Dear 2014: Year In Review Thus Far

Well, hello there.  I've been a touch quiet as of late, and I apologize. This year has been absolutely nutty for me.  I've not read near amount the books I should have, nor have I managed to get a singular review done.  To me this is absolutely unacceptable, as I still have several reviews to catch up on, as well as new ones I should have had up a couple of weeks ago. 

Any posts I do lately will be from the library, due to lack of net at home, and unfortunately some jerk bumped into me yesterday and now the screen on my phone is shattered to hell and gone, not happy about that.

However, on a highly positive note, I have read some very good books this year, and I'm going to share my current year in of books with you:

1. Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night (Immortals After Dark #4)- Kresley Cole -Currently reading
2. Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2) - Robin LeFevers - Currently Reading
3. The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Fire and Thorns #1) - Rae Carson - Currently Re-Reading
4. The Crown of Embers (Fire and Thorns #2) - Rae Carson - TBR Pile #1
5. Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) - Robin LeFevers
6. The Fault in Our Stars - John Green
7. Girl Parts - John M. Cusick
8. The Neverending Story - Michael Ende
9. Kiss of Steel (London Steampunk #1) - Bec McMaster
10. Be All (All #1) - Marie Wathen
11. Dad is Fat - Jim Gaffigan
12. Delirium (Delirium #1) - Lauren Oliver
13. NOS4A2 - Joe Hill
14. Pandemonium (Dilerium #2) - Lauren Oliver
15. Requiem (Dilerium #3) - Lauren Oliver
16. Born (B Cubed #1) - Jenna McCormick
17. Pwned (Lexy Cooper Mysteries #2) - Christa Charter
18. I Saw Lexy Kissing Santa Clause (Lexy Cooper Mysteries #2.5) - Christa Charter
19. Chosen (The Lost Books #1) - Ted Dekker
20. Divergent (Divergent #1) - Veronica Roth
21. Insurgent (Divergent #2) - Veronica Roth
22. Night Broken (Mercedes Thompson #8) - Patricia Briggs
23. Allegant (Divergent #3) - Veronica Roth
24. The Warlord Wants Forever (Immortals After Dark #1) - Kresley Cole
25. The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Fire and Thorns #1) - Rae Carson
26. The Way of Shadows (Night Angel #1) - Brent Weeks
27. Tempted (House of Night #6) - P.C. Cast
28. A Hunger Like No Other (Immortals After Dark #2) - Kresley Cole
29. Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna #1) - Kendare Blake
30. The Light of Eidon (Legends of the Guardian-King #1) - Karen Hancock
31. The King (Blackdagger Brotherhood #12) - J.R. Ward
32. Big Girl Panties - Stephanie Evanovich
33. Sycamore Row - John Grisham
34. Shadow's Edge (Night Angel #2) - Brent Weeks
35. The Lady of the Rivers (The Cousin's War #3) - Phillipa Gregory
36. Girl of Nightmares (Anna #2) - Kendare Blake
37. The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes (The Sandman #1) - Neil Gaiman
38. Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Circus of the Damned, Volume 2: The Ingenue - Laurell K. Hamilton
39. Fallen (Fallen #1) - Lauren Kate
40. The Doll's House (The Sandman #2) - Neil Gaiman
41. The Sandman, Volume 3: Dream Country (The Sandman #3) - Neil Gaiman
42. The Sandman, Volume 4: Season of Mists (The Sandman #4) - Neil Gaiman
43. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon #1 - Wang Du Lu
44. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon #2 - Andy Seto
45. Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Circus of the Damned, Volume 1: The Charmer - Laurell K. Hamilton
46. Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity - Katherine Boo
47. Torment (Fallen #2) - Lauren Kate
48. Artificial Evil (The Techxorcist #1) - Colin F. Barnes
49. Maus, I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History (Maus #1) - Art Spiegelman
50. Passion (Fallen #3) - Lauren Kate
51. The Sandman, Vol 7: Brief Lives (The Sandman #7)- Neil Gaiman
52. Rogues - George R.R. Martin
53. No Rest for the Wicked (Immortals After Dark #3) - Kresley cole
54. The Sandman, Vol 5: A Game of You (The Sandman #5) - Neil Gaiman
55. The Sandman, Vol 6: Fables and Reflections (The Sandman #6) - Neil Gaiman

FIRE COUNTRY'S 1ST BIRTHDAY BASH!!!!!!!!

Today, Fire Country by David Estes turns one year old.

In the first year  since Fire Country was born, so much has happened. David signed with an agent, sold more than 10,000 books, wrote five more books and  published a further three). He knew he just had to celebrate and he'd love for you to  be a part of it! David owes so much of his support to the blogger community, and he wants everyone to have the chance to be a part of the Fire Country Birthday  Bash.

Everyone goes home a winner, simply follow the prompts below and swipe your eCopy of Fire Country from Smashwords. Read and leave a review on Amazon if you enjoyed it. Feel free to share the code with your friends, family, neighbours and literary inclined pets.

Fire Country on Smashwords.com

Coupon Code: WH62C
Expiration: March 1, 2014

What's  a party without prizes? Yes, David is not only giving everyone a chance  to download their own copy of Fire Country, book one in the Country  Saga for free, but he's also giving you stuff too. You could win an  Amazon giftcard open internationally, U.S residents can win a signed  copy of the David Estes book of your choice, or a handful of David Estes  eBooks of your choice. Awesome.

Visit David via: his Blog • Facebook • Twitter • and via Goodreads
Pay Perry the Prickler a visit on Twitter and Goodreads'

(SINCERE APOLOGIES: Rafflecopter code not transferring properly.)

Bibliophile's Wish List: 1-14-14

Welcome to this week's, and the first edition of Bibliophile's Wish List of 2014!  There are so many, many books coming out this week, it was hard to choose from those that I wanted to showcase this week.  There is one that was mandatory for me to showcase because it will be the second book in a series that I've already read, and will be rereading so I am once again refreshed with the first book.  

Without further adieu, I present to you the books that are gracing my wish list this week. 

Who doesn't love it when people dabble with creation?  Seriously? Nothing bad EVER happens when people start playing with genetics and things like that right?  Jurassic Park, that was all just a big misunderstanding right? Well, in this new novel by Jessica Khoury, the scientists are at it again, dabbling with things that are best left alone. 

On a remote island in the Pacific, Corpus scientists have taken test tube embryos and given them life.  These beings - the Vitros - have knowledge and abilities most humans can only dream of.  But they also have one enormous flaw.

Sophie Crue is determined to get to Skin Island and find her mother, a scientist who left Sophie behind years ago.  She enlists hunky charter pilot Jim Julien to take her there.  But once on the island, Sophie and Jim encounter more than they bargained for, including a charming, brilliant Vitro named Nicholas and an innocent, newly awoken one named Lux.

In a race for their lives, Sophie and Jim are about to discover what happens when science stretches too far beyond its reach. 

This is a new series by Brian Staveley, and it is one that I am looking forward to getting my hands on.  It seems rather interesting and the world that has been crafted is definitely one that is rich in complexities.

The emperor of Annur is dead, slain by enemies unknown.  His daughter and two sons, scattered across the world, do what they must to stay alive and unmask the assassins. But each of them also has a life-path on which their father set them, destinies entangled with both ancient enemies and inscrutable gods.

Kaden, the heir to the Unhewn Throne, has spent eight years sequestered in a remote mountain monastery, learning the enigmatic discipline of monks devoted to the Blank God.  Their rituals hold the key to an ancient power he must master before it's too late.

An ocean away, Valyn endures the brutal training of the Kettral, elite soldiers who fly into battle on gigantic black hawks.  But before he can set out to save Kaden, Valyn must survive one horrific final test.

At the heart of the empire, Minister Adare, elevated to her station by one of the emperor's final acts, is determined to prove herself to her people.  But Adare also believes she knows who murdered her father, and will stop at nothing - and risk everything - to see that justice is meted out.

Historical fiction can be done right, or it can end up like the drivel that Hannity writes with Lincoln showing up in a car...I'm hoping that this story by Jennifer Chiaverini proves its worth, and I will have to find the other book she's written Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker and see just how well she knows her history.

Kate Chase Sprague was born in 1840 in Cincinnati, Ohio, the second daughter to the second wife of a devout but ambitious lawyer.  Her father, Salmon P. Chase, rose to prominence in the antebellum years and was appointed secretary of the treasury in Abraham Lincoln's cabinet, while aspiring to even greater heights. 

 Beautiful, intelligent, regal, and entrancing, young Kate Chase stepped into the role of establishing her thrice-widowed father in Washington society as a future presidential candidate.  Her efforts were successful enough that The Washington Star declared her "the most brilliant woman of her day.  None outshone her."

None, that is, but Mary Todd Lincoln.  Though Mrs. Lincoln and her young rival held much in common - political acumen, love of country, and a resolute determination to help the men they loved achieve greatness - they could never be friends, for the success of one could only come at the expense of the other.  When Kate Chase married William Sprague, the wealthy young governor of Rhode Island, it was widely regarded as the pinnacle of Washington society weddings.  President Lincoln was in attendance.  The First Lady was not.

This one...what can I say, I'm a sucker for an interesting cover and I love the concept of this one.  I really, really do.  I am guilty of more than once judging a book by it's cover and usually I'm right on par with the book and the cover art.  Imagine if there was another serial killer on the loose, but one that lacks the emotion known to Jack the Ripper....

When a rotting torso is discovered in the vault of New Scotland Yard, it doesn't take Dr. Thomas Bond, Police Surgeon, long to realize that there is a second killer at work in the city where, only a few days before, Jack the Ripper brutally murdered two women in one night. 

Though just as gruesome,  this is the hand of a colder killer, one who lacks Jack's emotion.

And, as more headless and limbless torsos find their way into the Thames, Dr. Bond becomes obsessed with finding the killer.  As his investigations lead him into an unholy alliance, he starts to wonder: is it a man who has brought mayhem to the streets of London, or a monster?

SQUEE! Yes, I did squee like a fangirl, because I am a fangirl of this series.  I am greatly looking forward to the release of this book.  Second book, I'm hoping will not disappoint, though I already have a feeling I am going to be quite pleased with the playing out of the story.  I am also looking forward to seeing what new vintage photographs will show up in this book.

The second novel begins in 1940, immediately after the first book ended.  Having escaped Miss Peregrine's island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world.  Along the way, they encounter new allies, a menagerie of peculiar animals, and other unexpected surprises.  

Complete with dozens of newly discovered (and thoroughly mesmerizing) vintage photographs, this new adventure will delight readers of all ages.

What new books are you looking forward to getting your hands on this week?

Welcome to 2014!

I know, I'm ten days late, sue me!

I've been a bit busy.  Already I have my first three books of the year read.  Amazing isn't it? I'm almost done with the fourth as well, and things are chugging right along.  I have a bunch of reviews lined up for you (some of which should have already been up *shakes fist at RL*) but things will be chugging along rather smoothly soon enough.

There will be some revamping going on, I will be starting a few new series, retiring others to replace them with the new stuff.  Either way, you will still find loads of information here.

I will be signing up for more blog tour spots, and hopefully there will be one a week here at Confessions starting in Feb.

There will be a full schedule of series and such posted as soon as I get the bugs ironed out and figure out just what I will be showcasing and when.

Until then..

Keep reading!

2013: Year In Review

With the dropping of the ball in New York City's Times Square, 2014 has officially arrived, and with that comes my 2013 year in Review!

This year I have reached a couple of milestones, including 100 posts here at Confessions of a Bibliophile.  I have made some fantastic friends, and ultimately have read some fantastic books.  I cannot wait to see what 2014 will bring me reading wise!

So, without further adieu, here is my 2013 year in review:

2013 Year In Review
1. Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee
2. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
3. The Hanging Judge by Michael Ponsor
4. The Cistern Mission by Michael Dadich
5. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
6. Condemned to Die by Catherine Stovall
7. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
8. Build a Better Photograph by Michael E. Stern
9. The Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz
10. Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
11. King Hall by Scarllet Dawn
12. Souless by Gali Carriger
13. Saving Georgia by Kristin Flynn
14. Birthday Wishes by Braxton Cole
15. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith
16. The Devil's Kiss Trilogy by Gemma James
17. Fining Cinderella by Colleen Hoover
18. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
19. Bishop Street by Rene D. Schultz
20. Eighth Note by Kimberly Stedronsky
21. Eve by anna Carey
22. The Rancher by Kelli Ann Morgan
23. Ruined City by A.F. Stewart
24. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
25. The Boy Who Played With Dark Matter by Holy Ghost Writer
26. The Tapestry by Paul Wigmore
27. Hiding from the Reaper and Other Horror Poems by Michael Potts
28. Goddess of the Night by Lynne Ewing
29. Pantomime by Laura Lam
30. THe Mystery Box by Brad Meltzer
31. Trials by M.J. Moore
32. Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor
33. The Dracula Dossier: A Novel of Suspense by James Reese
34. Broken to Pieces by Avery Stark
35. Dragonborn by Jade Lee
36. The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima
37. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
38. Jaded by Mercy Amare
39. Ripple by E.L. Farris
40. One Night with You by Toni Dare
41. Rial by Toni Dare
42. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
43. Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
44. Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks
45. Don't Ask Don't Tell by T.R. Stoddard
46. The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
47. Finding Sanity by T.R. Stoddard
48. Divergent & Insurgent by Veronica Roth
49. Dark Hearts by T.R. Stoddard
50. Meet Kirsten: An American Girl by Janet Beeler Shaw
51. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
52. The Kill Order by James Dashner
53. The Book that Ate My Brother by Michael Dahl
54. TTYL by Lauren Myracle
55. The High Lord by Trudi Canavan
56. Under the Dome by Stephen King
57. The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
58. Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol
59. God or Godless? by John W. Loftus
60. The Reality Machine by Edward Packard
61. More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
62. The Giver by Lowis Lowry
63. Looking for Alaska by John Green
64. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
65. Inferno by Dan Brown
66. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchel
67. Can You Survive the Titanic? by Allison Lassieur
68. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
69. The Bell Jarr by Sylvia Plath
70. Treasure Island by Tim Hamilton
71. Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala
72. Lover Mine by J.R. Ward
73. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
74. Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward
75. Diseny in the Shadow by Ridley Pearson
76. This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
77. Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost
78. Bunnicula by James Howe
79. Your Mother Was a Neanderthal by Jon Scieszka
80. Howliday Inn by James Howe
81. Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward
82. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
83. At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost
84. Physik by Angie Sage
85. One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
86. Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward
87. The Gift by James Patterson
88. The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
89. Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger
90. If I Die by Rachel Vincent
91. Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward
92. The Devil Does Exist, Volume 6 by Mitsuba Takanashi
93. The Devil Does Exist, Volume 5 by Mitsuba Takanashi
94. The Devil Does Exist, Volume 4 by Mitsuba Takanashi
95. The Devil Does Exist, volume 3 by Mitsuba Takanashi
95. The Devil Does Exist, Volume 2 by Mitsuba Takanashi
96. The Devil Does Exist, Volume 1 by Mitsuba Takanashi
97. Culdcept: Volume 1 by Shinya Kaneko
98. Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer by Van Jensen
99. Legendary Talespinners, Volume 1 by James Kuhoric
100. Azumanga Daiho Vol. 4 by Kiyohiko Azuma
101. Stargazer by Claudia Gray
102. Azumanga Daioh Vol. 3 by Kiyohiko Azuma
103. Azumanga Daioh Vol. 2 by Kiyohiko Azuma
104. Azumanga Daioh Vol. 1 by Kiyohiko Azuma
105. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
106. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
107. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
108. My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent
109. Dork Daries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl by Rachel Renee Russell
110. Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward
111. Disney at Dawn by Ridley Pearson
112. Iced by Karen Marie Moning
113. The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
114. Sinner by Ted Dekker
115. Evernight by Claudia Grey
116. My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent
117. Viking Ships at Sunrise by Mary Pope Osborne
118. Divergent by Veronica Roth
119. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
120. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
121. Day of the Dragon by Mary Pope Osborne
122. Vacation under the Volcano by Mary Pope Osborne
123. Polar Bears Past Bedtime by Mary Pope Osborne
124. The Queen's Vow by C.W. Grotner
125. Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson
126. Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
127. Lions at Lunchtime by Mary Pope Osborne
128. Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr
129. Dolphins at Daybreak by Mary Pope Osborne
130. Ghost Town at Sundown by Mary Pope Osborne
131. Crossed by Ally Condie
132. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
133. All You Never Wanted by Adele Griffin
134. Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender
135. Schooled by Christa Charter
136. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
137. The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
138. XVI by Julia Karr
139. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
140. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
141. Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez
142. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
143. Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
144. Kenny & the Dragon by Tony DiTerlizzi
145. Honor Bound by C.J. Archer
146. The Death Cure by James Dashner
147. Steel and Lace by Adriane Leigh
148. Most Feared: How I Met My Wife by Alm High
149. Fire by Kristin Cashore
150. Matched by Allie condie
151. Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan
152. Gone Girl (audio) by Gillian Flynn
153. Hunted by P.C. Cast
154. Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
155. Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward
156. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn
157. Fury's Kiss by Karen Chance
158. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
159. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
160. Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
162. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
163. Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep
164. Zombies vs. Unicorns by Holly Black
165. Cornerstone by Kelly Walker