This has been requested a few times, and I think I've dragged my feet long enough. It's just so hard to whittle down a list of books I love most. There are too many, and I always fret that I'll leave some vital, life-changing read off the list, and then I'll spiral into a neurotic depression for my thoughtlessness... okay, that might be stretching it a bit. Just a bit.
Anyway, I've decided that instead of a set list of top 10 or top 100 books, I'd just snap a few pictures of my office shelves and share those. This is by no means my entire collection. There are a few additional shelves and cabinets crammed full of books (the angle was just too awkward for a picture), not to mention my kindle library (full of awesomeness), and then there are the magical reads I tracked down via library because I couldn't find them elsewhere for a decent price. Seriously, how could so many gems go out of print? Curses!
So here we go... pay no attention to my dust. That's a cleaning project for another day.
If you've been following me for a while, then you might recognize this as the desk I built a few years ago to accommodate my book habit. As you can see, it has served me well. These are the books I always have at arm's reach. Literally. My laptop fits in the cozy nook just below the fancy Keep Calm tags hanging in front of my calendar.
I won't detail every last book you see here (because that would take for-fucking-ever) but I'll at least do a quick rundown. The center 3 shelves are reference and writing books. There are a handful on marketing, and several on screenwriting, and then the dictionaries, thesauruses, and style books are right in the middle, along with several books on various languages, including Latin, German, Italian, and Chinese. There are a few additional books crammed in there that don't fit in these categories, but that's likely due to lack of shelf space elsewhere. Or laziness.
To the left, you'll see some of my favorite leading ladies of urban fantasy, including: Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse series), Vicki Pettersson (Zodiac series & Celestial Blues series), Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson series), Jeanne C. Stein, Lilith Saintcrow, Tonya Hurley, Kelley Armstrong, Kory M. Shrum (the Dying for a Living series)...
To the right, there are more kickass ladies, including: Kim Harrison (the Hollows series), MaryJanice Davidson (Undead series), Laurell K. Hamilton (Anita Blake and Merry Gentry series). And the bottom shelf is anthologies that contain stories from most of these ladies too.
This lovely beast of a shelf is vintage. My husband's grandfather built it long ago, and I love it dearly. What you can't see (and won't, because my office floor is covered in inventory boxes) is the enclosed cabinets on the bottom portion of this shelf, that I also have stuffed to max capacity with more books.
On the left side, you'll find some of my favorite dude writers, including: Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Jasper Fforde, Jim Butcher, George R. R. Martin, Charles de Lint, and Christopher Moore. Kevin Hearne would be over here too, but his books are on my kindle.
In the center, you'll find some more research books--but these are on vampires. You'll also find some vampire books by J. R. Ward, Anne Rice, and more. Below that are my favorite classics, including: Alice and Wonderland, a giant-ass Shakespeare collection, Dante's Inferno, some Thoreau, Emerson, and Whitman. Lots of good stuff.
To the right is a menagerie of religious books, ranging from Christianity, to Paganism, to Atheism. Half of this collection is tucked away in the cabinet below, but I keep my favorites on this shelf for easy access.
This is my little fantasy corner. I keep Holly Black's books and my Brian Froud Oracle set up on the shelf with Miss Mermaid and the butterfly tea set. The colorful bottles serving as bookends were bought from a wonderful lady named Suzi who owns the Gypsy Folk Shoppe in Millersburg, OH. On top of the bookshelf (this one was donated by my mom during an office makeover) I have a collection of trinkets and illustrated fantasy books on fairies, mermaids, unicorns, wizards, and other magical things.
Here are a few more dude writers I admire: Gregory Maguire, Dan Brown, Daniel Quinn, Ray Kurzweil. Mary Roach is mixed in there with them. These genres are a bit different from what I keep on my other shelves, lots of non-fiction and science goodies, so they ended up here.
On the bottom shelf, I have more epic high fantasy, lots of Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Jacqueline Carey, Robert Jordan, and more. The Harry Potter books are tucked in the back there too, but I have everything doubled up, so you can't see. Apparently, I need another shelf. But where to put it?
So that's the bulk of my bookish loves. I hope you enjoyed this little shelf tour. I hope you found something familiar that made you feel kindred, and I hope you found something new and exciting too!
Happy reading! xoxo
It's here! It's here! Right HERE!!! Unless you're on Clare's side of the big pond in the UK, and then it's HERE!!!
That's right! Broken Bargain, book 2 in Clare Davidson's Hidden series, is officially available! And here's my official review:
“Broken Bargain” picks up almost a year after the events in book 1, “Reaper’s Rhythm”. Kim is starting a new year at school. Though she is clearly still affected by the death of her sister, her own near death experience, and the startling knowledge that Shamari and Baneem, or angels and demons, are real. She also knows that magic is real, but that’s not something she can tell anyone, ever. Most of her classmates think she’s crazy anyway, after her meltdown when her sister Charley died. The only person who doesn’t think she’s crazy is her best friend, Sophie. And maybe the mysterious new boy, AJ.
Kim does her best to forget the secrets she cannot share and the trauma of the previous year. She has a full schedule of classes and a cute boy to distract her, but it’s hard not to look over her shoulder for signs of the dangerous world she knows is hidden beneath the surface. When Sophie’s grandmother suddenly falls ill and the details don’t add up, Kim begins to suspect magic. Especially when Matthew, the Shamari who came to her rescue when Charley died, appears to warn her away from investigating for herself. Not that she listens to him. How can she, when her best friend’s family is suffering?
This was such a great read! I could really feel Kim’s inner turmoil as she worked through some very serious issues she was left with after “Reaper’s Rhythm”. The details and emotion were fantastic! There were some really delightful and unexpected twists. The editing was top notch too, as was the cover design! This novel is 5 stars all the way around. I can’t wait for the next one in the Hidden series!!!
 |
| Clare Davidson |
Hi Clare! Welcome to my blog, and congratulations on your new novel. It was a great read!
I’m glad you enjoyed it and thank you for having me over to celebrate Broken Bargain’s official release day.
This is the second novel in your Hidden series. Would you recommend that readers start with the first, “Reaper’s Rhythm”? Would they be lost if they picked up “Broken Bargain” first, or would they still be able to follow along?
I would recommend they start with Reaper’s Rhythm, as it’s an introduction to the central characters and the paranormal aspects of the setting. However, I think it’s possible to read and enjoy Broken Bargain if you haven’t read Reaper’s Rhythm, as the plot stands on its own. You just won’t know as much about the world set up.
Do you have more novels planned for this series? If so, how many?
There will be four in total. I’m editing book 3 at the moment.
What made you decide to write YA?
Advice from an editor! I didn’t start out consciously writing for a teen audience. However when I was getting feedback on Trinity, I was advised to make it shorter so it would appeal more to a teen audience. The reason? The central character, Kiana, was sixteen. I did as I was advised (it’s a better book for it) and from that point on decided I’d write books pitched at teens but with a strong crossover appeal. A lot of my readers are adults.
Does your daughter read your books? If so, is she a good critic?
She’s four and three-quarters (that three-quarters is very important!), so she’s only just learning to read. She recognises my books though and proudly proclaims: “that’s my mummy’s book”, whenever she sees one when we’re in public. I’d love to be able to write a short story that she could read, but writing an engaging story using the phonics system is a completely different skill and challenge to writing for teens. Maybe when she’s a little older I’ll write a book she can read.
From the pictures you've posted, it looks like she's the perfect mascot, displaying your author swag. lol So adorable! : ) You do a lot of really great online events. Do you also do live events, like store signings or school readings?
Over the summer, I did a short book tour, which my good friend Louise helped me organise. I sold and signed books in three shopping centers and I also did a book signing at Waterstone’s in Lancaster. Each stop on the tour was very successful, but very nerve-wracking.
I’ve also done author workshops at a local high school, which was a lot of fun. I’ll be looking to do more now I’ve settled after our big house move.
Have you ever met an author you admired in person?
Does the Internet count? No, probably not! I haven’t met many authors in the flesh, to be honest. I have met Fred Nath and fellow indie author David Rashleigh. I’m going to WorldCon in London in August, so I’m hoping to meet up with more of the authors I’ve made friends with via social media there.
Thanks for stopping by my blog, and thanks for allowing me the chance to review your new book early! : )
You’re welcome. Thank you again for having me and for the fun interview.
You can find Clare all across the interwebs….
First of all, congratulations to Cynthia, Sally, & Tiffany, who won ebook copies of "Crazy Ex-Ghoulfriend" by entering the tour giveaway yesterday. Thanks for entering & happy reading!
BROKEN BARGAIN, the amazing Clare Davidson's new book, will be available tomorrow! Woot! And this lucky lady got to read it early. Perks of the author gig. : ) I'll have the full review up tomorrow, along with an interview featuring Clare herself! There are two days left in the tour giveaway, and some awesome goods up for grabs! Today's featured author is Kat Ellis, whose debut novel BLACKFIN SKY will be released by Firefly Press (UK) & Running Press Kids (US) in May. Enter the giveaway after Kat's interview for a chance to win some awesome swag!
 |
| KAT ELLIS |
Congratulations on your debut novel BLACKFIN SKY being released this May. It looks like an exciting read! Can you tell us a little about it?
Thanks, Angela! BLACKFIN SKY is about a girl called Skylar who falls from Blackfin Pier on her sixteenth birthday and drowns. The whole town goes into mourning – until Sky shows up three months later like nothing happened.
Unravelling the mystery of those missing months takes Sky to the burned-out circus in the woods, where whispers of murder and kidnapping begin to reveal the town’s secrets. But Sky’s not the only one digging up the past – the old mime from the circus knows what happened to her, and he has more than one reason for keeping quiet about it.
Mysterious, no?? ;)
Very mysterious! Can’t wait to check it out!
You’re fairly new to the publishing scene. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’ve lived in North Wales my whole life (except for a few years when I hopped over the border to England) and work sort of in IT. I say sort of because I’m a bit like Jen from The IT Crowd, who thinks The Internet lives inside a black shoebox - because who really needs to know what it is, as long as it works?
Apart from writing and fudging my way through HTML code, I’m also a keen photographer, and I love adventuring through ruined castles and abbeys and cemeteries (of which North Wales has A LOT) to take photos. I post them online on Tumblr, and use the images as inspiration when I’m writing.
That sounds like a really great way to stimulate your imagination! What’s next for you? Are you considering other genres, or sticking to YA?
I’m a YA girl at heart, although I like to dabble a bit with genres within the YA category. The first MS I wrote was science fiction, then I worked on fantasy for a while, and now I’m writing a contemporary thriller.
I try to challenge myself to change things up every time I work on a new project – writing from different points of view, switching from first-person narrative (my home ground) to third-person, setting the story somewhere really unique – stuff like that. I want every story I write to be different and exciting, and the way I make that happen is to make sure I’m excited about what I’m writing.
Who are some of your favorite YA authors and books?
I try to read a wide range of genres, and there are a lot of authors I could mention here…so I will!
One of my all-time favourites is Lisa McMann, who wrote the Wake trilogy and now has a new series about psychic visions. Yangsze Choo’s The Ghost Bride is a beautiful historical fantasy set in colonial Malaya, and I can’t recommend it highly enough!
Michael Grant is another longstanding favourite, in particular his Gone series about kids trapped in an invisible dome who start to develop strange abilities. And there’s A. G. Howard’s Splintered series, based on Alice in Wonderland with a fantastically dark contemporary twist.
In the contemporary genre I have to mention Erin Fletcher, whose debut Where You’ll Find Me came out this month, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. Also Laura Jarratt and Lucy Christopher, whose novels are way up there on my favourites list. I think I need to stop now, or this list will grow tentacles and take over the world!
When I’m not wearing my writer hat, I’m a graphic designer, so I’m always curious…. your cover design is beautiful! Who was the artist? And how much input did you have in the creation?
I am so jealous of anyone with artistic skills like yourself – I’m challenged by drawing stick figures!
The cover that’s ‘out there’ at the moment is the UK cover for BLACKFIN SKY, and the artwork is by the amazing Shane Rebenschied (blot.com is his website – he had loads of fantastic examples in his gallery). I actually asked Firefly, my UK publisher, to approach Shane – not thinking I’d get him in a million years, so I was thrilled when I found out it was happening. I love his vision and how he has translated my story into such a gorgeous cover.
I will also have a US cover for BLACKFIN SKY, and the drafts I’ve seen of that one are so different, but really fantastic too – I’m so lucky that I love them both! The US one should be revealed sooooon.
That’s so awesome! I can’t wait to see your US cover too. Thanks for visiting my blog, Kat! Good luck with your future projects, and I can’t wait to read BLACKFIN SKY!
Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog, Angela! This interview was great fun :D
Find Kat Ellis all across the interwebs…
a Rafflecopter giveaway
