January Resolutions & Waiting List

Before I get started with today's post I need to apologize to each one of you. It's been over two weeks and not even a whisper has been posted. I assure you that I've been reading just as much as usual - I've just been too busy/hectic/unfocused over the holidays to get my butt in gear get back to the reviews. But that changes today with number one on my short list of New Year's resolutions: Write more!

This year I resolve to put up at least one post & write at least another 1,000 words towards my novel each week. It's lofty, but attainable - so I'm confident that it can happen.

And what better way to get started than to outline the next month of reviews? In the hopper for January we've got:

• 'The Accidental Time Machine' by Joe Haldeman: I read 'The Forever War' a few years ago. To be honest it wasn't my favorite book ever - but it had won itself a pretty hefty number of awards and even though I'd probably only give it a yellow light, it was worth the read and definitely had substantial literary merit. That said, I look forward to sinking my teeth into this one which promises to be another thought provoking time-travel fiction.
• 'Gods of Men' (Children of the Apocalypse) by Joseph Pignataro: This one will be my first ever graphic novel experience. Now that I have a brand new Fire HD (thanks to the wondrous spirit of Christmas giving), I feel like I don't have an excuse to leave this genre behind any longer. Expect this review and more like it in the months' to come.
• 'Flat-Out Love' by Jessica Park: Not sure about this one, and I know virtually nothing about it (besides the fact that the cover reminds me of some 1960's cartooning) but it's my book clubs read this month so, it makes the cut.
• 'Dead Beat: A Novel of The Dresden Files' by Jim Butcher: Because everyone should be reading this series and I'm shamefully behind.

Lastly, I'll be introducing a new monthly segment to the blog with a focus on bridal books and resources. I know it's a bit of a weird segment - given my proclivity to science fiction novels and usual romantic fantasy focus - but when a girl gets engaged over the Christmas Holiday it only makes sense. Yes, you read that correctly, I'm now suffering from wedding-itis. As such, I'm going to abuse my power and make you all suffer the planning process with me. I'll be kicking off the bridal segment (with a name to be determined) with:

• 'Bridal Bargains' by Denise & Alan Fields

All right everyone - see you soon and I truly hope you had a wonderful holiday season and happy New Year!

This Week's Waiting List

It's inevitable. Whenever I've actually found a captivating series one of two things happen.

1. Assuming that the series in question is completed, I'll get to about book two and wouldn't you know it, it's like the book gods smile down on me and all of a sudden my Kindle is choking with titles that tempt me every time I power the thing on. 
2.  Conversely, if the series isn't complete, and I'm madly in love with it*, its near impossible to find anything that is even remotely as good/interesting/well written. It is in these times that I awaken to find myself in the middle of a 'book drought.'

The good news, at least from a reviews perspective, is that I'm currently in a type 1 scenario and I've got a pretty decent waiting list sitting on the Kindle at the moment just waiting for me to get through book three of the Carrie Ryan books. Once that happens you should start seeing reviews for the following pop-up over the next week or so:

• 'Seed', by Ania Ahlborn
• 'The Host' by Stephanie Meyer
• 'The Hangman's Daughter' by Oliver Potzsch
• 'Madly' (Book one of yet another series) by M. Leighton

From what I can tell this is a fairly solid chunk of grade-A reading material and I'm especially keen on starting 'The Host' (even though I wasn't particularly impressed with the Twilight novels).


*As an aside one of my all time favorites ends this upcoming May and I'm not entirely sure if I'm thrilled or preparing for a week long depression when it finally comes to a close. (Team Eric!) Either way, Charlaine Harris caused one of the largest book droughts in my recent history - she's just that damned good. Took me about six months to really shake it off and realize that the Sookie-verse was not the end-all-be-all of my reading.