Sunday, December 2, 2012

Showcase Sunday (#18)

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicki at Books, Biscuits and Tea. Its aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week.

For Review: 
I'm on a blog tour for this one so I really can't wait to start reading it. I love fantasy, especially high fantasy, so let's hope this one lives up to my expectations! *fingers crossed* 
I've read so many positive reviews for this one lately that I figured I might as well just go ahead and request it on NetGalley. I loved it. It completely surprised me, but in a REALLY good way. You can read my review HERE.  
 The City in the Lake by Rachel Neumeier and The Floating Islands by Rachel Neumeier
If you recall, I reviewed House of Shadows by Rachel Neumeier a few weeks ago. Shortly afterwards, Ms. Neumeier herself contacted me and asked if I would like to receive a box of her books, to which I gladly accepted as I had already fallen in love with Neumeier's writing style and distinct fantasy prose. I cannot thank Ms. Neumeier enough for sending me copies of all her novels - signed! - and I cannot wait to read them! Fantasy is my favorite genre by far, so I'm really looking forward to these novels! :)

Borrowed: 
I wound up reading all of Julie James' contemporary romances within a week - they were just that addictive. As far as this series goes, I loved the first novel, didn't enjoy the second novel, and liked the third novel. Yet, all of them were fun and entertaining and while only the first one really wormed its way into my heart, the third one was close and I'm already eager for the release of the fourth novel next year! You can read my reviews for this series HERE
pic name pic name pic name
Yet another Julie James romance, Just the Sexiest Man Alive is a true page-turner. I sat up late reading this one and while I had a few minor qualms with it, I just loved it overall. Very fun, albeit the most chaste of all James' novels. 
This. Book. THIS. Goodness, it's...amazing. It's my favorite of all James' romances and it's one I'm going to re-read until the end of days. I just adored it SO MUCH. It's perfect. READ IT. ;)
Bared to You has been marketed as the next Fifty Shades of Grey, which is why I've avoided it, but when my mom brought it home from the library, she compelled me to give it a try. It's...not bad. While I hated FSoG with a passion, from its characters to its ridiculous sex scenes to my slow realization that BDSM just wasn't for me, I did like the psychological undertone of it and in some ways, that's what Bared to You has more of. It's also a healthy relationship, one where the characters TALK, and the protagonist is one I liked. It still had a lot of flaws and I doubt I'll pick up the sequel, but as far as erotica goes (and considering I don't enjoy it), it's not bad. You can read my review for it HERE
pic name pic name pic name
Yes, more contemporary. I've seen this one around a LOT and while the age gap between the characters threw me off, I've decided to give it a try. Let's hope it lives up to the hype! 
I've seen everyone talking about the sequel to this one, Quicksilver, which is available on NG and figured it was about time I started this. I simply cannot wait! :D
I haven't heard too much about this one, but everything I have heard has been really good, so let's hope I enjoy this one! 
Eeep! Yes, this is reality, not a dream! I actually received this one from my friend, Amelia, at The Authoress. I can't express how excited I was to pick it up in the mail since it is THE most anticipated read of 2013 for me, so thank you Amelia! You're the best! :D (Also, if you're wondering, the book was AMAZING! Duh! It's worth the wait...I promise you!)

Bought: 
I think it's safe to say that I'm in love with this Aussie gem. I've been meaning to read it for awhile now and decided to indulge myself and just buy it after all. It may be short, but it's deep, utterly sweet, and completely mesmerizing. I can't wait to read more by Condon!
I got tired of reading all the amazing reviews of this one and wallowing in my misery of not having read it, so I bought it. Err...I actually bought it for my friend, but I read it first! ;)

Traded: 
I've already read this one, but I wanted my own copy since I re-read it so often on my Kindle. I love it and I traded a copy of Throne of Glass for this, a worthwhile trade considering how much I disliked that novel and love this one. :) You can read my review HERE.
I've heard SO many good things about this book so I can't wait to read it! When I saw it on ARCycling two weeks ago, I knew I had to grab it and now...it is MINE! ;) I really hope I enjoy this one!
Yet another novel that seems to have taken readers by surprise with its brilliance and I'm hoping it does the same with me. I'm not a huge fan of the cover, but it's a slim novel and flipping through it, I saw Jane Eyre referenced, so I'm sure I'll enjoy it! ;)
I'll admit it - I was kind of disappointed to receive this in the mail. I had ordered Son of Shadows, the sequel to Daughter of the Forest, before this one and was dejected to see that I had to wait even MORE to read SotS! Still, I love Juliet Marillier and when I was offered a trade for this one, I couldn't resist. I loveeee this cover and my copy of the book has beautiful library binding on it and the pages are so PRETTY. I can't wait to read this - I've heard plenty of good things about this one as well, so I'm hoping it's another hit like DotF! :)

Well...that's my haul for this month! I haven't received a whole lot of review books lately, but considering I've barely touched my NG reads, I have a LOT of catching-up to do for sure. Anyway, I hope you all had excellent weeks in terms of books and I can't wait to see all the new goodies you received, so...link me up! ;)

28 comments:

  1. Loads of awesome: I haven't read Julie James' books but now I think I might! I tend to avoid adults books in general (and contemporary especially) but now I might have to change this! Glad you enjoyed Under the Never Sky. All of the negative reviews put me off but I might check it out! Great haul girl!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just got Sea of Tranquility from Netgalley! Super excited to read it. Yay for friends lending books. Hope you enjoy your haul this week!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yay for the Sea of Tranquility! I just requested myself a copy and I am so excited to read it soon. Just too many great things about it! And I'm quite interested in reading Julie James' books as well, one of my other fellow blogger buddies LOVES her books. ON THE ISLAND. <3 <3 That book is so addicting, I really hope you enjoy that one, Keertana! So many great reads ahead of you, happy reading!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a terrific haul. I mean, look at those books! There are so many from there that I'm dying to read; Ultraviolet, Touching the Surface, The Sea of Tranquility.

    Seeing The Storyteller from there reminds me that I need to finish reading it someday. I was thoroughly engrossed with it by the time I had to return it to the library but I never have time to request it again :(

    My Showcase Sunday

    ReplyDelete
  5. Whoa, you sure will be busy in the next few weeks, Keertana! ;) I can't wait to read your brilliant reviews on all these books! <3 Juliet Marillier is an excellent author, I love Daughter of the Forest very much! <3 I remember picking up A Certain Slant of Light last year but haven't finished it yet. Oh wow, I need to finish that book but I keep forgetting! Love Shy seems very cute! <3 I heard that Julie James is a wonderful romance author, I might should give her books a go sometimes! <3

    Happy reading, and enjoy your haul, Keertana! <3

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a fantastic bunch of books - I don't know where to start! I hope you enjoy Love-shy, I really loved Penny :D And A Straight Line to My Heart is so lovely, glad to know you liked it too!

    I went straight to Netgalley to request TSoT after reading your wonderful review, hope I can read it soon.

    And I am re-reading The Unbecoming and it feels like torture!!!! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow, so many awesome books you received, Keertana! I now own a copy of The Sea of Tranquility after your stunning review, and asdfghkl you have Ultraviolet!! You must read it, now! It's incredible and the sequel is MINDBLOWING and even better than the first. Also, A Straight Line to My Heart, A Certain Slant of Light and The Storyteller all look excellent! I can hardly wait for your reviews of them. :)
    Happy reading, Keertana! Enjoy

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hah, this is so overwhelming, I don't even know where to begin. I, too, moderately enjoyed Bared to You (I never even touched Fifty Shades!), but people aren't very happy with the second book. I'm too scared to read it.
    I loved Ultraviolet s much, and Bill Condon. And I'm very excited about On the Island, I have a copy here. I had to put Storyteller on hold for a while, it was just too depressing and I couldn't handle it at the time, but I'll go back to it for sure.
    A Certain Slant of Light is another one I really really enjoyed.
    Happy reading, my darling!

    ReplyDelete
  9. EEEE, you lucky lucky girl! You got Through the ever Night and The Cadet of Tildor?! I'm dying to read these two! :D I also decided to get Ultraviolet this week after seeing all the hype over the sequel!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Eeeeep Keertana this book haul is amazing! I thought this book haul was for this week but then I realised when I got to the end that it was for the month, but still it's an epic month!I really want to get to the rest of Julie James books, I loved Something About You so can't wait to get stuck into the rest of the books! Also yay for the Aussie books, these are two I still have to read so as usual I'll be stalking your updates! Happy reading! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ooooh man. A Certain Slant of Light totally stole my heart years and years ago when I first read it. It's been one of my all-time favorites for years now. I hope you find it as amazing as I did. :3

    I'm reading Ultraviolet, too! I think it's amazing so far, though admittedly, I'm only thirty pages in.

    Whoaaa... That Griffin Mage series looks legit. I'm gonna see if I can get the first book at my library. *fingers crossed*

    Looks like you got some amazing book this week! I hope they're all amazing! :D

    Happy reading!

    -Amelia
    The Authoress

    ReplyDelete
  12. THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT!!!! Lucky you Keertana! I already stalk your blog daily, but I'm going to ratchet that up a degree waiting for your thoughts on that one. I adored Under the Never Sky and can't wait for more:) I'm interested in Bared to You as well, I didn't read FSoG, but I've heard good things about Sylvia Day and I like that the characters actually communicate. What a novel idea ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Holy cow, there are some great titles. Especially Through The Ever Night... I want it sooo badly. Thank for stopping by earlier. Happy reading...

    ReplyDelete
  14. I am SO excited to read The Cadet of Tildor (I was turned down on NG a few weeks back, grrr...) and I can't wait to hear what you think about it!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Awe, I'm sorry you're put out about getting Wolfskin before SotS, but I have heard AWESOME things about that series as well!! So yeah, what I'm saying is is I'm actually kinda jealous.

    Also, isn't Rachel Neumeier the best? She's so wonderful to share all of her books like that, I really can't wait to read more, and need to make it a priority in the coming year.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Quite a big haul for you this week :) I recently read Ultraviolet for the same reasons as you, it was a library book so I didn't review it. I'll be interested in seeing what you think though. I didn't enjoy it as much as everyone else and not sure if I'll bother with Quicksilver. Happy reading and enjoy all your books :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. That's some amazing gorgeous book haul, Keertana! I hope you enjoy all your books, especially Rachel's generous gift! ;) Happy reading!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Holy cow! That is a haul. Getting too many books in one week gives me anxiety. I am really really trying to tame the TBR and failing. I impulse requested Sea of Tranquility and I am so happy to hear you liked it. That means I should have a good read! Have a great week, Keertana.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow.

    I was going to say, how long had you been stacking that up, especially when you had tonnes of those books read, but when you said a month I chilled. Since that is an awful lot of books.

    You have been a very lucky girl. Gifted books from friends and a whole box of books from an author. I hope you enjoy all your books because they look fabulous and I'll be looking out for the future reviews on some of the unread titles. haha.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh my gosh! I almost cannot deal with the level of awesome in your mailbox this week! :D Ultraviolet and The Storyteller were brilliant books for me (the latter left me in unbearable pain, though!) and I am super excited about the Under the Never Sky sequel. The Sea of Tranquility is up for me very soon and I cannot wait to get stuck in. :)

    Brilliant haul, Keertana!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I'm glad you mentioned the other Julie James books because I've often wondered about picking them up. I'm going to see about getting them now. The Storyteller was really good but it destroyed me! I also got Sea of Tranquility and I hope I enjoy it as much as you did. You are so lucky to have read Through the Ever Night. I can't wait. I also have A Straight Line to My Heart, just need time to read it. Awesome haul Keertana! :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. I can't wait to get a copy of The Cadet of Tildor! It looks great.

    - Jessica @ Book Sake

    ReplyDelete
  23. What an awesome haul!
    I am eager to read your thoughts on the Cadet of Tildor, especially since it's been getting so much hype recently. Also: beyond awesome that an author like Rachel Neumeier contacted you after seeing a review of her book and wanted to give you signed copies of others! I haven't read anything of hers yet, but I really want to read House of Shadows. I feel like I'll like her work, and I can't wait until you start reviewing some more of hers!
    Daughter of the Forest and its sequels are by far my favorite Juliet Marillier books, although I did enjoy both Foxmask and Wolfskin, so I hope that you do as well!
    Happy reading this week, Keertana! :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. I think one of the things that I love best about your IMM is the variety -- it's not all YA or all romance, but a nice mix of things.

    I am glad you loved The Sea Of Tranquility as well. I will not look at your review just yet because I still have to write mine.

    You are totally in for a treat with Wolfskin, it's so well written and good and def doesn't have as much attention compared to Marillier's other books.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I am so looking forward to what you think of Touching the Surface! I've heard that it's a bit of a tearjerker, so here's to hoping you go through a box of tissues :D Every review I've read of Ultraviolet has been gushing with positivity, I so need to get on that.

    AND JSDHFKHSDNJKGVSDHFVKISDDCJXN!!!!! THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT! *BREATHES DEEPLY* I NEED YOUR REVIEW, KEERTANA. I NEED IT.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Through the Ever Night! So jelly :D Lots of good books you have there. Happy reading.

    -Dannielle

    ReplyDelete
  27. Ahh! SO jealous about Through the Ever Night! It seems so good. And the swag.. perfect. <3 hope you enjoy it all :D

    Thank you for commenting on my review of Scarlet. <3
    Love, Carina

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from my readers and I read, reply, and appreciate every one of the comments I receive!(: If you're a fellow blogger, please leave a link to your blog - I'd love to drop by!

Unfortunately, this is now an award-free blog. I simply do not have the time to respond and forward on the award, but I truly appreciate the nomination regardless.