Search for Steampunk recommendations

I've recently become aware of the popular steampunk genre and I'm hoping those in the blogosphere would be able to help me find some titles to help me get my feet wet.

I've read and adored the Parasol Protectorate series, but I don't know how steampunky that book is compared to full blown steampunk. As with Sci Fi, I may not be ready to go all-in yet; I may need something a little more entry level.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Teaser Tuesdays (3)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Really, Alexia, this is no time for levity! I am all aquiver, facing a ghastly emotional crisis, and you issue forth nothing more than scads of unwanted jocularity!"

Changeless by Gail Carriger, page 157

It's Monday: What are you reading? (10)

It's Monday: What are you reading? is a weekly meme from BookJourney.

I read:

American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Lonnnggg book, but very interesting plot - What happened to the gods that immigrants brought to America? Apparently America isn't too hospitable. I haven't read too much of Gaiman, Stardust is the only book in my collection, so I can't really say how it fits into his regular format. Stardust is a bit more family-friendly than this one, but they're both (sorta) on-the-road books.

One word of warning, this book may be a bit too bulky for a once-a-month book group; it's meaty and takes some time to get through.

I listened to:

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (Audio book)
I really could not get into this book. It's Twilight-lite, in the worst way. Girl inexplicably and instantaneously falls for boy, this time because she's been staring at him in his wolf form for years. Never had a conversation before, never even knew he was a human (or humanesque) until he shows up on her doorstep and she just *knows*. Then there's the chaste cuddling in bed that "she knows she just can't live without" (paraphrased).

I couldn't do it. I got about three discs into a nine disc audio book and had to quit. The readers were alright - the female reader was a little to breathy for my taste (though that was probably what they were aiming for) and the male reader wasn't tops on the female voices, but otherwise they were both pretty good. That still wasn't enough to keep me listening.

Currently Reading:
Changeless (The Parasol Protectorate #2) by Gail Carriger

To Read:
Road trip coming up next week, so I plan on "reading" a lot of audio books. More to come in two weeks!

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

(Forgive the lack of images - Blogger isn't letting me add pictures at the moment.)

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Chast in Chaos (Chronicals of Elantra #6)
by Michelle Sagara West
Publication Date: August 1, 2010

From Goodreads:
Kaylin Neya is a Hawk, part of the elite force tasked with keeping the City of Elantra safe. Her past is dark, her magic uncontrolled and her allies unpredictable. And nothing has prepared her for what is coming, when the charlatans on Elani Street suddenly grow powerful, the Oracles are thrown into an uproar and the skies rain blood…

The powerful of Elantra believe that the mysterious markings on Kaylin’s skin hold the answer, and they are not averse to using her–how ever they have to-in order to discover what it is.

Something is coming, breaking through the barriers between the worlds. But is it a threat that Kaylin needs to defend her city against–or has she been chosen for another reason entirely?

From me:
I really love these books, they top my favorites list. Sagara-West has created a brilliant fantasy world with interesting race and political issues with Kaylin's magic being the foremost on many people's minds. She's already saved her world a few times, so I'm curious to see what she has to deal with next! For my review of the first book in the series, Cast in Shadow, see here.

Teaser Tuesdays (2)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"The black dog licked its long snout. Then it said, in a deep, dry voice, 'I saw Harry Houdini once, and believe me, man, you are no Harry Houdini.'"

American Gods by Neil Gaiman, page 180.

It's Monday: What are you reading? (9)

It's Monday: What are you reading? is a weekly meme from BookJourney.
I read:

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
I have one word for this book: Wackadoo. This book was an interesting mix of post-spicy-dinner dream craziness and something an adult is forced to come up with on the spot for a child begging for a story. I really enjoyed it, though. The characters were characters, my favorites being the Tweedles and the clumsy knight. Alice was the grounding force of the story - she was always polite and often aggravated, and though she easily accepted the strangeness and kept hold of her creativity and imagination, she never lost her rationality.

Oddly enough, I felt as though I connected with this story because my dreams are very much like the dreamscape of Wonderland and the Looking Glass World. My dreams always have a plot and, despite their craziness, I'm always convinced that they make sense. (For an example, see my Betty White dream here.) I'd recommend this to any adult who has somehow missed it over the years and possesses a sense of whimsy and I also think it'd make a great read-aloud-to-a-child book (just beware, interesting questions could be posed whilst reading, like "Mommy, what's a hookah?"). (*****)

Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter (*****)
For full review, see here.

Currently Reading:

American Gods by Neil Gaiman
American Gods is my book group's latest discussion book. It's definitely interesting...we'll see how I feel the further I wade through this beast of a book. Though I'm not sure how I'm going to get through it all by group time (and I'm one of the leaders!).

To Read:
Changeless by Gail Carriger

Bubbles Unbound by Sarah Strohmeyer
Recommended by a friend.

Waiting on Wednesday: Blameless

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights future releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Ok, I'm about an hour early, but it's more Wednesday than Tuesday as I type this. Therefore, this week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Blameless (The Parasol Protectorate #3)
By Gail Carrigar
Publication Date: September 1, 2010

Ok, I'd like to tell you about this book, give you a quick synopsis, but the Goodreads synopsis is full of Changeless, book #2, spoilers. Now, I haven't read book #2 yet, so I don't want to read the synopsis, let alone post it on my blog. I'm not going to spoiler myself.

So why am I choosing the third book in the series for my WOW posting when I haven't read the second yet? That would be because I was completely hooked by the first book, Soulless. I adored it - it was full of wit and dry British humor (for full review, see my blog entry). I am betting on a solid sequel, therefore Blameless will surely rock my socks. It had better, or I'm going to be truely, truely bummed.

Book Review: Only the Good Spy Young

Only the Good Spy Young (Gallagher Girls #4)
By Ally Carter
(*****)

From Goodreads:
When Cammie Morgan enrolled at the Gallagher Academy, she knew she was preparing for the dangerous life of a spy. What she didn’t know was that the serious, real-life danger would start during her junior year of high school. But that’s exactly what happened two months ago when she faced off against an ancient terrorist organization dead set on kidnapping her.

Now the danger follows her everywhere and even Cammie “The Chameleon” can’t hide. When a terrifying encounter in London reveals that one of her most-trusted allies is actually a rogue double-agent Cammie no longer knows if she can trust her classmates, her teachers—or even her own heart.

In this fourth installment of the New York Times best-selling series, the Gallagher Girls must hack, spy, steal, and lie their way to the truth as they go searching for answers, recognizing that the key to Cammie’s future may lie deep in the past....

From Me:
Another great book! Cammie is still the target of a rogue group made up of the world's top spys and assassins, but now people she knows and trusts could be the enemy.

By the time I got to the end of this book, as Carter was setting up the next installment, I almost felt like books one through four were all part of a prequel - that the story is about to really take off. Maybe it's more like Harry Potter's Half Blood Prince - the game changer that leads to the final act. Or maybe it really is a set-up for many more books. Or maybe I'm just reading into it and the next book will go back to the status quo. Guess I won't know till I can get my hands on the next one - which I intend to do as soon as I can! 

Teaser Tuesdays (1)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Please, would you tell me," said Alice, a little timidly, for she was not quite sure whether it was good manners for her to speak first, "why your cat grins like that?"

"It's a Cheshire-Cat," said the Duchess, "and that's why. Pig!"

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, page 61.

It's Monday: What are you Reading (8)

It's Monday: What are you Reading is a weekly meme from BookJourney.

I'm finally back! I've managed to keep reading over the past few weeks, but my poor blog has been neglected.

Currently Reading:
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
I've owned this book for a few years and I'm finally getting around to reading it. So far so good!

Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter
I adore this series!

Finished Reading:
Oh so many books! See my blog for full reviews.

To Read:  I have no idea! We'll see where I land once I finish these books.