Wednesday, December 11, 2013

J S Chancellor


J S Chancellor – A Thief of Nightshade

Avalar isn't real—at least it wasn't supposed to be. Aubrey never expected to fall in love with and marry her graduate writing professor, Jullian. His life's work, a grim fantasy titled A Thief of Nightshade encompassed everything Aubrey hated about fairy tales and make-believe. After Jullian goes missing and is eventually presumed dead, Aubrey discovers just how make-believe the world of Nightshade is. Not only is Jullian alive and well in Avalar, he's at the mercy of the Dark Fae, condemned to a fate worse than death, with no memory of Aubrey or his time in her world. In order to save him, she'll have to confront more than just the demons in her past, but the very real ones that await her in a place she never thought could exist. All of them will do everything in their power to stop her.


Monday, November 11, 2013

Marjorie M Liu - Hunter Kiss Series

Marjorie M Liu – Hunter Kiss 1 – The Iron Hunt

Silver smoke winds around my torso, peeling away from my ribs and back, stealing the dark mist covering my hands and lower extremities...tattoos dissolving into demon flesh, coalescing into small dark bodies. My boys. The only friends I have in this world. Demons.

I am a demon hunter. I am a demon. I am Hunter Kiss.

By day, her tattoos are her armor. By night, they unwind from her body to take on forms of their own--demons of the flesh, turned into flesh. This is the only family demon hunter Maxine Kiss has ever-known. It's the only way to live, and the very way she'll die. For one day her demons will abandon her for her daughter to assure their own survival--leaving Maxine helpless against her enemies.

But such is the way of Earth's last protector--the only one standing between humanity and the demons breaking out from behind the prison veil. It is a life lacking in love, reveling in death, until one moment--and one man-- changes everything.

Marjorie M Liu – Hunter Kiss 2 – Darkness Calls

Demon hunter Maxine Kiss, inked with living tattoos, is on a mission to rescue the man she loves from a bloodthirsty army. To save him, Maxine has only one choice: to lose control—and release her own powers of darkness.


Marjorie M Liu – Hunter Kiss 3 – A Wild Light

For too long Maxine Kiss has felt an inexplicable darkness inside her-a force she channels into hunting the demons bent on destroying the human race. But when she finds herself covered in blood and crouched beside her grandfather's dead body with no memory of what happened, Maxine begins to fear that the darkness has finally consumed her.


Marjorie M Liu – Hunter Kiss 4 – The Mortal Bone

When the bond Maxine Kiss shares with the demons tattooed on her skin is deliberately severed, the demon hunter is left vulnerable and unprotected. For the first time in ten thousand years, the demons have a taste of freedom. And as the little demons grow more violent and unpredictable, Maxine starts to fear they will lose their minds without her. Reuniting won't be easy, since a greater temptation waits for these hellions: a chance to return to their lives as Reaper Kings, and unleash hell on Earth.





Monday, September 16, 2013

Carrie Vaughn

Carrie Vaughn – Steel

It was a slender length of rusted steel, tapered to a point at one end and jagged at the other, as if it had broken. A thousand people would step over it and think it trash, but not her.
This was the tip of a rapier.

Sixteen-year-old Jill has fought in dozens of fencing tournaments, but she has never held a sharpened blade. When she finds a corroded sword piece on a Caribbean beach, she is instantly intrigued and pockets it as her own personal treasure.
The broken tip holds secrets, though, and it transports Jill through time to the deck of a pirate ship. Stranded in the past and surrounded by strangers, she is forced to sign on as crew. But a pirate's life is bloody and brief, and as Jill learns about the dark magic that brought her there, she forms a desperate scheme to get home—one that risks everything in a duel to the death with a villainous pirate captain.

Time travel, swordplay, and romance combine in an original high-seas adventure from New York Times bestseller Carrie Vaughn.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Cheyenne McCray - Night Tracker and Magic Series

Night Tracker Series
Cheyenne McCray – Night Tracker 1 – Demons not Included
Meet Nyx. This half-human, half–Drow private eye investigates paranormal crimes by day and is an elite Tracker of demons by night. She prefers working solo—and playing rough. So when a terrifying force starts murdering innocent humans and paranorms, and leaving strange demonic symbols burned into their buildings, it's a case Nyx takes very personally…
Meanwhile, Nyx's fellow Trackers are being killed one by one—and a sexy new Tracker named Torin is shadowing her every move. Torin has powers Nyx can't read, and sometimes she wonders whose side he's on. Nyx's instincts tell her something's brewing in the city's meanest supernatural streets, and that it's ready to unleash hell on Earth. Who can she trust? Now it's five minutes to permanent midnight…and Nyx's last chance means risking everything—even her own life.
Cheyenne McCray – Night Tracker 2 – No Werewolves Allowed
As a half-human, half-Drow private eye, Nyx is the go-to girl for tracking Demons in the night. So when several of New York City's Werewolves go missing, Alpha Werewolf Dmitri Beketov hires Nyx for the job. But this time, she must leave the dark alleys and bright lights behind…
Nyx's sixth sense tells her that life in the slow lane is a lot deadlier than it appears. Though she usually prefers to work solo, with this case she's going to need all the help she can get. Enter Detective Adam Boyd: he's watching her back, but is this human too sexy for his—and her—own good? Meanwhile, a powerful, malevolent force is exterminating paranorms and "unworthy" humans alike…and Nyx, still trying to get a foothold in her new surroundings, finds herself facing danger at every turn, in No Werewolves Allowed, a Night Tracker Novel from bestselling author Cheyenne McCray
Cheyenne McCray – Night Tracker 3 – Vampires Not Invited
New York Times bestselling author Cheyenne McCray sets the night on fire in her blazing-hot Night Tracker series—where the fangs come out when the sun goes down…
Vampire attacks are on the rise in the city that never sleeps. So why is half-human, half-Drow private eye Nyx tracking down Sprites? Sure, these "young bloods" are causing mischief all over town—like painting the Statue of Liberty's toenails neon pink. But it's not until Nyx finds herself at the Pit, Manhattan's hottest nightclub for paranorms, that she understands what she's really up against…
Seems Master Vampire Volod has a plan—and the Sprites are in on it. By targeting the weaknesses of every paranorm in the city, from Elves to Shifters to Zombies, Volod and his fang gang aim to rule the night once and for all. Over Nyx's dead body. She loves a good challenge—and she will seduce danger at every turn to throw Volod off course. It's time for Nyx to enter the beating heart of this dark conspiracy…before driving a stake through it.
Cheyenne McCray – Night Tracker 4 – Zombies Sold Separately
Nyx hates Zombies. Seriously. Hates. Zombies. Ever since she was a youngling, she's been haunted by them. And even though she's a big girl now—a half-human, half-Drow private eye, to be precise—Nyx bristles at the mere thought of the walking dead.
Meanwhile, the corpses of humans and paranorms alike are turning up all over New York City. Now it's up to Nyx to find out who—or what—is behind this series of horrific attacks. But it's only a matter of time before Nyx is drawn deeper into her darkest fears...and her worst nightmare about meeting a real, flesh-and-blood-hungry, body-snatching Zombie comes blindingly to life. Or death.
Cheyenne McCray – Night Tracker 5 – Vampires Dead Ahead
In the acclaimed Night Tracker series by New York Times bestselling author Cheyenne McCray, the vampires are back to make a brand new start of it—in old New York…

With zero tolerance for bloodsuckers, Nyx and the Trackers have made the streets safer for warm-blooded New Yorkers. Unfortunately, they didn't drive a stake through the problem nationwide. Vampire attacks are on the rise. Proctors are dropping like flies. And Volod—New York's ousted Master Vampire—is trying to make a comeback…

Nyx is worried—about her city, her job, and her neck. But mostly she's concerned about her former lover, Rodán, a Proctor who's gone missing. Scarier still, Volod is capturing and "turning" paranorms to help him paint the town red. Which sucks. Because some of these new vampires are Nyx's old friends. But hey—if she can stake them here, she'll stake them anywhere.
Magic Series
Cheyenne McCray – Magic 1 – Forbidden Magic
Cheyenne McCray's paranormal romances seduce with an award-winning combination of heat and fantasy. Now, she weaves the first tale in an enthralling new series sizzling with dark magic and dangerous desires. Prepare to be spellbound by Forbidden Magic...
D'Anu witch Silver Ashcroft knows she walks a perilous line by practicing gray magic. But it's the only way to protect herself from the evil that surrounds her. After the horrors she has witnessed, Silver thinks she is ready for anything...until the most intensely arousing being she has ever encountered swiftly--and sensuously--proves her wrong...
Hawk is a Tuatha D'Danann warrior--powerful beings descended from the Fae. And for him duty has always come before pleasure. Then, clad only in moonlight, Silver Ashcroft welcomes him to her city of San Francisco and makes his blood sing with a passion beyond compare. She is the embodiment of fantasies he never knew he had, but the terrifying reality of his mission lurks in every shadow...
Only the strongest will survive the upcoming battle, and the forces of darkness are more powerful than ever. Now, warrior and witch must trust in their hearts above all else--for to claim victory, they first must claim each other...
Cheyenne McCray – Magic 2 – Seduced By Magic
Copper Ashcroft is an accomplished D'Anu witch, but the magic she wields is a potent force--strong enough to hurl her into a mysterious Otherworld when a spell backfires. Before Copper can escape, another being is pulled into her realm--Tiernan, a powerfully virile Tuatha D'Danann warrior. Blond, blue-eyed, and shamelessly seductive, Tiernan could be Copper's savior…and his touch sets her body on fire.
Like others of his kind, Tiernan stands alongside the D'Anu witches to battle the demons of the Underworld. Obligation to his cause and his people cautions against any entanglement with Copper, yet each second spent with this beautiful, uninhibited woman stirs an insatiable hunger. Desire explodes into carnal bliss, but the visions that haunt Copper's dreams are growing stronger, and they foretell a terrifying evil waiting to be unleashed…
Saving the city will take more than brute strength…more than witchcraft. Only together can Copper and Tiernan find a way to overcome the dark forces--and seize a passion that has bewitched them both.
Cheyenne McCray – Magic 3 - Wicked Magic
Rhiannon Castle is a D'Anu witch whose  is a D'Anu witch whose Coven sisters know nothing of the Shadows that lurk within her. Rhiannon can't reveal the truth to anyone--least of all Keir, a rugged warrior soldier who walks into Rhiannon's life and awakens her to a wanton reckless desire…
Keir's Tuatha D'Danann Tuatha D'Danann  brethren are the only real family he has ever known. He trusts no one--until he is sent to San Francisco and meets Rhiannon, the one woman with fire enough to tame him. Every seductive encounter convinces Keir that she belongs with him--even though Rhiannon knows her powers could put him in peril…
And then a new threat rises from the depths of the Underworld. When a demon goddess unleashes her evil upon our world, Rhiannon's secret could prove the ultimate weapon in this epic battle--or forge a pathway to destruction for the only man she's ever loved…
Cheyenne McCray – Magic 4 – Shadow Magic
"Bestselling author Cheyenne McCray's "Shadow Magic "is dark and dangerous. And deeply sensual..."
THE SINS OF THE PAST
When Hannah Wentworth temporarily flees her life in San Francisco to join her sister D'Anu witches in Otherworld, she vows to help them conquer the evil bent on destroying the human realm. But the only one who can help "her" happens to be the king of the Dark Elves. The father to her nemesis, Rhiannon of the D'Anu. And the one man Hannah can never, ever trust...especially because of her dangerous attraction to him.
ARE COMING TO LIGHT...
Garran knows that the beautiful, headstrong Hannah is wary of him for having banished his people to a life underground. But now Garran can right that wrong by helping her and the other gray witches in their dangerous battle in San Francisco--even if doing so means sacrificing the passion he's found only in Hannah's arms...
Cheyenne McCray – Magic 5 – Dark Magic
Jake Macgregor has his hands full. As San Francisco's leader of the Paranormal Special Forces unit, he and his team are facing a powerful enemy that threatens to bring down the city. With the weight of the world already resting on his broad, chiseled shoulders, the last thing Jake has time for is romance. So why—after a long, hard day's fight against evil—are his nights filled with dreams of Cassia?
Cassia is a D'Anu witch whose birthright ensures power and honor beyond her imagination. It also forbids the one thing Cassia wants the most: the love of mortal Jake Macgregor. When she intervenes in a skirmish to save his life, the consequences are inescapable—even though the magic they make together is too luscious, and potent, to resist.

Friday, July 5, 2013

Isaac Marion



Isaac Marion – Warm Bodies

R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams.After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.

Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead, and the blurry line in between.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Richelle Mead - Dark Swan


Richelle Mead - Dark Swan 1 - Storm Born
Just typical. No love life to speak of for months, then all at once, every horny creature in the Otherworld wants to get in your pants. . .
Eugenie Markham is a powerful shaman who does a brisk trade banishing spirits and fey who cross into the mortal world. Mercenary, yes, but a girl's got to eat. Her most recent case, however, is enough to ruin her appetite. Hired to find a teenager who has been taken to the Otherworld, Eugenie comes face to face with a startling prophecy—one that uncovers dark secrets about her past and claims that Eugenie's first-born will threaten the future of the world as she knows it.
Now Eugenie is a hot target for every ambitious demon and Otherworldly ne'er-do-well, and the ones who don't want to knock her up want her dead. Eugenie handles a Glock as smoothly as she wields a wand, but she needs some formidable allies for a job like this. She finds them in Dorian, a seductive fairy king with a taste for bondage, and Kiyo, a gorgeous shape-shifter who redefines animal attraction. But with enemies growing bolder and time running out, Eugenie realizes that the greatest danger is yet to come, and it lies in the dark powers that are stirring to life within her.

Richelle Mead - Dark Swan 2 - Thorn Queen
Eugenie Markham is a shaman for hire. She's paidto bind and banish creatures from theOtherworld.
But something happened after her last battle. She became queen of the Thorn Land. With her kingdom in tatters, her love life in chaos, and eager to avoid the prophecy about her firstborn destroying mankind, the job's really not all it's cracked up to be.
Now young girls are disappearing from the Otherworld, and no one seems willing to find out why. Or to put an end to it. Not that Eugenie's fazed by spilling fey blood, but this enemy is shrewd, subtle, and dangerous -- and nursing a very personal grudge.
Eugenie must venture deep into the Otherworld and trust in a power she can barely control. She may be a reluctant queen, but she's vowed to do her duty, even if it means facing the darkest and deadliest side of her nature.

Richelle Mead - Dark Swan 3 - Iron Crowned
An embattled mystically entwined with our own, the Otherworld is at the mercy of one woman...Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham is the best at banishing entities trespassing in the mortal realm. But as the Thorn Land’s queen, she’s fast running out of ways to end the brutal war devastating her kingdom. Her only hope: the Iron Crown, a legendary object even the most powerful gentry fear…
Who Eugenie can trust is the hardest part. Fairy king Dorian has his own agenda for aiding her search. And Kiyo, her shape-shifter ex-boyfriend, has every reason to betray her along the way. To control the Crown’s ever-consuming powers, Eugenie will have to confront an unimaginable temptation--one that will put her soul and the fate of two worlds in mortal peril…

Richelle Mead - Dark Swan 4 - Shadow Heir
#1 New York Times bestselling author Richelle Mead returns to the Otherworld, a mystic land inextricably linked to our own--and balanced precariously on one woman's desperate courage...
Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham strives to keep the mortal realm safe from trespassing entities. But as the Thorn Land's prophecy-haunted queen, there's no refuge for her and her soon-to-be-born-children when a mysterious blight begins to devastate the Otherworld...
The spell-driven source of the blight isn't the only challenge to Eugenie's instincts. Fairy king Dorian is sacrificing everything to help, but Eugenie can't trust the synergy drawing them back together. The uneasy truce between her and her shape shifter ex-lover Kiyo is endangered by secrets he can't--or won't--reveal. And as a formidable force rises to also threaten the human world, Eugenie must use her own cursed fate as a weapon--and risk the ultimate sacrifice.
  

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Robin McKinley

Robin McKinley – Sunshine
“Her feet are already bleeding - if you like feet..."
There are places in the world where darkness rules, where it's unwise to walk. Sunshine knew that. But there hadn't been any trouble out at the lake for years, and she needed a place to be alone for a while.
Unfortunately, she wasn't alone. She never heard them coming. Of course you don't, when they're vampires.
They took her clothes and sneakers. They dressed her in a long red gown. And they shackled her to the wall of an abandoned mansion - within easy reach of a figure stirring in the moonlight.
She knows that he is a vampire. She knows that she's to be his dinner, and that when he is finished with her, she will be dead. Yet, as dawn breaks, she finds that he has not attempted to harm her. And now it is he who needs her to help him survive the day.


Robin McKinley – Deerskin
As Princess Lissla Lissar reaches womanhood, it is clear to all the kingdom that in her beauty she is the image of her dead mother, the queen. But this likeness forces her to flee from her father's lust and madness; and in the pain and horror of that flight she forgets who she is and what it is she flees from: forgets almost everything but the love and loyalty of her dog, Ash, who accompanies her. But a chance encounter on the road leads to a job in another king's kennels, where the prince finds himself falling in love with the new kennel maid . . . and one day he tells her of a princess named Lissla Lissar, who had a dog named Ash.


Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Malinda Lo



Malinda Lo - Huntress

Nature is out of balance in the human world. The sun hasn't shone in years, and crops are failing. Worse yet, strange and hostile creatures have begun to appear. The people's survival hangs in the balance.


To solve the crisis, the oracle stones are cast, and Kaede and Taisin, two seventeen-year-old girls, are picked to go on a dangerous and unheard-of journey to Tanlili, the city of the Fairy Queen. Taisin is a sage, thrumming with magic, and Kaede is of the earth, without a speck of the otherworldly. And yet the two girls' destinies are drawn together during the mission. As members of their party succumb to unearthly attacks and fairy tricks, the two come to rely on each other and even begin to fall in love. But the Kingdom needs only one huntress to save it, and what it takes could tear Kaede and Taisin apart forever.

The exciting adventure prequel to Malinda Lo's highly acclaimed novel Ash is overflowing with lush Chinese influences and details inspired by the I Ching, and is filled with action and romance





Malinda Lo – Ash
In the wake of her father’s death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.
The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King’s Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash’s capacity for love—and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.
Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Valerie Douglas


Valerie Douglas – Song of the Fairy Queen
Song of the Fairy Queen is a classic fantasy for people who still like classic fantasy.
It's said of Fairy that if you are in dire need and call the name of one, they will come. King Oryan, with his castle under siege and his son in his arms, could not be in any more dire need. With only High Marshall Morgan and a handful of Morgan's men at his back, there is only one place left to run, up, and only one ally who can save them.
Kyriay, Queen of the Fairy.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Charlaine Harris - Southern Vampire Mysteries - Book13


Previous books in this series that I have already read:


Charlaine Harris – Sookie Stackhouse 13 – Dead Ever After
Sookie Stackhouse has one last adventure in store.
Life has taken her from a waitress in Merlotte’s Bar, Bon Temps, to part owner; from social outcast to the heart of her community; from a vampire’s girlfriend to the wife of one of the most powerful vampires in the state. She has survived earthquakes, revolutions and attempts on her life. Sookie has endured betrayal, heartbreak and grief . . . and she has emerged a little stronger, and little wiser, every time.
But with life comes new trials . . .
The question is, in the end: who will love, who will live, and who will be dead ever after?
There are secrets in the town of Bon Temps, ones that threaten those closest to Sookie—and could destroy her heart....
Sookie Stackhouse finds it easy to turn down the request of former barmaid Arlene when she wants her job back at Merlotte’s. After all, Arlene tried to have Sookie killed. But her relationship with Eric Northman is not so clear-cut. He and his vampires are keeping their distance…and a cold silence. And when Sookie learns the reason why, she is devastated.
Then a shocking murder rocks Bon Temps, and Sookie is arrested for the crime.
But the evidence against Sookie is weak, and she makes bail. Investigating the killing, she’ll learn that what passes for truth in Bon Temps is only a convenient lie. What passes for justice is more spilled blood. And what passes for love is never enough

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

How to Read More Books - Benefits of Reading

How to Read More Books – Benefits of Reading
Heather Levin
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For some people, there's no greater pleasure than settling into a comfortable chair, cracking open the stiff spine of a new book, and diving headlong into a different world. Books open up infinite possibilities and pleasure, but sadly, reading is a pastime that fewer people are engaging in.
If you're like a large percentage of Americans, you haven't picked up a book at all this year, and it's even likelier that if you did, you didn't finish it. Poll results released by the Associated Press and Ipsos show that one in four Americans don't read books at all, and half of Americans read less than four each year.
Although the drop in time spent reading is sad, what's sadder is our declining ability to read. According to Oxford Journals, the average reading ability of Americans hovers around the eighth or ninth grade level, and the UN Chronicle reports that up to 25 million citizens can't read or write at all. The United States ranks 21st in the world for literacy. Number one in terms of nationwide literacy? Cuba. What's even scarier is that according to a report published by Renaissance Learning, the average reading ability of our high school graduates is at a fifth grade level.
The Benefits of Reading
In today's hectic world, picking up a book might seem like it's not worth the time. However, reading offers countless benefits:
1. Reading Uses Your Brain
The average American spends five and a half hours every day watching TV. While television can be entertaining, it does little for your brain or for your body. You actually burn more calories reading a book than you do watching TV. Reading is an active mental process: you think more, use your imagination, and you increase your knowledge.
2. Reading Expands Your Worldview
I've never actually walked through a dusty village in Mali. I wasn't born into life of a Plains Indian in the 1800s. And, I've never trudged along the rainy, dark streets of Paris with a hungry belly and nothing in my pocket except a notebook and a blunt pencil to write my next story. However, I've experienced all these things through the magic and mystery of books.
Books allow you to experience other people, other places, and other cultures that you might never be exposed to in regular life. This helps you develop compassion for suffering, empathy for those different than you, and an open mind.
3. Books Build Focus
When you read a magazine, you jump from pictures to captions to story, page after page. When you read a website, you're constantly distracted by moving ads and links urging you on to the next site or story. While any reading is beneficial, books help you develop the ability to focus and concentrate because there is no distraction – there is only the story. Furthermore, reading helps improve your memory.
4. Reading Makes You Interesting
The world's brightest, most creative minds have written millions of books, sharing their wisdom, all of which are just waiting for you to pick up and discover. The more you read, the more you have to talk about with colleagues, friends, dates, your spouse or partner, and complete strangers. Reading gives you a rich store of knowledge, ideas, and experiences that you can then share with others.
5. Reading Helps You Learn
I taught myself how to start a business by reading books. I've learned about yoga, Buddhism, American history, mythology, and many other fascinating subjects through reading. Reading is a very cheap way to learn new skills and concepts. Instead of attending a class and paying overpriced tuition, or instead of wishing you knew how to build a blog or program software, teach yourself through books. Reading empowers you to take responsibility for your education, no matter how young or old you are.
How to Read More
Sitting down to read doesn't mean you have to carve out an hour or more of your day. There are many ways you can sneak more reading into your life:
1. Cancel Cable TV
I canceled cable TV years ago, and I have to say I haven't missed it a bit. Watching less TV is a very easy way to open up time to read more. I often use the evening to read, and it's my favorite part of the day. If I still had cable, I might otherwise be flipping through channel after channel, looking for something to watch.
2. Invest in a Tablet Device
According to a Pew Research study, and published in NBC News, 30% of study respondents who own a tablet or e-reader say they spend more time reading than they used to. They also read more books: The average tablet owner reads 24 books per year, compared to other readers, who read an average of 15 books per year.
I own an Amazon Kindle, and I love it. One of the biggest benefits to owning a Kindle is that Amazon has thousands of books, a large majority of them classics, available for free download. This is a very easy and cheap way to get quick and portable access to the world's best books.
Another benefit of e-readers is that they're small. You can take your entire library with you on a plane, train, or in your purse. You can read during your morning commute, while you're in line at the grocery store, or waiting to pick up the kids from school. E-readers make it easier to fill small pockets of time with reading instead of aimlessly staring into space or checking Twitter on your smartphone.
3. Choose Books or Genres that Interest You
Do you know how many times I've picked up "War and Peace" and tried to read it? At least a dozen. It's one of those books I feel like I should read, but I've never been able to get into the story no matter how hard I've tried.
Sometimes you're just not ready for a book, or a book's not ready for you. Perhaps you're not old enough, or you're not at the right point in your life. You might not be destined to cross paths at all – and that's fine. So don't make yourself read a book you're not interested in just because you feel you should read it. Start with books that interest you – you'll get more pleasure and value out of the experience. If it feels like a chore, then you're not doing yourself any favors.
4. Set a Time
If you have a really busy schedule, you're probably going to have to set aside time to read. And this means actually putting it into your schedule, or picking a specific time of day. Even if it's only 10 or 15 minutes, it will still be a good way to develop the habit, help you relax, and allow you to momentarily forget about the stresses of everyday life in a healthy way.
Try reading on your lunch break, or, wake up earlier than everyone else and read while you're having a morning cup of coffee. You could also try reducing your Internet time in the evenings – there is some amazing reading available online, but the web can also be really distracting. Reading to your kids after dinner or before bed will help them develop the love of reading, and enable you to read more as well.
5. Read With Others
Reading with your kids is a wonderful way to teach them the love of reading. But reading with others, such as with friends or as part of a book club, can also be a rewarding and motivating way to read more.
There are even online book clubs you can join. These clubs expose you to books you might not have heard about, and they also give you the opportunity to discuss what you've read and learned with others. These discussions and opinions can also give you a greater understanding of the books and its characters.
Final Word
Reading should be a joy, not an obligation. Books are full of magic and mystery, and if you're not used to reading regularly it might be hard to tap into that at first. Keep going, however. Pick up a book and find time to read during the day. If it's not a good book or if it's not bringing you pleasure, then stop reading it! You certainly don't have to finish every book you start.
What other strategies do you use to add more reading time to your day?
Categories: Lifestyle
Heather Levin
Heather Levin is a freelance writer based in Detroit, MI. She's passionately committed to living green, saving money, and helping others do the same in their life.
Learn more About Money Crashers - including co-founders Andrew Schrage and Gyutae Park.
 

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Laurell K Hamilton




Laurell K Hamilton – Nightseer


Keleios the Half-Elf was but five years old when she saw her mother murdered by the evil witch Harque. For years she has asked the gods for the strength she'll need to avenge this foul death, and it seems the gods have answered her. She's been granted an array of powers never before seen in one person, but she has also acquired a most terrifying burden, a demonmark. This mark can open the door to undreamed abilities, but it can also open her soul to the forbidden dark side of magic. Keleios must choose between the demonmark's tainted power and the lives of those she holds most dear. In an epic battle of good versus evil, of enchanted swords and shapeshifting dragons, of unquenchable hatred and unlikely love, Keleios must face her own demons—before she can acquire the most important power of all: the power to forgive

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Andrew Davidson


Andrew Davidson – The Gargoyle
An extraordinary debut novel of love that survives the fires of hell and transcends the boundaries of time.
The narrator of The Gargoyle is a very contemporary cynic, physically beautiful and sexually adept, who dwells in the moral vacuum that is modern life. As the book opens, he is driving along a dark road when he is distracted by what seems to be a flight of arrows. He crashes into a ravine and suffers horrible burns over much of his body. As he recovers in a burn ward, undergoing the tortures of the damned, he awaits the day when he can leave the hospital and commit carefully planned suicide — for he is now a monster in appearance as well as in soul.
A beautiful and compelling, but clearly unhinged, sculptress of gargoyles by the name of Marianne Engel appears at the foot of his bed and insists that they were once lovers in medieval Germany. In her telling, he was a badly injured mercenary and she was a nun and scribe in the famed monastery of Engelthal who nursed him back to health. As she spins their tale in Scheherazade fashion and relates equally mesmerizing stories of deathless love in Japan, Iceland, Italy, and England, he finds himself drawn back to life — and, finally, in love. He is released into Marianne's care and takes up residence in her huge stone house. But all is not well. For one thing, the pull of his past sins becomes ever more powerful as the morphine he is prescribed becomes ever more addictive. For another, Marianne receives word from God that she has only twenty-seven sculptures left to complete — and her time on earth will be finished.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Rachel Deagan


Rachel Deagan - Caged Moon

Haunted by an animal attack, seventeen year old Charlotte feels she is being followed. When she runs into a mysterious boy while camping, she's afraid. Nothing seems right about him. Despite trying to stay away, there is an unmistakable draw to be near him. Even his scent smells familiar. But the closer she gets, the faster the secrets begin to unravel. Not only is he not human, he may have a link to her past. When Charlotte finds out someone wants her dead, she is torn between love and fear. Can she trust him to keep her safe?

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Jacqueline M. Battisti


Jacqueline M. Battisti  - The Guardian of Bastet
Cat-shifter Trinity Morrigan-Caine has discovered a demon is killing Supernaturals. Magically challenged, she has every intention of letting handsome Alpha werewolf Gordon Barnes handle it. But after a dying vampire gifts Trinity a mystical amulet, she is drawn into the fray as the legendary Guardian of Bastet, a warrior born when the need arises.
Though Trinity initially rejects the role, she warms to the idea when Gordon agrees to train her—and their passion for each other grows as he teaches her to embrace her animal instincts.
As she begins to accept her destiny and believe in her growing powers, Trinity realizes the danger is even closer to home than she ever imagined—and she and Gordon are going to have to face the demon in a fight to the death.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Richelle Mead - Vampire Academy


VAMPIRE ACADEMY SERIES



Richelle Mead - Vampire Academy 1 - Vampire Academy
St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger...
Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.


Richelle Mead - Vampire Academy 2 - Frostbite
Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose...
It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks... This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.
But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price.


Richelle Mead - Vampire Academy 3 - Shadow Kiss
It's springtime at St. Vladimir's Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since making her first Strigoi kills, Rose hasn't been feeling quite right. She's having dark thoughts, behaving erratically, and worst of all... might be seeing ghosts.
As Rose questions her sanity, new complications arise. Lissa has begun experimenting with her magic once more, their enemy Victor Dashkov might be set free, and Rose's forbidden relationship with Dimitri is starting to heat up again. But when a deadly threat no one saw coming changes their entire world, Rose must put her own life on the line - and choose between the two people she loves most.


Richelle Mead - Vampire Academy 4 - Blood Promise
Rose Hathaway's life will never be the same.
The recent attack on St. Vladimir's Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose's neck, a mark that says she's killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life's vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She'll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?
Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir's and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?

Richelle Mead - Vampire Academy 5 - Spirit Bound
Dimitri gave Rose the ultimate choice. But she chose wrong...
After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri's birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir's-and to her best friend, Lissa. It is nearly graduation, and the girls can't wait for their real lives beyond the Academy's iron gates to begin. But Rose's heart still aches for Dimitri, and she knows he's out there, somewhere.
She failed to kill him when she had the chance. And now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and now he is hunting her. And this time he won't rest until Rose joins him... forever.


Richelle Mead - Vampire Academy 6 - Last Sacrifice
They come first. My vision was growing dimmer, the blackness and ghosts closing in. I swore it was like I could hear Robert whispering in my ear:The world of the dead won't give you up a second time. Just before the light completely vanished, I saw Dimitri's face join Lissa's. I wanted to smile. I decided then that if the two people I loved most were safe, I could leave this world. The dead could finally have me.
Rose Hathaway has always played by her own rules. She broke the law when she ran away from St. Vladimir's Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardians to come.
Now the law has finally caught up with Rose - for a crime she didn't even commit. She's in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch. She'll need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir.
But the clock on Rose's life is running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back...and this time she is truly out of second chances. The big question is, when your whole life is about saving others, who will save you.



Thursday, February 14, 2013

Stephenie Meyer - The Host

The Host – Stephenie Meyer
 
Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Earth has been invaded by a species that takes over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.
 
Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.
 
Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves - Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.
 
Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, The Host is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time.