Teaser Tuesdays 52# :Phillippa Gregory's The Lady of the Rivers

It's been a YEAR of Teaser Tuesdays! Well, actually, it's been longer than that, since I missed out on many weeks. Still, I've now posted FIFTY TWO weeks of Teasers and mini-reviews!

*does a happy dance at chair*

The book I'm reading on my commute is a Philippa Gregory novel from my library. A friend recommended a long time ago. Quoted from Page 56, Chapter Castle of St. Pol, Artois, Spring 1433.

"He lets it come and then he pulls back the covers of the bed, ignoring me as I tuck my bare feet out of sight, and he holds out his hand and drips a few drops of red blood onto the sheets.I stare at them as the stain spreads, feeling utterly ashamed, thinking that this is my marriage, that starts with my husband's blood, with a lie."

Really Mini Summary:

I'm wondering why I never read her earlier! I like women-centric books (yes); I like historical novels (yes) and courageous heroines (so far, yes!). The beginning chapters has Joan of Arc post her crowning of the King of France, when she is being derided as a heretic and witch. Our heroine, a young Duchess, must navigate some extremely political shoals to survive as a potentially powerful woman in a strongly male-centric world.

First time visit? Check out photos of most beautiful US public libraries, John Updike's rules for reviews, and a question of whether hardbacks are dying.
My current, slightly weird reading list
Let me know if you follow this blog, I'll follow back! 

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To join into the TT fun, visit the link below!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Book Blogger Confessions #1: Un-Following a blog

The lovely bloggers at http://www.fwiwreviews.net/ are hosting a meme: Book Blogger Confessions.

This week's question - 

How do you follow blogs?  Do you use Google Reader?  Are you on an e-mail list?  Are you more apt to follow people who have less followers?  Would you follow a blog to enter a contest?  What makes you unfollow a blog?

I decided to reply to this meme only because it coincided with what I was doing this very morning - pruning my Google Reader list. I don't do this often, but every 6 months or so, I go through blogs that haven't updated in the last 6 months to a year, and delete them.

You'd be surprised by how many blogs enter this dry, arid update-less zone.
I follow blogs only on GFC (Google Friend Connect), which pulls all the feeds into my Google Reader. These, along with some authors’ blogs and webcomics, make up my early morning reading.
I am not on any email list for blog updates. That seems like an unnecessarily cumbersome way to read. I do get Goodreads updates via email, and some reviews there link to blog posts.
I don’t have a preference around following people who have less followers, but I have a reciprocity policy:
“Follow me, and I follow back”. This does mean that a lot of blogs I follow are in the 200 to 500 follower range.
I used to follow blogs to enter contests, but now I just enter contests hosted by blogs I follow! *grins*
The only reason I would ever unfollow a blog if they haven’t updated in 6+ months.


A great question, thanks to the hosts FWIW and Midnyte Reader for inspiring this post!

Book Blogger Hop - July 20th to 26th

Welcome to my stop on the Book Blogger Hop!

Q: What’s the ONE super-hyped book you’ll NEVER read?

The most polarizing question I've seen here yet! I haven't done the hop in a while (thanks to being busy with my new born baby) but this question just pulled me right back in!


I'd have to say the Twilight series is my "never gonna read" point. I haven't the slightest bit of interest in reading them, though I LOVE paranormal/fantasy/space fantasy books (Ilona Andrews, Brandon Sanderson, Patricia Briggs, Bujold, ..tell me when to stop!). You name it, I've probably read it or started the series.
Still, Twilight just rubs me the wrong way. Apologies to the Twihards out there! 


Leave a comment and let me know if you follow as I like to follow back.

Teaser Tuesday #51 - Odd Thomas - Odd Interlude

The book I'm reading is the first part of Dean Koontz's new Odd Thomas novella, Odd Interlude. His next Odd Thomas novel is releasing this Aug. As part of the buzz, a three part novella is being released in stages. This is from Page 2 of Part 1:

"Annamaria insists that mere hours earlier, I saved entire cities, sparing many hundreds of thousands from nuclear terrorism. Even if that is most likely true, I feel as though, in the process, I have forfeited a piece of my soul."

Really Mini Summary:

I find Odd Thomas books weirdly interesting and Odd's endearing quirkiness just draws me in.

First time visit? Check out photos of most beautiful US public libraries, John Updike's rules for reviews, and a question of whether hardbacks are dying.

Let me know if you follow this blog, I'll follow back! 

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To join into the TT fun, visit the link below!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Teaser Tuesday #50 - Wolf's Head, Wolf's Heart

The book I'm about halfway through is Jane Lindskold's Wolf's Head, Wolf's Head (Firekeeper #2):

Out of fairness to Firekeeper, he spoke not one word to protect himself from accusations of being too credulous, but spoke as if he believed—as he realized that he did—both that she could understand the wolf and that the wolf could read the winds as humans read print.
When he finished his report, the king said mildly, "Well, that's interesting indeed. I wonder..."

Really Mini Summary:
Reading this for the second time in a row, as I didn't get through it first time. Picks up interest after the first few chapters - when the characters are visiting a foreign country, exploring new customs that involve weird face-painting!


First time visit? Check out photos of most beautiful US public libraries, John Updike's rules for reviews, and a question of whether hardbacks are dying.
Let me know if you follow this blog, I'll follow back! 

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To join into the TT fun, visit the link below!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Teaser Tuesday #47: The Dance of Time & Free Books!

The past few weeks I've realized just how good at military fiction Eric Flint is. Now, back to the teaser game - Here's a teaser from Eric Flint's The Dance of Time (Belisarius series):

"The Malwa commander took a deep breath; then, slowly, sighed it out. "We can't hold Multan," he said quietly, speaking more to himself than to the lieutenant."

You can read most of Eric's books for free here or buy them from Baen.
How does the publisher give so many books away for FREE you ask? See This post on Baen and their free library.

Really Mini Summary:
Warfare and strategy in a Roman culture - pretty good stuff! Multiple cultures, two strong female protagonists, the decisive and effective Belisarius, and a whole lot of military action. This isn't for the faint-hearted.
Engrossing enough that I'm reading the entire series in a row.

To begin reading, here is the first free book in the Belisarius series, An Oblique Approach.
Let me know if you follow this blog, I'll follow back! 

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To join into the TT fun, visit the link below!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Teaser Tuesday #46: the first since my son's arrival!

Aaryan, Week 5

The last months of my pregnancy and My son's arrival derailed my memes on E-volving books. This is him in a rare snoozing session!

Now, back to the teaser game - Here's a teaser from Eric Flint's The Tide of Victory:

"But that order—and its consequences—remain mine to bear. No one else. Nor can I trade it against other consequences, as if ruthlessness was a commodity which can be exchanged in a village market"

You can read most of Eric's books for free here or buy them from Baen.
How does the publisher give so many books away for FREE you ask? See This post on Baen and their free library.

Bloggiesta Time - It's time to FIESTA!

PEDRO: Plan. Edit. Develop. Review. Organize.

It's bloggiesta time around here - and I JUST realized it! So I'm late to this weekend, but I can do the event on Sunday, Monday instead. What's Bloggiesta you ask?


The idea behind Bloggiesta is
to spend these next two days working on
(1) perfecting our blogs, and
(2) connecting with other bloggers doing the same thing

My *continously updated* goals:

1. Back up blog and all the posts (Done! Thanks to S. Leighanne for the know how)
2. Include twitter/goodreads/pinterest etc buttons (still trying)
3. Clean up side bar by removing at least 3 widgets (Deleted Blogroll. Removed Communities, Book challenges and moved them to Pages here)
4. Check blog for dead links
5.  Add blog and goodreads to my Google+ profile
6. Can I autopost to Facebook and Google+ ? (Help!)
7. Prep 5 posts or 10 post ideas for future emergency updates (4 done)
8. Add to my Amazon reviews (currently 5 are here)
9. Visit 25 other bloggiesta participants 
10. Change comment form to in-line with posts (Have also removed the Captcha, feel the difference?)
11. Participate in 3 mini-challenges (Pinterest challenge & others)
12. Understand and link Pinterest to blog  - http://pinterest.com/deerao/)
13. Get 10 new followers - If you follow me, let me know - I follow back! (2 done)

    ¡Ole!

Teaser Tuesday - Fury 02 - Green-Eyed Envy

The Teaser Tuesday is back - after a couple of months of no memes here on E-Volving Books.
I just finished Drink Deep (Merit, an UF Vampire series) and am halfway through the second book in a Fury series by Kasey Mackenzie. I picked it up because an urban fantasy around Furies was new, and thought it might be worth checking out.
 
"Recognition hit Harper like a punch to the stomach. She staggered a crooked step back, brushing up against Scott behind her and Penn to her right."
 
Mini Review:
The first book was decent, but this novel isn't nearly as kick-ass. The heroine isn't going full fury-mode and fighting very much so far. The mystery she is solving doesn't appear to require typical detective skills, and the plot devices are weak.
My rating: Meh.

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To join into the TT fun, visit the link below!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Teaser Tuesday: The Steerswoman's Road

This is a book I've just finished, had a great time reading, and wanted to share with you.

From the first line of Page 27:

"I thought everyone had to answer a steerswoman." 

"Nobody has to answer anyone; people answer because they want answers in turn. If you deny any steerswoman's questions, no steers­woman will ever answer yours again."

Mini Review:

The author was recommended on Tor.com as having written this brilliant series. I hadn't ever heard of either the series or the author before, but fantasy recommendations are always worth trying :) What I really enjoyed was the sneaky way the story starts off as fantasy and then you slowly unveil the science behind what is called "magic". 

You might recall the famous saying - A sufficiently advanced science is magic. So true in this series.

Blurb: If you ask, she will answer. If she asks, you must reply. A steerswoman will speak only the truth to you, as long as she knows it—and you must do the same for her. And so, across the centuries, the Steerswomen— questioning, searching, investigating—have slowly learned more and more about the world through which they wander.

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To join into the TT fun, visit the link below!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Teaser: Terry Pratchett and Dark side of the Sun

The book I'm reading in my daily commute today is Terry Pratchett's The Dark side of the Sun.
From the first line of Page 27:

As he walked toward the domes he was aware of the silence. It spread out from him like a wake, from man to man.

(Bonus Teaser below, because this is a fantatic quote)

"I perceive a possibility of an immediate chronological sequence of events which includes a violence," said Three. He stepped back, "I express preference for a chronological sequence of events which precludes a violence."

Mini Review:

The author is one of my favorites, and while this isn't his best work, I am doing a very diligent re-read of Terry Pratchett's entire catalogue.
Highly recommend you start with either Night Watch or any book in the DEATH series, don't worry about an order or timeline. His books are hysterically funny, great to read and re-read, and very imaginative.

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To join into the TT fun, visit the link below!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

The Crippled God - The Malazan Book of the Fallen

I've been making my way through the epic to end all epics: The Malazan Book of the Fallen.
This is the final tome, #10, in Steven Erikson's award-winning series. I'm in the last stretch, with maybe 50 pages to go.

Page 75 (of 928 pages) 

'If it weren't for me you'd still be clinging halfway up that cliff, a clutch of bones with birds nesting in your hair and spiders in your eye sockets.' 

'If it weren't for you I'd never have tried climbing it.'

'Yes you would' 

'Why do you say that?'                                    

'Because, Stormy, you never think.'

Mini Review:

The Malazan series is for a reader with stamina and patience. The books are long-winded, and span millenia, numerous races, Gods and more.  

(This is my excuse for having a longer than 2 sentence teaser). In the end, it is all worth it!

I'd recommend this series to fans of fantasy, Stephen King's The Dark Tower series, war stories.

Do read a recent post, perhaps a review of the latest Buffy graphic novel by Joss Whedon.

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To join into the TT fun, visit the link below!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Teaser Tuesday #40 - Ciji Ware's A Race to Splendor

This is one of those books that got onto my reading list from someone's Teaser!
 Chapter 9, Line 1:

"The following day, Thursday, hundreds of individual fires across some five hundred city blocks converged into one monstrous inferno fed by super-heated winds. By Friday evening, both the sun and the moon glowed a malignant blood red."

Mini Review:
Has a strong woman protagonist, fighting to prove herself as a female engineer  & architect in a man's world (early 1900's). The background of the 1906 California fire is central to the theme of the story.
Very true to form in describing the San Francisco of the early 20th Century. Loved the historical facts and well-researched story line. Less romance than expected, which is pretty good for a change. I woudn't classify this as your typical historical romance, this is heavy on the character building and low on the romance :D What fun!
Do read my previous post, a review of the latest Buffy graphic novel by Joss Whedon.

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To join into the TT fun, visit the link below!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Teaser Tuesday #39 - Snapshots from Hell: The Making of an MBA

A friend recommended I read Snapshots from Hell: The Making of an MBA,a book that is typically read by MBA aspirants. 
Why did I read this? While I already went to b-school, I usually like recommended books, and a refresher of those memories couldn't hurt.
Quoted from Page 62:
"I have now been to the first session of each of my five core courses. I do not understand Trees. I do not understand Computers. I do not understand Micro. I do not understand Accounting. I do understanding Organizational Behaviour, since it deals with words rather than numbers. But I don't like it.
So what am I doing at business school?"

I'm nearly done with this non-fiction book. Non-fiction is a rare breed both in my regular reading and in this meme, so I hope you will bear with me :)
Mini Review:
Good advice for someone considering an MBA, even though the edition is old and dated. Most of the material will still be very similar, and the structure of the MBA is exactly as described. The writing flows well and is easy to read - a pleasure!

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To join into the TT fun, visit the link below!

Teaser Tuesday #38 - A Curious Affair

A Curious Affair: The only book I've read by this author and it definitely captured my interest. Melanie Jackson writes in that trickiest of styles - First person, yet manages to draw the reader into a murder that disrupts an idyllic countryside.

"I was unnerved, and not because I was following a talking cat, though I’m betting that’s the part of the story that most bothers you, since I assume you’re sensible and sane."

Only one line for a teaser today - from Chapter 2, Para 1. 

Mini Review:This is a mystery with a borderline supernatural element and I would suggest you pick it up if you are a cat lover. Or an animal lover.
I'm into Melanie's writing style now, and would be happy to find other books by her. If you have any recommendations for more mysteries by her, add that in your comment! 
I'm also interested in hearing about books that transcend the fantasy genre - like Jasper Fforde's novels,  Wicked by G. Maquire, and The Hunger Games.
See more here: Literature vs. Fantasy

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Teaser Tuesdays is hosted at Should Be Reading.

Teaser Tuesday #37 - Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things and Septimus Heap 6 Darke

This is a re-read Teaser this week! I'm reading (for the second time), a collection of Short stories by Neil Gaiman called Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders

Teaser from the Short Story - A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman: 

“Of course not,” said my friend. “I know the squeak of your brougham wheels, though, after all this time: an oscillating G sharp above high C. And if Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard cannot publically be seen to come into the parlour of London’s only consulting detective, yet comes anyway, and without having had his breakfast, then I know that this is not a routine case. Ergo, it involves those above us and is a matter of national importance.”

I'm also finishing up the latest Septimus Heap book, by Angie Sage. I know I'm completely over this age group, but it is still necessary for me to finish series I begin. I'm not posting  a teaser here, the Neil Gaiman book is far more captivating. Can't you tell from the above mind-twisting take on a classic Sherlock story?

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Teaser Tuesdays is hosted at Should Be Reading.

Teaser Tuesday #36 - Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews

It is HERE! If you see the last couple of posts I've been writing, they revolve around the latest book by Ilona Andrews:  Magic Slays (Kate Daniels, Book 5). This is from Chapter 3, Location 570 (yes, the numbers are always more than page numbers) on my Kindle.

Andrea paused, her hands on a bloody rag.

"What do you mean, fainted?"

"Took a dive. Kissed the pavement. Swooned like a Southern belle after her first kiss. Had a dreadful case of the vapors."

I am SO excited to read this - and highly recommend you pick up this series if you haven't read it yet. Skip the first two books and start from the Third,and keep going! My reviews of Magic Burns and Magic Bites(Book1) is here.

You can click here for an Excerpt of Magic Slays from Ilona's website.

P.S. I had some trouble getting my head out of this book and putting the quote out here, instead of continuing to read! 

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Teaser Tuesdays is hosted at Should Be Reading.

Teaser Tuesday #35: Simon Green's Something from the Nightside

The quote from Something from the Nightside, Chapter 3:

The only thing that moves faster than the speed of light is gossip in the Night-side. Still, the crowd was much as I remembered. Boys, girls, and a few others, all looking for a good time. Business as usual on the dark side of the city. Up on the street, they spilled out of the train station, sniffing freedom and opportunities on the crisp air, and scattered into the endless night, hot on the trail of their own salvations and damnations.

Mini Review:
Simon's novel is a racier, lighter version of China Mieville's The City and The City. This is the first novel in a series that I believe is at least 9 books out. There are no rules to his universe in the book, unlike the precise magic-worlds of L.E. Modesitt's. So now you know who Simon writes like, and who he doesn't write like. 

The fans of Neil Gaiman's city under London book and mini-series would appreciate the baseline behind Something from the Nightside. This is a hidden world, hidden beneath London as we know it. The story is a twisty-turning one, with plenty of unexpected plot characters - a fun, light read while traveling.

What's in your hands/reading device of choice today?

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Teaser Tuesdays is hosted at Should Be Reading.

Teaser Tuesday #30 - One More Bite

While I'm still reading The Silmarillion (phew! Heavy going), I didn't want to repeat a teaser. Instead, there is a NetGalley book which I'm supposed to review soon. I'm finishing up the series so I can review the NetGalley of #7 in the Jaz Parks series.

The teaser is from Jaz Parks #5 - One More Bite , close to the beginning of the book.

To me this is just another aspect of your recently upgraded weirdocity."

"That's not a word."

"Shut up".

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Let me know what you are reading - recommendations are awesome. I need suggestions or I will have to keep re-reading Jim Butcher, Megan Whelan Turner, Georgette Heyer - which is also fine....;)
If you follow, drop a note, so I can follow back!

Book Blogger Hop #20: Many Monies for books?

It's time for another Book Blogger Hop, courtesy of Crazy for Books!

 

"If I gave you £50 (or $80) and sent you into a bookshop right now, what would be in your basket when you finally staggered to the till?"

Wow, *does some quick math*, that would be Rs. 4000, which is a LOT of books! (or in my case a few hardcover novels).

I'd pick up The Crippled God by Steven Erikson, another copy of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, for a friend. My recent read of The Wise Man's Fear (my review is here) would go into this basket too, for a gift or re-read (already I don't think I could carry this presumably infinitely-sized basket!).

What else? I should still have enough for one.more.book. right?

I'd get some Manga - Its been ages since I've read any. Maybe some Patricia Briggs, if there is anything new that I haven't read yet...

This is dangerous (read expensive) territory now and I can't resist the bookstores this weekend!!