The Printed Page

Back in December I announced I was taking a break from blogging (the writing part) which for most part I’ve done. Come a new year I’ve mixed things up a bit. I’m no longer accepting review books except from one publisher whose title list perfectly matches my reading tastes. Another change is a new blog. Yes I can hear those of who read my December announcement asking why? Best answer – I don’t really know why but obviously that didn’t stop me. The new blog – A Serial Reader (Reading by the numbers) – is a sub genre blog of The Printed Page. A Serial Reader is home to my series books. I post at A Serial Reader like I post here – yearly reading lists, a complete series reading list, monthly wish list titles, monthly book and write up posts, along with the very occasional series book review.

I read 14 books this month and DNF’d one. Of those only 4 weren’t series books. A Serial Reader’s January books and write up posts.

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1. What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz. One of my favorite author’s is back on track – Yay! Over past several years his books have been hit and miss for me. I truly love his classic (earlier) works. What the Night Knows harks back to classic Koontz.
2. At the King’s Command by Susan Wiggs. I wasn’t overwhelmed but found it enjoyable.
3. The Maiden’s Hand by Susan Wiggs. Once again I wasn’t overwhelmed but found it enjoyable.
4. At the Queen’s Summons by Susan Wiggs. DNF’d at page 51.
5. Prequal to the Daughtry Family series) How to Woo a Spinster by Kasey Michaels

• Number of books read: 14 (12 eBooks / 2 print editions)
• Number of pages read: 4,690
• DNFs: 1

1. What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz
2. At the King’s Command by Susan Wiggs
3. Secrets to the Grave by Tami Hoag
4. The Maiden’s Hand by Susan Wiggs
5. Perfect Alibi by Sheldon Siegle
6. How to Woo a Spinster by Kasey Michaels
7. How to Tempt a Duke by Kasey Michaels
8. If Books Could Kill by Kate Carlisle
9. The Crack in the Lens by Steve Hockensmith
10. Bookmarked for Death by Lorna Barrett
11. The Face of Death by Cody McFayden
12. The Night Season by Chelsea Cain
13. Murder on Waverly Place by Victoria Thompson
14. Hex Marks the Spot by Madelyn Alt

DNF – At the Queen’s Summons by Susan Wiggs

After swearing off of review books my hubby bought me a Nook ereader (specifically for library eBook usage) for Christmas (to go along with my Kindle DX) so I would have a way to fed my insatiable appetite for books and not put us in the poor house.  Romance books are the largest, and fastest growing, segment of the eBook market and it’s been reported that’s because readers (female and male alike) can now read their romance novels and not be embarrassed by the cover art. Looking at my library loot for January one would think that I’m one of those readers. Well I am, kind of, and it’s nothing to do with the cover art. I’ve never been embarrassed by historical romance book cover art it’s simply because I choose not to spend my dollars on books that I’ll only read once. Having my library system spend my tax dollars buying historical romance books is a plus for me.

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Marg and Claire that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library.

• At the King’s Command, Tudor Rose #1
• The Maiden’s Hand, Tudor Rose #2
• At the Queen’s Summons, Tudor Rose #3
• How to Woo a Spinster (a Daughtry family prequel)
• How to Tempt a Duke, Daughtry Family #1

Review posted at A Serial Reader

This is a new-to-me series that almost wasn’t. There was no way I was going to read A Crack in the Lens. Absolutely nothing about it appealed to me – not the cover (mine is slightly different from this), the title, storyline, characters or setting. The only saving grace is it was given to me and I hadn’t wasted my money bringing it home. Boy I couldn’t have been more wrong, especially about judging a book by its cover. And if you know me that’s what I do 99% of time. A Crack in the Lens is a rip roaring first-rate wild west murder mystery. I love Old Red and Big Red. This brother detective duo has a wonderful charm that just sucks the reader right in and makes you root for them no matter what kind of mess they’ve stepped into and they step in some doozies. You needn’t worry about reading this series in order. I haven’t and didn’t feel like I was missing anything. I ended up liking A Crack in the lens so much that I’ve wish listed the first three books in the series and ordered the Kindle eBook of the author’s newest release, World’s Greatest Sleuth! (A Holmes on the Range Mystery, #5).

Also posted at A Serial Reader

What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz (favorite author)

Billy Lucas confesses to a shocking crime. He’s only fourteen years old but he’s a sadistic killer and proud of it. He’s in the secure wing of the state hospital but … he seems too wise for his age, not crazy, too knowing. About the nature of evil, and whether it lives on beyond death. Too knowing about other crimes that took place before he was born … Other murders from twenty years ago surface in the mind of Detective John Calvino as he interviews young Billy Lucas. Calvino carries away a signed confession … and a sense of great danger. That night he feels that somehow Billy has come home with him, to his family. Over the next weeks, this haunted feeling does not go away. It only gets worse. Then another killing spree happens, just as and when John Calvino dreaded it would. Billy is safely locked away, but not the ghost, if the ghost exists, that links these murders with past crimes, and with John Calvino. Anything could happen, and surely will… again.

Home for a Spell by Madelyn Alt As the newest witch in Indiana, Maggie O’Neill already has plenty to deal with. So being hobbled by a broken leg doesn’t help. Neither does the fact that her best friend and upstairs neighbor is getting ready to tie the knot with her own boyfriend and move away. This leads Maggie to wonder if it isn’t time to find herself a new pad.

But when she finds a place, Maggie’s dream of new digs turns into a nightmare: the apartment manager is found dead before she can even sign the lease. And Maggie finds herself not only searching for a new home- but for a frightfully clever killer.

Fang by James Patterson Being a kid with wings–constantly on the run–has never been easy, and Max and her flock are getting tenser than ever. First, on a trip to Africa, they meet a mysterious billionaire whose intense scrutiny of the Flock makes her fear the worst. Then, a cryptic message from a young girl arrives, warning them “The sky will fall.” And as if an impending apocalypse weren’t bad enough, canny birdkid Angel makes a dire prophecy about Max’s soul mate: Fang will be the first to die. Max’s desperate desire to protect Fang brings the two closer than ever. But can the team weather the storm, or will the turmoil rip them apart for the last time?

The Witch’s Daughter by Paula Brackston In the spring of 1628, the Witchfinder of Wessex finds himself a true Witch. As Bess Hawksmith watches her mother swing from the Hanging Tree she knows that only one man can save her from the same fate: the Warlock Gideon Masters. Secluded at his cottage in the woods, Gideon instructs Bess in the Craft, awakening formidable powers and making her immortal. She couldn’t have foreseen that even now, centuries later, he will be hunting her across time, determined to claim payment for saving her life.

In present-day England, Elizabeth has built a quiet life. Her solitude abruptly ends when a teenage girl named Tegan starts hanging around. Against her instincts, Elizabeth teaches Tegan the ways of the Hedge Witch, in the process awakening memories – and demons – long thought forgotten.

Part historical romance, part modern fantasy, The Witch’s Daughter is a fresh, compelling take on the magical, yet dangerous world of witches. Readers will long remember the fiercely independent heroine who survives plagues, wars, and the heartbreak of immortality to stay true to herself, and protect the protégé she comes to love.

Ruthless Game by Christine Feehan GhostWalker Kane Cannon’s mission plunges him into a hot zone more personal than he anticipated: the hiding place of Rose Patterson-hunted fugitive, ex-lover, and a fellow GhostWalker desperate to save the life of her unborn child. Kane’s Child.