WWW Wednesday

It’s WWW Wednesday time again!

1) What books (s) have you recently finished reading?

Remnant by Kate Hansen – I liked this one a lot.  Very different take on the post-apocalypse.  My only issue is that while things were somewhat resolved, there was never an explanation as to why things happened.  Got a sequel in the works, Ms. Hansen?
Blaze of Secrets by Jessie Donovan – Another book for review.  Great book, thrilling, interesting and really unique.  I love the idea of elementals and an institution keeping humans safe from them.
Kitty Goes to Washington by Carrie Vaughn – I warmed up slowly to this one.  It seemed like it would be kinda boring, but things heated up and it really got good.  A worthy sequel methinks.

 

2) What book (s) are you reading right now?

Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione – This series has been on my radar for a long time, and I finally sat down with this book.  ZOMG I think I have another favorite series.  The series is about demons and a demon hospital, zomg, and the writing is out of this world.  There’s a lot of hot sex, hotter guys (demons), and and and — don’t take my word for it.  Check them out.
Gates of Rapture by Caris Roane – I’ve been following her Ascension series since the beginning and have loved each book.  So far, this book is amazing.

3. What book (s) will you be reading in the near future?

Kitty Takes a Holiday by Carrie Vaughn – Naturally!
Sever by Lauren DeStefano – I swear I’m gonna read this one soon, although  I have mixed feelings as this book ends the trilogy.
Phoenix Overture by Jodi Meadows – Can’t. Wait. To. Read. This.

What are you reading and enjoying right now?

WWW Wednesday

Okay, here is this week’s edition of WWW Wednesday!

1) What books are you reading right now?

Remnant by Kate Genet – This one is really interesting.  It’s about a girl who wakes up to find everyone gone.  I’m about halfway in, and so far I’m intrigued.

Wide Awake and Dreaming by Julie Flygare – This a memoir written by a woman with narcolepsy.  I was almost diagnosed with it myself, so I’ve always been fascinated by it and dream/wake states.  It is a great book so far.

2) What books have you finished recently?

Oaths of Blood by SM Reine – #2 in her awesome Ascension series, about a possessed werewolf.  Very, very cool and very unique! And utterly un-putdownable.

The Forever Contract by Avery Sawyer – This one was too short!  It’s about these people who sign this Forever Contract and upload their consciousness to a virtual reality system.  Their bodies are kept alive but are in a coma-like state…and there’s some nefarious stuff going on.  Just when it was getting good, it ended!  But great up till that point.

Possess by Gretchen McNeil – I liked this one, but this was another one of those fallen angel good vs. bad situations, and I think it’s been a bit overdone.  BUT it was somewhat unique, so I can forgive a bit of cliché.  I might pick up the next book (if there’s a next book…not sure if it was a standalone or the first book in a series).

The Living and the Dead by Todd Travis – Short stories featuring the living and the dead!  Very well-written.  I actually enjoyed the short novel at the end a bit more, though.  Maybe because there was much more to it.

Bullets, Teeth, and Fists by Jason Beech – I just finished this one, and it is for review.  Short stories.  Very well-written.

3. What books will you be reading soon?

Blaze of Secrets by Jessie Donovan – This is also for review, and the premise intrigued me.

Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock – Been wanting to get my hot little hands on this forever.  And now I have it!

So, it’s your turn!  What are you reading and enjoying (or not) right now?

WWW Wednesday

Okay, it’s that time again!

1. What book (s) are you reading right now?

Lethal Inheritance by Tahlia Newland – This is one for review, and I’m really enjoying it.  It’s fantasy and has an interesting world and an intriguing heroine and did I mention I’m enjoying it?

Kitty Goes to Washington by Carrie Vaughn – Next book in her Kitty Norville series.  Not too far into this one yet, but I’m enjoying it so far.

What book (s) did you recently finish reading?

Wake by Amanda Hocking – I forgot to mention this one a few weeks ago.  It was amazing, about these girls who are actually sirens who pull the MC into their inner circle.  Really, really good.  I think I read it in a day or two.

Magic Without Mercy and Magic for a Price by Devon Monk – ZOMG, these books were utterly amazing.  They were the perfect end to the series.  There were no deux ex machina endings, no cop-outs, no perfect happily-ever-afters.  It was true to the story and the characters.  I really love Allie Beckstrom as a heroine — she really shined in both books.  I’m sad to see it end, but am anxiously awaiting the spin off series in November.

Lilith by Victoria Limbert – Another book for review that I really liked.  The premise was cool: a human woman is sharing her body and mind with a demon.  That’s not something I run across very often and it was well-written and very intense and un-put-downable.

3. What book (s) will you be reading next?

A few.  ~winks~

Sever by Lauren DeStefano – the conclusion to her Chemical Garden Trilogy.  I’m a bit apprehensive to see how she ends it, and I’m afraid it’s gonna be sad. 

Dawnbreaker by Jocelynn Drake – book 3 in her Dark Days series.  Looking forward to this one.

Possess by Gretchen McNeil – I’ve been intrigued by this book since I read a synopsis on it quite some time ago. 

I think that does it for this week’s edition.  Got any books you’re reading now?  Any that you’ve finished that wowed you?  Let me know in comments.

WWW Wednesday, the Feeling Better Edition

it’s time for this week’s edition of WWW Wednesday.  Since I’ve been sicky these past few weeks, I’m celebrating the fact that I feel much better.

So, onward!

What book (s) are you reading right now?

That’s a trick question, right?  No?  Okay, fine.  I’m reading 3 books currently.

1) From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris.  My dear sweet hubby made it his life goal to get me the entire series and currently I have all but the very last one.  I’m slowing working my way through them.  I like these books because they’re fluffy and fun and not too dark or deep.  Sometimes I need that (she says with the shifty eyeballs).

2) Super Nobody by Brent Meske – In the interest of full disclosure, I’m reading this one for review, and so far, it’s really neat.  A YA novel about superheroes, and the MC is a lot of fun to read.  I’m about halfway through, and I’ve already agreed to review book 2.

3) Jessie’s Song by Eleni Papanou – I’m also reading this one for review.  This one’s very intriguing because it’s told by a jazz musician – a guy — who tried to commit suicide, and I’m not very far into it, but it’s keeping me interested.  So that’s good, right? 

What book (s) did you recently finish?

1) Sacrificed in Shadow by SM Reine – Book 1 of her Ascension series, which is a crossover between her Seasons of the Moon/Cain Chronicles and her Descent series.  Holy Mother of God, this book is fucking amazing.  And for those of us who have read every single book she’s ever published (and then some), you will love the connections in this.  It’s just…I’ve run out of words.  Go forth and buy it. (I don’t think you actually need to read the other series, but you’ll probably be more amazed and astounded if you did.  Ahem.

2) All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris – So picked because I was going on vacation and wanted something light to tear through (that might be a bit of an oxymoron, but whatever).  I enjoyed it.  And the excerpt of From Dead to Worse caused me to abandon all plans of reading other books and dive into that one (I don’t, as a rule, read a series straight through.  I’m funny like that).

What book (s) will you be reading soon?

1) With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent – Yep, that’s the one that got bumped.  Soon, my precious, soon.

And I am drawing a blank and zomg this is evidence that the universe is collapsing on itself and — yeah, um, I had some lined up, but I can’t for the life of me remember what they are.  Oops?  It’ll come to me.  Stay tuned.

And also, I’m a bit miffed that the Royal Baby was deemed more important than General Hospital yesterday.  I’ve been following it myself, and I’ve been intrigued by Royal-anything, but please.  We are not British!  But whatever.  I shall live.  I think.  But they do make a lovely family, don’t they?  Love those accents.

WWW Wednesday

So here we are with another edition of WWW Wednesday, the meme where you ask three questions:

What book(s) are you reading right now?
What book (s) have you just finished reading?
What book (s) will you be reading soon?

Let’s begin, shall we?

What book (s) are you reading right now?

1) Dayhunter by Jocelynn Drake. This is book 2 in her Dark Days series. I’m not too far into it, but it’s good so far. It reminds me a bit of early Anita Blake, and that’s a good thing, as I loved LKH’s first eight Anita Blake books. It’s what she did with the rest of them that sucks (and not just the ardeur, either. The whole series went off the rails. But I digress).

2) Asunder by Jodi Meadows. I’ve been following this trilogy since the beginning and after an amazing 1st book (Incarnate), I was dying to read Asunder. These books need to be read slowly to soak up the nuances, and to try to figure out the mystery. I’m about halfway in, and I’m already stunned.

What books (s) have you just finished reading?

1) Archangel’s Storm by Nalini Singh. This one took a bit of getting into, but once the mystery revealed itself, I was so hooked. As with any Nalini Singh book, I devoured it. It was amazing.

2) Soul Hostage by Jeffrey Littorno, which I’ll be reviewing soon. The synopsis sounded intriguing, and while the beginning didn’t exactly move me (it wasn’t what I expected, but that’s not a bad thing), I got so caught up in it that I spent my entire day at work alone reading (but shh, don’t tell my bosses!). And the twist at the end? I had a seedling of an idea, but I couldn’t have guessed the full meaning or the implications. Great book. And, I must ask, where the hell is the sequel?!

What book (s) will you be reading soon?

Tough choice, as I have so damn many!

I think I’ve narrowed it down to two:

1) With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent. Final book in her Soul Screamers series, a book I’ve been dying to read. I finally bought it and can’t wait to see how she ends this amazing series.

2) Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost. I am really enjoying her Night Huntress series, and have been meaning to read this one for a long time.

So that’s it for this week’s edition of WWW Wednesday. What are you reading right now? Share it with us in comments (and don’t be shy!).

The NEW Queensryche?

I’ve been meaning to talk about this for months, and now that there are two new albums to talk about, it seems like a good time.

Most people who know me know that I’m a huge fan of Queensryche.  I discovered them in the 90s with their awesome Empire album.  Then I backtracked and obtained all of their older stuff, and fell even more in love than before.  Their music is not only kick-ass, but it says something, you know?  It’s not just mindless fuzzy crap. 

However, after Promised Land released in 1994, their musical quality took a downturn.  Something went horrendously wrong, and they put out album after album of crap.  Now, there are a few exceptions.  American Soldier, released in 2009, was pretty good and a neat concept album.  Operation: Mindcrime II, released in 2007, was pretty good, too — there was no way they’d ever be able to do another Operation: Mindcrime again.  It just wasn’t possible.  Obviously, there is something lacking from OM: II but on the whole, it was a decent attempt at a sequel to what is a legendary album. 

So apparently there were creative differences.  And last year, vocalist Geoff Tate was fired from the band after allegedly spitting on two of his bandmates.  He also apparently was controlling the musical direction which accounted for the hideous drop in quality of their more recent albums.

I’ve always loved Geoff Tate.  He has one of the most amazing and unique voices of anyone.  I saw QR in concert for the first time in 2009 and was blown away.  There’s no doubt that he’s talented.  He’s been dubbed “the voice of Queensryche.”  Well, when the news broke, I was heartbroken.  My favorite band was basically no more.  They split into two versions: Geoff Tate’s version with all new musicians, and the original musicians plus singer Todd La Torre.  I wanted to keep an open mind about both — who says a fan needs to take sides, right?

That was before Tateryche released their album Frequency Unknown. Well, let’s just say this.  It is painfully obvious that he rushed it to get an album out before Torreryche.  Even the title screams revenge.  The cover has two hands with rings with the initials “F.U.”  Really?  Can you be so immature?

I gave the album a chance, though.  I listened to it on Spotify and tried to like it, I really did.  But, damn.  It was another Dedicated to Chaos, which to me is one of the worst QR albums ever.  And the remakes of the four hit songs?  Painful. I can’t even believe that this is Queensryche.  And it isn’t.  It’s Geoff Tate with new musicians trying to recapture his former glory and failing.

I had high hopes when I learned that Torreryche was releasing an album.  I heard some samples and was impressed.  On June 25th, release day, I bought it off iTunes and settled in to see what they came up with.

And they fucking nailed it.  Everything about QR that I love was there.  Their signature sound was back.  The heavy metal was back.  Even LaTorre’s voice was reminiscent of Tate, but not a true copy which is good.  I wouldn’t want a Tate copy.  La Torre brings new things to the table and it’s so clear that the whole band has been renewed and inspired.  Apparently they are all involved in the songwriting and music, as it wasn’t with Tate.  It’s like they’re risen up like the phoenix from their own ashes and came out bigger and better and more amazing than ever.

So, yeah, my allegiance is with Torreryche.  They went to court and were both allowed to use the QR name until the hearing this November.  I expect that someone will lose rights to the name, and I’m hoping it’s not Torreryche.  Because these guys have been true to the QR sound and lyrics and I’d hate to see them start all over again with a new name.  (They were very briefly performing as Rising West until that first hearing, and had a good reception from the fans). 

A lot of people are saying that Tate is irreplaceable, and it will be the death of the band (or quite possibly has been the death of the band).  Yeah, Tate was amazing in his time.  And I respect him as a vocalist.  But there’s nothing wrong with new blood.  And if they can’t work out their differences, it’s better they split.  I’m just happy that the band didn’t break up over this.  It’s been 30 years.  How many bands have been around that long?  Not many.

So, that’s what I’m thinking.  I’m so looking forward to more from Torreryche.  And I will continue to follow both, but my heart’s with Torreryche.  They’re the new Queensryche.  Look out Tate.  I think they are here to stay.  

So this end of the world thing? So over it.

It just dawned on me this morning that supposedly, if you believe all of the doomsday hype, the world is gonna end in 3 days.  Dec. 21st.  Well, let me tell you why that would suck:

I haven’t finished Grave Touched yet, dammit.
Christmas hasn’t happened yet.
I haven’t learned Gaelic yet.
I haven’t written all those books in my head yet.

I truly, in all honesty, don’t believe the world will end.  It can’t.  It’s too…final.  I mean, three friggin days to do everything I must do before I am vaporized into space debris with my nearest and dearest and…everyone else?  Seriously?  What are you smoking, and can I have some?

First of all, the doomsday thing has to do with the end of the Mayan calendar which is supposed to end on Dec. 21st.  But — and this is a biggie, you might wanna pay attention here — that’s what the various people studying it believe.  In other words, it’s a guess.  There’s no one thing that says, “Yo, people of 2012, I regret to inform you that the world will end on Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 at exactly 12:00p.m.  Have a nice life.”  Yeah, so not true.  So that’s my first question.  How is it that because the calendar ends, the world ends?

I actually find this stuff fascinating.  I know, I know.  It don’t seem that way, but it’s true.  I’ve been reading Jessica Anderson’s Nightkeepers series, which is about the modern-day mages who are trying to avert the end of the world through magic of the Mayan people and gods.  Awesome, kick-ass series!  The final book just released, and I am dying (ha!) to find out how it ends.

I’d also be curious to know what evidence there is for this.  Just give me a logical, simple explanation and I might swing to your side.  But probably not.

It’s not you; it’s me.  I’m a skeptic by nature.  If anyone tells me something big’s happening, or this or that is suddenly bad for you (or, god forbid, deadly), my first question is: who says so?  And the second question: What are his or her credentials?  (In other words, does this person have something besides a toothy grin to back up his or her claims?  Lemme tell you, this questioning and skepticism has saved my life at least once.  If not more.

So yeah, I’m not in the camp of believers there. I suppose if the world really ends, I guess I’d be SOL because I wouldn’t be prepared.  But at this point, how can anyone be prepared for total destruction?  Kinda puts a kink in the holiday cheer, doesn’t it?

So, let me say this.  If the world does end in three days, you can find me right here.  Because it aint’ ending.

A few things to consider:

The whole shebang explained in far prettier language http://www.voxxi.com/myth-doomsday-mayan-calendar-explained/

I’ve hit 64k on Grave Touched.  That’s news, right?  Only… *counts* 55,543 more words to go!

Uh…finished Nanowrimo with around 29k.  I’m too lazy to double check.  I know it was shy of my goal of 30k.

And lastly: we, the inspired and talented ladies of Turtleduck Press have conspired to bring you another anthology.  It is called Seasons Eternal, and the premise is so cool.  It’s about a world without changing seasons.  Each one of us picked a season and wrote a story about how the people of that particular region would adapt and what would change.  I decided to go all sci-fi and used virtual reality, but we have fantasy and steampunk as well.  My story is called “Stasis,” and I’m very proud of it.  Actually, I’m proud of the entire thing because we really outdid ourselves with this one.  Each story is unique and fascinating.  I think you will enjoy it.  Plus, proceeds will go to UNICEF, which is a great cause.

To read an excerpt and/or to buy a copy (Kindle, print, Smashwords), go to http://www.turtleduckpress.com.

Happy end of the world.