A Big Post, My Wish List

I'm posting my wishlist to share with you all. I'm hoping for feedback on books I want to buy and even if possible some generosity. If you happen to have one of these books and feel like sending it along...feel free to email me :D If you've ever posted your wish list, please leave me a link to where so I can look through and see if I have anything for you!

1. Riki Tiki Tavi Rudyard Kipling
2. Mother California Kenneth E. Hartman
3. Season of the Witch Natasha Mostert
4. Radiant Shadows Melissa Marr
5. All The People In The Bible Richard R. Losch
6. The Answer is Always Yes Monica Ferrell
7. Await Your Reply Dan Chaon
8. Benny & Shrimp Katarina Mazetti
9. Big Machine Victor LaValle
10. Billy F. Gibbons: Rock & Roll Gearhead Billy F. Gibbons
11. The Black Death John Hatcher
12. The Blue Girl Charles De Lint
13. The Book Lovers Cookbook Shaunda Kennedy, Janet Jensen
14. The Book of A Thousand Days Shannon Hale
15. Chasing Windmills Catherine Ryan Hyde
16. Cheech & Chong: The Unauthorized Biography Tommy Chong
17. The Complete Death Neil Gaiman
18. A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers Xiaolu Guo
19. The Crying Tree Naseem Rakha
20. Deaf Sentence David Lodge
21. Death with Interruptions Jose Saramago
22. Dewey Vicki Myron
23. The Enchantress of Florence Salman Rushdie
24. The Enemy Within John Demos
25. The Eye of a King Catherine Banner
26. Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter R.J. Anderson
27. Fantasy Lover Sherrilyn Kenyon
28. The First Family Mike Dash
29. Foreign Correspondence Geraldine Brooks
30. The Fox Prince Cornelia Amiri
31. A Fraction of the Whole Steve Toltz
32. Going Down South Bonnie Glover
33. Graceling Kristin Cashore
34. The Great Medieval Heretics Michael Frassetto
35. Haroun and the Sea of Stories Salman Rushdie
36. The House of Allerbrook Valerie Anand
37. Huge: A Novel James Fuerst
38. The House of Stag Kage Baker
39. In This Way I Was Saved Brian DeLeeuw
40. Inherent Vice Thomas Pynchon
41. The Lambs of London Peter Ackroyd
42. The Last Queen C.W. Gortner
43. Life is Ridiculous Valerie Fausone
44. Like Glass Matthew Cory
45. The Love We All Wait For Lee Doyle
46. The Madness of Mary Lincoln Jason Emerson
47. The Magicians Lev Grossman
48. Manson In His Own Words Charles Manson
49. Mary Janis Cooke Newman
50. Masques Patricia Biggs
51. The Mayor’s Tongue Nathaniel Rich
52. A Mercy Toni Morrison
53. Mine All Mine Adam Davies
54. The Minister’s Daughter Julie Hearn, Michael Frost
55. Missy: A Novel Chris Hannan
56. A Model Summer Paulina Porizkova
57. My Horizontal Life Chelsea Handler
58. Myself, My Enemy Jean Plaidy
59. On Raven’s Wing Morgan Llywelyn
60. Pope Joan Donna Cross
61. The Princess Mage Maggie L. Wood
62. Private Places Allyson James, Claudia Dain, Robin Schone, Shiloh Walker
63. The Queen’s Sorrow Suzannah Dunn
64. Revelation Blind Willie Johnson D., N. Blakely
65. Romanovs: Ruling Russia Lindsey Hughes
66. Sacred Hearts Sarah Dunant
67. Scratch Beginnings Adam Shepard
68. Searching For Schindler Thomas Keneally
69. Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie Malu Halasa, Rana Salam
70. The Secret Lion C.W. Gortner
71. Sharp Teeth Toby Barlow
72. The Shining Company Rosemary Sutcliff
73. The Smart Girls Guide To Porn Violet Blue
74. The Smartest Man in Ireland Mollie Hunter
75. Steelflower Lilith Saintcrow
76. Sunshine Robin McKinley
77. Tender Morsels Margo Lanagan
78. This is Where I leave You Jonathan Tropper
79. The Vixen Princess Cornelia Amiri
80. Wake Lisa McMann
81. The Whale Road Robert Low
82. Whatever You Do, Don’t Run Peter Allison
83. Who Murdered Chaucer? Terry Jones, Terry Dolan, Juliette Dor, Alan Fletcher, Robert Yeager
84. The Wild Things Dave Eggers
85. The Zen of Zombie Scott Kenemore

Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder
ISBN: 0-7783-2712-7
Pages: 443
Back of Book Description:

A lesson in loyalty - a master class in intrigue.

So far, I've managed to survive. You would think after being kidnapped as a child, imprisoned in my teens and released to become a poison taster, I would have endured enough. But no. The discovery of my magical abilities-powers forbidden in Ixia--has resulted in an execution order. My only chance is to flee to Sitia, my long-lost birthplace.

But Sitia is unfamiliar. I'm treated like an enemy--even by my own brother. Plus I can't control my powers. I want to learn about my magic, but there isn't time. A rogue magician has emerged and I'm targeted as his next victim.

Will my magical abilities save me...or be my downfall?

My Rating: A
My review:

In my opinion Magic Study fell a bit short of Poison Study. While there's a lot action and some great characters, I didn't feel the pull to read it like I did with the first book.

Ms. Snyder's characters were well rounded and her plots were full, but the ending actually became boring...it took me a few days to read the last 20 pages or so.

I do recommend this book, I just recommend that you don't get your hopes too high if you loved Poison Study. I do intend on reading Fire Study and the rest of Maria V. Snyder's books.

Coming up on the end of the year

Oh my gosh!! I'm amazed at how this year has flown by. I can't believe it went so fast.

Obviously I have been neglecting my blog the last few months. I can't tell you how crazy it's been, I do thank you all for coming back and checking in on me ;)

I'm looking forward to *fingers crossed* having my blog all fixed and pretty again soon, maybe by the end of this weekend.

I also have some news. I'm going to be getting married!!! :) I got engaged in October and my wedding date is December 4, 2010. I can't wait, though planning it seems like a huge task.

I have been reading...but I'm lucky if I finish a book a month lately. I will be trying to set aside some more time in my life for books, because I just keep getting them and never seem to have time to actually read them!

Well, I'm actually off to read right now. Currently reading So Still the Night by Kim Lenox

Promise Me Tomorrow by Candace Camp

Promise Me Tomorrow by Candace Camp
ISBN: 1-551-66-607-3
Pages: 339
Back of Book Description:

Lord Lambeth can't help but be captivated by the lovely Marianne Cotterwood though he knows she's hiding a secret. The desire he feels for this mysterious woman is powerful, as is the need to unravel her mystery...

Marianne can't remember anything of her life before she ended up in an orphanage. Her future changes again when she is taken in by a warmly eccentric family of pic pockets and thieves. Marianne's inborn grace makes her a natural thief, mingling with ease among the wealthy to find pigeons to pluck. Then Lord Lambeth catchers her in the act...

But someone else is interested in Marianne's secrets as well. A dangerous shadow from her past is closing in, and Marianne finds she has no choice but to place her trust in the one man she fears may be as reckless as she...

My Rating: A

My Review: This book had more twists and turns than most of it's kind, that I've read. The characters were extremely well rounded and well thought out just like the plot. I found the portrayal of the people of the time was done well, and convincingly. I was a little disappointed in the lack of Marianne's 'other' family in the book, but when they were in the story they were great fun.

Rules of Surrender by Christina Dodd

Rules of Surrender by Christina Dodd
ISBN: 0-380-811-979
Pages: 360
Back of Book Description:

Lady Charlotte Dalrumple is known as England's most proper governess, a woman who has never taken a misstep socially -- or romantically -- so on the surface she seems perfectly suited to accept the challenge of reforming English born Lord Wynter Ruskin, sadly uncivilized by his travels abroad. But the ruggedly handsome man has no desire to be taught manners. He has glimpsed an uninhibited beauty hiding beneath her prim exterior and he'd much rather spend his days -- and nights -- instructing her in the ways of love. And when ardor erupts between them, Charlotte learns the pleasures of desire and Wynter the passions of the heart, but before they can love both must master the rules of surrender...

My Rating: B-

My Review:

In almost every romance I've read I've found at least one thing to like, if not love, about the hero. Not so in this novel. I thought that other than the extreme 'proper' that Charlotte exuded (which was necessary for the part she played) the heroine was wonderful. Wynter, on the other hand, was outrageous, obnoxious, hard to understand, and chauvinistic until the last chapter when suddenly he decides he's been wrong the entire time. There's no lead up to it, there's no small epiphanies on the way. The only thing that really saved this book from receiving a much lower rating from me was the fact that all of the other characters were extremely well rounded, the plot was well thought out and executed and the idea was to a point original. The male lead almost ruined it for me. I don't recommend this book to any romance reader who wants a strong lead female, and a passionate about his woman lead male.

--Under Construction--

While my blog is still up and running, it is currently under construction. I'm trying to get three columns which I managed, but I want my posts in the middle, not on the far right. ::sigh::

I will get it figured out eventually. In the meantime please, though it's not pretty, continue to come back for my reviews. And comment, even if it's an unhappy one, I'd love some feedback.

Thanks for your patience.
-Melange

Viking Heat by Sandra Hill

Viking Heat by Sandra Hill
ISBN: 987-042523067-1
Pages: 276
Back of Book Description:

Psychologist Joy Nelson thinks things are bd when she finds herself in training in the modern-day female Navy SEALs program. But then her life takes a turn for the worse. Somehow she's been thrust back in time to the cold Norselands, and is being auctioned off as a thrall, or slave--a gift for a Viking warlord, who would be a perfect candidate for Male Chauvinist Viking of the Centuries!

Brandr isn't thrilled with the slave his brothers have purchased for him. Holy Thor! The woman want to teach him anger-management skills! And help him find his feminine side, whatever that is. She may be beautiful, but the saucy wench defies him at ever turn. So Brandr makes her an offer: She can earn her freedom...as his bed thrall. But when Joy dares to decline his offer, he must decide what to do with the woman enslaved to him--and the out-of-control heat between them...

My Rating: A

My Review:

This book grabbed me from the beginning. I loved the humor (as I have with all of Hill's books) and the deep emotion in it. Sandra Hill has no fear when it comes to putting real life problems that the Vikings would have come up with, but she doesn't describe them in such a brutal way that it is upsetting or a turn off. There were about three chapters in the beginning that were a little slow, but not unnecessary or a turn off. I was happy when we got to the 'exciting' part and had much trouble putting it down. Actually, it was no trouble, I never put it down. Read it in one day.

I highly recommend this and every one of her romances.