After I returned from China, I dove into listening to audio books, finishing two hardbacks, and reading ebooks. September and October turned into story-drenched months with new releases and old finds.
The status of the second Ravenscar shifter book? It’s still undergoing revisions midst a plethora of distractions. In my heart of hearts, I believe I can publish this novel in the next few weeks. Yes, I can.
Now let’s clear my library shelves!
Books I’ve finished in the last month?
Lying in my Prescott space cocoon through the quiet dark hours of night, I listened to Sara Hanover’s The Late Great Wizard, the first book in the Wayward Mages series. What a ride! A fun urban fantasy with unexpected twists and turns that take place in secret basements and tourist spots on the eastern seaboard.
With her father vanished under suspicious circumstances and her old life destroyed, Tessa Andrews is determined to pick up the pieces and forge ahead. If only their borrowed house didn’t shake and rumble as if haunted. But at least she and her mom have a roof over their heads, so her luck couldn’t be all bad, could it?
Late August I listened to John Scalzi’s Lock In (Amber Benson narrated) and was mesmerized. I’m a fangirl of his science fiction novels, military and humorous, but Lock In may be my favorite! A mystery with a social/political slant that will have you cancel dinner plans.I immediately bought the second one, Head On. I took Scalzi’s Redshirts (paperback) to China with me, but was kept too busy to read. I finished Redshirts late last month–now a book that definitively explains Star Trek reality. Last week I turned to Head On, listening to Amber Benson’s narration again. Fabulous all around. This is a phenomenal series. Instead of a book description, I’ll add this dead-on opinion. Click on the Head On link if you want to know more.
As much as Scalzi has the scientific creativity of a Michael Crichton, he also has the procedural chops of a Stephen J. Canell to craft a whodunit with buddy-cop charm and suspects aplenty—most of them in someone else’s body.” —USA Today
For destination romance fans, I discovered Kristy Tate’s That Song in Patagonia. I ducked out of work to escape in this satisfying romance that roamed from Boston to Uruguay, with loads of fun in between. Hey! It’s only 99 cents now.
Two people with hurting hearts and unrealized dreams explore the streets of Buenos Aires and the South American countryside, and it changes them both forever. And what they find in each other is something that might just heal them both.
Books I’ve recently started?
i almost entirely buy e- or audible books because my plank library shelves are full and I’m trying to save the planet. I do buy a hardcover/analog book now and then when I must be in airplane mode or batteries are low or need to remind my corneas that not everything is backlit or volume controlled. It might take awhile to finish a book that is only read in waiting rooms or departure lounges so I get a book that is worth savoring. Margaret Robeson’s An Enchantment of Ravens was a feast I finally finished in September. Released last week, Neal and Jarrod Shusterman’s Dry is the next meal I’ve chosen. I’m a few chapters in and already obsessed.
When the California drought escalates to catastrophic proportions, one teen is forced to make life and death decisions for her family in this harrowing story of survival from New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman.
Talk about saving the planet! This book debuted in the NY Times Bestseller’s top ten this week.
If you like your mysteries with a touch of cozy and shovelfuls of creepy, grab Greta Boris’s third book in her Deadly Sins series Sanctity of Sloth. I’m loving what I’m learning about anchorites and a body dumped on the grounds of a California mission.
There’s one thing more dangerous than testifying to a crime—staying silent. Locked in the ruins of a California Mission, Abby Travers watches helplessly as a girl dies outside her window. As she struggles between her moral obligation to come forward as a witness, and her commitment to a Medieval religious practice that requires her to retreat from the world, the situation spins out of control
Charlaine Harris’s new series with an alternate history twist is my go-to book now for exercising. An Easy Death. When I need that extra push to do pushups or to hit the pavement for long brisk walks, this book is it. Great premise and great characters are great incentives.
Set in a fractured United States, in the southwestern country now known as Texoma. A world where magic is acknowledged but mistrusted, especially by a young gunslinger named Lizbeth Rose.
If you like any of these books, I hope you’ll consider leaving a review on Amazon or Good Reads. Reviews really do help authors and readers.
Before I sign off, mystery writers and reader, check out DP Lyle’s radio show at Criminal Mischief. If you like forensics or need a good mystery resource, it’s a treasure.
Please let me know what you’re reading and recommending in the comments. I love a great find. Happy reading and listening!
Michelle
The second book in the Ravenscar Shifter series (sweet paranormal romance with spy thriller elements) will be released December 22nd, but is available now at a special preorder price. More on that later. To celebrate, Amazon is giving away the first book, a novelette. The Last Storyteller is FREE for only four days, my special treat to thank you all for supporting me and get you prepped for the second book. Grab it now before it goes back to its regular price of 99 cents
And now for the second book, a novel!
