"This Is the End"...now at H&H

My newest piece for the Heroes and Heartbreakers blog went online late this afternoon. I've been on sort of a writing frenzy the last several days, turning in two more spec pieces to the blog. This one, though, on why I won't be buying Dead Reckoning, Charlaine Harris' new Southern Vampire Mysteries release that goes on sale tomorrow, started forming in my head probably a month ago. Anyway, it goes from Sookie Stackhouse and Liz Phoenix to Eve Dallas, LOST, The Sopranos, and Mad Men, all in the space of about a dozen paragraphs.

I hope you'll swing by, read it, then post a comment. As for me, I'm still trying to take in the death of Osama Bin Laden...and yes, episode three of Game of Thrones.

"This Is the End"...now at H&H

Blogging Barnes and Noble

While the summer started out gangbusters at the bookstore, those of us who work part shifts got fewer and fewer hours as the heat poured on. By the time I left on my vacation as July turned into August, I was working perhaps one evening a week, and for the two weeks after my return (before taking Rachael to college), I had no hours at all. Which means that when I came in to work, it was strictly cashiering, with the occasional stint in Kids. And never any Nook time.

Most of you who have visited a B&N over the past several months know that each store features, prominently, a Nook area, and additional staff were hired to man these sections. In our store, a full-time position was added, at 40 hours a week, and when Jeff wasn't there, other staff took up the slack with official Nook hours. I was not among them, and other than watching a Nook video or two when they were first introduced, and playing with one occasionally during breaks, I remained a Nook virgin. Last week, though, I asked for some training so I wouldn't stand around like a boob when somebody asked me about the device.

In the last few weeks several employees moved on, so hours are on the increase - at least temporarily, although I hope permanently (I'd prefer TPTB utilize part-time staff more rather than hiring on tons of new full-timers, but nobody's asked me). On Friday night, before I left the store close at midnight, I asked to check one out, and yesterday morning I learned the basics of Nook. Good thing too, because when I went into work in the afternoon, I was assigned an hour of Nook duty. Had I not set about learning it earlier in the day, I'd have been screwed.

I showed several customers the ins and outs during my hour, and sold a husband and wife one shortly after my shift ended last evening. It was a tremendous rush, and my knowledge of the Kindle helped tremendously in doing comparisons, but the last several shifts have all been a rush in that the store has been slammed by customers. Hooray!!! I'd been doing terrifically well selling memberships - and while in some ways I hate that we've added educational toys to our inventory (I came to sell books, not toys, after all, or electronics for that matter), it's hard to argue with $50 toys and $200 Nooks - but yesterday was a great hand-selling day. I sold seven books while at cash-wrap as add-ons, and talked up Clockwork Angel to other customers. Here is what I sold:

• Two copies of Soulless
• One copy of Blameless
• One copy of Any Given Doomsday
• Two Beverly Jenkins books
• One copy of Naked in Death (to a reader who'd picked up Salvation in Death in Bargain although she'd never read the earlier books in the series...we put the bargain book away and I asked that a copy of Naked be brought up instead)

So far thirteen copies of Changeless have walked out the door as well - 35 remain left to sell. I've not yet had time to read the book, and part of the reason why I've not made time is that I know

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

the hero and heroine don't get back together until the end of the book. I assume Carrington did that to stretch out the action into additional installments of the series, and while I love the entirety of the world the author created, I can't help but long for more h/h face time. Even though the parts I've read are hilarious, I need to settle down and deal with my disappointment before actually reading Changeless.

I work a very abbreviated shift tonight and then during Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons this week. I'll be bringing my loaner Nook back when I head in this evening and now that I've got a real sale under my belt - and boy, did I work for it! - I'm confident about future Nook duty.

Blogging Barnes and Noble

My Life, Such As It Is

Monday was hectic, almost frantic. I needed to finish a book and review it for PW, but my daughter needed some assistance on the job front, and at three in the afternoon I got a call from the bookstore asking if I could work a short shift that night. All of which meant I'd need to be done with everything before leaving at 4:45, which now included a shower and hair-dry along with finishing my review and helping with the resume and online job applications.

Because of where we live in relation to the bookstore, if I'm not on the road by 4:45, it can take up to an hour to drive what otherwise only takes 20 minutes. I'm not a happy traffic driver, so whenever I'm scheduled during the week at six or even seven, I leave home early and bring work to a Starbucks near the store (not the one next door, though - it has only two comfy chairs).

I'd forgotten TPTB planned a store visit Tuesday, which meant the palpable stress affecting store managers crossed over onto those of us working that night. None of us wanted our bosses to look bad, and the store had to be "just so." The night ended later than usual and I did something I'd never done: Shift an entire zone in accordance with B&N guidelines. Since I'd worked Kids, that was my zone to shift, and as it's a quite different zone than the rest of the store, it can be intimidating. Shifting - and I think I'm using the correct term - is assuring that each shelf has a mix of books shelved spine out and those shelved with their fronts showing. There are rules regarding the arrangement of hardcovers, trade-size, and regular paperbacks, as well as a rule about the number of books within a set of face-outs. To make one shelf look right might involve shifting three or four other shelves, so it can be a down-on-your-knees kind of process. Kids needed work, and I've had about ten minutes of shifting training, but with some advice I think I managed well. I went to bed sore and exhausted, but excited because I knew I'd be reading Chaos Bites Tuesday.

The next morning, then, after errands, I settled in for my treat by first downloading the book onto my Kindle and then reading it...in a single sitting. By the time I left for work yesterday afternoon, I'd already finished and decided to write my review a day early. I took my laptop to Starbucks, and because so few people read this blog, decided I could help the author more - which I want to do since I'd like the Phoenix Chronicles to live long and prosper - by posting it at Amazon rather than here.

I finished with about five minutes to spare - you can click here to read my review - then went to work. The atmosphere was far more relaxed last night, and when I realized Chaos Bites was in house, I grabbed it and the three books preceding it in the series, and took them, along with a copy of Sandman Slim, to Cash/Wrap. Within five minutes one of my regular customers came in and I sold her the entire Phoenix Chronicles. A little while later and I'd sold my sixth copy of Sandman Slim since the weekend. I short-listed the first three books in Handeland's series, which we were now out of, explaining in my notes that I can best sell the nine remaining copies of the new book if I sell the series as a set. When I work again on Saturday I'll see if they ordered Any Given Doomsday, Doomsday Can Wait, and Apocalypse Happens in the numbers I requested.

A while ago the store manager called to see if I could work again today, but I'd already committed to taking Rachael to the movies. I generally take any extra shift offered, but feel the need for some fun time with my daughter. I don't even know what she's picked out, but we're leaving at two.

My Life, Such As It Is

Chaos Bites by Lori Handeland

Chaos Bites

Lori Handeland

Grade: B+

Urban Fantasy

Amazon just posted my review of this book, which begins...

It's true...I'm a Phoenix Chronicles fangirl of major proportions. To me it's the biggest urban fantasy buried treasure out there. So rather than reviewing it on my blog that exactly five people read, I'm going to be the first to review it here on Amazon, in the hopes that more people will read it, and then start reading the series...

Click here to read the rest of my review for Amazon

Chaos Bites by Lori Handeland

Blogging Barnes and Noble & Ants in My Pants for Chaos Bites

The first thing I did last night when I got to work was checked to see if Lori Handeland's Chaos Bites had come in. It had not. Next I checked to see if we had Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim. We did...it came in Thursday and was shelved Friday, without any promos, meaning copies were simply shelved in the section. Tonight I must rectify that and will local-store-list it to New in SF/F.

Ten copies of each book been ordered, and for the past two weeks every Jim Butcher customer I waited on got a slip of paper with "Richard Kadrey - Sandman Slim" written on it, accompanied by this verbal pitch: "It's a very dark, sarcastic, and violent urban fantasy novel. This guy gets sent to hell and escapes 11 years later...and he's pretty angry about it. It's awesome."

I grabbed two copies, among other books I thought I'd try to sell, and went up to Cash/Wrap. Jeff, another bookseller, was there, and a few minutes later, as he checked out a customer with Patricia Briggs books, he sort of opened his body language up so I could see what he was doing. I came over with the Kadrey book and my little spiel, and the woman took the book out of my hands, gave it to Jeff, and asked him to ring it up. Before she walked away, she had an entire list of authors and books to try, and I'm guessing she'll try some of them. Hopefully we have another happy customer.

I sold the other copy of Kadrey's book later in the evening. It wasn't my greatest ever hand-sell night ever (though I did well with new memberships), but historical romance readers did hear about the upcoming Mary Balogh release - A Secret Affair - which is my first Desert Isle Keeper in ten months (that link is to my review at Amazon Vine). I also managed to hand-sell a book I'd not even taken up to the counter with me. It was about ten in the evening and a very nice couple came up with several books. Both were clearly serious readers, and as a result of what I saw, I gave them my The Fifth Mountain (Paulo Coelho) talk, which goes something like this:

"You've probably heard about The Alchemist, but this book is much less well-known. It's incredibly beautifully written, very spare...every word counts...and is a fictional re-telling of the prophet Elijah. I don't usually read books like this, but it's amazing. Whenever we have a copy in the store, I try and remember to bring it up with me to hand-sell. You'll love it."

Although I didn't have the book with me, the husband was interested, so I called the Info desk. Jamie, the store manager, actually picked up, and when she brought me the book, the man indicated I should add it to their other purchases. As soon as I handed the bag to him, he removed the book. He had that look in his eye - I knew he planned to start reading Coelho's book immediately, but I cautioned him to wait. If he started tonight, he wouldn't be going to sleep until he'd finished, at some point in the middle of the night. He said it would be a struggle, but promised he wouldn't start it until today.

All that aside, I've got ants in my pants for Chaos Bites. Both it and the Kadrey book share the same sale date (April 27)...so where the hell is it? As I write this I've got to finish a book for a PW review tomorrow, and then there are two Amazon Vine books that arrived a few days ago. But the Kindle version of Handeland's book will be available for download on Tuesday, and it'll get moved to the top of the pile. Honestly, I can't wait.

What makes the Phoenix Chronicles so fantastic is that Handeland goes beyond the usual vampires, werewolves, and the fae. To be sure they exist in the series, but they're not just random monsters. She uses biblical lore and Native American mythology, among other religious and ancient motifs, for an incredibly rich and vibrant world. The excitement and action of great urban fantasy is there, but it's better for the world-building and because of Handeland's romance background. Say what you will about romance authors, but good ones know how to craft three-dimensional characters. Handeland accomplished what L.A. Banks tried to do in her Vampire Huntress series, but she did it oh, so much better. Even the final book in Banks' series, which was chock full of action, bored me in comparison to what Handeland has accomplished so far in her series, particularly in the first and third books. Each left me wanting the next entry immediately.

Here is the PW review I wrote for book one in the series, Any Given Doomsday:

Handeland (Thunder Moon) launches the intriguing Phoenix Chronicles urban fantasy series with a strong story that's only missing one thing: a glossary of the multitude of paranormal creatures tied to biblical lore. Psychic ex-cop Elizabeth Phoenix reluctantly takes the case after her foster mother, Ruthie, is murdered by monsters. Soon she's pointing out demons to her ex-boyfriend Jimmy, a half-vampire battling an army of Nephilim who plan to enslave and destroy humanity. They fight their way from Wisconsin to the southwest, where Jimmy leaves Elizabeth with Sawyer, a powerful Navajo shape-changer who awakens her libido as well as her psychic powers. Elizabeth's wry demeanor and complex relationships with Sawyer and Jimmy share center stage with the dramatic story line. The biblical component, while often confusing, adds dramatic dimension, and the demons' evil plans and vividly described handiwork create immense suspense for the final battle.

I wish now that my review had been even stronger, but at the time I wrote it, I'd not yet become as immersed in urban fantasy as I am today. So I hadn't read all the books now under my belt and didn't know just how much better the Phoenix Chronicles are in comparison to most. Had I written a stronger review, perhaps more readers would have discovered the series.

I tell those I've sold the first three books together that book two - Doomsday Can Wait - isn't quite as strong as books one and three, but it's still a good read. Here's the blurb:

"It took the near annihilation of humanity for Liz Phoenix to understand the true meaning of her premonitions. Liz is one of the sacred few on earth who has the psychic powers to fight the malevolent forces that have tried to wipe out the human race since the beginning of time. She battled these beings once, thwarting Doomsday but losing most of her soldiers in the massacre. Now she must replenish her troops quickly—because the supernatural war isn't over yet.

"As the new leader of the federation, Liz is marked for death by a Navajo witch with a link to her past. To survive, she must rely on her few remaining allies—her mentor, a shaman with too many secrets, as well as ex-lover, Jimmy Sanducci. Bringing Jimmy into the mix is a dangerous move, for Liz's darkest desires are razor-sharp—and her longing for Jimmy is at a fever pitch. But can Liz afford to give into the cravings that burn inside her, with the next shot at Doomsday just around the corner? This time, if evil wins, chaos will reign—and the world as we know it will be lost forever..."

The third book in the series, Apocalypse Happens, is as good, if not slightly better, than book one, and part of the reason why is that Handeland goes balls-to-the-wall in terms of what she's willing to do to propel the series' arc. Not that she does anything simply for dramatic effect - no - yet this is anything but a safe ride. To say more would give spoilers, but what happens near the end of this book is something I might have expected in a much later entry in the series...if at all...because no doubt a sub-set of readers will have a difficult time accepting the outcome. While I was shocked out of my seat, I'm totally in for the remainder of the ride, and can only hope it'll be a lengthy one. That said, there's only one additional title listed (Demons at the Gate) on Handeland's website.

Before ending this blog entry, here's the blurb for book three:

"Elizabeth Phoenix is one of a select few with the power to battle those who have escaped from the darkest level of hell—demons bent on destroying humanity and reclaiming earth once and for all. Liz is determined to stop yet another Doomsday. But this time, it's going to be more difficult than ever because someone she thought was dead isn't dead anymore...and is bound and determined to destroy Liz and everyone she loves in the upcoming Apocalypse.

"Liz has arrived in Los Angeles to ferret out a nest of varcolacs: half human, half dragon creatures who crave the destruction of the sun and moon. But before she can prevent the kind of eclipse that would bring the world to an end, Liz must mine the depths of her own heart. She and her former lover Jimmy Sanducci have some personal demons to battle—and there's always her mentor, the Navajo shaman Sawyer. Is he on their side or isn't he? In the end, the three of them must find a way to fight together...or perish alone."

Again, for all those urban fantasy readers out there, if you've not yet picked up Lori Handeland's Phoenix Chronicles, please do. She can only continue to write them if enough people buy them.

Because this blog entry is so lengthy, and because I have a review to write tomorrow, I won't write here again until Tuesday Wednesday, after I've had a chance to read Chaos Bites (that link is for an excerpt at the author's site).

Blogging Barnes and Noble & Ants in My Pants for Chaos Bites

Blogging Barnes and Noble

I'd originally planned to call this blog Blogging Barnes & Noble, but then decided that would be too limiting. Instead, I'll just use that title for certain entries...beginning with this one, as last night was a pretty unusual evening at the bookstore.

First of all, I sold my first Nook...finally. It's incredibly rare that I work anywhere besides cashiering or Kids, but my first hour last night, from seven to eight, was Info, where the exciting event occurred. Actually, I didn't sell it so much as convince the customer she'd made the right choice in coming in to buy it, but a sale is a sale. Then, while still working Info, I saw a woman carrying Red-Headed Stepchild and The Mage in Black, both by local author Jaye Wells. I'd noticed the latter title at work earlier in the week and actually went so far as writing it down and researching it for my TBB list.

After chatting with the customer for a few minutes and discovering she was interested in the nephilim after having read about them in another book, I asked if she might be interested in some recommendations. I knew we had all three books in Lori Handeland's Phoenix Chronicles, which feature quite heavily the nephilim, so I suggested she look at them, then told her I couldn't wait for the fourth book to be released later in the month. I guess she decided we were sympatico, because I also sold her Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur, and Soulless and Changless - both by Gail Carriger. And to tie it all together, I told her that later in the month she might want to consider Sandman Slim, also featuring the nephilim.

Later, after about an hour and a half cashiering, and suggesting Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series and Dorothy Sayers Peter Wimsey series to a reader who likes historical mysteries (those recommendations come courtesy of LinnieGayl and Ellen, btw), and Laura Bennett's Didn't I Feed You Yesterday and Elizabeth Bard's Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes, both of which I reviewed positively for Amazon Vine and both of which we're featuring for Mother's Day to a couple of customers who didn't bite, I went back to start recovering sections three - YA, nature, pets, science, business, computers, and humor (we have tremendously large business and computer sections) - and five. Five is comprised of just about all non-fiction outside of family and child care, including cooking, relationships, medical, travel, self-help, and psychology/psychiatry.

Recovering the store involves straightening out the shelves, re-organizing, and re-shelving books that belong elsewhere. Part of the task is also keeping the Info desk within eye-sight. A young man, a social studies teacher, wanted to know where we shelved Camus, and if I had any recommendations other than The Stranger. To be honest, I didn't, but after we looked at the selection available, I asked if he might like a recommendation. He said he loved recommendations, so I took him to Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex, which I describe as "the only Pulitzer prize-winning novel I ever stayed up all night to read," followed by, "my daughter recommended this to me and after having read it I told her she'd gone up ten points in my estimation."

That always gets people interested, but the clientele of our particular store doesn't lend itself to this type of content. I figured the customer, a young male social studies teacher, would be open-minded enough to enjoy a book featuring an intersexed narrator, as well as the themes surrounding immigrants, race, and social unrest. He looked at the book and decided to buy it. Later, when he came to me at Info to see if we had another book in stock, I suggested that if he indeed enjoys Middlesex, he might consider giving Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children a shot. I told him I'd actually not read it, but that my daughter recommended it to me specifically because I loved Eugenides' book. It wasn't the content, but the format of the books she found similar.

Other than selling the Nook, nothing so far was all that unique. I bombed out more often than I succeeded in recommending reads, but was pleased overall in that generally I don't sell seven add-ons (or convince another employee who's listening in to pick up any of my add-ons for herself - Pat bought the Carriger duo), but all of the above are simply part of my sharing the love of books with other readers. No, what made last night different was the young girl wandering around the bookstore with a purse and a book for something like three hours...and another small girl holding an empty pink pet carrier.

Eventually, after clearing it with the managers (because I was the only parent/employee handy), I went and asked the little girl if she could give me her parents' phone number because I worried about her being by herself. She did, I called, and suggested to her mom as gently as possible our concern at the girls' being alone for so long so late into the evening (a quarter to ten by then), then took her to the front of the store where I sat her down and said one of us would stay with her until her dad came to pick her up. My manager took over from there and had the much tougher conversation with the dad about this not being acceptable in the future, but by then I was back in Kids, asking the very small child about the pet that was supposed to be inm the little pink carrier she held because I could see it was empty and worried about an animal on the loose. No, the animal was not loose...her guinea pig was inside her sleeve. I asked if I could see her pet, took it from her and pet it briefly, then had her put it back in its carrier "so that it didn't get loose and get scared by somebody." Come to think of it, where were her parents?

The evening ended at 11:15; a rarity because on weekends we generally aren't finished with recovery until at least 11:30 - often it's nearly midnight when we leave. But before-hand, I mentioned how needy I'd been feeling about never having a "kudos" card on the bulletin board. Alison, another bookseller, took pity on me, said, "You sold a Nook," wrote up a card for me, and stuck it on the board. Thanks, Alison!

Blogging Barnes and Noble

Working Under the Influence

Last night was my first shift in about two weeks, and a test of how well I'm feeling after being sick with whatever all week. While 90% of my respiritory symptoms have abated, that "cotton in the head" feeling remains as strong as it did last Monday.

The night started out strong; I hand-sold from my register a copy of Lisa Kleypas' Then Came You almost immediately to a woman who'd never read the author's earlier work. I noticed that of the 48 copies of Changeless, ten had already been sold. Though I did sell two more, we lost two double sales to customers who would have tried Changeless if they could also have bought Soulless. Needles to say, I short-listed several additional copies of Soulless.

As for recommendations, I made one couple pretty happy (I'm not quite sure what it was they bought that tipped me off) when I mentioned the up-coming reissue of a few of Mary Alice Monroe's best. As I talked to them about her, the husband realized his wife had loved The Beach House (sweet, right?), so when I handed them a slip of paper with Sweetgrass, Swimming Lessons, and Time Is a River hand-written on it, I knew I'd made a future sale. I also know that the next time another couple returns, they will take a strong look at Christopher Moore's A Dirty Job and Lamb (another hand-written slip of paper)...it's not a huge leap from Spencer Quinn's Dog Gone It to Moore's absurdist humor. I hope my Sandman Slim recommendation (the mass market release for Richard Kadrey's book comes out late this month) does the same magic for the guy who bought some Jim Butcher...he seemed intrigued and appreciative with his hand-written slip of paper.

I've gotten into the habit of trying to recommend something to as many customers as possible based on what they buy. For most of them this is a novel experience, but for me it's very natural. I talk to just about everyone who checks out at my station unless a line requires I move it along. My philosophy is that this type of personalized customer service is what brings people back to the store. I don't know if this is true, but it feels right. I do know that I have some "returning" customers who actually carry my lists around with them...checking titles/authors off as they read them, and adding/buying based on new recommendations. On the other hand, none of the notes from customers lauding particular booksellers that are pinned to the break room bulletin board are for me.

Not at all great on the selling of memberships, though; just one new one and one renewal in 3.5 hours spent cashiering. At the start of the month, that's pretty dismal (if you buy a membership early in the month, it's like getting an extra month for free, which can be a strong selling point). But the biggest "cotton in the head" moment came when I attempted to wrap a book for a customer to give as a gift. We had some pretty paper not on the big roll attached to the wall like toilet paper so I decided to use it. Unfortunately, I mis-measured not once but twice (horribly embarrassing). Certainly my least stellar moment of the evening, although that I was sent back to re-work several shelves during nightly store recovery was another suckie event because, hey, it's not exactly rocket science.

I noticed that we have not received our ten copies of Chaos Bites, which I would dearly love to sell like mad. Alas, we have precisely one copy each of books 1 - 3 in Handeland's Phoenix Chronicles, so it's going to be very tough going to move these because this series remains a total buried treasure. With such strong sales so far for Changeless at the bookstore, I feel as though the pressure is off me to sell it like a maniac, so my investment has totally shifted to Handeland's urban fantasy series. For the first and only time since leaving AAR I wish I still had access to its thousands of readers in order to extoll the series' virtues. Why, exactly, I'm not sure, but it's almost become an obsession for me to see this series take off at the level of Keri Arthur's Riley Jenson books.

Luckily I have more hours this next week than the 5.5 I had for the week just ended, but shifts are still in short supply. If I were to judge by iPad-mania, the recession must have been rescinded, but considering how hard it is to sell memberships these days, I guess not.

We'll see how it goes Tuesday evening. With any luck, there won't be any cotton in my head.

Finally, it's very odd to blog knowing that barely anybody reads this. Regardless, I'm going to keep at it...at least for a while.

Working Under the Influence

April Book Buys

Of the ten books on my wish list, four were available digitally. Looking at AAR's list of releases for April, though, reminded me of one other book I wanted, which supplanted one of those four (Bulls Island). Here then are my ebook downloads for April.

I also downloaded a digital copy of Metrophage, Richard Kadrey's first book. It, like Butcher Bird is available for free...just go to Kadrey's site. I don't know anything, really, about these books, but was such a fan of Sandman Slim that I thought I'd grab 'em while I could. Meanwhile, Kill the Dead, the Sandman sequel is set to be released later this year...I think in October.

I'm most anxious for a copy of Chaos Bites, but the two earlier books in Handeland's series were delayed digitally, so I may give in and buy the print release to read as soon as this special review project for PW is complete.

As for the others, well, I do have Changeless in manuscript form. An unacceptable version, to be sure, which at some point I'll need to rectify, but at least I've already read it.

And now I'm off to finish reviewing the second special project book (read it yesterday)...three to go with the clock running out.

April Book Buys

Books To Look For

I've been very vocal about my love for Gail Carriger's Soulless, my only Publishers Weekly starred review for 2009. And I've hand-sold quite hard Lori Handeland's Phoenix Chronicles. At the bookstore I hand-sold about 50 copies to date of the former - and because of that sales record the store will be sent roughly the same number of copies of the sequel, Changeless. As for Handeland's series, I've sold roughly 3 1/2 dozen of book one, somewhat less of book two, and less still of book three.

Part of the problem is that with an urban fantasy series, you can't sell books two or three without selling book one. Because we haven't had many copies of each book at one time, I can't often do what I managed to do during my last two shifts: sell all three together. Most readers new to the series, though, take a slower approach and simply buy book one. When they come back, we don't have books two or three, and they end up ordering copies online, or they go elsewhere. It's tough because the series is very much a sleeper; I can only hope it catches on, and with Keri Arthur's Riley Jenson series coming to an end in June, there will be one less series with which it must compete.

Last week I read Changeless, which is terrifically funny, very visually Steampunkish, and, like Soulless before it, pitch perfect. The cliffhanger ending is its only flaw, but I'm sure all will be resolved in book three (Blameless), to be published at the end of summer. But back to Changeless...there's a moment during which a rather clueless character remarks about the love between "Pyramid and Thirsty" that so reminded me of A Midsummer Night's Dream that I marveled at Carriger's skill. (My daughter has so far been the only one to "get" the reference, which surprised me as those I asked were literate folk.)

I've not yet read Chaos Bites, although I did read the excerpt Handeland has up on her site. As expected, it was exciting, intriguing, and sexy, and I look forward to reading it as soon as it goes on sale. Because it's such a sleeper series, though, I worry about its long-term success and whether or not the author will be given the opportunity to take it where she wants it to go. At the author's website, just one title (Demons at the Gate) is listed beyond Chaos Bites...I hope the series won't end there.

So here are covers of both books, with links to the author's sites, as well as some of the other books I'm looking forward to in the near future:

What are you looking forward to reading...and if you read urban fantasy, can I convince you to try The Phoenix Chronicles?

Books To Look For