It's finally here!!!!

Hurray!!!! Yipee!! I cant believe it has finally come out. After years of hoping and praying, after countless release date changes, it is here. The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch has been released!

If you are unfamiliar with the drama that I am referring to, let me fill you in. The first book in the series by Scott Lynch, titled The Lies of Locke Lamora, was released in '06. It was fantastic and lots of people loved it. The sequel, Red Seas Under Red Skies, is released the next year. I personally read both in '08 when I got my Kindle. It was then announced that the 3rd one was on its way. And then they pushed the date back. A new date was set. And then they pushed it back. And then another date was set. And then they pushed that one back. I can remember at least 5 dates the publisher promised us that didn't work out. That's right 5 at the least. And now after 5 years of waiting, I finally get to read the next book in this fanastic series.* (And it is fabulous so go read it.)  So next time the Sherlock fandom complains that they have had to wait for the 3rd season for almost 2 years, tell them they know nothing of our pain.

*Note: This waiting should be not be seen as a criticism of the author. He had some personal problems to take care of and I'm glad he is working them out. It's mostly the publisher I am annoyed with. Don't promise something that you can't carry out.

Currently Reading

There may come a day that I might actually give an overview/reactions of things I've read. But, it is not this day. Here's a list of books currently being read.

Clash of Kings: I have been reading this forever now but I keep getting distracted. I think I am 3/4 of the way done so hopefully I will finish sometime this month.

The Accursed: Started this during the read-a-thon, no more progress yet.

Ireland: A History: Been reading off and on for more than a year, a nice overview of Irish history.

The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow: About to start, sounds promising. Basically, set in 1950's New Orleans and about a mute boy with fantastic hearing "who can hear flowers grow, a thousand shades of blue, and the miniature tempests that rage inside raindrops. He can also hear the gentle voice of his father, William Arrow, shot dead before Bonaventure was born by a mysterious stranger known only as the Wanderer."-taken from Goodreads

 

Start Here Vol. 2

The people over at Book Riot  put out a book Start Here Vol. 1, and it helps you decide where to start reading an author that you haven't managed to get around to like Margret Atwood and Jane Austen. (Full list on the page on Amazon).

Now, they are writing the sequel and they are trying to get funding for the project on Kickstarter. Funding ends soon and they aren't quite there yet. So, please check out the page and donate if you think it sounds awesome. Because it is. $5 donation gets you an ebook copy delivered so its really more like pre-ordering!

Bookshelves

   A couple of weeks ago I read this article about bookshelves organization, and I got to thinking about my shelves. The system I currently use, that I came up with a few years ago, organizes my books by favorites. For example, my Harry Potter books get their own shelf on my main bookcase with all my other top favorites, my second favorites on the other bookcase, and so on.
 
 Fast forward a couple of years and a couple of moves (don't really like to talk about that nightmare but at one point we did live above a stripper who had the squeakiest bed ever) and I put my books in the same order just so I could remember where they were.  (And yes I mean exactly the same order. I don't have a photographic memory but I tend to remember stuff that I see repeatedly. I am the type of person who could have a messy room and still know where everything is.) But of course now I have completely different favorites and many more new books. So the question is should I reorganize, and if so how should I do it?

 If I do, I would probably stick with the favorites system since I like it and it's different than other peoples. Alphabetical is just boring and no fun and genre sorting wouldn't help since I own tons of fantasy and books that I consider multiple genres. I guess the question then becomes which books do I feel are my favorites now and do I still love the others on the main bookcase. And if I pick my favorites, won't I just have to do this again in a year or two?  I guess I just slightly obsess over it considering I love my books and I would hate to have to re-do it all if I mess up. I'm off all weekend so if I ever get around to it I'll update on what I do.

New for October

 After killing my computer (don't ask me what I did, I'm only ok with computers) and not finishing my summer challenge, I have regrouped to start posting again. My reading funk is mostly gone, for now at least, and I am looking forward to new things. First, let me catch up on things that have happened.

• I ended the Semi-Charmed Life Summer Reading Challenge with 55 points. I managed to stick with it for 2 months which is sadly a record for me. I'm not sure if it was my funk or my lack of commitment that sabotaged me, but I think it was a step in the right direction. And it let me finally give up on trying to read Atonement.
• I read Shadow of the Night which was completely disappointing. That's all I'm going to say on that.
• The new Jasper Fforde book came out last week in the US. Hurray! Side note: The sleuthing contests that go along with the releases of all his books are always fun, but hard as I try I usually only get like half the questions right. Doesn't stop me from trying. 
• Read many more books that maybe I will finally get around to reviewing. We will see.

That is about the most of it. Now I'm just looking forward to this awesome fall weather with these beautiful leaves changing colors and the Read-a-thon coming up on Saturday. More on that in a separate post.

Reading Funk

I have been in a little bit of a funk lately. Not really sure why, but most of the books I read aren't really exciting me. Do you know that satisfied feeling you get after you read a great book that has just sucked you in, showed you beautiful things, making you relaxed and content? Or a book that made you the world in a new way, surprising you? Well, it has been a while since I have read a book like that. Don't get me wrong, I have read many perfectly adequate books that have amused me for the moment, but nothing that has sparked deep feeling. I even re-read The Night Circus but it wasn't as enchanting the second time (which I am really hoping is because I am in a mood because that book is awesome). Finding a slump buster is hard though. I have tired light comedies but the character's naiveté was grating. I have tried a sequel to a favorite book but it was disappointing. Maybe I will just take a break from books for a while and see if that works.

Oh, and on a different note, I have officially given up on Atonement. That book was just awful.

Favorite series

Yes, I am once again trying hard to write in this blog and yes I am probably not going to but hey, stranger things have happened. Since I really haven't written much I thought I would list my favorite books of the moment and series I re-read whenever I get the chance so people have more of an idea of what I enjoy.

All time favorites:

-of course Harry Potter. That goes without question really.

-the Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer. Seven books in and I'm still wanting more. They are great adventure books and you really can't help rooting for Jacky and hoping she will finally get her chance to be with Jaimy (or Randall, or Joseph Jared, or Captain Allen, or any of the other men she seems to meet)

-the Secret Society girl series by Diana Peterfreund. Sadly this series is finished but it is still great. They really capture the feel of college and give you a great mystery at the same time. And of course a little bit of romance doesn't hurt.

-the Gardella Vampire series by Colleen Gleason. Another series that has sadly ended but a great vampire novel as well. With the interesting background of 19th cen. London, Victoria Gardella Grantworth must deal with coming out into society, finding a suitable husband, and fighting the vampires just like her family has done for centuries...and that's just the first book.

Recent favorites:

-the Dresden files series by Jim Butcher. I didn't think I would like this because I'm usually more of a fan of fantasy not science fiction, but this series is a nice blend of a lot of different elements. They're detective novels with a bit of magic and a few fantasy creatures mixed in with pop culture references. Oh, and the touch of romance adds some intrigue as well. 

-anything by Jasper Fforde. Seriously this guy is fantastic. I love all of his books and I don't know why it took me so long to read them. 

So, that's a few for now. I will hopefully write about a few of the books I just read and maybe the great movie I watched just the other day soon. Keep your eyes peeled!