I had to participate in this week's Top Ten Tuesday, because who doesn't like books?
Seraphina
Author: Rachel Hartman
Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.
Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.
Why?: I've heard amazing things about Seraphina from basically every blogger - and if that weren't enough, the cover is gorgeous and the actual plot sounds amazing. Plus dragons!
Dragonholder: The Life And Times of Anne McCaffrey
Author: Todd & Anne McCaffrey
Here there be dragon...
Since the first unforgettable appearance of Pern's remarkable dragons and their brave human riders in the novella Weyr Search, winner of a Hugo award in 1968, millions of readers the world over have thrilled to Anne McCaffrey's bestselling saga of men, women, and dragons united against the deadly fall of Thread. Thanks to McCaffrey's bold and generous imagination, we have known what it is to fly. We have touched the fiery hearts and minds of the great fighting dragons, witnessed their passionate loves and violent hates, and felt the deep, unbreakable bonds that join them to their riders. McCaffrey's creative magic has made Pern real--a home to hold in the heart. Its inhabitants are more than characters in a book. They are family.
Now a member of Anne McCaffrey's family--her son Todd--gives us a candid and inspiring glimpse into the mind and soul of one of the greatest science fiction and fantasy writers of all time--an extraordinary woman who has influenced a generation of writers and readers and left an indelible mark on the field.
From Anne's birth on April Fool's Day in 1926, her girlhood encounters with the strange power of second sight that gifts the McCaffreys, her trailblazing efforts to balance the roles of wife, mother, and writer in the turbulent sixties, through a painful divorce and the years of success and acclaim that followed, Dragonholder is a labor of love that will enrich every reader's appreciation of the world of Pern... and its equally unique creator.
Why?: I'm one of the biggest McCaffrey fangirls I've ever encountered - I own way more of her books than I should, have spent way too many hours reading and roleplaying them, and a little too much money collecting them. I've already read Dragonholder, but I'd love to read it again as well as add it to my collection!
Soulless: The Manga (Vol. 2)
Author: Gail Carriger
Alexia Tarabotti, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears - leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria. But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can. She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.
Why?: I may be more of a McCaffrey fangirl than I am a Carriger fangirl, but it's not by much; I run the Parasol Protectorate website and obsessively collect all the merch for the series I can get my hand on. I read the first manga and thought it was adorbs. I'd love to get my hands on the second.
Piratica
Author: Tanith Lee
Artemesia is the daughter of a pirate queen, and she's sick of practicing deportment at the Angels Academy for Young Maidens. Escaping from the school, she hunts up her mother's crew and breezily commands them out to sea in a leaky boat. Unfortunately, Art's memories of her early life may not be accurate-her seasick crew are actors, and Art's infamous mother was the darling of the stage in a pirate drama. But fiery, pistol-proof Art soon shapes her men into the cleverest pirate crew afloat. And when they meet the dread ship Enemy and her beautiful, treacherous captain, Goldie Girl, Art is certain that her memories are real. The Seven Seas aren't large enough for two pirate queens: Art will have the battle of her life to win her mother's title--and the race for the most fabulous treasure in pirate lore. This gaudy, outrageous tale sparkles with swordplay, skullduggery, and salty language--not to mention over-the-top comedy.
Why?: Pirates! I read Piratica a long time ago - the same time I started reading the Bloody Jack series - and I remember really loving it; I'd love to add it to my shelves and have the chance to reread it again.
The Great Tree of Avalon (#2, #3)
Author: T.A. Barron
When young Tamwyn, determined to solve the mystery of the vanishing stars, seeks a vision in the mountains, he is confronted by a vision he never expected: From the place of the stars, dark shadows, omens of evil, are pouring out toward Avalon, posing a threat to the Great Tree's very existence. Tamwyn and his loyal troupe must split up: Elli to rush to the Lady of the Lake, Scree to heal with the Eaglefolks, and Tamwyn to journey to the Heartwood of Avalon itself to discover the portal to the highest branches and confront the very powers of Darkness.
Why?: I already have the first in the series, and I love Barron's books, and I really need to reread them soon. Finishing series for the win!
Dragon Jousters (#2, #3, #4)
Author: Mercedes Lackey
In the second novel in national best-selling legend Mercedes Lackey's richly-conceived new Joust series, the dragonrider Vetch escapes to Alta, the subjugated land of his birth. There, he hopes to teach his people to raise and train dragons-and build an army that will liberate his homeland.
Why?: This is another case of finishing a series that I own the first one of and would love to reread soon; I really do love the books. Plus dragons!
The Underland Chronicles (#2, #4, #5)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Gregor learns of his role in another Underland prophecy, yet he swears he will never return to that place. But his vow crumbles when his little sister, Boots, is snatched. Gregor knows it is a ploy to lure him to the subterranean world, but he gives in and heads back underground, where he is reunited with his bat, Ares, the princess Luxa, and new allies. Together, they descend into the deadly Waterway in search of an ominous rat known as Bane. But Gregor must face the possibility of his greatest loss yet, and make life and death choices that will determine the future of the Underland.
Why?: I read these ages ago before Collins became uber!famous and really loved them; after realizing she wrote The Hunger Games, I tried to start snagging them to reread. Mumsie got me 1 and 3 last year, so I just have to hunt down the other missing pieces...
The Pirate Queen
Author: Alan Gold
Grace O'Malley commanded a dozen ships and the obedience of thousands of men. Her empire stretched from Connaught on the Irish coast to the cobalt aters of Africa. Through the daring of her piracy, Grace nearly bankrupted the English treasury-and her outright defiance brought embarrassment to Elizabeth I. Yet the lives of these two amazing women were inextricably intertwined-and their eventual meeting during the most brilliant and romantic era that Europe has ever known would shock the world.
Why?: Because Grace O'Malley, that's why.
The list could go on for quite some time, but most of the other ones I know I want to own are pre-orders, so they couldn't technically be brought to me by Santa.