The Leaning Pile of Books is a feature in which I highlight books I got over the last week that sound like they may be interesting—old or new, bought or received in the mail for review consideration. Since I hope you will find new books you’re interested in reading in these posts, I try to be as informative as possible. If I can find them, links to excerpts, author’s websites, and places where you can find more information on the […]

New York Times bestselling author Laini Taylor’s latest novel, Strange the Dreamer, is the first half of a YA fantasy duology that will conclude with The Muse of Nightmares. Laini Taylor has been on my list of authors I will read anything by since I was enchanted by her Dreamdark books, particularly Silksinger, and her exquisitely written novella collection Lips Touch: Three Times, a National Book Award finalist. Her stories are exceptional due to her fantastic imagination and characters, but her […]

Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor is the second book in the trilogy begun with Daughter of Smoke & Bone. This series is difficult to categorize more specifically than falling within the fantasy genre. The first book seems mostly like a contemporary fantasy/paranormal romance blend, and the next book is mainly set both in Morocco here on Earth and in Eretz but does not have a large romantic component, focusing on war instead. These two books can be […]

Instead of writing one huge post of all the books I’m looking forward to in 2012 with info on them, I had decided to highlight some of these books in their own posts throughout the rest of 2011. I’ve decided to carry this feature forward into this year as I discover new books coming out this year that sound interesting and continue with books of 2013 as it gets closer to the end of the year. I discovered Laini Taylor’s […]

Today Laini Taylor announced the title of the sequel to her fantastic novel, Daughter of Smoke and Bone: Days of Blood and Starlight – I love it! It is supposed to be published in the fall of this year, meaning I now have a new very highly anticipated book of 2012 to look forward to. Daughter of Smoke and Bone was one of my very favorite novels of 2011 (review). There is a description for it that is also wonderful: […]

Today I have a giveaway of one of my very favorite books from this year for you courtesy of Little, Brown Books – Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, which will officially be released tomorrow.  I got a copy of this at this year’s BEA and started reading it on the bus home because I just could not wait to read it (my review). Laini Taylor is one of my very favorite authors, and each of her books […]