John's book blog that needs a better title...

2010 So Far

2010-11-25T08:27:00.000-08:00

I just looked at the New York Times list of 100 Notable Books of 2010. Turns out I haven't read a single one of them. That's not very surprising. It's also not very surprising that there's little to no genre fiction on the NYT list. I like my list of things I've read in 2010 much better. These are only books that I've completed. There's plenty of other things I started and didn't finish, but I didn't include them on the list.

Januaray

1. Jane Bites Back – Michael Thomas Ford

2. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen

3. Someday This Pain Will be Useful to You – Peter Cameron

4. Rosemary and Rue – Seanan McGuire

February

5. Animal Farm – George Orwell

6. A Local Habitation – Seanan McGuire

7. My Soul To Take – Rachel Vincent

8. My Soul To Save – Rachel Vincent

9. The Dead Travel Fast – Deanna Raybourn

March

10. Black Magic Sanction – Kim Harrison

11. Brains – Robin Becker

12. Happy Hour of the Damned – Mark Henry

13. City of Souls – Vicki Pettersson

April

14. Spellwright – Blake Charlton

15. Silver Borne – Patricia Briggs

16. The Reckoning – Kelley Armstrong

17. Changeless – Gail Carriger

18. Red-Headed Stepchild – Jaye Wells

19. Tempest Rising – Nicole Peeler

20. The Mage in Black – Jaye Wells

21. Mind Games – Carolyn Crane

May

22. The Dead Girls’ Dance – Rachel Caine

23. Posted to Death – Dean James

24. Guilty Pleasures – Laurell K Hamilton

25. The Laughing Corpse – Laurell K Hamilton

26. Unholy Ghosts – Stacia Kane

27. Waking the Witch – Kelley Armstrong

June

28. Early to Death, Early to Rise – Kim Harrison

29. Still Life – Louise Penny

30. A Fatal Grace – Louise Penny

31. Raised by Wolves – Jennifer Lynn Barnes

32. The Prince of Mist – Carlos Ruiz Zafon

33. The Rembrandt Affair – Daniel Silva

34. Unholy Magic – Stacia Kane

July

35.Tracking the Tempest – Nicole Peeler

36. Tomato Red – Daniel Woodrell

37. The Fallen – Thomas Sniegoski

38. Leviathan – Thomas Sniegoski

39. Think of a Number – John Verdon

40. Bellfield Hall – Anna Dean

41. A Kiss Before the Apocalypse – Thomas Sniegoski

42. A Devil in the Details – K. A. Stewart

43. City of Ghosts – Stacia Kane

44. Balthazar Jones and The Tower of London Zoo – Julia Stuart

August

45. Juliet – Anne Fortier

46. Flowers in the Attic – VC Andrews

47. Greywalker – Kat Richardson

48. Poltergeist – Kat Richardson

49. The Cruelest Month – Louise Penny

50. A Rule Against Murder – Louise Penny

51. Shades of Milk and Honey – Mary Robinette Kowal

52. Mary Ann in Autumn – Armistead Maupin

53. The G-String Murders – Gypsy Rose Lee

54. Blameless – Gail Carriger

September

55. Dangerous to Know – Tasha Alexander

56. The Hangman – Louise Penny

57. The Brutal Telling – Louise Penny

58. Bury Your Dead – Louise Penny

59. Flying Too High – Kerry Greenwood

60. A Memoir – Patti LuPone

61. Double Cross – Carolyn Crane

October

62. The Rhetoric Of Death – Judith Rock

63. Ghost Shadow – Heather Graham

64. Ghost Night – Heather Graham

65. Ghost Moon – Heather Graham

66. Virals – Kathy Reichs

November

67.Deadly Night – Heather Graham

68. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation – Lauren Willig

69. The Second Duchess – Elizabeth Loupas

70. Graveminder – Melissa Marr

71. Pale Demon – Kim Harrison

It gets better, but it never really goes away...

2010-10-11T23:14:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty quiet for the last month about a lot of things I felt like I needed to talk about. I just couldn't do it. I felt like I've spent a lot of the past month surrounded by death. It's been all consuming, and it's finally getting to the point where I don't feel completely overwhelmed by it. I haven't read a single article about the recent rash of gay teen suicides. I haven't watched a single "It Gets Better" video. I haven't said anything about it, except to say, "I can't deal with this."

Most of you that have known me for a long time know that I was bullied in high school. A lot of you were there to see it, to help stop it, to comfort me, and to make sure I'm still here today. It was never physical. I was very lucky it wasn't. It almost got physical one night though. That night was the worst it ever was, and that's what I'm going to tell you about. I just want you to know what it was like.

It was the end of senior year. I don't remember how this initially started. It happened during the day. It happened all the time, so this particular instance doesn't stand out for me. I was in the hallway, and was getting called a faggot. That evening we were supposed to have Awards Night. It was a time for all the seniors to get recognized for graduating with honors, getting scholarships, and things like that. After the incident in the hall I decided not to go. Then a teacher told me that I deserved to go because I had earned my awards. She was right, and I changed my mind. However, I didn't even tell my parents about the ceremony. I was afraid something would happen and they would find out I was gay. I was terrified.

The ceremony had barely started when the guys sitting next to me started harassing me. I spent the evening being told that I was never going to be anything but a faggot, and that I was nothing but a worthless queer. And I sat there, trying not to cry. I was sweating through my shirt, trying my best not to just get up and run. I felt like if I cried, if I fled, then I was letting them win. I'd be showing them that everything they were saying about me was right. I wasn't going to let that happen. After the ceremony, my friend Sheree' came up to tell me she had heard several people talk about wanting to jump me in the parking lot. She walked me to my car to make sure I was okay. I can't even begin to imagine what could have happened to me if she hadn't done that. I went home angry, scared, and alone. The next day, my friends rallied and took care of me. I didn't find out until way later that one of the guys almost didn't graduate because of that night.

That was just one of many, many incidents I dealt with.

This summer, I was in Target with Matt and I saw one of those guys. My heart started pounding. My hands started shaking. I'm not going to lie. I was scared, and I hated myself for it. Those fears never go away. I'm almost 32. I have a loving husband, and a wonderful life, but the second I saw him walking toward me all of that disappeared. Suddenly I was 16 years old again, and afraid. I spent the next week feeling bad about myself for letting it get to me the way it did.

Suicide was never an option for me. One friend of mine killed himself for different reasons, and I saw what it did to everyone around him. The anniversary of his death was just a few weeks ago. I thought that if I killed myself, the assholes won. If I showed them that I was weak, I was letting myself down. I thought I had to be strong because if I wasn't, they'd see my weakness and things would be even worse.

Does it get better? It does, but it never goes away. There are times when I'm still that terrified 16 year old, trying to put on a brave face because I don't feel like anyone will understand. I don't want to tell the kids that were in my position that it gets better. I want to tell them not to let the assholes win. Don't let some insecure fuck take away your life. I let those stupid bastards destroy my self worth. It eventually got better, but instead of worrying about what college I was going to go to, I worried about whether I'd get my ass kicked going from my locker to english class. Starting community college was extremely hard for me. I was afraid it would be high school all over again. I let fear get in the way of so many things.

I made it through because I had people who care about me. I know not all gay teens are that lucky. I had friends and teachers that were on my side, and let me know they were there. Even when I couldn't go to my family for help, I had people there for me. Telling gays that it gets better is great. They need to know that. But it takes time. It takes strength, and a support system for it to get better. My message isn't, "it gets better." Mine is, "Fight for yourself. Don't let the assholes win. The world is full of people who will try to tell you that you're less than. Don't believe them."

National Coming Out Day just ended. It would be really easy for me to regret coming out to one person. If I hadn't, none of that shit would have happened to me. I don't regret it though. I look at who I am today, and know that I owe so much of it to that terrified little 16 year old boy who didn't give up, and to the people that didn't let him.

To say that I'm blessed is an understatement. There was a time when I believed everything those insecure boys told me on Awards Night. They were wrong.

Walking to my car that evening, I ran into the teacher that convinced me to go to Awards Night. I vaguely mentioned what happened, and she said I was a better person for sitting through that hell than the guys who put me through it. I told her that didn't make me feel any better. Today it does. I see everything I have and know that I won. I didn't let them break me.

What I Learned From David Thompson

2010-09-24T08:27:00.001-07:00

This isn’t all I wanted to say, but it’s the most I can get out of my brain. It comes closest to what I wanted to convey, so it will have to work.

The first time I ever went to an event with all of Matt's coworkers and their spouses I felt intimidated. Everyone there was a teacher, lawyer, doctor, or something like that. I felt like I was the only person there who didn’t have a “real” job. I just worked in a bookstore. How could that compare?

If I’ve learned one lesson in the past two weeks, it’s this: It does compare. I’ve seen what just one bookseller can do. How just one bookseller can impact so many lives, and it’s been a beautiful thing to see. I’ve seen how one person’s passion for books and the written word can touch the lives of so many people.

I feel like I didn’t get a chance to know David Thompson very well. I only got to work with him for a few months, but at the same time I feel like I got to learn everything I needed to know about him. I’ve never met anyone more passionate about their work. David loved books, and he loved making sure they found their way into hands of readers that would love them. He loved authors, and making sure their stories were heard.

I’ve also seen once again how powerful words can be. I’ve read so many beautiful posts from authors about how David helped their careers, believed in their work, and was just their friend. I’ve seen how a book can comfort someone. I’ve had people open their hearts and offer beautiful words of comfort. I’ve seen how taking the time to find that perfect book for someone can mean so much to them.

One of my favorite quotes about books is from Nick Hornby. He writes a column for The Believer Magazine about the books that he buys and reads, or sometimes doesn’t read, each month.

"All the books we own, both read and unread, are the fullest expression of self we have at our disposal. With each passing year, and with each whimsical purchase, our libraries have become more and more able to articulate who we are, whether we read the books or not."

I’ll never say I’m “just” a bookseller again. I have David Thompson to thank for that. I just wish I had realized that two weeks ago so I could thank him while he was still with us.

2010-09-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted anything new. Everyone please go check out Synde's blog Tombstone Tales. She's a fellow bookseller, and we're teaming up for a series of posts to talk about everything bookselling.

Why Teddy Bears Won't Save Borders...

2010-08-30T10:01:00.000-07:00

First off, I want to say that I don't want this entry to come across like a bitter ex-employee. I worked for Borders for 7 years. I want Borders to succeed. I had a good run with the company. I made lifelong friends, was able to buy my first home, and more importantly I was able to spend 7 years of my life doing something I was passionate about. I was able to sell books. I could have found better opportunities that paid better, but I loved what I was doing.

I left the company on good terms. I wasn't laid off like so many people I worked with over the years. A better opportunity was presented to me, so I left Borders for an opportunity to better do what I loved about working for the company. I went to work for an independent bookstore, where a passion for books is rewarded, and still seen as a valuable skill.

Publishers Weekly just posted a blog asking Can Teddy Bears Save Borders? Yeah, teddy bears. Borders is teaming up with Build-A-Bear to sell bears because more books are being purchased online, and this is their way of redefining the bookstore. Borders tried the same thing a year ago when they decided to revamp their children's departments to carry a wide-variety of children's toys and games. It didn't work. The toys didn't sell, and most of them were clearanced out after Christmas. The revamp didn't generate more sales, and it didn't bring in new customers looking for toys. It alienated the regular customers who wanted to know where all the books went.

If Borders wants to redefine the bookstore, they can't do it by focusing on finding something other than books to sell. They need to put the focus back on books. The company pretended they were doing that last year when, under Ron Marshall's leadership, they rolled out the "Make Books" program. Each week, the corporate office would pick one or two titles that all staff members were required to hand sell. Each store was given a specific goal for each title, and if those goals weren't met the staff would be written up, threatened, and called bottom feeders and losers on conference calls.

The company executives didn't understand how bookstores work. You can't take one book and force it on everyone. Ask any school student who has been forced to read something for a class assignment. While the company was boasting about putting books like Kelly Corrigan's The Middle Place and Jamie Ford's The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet on the New York Times Bestseller List, they were continuing to alienate customers with senseless recommendations, and alienating employees with threats. No one wanted to listen to staff members saying that the "would you like fries with that" approach wouldn't sell books.

The contradiction was laughable. Borders wanted its stores to have the feel of an independent bookstore, where employees were always ready with a recommendation on what to read. While they were using the Make Books program to create this illusion they were telling hiring managers that book knowledge wasn't an important attribute to look for in potential new hires. Instead, they should focus on people who could sell anything. Given the choice between a candidate that had great book knowledge but needed help with selling skills, and a candidate that never read but could sell anything, the latter option was the person to hire.

Ron Marshall eventually left Borders and Mike Edwards took over. The Make Book program went away and the people stopped being called losers on conference calls. I'm not mentioning all of this to vilify Borders. The company was in bad shape, and was doing anything it could to stay afloat. Well, doing anything but what it needed to be doing.

Borders needs to rediscover the importance of books. If you want customers to value books, you have to value them yourself. If Borders continues to push books aside for games, Paperchase trinkets (they have since sold Paperchase, so I don't know how that factors into stores anymore), and now teddy bears, they're showing their customers that they aren't committed to selling books.

They need to hire people that can sell books. Most of the people that I know that left the company were avid readers and were passionate about books. Like me, they got fed up with how working for Borders became about selling widgets. We sat by as executive after executive viewed each book as some generic thing to sell. Borders needs to take a look at the people in the organization, from the cashiers behind the registers to the CEOs calling the shots. Are they hiring readers that can sell books, or hiring yet another exec from a grocery store that think he can sell books the same was Kroger sells candy bars?

I want Borders to survive. Everyone loses if we lose the chain bookstores. Borders needs to find a way out of this identity crisis. Teddy bears aren't going to help them do that. A store stuffed with lots of books, and staff members that are excited about those books will.

(and here's another article about the partnership with Build-A-Bear)

Mary Ann in Autumn

2010-08-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

I had completely forgotten that Armistead Maupin was doing another Tales of the City book, so I was thrilled when we got an advanced reader copy at work. I was curious to see how another book would fit into the series. When Michael Tolliver Lives came out, Maupin was very adamant that it wasn't another book in the series. It was written in first person and told from Michael's perspective. I didn't love it. It wasn't fun, and it was really hard to see the characters interacting in the modern world. That book worked more as an epilogue to the series, and thinking of it that way made me appreciate it more.

In the new book, Mary Ann in Autumn, a pair of calamities has sent Mary Ann back to San Francisco. Like Michael Tolliver Lives, the book is set in modern day San Francisco. It was jarring to see the former denizens of Barbary Lane talking about their iPhones, tweeting, and Facebook. I know that one of the things that Maupin is known for is how he incorporates pop culture into his writing. I felt like the Tales books did a great job of making you feel like you were experiencing San Francisco in the 70s. It felt really forced in this book. I felt like I was being beat over the head with the fact that it was 2010. Facebook plays a significant part in the plot of the book, but was it really necessary for the reader to know that Mary Ann doesn't like Mafia Wars or Farmville?

One thing that Maupin does is use the mention of technology to show how the characters are uncomfortable with technology and feel out of place in today's world. I think he goes a little too far with it. The references become too distracting. As the book progresses, he manages to find the right balance but the start of the book might turn faithful Tales readers off before they get into the heart of the book. While he spends so much time talking about social media, he makes sure the reader know that he hates it.

Politics, as always, are addressed as well. Maupin addresses Prop 8, and takes a few swipes at the Obama administration. It would be impossible to write about San Francisco and not address Prop 8. I appreciated how he used the character of Jake Greenleaf (Michael's transgendered gardening assistant) to address it, and to make it personal. Jake is a welcome addition to the family. If Maupin decides to keep writing more Tales books I'm looking forward to seeing how he and Shanwa (Mary Ann and Brian's adopted daughter) grow.

Just about everyone that I talked to hates Mary Ann. Her character development in the later books of the series don't leave much room for anyone to feel empathy for her. Don't look for this book to redeem her. It would have been easy for Maupin to write a book where Mary Ann comes home and is welcomed with open arms, but he didn't. She falls back into to easy relationships with some of the characters, but not all.

I can't say what I loved most about the book without revealing a major spoiler. I'll just say that Maupin goes back to a storyline from the first book and does it REALLY well. Once the clues start clicking into place the book gets really really good.

I enjoyed Mary Ann in Autumn much more than Michael Tolliver Lives. I feel like there was more humor in this one. It was a more light hearted, and had hints of the books that I loved so much. I loved catching up with all of the characters that I adore, and if you look at these newer books as a way to grab a quick cup of coffee with old friends they're easier to enjoy.

The Monster Ball: Houston (First Show)

2010-07-26T09:46:00.000-07:00

Before I start my review, I want to dedicate it to my friend Meesh. She loved Lady Gaga, and passed away at the end of last year. Every time I hear the song Telephone, it makes me think of her. It definitely did last night.

Semi Precious Weapons was the opening act, and all I'm going to say about them is that I felt like I was watching someone who had auditioned for the role of Hedwig 76 times, never got the part, and decided to start his own band where he could play a watered down version of Hedwig on stage every night.

Gaga's Setlist

Dance in the Dark

Glitter and Grease

Just Dance

Beautiful, Dirty Rich

Vanity

The Fame

LoveGame

Boys Boys Boys

Money Honey

Telephone

Speechless

You and I

So Happy I Could Die

Monster

Teeth

Alejandro

Poker Face

Paparazzi

Bad Romance

We had general admission tickets so were down on the floor damn close to the stage. You can't deny that Lady Gaga puts on a good show. Vocally she sounded great. I think she does a fantastic job of using backing tracks to enhance her performance, and not use them instead of singing. She loves being on stage, and she loves performing for her fans. She also really loves herself. There were WAY too many moments where she would just stand completely still on the stage and let the crowd go crazy for her. At one point after Monster she said she a lot like Tinkerbell, and needed everyone to cheer for her so she could continue.

I didn't quite get the narrative of the show. Gaga and her friends are on their way to The Monster Ball, and their car breaks down. They spend the rest of the evening trying to get to The Monster Ball. Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure I walked past a bus advertising The Monster Ball, my ticket says The Monster Ball, all the banners in the venue said The Monster Ball. I thought we were AT The Monster Ball. So apparently The Monster Ball is just the destination, and the show is all about the journey.

Essentially, we watched Lady Gaga perform her own version of The Wizard of Oz. We traveled down The Glitter Way, got picked up by a tornado, and walked through a spooky forest. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get some kind of cover from The Wizard of Oz. I mean, if you're going to use the iconic twister imagery, belt us out a cover of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

The show was everything you would expect. It was over the top, there were lots of costume changes, and plenty of Gaga insanity. Each costume change was more bizarre than the last. She had one dress that had all these crazy moving parts. Each costume started out pretty elaborately, and then over the course of the number different parts would be removed until we she left on stage wearing a bikini. I'd also like to take a second to point out one major failure. Hello, we're in Houston! If ever there were a time to bust out a special unannounced guest, it's in Beyonce's home town! If she had shown up for Telephone, the roof would have been blasted off the Toyota Center!

Speechless was dedicated to all the drunk assholes in her life. She said the biggest drunk asshole in her life was her father, but told the children in the audience that they shouldn't call their fathers asshole, and shouldn't make their parents' lives harder. Speechless isn't my favorite song, and it was a show killer. Not only did it bring the energy of the show to a grinding halt, but she'd sing a verse and then stop to tell a story about her parents, sing another verse, tell a story, sing another verse and then stop to announce she just broke a nail.

My favorite, "what the fuck?" moment of the show came when she performed Paparazzi. It turns out that there really is a Fame Monster. A big giant tentacle monster graced the stage and tried to eat Lady Gaga. Gaga exclaimed, "Oh no, it's taking off my clothes" and with one sweep of a tentacle, her dress was gone. She then proceeded to wriggle around on the ground with one of the tentacles. Of course she survived the battle with the Fame Monster by having the audience kill it by taking pictures of it.

The highlight of the show was Bad Romance. It was the final number of the evening. Gaga and her friends had finally made it to The Monster Ball, and went out with a bang. The entire Toyota Center had their paws up and they were dancing and singing along. The moments in the show where Gaga was able to get over her persona and perform were great. Bad Romance was definitely one of those moments.

One thing became clear to my during the show, I love Lady Gaga's music. I can't stand her as a person. What she says and the image she projects are completely contradictory, and that was more than obvious last night.

She told us over and over again how The Monster Ball would set us free, and we should be who we are and not worry what other people think. Moments later she would be just another half naked pop star with electrical tape over her tits, gyrating on the floor. Gaga as savior to all the weird, awkward, gay, lonely, homely, etc. children of the world just doesn't work for me. Maybe it's because there are so many other artists who have done it better. There are other ways of expressing the "be who you are" message than just screaming (and I do mean SCREAMING) it at your fans. Sadly, Lady Gaga doesn't have the subtlety to do it any other way. I felt like I was being beaten over the head with it, and while everyone around me seemed to be eating it up like candy, it just made me roll my eyes.

I have a hard time with artists who come out on stage and tell us that it doesn't matter how much money you have, and that it's not about the money. Bullshit. Those tickets weren't cheap, so it's a little about the money.

She took every chance she had to tell the world how much she loved her gay fans. It comes across as desperate and really contrived. The desperation that comes with Gaga and her need to be loved and have fame is such a turn off. I felt like she was trying to convince the gays that she loved them so they would love her back. It doesn't have to be so much work. Desperation is never cute on anyone.

She's done wonderful things for the LGBT community. Every night, Virgin Mobile donates money to a charity to help homeless gay teens. It's great to see a pop star champion the cause, and be so supportive of LGBT rights and equality. I would have loved to see her take it a step further and invite local charities or political groups to set up at her shows so people could get more involved. Standing up in front of an arena of people and yelling, "Put your hands in the air for LGBT equality" is great, but you're preaching to the choir, and hand waving doesn't really affect much change.

I don't want people to think that I thought the show was bad. She was a great performer. I felt like I got my money's worth. I had a really great time. I just felt like I was watching two different shows. One was a Lady Gaga pop concert, and the other was a revival at the "Lady Gaga Church of the Island of Misfit Toys." Had there been more of the former, and less of the later, I would have loved the show instead of just liking it.

(all the pictures were taken by my wonderful husband, Matt)

Unholy Magic and City of Ghosts by Stacia Kane

2010-07-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

If you missed it, check out my review for Unholy Ghosts.

Unholy Magic

When I started the book I was immediately pulled back into the world of the books. Seriously, by the end of the first chapter I was already back in The Downside with Chess. The way that Kane slowly doles out information about Chess and Terrible is brilliant. She gives you glimpses of the characters and their pasts, but it only makes them seem more of a mystery. You want to know more, but you're happy you got even the little bit that was shown to you.

In Unholy Magic, everything starts to fall apart around Chess. It was only a matter of time before Chess would have to deal with not only both Lex and Terrible, but also working for their bosses and The Church. There are so many things in her life that are at odds with each other, and it seems like they are start to clash with each other in this book.

Kane's writing is so vivid. While Chess is investigating a famous actor's debunking case, she has to spend the night. The withdrawal scene that Kane has created makes you feel like you're there with Chess and feeling her pain. The books are well plotted, and while the material is dark, it never feels so dark that it overwhelms you. It would be easy for the material to become to angst ridden and brooding, but it never does.

City of Ghosts

The opening chapter of City of Ghosts sets the pace for the entire book. There is so much that goes on in this book that I felt like I had run a marathon by the time I finished. After an execution goes wrong, The Church asks Chess to take on a new assignment, but before they'll tell her what it is she must be magically bound to secrecy. The money is too good to pass up, so she accepts the challenge.

As part of her new assignment, Chess must work with a partner. Of course this presents a challenge as she has to try really hard to keep her Church and Downside lives separate. It doesn't help that her partner is the Grand Elder's daughter, and a complete bitch. It's interesting to see her have to work with a partner, and to see how she not only has to deal with someone from The Church, but another woman as well. While Chess is dealing with working with a partner, she's also dealing with being more alone that she's been in a while. It's hard to say much without giving things away. I'll just say that she doesn't get nearly as much help from Lex and Terrible as she has before.

Kane has done an excellent job of building on the previous two books. Plot elements from the first two books come together and explode in City of Ghosts. When I was reading it, I kept thinking of Scream 3, and how Randy came back from the dead (through video) to tell us what the rules were for a successful trilogy. The Downside Books really have nothing to do with Scream 3, but if there are rules for a successful trilogy Kane has followed them all.

Had this been the final Downside book, Kane gives it a satisfying ending. I really felt like she was able to wrap everything up in a way that really fit the story, but also leaves enough open that you're ready for the next book. Thankfully it's not the end of The Downside.

I can't say enough about how wonderful this whole series. The plotting over the three book arc is top-notch. Once I finished City of Ghosts I felt like the three books together told a bigger story. That doesn't happen often with books in a series.

A Devil in the Details by K. A. Stewart

2010-07-19T22:02:00.000-07:00

I found out about A Devil in the Details by K. A. Stewart from a coworker. We were doing our daily surf of urban fantasy blogs and she came across it. We both agreed that the book sounded like it had potential. A few days later, Stacia Kane was tweeting about how much she had enjoyed the book, and I decided I would check it out.

Jesse James Dawson is a Champion. When people make deals with demons, Jesse steps in to save their souls by putting his own up as collateral in a fight to the death. When other Champions go missing it's up to Jesse to find out what has happened to them while trying avoid the same fate.

Stewart does a lot to separate her book from others in the genre. The protagonist is male, and he has a family. It's rare to see the main character not only have a home life, but have a stable one as well. Jesse really loves his family, and tries to do everything he can to keep them out of his demon hunting life.

I really appreciated how light the book was. It was filled with a natural humor. It never felt forced. I love the fact that Jesse works in a store similar to Hot Topic to pay his bills between Champion gigs. Jesse isn't tortured and angsty either. Yes, he wishes he could save the entire world but he doesn't spend the whole book brooding over it.

All of the world building is subtle. The world in the book isn't very different from ours at all, so Stewart is able to easily set it all up. Stewart successfully set up a series that has lots of potential for growth as we learn more about the secondary characters of Jesse's family and the other Champions. It will be interesting to see how she plays with the world in future books.

I only had a few minor issues with the book. About halfway through it, I didn't feel like a lot had happened. I was starting to wonder where the story was going, but it quickly started to pick back up. The resolution was wrapped up a little too quickly, but it answered enough questions and still left enough open for the second book.

Stewart really succeeds in creating something that's different from other urban fantasy books. That's no easy task. Not once did her concept feel derivative. The book doesn't take itself too seriously, and will keep you thoroughly entertained while it tells a great story.

Thomas Sniegoski

2010-07-16T06:19:00.000-07:00

I'm seriously behind on my book reviews, so I promise to try and catch up this weekend. I'm going to know three of them out right now. I've read three books by Thomas Sniegoski this month, and I'm finding myself loving each new one ever more than the one I just finished.

As I started reading the books, I was afraid they would remind me too much of The Prophecy movies that Christopher Walken starred in (which I absolutely loved). That wasn't a problem at all. I completely forgot about the films and got lost in Sniegoski's world.

The Fallen

First up I read The Fallen. The Fallen is the first in his young adult series, and the first two books have been reprinted and compiled in a book called The Fallen 1. The second half, The Fallen 2, comes out at the end of July. The first book tells the story of Aaron, a foster kid who being to think he's going crazy as he turns 18. He's hearing strange voices, and suddenly understand and speak languages he doesn't know, and it being followed by a strange man. As it turns out, Aaron is a Nephilim. Aaron doesn't have much time to adjust to his half angel parentage because he finds himself in the middle of a war that has been raging in Heaven for centuries.

Sniegoski does a great job of telling his story with an authentic teen voice. And while the story deals with Heaven and angels, it doesn't ever come across as too religious or preachy. Aaron could easily have come across as a whiny teen, and he doesn't. He's dealing with these big, crazy, life altering issues and he handles it all well. The story moves along quickly, and Sniegoski is able to not only give you a wonderful sense of the characters, but also build his world at the same time. It really helps that the reader is discover the world of angels along with Aaron. His companion Gabriel, his dog that he can speak with, adds humor to keep the story not too serious. I really felt Aaron's sorrow at the end of book 1, and couldn't wait to start book 2.

Leviathan

The second book (also included in The Fallen 1) is called Leviatian. It picks up right after the first book ends. I don't want to say too much about the plot because I don't want to spoil the first book. Leviatian is bizarre. Aaron and Gabriel find themselves in a strange town where every person the encounter seems off. They can't quite figure out what it is, but something clearly isn't right. The more Aaron investigates, the more strange things seem.

The book could have easily been confusing. It takes a bit of a break from the story set up in the first book, but does a lot to further the story and give you more insight into the characters. It was definitely a chance for Sniegoski to build more onto the world he started creating. I'm not even sure how to describe the second book. Bizarre is a really good word for it. The tension that builds as you read it is great. I was really tired as I was getting near the end of the book, but couldn't allow myself to go to sleep until I had finished the last 40 pages. Finding out how everything ended just couldn't wait until the morning!

A Kiss Before the Apocalypse

A Kiss Before the Apocalypse is the first book in Sniegoski's Remy Chandler (Remy being the human version of his Angelic name, Chandler after the writer Raymond Chandler) series. Remy is a private eye who just happens to be an angel that his left Heaven. He lives his life as a human, and ignores the angel half of his being. These books take place in the same world as The Fallen but don't overlap. Sniegoski is just as adept at building his world in this book as he is in the young adult books. If I hadn't read the other books, I would have still been able to get an accurate picture of this world in my head.

As Remy is working on a case, he notices that people aren't dying the way they're supposed to. Their souls are trapped in their bodies. Pretty quickly, he learns that this is a global problem. Remy gets hired by a group of angels to find The Angel of Death. He's disappeared, and without him to claim souls, nothing on the planet can die. It doesn't take long for Remy to get in over his head, and he has to call on help of other angels, and immerse himself in a world that he's been trying to escape.

I really enjoy Remy's struggle with the human and angelic pieces of himself. It never comes across as too angsty. There book is full of plenty of action, battles, and twists to keep you turning pages as fast as you can. Like the young adult books, the religion never becomes overwhelming. Remy is fighting in the same battle that Aaron is, but in a completely different way.

The epilogue to the book is one of the most touching, and beautiful things I've read in a while. I was going to give the book a 4 star rating on goodreads, but the epilogue pushed it way into 5 star territory. The Remy Chandler series is great for fans of Jim Butcher. I'm definitely looking forward to more books in both series.

Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

2010-06-19T20:59:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to like this book. I'd seen several authors that I really enjoy mention it was their favorite young adult book in a while. Sadly, I didn't enjoy it. I almost gave up reading it about 75 pages from the end.

Here's the thing, it's not bad. It would be easier for me to say that the book was really awful and I hated it. That's not the case. Overall I just found it really mediocre. The problems started pretty early. There's not much world building going on, and the stuff that is there was way too similar to the work that Patricia Briggs did in the Mercy Thompson books. If anything, for a good portion of the book I felt like I was reading a young adult Mercy book. The main character is an outsider being raised by werewolves, she's having a hard time dealing with pack bonds in her head, and she doesn't play by the pack dominance rules. My problem was that I wasn't very original. I couldn't get the Briggs similarities out of my mind.

It wasn't until the final conflict and resolution of the book that I really connected with the character and story. It was those last 75 pages that I almost didn't finish that made me think the book was okay. Barnes does some interesting things with the idea of chosen family verses biological family (in this case, the pack would take the place of the biological family). It just happens too late in the book to really elevate this beyond just another teen werewolf book.

Books of 2010

2010-06-19T06:46:00.000-07:00

Here's the list of 2010 books so far. Later tonight I'll add links to reviews, and try to catch up on any reviews I may have missed.

January

Jane Bites Back – Michael Thomas Ford

Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen

Someday This Pain Will be Useful to You – Peter Cameron

Rosemary and Rue – Seanan McGuire

February

Animal Farm – George Orwell

A Local Habitation – Seanan McGuire

My Soul To Take – Rachel Vincent

My Soul To Save – Rachel Vincent

The Dead Travel Fast – Deanna Raybourn

March

Black Magic Sanction – Kim Harrison

Brains – Robin Becker

Happy Hour of the Damned – Mark Henry

City of Souls – Vicki Pettersson

April

Spellwright – Blake Charlton

Silver Borne – Patricia Briggs

The Reckoning – Kelley Armstrong

Changeless – Gail Carriger

Red-Headed Stepchild – Jaye Wells

Tempest Rising – Nicole Peeler

The Mage in Black – Jaye Wells

Mind Games – Carolyn Crane

May

The Dead Girls’ Dance – Rachel Caine

Posted to Death – Dean James

Guilty Pleasures – Laurell K Hamilton

The Laughing Corpse – Laurell K Hamilton

Unholy Ghosts – Stacia Kane

Waking the Witch – Kelley Armstrong

June

Early to Death, Early to Rise – Kim Harrison

Still Life – Louise Penny

A Fatal Grace – Louise Penny

Unholy Ghosts - Stacia Kane

2010-05-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

I've read some amazing Urban Fantasy this year. The genre continues to expand, and the variety that we're starting to see really excites me. Not only are we starting to see people branch out from vampires and werewolves, we're starting to see even more interesting vampires and werewolves. Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane is one of those books that makes me really excited about the future of the genre.

Chess is a debunker for the church. She goes into people's homes and either confirms real hauntings, or finds out if the clients are trying to fleece the church for money. When she owes a lot of money to a drug dealer, she finds herself stuck between two of The Downside's biggest drug dealers. One top of all of that, there's a strange ghost tormenting members of the church. Chess suddenly has more trouble than she knows what to do with, and has to find a solution that will work for everyone.

Chess is an intriguing character. She's an unrepentant drug user. She makes some bad decisions as a result, and even acknowledges that she probably shouldn't be using before work, but doesn't let that detract from getting her next fix. The drug use is handled neutrally. Kane doesn't glamorize it, and she doesn't demonize it. It speaks for itself, and it's clear that Chess would be better off without the drugs, but that doesn't stop her. I thought Kane did a great job with the subject matter. At some point Chess is going to have to deal with addiction, and I look forward to seeing how she does that in future books.

There's more to Chess than her drug use. She's completely devoted to the church. She's had a rough childhood, and while some of the that is hinted at, a lot of her past issues still remain a mystery. It's curious that she lives in The Downside (the rough, poorer part of town). He education sets her apart from her neighbors, as evidence in simple things like her speech. If it weren't for the church, she probably wouldn't be that different from the people she surrounds herself with.

Unholy Ghosts has some of the strongest world building I've ever seen in an urban fantasy world. Kane uses blurbs at the start of each chapter to give the reader insight into the church that governs the world. The settings in the book are just as important and interesting as the characters. Kane paints a very vivid picture of The Downside, the seedy area with its own rules, and even its own dialect. The Downside is definitely not a place I would want to wander into at night. In contrast, there's the residential part of town that feels more like our world.

Unholy Ghosts is a dark blend of urban fantasy and horror. Kane has created a unique world, and characters that stick with you, even when you don't initially think they will. Stacia has put up the first five chapters of the book online as a preview. Go check it out, and then go buy the book.

Mind Games by Carolyn Crane

2010-05-03T13:44:00.000-07:00

I had been eyeing Mind Games by Carolyn Crane for a few weeks, and then I saw Vicki Pettersson tweet that she loved the book. I picked up a copy and bumped it up on the to be read list. (Vicki has great book recommends. I picked up Night's Cold Kiss by Tracey O'Hara after hearing her talk about it, and it was awesome too.)

The premise of the book is interesting. Justine is a hypochondriac. All she wants is to live a life without constant fear. Not only is she afraid that a blood vessel is going to burst in her brain at any second, she's also worried about the 8 year long crime wave that has been terrorizing her city. Highcaps (people with supernatural abilities like telekinesis) have been using their powers rob, kill, and frighten the citizens of Midcity. When she meets Packard, she's given a chance to cure herself of her hypochondria. Packard gives her a way to channel all of her fear into criminals, essentially becoming a sort of superhero.

Justine is different from other urban fantasy heroines. Most of the time, these woman are bad ass bitches, ready to kick the ass of anyone that's standing in their way. They make bad decisions, they don't show their emotions, and they're always ready for a fight. Justine is almost meek. All she wants is to have a normal, quiet life with her boyfriend Cubby. I really loved that Justine was naive about using her new powers and getting involved with The Disillusionists.

Crane creates an interesting cast of characters, and her choice to use people's fears as a weapon to fight crime is intriguing. The material is dark, but Crane is able to balance the darkness with the sometimes almost comic book feel of the story. For instance, The Dissillusionists hang out in a super tacky restaurant. The restaurant serves as part command central, part hang out. There's also a lot of ambiguity going on in the book. Justine questions whether she's fighting on the right side of justice, and as the book progresses the reader can't tell either. Crane keeps you guessing through the whole book.

The book had a few only minor issues for me. The first was the present tense narrative. It's not my favorite narrative style, but after the first 50 pages I completely forgot about the tense and was able to get completely engrossed in the story. I also felt that the resolution at the end happened a little fast, but I really think that the fast resolution sets up a lot more drama for book two. By the time I finished the book, the resolution didn't seem like an issue at all. It was worth it for the potential it creates for book two.

Double Cross, the second book will be out in September of this year. Do yourself a favor and pick up the first book now. Crane has created a unique urban fantasy world that is different from anything else that I've read.

The Mage in Black by Jaye Wells

2010-04-24T09:02:00.000-07:00

The Mage in Black is the second book in the Sabina Kane series by Jaye Wells. The second book is just as engrossing as the first. From the moment I picked it up, all I wanted to do was lock myself away so I could finish it.

The plot in The Mage in Black moves along slower than Red-Headed Stepchild. There's still plenty of ass kicking and action, but this one concentrates more on the characters. The first one was also character driven, but that's ramped up even more in book 2.

After the showdown at the end of Red-Headed Stepchild, Sabina is heading to New York to meet her twin sister. It's very clear from the moment that they meet that while both girls are half-vampire half-mage, they couldn't be more different. Sabina finds herself in a completely new world with new politics and new rules to learn. On top of all of that, she's dealing with a prophecy that she doesn't believe in, and someone is out to kill her.

Like I did with Sabina, I feel completely in love with her sister Maise. Maise and Rhea are great additions to the world. Maise is the sweet sister who wants to get to know Sabina, Rhea is a tough taskmaster responsible for Sabina's mage training. Of course Gighul, is back to help Sabina out and serve as comic relief. Wells is a master at creating characters that the reader can easily fall in love with. She did it with Vinca in Red-Headed Stepchild, and she does it again with The Mage in Black.

The action increases as you get near the end of the book, and I promise that by the time you finish you will be cursing Wells because the third book isn't out until next Spring. Jaye Wells is an author to watch. Her world building gets stronger with each book, and with her first two books, she has built the foundation for a phenomenal series.

3 Reviews for the Price of 1!

2010-04-20T22:35:00.000-07:00

I'm going to do a few reviews at once. I've been reading like a fiend for the last week, and want to make sure I let you all know how awesome the last 3 books I read were.

Not only that, but all three authors will be signing here in Houston this Saturday. Gail Carriger, Jaye Wells, and Nicole Peeler will all be at Murder by the Book on Saturday, April 24th at 5pm!

Review 1 - Changeless by Gail Carriger

Changeless is the second book in Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate Series. (You can read my review of the first book, Soulless, here.) For those not familiar with the series, it reads like an Austen-esque comedy of manners. Alexia, the heroine, has no soul. She gossips with vampires, is married to a werewolf, and she's still very concerned with adhering to the social mores of her time.

The books are populated with vivid characters. In Changeless, Carriger introduces us to Madame Lefoux, a mysterious inventory with a taste for dressing in men's clothes. Madame Lefoux is easily one of the best characters I've been introduced to in a long time. I would love nothing more than to be able to spend an after with her and Alexia, sipping tea and gossiping.

Changeless finds Alexia leaving London and following her husband to Scotland. A weird plague seems to be infecting the supernatural beings in the area, effectively rendering them human. While Alexia is investigating, she finds herself in the middle of her husband's family and pack drama. Like book one, Changeless is laugh out loud funny and witty. Carriger is great at writing a quick paced, and completely entertaining book that pays homage to classic literature while mixing in the supernatural, and making it feel completely modern at the same time. Blameless, book three in the series, will be out in September, and you definitely be desperate for it once you finish Changeless.

Review 2 - Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells

Jaye Wells deprived me of at least one night's rest. Once I started Red-Headed Stepchild I did not want to put it down. The book grabs you, and doesn't let you go. For starters, Wells has a unique take on the creation of vampires, and their weaknesses. She says it's a mixture of Hebrew Lore, the Bible, and her own twisted imagination.

Wells is extremely adept at setting up her supernatural world. She quickly gives you enough information to shape the world that her characters are living in, and still leaves it open to expand on later. The plot speeds along quickly, but not so quickly that you get overwhelmed or miss important details. She also makes sure to keep the reader guessing as to whether Sabina is fighting for the good guys or the bad guys.

The characters are what really made this book for me. While they're all vampires, mages, or other supernatural beings, they are still dealing with completely human issues. Anyone will relate to Sabina's struggle as she tries to forge her way in the world. Sabina was born part mage, part vampire. She was raised by vampires, but has felt like an outsider most of her life. She's torn between family obligation, her own intuition, and the need to be her own person. Wells makes you care about all the characters, even the secondary ones. Book 2, The Mage in Black is out now. You might as well buy them both, because you'll want to start book 2 as soon as you finish the first one.

Review 3 - Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler

I found out about Tempest Rising when Gail Carriger posted a review that said she and Peeler were queering the genre of urban fantasy. Actually, all three of these authors are working to queer the genre. Each book features gay characters or gay subtext. It's marvelous!

I've also seen a lot of reviews say that if you love the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris, you'll love Tempest Rising. That's probably true. Both authors are writing about characters living in small towns. I actually enjoyed Jane True more than Sookie. Jane, like Sookie is thought to be strange by the citizens of her home town. I felt Jane's isolation more than I ever did with Sookie.

While Jane is out for a swim one night, she comes across a dead body. Before she knows it, she's engrossed in a world she never knew existed, and is learning things about herself that seem too strange to be true. As she starts to make new friends, she starts to regain some of the confidence she has lost. The struggle that she deals with, between dealing with her past and trying to move on is something everyone can relate too.

Peeler has also created a world as vivid as the cover of the book. There's a rich mythology of creatures, each with their own distinct personality. Jane is an endearing character, and as I said, I really felt her isolation, and the internal struggle she deals with while she's trying to heal is very believable.

The book is sexy, funny, well written, and really fun.

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

2010-04-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

I make it no secret that out of all the urban fantasy authors I read Kelley Armstrong is my favorite. She's the first author to get me hooked on the genre, and out I look forward to new books from her the most.

I've been dying for The Reckoning since I finished The Awakening last year. The Reckoning is the final book in her Darkest Powers Trilogy for young adults. The trilogy takes place in the same world as her Otherworld books do, but there isn't much overlap. Actually, in The Reckoning the overlap a little more than the previous books. A couple minor characters from Frostbitten appear in The Reckoning.

In Armstrong's world supernaturals come into their powers when they hit puberty, and the The Darkest Powers follows the story of a group of teens that are coming into their powers. However, the kids have been the victim of a bizarre genetic experiment that has caused their powers to go all wonky. As the title suggests, in The Reckoning it's time for The Edison to be held accountable for their actions in the first two books.

This series is filled with plenty of mystery, conspiracy, action, and great characters. Armstrong excels at creating characters that pull you into the story. Chloe is no exception. One thing I really appreciate about the teens in her books is that they're angsty but it's not over the top. I think she was definitely conscious of trying to make the characters act like real teenagers but without making them completely irritating.

If any other author wrote this series I would be bummed that the trilogy was over. She answers enough questions, but still leaves enough loose ends to drive you a little insane. Luckily, she's working on another trilogy and the first book, The Gathering, will be out next year. The new trilogy will follow another group of kids, but she has a said there will be some overlap so we will see the characters from this trilogy again. Armstrong is a master at keeping you in touch with what other characters from the series are doing.

The almost frantic pace of the novel really pulls you into the sense of urgency the kids are feeling. While they're in the midst of being hunted, they're also building relationships with each other. There's a little romance going on, but the relationship I enjoyed the most was between Chloe and Tori. I enjoyed seeing the two of them try to find a way to come together even though they really couldn't stand each other. I really kind of fell for Tori in this one, and am most curious about what happens to her next. Again, it's a testament to Armstrong's character development that she can make you care that much about the secondary characters as well as the main ones.

The Reckoning was the perfect ending to a really great trilogy and left me wanting more. Thank goodness she'll be delivering more. Armstrong has announced a fairly extensive tour schedule. Check it out on her website. She'll be hitting Houston on June 4th, and again in September with the Smart Chicks Kick It tour.

An evening with Patricia Briggs

2010-04-09T18:39:00.000-07:00

This evening I was lucky enough to see Patricia Briggs at Murder by the Book. If you're not aware of Murder by the Book, you should check out their website. They are quite possibly the coolest bookstore ever (and this is coming from someone who spends 40+ hours a week in a bookstore). Make sure you check out their upcoming events. They have a ton of them, and they host really great, well organized signings.

I'm a big fan of the Mercy books, and was thrilled that I'd get to see her speak. I had no clue that I would walk away an even bigger fan. I'm completely enamored with her now and want to run out and buy everything she's ever written, even though I don't care for straight fantasy.

Let's see if I can remember everything she said from the Q&A:

Her talk started with applause for her hitting #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list, and she had her Mercy's Garage jacket with her. That was pretty cool!

The Cry Wolf graphic novel is still happened. Dabel Brothers wasn't a great fit for her working relationship-wise so she's with another company and they're starting to work on them now.

Film rights have been bought for the Mercy books, but the contract is really complicated. She'll have a lot of creative control in the process though. She says she's worried the movies will turn out like Blood and Chocolate and since she'll have a say in them, it will be her fault.

Her first book Masques is being reprinted. She went back a reworked some of, and a never before published sequel is coming out too.

Someone asked if would consider doing books or stories from the point of view of other characters. She said she wants to a Samuel book. She felt it was hard to write about his romance in Silver Borne because it was from Mercy's point of view and she'd like to go back and tell the full story. Someone asked if we'd get a Bran book and she said no. She'll probably do another Anna and Charles book and then alternate them with other characters.

She talked about the folklore that she researched to write the rules of her supernatural world. I loved hearing her talk about how silver used to be considered a holy metal. Did you know people believed vampires couldn't see their own reflection because mirrors were made with silver?

Another person asked her about the rape in Iron Kissed. She said that as she was writing the book the character of Tim was evolving and at the point she knew it was going to happen she called her editor to talk to her about it. Patricia was afraid she was going to alienate readers, and Anne told her to do what felt right. Patricia felt that there was a stereotype that when bad things happen to strong female protagonists they all the sudden stop being strong. She felt that putting Mercy in the situation and then letting her escape at the last minute would have been the coward's way out. At the same time, she didn't want to put the reader through the experience of reading it, because when you really love a character you feel like it's happening to your best friend.

Hearing her talk about that scene, how hard it was to write, how she can't read it, and the decision to write it was amazing. You could tell that it's still really emotional for her and that she didn't do it lightly.

The fae characters and knowledge is based on books that she read as a child. She and her sister had a big volume of old fairy tales and that's where she drew her inspiration from.

As she was signing my book I wanted to thank her for including gay characters in her books. Especially gay werewolves. There was a period in my life where all I read was gay fiction because I wanted to see me reflected in what I was reading. It's so refreshing to read something (especially in the sci-fi/fantasy genre) where there are gay characters and it's just natural. She said that's exactly how she wanted it to be. I asked if she'd ever consider writing a Warren and Kyle short story. I about fell over when she said had ideas for, and would like to do BOOKS with them. BOOKS!

She was so personable and friendly with everyone. If you get a chance to go to a Patricia Briggs signing, GO! She was funny, smart, and very appreciative of her fans. I heard her thank every person for being there as she started signing their books.

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

2010-04-06T09:53:00.000-07:00

(if you haven't read Iron Kissed or Bone Crossed, you may be spoiled by this review)

I struggled with Bone Crossed, book 4 in the Mercy Thompson series. It was a lot darker than the rest of series. It needed to be after the events of Iron Kissed. I love dark urban fantasy, but I don't pick up the Mercy Thompson books for dark urban fantasy.

Because I didn't love Bone Crossed like I loved the first three books, I was a little hesitant when I started Silver Borne. Honestly, I was afraid that Bone Crossed wasn't going to be a transitional book and I wouldn't love the series anymore. For the first 30 pages I wasn't completely loving Silver Borne, but that didn't last long. Once I got into the story I didn't want to put the book down.

For those of you not familiar with the series, Mercy Thompson is a shape-shifting mechanic. She transforms into a coyote, and she can fix cars like no one's business. She was raised by werewolves, so she doesn't really fit in anywhere. There's really not a whole lot of plot going in this one. Mercy was loaned a book by one of the fae, and now someone wants it back. Adam's pack is still falling apart, and Mercy is still having issues with being part of a pack as well as dealing with the aftermath of her rape.

This book is all about relationships. Almost every relationship in Mercy's life is strained. The pack is interfering with her relationship with Adam, Samuel is having a meltdown of his own, and even her working relationship with Gabriel is in trouble.

One of the areas where I think Briggs has always been strongest was her characters. Mercy has always been an outcast, and as a result of that she's had to build her own family. That really comes through in this new book. True, the pack family is completely screwed up and dysfunctional, but it's still part of her family. Briggs was able to let the plot take a backseat to some very important character development. Don't get me wrong, it's not just a bunch of supernatural beings sitting around talking about their feelings. There's still plenty of action to be had, including a pretty brutal fight scene that was painful to read.

The plot serves to give many of the characters some insight that they need to move the series along. Mercy has always been a strange mix of strength and vulnerability, and that continues to shine in this installment. Everything that happens in this book makes the events of Bone Crossed work. When I had read Bone Crossed, it just felt off. In hindsight, I'm glad Briggs changed up the series a little, because this book would not have been so awesome if she hadn't.

I also love Briggs for having a gay werewolf in her series. She handles the inclusion of Warren and his (human) partner Kyle beautifully. Their inclusion in her world is so natural. They're not treated any differently than any other characters. She also doesn't sugarcoat Warren's existence. He's a gay werewolf in a very masculine world. It causes friction, but it's not over the top. he genre of scifi/fantasy doesn't exactly have the best track record with being LGBT inclusive, so it's always nice to see it done in such an effortless way.

I couldn't stop smiling as I finished this book. I think Mercy is the strongest that we've seen her in a long time. She still has some stuff to work out, but she's definitely on her way to healing.

For those of you in Houston, Patricia Briggs is going to be signing at Murder by the Book on Friday, 9th at 6:30pm.

Spellwright by Blake Charlton

2010-04-03T21:14:00.000-07:00

I have a confession. I don't like high fantasy books. I'll read Urban Fantasy until the end of time, but high fantasy does nothing for me. I will freely admit that I have preconceived notions of what high fantasy is. To me, it's all some guy with a funny name who is the seventh son of the eighth king of this magical land with an even funnier name, and he must go on a quest to save the elf gnome people from the big scary dragon, and he'll have to walk a lot to do it. Throw in some insanely difficult to understand political factions, some magic, a few sword fights, 1000 pages, and even some more walking and you've got yourself a high fantasy book. (Yes, I know that's really stereotyping and the whole genre isn't like that)

Blake Charlton's Spellwright has been the first high fantasy book (aside from The Hobbit and Fellowship of the Ring) that I've ever finished. Not only did I finish it, but I really enjoyed reading it. Getting through Tolkien was a chore for me. Spellwright grabbed me right from the start and I couldn't wait to pick it up again. I wanted to find time to get back into the story and see what happened.

The magic system that Charlton has created is really interested. All the magic is made up of words that the characters write on their arms and then are able to manipulate. In his bio, Blake Charlton talks about growing up with dyslexia, and Spellwright is a brilliant telling of that story. Nicodemus mispells most of the magic he touches unless he concentrates really hard. In a way, Spellwright is about Nicodemus being able to conquer the written word and make it work for him instead of against him. I really appreciated how the book was a testament to the power of words and stories.

I didn't feel lost at all while I was reading Spellwright. The prophecies, politics, magic, and intrigue never got to the point where it was overwhelming. It also never over powered the story. All of the elements that are introduced are done to benefit the story.

The characters are what I really appreciated. Nicodemus is extremely endearing as he struggles with his disability, and he's so good hearted that you can't help but love him. Nicodemus is determined to do the right thing, and will fight to get it done. The identity of the villain is hidden throughout most of the book, and I love that there's enough red herrings placed in the book to keep you wondering who it could be. While Nicodemus is the good guy, and the monster is the bad guy, Spellwright is still filled with enough characters that will keep you guessing which side they fall on.

I picked up Spellwright because it sounded interesting, and to try a fantasy novel. I enjoyed it so much that it really made me rethink the genre. I will definitely be buying Spellbound when it's released, and I may even try to venture out and read more fantasy at some point.

Check out Blake's website for more reviews and more info about Spellwright.

City of Souls by Vicki Pettersson

2010-03-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

Vicki Pettersson's Signs of the Zodiac series was the third Urban Fantasy series I tried. I gave the series a try because Kim Harrison and Kelley Armstrong both had blurbs on the front covers of the books.

Here's a little background on the series. In Las Vegas, the Agents of Light and the Agents of Shadow are battling to keep mankind safe. Each troop consists of agents that correspond with each sign of the Zodiac. Joanna Archer is raised human and has no idea any of this world exists until her 25th birthday when she gets her Zodiac powers. The series follows Joanna as she tries to accept her new life and responsibilities.

It takes Pettersson a little while to get her world up and running. I really enjoyed the first two books, but it wasn't until the third book in the series that everything clicked for me. Joanna Archer is a great character. She's dark and tortured. Fans of Kim Harrison's witch, Rachel Morgan, will definitely like Joanna. Of all the Urban Fantasy that I've read, this is one of my favorite series. Pettersson creates her own world rather than putting her own spin on vampires and other supernatural creatures. Her superheroes get their powers from comic books (it's a little more involved than that in the books), and it can seem a little precious, but it's almost tongue in cheek. Vegas is so prominent in the books that the City is almost like a character. I can't imagine them being set anywhere else.

City of Souls is the fourth book in the series, and it's very transitional. In this installment, Joanna must venture to Middleheaven to fix the changeling she broke. The Manuals of Light (the comic books they draw their power from) aren't being written, and her troop is weakening. A lot goes on in this book. It's big stuff for the series too. I can't spoil any of it for you, so I won't say much. I'll just say that Pettersson takes everything you know about the series and turns it on its head. The fifth book, Cheat the Grave, comes out this summer and I'm dying to see how she's going to continue the series.

If you like your heroines dark, check out The Signs of the Zodiac. They've got plenty of action, and the world that Pettersson has created is very unique. The Scent of Shadows is the first in the series. If you're already a fan of the series, make sure you check out Unbound, edited by Kim Harrison. Pettersson has a story in it called Dark Matter. However, I recommend waiting until after you've read City of Souls before you read Dark Matter. The reveal in City of Souls is more dramatic if you haven't read Dark Matter.

And just for fun... In the books, the Agents of Light enter their sanctuary through the old neon sign that used to be on the Silver Slipper in Vegas. The sign was recently restored, so I had my picture taken in front of it with City of Souls. Here's my picture.

Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison

2010-03-05T15:41:00.000-08:00

Kim Harrison's Hollows series is one of my favorites. In fact, I'd probably rank them right behind Kelley Armstrong. They're funny, action filled, and Rachel is a great character. She's a mess. It's one of the things I love about her. Throughout the series I've enjoying watching Rachel make her own rules and figure out what to do with her life. Her relationship with Ivy and Jenks is what keeps me coming back to the series.

In Black Magic Sanction (BMS), Rachel finds herself shunned, and under attack from The Coven of Moral and Ethical Standards. They want to lock her up in Alcatraz, and take away her ability to have children and do magic.

Sadly, BMS was my least favorite of all the books. Action is great. Harrison is wonderful at writing fight scenes and keeping things moving at a quick pace. The action starts right away and never stops. It felt like every chapter started or ended with some epic showdown between Rachel and The Coven. I got that Rachel was under constant attack, but after a while it gets old.

Ivy is almost non-existant this time around. She exists as little more than Rachel's sidekick. Jenks is always there, but little is done with him until later in the book. I felt like all of the action overshadowed everything else going on. Harrison does some really great stuff with Rachel's relationship with Al and Trent. The glimpse into Rachel and Trent's past is too brief to do anything but leave the reader wanting more.

White Witch Black Curse tied up a lot of things that were going in the series. I think BMS suffers because of that. If you watch soap operas there's always a build up to a big climax of the story. Often, most of the subplots of the show are tied to this one big event. After it happens, the show suffers for a few weeks while the writers try to set up the next storyline. BMS felt like those few weeks after the big reveal. New plots are introduced, but they're not completely formed yet.

My biggest issues was that Rachel was too much of mess this time around. She has completely lost control of her life, and constantly blames everyone else for the chaos around her. She's always been impulsive and gets herself in trouble. The series was working towards her realizing that and trying to grow. BMS just through all that previous growth out the window.

Overall, I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars.

The Dead Travel Fast by Deanna Raybourn

2010-02-26T08:41:00.000-08:00

I'm a big fan of old Victorian Sensation novels. I love the atmosphere, intrigue, and plot twists of authors like Wilkie Collins, and Mary Elizabeth Braddon. The Dead Travel Fast reads like one of those old novels, but without the overwrought Victorian writing (which face it, sometimes can take forever to wade through, even if the payoff is worth it). Deanna Raybourn takes all the elements of those old novels and spins them into a dark, atmospheric tale.

Here's the premise. After the death of her grandfather, Theodora sets off for the Carpathian Mountains to visit her childhood friend Cosmina and write a novel. It doesn't take long for Theodora to find herself wrapped up in the strange business of the Dragulescu family, and doubting what she used to believe in.

The novel is set in a castle in the middle of the Carpathian Mountains. Raybourn uses this to her advantage. The setting already conjures up images of Dracula and vampires, but she doesn't just let the setting do all the work. Her writing creates a lush, dark, and atmospheric setting for the characters. Letting the reader bring in their previous knowledge of Dracula and vampires is genius. Theodora does the same thing, so it gives the reader a glance at the story from where she's coming from.

The characters are top notch. Count Andrei is scary, charming, sexy, and a complete mystery. Theodora is determined to make her own way in the world, even as she finds herself drawn to all the things she's been trying to avoid. Cosmina was by far my favorite. She's aloof, exotic, but completely loving as she reunites with her childhood friend.

Part of the brilliance of this novel is how it handles the supernatural element. Theodora is warned that she's in Transylvania, and that things happen there that would never happen anywhere else. Theodora tries to keep her wits about her and she hears local tales of vampires and werewolves that haunt the whole region. You will spend the whole book wondering if the vampires are real, or just the superstitions of local peasants.

There is enough suspense, doubt, unexpected plot twists, and drama to keep you deeply engrossed in the story.

You can watch the trailer for The Dead Travel Fast here. If you're in Houston, Deanna will be singing at Murder by the Book on Saturday, March 6 at 4:30pm. You can follow her on twitter, and learn more about her Julia Gray series (which you should pick up too) on her website.

The Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent

2010-02-20T15:15:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, a librarian came into the store to find a book that she had seen one of her students reading. She said it was a young adult book about a girl who screamed when people around her died, but then someone died and she didn't scream. The book sounded really intriguing, but it didn't sound familiar. The only thing the librarian remembered was that there were two in the series and the first one had a redish cover. We gave up after a while, but she promised to return or call and let us know what the book was when she found out.

After a little online research I found out that the first book in the series was My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent. The second book is My Soul to Save, and My Soul to Keep will be out this summer. I'm eagerly counting down the day until the new one comes out.

My Soul to Take introduces us to Kaylee Cavanaugh. While Kaylee is out at a bar with her best friend Emma she has what she thinks is a panic attack and predicts another girl's death. When the girl dies, she wants to think it's a fluke. It's not so easy to dismiss when it happens again.

Usually when I start a new series I like the world to be defined pretty quickly. Vincent doesn't do that. Kaylee has no idea what is going on, and has no idea how she's able to predict these deaths. Instead, Vincent reveals the rules and details of her supernatural world as Kaylee discovers them. This works really well. It really helps the reader feel Kaylee's sense of confusion.

The first book does a great job of setting up the series and letting you get to know the characters. Vincent keeps you guessing as to what's behind the deaths of all the girls. My Soul to Take will keep you engrossed up until the last page.

My Soul to Save is just as good. Shortly after the events of book, Kaylee and Nash are attending a concert when a pop start drops dead on stage. Kaylee is confused when she doesn't scream for the dead girl, and even more confused to learn that the dead pop star has no soul. Pretty quickly, Kaylee finds herself in over her head as she agrees to try to help another get her soul back. Vincent uses the opportunity to effortlessly expand the world that she's created. Once again, we learn more about her supernatural world as Kaylee does.

The author stays true to the teen voice of Kaylee. Our heroine comes off as naive as she makes the stupidest decisions. This isn't a negative. It feels very authentic. Any teen in the same situation would act the same way Kaylee does. Kaylee is loyal to her own detriment, and doesn't think of herself as she continually puts herself in harm's way to save someone else's soul.

I really like that Vincent leaves enough loose ends in both books to keep you wondering what would possibly happen further down the road. At the same time, she's able to wrap up both books neatly. Each has a definitive end to the story. If you like young adult urban fantasy and are getting tired of vampires, you should definitely pick up the Soul Screamer books.

You can find out more about Rachel and her books by visiting her website, or by following her on Twitter.

Lent, and my reading challenge...

2010-02-16T15:06:00.000-08:00

I've got 3 book reviews that I need to do, and I hope to get them up tomorrow. First, I want to talk about Lent.

I was raised Catholic, so I still give up something for Lent every year. This year, I'm going to give up buying (most) books. I buy too many. I have so many here at home that I need to read. I just keep buying more. For Lent this year, I'm not buying books. I'm going to concentrate on my To Be Read pile.

I'm not a complete masochist. There are some books that I've book looking forward to that I will still be purchasing. Kim Harrison's Black Magic Sanction is out February 23rd. Changeless by Gail Carriger is out March 30th. Spellwright by Blake Charlton is out on March 2nd. I'll definitely be buying a copy of The Dead Travel Fast by Deanna Raybourn at her signing at Murder by the Book. That's still four books, but going 46 days and only buying 4 books would be great for me.

Lent starts February 17th, and runs through April 3rd.

I'm also changing my challenge for the year. I said I would read 1 classic for every 4 books I read. It's a noble goal, but I'm blowing through a lot of stuff. There's so much that I want to read and the classics ratio is making it feel like I'm forced to read them. Instead, I'm going to amend the challenge to reading at least 1 classic a month for 2010. That's still 12, and that's still more than most people read in several years.

Lent starts February 17th, and runs through April 3rd. In addition, I'm also not buying music. I'm trying to cut down on all the impulsive iTunes purchases that whittle away at my back account one dollar at a time.

Celine: Through The Eyes of the World

2010-02-11T21:11:00.000-08:00

(I know it's not a book, but you're going to have to deal with my gushing.)

I could start this review by telling you the wheres and whys of my Celine love, but I'm not sure you're ready for that much flailing in one blog. Let's just say that Celine has been my diva since I was 13 or 14 years old. Other people are obsessed with Cher or Madonna, and for me it's Celine. In the ranks of my favorite artists, Celine and Tori Amos make up the upper echelon.

Needless to say, I was thrilled to get an advanced screener for Celine: Through the Eyes of the World. I already bought my tickets over a week ago, but couldn't wait to see it. Celine's Taking Chances World Tour was being filmed for a DVD, and when they started looking at the footage, they realized it was perfect for a documentary about her first world tour in almost ten years. For the first time, she was taking her mother and her soon on the road with her.

When Celine was interviewed on Oprah, she mentioned that she wanted to make sure that they took their time on this tour, and were able to explore things as a family. That family adventure is the heart of the movie. I always get a kick out of the friendship between Oprah and Celine. There's a moment in the movie where Oprah and Gail come and see Celine backstage after one of the shows. While they're posing for pictures, Oprah has the biggest smile on her face. She's genuinely thrilled to be there with her friend Celine. I can't imagine it's easy to thrill Oprah like that!

One thing that always amazes me about Celine is the sense of awe and wonder she seems to view the world with. This is a woman that has been around the world numerous times on world tours, and she’s still able to find wonder in it all. You can see this sense of wonder and joy while the family is on safari in South Africa. Watching her lean forward to gently kiss the nose of a giraffe brought a big smile to my face.

It’s always a pleasure to see her interact with her fans, and Through the Eyes of the World shows you how generous she is. Whether it’s doing a meet and greet with a family before a show, or signing autographs for mobs of fans outside her hotel after a show, she does her best to try to give back to her fans.

All of this is cut with footage from the shows. Sometimes it’s full songs with footage from different shows, and other times it’s just a little snippet of the number. I really hope that Sony hasn’t scrapped plans to release an actual Taking Chances World Tour DVD, because the footage from the shows is awesome. It’s definitely on par with the quality of A New Day: Live in Las Vegas. Thankfully, at least 3 French songs are included in the movie, and you get to see many of the costumes that she wore throughout the course of the yearlong tour. I also really enjoyed the arrangements of the Celine songs that were used as the score to the movie. Sadly, I can’t remember what any of them are at the moment, but they used some gorgeous instrumental versions of her songs to score the documentary.

Through the Eyes of the World really gives you an intimate look at Celine Dion. You get to see that she really is just a big dork. She’s not afraid to make a complete fool out of herself to make the people around her laugh. You also see how loving her family is. I still think Rene Charles is a bizarre child, but it’s sweet to see him playing golf with his father.

It’s not all happy though. During a trip to a concentration camp Celine breaks down. The movie also addresses some of the health issues that plagued her during the tour. At one point, she pushes herself through a show that she probably should have cancelled. When it’s over one of her staff members says, “At least it’s over,” and a very exhausted and upset Celine replies, “but at what cost?” It definitely shows you how hard she pushes herself.

I could keep going, but I don’t want to give away everything that happens. As a fan, I was really impressed with just how much Celine let the cameras into her life. Hell, at one point you see her at the doctor with a scope shoved up her nose to see her vocal chords.

I dare you to see Celine: Through the Eyes of the World, and not come away loving Celine. Even if you don’t care for her music, you’ll love her as a person. I didn’t think it was possible for me to be a bigger fan, but this made me one. I can't wait to see it again opening night (I still have tickets, after all)

If Sony is smart, they’ll release this on DVD alongside the originally planned 2 DVD World Tour Set (1 English, and 1 French Concert) and put out a live album from the tour. The potential for all together in one big deluxe collector’s box set makes me moist just thinking about it.

You can see the trailer for the movie here. You can also see the performance of All By Myself with movie footage. Celine: Through the Eyes of the World opens in theatres Feb. 17th for 2 weeks. Also check out the official site for more videos, show times, and photo galleries.

Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire

2010-02-01T16:18:00.000-08:00

I got an advanced reader of A Local Habitation at work, and thought it sounded really good. I asked around, and it seemed like a good idea to read Rosemary and Rue first, so I immediately bought a copy. I loved it absolutely everything about this book. Seriously couldn't find a flaw if I wanted to.

October "Toby" Daye was a private investigator living a double life. Her husband and daughter didn't know that she was a changeling, part fae, part human. One night, a job goes wrong and Toby finds herself removed from the world for a while. When she returns, she's alone and wants nothing to do with the fae. Unfortunately, she gets pulled back into it when a fae noble is murdered. Now Toby has to solve the murder before a curse takes her own life.

This book is everything that I love about urban fantasy. It has well developed characters, a vivid setting, a well defined world, and a story that will suck you in. Toby is an amazing character. She's trying to start over in a world that she doesn't really belong in. As she's trying to adjust to the world, she's also trying to adjust to living it alone. You really feel her isolation and loneliness. She's also extremely independent and not willing to accept any help. This, of course only leads to more problems.

The setting in the book is so vivid too. It's easy to see that McGuire loves San Francisco. Each place is described with loving details that really makes them come alive. It's easy to believe that some of the fantastic locations are from a different world.

McGuire's plot moves along quickly, and holds enough turns to keep the reader guessing. It also leaves plenty of unresolved things to make you want to pick up the second book to see what's going to be revisited later. It's also great to see another urban fantasy book that involves other supernatural races other than vampires at werewolves.

Under everything else, Rosemary and Rue really is really a story that everyone can relate to. Toby is trying to figure out where she fits in the world. She's trying to figure out how much of it she can do on her own, and learning how and when to ask for help. Sometimes she's too late, and she learns from that too. I think every reader will be able to identify with her journey to find a place she can call home and a family of her own, while trying to be independent of everyone.

Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You by Peter Cameron

2010-01-23T11:58:00.001-08:00

A few people recommended Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You to me. I think Peter Cameron did a great job with his material. The voice the novel is written in is very believable, and I really liked the narrative.

I just wish I liked it more. I should have known better when James Howe, and a friend of mine mentioned the book in the same sentence with The Catcher in the Rye. I have no patience for The Catcher in the Rye, and usually don't have patience for books that are similar. I will say this, of the few books in this vein that I've read, I liked this one much more than other. This one wasn't a chore to read like The Perks of Being a Wallflower was.

Saying it wasn't a chore to finish makes it sound like I hated it. I didn't. I liked it, I just don't think it's something that will stay with me very long, or that I would pick up again.

The biggest issue I probably had is that James was all problems and issues. I didn't see any growth in his character at all. What probably would have been the most interesting part of the book for me was missing. I would have liked to see what happened in the middle of the last chapter. Instead, the book just sort of ends and we get a quick glimpse at the future.

For me, it wasn't exactly clear why James was such a misfit. I didn't really see where his issues were coming from, and just saw excuses. I'm probably not being fair. I'm sure I was the same when I was 17 and 18. I just don't seem to connect to the "aimless and miserable for no apparent reason" characters at all.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

2010-01-21T06:27:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, it seems a little silly for me to be writing a review on Pride and Prejudice. it's Pride and Prejudice. It's a beloved classic. It's story has continued to spawn sequels, numerous TV and Film adaptations, zombie mashups, and more.

This was my first time reading any Jane Austen. Despite owning a fair share of them, my reading history is severely lacking in the classics. I pick them up when I find them in used book stores for cheap, and always say I'll get around to reading them. That's why this year I've decided to challenge myself. I'm going to make 1 of every 4 books I read a classic.

It wasn't until after I finished the book that I really loved it. I enjoyed reading it, and I was glad I was reading it. I just didn't love it. It probably doesn't help that most Victorian Lit that I like and typically read is more on the Sensation Novel side of the Victorian Lit spectrum. I love Wilkie Collins and Mary Elizabeth Braddon. There's a lot of twists and turns in those books to keep you reading, not so much in Pride and Prejudice.

Jane Austen had a way with witty, passive-agressive dialogue though. I was actually hoping there was more dialogue because that's what I really loved. When Mr. Collins basically tells Elizabeth that she doesn't have to worry about dressing up because Lady Catherine wouldn't expect her to be in nice clothes anyway? That's comedy gold! I was also really, REALLY hoping for Elizabeth and Lady Catherine were going to get into a cat fight. Their verbal assault on each other over Mr. Darcy's hand in marriage was by far my favorite thing in the whole book.

Most of the characters infuriated me. I'm thinking that was probably the intention. The only one who didn't was Jane (was that intentional?). They were all so critical of each other, and so quick to point out pride in others while quick to ignore it in themselves. I especially loved how Mr. Bennett somehow thought Elizabeth was less frivolous than his other daughters. Really, it was just less obvious because she wasn't out chasing soldiers down the street.

I did find it interesting that you can easily see shades of Mr. Darcy in Edward Cullen. He's surely, anti-social and just a little creepy at the beginning of the book. It's clear that Stephenie Meyer was a big fan of Pride and Prejudice. I enjoy that kind of literary archaeology. It's always interesting to see where people get ideas and inspiration from, even if it might be completely intentional. (Sorry to throw some Twilight in there, but I couldn't help noticing how obvious it was.)

Publishers have recently started publishing classics with covers inspired by the Twilight Saga. On the Pride and Prejudice edition the tag line is "The love that started it all." It seems like that completely misses the point. I didn't see a real love story in Pride and Prejudice at all, except maybe between Jane and Mr. Bingley. To me, Pride and Prejudice was more a commentary on marriage, and how frivolous all these ladies were. Of course, I freely admit that the marriage commentary could completely be me projecting my own issues onto the book (which is part of the beauty of literature).

I'm looking forward to reading more Austen. I'll tackle a different author for my next classic, but the rest of Austen's work will be something I return to soon.

Bookcases

2010-01-11T12:51:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of my favorite quotes about books...

"The truly cultured are capable of owning thousands of unread books without losing their composure or their desire for more."
- Gabriel Zaid

"The buying of more books than one can read is nothing less than the soul reaching for infinity"
- A. Edward Norton

"All the books we own, both read and unread, are the fullest expression of self we have at our disposal. With each passing year, and with each whimsical purchase, our libraries have become more and more able to articulate who we are, whether we read the books or not."
- Nick Hornby

I've been working in a bookstore for over 6 years, so I tend to accumulate a LOT of books. We moved into our home in April, and since then have acquired 3 more bookcases to hold them all. I finally got around to unpacking the last of the books today. Here's a quick look at our bookcases. (for some reason some of the pictures are getting cropped when I post them, if you click on them it should show you the full picture)

This case is upstairs in the master bedroom. It holds all of my boyfriend's Terry Pratchett, Wheel of Time, and Harry Potter books. The Amelia Peabody series books by Elizabeth Peters belong to both of us, they're one of the few things that we both enjoy together. Also on this case are all of my old Daphne Du Maurier, Wilkie Collins, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, and Henry Bellamann books.

These two white cases are the new additions. They're downstairs in the guest bedroom. Housed on these cases is all of our non-fiction. It's mostly all my biographies and his history books. (click the pic to see the full version)

(click the pic to see the full version)

Finally, we have the four bookcases in the office/computer room/library. This holds everything else. These cases are a mixture of his books and mine. Most of the stuff on them is mine, but when you look closely you can tell what's his. The Dragonlance, and Orson Scott Card are his. The Zora Neale Hurston, urban fantasy, and OC novelizations are all mine

Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford

2010-01-05T19:15:00.000-08:00

Michael Thomas Ford is a very, very funny guy. His nonfiction collects had me in stitches the whole time I read them. He's also a great novelist. While there's humor in his novels, I don't think they really show the reader just what a funny guy he is.

Luckily, Jane Bites Back totally solves that issue. The premise of the book is simple. Jane Austen is a vampire, and she runs a bookstore. While she watches the world embrace her novels and their spin-offs she has an unpublished manuscript that she can't get published.

When I say this book is hilarious, that doesn't even begin to cover it. I couldn't put it down until I finished it. I spent an entire evening in bed reading and laughing out loud. I don't remember the last time I laughed that much while reading a book. My boyfriend was downstairs on the couch watching Lost and called up the stairs to shush me a few times.

As with Ford's other novels, the characters really shine here. Jane, while a vampire, still lives a pretty fairly normal life. It's endearing to see Jane Austen cast in the role of insecure novelist. She's completely clueless as to how modern publishing works. Ford does a perfect job of casting her as slightly vulnerable, but completely able to take care of herself.

I absolutely loved Lucy, Jane's spunky bookstore assistant. Her love for all things Austen, including Jane Austen finger puppets really captured the public's love for Austen. Throughout the whole book, Ford perfectly straddles the line of making fun of all the Austen spin-offs, sequels, and mash-ups while also fully acknowledging that he's writing one himself.

Michael Thomas Ford has done more than just write a sequel, or throw a zombie plot into the middle of a Jane Austen book. He's really created a new world that compliments Jane Austen's actually world, and gives her some new depth. He approaches the material with a lot of respect for Austen, and you definitely feel that coming through in his pages.

I don't want to spoil it because it was one of my favorite parts of the whole book, but the creative way that Ford tackles the age old Bronte vs. Austen debate was the most clever thing I've read in a long time. It still makes me giggle thinking about it now.

While reading Jane Bites Back, you'll definitely get a sense of Jane Austen as a real person, and you'll love her just as much as you may love the characters she has created. And if you're not well versed in all things Austen? Don't worry. I (to my own embarrassment) have never read a Jane Austen novel, and was able to keep up and enjoy the book. Because of Ford, I'm rectifying that situation immediately and have already started Pride and Prejudice.

If you like vampires, if you like witty authors, or just want to read something really fun, you need to pick up Jane Bites Back.

What I Read In '09

2009-12-31T15:41:00.000-08:00

So here it is, my complete list of what I read in 2009. My actually count was down from previous years, but I read some good stuff! I'll add in some commentary later, but wanted to get the list up tonight...

January

A Coventry Wedding – Becky Cochrane
The Lightning Thief – Rick Riordan
Spring Awakening – Frank Wedekind
Embrace the Night – Karen Chance
Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand – Carrie Vaughn
Shakespeare Wrote for Money – Nick Hornby
Magic Bites – Ilona Andrews
Men of the Otherworld – Kelley Armstrong
Skellig – David Almond

February

Sea of Monsters – Rick Riordan
Bone Crossed – Patricia Briggs
Fool for Love – Edited by Timothy J. Lambert and R.D. Cochrane
3 Willows – Ann Brashares
Simon Says – Elaine Marie Alphin

March

White Witch Black Curse – Kim Harrison
The Middle Place – Kelly Corrigan
Valley of the Dolls – Jackie Susann
Shadow of the Dolls – Rae Lawrence
City of Thieves – David Benioff

April

Kitty Raises Hell – Carrie Vaughn
The Awakening – Kelley Armstrong

May

Dead Until Dark – Charlaine Harris
The Vast Fields of Ordinary – Nick Burd
Living Dead in Dallas – Charlaine Harris
Club Dead – Charlaine Harris
Dead to the World – Charlaine Harris
Once Dead, Twice Shy – Kim Harrison
Dead as a Door Nail – Charlaine Harris

June

The Enchantment Emporium – Tanya Huff
Push – Sapphire
Was – Geoff Ryman
What We Remember – Michael Thomas Ford
Candy Everybody Wants – Josh Kilmer-Purcell

July

Lucky Stars – Beverly Donofrio
The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
Definitely Dead – Charlaine Harris
All Together Dead – Charlaine Harris

August

Night’s Cold Kiss – Tracey O’Hara
Her Fearful Symmetry – Audrey Niffenegger
From Dead to Worse – Charlaine Harris
Dead Again – Charlaine Harris
Marked - Kristin & PC Cast

September

The Child Thief – Brom
Tears of Pearl – Tasha Alexander
The Meaning of Matthew – Judy Shepard

October

Frostbitten – Kelley Armstrong
Soulless – Gail Carriger

November

Spin – Robert Rave
Glass Houses – Rachel Caine

December

A Personal Autobiography – Christine Jorgensen
A Reliable Wife – Robert Goolrick
Hunting Ground – Patricia Briggs

Spin by Robert Rave

2009-11-05T18:22:00.000-08:00

I came across Spin after Billie Myers mentioned it on her twitter. (By the way, Billie has a new album called Tea and Sympathy out. It's available on itunes and from her website. It's brilliant, you should buy it!)

Spin is written by Robert Rave. It's the story of Taylor Green, a midwest boy who has just moved to New York, and is breaking into the world of Public Relations. Spin is the perfect book to read on your lunch break. My reading time has been drastically reduced lately, and I spent most of my time reading Spin when I was on my hour break at work.

Rave's style is easy to get lost in. The book is narrated in first person, and Taylor is such a likable guy. He's got Midwest charm, but he's not about to let anyone take advantage of him. He's endearing and vulnerable without being a pushover. All of Rave's characters are likable. Including Jennie, the evil queen who runs the PR firm Taylor works for.

Throughout the novel, you can tell that Taylor likes Jennie. He knows he shouldn't. He knows she's awful to everyone, but he can't help but like her. Reading the book, I felt the same way. You find yourself liking Jennie in the way that you liked Neely O'Hara in Valley of the Dolls. Jennie needed to be someone that the reader could like. The reader needed to believe that this monster of a woman could successfully run a PR firm and have people like her. The dichotomy of her two sides serves the book well.

As with most stories like this, Taylor finds himself getting sucked further into the dark side of the business, and further from his midwest upbringing. Speaking of his upbringing, Taylor's grandmother Ethel is a hoot! I'd love to read a book just about her in her glory days.

Spin is full of delicious scandals, gossip, wheeling and dealing. It's everything you would expect from a book about the PR business. It's worth it just for the characters. There's no way you can read the book and not fall in love with them. If you want something to read to escape and be entertained, you'd be doing yourself a favor to pick up a copy of Spin. Just brace yourself for an ending that neither you nor the characters will see coming!

Soulless by Gail Carriger

2009-10-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

I'm a sucker for a woman who knows how to wield a parasol. They really are under-rated weapons.

As soon as I saw the cover for Soulless, I wanted to read it. You can read about the cover of the book on Carriger's blog. The blurb on the front claims the book is "a novel of vampires, werewolves, and parasols." Are you hooked yet? You should be!

I've read a lot of urban fantasy. Soulless is easily, hands down one of the most original books that I've read in the genre. The story is set in Victorian London. Alexia Tarabotti isn't your typical urban fantasy heroine. She's not running around with her mid-rift exposed ready to kick some ass. She's a lady. True, she might be considered a spinster, and everyone might find her a bit odd, but she's a lady. Her only weapons are her parasol and her tongue.

The dialogue in the book is top-notch. It reads very Victorian without really being so. The banter between Alexia and Lord Maccon is perfect. If this book were an old Hollywood movie, you'd easily be able to picture Hepburn and Tracy playing them, bickering back and forth in the most delicious way. The dialogue really gives you a feel for the characters to the point that they come alive for you. I found myself laughing out loud a lot.

Soulless is the perfect blend of mystery, comedy of manners, and urban fantasy. Carriger has created a vivid world for her characters. She's able to establish her world quickly, and the characters move through it with an ease that I don't often find in the first book of a series. Her alternate take on history is brilliant. The reason for the US splitting with England had me in stitches.

Here's a quick synopsis... Alexia, a soulless spinster gets attacked by a vampire at a party. The kills the vampire, and before she knows it, she finds herself in over her head. Strange vampires are appearing, and werewolves are disappearing. Throw in a a handsome and disheveled werewolf for Alexia to spar with, and a flamboyant, gossip loving vampire and you have a recipe for hilarity.

You owe it to yourself to pick this one up. It's funny, fresh, and completely original.

Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong

2009-10-03T15:28:00.000-07:00

Kelley Armstrong was the first urban fantasy author I read, and the first to get me hooked on this genre. I always really look forward to her new releases, and always tear through them in two days. Luckily, she puts out enough material that I never have to wait long for something new!

Frostbitten is the 11th book in her Otherworld series, and marks the return of Elena Michaels as narrator. For those of you not familiar with her series, Armstrong alternates between different female narrators for her books. In many ways, Frostbitten is a return to form for her. Her last 3 Otherworld releases have been different from her previous ones. Personal Demon and Living with the Dead had more than one narrator, including (for the first time) some of the story from male point of view. Men of the Otherworld was a short collection about the men of the Otherworld.

In Frostbitten, Armstrong returns to her first narrator, and returns to telling the story from just one point of view. It is a testament to her talent that the 11th book in her series is still as fresh as the first. Each different narrator has a very distinct voice and point of view.

I'll confess, while Elena the werewolf is a fan favorite she's my least favorite narrator. Elena can be angsty. That doesn't change in this book. It's not that I don't like Elena, she's just not my favorite. However, this book did make me warm more to her character. The angst works well, and really helped me relate to her in a way I hadn't before.

Quick plot synopsis:

Elena is chasing a mutt that might be involved in several human murders. She ends up in Alaska and quickly finds herself in over her head. There's a pack of mutts to contend with, missing local girls, and something strange in the forest. While dealing with all of this, Elena also has to deal with part of her human past. It's seeing Elena trying to reconcile that part of her life with her present life that really warmed me to her.

Kelley Armstrong knows how to write an action packed book. There are plenty of fight scenes and twists to keep you entertained. It's not all action though. While she's great at writing action packed books, she's also amazing at being able to straddle the line between action driven and character driven. The Elena books (Bitten, Stolen, Broken, Frostbitten) are some of the most character driven in the series. It's easy to see why she wanted to write another book from Elena's point of view.

The book works well as part of the series, but could also easily stand alone. My only (very minor) gripe with the book was that the other characters from the series hardly make an appearance. It works very well, and I totally see why Armstrong chose to not have them around, but I still missed being able to check in with them.

The Meaning of Matthew by Judy Shepard

2009-09-26T20:54:00.000-07:00

I've read a fair share of books this year that made me cry, or left me feeling raw after finishing them. No book has ever devastated me the way this one did. It was hard for me to finish, and I read most of it through tears. I've avoided all of the plays, movies and books that told Matthew Shepard's story. My reaction to this book is exactly why I've avoided them.

Matthew Shepard was only 2 years older than me. When he died I had been out of high school for two years. My senior year, I came out of the closet and spent most of the year dealing with altercations from classmates. When I heard that Matthew had been attacked, I couldn't help but think that his story could have been mine. The day that he died, I had a creative writing class. That night I took a story I had written about my experiences in high school to read to the class. I wanted them to know that things like what happened to Matthew had the potential to happen anywhere.

I think Judy Shepard's main purpose for her book was to paint an accurate picture of her son. She said she wanted the world to know not just the Matthew we saw portrayed in the media, but her son Matt. She does a good job of painting the picture of an average boy. He wasn't an angel. He had a lot of demons that he had to contend with. She doesn't sugar coat his problems. She also doesn't sugar coat her mistakes as a parent, or her perceptions of the media and the world's reactions to Matthew's death.

I found it really interesting how she was so shielded from all the media attention surrounding Matthew's attack. One thing I would have liked to seen explored more was the process of being able to not feel angry at the media attention surrounding Matthew, to embracing it for the greater good. She touches on the subject, but I was hoping for more about that transition.

She doesn't shrink away from communicating how brutal the attack on Matthew was. Many times she mentions that she has never tried to imagine what it was like for Matthew the night of the attack. That's true in the book as well. As she recounts the attack it's from a very straight forward, almost technical perspective. It definitely helps, because so much of the book is gut wrenching.

Shepard tries to end the book on a hopeful note. She talks about Matthew Shepard Foundation, as well as the speaking engagements that she has done all across the country. While so much of the book is dealing with a horrible crime, there are little moments of hope hidden inside. Moments like $90,000 in donations that people sent in to pay for Matthew's medical bills, to people singing Amazing Grace outside of his memorial service to drown out protesters.

I'm glad I read this book. It's something I'll never be able to bring myself to read again. I'll probably never see The Laramie Project or any of the other projects telling Matthew's story. I picked up this one because it was written by Matthew's mother. To say that it was moving wouldn't even begin to describe it. It's hard to review a book like this because it's so hard for me to remove myself from all the emotions surrounding it. The book reads like a conversation. I think she does a good job of trying to be objective about her son as objective as a mother can be).

If you visit the Matthew Shepard Foundation page you can order signed copies of the book, and the proceeds help the foundation. You can even make donations.

Tears of Pearl by Tasha Alexander

2009-09-24T20:54:00.000-07:00

I always look forward to a new Lady Emily book from Tasha Alexander. I picked up her first book And Only to Deceive on a whim, and totally feel in love with the characters.

In her newest adventure, Lady Emily is off to Constantinople for her honeymoon. She's not there long before theft and murder are all around her. Naturally, Emily decides to throw herself into the middle of it.

With Tears of Pearl, Alexander has written another smart, and funny mystery. When reading her books, you can tell that a lot of thought and care goes into the setting. Constantinople comes to life before the reader's eyes with vivd descriptions and attention to detail. It's obvious that Alexander spends a lot of time researching, but it never comes across as forced. You really get a sense of the city and the culture.

As I mentioned, I love these characters. I think it's a testament to her writing that Ivy is only featured in the book in a couple of letters to Emily, but I was still waiting in suspense to see how things would turn out for her. Before the revealing of the outcome I was afraid to keep reading. That's how much I love them. Emily reminds me (and I mean this as a huge compliment) of Amelia Peabody from the Elizabeth Peters books. The ladies have a lot in common. The biggest difference though, is that Emily is more of a free spirit. She's not as high strung as Amelia. While Emily is still totally devoted to the tasks at hand, you sense that she really enjoys what she's doing.

It's not just the returning characters that are great. In Bezime and Perestu, she has created to strong women that balance each other out. One is the most powerful woman in the empire, the other has fallen from grace and is exiled. Both are unforgettable.

Finally, another thing that I love about the book, and the whole series, is that they read like old sensationalist fiction. Alexander definitely knows her way around the works of Wilkie Collins and Mary Elizabeth Braddon. All the classic plot devices are there; possible incest, hidden identities, and palace intrigues are just a few.

If you're new to her books, you can start with Tears of Pearl. It's written so that it can stand alone, but I recommend starting with And Only to Deceive and working your way through all four. If you like well thought out, well written historical mysteries you need to pick this one up.

The Child Thief by Brom

2009-09-11T10:26:00.000-07:00

I picked up The Child Thief by Brom after seeing EOS Books and a few others talk about in on Twitter. Brom calls The Child Thief a "nightmarish retelling of the Peter Pan legend." It definitely peaked my interest.

There are books that you love, books you just like, books you hate, and books like this one. I finished it a week ago, and haven't been able to write a review because I don't know how I felt about the book. It's not as simple as being able to say I loved or hated it.

In this version of Peter Pan, everything is more savage. Peter steals children to bring them back to his world to fight in a war. You won't find Tinkerbell or Captain Hook in this one. Peter goes after damaged kids, the abused, and the runaways.

I appreciated it. From the very beginning I was hooked. I admit that most of my investment in the story was because of Nick. Nick's character is one of the latest boys to follow Peter to his strange world, and quickly finds himself in over his head. To me, the book was more about Nick's story than it was about Peter Pan.

Brom does a wonderful job creating his twisted, savage world. In fact, sometimes I think that there was more emphasis put on creating the world than there was on the story. Some of the mythology of Avallon lost me. I got a little confusing and muddled.

While I can't say I love the book, I really admire what Brom tried to do. I think he had his vision clearly mapped out in his mind, and did a great job of executing it. The Child Thief is definitely worth a read if you're looking for something different.

Marked by PC & Kristin Cast

2009-09-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

Marked by PC & Kristin Cast

Anyone who knows me also knows that I thought the Twilight books were awful. Yes, I read all four of them, and thought they were pretty terrible. I'm also sure everyone is tired of all vampire books being compared to Twilight, but I've got a reason for it in this review.

I thought Marked was pretty bad. The writing is simplistic at best. When I'm reading a young adult book, I don't want to feel like I'm reading one. I think the author should be able to tell their story so that it transcends the audience it's being written for. That's not the case with Marked. It felt like the Casts made a conscious effort to write for teens. There was also a disconnect with the language the teen characters used. Most of them were pretty foul mouthed. Not a big deal, it's teen lit and we all know how teens talk. However, the main character would then say things like "poopie" and go back to talking about blowjobs. It seemed way out of place to me.

The only interesting thing about the book was the inclusion of a gay vampire character. Unfortunately, the character himself wasn't that interesting. He didn't like any of the other gay vampires in the school because they were "too girly," yet he spent time sitting in his room working on cross-stitch. I think it's crap to throw in that the other gay vamps are too girly. There aren't very many gay characters in teen novels as it is, let alone in the vampire genre. Now they add in the stigma that being too girly makes you a bad gay that no one wants. I freely admit that some of that is my own personal issue, but it really ticked me off.

When I read the Twilight books, I kept reading because even though the writing was awful, and the story wasn't that great the books were entertaining. They had that whole, "so awful, it's almost good" thing going on. Marked didn't even that going for it. In the end, book was just bland, and didn't leave me with any desire to pick up anything else in the series.

The Color Purple

2009-08-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

Alright, this isn't exactly a book review. It does however, belong on my wonderful book blog.

I just got back from seeing The Color Purple: The Musical. It returned to Houston for a special engagement because the last run was cut short due to Hurricane Ike. This was my second time seeing the show, and it loved it even more this time.

It doesn't matter how many times I've read the book, seen the movie, or seen the musical I can always get completely lost in the story. I love all three. I think that each different version brings out new things in the characters.

The musical shows a new side of Celie that you don't get to see as much in the movie and book. In the second act of the musical you get to see Celie enjoy life a little more. She's playful, and we get to see her have fun. I feel like the writers were able to bring out this different side of her, but still be inherently Celie.

There are moments in the show that capture the book so well that I just got overwhelmed and cried. One of those moments is when Shug sings "Too Beautiful for Words" to Celie. We had the understudy for Shug Avery, but she knocked it so far out of the park you'd never know she was the understudy. "What About Love" is another of those moments. I feel like the musical was able to capture the tenderness of the relationship between Shug and Celie in a way the movie was only able to hint at.

My favorite moment in the show is Celie's song "I'm Here." The first time she tells Mister, "I may be poor, black, and ugly, but I'm here!" I don't think she really believes it yet. I think she's standing up for herself, but doesn't quite grasp what she's saying. Then, when she stands up to Shug she knows. That song, "I'm Here" is like seeing Celie fully realized. She's finally found her inner strength because she was able to stand up to someone that she loves, not someone she's protecting herself from. That moment gives me chills even when I'm listening to the recording.

One other thing the musical does well, is the relationship with Celie and Mister after she leaves him. The movie glosses over this really important part of the book, so it's nice to see it given the proper treatment in the show.

Now for the few things I don't like about the show. Felicia Fields does a great job playing Sophia. There's no doubt about that, but Sophia comes off a little too cartoonish. Sophia is just a heartbreaking and strong character that it's hard for me to see her used mostly for comedic effect. The other thing that rubs me the wrong way happens towards the end. Right before the picnic, Celie flirts with a handy man. Not really that big a deal, but it comes across as a last ditch effort to let everyone know that she's not really a lesbian.

I don't think Celie is a lesbian. I think Shug Avery was the first person in her life since Nettie to show her any kind of warmth and compassion. Would Celie have slept with a woman had her life been different? Who knows. The label isn't important, but that one scene just comes across as a way to appease anyone in the audience that might have taken issue with some girl on girl action (The first time we saw the show, people behind us groaned at the kiss).

The Color Purple is my favorite book ever. The characters are always with me. There's something about this story that touches me, and it doesn't matter which format it's being told with. Just thinking about how much it touches me made me get choked up on the way home (despite my boyfriend laughing at me in the car).

From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris

2009-08-15T17:23:00.000-07:00

From Dead to Worse is the eight book in the Sookie Stackhouse series.

From Dead to Worse really helped redeem the series in my eyes. As I mentioned in my review for All Together Dead, I was starting to lose patience with the series. In this one, Harris started getting back to what I really liked about the series. We got to go back to Bon Temps and spend time with some of the residents. I definitely enjoyed learning a little bit more of Sam's back story. I also really love that this book wasn't all about how Sookie couldn't make up her mind about the 800 men that were falling for her.

There's a lot that goes on in this one. The Sookie books are always full of action, but this one seemed to have almost two books worth of action crammed into it. It works. At first, I thought Harris had crammed too much into one book, but after I finished it that's not the case.

Just as Sookie is starting to get the hang of the supernatural world, everything changes. The series was due for some kind of shake up, and it was executed well with this one. It's not just the supernatural world that has been shaken up either. There are plenty of revelations about Sookie and her family to deal with as well.

I also have to say, that Pam sitting on Sookie's couch working on embroidery is one of my favorite things of the whole series. It's just too perfect!

From Dead to Worse helped remind me why I liked the series so much. It felt like Harris was able to breathe some new life into it.

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

2009-08-08T23:19:00.000-07:00

I just finished my advanced reader of Her Fearful Symmetry. I LOVED this book, and I can't wait for it to be released so I can recommend it to other people and talk to them about it.

I read The Time Traveler's Wife a few weeks ago. I liked it. I didn't feel myself really get invested in it until almost the end of the book. Then, I finished it and cried for like half an hour. With Her Fearful Symmetry I was pulled in from the beginning, and was really invested in it.

For the last few days all I've wanted to do is find a corner to curl up in so I could finish the book. Unfortunately life is stupid and wouldn't let me do that. I'm having a hard time writing a review because I don't even know how to describe how much I loved this book.

So what's the book about? When a mysterious aunt that they've never met dies, twins Julia and Valentina go to London to live her in flat for a year. The stipulations of the will are that they must live in the flat for a year, their mother (the aunt's twin) is never allowed to visit the flat, and all of her papers and journals have to be removed so the twins can never see them. When they get to the flat, the twins meet the other residents. Martin, who suffers from OCD, cannot leave his flat and Robert, Aunt Elspeth's former lover is trying to get over her death.

It's a story about twins, love, family secrets, and ghosts!

Niffenegger's writing is beautiful. She captures Highgate Cemetery perfectly. The cemetery almost becomes a character in the book. Each character is so vivid and clearly defined. The plot twists are really predictable, but that doesn't matter. The characters and their interactions and decisions allow you to forgive the flaws in the plot. It's not really even a flaw. Being able to figure out what's going to happen makes it even more interesting to see the characters careening towards the inevitable train wreck that's going to happen.

While this book didn't have the emotional gut punch that The Time Traveler's Wife did, it still stays with you in a completely different way. Having finished the book, I really feel like I've spent the week living with these characters, and I'm sure I'll find myself wondering what they're up to in the future.

New Audrey Niffenegger

2009-08-04T18:42:00.001-07:00

I got a new ARC in the mail today. Can't wait to start it!

Night's Cold Kiss by Tracey O'Hara

2009-08-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

I just finished Night's Cold Kiss by Tracey O'Hara. Almost from the start, I didn't want to put it down. It's the type of book hooks you right from the first page, and makes you want to stay up all night, and then call in sick to work to finish.

Antoinette Petrescu is a Venator (vampire hunter). As a child she saw her mother get murdered, and has spent her life killing the creatures responsible. Now, as a serial killer is murdering women, Antoinette has to team up with the creatures she despised to bring him down.

One thing that I look for when I'm reading a new urban fantasy, or paranormal romance is a distinct new world. I always want to see how well an author is able to establish the environment their characters inhabit. O'Hara is able to do that from the start. She has a fresh take on vampires, and is able to explain it easily. If the reader isn't sure, there's a glossary in the back that helps explains things as well. The supporting characters are just as great. I fell in love with Viktor pretty quickly.

Antoinette is my favorite type of heroine. She's had a rough past, and seem some darkness. She's rash, and makes terrible decisions because she's always acting before thinking. She's a lot like Rachel Morgan in Kim Harrison's series, and Joanna Archer in Vicki Pettersson's series. Although there are similarities to the lives of all three of those heroines, Antoinette doesn't come off as a carbon copy. She's got her own personality, and her own character.

This one definitely falls more under the umbrella of paranormal romance than urban fantasy. There's more hardened nipples and throbbing manhood in this one compared to Harrison and Pettersson. That's not really my thing, but the sex adds to the story. It doesn't seemed forced or just thrown in.

If you like your UF/PR on the dark side, with lots of action and a strong, slightly broken heroine, this book is for you. Think more Joanne Archer and less Sookie Stackhouse.

I was lucky enough to get an Advanced Reader Copy of the book from work. Night's Cold Kiss is being released on August 25th. Do yourself a favor and pick it up! It's already creating a well deserved buzz, and I think Tracey O'Hara is one of genre's most exciting new authors!

More buying, and upcoming wish list

2009-08-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

Today I bought The Eternal Kiss - 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire. It has stories by Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine and more in it.

I also picked up Dance Recover Repeat by Alasdair Duncan, The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong, and Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. I've read The Summoning and Wicked Lovely already. I bought them to donate to the store's book drive.

I'm really excited about August 25th. There's some great stuff coming.

Patricia Briggs is releasing Hunting Ground, the second in her Alpha and Omega Series, as well as Mercy Thompson - Homecoming, the graphic novel from the Mercy series.

Kelley Armstrong's Living with the Dead comes out in mass market.

Unbound, with stories by Kim Harrison, Vicki Pettersson, Melissa Marr, Jeaniene Frost, and Jocelyn Drake comes out too.

Plus, Tracey O'Hara's book Night's Cold Kiss comes out. I'm going to try to finish my advanced reader copy of it tonight and post a review. It's phenomenal.

August 25th will be a good day for getting my Urban Fantasy fix!

All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

2009-07-30T21:57:00.000-07:00

Here's my first review...

I just finished All Together Dead, the 7th book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I have to say it, I'm really losing my patience with the series. I really enjoyed the first 4, but after Dead to the World, something just seems off.

I find myself caring less about Sookie, and more about the supporting characters. My biggest issue is that Sookie is now involved in some kind of bizarre love octagon. She falls in love with, or has some kind of romantic tension with every single man that she meets.

If you've ever watched a soap opera, you'll notice that there's a very specific way they prep female characters for an exit on the show. They'll take a very strong, independent woman and make her man crazy. She'll fall in love with one guy, and all of the sudden she's whiney, weak, and starts making stupid decisions. Eventually the audience stops caring about the character and she leaves the show. It almost feels like Harris is doing the same thing with Sookie.

The more Sookie involves herself with these men, the worse her decision making skills become. It makes her a much less entertaining or sympathetic character. Harris is also busy introducing so many new characters, like Amelia, that you hardly get to spend any time with the residents of Bon Temps.

Thank goodness for Pam. At the moment, she's really the only saving grace in the last few books. She's hilarious. I find myself reading in hopes that she'll make another appearance. Luckily she has a bigger role in All Together Dead, and the reader gets a glimpse of her back story.

I hope Harris is able to find the charm and humor that she had in the first few books. As it is, they are starting to fall into the category or predictable romance.

A Trip to Half Price Books in Dallas

2009-07-30T21:45:00.000-07:00

Last week, while on vacation my boyfriend and I made a trip to the huge Half Price Books in Dallas. I didn't find everything on my list, but I picked up some goodies.

Rupert Everett: Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins

Alasdair Gray: Poor Things (I wanted Lanark, but they didn't have it)

Aaron Krach: Half-Life

Olivia Goldsmith: Switcheroo (I've already read this, but needed it in hardcover)

Reba McEntire: Reba - My Story

Alice Hoffman: The Probable Future

Tom Dolby: The Trouble Boy

Eric Myers: Uncle Mame (I've already read this too, but needed it in hardcover)

Geoff Ryman: Was (One of my favorite books ever, and they had a great hardcover)

When we got home I found a copy of Lanark on ebay and ordered it. I want it to hurry up and get here so I can start on it.