SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion

Woohoo! We got another stamp!!!

We are really doing amazing ladies. :)

How are you doing this week, ladies?

I am doing alright here.
I have today off so I plan on getting some housework done and then kickin back in the recliner so I finish my book today.
We are going to have thunderstorms here so it's perfect book reading weather.

How are you doing Captain Hussy?

Halfway through my ghosts book. Nice light read, a YA version of the Ghost Whisperer TV-series.

I'm sort of in a funk. I'm supposed to read two books and I'm not into either.

D.G. ~Captain Hussy~ wrote: "I'm sort of in a funk. I'm supposed to read two books and I'm not into either."

That stinks. I hate it when I get in reading funks and no book will hold my attention.
Hopefully it will pass soon for you.

SO far i'm liking my book I just haven't had much time to read, my work schedule is crappy this week but I'm off for the whole weekend(this is a huge deal :) so I'm going to relax and do lots of reading then :)

Doing OK here as well. Busy marking my students tests and have finished a couple of historical romances.

You're a teacher, Lauren? My husband is as well (he teaches college though.)

Yes, I've seen your updates on historical romance but haven't seen the books. What have you read?

(The Mediator #1) ★★★★
SHELF: 'ghosts'
READ: 7/19/12

Suze is a typical teenage girl except for one thing – she sees dead people. She is a mediator who helps restless souls to pass to the otherside. Sounds familiar? Yes. The book is pretty much a YA version of the Ghost Whisperer tv-series which I loved and I liked reading Shadowland, too.
I must say I'm not Meg Cabot fan and I think I have read maybe one of her Princess Diaries book a long time ago and found it too juvenile for my taste. So I didn't have any big expectations when I picked this book for the ghosts shelf but ended up liking it a lot.
The main character Suze has just moved from NY to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California and started the new school with her stepbrothers when she has to get rid of the violent ghost of an ex-student and meets the handsome boy-ghost living in her new bedroom.
I liked the characters in this book, not at all too childish or obnoxious, and the story moved fast and kept my interest. It was nice light and quick read and the action taking place in familiar to me surroundings might have helped, too. It is really a very beautiful area.

I also teach at a college and I love it. It's wonderful when you can look forward to going to work everyday.

I finished Lisa Kleypas's Wallflowers series: Scandal in Spring and A Wallflower Christmas. Also read When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James and am now reading Desperately Seeking a Duke by Celeste Bradley. Looks like I'm on a historical binge.

Great review, Skandia!

Lauren wrote: "I also teach at a college and I love it. It's wonderful when you can look forward to going to work everyday.

I finished Lisa Kleypas's Wallflowers series: Scandal in Spring and A Wallflower Christ..."

Yes, my husband loves it too. It probably doesn't feel like work to you two!

The only thing he doesn't like is the bureaucracy and all the paperwork. But he loves his "kids." :)

D.G. ~Captain Hussy~ wrote: "The only thing he doesn't like is the bureaucracy and all the paperwork. But he loves his "kids." :) "

The paperwork is a killer and don't even get me started on the bureaucracy. Our department is getting a new secretary and you would think that she/he had to be a rocket scientist based on the advertisement they sent out.

I try to stay out of the college politics though, the knives are very long and very sharp!

LOL!

My poor husband tries to stay out of the politics too. He's also has to serve in several committees, but they are all a waste of time. My husband believes that if you are doing something, you better do it right so he hates the fact that nobody else wants to work on anything. I told him to take it easy but he just can't.

Committees! The bane of my existence. Half are a bunch of snobby academics sitting around and pontificating about absolutely nothing while the other half (myself included) have to pretend interest while thinking of all the things that we would rather be doing.

50 ways to Hex Your Lover
Shelf Ghosts
3 stars
Read 7/20/2012

Jazz is a 700 hundred year old witch who makes her living breaking curses and driving for a limo service that caters to the non human kind. She also drives a car that has a cursed ghost attached to it named Irma.

Jazz and her old flame Nick cross paths and he wants her help solving the mystery why there are so many vampires are disappearing. Jazz is reluctant at first because hanging out with Nick has only led to heartbreak in the past.

Jazz caves in and Nick and herself must face a nightmare from her past.

I liked how witty Jazz was and how she was strong and vulnerable at the same time. Her and Nick make a good couple and had great chemistry.
I look forward to reading more of this series.

I'm so behind in my reading this week, what with work being crazy and my car breaking down my time has been so caught up in other things but I'm hoping to have my book done by tomarrow. I'm off work the next 2 days so I plan to use my time relaxing with my book, some serious junk food and my dogs :)

Kat I hope you have a nice relaxing weekend.
Don't feel bad that your feeling behind. Our team has been doing a great job! I have been on teams where some people have been like 3 books behind. I don't feel that you are behind.
Is you car up and running? Darn things can be a pain in the a** sometimes.

Yes I managed to get it fixed, It was only a bad battery thank goodness... I was fearing the worst and the money it was cost to fix it but in the end and 60 bucks later it was back up and running, thanks to my ex who is still my best friend and would never see me stranded :)

I'm glad your car is up and running!

Don't feel bad, Kat. You're totally not behind.

I was checking all the different bingo cards and I think we'll be the first group with 4 in a row. So if by any chance we'll get the last stamp we need to win, I don't think anybody is in a position to catch us!

At this point, I think I'll start checking short books with a male lead, just in case. :)

Sorry to hear about your car Kat, but glad that it's running again!

Take your time and enjoy your book. As D.G. says, we are in a good position compared to the other groups so no worries.

Thanks! I just returned home from my mission to buy as much junk food as I can handle for the weekend so now I am prepared to sit out in the sun and read my book for the rest of the afternoon :)

The next shelf is Demons!
http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/d...

Wow a new shelf already! Demons...hummm this may take me abit to find a book to read...I'm off to browse and see what I can find :)

Ok that wasn't as bad as I was expecting these are my choices for the demons shelf or

I will read for the demons shelf.

I will read for the demons shelf.

Demons is a good shelf for us. I'll have to take a look later when I get home to my computer. We're hanging out at the park right now.

OMG! Shelf already! I'll have to check and see what I can read.

I will be reading for the demons shelf.

I went through this shelf last week anticipating that we'd get it as a choice but now I have no clue to what to read from all the options I have. Sigh...

I have the audio of which I've started a couple of times but never been able to continue. Or , but I don't think I have another Angel book.

And now I'm checking the shelf and I found a couple of books that look interesting!!

Now I found a book that's been on my wish list for a while fits the shelf so I ended up buying it. Not sure if I'll end up reading it but I bought it!!

Which book is it, D.G.?

I'll definately be done with my ghost book today sometime, after the relaxing day I had yesterday I was able to read almost the entire thing :)

Lauren wrote: "Which book is it, D.G.?"

...but after a few pages, I decided to switch to something lighter. Epic fantasy is always a time investment for me.

At the end, I picked for this shelf. I'm happy that I'm picking a book I've had on my TBR for a while.

I've also had On the Edge on my TBR for a while. Looking forward to your review.

Finished my book I'm not sure but I think we're ready for a stamp request!



Shelf forJuly 15th:Ghosts
Book Chosen:The Name of the Star ~ Maureen Johnson
Date Read:July 22, 2012
Rating:3.5 ♥♥♥
Review:I was torn between giving this book a 3 or 4 star rating so I went for the middle ground of 3.5 The book started off really strong for me but started to lag a bit in the middle but then picked up again towards the end.

The story was fairly original and I did enjoy the Jack the Ripper history lesson which is something that has always interested me. The characters were your typical teenagers with the typical boarding school setting, somthing that I feel is starting to be way over done.

The ending of the book is what earned the extra half star and put this series firmly on my to be continued list as it left me with a what just happened here feeling and the need to find out when book 2 will be out, all in all a good start to the series and I'm looking forward to reading the next book to see how this author will continue to flesh out this series.

I am halfway through my 'demons' book, but I am going out of town for a few days so I will be MIA until Wednesday night or Thursday.

Woo Hoo for another stamp!!!

Off to request our stamp!!

BSB5 Week 5 (Jul 15 - Jul 21) : ghosts
Completed: 5 / 5
✔ D.G.: Don't Die, Dragonfly - Jul 15 ★★★½ review
✔ Jackie M: 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover - Jul 20 ★★★ review
✔ Kat: The Name of the Star - Jul 22 ★★★½ review
✔ Lauren: Kiss of a Demon King - Jul 16 ★★★★½ review
✔ Skandia: Shadowland - Jul 19 ★★★★ review

Lauren wrote: "I've also had On the Edge on my TBR for a while. Looking forward to your review."

The book is REALLY good, Lauren so I recommend you move it up the TBR. The romance is really slow building though but both main characters are really likeable. I'm really rooting for them both.

CONGRATULATIONS, Sultry Seventeen!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'ghosts'.

[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]

Good Job!! :D

Congrats on the stamp Sultries!

Woohoo!! Thanks ladies!!!

SHELF: demons



Title/Author: On the Edge by Ilona Andrews
Read for shelf: demons
Date finished: Jul 23
Rating: ★★★★½
Review: I've started this book several times and for some reason I had problems continuing it. But I'm really glad I was able to push through the beginning because I ended up loving it.

On the Edge is the story of Rose and Declan, two somewhat similar people from really different backgrounds. Rose is barely scrapping by while Declan is a noble from 'the Weird' a magical land in a parallel universe. Their relationship starts with lots of sparks, which usually would have been rolling my eyes, but Rose in particular had A LOT of reasons to distrust him. They are both normal people who had to bridge a whole lifetime of experiences to look past the surface and really see the other and this discovery was simply wonderful. And I loved how they listened to each other and were able to accept a different point of view. This turned out to be a really romantic relationship, which I'd never expected at the beginning.

This book is not as steamy as the PNR I'm used to but the slow build is definitely worth it because the relationship is the most romantic for it.

Skykeepers by Jessica Andersen
Shelf: Demons
Finished: July 24
4 Stars

Synopsis
The daughter of a prominent Mayanist, Sasha Ledbetter travels to South America in search of her missing father but is kidnapped by Xilbalbans. Eventually rescued by the Nightkeepers, Sasha is confronted with the destiny that she has always denied as well as an intense attraction to Michael Stone, who fears their connection because of the intensifying power of his dark side. Can Michael and Sasha accept themselves and each other before it is too late?

Review
This series improves with each installment. The Mayan mythology is intense and original, the world building detailed and intricate, and the characters complex and compelling.

The romantic leads, Michael and Sasha, are more engaging that in the previous book. While couples who push and pull at each other and run hot and cold usually irritate me, Sasha and Michael's difficult relationship actually works very well.

Michael keeps Sasha at arms length out of fear that his Other may harm her. He must come to terms with all aspects of his personality in order to become a complete person capable of loving and being loved. Similarly, Sasha has to accept all facets of Michael's nature as well as her own if she is to become a true Nightkeeper. At first, her innate skepticism prevents her from seeing the truth but fortunately she embraces her destiny as a warrior and a healer once she is confronted with irrefutable evidence. The complimentary natures of Michael and Sasha's magic talents is another great aspect of their romance.

There are interesting and surprising developments in the ongoing conflict between the Nightkeepers and the Xibalbans. The concept of ancestral magic that is split into good and evil is excellent and reminded me of the ancient magic in Harry Potter.

Jade and Lucius's book is next and it should be exciting given that Lucius is one of the most tortured characters in the series.

Thanks for the review D.G. I will be moving it up. Maybe it will fit into the next shelf that is called.

Well, let's hope that we get either male lead or new series and that "On the Edge" is on at least one of them!

I already made a list of books that are both in the male lead/new series so I'm ready if either shelf is called on Saturday!

★★★1/2
SHELF: 'demons'
READ: 7/25/12

This is one of the books that I can't decide what to think about it. The book had it's ups and downs and while reading it I must have changed my mind about liking it or not several times over and over again.
The book used loosely Greek Mythology and the familiar characters – the Argonauts and Greek Gods and was about relations between Argolea ( the alternate realm guarded by the Argonauts), the human world and the Underworld with it's demons. The One that bonded them all together was the half-breed girl Casey they all were after for their own reasons.
I loved how the author pictured the characters. They were all unique and well fitted to their worlds.
I could exactly imagine how the demons and Gods looked like when I read the book.
Also the story was original to me and I have always been fascinated by Greek mythology.
There was a part of the worldbuilding that I just couldn't get into that cut the stars for this book but it was a really intriguing beginning of the series I surely will continue reading some day.

The Mage in Black
Shelf Demons
4 stars
Read 7/26/2012

This is the second book in the Sabina Kane series.
The Mage in Black picks up where Red-Headed Stepchild left off.
Sabina heads to New York to meet her twin sister that she has never met before.
While in New York Sabina gets to know her sister, works on her mage skills, and gets herself into some major trouble.

I really enjoyed this book because it was fast paced and Sabina is a kick-ass chick who can hold her own.
There are times when Sabina acts first without thinking, but then you see her grow a bit and she tries to think things through without strictly relying on her gut instincts.

The only thing I didn't like was that Adam wasn't in the book much and I really wanted to see more of Sabina with him.

I will be continuing on with the series to see how Sabina does with her next mission.