Carnivals and Thieves (recent reads)

I’ve read a couple books lately that are worth a mention here, but that I’m apparently not going to write a full review of any time soon. Because I don’t want to forget them, and I’d like to give them a little attention, you’re getting some super short reviews.

First, Carniepunk is a collection of short stories in a genre that is completely new to me. I requested  it from Net Galley because it had a story from Rachel Caine and because I’ve been vaguely interested in steampunk. I read a good number of stories from it and while I did not finish it, I suspect that many of you would enjoy it. All of the stories take place in a carnival (not the same carnival) and have just a touch of that creepy magic/ otherworldness that urban fantasy authors like Rachel Caine, Jim Butcher and Simon R Green are so good at.  I did enjoy the stories I read, but they were a little darker than I typically am drawn to.

Next up, Jill Shalvis’ It Had to Be You. Guys, you know I love Lucky Harbor. This was no exception. Someone in Lucky Harbor has stolen a lot of money and it looks like it was Ali Winters. Ali finds herself dumped, homeless, and with all the town looking at her. Luckily for her, her ex-landlord Luke shows up and has some faith in her, and the skills to help her out of trouble.  Ali is adorable. She is flawed, she gets angry, but she refuses to get depressed. It’s not high literature, but it’s a solid addition to Lucky Harbor and I’ll keep reading the series, of course. You can read my thoughts on the rest of the books here.

Coming soon: my reviews of The Miseducation of Cameron Post and This Song Will Save Your Life! Both excellent, and deserving of full reviews.

Love & Darts by Nath Jones

I was recently emailed by author Nath Jones to review her newest book Love & Darts (On Impulse). Unlike many book bloggers, I don't get a ton of requests, so I didn't delete it immediately (as I gather many bloggers do, or at least their Twitter streams would indicate.)  The author had taken the time to read at least a couple weeks worth of posts and mentioned them in the email, including answering a question I had posed. I figure that even if she just gave it a cursory skim, and she did that to a number of book blogs, she was definitely putting in the time to get her book looked at, and I agreed.

I choose to use the Overdrive app on my phone and the book loaded right up. Love & Darts is a collection of literary short stories, and I admit that the introduction itself was more literary than I usually read. (I also admit that I've fallen into a comfortable rut of reading for plot rather than style. My life can't handle style right now.)  I decided to skip the intro and jump into the stories. It is clear to me that they are well written and compelling- if you're a fan of short (very short) stories and precise writing, you will likely enjoy the book. It's an Amazon kindle e-book, so just $1.99, if you're interested.

The other interesting thing that came from the exchange is that she mentioned a quote by Coolidge in her initial email and I emailed her back to ask for the quote. I find it to be incredibly motivating, and even printed it to hang above my sewing table.

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated failures. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

Great, right?