Search Results for: gini koch

THROW BACK: Alien Proliferation by Gini Koch

THROW BACK: Alien Proliferation by Gini Koch

Posted on by Jaymie

This review was originally posted on my Bring on the Books blog on December 14, 2011. I recently posted a quick review of the first three books in this series based on my reading journals when I first read them. This is my 2011 review of book four, which is still one of my favorite books in the series.

Summary

Kitty and Martini are back, and baby makes three. You would think the happy little family could enjoy a little quiet together, but “quiet” is probably not going to be in the cards for them any time soon. After a traumatic delivery, Kitty discovers a plot to take out Chuckie and Kitty’s mom. At least, that seems to be the plot. But there are more layers to this situation than meets the eye. There’s a mole – or is there? Kitty’s high school friends are in danger – or are they part of the plotting? At the root of everything is Kitty’s baby. The bad guys want the baby and, like any good momma, Kitty will fight tooth and nail to protect her.

Review

This is a hard book to summarize because sooooo many things are going on, and I don’t want to give any of the good stuff away. I have been a big fan of this series since I read the first book. I re-read them just for fun even though I have tons of new and yet-unread books laying around. Alien Proliferation is a perfect addition to the series. I didn’t want to put the book down. I laughed out loud often as I zoomed through this 400+ page non-stop thrill. It was a delight to dig into such a meaty book that wasn’t filled with a lot of unnecessary fluff. Plenty of great twists and turns. New dynamics between characters as Kitty gets a new partner to work with and other new characters are introduced (or familiar characters are developed more fully). While motherhood changes Kitty in some ways, it doesn’t change any of the things I love about her – her sarcasm, her intuition, her kick-butt-and-take-names attitude. She continues to be a great, strong character.

This is not a story for the faint of heart. Kitty is in a life-and-death battle and there are casualties. Everything that happens is appropriate to the story, though. I enjoyed this so much, I am looking for time when I can carve out a few days to read through the whole series to date from start to finish. The next book, Alien Diplomacy, releases in April, 2012.

5 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: fans of the series, science fiction/fantasy fans who like an element of romance in their stories

Cautions: My personal feeling is that new readers will be lost if they jump in here. Do yourself a favor and start at the beginning and enjoy the whole series. Otherwise, there’s some violence, and some romantic moments are described in detail. Those sections can be skipped over by sensitive readers. There might also be some language (honestly, I was reading so fast to find out what was going on, I didn’t really pay that close of attention).

REVIEW: Kitty Katt-Martini Series by Gini Koch

REVIEW: Kitty Katt-Martini Series by Gini Koch

Posted on by Jaymie

This is another vacation/catch up sort of post. I am in this weird reading space this summer where I have a ton of ARCs I should be reading, but I am enjoying books from my TBR and also trying to slow the general pace of life. Part of enjoying that slower pace is returning to my comfort reads. The Kitty Katt-Martini/Touched by an Alien series by Gini Koch is hands down my favorite series of books ever. It’s a perfect blend of science fiction and romance and mystery and action – with lots of snark. I re-read these regularly. I get to a place of craving them. I can rarely go a day where something doesn’t make me think of a character or a moment in this 16-book series. I’ve recently re-read these three books once again, so they are fresh in my mind.

So today, I am going to give a teaser of the first three books in the series. This is how I was introduced to the series back in the spring of 2011. I discovered these three books on a shelf in Barnes and Noble. I bought the first one, read it and loved it, and then went back for the next two and read all three of them back to back to back. From there it was a matter of waiting until the fourth book released in December when I devoured it. From there these have been must-buys, pre-orders, and signed books every year, twice a year, until 2018 when the author hit a snag. We’ve been waiting for book 17 ever since. Thankfully, regular re-reads have kept me happy during the wait. So, here are the summaries along with my first impressions from back in 2011.

Touched by an Alien

Kitty Katt is surprised to discover aliens are on earth when she stops an alien monster that forms right in front of her and starts attacking. Thankfully, the aliens she meets from the Alpha Centauri system are here to help. Smart, strong, and gorgeous, the ACs have been on Earth for decades as both exiles from their home world and as the only force able to stop the parasitic aliens that form monsters like Kitty fought. As Kitty joins the group, she sees and understands things the ACs have been too close (or too naïve) to see before. Working together, Kitty is able to help her new friends, especially the sexy Jeffrey Martini, fight the main fugly who wants to use the ACs to take over the world and remake it in his horrible image.

2011 – ♥♥♥♥♥ – “I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It’s sassy, funny, and sarcastic. Kitty’s love interest is flirty (bordering on too much) and protective. The storyline deals with prejudice, exile, and persecution themes. The author does a fantastic job of world-building without doing a data dump in the beginning of the book. Great example of good ‘voice’ – relatable, believable, comfortable, and engaging. The banter during one of the big battle scenes had me laughing out loud….” (language, sex)

 

Alien Tango

2011 – ♥♥♥♥½ – “Kitty, Martini, and the rest of Alpha team are on their way to Kennedy Space Center to investigate a strange incident with three astronauts who had been on a mission. By the time Kitty figures out what’s going on and gets her team out of Kennedy, she will face an obsessive ex-boyfriend, an anti-alien plot to kill them, bombs (plural), a psycho stalker, and an alien intelligence far more powerful than anything they’ve ever encountered. And those challenges are nothing compared to meeting Martini’s family.

“Another winner from Gini Koch. There were whole chapters I read twice because they were so perfect. Kitty continues to be one of my favorite characters. She’s strong, intuitive, sarcastic, and loyal. Great secondary storyline about alien and human relationships. ” (language, sex)

 

Alien in the Family

Kitty has successfully opened the door to  AC and human marriages. Her own engagement to Jeff, though, gains the attention of the ACs back on the home world. It seems some of the older Earth ACs forgot to share how their families are connected to the Alpha Four monarchy – and that is going to cause galactic-level trouble.

2011 – ♥♥♥♥½ – “Fascinating chess analogy, great new characters, plenty of interesting family dynamics for both Kitty AND Martini, and even some religious references. Terrifically intricate plot pulls the reader from page to page.” (language, sex)

 

REVIEW: Aliens Abroad by Gini Koch

REVIEW: Aliens Abroad by Gini Koch

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

The Distant Voyager is the first manned long-range spacecraft for Earth. And it’s about to leave on its first mission. Kitty and the gang are there for a tour and Jeff’s big speech before the launch.

Unexpectedly (although, par for the course in Kitty’s life), the ship takes off early with Jeff, half of the Presidential Cabinet, Kitty, their kids, and a good portion of their extended family on board. The ship’s AI is uncooperative at best, there are signs of sabotage, and no one on board seems to be able to control their course – or change it.

Whoever is controlling things knows Kitty – the “Warrior Queen” – is a protector. If she can help a person – or a planet – in need, she will. And there are several races in dire need of rescuing. So while she might have been a reluctant participant at first, Kitty is on board for saving the day. Because if Kitty can’t help, the whole galaxy might not survive.

Review

Wow! This was so fun! First of all, this is my favorite book series for adults. So any addition to the series, any book with these characters, is going to be one I am eagerly anticipating. Second, most of the book takes place in previously unknown parts of the galaxy. There are tons of new alien species and planets and galactic politics to explore. Third, there are at least four major events in the book. Reading this felt like binge watching a favorite show or binge reading a favorite book series all in one sitting. I got through the first event and still had hundreds of pages to go! I waited for this book for a long time. The wait was completely worthwhile.

Most of my favorite characters were along for the ride on this trip, so I enjoyed the little tidbits added to their stories. Continuing one of my favorite things from Alien Education, the kids play an important role in this book. In fact, the chapters where their role is really expanded I read twice. There’s a nice balance between the expected interplay and relationships from the series and all the new characters. In fact, to me the book felt weighted toward the new characters and events which gave this a fresh feel. I feel like this book and the next (Aliens Like Us) are going to have the same “interlude” feel that Universal Alien and Alien Separation did earlier in the series. It will advance the characters and the big picture, but it will keep the series from feeling like it is following a pattern.

Kudos to Gini Koch for this fast, fun, and fresh addition to the series. It’s everything I have come to expect from her in the last 6 years since I discovered the series. Many thanks to Netgalley and the folks at DAW (Penguin/Random House) for the opportunity to review an electronic review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My personal copy will be arriving any time now so I can start a re-read right away. Goodreads shows at least 4 more books coming in the series; I have all of them on my wish list and have pre-ordered Aliens Like Us so I don’t miss a moment of the action. If you love science fiction (with a little steamy romance thrown in ), I think you should follow my lead. If this is a new series to you, start with book one, Touched by an Alien, and carve out some serious reading time. This is a series you don’t want to miss.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Alien Education by Gini Koch

REVIEW: Alien Education by Gini Koch

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Kitty Katt-Martini has defeated alien monsters, foiled evil genius plots, and taken out the Mastermind, the man behind years of take-over-the-world schemes. She’s been head diplomat for the A-Cs, an alien race living on Earth for decades. She’s the First Lady of the United States and Queen Regent of Earth for the Annocusal Royal Family. She has tremendous skills.

You’d think dealing with the PTA president at her kids’ new school would be easy after all that!

With the Mastermind gone, Kitty gets to do some normal mom stuff, like get involved in her kids’ new school. And she does FLOTUS stuff like celebrate the opening of the Intergalactic School. Sadly, though, the Mastermind wasn’t the only enemy Kitty had. There’s still plenty of bad press to spin as well as robot and android plots, not to mention murder attempts and terrorist attacks, to thwart. And don’t even mention the PTA bake sale! But Kitty is just the woman to handle it all! She’ll just do what she always does – go with “the crazy.”

Review

This was a whirlwind read! I completely blew off sleep to plow through this as fast as possible. I know I will read it again very soon in order to go more slowly and catch all the details. For my first read, though, I just want to know what happens as soon as possible.

Once again, Kitty has a secret nemesis. I love trying to work through the hints and clues in an effort to catch who it might be (no clue after my first read). I was close on my Mastermind guess several years ago. I had it narrowed down to two people, and one was right. I’m excited about puzzling out this new secret.

Lots of new players introduced in this book. I’m not sure yet who will end up being a big player and what side everyone will end up on. But that’s part of the fun of this series. My favorite new characters are the kids who either are new or who get expanded roles in this story! Can’t wait to read more about them.

The other parts of the fun of this series for me are the humor and the action – and this book has both in spades. There’s very little down time in the story and many things are introduced but not resolved, pushing the reader forward to the next book in the series, Aliens Abroad, releasing in December 2017. I already have mine pre-ordered!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Alien Nation by Gini Koch

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

First Lady, Kitty Katt-Martini, has negotiated the unexpected road to the White House fairly smoothly, all things considered. She’s foiled multiple bad-guy plans du jour. She spun the last attack so it blew back on the hateful aliens at the core of so many plots against them. She’s “Megalomaniac Girl,” and she knows how to think like the bad guys and figure out how to save the day!

But the Mastermind is still at large. Enemies from previous engagements are lurking, waiting to strike until they think they’ve been forgotten. And many humans around the world are still uneasy – if not downright hostile – about aliens being in charge of anything.

So when Kitty and the gang get the word that several previously unknown alien races are fleeing to Earth for asylum, there’s no guarantee that they’ll be able to triumph once again. So many things could go wrong. And if they can’t get things together on Earth, or manage the new arrivals smoothly, what’s going to happen when a ravenous horde of aliens follows the refugees with intent to devour everyone on Earth?

science fiction romance

Review

I have no idea how Gini Koch manages to churn out two 500+ page books a year in addition to her other writing, promotion, and personal activities! But I am so glad she does. These books are dense, chock full of action, sarcasm, humor, plots to foil and enemies to defeat. And I love every one of them!

This is book 14 in this science-fiction/romance/mystery/action series. I highly recommend reading them in order to get the most out of the character development and the “big reveals.”

My favorite aspect of this series is the characters. Kitty is one of my favorite characters of all time. She is sassy and smart. She defends the voiceless and the oppressed. She holds onto the hope that she can turn some of their enemies to the side of good – and she does. The cast around her is huge (another reason to read the books in order so you know who is who and how they connect to the main storyline), full of fantastic characters with their own well-defined skills and personalities. A lot of the humor in the stories comes from these relationships and the history between the characters, so the better the reader knows the characters, the more fun he/she has with the story.

This particular book is a celebration for long-term fans because some of the long-running plot lines seem to come to a satisfying conclusion. , Readers won’t know for sure, though, which enemies and plans are still in play until we see what happens in the next books in the series. Book 15, Alien Education, releases May 2, 2017 (release dates subject to change).

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik

REVIEW: Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Ada Von Hasenberg has been on the run for two years from her father and an arranged marriage. As one of the younger kids in one of the High Houses, Ada would be most useful to her family in a political match. Then she could broker deals between the families – and spy on her in-laws. Once she ran, though, her father put a bounty on her head. She’s been captured and thrown into a cell to catch a transport home.

Marcus Loch is the prisoner sharing Ada’s cell. He’s also known as the Devil of Fornax Zero. He’s wanted for killing his superior officers and fellow soldiers. His bounty is almost as high as Ada’s. He’s a dangerous man – but he just might be exactly what Ada needs to escape.

As Ada is developing and discarding possible escape scenarios, her not-quite-fiancé, Richard Rockhurst, shows up, saying Ada’s father sent him to pick her up. Now, Ada’s been in hiding for two years, but she keeps up with the news and is in touch with her siblings. So she knows nothing has changed that would make that story remotely true. If Richard gets his hands on her, Ada and her family could be in trouble. If she takes her chances on Loch to help her escape, she could be aligning with a murderer. But she already knows she can’t go with Richard if she wants any sort of life on her own terms.

Review

This was spectacular! In my search for another series like Gini Koch’s Alien books, I have finally been successful. This has a similar combination of a science fiction story with a kick-butt protagonist and a romance with terrific chemistry. And I loved it. This could end up being my favorite book of 2019. It certainly is my favorite so far this year.

The plot is pretty simple. Ada and Loch go from capture to escape to capture to escape – one or both of them – with some regularity. In this way it is significantly different from Koch’s intricate, twisty plotting. But I enjoyed Ada so much, I was willing to follow her anywhere, even into captivity once again.

The political pieces of this world were fascinating. Three rival houses control the system, and their distrust and competition with one another usually helps keep everyone in check. But something threatens that tenuous balance. And no matter what has happened before, Ada is still committed to protecting her family (mostly for the sake of her siblings).

I have lots of questions moving forward. I want to know more about Ada’s siblings. I’m curious to see where things go after the closing events of this book. One character who drove some of Ada’s choices at one point completely disappeared in the later portions of this book – will he be a factor later? Thankfully, book 2 is scheduled to arrive in October of this year, so I don’t have to wait long. (Aurora Blazing – told from the perspective of one of Ada’s sisters! I have already pre-ordered this one.)

If you enjoy your science fiction with a strong female protagonist, be sure to check out Polaris Rising. I originally read this one from the library, but the minute I finished the book, I ordered my own copy. This is a re-read for me for sure! (Language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Nightchaser by Amanda Bouchet

REVIEW: Nightchaser by Amanda Bouchet

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Sourcebooks in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Tess and the crew of the Endeavor thought they were stealing vaccines. They were like Robin Hood in the fight against the Overseer. And if all they had were vaccines, they probably would have gotten them to the orphanage at Starway 8 without too much trouble. But the lab they took was full of something far more dangerous. The Overseer was desperate to get his hands on Tess – and that lab and its contents.

Shade thought Tess was just a naive visitor to Albion 5. She was sexy and interesting. And he could easily do the repair work she needed for her ship. But then he saw the bounty for finding her – 200 million in universal currency. And that was if she was dead. The bounty doubled for finding whatever she stole, with a bonus for bringing her in alive.

Shade could use that money to get his whole life back, the way it used to be. Tess was essentially a stranger. Would he give up the chance to regain his inheritance for a woman he just met?

Review

I have mixed feelings on this one. I am always on the lookout for a series like Gini Koch’s Alien series – sassy science fiction romance with awesome characters. This definitely hit the science fiction pieces, and there’s a romantic thread. But I didn’t love the characters. We get to know Tess and Shade to some degree. There’s less development of the rest of the cast – companions or historians for the rest of the story. And this felt more foul than sassy to me. Not much sarcasm, but a lot of the f-word.

There’s a big chunk of the story that takes place on Albion 5 that doesn’t move the plot forward very much. There’s a lot of action at the beginning and the last third of the book. But in between, the focus is on pulling Tess and Shade together and waiting for Shade to decide what he’s going to do about the bounty.

The last third of the book redeemed things. The action kicked up a lot, and the character interactions were more interesting. I was set to give this 3 stars until I got caught up in the engaging ending. I’m still undecided on giving a sequel a try after the mixed feelings on this one. Now that the characters are established, maybe book 2 will live up to the ending of this one. (Language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: My 2018 Favorites

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: My 2018 Favorites

Posted on by Jaymie

I read a lot of books every year.  I like to keep track of what I read every year and see how it stacks up to years before. Here are some of my reading statistics for 2018.

2018 Stats

Through the course of 2018 I read 418 books.  There were 66 more that I started but did not finish. My stated goal for the year was 250, but I was hoping to get to 365. My highest number since I started keeping track was around 340. I’m pretty proud of all the reading I did this year, and even more proud of walking away from books that aren’t working for me.

Of those 418, the break down for target audience is

  •     36% adult (151 books)
  •     21% middle grade (87 books)
  •     20% teen/young adult (83 books)
  •     18% picture books/early readers
  •      5% transitional chapter books
    And of those, 27 were graphic novels for various ages.

The main genre breakdown is

  • 39% Fantasy
  • 19% Realistic/Contemporary
  • 14% Mystery
  •   9% Science Fiction
  •   6% General Nonfiction (26 books – my goal was at least one per month)

This year most of the books I read were from the library (30%). I read 93 books from my To Be Read shelves (which are overflowing), including brand new books, as well as 110  advanced reader copies from publishers. I also re-read 60 favorites this year. Next year I want to split out my new books and my truly “TBR” books that have been on my shelves for awhile. I’d like to make more progress getting through the books that I’ve had for awhile in 2019.

When someone asks me my favorite genre, I automatically answer “mystery,” but my actual reading did not reflect that in 2018. Last year my genre reading was more balanced between Fantasy, Mystery and Realistic/Contemporary. This year I really went all in on Fantasy, although my top three genres were the same. I’d like to read more mysteries this year. I really focused on adult books again this year, but  my reading for kids – middle grade and teens – was more balanced. I’d like to keep this balance in 2019.

This year I discovered that I do better reading nonfiction if I have a physical book. To stay focused, I need to be able to underline and dog-ear and make notes. In 2019, I want to keep reading 1-2 nonfiction books each month. I am also going to add a spreadsheet to my tracking process to see if I can better track authors and characters of color and other factors.

2018 Favorites!!

At the end of the year, I love to pull the titles of all of my 5 star favorites and then compare them to come up with my favorites for the year. I might not remember every detail about them, but I remember how I felt about them. These are the books I recommend time and time again, the ones I re-read and long to re-read.

You can see my list of favorites from 2016 here and 2017 here. Last year I had one middle grade book, five YA books, and four books for adults (including two nonfiction). When I went back through my list of the 400+ books I read in 2018, I came up with about 35 that were candidates for the best of the year. I whittled that list down to ten – 7 books for adults and three middle grade books. And here they are:

10. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl – I adored this middle grade novel about a girl who was struck by lightning, which made her a genius. You can read more about it here.

 

 

 

9. Aliens Abroad – Book 16 in the Gini Koch series that I adore. I read the whole series once or twice a year. I read this book twice in 2018, and it was excellent both times! You can read my full review here.

 

 

 

8. The Reckless Club – I felt like this was a mash up of The Breakfast Club and Golden Girls. The elderly folks in this novel are just as engaging as the kids. This was a book I wanted to hug. You can read more here.

 

 

 

7. Six Cats a Slayin’ – Book 10 in the awesome Cat in the Stacks series by Miranda James/Dean James. Right now this is my favorite book in the whole series. Read a full write up on this one here.

 

 

 

6. Captain Superlative – I have been talking about this book to everyone I know – kids, teachers, booksellers. I even wrote about it for another blog about books for kids.  I fell in love with the characters in this one. Read about them here.

 

 

 

5. ‘Twas the Knife Before Christmas – This Christmas series is a staple for me every November/December. Both books so far have had fantastic mysteries, and I adore the setting and characters. Read more here.

 

 

 

4. A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder – I just got around to reviewing this one this week, but I have loved this since I first read it last summer. The mystery is fantastic. I already have book two on my wish list for summer 2019. You can see my review here.

 

 

 

3. Lark the Herald Angels Sing – Book 24 in one of my all-time favorite cozy mystery series. I didn’t get to do a full review of this one in 2018, but it was an excellent combination of Christmas cheer, a great mystery, and the quirky characters I adore. You can read a little more in this post of Christmas books from 2018.

 

 

2. Ella: An Amish Retelling of Cinderella – I have adored this entire series, but Ella is my favorite of the three books. I’d love to see more books in this series, but I don’t know if that is the publisher’s plan. You can read these in any order, and I highly recommend all of them, including Belle and Sadie. You can read more about Belle and Ella here.

 

 

1. Kill the Queen – The cover is what first caught my attention on this one, but the book was even more fantastic than the cover promised. This is my favorite book from 2018. I already have book 2 on my wish list for 2019. I can’t believe I never had a chance to post a full review on this one in 2018!! I’ll be posting a full review as soon as I have an open spot, but you can read the Book News summary here.

 

 

Honorable Mentions

None of the Young Adult Books I read this year made my top ten, but here are my three most favorite YA books from 2018:

Grace and Fury

More Than We Can Tell

Fire and Heist

 

None of the Nonfiction I read made the top 10 either. Here are my top three Nonfiction reads from 2018:

The Path Between Us

Braving the Wilderness

I’d Rather Be Reading

 

My top three picture books from 2018:

We Don’t Eat Our Classmates

Can I Be Your Dog?

Santa Bruce

 

What were your favorite reads in 2018?

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Memorable Protagonists

Posted on by Jaymie

I’ve noticed that a make-or-break part of a book for me is the main character. While I enjoy tons of books, the truly special ones have characters that I adore. I read so much, I often don’t remember a lot of details about the books unless I re-read them a few times. But there are some characters that I remember immediately. I see the cover of the book, and instantly I think of these characters, and I want to dive into the book again. And when I think about these characters, there are often characteristics they have in common.

Here are a few of my favorite, most memorable protagonists:

The Protectors – I am a HUGE fan of smart, protective, and fierce characters who defend others. Kitty Katt-Martini in the Alien series by Gini Koch is the epitome of this sort of character. It’s why I am fanatic of the series that is already 16 books long – most of those book over 500 pages – and I re-read it at least once a year. In every book, Kitty puts herself between the evil megalomaniacs and the people she loves and the characters who need to be protected. Tess Kendrick from the Fixer series (book one was my favorite book of 2015 and book two was top of the list in 2016) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is about half Kitty’s age, but she is just as fierce. She has a delightfully strong personality and doesn’t care what other people think about her, but she follows her moral code, “fixing” the wrongs around her. Another teen protector is Adam Blake from Robin Roe’s A List of Cages. This was my favorite book from 2017. Adam is a more happy-go-lucky character than Kitty or Tess – he’s breezy and unconcerned for the most part, but when it comes to Julian, he is fiercely protective exactly when Julian needs him. Finally, Turtle the Seawing dragon is the star of Talons of Power in the Wings of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland. He is fairly meek for a “protector,” but he pushes past his insecurity and fear to do what no one else can to protect his friends.

Graphic Novels for Kids - Phoebe and her Unicorn

The Funny Folks – Wedgie the Corgi is my favorite part of the Wedgie and Gizmo series by Suzanne Selfors. In my head he sounds like Doug from the Pixar movie Up. He’s a goofy, hilarious, earnest character who loves everyone and everything. He makes up fantastic names for other characters – he calls Gizmo the guinea pig “Furry Potato.” I love characters that make me laugh. The other protagonist who always makes me laugh is Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, the unicorn in the Phoebe and her Unicorn series by Dana Simpson. Early in the series it was her declaration of “UNICORN!” in fancy fonts to show why  she was awesome and should always win every argument that would crack me up. As the series has gone on, that stellar attitude is only part of what makes her funny. I love her character.

The Brooding and Mysterious Men – It’s always interesting to me to read a series about a set of brothers where each brother gets a book to explore their unique perspective and personality. One series I have read multiple times is the Sons of Destiny series. Yes, I know it’s hard to take that cover seriously. And the content of the book is just what you would expect based on that cover. But what I love most about the series is the fantasy world and the magic as well as the story arc that covers all eight books. Rydan Corvis, “The Storm,” is brother number six, and his story is my favorite. He is the dark and brooding brother that shuns the light and the company of the others. No one seems to understand him, so getting to read a story from his perspective is really enjoyable. (One note about the series – there are four sets of twin brothers and the books go in order from the oldest brother to the youngest. But books five and six, which includes Rydan’s story, take place concurrently. So you get 60% or so of the same story, but from different perspectives, which I found really clever). The other brooding character that captivated me is Gabriel Merrick from Brigid Kemmerer‘s Elementals series. This is another fantasy romance series geared more toward young adults. While I enjoyed reading the whole series, Gabriel’s story was my favorite. He has a fierce, fiery personality, and he is reluctant to let others in, so the only way to really get a read on him is to dig into his own story. (Note, one of the books in the series includes a character’s struggle with his sexuality.) Both of these characters have a dark and mysterious air about them, so breaking through that by learning their stories is really satisfying for me as a reader.

The Character Most Like Me – Meg Langslow is the smart, organized, diplomatic, and creative protagonist at the center of Donna Andrews mystery series. And she is a woman after my own heart. She is the only one of my favorite protagonists who seems most like me. I’d love to be protective like the first group, but that’s not really who I am. But I am Meg. She has her “notebook that tells me when to breathe” and I have my to do lists and planners and forms and calendars and organizational systems. I “get” Meg which makes reading her stories enjoyable!

So these are my most memorable protagonists. What sorts of characters do you enjoy?

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: My 2017 Favorites

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: My 2017 Favorites

Posted on by Jaymie

I read a lot of books every year.  I like to keep track of what I read every year and see how it stacks up to years before. Here are some of my reading statistics for 2017.

2017 Stats

Through the course of 2017 I read 308 books.  There were 26 more that I started but did not finish.

Of those 308, the break down for target audience is

  • 127 adult
  • 98 middle grade
  • 63 teen/young adult
  • 10 picture books/early readers
  • 9 transitional chapter books
  • as well as 19 graphic novels for various ages

The genre breakdown (some books are counted in two categories) is

  • 77 mystery
  • 73 realistic
  • 72 fantasy
  • 35 science fiction
  • 18 romance
  • 17 non-fiction
  • 6 Christian fiction
  • 5 Christmas
  • 4 historic fiction
  • 3 memoirs/autobiographies
  • 2 dystopian
  • 3 suspense

This year most of the books I read were from the library (104). I read 59 books from my To Be Read shelves (which are overflowing), as well as 58 advanced reader copies from publishers. I also re-read 47 favorites this year.

I read more fantasy and nonfiction last year and more realistic fiction and science fiction this year. And I can see what difference not teaching has made in my reading. Last year I read a lot more picture books and early readers. This year there were more books for teens and adults.

 

2017 Favorites!!

I read a lot of books every year. I often don’t remember all the details, but I remember how they made me feel. I remember which books follow me throughout the year – how I feel when I see them in the bookstore or library or online. These are the ones I want to go back and read again. These are the ones I recommend over and over and over.

You can see my list of favorites from 2016 here. Last year I had five middle grade books, two YA books, and three books for adults (all fiction). When I went back through my list of the 300+ books I read in 2017, I came up with 50 that were candidates for the best of the year. I whittled that list down to ten – only one middle grade this time, five YA books, two adult fiction books and two nonfiction. And here they are:

10. Nothing to Prove – A fantastic non-fiction book. I hope to read it again this year and complete the Bible study that goes with it. You can read a little about this here and my full review here.

 

 

 

9. Barking Up the Wrong Tree – I loved this romance book, second in a series. I reviewed the third and final book in the series earlier this week. You can read my review of book one here. Book 2 is even better than the first! I enjoyed the chemistry between the main characters.

 

 

 

8. Draw the Circle – This is a forty day prayer journey. This is one I will go back to again and again. You can read a little about this book here. I’ll be doing a full review later in 2018.

 

 

 

7. Alien Education – This is book 15 in the Alien series by Gini Koch. This is my favorite fiction series. I included book 14 in my list last year. Book 16 releases in February. I just finished a re-read of the whole series, and I was struck again by how fun this particular book is. I know it is because so much of the story centers on the kids. I can’t wait to see what happens next!  You can read my thoughts about this book here.

 

 

 

6. The Names They Gave Us – This book stuck with me all year because there were so many times in it where I felt known and understood in the description of the main character. You can read my review here.

 

 

 

5. It’s Not Me, It’s You – This book was not at all what I expected – in all the best ways! I loved the unusual format and the terrific characters. I actually have two books by this author on my list for 2017! You can read my review here.

 

 

 

4. Greetings from Witness Protection – This has a fantastic premise and the main character is a delight. I hope there will be more books with these characters. You can read my review of this one here.

 

 

 

3. Letters to the Lost – Another fantastic book for teens and young adults. I am chomping at the bit for her new book that comes out this spring since this one was so great! You can read my review here.

 

 

 

2. Prince in Disguise – This was a late addition to my list as it came out in December. Reading it was like eating a favorite dessert. I savored each page, giggling. The writing is so smart and the characters are delightful. This is the second book I have on my list from Stephanie Kate Strohm. You can read my full review here.

 

 

 

#1 – A List of Cages – Oh, this book. Whenever I see it I think about how the characters impacted me. They have followed me all year long. It’s a difficult read, but worth every tear and every tissue. You can read my review here.

 

 

 

As always, if you are looking for even more fantastic books, you can always check out my Five Star Reviews to see all of my favorites! I had a hard time choosing only 10 from all the terrific books in 2017. I have high hopes for great reading in 2018!