Books Read in March
As usual, an eclectic mix.
1. 27 Hours – Tristina Wright
Rumor Mora fears two things: hellhounds too strong for him to kill, and failure. Jude Welton has two dreams: for humans to stop killing monsters, and for his strange abilities to vanish.
But in no reality should a boy raised to love monsters fall for a boy raised to kill them.
Nyx Llorca keeps two secrets: the moon speaks to her, and she’s in love with Dahlia, her best friend. Braeden Tennant wants two things: to get out from his mother’s shadow, and to unlearn Epsilon’s darkest secret.
They’ll both have to commit treason to find the truth.
During one twenty-seven-hour night, if they can’t stop the war between the colonies and the monsters from becoming a war of extinction, the things they wish for will never come true, and the things they fear will be all that’s left.
27 Hours is a sweeping, thrilling story featuring a stellar cast of queer teenagers battling to save their homes and possibly every human on Sahara as the clock ticks down to zero.
2. Fool Me Twice – Meredith Duran
A Lady With a Secret
Running for her life, exhausted and out of options, Olivia Holladay wants nothing more than the chance to make a home for herself. So when she realizes that the infamous Duke of Marwick might hold the key to her freedom, she boldly disguises herself as the newest and bravest in a long line of the duke’s notoriously temperamental housekeepers. Little does she know that the wickedly handsome Alastair de Grey has very different plans for her.
A Man With a Passion—For Vengeance
As his new employee, Olivia is a fearless upstart. As a woman, the daring redhead is just what Alastair needs to rouse him from darkness to the siren call of revenge. He has suffered a betrayal so deep that he will use whatever means necessary to destroy his enemies—even his brazen and beautiful domestic. But his vengeful plan fails to account for his single weakness: an irresistible and growing passion for the enigmatic Olivia.
3. Royal Assassin (Farseer #2) – Robin Hobb (re-read)
Fitz has survived his first hazardous mission as king’s assassin, but is left little more than a cripple. Battered and bitter, he vows to abandon his oath to King Shrewd, remaining in the distant mountains. But love and events of terrible urgency draw him back to the court at Buckkeep, and into the deadly intrigues of the royal family.
Renewing their vicious attacks on the coast, the Red-Ship Raiders leave burned-out villages and demented victims in their wake. The kingdom is also under assault from within, as treachery threatens the throne of the ailing king. In this time of great danger, the fate of the kingdom may rest in Fitz’s hands—and his role in its salvation may require the ultimate sacrifice.
4. Surviving AI: The Promise and Peril of Artificial Intelligence – Calum Chace
Artificial intelligence is our most powerful technology, and in the coming decades it will change everything in our lives. If we get it right it will make humans almost godlike. If we get it wrong… well, extinction is not the worst possible outcome.
“Surviving AI” is a concise, easy-to-read guide to what’s coming, taking you through technological unemployment (the economic singularity) and the possible creation of a superintelligence (the technological singularity).
5. For Keeps – Skylar Hill
Lily Adler has a big problem: just weeks after moving in with her boyfriend, she finds him in bed with another woman! She’s washed her hands of the cheating jerk, but now she’s hard up for a place to live.
Enter Wes Cartwright, the guy who’s subletting the loft Lily’s slimeball ex convinced her to lease out. Ever since Wes adopted his infant niece, Dawn, his life’s been complicated. The sexy architect is trying to be the best Daddy he can be, but he’s out of his element with diapers and bouncy swings.
When he finds out Lily spent three years working as an au pair, he sees an opportunity and offers her a deal: They can share the apartment in exchange for help with Dawn and a crash course in Daddy 101 for Wes. Lily’s between jobs, and the last thing she wants to do is apartment hunt, so she agrees.
As Lily weaves herself into Wes and Dawn’s lives, he finds himself irresistibly drawn to the perky blonde and her optimistic spirit. Her killer curves don’t hurt, either. Falling for the nanny is such a cliché, but after Wes accidentally walks in on Lily in the shower, all bets are off.
Cliché or not, she will be his.
And he’s playing for keeps.
6. The Wrath and the Dawn – Renee Ahdieh
One Life to One Dawn.
In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad’s dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph’s reign of terror once and for all.
Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she’d imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It’s an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid’s life as retribution for the many lives he’s stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?
Inspired by A Thousand and One Nights, The Wrath and the Dawn is a sumptuous and enthralling read from beginning to end.
7. Successful Television Writing – Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin
Do you dream of a job as a successful television writer on a hit show? Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin give you practical but essential advice to help make your dreams a reality. They teach you how to discover the “Franchise” or structure of a television show in order to write a successful and eye catching spec script. The four-act structure is covered, along with the elements that go into telling a good story. After you’ve blown them away with your spec script, learn how to pitch confidently and concisely. You’ll also find invaluable information on how to work with producers, how to handle your first writing assignment, and tackle revisions. Also included are Writer’s Guidelines, and beat sheets, from several television shows to help you familiarize yourself with the way writer’s work.
Total books: 23/100
Loose reading goals:
Catch up on books I own but haven’t read (none, most were borrowed, new buys, or ARCs given)
Read more romance (Fool me Twice, For Keeps)
Re-read some old favourites (Royal Assassin)
Read more classics (none)
Read more books by my friends and peers (27 Hours, For Keeps, Royal Assassin)
Continue to read diverse books (The Wrath and the Dawn, 27 Hours)
Read nonfiction (Survivng AI, Successful Television Writing)
Read women (27 Hours, Fool me Twice, Royal Assassin, For Keeps, The Wrath and the Dawn)
