My Reading Pile #84

I got a very happy not-so-little surprise in the mailbox this week thanks to Jaime of Two Chicks on Books who went to a conference the other week and grabbed a few a lot of books she thought I might like.

I am always amazed by her generosity and for thinking of me when she’s at an event that I should be attending myself. But she is a great friend and someone who totally rocks! And no, it’s not because she brings me books so that my posts don’t look like a barren wasteland of books. If you’ve met her you know she’s just awesome.

[Credit for mailbox sharing goes to TSS]

As there are quite a few books in this pile I won’t go on and on about all of them like I usually do, or else I’d never get to talk about the books I’m reading. But I am super excited to read them all.

I’d been pining for DARK TRIUMPH by Robin LaFevers, which is the second book in the His Fair Assassin series, so I’m so super excited to have a copy to read so early. And I’ve been stalking Gail Carriger’s ETIQUETTE & ESPIONAGE for equally as long, if not a little bit longer, so getting the chance to read it now is amazingly awesome.

I am totally thrilled to have a copy of SPLINTERED by A.G. Howard because, although I have the eARC from NetGalley, the print version will be much easier to read and that cover is “to die for” gorgeous.

But I’m also thrilled to have BLACK CITY by Elizabeth Richards, HYSTERIA by Megan Miranda, UNREMEMBERED by Jessica Brody, FALLING KINGDOMS by Morgan Rhodes and DANCE OF SHADOWS by Yelena Black. All of which I will be making room for at or very close to the top of my reading pile in the coming weeks.

For now though…

Here are the books I have in my reading pile this week.

(October 21 – October 27, 2012)

First up on the pile is SPLINTERED by A.G. Howard. I heard about this book back in June and added it my list of books I’m most anticipating. It sounded so unbelievably amazing. And dark and twisty and unusual in the best possible ways.

While I received the eARC last week, I now have a printed ARC which I will be devouring this week. Because I just can’t wait to find out how the author re-imagined Wonderland. Though I suppose I’ll have to check the publisher’s guidelines before sharing my thoughts in my review as SPLINTERED doesn’t release until January.

I fell in love with the first line in the description which says that this book “captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land.” Yeah. Wicked awesome.

I cannot wait to meet Alyssa Gardner this week and see the bizarre and “terrifying” world that is this author’s Wonderland. As if Lewis Carroll’s version wasn’t strange enough, this one promises to be even darker and more twisted.

I love that this story imagines Lewis Carroll to have based his book upon Alyssa’s mother Alice Liddell. And I love that Alyssa is put through a series of incredibly challenging tests.

I also happen to be really excited to meet Morpheus, Alyssa’s guide through Wonderland. Not only because the description calls him “sexy” and “suspicious” but because the name Morpheus is so wicked cool. Yes, I’m a Matrix fan.

I will definitely be starting this book on Sunday and I can only imagine that I’ll be finished reading it on Sunday. Because there’s no way I’m leaving this book behind for another week. I’ve waited way too long already.

Next up on the pile is a book I should have read already, that I’ve had on my wishful thinking reads list before and one I can’t stop thinking about, and that is UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi.

I have an ARC and a signed hardcover and an eBook, so yeah, this is a book I’ve been just dying to read for a long, long time. With the sequel, THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT coming out on January 8th, I’m desperate to finally read this book so I can be ready for its release.

I want to meet Aria, a “Dweller,” and find out how she managed to survive “The Death Shop” – a savage wasteland inhabited by cannibals and pummeled by violent storms. And I want to meet Perry, an “Outsider,” her opposite and the only hope she has for survival.

I can’t wait to find out how she is to be his redemption and how strong their alliance will be given that they are so very different. And I can’t wait to see just how this “bond” will determine everyone’s fate.

I have waited too long already to read this and I won’t be sidetracked by the lure of the stack of ARCs I received this week. If the book is as amazing as the title and description then there’s no way this one will be left behind.

***

Wishful Thinking reads:

ETIQUETTE & ESPIONAGE by Gail Carriger is my only wishful thinking read this week. I’ve been dying to read this since I saw the cover several months ago. I have yet to read a book by the author, but this one sounds like the perfect book to start with. I’ve been staring at it on that stack of books I received for a couple days now and fighting the urge to read it now. But as it’s not due out until February and I have quite a few books I should be reading, I have to keep this on my wishful thinking reads list for a bit.

***

Those left behind:

I really didn’t get much of a chance to read this past week due to some real-life things I had going on. And when I did manage to sneak in a few minutes to read, I ended up going totally off pile to start reading THE FAERIE RING by Kiki Hamilton. Which I will be finishing up this week.

Even though it was left behind, I plan on reading VESSEL this week, as I have some extra time to read this weekend. But I’ll have to wait a bit to read ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND as I don’t want to make comparisons with SPLINTERED.

And while I did finish reading STARLING and did manage to write my review for BREATHE, I still haven’t finished my reviews for STARLING and COVET, which I hope to also do this weekend. But I’m not feeling too guilty about that. I haven’t even had the time to watch this week’s The Vampire Diaries and I always make time for that show.

So, yeah. This week has been just a bit hectic.

***

NetGalley Pile Adds:

I refrained from jumping on NetGalley this week. But just barely. Because I am so curious to see if there are any new titles I’ve been desperate to read that have been added.

Thanks to Jaime and the amazing pile of books she sent, I was able to resist the temptation. But we’ll see what happens next week.

My reading kick abandoned me this week. I’ve had a lot on my mind with some things going on in my real life so it’s been tough to read, write and think. And every time I picked up my Kindle to read late at night I’ve almost immediately fallen asleep from exhaustion.

I really hope to be able to get lost in the three books I want to read this week, but we’ll see, as I have a number of things going on this week, too. If I can’t wrap my head around reading, I at least hope to catch up on those reviews.

Or maybe going way off-pile for an epic/high fantasy novel might do the trick…. I just can’t seem to stop staring at DARK TRIUMPH, which I tried to bury at the bottom of that stack of books.

Anyway… Do you have any exciting books you’re planning on reading this week? Did you get any new books you’re dying to drop everything and read right now? If so, leave a comment as I’d love to hear what they are… even if it makes me totally green with envy.

***

Do you create a reading pile?
If so, what’s in your pile this week?