From the Editor's Desk: Doing Things My Way

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Okay, so this whole weekly thing has really turned into a whenever I remember it kind of thing. Not on purpose, but between my insane work and school things and actually trying to read, it's kind of hard. Especially when the books I'm reading are turning more disappointing by  the minute. (Though Redemption in Indigo was awesome!) But it's May, and I've been looking again at the goals that I set back in January. Some of them I'm actually pretty close to achieving, and well some of them are not. I am currently 4 books ahead on my Goodreads challenge ( I was going to aim for a crazy high number but decided to build on the number of books actually completed last year. It's more motivating if you surpass something rather than miss it slightly.) I am a couple steps closer to making the big home purchase, and I and 4 classes closer to getting my degree. I am behind on ALL of my reading challenges (Diversity, Banned, Netgalley, etc) and I am behind on my blogging goals (two reviews a week plus the weekly Editor's Desk). But hey, I'm working on it- now. New classes start tomorrow and I'm hoping they won't dominate all of my time, but we'll see.

Books Received 

At some point I said i wasn't going to buy anymore books until I have cleared some off my bookshelves and I failed at that. I tried it again, and failed -again. Then I said i wasn't going to buy anymore until I found a new job - failed at that too. So while I have purchased books sporadically there are too many too mention, plus I don't remember what was presented in my last "Books Received". But some books that I have recently (used in a relative term) and that I'm really excited about: 

The Game by Barry Lyga (I Hunt Killers #2) 

Wash by Margaret Winkler

Dante Valentine: The Complete Series by Lilith Saintcrow. 

What I am Currently Reading:

I just started The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord. I'm really looking forward to getting into this world and story.  Books and I have not been agreeing lately. I read and was disappointed with The Hunt, but the last sentence made me go ahead and check out  The Prey. The issue brought up by the last sentence of the first book was quickly and immediately resolved in the second book. After that, I felt that it was going to be as bad as the first one, so I returned it to the library and moved it to my DNF shelf on Goodreads. Next was a book I read for a blog tour, and I can't really tell you  how pissed the book made me. ( I haven't posted the review and it's not really a priority anymore, but when I do post it (soon) you will understand. But then I picked up Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord and I have to say that I have found a  new favorite author. The review for that will be posted soon. Since I was so pleased with that and thought I should throw in a review title, I opted for  The Best of All Possible Worlds. I'm excited and praying the good books will keep coming my way.

What I will be reading:

After Lord's book I will go back to my Library stack and work through that, starting with Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. 

What I wish I was reading right now:

I wish that I had a few more review books on the pile, and it's my fault that they're not. Darby Karchut's books are burning a hole through me because I REALLY want to read them. But with school getting crazy, I decided to take a break from books that I had promised to review. So I went to the library and got some books that had been on my list for a while. If something moves me to write a full review than I will and if not, oh well. Reading for the pleasure of reading is by far so much more fun than just about anything.  So I gave myself til June to read things for me and me alone. By then my summer courses will be halfway over, I'm hoping to have a new job that allows me to be somewhat normal, and that should make resuming my regular blogging activities much easier. You may have noticed in an earlier post I will also be changing the way that I write my reviews and that's gonna start immediately. I love having conversations about books and that is what I am going to use this blog for, to conversate. Join in the discussion however you like. 

Netgalley Adds

A few worth mentioning: 

All Our Pretty Songs by Sarah Mccarry 

Soul Stripper by Katana Collins

Shadow Train by J. Gabriel Gates and Charlene Keel (this is going to call for a re-read and I am totally okay with that!)  

Hot Blooded by Amanda Carlson

Well, that's all from my desk! Leave a link or mention in the comments what you're reading this week!!

Always Shine,
Starr

SKG Photo   taken by me,  and cannot be used or copied without my express written permission.