Want Books: Thorn

April 5, 2014 / Chachic / 7 Comments

Last week, I asked for recommendations for books that will wow me. One of the commenters, Mary Anne, mentioned a title that stood out to me: Thorn by Intisar Khanani. This is the first time I’ve heard of this title or this author but I was immediately curious because Thorn is a retelling of the Brothers Grimm Goose Girl fairy tale. It doesn’t hurt that the book has a pretty cover. I’m a big fan of fairy tales retold and the only Goose Girl retelling that I’ve read so far is Shannon Hale’s. Definitely planning to check this out. I’ve had a sample sent to my Kindle and if I end up liking it, I’ll probably grab the whole novel. I’m trying to be better about buying ebooks because I have so many unread titles in my TBR pile. I keep telling myself that I should only buy books that I’ll read right away (it doesn’t always work).

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

For Princess Alyrra, choice is a luxury she’s never had … until she’s betrayed.

Princess Alyrra has never enjoyed the security or power of her rank. Between her family’s cruelty and the court’s contempt, she has spent her life in the shadows. Forced to marry a powerful foreign prince, Alyrra embarks on a journey to meet her betrothed with little hope for a better future.

But powerful men have powerful enemies–and now, so does Alyrra. Betrayed during a magical attack, her identity is switched with another woman’s, giving Alyrra the first choice she’s ever had: to start a new life for herself or fight for a prince she’s never met. But Alyrra soon finds that Prince Kestrin is not at all what she expected. While walking away will cost Kestrin his life, returning to the court may cost Alyrra her own. As Alyrra is coming to realize, sometime the hardest choice means learning to trust herself.

Thanks to Mary Anne for this rec! As always, let me know what you think if you’ve read this book. Would be helpful to know more about it. Also, what book is at the top of your wishlist?

Want Books: Generation V (American Vampire #1)

March 8, 2014March 9, 2014 / Chachic / 6 Comments

I keep wanting to try new-to-me adult urban fantasy books because I’ve only found two series (Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews and the World of the Lupi by Eileen Wilks) that I loved enough to keep following. I’ve tried a couple of other series but sadly, didn’t feel compelled to read the rest of the books after the first two or three titles. My friend Kristen of Fantasy Cafe mentioned that she really enjoyed reading Generation V, the first book in the American Vampire series by M.L. Brennan. I looked it up and the premise looks promising. I’ve added it to my wishlist but I told Kristen that I have no idea when I would get to read it because I have such a huge TBR pile.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

Fortitude Scott’s life is a mess. A degree in film theory has left him with zero marketable skills, his job revolves around pouring coffee, his roommate hasn’t paid rent in four months, and he’s also a vampire. Well, sort of. He’s still mostly human.

But when a new vampire comes into his family’s territory and young girls start going missing, Fort can’t ignore his heritage anymore. His mother and his older, stronger siblings think he’s crazy for wanting to get involved. So it’s up to Fort to take action, with the assistance of Suzume Hollis, a dangerous and sexy shape-shifter. Fort is determined to find a way to outsmart the deadly vamp, even if he isn’t quite sure how.

But without having matured into full vampirehood and with Suzume ready to split if things get too risky, Fort’s rescue mission might just kill him…

What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist? What’s your favorite urban fantasy series? Hope you’re all having a good weekend so far.

Want Books: Champion of the Rose

February 22, 2014 / Chachic / 6 Comments

I loved both the Touchstone trilogy and And All the Stars by Andrea K. Höst so I want to devour the rest of her books. I started reading her Medair duology this weekend because I wanted to be distracted by a good read. I’m about halfway through and I find Medair just as absorbing as her other books. I have a feeling I will want to dive into the rest of the novels that she’s written before the year is out. Next on my wishlist is Champion of the Rose.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

Soren Armitage is an anachronism. Proclaimed Rathen Champion by the Rathen Rose, intended to support the rule of a Rathen King or Queen.

But there are no Rathens.

Resigned to symbolising only Darest’s faded glories, Soren is not prepared for the sudden appearance of a Rathen. Now she must find and support the heir despite the machinations of the kingdom’s regent, sylvan curses, and the strange behaviour of once-dormant protective enchantments. While the odds seem stacked against her, Soren is determined to do her best to live up to the name of Rathen Champion. But what is she to do when it seems that there is something very wrong with her Rathen? Can she trust the person she is meant to protect?

What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist? Have you recently come across an author you just want to glom into?

Want Books: You Had Me at Hello

February 8, 2014 / Chachic / 9 Comments

I first found out about You Had Me at Hello by Mhairi McFarlane from Nomes’ Faves of 2013 list. I’m always curious whenever a friend recommends a new-to-me chick lit author. I like the typography in the book cover and the premise seems interesting. I saw it in the bookstore yesterday but I resisted getting a copy even though there was an ongoing sale and I could get it for 20% off (you should all congratulate me for my restraint). I’m in the process of packing because I’m moving to a different flat soon – so I’m putting off buying physical copies of books until I’ve moved. Today, I just finished packing two suitcases full of books. I shouldn’t be surprised that I have that many books here with me even though I’ve been in Singapore less than two years, right?

Anyway, here’s the summary from Goodreads:

Rachel and Ben. Ben and Rachel. It was them against the world. Until it all fell apart.

It’s been a decade since they last spoke, but when Rachel bumps into Ben one rainy day, the years melt away.

From the moment they met they’d been a gang of two; partners in crime and the best of friends. But life has moved on. Ben is married. Rachel is definitely not. In fact, the men in her life make her want to take holy orders…

Yet in that split second, Rachel feels the old friendship return. And along with it, the broken heart she’s never been able to mend.

What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist? Did you add any books on your wishlist after seeing them on another blogger’s best/faves of 2013 list?

Want Books: Lhind the Thief

January 25, 2014 / Chachic / 5 Comments

Sherwood Smith is one of my favorite fantasy authors. I recently found out about Lhind the Thief, which was released last year. It seems like the kind of epic fantasy that I enjoy reading, with a thieving heroine as an added bonus. I’m always curious about thieves in fiction. I still have so many books on my TBR pile so I can’t justify buying Lhind the Thief at the moment, but I will definitely grab a copy when I feel like I’m in the mood for something just like this.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

Lhind has been on the run all her life.

Stealing what she needs, using magic for disguise, she never stays anywhere long. Lhind even has secrets from herself, for she has few memories, and those are troubling.

But life is good until she gets caught by Rajanas the warrior-prince, Thianra the bard, and Hlanan the scribe. And that’s when adventure begins, because someone very powerful wants them all dead.

As they evade pursuit and work to uncover their enemies, Lhind struggles with the invisible bonds of friendship and trust, while Hlanan begins uncovering her secrets one by one.

Then she finds that he has secrets, too.

What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist?

Want Books: A Rose In Winter

December 14, 2013December 15, 2013 / Chachic / 2 Comments

I hope you guys aren’t getting tired of seeing me publish Want Books posts. I like doing these posts because it gives me a chance to talk about books that I’m interested in and I get to spread the word about them even before I read them. Last week’s Want Books post was about a Christmas story and I’m featuring another holiday-themed book this week. I love reading Laura Florand’s books and I’m delighted that she has a Christmas-themed one in the No Place Like Home anthology. I’ve seen a snippet of A Rose in Winter and it looks pretty good! I have a feeling I’ll grab a copy of this as soon as I’m in the mood to read Laura’s latest novella.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

Allegra Caldron knew the rule never to talk to strangers. But on a cold winter night in Provence, she breaks that rule – and more – with an irresistible man. Raoul Rosier seems thrillingly dangerous, yet why does Allegra feel so safe with him – even when she believes he’s a thief?

What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist? What are some of the titles that you’re planning to read before the year is out? And like I mentioned before, feel free to recommend Christmas stories that you’ve read and loved.

Want Books: Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor

December 7, 2013 / Chachic / 9 Comments

Christmas is just a few weeks away! Only two more work weeks until I can go on vacation and fly home to Manila for the holidays. Really looking forward to that. I always feel like reading Christmas stories every December. I already have Snowfall by Mary Ann Rivers waiting in my Kindle since I loved her The Story Guy. Book pusher Angie has already reviewed it here and looks like it’s going to be just as good as Mary Ann Rivers’ debut. I’ve asked Angie for other Christmas recommendations and one of the titles that she mentioned was Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas so I’ve added it straight to my wishlist.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

ONE LITTLE GIRL NEEDS A FAMILY
One rain-slicked night, six-year-old Holly lost the only parent she knew, her beloved mother Victoria. And since that night, she has never again spoken a word.

ONE SINGLE MAN NEEDS A WIFE
The last thing Mark Nolan needs is a six-year-old girl in his life. But he soon realizes that he will do everything he can to make her life whole again. His sister’s will gives him the instructions: There’s no other choice but you. Just start by loving her. The rest will follow.

SOMETIMES, IT TAKES A LITTLE MAGIC…
Maggie Collins doesn’t dare believe in love again, after losing her husband of one year. But she does believe in the magic of imagination. As the owner of a toy shop, she lives what she loves. And when she meets Holly Nolan, she sees a little girl in desperate need of a little magic.

…TO MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE
Three lonely people. Three lives at the crossroads. Three people who are about to discover that Christmas is the time of year when anything is possible, and when wishes have a way of finding the path home…

What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist? Are you also in the mood to read Christmas stories once December starts? Feel free to recommend some of your favorite Christmas reads.

Want Books: One and Only

November 23, 2013 / Chachic / 9 Comments

So I still haven’t read anything by Diana Peterfreund but I will try to read For Darkness Shows the Stars as soon as I can. She recently released a new adult title under her pen name Viv Daniels and it looks really good! I enjoy reading books that have a college setting since they remind me of my own experience as a college student. I think the last book set in college that I read was Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and that turned out to be such a good read that I’m hoping I’ll find other titles that are just as well-written or even better. One and Only by Viv Daniels looks promising.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

One night they can’t forget…

Tess McMann lives her life according to the secrets she’s sworn to keep: the father who won’t acknowledge her, the sister who doesn’t know she exists, and the mother who’s content playing mistress to a prominent businessman. When she meets the distractingly cute Dylan Kingsley at a prestigious summer program and falls in love, Tess allows herself to imagine a life beyond these secrets. But when summer ends, so does their relationship – Dylan heads off to Canton College while Tess enrolls at the state university.

One love they can’t ignore…

Two years later, a scholarship brings Tess to Canton and back into Dylan’s life. Their attraction is as strong as ever, but Dylan has a girlfriend… who also happens to be Tess’s legitimate half-sister. Tess refuses to follow in her mother’s footsteps, which leaves her only one choice: break the rules she’s always followed, or allow Dylan to slip away for a second time.

…And only one chance to get things right

What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist? Have you read any good new adult novels lately?

Want Books: Y: The Last Man, Volume 1: Unmanned

November 9, 2013 / Chachic / 6 Comments

I had so much fun reading the Saga graphic novels by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples that it made me want to try more comic books. A friend of mine mentioned that Brian K. Vaughan’s other series Y: The Last Man is also pretty good and that all the books in the series have already been released. So if I ever get the chance to give it a try, I can read the books in one go (no need to wait for further installments). I looked at the premise and it does look interesting so I’ve added Y: The Last Man, Volume 1: Unmanned to my wishlist.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

“Y” is none other than unemployed escape artist Yorick Brown (his father was a Shakespeare buff), and he’s seemingly the only male human left alive after a mysterious plague kills all Y-chromosome carriers on earth. But why are he and his faithful companion, the often testy male monkey Ampersand, still alive? He sets out to find the answer (and his girlfriend), while running from angry female Republicans (now running the government), Amazon wannabes that include his own sister (seemingly brainwashed), and other threats.

What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist? Do you read graphic novels? If yes, which ones are your favorites?

Want Books: In My Mother’s House

November 2, 2013 / Chachic / 4 Comments

I don’t get to read as many books written by Filipino authors as I would like to and I think this is mostly because I enjoy reading certain genres and there aren’t a lot of Filipino books that fall under those. Also, I’m not much of a short story reader so even if a book is in a genre that I’m interested in, I’m less likely to read it if it’s an anthology. So whenever a Filipino title grabs my attention, usually because it’s highly recommended by friends, I want to read it. This is the case with In My Mother’s House by Joni Cham, which my friend Chris loved (see her review here).

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

An honest and insightful exploration of the complex, sometimes tortured, relationship between an immigrant Chinese mother and her Philippine-born daughter.

In My Mother’s House guides us across a minefield of personal, familial, and cross-cultural trauma to that place made safer by the finality of death and the possibility of forgiveness and re-birth.

The book is only available in Central Books and unfortunately, I wasn’t able to visit one of their branches the last time I was in Manila. I’ll try to drop by and get a copy of this when I come home from Christmas. What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist?