Okay, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I will be able to post covers properly for this post. I’m not liking the WordPress upgrade much. (ETA: No, I still can’t insert pictures directly - this is driving me mad!)
Anyway, May books I’m looking forward to:
Charlaine Harris‘ “From Dead to Worse” (urban fantasy) – I’ve been a big fan of the Sookie Stackhouse series since Day 1, so definitely am getting the 8th book in the series. But OMG. Look at the UK cover (left). Is that Sookie to you? Yes, she’s blonde and if I think about it, I can’t pick out anything that contradicts the books. But I guess I’m just not used to actually seeing Sookie as a “real” person – err… that would be as opposed to the cartoon-like characters on the US covers.
Excerpt here (out May 6).
Julia Quinn‘s “The Lost Duke of Wyndham” (historical romance) – A brand-new Julia Quinn! And I mean properly new (that is, not a rewritten older book). The sequel to this is out in September, btw, and apparently is the story of the existing Duke of Wyndham. The one who could be replaced by the hero of this book. I’m looking forward to seeing how she handles this story. The cover’s interesting – it’s mimicking the look of a TV/movie book adaptation.
Excerpt here (out May 27).
Stephenie Meyer‘s “The Host” (SF) - Ms Meyer’s first grown-up book. I’m thinking lots of teen readers who loved “Twilight” will be picking this one up. I really have no idea how this one will be received. Heh – just went over to her website, and the tagline is “science fiction for people who don’t like science fiction”. I like SF, but SF thrillers aren’t quite my thing. I’m planning on getting this as I loved Ms Meyer’s writing and “Twilight” (though by the third book, Bella was really starting to grate on me). I haven’t been looking for reviews on this, but I’m surprised I haven’t happened across any by accident yet. I’ve seen quite a few ARCs of these on auction sites.
Excerpt here (out May 6).
Laurell K Hamilton‘s “Blood Noir” (urban fantasy) – I’m such a sucker for Anita Blake books – this is the 16th, I think? The last one (“The Harlequin”) started out promisingly but sort of fizzled out halfway. I’m hoping this one is better. The UK cover is more consistent with previous books in the series (for some reason, the model reminds me of Angelina Jolie in the Tomb Raider movies – err that would be Lara Croft then). The US cover, as has been mentioned elsewhere, is a radical departure from previous covers.
Excerpt here (out May 27)
Tanya Huff‘s “Blood Bank” (urban fantasy) – This is a collection of the Vicky Nelson/Henry Fitzroy short stories, previously published in an omnibus version together with “Blood Debt”. Vicky’s a PI and Henry’s a vampire – I know you’re thinking standard urban fantasy, but the first of these books was published back in 1991, so way before the current UF trend. I suspect I’ve probably read some of these short stories already, but still…
No excerpts (out May 6).
That is pretty much it for this month. I’m most excited about the Charlaine Harris book. I’ll also probably get the Jes Battis book I mentioned in my post below. Amanda Quick also has a new book out (“The Third Circle”), but it’s hardcover and I still haven’t gotten hold of her last release “The River Knows”.
Anne Bishop‘s “Tangled Webs” (dark fantasy) – I suspect I’ll probably finish this in a single sitting. This is set in her Black Jewels world and I think it’s Surreal who’s one of the major characters. I was in the bookstore today (no, I didn’t get anything) and saw the omnibus edition of her original Black Jewels trilogy. I was sooooo tempted. Especially since I seem to have misplaced book 1. We’ll see how I feel after I read “Tangled Webs”. Excerpt 
Kelley Armstrong‘s “Personal Demon” (urban fantasy) – Latest instalment in her Otherworld series. I’m excited that she’s switching to a new protagonist, even though I don’t remember Hope too well. I think it keeps the series fresh, like when she switched from Elena to Paige. Excerpt 
Lee Child‘s “Nothing to Lose” (thriller/suspense) – One of the few completely-no-romance series I read. Jack Reacher slowly grew on me – he’s like the ultimate ex-military loner. Oh, and the action/suspense/mystery is always good too. Excerpt 
Lisa Kleypas‘s “Blue-Eyed Devil” (contemporary romance) – Okay, this is a maybe for me. I mean, I’ll definitely get it, but perhaps not in hardcover. I wasn’t blown away by her first contemp, “Sugar Daddy”, but I think that had more to do with the plot structure than the writing. I wasn’t hugely keen on the first half of “Sugar Daddy” focusing on Liberty’s childhood. I’ll probably wait and see what the reviews say on this one. This is the UK cover, by the way. Very different from the US one. Excerpt 
Amanda Quick‘s “The River Knows” (historical romance) – Amanda Quick a.ka. Jayne Ann Krentz used to be an autobuy for me way back when. Not so much recently, which is why I’m wavering over the paperback release for this one. Anyone read it yet? Umm… can’t find an excerpt for this one.
