On the shelf in 2011

Blackveil by Kristen Britain.  I was so busy, I didn't even know this one was coming until I saw it on a shelf.  It hasn't been as long as usual between books, so that's a surprise, too.  Also, I can't really remember what happened.  I suppose I'll have to read them all again.  What a hardship . . . :)

Tortall and Other Lands: A Collection of Tales by Tamora Pierce.  Ah, short stories.  It's always fun to find all the parallel characters from her other books, and she has made a splendid world.  I think I may have actually missed another short story collection called Melting Stones somewhere along the way, too.  There isn't much of a market for YA sf/f short stories, so it's nice when someone has enough clout to publish a collection.

Mastiff: The Legend of Beka Cooper #3 by Tamora Pierce.  October, are you here yet?  This series is fun.  Even when it's covered in sewage.  Not many police procedurals get this dirty . . .

Ghost Story by Jim Butcher.  Oh, July.  Wherefore art thou?  Not like I should complain since I thought it was coming out in October.  July is much more doable.  When last we left our hero, he was in a rather tough spot.  How will he recover?  I can't wait to find out.

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare.  There's a fourth one?!  Hooray!  Good!  The third and theoretically last one sort of fumbled in its conclusory duties.  I hope this one has a lot of Simon because gosh darn it, poor Simon.  Also, I hope the next prequel comes out before I forget what was going on in that fabulous steampunk tragedy.

I'm currently two behind in Heather Brewer's Chronicles of Vladimir Tod.  The last two are on my library chair waiting for me.  I wasn't very happy with the choices Vlad made at the end of book three, so I hope he redeems himself here in the end.  However, he's entitled to make a few mistakes and be emo about it because, well, he has a rough life.  It's easy to second guess and view in hindsight, and who am I to cast stakes?

I'm also two behind on Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider novels.  These are excellent books to exercise while reading because the secret ingredient is adrenaline (not love, sorry).  In theory, this most recent one might be the last . . .  I can't tell if that's just marketing copy madness.  Then again, they did kill poor Alex off at the end of an earlier one and then make me wait two years to find out what really happened.  (I kind of wonder if that wasn't like Doyle killing off Sherlock Holmes and then having to resurrect him because thousands of angry teenagers sent email and whined online.  :)

Lots of good reads out there waiting for me and calling my name.  Ah, I miss summer break, where I could kick back and read 100 books.  Pardon me while I wipe nostalgia-drool off the computer keyboard.

Read anything you liked lately?