It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It's a great post to organise yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog   and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

What I Read Last Week:

Most of the reading I did last week was on my Kindle. As such, four out of the six books I read were electronic copies, and three out of the six are novellas.

1. Dark Desires by Eve Silver -- Gothic Historical Romance -- My Rating: 4/6 stars 
2. LINK (The Shadow of Light #1) by Summer Wier -- YA SciFi Fantasy -- My Rating: 3/6 Stars
3. The Assassin and the Pirate Lord (Throne of Glass #0.1) by Sarah J Maas -- YA Fantasy--My Rating: 4/6 Stars 
4. The Assassin and the Underworld (Throne of Glass #0.4) by Sarah J Maas --YA Fantasy -- My Rating: 4/6 Stars 
5. The Assassin and the Empire (Throne of Glass #0.5) by Sarah J Maas -- YA Fantasy--My Rating: 4/6 Stars 
6. Locke & Key Vol. 3 : Crown of Shadows by Joe Hill -- Illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez -- Horror Fantasy -- My Rating: 6/6 Stars

What I Am Reading Now:

 

• Becoming Darkness by Lindsey Francis Brambles
  I'm about 200 pages into this one and it is pretty good. The world is an alternet reality where Hitler and his squad of goonies released a virus onto the population which turned people into vamps, or in very few cases Immunes. The story is told from the perspective of a 17 year old Immune living in the only human habitat on the world.
  
• Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
  I covered this one in the last post, but I have yet to get to it.
  
• Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
  What little I know about this book is that it's an alternate-midevial tale involving dragons. It's basically a YA high fantasy mystery adventure.

New To The Stacks -- bought, begged, or borrowed in the past week or so:

I collected two e-books in the last week and I obtained one book from the library.

• Whiskey Devils by Brandon Zenner is an adult thriller ebook.
  
• Enchantment by Guy Kawaski is a nonfiction book about starting a business.
  
• Cargo by Jen Catleberry is a YA dystopian ebook.

Up Next:

 

 For the rest of this month I plan to work on my previously created TBR. I only have three books left:

• The Miserable Mill (A Series of Unfortunate Events #4) by Lemony Snicket
  
• The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events #5) by Lemony Snicket
  
• A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) by George R.R. Martin

Posts From Last Week:

Waiting on Wednesday: "United as One" by Pittacus Lore
Review: The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
Challenges 2016: #ShelfLove

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November Wrap-Up

Reflecting on this post, I did not feel like I had gotten many books read. I wasn't sure I wanted to do it because in my mind I hadn't read a lot of books. Boy was I wrong. Maybe one of these days I'll start writing reviews when i finish books, instead of trying to do a month long worth of wrap ups. *sigh* No, I'll probably never learn.

*ahem* In the month of November, 2015, I finished a total of 9 novels. It's not a huge amount, but it was more than I thought I had finished reading.

Book 53. 

Title: A Clash of Kings, Book the Second of the Song of Ice and Fire Epic
Author: George R.R. Martin
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Date Started: October 28, 2015
Date Finished: November 6, 2015
Synopsis from Goodreads:
" Time is out of joint. The summer of peace and plenty, ten years long, is drawing to a close, and the harsh, chill winter approaches like an angry beast. Two great leaders—Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon—who held sway over an age of enforced peace are dead...victims of royal treachery. Now, from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns, as pretenders to the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms prepare to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war.
As a prophecy of doom cuts across the sky—a comet the color of blood and flame—six factions struggle for control of a divided land. Eddard's son Robb has declared himself King in the North. In the south, Joffrey, the heir apparent, rules in name only, victim of the scheming courtiers who teem over King's Landing. Robert's two brothers each seek their own dominion, while a disfavored house turns once more to conquest. And a continent away, an exiled queen, the Mother of Dragons, risks everything to lead her precious brood across a hard hot desert to win back the crown that is rightfully hers."

Book 54.

Title: Red Queen, Book One of the Red Queen Series
Author: Victoria Aveyard
My Rating: 3/5 stars
Date Started: November 3, 2015
Date Finished: November 7, 2015
Synopsis from Goodreads:
"This is a world divided by blood - red or silver.
The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.
That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.
Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.
But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance - Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart."

Book 55. 

Title: Because it Is My Blood, Book the Second of the Birthright Series
Author: Gabrielle Zevin
My Rating: 4/5 stars
Date Started: November 9, 2015
Date Finished: November 11, 2015
Synopsis from Goodreads:
" Freed from jail, Anya hopes that things will get back to normal. But life on the outside is even more dangerous than life behind bars. Some of her gangland family want revenge for the crime for which she has done time: the shooting of her uncle. Forced to flee the country, Anya hides out in a cacao plantation in Mexico. There she learns the secrets of the chocolate trade, a trade that is illegal and deadly in her native New York. There too she discovers that seemingly random acts of violence carried out across the world have a single target: her family. As innocent bystanders get caught in the crossfire Anya must act fast and decisively to stop it, no matter what the danger to herself. "

Book 56.

Title: Shades of Earth, Book the Third of the Across the Universe Trilogy
Author: Beth Revis
My Rating: 4/5 stars
Date Started: November 9, 2015
Date Finished: November 13, 2015
Synopsis from Goodreads:
" Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship Godspeed behind. They're ready to start life afresh--to build a home--on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience.
But this new Earth isn't the paradise Amy had been hoping for. There are giant pterodactyl-like birds, purple flowers with mind-numbing toxins, and mysterious, unexplained ruins that hold more secrets than their stone walls first let on. The biggest secret of all? Godspeed's former passengers aren't alone on this planet. And if they're going to stay, they'll have to fight.
Amy and Elder must race to discover who--or what--else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. They will have to look inward to the very core of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses? Then everything they have sacrificed--friends, family, life on Earth--will have been for nothing. "

Book 57.

Title: The Last Echo, Book the Third of the Body Finder Series
Author: Kimberly Derting
Rating: 3/4 stars
Date Started: November 14, 2015
Date Finished: November 15, 2015
Synopsis from Goodreads: 
" Before, Violet's morbid ability to sense the dead led her to uncover dark murders and long-buried secrets in her small town. Now that she's working with a special investigative team, Violet hopes she can help even more people - whether by saving a life or catching a killer.
Although she's relieved to finally be honest about what she can do, her instant connection with her mysterious partner, Rafe, is both confusing and unsettling, and their unique bond creates tension with her boyfriend, Jay. When she discovers the body of a college student murdered by "the collector," Violet refuses to give up on the case. With her own relationship on the line, Violet doesn't realize that the serial killer is looking to add to his collection and that she may have caught his eye. Will the life Violet has to save be her own? "

Book 58.  

Title: Rook
Author: Sharon Cameron
My Rating: 4/5 stars
Date Started: November 17, 2015
Date Finished: November 22, 2015
Synopsis from Goodreads:
" History has a way of repeating itself. In the Sunken City that was once Paris, all who oppose the new revolution are being put to the blade. Except for those who disappear from their prison cells, a red-tipped rook feather left in their place. Is the mysterious Red Rook a savior of the innocent or a criminal?
Meanwhile, across the sea in the Commonwealth, Sophia Bellamy’s arranged marriage to the wealthy René Hasard is the last chance to save her family from ruin. But when the search for the Red Rook comes straight to her doorstep, Sophia discovers that her fiancé is not all he seems. Which is only fair, because neither is she.
As the Red Rook grows bolder and the stakes grow higher, Sophia and René find themselves locked in a tantalizing game of cat and mouse. "

Book 59.

Title: The Fall of Five, Book the Fourth of the Lorien Legacies
Author: Pittacus Lore
My Rating: 3/5 stars
Date Started: November 22, 2015
Date Finished: November 25, 2015
Synopsis from Goodreads:
" The Garde are finally reunited, but do they have what it takes to win the war against the Mogadorians?
John Smith—Number Four—thought that things would change once the Garde found each other. They would stop running. They would fight the Mogadorians. And they would win.
But he was wrong. After facing off with the Mogadorian ruler and almost being annihilated, the Garde know they are drastically unprepared and hopelessly outgunned. Now they’re hiding out in Nine’s Chicago penthouse, trying to figure out their next move.
The six of them are powerful, but they’re not strong enough yet to take on an entire army—even with the return of an old ally. To defeat their enemy, the Garde must master their Legacies and learn to work together as a team. More importantly, they’ll have to discover the truth about the Elders and their plan for the Loric survivors.
And when the Garde receive a sign from Number Five—a crop circle in the shape of a Loric symbol—they know they are so close to being reunited. But could it be a trap? Time is running out, and the only thing they know for certain is that they have to get to Five before it’s too late. "

Book 60.

Title: The Revenge of Seven, Book the Fifth of the Loren Legacies
Author: Pittacus Lore
My Rating: 4/5 stars
Date Started: November 25, 2015
Date Finished: November 27, 2015
Synopsis from Goodreads:
" The Garde have suffered an unbearable loss. Number Five has betrayed them. Eight is gone forever. Ella has been kidnapped. The others are now scattered.
In Chicago, John makes the unlikeliest of allies: Adam, a Mogadorian who turned his back on his people. He has invaluable information about Mog technology, battle strategies, and weaknesses. Most important, he knows where to hit them: their command base near Washington, DC. During the assault, however, John and Adam learn the unimaginable truth: it is too late. The Mogadorians have commenced their ultimate invasion plans.
With a front-row seat to the impending invasion, Ella finds herself in the hands of the enemy. For some reason she's more valuable to them alive, and they'll stop at nothing to turn her.
Meanwhile, Six, Nine, and Marina make their way through the Florida Everglades, hot on the trail of the traitorous Five. With the development of a new Legacy, Marina finally has the power to fight back—if her thirst for revenge doesn't consume her first. "

Book 61.

Title: Curtsies & Conspiracies, Book the Second of the Finishing School Series
Author: Gail Carriger
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Date Started: November 28, 2015
Date Finished: November 30, 2015
Synopsis from Goodreads:
" Sophronia's first year at Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality has certainly been rousing! For one thing, finishing school is training her to be a spy--won't Mumsy be surprised? Furthermore, Sophronia got mixed up in an intrigue over a stolen device and had a cheese pie thrown at her in a most horrid display of poor manners.
Now, as she sneaks around the dirigible school, eavesdropping on the teachers' quarters and making clandestine climbs to the ship's boiler room, she learns that there may be more to a field trip to London than is apparent at first. A conspiracy is afoot--one with dire implications for both supernaturals and humans. Sophronia must rely on her training to discover who is behind the dangerous plot-and survive the London Season with a full dance card. "

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October Wrap-Up

I had another month of reading exclusively from my own bookshelf, which was a goal I set for myself at the beginning of the year.

This month was pretty slow for me, reading wise. I made a goal for myself at the end of September to have all the "Song of Fire and Ice" series that I already own read by the end of the year. This timeline allotted me three whole months to read (1) The Game of Thrones (2) The Clash of Kings (3) A Storm of Swords and (4) A Feast for Crows by the end of the year. This seemed do-able at the time I set the goal.

I thought Game of Thrones was a masterpiece of epic fantasy.  However, I kind of messed up when I watched the television show first. Knowing who was going to die made it difficult for me to make my way through this book. I consistently had to take breaks to reasure myself that no matter how slowly I read, Ned was still going to be killed. For two weeks I completely ignored this novel. In the end, I did finish it and I'm glad I did, because, like always, the book was so much better than anything on the screen could ever be.

Bullet was the second book I started in the month of October, but it was the first one I finished. This is the nineteenth installment in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunters series. The character arcs in this installment were more satisfying to me than in previous installments.  I'm maybe going to start doing review posts so I'll wait to share my thoughts.

The final book I read in October 2015 was "White is For Witching"...and, just, wow! Mind blown. I don't know if it was the writing style, the unreliable narrator, or the confusion about interpersonal relations that really threw me, but I know for certain that I will have to reread this novel to really absorb it's full meaning. The prose was lyrical and extremely vivid and I loved it, but sometimes it was really hard to understand what the author was trying to get across to the reader with the words she chose. However, the book was beautiful and haunting, which was exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up at my local library sale.

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