Have you heard of GoodReads? It's a free site where you can connect with other readers. You can add and review books you are currently reading, going to read, or have already read. It's a great way to share what you love with others or find something new. You start by just searching for your books, adding them to your catalogue where you can organize them on shelves. They also give you little widgets to put on your blog. And best of all there is no limit to the number of books you can add. It's all free. Check out GoodReads, and if you do let me know so I can add you as a friend.

Have you heard the rumors of the Harry Potter prequel? If not check out the article over at Blogcritics and let me know what you think.

There is also a new Beyond Bounds full of new releases and upcoming titles.

Stephenie Meyer's Latest due out 2008

ISBN: 0316068047
Format: Hardcover, 640pp
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Pub. Date: May 06, 2008
Price: $25.99

Synopsis:

The author of the Twilight series of # 1 bestsellers delivers her brilliant first novel for adults: a gripping story of love and betrayal in a future with the fate of humanity at stake.

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.

Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves-Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time.

Beyond Bounds

Have you been reading the Dante Valentine series? If not you need to read the latest Beyond Bounds up over at Blogcritics. I love this series, it truly is fantastic. Such great characters and a solid world. The fourth book hits shelves tomorrow and the fifth and final one in January. I can't wait to see how it all turns out. Please let Japh and Dante stay together!!!!

New Nora Roberts Trilogy!

ISBN: 0515143804
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 336pp
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Pub. Date: November 27, 2007
Price: $7.99

I've only recently started reading Nora Roberts. I got hooked in with her Circle Trilogy. I then read the first two books of her Key Trilogy and I have several of her novels sitting on my shelf waiting to be read. The one complaint I have is that after reading the Circle Trilogy her Key Trilogy was too similar to make me want to finish it right away. She seems to have a format that she follows and doesn't change too much. But it works. And I'll keep reading.

And on that note you can read an excerpt of Blood Brothers. Or check out the trailer for the book and the next two in the series.

Synopsis:

In the small village of Hawkins Hollow, three best friends who share the same birthday sneak off into the woods for a sleepover the evening before turning 10. But a night of pre-pubescent celebration turns into a night of horror as their blood brother oath unleashes a three-hundred year curse.

Twenty-one years later, Cal Hawkins and his friends have seen their town plagued by a week of unexplainable evil events two more times - every seven years. With the clock winding down on the third set of seven years, someone else has taken an interest in the town's folklore. Quinn is a well known scholar of local legends, and despite Cal's protests, insists on delving in the mystery. But when the first signs of evil appear months early, it's not only the town Cal tries to protect, but also his heart.

Meredith Fletcher's Latest

ISBN: 0373389752
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 288pp
Publisher: Silhouette
Pub. Date: November 2007
Price: $5.50

I've got this one waiting on my stack. I'm such a sucker for a good love story. And plus the girl's name is Winter! Winter. How cool is that name? I'm looking forward to diving into this one.

Synopsis:

HISTORY WILL REPEAT ITSELF... UNLESS SHE CAN STOP IT.

Juicy stories are investigative reporter Winter Archer's bread and butter. So when her beloved mentor asks her to write the biography of Athena Academy's founder, Winter jumps at the chance. But someone out there will stop at nothing—not even murder—to ensure that long-buried secrets remain hidden. And Winter can't finish the job unless she joins forces with the one man who is most definitely off-limits. Only together can they uncover the deadly plot that spans decades and threatens to destroy a legacy...

Harry Potter in the News

With the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows a series that had become a phenomenon came to an end. But just because we've read the final chapter doesn't mean the news surrounding this famous series has come to an end as well.

Over at The Guardian they have an article about how Harry Potter broke a new record. "A rare first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has fetched the record-breaking price of £19,700 at auction."

Then of course we have the fact that J.K. Rowling outed Dumbledore. If you haven't heard about this yet all sorts of things can be read at the BBC News, E! News, Kansas City Star, Associated Press, Yahoo News, MTV (yes, let me repeat that MTV), ABC News, News Day, Daily Mail, Japan Today, The Globe and Mail, Sunday Mail, MSN News, and many many more. Trust me the list just goes on. It's all pretty much the same though.

Then over at Blogcritics Jet in Columbus asks Why Should it Matter?

What do you think?

what I'm reading right now...

ISBN: 031606033X
Format: Hardcover, 496pp
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Pub. Date: October 2007
Price: $17.99

I'm about half way through with this one at the moment. It started a little slow but it has picked up. It builds on you slowly, things creeping around the edges until finally they jump out. The writing is very good, Smith paints a vivid picture with her words.

Read an excerpt or check out the cool site that has been set up for the book.

Steve Martin Memoir

ISBN: 1416553649
Format: Hardcover, 224pp
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
Pub. Date: November 20, 2007
Price: $25.00

I saw this the other day while browsing online and I think I'll have to read it.

Synopsis:

At age 10, Steve Martin got a job selling guidebooks at the newly opened Disneyland. In the decade that followed, he worked in Disney's magic shop, print shop, and theater, and developed his own magic/comedy act. By age 20, studying poetry and philosophy on the side, he was performing a dozen times a week, most often at the Disney rival, Knott's Berry Farm.

Obsession is a substitute for talent, he has said, and Steve Martin's focus and daring his sheer tenacity are truly stunning. He writes about making the very tough decision to sacrifice everything not original in his act, and about lucking into a job writing for The Smothers Brothers Show. He writes about mentors, girlfriends, his complex relationship with his parents and sister, and about some of his great peers in comedy Dan Aykroyd, Lorne Michaels, Carl Reiner, Johnny Carson. He writes about fear, anxiety and loneliness. And he writes about how he figured out what worked on stage.

This book is a memoir, but it is also an illuminating guidebook to stand up from one of our two or three greatest comedians. Though Martin is reticent about his personal life, he is also stunningly deft, and manages to give readers a feeling of intimacy and candor. Illustrated throughout with black-and-white photographs collected by Martin, this book is instantly compelling visually and a spectacularly good read.

before you buy...

ISBN: 0316677469
Format: Hardcover, 304pp
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Pub. Date: October 2007
Price: $24.99

Alice Sebold's latest novel has hit the shelves. Can't decide if you want to read it or not? Read John Crace's Digest Read over at the Guardian first.

oh la la!

ISBN: 0425217833
Format: Paperback, 208pp
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Pub. Date: October 2007
Price: $10.00

I borrowed this from a friend and will have a review up soon!

Publisher Review:

The New York Times bestselling author's Carpathian classic goes Manga! I've flipped through it and from what I could see it looks great. Plus it's only 208 pages?! Why wouldn't you read it?

Christine Feehan has reinvented the vampire novel with her New York Times bestselling Carpathian series. Now she and Berkley take her "out-of-the-ordinary" (Booklist) in a thrilling new direction--and this time it's more graphic than ever.

Riordan is an immortal Carpathian male, trapped and caged, his honor compromised by his captors. They're in his mind. They're in his blood. And not one can withstand his desire for revenge.

Juliette is an activist devoted to liberating animals from a secret jungle lab. What she stumbles upon is a prisoner like no other. She will release him from his bonds. He will release her from her inhibitions.

Bryson and Shakespeare

ISBN: 0060740221
Format: Hardcover, 208pp
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Pub. Date: October 23, 2007
Price: $19.95

I'm a huge fan of Bill Bryson. I always enjoy reading his travel essays (some of which I reread whenever I have the free time) and I loved A Short History of Nearly Everything. He recently released a memoir and with his newest book he steers clear of the travel once again. I haven't yet read The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid which just came out in paperback and I plan to buy a copy ASAP. And this one? I'll have to look into it as well.

Kirkus Reviews:

A telling glance at one of history's most famously unknowable figures. As sometimes happens with expatriates, journalist Bryson (The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir, 2006, etc.) often turned his attention to his native America during his 20-year residence in England (Made in America, 1995, etc.). Apparently he's now been back home long enough to look the other way in this 12th volume in James Atlas's well-received Eminent Lives series. And who better fits the bill for this assortment of brief biographies than Shakespeare, the literary behemoth who practically defines the Western canon yet boasts a CV that could hardly be slimmer.

As the typically wry Bryson observes, "It is because we have so much of Shakespeare's work that we can appreciate how little we know of him as a person. . . . faced with a wealth of text but a poverty of context, scholars have focused obsessively on what they can know." Bryson is just as happy to point out what we can't.

To him, Shakespeare is the "literary equivalent of an electron-forever there and not there." Indeed, he makes so much of the fact that so much has been made from the singularly few known facts of the Bard's life that one might say this thin volume's raison d'etre is to identify the many paradoxes surrounding all things Shakespeare, which Bryson candidly illuminates in several deft turns of phrase.

That is as good a track as any to take in this sort of Cliffs Notes-style overview of the rich afterlife and times of Shakespeare, recognized as great, Bryson claims, for his "positive and palpable appreciation of the transfixing power of language"-a point on which even those who don't believe Shakespeare was Shakespeare would agree, anda trait he happens to share with his biographer. Shakespeare redux for the common reader.

Why do you love Postsecret?

ISBN: 0061238600
Format: Hardcover, 144pp
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Price: $27.95

I love Postsecret. I have a lot of reasons why I do. While reading Frank Warren's collections or browsing the new secrets every Sunday on his blog I am always amazed that I am not alone. Have I sent secrets off? Yes. I have friends who have as well. The funny thing is that we haven't talked about the ones we have sent off. I don't think that we ever will. But they are out there, the truth, the pain and beauty of the hurt that lurks inside the soul. Today is the day to see if your secret made it into the new collection.

Debut Fantasy from Carole McDonell

ISBN: 0809557797
Format: Paperback, 248pp
Publisher: Juno Books
Price: $12.95

Tia, over at Fantasy Debut, has been reading this one and it has caught my eye. It sounds like it should be pretty good. Strong characters and an interesting world. You can read Tia's reviews of the first few chapters at her blog. Then you can check out Carol McDonell's blog where she is spotlighting Frank Creed.

Synopsis:

Satha, a dark-skinned woman from a poor Theseni clan weds young Loic, the wealthy Doreni son of the king's First Captain. Despite coming from different tribes, they begin to forge a life together. But Satha's compassion is used against her when a treacherous enemy contrives to dishonor her in Loic's absence. Loic must then avenge Satha's honor as well as his own. He sets out on a journey that brings deep despair as well as spiritual discovery. Battling him are the Arkhai, spirits of the land who know his quest will lead him toward the God whom they have usurped. After his departure, Satha is kidnapped, sold into slavery and learns how truly cruel life can be. Both face great hardship, danger, and anguish apart, but with the Creator's aid there remains hope they will be reunited and heal the love the world has torn asunder.

Beyond Bounds: The Paranormal and Fantasy with Katie

My first weekly feature is up over at Blogcritics! I'm going to be doing a weekly feature on paranormal and fantasy news, reviews, and interviews from now on. I'll be posting a link here for anyone that wants to check it out. I wanted to say thanks to SciFiChick for the permission to link to her interview with Jennifer Rardin. I did this weeks feature on her debut book.

Check out the feature and tell me what you think!

Stephen King Fans?

Stephen King has a new book coming out in a January. Check out Mel Odom's Adventures in Writing for the latest news about it.

Digg Me!

Anyone out there have a Digg account? Please go and vote for Romancing the eBook!

Romancing the eBook

I’ve been doing reviews for almost a year now and in that time I have had more requests for eBook links to the novels I have reviewed than I can count. For one reason or another some readers do not have access to the book in its traditional format. I know that in India only the big names and bestsellers from America make it there. Sure, you can order a book online from the States or the UK but the shipping costs are enormous. If you could buy it online in an electronic format and spend less, why wouldn’t you?

Harlequin recently announced that all new titles from their publishing house will be available as eBooks. Harlequin is the first major publisher to offer their entire front-list in this easy and accessible format. Harlequin, known for their romances of every kind, publishes more than 120 titles a month. And besides all the titles that will be in print Harlequin is also doing eBook exclusives.

The Harlequin imprints include Silhouette, Spice, Mira, HQN, Kimani Press, Steeple Hill, Red Dress Ink, Luna, and Worldwide Library. What I really love about Harlequin is that they offer everything to fit any kind of taste. Whether you want something a bit steamier, a love story that will make you search your soul, paranormal romance or fantasy, or even an action adventure that engages your mind — Harlequin really does it all.

I’ve recently read some of Harlequin’s releases and I’ve got nothing but good things to say about what they are printing. The Reincarnationist, M.J. Rose’s latest suspense offering based around the idea of reincarnation, was a fantastic read. I’ve also read a novel from their Bombshell line, Storm Force by Meredith Fletcher and it was great. The Rogue Angel series by Alex Archer, published under Worldwide Library, is another series worth looking into. If you’re looking for some kick butt action, look no further than Destiny, the first of the series.

You will never run out of things to read with Harlequin and now that they are offering their novels in an electronic format they are only more accessible. So if you can’t get the titles you want in their traditional format or just need something for your Palm Pilot, look no farther than their eBook Boutique.

Return to Me

ISBN: 0425215415
Format: Paperback, 272pp
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Price: $14.00

I was browsing online and this cover caught my eye. It's a great cover, the black and white with the deep red is fantastic. Then I read the little blurb and caught the word vampire. Now I have to read it!

From the Publisher:

Betrayed by her uncle, the magically inclined Lady Gabrielle Wentworth has been sold into a betrothal with a man who will surely be her ruin. To survive-and to avoid being labeled as a witch-she must accept the help of a five-hundred-year-old vampire who's as dangerous to her chaste body as he is to her fragile heart.

The Quiet Girl

ISBN: 0374263698
Format: Hardcover, 424pp
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (October 30, 2007)
Price: $26.00

I saw this one while looking around today. It sounds like it might be pretty good. It is the same author that wrote Smilla’s Sense of Snow which I've heard all sorts of good things about but never read. Anyone read that one?

From the Publisher:

Set in Denmark in the here and now, The Quiet Girl centers around Kaspar Krone, a world-renowned circus clown with a deep love for the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, and an even deeper gambling debt.

Wanted for tax evasion and on the verge of extradition, Krone is drafted into the service of a mysterious order of nuns who promise him reprieve from the international authorities in return for his help safeguarding a group of children with mystical abilities—abilities that Krone shares.

When one of the children goes missing, Krone sets off to find the young girl and bring her back, making a shocking series of discoveries along the way about her identity and the true intentions of his young wards.

The result is a fast-paced, philosophical thriller blending social realism with the literary fantastic and pitting art and spirituality against corporate interests and nothing less than the will to war by the industrialized world. The Quiet Girl is a masterful, inventive novel that marks the triumphal return of one of the great writers of the international literary world.