There are plenty of writers out there posting about their New Years resolutions, but I didn’t make any. Those things don’t work for me. I’m constantly making resolutions, new plans each week, each month to improve myself and my habits. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. Either way, January is really just another month, and for me, living in Northern Alberta, it’s a cold one. One of my all time favorite things to do is to curl up with a good book, especially on cold days, so instead of posting any new goals I might have, I decided to post a list of some books I’ve enjoyed in the past year. Sadly, there wasn’t a lot, which makes me wonder if publishers offerings have become stale, or if I’m just getting more picky. While these are not the only books I’ve enjoyed this past year, they are the ones that stuck in my memory.
In no particular order…
Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler. This story took me a bit to get into, but the authors voice hooked me, and by chapter four the character hooked me too. I loved it, and can’t wait for the next Jane True book.
Kitty Raises Hell by Carrie Vaughn. Another great addition to the Kitty Norville series.
Nothing to Lose by Lee Child. Another Jack Reacher novel. Normally I love them, and this one was good, but it isn’t in my top three of the series.
Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs. Because I love the Mercy Thompson series I gave the spin off series with Charles Cornick a try. I enjoyed the novella Alpha and Omega a couple of years ago, but Cry Wolf, the first novel in the series didn’t really thrill me. I wasn’t planning on buying the second novel, but I really wanted something to read, and was having a hard time finding anything that interested me, so I gave Hunting Ground a try, and am glad I did. I enjoyed this one much more than the first novel, and will continue to read the series.
Crimson by Jordan Summers. The final story in her Dead World series. A raw new take on werewolves and things that go bump in the night. Loved the whole series.
Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione. The first book in her Demonica Series. Loved it.
Death Angel by Linda Howard. Linda Howard is a hit and miss author for me. Some of her stories I love, some I can’t get past the first chapter. DEATH ANGEL I loved. I’ve always been a fan of the “Bad Girl” and this story delivers. It hooked me from the first page, and kept me enthralled and cheering for the protagonist the whole time. Two broken people finding love together. It rocked in many ways.
The Darker Side of Pleasure by Eden Bradley. Not many authors can write BDSM like this author can. Eden Bradley brings emotion to the fore and makes it sizzle each and every time.
Dark Summer by Iris Johansen. This book rocked. The characters were very well developed. I was kept guessing almost to the end if one in particular was a good guy or bad guy. (Which to me is great storytelling) The storyline itself was unique. And the ending pretty much perfect. It was an all around engrossing read that kept me hooked from the first page to the last.
Undercover by Lauren Dane. A futuristic erotic romance that has it all. Characters I could love…and uhmm drool over. A world that made me wish I could time travel, and hot sex full of emotion and style.
Like many readers I love a good sereis, but in 2008 I gave up on a few of my favorite’s. There’s definitely something to be said for knowing when to end a series. Then again, maybe it’s just my reading tastes that have changed.
Stephanie Plum. As much as I didn’t want the series to end with Ten Big Ones a few years ago, I think Finger Lickin’ Fifiteen has killed it for me. It wasn’t a bad story, but it wasn’t anything new either. At all.
Sookie Stackhouse. I loved the first books, even before True Blood became a TV show. But I just couldn’t get into the last book. I might buy the next one, to give it a last final try, but I’m just not sure.
Rachel Morgan. One of the first Urban Fantasy series out there, I loved The Hollows. Not sure why, but it lost it’s flavor for me.
Women of the Otherworld. Another Urban Fantasy series I used to love, yet somehow I seem to have lost interest in it.
I’ve definitely found it hard to become enamoured of books in the past year, but I have high hopes for 2009. On my To Read list…
Hard To Hold by Stephanie Tyler
Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs
Kitty’s House of Horrors by Carrie Vaughn
Blown Away by Sharon Sala
Claimed By The Wolf by Charlene Teglia
Spirit Banner by Alex Archer
and pretty much anything that catches my eye. What are your best and worst reads of 2009? What are you looking forward to in 2010?
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Hard to Hold rocked my world! I can’t wait for the next 2 books in the trilogy. And Silver Borne, that will be a day off to read, thankyouverymuch. Death Angel was one of my top reads of the year, too. The whole thing just worked from page one.
Books I’m eagerly awaiting: Changes, Jim Butcher. Cryoburn, Lois McMaster Bujold. Everything by Lynn Viehl. I know there’s more but this is why I write things down.
I can only keep about 3 things in my head.
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I’m almost scared to read Hard To Hold. I’ve loved Jake for so long, I don’t want to share him with his own woman.
I can’t believe I didn’t remember to put Shadowlight and Dreamviel on my list! Must be because picking up and loving Lynn’s books is so automatic I don’t even think about it.
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OMG, I read so many good books in 2009, it’s hard to pick. Of course, Lynn’s books are up there – both the Darkyn and the StarDoc (I’m working my way through her backlist). Allison Brennan and Jim Butcher rocked again last year. I found a couple new-to-me authors I really enjoyed – Pamela Palmer’s Feral Warrior Series was great, Shannon Butcher proved she can compete with her husband, Carrie Ryan showed she’s got the chops to write zombie apocalypse. Ooo, I can’t forget Jennifer Lyon’s Wing Hunter Slayer series, or Diana Peterfreund’s killer unicorns, or Rachel Vincent’s banshees. I could keep going, but I’ll just say it was a good reading year for me. Here’s to hoping 2010 is just as good, if not better. =o)
Crud, I’ll kick myself if I don’t mention Karin Tabke’s Blood Sword novels or Monica McCarty’s Hot Highlander series. Both ladies gave me a reason to read historicals again. And now I’ll really stop – even though I’m sure I’m forgetting something awesome.
Thanks, Sasha. It was great to look back over 2009’s reads. =o)
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YAY. I’m glad to hear Pamela Palmers Feral stories are good. I’ve been eyeing them.
Happy New Year, B.E.
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I ended up reading 77 books this year. Some were old favorites. (I have a handful of books that I read over and over again every year.) Others were new to me and still others were books that have been in my TBR pile FOREVER. (I’m still so very behind in that respect.) Some of my favorites this year were the Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss, Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan (Loved this one. Realized I must be a twelve year old boy trapped in a woman’s body. *ggg*), Magic Burns and Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews (This series ROCKS. So good. Curran…sigh.), Dark Fever and Bloodfever by Karen Moning (Another series that grabbed me by the throat and wouldn’t let me go. I’m currently waiting for the last book, so I can start the two previous ones.), The Absolute True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie, One Night of Scandal by Teresa Medieros (a new to me author that I quite enjoyed), Nightside 6 & 7 & 8 by Simon Green (one of my favorites), Way of the Cheetah by Lynn Viehl (always good to refresh the memory), and The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (so funny).
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I keep thinking about Simon Green’s books, but I’ve yet to pick one up. Thanks fro the reminder Jordan.
I read a couple of the Ilona Andrews Magic books, and loved the characters (especially Curran, Yum) but the stories themselves didn’t really pull me in and after the first two I never picked up the third. I’d certainly try a different series by her, just to see if I could get into it though.
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When I first picked up Ilona, I put the book back down. I realized I wasn’t in the right mood/place to read the series yet. The same thing happened to me with Karen Moning’s Fever series. I kept the books and eventually went back to them. I’m so glad I did. (Kind of like what you’ve done with Patricia’s romance series.) The second time around they both clicked with me and I’ve devoured them ever since.
I picked up Tempest Rising at the store, but put it back because I couldn’t make up my mind about the story. I’ll have to give it another try.
As for Simon Green, I really love his Nightside stuff. It’s dark and noir. Right up my alley.
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Maybe I’ll give Ilona another try, when I’m in a different mood. Tempest Rising took a bit for me to get into. But I LOVED the authors voice. Once I was in, I was hooked.