Where Am I, Again?

Normally, in January (wow, this is my THIRD January blogging here!) I like to do a "Look Ahead" post, and compile a list of upcoming can't-wait releases. But to tell the truth, I got so buried in paranormal series over the last couple of years, I've kind of lost track of some of my old favorites, and I thought it would be a good idea to stop and take a breath, and try to figure out where I am.

So, meander through the contemporary and historical shelves with me, if you will, and let's check out a few neglected faves, and try to correct that in 2010, shall we? We shall. (And by "we," I mean "me." Apparently we're using the royal we tonight. Well. Anyhoo.)

Favorite authors that I’ve fallen behind with:

Madeline Hunter:
Already out – The Sins of Lord Esterbrook
Coming in 2010 (January) – Ravishing in Red

Robyn Carr:
Auggh, I’m 3 books behind and there are another three coming out between now and March. What am I saying? Hurray!! A series I don’t have to wait for!

Kathleen Gilles Seidel
A few years ago, I went all through her backlist, titles from 1991 or so through 2002 and loved them. It looks like she’s transitioned more to women’s fiction or mainstream, but I’m looking forward to digging up “A Most Uncommon Degree of Popularity” and “Shut Up and Wear Beige” (which makes me laugh, because it’s advice that my MIL a} quoted to me when I got engaged and b} mostly sort of kind of followed. She totally wore beige, though.)

Curtiss Ann Matlock
Two… or possibly three? books behind in this sweet, cozy small-town series.

Deborah Smith
Hmm. Nothing new*, but it looks like I missed one along the way, “Charming Grace.” And as I peruse the backlist, there’s a couple I’m thinking about re-reading, ‘cause I liked them so much the first time.

*However, as it turns out, she’s started in with an UF series. Not a lot of buzz on the web about Soul Catcher… J. Kaye liked it (5 stars!) and Katibabs hated it (one of her “bottom 5” books of 2009.) Guess I’ll just have to read it for myself!

Sherryl Woods
I know I’m caught up on the Sweet Magnolias because of the unfortunately-named heroine “Jeannette Brioche”. I mean, it’s not every day you have a heroine named after a breakfast roll. But I did catch the holiday themed “Welcome to Serenity” 2008 offering and enjoyed it in spite of the wince-making name. Which means I’ve got the “Chesapeake Shores” series to look forward to. Two books out, one due in this month, and more on contract for November and 2011. Woods also has a short in the recent holiday anthology “That Holiday Feeling.” I’m kind of over the holiday anthologies for the moment, but I’ll keep it in mind next year. Or maybe I’ll do a Christmas in July. Hmmm.

Eloisa James
Totally behind on the dukes. Where am I? Jeeze, I’m three books back. Need It List:

• When the Duke Returns
• This Duchess of Mine
• A Duke of Her Own

Julia Quinn
I’m caught up on all of the Bridgertons and beyond (although I don’t seem to be fangirl enough to care that much about the extra epilogues…) but I actually *bought* all the earlier ones from her backlist and they’ve been languishing on the shelf. (I need a better system, because if you’d asked me this afternoon, I’d’ve told you that everything on my TBR pile was paranormal.)

Jayne Ann Krentz
I’m hopelessly confused on where I am with the Arcane society books, which I adore, really, but not only are they coming out in hardback and that obnoxious thing between mass market and trade (does that have a name? The tall skinny ones?) but they’re coming out under two different names. I R lost. I even have a signed one, but I’ve been afraid to read it because I’m sure there’s earlier ones that I haven’t gotten to yet, and there’s others out since that one. Argh.

Mary Balogh
How far back do I need to go? I hate when there’s a rash of reprints. Let’s see, my Need It List looks something like (whoa, really??!):

• A Precious Jewel
• A Matter of Class
• Simply Magic (I think?)
• Web of Love
• Devil’s Web
• The Guilded Web (own it, haven’t read it)
• Simply Perfect
• The Ideal Wife
• First Comes Marriage
• Then Comes Seduction
• At Last Comes Love
• Seducing an Angel

And, believe it or not, Nora Roberts. Once “my” authors go hardcover, I get very mixed up over whether I’ve read them or not. Cuz I read the blurb, synopsis, buzz, etc. but I hardly every buy it in hardcover. Then when it comes out in paperback, it’s all vaguely familiar so I kind of think I’ve read it even if I haven’t. And don’t get me wrong, I love the woman, but it’s not that hard to get her books mixed up. I don’t know what I’m going to do about the latest ones, maybe troll the used bookstores.

I don’t believe in buying hardback or trade unless absolutely necessary (Crusie, Gabaldon, and Carey are currently my only hardcover authors, although I’ve made a couple of exceptions when attending signings. JR Ward is borderline, I haven't decided what I'm going to do about Lover Mine just yet).

Wow, that's a lot of books. And seriously, my TBR pile is already teetering. But you know, that's better than the alternative. Who could contemplate a world where we've run out of books to read? That's my idea of horror.

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Apology: If I were a good blogger, I'd build links to all the titles and author pages. But I'm lazy and I'm not gonna do it. Google is your friend, dear reader.