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Sandra wrote: "I picked up yesterday Angie, hope you enjoyed it :)"

For the most part, I loved it. There was one story that I didn't get at all, totally didn't make any sense to me. Another was very badly edited, but the story was great. The very first story in the book was a little bit confusing because the world building wasn't there, BUT the prequel is available on Amazon (and probably the other digital vendors) for free right now. It's called . I haven't read it yet, just found it today, but it probably would have really helped. But the story by Ms Tee in Crave is still really good, even with the bits missing in my mind. Let me know how you like it when you finish!!

Veronica wrote: "Finished and , now have to patiently wait for book four.

I'm currently reading ."

The Kushiel Universe series is so amazing! Turned into one of my favorites after I finished reading them all... Hope you enjoy it!

Thanks for that Angie, I've grabbed the prequel :)

Arielle Rae wrote: "I'm currently reading ..."

I bought the whole series at the library's used book store a couple of years back and have been meaning to read it. I need to dust it off and start reading. Thanks for reminding me about the series.

Lisarenee wrote: "Arielle Rae wrote: "I'm currently reading ..."

I bought the whole series at the library's book store a couple of years back and have been meaning to read it. I nee..."

Glad to remind you :) It's truly worth peoples time to read these books

They look interesting Arielle. I can't buy the first trilogy from Kobo, only the second. Do they need to be read in sequence?

I haven't read her Kushiel books but I love her Agent of Hel series

And what's that like Sandra?

Lisa wrote: "They look interesting Arielle. I can't buy the first trilogy from Kobo, only the second. Do they need to be read in sequence?"

Well, not really. The second trilogy follows a different main character, but it's recommended to read the first trilogy because the events from there affects what's in the rest of the series. The world is so complex actually, that some things that's in the first book can link to things in the 6th one and etc even though there are different characters. Reading the first trilogy adds depth to the reading experience but you don't have to read them :)

Sandra wrote: "I haven't read her Kushiel books but I love her Agent of Hel series "

Yeah, what's it like? Apparently her writing has changed since the Kushiel books were first published (it's been years after all)

My OCD is pretty insistent, lol, so I will probably have to wait then and get them in order. I can get the first three from Kobo, just in German. Which I am most definitely not even remotely fluent except maybe counting one to three. I don't know why they do that, it's very annoying. I will patiently wait, thanks for the rec girls.

Lisa wrote: "And what's that like Sandra?"Arielle Rae wrote: "Sandra wrote: "I haven't read her Kushiel books but I love her Agent of Hel series "

Yeah, what's it like? Apparently her writing has changed since the Kushiel bo..."


I loved it. Here's my review (view spoiler)[Daisy Johanssen, half human/half incubus, brought up in Pemkowet by her single human mother, works as a part-time file clerk at the local police station and as the on-call liaison to the Norse Goddess Hel.

Pemkowet, has an Underneath ie the Realm of Hel. Thus magical creatures (eldritch) can survive in the human world there without fading and for a radius of about 10 miles. So Ghouls, Fairies, Sprites, Vampires and elusive Werewolves live fairly happily there as well as a human population, and lots of tourists eager to experience the otherness.

Surrounding the town are those that would like to destroy everything not human, so its a balancing act for Daisy. If she gets too angry she could trigger Armageddon through her demonic side, and she does have a temper.

Daisy has had a crush on Cody Fairfax since she was ten. He is a Werewolf in the closet and also a police officer. When a rich college kid dies, all the stops are pulled out to find out 'who did it' and Daisy is partnered up with Cody.

For a first in series book, there were some really good characters, great world building and lots of intriguing creatures. You can tell that Ms Carey knows how to write and I am very glad she chose to tell this story.

I'm looking forward to the next book in this series. (hide spoiler)]

Arielle Rae wrote: "Sandra wrote: "I haven't read her Kushiel books but I love her Agent of Hel series "

Yeah, what's it like? Apparently her writing has changed since the Kushiel bo..."

I am reading the third one in the series right now. . I couldn't get into the Kushiel books or her Santa Olivia books but I really enjoy this series. It is a nice balance of romance, action and mystery. It also has a really nice world building.

Sandra wrote: "I haven't read her Kushiel books but I love her Agent of Hel series "

I'll second the Agents of Hell books, very good, with an odd world.

I dnf'ed the Kushiel books.

LOL Yay, backup!!!!

Sandra wrote: "LOL Yay, backup!!!!"

I will say for some reason it really creeps me out how much she mentions her tail. I'm not really sure why, but the tail gets a lot of page time. lol

Darcy wrote: "I will say for some reason it really creeps me out how much she mentions her tail. I'm not really sure why, but the tail gets a lot of page time. lol"


Okay now you've got me intrigued. I may need to investigate this further. :)

Lisarenee wrote: "Okay now you've got me intrigued. I may need to investigate this further. :)."

You do this and let us know if I'm the only oddball with this issue. lol

Lisarenee wrote: "It's not. The publisher let me have and eARC. I'm cro..."

Lucky!
yea that would be absolutely great. i would really like them as a couple.

Darcy wrote: "Sandra wrote: "LOL Yay, backup!!!!"

I will say for some reason it really creeps me out how much she mentions her tail. I'm not really sure why, but the tail gets a lot of page time. lol"


It's been a while since I read it, so I don't remember that. I've got the 2nd one to read so I'll look out for it. LOL

Sandra wrote: "It's been a while since I read it, so I don't remember that. I've got the 2nd one to read so I'll look out for it. LOL"

I really noticed it in the first book, the rest if seemed to back off so much, but it still weirds me out. lol

finished it was pretty fantastic. Meralda (the main character) has a plant as a familiar, and its has this wicked sense of humor (it can talk) and it has LOTS of eyes, which weirdly enough i really liked.
also read which unfortunately wasnt as good, the ending did save it slightly. plus the dystopian and steampunk theme was pretty nifty.

Arielle Rae wrote: "The Kushiel Universe series is so amazing! Turned into one of my favorites after I finished reading them all... Hope you enjoy it! "

I am enjoying it quite a bit. It has the feeling of a fast read which seems odd considering that the pb version is 901 pages. I read the first book in her UF series, Agent of Hel, but wasn't impressed so I had doubts about trying another series from her. But the writing for the Kushiel book is just so delicious and lush without being overly flowery (whereas her UF read more like YA to me) that I find myself being carried away and before I know it I've read another 100+ pages. Right now I'm on tenterhooks hoping that a character I really like survives.

The Neurotic’s Guide To Avoiding Enlightenment by Chris Niebauer, Ph.D. � Book Review
Reviewed by Raymond Mathiesen
4 out of 5 stars

Deep thoughts about the self and self-improvement�

Even a quick look at the self-help shelf at any bookstore will quickly reveal that the industry is booming and that most of us seem to have a secret desire to ‘be a better person�. We search for that magic formula which will give us enlightenment, hopefully the quicker the better. But is enlightenment, as we understand it, really achievable? If we did have a better life what would it be like? Would it be very different from our current life? Even more, what if we found that this ‘self�, which we are so bent on improving, turned out not to really exist, to be a myth, an unreliable creation of our own brain? Can modern neuroscience throw any light on this subject, and if so do you have to be an expert to understand it? If you are confused already get ready to have many of your ideas challenged by Chris Niebauer’s thought provoking book The Neurotics Guide To Avoiding Enlightenment: How The Left-brain Plays Unending Games Of Self-improvement.

Many self-help books are written from a New Age / Eastern Mysticism perspective and in a way Niebauer’s book fits into this category. Niebauer is strongly influenced both by the mid twentieth century author Alan Watts and the contemporary writer Eckhart Tolle. Watts wrote on a variety of Eastern Religions including Zen, Hinduism and Taoism and Tolle is greatly influenced by Buddhism. To describe the book as being purely of this ilk, however, would be greatly misleading. Also, to describe The Neurotics Guide simply as a self-help book, would be equally deceptive. Certainly there are mind-exercises and meditation techniques included which the reader may find helps them achieve a new mind-state, and which gives them a new approach to life, but this is very much a book of theory / philosophy which concentrates on challenging our standard ideas about ourselves and our lives. Niebauer is indeed “a college professor specializing in cognitive neuropsychology� (Preface) and the book has a heavy neuroscience content. In essence Niebauer is attempting to give Eastern Mysticism a neuroscience framework, taking it from the world of pure ideas and giving it a firm background in science.


The Neurotics Guide (Book ed.)

The Neurotics Guide (Kindle ed.)

Chris Niebauer’s Facebook Page

Chris Niebauer’s Web Site


For the full review please click:

Veronica wrote: "You mean the Graveyard Queen series, Dawn? It will likely be a longer wait than that. I checked the author's site to see when book 4 would be released and apparently her publisher wants to have bo..."

Ok so I maybe wrong about spring BUMMER!!
But it will be 2015 keeping my fingers crossed

Veronica wrote: "Arielle Rae wrote: "The Kushiel Universe series is so amazing! Turned into one of my favorites after I finished reading them all... Hope you enjoy it! "

I am enjoying it quite a bit. It has the f..."

I agree, her writing in these books are just beautiful! Which character are you rooting for? I remember when I was reading that book, so many things happened that completely took me by surprise, including some deaths...

Well the first Hel book is now downloaded to the list. Thanks everyone.

Arielle Rae wrote: "I agree, her writing in these books are just beautiful! Which character are you rooting for? I remember when I was reading that book, so many things happened that completely took me by surprise, including some deaths... "

I'm very fond of Joscelin. I have about 200 pages to go and I'm living in fear that he'll die. I expect deaths in books like this, but I'll still be very sad if something happens to him.

Veronica wrote: "Arielle Rae wrote: "I agree, her writing in these books are just beautiful! Which character are you rooting for? I remember when I was reading that book, so many things happened that completely too..."

Oh Joscelin sigh... They're an unlikely match aren't they? Yet they just fit

If you get tired of living in fear because he might or might not die,(view spoiler)[remember this book is also categorized as a romance... (hide spoiler)] ;)

Arielle Rae wrote: "Oh Joscelin sigh... They're an unlikely match aren't they? Yet they just fit

If you get tired of living in fear because he might or might not die,(view spoiler) ;) "

Whew! I made it to the end! They are an unlikely match, to be sure. I have no idea how they will make it work if, in fact, they do. Have you read all the books, Arielle? I knew this was a trilogy but I didn't realize there were two more trilogies after this one.

Veronica wrote: "Arielle Rae wrote: "Oh Joscelin sigh... They're an unlikely match aren't they? Yet they just fit

If you get tired of living in fear because he might or might not die,(view spoiler) ;) "

Whew! I ..."

(view spoiler)[The second book deals more with how they make it work, and everything just tugs at your heartstrings :) (hide spoiler)]
Yeah, I've read all nine books, just finished the very last one a few weeks ago in fact, and they are all really good! The series is definitely worth sticking to. The characters in the first trilogy even plays a big part in the second one

Arielle Rae wrote: "Yeah, I've read all nine books, just finished the very last one a few weeks ago in fact, and they are all really good! The series is definitely worth sticking to. The characters in the first trilogy even plays a big part in the second one
"

Ooh! That spoiler just makes me even more eager to read the next book. :)

I'm reading . I'm only on the first story but so far, very good. I'm also getting ready to start . Love reading about Kate and Curran's world. Each book only gets better.

Reading love the bears :)

Starting .

since my last post i finished and absolutely adored it!
such a good book, cant wait to read the next few!

an now im read and so far i am not impressed. i was for about 10% mid way through the book. before and after that 10% has not been great. theres many typing errors, grammar errors, name errors. ect. plus the main characters is this shitty 'almost man' wo's constantly trowing a tantrum and killing people because stuff didnt go his way. he's pretty much a bully with magical powers.
the magic powers and the world are pretty cool. only good thing about the book so far.

Reading ... All of Thea Harrisons books seem to go by really fast, I come up for air for the firs time and I realise I'm almost halfway through!

Finished - this has turned out to be one of my favorite series of the year. Richly detailed writing and historical detail, and a fantastic romance. I really hope Harkness writes more books in the future.

Now listening to

Lauren wrote: "Finished - this has turned out to be one of my favorite series of the year. Richly detailed writing and historical detail, and a fantastic romance. I really ho..."

I read the Book of Life too and loved the ending. After so many series coming to disappointing endings in the last couple of years, I was so thankful to read one that was just as good as if not better than the first. It was interesting how with each book the romance got bumped up a notch.

Lisarenee wrote: "Lauren wrote: "Finished - this has turned out to be one of my favorite series of the year. Richly detailed writing and historical detail, and a fantastic roman..."

Yes. This is definitely one of those rare series that remains consistent throughout and I absolutely loved the character development and the romance.

Finished reading have to say i was not very impressed with it. the main character is absolutely terrible in pretty much all ways. totally unlikable. i dont think it was edited at all. the writer has potential though, being that i still managed to finish the book even after all the elements i disliked. magic was awesome.

currently reading so far it hasnt been bad. i like the main character, and feel sad for her, she has had terrible luck in life. about to start reading from her 'partners' POV. not really looking forward to that. i dont want to feel sympathetic towards him in anyway..... who knows maybe i'll end up disliking him even more?

Finally going to start :)

I'm reading

It's a shame didn't win. I voted for it even though I haven't read it yet (waiting on the pb - which will be here soon)

Sandra wrote: "I'm reading

It's a shame didn't win. I voted for it even though I haven't read it yet (waiting on the pb - which will be h..."

Hope you enjoy Rock Addiction! I think anything Nalini writes is pure gold :)

Yeah, it was a shame... You have to admit though, there were some pretty big authors in that category, so it must've been a tough competition

Yep, I think she writes gold as well.

Its a while since I've read any contemporary stuff, so its taking a little while to get used to it. And that sounds silly but its true :)

Currently reading . I'm slowly going through the whole Dragon Kin series so I don't burn myself out on her writing style. I love her books, but her female characters can seriously turn me off if I'm not in the mood. Overly aggressive and mean.

Love Dragonkin Veronica, I've got to read this month.

I am enjoying the series. I love her sense of humour. I just know to take it slow. :) I read her other series Magnus Pride and Pride and burnt out on her psychotic women. *laughs*

I read Magnus Pride & Pride when they first came out, so I guess, I've had plenty of time to get used to them and the wait between books.

Sandra wrote: "Yep, I think she writes gold as well.

Its a while since I've read any contemporary stuff, so its taking a little while to get used to it. And that sounds silly but its true :)"

Completely understandable. Happens to me too sometimes

I guess Nalinis book is the best book to get back into the game again though :D