Top Ten 2015 Books to Read

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Thistle

Confession: I am not really great at knowing what books are going to be coming out in the next year. If it’s not part of a series I’m already following, or by an author I’m already following, it’s unlikely for me to know about the book before its release date. Trying to think of my top ten 2015 reads is VERY difficult (forget top ten debut reads – a topic that will come up in a month and I’ll simply skip because I know NO 2015 debuts at all…). Some of the books I came up with are simply repeats of books I’ve mentioned so many times in previous lists that I feel like a broken record. Be that as it may, here goes. These are listed in order of publication date (per GoodReads, as of when I drafted this post).

firefight1. Firefight by Brandon Sanderson – 1/6/15 – Loved Steelheart last year, can’t wait to get this sequel!

2. Displacement by Lucy Knisley – 2/8/15 – Lucy Knisley is one of the most consistently enjoyable authors I know.

3. The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson – 2/10/15 – Been waiting for the end of this trilogy for ages!

4. Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman – 3/10/15 – Maybe I’ll finally write a review for Seraphina, when I read it right before the sequel that is FINALLY coming out, yay!

PrudenceCover5. Prudence by Gail Carriger – 3/17/15 – I heard about this one recently, somewhere, and I really liked the related series. Hopefully this is just as good.

6. Razorhurst by Justine Larbalestier – 7/1/15 – I’ve been impressed by Larbalestier before, and this one sounds really interesting.

7. Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson – 11/19/15 – Another Mistborn-related book?? Please!!

8. Winter by Marissa Meyer – 11/24/15 – So sad this one won’t be coming out in February like the last three have. I want this one so badly! Can’t wait to see how this quartet gets wrapped up.

9. the next Rithmatist book by Brandon Sanderson – 2015 – This one has no title or firm publication date, and might get pushed back. Hopefully not. It would be great to read this one with my boys again.

10. the next Raven Cycle book by Maggie Stiefvater – 2015 – Same deal, no title or firm publication date. But I want this one so badly!!

I admit, I was a little disappointed to discover that Dead Man’s Palace by Stefan Bachmann has been pushed back to 2016. That one sounds fascinating and I’ve been thinking about it for about 1.5 years now. Ah well. I’m also really interested to see if the next Rae Carson book will come out next year, though as of now, there’s not even a tentative publication date listed for it.

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Posted in Book Talk | Tagged | 8 Comments

Sunday Coffee – On November

Posted on November 30, 2014 by Thistle

snow and coffeeEvery year, right at the end of December, I draw a tarot spread for my upcoming year. It’s a simple spread, one card for each month. I do this mostly in jest, as I’m not a huge believer in the divine, and I know that these cards have so many possible meanings that it’s easy to manipulate their interpretation to whatever happened in your life when you look back.

Having said that, I can’t help but feel like November’s card – the Four of Wands – is spot-on. The Four of Wands indicates respite, and I was in desperate need of respite as November approached. The last eight months of my life have been pure chaos and hell, to be honest. I still can’t talk publicly about the things that have happened. I can say that I was right on the edge of a breaking point as the month began.

November didn’t start as a respite, and in fact got even worse for the first week or so. Then, all of a sudden, things began to improve just enough to give me a little rest. My novel was chosen to receive a cover during NaNoWriMo, which got me to write again for the first time since June. While the manuscript I churned out this month is downright awful, it has the seed of something in it that I can take to a second draft and improve. I really enjoyed getting to know this story and the characters in it, and considering I originally decided last minute NOT to participate this year, I’m very proud that I passed that 50,000-word mark and finished my manuscript.

Starting to write again was a HUGE help for me in November, but that alone didn’t provide respite. There were other things as well, first and foremost being doctors and medication. I am not ashamed to say that with everything that has happened in my life over the last eight months, I was in desperate need of an anti-depressant. Honestly, I didn’t even know if it would help, given that my situation is external and not internal. I decided to try, though, and it has done wonders for me. Even though life is still fragile and terrifying right now, I feel calmer and more balanced, better able to deal with things, and that has been a godsend.

There have been other things. too. Having an all-out Thanksgiving and then decorating the house for Christmas. Having a handful of amazing friends that I can write to about the whole situation, and the support I’ve received from them when I needed it. Planning an upcoming vacation to visit my friends and family in San Antonio in mid-December. Passing my fifth-year weight loss anniversary, after losing almost all of the 20 lbs I regained when we moved to the Boston area this summer. Spending my month with Harry Potter. Being invited to my youngest son’s fifth grade class to give an hour-long presentation/discussion on the writing process. This last one – I can’t tell you how much it bolstered me, to feel like my job as a writer matters, even though I’m as of yet unpublished. The kids asked all sorts of questions, and I got to explain why rewriting/revision is not necessarily boring, and why those parts are my favorite. Afterwards, the teacher came up to me to tell me that my presentation was exactly what she wanted and the kids needed to learn. It was wonderful.

So on this last day of November, I’m feeling very introspective, and thankful for this month of respite. December, despite its holiday, is usually a month of quiet and introspection for me, so here’s to this respite lasting through the end of the year!

Posted in Personal, Wellness, Writing | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Throwback: Prisoner of Azkaban

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Thistle

Prisoner_of_Azkaban_coverWhat better way to spend Thanksgiving than to lounge around in warm pjs, with the Macy’s parade on TV, and Prisoner of Azkaban in hand?

This is one of my two favorite Harry Potter books. The first time I read this series – summer of 2005 – this is the one that really captured me and made me fall in love. I race through this book every time I read it, get swept along each time no matter how many times I’ve read these words. The first time, I never even saw the cat-rat-dog revelations ahead of time. Didn’t have a clue. Every read, I marvel at the brilliant complexity with which Rowling lays it all out.

I admit, I’m kicking myself a little right now. Yesterday, as I read through the second half of this book, a thought occurred to me that I really wanted to focus on in this post. It would have made a great discussion! And now, I can’t remember what it was. Even going back through and skimming the text, I have no idea. Grr.

Last night, my boys and I watched the movie version of Prisoner of Azkaban. I admit, this is my least favorite movie of the eight. Maybe it’s because the book is my favorite, and they changed SO MUCH for this movie. Maybe it’s because there are so many cheesy scenes that are just downright embarrassing to watch. Maybe it’s because the acting in that film is just so awful in places. I wanted this movie to be good. Actually, every time I watch it, I anticipate it as if it’s going to be good, and then…yeah. I just struggle with it. I just don’t like it. Ah well.

On another note, I think the HP series would make a really good many-seasoned TV show…

Posted in 2014, Children's, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Top Ten Books on My Winter TBR

Posted on November 25, 2014 by Thistle

Winter is a very quiet time for me, in terms of reading. Once the frenzy of RIP reading in September and October end, followed by the frenzy of November’s writing, I tend to go into a short hibernation, reading only quiet comfort reads, at least until January comes around and I sort of explode with energy again.

I could mention a lot of books that I hope to read over the winter, many of which I’ve listed these last few weeks in former Top Ten posts. I don’t want to just keep listing the same titles, however. You guys already know I want to read those books! So I’m limiting my top ten winter TBR list to those titles I have yet to talk about anticipating over the last few months. There are still plenty to choose from!

together tea1. Someone Else’s Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson – After meeting the author at a writer’s conference this summer, I am really excited about this book, even though it’s out of my comfort zone. Even better: the audiobook is read by the author, which I’m guessing is going to be perfect, since I already love the way Jackson narrates stories.

2. Together Tea by Marjan Kamali – A book club member mentioned this one to me, and it sounds like a perfect December comfort read. Plus, it’s by a local author!

3. Lies My Girlfriend Told Me by Julie Anne Peters – I admit, I’ve put this one off a little since it came out this summer, because I know it’s going to rip me to pieces like other Peters’ novels have. So this one will probably wait until late winter.

all_joy4. All Joy and No Fun by Jennifer Senior – Nonfiction in my top TBR? Yep. That’s what winter does to me. I have this one on audio at the moment and am really looking forward to it.

5. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card – I hesitate to put Card’s name anywhere on my blog. I am so against the man that I’ve avoided his books for years. A few months ago, I decided to give in and try the book itself, separating it from the author. I have yet to do so, but admit that the story does sound interesting, and one that would be a great January read.

6. The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming – More nonfiction! I got this audiobook awhile back. The Romanovs fascinate me, but I have a difficult time with history books in general. This is written for a middle grade audience, which will make it a bit simpler and therefore easier for me to engage and follow. I know, I’m ridiculous.

7. Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen – Okay, I admit, this was one of my most anticipated books that I mentioned way back in August. But then RIP came around, and I put off reading (or listening, because I have the audiobook) to it. Now, it’s back to the top of the list!

nekropolis-mchugh-cover8. Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris – Love the title, love the author, gotta get my hands on this one! Also: third nonfiction in the list. Seriously. Winter.

9. Nekropolis by Maureen McHugh – Back in the summer of 2013, Jason read a bit of this book out loud to me and the boys. From what I could tell, this is adult dystopia in a Middle Eastern setting, which is not something I’ve read before. I was really impressed by the first chapter, which has stuck with me in the eighteen months since I heard it. I’m hoping to finally get to it this winter.

10. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell – I debated on this one. My friend Stephanie has been trying to get me to read this one forever, but I’m really scared of it. She says it’s brilliant, though, so I’m going to try. It just edged out A Feast For Crows by George RR Martin, mostly because while I loved the first two Song of Fire and Ice books, I really didn’t like the third, and I’m a little leery to continue. So Cloud Atlas it is! Now let’s see if I actually manage to get to it, heh!

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Posted in Book Talk | Tagged | 4 Comments

Sunday Coffee – Reflections on 2012: Fantasy

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Thistle

IMG_8580First, before I begin today’s book talk, I want to quickly comment on my coffee this morning. I took my photo on the mantle where I keep family photos because my desk is insanely messy this morning. I did not at all mean to include something for each member of my family here (Jason & me at our wedding, old school photos of Morrigan and Ambrose, and Laurence’s art on my coffee mug!). It was pure coincidence but I love this photo so much. 😀

Now. 2012. That was an interesting year in both reading and blogging, and a time of a great shift for me in a lot of ways. In 2011, as I stated last week, I let go of the original Zen Leaf and created a personal blog (Ramblings) where I did still review books from time to time, though not every one I read. In 2012, I kept going this way for about half the year, and then pretty much stopped blogging about books altogether for a few months. Other than my first book of July, I have no real reviews from July or August that year. There are a couple one-paragraph reflections that I’d put up on GoodReads, but otherwise nothing. And some of the books I read in those months were favorites of that year!

I’ve stated before that I have a hard time with writing a catch-all blog. For me, books and personal life are clearly defined and separate. Sometimes I’m more interested in writing about life – health/fitness, personal stuff, my family, cooking, etc – and sometimes I’m more interested in talking about books. Those two things don’t mix well for me, though, and I struggled for the year I wrote at Ramblings. While in 2011, I withdrew from book blogging, 2012 was the year I started to withdraw from blogging altogether. It was a very difficult year for me (in real life, not blogging), and I think I would have been better off NOT withdrawing. Hindsight is 20/20, no?

In books, though, it was actually a really great year. 2012 marked a huge shift in my reading patterns. For most of my adulthood, I’d been a primarily-classics kind of girl. Blogging introduced me to the world of modern fiction, and for awhile there, I was reading mostly modern YA. I shifted back to classics in 2010. In 2012, thanks to Brandon Sanderson and Diana Wynne Jones, I discovered fantasy. Also thanks to them, I rediscovered the joys of multi-reads (books read multiple times in a row because you just can’t get enough of them with one read!).

The year really started with Howl’s Moving Castle, which I ended up reading half a dozen times in a row. I could not get enough of Diana Wynne Jones after that, and quickly read through about a dozen of her books, many of them read more than once. Then came Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy, then a bunch of group reads for other Sanderson novels, and by the end of the year, these two new authors topped my list for most-books-read-by. It was the first year in forever that I’d read an author more times than JK Rowling in a year. In the end, every single one of my favorite books that year were fantasy novels, and my percentage of speculative novels jumped from the 45% it had averaged for years to about 75%. It has stayed that high ever since.

So while it was a year of turmoil in real life and in blogging, it was a fantastic year for reading. Some of the books I read that year remain favorites of all time, including Howl’s Moving Castle, the Mistborn trilogy, the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor, and Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone. Now if only I’d written real reviews for most of those…sigh.

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Throwback: Chamber of Secrets

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Thistle

harry-potter-and-the-chamber-of-secrets

I have always considered Chamber of Secrets one of my least favorite books in the Harry Potter series. It follows too closely the pattern of the first book, and there are a few scenes in it that just really bore me. (Confession: I really don’t like Hagrid, and tend to find his major scenes very dull.) Now, I still enjoy the book, yes. I don’t mean that I dislike it! I like the entire series. Just, of the seven, it kinda ranks about sixth…

So when I went into this reread, I expected to mostly skim through the book because it’s one of my lesser favorites. Turns out, this book captivated me far more than I expected, and far more than my reread of Sorcerer’s Stone just did. For some reason, I really enjoyed the book a lot more than usual this time around. I laughed at all the Gilderoy Lockhart sections and enjoyed watching Harry et al unravel the mystery. It was a very satisfying read. I’m so loving this reread project!

And of course, I watched the movie afterwards. This is also one of my least favorite movies – except for Lockhart! – because vomiting slugs = visual eww. Other than that one scene, I enjoyed it, even all the over-acting sections and silly little exposition sections (love teenage Voldemort’s multiple monologues!). It’s fun to watch the actors grow up, both in physical age and in their acting skills.

Also, movie-Snape = wonderful. I adore Alan Rickman so much.

Posted in 2014, Children's, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Top Ten Sequels I Can’t Wait to Get

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Thistle

This is another of those topics that, if asked a year ago, I could easily fill a top twenty list. Nearly all the series I was right in the middle of came out with their final books in 2014, and I’ve gobbled most of them up. I’m not big on starting new series, either, so I don’t have a very strong, definite list of anticipated sequels at the moment. My top ten had me stretching in places…

firefight1. Firefight by Brandon Sanderson – I adored Steelheart, and can’t wait to get my hands on this one!

2. Winter by Marissa Meyer – Each book in this series has gotten better, and I can’t wait to see how #4 wraps everything up!

3. The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson – Loved the first book in this trilogy, wasn’t sold on the second, but still really looking forward to the conclusion.

4. The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin – This one just came out. I’m still waiting for my library to deliver a copy to me. *twitch*

shadowscale5. Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman – I read Seraphina back in 2012. I’ve been waiting forever for this sequel. So glad it’s finally coming out soon!

6. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson – Here’s where we get a little iffy, in terms of my top sequels. I already own Words of Radiance, and have for a long time. It came out early in the year. I just haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. I want to, but I want to be in the right mood for it. I’m a little intimidated by this book. Soon.

7. the untitled fourth Raven Cycle book from Maggie Stiefvater – Is it fair to put books on the list when they don’t even have titles or solid publication dates on them? I hope so, because the last four on my list all fall into this category. And to be fair, of all the books on this list, I think I’m anticipating this one the very most, despite the lack of title or publication date.

8. the next Rithmatist book from Brandon Sanderson – Yes, he has me hooked on many different series. As far as I know, this one may not be coming out any time soon, however.

9. the next Dublin Murder Squad novel from Tana French – Again, I don’t know what this one will be about, or when it’ll be released. I just know I want it.

10. the next Cormoran Strike novel from Robert Galbraith – Ditto. More, please.

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Posted in Book Talk | Tagged | 4 Comments

Sunday Coffee – Reflections on 2011: Shifting Focus

Posted on November 16, 2014 by Thistle

IMG_8563I finished transferring all my backlog of reviews awhile ago, but I still wanted to take some time over the next few weeks to look back over my years of book blogging (or, sometimes, not book blogging). I already looked back over 2008, 2009, and 2010. This weekend, I look back at 2011, which marked a great shift for me in terms of reading, blogging, and life in general.

By the time 2011 came around, I’d been blogging about books for three years. I’d gone from reading maybe 30-40 books a year pre-blogging, to reading over 200. My virtual TBR pile measured over 400 books. I spent hours and hours on blogstuff every day, and I’d gotten very burnt out. In 2011, I shifted focus. I started sifting out the books that didn’t really need to be on my TBR. I started adding some personal posts in with the bookish ones. I started working really hard on my health and weight loss journey.

For the first 4.5 months of the year, I kept reading at the ridiculously insane pace I’d set in 2010. By mid-May, I’d read 80 books already. To add some scope to that, I read 126 total in 2011, reading only 46 more in the last 7 months of the year. In mid-May, I was done. Completely burnt out. I’d whittled my physical TBR down to about ten books, which I donated to Half Price Books despite still wanting to read them, and deleted anything I hadn’t already taken off my virtual TBR. I announced that I was no longer blogging, and let The Zen Leaf fall into its grave.

I did keep blogging, sporadically, through the rest of the year, though not at The Zen Leaf. I reviewed some books and not others – and I still feel sad that I don’t have reviews for those books – and I read at a pace that was far more natural for me. Despite all the crazy changes in my blogging life that year, I still view 2011 as one of my best for reading. I read (and reread!) some AMAZING books. The Host. Jane Eyre (reread). The Inferno (reread). The Unit. The Omnivore’s Dilemma. The Night Circus. Several of those reviews were some of my favorites ever to write in blogging.

It was a good year in general. It was the year that I got healthy and fit, the year that I started writing fiction again, the year that I learned to read for pleasure again, instead of for blogging. I look back at this dramatic shift in focus in a completely positive light, despite the fact that it made my blogging life pretty scattered since then. It was the year I finally managed to balance all the parts of my life, and balance is a wonderful thing.

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Throwback: Sorcerer’s Stone

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Thistle

I am in need of comfort right now. I’m also right smack in the middle of NaNoWriMo, having received a wonderful bit of inspiration when the NaNo team chose to design a cover of my novel for their 30 Covers 30 Days program, and that means I need easy reading while my brain focus is elsewhere. These two factors = Harry Potter.

111114 old friend

I used to reread the Harry Potter series every year, but somehow I’ve gone 2.5 years since my last read-through. Summer of 2012. It has been WAY too long.

This means that I’ve spent the last few days smiling through Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, remembering the first time I read it, almost a decade ago. I remember how opposed I was to reading these books, and how I finally caved after Half-Blood Prince came out and my sister-in-law pushed Jason into reading it. I remember reading that first sentence–

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.

–and how I sneered at it, thinking it was exactly what I would have expected beforehand, and wasn’t it obvious how much I would hate these books? And of course, I remember how it wasn’t very long before I was completely immersed, and then scrambling for the next book. I have never been so happy to eat my own words.

Harry_Potter_and_the_Sorcerer's_Stone_10th_AnniversaryI still find them fun to read, after dozens of rereads, after I’ve practically memorized the full text and barely have to pay attention to gulp down the story. It’s magical every time.

And of course, what better way to experience this reread series than to watch the movie directly afterwards? Oh I wish I could have seen the first few movies in theatre. I started reading only a few months before Goblet of Fire was released in theatres, so I missed the first three. I can only imagine what Sorcerer’s Stone looked like on the big screen. If it ever shows there again, for an anniversary or something, I will be there!

This was a smile I really needed right now.

Posted in 2014, Children's, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Sunday Coffee – Rough

Posted on November 9, 2014 by Thistle

IMG_8491I have to be honest. I am struggling right now with something very big and very disheartening, and I cannot say a word about it. Earlier this week, a Facebook friend linked out to a book blogger talking about being blog-silenced because of being unable to talk about the things going on in her life at that moment. I have no idea which blogger was talking about this. I linked out on my phone, was only able to read part of the post due to being on my phone, and I couldn’t find the link later. [ETA: Update – I’ve been pointed to the post in question.] In any case, this is how I feel right now. Silenced.

I haven’t been reading, and I’m not sure when I’ll start reading again. I’m just not in a good place for books right now. I’ve reached a point so low that not even books can comfort. (And no, I’m not talking about depression, and yes, I am working with a doctor.) There’s nothing, really, that anyone can do for me, but I wanted to say all this because I feel like I need to be honest. Most of the people reading this blog have been blog-friends for a very long time. I want y’all to have the truth, or at least as much of it as I can give.

So the blog might be a bit quiet in weeks to come. I can’t really say when my reading mojo will come back. I’m still here, though, quiet, reading your blogs even if I have a difficult time commenting these days. I’ll still be here when I reach the other side of this, whenever that happens to be. Love you guys.

Posted in Personal | Tagged | 13 Comments