Finishing the Series Reading Challenge 2013

Hello my lovely readers!

Because life is so incredibly busy, I hadn’t been planning on participating in any of the many wonderful reading challenges in existence around the book blogosphere.  (Beyond hosting my own, the Mental Illness Advocacy Reading Challenge, of course.)  But when I received a GoodReads invitation to Socrates’ Finishing the Series Reading Challenge, I couldn’t resist because it fits in so well with my already established (in my head) reading goals for 2013.  It’s incredibly simple. Choose a single (or multiple) book series you’ve previously started to finally finish reading during 2013.  I already have a GoogleDoc of all the series I’m reading and was saying to myself, “Amanda, finish at least a few of these in 2013,” and doing that in the context of the fun that is a book blog reading challenge just makes me happy.

I’m currently reading 26 series. I know, I know.  I’m not going to challenge myself to all of those, because then I’d only be reading series books all year.   But I am signing up for the highest level of the challenge: Level 3: 3 or more series.

So what am I pledging to finish?

1. Georgina Kincaid series by Richelle Mead
   #3 Succubus Dreams review 1/31/13, 5 stars
   #4 Succubus Heat
   #5 Succubus Shadows
   #6 Succubus Revealed
2. Y: The Last Man series by Brian K. Vaughan
   #8 Kimono Dragons
   #9 Motherland
   #10 Whys and Wherefores
3. Riders of the Apocalypse series by Jackie Morse Kessler
   #3 Loss
   #4 Breath
4. John Cleaver series by Dan Wells
   #3 I Don’t Want to Kill You review , 3/2/13 3.5 stars
5. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
   #2 Children of God
6. Katherine “Kitty” Katt series by Gini Koch
   #3 Alien in the Family
   #4 Alien Proliferation
   #5 Alien Diplomacy
   #6 Alien vs. Alien
   #7 Alien in the House
   #8 Alien Research

For the Katherine “Kitty” Katt series, it is not yet finished, so I’m only pledging to books that are projected to be published before the end of 2013.

I also reserve the right to give up on a series if it starts nose-diving before the end.

Phew! That’s a lot of books…but it would also make a serious dent into my series list.  So fingers crossed that I have good luck with it.

If the challenge sounds like a good match for you, be sure to check out the official challenge page!

Friday Fun! (Six Books/Six Months Meme and Blog Tour Updates)

Hello my lovely readers!

This week I saw a new meme over on Jessica’s blog, The Bookworm Chronicles, and I immediately knew I’d want to participate.  And what better place than in Friday Fun, eh?  The Book Jotter created it after realizing we’re actually halfway through the year already (already!), so the theme is answers to the questions/categories in sixes.

Six New Authors to Me:

1. S. A. Archer
2. Kat Falls
3. Steve Vernon
4. David Anthony Durham
5. Brandon Shire
6. Susan Mallery

Six Authors I Have Read Before

1. Brian K. Vaughan
2. Robert Kirkman
3. Joseph Robert Lewis
4. Anne Rice
5. Margaret Atwood
6. Ann Brashares

Six Authors I Am Looking Forward To Reading More Of:

1. Tera W. Hunter
2. Joann Sfar
3. Richelle Mead
4. M. J. Rose
5. Isaac Marion
6. Roger Thurow

Six Books I Have Enjoyed the Most:

1. To ‘Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women’s Lives and Labors after the Civil War by Tera W. Hunter (review)
2. Dark Life by Kat Falls (review)
3. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (review)
4. Acacia by David Anthony Durham (review)
5. Vegan Vittles by Jo Stepaniak (review)
6. The Last Hunger Season: A Year in an African Farm Community on the Brink of Change by Roger Thurow (review)

Six Books I Was Disappointed With:

1. The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice (review)
2. Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Foods by Renee Loux Underkoffler (review)
3. Nano House: Innovations for Small Dwellings by Phyllis Richardson (review)
4. The Child Who by Simon Lelic (review)
5. To a Mountain in Tibet by Colin Thubron (review)
6. Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson (review)

Six Series of Books Read or Started:

1. Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan
2. Touched by S. A. Archer
3. Dark Life by Kat Falls
4. The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman
5. Georgina Kincaid by Richelle Mead
6. The Reincarnationist by M. J. Rose

Phew! That was actually pretty tough to assemble. Super fun though! It’s always interesting to see your reading over a period of time summed up in different types of lists.

Now, it’s time for the Waiting For Daybreak blog tour updates (blog tour page)!  This was the first full week of the tour, and it’s really been quite fun so far.

Earth’s Book Nook hosted a guest post in which I talk about why I made “What is normal?” the theme of the novel and tour.  She is also hosting a giveaway!

The Chronicles of an Enamored Soul posted her review, and she said, “The reason it gets FIVE STARS, is because I simply loved how well-realized, and well-developed author McNeil’s characters were, ESPECIALLY Frieda. Amanda writes about mental illness with sensitivity, and yet never fails to make it interesting.”

Tabula Rasa‘s review said, “The book is, on the one hand packed with thrill and action, and on the other, has a very emotional and thought-provoking side. What I really appreciated was how none of it is overdone; I specially liked the subtlety of the relationship between Mike and Frieda.”

Tabula Rasa also hosted an interview!  Be sure to check that out to find out everything from whether plot or characters come first in my writing to what my next project is.

Nicki J Markus also interviewed me.  Check that out to find out what my favorite zombie book and zombie movie are.

Last but not least, Nicki J Markus is also hosting a giveaway.  Two chances to win this week!

Thanks once again to all the participating blogs!

Finally, happy weekends to all my lovely readers!  What did you think of the meme?  Any surprises or thoughts?

Book Review: Succubus on Top by Richelle Mead (Series, #2)

Summary:
Georgina Kincaid, the succubus that wishes sex with hot men didn’t always steal their life energy, has held up her side of the bargain with her demon supervisor.  She’s been going after quality men in exchange for him not wiping the memory of her human boyfriend, the hot writer Seth.  Of course, they can’t have sex together without yanking some years off his life, so when they sleep together, it’s literal sleeping.  But life continues in spite of boyfriends and job accolades.  Georgina finds herself caught up in helping an old incubus friend, as well as trying to find out what has her coworker, Doug, so full of energy.

Review:
Ahhh, Georgina.  You are quite possibly my favorite urban fantasy heroine, although your fixation on Seth kinda bugs me.  Anyway, everything that made Succubus Blues so fun is back with a bang this time around.  We’ve got crazy sex scenes, paranormal mystery, and an every reluctant succubus.

The story itself is a bit more predictable than the first one, but that’s ok.  I may have known right away what was up with the incubus’s project as well as what was wrong with Doug, but it’s so much fun to be in Georgina’s world that I honestly didn’t care that I knew.  I mostly delighted in this new version of Seattle that Mead has created.

Georgina is complex and so well-rounded.  We constantly learn little snippets of her long life, this time around focusing in more on her succubus years than her human ones.  She may have sex down pat, but she still doesn’t have relationships figured out, which is part of what makes her character work.  Men can still surprise her sometimes. Especially Seth.

There is honestly not that much else to say about this book.  The world is delicious, the plot predictable, the heroine delightful.  It’s drizzled in intelligent wit and topped off with some red hot sex scenes.  This series is definitely remaining my go to for urban fantasy.  Fans of the first won’t be disappointed, and anyone with even an inclination toward the genre should definitely check it out.

4 out of 5 stars

Source: Public Library

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Previous Books in Series
Succubus Blues (review)

Book Review: Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead (Series, #1) (Bottom of TBR Pile Challenge)

Summary:
Georgina Kincaid is a succubus.  Has been for hundreds of years.  She’s currently assigned to the demon district of Seattle, but she’s not really feeling being a succubus anymore.  Oh, sure, she still needs to eat sexual energy from men, but she tries to keep it to the low-lifes, like cheaters, and avoid the good guys.  Thankfully her demon boss lets her lack of stealing souls for the bad side slide.  All in all, life is pretty good for Georgina.  Her favorite author is even coming to do a reading at the bookstore she works at!  But one night a vampire is killed and threats start coming in against all the baddies in Seattle–including Georgina.

Review:
Sometimes the books I’ve read for the Bottom of TBR Pile Challenge make me wonder what the hell past Amanda was thinking, and other times they make me realize that past Amanda was still me…..and I really do love to love the bad guys.  And hoo boy is this book ever about the bad guys!  Also, sex. Lots of sex.  I mean, a succubus has gotta eat.

Getting an urban fantasy that isn’t all about a demon slayer but instead is about the demons is just awesome.  It is really fun to be rooting for the succubus, demons, and vampires, but not in a Sookie Stackhouse sort of way.  These guys are the other side of the war, and are they ever fun.  It’s obvious that Mead is aware that she’s flipping the typical story on its head from a delicious tongue-in-cheek scene in which an angel’s helper shows up completely covered up and mocking Georgina’s sexy succubus outfit and blushing at all the swear words the bad crowd tosses around.  And it’s so true!  The good guys wouldn’t be *fun*.  The good guys would be boring, and they sure as hell wouldn’t say fuck.

Also, it’s nice that for once we pop into the middle of the main character’s life instead of meeting her right when she gets her powers.  It lends more depth to the character, adds mystery, and lets us just get on with the supernatural.  This makes for a much faster moving plot as well, which is definitely appreciate.  Plus, there’s the historical aspect to Georgina’s flashbacks, and that’s always fun.

The sex scenes are well-written.  Um, really well-written.  *coughs*  The love interest is realistically attractive and intelligent, which is pure win.  For once we aren’t stuck with a gorgeous, perfect man.  We have an imperfect one who is still totally loveable.

So what’s keeping it from five stars for me?  I’m not a fan that Georgina has somehow turned into a reluctant succubus.  I want my succubus to steal men’s life energy and LIKE IT.  But I get it that this makes Georgina more lovable to probably just about everyone else.  I am still hoping that this reluctance will change in the next book.  Haha.

Overall, this is a delicious urban fantasy that I highly recommend to fans of the genre who enjoy steamy sex and rooting for the bad guys.

4 out of 5 stars

Source: PaperBackSwap

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