Wow, this week has been… well, busy… in a good way.

Usually when I have news, it’s bad news. Cancer, back problems, cancer again, back problems again… You get the drill.

This week it is all good. You see, my husband was offered his dream job with an absolutely amazing company. He just finished signing the papers tonight. We’ve been busy feeling relieved (things were getting scary financially around here. We were on our last leg.) We’ve also been car shopping. When the husband was laid off, we got rid of EVERYTHING we didn’t absolutely need, meaning, we sold his car. We’ve been living off of one car for a while, which is fine when only one person is employed. Now that we are both employed, we’ve been car shopping (he has to get to work somehow) and daycare researching. It’s been fun, stressful, busy… all the things you’d expect and all with a sunny edge.

In all honesty, my lovely readers, the ONLY reason we’ve made it this long with him being unemployed is because of the help and support of strangers. We were inundated with advice (which we both took, which is probably a huge reason why he landed the wonderful job he landed). We also were inundated with the kind monetary donations from perfect strangers, and people I call friends. The honest, embarrassing truth is, with all the health problems we’ve faced recently, this layoff was just about as bad a hit to our finances as anything else we’ve faced. Your help and advice not only helped my husband land an incredible job, but it also kept us clothed and fed.

And the other bit of truth involved in this is the fact that I don’t think I personally responded to many letters I received at that time, and I received a lot of them. I was honestly overwhelmed by the kindness, by the thoughts, the fantastic advice, the commiserating by people who have been there…. I was just overwhelmed, so I wrote everyone one general “thank you” letter (very impersonal and incredibly rude on my part) and sincerely hoped you somehow psychically picked up on how much your thoughts, kindness, and gestures of friendship have made a world of difference to this Bookworm’s family.

I might not have told you personally, but every last one of you touched my heart, and we both read every word all of you wrote, and took every bit of advice to heart and acted on it. No matter what else you think, you truly made our lives better.

With all of that said, I am soooooooo glad that it is over.

So, onto Books I’m Eyeing. These are the books that have been highlighted on websites that I frequent. Check them out. They all have some pretty amazing content on a regular basis.

What books are YOU eyeing this week?

—

The City Stained Red – Sam Sykes

Discovery blamed on: Mad Hatter’s Bookshelf & Book Review

About the Book

Long before he was sent to hell, the Aeon known as Khoth-Kapira was the closest thing to a living god the world had ever known. Possessed of a vast intellect, he pioneered many of the wonders that persist in the world that lingered long after he was banished. Nearly every fragment of medical, economic and technological progress that the mortal races enjoyed could be traced back to him. But with his wonders came cruelty beyond measure: industrialized slavery, horrifying experimentations and a rage that would eventually force the world to bow to him.

Now, as Khoth-Kapira stirs the world begins to shudder with disasters yet to come.The epicenter is the city of Cier’Djaal. A religious war between two unstoppable military juggernauts begins to brew. The racial fury among many peoples of the world is about to explode. Demons begin to pour from the shadows at the head of a vicious cult worshipping dark powers.

And Lenk finds himself in the middle once more, his fate and the fate of Khoth-Kapira interlinked as the demon attempts to convince him of his earnestness.

—

Hang Wire – Adam Christopher

Discovery blamed on: The Skiffy and Fanty Show

About the Book

Ted Hall is worried. He’s been sleepwalking, and his somnambulant travels appear to coincide with murders by the notorious Hang Wire Killer.

Meanwhile, the circus has come to town, but the Celtic dancers are taking their pagan act a little too seriously, the manager of the Olde Worlde Funfair has started talking to his vintage machines, and the new acrobat’s frequent absences are causing tension among the performers.

Out in the city there are other new arrivals – immortals searching for an ancient power – a primal evil which, if unopposed, could destroy the world!

—

The Silvered – Tanya Huff

Discovery blamed on: Fantasy Cafe

About the Book

The Empire has declared war on the small, were-ruled kingdom of
Aydori, capturing five women of the Mage-Pack, including the wife of the were Pack-leader. With the Pack off defending the border, it falls to Mirian Maylin and Tomas Hagen—she a low-level mage, he younger brother to the Pack-leader—to save them. Together the two set out on the kidnappers’ trail, racing into the heart of enemy territory. With every step the odds against them surviving and succeeding soar

—

The Happier Dead – Ivo Stourton

Discovery blamed on: A Fantastical Reviewer

About the Book

In the very near future the rich are able to extend their lives indefinitely, but the price of eternal youth is one that they can get others to pay. A political thriller, crime novel and stunning SF story.

The Great Spa sits on the edge of London, a structure visible from space. The power of Britain on the world stage rests in its monopoly on “The Treatment”, a medical procedure which can transform the richest and most powerful into a state of permanent physical youth. The Great Spa is the place where the newly young immortals go to revitalise their aged souls. In this most important and secure of facilities, a murder of one of the guests threatens to destabilise the new order, and DCI Oates of the Metrolpolitan police is called in to investigate. In a single day Oates must unravel the secrets behind the Treatment and the long ago disappearance of its creator, passing through a London riven with disorder and corruption, where adverts are transmitted directly into the imagination. As a night of widespread rioting takes hold of the city he moves towards a final climax which could lead to the destruction of the Great Spa, his own ruin, and the loss of everything he holds most dear.

—

A Cast of Stones – Patrick W. Carr

Discovery blamed on: The Tattered Scroll

About the Book

In the backwater village of Callowford, Errol Stone’s search for a drink is interrupted by a church messenger who arrives with urgent missives for the hermit priest in the hills. Desperate for coin, Errol volunteers to deliver them but soon finds himself hunted by deadly assassins. Forced to flee with the priest and a small band of travelers, Errol soon learns he’s joined a quest that could change the fate of his kingdom.

Protected for millennia by the heirs of the first king, the kingdom’s dynasty is near an end and a new king must be selected. As tension and danger mount, Errol must leave behind his drunkenness and grief, learn to fight, and come to know his God in order to survive a journey to discover his destiny.