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In My Mailbox #33 – the I’m a Dorkus edition

July 4th, 2010, @ 12:03 am In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren … and I end up adding a ton of books to my wish list every week.

All my IMM posts can be found here!

Books and people mentioned in this video:

Tracking the Tempest by Nicole Peeler (already reviewed)
Finger Lickin’ Fifteen by Janet Evanovich
The Search by Nora Roberts (already reviewed)
Early to Death, Early to Rise by ♥ Kim Harrison ♥
The Goblin Gate by Hilari Bell
The Last Phoenix by  Linda Chapman and Steve Cole (yes, I spelled it wrong in the video, oops)
Blue Fire (Healing Wars II) by Janice Hardy
Black Magic Sanction by ♥ Kim Harrison ♥

Jame of Book Chic Club

My fifth wedding anniversary which was July 2.

And a ramble about the construction on my street and how it effects my postal service. You can follow along that debacle on Beyond Elsewhere if you so please.

And my addiction to FrontierVille on Facebook of which I am quite ashamed. Sigh.

So that’s it except for one final question if you’re still here. I generally do not like video blogs. I hate the term “vlog” (and “social media” for that matter, but I digress). So I want to know – do you watch these things? Is there even a point to my ever making a video? I’m not fishing for compliments or anything, but I do feel like a fool making them and talking to my camera in the guest room and I only have the crappy Windows Movie Maker to edit with but I sort of like some web video things and I don’t know. I guess what I am asking is – if someone (not just me) posts a video blog, do you watch it?

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Tracking the Tempest

June 30th, 2010, @ 8:01 pm Highly Recommended | Urban Fantasy

Tracking the Tempest (Jane True, #2)
by Nicole Peeler

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and Ryu – Jane’s bloodsucking boyfriend – can’t let a major holiday go by without getting all gratuitous. An overwhelming dose of boyfriend interference and a last-minute ticket to Boston later, and Jane’s life is thrown off course.

Ryu’s well-intentioned plans create mayhem, and Jane winds up embroiled in an investigation involving a spree of gruesome killings. All the evidence points towards another Halfling, much to Jane’s surprise… (goodreads.com)

I gave this book 3.5 stars on LibraryThing and wrote in the “review” section of Goodreads update that I would explain why in my actual review. Here’s the thing, the parts I did not like about this book were not the book’s fault. The parts I didn’t like were because they were just things I do not like – sex in books, calling someone “lover” and “baby”. Lover and baby make me cringe. They are huge pet peeve words to me. I have never, ever liked those terms/words and I hate when they are used. But I am not going to hold that over the author who writes a fantastically original series and great book. These things are my own personal preferences.

I broke my book buying ban for this book because since I read the first book in November 2009 I knew I NEEDED this book the second it hit the shelves. In fact when saw online that it was at a store near me in stock early I made my husband drive me there so I could get it. And it wasn’t on the shelf so I made the clerk go look in the back and he couldn’t find it so he had his manager help and she couldn’t find it and he went back there one more time and came out successful to my great pleasure saying “Don’t thank me, thank my colleague who said ‘isn’t that it on that random pile of books?’ in the stockroom.” Ha! As a former employee of said bookstore chain I appreciate when staff goes above and beyond to help find a book that should be there (it had been received on Wednesday and this was Saturday). I went home happy. And with ONLY one book – even though they had a Buy 3 – Get the 4th Free! promotion on all formats of books. I was good. I restrained myself. It was so very, very difficult.

But I digress… I got this book, put aside the one I was reading and gobbled it up in 3 days (because sleep and work apparently are “necessary”. Pah!) Aside from my cringe-worth pet peeves I had fun reading the book. I loved the new characters that were introduced in Boston and I loved the old characters from the first book (can they be old characters if there has only been one other book?) but I wish that Grizzy and Iris had more of a role in the story this time around because I adored them in book one.

I was immensely curious about the Big Bad in the book who was frying everyone to death. I liked the idea behind him and what his motives were (not going to say more lest I spoil things). I was slightly disappointed in how that crisis ended though I had thought perhaps to explore things a little further, but this makes my desperation for book three even more frustrating! WHY FEBRUARY? It is so far away! Gah!

This book was even more action-packed than it’s predecessor and Jane continues to react like you would expect a “real” person to react, even if she’s half-selkie. Jane is a *cough* true *cough* character  (see what I did there?) and even when it comes to her relationship she has realistic reactions and reasoning. I love that about her and I love that Nicole Peeler writes her that way. I love that everything isn’t just accepted as fine from the start. I love that she’s scared and she doesn’t want to be rushed into a relationship and she has to work on bravery when it comes to murder and being attacked. I love that she thinks about things and reacts without thinking and has faults and people like her but don’t all LOVE her for no reason. (I hate books where the main character has everyone else in love with her and ready to shag her at the drop of a hat!)

I  like learning along with Jane.

Plus, if Nicole remembers, I think I placed first dibs on playing her in the movie (see bottom of interview). I just need to drop about 30 pounds though. I can do it! The production company just has to hire me a personal trainer and cook! I want this role, dammit, if it ever becomes a movie! (But I don’t do nudity! Or windows. Or dishes.)

There was one line in the book that I can’t get out of my head it made me laugh so much. I actually wrote the author privately on Twitter to let her know since I don’t really want to spoil it for others, even though it has nothing to do with the plot, it was just sheer hilarity in phrase form. But I will never be able to talk about lentils without giggling ever again!

Lastly, I adore these covers. The cover is what made me notice the book in the first place.  They are so colourful and fun and fit the novels perfectly!

Jane True series

  1. Tempest Rising
  2. Tracking the Tempest
  3. Tempest’s Legacy (February 2011)
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5 Questions: author Nicole Peeler (Tempest Rising)

November 14th, 2009, @ 8:18 pm Author Interview

Someone (I think it might have been Brooke?) posted the cover of Tempest Rising on their blog and it caught my eye. From there I wandered to the author’s site and found her twitter page and I knew I had to get this book. I was not disappointed as you will see from my review and since Nicole is such a fun and friendly person I mustered up the courage to ask her to participate in my 5 Questions feature. Lucky for me she agreed! Without further ado – my mini-interview with the author of the Jane True series!

1. Congrats on a wonderful and original first novel! As a huge Urban Fantasy fan myself, I have gotten to the point where I feel many stories are so similar I sometimes get confused about which series I am reading! Tempest Rising has such unique characters and creatures, did you set out purposely to create a story where the creatures were more than just vampire and werewolf?

I did, indeed. But it wasn’t because I thought there were too many werewolves/vampires. To be honest, I hadn’t been reading urban fantasy for years, as I was busy doing my Ph.D. and was only reading stuff for my research. Instead, the reason I wanted to use all those myths is because the nature of my world is one where I try to explain that age old question: Why do all these really different cultures have the same mythologies? I couldn’t apply that question to just a few creatures; I had to take that idea forward and involve lots of mythological beasties.

2. I’d also like to thank you for making the story more about the mystery than just the romance between Jane and Ryu. There’s really only so many tragic-emo-vampire stories I can read in my life. Did you have any trouble keeping a decent balance between mystery and romance?

Well, you’re welcome! To be honest, it was easy to keep that balance when it comes to Jane and Ryu’s romance. Because, while Ryu is definitely wooing Jane, and there’s lots of lust between the two characters, there’s is not a traditional romance, at all. Jane’s had real love, and lost it, and she knows that what Ryu offers is something very different. It’s not bad, what he offers. In fact, it’s quite fun, and it’s absolutely what Jane needs at this time in her life. But it’s certainly not the traditional, Happily Ever After soul-mating you see in a real romance novel.

3. Your favourite supernatural creature would be?

I don’t know if I have a favorite, and I’m finding new ones all the time in my research for the books. But I’ve always been especially fascinated by the creatures like centaurs and minotaurs: things that are half human and half beast. Don’t ask me why. It’s probably all very Freudian. ;-)

4. Your favourite Manic Panic colour?

Pillarbox Red, for the win!

5. Are you a Joss Whedon fan? If so why and please list your favourite shows in order of preference. If you are not… why the heck not?

I loved Buffy, obviously. But I really enjoyed Firefly, and I adored Serenity. I haven’t seen any of Dollhouse. Is it any good?

I think I am the only Whedon fan who didn’t like Firefly or Serenity! I don’t know why. Dollhouse is, er, well, I find it disappointing and gave up watching it.

BONUS QUESTION: Exactly how long have you been stalking me and have had cameras in my house while you were creating the character of Jane True? I promise I am not about to file any lawsuits against you, I just feel I would sleep better at night knowing how long you’ve been spying on me. Was my husband in on this at all? Because if so I will be having one heck of a chat with him very soon.

That’s hilarious! And I love hearing people say that to me. I hate to tell you this, but you’re not the first to tell me they found a little of themselves in Jane. Which makes me very happy, because part of what I was trying to do with Jane was to create an Everywoman character who is suddenly surrounded by this totally irreal world full of these preternaturally powerful and beautiful creatures. She is, pardon the pun-tastic overtones, a fish out of water and it makes for a lot of fun tensions in the novel.

But she’s my height! And bosomy! And dark hair! And jeans and t-shirty! I’m so playing her in the movie.

Thanks so much Nicole! I can’t wait for the second book to come out and I hope to have another 5 questions ready for you this summer with the release of Tracking the Tempest!

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Tempest Rising

November 9th, 2009, @ 12:03 am Urban Fantasy

Tempest Rising
by Nicole Peeler

Oh boy! A book review! A book that I read and finished in about 2 days, too! Go, me!

This is a new author, a first book, it has a great cover and a fun story on the inside. I secretly think that Nicole Peeler was stalking me for quite some time before she created Jane True, because she sounds an awful lot like me, only her physical description matches the Me before the Meds I had a few years ago that added The Weight. I drop a little of this weight and I can totally play Jane True in the movie (*cough* hint hint *cough*). I vote for David Yummypants to play Ryu, although he might be vamped-out. But still, yum.

Er.. enough about me and my fantasies…back to why I thought this book was all kinds of awesome. This is an urban fantasy novel that was refreshingly original. Sure it had a vampire romantic interest, BUT the focus on Ryu was NOT that he was a vampire but that he was an investigator. And not once ounce of emo, tortured vampire was squeezed out of this character, or any of the characters for that matter. This  book has selkies, kelpies and nahauls (oh, my!). It has gnomes and naga and Alphars (elves, really, but don’t call them that). There are no faerie courts or stand-offs between vamps and weres. There is no love triangle. There IS a lot of sex, but it’s not graphically descriptive (thank the gods!) and although it was a little too in the forefront of the book, it was easy (for me) to skip over and get back to the mystery. Yes! There is mystery! Woohoo!

Twenty-six year old Jane True ends up in the middle of a murder mystery which somehow is connected to her and she discovers that she isn’t just a normal human who likes to swim in the ice-cold ocean and who doesn’t need a coat in the winter. She has a past that continuously haunts her in the small town she lives in in Maine.  She finds out a lot about her present and past in this book that she never knew could even be possible. She grows as a person throughout the novel and regains confidence she had lost years ago.

I am terribly anxious for the next book, which already has a cover (awesome!) revealed, sadly, I have to wait until JULY 2010. Gah! I hate when books hook me and then I have to wait an eternity for the next one. I am curious to see where Nicole Peeler will take Jane in the next novel. This one doesn’t end in a cliffhanger, though there are questions that could be answered in another story. And I want to know the answers NOW!

Jane True series

  1. Tempest Rising
  2. Tracking the Tempest
  3. Tempest’s Legacy (February 2011)

You can read my interview with Nicole Peeler here!

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Out of My Pocket #19

November 7th, 2009, @ 10:02 pm Out of My Pocket

Due to my book buying addiction I started this  feature on my blog where I post about the book(s) I bought that week. Not something I plan on having every week – though it seems to be turning out that way.  So here’s what I bought this week!

Previous OoMP posts can be found here!

It has been ages since I have bought books. I have not been reading them or buying them. It’s been very sad. Or, rather, I have been very sad? Stupid case of the blues and blahs. But this week I set out on a mission – buy a book and read it. And there were a few that piqued my interest and then my husband gave me the $25 gift card to Chapigo he won at his office Halloween party, so I went BACK a second time. Heh. Three books were actually bought the week prior at my University bookfair (which was very lousy to be honest) they cost me a total of $2.50. ;)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 #30 – Retreat Part 5

Ok, is anyone else out there reading this “season” of Buffy? Because, really! What. The. Hell. I had a monthly subscription at my local comic book store and then the comic got so confusing and stupid and disjointed that I cancelled it. My husband and I started reading the Angel Season 6 “After The Fall” comics and they actually read like there was a story arc. But once I cancelled my Buffy subscription it got interesting again, and so I reinstated it… and now? Did you read this one? I ended with, “Wait.. what?!?!” This is so un-Whedony it’s not funny. And as a matter of fact it is NOT funny at all. At least the Angel comics have humour and have charters that act like the characters the are supposed to be and have art that depicts the characters so you know who the hell is in the frame when they are talking. Because this Buffy comic? I never know who the hell anyone is! Gah! Anyhow.. just needed to get that out there.

Tempest Rising
by Nicole Peeler

Living in small town Rockabill, Maine, Jane True always knew she didn’t quite fit in with so-called normal society. During her nightly, clandestine swim in the freezing winter ocean, a grisly find leads Jane to startling revelations about her heritage: she is only half-human.

Now, Jane must enter a world filled with supernatural creatures alternatively terrifying, beautiful, and deadly- all of which perfectly describe her new “friend,” Ryu, a gorgeous and powerful vampire.

It is a world where nothing can be taken for granted: a dog can heal with a lick; spirits bag your groceries; and whatever you do, never-ever-rub the genie’s lamp. (amazon.ca)

I am almost finished this as I write this post! I am loving it!

Cast in Shadow
by Michelle Sagara

Seven years ago Kaylin fled the crime-riddled streets of Nightshade, knowing that something was after her. Children were being murdered—and all had the same odd markings that mysteriously appeared on her own skin.…

Since then, she’s learned to read, she’s learned to fight and she’s become one of the vaunted Hawks who patrol and police the City of Elantra. Alongside the winged Aerians and the immortal Barrani, she’s made a place for herself, far from the mean streets of her birth.

But children are once again dying, and a dark and familiar pattern is emerging. Kaylin is ordered back into Nightshade with a partner she knows she can’t trust, a Dragon lord for a companion and a device to contain her powers—powers that no other human has. Her task is simple—find the killer, stop the murders…and survive the attentions of those who claim to be her allies! (goodreads.com)

I saw the latest book mentioned on some blog recently and this series looked interesting. So I’ll try it out!

Witch Fire
by Anya Bast

After a chaotic marriage and a rough divorce, all Mira Hoskins wants is stability and normality. But when sexy Jack McAllister enters her life, she discovers that what you want isn’t always what you need.

Jack is a powerful witch with the ability to command fire and is anything but normal. As the head of a security detail for The Coven, a national organization that governs national witches, Jack has been assigned to watch over Mira. She is a natural born witch with the ability to call the air. And although she is unaware of her talent, a group of renegade witches has discovered her existence and are determined to steal her power–and her life. (goodreads.com)

I like witches. Yep, I do!

Playing With Fire
by Gena Showalter

Twenty-four-year-old barista Belle Jamison dreams of a better job and a decent love life. Until a crazy scientist spikes her mocha latte! Suddenly Belle can wield the four elements—earth, wind, fire and water—with only a thought. Coffee too hot? No problem. Hair in need of a blow-dry? Done.

Gorgeous government agent Rome Masters has been sent to neutralize Belle. But he’s not the only one after her. Together they must outrun the rogue agents on their trail and find a way to control her powers. There’s just one problem: the sparks Belle and Rome generate are even hotter than the ones flying from her eyes—and with her future on the line, now is the worst possible time to fall in love…. (amazon.ca)

Was so interested in this one, started it right away, stopped 5 chapters in because it was just so horridly written. I am so disappointed. I will be mailing this book to Kristi this week. I warned her though.

Dead on Arrival (Nancy Drew & the Hardy Boys: Super Mystery, #23)
by Carolyn Keene

Nancy is called upon to investigate the disappearance of an ace reporter, but is unable to prevent the missing girl’s murder, while the Hardy Boys go undercover to find out who has been holding up ambulances and stealing bodies. (goodreads.com)

An exciting bookfair find! I had all the Nancy Drew books from the early to mid-90s and I was always so thrilled when they would release the joint Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys Super Mysterys! Yay!

Fear Street Superchiller: Broken Hearts
by R.L. Stine

When Josie and Melissa receive threatening Valentine’s Day messages, and then the girls of Shadyside High begin turning up dead, the two friends are certain that they will be the next victims.

Oh, how I adored Fear Street when I was a kid. This one cost me a whopping $0.50 at the bookfair. ;) I am slowly but surely going to rebuild my teen library!

Runaways Vol. 9: Dead Wrong
Marvel Comics

The beginning of a whole new Runaways! Comics legend Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise, Echo) and super-star artist Humberto Ramos (X-Men, Wolverine, Spider-Man) run back to Los Angeles with your favorite teen heroes. But it’s not the same city they left so long ago. The Runaways try to stay off the radar, but the sins of their parents won’t make that possible… Collects Runaways Volume 3 #1-6. (amazon.ca)

I have been really enjoying these digests, however I was looking through this one today and noticed the art is completely different and I don’t think I like it. I hope I like the story lines at least!

Lily’s Ghosts
by Laura Ruby

A sinister old house, an intriguing new friend, a fifty-year-old mystery, and a tag-team of disgruntled ghosts force thirteen-year-old Lily to unearth her family’s deepest secrets in this multilayered tale that’s both hilarious and harrowing, comic and creepy. (goodreads.com)

This book looked really cute and so I picked it up at the bookfair. My 3-year old niece is named Lilly and I thought that when she got older this might be a fun book to read with her. For a dollar who could resist?

The Lightning Thief
by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can’t seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse—Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy’s mom finds out, she knows it’s time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he’ll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends—one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena—Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods. (goodreads.com)

My Monkey! Monkey! Monkey! just posted a review on her blog of this book and raved about it – so when I noticed I was just off by a few dollars in order to use the discount coupon I had, I picked this one up.

The Sugar Queen
by Sarah Addison Allen

Josey Cirrini is sure of three things: winter is her favorite season, she’s a sorry excuse for a Southern belle, and sweets are best eaten in the privacy of her closet. For while Josey has settled into an uneventful life in her mother’s house, her one consolation is the stockpile of sugary treats and paperback romances she escapes to each night…. Until she finds her closet harboring Della Lee Baker, a local waitress who is one part nemesis—and two parts fairy godmother. With Della Lee’s tough love, Josey’s narrow existence quickly expands. She even bonds with Chloe Finley, a young woman who is hounded by books that inexplicably appear when she needs them—and who has a close connection to Josey’s longtime crush. Soon Josey is living in a world where the color red has startling powers, and passion can make eggs fry in their cartons. And that’s just for starters. (amazon.ca)

I loved Garden Spells and though I have been holding off on reading this one, I was suddenly in the mood to read another Sarah Addison Allen story.

Willow
by Julia Hoban

Seven months ago, on a rainy March night, sixteen year- old Willow’s parents died in a horrible car accident. Willow was driving. Now her older brother barely speaks to her, her new classmates know her as the killer orphan girl, and Willow is blocking the pain by secretly cutting herself. But when one boy –one sensitive, soulful boy–discovers Willow’s secret, it sparks an intense relationship that turns the “safe” world Willow has created for herself upside down.

Told in an extraordinary fresh voice, Willow is an unforgettable novel about one girl’s struggle to cope with tragedy, and one boy’s refusal to give up on her. (amazon.ca)

I only picked this one up because I had the gift certificate and a $10 off coupon. I was trying to wait for the paperback. Oh, well. Worked out to be cheaper with what I had. I have heard a lot of great things about this book and I am currently in need of some emotionally wrenching fiction right now.

That’s it for me! I even got two books in the mail from Bookmooch this week and only just remembered that now, but I am too tired to write my IMM post right now. Maybe I’ll do it tomorrow.

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