It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.

READ LAST WEEK MONTH

I actually read 6 books in May, which is quite a lot for me. Alright, most were rather short, but I did read a total of 1300 pages, compared to 400 in April, so I'd say that's pretty good. :)

The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham
I adore the Veronica Mars TV series, and I was so excited about the new movie. This is the first in a book series that continues on from where the movie left off. The transition from screen to paper was smooth and the mystery kept me guessing until the end. In addition I was completely blindsided by a reveal that I did not expect to find in the books. But I'm always up for more Veronica Mars, no matter which medium, and I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Pacific Vortex! by Clive Cussler
This is the first Dirk Pitt book that Cussler wrote, but not the first one that was published. I can see why (not that The Mediterranean Caper is much better). Cussler's plots are usually highly entertaining, if far-reaching, but this story was pretty boring. Also, the female characters are just awful.

Coin Heist by Elisa Ludwig
This is a YA heist story about a gang of teenagers who decide to break into the US Mint. Review coming soon!

Passenger 13 by Scott Mariani
This is a prequel novella to the Ben Hope series. It was fun meeting a younger, less jaded Ben Hope and find out why he left the SAS. The plot is solid, except for maybe the ending, which felt a bit rushed. I'm sure this could have been expanded into a full-length novel.

Kickback by Garry Disher
This is the first in the Wyatt series, an Australian noir series about a bank robber. I enjoyed this story about the meticulous, quiet thief Wyatt, but since the series is fairly old it's unfortunately hard to find the rest of the books.

Break Out by Nina Croft
First in the Blood Hunter series. I was very excited about reading this book – space! thieves! prison break out! What's not to like? Unfortunately the answer is "a lot". I love the general premise of the story but sadly there was a lot less plot and a lot more sex than I was led to believe. I might have enjoyed it more if I'd actually liked the two main characters but as it was, I found them both simply irritating. And I think I've proved to myself once and for all that vampires just aren't my thing. I won't be seeking out the rest in this series.

Goodreads challenge status: Read 17 of 35 books – 3 books ahead of schedule.

CURRENTLY READING

I finally found the courage to pick up Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch. It's the second book in the Gentleman Bastard series, and those of you who have followed me for a while will know that I absolutely LOVE the first book, The Lies of Locke Lamora. I've been putting RSURS off for years now, because 1, I wanted to wait until the third book came out so I knew I wouldn't be left hanging, and 2, I think I was afraid that no sequel could ever live up to the awesomeness of Lies. I'm happy to say I was wrong on that last part. I'm about 100 pages in, but I was already sold after the first page. I can't tell you how much I love these books. The storylines, the language, the characters... It's all amazing and I can't believe I waited this long to go back to the world of Locke Lamora. I never want to leave again.

WHAT'S NEXT

Red Seas Under Red Skies is a big book so it will keep me occupied for a while (I don't even want to think about it ending!), but after that I'll probably either want to go straight for the next book in the series or read something completely different. I'm waiting for The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman to come in, so that's an option. Otherwise, we'll see where my mood takes me, as usual.

What are you reading this week?