15 Things to Keep You Sane Waiting for THE RISE OF KYOSHI

With the announcement of The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee, the upcoming YA novel expansion of the A:TLA universe, there's really only one question to ask:

How do we survive the wait to July 19, 2019?

You, my friend, have come to the right place.

(If you haven't heard about The Rise of Kyoshi, check out EW's exclusive announcement.
If you aren't familiar with Avatar: The Last Airbender, this will convince you it's 100% necessary, and this will get you started.)

1. Re-watch Avatar: The Last Airbender
(It's still on nick.com!)
A no-brainer, sure, but get creative. Introduce the show to a friend who has never seen it (yes, amazingly there still exists such poor souls in the world). Get nostalgic about where/when you first watched the episodes and all the crazy theories you had about the story. I've even heard of an epic 24-hour binge-watching ceremony where supposedly your state of fatigue/exhaustion winds up aligning your emotions rather perfectly with the highs and lows of the Gaang throughout the series. (I read that on a blog somewhere ages ago and can't for the life of me find its origin.)

2. Read up on Kyoshi
Come on, guys; that's why we have fandom-themed Wiki sites!

3. Watch every commentary episode for Avatar: The Last Airbender
If you don't understand "Koizilla!" you have a lot to learn, young padawan.

4. Read The Lost Adventures
By far, this comic book is THE BEST expansion of the A:TLA universe outside the original series. This is an anthology of short canonical adventures that take place throughout Water, Earth, and Fire, most of them created in tandem with the show and released with DVDs or for Free Comic Book Day. Think of it as a 'Tales of Ba Sing Se'-type collection from the whole series.

5. Read the rest of the A:TLA comics
There are (so far) five trilogies of comic books expanding on the Gaang's exploits after the end of the Hundred Year War: The Promise, The Search, The Rift, Smoke and Shadow, and North and South. While some of these were fun comics, none of them quite lived up to 'great'.

6. Check out some Kyoshi fanfiction, like Kyoshi Rising
Fanfiction is always good to scratch that itch when the wait starts getting to you.

7. Read The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee
I freely admit I am reading this now for the sole purpose of vetting F.C. Yee's worth as the author to bring Kyoshi -and the whole of the Avatar universe- to the page in epic book form.
You can expect my report in the near future.

8. Write it off
After all, many of the expansion stories have fallen a little short of the pedestal so many of us place the perfection that is A:TLA on

9. Wonder, fret, and hope about whether it will live up to expectations
Avatar Kyoshi, according to Michael Dante DiMartino, "...is one of the characters fans often ask me about, so I’m excited to have the opportunity to help expand on her legend."
I've certainly always been curious about the towering, big-footed, fight-first-ask-questions-later Avatar founder of the Dai Li. Yes, the Dai Li.

10. Theorize
What fan doesn't love a good theorizing session? And if you've seen half the fanfics that covered What happened to Zuko's mom?! in the interim between A:TLA and The Search, then you already know Avatards have unlocked THE highest achievement in this department.
So do you think this will cover Kyoshi's conflict with Chin the Conqueror or be centered more on Kyoshi's youth, origin story-style? Will we see the birth of the Dai Li or just the horror of Kyoshi's mother as her feet just. keep. growing?
After all, at 230, Kyoshi is the oldest Avatar. They won't be able to cover it all.

11. Pre-order The Rise of Kyoshi
For those of you who are super optimistic. Or who just don't mind pre-ordering books.

12. Pull up your favorite A:TLA AMVs
I used to spend a lot of time watching these and some songs are forever linked in my mind to specific characters. Numb by Linkin Park, for example, will always be Toph's anthem, while Prelude 12/21 by AFI makes a perfect soundtrack to Zuko and Mai's turbulent relationship. (Maiko all the way, fyi.)
Aaand I just realized those are both by ravenhpltc242, whose videos always were my favorites.

13. Break up the wait with other waits
Two more comics are due between now and next July. First off, in December, Imbalance Part One. Second, in January, Team Avatar Tales, which seems to emulate the style of Lost Adventures, and therefore I have high hopes for.

14. Write your own fanfiction
Seriously, if you are super passionate about what they do and don't pull with Kyoshi's story, pour all that passion into words. Hey, people do it all the time!

15. Buy some A:TLA stuff like the fandom-crazed Avatard you are
I don't know why I never thought of looking for this stuff online, but Etsy is a veritable wonderland of glorious Avatar merch.

How excited are you for The Rise of Kyoshi on a scale of 1 to 10?
What will you be doing while you wait?

If you think I forgot The Legend of Korra, I didn't. Much like Disney's new Star Wars, I just can't bring myself to accept it as canon.

TTT: Series I've Been Meaning To Start But Haven't

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly blog meme put on by The Broke and the Bookish

Yikes! This one was a lot harder than I'd thought it would be. Apparently I love to read the first book in a series and then stop. Sure, I tell myself I'll go back and read the rest -eventually- but so far I don't seem to have a very good track record. Now, if I were to do a list of Series You Want to Finish That You've Read the First Book Of, I' d probably win a gold medal there.

New Jedi Order by various authors
By far, the most important one on the list. I've been wanting to read this series forever and -barring natural and reading disasters- this is the year I'm going to start.

The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters
Book 1 is on my Summer Reading List, if you're so inclined to check it out.

Castle Glower by Jessica Day George
I've loved every book of George's that I've read, but this series comes with the bonus of being recommended by my niece. Awwwww...

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

The Lotus War by Jay Kristoff

Once Upon a Time by various authors
Especially the ones by Cameron Dokey; I've got a friend who adores them.

Oracles of Fire by Bryan Davis
This is a branch off series of Dragons In Our Midst, which I loved as a teenager. I always meant to read through these, but still haven't gotten around to it. I wonder if I'd still enjoy them. I ought re-read the original series and see!

The Hollow Kingdom by Claire Dunkel
I have two friends who are as obsessed with this series as they are with Labyrinth and Jareth. Go figure. I started this once a while back and -to their utter horror and disbelief- didn't finish it. Then again, I never really did get into Labyrinth.

The Shoe Books by Noel Streatfield
You've Got Mail is one of my mom's favorite movies so it's not a real surprise that she went searching for these books after it first released. (Lucky for us, Skating Shoes is back in print!) She's is completely in love with them.  After trying and failing to get my sister and I to read them, she's been sending copies to grandkids, in they hope she can finally convert somebody to Shoe Book fans. A few years back, I found the movie of Ballet Shoes and gave it to her for her birthday and I totally loved it. I've been meaning to give the series another try ever since.

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia

Anna by Kendare Blake

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas
I finally read Throne of Glass this year and loved it. I want to read all of Maas' stuff, but a friend has ordered I not start ACOTAR until after I finish the Throne of Glass series.

King Raven by Stephen R. Lawhead
A retelling of Robin Hood steeped in Celtic mythology. I tried to read these back when I was a teenager, but I was far too impatient to read them. I recall this being a thick book, with lots of Briton history (back in the days of the Angels and Saxons) -a portion of history I'm currently very intrigued by.

HOLY NEVER ENDING TBR, BATMAN!!!

There are a LOT more of these than I realized and now I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. I didn't even get half way through my to-read shelf on Goodreads! GAH!!!

There is a lot of reading in my future, that's all I've got to say.

Have you read any of these?

What are some series you've been meaning to read?

SUMMER READING LIST 2017

I love summer reading. I have ever since I was a kid. All reading, all the time, and prizes to boot! What could be better than that?!

Now that I'm an adult with responsibilities (if not an actual responsible adult) I can't exactly read 15-20 hours a day. (Yes; you read that right. As teenagers, my sister and I would read 15-20 hours A DAY during the summer. We were basically rock stars at our library. Dang, I miss those days!) I've made it a summer tradition to pick out 10 or so books that I've been DYING to read but putting off for whatever reasons or newer books that got shoved to the bottom of my TBR because of all the other books I've been putting off. I usually don't read most of them, because I'm kind of terrible with lists, and I don't always account for real-life stuff and required reading like ARCS. (Seriously, you don't want to look at my To Do list. It's horrifying.) Yet I keep trying.

This year is no different.

SUMMER READING LINEUP

Randoms and Rebels by David Liss
You might remember my review for Randoms from a few years back. I certainly remember it because I fangirled all over the place about all things sci-fi and it's still one of my favorite video reviews to date. I've been waiting and anticipating the sequel ever since and yet somehow completely missed the publication for Rebels last year. I know! I'm still kicking myself for it!

If you haven't seen it, check out my review for Randoms!

The Night Watchman by Mark Mynheir
I am always on the lookout for good, gritty mysteries, but it's really hard to find titles that are mostly clean, too. I've been trying to squeeze this into my reading schedule for about four months now.

Battlefront: Twilight Company by Anthony Freed (Star Wars)
This is an audio that's been hanging out on my MP3 player for the better part of a year and my current listen. I'm really enjoying it. It's a very different Star Wars story than I'm used to, since it doesn't focus on any of the familiar characters and so far only makes passing references to them.

The Last Policeman by Ben Winters
This one has probably been on the TBR the longest, which makes me really sad. I'm very intrigued by this idea. Another mystery (possibly gritty) about a policeman determined to find the truth about a suspicious suicide that no one else cares about because THE EARTH IS GOING TO BE DESTROYED BY AN ASTEROID. I'm hoping this will be a great character-driven piece because, seriously, what's driving this guy to solve a case when everyone else is living their last months to the fullest? What makes him choose to be -dun dun DUN!- The Last Policeman?

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin
I was all set to avoid this book because it sounded depressing but unbeknownst to me I've suddenly started loving stories with sad endings, like West Side Story and a certain box office hit I need to see for at least the sixth time. That, coupled with this review/love letter over at OUR FAMILIARIUM sold me on adding it.

NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE BY DAN WELLS
This one gets all caps because I LOVE THIS SERIES and I HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT IT virtually at all. I've been saving reviews for this series for videos (which will be starting again late summer/early fall!) because I need to VOCALIZE my COMPLETE ADORATION of this series.
*achem*
This is the last book of the John Cleaver series, the first of which you've probably heard of: I Am Not a Serial Killer. It's also the newest release on the list, since it only came out June 6. I can't wait to read the conclusion, which is obviously going to be EPIC, but I'm nervous about how it's going to end too.

The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles
Another new release that I don't want to wait to read. All I know is there's basically a bounty hunter from Hell (as in, the pit-of-fire-where-bad-souls-go Hell) whose job is to take the souls of evil people. I have high hopes, so we'll see.

Hearts & Other Body Parts by Ira Bloom
I was really happy to win this title in a Goodreads giveaway earlier this year and it's been sitting in my To Read stack for months, staring at me, judging me, and begging me to read it.

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
This is the second-oldest TBR title on the list. My good friend The Library Ninja recommended this way back when and I haven't been able to read it yet. THIS SUMMER. I will read it THIS SUMMER.

Specter of the Past by Timothy Zahn (Star Wars)
My next, huge TBR project is to read through the New Jedi Order series, but first I have to read Zahn's Thrawn duology. Because Thrawn. And Zahn. Hello.

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
I really had no interest in this historical title until I found out it's a historical fantasy and one the characters spends his day as a horse. This is the lowest on the list, however, because it's the most recent.

Last but not least, I still have book club through the summer! So add two more titles to the list, one blank for July, and one for my June read, Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman, which I really should start soon...

Voila! My considerably trimmed down Summer Reading List!

What's on your list for the summer?

What new releases are you anticipating?

MINI REVIEW: Rise of the Evening Star by Branon Mull (Fablehaven #2)

Rise of the Evening Star
Fablehaven #2
Author: Brandon Mull
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Genre: Fantasy

Ratings:

4/5 stars
PG: Mild fantasy action/violence; monsters, demons, ghosties, and other frightening mythical creatures.

Recommend to fans of The Spiderwick Chronicles, The Ever Afters, Artemis Fowl, and their ilk. Good middle grade read, but still enough plot and character development for older readers -like me!

Summary:
At the end of the school year, Kendra and her brother, Seth, find themselves racing back to Fablehaven, a refuge for mythical and magical creatures. Grandpa Sorenson, the caretaker, invites three specialists- a potion master, a magical relics collector, and a mystical creature trapper- to help protect the property from the Society of the Evening Star, an ancient organization determined to infiltrate the preserve and steal a hidden artifact of great power. Time is running out. The Evening Star is storming the gates. If the artifact falls into the wrong hands, it could mean the downfall of other preserves and possibly the world. Will Kendra learn to use her fairy gifts in time? Will Seth stay out of trouble? Can they overcome paralyzing fear? Find out in book two of this bestselling series (via Goodreads)

The Mini Review:

In the second book, the magic doesn't remain in Fablehaven; instead, I love seeing the effects of the magical preserve and its mission leeching into the normal lives of Kendra and Seth Sorenson.

Comparatively, the plot of its predecessor moved at a slower pace while ushering the Sorenson siblings -and readers- into the world, but Rise starts off at a race and continues in exciting bursts. This is where the overarching plot of the whole series starts to take permanent root, expounding on several hints and expert foreshadowing tricks dropped in Fablehaven. While the Society of the Evening Star lurked in the background of the first book, it is here that we officially get to meet them face to face. And my are they dastardly and devious!

There were so many fantastic twists in this story, and a good many of them I had forgotten. Of all of these, my favorite probably has to do with Warren, because I somehow managed to forgot this character entirely and I kind of adore him now.

But honestly, this book for me was all about Seth. He absolutely takes the cake! I love his constant struggle between courage and stupidity, between recklessness and brilliance. How many boys do you know who do the stupidest things just for fun? That's who Seth is. But he's got this underlying courage and heroic nature beneath all that stupidity and I love when it gets to shine through.

Seth, for the time being, is definitely his own worst enemy. His heart is in the right place, but he's also got selfish tendencies. It puts him into a bit of a 'boy who cried wolf' position because his family isn't sure when or if they can trust him with really important issues or tasks. Look back at Fablehaven. What did they say to ABSOLUTELY NOT DO on Midsummer's Eve?

And what did Seth ABSOLUTELY do?

But he really gets his moment here and what I love most is that his most courageous and glorious moment to date was also probably the stupidest thing he's ever done. Seth is this roiling ball of recklessness, bravery, bravado, and good intentions, packed into an infuriating, stubborn, and hotheaded adrenaline junky who, in all honesty, doesn't always deserve the trust or benefit of the doubt he so longs for.

So, yeah. I kind of love Seth. I don't think I truly appreciated in entirety on my first reading of the series, but I definitely recognize the wonderful depth and development of his character now, step by step, and book by book.

Rise of the Evening Star has the same great upbeat tone, moral fiber, and new creatures, plus it continues to expound on the fascinating mythical side of this world.

Miss my review of the first book, Fablehaven? Check it out now!

This is a Take Control TBR Challenge Read!
Rereading for Dragonwatch!

What's your favorite part about rereading books?

Sunday Post 005 | IMWAYR

Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

 Corny Joke Monday 

 Last Week on the Blog 

Sunday Post 004 | IMWAYR Meme

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff Review
Writing in Books -Yea or Nay? Discussion Post

 This Week on the Blog 

TTT: Top Ten on My Spring TBR Meme

 What I'm Reading: 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and

share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. 

Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull
My rereading of Fablehaven needs to speed up because a copy of Dragonwatch is already waiting for me at the library...

Heartless by Marissa Meyer (audio)
I'm having a little trouble with this one because the main character is starting to get on my nerves. I'm so close to finishing, though, I just need to suck it up and get it done.

The Death and Afterlife Book by James R. Lewis
So I admit, this one looks really random. Well it is. This is research for a WIP that I'm...not actually...working on...right now...

 What I Read: 

I'm currently 2/17 for the books on my Take Control of Your TBR! Challenge.

Obviously I need to kick my reading up a notch.

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull (reread)

Airman by Eoin Colfer (reread)
Still love this book. <3 The book club discussion on this one has me wanting to read (and watch) The Count of Monte Cristo.

 Internet Shenanigans 

I've been listening to a lot more YouTube artists recently -namely Jonathan Young and Peter Hollens- and I can't get enough of them.

The Plagues (Prince of Egypt) -Cover by Caleb Hyles and Jonathan Young

With Passover coming up soon, this has got me excited to rewatch Prince of Egypt. ^_^

But Peter Hollens new cover of 'The Sound of Silence' is AMAZING. If you liked Disturbed's cover of this a while back, you will likely love this one too.

 In Real Life 

I took my sister to see SING for the second time. I adore that movie; it's fun, but it's an inspiring, 'feel good' flick too. When I got out, I bought myself a nice-ish set of headphones to practice piano like I've been telling myself I'll get around to eventually. And I discovered my keyboard has a metronome! That's going to come in handy. ^_^

 Random 

I just started on season 6 of Star Wars: Clone Wars and, I've got to admit, much as I love Tim Curry, his voicing Emperor Palpatine is...random.

  What's new with you? 

Sunday Post 004 | IMWAYR

Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

 Corny Joke Monday 

JUST LIKE GRAMMAR USED TO MAKE

 Last Week on the Blog 

Sunday Post 003 Meme
ARC Review: Tricked by Jen Calonita Review

My 'Take Control of Your TBR' List! Challenge
The Blacklist -Mid Season Thoughts Worth Watching

 This Week on the Blog 

Sunday Post 003 Meme
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff Review
Writing in Books -Yea or Nay? Discussion

 It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and
share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. 

I'm in the midst of the 'Take Control of Your TBR!' challenge, but I haven't finished any of the books yet. I'm making dents in a lot of them, though.

My current reads are:

Airman by Eoin Colfer

Book club, reread (p 170/412)

Fablehaven by Branon Mull
Reread for Dragonwatch release (p 182/351)

Beauty by Robin McKinley

Recommended read(p 59/247)

My next reads:

The Horizontal Man by Michael Dahl

PWNED by Shannen Crane Camp

(and also Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child, because I wanted something violent to read after watching Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. But this is an impulse read.)

 Internet Shenanigans 

Three words for you:

BOSTON

TYPEWRITER

ORCHESTRA

You're welcome.

Among the most amazing discoveries of the year, this tops the list right now. I've picked out some of my favorite songs so far, so enjoy!

 In Real Life 

Amazon.com is offering a free script-writing software called Amazon Storywriter. It auto-formats your work into script style so you don't have to keep hitting that 'tab' button. More writing, less work.

Then there's that handy feature where you can submit your finished script directly to Amazon Studios for consideration on their development slate.

I'm in the middle of a major project and even I'm trying to figure out how to work 'write a TV show' into my schedule.

Any of you ever wanted a story on the small screen? Now might be your chance.

 New Additions 

Thanks to my local thrift store:

• World Mythology -a desk reference on one of my favorite topics. Hello, book research!

 Random Stuff 

  What's new with you? 

My 'Take Control of Your TBR!' List

Take Control is an annual event hosted by Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer focused on clearing out out insane TBR piles. This is my first time participating and I'm excited!

Throughout March I'm going to dig into my out-of-control TBR shelves. (Literally shelves, guys; three of them.) You wouldn't believe how long some of these books have been sitting there. >_<
I swear, guys, I've been changing this list every HOUR waiting to post it!

Here's my Take Control Goodreads bookshelf!

From my bookshelves:

The Finnegan Zwake series by Michael Dahl
I am ashamed I haven't read these yet. Ashamed. I wasn't able to finish the series for years because they were out of print, but my dad discovered they were back in print, and completed my set two Hanukkahs ago. There are five books in total, about 150 pages a piece, and I've only read the first three. Plus, they're MIDDLE GRADE MURDER MYSTERIES! Do you have any idea how rare those are?
I told you. Ashamed.

The Undead Road: My Zombie Summer Part One by David Powers King
This is a book I bought last year. I was really excited about it, yet somehow haven't gotten to it yet. :P

(if I have time)
Star Wars: Rise of the Empire by James Luceno and John Jackson Miller

Audiobooks:

Heartless by Marissa Meyer (currently reading)

Sands by Kevin L. Nielsen

(if I have time)
Etherwalker by Cameron Dayton

From my Kindle library:

PWNED by Shannen Crane Camp
Popular cheerleader who 'helps' the captain of the squad pick on geeks, but she's actually a closet gamer herself. I've wanted to read this for ages!

That Girl, Darcy: A Pride & Prejudice Story by James Ramos
This is a gender-swapped Pride and Prejudice retelling. This is either going to be really good or terrible and I can't wait to see which it is.

Avis Blackthorn: Is Not An Evil Wizard! by Jack Simmonds
A kids book in the vein of Harry Potter; the only good wizard from an evil wizarding family is off to wizarding school to escape his miserable home life.

Book Club Read:

Airman by Eoin Colfer ^_^

In addition to my library hoard...

Beauty by Robin McKinely (currently reading)

(if I have time)
Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier

Plus, you know, the entire Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull, because I haven't re-read them yet and I must be ready for Dragonwatch come March 14. But obviously that doesn't count for Take Control.

I'm going to be honest, I'll be hard pressed to finish these all. But I'm really going to try, because most of these books have been sitting around for years waiting to be read and I'm tired of seeing their sad little spines watching me as I read other books and bring new books home from the library. :(

Let's get reading and Take Control!

It's Monday! Here's What I'm Reading...

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It's a great post to organise yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog   and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit – join them!

Good 2017, my fellow book dragons! It promises to be a good year. At least, I plan to make it so, and hope you do too! ^_^

 

What I Read Last Week:
I've somehow fallen into this deplorable habit lately of starting half a dozen books and audiobooks all at once and I haven't finished any of them yet. But I guess there was one thing I finished...

Avatar: The Last Airbender -Smoke and Shadow, parts 1-3 by Gene Luen Yang

Gotta admit, I loved a lot about this trilogy. The Avatar comics have been rather touch and go with me since the beginning, but I must say they're improving. Smoke and Shadow is probably my favorite of all to date, but let's leave the review for later, shall we?






What I'm Currently Reading:
*takes deep breath*
Are you ready for this?

Books:
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (Check out my review!)
An ARC from Netgalley that I am thoroughly enjoying, albeit a little slowly. Savoring. That's what I'd doing. Savoring.

The Green Man edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
After reading their anthology The Faery Reel, I knew I had to read this one about the elusive 'Green Man' of mythology, which happens to be a topic of research at the moment.

The Last Gunfight: The Real Story of the Shootout at the O.K. Corral -And How It Changed the American West by Jeff Guinn
I have a mental list of books at my library that I need to read. They don't always make it onto my Goodreads TBR, but whenever I walk past their shelves, I get a reminder. This has been on that mental list for the better part of four years. I don't have a great track record with nonfiction, but I'm very interested in Old West history, so we'll see.

The Man With No Name by Frostfyre7
Okay, yes, this is a fanfiction. But it's a freaking amazing and totally believable Firefly/Doctor Who crossover and it is spectacular. Seriously.
You should go read it.
Right now.

I'm so excited about it I even made an appropriate YouTube playlist.

Audios:
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
I read this a few years ago and I didn't remember enjoying it all that much. At least, I swear I read it a few years ago. It's a favorite of a friend of mine so I decided to give it another go and -you know what? I don't think I actually finished it the first time around. Because I don't remember Fae in this story at all. Or magic. And you know what else? I really, really like it!

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
I felt like I was well-read in Sanderson until I realized Mistborn: Final Empire was the only Cosmere novel I've read. Might as well start at the beginning! As always, fascinating and elaborate and captivating.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
This has been on my TBR forever and I found this on my library's Overdrive. I love that, because I can put it onto my MP3 and listen when I can. I'm *almost* finished with it and I'm loving it.


What I'm Reading Next:
Next? Next?! Dudes, I'm not even sure I'll finish all of these!

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
At the very least, I've gotta read this. Book club book, you know.

Girls to the Rescue by Bruce Lansky
Recommended by my niece, who absolutely adores them, because these short stories are all about girls being brave and heroic!

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas
Told you I was enjoying Throne of Glass.

Well, that's what I'm up to.
What are your recent and current reads?

Shelf Control #4 | The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey

Shelf Control

hosted by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Shelf Control is all about the books we want to read — and already own! Consider this a variation of a Wishing & Waiting post… but looking at books already available, and in most cases, sitting right there on our shelves and e-readers.

The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey

Synopsis (via Goodreads):
San Francisco, 1905: Rosalind, a medieval scholar, is hired by Jason, a powerful sorcerer. Jason's enemy offers to restore Rosalind's family fortune if she will betray Jason. And then the earthquake strikes. . . .

How I got it:
I picked this up at a thrift store. For $1. I loooooove thrift stores, you guys.

When I got it:
A couple weeks ago, maybe August 2016. Definitely not the unread book I've owned the longest, but one I'm eager to read.

Why I want to read it:
I've been very intrigued by the idea of Lackey's Elemental Masters series, so I really hoped this was one of them -after the fact I found out this is basically ground zero for the series, the beginning if not technically 'book one'- but mostly I got it because it's a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast. As I mentioned in yesterday's Top Ten Tuesday, I'm trying to read ALL OF THE RE-TELLINGS before the live-action version hits theaters in March. (Wish me luck!) Plus, I've never read anything by Lackey before and, for a girl whose first love is fantasy, that seems like something it needs to be remedied, poste haste.

What series is on your To Read list that you seem to keep putting off?

TTT: Books on My Fall TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a blog meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Some (well, one) of these are new releases and some (er, most) are age-old TBRs from my shelf or Goodreads. All of them WILL BE READ this fall. (I know I've said that before, but this time I'm serious!)

Iron Man: The Gauntlet by Eoin Colfer
Yeah. No brainer. I haven't shut up about this book since it was announced and it releases on October 25th. LET THE COUNTDOWN COMMENCE! And I've already pre-ordered it. (You can too! We're talking a $9.65 hardcover pre-order from Barnes and Noble, people; don't think, just do it.)

The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey
I'd never heard of this, but I picked it up at a thrift store. It's a Beauty and the Beast retelling and I've got a list of those I want to read before March. (Gee, wonder why...)
Double bonus! I've been hearing recently about Lackey's Elemental Masters series, which sounds phenomenal. Turns out this is the beginning of that. Score.

Aftermath and Aftermath: Life Debt by Chuck Wendig
These are from my shelf and I'm rather ashamed I haven't gotten around to them yet. But seeing as the final book is due out in February, I ought to get them into my system. Also, I'm hoping it gives a good transition from Empire to First Order. *fingers crossed*

Vicious by V.E. Schwab
If you've lost count on how many times this has popped up on one of these season TBRs, you're not alone. I have too. But the next time this title pops up on my blog, it will be in sidebar 'What I'm Reading' section and then in a review because, come on, this is getting ridiculous.

Marvel's Original Sin and Civil War
Before Captain America: Civil War hit theaters, I planned to read the comic, but the comic was actually the last in a grand story arc so I had to read the rest of them. I got through the rest of them, but never actually made it to Civil War. Huzzah.
Original Sin made the list because I went to read the next issue of the Loki: Agent of Asgard and had no bloody clue what was going on.

Pwned by Shannen Crane Camp
Another title that's been on my TBR for a while, which turns a few cliches on their heads. Beautiful, popular, cheerleader co-captain Reagan West has a dark secret: she's a die-hard gamer, which is basically Loser Central.

Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
The sequel just hit the new book display at my library and it looks and sounds like a library lover's dream.

Dead Girls Detective Agency by Suzy Cox, Desolate Angel by Chaz McGee and Wicked Autumn by G.M. Malliet
October is always 'murder mystery' month for me, born of the annual theme at the library where I grew up and the fact that my family didn't celebrate Halloween, so every year about this time I try to read some nice good murders and these three are already on the list. We'll see if I can make it through any of them. Murder mysteries are notoriously sticky for me to explore; I tend to like stuff a little grittier than cozies, but that usually means they're nowhere near clean, either.

Crap. I think I put too many books on the TBR again. :P

What are you reading this fall?
And are you any better at finishing TBR lists than I am?