the habits of highly effective readers

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2010-06-22T07:05:00.001-07:00


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2009-07-04T19:45:00.001-07:00

I'm in a Nora Roberts mood lately, so the McGregors series, 1-11, the Stanislaski series, 1-6, and the McKade Brothers, 1-4. I'm a huge Nora fan, and it was great to read a chunk of her books.
Eleanor the Queen and The Lute Player by Norah Lofts. I love, love, love her books so much. She introduced me to historical fiction, and has always been one of my favorites.
Just Wicked Enough and A Duke of Her Own by Lorraine Heath.
Johanna Lindsey's Fires of Winter, A Man To Call My Own, When Love Awaits, Captive of My Desires, No Choice But Seduction, Secret Fire
A Lady Betrayed by Nicole Byrd
Dead End Dating 05 by Kimberly Raye

2009-06-24T15:51:00.000-07:00

Mary Higgins Clark - Moonlight Becomes You. Lots of interesting trivia about death rituals in this one. One of her best.
Kim Harrison's Hollows series (01 - 07). Such a fun read! All of the characters are so interesting, the time spent reading these books just flew by.
Valerie Frankel - The Not-So-Perfect Man, The Girlfriend Curse and The Not-So-Perfect Girlfriend.Great writer, her characters always intrigue me. I have a copy of Hex and the Single Girl that I need to read.
Diane Haeger - The Secret Bride. I hadn't read much about Henry VIII's sister and her love for Charles Brandon, so I was really eager to read this one.
Jeri Smith-Ready - Bad to the Bone. Another fun read! I really like her writing style.

2009-06-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

The River Knows by Amanda Quick. I always go for one of her Victorian-era stories when I'm cranky. They're a good pick-me-up.
Faling In Love Again by Cathy Maxwell. For some reason this one isn't holding my attention, but I'm determined to finish it.
Trophies by Heather Thomas. I love reading about trophy wives, and this one is a hilarious read.
Women On the Edge of a Nervous Breakthrough by Isabel Sharp. Such a good read! This + Trophies made for a great afternoon of reading.
Wicked Under the Covers by Barbara Pierce. I'll have to look for more from this author.

2009-06-18T12:17:00.001-07:00

Dark Ones 01 - Dark Prince by Christine Feehan. I can't get through this at all. I'm going to keep trying, because everyone raves about these books, but they seem so over-the-top!
Bedwyn 01 and 02 by Mary Balogh. Not sure how I feel about this series yet, but I'm intrigued enough to read the next one. It seems the series gets better with each book, and since it's usually the reverse, I'm happy.
Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich. I know some people think the series is moving too slowly, but I love it. It could stay like this forever - random mishaps, goofiness and Stephanie being Stephanie.
The Searching Hearts by Dorothy Garlock. I looooved this one. I love all her books, but this one made me tear up a little.
Love Me, Still by Maya Banks. Short, and I got the feeling this is part of a larger story, but still good.

2009-06-07T11:46:00.000-07:00

Vicki Lewis Thompson's Nerd series. Romances featuring nerds as the guys who get the girl! Love that theme. Nerds and geeks are sexy.
The Third Circle by Amanda Quick. Technically, I should have read this one before the last Quick I read, but I forgot. It doesn't affect the story, though. Pretty good story, although sometimes the men and women seem a little interchangeable.
A Place Called Rainwater by Dorothy Garlock. These books all seem to be part of a series, I'm just lucky I read the first one first. I should really go back and read them in order. She tends to write very sweet, old-timey romances. Not an insult; I love reading books like these.
Promisegivers, Larkspur and Leaving Whiskey Bend by Dorothy Garlock.
some short stories by Alecia Monaco, Carrie Vaughn and Carol Lynne.

2009-06-07T11:41:00.000-07:00

Yasmine Galenorn's Sisters of the Moon #6. I like this series, I do, but once I'm done reading it, I tend to forget what happened and it takes me a few pages to remember it with each new book.
Jennifer Haymore - A Touch of Wicked. I can't say too much about this book without giving away the plot, but let's just say the "woman has to choose between two men" trope was turned on its head in this one. The ending surprised me, and I liked that.
Amanda Quick - The Perfect Poison. I love Jayne Anne Krentz's Regency romances, and this was no exception. Although I miss the Vanza heroes - this general supernatural theme isn't quite as fun.
Jacqueline Carey -Santa Olivia. Another one I can't talk about too much without giving away the plot, but I LOVED it. I was going to read a few pages and save it for later, but I could not put it down. It's not quite like anything I've ever read. Both supernatural and not. I went out and got everything else she's written based on this one book.
Jeanine Frost's Night Huntress series (books 1-3). I really like this series, although the lead vampire could not remind me of Spike any more if he tried. (Not that I'm complaining, I love Spike when he's not mooning over Buffy.) Quirky read, lots of catch phrases, although the heroine gets a little too badass for me sometimes. A few more flaws would be fun.

2009-06-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

Laurell K. Hamilton's Skin Trade (Anita Blake #17). I...have no idea why I still read these books. They're nothing but Mary Sue porn, the main character is incredibly unlikable, and the first half of the book was everyone being so jealous of her beauty and perfection. I really miss the old Anita, but the writer doesn't seem like she's ever going to bring her back. I won't be rereading this one, or anything past book 9.
MaryJanice Davidson's Udead and Unwelcome (Queen Betsy #8). I kinda feel like this is a series that should have ended a few books ago. I like the darker tone it's taking, but it feels like everything's dragged on too long.
Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampires #6 . Loooooved it. Which is no surprise. I feel like it's getting closer to the end of the series, although I could be wrong. I love how there are always new surprises in every book, but not so many that i feel overwhelmed.

2009-06-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

I have to stop deleting books before I add them here!

All of the Otherworld books by Kelley Armstrong. All the short stories plus the novels. SO SO GOOD. If you haven't read these, go do it now!
Book four of the Georgina Kincaid series (Succubus Heat) by Richelle Mead. I love these books. Georgina is such an interesting heroine, and she gets beat up enough to avoid the Mary Sue label by a mile.
Books 1-3 of the Mercy Hollings series by Toni Andrews. They're pretty good, and I'm intrigued, but for some reason I couldn't really get into the series. I like them enough to keep reading, though.

2009-05-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

Katie MacAlister's Dark Ones series. I started reading this a few years ago, but now I'm all caught up to...book 7, I think? Another series where sometimes the heroines feel a little interchangeable, but they're a good read.
Tate Halloway's Garnet Lacey series. I loooove these. Anything with the Goddess Lilith always wins me over, and I love how the heroine's imperfect, but still manages to kick ass in the process.
Leda Swann's Captive, The Price of Desire and Rainlasher. The stories are a little short, but impossible to put down.

2009-05-05T21:41:00.000-07:00

The Passport Diaries by Tamara T. Gregory. I love books from the POV of a black heroine; you don't see enough of them in fiction. I would definitely read more by this author; her characters all have a lot of bite to them. Great stuff.
Book 9 in the Southern Vampires (True Blood) series. Eeee! I've loved this series for years, and I'm halfway through this book and still as much in love as ever.

2009-05-05T21:35:00.001-07:00

River Rising, Almost Eden and Larkspur by Dorothy Garlock. Her books are always good for when I just want a feel-good book.
The Pope's Daughter by Caroline P. Murphy. Good historical biography, I'd read more by her. I'll add her to my list.
The Lost Princess by Norah Lofts. I adore Norah Lofts, and I wish her books weren't so hard to find. And I've always been intrigued by Caroline Matilda.
Morgan Kingsley 1-3 by Jenna Black. At first the whole "BDSM is creepy and weird!" stance by the heroine was slightly off-putting, as well as some of the other characters' casual attitudes towards it (they don't seem to be too concerned about safe, sane and consensual sometimes). But she seems to be warming up, and it's an interesting universe, even though the rules/details for it tend to be a little vague.
Three Sisters trilogy by Nora Roberts. A great read, as always. Nora never disappointes.
Dante Valentine 1 by Lilith Saintcrow. I stopped halfway through, and I need to come back and finish. But I have an ear infection, and when i'm sick I only want to read fluffly stuff. What I've read so far seems really good.

2009-04-15T12:08:00.000-07:00

Time to catch up!

1-11 of The Dresden Files, including the short stories. These are now some of my favorite books of all time. ALL TIME.
Sex with Kings and Sex with the Queen, by Eleanor Herman. I love historical gossip, so these were a great read.
The Cadogan Square Trilogy by Jane Feather. Pretty good read. Not the typical wishy-washy heroines.
Immortally Sexy #5 by Michelle Rowan. There's only one left to go, according to the author, and while I can't quite buy the romance between the two leads (it just lacks oomph to me), these are a good read as well.
Daisy Dooley Does Divorce by Anna Pasternak. I love Bridget Jonesian stories (even though I've never read/seen Bridget Jones), although I don't understand why in every single one, at some point runny noses has to be mention. I'm serious; I've read about twelve or fifteen of these, and at every point, someone has to point out that one of the women has a runny nose. It's off-putting. Maybe I should stick to reading the Irish and American Bridget types and not the English ones, but I looove English contemporary novels, so I am torn.
A whole lot by Marian Keyes: Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married, The Other Side of the Story, Watermelon, Rachel's Holiday, Angels, Anybody Out There, Sushi For Beginners, and The Last Chance Saloon. She's a new favorite, I love her writing style. And I always love books set in/around Ireland, so that helped as well. I'll have to go go buy This Charming Man sometime soon.
The Edge of Town by Dorothy Garlock. I have a ton of books by her that I haven't gotten around to reading, and I really should. She's a 'sweet romance' type of author, and I love that type, it's always good for my mood.
The Duchess by Bertrice Small. This one just got delivered to my Kindle today, so I'm not very far along with it, but it's Bertrice Small, so I'm assuming I'll like it.

2009-03-10T10:47:00.001-07:00

A Compromised Lady by Elizabeth Rolls. I gave in and bought another one of her books. I wish more were available for the Kindle, but I'll keep looking. Just as good as the last one - definitely a new favorite.
Lucrezia Borgia by...I'll have to go look it up.. A non-Kindle book for once! But I kept waiting for them to get to Lucrezia's reputation with poisons, and they never really touched on it. Disappointing.
Affinity and Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. Her books always start off a little slow, and then gradually draw you into the plot. Tipping the Velvet was amazing. Lesbian Victorian novels = good stuff. I think Tipping the Velvet is still my favorite out of the three, but it's hard to choose. I'll get to Night Watch soon.
G is for Gumshoe - L is for Lawless by Sue Grafton. This series gets better and better.
Book 5 in the Morganville Vampires series. Rachel Caine is a GODDESS of supernatural fiction.
Kitty Raises Hell (Kitty Norvil 6) by Carrie Vaughn. I had no idea that this was out already! Two new Kitty books this year, that makes me very happy.

2009-02-20T17:31:00.001-08:00

A Nerd in Shining Armor by Vicki Lewis Thompson. A very light read, and I loved it. I'll have to look for more by this author.

She Woke Up Married by Suzanne MacPherson. Surprisingly depressing. The blurb made it sound more fun. I won't be keeping this one, it just didn't appeal to me.

Book 1 in the Arcane Series by Amanda Quick. I'll probably just read 1 and 4 for now, because those are the only two that aren't contemporary romance, and usually Amanda Quick's contemporary romances don't interest me. Which is weird, because I like Jayne Anne Krentz's contemporary books, and they're the same writer. Yeah, I don't get it either.

The Paid Companion, Wait Until Midnight and books 1-3 in the Lavinia Lake series by Amanda Quick. Another Victorian romance; she's an expert when it comes to the genre.

His Lady Mistress by Elizabeth Rolls. It was a free book from Amazon, and those can be iffy. But this one is a good read, very character-driven. I'll have to look for more by this author.

2009-02-14T09:23:00.001-08:00

Outcast Season 1: Undone by Rachel Caine. I don't know if I I'll like this one as much as the Weather Warden books, but it's Caine, so I like it. (edit: have now finished it, and yes, I will be liking it as much. Definitely. Ohhhh, yes. I think what tripped me at first is that the lead character isn't remotely likeable at first - but then she develops so much that while I still don't know how I feel about her, I'm very interested in what happens to her, which to me, matters more than liking her versus disliking her.)
Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand (Kitty Norville 05) by Carrie Vaughn. These are my favorite werewolf books out there - a very realistic look at wolves in general, with the added plus of the supernatual.
Bone Crossing (Mercy Thompson 04) by Patricia Briggs. This series started off good and it's getting better with all the glimpses of other supenatural elements.
Total Control, Absolute Power and Last Man Standing by David Baldacci. I love, love his books. I love a good spy thriller.
Enchanted, Inc by Shanna Swendson. First four in a series, and I really like it so far. My only complaint is the narrator/heroine - we get it, you're so normal, you're the most normal person that ever lived, and dating is so hard for you because you're normal. She doesn't come off as an actual character so much as she does a (complaining) plot device. Fortunately, everyone else in the series is so interesting that it can be overlooked.

2009-02-03T16:09:00.001-08:00

Book 4 of the Quinn family series by Nora Roberts. I really like her books, and this series was one of my favorites, so it was great to see everyone several years later. The vindictive jerk in me would've liked to see the 'villain' punished a little more, but it wasn't as if she got off scot-free.
Book 2-4 of the World of Hetar series by Bertrice Small. Hints of Mary Sueism, but hey, I read the Clan of the Cave Bear books and still enjoy them despite Ayla being Better Than Jesus. I just like Bertrice Small, no matter what she writes.
Cross Country (Alex Cross 14) by James Patterson. I am still so addicted to these books.
Dead End Dating 2-4 by Kimberly Raye. Pretty good series so far.
F is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton. I think this series gets better with each book, but it sneaks up on you. The books get more addictive with time.

i forgot that my last entry was stuck in drafts. oops.

2009-01-23T12:59:00.001-08:00

Book 7 of the Masters of Rome series. I'm going to miss these books, they were such a fascinating read.
Warrior Rising by P.C. Cast. I weep for Greek mythology. And roll my eyes a lot at the black Sidekicky Best Friend being transported into the body of a white woman. And being the maid of her white BFF. As well as the usual "It's so great to have young bodies and not be old and fat anymore!" that is usually seen in P.C. Cast books. Other than that, not so bad. Not my favorite in this series.
Real Vampires Don't Diet (Glory St. Claire 04) by Gerry Bartlett. This series never disappoints, that's all I can really say. I always look forward to the next installment, and I like that her vampires have plenty of limitations without moodily angsting about them.
Dead End Dating (Dead End Dating 01) by Kimberly Raye. Pretty good read. I'm getting distracted by Big Love, otherwise I'd be deeper into it.

2009-01-14T13:51:00.001-08:00

I know I haven't posted anything lately, but I'm halfway through the last book in the Masters of Rome series, and then I will be able to move on to other books. I've got the newest Sisters of the Moon book by Yasmine Galenorn, the newest Goddess Summoning by P. C. Cast (if she or her editor doesn't learn how to spell 'bogeyman', I'm going to scream. Other than that, I love these books) and Roma by Steven Saylor. I'm really into Rome right now thanks to the Masters of Rome books, and I have a few mysteries set in Ancient Rome that I'm dying to look at, as well as a few set in Ancient Egypt and three revolving around Knights Templar. Good times, good times.

2008-12-24T21:13:00.001-08:00

Several Bertrice Small books (The Duchess, Innocent, A Moment in Time, Deceived To Love Again, The Duchess, A Memory of Love, and the first two books in the World of Hetar series)
Wally Lamb's She's Come Undone. I read this every few years, even though it's heartbreaking. I'm addicted to it and need to track down his other books ASAP.
Personal Demons by Stacia Kane. I liked the premise, it's a good set-up for a series.
The Greatest Lover in All England by Christina Dodd. I'm a sucker for Elizabethan romances.

2008-12-15T15:45:00.001-08:00

The Skye O'Malley series and the Skye's Legacy series by Bertrice Small, as well as the first book in the Friarsgate series and The Kadin (ordered Love Wild and Fair yesterday). I may be a huge fan of her work; she combines history with "chick lit" in a way that the history isn't forced to take a back seat.
Murder of a Medici Princess by Caroline P. Murphy. For some reason, I always confuse the Medicis with the Borgias, so now I really want a book about the Borgias. Good read.
The Thousand Nights and a Night (otherwise known as The Arabian Nights) translated by Burton. I've had an abridged copy of this for years, and fairy tales are one of my favorite reads, with this one being my favorite (narrowly beating out the "darker" edition of The Brothers Grimm. I love this version; the language is just perfect, and there are so many stories here that are new to me. I know I'll be rereading this at least once a year.

2008-11-24T15:47:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm dumb and deleted my recently-read books before blogging them, so this is from memory.

Mary Higgins Clark: All Around The Town and Daddy's Little Girl and possibly a third one. I loooove her books, always have.
Julia Quinn's To Catch an Heiress. Love her books as well, she's great with banter. I wrote her a fan email once, and she sent back a very sweet reply.

2008-11-18T19:20:00.000-08:00

Barbara Taylor Bradford's Everything to Gain and Remember Me. Couldn't finish either of them; God, her contemporary books are so dull.
Maggie Davis - Diamonds and Pearls, Hustle Sweet Love, Miami Midnight and Satan Doll. She's so casually racist that I find myself unable to look away, when her heroine describes people as "so typically Latino" and has them shriek in outrage at being forced to work with an Seminole Indian, because how scary!
V. C. Andrews - The Casteel series. I love that all her series are basically weaker remakes of Flowers in the Attic, only the incest is usually not quite as obvious.
Richelle Mead - Storm Born. Does she ever write a book that's less than great?

2008-11-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

Am halfway through Belle du Jour; that biography of a London call girl that's been made into that mediocre show where Billie Piper badly acts her way through being Better Than You. Turns out the book is even worse. The entire time, you're very aware that she is very aware that she's writing to inform you that she's Better Than You. Her clients all think she's the most considerate and sensual prositute ever. Her friends, family and exes all know what she does, and they range from A-Ok with it to mildly okay with it. Anyone who's not okay with it is conveniently painted as an asshole. She has several boyfriends (ex and current), plenty of dates, and the sex is always fun times. I get the feeling that she's one of those women who monopolize conversations by always finding a way to bring it back to the subject of how truly amazing she is. Why didn't she just admit that instead of a diary, this was a book on congratulatory masturbation and be done with it? So you're an intelligent gal who fucks for a living. Does she think she's the only one? Or even the best one? I doubt it. And at the same time, I almost feel sorry for her. Her life is so pointless. Everyone love me, every guy I meet hits on me, my job is great...but there's really nothing else to her. She's defined by her work, she barely exists.
I'm mostly through with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (I've read it before, but it's been years, and I have it in Kindle version, so I couldn't resist). Always, always, always a fantastic read. I plan on reading the other four right after it and just wallowing in Adams.
I also started the first book in the Twilight series. Everyone was right--it is like mediocre fanfiction. Bella is a raging Mary Sue, Edward is a giant Gary Stu, and everyone else just exists as a foil for their love. It's books like these that make me wonder why I'm not published. And then I remember that I never submit anything, which is somewhat important to the process.
The Winter Lodge by Susan Wiggs. It's fairly complex. A very detailed read. I like that.
The Story of Us by Susan Wiggs. I don't know if this was meant to be autobiographical or not, but it was dull. Sorry, Susan.
Full Bloom by Jayne Anne Krentz. I keep meaning to bo back to this one and finish it, but it's just not holding my interest.

2008-11-06T18:30:00.000-08:00

Finished off the rest of Jude Deveraux's Forever and Always trilogy. I may never read another of her books again--that's how bad these were. But they were so trainwrecky that I just couldn't look away.
Finished up Susan Wigg's Chicago Fire trilogy asd well. Susan has such a great writing style, and she handles sensitive subjects (rape, abuse, etc) really well. I always love her books.
Island Time by Susan Wiggs. I love the idea of a woman who wears short skirts and doesn't apologize for it or feel that it makes her any less of a woman.
Wait 'Til Your Vampire Gets Home (Broken Heart 04) by Michele Bardsley. A good read, as always. Not my favorite series, but still a good read.
Swallowing Darkness (Merry Gentry 07) by Laurell K. Hamilton. Oh, LKH. Your books get worse and worse with each one! Are you just typing with your ass now instead of coming up with actual plot?
Henry VIII: The King and His Court by Alison Weir. God, I love her books. I love getting a glimpse of life in Tudor court.