.


Now, in “Rogue,” Faythe has settled back into Pride life, at least for now. She and Marc are back together and working together to round up Strays that invade her fatherás territory and she has cut all strings to her past at the college.


But when Faythe and Marc start finding dead Strays, they investigate further and find a link with missing human women - who bear an uncanny resemblance to Faythe. All of Faythe’s actions are under scrutiny by her Pride, her father, and Marc, and relationships are strained to the breaking point.


Faythe is such an engrossing character in that she’s not perfect. She makes mistakes, sometimes big ones that affect more than just her, and may not even be aware of it. But she tries to move on and fix things, and you have to like that in a character. She might be a supernatural creature, but she has ordinary human fears and desires - not sure about wanting to commit, wanting her independence, wanting to do her own thing and not what her family expects - and that makes her highly relatable. Vincent’s strength lies in creating these wonderful, flawed characters who practically step off the pages, putting her on the list of authors to watch.


The ending doesn’t exactly end, setting itself up for the next book, “Pride,” coming out this fall, which frankly, can’t get here soon enough for me.


“Rogue” is published by Mira Books. It is $6.99 and 394 pages long.



 

Review from Graffiti Magazine blog:

A far-off future where people can be downloaded into a hive consciousness of computers and a mega-conglomerate rules all is the setting of Michele Lang's science-fiction romance, "Netherwood."

Talia Fortune has spent enough time in the virtual reality Netherwood as her avatar personna, Amazonia, that she has become attached to the illicit pleasures of that world - fighting, romance and danger, with her cyber lover, Avenger. But Talia's Real position is sheriff and as the primary shareholder of FortuneCorp. Her grandmother and employer, Violet, who has recently forgone her body and being downloaded into the computer hive mind, gives Talia the task of tracking down a cyber outlaw Kovner in the Real, and after the last encounter with Avenger, Talia's beginning to suspect they are one in the same.

Traveling to the off-world colony, Fresh Havens, she meets with her uncle and finds that Fresh Havens is being sabotaged by the people hiding out in Gray Forest. Traveling there to put a stop to the saboteurs once and for all, she finds Kovner, who tells her something unbelievable - the computers of FortuneCorp are trying to take over and get rid of humanity and she is key to saving his people. Talia refuses to believe him though she still has feelings for him, but when circumstances begin to lead her to believe he is right, will she have the courage to stand and fight against seemingly impossible odds?

A fun blend of science-fiction scares, honorable outlaws and romance, "Netherwood" is reminscent of "Matrix" and "Terminator" movies with a bit of "Robin Hood" thrown in. It's a cool page turner that could keep you up all night reading.

"Netherwood" is published under Dorchester Publishing's Shomi line, all combining science-fiction, paranormal, action-adventure and romantic elements. It is $6.99 and is 303 pages long.

 

Not under this headline in the newspaper, I would say whatever copy editor wrote the headline didn't bother to read the story as it was "Books that describe ways of living, enjoying life" What does that even mean?

Books reviewed: Don't Hex with Texas by Shanna Swendson, These Boots Were Made for Strutting by Lisa Cach, Gemma Halliday and Melanie Jackson, Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready and From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris. 

Oh, please do visit my blog on the newspaper's website http://www.newsandsentinel.com/page/blogs.detail/display/188.html to see Shanna Swendson's gues blog this week, and Jeri Smith-Ready's in upcoming weeks! Any authors out there interested in guest blogging, feel free to contact me here.

 Books reviewed: Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him, The Best Day of Someone Else's Life, Hollywood Ending

Books reviewed: The Seer of Shadows by Avi - SCARED ME!, Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach, Fancy Nancy's Favorite Words

Scaredy Squirrel is back in Melanie Watt’s “Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach.”

Scaredy Squirrel, the squirrel who invents new things to worry about, never goes to the beach. It’s too scary and crowded. He might be attacked by flocks of seagulls, tribes of jellyfish, mobs of lobsters, packs of pirates or herds of sea monsters! It’s much better to recreate the beach from the safety of his own backyard.

But while he can turn kitty litter into sand and fill up an inflatable pool with water, one thing is missing - the sound of the ocean. He needs a shell to recreate that sound, and where do you find shells? At the beach.

As Scaredy overcomes his fears to get a shell, he finds there was nothing to be scared about and has fun, and children can learn that lesson as well.

“Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach” is published by Kids Can Press. It is $15.95 and is for ages 5 to 8.

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An alphabet book and an entertaining guide to “speaking fancy” comes in “Fancy Nancy’s Favorite Words from Accessories to Zany” by Jane O’Connor and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser.

The national best-selling team behind the “Fancy Nancy” stories is back and my kids couldn’t be happier.

Children can expand on their vocabulary with a helpful guide from Nancy herself and kid-friendly explanations. They also use the word in a sentence for better definition.

“Fancy Nancy’s Favorite Fancy Words” is published by HarperCollins. It is $12.99 and is for ages 4 to 7.

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Newberry medalist author Avi brings a scary story for kids in “The Seer of Shadows.”

It’s 1872 in New York and Horace has been apprenticed to Enoch Middleditch to work as a photographer. Horace is thrilled to be working with the new science. They are commissioned by a wealthy society matron Mrs. Frederick Von Macht to take a portrait of herself - for her dead daughter, Eleanora. She believes her daughter’s spirit is restless and wants to put the picture up by her tomb to reassure her. Middleditch believes this is the perfect opportunity to make a bit of extra money using a double exposure and asks Horace to secretly take a photo of Eleanora’s picture to use. But in taking pictures, Horace unlocks something else - both in the spirit world and inside himself - that he may not be able to stop. Turning to the Von Macht’s servant girl, Pegg, he learns that Eleanora’s death cannot be explained away, and if Eleanora is back, she is back for one thing - revenge.

Blending historical facts about the time period and technology and a chilling ghost story, Avi will capture readers’ interest and will haunt them after the very last page.

“The Seer of Shadows” is published by HarperCollins. It is $16.99 and is for ages 8-12, however, I would only recommend it for the 12-year-old or older set. With themes of child death and a plotline that is comperable to recent horror movies like “The Ring” and “Shutter,” I’m afraid it would scare younger readers.

Contact Amy Mendenhall at amendenhall@newsandsentinel.com. Visit her blog at www.newsandsentinel.com or read past columns at amendenhall.livejournal.com  

New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson delivers a chilling mystery with more than a few twists and turns in her new novel, "Lost Souls."

Kristi Bentz is trying to mend from her traumatic past of almost being murdered not once, but twice by a serial killer. Returning to college to pursue her degree and dream of being a true crime writer, Kristi finds the All Saints campus a bit more updated. The English department is full of hip, hot new male professors that are bringing the college co-eds in for classes such as "The Influence of Vampirism in Modern Culture and Literature" and Shakespeare lectures. Not to mention the bizarre morality plays staged like dark goth dramas. Kristi settles in to study, but is shaken to find that her forensics class is taught by none other than her ex-boyfriend, Jay McKnight.

Kristi is approached by an old roommate who knows of her detective father and Kristi's on penchant for investigating crimes, about some girls who have gone missing. All four girls had troubled pasts and the police are willing to believe they have ran off, but Kristi isn't so sure, especially when she finds out she is living in the apartment of one of those missing. Kristi soons hears of an elite club who wear vials of blood around their necks and hold secret meetings and she is determined to break the inner circle to find out what happened to the girls and why. But little does Kristi know, she is being stalked on campus and off, and it may be difficult for her to untangle herself from this web, especially once she turns to Jay for help.

This book's strength lies in its dark and twisted maze of mystery, as it jumps from Kristi's point of view and that of the killer's. Is there something paranormal going on the small college campus or is it just a deranged mind? The reader is not sure until the very end, and though you see things from the killer's point of view, their identity is not revealed until the very end.

A gothic tale of murder and romance on a college campus setting, "Lost Souls" is a thrilling ride.

"Lost Souls" is published by Kensington Books. It is $22 and 403 pages long.

If I thought I had alot before, I have even more now! My updated to-be-read pile:

Reading Now: A Hollywood Ending by Robyn Sisman

May:
Wicked Game - Jeri Smith-Ready
Omega Sol - Scott Mackay
Earth Ascendant - Sean Williams
Cruel Zinc Melodies - Glen Cook
Key to Conspiracy - Talia Gryphon
Armed and Magical - Lisa Shearin
A Kiss Before the Apocalypse - Thomas E. Sniegoski (may be best title ever!)
From Dead to Worse- Charlaine Harris
Dangerous Kiss - Sarah McKerrigan

YA May Books:
Skullduggery Pleasant: Playing With Fire - Derek Landy
Ever - Gail Carson Levine
Ink Exchange - Melissa Marr
Aurelia - Anne Ossterlund

June:
Blood Noir - Laura K. Hamilton (though somewhere else it says May 27, so who knows?)
Bound by Shadow - Anna Windsor (actually front says 6/24 back says July release, so who knows?)
Pitch Black - Susan Crandall
Weddings Can Be Murder - Christie Craig (front says June release, inside says May 27. What's going on?)
Tall Tales and Wedding Veils - Jane Graves
Lover Enshrined - J.R. Ward - it's 534 pages long!

July:
Hidden - Eve Kenin (Shomi!)
Eternal Pleasure - Nina Bangs
Pleasure Unbound - Larissa Ione
Magic in His Kiss - Shari Anton
My Wicked Enemy - Carolyn Jewel

August:
Out of Time - Samantha Graves
A Highlander Never Surrenders - Paula Quinn
Triple Exposure - Colleen Thompson
Countdown - Michelle Maddox (Shomi!)

But that doesn't mean that I won't be looking for more! (;
 

From my Graffiti Magazine blog:

Stylish women sipping cocktails at the latest it restaurant, wearing the latest designer work, shoes, and carrying the right bags, complaining about the quality of available men while working their glamourous jobs at fashion magazines and investment firms.

Sounds like a scene from Sex in the City?

That is the life that Lily inhabits along with her best gal pals, Sybil, Desi, and Eros. There's just one big difference - she's also a succubus, and all of her friends work for the woman downstairs, nicknamed "Martha" in Nina Harper's new book, "Succubus in the City."

After centuries of serving up all the bad boys, cheating husbands, and chauvinist pigs to their just desserts, Lily's getting tired of it all. She just wants a man of her own - someone to cuddle her after a long day, someone who sees her without makeup and in sweatpants, someone to actually DATE and love. But it's hard enough for a single woman in New York to find a quality man, let alone a single woman who serves the forces of darkness. Yet Lily thinks she's got a prospect in Nathan Coleman, a private investigator with a love of ancient languages. Her friends and boss keep warning her to tread carefully, but Lily, with an out of her contract in sight (true love really can save her soul) she's persuing Nathan while trying to fill her quota for the month and outwit a group called the Burning Men that want to put a stop to she and her friends - forever.

A wicked, devilish delight, this book is sure to please fashionistas and dark fantasy readers alike.

"Succubus in the City" is published by Del Ray. It is $6.99 and 392 pages long.

From Graffiti Magazine:

My obsession with “Kitchen Nightmares” and “Hell’s Kitchen,” not to mention “Top Chef” when Chef Gordon Ramsay’s not on, has taken its toll. Not only do my friends tease me about my inappropriate crush on the hot-headed celebrity chef, but now I’m going out of my way to find books to feed my need to read about making the perfect salmon nicoise and roasted monkfish, both things I’ve never eaten and don’t plan to in the near future.

So since I don’t cook, I’ve turned to looking for fiction books set in restaurants. It was with this in mind that I headed down to my local bookstore on the appropriate Tuesday to pick up a copy of Heather and Rose MacDowell’s “Turning Tables,” which takes working in a restaurant and gives it the “Devil Wears Prada” spin.

Erin Edwards was a marketing executive until downsizing ended her job. Now someone who used to dine at the latest ‘it’ Manahattan hotspot is working at one thanks to a family friend — and seeing how the other half lives.

A would-be actor who is also a waiter at the up-and-coming Roulette, takes Erin under his wing, determined to teach her the ropes to help turn her from flop into fantastic. Erin soon learns how to deal with exacting customers, a demanding and feuding owner and his wife, a perpetually cranky chef and all the rest of the waitstaff, not to mention the dog her best friend dumped on her.

Erin’s soon becoming a competent waitress and crushing on one of the assistant chefs in the kitchen, Phil, despite the fact that generally the waitstaff and chefs do not mix. A handsome customer who also happens to be a television producer enters the mix, though Erin feels out of his league. As Erin deals with romantic complications, a critical review shakes her foundation at work and she finds herself in hot water with both the owner and the chef. Could Erin soon be out of a job?

A great addition to the ‘wicked boss’ genre, “Turning Tables” is sure to be relatable to anyone who has ever had to wait tables, whether for hip eateries or family restaurants, and people who watch way too many shows related to cooking. The authors are identical twins who have worked at restaurants so you know it’s realistic too. This book just might make you tip well next time you eat out.

“Turning Tables” is published by Dial Press. It is $24 and 324 pages long.

Books reviewed: Pursuit by Elizabeth Jennings, Hold Tight by Harlan Coben, Adam by Ted Dekker

Books reviewed: Fifteen Minutes of Shame by Lisa Daily, Suddenly by Barbara Delinsky, The Ex-Debutante by Linda Francis Lee

Books reviewed: Highlander Ever After and These Boots Were Made for Stomping

Looking at my shelf today, I have a lot to read!

Reading Now: Stray by Rachel Vincent

April:
Practically Perfect - Katie Fforde
Suddenly - Barbara Delinsky

May:
Lulu Meets God And Doubts Him - Danielle Clark 
The Best Day of Someone Else's Life - Kerry Reichs 
Wicked Game - Jeri Smith-Ready
These Boots Were Made for Strutting - Lisa Cach, Gemma Halliday, Melanie Jackson

YA May Books:
Skullduggery Pleasant: Playing With Fire - Derek Landy
Ever - Gail Carson Levine
Ink Exchange - Melissa Marr

June:
Bound by Shadow - Anna Windsor (actually front says 6/24 back says July release, so who knows?)
Pitch Black - Susan Crandall
Weddings Can Be Murder - Christie Craig (front says June release, inside says May 27. What's going on?)
Tall Tales and Wedding Veils - Jane Graves
Lover Enshrined - J.R. Ward - it's 534 pages long!

July:
Hidden - Eve Kenin (Shomi!)
Eternal Pleasure - Nina Bangs
Pleasure Unbound - Larissa Ione
Magic in His Kiss - Shari Anton

August:
Out of Time - Samantha Graves
A Highlander Never Surrenders - Paula Quinn

But that doesn't mean that I won't be looking for more! (;

 Books reviewed: Personal Demon by Kelley Armstrong, Lady and the Vamp by Michelle Rowen, Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews, Small Favor by Jim Butcher

Books reviewed: Alibi in High Heels by Gemma Halliday, The Dark Tide by Andrew Gross, Tell Me Pretty Maiden by Rhys Bowen, Compulsion by Jonathan Kellerman

Here is a list of upcoming books for April that I have my eye on.

1. Small Favor by Jim Butcher - the latest in the Harry Dresden series. Detective wizards, yay!

2. Practically Perfect by Katie Fforde - a woman renovates a cottage and has some romantic misadventures. Sounds fun.

3. Suddenly by Barbara Delinsky - A woman must take care of her best friend's baby after her death. Could be a tear-jerker.

4. Saturday at Tiffany's by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet - A woman falls in love with a real person who is like her childhood imaginary friend. Sounds interesting.

5. Infected by Scott Sigler - People are turned into monsters from a virus and one former football star discovers he is special. Could potentially terrify me as it sounds like zombies.

6. The Houses of Time by Jamil Nasir - A man who can alter dreams finds the dream world intruding on the real one. Could be strange, could be interesting.

7. Adam by Ted Dekker - An FBI psychologist is almost murdered by a serial killer. Dekker's work is usually scary and mind-bending.

8. Hold Tight by Harlan Coben - After a friend's suicide, a couple's 16-year-old may be involved. I've only read 2 of Coben's books, but enjoyed them.

9. Lost Souls by Lisa Jackson - A true crime writer investigates three women's murders. Sounds like it could be scary.

10. Black Widow by Randy Wayne White - A taped wild bachelorette party is involved in this suspense book.

11. Fifteen Minutes of Shame by Lisa Daily - A dating expert finds out her husband is cheating on her. A chick-lit book.

12. The Heartbreak Pill by Anjanette Delgardo - A scientist wants to rid the world of heartbreak forever. Sounds a bit romance, bit chick-lit.

13. Shoe Addicts Annonymous by Beth Harbinson - Women's friendships over shoes. And I love shoes.

Kids books reviewed: Where Are Baby's Easter Eggs, Fancy Nancy Bonjour Butterfly, Fancy Nancy at the Museum, Fancy Nancy and the Boy From Paris, Jazzmatazz, Charlie Hits It Big, My Life the Musical

 

Books reviewed: Howling at the Moon by Karen MacInerney, Dead to Me by Anton Strout, Dead Over Heels by MaryJanice Davidson

Books reviewed: Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella, What Looks Like Crazy by Charlotte Hughes, A Little Trouble With the Facts by Nina Siegal