Tales from the To-Read Tower #1

So, like any good bookworm, I have a to-real pile. Although when I look at it properly – and especially if I were to add in the ebook library – it would be more like a tower. There are a lot of memes out there dedicated to showing off unread books, but if I were to give one book a week some focus it would take forever. And I suspect I am not the only one in this position.

So behold, five tales from my to-read tower: one adult, one YA, one non-fiction, one comic/manga, and one audiobook.

Adult – Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal

Shades of Milk and Honey is an intimate portrait of Jane Ellsworth, a woman ahead of her time in a version of Regency England where the manipulation of glamour is considered an essential skill for a lady of quality. But despite the prevalence of magic in everyday life, other aspects of Dorchester’s society are not that different: Jane and her sister Melody’s lives still revolve around vying for the attentions of eligible men.

Jane resists this fate, and rightly so: while her skill with glamour is remarkable, it is her sister who is fair of face, and therefore wins the lion’s share of the attention. At the ripe old age of twenty-eight, Jane has resigned herself to being invisible forever. But when her family’s honor is threatened, she finds that she must push her skills to the limit in order to set things right–and, in the process, accidentally wanders into a love story of her own.

I’ve had my eye on this since I first saw it on Dear Author many years ago (four others have followed Shades of Milk and Honey since then). I’m going to read at least this one in the lead up to this year’s NaNoWriMo.

Young Adult – False Hearts by Laura Lam

Orphan Black meets Inception: Two formerly conjoined sisters are ensnared in a murderous plot involving psychoactive drugs, shared dreaming, organized crime, and a sinister cult.

One night Tila stumbles home, terrified and covered in blood.

She’s arrested for murder, the first by a civilian in decades. The San Francisco police suspect involvement with Verve, a powerful drug, and offer her twin sister Taema a chilling deal. Taema must assume Tila’s identity and gather information – then if she brings down the drug syndicate, the police may let her sister live. But Taema’s investigation raises ghosts from the twins’ past.

The sisters were raised by a cult, which banned modern medicine. But as conjoined twins, they needed surgery to divide their shared heart – and escaped. Taema now finds Tila discovered links between the cult and the city’s underground. Once unable to keep secrets, the sisters will discover the true cost of lies.

I’ve been wanting to read Laura Lam’s Micah Grey books for years, but they weren’t available in NZ. But then I found out False Hearts was available here – and, even better, the Micah Grey books finally seem to have Australia/New Zealand rights, as they are up for pre-order in the Kobo store!

Non-Fiction – The Vegas Diaries by Holly Madison

When you’ve come out the other side of the bizarre, twisted world of the Playboy mansion, where do you land? If you’re Holly Madison . . . there’s no place like Las Vegas!

After making the sudden decision to reclaim her life, Holly broke free from the sheltered, deceptive confines of the mansion (which meant exiting a hit television show) and was determined to start her life over . . . from scratch. Without the security of a job or relationship, she set out to reinvent herself on no one’s terms but her own.

Deciding to roll the dice and begin again in the glamorous and dreamlike city of Las Vegas, Holly quickly realized that while she may have left her past in the rearview mirror, the labels and stereotypes that came from it weren’t so quick to leave her. With a fierce commitment to take charge of her own narrative, Holly dives headfirst into a journey of self-discovery. After a whirlwind stint on Dancing with the Stars, she snags the coveted lead role in the Strip’s hottest new burlesque spectacular and lands a reality series spotlighting her new life as a single woman.

If her own television show and dream job as a showgirl weren’t enough to keep her busy, Holly explores the decadent, exclusive inner-world of Sin City, navigating it’s social and dating scene with humor and heart. When it comes to romance, she is met with an eclectic cast of characters, from fame hounds to long distance loves to the occasional celebrity and more than one tabloid mishap. In this reflective, heartwarming memoir, Holly learns that each dating disaster holds an important, and in some cases difficult to face, lesson about herself.

The Vegas Diaries is a comedy of errors, set against the glitz and glamour of the dazzling Vegas strip. Through the wild and crazy experiences on one young woman’s quest to “have it all,” Holly faces her fears, anxieties, and insecurities to discover that her journey to self-sufficiency is also her path to healing. Letting go of trying to prove herself to others, Holly finally gains the courage to confront her past-and in the process finds the life and love she deserves.

Wow, that is one long blurb. Although not a fan of The Girls Next Door, I really enjoyed Holly Madison’s first memoir, Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny, so of course I’d want to read the sequel.

Comic – Alias by Brian Michael Bendis, Michael Gaydos, Bill Sienkiewicz

Meet Jessica Jones. Once upon a time, she was a costumed super hero — but not a very good one. Her powers were unremarkable compared to the amazing abilities of the costumed icons that populate the Marvel Universe. In a city of Marvels, she never found her niche. The self-destructive would-be Avenger is now the owner and sole employee of Alias Investigations — a small, private-investigative firm specializing in superhuman cases. When she uncovers the potentially explosive secret of one hero’s true identity, Jessica’s life immediately becomes expendable. But her wit, charm and intelligence just may help her survive another day. Thrust into the midst of a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels, has Jessica burned too many bridges to turn to old friends for help?

I haven’t seen Jessica Jones (or Daredevil – I don’t have Netflix), but I’ve had Alias on my want list for several years now. Thanks to a Marvel BOGO deal a while back on Comixology I’ll at least have read the comics!

Audiobook – The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes

Loch is seeking revenge. It would help if she wasn’t in jail. The plan: To steal a priceless elven manuscript that once belonged to her family, but is now in the hands of the most powerful man in the Republic. To do so, Loch – former soldier, former prisoner, and current fugitive – must assemble a crack team of magical misfits that includes a cynical illusionist, a shape shifting unicorn, a repentant death priestess, a talking magical war hammer, and a lad with seemingly no skills. This crack team of misfits will help her break into the floating fortress of Heaven’s Spire and the vault that holds her family’s treasure – all while eluding the unrelenting pursuit of Justicar Pyvic, whose only mission is to see the law upheld. What could possibly go wrong?

So I love the Dragon Age series of games, especially Inquisition and since this was a deal (at least I think it was? That or I had credits I needed to use up before cancelling the credit subscription thing) I had to get it. A fantasy heist by the guy who wrote some of my favourite Inquisition characters – Solas, Krem, and Cole? It was that simple.

That reminds me: I need to read Asunder.