Sunday, November 27, 2011

Reading Recap: Week of Nov. 20th

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday (at least those of us that live in the US and celebrated Thanksgiving)!

Mine was... chaotic. Not so much from family (it was just four of us this year, rather than the size we've had in the past), but rather from events that happened. First I fell behind on dinner prep, and I was scrambling to fix everything in the 30 minutes or so that I had the turkey out and resting; my gravy, for whatever reason, never even thickened properly, but at least we had nice tasting "liquid" to pour over everything.

Then, when I went to dispose of the vegetables and lemon from the roasting pan, I decided to pour them down the toilet (in small batches), like I've done many times before... Well, this time I had a few bigger chunks than I should have, along with our toilet already having some tendencies to clog, and, well, needless to say we went without a working toilet for almost two days while trying to get it fixed. Why is it that no plumbers in my area ever answer there phone, and those that do want ridiculous prices to, in essence, come and take an industrial sized plunger to a toilet?

With the help of my grandfather and great uncle, we managed to finally get it unclogged late Friday night--after taking the toilet off, putting it in the tub and then cleaning the problem (a lemon and the HUGE carrot) out from the hole. Another day was then spent cleaning everything (toliet, tub, carpet, etc) and even now we are still working on finishing up. All because of some stupid cooked carrot that must have fallen into radioactive waste while stuck in the pipe, I swear it was not that big when I cut the piece that morning for the bird.

But enough of my boring tale of how I spent my Thanksgiving, on to the books, the real purpose of this post.

I managed 3 books this week (between the cooking and then bathroom mishaps), which isn't too bad considering.

I also posted two reviews, both were from books I read for NOR earlier this year and late last year, but due to my break in blogging I never posted them on here.
     Warcry by Elizabeth Vaughan
     Master of Smoke by Angela Knight


Here's what I read this week though:

I decided to go with another anthology collection, this time a Christmas themed historical one I've had in my pile for over a year. A Christmas Ball by Jennifer Ashley, Emily Bryan, and Alissa Johnson was a bit of a disappointment, but I don't regret reading it. I think the reason I was disappointed is due to the fact that the last book I read before this (Bad Boys Next Exit) was such an amazing book--and it too was an anthology! But ACB was everything that I dislike about anthologies; too short, too rushed, and something essential was lacking in each story. However, for a quick Christmas-y book, this wasn't too bad. I'm already a fan of Ashley's work, I've read and enjoyed one of Bryan's novels before, but this was a first for me from Johnson; I might look for more by her (I did enjoy some of the wit in her very brief story), but I will say that her story was my least favorite of the three, though it wasn't that horrible either. 3 Stars (overall). *NOTE: Currently out of print*




Mad About the Earl is another ARC from NOR. This means that my review will not be posted until closer to the release date (perhaps late Dec. at the earliest). However, I will say this until then: While it may not have been my favorite book of the year, I still very much enjoyed it, and I look forward to reading future books by Christina Brooke! I think a quote from Suzanne Enoch, in regards to Brooke's writing, says it all: "Clever, lush, and lovely!" I second that, Suzanne! 4 Stars--review to come!






The Rogue Pirate's Bride was an ARC copy I received from NetGalley--and I am very happy that I was lucky enough to get approved for it! It's been a while since I read a book by Shana Galen, but I was quickly reminded why I love her books: they are sexy, are always filled with witty banter, and the heroines almost always kick butt (in other words, they have real substance to them, rather than being flat and silly in character). I loved this book, and I am now eager to go back and read Julien and Armand's stories, as well as catch up on all of Galen's many books. My review, however, will not be posted until closer to the release date (which is Feb.), so please check back for my review around mid-January! 4.5 Stars---review to come!




~*~*~*
What did you read this past week? Or, have you read any of the books I just listed above--if so, what were you thoughts on them? Let us know!



Enjoy!








Until Next Time,
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*TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

8 comments :

Julie at Outlandish Dreaming said...

I've read Ashley's Nvengaria books, but didn't know she had written this novella that went with the series. I think I might have to get this book solely for Ashley's story.

You're not kidding - you're Thanksgiving was pretty chaotic! I've been sick in bed for the past few days, though I managed to get dinner on the table for Thanksgiving and rose to the occasion, dosed up on Mucinex. Straight back to bed after dinner. At least I'm getting a lot of reading in!

The_Book_Queen said...

Hi Julie!
It's been a while since I read other books in the Nvengaria series, so at first I was a bit lost on the idea of the story, but I quickly got things figured out, and I will probably go back and read the other books in this series soon. :) If you can find a copy of this at a good price (it is out of print, so that means tons of them used for not a lot of money)I would definitely suggest it for the sake of Ashley's work. :)

Yes, my holiday was indeed a mess. But, at least I wasn't sick like you; that always makes everything worse (who can enjoy all that delicious food when a cold makes everything taste flat?!) not to mention the lack of energy while down with it. I applaud you for being able to get everything ready despite that set back! Thank goodnes for things like Mucinex, Sudaphed, and Nightquil, right? :D

Hope you get to feeling better, and enjoy all that free time to read---what else are sick days made for?

Thanks for stopping by!
Enjoy,
TBQ

Lover Of Romance said...

Looks like you have some good ones! I also like Shana Galen and I should definitely read this one when it comes out!!! Sorry to hear you had a bit trying Thanksgiving! At least it will be one you will never forget LOL

The_Book_Queen said...

Hi LOR!

Oh, yes, that is definitely the perfect way to describe it: unforgetable! Lol. :)

I'm sure that you will love Rogue Pirate's Bride! I'm very anxious to start reading Galen's work again, I'm not even sure why I let myself go so long without reading one of hers--the only excuse I have is the old standby, the TBR mountain is too tall!

Thanks for stopping by!
Enjoy,
TBQ

Blodeuedd said...

I am yet to read a Shana Galen book, but this one will finally be my first :D

And you read it already, wow, glad to see it was excellent

The_Book_Queen said...

Blodeuedd,

Thanks for stopping by! :D

If Rogue Pirates Bride is to be your first time reading Galen, I think you will find yourself a new go-to author! :D I've yet to read her other new-ish book, Lord and Lady Spy, but I've heard a lot of great things about it as well, so if you want another great example of her writing, I would suggest that one as well.

Enjoy!
TBQ

Kati said...

Oh man! I LOVED Shana's book and I want to so badly publish my review on the blog but it's not out until February. Dang!

The_Book_Queen said...

Kati,

Oh, believe me, I know exactly what you mean! :D I'm having to force myself to not push "publish" on my post for it. Lol. I loved Bastien and Raeven's story!

Thanks for stopping by!
Enjoy,
TBQ