With a second week back at work under my belt, things are beginning to fall into a normal pattern. And, with the Bout of Books read-a-thon over, I have been able to do a few things other than reading. Yes, I do have a life outside of the printed page (or eInk screen).
Where I've been reading
I'm still at home. This won't last, but I'm enjoying it while I can. This blog, “Reading in Texas” really is talking about the reading I'm doing here in Texas.
What I've been reading: Completed this week
Format: eGalley
Source: review copy from NetGalley
Completed: 16 January
★★★☆☆
I'll be posting a full review this next week, but for now, here's a really quick summary of Unbreakable by W. C. Bauers.
When her widowed father is murdered and their farmhouse burned to the ground, Promise Paen decides to enlist in the Marines of the Republic of Allied Worlds (RAW). Thus begins an illustrious career as Promise rises through the ranks to her first leadership role taking a small task force to her home planet of Montana on a political mission. She's expected to simply show off the Marines and make nice with the government and citizens, but a pirate raid and an invasion by the rival Lusitanian Empire forces Promise and her Marines to become defenders, holding the fort and hoping that reinforcements are sent from the nearest RAW garrison.
There are a lot of similarities to other military SF series. In particular, the political detente between RAW and the Lusies had a feel much like that between Manticore and the Solar League in David Weber's Honor Harrington series.
'Twas a grand book with skirmish after skirmish, escalating to a grand conflict. The author has promised that this is the first of the series and I am looking forward to reading the next installment.
Format: PDF
Source: borrowed from the Sanger Public Library (via Freading)
Completed: 17 January
★★★☆☆
Time Voyage is the first of four books which comprise the “Return to Titanic” saga, a time-jumping adventure starring two eighth-grade students. Best friends Tucker and Maya are spending their spring break assisting Tucker's mother at a local museum. They discover a box of Titanic artifacts labeled “Special Collection”, which are more special than they can imagine. When they touch a cancelled ticket, Tucker and Maya find themselves transported 100 years in the past to Titanic's maiden voyage. There they meet Liam and his family, traveling from Ireland to New York. As boarding proceeds, the kids from 2012 have two challenges—can they save their new friend and how will they get back to their own time?
Written as a series of four books, author Steve Brezenoff has Tucker and Maya bouncing back and forth between 2012 and 1912. While this book stands alone well enough, it's really a single story spread across the four books. I'll be reading the next three books very quickly—before the loan from the library expires.
What I've been reading: In progress
Still haven't finished reading Echo Burning. I'm glad I renewed my check-out since I probably won't get back to it for a couple more days. I'm listening to Peter and the Shadow Thieves on those rare occasions when I'm in the car alone or occasionally when I'm cooking or doing other household chores. I'm making slow but steady progress in it. And, it's such a delightful book that I'm in no hurry for it to end. Lastly, I started reading How to Fly with Broken Wings by Jane Elson. I can find no evidence that this book is scheduled to be released in the US, and that greatly disappoints me. It's an amazing book and it's a shame that only kids in the UK will have easy access to it.
This Week on the Blog
Not as many posts on the blog this week. I slacked off a bit, though I had intended to write a review of Unbreakable. I'll take care of that this next week and perhaps post another review as well.
And, as usual, I'm linking up with The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on the blog, showcase books and things received. Share news about what is coming up on the blog for the week ahead.
What a shame the book is slated for US release. In our digital world it makes me sad to see that. I am glad you are home, enjoy it while you can.
ReplyDeleteYeah -- it's a real bummer, though print books work out much better than eBooks in cases like this. I have an account at Amazon UK and they will ship a printed book to my home in Texas. But if there are geographic restrictions on the eBooks, I cannot buy a Kindle edition. Instead, I have to hope that a US publisher will pick up the book/author.
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