As I stated last week, we took a short road trip this week. Road trips mean several days in the car with limited distractions. No television and limited access to the Internet via the smart phones. I will admit to napping in the car, but I also read a lot this week, finishing another six books from my TBR stack. (After all, I'm dedicating the month of March to the Take Control of your TBR Pile Challenge.)
Where I've been reading
For the first time in a long time, I've been reading entirely in Texas. For our mini-vacation, we drove from our home near Dallas to the McDonald Observatory near Fort Davis, TX. By Wednesday morning, we were both feeling under the weather, so we headed right back home. So, though we didn't do as much sight-seeing as we had intended and never got down to Big Bend National Park, I did have four long days in the car to read and read.
What I've been reading: Completed this week
Format: eBook
Source: gift from Kiri
Completed: 8 March
★★★☆☆
In The Diva Wore Diamonds Hayden Konig, police chief and organist, is actually an aspiring mystery writer. While he is a very good police chief and excellent organist, he writes atrocious noir mysteries. He's also a great practical joker: premiering a “newly discovered” cantata by Purcell with the Children's Choir. There's murder and mayhem afoot in this seventh volume in Mark Schweizer's Liturgical Mysteries.
Format: eBook
Source: gift from Lemonitsa
Completed: 9 March
★★★☆☆
Shades of Earth is the concluding chapter of the Across the Universe trilogy by Beth Revis. After eagerly anticipating the release of this book, I finished it with mixed feelings. I enjoyed the story for the most part, but I was disappointed with the direction that Revis chose to take the story of the landing on Centauri-Earth. I felt that her treatment of the conflict between the “frozen” and the ship-born was too predictable. Look for a full review later this week.
Format: eBook
Source: purchased from Phoenix Pick
Completed: 9 March
★★★☆☆
Loved the book. Hate the cover. Karen Haber's Fire in Winter series has recently been released in eBook format by Phoenix Pick. They wound up with new covers which are just horrible. But back to the story. In The Mutant Prime, a young mutant with extra strong powers has come forward proclaiming his intent to take over the leadership of the mutant community. Needless to say, that doesn't sit well with the current leaders.
Format: eBook
Source: purchased from Amazon.com
Completed: 11 March
★★★☆☆
The Park Service offers an interesting look at a dystopian future. Fifteen-year-old Aubrey VanHouten is living in an underground bunker—the home of mankind after a devastating war made the surface of the earth uninhabitable. Or so everyone thinks. When Aubrey accidentally discovers that the surface is actually a pristine paradise, he is surprised to learn that there is a ruling power determined to keep people from bespoiling the planet again, treating the entire planet as a park to be preserved.
Format: eGalley
Source: review ARC from NetGalley
Completed: 12 March
★★★☆☆
Like the first book in this series, Jack Staples and the City of Shadows follows Jack and Alexia as the struggle heats up between the Assassin and the forces of the Author. Alexia is lured to the City of Shadows where the Assassin slowly whittles away at her perceptions; bringing her closer and closer to joining him. Supported by Arthur, Mrs. Dumphrey, and others of the Awakened, Jack and Alexia must struggle to save the world.
Format: audiobook
Source: purchased from Audible.com
Completed: 11 March
★★★★☆
Another outstanding installment in the Peter Pan prequels by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. In this installment, Peter is kidnapped by Lord Ombra and taken to the land of Rundoon, ruled by the evil King Zarboff. Back on Mollusk Island, the Mollusks have been taken prisoner by the Scorpions and are being forced to toil in the mines. A small group of Captain Hook's band of pirates, led by young Shining Pearl in an attempt to rout the Scorpions from the island. Peter and the Secret of Rundoon has lots of action and reveals much of the back story of Peter, the Starcatchers, St. Norbert's home for Wayward Boys, the land of Rundoon, Lord Ombra, and the pirates. It is a fitting conclusion to the trilogy (though there is now a fourth book in the series).
What I've been reading: In progress
I've really been enjoying The Devil's Grin, first book in the Anna Kronberg mystery series by Annellie Wendeberg. I picked this up as a freebie from Amazon and have gone ahead and purchased the omnibus of the first three books. In order go pursue a medical career, Anna Kronberg disguised herself as a man and became licensed as a physician. At the beginning of The Devil's Grin Dr. Anton Kronberg is the leading expert on infectious diseases in all of England. Dr. Kronberg is called to investigate a case of cholera and winds up crossing paths with Sherlock Holmes—who immediately discovers the doctor's secret. Both join forces to stop a crime involving abduction and medical experimentation.
The other book “in progress” is Kris Longknife: Intrepid, the sixth book in Mike Shepherd's outstanding series of military science fiction. Kris Longknife (yes, one of “those” Longknifes) is an officer in the Wardhaven space navy as well as granddaughter of the king. She finally has her own command and is leading a science team and looking out for pirates along the way. When they encounter a planet which is being assaulted by a rogue force, she joins with the ill-equipped residents of the planet to force the bad guys to leave.
This Week on the Blog
Between traveling and then falling ill at the end of the week, there were very few updates to the blog. I hope to get more written in the next week or two. I'm sitting on top of several reviews and probably need to take a look at my progress toward various challenges.
Coming Up
Throughout the month of March, I am participating in the Take Control of your TBR Pile Challenge, hosted by Kimba at The Caffeinated Book Reviewer. Joining with about 100 other readers, I'm working to clear out some of the backlog of TBR books on my Kindle and bookshelves. I had planned to use this weekend as a special focus on the TBR books through the TBR Read-a-Thon. But by the time Friday arrived, I really was unwell and just not up to getting much reading done.
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.
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