To continue this post, here are the books I read in the second quarter of 2014:

9. Saving the Sammi by Frank Tuttle

A follow-up novella to All the Paths of Shadow, this was a great short read to accompany the full novel. I really like this world and storyline and I can’t wait for the second in the series to be released!

10. The Last Bride in Ballymuir by Dorien Kelly

This was an okay book. It is set in a small Irish village and doesn’t contain much more than a meh love story and bits of drama. Apparently it’s a series, but I had no desire to read any more.

11. Photographs & Phantoms by Cindy Spencer Pape

Thankfully this was free, and it still is in case you have any desire to torture yourself. It is steampunk and set in the 1850’s but hardly any of the actions of the characters are true to that time period. It has an interesting story line about a photographer who has a figure show up in certain pictures with people and a few days later those people die. I think Pape was going for a before-her-time strong lead female character but what she ended up with was a nineteenth century slut who is in over her head. This one is also a series and like #10, I have no desire to read any more.

12. Rest for the Wicked by Cate Dean

This is one of those books I don’t completely remember aside from thinking that it was an ok read for a free book and that I didn’t really care to read any more in the series. Thank Amazon for free books!

13. Vlad All Over by Beth Orsoff

I enjoyed this book. It’s about a teacher who ends up accompanying a student of her’s and the father to Romania to be an au pair for the summer. They end up falling in love, yadda yadda, and a twist at the end made me really unhappy. When I first finished I hated what happened so much that I wasn’t going to read the second book but after about five minutes I had to know how the story ended.

14. Vlad to the Bone by Beth Orsoff

This sequel to Vlad All Over was mostly as frustrating as the ending of the first book but I am satisfied with the ending. If you’re really bored, read these two, but I can recommend tons of better books before you have to resort to this story line.

15. Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler

I really, really liked this book. It was so funny that it restored my faith in comedy and gave me hope that there’s another person out there that may find my politically-incorrect internal monologue funny.

16. The Petals of Your Eyes by Aimee Parkison

I spent most of the time reading this book wondering if what I was reading was actually happening or if it was just one really giant metaphor for something else. The descriptions are beautiful and moving and I think this book was too smart for me. If you’re in to more intellectual reading, this one might be for you.

17. Night Myst by Yasmine Galenorn

This book was okay. It spent a lot of time hinting to things that happened and waiting a few chapters to explain it. I think the story is interesting but much of the delivery is cheesy. Maybe if I finished all of the unread physical and kindle books I have would I come back to this series.

18. A Lady of Resources by Shelley Adina

This was a really great book. If you aren’t reading the Magnificent Devices series and like steampunk, shame on you!! Here is the first book and IT IS FREE- you have nothing to lose!!

19. Wild Born by Brandon Mull

This is the first in a series of books, Spirit Animals, where the series has been outlined and first book written by Brandon Mull but all of the other books in the series will be written by a different author. Apparently that’s a thing now with children’s books. I did enjoy this book but at the same time I didn’t rush out to buy the second in the series. I think I may try to get the rest through the library at a later date rather than buy them all. The target age group is a little younger than the young adult books I like but it’s Brandon Mull so I had to read it.

20. Paganism: An Intro to Earth-Centered Religions by Joyce & River Higginbotham

This book started out pretty neat but quickly turned into a super general book about what earth-centered religions are not instead of what they are. I ended the book not knowing much more than when I started.

21. Greywalker by Kat Richardson

This book was recommended by a good friend of mine plus it is set in Seattle so I was excited to read it. It has an interesting story line but some things had be scratching my head, like the main character being on a date with a guy, excusing herself, running into a supernatural emergency and never returning to dinner or giving him an explanation, and no mention of him for chaptersssss later. This is a series and for situations like the one I just mentioned, I have no interest in reading more.

22. Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

This book is dystopian chick lit with a supernatural flair. It is out of the cheesy goth category (Greywalker, Night Myst) by the hair on it’s back but it’s out enough for me to enjoy. I am currently in the middle of the second book and the excitement has slowed down a little but I still plan on finishing it and reading the third book. Buy if you can find the mass market cheap in a thrift store.

23. Redwall Graphic Novel

My seventh grade English teacher read this novel out loud to our class and ever since it has been special to me. I tried reading the book myself but I found it one of the super-descriptive types that I can’t enjoy myself (like the Hobbit, LOTR, or Game of Thrones) but perhaps if there’s an audiobook version I will try that. I enjoyed the graphic novel version as a sub in the mean time.

24. Eat Pray Love (audio) by Elizabeth Gilbert

This was my first full-length audio book and I absolutely loved it. It is split into 3 parts: Italy, India, and Bali. I loved the first and last and got a little distracted at times during the India section, though I did love her descriptions of meditation. This was voiced by the author and I enjoyed having her voice in my head while I wandered Italy myself.

25. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

This is the sixth and final book in the Mortal Instrument series. I enjoyed the first five greatly and this one is no exception. The series was wrapped up nicely and that always makes me happy.

26. Sky Raiders by Brandon Mull

New Brandon Mull, yaaay!!!! This is the first in his latest series and it does not disappoint. He is so, so good at creating such diverse worlds throughout each of his series. If you have never read a book by this guy, go pick up Fablehaven right meow.

Well, I am excited to be halfway through the year and four books away from my annual goal of 30 books. Yeah, some of them were novellas but only a few. I am currently halfway through one and have several lined up that I am excited to read and listen to. I’m always open to recommendations!