Week in Review – 4 February 2018

It’s been another rough week for me, I’m really struggling with my bipolar right now, not sleeping, hearing voices, and balancing on the edge of a cliff where if I fall I’m in full-blown mania. My meds have been adjusted and dealing with those side effects are just as bad as the illness itself. But I’m getting through and I just have to keep reminding myself that it will end.

I do have things I want to talk about but I just don’t have it in me right now so I’ll just go with the update and hopefully, by next week I will have more wits about me…

Book of the Month

January has come to an end so it’s time to pick a book of the month, and straight away I just can’t pick one, it’s been a stellar month for books…I see my top 10 at the end of the year being impossible!

The Bitter Twins is the latest from Jen Williams, book two in The Winnowing Flame Trilogy. This book was everything I expect from Williams and more. Firmly cementing her position at the top of my fantasy author tree. My review can be found here.

The Dragon’s Wing and The Tiger’s Ambush are books two and three in the Kit Davenport series by Tate James and I’m classing them as a two for one here. While this is pegged as a reverse harem series, the paranormal/urban fantasy elements are absolutely fantastic and have me completely hooked. Anybody who loves paranormal/urban fantasy and is curious about reverse harem this is the series to start with because it is just perfectly executed and for me, the fantasy elements are far more prominent, although the romance is hot and heavy when it gets going.

Blunt Force Magic by Lawrence Davis is a surprise entry, the author had approached another blogger who reviews crime and she had tagged me and a couple of other fantasy loving bloggers. I was hooked by the description so despite not wanting to take on new books right now I said I would review it and I have no regrets, it was gripping, funny, and had some of the best battle scenes I’ve read in a while. Just so friggin good. Here is my review.

Currently Reading

What I’ve Read

New Books

Bought / Freebies

Pre-Orders

eARCs

Reviews

This week I have reviewed:

Five Star: A Week To Be Wild by J.C. Harroway, and Blunt Force Magic by Lawrence Davis.
Four Star: Hunted by Mila Young, and Silver Moon by Nikki Landis
Three Star: Spirited by C.M. Stunich

Other Posts

2Cellos were featured on Music Monday. The new TBR Topple post has gone up so check it out and vote on which book I@m going to read from my TBR this month. Lainy from Always Reading took part in The Bookshelf this week.

Next Week on BrizzleLass Books

The Authors Bookshelf – Kristen Brand @brandedkristen

Welcome to The Bookshelf. Each week I feature an author or book blogger and talk about their bookshelf with them. It’s a light-hearted, book focused, Q&A.

This week I have Kristen Brand who writes speculative fiction about superheroes…sign me up here! I’m so pleased to have her on The Bookshelf and I hope you enjoy her answers…

What was the first book you remember having on your bookshelf?
I’m sure I had a lot of picture books and early readers when I was younger, but the first book I remember having on my bookshelf that really mattered was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. My elementary school self was going through a phase of thinking reading was uncool before I got that book for a birthday present, so it’s thanks to Harry Potter that I have a bookshelf at all.

What was the most recent book you added to the bookshelf?
I recently bought the second volume of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur by Brandon Montclare and Amy Reeder, which is an all-ages comic book about a misunderstood preteen genius and her best friend, who happens to be a giant red T-rex. It’s as fun as it sounds, and I really need to get volume 3.

Which book have you most recently read from your bookshelf?
I reread The Death of Captain America by Ed Brubaker recently, which I consider a modern classic. I’m trying to prepare myself emotionally for any possible deaths in the next Avengers movie. 😉

Which 5 books from last year would you not let go of from your bookshelf?
The Legend of Wonder Woman by Renae De Liz is my all-time favorite graphic novel. Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson continues to be a great series, and The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl by Ryan North never fails to make me laugh. I’m cheating a little on the next one, because the Star Wars novel Bloodline came out a little over a year ago, but I got a signed copy within the last year that’s one of my favorite things on my bookshelf. And finally, I’ll add Wearing the Cape by Marion G. Harmon, which is probably cheating again, because the original novel came out years ago, but a really pretty special edition just released last month.

Which books are you most looking forward to adding to your bookshelf?
So many! I haven’t gotten my hands on Heroine Worship by Sarah Kuhn yet, and I like the sound of Lona Chang: A Superhero Detective Story by AshleyRose Sullivan. I also want to grab the first collected volume of The Unstoppable Wasp by Jeremy Whitley. If you’re sensing a theme here, it’s that I like female-led superhero stories.

What was the most recent addition to your writers bookshelf?
The Structuring Your Novel Workbook by K.M. Weiland was a huge help to me when I was outlining a recent novel. I’d never outlined and written a book so quickly and easily before.

Which of your own books are you most proud of adding to the bookshelf?
I’ll go with my first novel, Hero Status, which is about a retired superhero who marries his former arch-nemesis and has to prove her innocence when she’s framed for murder. Publishing it was such a huge milestone for me, though I tend to like each book I write in that series better than the last.

Which book on your bookshelf do you most wish you had written?
Soulless by Gail Carriger has had a spot on my shelf for years and has moved with me across an ocean and to two new apartments. It’s the perfect blend of action, humor, and romance and is such a fun, witty read that I’m not surprised to still find it on Amazon’s steampunk bestseller list all these years later.

Is there a WIP we can look forward to adding to our bookshelves?
Yes! Almost Invincible, the third book in my White Knight & Black Valentine superhero series came out on September 30th. I like to describe it as “Die Hard in a theme park with superheroes,” so if that sounds fun to you, check it out.

Can you share a picture of your bookshelf / favourite bookshelf?
This is one of my bookshelves and shows a pretty good mix of novels and comic books.

Kristen Brand’s Bookshelf

*These may not be all of the author’s publications but are the most recent. Check their links below for full details.

About Kristen Brand

Kristen Brand is a comic book fan and all-around geek. She writes novels with lots of punches, witty banter, and a bit of kissing. You can find out more about her work and read her free superhero web serial, Fight Crime! (A Love Story), at kristenbrand.com, or talk with her about nerdy stuff on Twitter.

The Bookshelf

Many thanks for stopping by Kristen, I’m loving all the female-fronted superhero love here. I’ve actually missed a few of these so need to pick some of them up!

Want to take part?
If you are a blogger or author and would like to take part in The Bookshelf click here, and fill in the really short contact form to let me know!

I can’t wait to hear from you!