WWW Wednesdays: Sept. 25, 2013 Edition

Here's the answers to this week meme's from Should Be Reading's blog. Feel free to leave your comments with the answers to these questions and be sure to check out their blog as well for other's answers.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions in the comment section or in your own blog then link it from the comments.

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

I look forward to seeing your answers below!

What are you currently reading?

The Dresden Files: Ghost Stories (#13) by Jim Butcher.  I'm about 100 pages from completing this book and like every other book, things aren't quite as they seem and Dresden realizes it just before its too late.  In this book though, Dresden considers things - including how things would have been different if he hadn't taken the course of actions he had taken in the previous books and if he had to do it all over again would he?  And in most cases he decided he would.

I'm really interested in seeing where this book is going to go.  There have been drastic changes to the characters you've grown to love in the books, especially with Murphy and Molly, and you get to know some characters, such as Daniel Carpenter and Waldo Butters - that were in some of the previous books but not all of them - better.

Only 100 pages to go.  I expect I will be finished later tonight or tomorrow depending on my work load.

What did you recently finish reading?

The Dresden Files: Changes (#13) by Jim Butcher.

The past month and a half, I have been voraciously reading through the Jim Butcher novels and found, like everyone told me I would, that I thoroughly enjoyed them.  Like most of the paranormal fiction I've been reading, the world of magic, vampires and werewolves are still new and relatively unknown to most of the mortals in the world today.  Harry Dresden, the protagonist and the person who's point of view the books are written from, is a wizard - and a declared wizard at that.  Harry has his name in the yellow pages as a "Wizard".

In this book, though, a lot of unexpected things happen to Dresden which startle you, the reader, almost as much as it startles the protagonist.  And the ending of the book ends in a cliff hanger.  I can't express how much that upset me when I, for some reason, thought this was the last book published so far - thankfully it's not and there are two more so far.

If you like paranormal books with a very tiny touch of romance and no sex scenes in the books with a touch of mystery and a lot of action, you might check these books out.

What do you think you'll read next?

The Dusk Harbringer by Oliver Campbell and Danika Potts.  I'll be honest, I'm a really bad friend. I  was given a review copy of the book and I haven't had a chance to read it because I had just gotten into the Dresden File series when their book came out and was too hooked on reading those books (And now I find out they're not done yet and I'm on book 13, moving on to book 14).  So I decided after I finish Ghost Stories I'd switch to The Dusk Harbringer and read that and review it.

If you haven't picked up The Dusk Harbringer or Rabbit in the Road yet, both will be free on Amazon this upcoming weekend, Sept. 28 and 29, 2013.  I strongly suggest you click on the links to the books and grab them.

Musing Mondays: Aug. 19, 2013 Edition

Here's today's Musing Monday's as posted by Should Be Reading's blog 

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying with it.

As I haven't done one of these since the last week in June, I figure it's okay to go with point 3 again.

I am currently reading through the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher.

This series was recommended to be by a number of my friends - all of whom also suggested I read the Anita Blake books which I haven't had a chance to read yet.

The series are written as a first-person narrative by Harry Blackstone Coppersfield Dresden, a wizard who is also a private investigator in Chicago.  His main contract is with the local police department Special Investigations unit.  Like most paranormal fiction I've read recently, people have just learned that magic and mystical creatures exist in their world and are coping with that revelation.  Dresden is one of the few wizards who openly practices his craft and is available for hire.

So far I've read the first two books in the series:

• Storm Front
• Fool Moon

I'm now reading Grave Peril.  I like the books so far, but I already feel that the author is too repetitive both within the individual books and within the series.  There's only so many times I need the same description of how he decorates his apartment or the style of clothes he wears or how and why the apartment has no electricity etc.

Beyond that little pet peeve, I'm enjoying the books thus far.

Musing Monday - June 24, 2013 Edition

Here's today's Musing Monday's as posted by Should Be Reading's blog 

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying with it.

Just like last week, for this week's musing, I'm going with point three and talking about what I'm reading right now.

I have finally made it back to reading the Queen's Blade Series by T.C. Southwell - Master of the Dance.  This book follows in the same line as the other ones, but the story is getting a bit repetitive.  There are only so many times the "hero" of the story can be captured, tortured, rescued, etc. before the pattern gets dull and boring and it is very close to being too repetitive for me now.  While the story is still good - and I'm 300 pages from the end of the novel - I'm waiting for something different.

It's almost like the author has a constant need to remind you that the character is a dick but there's something more to him, but keeps teasing that because he's too much of a bastard to show it.  Seriously, I got the point already - he's got redeeming qualities - let's just get past the BS and show it already.

Yeah - the book might be dragging on a bit now for me.   We'll see how I finish it and start the next one..

WWW Wednesdays - June 19, 2013 Edition

Here's the answers to this week meme's from Should Be Reading's blog. Feel free to leave your comments with the answers to these questions and be sure to check out their blog as well for other's answers.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions in the comment section or in your own blog then link it from the comments.

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

I look forward to seeing your answers below!

What are you currently reading?

Stormlord Rising, by Glenda Larke.  This is the second book in the Stormlord series and seems to be moving at a slightly slower, but more reasonable slower pace, than the first book.  This one, I believe, will move at the same pace as the last book, which I've completed, and will explain some of the other things missing from reading the third book first.

It is nice to see the development of the characters, especially Terelle and Jasper, as they grow up and learn from the folks around them.  And it's a bit disturbing to see just how depraved both Laisa, Taquar and Senya are.  In the third book, it is mentioned repeatedly that Senya is missing a morality compass, or something along those lines - and I have to agree.  Besides being a spoiled brat, she has no concept of right or wrong, good or bad - it's what she wants that matters, nothing more.

I am currently only 100 or so pages into this book on my nook.

What did you recently finish reading?

The Last Stormlord, by Glenda Larke.  This is the first book in the Stormlord trilogy and unfortunately was read out of order of the books, so I know how things will end up due to references in the last book.  As previously mentioned in another blog post, I started the Stormlord Trilogy with the third book on accident.  I picked it up at a store, not having seen a note that it was the last in the Trilogy and read it, enjoying it.  And in all honesty, book 3 can stand alone without knowing the backstory as the story can be pieced together from the third book alone.  That being said, this first book can't stand alone.  There are too many loose ends in it and it definitely has a cliffhanger to take you on to the second book.

That being said, The Last Stormlord introduces you to a harsh world where water makes it to the desert cities with the magical command of men and women who can shift water, create clouds, make it rain where it needs to - unfortunately, the last Stormlord is dying and all the other people who can manipulate water with their power are too weak to control storms and make them go where they are needed.  It causes strife in the cities and dune tribes to rebel because they can't get enough water.  It also makes the Stormlord send out folks to look for a future water sensitive that could become a stormlord - they find one in what turns into the series protagonist - Shale Flint.

The book covers a number of years in a short amount of time - the book is only 675 pages long and ends up seeming rushed at the end to get to the next book in the series.  Despite it being rushed, the backstory needed to be told and I don't really think the details were as necessary as the story.  And as I read Book 2, more of the backstory fills in the blanks left in Book 1.

What do you think you'll read next?

Master of the Dance by T.C. Southwell, book five in The Queen's Blade Series.  I've already read the first four books, just hadn't bought this one till my last trip to Seattle, now I have it and a few others to read and catch up on when I have time.  I still need to pick up the rest of the Slave Empire series, which is more sci-fi than fantasy, but was just as an enjoyable read.

You can learn more about the Stormlord Series here:  http://www.sfsite.com/03b/sl364.htm

WWW Wednesdays, Feb. 13, 2013 Edition

Here's the answers to this week meme's from Should Be Reading's blog. Feel free to leave your comments with the answers to these questions and be sure to check out their blog as well for other's answers.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions in the comment section or in your own blog then link it from the comments.

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

I look forward to seeing your answers below!

What are you currently reading?
Sadly, nothing.  I finished reading Clean a couple nights ago and haven't started anything new yet.  Been too busy and tired to figure out what I want or if I am going to buy the rest of the books in a series to finish it out yet or later on.

What did you recently finish reading?
Clean by Ken Sweet.  Clean, while having heavy religious undertones, really is a book about facing your own demons and evils and the quest of one man to do just that.  It was an interesting read.

What do you think you’ll read next?
This answer is almost as pathetic as the first answer.  I don't know.  Haven't quite figured it out yet.  I have a lot of writing to do and sleep to catch up on, though I'm sure I'll start something before the weekend ends - I always do.

Musing Mondays - Feb. 4, 2013

After missing a week (it was a long week last week) I'm back with today's Musing Monday's as posted by Should Be Reading's blog 

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.

I think I'll be going with point 2 today and talking about books I recently purchased for myself.

After downloading and reading the free books The Queen's Blade - Book 1 of The Queen's Blade Series and Prophecy - Book 1 of The Slave Empire series I found that I wanted to continue reading the stories.  Both books leave you with cliffhangers and you quickly want to get the next book to continue reading.  This was definitely the case with The Queen's Blade and I purchased the next 3 books for my Nook Simple Touch and read them at every spare moment I could.

Now, I originally downloaded the free books because they seemed interesting by their synopsis - and they were.  If a book is good and there's more, I'll definitely buy more of the series.  Now that I have finished the next three in The Queen's Blade, I need to purchase the rest and then purchase the ones in The Slave Empire series.

What I really like about the books is the worlds she writes in are two different worlds.  One is a midieval/arabic style set world, the other is sci-fi.  Very unique.

Check out the books, which are still free for download on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Musing Mondays Returns: New Format

Looks like while I was busy not blogging, Should Be Reading's blog changed the format on Musing Mondays, which will actually make it easier to write for.  See below.

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.

So for today's (which is a wee bit late, sorry) - I'll discuss one of my reading habits.

Normally, I like to read just before I go to sleep, unless I've taken something to help me sleep or I'm exhausted.  Reading helps to relax me and slow my brain down.

Unfortunately, not all books help with that.  The Hunger Games series was one of those that I just couldn't put down.  Each chapter end was suspenseful and I had to turn the next page.  My husband is finding it to be the same way.  Most of the time I can stop just about anywhere (though I prefer to wait till the end of the chapter) and pick up again the following day or when I have a chance.

I have also been reading more on my Nook Simple Touch than my paperbacks lately.

How bout you?  What are your reading habits?

WWW Wednesdays - Jan. 2, 2013 Edition

Here's the answers to this week meme's from Should Be Reading's blog. Feel free to leave your comments with the answers to these questions and be sure to check out their blog as well for other's answers.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions in the comment section or in your own blog then link it from the comments.

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

I look forward to seeing your answers below!

What are you currently reading? Great Hexpectations by H.P. Mallory.  It's book #3 in the Dulcie O'Neil Series.   This book (as well as the other three) came as part of an awesome deal I found before leaving for a trip last year where all three books were available on B&N for just .99 cents.  Having never heard of the author, I thought I'd get them and see how it went from there.  I have to say it was the best 99 cents I have spent on books and am buying the other two in the Dulcie O'Neil series to have on hand when I finish re-reading this one.

Either way, I picked up the three books and this is a re-read of them.  Either my first or second re-read..I think second.  The books are easy to read and keep you wanting more.

What did you recently finish reading? A Tale of Two Goblins by H.P. Mallory.  It's book #2 in the Dulcie O'Neil Series.  If you like Paranormal Romances, especially those that don't just jump to the sexy deed, these books are for you.  Pick up To Kill a Warlock, the first book in the series, before reading this one or Great Hexpectations, or you may get a bit lost in the series.  I also have to say I really like the puns in her book titles.

What do you think you'll read next? Wuthering Frights by H.P. Mallory....you guess it.  It's book #4 in the Dulcie O'Neil Series.  This one I haven't read at all yet as it wasn't a part of the first 3 I downloaded.  But now that it's available (and once I finish re-reading the others) I have ordered it for my Nook.  I also have book 5 ordered and downloading, so I should be good to go.  Here's hoping there's not more to the series.

If you haven't checked out her books yet, be sure to check out her website at http://hpmallory.com/ which has information about her two series as well as her book for writers titled "Quit Your Day Job.

Happy reading!

Musing Mondays - Sept. 24, 2012 Edition

This week’s musing –courtesy ofhttp://carabosseslibrary.blogspot.com– asks…

Do you have any hobbies outside of reading?
Or do you collect anything?

I do!  I like to play video games, make jewelry and act like I can sew (yes, act...i can't complete a sewing project to save my life).  

I used to collect things - Magic: The Gathering cards, sports cards, etc.  Now I'm into collecting the various buttons you can get at PAX and other conventions.  Those are kinda cool.

What about you?

Musing Mondays - March 12, 2012 Edition

Today's Musing Monday's question, by Should Be Reading's blog, is "What book do you wish you were reading right now? Where would you take it to, if you could go anywhere to read for a while? "

That's  a hard on to answer as I really want to read two different books right now, though technically they're of the same genre.

A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin is at the top of my list with the next season of the show about to start on HBO (let's be honest, the only reason I subscribed to HBO was to watch TrueBlood and Game of Thrones).

Then I want to read the second to last book in the Wheel of Time series, but the name of the book eludes me.  Of course, with that one, I was waiting for it to come out in paperback to read it which is why I don't have it yet.

If I could go anywhere to read for a while...hrmmmm.  Hard to say.  Probably a big cushy mamasan chair, a blanket and curling up in front of a fire to read with a cat curled up with me.  I love reading with my cats.

Musing Mondays - March 5, 2012 Edition

Today's Musing Monday's question, by Should Be Reading's blog, is "When you walk into a bookstore — any bookstore — what’s the first section you head toward (what draws you)?"


Well, if you asked my husband where I go to in a bookstore first, he'd prolly say the romance novel section - which is inaccurate.  I visit that second.  The first area I end up at is normally Sci-Fi/Fantasy sections where I can get my fill of fiction goodness.  This is where, as a young adult, I was introduced to Raymond E. Feist, Piers Anthony, J.R.R. Tolkein, Terry Goodkind among many others.  My love for fantastical-sci-fi worlds started at a young age.  After all, by the end of 8th grade I had read The Hobbit and the complete Lord of the Rings Trilogy and by high school I had started in on the Similarion (sp?).

My husband introduced me to works by other authors, including David and Leigh Eddings, Glen Cook and several others.

And while I do like romance novels because they are generally easy to read, I really do enjoy books set in a world of the authors creation that take you to a different time and place.

How about you?

WWW Wednesdays - Feb. 1, 2012 Edition

Here's the answers to this week meme's from Should Be Reading's blog. Feel free to leave your comments with the answers to these questions and be sure to check out their blog as well for other's answers.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions in the comment section or in your own blog then link it from the comments.

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?  Pale Demon by Kim Harrison.  Currently the last available book in the Rachel Morgan series, but you can tell there will be more to come.

What did you recently finish reading?  Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison. I accidentally read this book after reading Pale Demon as I made a mistake, so now I'm reading this one and will be reading Pale Demon again so it all meshes together.  This series of books I started in the middle of, by accident.  The books didn't have labels saying First in a series or anything like that.  When I picked up this book and Pale Demon at the book store, when I looked at the books listed for the Rachel Morgan series, Pale Demon was listed first, this one second and the book I had at home, White Witch, Black Curse, was third.  Unfortunately the list was backwards in the book, with most recent first, so I have a lot of books to read in this series still.






What do you think you will read next?  Not quite sure yet.  I've got a lot of stuff to read, it just depends on what mood I'm in.

What are your answers?

WWW Wednesdays - Jan. 25, 2012 Edition

Here's the answers to this week meme's from Should Be Reading's blog. Feel free to leave your comments with the answers to these questions and be sure to check out their blog as well for other's answers.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions in the comment section or in your own blog then link it from the comments.

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?  Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison. I accidentally read this book after reading Pale Demon as I made a mistake, so now I'm reading this one and will be reading Pale Demon again so it all meshes together.  This series of books I started in the middle of, by accident.  The books didn't have labels saying First in a series or anything like that.  When I picked up this book and Pale Demon at the book store, when I looked at the books listed for the Rachel Morgan series, Pale Demon was listed first, this one second and the book I had at home, White Witch, Black Curse, was third.  Unfortunately the list was backwards in the book, with most recent first, so I have a lot of books to read in this series still.

What did you recently finish reading?  Grave Dance by Kalayna Price.  The sequel to Grave Witch (reviewed here), this book continues the story of Alex Craft, her ability to communicate with shades of the deceased and her new found genealogy.  A lot of old faces from the previous book and new as well.  It was a great read which I intend to review in the future.

What do you think you will read next?  Pale Demon by Kim Harrison.  Currently the last available book in the Rachel Morgan series, but you can tell there will be more to come.

What are your answers?

Musing Mondays - Jan. 23, 2012 Edition

Today's Musing Monday's question, by Should Be Reading's blog, is "Why do you think that the Young Adult genre is so popular with even the adult readers? Do you read YA books, yourself?"
I have read a few YA books, including ones written by Sherrilyn Kenyon in her Chronicles of Nick series.

For me, I accidentally picked up the book, not realizing it was a YA book because I was going by author only.  However, unlike her paranormal romances set in the same world, it's tame and rated for teens, so there's no sex, just young teen romance that goes nowhere really.

I think the Young Adult genre is popular with adult readers because they are quick easy reads but still have story and meaning behind them.  Most of them are fun and can be read in a night or two.  They aren't complex, which can hold an appeal to a tired reader who doesn't want to be remembering every detail read before as they go towards the end of the book.

Not Musing Monday Answer Today

Since today's topic is actually a topic I want to cover in a longer, more indepth discussion that's multifaceted, I'm not doing today's Musing Monday's produced by Should Be Reading.

Instead, later today I should be posting a review of No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Quicksilver by Joy Spraycar.

If you're interested in answering the Musing Monday question in this post, feel free to. The question is:

I once knew a man who read about WWII. He read everything he could get his hands on on the subject. He had a whole wall of books that were all about WWII. It amazed me. How could he continue to find one subject that engrossing? My mother, on the other hand, loves to read best sellers. I’ve known other people who read science fiction to the exclusion of everything else; for others it was philosophy, self-help, or history. 

So, to the questions...

• What kind of books do you like to read? 

• Why? Provide specific examples.

WWW Wednesdays - Dec. 7, 2011 Edition

Here's the answers to this week meme's from Should Be Reading's blog. Feel free to leave your comments with the answers to these questions and be sure to check out their blog as well for other's answers.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions in the comment section or in your own blog then link it from the comments.

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?  Unfortunately, the answer at the moment is nothing.  I just finished Acheron this weekend.  This week is a busy week between Christmas parties and planning to run a booth at the mall this weekend.  I don't have time to read this week, but I bet at the booth I'll have a couple books with me to read.

What did you recently finish reading? The Guardian by Sherrilyn Kenyon.  One of the books in her Dream Hunter series, part of her larger Dark-Hunters series, the book tells the story of Were-Jackal Lydia, who is a Dream Hunter as well, and Egyptian Demigod Seth.  Perhaps one of Kenyon's darker books, the story revolves around trust and trusting others.

This is gonna be a two-fer.  I also finished reading Acheron from last week.


Acheron tells the story of an Atlantean god, Acheron's human birth into the world of the Greeks, how he was raised as an abomination, the trials he faced, and ultimately overcame.  It covered his birth through the time he was 21.  After which it jumps several times, covering how the Dark-Hunters were created, their purpose and what Acheron's purpose is.  It then jumps to present day where we eventually get to meet the woman who will help show him what love is.

A review of these two novels is forthcoming.


What do you think you will read next?  I plan to pick up the book I was reading before these books came in the mail called Crusader Gold by David Gibbons.  Apparently the second book in a series regarding archaeologist Jack Howard.  Naturally, I picked up this book, the second in the series, at a garage sale without checking to see if it was in a series.  The good news, you can pick this book up without knowing anything about the previous books and be okay reading it.  There's some references to a previous expedition in the book, but there doesn't seem to be any details you'd need to know about the previous expedition for the current one.  This is a pure fiction book, with a bit of historical mystery mixed in- no romance involved at all- so good for anyone who likes to read a book without romance.

Musing Mondays - Dec. 5, 2011 Edition

Part of the weekly blog meme hosted by Should Be Reading, I (and you) get to answer the following question:

How many books do you read in a week? Month? Year?

That's a hard question for me to answer.  It all depends on the size of the book and the author.  The Series of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin easily took me a week to read the first book, and a couple weeks to read each of the subsequent books.  I haven't touched a Dance with Dragons yet, mainly because I don't own it (and it's on my Christmas list), but I expect it to take a couple weeks to read through, especially with Christmas coming up.

Typically though, I can read 1 to 2 books a week.  If they're short books, like Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels, I can read each of her books in 2 nights.  The bigger the book, the longer it takes me to read.  

Of course, it also depends on what I'm doing.  If I'm travelling and doing a lot of flying, I obviously will read through books quicker, especially if I grab a book that interests me at the airport.

So looking at it.  I guess it could be said that I read between 4-8 books a month, which would be between 60 and 90 books a year.  Wow.

That's a lot of reading.

What's your numbers look like?

WWW Wednesdays - Nov. 30, 2011 Edition

Another of the meme's from Should Be Reading's blog. Feel free to leave your comments with the answers to these questions and be sure to check out their blog as well for other's answers.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

As mentioned in a blog post earlier this week, books that I had been waiting to come in finally came in from Hastings, so I spent the weekend devouring the books and playing video games. That being said, my answers to the questions are as follows:


What are you currently reading? The Guardian by Sherrilyn Kenyon.  One of the books in her Dream Hunter series, part of her larger Dark-Hunters series, the book tells the story of Were-Jackal Lydia, who is a Dream Hunter as well, and Egyptian Demigod Seth.  Perhaps one of Kenyon's darker books, the story revolves around trust and trusting others.  Almost finished reading this one.


What did you recently finish reading? No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon.  This tells the story of one of the were-bear quadruplets, Dev.  I knew of Dev from a few of the past books, but this tells Dev's story and his falling in love with a Dark-Hunter and vice versa.  Once again, a great story, unique characters and enemies you love to hate.




What do you think you'll read next? Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon.  This is actually a re-read. I borrowed the larger hardcover book from the library and read it.  Twice.  And now I'll be reading it a third time.

Musing Mondays - Nov. 28, 2011 Edition

As an addition to my regular blog posts, I will be participating in the blog topics shared by Should Be Reading when I can.  Musing Mondays asks a question of blog owners and their readers to answer.

Today's question:  Will you be buying books for the holidays, this year? If so, for whom, and why?


My Answer: Yes.  Every year I purchase books for my son and often for myself.  Occasionally for my husband, but not so much as he's into reading e-books and I still like the solid paperback novels that I can wack a spider with.

This year, my son gave me an extensive list of books (as well as video games) that he wanted for Christmas.  They include:

• Halo the Flood
• The Janitors Son
• The Basket Counts
• Slam Dunk
• Shoot for the Hoop
• Tough to Tackle
• Origami Yoda
• Red Pyramid
• The Throne of Fire
• Lemonade War
• This Means War

I'm actually impressed that he submitted a list of books he wants to read (even if one seems to be instructional).  My son has a great love for reading and I will gladly encourage that as best I can however I can when he requests books as gifts.