Books I Have Not Read

Sigh. Such a long list, unfortunately, but I'm whittling away at it as best I can. 

In my physical TBR pile, here are the books in random order:

On Goodreads

In the beginning they were a group of nine. Nine aliens who left their home planet of Lorien when it fell under attack by the evil Mogadorian. Nine aliens who scattered on Earth. Nine aliens who look like ordinary teenagers living ordinary lives, but who have extraordinary, paranormal skills. Nine aliens who might be sitting next to you now. 

The Nine had to separate and go into hiding. The Mogadorian caught Number One in Malaysia, Number Two in England, and Number Three in Kenya. All of them were killed. John Smith, of Paradise, Ohio, is Number Four. He knows that he is next. 

I Am Number Four is the thrilling launch of a series about an exceptional group of teens as they struggle to outrun their past, discover their future—and live a normal life on Earth. 

On Goodreads

Nick's life as a CIA spy should be fulfilling, but it has only given him unhappiness, a wife who committed suicide, and two daughters who resent everything he has become. Now, stuck in the Amazon on the last mission of his career, he must track down Matheus Ferreira, a drug lord and terrorist the United States has tried to bring down for years. If he succeeds, he'll have the chance to start his life over again. Just when he's on the brink of catching Ferreira, he's framed for a murder that turns his world upside down. His only chance of survival lies in West Virginia, where Lilian Love, a woman from his past, owns the secluded Monarch Inn. He's safe, but not for long.

On Goodreads

In this long political thriller staged almost entirely around a hostage standoff, Flynn makes maximum use of his White House setting, and mixes in a spicy broth of brutal terrorists, heroic commandos and enough secret agent hijinks to keep the confrontation bubbling until its flag-raising end. The villains are led by Rafique Aziz, a notorious Arab terrorist whose band of thugs takes over the White House by finding a weak point in American politics: they pose as wealthy campaign contributors and are welcomed through the front door. President Robert Hayes manages to escape to his bunker moments before the bloodbath, but religious zealot Aziz takes almost 100 hostages, seals off the White House and begins making demands, of which large sums of cash are just the beginning. With the president incommunicado and weak-willed yet power hungry Vice President Sherman Baxter in charge, the Pentagon and the CIA resort to their secret weapon: commando extraordinaire Mitch Rapp. After sneaking into the bowels of the Executive Mansion through an air duct, Rapp steadily disrupts the terrorists' well-laid plans. He finally calls in reinforcements when Aziz begins drilling into the president's bunker.

On Goodreads

It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

And then there are the amazing books by my CPs stacked up on my hard drive... 

I love the thought of always having something to read. 

What's on your TBR list or already waiting in your stack?

How Big is Yours? (to-be-read pile, that is)

I'm fessing up about mine.


I don't know why, but these To-Be-Read posts are making me inexplicably giddy. The sight of so many books in one place! It's just breathtaking. Okay, I might have a serious problem.

But I'm not willing to seek help.

Lindsay's and Renae's piles put me to shame. Alas, my TBR pile is scattered around the house--some I read to my son at bedtime (he's three, so he doesn't care if I read him MG fantasy instead of easy readers), some are on the bookcase beside my bed, and some are stacked (not prettily) on top of other books in our living room cases. I'm afraid my husband is going to sign us up for that hoarders show b/c there really isn't enough shelf space to support (pun intended) my habit.

Le sigh. I have two more books coming this week. *adjusts halo* I'm building my library... for the kids.

Here's the picture. Note that one of them is my leather bound Nook, so that represents at least fifty more. :)

How big is your to-be-read pile? Pictures, please! Link to your blog in the comments so I can feel better about my own addiction.

Oh and don't forget all the Operation Awesome fun going on today. 


Like, speaking of TBR piles, someone's is about to get a lot bigger! Michelle's Pleased To Meet You contest has a winner: Kristi!! She won 7 books!! Jackpot! 

And THIS THURSDAY October 28th @ 9pm is our Awesome Query Chat with the fabulous Elana Johnson!!!


Last but not least, Amparo posted one of my favorite Amparoisms: 

My Writing Stages a la Robert Pattinson's Hair

It's illustrated. 


Also (and this will totally warm your heart and maybe make you cry), Lenny says thank you to everybody for the special birthday he had last week. We're all so happy to make you smile, Lenny! I hope this joy lasts you all year!

WIP it good: share your reading and writing adventures

WIP it good! Or not.

What are you all working on? What's your WIP (Work-in-progress, for the uninitiated)?

Our brand-spanking-new critique group, aptly named Operation Awesome, just kicked off yesterday. I'm really enjoying reading the work of some fabulous upcoming writers. It's a breath of fresh air to read somebody else's imagination! I think it's something that benefits all writers, no matter our career stage. Reading somebody else's stuff does three things for me:

• Cleanses my palate from my own stuff, which is all starting to sound like peanut-butter-mouth.
• Teaches me skills others have mastered, like twisty, layered plotting or vivid characterization.
• Allows me to join society, whether it's the community of aspiring authors or the collective voice of the reading world. This is one of the biggest things for me. In a critique group, I have a chance to give back. If I'm reading a published novel, I have a chance to participate in the discussion, both in spontaneous book chats with friends, and on the blogosphere. 

So what are you working on? If the answer is "umm, I'm sort of working on [ ] but I've been busy," I suggest you take a break from writing (as you might already be doing) and do some fun reading instead. 

Read that manuscript you promised to beta but never got around to. 

Read the sequels to WINGS and EVERMORE, if you haven't. 

Read LITTLE WOMEN or ANNE OF GREEN GABLES for the umpteenth time.  

Read OF HUMAN BONDAGE just to make your 11th-grade self honest at last (getting an A doesn't justify not reading a classic, I'm told).

And then, get back to work-in-progress.

Please post your WIPs and TBRs in the comments. I'll start:

WIP:

I'm writing a young adult paranormal romance about a boy whose personality changes after his first heartbreak, and the girl who's tasked with saving him. 

I'm also re-reading and playing with an old science fiction manuscript of mine (see Movies That One-Up Me: Inception).

Critiquing for three other truly gifted authors.

To-Be-Read or Currently Reading: 

SOULLESS by Gail Carriger

SPELLS (sequel to WINGS) by Aprilynne Pike

BLUE MOON (sequel to EVERMORE) by Alyson Noel

LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott

THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN by Mark Twain

PARANORMALCY (okay, so it's not out yet, but I'm dreaming about it) by Kiersten White