In case you don't know, TBR stands for To Be Read. Here is the pile of books I own that I have not read yet:
As you can see, there is lots of variety and quite a few thick books here! My goal is to finish these all by the end of the year. This is a pretty big feat at the moment. Working full time, going to school full time (all online), and doing the whole wife and mother thing does not leave much time for recreational reading. I'm most excited for the Crown of Stones series by C.L. Schneider. I met her at a local Comic Con, where I also bought the books and got them signed! She's an indie author and I've started stalking her on Twitter and Goodreads. The first installment of the trilogy is hopefully going to be out the beginning of 2016 so I need to get reading these books!
Here are the links and descriptions of the books in my pile:
Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like
much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature—freezing.
But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour
hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors,
never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.
At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking
for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called “the
Blue.” They say it’s a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are
turquoise. More importantly, it’s a place where Nat won’t be persecuted, even
if her darkest secret comes to light.
But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is
to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson
to take her there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes
find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the
lies? Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the
awesome power within us all.
Ian Troy is one of the
Shinree, a fallen people with an inherent addiction to magic. Scorned
and reviled for the deadly side of their spells, the Shinree are bred as
slaves. Their magic is suppressed by drugs and used only as it serves
the purposes of the other races. Descended from a long line of soldiers,
Ian is conscripted into the Rellan army and made to fight in their
longstanding conflict against the ruthless Langorian invaders. The
downfall of Rella imminent, Ian goes against orders and turns to the
Crown of Stones, an ancient Shinree relic of untold power. Ignorant of
its true purpose, Ian uses the crown to end the war, and pays a terrible
price. A decade later, still tortured by the aftermath of that day, Ian
lives as a bounty hunter in self-imposed exile. Having renounced his
magical heritage, he curbs his obsession with a steady stream of wine
and regret. He struggles to put it all behind him, until a fateful
encounter with a pretty assassin brings Ian’s past crashing into the
present. Targeted by a rogue Shinree, and a ruthless old enemy, Ian is
forced to use magic again. His deadly addiction is rekindled and his
life of isolation is brought to a swift end. With the land he gave up
everything to protect once more in jeopardy, and his people’s future at
stake, Ian becomes embroiled in a violent race for control of the Crown
of Stones. To save the realms and those he cares for, Ian must embrace
the thing he fears most: his own power.
They took it all: his will, his memories, his freedom, his magic.
Imprisoned
by his enemies, tortured and drugged to keep his magic suppressed, Ian
Troy returns to a world as marred and broken as he is. Ravaged by the
reign of her new High King, Draken of Langor, Mirra’kelan’s citizens
live in fear. The Shinree, misled by Jem Reth’s promises, are no longer
slaves, but they are far from free. Thrust together by necessity,
refugees from all realms have banded together and formed alliances never
before thought possible. They share a common goal: freedom from
oppression. And a common, fragile hope: Ian Troy.
But as Ian
struggles to put the pieces of his life back together, he finds he is
not the same man as before. Afflicted by an unsettling, personal
transformation, he strives to discover the truth behind his connection
to The Crown of Stones. He searches for answers among the ruins of the
past and uncovers ancient secrets that may have altered the course of
his entire race.
The Price of Ian’s magic and his addiction have never been higher.
For more than 700 years
Japan was dominated by a military caste-the samurai. To the Western mind
these fearsome warriors-samurai, the masterless ronin, and the assassin
ninja-have always been a source of mystery and wonder, combining the
idealism of chivalry with military fanaticism. The Ways Of The Samurai
digs beneath the myth and reveals a truth even more amazing about the
men who practiced a discipline drawn from Zen and Confucian
ethics-bushido, the way of the warrior.
For nearly twenty
years, small-talk expert Don Gabor has helped thousands of people
communicate with wit, confidence, and enthusiasm with his bestseller
"How to Start a Conversation and Make Friends." This new edition brings
the art of having a conversation up to date. By following the simple and
dynamic guidelines in this easy-to-read book, you'll be ready to strike
up a great conversation with anyone anywhere! And you'll learn how to
keep the conversation going by asking the right questions, using body
language effectively, and avoiding conversation pitfalls. Packed with
charts, hundreds of opening lines, real-life examples, FAQs, helpful
hints, and solid professional advice, "How to Start a Conversation and
Make Friends" shows you how to:
Identify your personal
conversational style Talk to people from other countries and cultures
Avoid mistakes while on a mobile phone or on-line in chatrooms Boost
your personal and professional speaking skills to the next level.
Lucy
Delacourt's temp position isn't quite her dream job but it pays the
bills. The highlight of her day is riding the elevator in the mornings
with a handsome stranger. Tall, dark, and sexy as hell, Lucy knows he's
way out of her league, but a girl can look, right?
Everything changes
the day the stranger seduces her. Completely out of character, she
yields without a fight, but she has no idea her wanton acts with a man
whose name she doesn't know will change her life forever. Because the
sexy stranger is none other than Jeremiah Hamilton, billionaire CEO of
Hamilton Industries, and one taste isn't nearly enough to satisfy his
need. As the billionaire pulls Lucy deeper into his world of high stakes
business deals and ruthless takeovers, he demands nothing less than her
complete surrender. But even as enemies seek deadly revenge against
him, she'll discover that her greatest threat is falling for her
fiercely guarded boss...and yielding to her own darkest needs.
Sydney Zamora is
fiercely independent, aggressively opinionated, and utterly self-made.
She’s reshaped her body (into the perfect sample-sale outfitted size 6,
thank you very much), organized a life for herself as a celebrity
journalist at hot magazine Cachet, and strides through the
canyons of New York City like she owns them. There’s just one problem:
Sydney is so strong that she plays keep-away with men. But now that
she’s hitting her midthirties, she wants one. Badly. For her birthday,
Sydney’s sister ambushes her with the services of Mitzi Berman, $40,000 a
shot Manhattan matchmaker extraordinaire. Mitzi also has her eyes on
Max Cooper, the scion of Harvey’s department store, the chicest place to
shop in America. And nothing could make either Sydney or Max Cooper run
faster than Mitzi, with her rules and her Brooklyn accent—that is, if
they didn’t concede her a point or two.
Peopled with vivid, hilarious characters, Feminista is
fast-moving fiction whose themes of independence, image and the com pli
- cated relationship between the sexes in the working world recall the
best of Rona Jaffe.
Moonwalking with Einstein made memory hot, and now beloved actress and New York Times
bestselling author Marilu Henner presents an engaging, personal, and
prescriptive guide to enhancing your life by improving your memory.Albert
Einstein says, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again
and expecting different results.” Marilu Henner takes it a step further,
explaining, “That’s not insanity; it’s bad memory.” Known for her
relatable voice, sense of humor, and life-changing advice, Marilu now
serves up an inspiring guide describing how an enhanced memory can help
you to improve the quality of your life, come to terms with your past,
and achieve your goals.
In 2010, millions of viewers tuned in to an episode of 60 Minutes
which featured Marilu as someone with Superior Autobiographical
Memory—an uncanny ability to recall details of every day of her life—a
talent shared by only six other people in the world. Here, in expanded
detail, Marilu reveals the benefits having a great autobiographical
memory has had for her, and then shares her personal insights and
experiences as to how having a reliable memory has helped her in
countless scenarios. She also gives readers advice in making memory work
for them, from having the right attitude about life and developing a
healthy mindset about the past, to building a personal history “track”
and using it to actually change your life! Accessible, entertaining, and
educational, Marilu’s latest is sure to resonate with readers
everywhere.
Buy Goodreads
Long before Amy Gumm
got swept away from a Kansas trailer park…Dorothy Gale received a
package on the night of her 16th birthday: a pair of red high-heeled
shoes. Dear Dorothy, the note read. I thought about silver
to match the ones you lost, but in the end I decided that red was more
your color. I think you know what to do with them.
And with a knock of her heels, Dorothy returned to the magical land that made her a star—and Oz would never be the same again.
This bind-up of three prequel novellas to the New York Times
bestselling Dorothy Must Die series follows Dorothy Gale as she
transforms from good girl to Wicked Witch. Kiss the land where troubles
melt like lemon drops goodbye. Here there’s danger around every corner,
and magical shoes won’t be able to save you.
Buy Goodreads
Ebola, Lassa Fever,
AIDS--few natural disasters inspire such utter panic as a rampaging
virus. In this gripping, true account of the war against worldwide
epidemics, one of medicine's frontline generals, Dr. Joseph McCormick,
developer of the CDC's legendary hot zone, chronicles his decades as a
virus hunter, working to combat the virus as predator. 16-pages of
photos.
Buy Goodreads
So what's on your TBR list?!
