Books from the Backlog #72

 

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread.  If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks. This meme is hosted by Carole's Random Life in Books!

 

Just when Azalea should feel that everything is before her—beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing—it's taken away. All of it. And Azalea is trapped. The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. So he extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest, but there is a cost. The Keeper likes to keep things. Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

 

 

 

 

 

Heather Dixon's Entwined came to my TBR pile in August of 2015 and there it has sat for many years. I thought it sounded fascinating being a book of fairy tale origins! It still sounds incredible to me and I do hope I can read it at some point!

 

 

 

 
 

 

Can't Wait Wednesday

 

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.

 

All of Us Villains meets Kingdom of the Wicked in this action-packed fantasy following a teen determined to win the competition held by warring vampire and witch kingdoms, only to develop complicated feelings for the vampire she’s supposed to hand over.

Blood is survival for seventeen-year-old Bly, who lives in the poverty-stricken human villages caught between enemy vampire and witch kingdoms. Most of the time, vampires and witches live in uneasy truce, buying human blood for their food and spells. But for two weeks a year, the ceasefire dissolves, and they hold the Revenant Games.

Any human can play in the games for either the witches or the vampires. Alongside life-changing riches, the witches will raise one person from the dead for whoever captures the highest-ranking vampire. In turn, the vampires offer immortality to whoever captures the most powerful witch. For most humans, the games are a ticket out of poverty. For Bly, it’s a chance to get back her dead sister, Elise, and save the life of her dying best friend, Emerson.

Together, she and Emerson forge a dangerous plan to play both sides and win both resurrection for Elise and immortality for Emerson. But when the vampire they capture stirs a passion in Bly that she hasn’t felt in a long time, she’ll have to make a her sister or the boy who’s shown her there’s more to life than just survival.

 

I keep meaning to read Fuston's books and keep failing...but I keep adding them to my TBR pile anyway! This one sounds freaking amazing and I so want to read it!!

 

TITLE: The Revenant Games
AUTHOR: Margie Fuston
PUBLISHER: Margaret K. McElderry Books
GENRE: YA Paranormal
RELEASE DATE: March 19, 2024

 

 

The fiercely-anticipated sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller Once Upon a Broken Heart, starring Evangeline Fox and the Prince of Hearts on a new journey of magic, mystery, and heartbreak

Not every love is meant to be.

After Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, betrays her, Evangeline Fox swears she'll never trust him again. Now that she’s discovered her own magic, Evangeline believes she can use it to restore the chance at happily ever after that Jacks stole away.

But when a new terrifying curse is revealed, Evangeline finds herself entering into a tenuous partnership with the Prince of Hearts again. Only this time, the rules have changed. Jacks isn’t the only force Evangeline needs to be wary of. In fact, he might be the only one she can trust, despite her desire to despise him.

Instead of a love spell wreaking havoc on Evangeline’s life, a murderous spell has been cast. To break it, Evangeline and Jacks will have to do battle with old friends, new foes, and a magic that plays with heads and hearts. Evangeline has always trusted her heart, but this time she’s not sure she can…

 

 

Okay, you're probably wondering what the heck?! Lol! I decided to throw this on my post as I can't wait for the B&N PAPERBACK edition! Yup, you know me, I'm a glutton for Stephanie's books and I eat up her bonus material too!

 

TITLE: The Ballad of Never After (paperback)
AUTHOR: Stephanie Garber
PUBLISHER: Flatiron Books
GENRE: YA Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: April 2, 2024 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

Let's Discuss--Signing Personalizations

 

Got another one for you this week! I'm on a roll and it only took me half the month! Lol! I actually got the idea for this one the same night as yesterday's topic! I was at a book signing and I had the bookstore people ask me about personalizations for my books and I said, I was just getting signatures. I thought I would explain why I've been doing that lately here because, it's book related! Lol.

Signing Personalizations

I used to ALWAYS love getting my books signed out to me! I still do on some too. If it was a favorite book or a favorite author or just one I HAD to have signed out to me, I will still get it personalized to myself. But lately, on books I just liked or loved--not LOVED--I just get an author signature.

On one of my last RT conventions, I was at a table talking with other readers and I was talking with one reader who explained why she just got signatures in her books instead of personalizations. She said, she didn't want her name to go in the books because one day, she would pass away--like we all do...unless we meet a hot vampire and decide to stick around for eternity, lol--and she didn't want her collection of books to all be signed out to her by authors she loved and upset her loved ones. She thought having her favorite books signed out to her would make them sad. So instead, she just got them signed by the author so that her loved ones wouldn't get upset thinking about her being gone.

Yes, I know one could say, seeing it signed out to her might later make her loved ones reminiscent on the good and happy times with her. But I also saw where she was coming from as well. It's a doubled edge sword if you will.

So as I continue to age I think about my own mortality. I will likely be leaving my book collection to my niece and nephew...unless something changes in the coming years of course! Lol. And I'll let them do what they will with the books. They can keep them, sell them, whatever they want. And I just thought it might be better for them if not all my books were signed out to me. Theoretically I see them selling them later on because I sadly don't think they will turn into readers, but I still want the best for them. Maybe they'll even keep a few they like I'd be happy about that. I mean, asking to be buried with all my books seems a little silly. Maybe bury me with my TBR pile so I can read them as a ghost, I'll just have to learn to use my gut to turn the pages! Lol.

But yeah...I don't always get my books personalized when I get the opportunity to get them signed. I might still do some occasionally, especially if I'm buying more than one copy (don't judge, you all know it's just on Stephanie's books! Lol). I did on my last set of Garber books get some fun personalizations like Little Fox, and Jacks' True Love! Those kind of personalizations I really like! I wish I could think of more of ones like that for my other books I have. I feel like taking the main character's name is just like personalizing it to a person who shares that name, so it wouldn't have that same feeling.

So my question for you is, when you get books signed, do you like to get them personalized or just signed? Or do you choose to get personalizations only on certain books/authors? I'm kind of on the latter track these days!

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker. 

Here are the rules:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.

 

"'If not, remember that though hard, it's always easier to find a way to make a successful career out of what you love than it is to learn how to love what you can make money at.'" p 79*

*Quote comes from the ARC, therefore it and its page number are not final.

 

 

 

 

 

 

TITLE: Three Kinds of Lucky
AUTHOR: Kim Harrison
PUBLISHER: Ace
GENRE: Contemporary Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2024

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and The Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

This week's topic is: Top Ten Covers/Titles With Things Found in Nature (submitted by ME!)

*in no particular order
**I had a heck of time trying to pick out covers for this one! I couldn't readily place titles...so that might be a topic for another day! Lol.

10. TO KILL A SHADOW by Katherine Quinn--flowers
9. EMILY WILDE'S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES by Heather Fawcett--flowers, mushrooms
8. KISS OF THE SELKIE by Tessonja Odette--sun, waves, trees, seals, starfish, seashells

7. NIL by Lynee Matson--ocean, beach, palm trees
6. THE NAMED by Marianne Curley--woods
5. ONE LAST BREATH by Ginny Myers Sain--spings, trees, butterflies, snake

4. THE WICKED DEEP by Shea Ernshaw--trees, raven, moon
3. SPELLS FOR FORGETTING by Adrienne Young--trees/woods
2. DOON by Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon--Scottish Highlands; hills, trees, fog/mist

1. ON THESE BLACK SANDS by Vanessa Rasanen--my only title with nature item, "sand!" Plus seawater! Lol.

Let's Discuss: Deserted Island Reads

 

So a thought came to me the other day, I was actually driving home so yeah, trying to remember that thought until I got home so I could write it down for this very moment was another thing entirely! I think I literally remembered it just before I was falling asleep and I had to grab my phone and send myself a quick email of thoughts!

If You Were on a Deserted Island...

You all know that question, "if you were on a deserted island and you could only bring one thing..." You know like for us readers it would be you could only bring/have 1 book with you, what would it be? I HATE this question! Lol. I mean yes, trying to choose 1 book out of thousands in my current collection would be impossible! But mainly I hate this question because I would say like 90% of my books are books that are in a series. So having to choose 1 book from a long or short series is impossible!

Yes, I know some people can say they loved book 4/6 the best of whatever series they love. But for me, I'm more like I can probably pick a favorite series more than choosing just 1 book from it. You get invested in the story and you need the prior books to get to the part you love most and then you may need the rest to get to that HEA ending, because it seriously has to have a HEA ending, even if it's just a sort of temporary one! Lol.

There are some series like Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series where they were more of standalones all coexisting with one another and a heroine may have more than one book in the series. So there I can see myself choosing a favorite. But would it be the book I choose for a deserted island stay? Not likely. Always in my scenarios, a rescue boat is coming! Lol.

But even as I try to really think it through and pick a title, I feel like I can't! For instance, you all know I LOVE the Caraval trilogy! Caraval was so incredible, but I was really taken away with Legendary as Tella quickly became my favorite character! But it's the middle book of a trilogy. Stuff happened before that setup Tella's story, then hers and Scarlett's story continued in Finale! I don't even think I could happily take Legendary as my book because that ending was just shy of brutal. I mean it was brutal, but Finale softened the blow later on. But I can't just say Finale then, because I would be missing everything that led up to those events! It's impossible to choose!

And I am sure I could pick a good standalone book that I loved, but can I say that it's a favorite enough to re-read a few times while I wait for my rescue boat? Eh...There were also times I thought I could get away with choosing a compilation book as my choice! You know, one of those bind-ups that actually has 3 novels in it, but is in fact, just 1 gigantic novel?

So needless to say, as the avid reader that I am, I cannot in good conscience answer this question. So please don't ask me it! Lol.

What about you? Could you easily choose 1 book to re-read a few times while waiting for a rescue boat on a deserted island?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.

 

Last Week I Read:

Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert (3 stars)

 

 

Currently Reading:

Three Kinds of Lucky by Kim Harrison (ARC)

What I Plan to Read Next:

The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James

Other Posts of Interest:

Let's Discuss: Things That Keep Me from Reading
Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays
Let's Discuss: Writing Discussion Posts
Can't Wait Wednesday
Books from the Backlog #71
Book Blogger Hop #294
Stacking the Shelves