Today is Release Day!

Today is the official release day for Cherie Priest's latest Clockwork Century book, Dreadnought. I'm so super psyched that I hit up the bookstore last night just in case they had it out -- and they did (along with Rachel Vincent's Alpha. Note to self: next purchase is JT Ellison's The Immortals.)

I had a quick trip out of town last week to attend a conference for work. Choosing books for traveling is always a challenge for me because I want to bring my whole collection and not be limited in choices when I have to pick a new read. Most of the time, though, I don't actually finish books on trips.

This was the exception. I started a fantastic book the day before I left and finished it my second night in the hotel. Then I was able to read a second book at the airport waiting for my flight (long wait would have been infinitely more torturous without a book).

I figured, what with Dreadnought due out and my luck with Boneshaker on my last work flight, that Clementine would be a good one to bring along with me. And I was right! It got me clear through my gap between our event and my plane trip home.

Readers of Boneshaker might remember Captain Croggon Beauregard Hainey. In Clementine, he's chasing down the thief who stole his dirigible, Free Crow. Meanwhile, Belle Boyd, an ex-spy for the Confederacy, has been hired by the Pinkerton Agency. Boyd's job is to make sure that Hainey does not stop the dirigible Clementine (the stolen Free Crow) from finishing its mission, but neither Boyd or Hainey knows exactly what the ship has been commissioned to do.

Clementine is a quick read at just under 200 pages. Super fun stuff. Lots of action, dirigibles, shootouts on dirigibles. Belle Boyd is a fabulous character and I loved the addition of the Pinkertons.

Now, I believe that Subterranean Press still has copies of Clementine (but I could be wrong). I do know other places seem to be sold out. Word has it the paperback will be released next year, though, if you want to wait. It's so worth ordering now, in my humble book junkie opinion, that is : )

A Cure for the Mondays

Mondays are always the worst, aren't they? Fortunately, I feel better than I have in the past two weeks. Colds are such a sucky double whammy considering they hit you in the head first and then move on to your chest. And if you're anything like me, that means they take up residence for an abnormally long amount of time, defying every over the counter syrup, powder, lozenge, and supplement you can find. Yeah. Seems to be moving out now, but it always requires extreme patience on my part.

I just finished Deanna Raybourn's latest Lady Julia Grey mystery, Dark Road to Darjeeling, a luscious indulgence that can make anyone forget their woes.

In this fourth of the series, the newlyweds are enjoying their honeymoon when fellow Marches Plum and Portia arrive. Seems Portia's ex, Jane, has been widowed in the final months of her pregnancy and now fears for her life. Her husband, Freddie Cavendish, died suddenly, but the death was deemed a terrible accident. Jane thinks that someone may have their eye on the Cavendish estate, a successful tea plantation in India. If Jane gives birth to a son, he would inherit, making Jane and her unborn a target for whoever may have killed Freddie. Brisbane agrees to investigate and Julia is eager to prove her usefulness as a parter in the practice, causing a bit of an argument between the couple.

Ah, Julia and Brisbane. One of my favorite fiction couples. I love seeing how they progress as characters together. I do have to admit that some of the gothic atmosphere I love about Raybourn's books was missing in this one. Otherwise, a fun Victorian mystery and a wonderful addition to this ongoing series.

New Releases 9/28/10

Some of the new titles hitting shelves this week are:

Safe From the Sea by Peter Geye

Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny -- Inspector Gamache/Three Pines

Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn (October 1)

Rival to the Queen by Carolly Erickson

Afterlife: The Resurrection Chronicles by Merrie Destefano

The Spirit Thief by Rachel Aaron -- Legend of Eli Monpress

Jane and the Damned by Janet Mullany

Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves -- the Shetland Island quartet

Goodnight, Beautiful by Dorothy Koomson

Torment by Lauren Kate -- sequel to Fallen

Saving Max by Anoinette van Heugten

The Shadow Woman by Ake Edwardson -- second in the Chief Inspector Erik Winter series

Play Dead (reissue) by Harlan Coben

Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Hungry for Your Love: An Anthology of Zombie Romance by Gina McQueen

Red Herring by Archer Mayor -- Joe Gunther

Masques (reissue) by Patricia Briggs

On Target by Mark Greaney -- Gray Man

Heir of the Night: The Wall of Night book one by Helen Lowe

Friday Mornings at Nine by Marilyn Brant

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett -- Tiffany Aching

Alpha by Rachel Vincent -- Shifters #6 (October 1)

New on DVD:

Frozen

Iron Man 2

Get Him to the Greek

New reviews at Bookbitch.com:

Dark Road to Darjeeling

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay

Pre Pub Book Buzz -- Alpha by Rachel Vincent

It's time for another installment in the Shifters series! Can you see me jumping for joy? According to Rachel Vincent's website, it's the last one in the series, *sniff* that makes me sad.

If you've been following the series religiously like me, then you're probably all antsy for it to hit shelves, too (I know the JJs are). Here's a bit from Vincent's web site to whet your appetite until Friday:

YOU’VE GOT TO HAVE FAYTHE…

The unscrupulous new Council chair has charged Jace, Marc, and me with trespassing, kidnapping, murder, and treason. Yeah, we’ve been busy. But now it’s time to take justice into our own hands. We must avenge my brother’s death and carve out the rot at the heart of the Council.

It’s not going to be easy, and loss seems unavoidable, but I have promised to protect my Pride, no matter what. With a target on my back and Marc at my side, I’m heading for a final showdown that can—that will—change everything forever.

OMG! I can't wait! I'm so excited I have to type things like OMG!

A Supernatural Romance With Soul

Ok, even I have to admit that's a super cheesy title for a blog post. I can't help it. I'm kind of cheesy and unoriginal sometimes.

Anywho. I mentioned I'd been reading some teen titles lately. Kirsten Miller's The Eternal Ones was promoted as part of the Breathless Reads campaign along with Brenna Yovanoff's The Replacement. The two couldn't be more different, but it shows what an amazing selection is coming out for teens these days.

The Eternal Ones is a tale of love, revenge, murder, and reincarnation. Haven Moore was raised by her strict religious grandmother, a woman who has had a strong hold on Haven and her mother since Haven's father died years ago. Haven has always had visions and those visions have set her apart in her hometown. Even her own grandmother insists the visions are the result of some illness or even possession, a view shared by many of the small minded folks around her. All Haven knows is that when she sees Constance and Ethan, she sees them as Constance would have -- through her eyes. When she stumbles upon the Ouroboros Society website, Haven becomes convinced that the visions could be memories of a past life. And when she sees Iain Moore on television, she is sure that he is connected.

I love the idea of soulmates struggling to find one another through the ages. Constance and Ethan's backstories were one of my favorite things about this book. I did want more of the Ouroborus Society, but... I can't ruin this for you.

At times I have to admit that I felt a little old for this book. I think if I were my sisters' ages I would have gobble this book up in one sitting. I wonder what Miller will be up to next, though. A return to Snope City and more of a certain girl with the sight would be interesting.

A Contest Link

Jackie at Literary Escapism has a fantastic interview with Jennifer Estep up right now AND she's offering a chance to snag a copy of Estep's latest in the Elemental Assassin series, Venom.

You may remember I reviewed Spider's Bite here just a few weeks ago. It was super fun and I can't wait to continue the series (broke my streak and headed to the bookstore this past weekend to buy Web of Lies!).

Here's the link for you.

Changelings!

I've been reading some teen titles lately. One of them was the amazing new debut by Brenna Yovanoff, The Replacement. I was poking around on her blog and saw that she once mentioned she wanted to be like Clive Barker. I have to say that the underworld in The Replacement was super Barker-ish and in such a good way! I'd say she's on her way and I seriously hope her love affair with horror continues. The genre could use some fresh blood, so to speak : )

I've probably said it numerous times here, but I couldn't be happier with the current boom in teen books. Well, I guess I would be happier if I was a teen. There really wasn't that much selection back when I was in school. Fortunately for the Junior Junkies, they have a big sister who's addicted to books and peruses all of the various fiction sections, so they get all the new releases that strike my fancy -- the ones I read and the ones I just think they'll like.

Yovanoff's teen debut is a dark and creepy read that, in my opinion, should have sort of an all ages appeal (older teens and up).

Mackie has always been different and in the tiny town of Gentry, different is never a good thing. In Gentry, folks hang horseshoes over their doors and shears over their babies' beds. But every once in a while, a child disappears and is replaced by something different. Something that resembles the child, until you look closer. Mackie is one of those other children. But Mackie survived longer than expected. Now he lives in fear of iron and poisoned by the world around him. Until he is introduced to more of his kind.

I really enjoyed Yovanoff's twisting of fairy tales and folklore and her imagery is utterly amazing. Perhaps it was the Nyquil, but I don't think so. Yovanoff's descriptions really made my imagination go wild. Little Cheshire Cat faced creepy kids. I get chills just thinking about it.