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| Musing Mondays - October 24, 2016 |
Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:
- I’m currently reading…
- Up next I think I’ll read…
- I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
- I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
- I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
- I can’t wait to get a copy of…
- I wish I could read ___, but…
- I blogged about ____ this past week…
I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
1. Tigana by Guy Gavriel KayAs you've notice the last couple of weeks I am currently reading Kay's seminal Fionavar Tapestry trilogy, so I decided I wanted to delve into some of his other works to see if I'd enjoy them as much as I enjoy Fionavar. I also keep saying I would like to read more work by Canadian authors so it works for that too.
"Two rival conquerors have divided the Peninsula of the Palm. As the provinces in the peninsula were falling one by one, the sorcerer Brandin made a fateful decision, sending his beloved son to capture the last one. But when that son is killed on the battlefield, Brandin, blinded by grief, avenges his death by ruthlessly vanquishing the resistance and then cursing the people of this province with a dark sorcery--so that the very name of their home cannot be spoken or remembered. Years after that devastation, a handful of men and women set in motion a dangerous plot. Their aim: to overthrow both conquerors, and bring back to the world the lost brightness of an obliterated name--Tigana." -- via Goodreads
This is the final book in Black's Curse Workers trilogy. I read, and enjoyed, the first two books in this series as soon as they came out, but then I just never got around to buying and reading the last book. For $2.79 I thought that now really was the perfect time to pick it up and I look forward to re-reading the first two so that I can read this one.
"In a world where Magic is illegal.Cassel Sharpe has the most deadly ability of all. With one touch, he can transform any object - including a person - into something else entirely. And that makes him a wanted man. The Feds are willing to forgive all his past crimes if he'll only leave his con artist family behind and go straight. But why does going straight feel so crooked?For one thing, it means being on the opposite side of the law from Lila, the girl he loves. She's the daughter of a mob boss and getting ready to join the family business herself. Though Cassel is pretty sure she can never love him back, he can't stop obsessing over her. Which would be bad enough, even if her father wasn't keeping Cassel's mother prisoner in a posh apartment and threatening not to let her leave until she returns the priceless diamond she scammed off him years ago. Too bad she can't remember where she put it.The Feds say they need Cassel to get rid of a powerful man who is spinning dangerously out of control. But if they want Cassel to use his unique talent to hurt people, what separates the good guys from the bad ones? Or is everyone just out to con him?Time is running out, and all Cassel's magic and cleverness might not be enough to save him. With no easy answers and no one he can trust, love might be the most dangerous gamble of all." --via Goodreads
I love Kelley Armstrong, and she's the second Canadian author on today's list. In fact she's actually local to me if I remember correctly which is pretty cool. Anyway she write paranormal fantasy and she does it well. I have yet to read a book by her that I have disliked. Sea of Shadows is the first book in her Age of Legends series. I already owned, but had not read, an ebook copy of this one; however, with the second and third books being for sale on bookoutlet I decided I would order a physical copy of this one so I could have the whole series in the same format and at $6.62 it really wasn't that costly of a decision.
"In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire’s worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned.Only this year, the souls will not be quieted.Ambushed and separated by an ancient evil, the sisters’ journey to find each other sends them far from the only home they’ve ever known. Accompanied by a stubborn imperial guard and a dashing condemned thief, the girls cross a once-empty wasteland, now filled with reawakened monsters of legend, as they travel to warn the emperor. But a terrible secret awaits them at court—one that will alter the balance of their world forever." -- via Goodreads
The second book in the Age of Legends series. This one only cost $4.41 on bookoutlet during the sale.
"SISTERS MORIA AND ASHYN ARE THE KEEPER AND SEEKER OF EDGEWOOD.OR AT LEAST, THEY WERE.Their village is gone. Their friends have betrayed them. And now, they are all but prisoners in court, forced to watch and wait while the Emperor decides whether to help the children of Edgewood, who remain hostages of the treacherous Alvar Kitsune.But when the emperor finally sends the girls on a mission to rescue the children - accompanied by Prince Tyrus and a small band of men - the journey proves more perilous than any of them could have imagined. With lies and unrest mounting in the empire, Moria and Ashyn will have to draw on every bit of influence and power they possess to unite their people and avert an all-out war.In this second book in her epic and captivating Age of Legends trilogy, #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong blends romance, danger, and magic to send readers on a heart-racing journey through an unforgettable world." -- via Goodreads
This is the third book in Age of Legends and it was published earlier this year, April 5 to be precise. This was only $6.11 on booktoutlet which means I got the whole trio for $17.14 before tax. Forest of Ruin alone on Amazon would have cost me $20.56 before tax. That's why I didn't mind spending $6.62 on a physical copy of Sea of Shadows.
"In a world at war, who can you trust?The empire rests on the edge of a knife, and sisters Ashyn and Moria are the handle and the blade. Desperate to outmaneuver the evil Alvar Kitsune, whose hold on the people grows stronger every day, Emperor Tatsu begs Moria to put aside past grievances and ally with Gavril—at least long enough to make an attempt on Alvar’s life. Meanwhile, reunited with her long-lost grandfather, Ashyn discovers that she is the key to a ritual that could reawaken an ancient dragon and turn the tide of the coming battle in their favor.But with lies and betrayal lurking around every corner, Ashyn and Moria will have to decide once and for all where their allegiances are. And it may not be where their hearts would lead them…In this breathtaking final book in her epic trilogy the Age of Legends, #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong blends fantasy, action, and romance to give readers the unforgettable ending they’ve been waiting for. " -- via Goodreads
For those of you who don't recognise the name, David McCallum plays Ducky on NCIS and he was also Ilya Kuryakin in the original The Man from U.N.C.L.E. I adore him, but more importantly so does my mother. So when we found out a few years back that he'd written a crime novel I told her I would get it for her but she forbid me from paying full price. So I didn't, and now she's getting a copy for Christmas thanks to it only costing $3.90 on bookoutlet last week. This is the one that I plan to read once she's finished with it.
"A deliciously quirky crime novel from David McCallum, the beloved actor known for his portrayal of Illya Kuryakin on The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard on NCIS.Crime pays. And pays well.Sal, Max and Enzo Bruschetti have proved this over a lifetime of nefarious activity that they have kept hidden from law enforcement. Nowhere in any file, on any computer is there a record of anything illegal from which they have profited. But Max has a problem. His body is getting old and his doctor has told him to take it easy. Max has decided that the time has come for the family to retire.But when young actor Harry Murphy overhears the Bruschetti brothers planning changes to their organization, including the murder of a man in London who knows too much, the Bruschetti's plans begin to unravel.After Harry makes the well-intentioned if egregious mistake of trying to warn the Bruchetti's intended victim he finds himself alone in a foreign country, on the wrong side of the law, with a suitcase full of cash and a dangerous man on his trail. And while his good looks, charm and cheerful persistence may prove assets in the turbulent events that follow, none of Harry's past roles have prepared him for what happens next.At turns tense and funny, Once a Crooked Man is infused with the infectious charm that has made David McCallum one of television's longest running, most-beloved stars." -- via Goodreads
7. Mortdecai AKA Don't Point that thing at me by Kyril BonfiglioliI did not know that this was a book let alone a trilogy of books until I saw it in the Movie tie-in section on bookoutlet. I have the movie, it's weird and funny and pretty much exactly what you would expect from something starring Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor and Paul Bettany - except with fewer Iron Man references because I was expecting at least one of those once I realised that Bettany was playing Paltrow's butler. Needless to say once I realised that it was a book before it was a movie I decided I wanted to read the book so for $5.51 I thought why not and bought it.
"A cult classic in the UK since its first publication there in the 1970s, Don't Point That Thing at Me is the first of a series of hilarious and dark-humored crime thrillers featuring the Honorable Charlie Mortdecai: degenerate aristocrat, amoral art dealer, seasoned epicurean, unwilling assassin, and acknowledged coward.With his thuggish manservant - the incomparably named Jock Strapp - Mortdecai endures all manner of nastiness involving stolen paintings, a vintage Rolls Royce, secret police, a whirlwind trip to the United States, a dead client, and a ravishing and wealthy young widow...all just to make a dishonest living. He's not one to pass up a drink - or too many - and he prides himself on being stylishly dressed for whatever occasion may present itself, no matter how debauched. Don't miss this brilliant mixture of comedy, crime, and suspense." -- via Goodreads
Similar to Vassa in the Night from yesterday's #owlcrate unboxing I've heard about this one before on other blogs that I follow so I decided that for the low, low price of $4.41 I really couldn't pass it up. It's the first in a series and it was just published last year. It sounds like something I will really get into so I am excited for it.
"The world is at peace, said the Utterances. And really, if the odd princess has a hard day, is that too much to ask?Greta is a duchess and crown princess—and a hostage to peace. This is how the game is played: if you want to rule, you must give one of your children as a hostage. Go to war and your hostage dies.Greta will be free if she can survive until her eighteenth birthday. Until then she lives in the Precepture school with the daughters and sons of the world’s leaders. Like them, she is taught to obey the machines that control their lives. Like them, she is prepared to die with dignity, if she must. But everything changes when a new hostage arrives. Elián is a boy who refuses to play by the rules, a boy who defies everything Greta has ever been taught. And he opens Greta’s eyes to the brutality of the system they live under—and to her own power.As Greta and Elián watch their nations tip closer to war, Greta becomes a target in a new kind of game. A game that will end up killing them both—unless she can find a way to break all the rules." -- via Goodreads
THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Take a guess at what might happen in the book you’re currently reading.
I could take a guess at the order in which things are going to happen I suppose, but that really isn't in the spirit of this question. And even if it were I wouldn't be able to do it without giving away spoilers and there is absolutely no fun in that, so I am not going to do that. Instead I am going to modify the question slightly while meeting the spirit of the activity. I am going to grab a book from my TBR shelves and I'm going to then take a wild guess at what I think is going to happen in that book just based on the summary on the cover/dust jacket. That seems like it will be a fun exercise. Now to pick a book, now since Halloween is next week, why not go with a horror novel.
An Evil Guest by Gene Wolfe
"Set a hundred years in the future, An Evil Guest is a story of an actress who becomes the lover of both a mysterious sorcerer and private detective, and an even more mysterious and powerful rich man, who has been to the human colony on an alien planet and learned strange things there. Her loyalties are divided--perhaps she loves them both. The detective helps her to release her inner beauty and become a star overnight. And the rich man is the benefactor of a play she stars in. But something is very wrong. Money can be an evil guest, but there are other evils. As Lovecraft said, "That is not dead which can eternal lie."" -- via Goodreads
This book has been sitting on my TBR shelf for a good 5 years now. I was drawn to it inexplicably in the book store based mainly on the cover because it reminds me of one of my favoruite Christopher Pike novels. I'm going to be honest though, the reason I haven't read it yet is because I don't really have a sense of where it's going to go from that blurb, but now it's time for me to try and take a guess and maybe that will encourage me to finally read it. I've never read any Lovecraft (it's on my want to do list though) but I know that he specalised in eldritch horrors so I'm betting there's definitely going to be some very freaky alien interactions in this novel - perhaps her rich lover is possessed! Her life is definitely going to be in danger at some point, probably more than once. There's surely going to have to be a character death before the end of the book just based on the fact that there's a love triangle and it's a horror novel.Huh, I was right this has triggered my curiosity. Not least of which because I read the cast of characters and found out that the main character has an awesome name, Cassie Casey, and there is in fact a character whose role is labelled "squid god" and another classed as "shark god". I think this book just got bumped up in the TBR pile, now I know what to pick up next time I'm in the mood to read a horror novel.
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