Setting up my beach reading blanket for some Sci-Fi Summer fun

Whether you take a long trip, a weekend visit or just stay put, all summer plans do allow for reading time and readathons work well with that.

The next one on the Seasons of Reading schedule(hosted by Michelle Miller) is Sci-Fi Summer, a two week event that kicks off in June. Sign-ups have already begun and you can follow the link in the earlier sentence to find out more and hopefully join in the fun.

Yes,I am on board and working on my TBR as we speak. Since this is a short readathon,my stack of books is small but substantial, I think. Also, you are allowed to read fantasy as well as science fiction which works for me as I do have more of the former than the latter on hand at the moment:

THREE DARK CROWNS: This first book in Kendare Blake's YA fantasy series takes us to Fernbirn, a land meant to be ruled by one of three sisters in a ritual battle to the death.

While Mirabella is in full power with her storm bringing abilities and Katherine is able to withstand poison, Asninoe's talents as a naturalist don't make her the odds-on favorite to survive, let alone win. However, things are not always what they seem.

I do like this concept, harsh as it may sound, and have heard good word of mouth about this author, so this feels like a good place to get to know her work. Also, when a certain HBO series is over and done(I will not be talking about that at this blog until after the finale!), a fresh new race for a throne will be necessary:

ONE DARK THRONE:  Yes, I did pick up the second book already(hey, it was my birthday and I was in a book store, it couldn't be helped!) and if this turns out well, the third one will be on my purchase list as well.

As this entry begins, the game has definitely changed and not just for the three royal sisters. With the favored Mirabella no longer being the expected winner, alliances have shifted among supporters of each sister, both friend and enemy alike. No matter how many maneuvers are made, the fate of all involved still lies in the hands of the true players of this deadly game.

One of the elements that interest me about this series is the female focused drama, something we don't often see done well,especially in this genre. It may too soon for me to tell but I have the strong sense that this story will give me plenty to talk and think about indeed:

A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES: Truth be told, I've been reading this book on and off for years(and yes, the other two titles in the All Souls Trilogy are on one of my TBR piles) and only getting so far with it.

The writing is lovely and the concepts are great fun, as reluctant witch Diana Bishop comes across the legendary Book of Life, a volume that's been missing for centuries, and while she wants nothing to do with it, no one is letting her off the hook that easy.

From broody yet charming vampire Matthew Claremont to sinister head of the witches' branch of the Congregation(basically, a supernatural United Nations) Peter Knox, she finds herself beset on all sides, discovering powers that she never knew she had access to.

As Diana learns more about her abilities and her family's past, Matthew appears to be the only one she can really trust in more ways than one. I don't know why my reading has been stalled with this series but it does help that AMC is now airing the British made for TV adaptation lately. My interest has certainly been jump started and this readathon is a great time to give this book another go there:

I might add another book or two before June 1 and perhaps even an actual science fiction title to boot. This really is the right time of year to engage in these genres, as our summer movies show us. I know that I'm not the only comic book fan looking forward to the rise of the Dark Phoenix at the multiplex this June and the wait has been a long time coming yet this time, our pop culture patience will be well rewarded: