What To Read Next - Oct. '14

Besides finishing my ninth book recently, I've been immersed in some wonderful stories. There are so many great emerging new writers out there, it blows my mind.

More on my upcoming release soon! It's in the queue for editing and cover art. Meanwhile, I've started plotting two more contemporary novels. Yay!!!

1) The Park Service, by Ryan Winfield

"What if the plan to save Earth includes the extinction of humankind?

Sometimes the best intentions ultimately lead to evil ends. That's what fifteen-year-old Aubrey VanHouten learns when he stumbles onto a post-apocalyptic paradise where the few remaining humans live on the run from deadly drones controlled by a mysterious Park Service."

Action-packed dystopian fiction. I read and enjoyed Winfield's contemporary romance Jane's Melody awhile ago, but I thought this book was even better because the world-building allows Winfield's descriptive talents to come to light. The second installment of the series, Isle of Man, is on my TBR list.

2) Crazy Little Thing, by Tracy Brogan

"If Sadie Turner is good at anything, it’s putting stuff in order. So when she finds her “perfect” life in disarray, she hopes a summer vacation at her aunt’s lake house will help her piece it back together. She wants to relax, reboot, and heal the wounds left by her cheating ex-husband. And that requires time away from men. All men.

Or so she thinks.

With two slobbering dogs and two cousins living there—one a flamboyant decorator intent on making over Sadie—it’s hard to get a moment’s peace at eccentric Aunt Dody’s house, especially with everyone so determined to set her up with Desmond, the sexy new neighbor."

This is my new favorite romance - EVER!  Intelligent, witty, and downright hilarious at times. Brogan had me cracking up on almost every page, but still emotionally invested in Sadie and Des's story. I auto-bought the next Bell Harbor Book, The Best Medicine. That says a lot!

3) The Plagiarist, by Hugh Howey

"Adam Griffey is living two lives. By day, he teaches literature. At night, he steals it. Adam is a plagiarist, an expert reader with an eye for great works. He prowls simulated worlds perusing virtual texts, looking for the next big thing. And when he finds it, he memorizes it page by page, line by line, word for word. And then he brings it back to his world.
But what happens when these virtual worlds begin to seem more real than his own? What happens when the people within them mean more to him than flesh and blood? What happens when a living thing falls in love with someone who does not actually exist?"

Another great story by the SciFi Master, Hugh Howey. This novella pulled me in immediately. It makes you think a lot about how intensely real our imaginary worlds can seem, to the point where you start to wonder. It brings to mind the saying, 'There is no reality; only perception.'

Happy reading!
Gemi

What To Read Next - Sept. '14

I know! Where have I been? Never fear. I have been busy. In a good way. My ninth book is two chapters away from completion. The editor and cover artist have been penciled in. New ideas keep popping into my head and going into the story ideas file. I can't wait to get started on the next Halo book, and then to return to the new Sam McNamee series I've begun. More on that later. Meanwhile ...

I've compiled a great -- and eclectic, as always -- list of books that I want to recommend. This will take two installments, or more, so stay tuned.

1) Sand, by Hugh Howey

"The old world is buried. A new one has been forged atop the shifting dunes. Here in this land of howling wind and infernal sand, four siblings find themselves scattered and lost. Their father was a sand diver, one of the elite few who could travel deep beneath the desert floor and bring up the relics and scraps that keep their people alive. But their father is gone. And the world he left behind might be next..."

Whether or not you've read Howey's Wool series, if you like world-building and imaginative storytelling, pick up the Sand Omnibus. I'm one of those who used to say, "I don't read that genre", but great writing can definitely change your mind.

2) Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes, by Denise Grover Swank

"Somebody thinks Rose has something they want and they’ll do anything to get it. Her house is broken into, someone else she knows is murdered, and suddenly, dying a virgin in the Fenton County jail isn’t her biggest worry after all."

Rarely does a series keep my interest after three books, but even after five novels and a novella, I'm still eager for the next installment of Swank's Rose Gardener mystery series.  This is a cozy mystery series (meaning most of the violence takes place off page), with an ongoing love triangle and a good dose of humor. Rose is absolutely endearing and her visions add an interesting twist.

3) When Shadows Fall, by Paul Reid

"Still haunted by the British army’s treatment of soldiers during World War I, Lieutenant Adam Bowen returns to Dublin in 1919—and discovers a new war destroying his hometown. When his well-bred family ignores the violence between Irish revolutionaries and the British government, Adam turns his back on Britain and secretly aligns with the Irish Republican Army.
Then Adam meets golden-haired, blue-eyed Tara Reilly, and finds himself drawn to her quiet beauty..."

Artfully woven, masterfully written. This is a wartime love story you'll long remember. Adam and Tara are on opposing sides - but neither is aware of the other's secret. Can love overcome?


More to come soon. I have a book to finish writing!

Happy reading,
Gemi