Where I've been reading
Business took me to Toronto for most of this past week. Since I was sharing the car with co-workers, I didn't listen to an audio book while I was away—though I did get in two hours of listening on Saturday while driving to and from my son's house. Having stumbled on Lola's Blog Tours and signed up to review the first two books of Siobhan Davis's True Calling series, this week I completed book one, True Calling.
What I've been reading: Completed this week
Format: Hardback
Source: borrowed from North Richland Hills Public Library
Completed: 13 April
★★★★☆
Most Private Investigator Vish Puri must investigate the murder of Dr. Suresh Jha. When the Goddess Kali suddenly appears in front of Jha's entire laughing club and strikes him down, everyone is convinced they've seen a miracle. It's mysterious. Just the kind of case to attract Inspector Puri.
Not only is Puri tracking down exactly what happened to Dr. Jha, but his wife and mother are secretly investigating the robbery of their kitty club. Inspector Puri's life—at work and at home—definitely isn't boring.
Format: eBook
Source: borrowed from library via Freading.com
Completed: 15 April
★★★★☆
It boggles my mind to realize that Beauty is Robin McKinley's first novel. Originally published in 1978, it has recently been re-released by Open Road Media. It is as current and fantastic as a newly written tale.
Beauty is a retelling of the classic fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast. And although I knew the story, I was quite taken by McKinley's development of the characters. Some reviewers have criticized her for spending so much of the book on the thoughts and motivations of Beauty and Beast instead of telling more about how the magic worked. For me, this was a bonus, not a distraction.
And, I'm applying it toward the “Retellings” category in the Eclectic Reader Challenge.
Format: eBook
Source: review copy received from the author
Completed: 18 April
★★★☆☆
Siobhan Davis's True Calling—a dystopian science fiction romance—is aimed at the young adult market. The premise of an elite population evacuated from a dying Earth to a high tech colony planet was terribly appealing. I participated in this week's book blitz and promised a full review early next week.
What I've been reading: In progress
I'm about 80% of the way through the ninth volume in the Kris Longknife series. If you're not familiar with the series, Kris is the great granddaughter of Ray Longknife, King of the United Sentients Federation. She's also an officer in the Naval forces of the United Sentients and each episode is full of battles in space.
Sir Philip Sommerville, one of the owners of The Poor Relation Hotel, has fallen in love with a coarse and crude woman and moved her into the hotel. His partners strive to find some way to displace her as she's eating them out of house and home and running off the paying customers with her crass behavior. While they are trying to separate Sir Philip from Mrs. Budlge, they are also seeking to kindle sparks between young Arabella Carruthers and the Earl of Denby.
This Week on the Blog
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.
Thanks for mentioning Lola's Blog Tours. And I am looking forward to your full review of True Calling next week! I really enjoyed that book! I hope you have a great week!
ReplyDeleteYes. I enjoyed it and will be saying so in the review. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteOh, Toronto! I would LOVE to go sometime. It's definitely on my list of places to see. :) The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing sounds very interesting! I hope you enjoy your books.
ReplyDeleteToronto is a nice place. It's so close to the US border that they carry US TV stations and most shops will take American money, though having Canadian currency or a credit card makes things simpler.
DeleteRobin McKinley sounds familiar - Sunshine. A friend gave that to me. I can't recall that I liked it too much. I didn't know she had written other books too.
ReplyDeleteMcKinley is best know for her books for kids and young adults. Her novel, The Hero and the Crown won the Newberry Medal in 1985. I believe Sunshine was her first novel for adults. I haven't read it, but I'm kind of lukewarm when it comes to vampires.
DeleteYou might enjoy Beauty. It's a gentle retelling of an old favorite.
I have never heard of the Poor Relations books. They sound funny. I'll have to get the first one.
ReplyDeleteHave a good week!
The Poor Relations are really quite funny. The books are available in Kindle Unlimited, though I've been borrowing them from my library's subscription to Freading.com. Thanks for dropping by.
DeleteI look forward to your thoughts on True Calling. You need to get your co-workers in to audios..LOL Glad you still managed so many reads with travel.
ReplyDeleteCome by on Wednesday to read my review of True Calling.
DeleteThe problem with the co-workers is that they aren't interested in listening to chapter 33 of an audio book on the 10 minute ride from hotel to office and then chapters 38-45 of the same book as we drive from office to the airport. They might actually be interested in the book, but it's having to synchronize several of us to be in the same sport when we wind up in the car together.
True Calling does have a lovely cover. I hope you are enjoying it. Sounds pretty good. :) Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteLoved True Calling and just finished reading the second of the trilogy, Beyond Reach. If you like YA SF Romance, I'd recommend the series.
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