Welcome to Smugglivus 2009 – Day 15!
Throughout this month, we will have daily guests – authors and bloggers alike – looking back at their favorite reads of 2009, and looking forward to events and upcoming books in 2010.
Today’s Guest: Ilona Andrews (actually a team of two people, Ilona and her husband Gordon) bestselling UF writer, author of the Kate Daniels and The Edge series. The Kate Daniels series is going strong with three books published (the first two, Magic Bites and Magic Burns have been reviewed here) and is one of Thea’s favourite series.
Recent Work: The third book in the Kate Daniels series, Magic Strikes (reviewed here) and the first in The Edge series, On The Edge (reviewed here) .
Please give it up for Ilona and her top reads of the year:
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My favorite reads for this year:
ELEGY BEACH by Steven Boyett.
It’s a magic book, the kind of book that makes you want to be in it, to live in the world and have its characters as your friends. Set in California, post-magic- Apocalypse, it’s a story of murder and magic, nostalgia for what was lost and excitement for what is yet to become. A completely unique urban fantasy.
DEADTOWN by Nancy Holzner
This book doesn’t technically come out until 12/29 but I got to read it early and it kind of blew me away. Nancy’s characterization is stunning. I’m very attracted to books that feature a magical setting but have realistic human protagonists, and this one delivered for me.
DARKLY DREAMING DEXTER by Jeff Lindsay
Okay so technically this one was published some time ago but I got a 2009 reprint of it. The prose is so sharp. Just on the technical level alone, the level of craftsmanship in the book is amazing. And the subject matter – a serial killer vigilante – is extremely interesting.
NORTHLANDERS Vol 1: Sven the Returned by Brian Wood and David Gianfelice
This graphic novel is gory, bloody,awesome, and does Vikings right. It’s rare, especially in comic format, to get a viking hero that goes beyond “Rawr, Odin, muscles, wimmens, plunder!” mindset, but Wood’s characters have depth. It’s a grim story showcased by subtle art reminiscent of Fables.
TEMPT ME AT TWILIGHT by Lisa Kleypas
I picked this up on a whim and thought it was adorable.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2010
We have the fourth Kate Daniels coming out, titled MAGIC BLEEDS. It should be available end of May. The second volume in EDGE series, titled BAYOU MOON, is tentatively scheduled for October.
*******
Thanks, Ilona!
Next on Smugglivus: Carrie Ryan and Diana Peterfreund
22 Comments
Saffie
December 15, 2009 at 3:18 amNice selection there!
Larissa
December 15, 2009 at 5:50 amLove both of your series Ilona and Gordon =) I can’t wait for Magic Bleeds and Bayou Moon =)))
Moonsanity
December 15, 2009 at 5:52 amWow, I haven’t read any of those. *adding to TBR list*. I can’t wait till May to read Magic Bleeds. I am in dyer need of a Curran, I mean Kate, fix. 😉
Stacy ~
December 15, 2009 at 6:35 amI LOVE the Magic series, as well as the Edge series, and can’t wait for another fix of both.
I’m adding the Nancy Holzer book to my tbr pile as we speak…
Do you watch Dexter as well?
Ginny
December 15, 2009 at 12:10 pmI can’t believe I’m going to say this, because Ilona Andrews is one of my favourite authors, but that was a bit…short. I was really looking forward to reading a bit more than just a blunt list of books. Every other author has added a bit extra to their posts & I was excited to see what Ilona Andrews had to say. I’m just a little disappointed
Sorry if I sound like a bitch, I guess that she was probably just busy & I understand. Can’t wait for Magic Bleeds or Bayou Moon.
x
RKCharron
December 15, 2009 at 1:06 pmHi 🙂
Thank you for the post Ilona 🙂
I love your selection of novels.
Happy Holidays,
RKCharron
RKCharron
December 15, 2009 at 1:07 pmPS – To Commentor Ginny – Check out Ilona’s blog.
She’s very busy writing but still has lots to say there.
Moonsanity
December 15, 2009 at 2:04 pmYes, she’s on deadline for edits and another book manuscript. She’s not even answering emails right now til it’s done.
Ana
December 15, 2009 at 2:33 pmYes, we know she is quite busy and we are very grateful that she even considered being a part of Smugglivus! 😛
Soullumination
December 15, 2009 at 5:23 pmHave heard great things about Elegy Beach. Now I’ve added it to my ‘Must Have’ list.
Along with my ‘Magic‘ novels, of course.
Ilona Andrews
December 15, 2009 at 6:06 pmDear Smugglivus ladies,
Thank you so much for having me. (Sorry I am late to checking out the comments, but I’m trying to work really hard, so I will at least get Christmas off.)
@Saffie
Thank you so much! Most of what I read this year is actually more along the lines of reference and folklore books. I’ve become a bit of folklore freak because Kate books are so myth-heavy. When I’m not trawling for some odd creature, I try to read as widely as I can.
@Larissa
Thank you! BAYOU MOON just won’t die. I swear I will kill this book this week if it’s the last thing I do. :shakes fist: Book, get off my lawn!
@Moonsanity
Thank you! I hope MAGIC BLEEDS will be worth the wait. It was really hard to write and I will be hitting the copyedits for it this week. (Oy.)
@Stacy
Nancy’s characters are really something. It’s rare to have a female heroine with some obvious weaknesses. I think Nancy will forgive me this spoiler, but her girl is in a committed relationship and instead of OMG, I must be with you every second type of mentality, both she and her really hot werewolf dude have normal lives. The werewolf dude happens to be a lawyer and he has no time. Having worked for lawyers that rang really true for me. Check it out, I really like it.
I watched the first season of Dexter and love it to pieces. I want to watch the second season, and I am hoping that I can knock out all of my deadlines and watch it when the kids go back to school after Christmas. Wait, I’ll be working on Kate 5. I’ll watch it somehow, lol.
@Ginny
My primary job, which is both my livelihood and the reason why you guys know my name, is to write books. I’m not a reviewer, and that is a very good thing, because I hate 90% of all books I read. Everything else, including other people’s books, takes a back seat to my professional obligations. If I don’t meet my deadlines, our books will end up getting pushed back a few weeks. I couldn’t pass up on Smugglivus, though – I was so flattered to be invited.
I’m sorry my post was disappointing, but I pretty much said everything I wanted to say. Here is the list of my standout books for the year. I really don’t know what else to add to it.
@RKCharron
Thank you! Happy Holidays to you too!
@RkCharron again.
Thank you for the valiant defense of my criminally short post. 🙂
@Moonsanity
That’s correct. I’m officially “away from the Internet.” 🙂
@Ana
Thank you for having me!
Ilona Andrews
December 15, 2009 at 6:09 pm@Soullumination
ELEGY BEACH was so… It made feel ten years old, because I know I can’t write like that. It had a real literary quality to it. 🙂
Ilona Andrews
December 15, 2009 at 6:11 pmOkays, I am going to go now! Thank you so much for stopping by my Smugglivus Day.
That is a terribly delicious word. :mutters: Smugglivus, Smugglivus, lol.
Okay, I better go. Thanks again!
Meljean
December 15, 2009 at 6:31 pmI ended up watching the first season of Dexter in one day via Amazon. I was sick, and in bed, and it was just hours and hours of straight serial killing. It finally ended at 4am … then I got the first episode of the second season. 😀
I stopped after that, though, because I got better and I don’t have an excuse yet for another marathon.
Ginny
December 15, 2009 at 7:27 pmOk, I get it, I’m a bitch, I’m sorry. I’ll keep my mouth shut next time. I was just being honest.
Ginny
December 15, 2009 at 7:51 pmI’m sorry, just ignore me. I’m having a bad day.
KMont
December 16, 2009 at 7:16 amGinny, don’t feel bad. Sometimes we can’t help feeling disappointed – it happens! I’m sure you didn’t mean to offend anyone (and yes, I mean that, I want to think positively about anything at least at first lol). After the morning I’ve had I can understand everything that’s happened in comments here.
I actually had a hard time coming up with my own list of books for a Smugglivus post. If we’re going for honesty here – well, I could’ve done with a few more good reads this year and a lot less ones that weren’t so good. So when Ms. Andrews says she hates about 90% of the books she reads, well, I get that too. 🙂
All that being said, work on authors! Even if we feel disappointed sometimes, well, that passes. We know in reality that yall are working hard. 😉
Ginny
December 16, 2009 at 8:49 amThanks, I really wasn’t trying to offend, I admire Ilona Andrews far too much for that. & I guess I should be happy that it’s not her books I’m disappionted with, because I really love her work.
I can understand deadlines, I work with them too being a student.
Also, I’m thick enough not have realised that she has a blog till someone else on here pointed it out, which is why I thought she’d write more on here.
Black Myst Squared | Literary Escapism
December 17, 2009 at 6:28 am[…] Ilona Andrews, author of On the Edge and the Kate Daniels series, at The Book Smugglers […]
You Like Me! (Or At Least My Book) « Nancy Holzner, author
December 17, 2009 at 10:16 am[…] I was thrilled beyond telling when Ilona named Deadtown as one of her favorite reads of 2009 in a guest post at The Book Smugglers. I knew Ilona liked Deadtown, because she read a […]
Jessica Capelle
December 18, 2009 at 10:21 pmAlso a huge fan of the Dexter books- The tv show is on my (very) short list of adaptations that I feel do justice to the books, but I still prefer the books.
Just started reading Magic Bites and am loving it! Can’t wait to read more Kate stories!
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