Reading (B)log

2012-01-23T15:44:00.000-06:00

Death in Show by Judi McCoy
317 pages

Started: January 22nd, 2012
Finished: January 22nd, 2012

Series: Dog Walker series #3
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Ellie Engleman is thrilled when one of her charges, Lulu, is to compete at the Mid-Atlantic Canine Challenge. Even better, Lulu’s owner Flora invites Ellie to join them behind the scenes for a front-row seat. Ellie’s enthusiasm quickly wanes, however, when Lulu’s handler keels over in the middle of the show ring and Flora asks Ellie to take his place. Of course, Ellie’s boyfriend Sam is the lucky homicide cop to draw this particular case, and he’d just as soon Ellie stay out of it. But she can’t resist poking around when Flora specifically asks her to find the killer.

Comments: These books are steadily improving. Sometimes it takes a while for authors to hit their stride. McCoy has definitely hit hers. Here’s hoping she can keep it up.

2012-01-23T15:36:00.001-06:00

The Confession by Charles Todd
344 pages

Started: January 19th, 2012
Finished: January 20th, 2012

Series: Ian Rutledge series #14
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: A terminally ill man walks into Scotland Yard and confesses to having murdered his cousin five years ago. Rutledge is puzzled, but gets little more information out of the man before he departs. There can be no official investigation without a body, so Rutledge heads to the “crime scene” out of sheer curiosity. A few days later, his informant is found floating in the Thames with a bullet through his forehead. An investigation is opened, but with so little to go on Rutledge doubts the case will ever be solved.

Comments: Hm. Todd’s books have become hit-or-miss for me lately, and unfortunately this was one of the “misses.” It’s well-written, but the plot seems to drag a little bit and I lost track of most of the names about halfway through. Killer seemed rather obvious to me as well.

2012-01-19T14:25:00.001-06:00

Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
674 pages

Started: January 13th, 2012
Finished: January 19th, 2012

Series: Song of Ice and Fire series #1
Favorite Quote: Masester Aemon to Jon, when he’s tempted to break his vow and help his family, “A craven can be as brave as any man, when there is nothing to fear. And we all do our duty, when there is no cost to it. How easy it seems then, to walk the path of honor. Yet soon or late in every man’s life comes a day when it is not easy, a day when he must choose.” p. 552

Summary: In a land where the seasons can last for years, the Seven Kingdoms are upon troubled times. The nameless creatures beyond the Wall are encroaching ever-closer to humanity. Two families and their allies fight for control of the kingdom while the famous Night Watch brothers remain neutral and do their best to guard the Wall with their dwindling numbers. And far to the East, two young siblings vow to win back the kingdom stolen from their family.

Comments: Very well-written but…ugh. My attitude toward books is usually “the bigger the better.” And since fantasy is one of my favorite genres, I was very excited to read this book. I understand the whole “grand epic adventure with far-reaching consequences that span kingdoms and generations” concept Martin was going for, but it left me with a bad case of mental bloat. I barely made it through this book, so the other four in the series will remain unread.

2012-01-13T12:28:00.001-06:00

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
387 pages

Started: January 11th, 2012
Finished: January 12th, 2012

Series: None
Favorite Quote: Friedrick, after Celia wants to know why he doesn’t ask how she performs her tricks, “Because I do not wish to know. I prefer to remain unenlightened, to better appreciate the dark.” p. 183

Summary: Le Cirque des Reves arrives without warning. One day there is an empty field, and the next suddenly there is a circus. Open only at night, the circus is a fantastic mélange of what is real, what is not, and what simply is. More than an ordinary circus, it’s the stage upon which Marco, the co-creator, and Celia, one of its star attractions, will meet for a Challenge they have spent their lives been carefully prepared for.

Comments: Even after less-than-thrilled coworker reviews, and my own negative reaction to the blurb, I still decided to read it…which turned out to be one of my better book-related decisions. I absolutely loved this book, but—rather like the circus itself—find it almost impossible to describe why. Part Hunger Games, part Water for Elephants, it’s a whole different level of storytelling.

2012-01-03T19:28:00.002-06:00

100 Cats Who Changed Civilization by Stan Stall
176 pages

Started: January 2nd, 2012
Finished: January 2nd, 2012

Series: None
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: A list and brief biographies of famous (and infamous) felines. Whether they gave their lives in pursuit of science, contributed to the worlds of literature and the arts, or have become a household name in pop culture, the world just wouldn’t be the same without them.

Comments: I’ve been meaning to read this ever since I came across 100 Dogs Who Changed Civilization a few years ago. The book is suprisingly informative as well as charming, not the least because I kept finding kitty hair in between the pages!

2011-12-28T16:35:00.000-06:00

Ghost Files by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson
537 pages

Started: December 14th, 2011
Finished: December 16th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: The stars of SyFy channel’s Ghost Hunters share their philosophy on ghost hunting and some of their best (and worst) cases.

Comments: This seems to actually be two books--Ghost Hunting and Seeking Spirits--bound into one volume. I’m a healthy skeptic when it comes to this kind of stuff, and it was a pleasant surprise to read that T.A.P.S. looks to disprove spiritual activity rather than confirm it. I’m still not a believer…but this book comes a lot closer to convincing me than the others I’ve read.

2011-12-14T16:18:00.002-06:00

George Washington Had No Middle Name by Patricia Lee Holt
157 pages

Started: December 12th, 2011
Finished: December 13th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Was gunpowder really invented by Chinese firecracker makers? Did the first battle of the American Revolution actually take place at Bunker Hill? And who, exactly, invented the Bowie knife if it wasn't Jim Bowie? A collection of trivia that challenges these widely accepted beliefs and more.

Comments: I’m on a history kick at the moment anyway, and I always enjoy learning bits of trivia to amaze (and bore) my friends with. My favorite nugget of info? That Kleenex tissue was originally created as a filter for WWI gas masks.

2011-12-13T16:34:00.001-06:00

Drink Deep by Chloe Neill
336 pages

Started: December 9th, 2011
Finished: December 12th, 2011

Series: Chicagoland Vampires series #5
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Life after Ethan is bad enough for Merit without having to deal with a visiting vampire whose sole purpose seems to be breaking morale and dismantling Cadogen House. Lake Michigan and the Chicago River have turned black. The sky is deep red. Mountains are erupting downtown. The newly elected mayor, and most of the human population, is convinced vampires—particularly Cadogen vamps—are to blame. Merit’s having a really bad week, and she’s more than willing to share the pain with those responsible.

Comments: I have issues with the ending, but it’s hard to articulate them without giving anything away. I was looking forward to seeing Merit progress in the path she seems to have begun to take. Watching her grow, move on, and accept new challenges. But the little surprise “gift” Mallory throws at her toward the end left me feeling distinctly bitter, like the ending of the previous book was a bit of a joke on the reader.

2011-12-09T15:15:00.001-06:00

A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison
771 KB

Started: December 6th, 2011
Finished: December 8th, 2011

Series: Hollows series #4
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Jenks and Rachael head north to Michigan to rescue Jenks’ son—who inadvertently got separated from Nick and doesn’t know exactly where he is or how to get home. Upon arrival, Rachael learns Nick was captured by Weres and is being tortured to reveal the location of something he’s stolen. Unwilling to leave her ex-lover to his fate, Rachael engineers another rescue and all hell breaks loose.

Comments: I started out enjoying this entry just as much as previous ones. Then somewhere along the way Rachael really started to annoy me. Whine, whine, whine, whine, whine. After she sucks it up and decides to go through with something, mere pages later she’s back to whining again. Even the prospect of a 6’4” Jenks wasn’t enough to lull me back into enjoyment.

2011-12-06T20:33:00.003-06:00

Inspector Singh Investigates: A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder by Shamini Flint
295 pages

Started: December 5th, 2011
Finished: December 5th, 2011

Series: Inspector Singh Investigates series #1
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Inspector Singh of the Singapore police department is not pleased. He’s been sent to Kuala Lumpur to ensure Singaporean murder suspect Chelsea Liew is getting a fair trial from the Malaysian police (who aren’t pleased either). Upon meeting the accused, Singh is convinced of her innocence and when her brother-in-law suddenly confesses, Chelsea is released. Singh, however, doesn’t think the brother-in-law did it either. Only problem is, there doesn’t seem to another suspect.

Comments: A surprisingly excellent read. Those who enjoy less violence with their mysteries will enjoy this series. Inspector Singh’s common-sense, calm demeanor put me in mind of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot and Alexander McCall-Smith’s Precious Ramotswe on more than one occasion.

2011-12-05T17:00:00.001-06:00

The Dark Enquiry by Deanna Raybourn
387 pages

Started: December 3rd, 2011
Finished: December 4th, 2011

Series: Lady Julie Grey series #5
Favorite Quote: General Fortescue, to Lady Julia when she mentions she is investigating mediums, “Yours is the gullible gender. No fault of your own, it is how God made you, and glad we are of it. But you [women] haven’t the brains to think rationally. You must rely upon us [men] to discover the frauds and the mountebanks.” p. 170

Summary: Lady Julia and Brisbane settle into the everyday life of marriage and trade but their newfound peace is quickly shattered when Julia catches her brother Bellmont consulting Brisbane. Piqued that her husband refuses to share Bellmont’s trouble with her, Julia tails him to the lair of a mysterious medium and ends up witnessing Madame Seraphine’s terrible death. The papers term it an accident. Julia and Brisbane think otherwise, and embark on a most dangerous quest with consequences far beyond Bellmont’s rather domestic drama.

Comments: Once I caught the drift of the underlying mystery, I was worried Raybourn would get carried away explaining the historic details at the expense of her usually excellent plots. I needn’t have worried. Raybourn gives just enough background information to clue her readers in, without becoming over impressed with her research abilities. A wonderful read.

2011-12-04T11:34:00.001-06:00

Bra: athousand years of style, support, and seduction by Stephanie Pedersen
125 pages

Started: December 3rd, 2011
Finished: December 3rd, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: A history of the bra—from ancient support options up through Frederick’s of Hollywood and beyond.

Comments: Yeesh. Some of the contraptions back in the day (metal corset, anyone?) could double as torture chambers. The things women suffer through in the name of beauty. Perhaps the most peculiar tidbit of information is found in a sidebar. It references a 1960s book called The Naked Ape and explains that in it the author posits an idea that breasts evolved to mimic our buttocks. Hm…

2011-12-04T11:19:00.000-06:00

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
305 pages

Started: November 29th, 2011
Finished: December 3rd, 2011

Series: Stephanie Plum series #18
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Stephanie Plum comes home from vacation a day early—don’t ask, it’s complicated—to find she’s the owner of a random photograph that somehow found its way into her bag. Stephanie throws it out, figured that’s the last she’ll hear about it. Suddenly, all sorts of people are interested in the picture (the FBI, the bogus FBI, and a Russian thug, just to name a few) and they’re determined to get it out of Stephanie one way or another.

Comments: I was so confused the first couple of chapters that I had to stop and re-read Smokin’ Seventeen to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. Even then it felt to me a little hit-and-miss with some of the jokes and plot elements.

2011-12-01T14:33:00.002-06:00

Pat the Zombie by Aaron Ximm
unpaged

Started: December 1st, 2011
Finished: December 1st, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: “Now you gut the zombie!” (includes a furry tummy you can poke your finger in and feel the guts).

Summary: A “cruel adult spoof” of the children’s classic Pat the Bunny.

Comments: Pat the Bunny is one of my all-time favorite kids’ books, so I was immediately intrigued by this spoof. The fact that I have coworkers named both Pat and Paul had almost nothing to do with how much I enjoyed the horror.

2011-12-01T14:33:00.001-06:00

Grimmy Come Home by Mike Peters
128 pages

Started: November 30th, 2011
Finished: November 30th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Circa 1990 collection of Mother Goose & Grimm comic strips.

Comments: I always check out the Sunday comics in our local paper and I've been following Mother Goose and Grimm for years. This book was made even more fun by the fact Grimm kept saying "That's life in the 80s.”

2011-11-29T19:31:00.000-06:00

Fright of the Iguana by Linda Johnston
245 pages

Started: November 28th, 2011
Finished: November 28th, 2011

Series: Kendra Ballantyne series #5
Favorite Quote: Kendra’s description of an important, lawyerly meeting, “We didn’t accomplish much, but it sure took up a lot of time. That left me scurrying to complete the actual worthwhile stuff I needed to achieve in the afternoon.” p. 32

Summary: When two of her beloved pet sitting charges are pet-napped, Kendra is horrified. She reaches out to her pet-sitters club, and learns she’s the third sitter to fall victim to the unknown villain. An outspoken co-member insists the club itself isn’t being targeted, and is later found bludgeoned to death inside a client’s house. Torn between finding the missing pets and clearing a friend of murder, Kendra struggles to answer these and other questions, like should she finally move in with her boyfriend Jeff?

Comments: I was somewhat startled when I got to the end of this entry. Johnston hasn’t gone in for the obvious cliffhanger ending before, so I will be interested in where she plans to go from here.

2011-11-28T14:34:00.002-06:00

The Great Typo Hunt: two friends changing the world, one correction at a time by Jeff Deck & Benjamin D. Herson
269 pages

Started: November 22nd, 2011
Finished: November 27th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: Benjamin, while he and Jeff are discussing their objective, “We have freedom of speech in this country, but that doesn’t extend to a freedom to be understood. Adults are responsible for putting in whatever effort is necessary to communicate. Not everyone does that; therefore, not everyone deserves to be understood.” p. 168

Summary: Jeff Deck is about to embark on a mission. He plans to tour across America and eradicate typos from signs, wherever they may lurk. Armed with his Typo Correction Kit, faithful car Callie, and a somewhat quirky GPS, Jeff and his friend Benjamin set out to right orthological wrongs. But a simple comma-and-apostrophe fix at the Grand Canyon could end up spelling doom for their quest, and change Jeff and Benjamin’s future forever.

Comments: I think my favorite thing about this book may be that I didn’t find a single typo in it (though how ironic would it be if I had?). I often feel our country's written correspondence is suffering from an increasing “dumbing down,” so it was refreshing to read about people who not only care about our language, but are doing what they can to inform and educate. The quote I parsed from Benjamin doesn't do him and Jeff justice. They're not grammar Nazis, just two guys trying to make a difference.

Okay, I have to confess. I re-read my entry multiple times before posting—just in case I have a typo. :)

2011-11-21T13:54:00.001-06:00

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
437 pages

Started: November 16th, 2011
Finished: November 20th, 2011

Series: Kinsey Millhone series #22
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: While shopping at the local mall, Kinsey notices a shoplifter in action and brings it to the staff’s attention. After the suspect makes bail, she apparently jumps off a bridge. The woman’s bereaved fiancé is convinced she didn’t kill herself, and wants Kinsey to clear his beloved’s name. When Kinsey reveals the woman’s prior record, she lands in the middle of what may be the biggest case of her career. With such far-reaching consequences, she’s even considering backing off and leaving it to the cops.

Comments: This entry in the series is an example of Grafton at her best. There are several subplots that seem—at first—to be so completely disconnected that I contemplated giving up. I am so glad I didn’t. You’re in the hands of an expert with this book. Sit back, relax, and let it all unfold.

2011-11-20T14:39:00.001-06:00

Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie
2156 KB

Started: November 17th, 2011
Finished: November 17th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: A collection of baffling cases for Hercule Poirot to exercise his little grey cells over. A vague warning for Poirot to avoid the Christmas pudding…a dead man whose eating habits suddenly shifted…a body in a trunk…and a man who constantly dreams of his own suicide. Poirot is on the case!

Comments: It’s been a while since I’ve spent some time with Poirot, and I’ve forgotten how much dignified fun he is! There’s also a Miss Marple case in this collection…the first I’ve read of her adventures. I think I prefer the “little egg-shaped Belgian with the enormous mustaches.”

2011-11-17T11:45:00.003-06:00

Wreck the Halls: Cake Wrecks Gets “Festive” by Jen Yates
232 pages

Started: November 16th, 2011
Finished: November 16th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: "Cake Wrecks" website found Jen Yates is back with another book of cakes gone horribly wrong, this time in holiday style. Along with the usual questionable color choices, misspellings, and bizarre designs we have evil turkeys, Hanukah pentagrams, peppermint candies sporting swastikas, and scary Santas. “Happy Hole Days,” everyone!

Comments: I have my coworkers to thank for bringing this one to my attention. It’s proven just as popular among staff the original Cake Wrecks book we all perused a while back. I can't help but wonder how bakeries/grocery stores/etc have the guts to put some of these out for sale to the unsuspecting public. It's amazing how spectacularly unappetizing some of these look!

2011-11-15T20:30:00.001-06:00

The Burning Times by Jeanne Kalogridis
394 pages

Started: November 10th, 2011
Finished: November 14th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: Sybille, viewing the carnage in the midst of battle, “And these [bodies] were but two in an impossibly vast tableau of the most grievous suffering any can imagine: I could not but think that only the untested have ever uttered the word glory in relation to war” 284

Summary: Born strong in the ways of the Goddess, Abbess Mother Marie Francoise has been arrested for witchcraft. Her whole life has been spent helping others, celebrating her Goddess, and searching for her Beloved. Now, if she doesn’t confess in two days, she will be burnt at the stake as a heretic. She agrees to tell her story—not to confess—to Brother Michel and no one else. As she weaves her tale, Michel finds himself drawn to her more and more, until he has to choose whether to condemn her…or believe her.

Comments: This book was not at all what I expected. I picked it up thinking I’d find a fictionalized account of the witch trials. And until about halfway through, I was right. Then it did a complete 180 and zoomed off into the realm of high fantasy. The ending practically begs for a sequel…but if one appears I won’t be reading it.

2011-11-15T20:29:00.000-06:00

One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost
358 pages

Started: November 8th, 2011
Finished: November 9th, 2011

Series: Night Huntress series #6
Favorite Quote: Cat, regarding those who continue to fight no matter how many loved ones they’ve lost, “Sometimes, continuing on in honor of the lost was all a person had.” p. 164

Summary: Every year on Halloween, one of the most dreaded witch hunters of all time—Heinrich Kramer—is able to manifest a solid body. He spends the night tormenting three specially picked women, absorbing their powers to feed him for the next 365 years, and then disappears again. Elisabeth was his victim centuries ago, and she’s hunted him ever since. When Cat and Bones hear her tale, they agree to help lay Kramer to rest permanently. But how do you kill something scary-powerful that’s already dead?

Comments: I found this entry to be more intriguing than the rest of the series, mainly because Frost informs us that there really was a witch hunter named Heinrich Kramer and he did write the book Malleus Maleficarum that angers Cat so deeply. I, too, found a copy online and once you get past the Olde English style it’s positively chilling.

2011-11-09T13:28:00.002-06:00

What Eight Million Women Want by Rheta Childe Dorr
330 pages

Started: November 5th, 2011
Finished: November 7th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: “It is a fact that in this country, although everyone knows that women own property, pay taxes, successfully manage their own business affairs, and do an astonishing amount of community work as well, no one ever thinks of them as citizens.” p. 290

Summary: Written in 1910, a detailed history of the power women have when they come together with single-minded purpose. It chronicles the rise of “women’s clubs” from simple social and self-educational groups into dedicated forces for community improvement and women’s rights. The author closes with the devout hope that the “current” fight for suffrage is successful.

Comments: A couple of weeks ago I Googled my last name, just to see what would happen. Imagine my surprise when this book popped up. A little bit of research later, and I discovered that my great-great-grandfather’s sister Dora is one of the case studies! She and another woman sued the W.C. Ritchie Paper Company in Chicago. Their complaint was that the company paid so little that they couldn’t earn enough to live on, thereby infringing on their right to “free contract of their services” (not sure what that means). They lost, but how cool to have someone like Dora in my family tree!

2011-11-09T13:28:00.001-06:00

As the Pig Turns by M.C. Beaton
292 pages

Started: November 5th, 2011
Finished: November 6th, 2011

Series: Agatha Raisin Races series #22
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Bored with the never-ending winter, Agatha Raisin invites some of her friends to accompany her to nearby Winter Parva and enjoy an old-fashioned pig roast. The gang is excited until Agatha sees a tattoo on the roasting swine. Closer inspection reveals the perfectly cooked carcass of Gary Beech—an unpopular local police officer. Nobody liked Beech, but Agatha was overheard wishing he’d be roasted on a spit. That’s all the evidence the police need to consider her their #1 suspect, and all the incentive Agatha needs to solve the case herself.

Comments: It occurred to me that the things I most enjoy about this series—the familiar jokes Beaton includes in each book—might be the very things that would drive someone else crazy. Agatha’s always stubborn and hungry for publicity, she’s still got her never-ending obsession with men (including…still…James Lacey), and I still laugh every time.

2011-11-09T13:27:00.000-06:00

Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison
318 pages

Started: November 3rd, 2011
Finished: November 4th, 2011

Series: Elder Races series #1
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: It’s not Pia’s fault. She never would have stolen from a dragon if she hadn’t been blackmailed into it. Now her life expectancy is slim to none, and only getting worse. If she gets a big enough head start, maybe he won’t kill her… Dragos can’t believe someone not only stole from him, but got through his booby traps, spells, and snares undetected. He’s determined to find the culprit and discover how the theft was accomplished by any means necessary. Then the thief will die.

Comments: It’s been a long time since I’ve heard the term Wyr and Elder Races. Another patron recommendation, and a pretty good read. Just a tad more explicit than my usual fare, so there was a fair amount of blushing and skimming going on while I read it. Readers of Sherrilyn Kenyon should enjoy this one.

2011-11-04T15:49:00.000-05:00

Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison
501 pages

Started: October 29th, 2011
Finished: November 2nd, 2011

Series: Hollows series #3
Favorite Quote: David, consoling Rachel after her fight with Jenks, “Mistakes can be fixed, but if you do it more than once, it’s no longer a mistake.” p. 442

Summary: Rachel may have agreed to be Algaliarept’s familiar, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to do so willingly. When Al shows up to claim her, Rachel vows to find a way to get clear of the debt once and for all. Meanwhile, Rachel’s less-than-favorite slimeball Trent Kalamack is having trouble with a new crime boss muscling in on his turf. Rachel’s hired as Trent’s backup at a party…if she doesn’t decide to kill him for being an ass first.

Comments: I’ve said it before, but the way different authors treat the vampire character type is always fascinating to me. Along with the usual “rules,” Harrison adds several new twists, two of my favorites being Rachel’s “blood sugared” episode and the concept of fang caps.

2011-11-01T19:22:00.000-05:00

Maid for Murder by Barbara Colley
264 pages

Started: October 24th, 2011
Finished: October 27th, 2011

Series: Charlotte LaRue series #1
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Charlotte LaRue, owner of Maid-For-A-Day cleaning service, prides herself on minding her own business when it comes to her clients’ personal lives. Then her favorite longtime client’s husband is found murdered in his study. Newly widowed Jeanne Dubuisson doesn’t have many friends, and Charlotte can’t stand to leave her in the lurch. Almost before she realizes it, Charlotte is deep in her own investigation and what she discovers could have startling implications for everyone involved.

Comments: Hm. A new-to-me series, and this first entry seems a little shaky. Not sure if I will continue or not; none of the characters really captured my affection. It’s a good story, but I just didn’t connect with anybody.

2011-10-22T14:33:00.001-05:00

Different Seasons by Stephen King
20,595 KB

Started: October 19th, 2011
Finished: October 21st, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: A collection of four novellas—“Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption,” “Apt Pupil,” “The Body,” and “Breathing Lessons.” Moviegoers will recognize the first three as the basis for the movies Shawshank Redemption, Apt Pupil, and Stand By Me.

Comments: At the risk of sounding like a lunatic—or offending the author—I find much of King’s work to be rather charming. My favorite thing about his books isn’t the horror aspect (though I consider it a definite plus). The reason I come back to King is his portrayal of the characters he writes about—their friendships and mortal enemies, loves/hates, personal demons, and journeys.

2011-10-19T11:42:00.002-05:00

Manhunt: the Twelve Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer by James Swanson
3828 KB

Started: October 10th, 2011
Finished: October 18th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: The infamous story of John Wilkes Booth’s assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the following twelve-day chase to capture him.

Comments: Thought a little slow in spots, Swanson’s book reads more like an adventure novel than a dry historical retelling. There are lots of names in this book, but as long as you keep the main ones semi-straight, you can gloss over a lot of the different groups of manhunters.

2011-10-11T18:32:00.002-05:00

Meow is for Murder by Linda Johnston
261 pages

Started: October 9th, 2011
Finished: October 9th, 2011

Series: Kendra Ballantyne series #4
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Kendra’s busier than ever, so when her archenemy—and rival for her boyfriend Jeff’s affections—Amanda calls to request her pet sitting services, Kendra is tempted to tell her to take a long walk off a short pier but ultimately decides it’s not fair to make Amanda’s cats suffer. All goes well until Amanda returns and finds her creepy stalker dead in her bedroom. The police think she killed Leon in self-defense. Amanda wants Kendra to clear her name—and as payment she’ll stay out of Jeff’s life for good.

Comments: One of my favorite things about this series is the pet-sitting scenes. No matter how tied up Kendra gets in lawyer or crime business, Johnston always gives equal time to the animals. The cats’ mouse antics, especially, cracked me up.

2011-10-11T18:31:00.003-05:00

Sword of Darkness by Kinley MacGregor
1694 KB

Started: October 6th, 2011
Finished: October 7th, 2011

Series: Lords of Avalon series #1
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: In the land of myth, King Arthur may be no longer but Camelot still stands. The evil Morgen and her champion Kerrigan have taken over the once-lovely city and rule with an iron fist. To cement their power, they need to locate a special woman who, it has been foretold, will birth the next Merlin. London apprentice Seren wants to join the weaver’s guild more than anything in the world. If she can accomplish that, she can finally strike out on her own. After a terrifying ordeal featuring two bizarre men claiming they’re knights of the round table, she’s relieved when Kerrigan offers his assistance. Perhaps she should have gone with the knights while she had a chance…

Comments: As I read this book, I was thinking to myself what a great readalike MacGregor would be for Sherrilyn Kenyon. And there’s a very good reason for that—they’re the same person! I read this one more to hush up a patron than anything else, so it remains to be seen if I will continue with this series.

2011-10-11T18:31:00.002-05:00

Lost to Time: unforgettable stories that history forgot by Martin Sandler
291 pages

Started: October 7th, 2011
Finished: October 9th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Paul Revere was not the only rider who warned the colonies that the British were coming, or even the bravest. The Chicago Fire of 1871 was not the greatest disaster that night, the Titanic wasn’t the biggest shipwreck in peacetime, and the Wright brothers were not the first to fly. Sound unbelievable? Sandler provides a look at some of the greatest history stories never told.

Comments: It never fails to amaze me how much one’s take on history is affected by those you listen to. I know history is written by the victors (who edit as they see fit), but the more I read, the more I realize how much I still don’t know. I’ve never heard of any of these people. Still trying to decide if this would be an acceptable Jeopardy source.

2011-10-11T18:30:00.000-05:00

Elvis and the Tropical Double Trouble by Peggy Webb
230 pages

Started: October 6th, 2011
Finished: October 6th, 2011

Series: Southern Cousins series #4
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Lovie’s newest boyfriend, Rocky, is on site at a dig down in Tulum—right next door to Uncle Charlie and Ruby Nell’s undertaker convention—and invites everyone down to visit. Callie’s decided a vacation is just what the doctor ordered, but her visions of fruity umbrella-clad drinks by the beach is rudely shattered when Lovie and Elvis go missing.

Comments: Another solid entry in this series. Anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery with romantic overtones and plenty of zany action should give this series a try.

2011-10-04T20:14:00.004-05:00

Heir of the Dog by Judi McCoy
431 pages

Started: October 1st, 2011
Finished: October 3rd, 2011

Series: Dog Walker series #2
Favorite Quote: Vivian and Ellie, discussing Sam, “He’s just like other males of the species. He’ll hump anything that’s available.” p. 68

Summary: Ellie and her dog Rudy are shocked when one of their daily acquaintances is murdered, but even more stunning is the fact Gary left everything he owned to Rudy. Now the recipients of a substantial chunk of change, the duo find themselves the target of Gary’s older brother. Thompson’s just been paroled after thirty years, and his first stop is to "persuade" Ellie to give up the cash. Sam tries to convince Ellie to take the proper precautions, but she decides she’s just as capable of surviving on her own.

Comments: This is the second book in the series, and I was a little leery about it. But McCoy has really pulled the characters together and tightened up the plot. I think I’ll continue on and see where it goes—namely, does Ellie let Sam back into her romantic life?

2011-10-04T20:14:00.003-05:00

New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb
402 pages

Started: September 27th, 2011
Finished: September 30th, 2011

Series: Eve Dallas series #33
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: When Eve was a rookie, she captured the elusive Issac McQueen, who’d been keeping twenty two young women prisoner in his apartment. It was more dumb luck than skill, but now time has passed. Isaac’s escaped and is back doing what he loves best. This time he has a special message for Eve. If she doesn’t immediately go to Texas, he’ll keep racking up victims until she does.

Comments: This was a much more psychological read than past novels. Eve’s back in Dallas, where her own personal nightmare began. A gripping look into Eve’s—and by extension I’d think plenty of real-life victims—mind and a fantastic read.

2011-09-27T19:56:00.002-05:00

Real Vampires Don’t Wear Size Six by Gerry Bartlett
327 pages

Started: September 26th, 2011
Finished: September 26th, 2011

Series: Glory St. Clair series #7
Favorite Quote: Glory, after Jeremiah and Rafe have beaten each other bloody in her living room, “I swear, if I inhale any more testosterone, I'm going to start scratching my crotch and craving Monday Night football." p. 169

Summary: Glory’s in trouble with the vampire council, who do not appreciate several of her recent adventures—including her recent demonic possession. To prove she’s a good girl (and avoid getting her butt booted out of town), Glory agrees to mentor a reluctant new vampire who was turned against her will. Unfortunately, Glory’s exorcised demon has been bragging all over Hell about how tough Glory is, and that’s earned her and her friends some unwelcome attention from down below.

Comments: Loved it, loved it, loved it. I don’t know what it is about this series, but when I get my hands on a new entry I usually end up plopping down on the couch and finishing the whole thing in one gulp. Now begins the long wait for the next book…Real Vampires Hate Skinny Jeans, due out in April 2012.

2011-09-21T17:03:00.002-05:00

Death’s Acre by Dr. Bill Bass & Jon Jefferson
280 pages

Started: September 18th, 2011
Finished: September 20th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: Bass is referring to the wife of the man executed for murdering the Lindbergh Baby, “Anna Hauptmann, too--like the Lindberghs, and like me--had lost someone dear. Cherished husband but convicted killer, he would continue to elude her until that day when she herself slipped from those around her, finally catching up to the man she'd lived with and loved." p. 12

Summary: Dr. Bass has been a forensic scientist for decades and is the founder of the infamous Anthropological Research Facility in Tennessee (aka “the Body Farm”) where bodies are used to study the effects bugs, decay, temperature, and more have on the human corpse. Here he shares some of his most memorable cases and highlights why forensic science is so important.

Comments: Dr. Bass is also a university professor, a fact that comes through loud and clear in this book. He takes even the most abstrusely scientific explanation and translates it into normal English. This book is fascinating, and a little stomach-turning. Bass definitely does not shy away from graphic descriptions of what happens to our bodies when we die.

2011-09-19T12:54:00.001-05:00

The Dog Who Knew Too Much by Spencer Quinn
308 pages

Started: September 18th, 2011
Finished: September 18th, 2011

Series: Chet and Bernie series #4
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: After a disastrous attempt at public speaking, Bernie and Chet are licking their wounds when a new client appears. Anya is recently divorced and wants to hire Bernie to impress her ex during Parent’s Day at her son Devin’s summer camp. It’s not the usual P.I. gig, but with funds desperately low, Bernie agrees. Devin, however, is nowhere to be found at camp, and the rangers there seem oddly unperturbed. Did Devin wander off and get lost? Was he kidnapped by his father? Bernie and Chet are on the case.

Comments: Either Chet neglected to relay a lot of important connect-the-dots information, or I read this book when I was half asleep. I still couldn’t tell you how a missing child case grew into something completely different. Hopefully this was just a hiccup in this otherwise most enjoyable series.

2011-09-19T12:53:00.000-05:00

Miss Zukas and the Library Murders by Jo Dereske
218 pages

Started: September 17th, 2011
Finished: September 17th, 2011

Series: Miss Zukas series #1
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Miss Zukas takes pride in the orderly progression of things at Bellehaven Public Library. So when a dead body is found in the mystery section, she is highly offended. The dead man left a scrap of paper with an odd code in the book he was looking at. Deciding there’s no harm in her own investigation of the code, Miss Zukas puts all her reference abilities to the test.

Comments: Okay, I admit it. If Helma hadn’t been a librarian, I probably would be more willing to continue in this series. I couldn’t get over the fact that—whether she meant to or not—Dereske seems to have played into the typical stereotype for a librarian. Helma has a tidy bun, glasses, fussy mannerisms, and no-nonsense outfits in drab colors. I thought she was elderly until the author let it slip she’s only in her 30s. Call it childish, but I have no interest in the further adventures of Miss Z.

2011-09-19T12:46:00.001-05:00

A Bitter Truth by Charles Todd
340 pages

Started: September 16th, 2011
Finished: September 17th, 2011

Series: Bess Crawford series #3
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Returning home to her flat, Bess finds an exhausted woman on her door step. Bess invites her in to warm up, and learns Lydia has run away from her family after her husband struck her. Bess agrees to accompany her home to smooth things over, but plans run afoul when it comes to light that Lydia’s husband may have fathered an illegitimate child in France. Lydia begs Bess to find the child and bring her home. Knowing it’s a fruitless hunt, Bess agrees to do her best.

Comments: I think the authors have finally hit their stride with this series. There were some parts that required a bigger suspension of belief than usual, but once I got with the program it was a good story.

2011-09-16T11:50:00.001-05:00

Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones
307 pages

Started: September 13th, 2011
Finished: September 15th, 2011

Series: Charley Davidson series #2
Favorite Quote: Charley, struggling to climb a chain link fence, “Guys made this stuff look so easy. The only things I liked to scale on a semi-regular basis were those same guys who made this stuff look easy.” p. 83

Summary: After a rude awakening by her best friend, Charley is drawn into a missing persons case. Cookie’s friend, Mimi, disappeared five days ago. Her husband is frantic, her parents clueless. It seems an open-and-shut case, until people from Mimi’s old high school start turning up dead. What happened at the school, and why doesn’t anyone want to talk about it? For that matter, where did Reyes hide his corporeal body, and why is there a dead guy in Cookie’s trunk?

Comments: Charley’s fascinated obsession with Reyes still grates on my nerves, so much so that I ended up skipping over those scenes. Reyes feels like a less-than-necessary subplot to me. Perhaps Jones has big plans for him down the line, but for now I think the series would function just as well without him.

2011-09-13T17:33:00.004-05:00

Operation Beautiful by Caitlin Boyle
254 pages

Started: September 12th, 2011
Finished: September 12th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Tired of seeing women pick themselves apart and bemoan their appearance, Caitlin scribbled an inspirational note and stuck it on a restroom mirror. The “Operation Beautiful” movement has reached thousands of women (and men) all over the world who do the same thing. Here Boyle shares some of the most inspirational stories behind the notes. Visit the blog Operation Beautiful for more information.

Comments: Reading this book was a horrifying glimpse at the impact the “beauty myth” is having on so many women’s lives. The majority of these women are in their late teens or early twenties, and many of them describe battles with eating disorders, self-mutilation, unsupportive families, addiction to exercise, etc. I know I’m beautiful, and I plan to buy a pad of Post-Its and tell others the same.

2011-09-13T17:33:00.001-05:00

Hounding the Pavement by Judi McCoy
305 pages

Started: September 11th, 2011
Finished: September 12th, 2011

Series: Dog Walker series #1
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: As part of her rebellion against everything her ex-husband stands for, Ellie Engleman has ditched her high-paying career and become a dog-walker. Her special bond with canines makes her new career a breeze and quite entertaining. On the way to pick up her favorite charge—a Bichon named Buddy—Ellie stumbles across the body of Buddy’s owner instead. Buddy has vanished, and since the cops seem to be more interested in the human victim, Ellie decides to find Buddy herself.

Comments: I’m not sure how I feel about this series yet. This is the first book, and I know those can be a little rocky until the author hits her stride. None of the characters really grabbed me, but I’m willing to give the series a second shot.

2011-09-12T16:31:00.000-05:00

Sookie Stackhouse Companion by Charlaine Harris
461 pages

Started: September 11th, 2011
Finished: September 11th, 2011

Series: Sookie Stackhouse series, guide
Favorite Quote: Craig, referring to Sam and Bernie’s shapeshifting ability “…you and Mom are like God made you. If they’ve [protestors] got a problem with that, they can take it up with him.” p. 34

Summary: The definitive guide to all things Sookie. Maps of the Sookieverse, recipes, plot summaries for each book in the series, Sookie and Jason’s family tree, trivia, and a brand-new short story.

Comments: Okay, so I cheated a little. I did not read the couple-hundred page glossary at the end of the book. The plot summaries were particularly helpful in refreshing my memory as to what events took place in which books. Bring on the next one!

2011-09-12T16:16:00.000-05:00

Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent
154 pages

Started: September 10th, 2011
Finished: September 10th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Todd and Sonja Burpo’s son, Colton, suffered from a burst appendix when he was four years old. Rushed into surgery, the little boy came out with an amazing tale about his trip to Heaven—people he recognized that he’d never met, including his miscarried sister and his great-grandfather.

Comments: After waiting for months and months and months for this book, I was oddly ambivalent about reading it. It sat on my desk for about a week, and only the fact that I’d have to wait all over again if I returned it without reading it made me pick it up. I was oddly skeptical in reading this book. Perhaps I wasn’t in the right frame of mind when I started reading. And, I’m probably going to Hell for this, but my first glance of the sketch of Jesus put me in mind of a serial killer.

2011-09-12T16:15:00.000-05:00

Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon
416 pages

Started: September 9th, 2011
Finished: September 10th, 2011

Series: Dark-Hunter series #16
Favorite Quote: Abigail, regretting she never told Jess she loves him, “The hardest words to live with were the ones you didn’t say that you should have.” p. 328

Summary: Abigail Yager wants one thing in her life—vengeance against the man who killed her family when she was a child. Raised by vampires, Abby’s made it her life’s work to kill as many Dark-Hunters as possible. Sundown Brady knows someone is killing his Dark-Hunter brethren and sets out to discover who. Their worlds collide when Abby accidentally kills something bigger than a Dark-Hunter, and may have to end up giving her life as penance.

Comments: I was a little disappointed that this book didn’t take place in New Orleans. Not seeing the familiar cast of characters made it a little harder to enjoy. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a good read. Just…not quite as enjoyable as past entries.

2011-09-07T15:56:00.001-05:00

Kitty’s Greatest Hits by Carrie Vaughn
308 pages

Started: September 1st, 2011
Finished: September 4th, 2011

Series: Kitty Norville series, short stories
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Collection of both new and previously published short stories—some set in Kitty’s world, some simply supernatural. Includes a never-before-seen novella featuring Cormac’s experience in prison.

Comments: Cormac is my favorite character in these books, and it was a real treat to get to know him a little better. The stories as a whole are solid offerings, particularly those featuring Kitty and her friends.

2011-09-01T11:39:00.000-05:00

The Good, the Bad, and the Undead by Kim Harrison
786 KB

Started: August 27th, 2011
Finished: August 31st, 2011

Series: The Hollows series #2
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Someone is killing off witches in Cincinnati. Each victim had three things in common: experience with ley lines, enrollment in the same university class, and a relationship with Rachael’s personal nemesis—Trent Kalamack. Unable to resist a chance to drive Kalamack crazy, Rachael agrees to work with her former associates to investigate. Her first move is to enroll in that university class…which quickly sends her to the top of the “likely victim” list.

Comments: Loving this new-to-me series! Came home from work last night, dropped my bag, and didn’t move from the couch until I’d finished it. I ran my poor Nook’s battery down and had to plug it in for the last 20 pages!

2011-08-31T11:46:00.002-05:00

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Bailey
1976 KB

Started: August 27th, 2011
Finished: August 27th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: When an illness leaves Elisabeth flat on her back for months, she finds herself without the strength to do almost everything. Then a friend brings her a potted violet…and a snail. Struck by the oddity of the gesture, Elisabeth soon finds watching her little Neohelix Albolabris both fascinating and soothing.

Comments: Beautifully written, this book reads like poetry. An ode to the common woodland snail, it elevates the slimy little suckers to a whole new, oddly poignant, level.

2011-08-31T11:45:00.001-05:00

The Cat, the Quilt, and the Corpse by Leann Sweeney
278 pages

Started: August 25th, 2011
Finished: August 26th, 2011

Series: Cats in Trouble series #1
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Ever since her husband’s death, Jillian Hart has been content with her three cats and thriving quilting business. When her cat Syrah is kidnapped, Jillian’s horror propels her into an immediate all-out hunt. In the process, she learns she’s not the only one in town to have lost her cat recently. Some—like Syrah—are found…most aren’t. Even after the return of her cat, Jillian vows to find out what happened to the rest of the felines.

Comments: This heroine really likes cats. The storyline wandered a little bit, but it was pretty well-written for the first book in a new series.

2011-08-26T15:50:00.001-05:00

The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
284 pages

Started: August 24th, 2011
Finished: August 25th, 2011

Series: The Sisters Grimm series #1
Favorite Quote: Eleven-year-old Sabrina, having been told Grimms aren’t murderers, “Well, we’re kind of new at this job. If we break a couple of rules, that just goes with the learning process.” p. 260

Summary: Eleven-year-old Sabrina Grimm and her seven-year-old sister Daphne have been in and out of foster homes since their parents abandoned them almost two years ago. Their newest home is with Relda Grimm, a strange old woman who claims to be their paternal grandmother. She insists Sabrina and Daphne are the scions of the Brothers Grimm, and that they have a job to do in protecting the fairytale creatures who life in Ferryport. The girls always thought their granny was dead. But then, they always thought giants and pixies were make-believe.

Comments: What a darling kids’ book! Well-written, believable, and very entertaining. I loved seeing so many “fictional” characters like Puck, Prince Charming, the Queen of Hearts, etc. This might interest young female fans of Harry Potter.

2011-08-25T10:04:00.001-05:00

Time of Death by J.D. Robb
292 pages

Started: August 23rd, 2011
Finished: August 24th, 2011

Series: Eve Dallas series, compilation of short stories
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Three novellas featuring Eve Dallas. A killer promises his victims immortality in Eternity in Death, Eve tracks down a satanic cult in Ritual in Death, and solves a version of the classic “locked room” mystery on a NYC ferry boat in Missing in Death.

Comments: I was disappointed to find I’d already read two of the three stories offered. I skipped those, but the one I hadn’t read (Missing in Death) was a nicely-rounded little tale. Not the best, not the worst.

2011-08-23T17:40:00.001-05:00

Pampered to Death by Laura Levine
228 pages

Started: August 20th, 2011
Finished: August 22nd, 2011

Series: Jaine Austen series #10
Favorite Quote: Jaine, defending her cat, “Prozac is not the least bit slow…she happens to be smarter than many people I know. Several of whom, I might add, are currently serving in Congress.” p. 19

Summary: When Lance buys Jaine a week at the ultra-exclusive spa “The Havens,” she’s thrilled, especially since Lance has even paid extra for Prozac to come along too. Jaine’s excitement lasts until dinnertime, when she discovers The Havens is in reality a trumped-up fat farm. Before she can get home and murder Lance, a real murder takes place. B-rated actress Mallory Francis has been found strangled in her seaweed wrap. Stuck at The Havens until the case is solved, Jaine decides to give the local cops a helping hand.

Comments: I’m so glad I live alone. I kept up a running laugh-commentary every time Jaine did something stupid. I think I even may have snorted a couple of times

2011-08-23T17:37:00.000-05:00

Skirting the Grave by Annette Blair
263 pages

Started: August 19th, 2011
Finished: August 20th, 2011

Series: Vintage Magic series #4
Favorite Quote: Werner and Maddie, discussing suspects, “‘Who else is on your list?’ ‘Madame Robear’ ‘I guessed as much. But being voluptuous is no crime, Mad.’ ‘It is to those of us with average boobage.’” p. 154

Summary: Maddie’s taken on a new intern—more to shut her sister Brandy up than out of any real need. Isabel is a fashion design student who’s just dying to work with the talented Maddie...perhaps literally. When Maddie goes to collect her employee from the train station, she finds a dead body with Isabel’s ID instead. Hours later, a woman shows up on Mad’s doorstep claiming to be Isabel. Who, then, is the dead body?

Comments: I’m so glad I decided to continue reading this series. Maddie and the rest of the characters have really grown on me. Even Maddie’s kitschy “Swear to Gucci! Wooly knobby knits!” version of cussing is less irritating.

2011-08-15T17:05:00.001-05:00

Cat in a Vegas Gold Vendetta by Carole Nelson Douglas
377 pages

Started: August 13th, 2011
Finished: August 13th, 2011

Series: Midnight Louie series #23
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Temple’s newfound romance with Matt is put under a distinct strain when Max suddenly reappears—back from the dead and missing his memory. Temple can’t leave Max to fend for himself against his enemies, can she? Speaking of enemies, Savannah Ashleigh needs Temple’s help. Someone has murdered her aunt’s handyman and Savannah is worried the terminally ill Violet might be next. Meanwhile, Louie and Louise have their paws full with Violet’s huge clowder of neglected cats.

Comments: Oh, Carole. This was not one of your better entries. There were enough teasing little plot twists and so much discussion of what to do next that I felt like I was in a third-rate soap opera. The Midnight Louie books have been some of my favorites, but now I’m wavering as to whether I want to continue.

2011-08-15T17:03:00.000-05:00

Kitty’s Big Trouble by Carrie Vaughn
307 pages

Started: August 12th, 2011
Finished: August 13th, 2011

Series: Kitty Norville series #9
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: In between researching her newfound theory that General Sherman was a werewolf, Kitty gets a call from a vampire named Anastasia who needs serious help. She has to keep an ancient artifact called the Dragon’s Pearl out of the hands of an evil vampire who wants it for himself. Now Kitty, Cormac, and Ben are combing the famous tunnels beneath San Francisco. There’s a reason not many people brave the tunnels, and Kitty’s friends might have found out why…

Comments: Aside from the interesting fact that an ancient Chinese artifact has somehow found its way to San Francisco, this was a pretty good read. I don’t know anything about Chinese mythology (except that dragons are cool), so it was really neat to get some insight into that particular genre.

2011-08-15T17:02:00.000-05:00

This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
357 pages

Started: August 10th, 2011
Finished: August 12th, 2011

Series: Night Huntress series #5
Favorite Quote: Cat, commenting on the almost all-male assault team she’s a part of, “I might be the only chick in the group, but that didn’t make me the damsel in distress.” p. 223

Summary: Cat and her husband Bones have been through a lot together, and there doesn’t seem to be any rest for the wicked. Cat’s newfound, bizarre vampire talents have caught the eye of the evil Apollyon, an ancient vampire determined to make Cat the scapegoat for all-out war between the ghouls and the vampires. In a fight this big, Cat and Bones are willing to take whatever allies they can find—even the spooky Queens of New Orleans herself.

Comments: Even with three years between the previous book and this one, Frost doesn’t miss a beat. Most of the confusion I had was trying to remember what had happened back in 2009, rather than any missed clarifications on the author’s part. I never thought I’d see Cat and Bones again, so it was a treat to see what they’ve been up to since the last time.

2011-08-11T15:24:00.002-05:00

Brute Strength by Susan Conant
216 pages

Started: August 8th, 2011
Finished: August 11th, 2011

Series: Dog Lover's Mystery series #19
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Part of Holly’s duties with the local malamute rescue group include, regretfully, turning down applicants she feels would not be a good fit with her favorite breed. It’s not personal, but when several members of the group begin receiving obscene phone calls and letters, Holly decides enough is enough and begins to investigate with the help of her new neighbor Vanessa.

Comments: Holly and the gang are back after a four-year break, and I’m pleasantly surprised how well-written this entry is. Some authors tend to stumble after coming back to a series, but not Conant. A little right-wing on how absolutely fantastically undoubtedly inarguably (etc., etc.,) wonderful dogs are, but not nearly as off-putting as previous books.

2011-08-08T20:24:00.000-05:00

Time Caster by Joe Kimball
320 pages

Started: August 6th, 2011
Finished: August 7th, 2011

Series: Timecaster series #1
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Talon Avalon is a cop in futuristic Chicago. Crime has dropped to an all-time low ever since the invention of the TVA, a projector that allows police to view crimes that have already happened. With a guarantee of being caught, bad guys have pretty much given up. So when a man reports the murder of his aunt, Talon is understandably intrigued. He agrees to TVA the woman’s apartment to find the killer’s identity, but never expected to see…himself.

Comments: Joe Kimball is the pseudonym of J.A. Konrath, who penned the Jack Daniels series I used to devour. Talon turns out to be Jack’s grandson, which was the only reason I decided to read this book. A patron’s assurance that the book eventually got better was the only reason I kept reading it. The high dosage of technology, coupled with my need to frequently consult the glossary in the back of the book gave me a headache. Goodbye, Talon Avalon. Wish I could say it’s been fun.

2011-08-08T20:23:00.001-05:00

Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
File size 2818 KB

Started: August 5th, 2011
Finished: August 5th, 2011

Series: The Hollows series #1
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Rachel Morgan is a bounty hunter witch who’s been busted down to collaring stray leprechauns. Not the way she expected her life to turn out, but it’s better than nothing. Then her one-time partner, Ivy, approaches her with a proposition. Ditch their jobs and strike out on their own. Rachel agrees, but her boss refuses to let her go. Now, to earn her freedom, Rachel’s got to pull off the biggest case of her career.

Comments: Pretty cool book. The characters are well drawn, especially my new favorite—Jenks. I hope to see more of him in the books to come.

2011-08-08T20:22:00.000-05:00

Spying in High Heels by Gemma Halliday
File size 224 KB

Started: August 3rd, 2011
Finished: August 5th, 2011

Series: High Heels Mysteries series #1
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: L.A. Fashionista Maddie Springer is not having a good week. Her boyfriend’s disappeared and is under suspicion of first embezzlement, then murder. Maddie knows he’s innocent, but keeps getting sidetracked by her drama-stricken life while trying to prove it. Throw in an evil pregnancy test, the sexiest cop in California, and one hideously purple maid of honor dress, and it’s enough to make any self-respecting fashion plate give up.

Comments: This was one of my Nookbooks, hence the file size vs number of pages. A charming little bit of fluff that didn’t make me think too hard while trying to accustom myself to reading off a screen instead of a page. The characters were appealing enough for me to give the second book in the series a try.

2011-08-03T10:43:00.002-05:00

The Secret Confessions of Anne Shakespeare by Arliss Ryan
461 pages

Started: August 1st, 2011
Finished: August 2nd, 2011

Series: None

Favorite Quote: Anne, musing on finding a patron, “How do I find someone who will pay me to do what I love doing but no one will open his purse for? An honest farmer need not ask that question. He has cabbage and carrots and turnips to vend. The haberdasher and saddle maker require no lordly sponsor. They put out their wares and customers flock to buy. But to sell words, ay, there’s the rub. Who will pay for a puff of air?” p. 153

Summary: Anne Hathaway is just beginning to consider looking for a husband when she finds herself knocked up by Will Shakespeare—a boy eight years younger than herself—and is forced to marry him. Will is less than thrilled, and within five years abandons her. Anne sets off after him and refuses to go home again. Setting up shop as Will’s sister, Anne begins earning their way with embroidery but quickly realizes that—like her “brother”--she too has literary talents. Together, the Shakespeares will make a lasting impression and Theatre will never be the same.

Comments: The true authorship of Shakespeare’s plays has long been debated, and Ryan throws her hat into the ring with her own fictional explanation. Well written, historical fans as well as Shakespeare fans will enjoy this book. I loved it on both accounts

2011-08-03T10:42:00.000-05:00

Death & The Magician by Raymund Fitzsimons
169 pages

Started: July 25th 2011
Finished: August 1st, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: “It was said that his [Houdini’s] chains, like St Peter’s, were unshackled by angels, or devils; that he could attenuate his body to such a degree that it slid through keyholes; that he could dematerialize himself and pass through solid wood planks and stone walls. In another age, had he wished, he could have become a god for such people, commanding adoration by his performance of miracles. In another age he could have been burnt at the stake.” p. 60

Summary: Born Erich Weiss, Houdini was quite possibly the most gifted magician and escapologist ever born. For years he travelled the country with his wife Bess, perfecting his act and debunking false ones. There wasn’t a cell, box, or bag that could contain him. Only Death proved inescapable.

Comments: I didn’t set out with a firm resolve to read Houdini’s biography. I walked past the book on a display shelf and picked it up more out of sheer curiosity. It’s a great cut-and-dried retelling of Houdini’s life whether you’re a rabid Houdini scholar or just a mildly intrigued casual reader.

2011-07-25T19:05:00.000-05:00

The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog, and of His Friend Marilyn Monroe by Andrew O’Hagan
277 pages

Started: July 23rd, 2011
Finished: July 25th, 2011

Series: None

Favorite Quote: Marilyn, quoting Dr. Chris, who was quoting Anna Freud, “One never really loses a father if he was good enough” p. 270

Summary: Mafia Honey—Maf for short—was a gift from Frank Sinatra to Marilyn Monroe during the last months of her life. Maf and his “fated companion” did it all—saw Sammy Davis, met several famous people, endured several shrinks, and had many adventures with their communist friends. Through it all, Maf philosophically quotes Trotsky and attempts to love his humans.

Comments: This is such a Sixties book. Drugs, philosophy, Trotskyism, sex, Communists, post-modernism, fear of The Bomb, unintelligible whining. Not being a child of the sixties, I was lost about 97% of the time. The only thing I enjoyed was the concept that cats speak in verse, while dogs prefer prose.

2011-07-25T19:04:00.001-05:00

Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon & Dean Hale
144 pages

Started: July 22nd, 2011
Finished: July 23rd, 2011

Series: Rapunzel's Revenge series #1
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Rapunzel who lived in a manor house with her mother. One day Rapunzel climbed to the top of the large garden wall. What she saw beyond the wall changed her life forever.

Comments: Normally, I would never have read this graphic novel, but I had to choose one for my library’s next staff meeting. This was actually a pretty fun read. I loved Rapunzel’s sassy narrative style, especially combined with the spot-on facial expressions on the illustrations.

2011-07-25T19:03:00.002-05:00

The Wolves of Andover by Kathleen Kent
300 pages

Started: July 17th,2011
Finished: July 22th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: “If only all armed conflict could be decided instead by scything a field of timothy grass. Then, she [Martha] thought, every townsman could return to a whole roof and a waist full of game pie, their champions lying over the windrows of wild weeds and thistles in the summer-mown earth, not in tormented death but in comfortable exhaustion. But men, being what they are, could never take the excise of battle without tearing apart the land, pulling the sky and its curtain of stars in afterwards.” p. 207

Summary: At 23 years old, Martha Allen is considered a spinster—and a shrewish one at that. Sent to her cousin Patience to aid in the impending birth, Martha butts heads with everyone she meets, except their hired man, Thomas Carrier. The feeling is mutual, but Thomas has a deadly secret. He fought on the wrong side of the war in England, and barely escaped to the colonies. If he’s caught, death will be the least of his problems.

Comments: Having read Kent’s first book, The Heretic’s Daughter and cried at the end, I was bracing myself for an inevitably unhappy ending. That, perhaps, kept me from enjoying the book as much as I should. The Epilogue, however, saved the day when I realized the star of this book was the mother of the star of Kent’s first book. It was a nice surprise.

2011-07-17T14:51:00.001-05:00

Tell Me Where It Hurts by Nick Trout
286 pages

Started: July 16th,2011
Finished: July 17th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: Trout, “I think some people assume surgeons have a God complex [….] To me, nothing could be further from the truth. Surgeons are not God. God doesn’t have to worry. God doesn’t feel guilty. God doesn’t make mistakes. And we most certainly do.” p. 273

Summary: A day in the life of veterinary surgeon Nick Trout. Feathered, finned, or furry, Dr. Trout does his best to make each pet (and their owners) “all better.”

Comments: I was expecting James Herriot. What I got were a few short case histories sandwiched between long sidetracking diatribes about completely irrelevant topics. Oh, and a note to the pathetic excuse of an editor who proof-read this train wreck of errors: Distraught owners “bawl” their eyes out; they don’t “ball” them out (not in G-rated company at least). Crazy dogs “wreak” havoc, they don’t “reek” it. And to the best of my knowledge, it is not possible to “peak” inside an animal. You may want to “peek” inside instead. Jeez.

2011-07-17T14:50:00.001-05:00

How They Croaked: the awful ends of the awfully famous by Georgia Bragg
184 pages

Started: July 15th, 2011
Finished: July 16th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: An appropriately gruesome look at the painful ends of nineteen famous people from King Tut to Albert Einstein. Interspersed with interesting tidbits about cremation, embalming, and the peculiar effects of poison.

Comments: Well, this book certainly doesn’t shy away from the gross details. I can picture middle schoolers the world over going “eeeuuuwwww!” when they read it. I was already familiar with how most of the people died (though I was surprised to learn it wasn’t actually an asp that did Cleopatra in) but it was entertaining to view their deaths from a kid’s point of view.

2011-07-15T21:18:00.003-05:00

One Nation Under Sex by Larry Flynt & David Eisenbach
264 pages

Started: July 10th, 2011
Finished: July 15th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: “The old line that a politician can survive a sex scandal unless he was caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy has now become a fact in American life” p. 262

Summary: Sex. It’s done as much—if not more—to shape our nation’s policies, heritage, and history than any treaty, doctrine or agenda. This book highlights the effects the bedroom antics of famous politicians such as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abe Lincoln, Ike Eisenhower, Eleanor Roosevelt, JFK, Bill Clinton (and more) have had on America.

Comments: When I first saw Larry Flynt’s name on this book, I was a little apprehensive. Right or wrong, I tend to associate him with muck-raking of the lowest degree. But I was pleasantly surprised. He provides all the gory, drool-inducing tidbits in a straight-forward, “just the facts” manner. I particularly liked his conclusion—that the sooner America calms down and realizes that their leaders are adults of legal age and have healthy sex drives, the sooner we can focus on the really important stuff.

2011-07-13T14:42:00.002-05:00

The Red Market by Scott Carney
238 pages

Started: July 9th, 2011
Finished: July 13th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: An in-depth look at the “red market”—the procurement system behind human products--organs, stem cells, bones, blood, eggs, children, hair, etc. Who are the people obtaining these items? Who are the donors? And is there a better way to go about the business of purchasing human flesh?

Comments: This is my first “investigative reporting” style book, and it raised some interesting questions. I learned a lot about the seamy underside of the “flesh market.” One large objection I had was Carney’s insistence in lumping adoptive children in with other “human products.” In his view, “purchasing” (i.e. paying the regular fees and costs) a child seems to be no different that purchasing a hair weave. I don’t know that one woman's updo should have the same moral repercussions as another woman's daughter.

2011-07-09T19:30:00.001-05:00

Undead and Undermined by MaryJanice Davidson
276 pages

Started: July 7th, 2011
Finished: July 9th, 2011

Series: Betsy Taylor series #10
Favorite Quote: Dr. Benson, “[…] 99.5% of the human race is comprised by idiots, and the other 0.5% by morons.” p. 3

Summary: Betsy and Laura have survived their time-travelling jaunt to Hell, mostly, and have come home to a parallel universe where Jessica is hugely pregnant, Garrett is alive, Nick’s name is Dick—and he doesn’t hate Betsy, and Betsy’s mom is dating a professor named Clive. In between trying desperately to assimilate this newfound information, Betsy also has to deal with her sister’s odd personality changes, liberate Antonia (the werewolf, not the Ant) from Hell, apologize to her mother for decking Clive, rescue Marc, and stop herself from ruining the world.

Comments: Painful. Confusing. Plot-less. Infuriating. Idiotic. Betrayal. Waste of time. Those are just some of the descriptors that come to mind when describing this book. Oh, MaryJanice, how far you have fallen. I don’t even feel guilty when I say I will not be continuing in this series.

2011-07-07T11:30:00.003-05:00

Fine-Feathered Death by Linda Johnston
261 pages

Started: July 5th, 2011
Finished: July 6th, 2011

Series: Kendra Ballantyne series #3
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Things are finally looking up in Kendra’s life. She’s got her law license back, a hot boyfriend, and a wonderful new boss. Plus, she can continue her pet-sitting as a sideline. Life is good until one of the firm’s partners is found murdered…with the only witness a gorgeous macaw named Gigi. Kendra's boyfriend is the top suspect, but with him spending so much time with his ex-wife, Kendra's not entirely convinced he doesn't deserve prison.

Comments: Johnston included my #1 pet peeve in this book. Her characters complain that things are easier in books, but since they’re dealing with real life things are much tougher. It isn’t cute when fictional characters bemoan the real world, it’s just annoying.

2011-07-06T14:54:00.001-05:00

Invincible by Sherrilyn Kenyon
420 pages

Started: July 4th, 2011
Finished: July 5th, 2011

Series: Chronicles of Nick series #2
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Okay. Nick has survived getting shot by his friends and brought the zombie curse to a halt at his school. His only worries now should be getting a girlfriend and trying not to get into trouble, right? Not even close. The world isn’t the same as it used to be. There are otherworldly creatures everywhere, and all of them are bent on one thing—find Nick Gauthier and convert him…or kill him.

Comments: I love the Dark Hunter world Kenyon has created. That’s really all I’ve got to say. :)

2011-07-06T14:53:00.001-05:00

A Skeleton in God’s Closet by Paul Maier
369 pages

Started: July 2nd, 2011
Finished: July 4th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: University professor Jon Weber is looking forward to his sabbatical. His old mentor, Austin Jennings, has invited him out to Israel to dig at Rama with him. Jon is in seventh heaven until he notices an odd little cavern and begins to excavate it. What he finds is amazing—bones and an odd inscription that will rock Christianity to its core. Is the find true? Or a fantastical hoax?

Comments: A much denser read than I’ve been exposed to lately. Lots of mind-numbing archaeological details and drawings, and a plethora of poorly drawn one-dimensional characters. That said, the premise of this book was so absolutely fascinating I could not put it down. I don’t think I would have a problem if the find turned out to be true—my Christianity is a lot more flexible than the Church’s!

2011-07-06T14:51:00.000-05:00

Ronald Reagan: the notes by Douglas Brinkley
265 pages

Started: June 30th, 2011
Finished: July 2nd, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: “Some people are so indecisive their favorite color is plaid.” p. 199

Summary: Edited compilation of Ronald Reagan’s notecards used in speeches, letters, and presentations.

Comments: I was expecting a biographical commentary on how Reagan viewed his life and those around him. What I got amounted to a collection of sound bites. I am in awe of how well-read and well-educated Reagan (or his speech writers) were. So many varied sources come into play with these little snippets.

2011-06-30T17:11:00.000-05:00

Desert Places by Blake Crouch
299 pages

Started: June 27th, 2011
Finished: June 30th, 2011

Series: Andrew Thomas series #1
Favorite Quote: Andy, when Walter mentions his children, "Everybody feels sorry for me when I tell them I don't wanna get married or have kids. But it's not like pathetic resignation. I just happen to know for a fact that there isn't a single person out there I'd wanna wake up beside day in and day out." p. 118

Summary: Best-selling writer Andrew Thomas has a wonderful life. Good friends, great agent, and he’s just finished his next book. Life comes crashing down around his ears when he receives a letter in the mail, telling him there is a dead body on his property doused in his blood and covered in his fingerprints. He has 24 hours to find the body and call the attached phone number. If he doesn’t, the unknown letter sender will go to the police. If he does, it’s only the beginning of the nightmare.

Comments: I started this series at the urging of a patron, who thought I might enjoy Crouch as much as I do his good friend J.A. Konrath. Crouch is just as twisted as Konrath, without losing sight of the plot as some of Konrath’s later novels seem to do. Having said that, I do not think I will be reading the next in the series. Just didn’t do it for me.

2011-06-29T14:21:00.003-05:00

Even God is Single (so stop giving me a hard time) by Karen Salmansohn
unpaged

Started: June 30th, 2011
Finished: June 30th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: “Married people are not necessarily better simply because they were caught. I mean, have you taken a look at some of the married people out there?”

Summary: Single ladies, are you tired of the “why aren’t you married?” question? This book contains 26 smart-ass replies to that perennial query.

Comments: I’m 32 and still single. My mother has been terrific about not jumping on the “why aren’t you married?” bandwagon. Some of my friends, not so much. I read this book as a joke, not really expecting to find anything halfway helpful in it. I was right. But it’s a great way to spend ten minutes or so.

2011-06-27T15:38:00.001-05:00

Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
308 pages

Started: June 24th, 2011
Finished: June 26th, 2011

Series: Stephanie Plum series #17
Favorite Quote: Lula and Connie, discussing cockfights, "Lula: 'I don't have patience with people mistreating animals. And I like chickens.' Connie: 'Especially when they're hacked up into pieces and fried.'" p. 263

Summary: Stephanie Plum is going through a rough patch. Grandma Bella has put The Eye on her, one of her FTAs thinks he’s a vampire, her mother is trying to set her up, the brother of another FTA has sworn revenge on her, she has the mother of all zits, an elderly woman keeps trying to run her over, dead bodies are popping up sporting gift tags that read “For Stephanie,” and she’s just slept with Ranger twice! Just another day in the Burg.

Comments: I’d been halfway suspecting Evanovich would hang up the Stephanie Plum series after the last book. It seemed a fitting end to the series, but I’m just as happy she didn’t agree with me. This was a better book than some of the past entries, though I thought the villain was much too obvious. Had that person pegged from the moment I met them.

2011-06-25T11:42:00.000-05:00

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
473 pages

Started: June 23rd, 2011
Finished: June 24th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: Pete, after Louie qualified for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, “Am I ever happy. I have to go around with my shirt open so that I have enough room for my chest.” P. 27

Summary: A hell-raisingly mischievous child and teen, Louie Zamperini grew into a fantastic runner. After participating in the 1936 Olympics, Louie set his sights on the 1940 games, but Fate intervened and he spent the next three years as an airman. Then in May of 1943 Louie’s plane went down over the ocean. For two years he endured horrendous events—the plane crash, months at sea, and three Japanese POW camps. He survived, barely.

Comments: If the sticker on the spine didn’t denote this as a non-fiction book, I would have accused Hillenbrand of unrealistic expectations as to how much trauma a single human being can take and flung the book aside. I had to keep reminding myself that this was not an over-enthusiastic flight of the author’s imagination, but the trials of a real person. There’s no doubt in my mind I would never have made it as far as Louie did.

2011-06-25T11:41:00.000-05:00

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
350 pages

Started: June 22nd, 2011
Finished: June 23rd, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: After his parents died in a car crash, Jacob fled vet school before sitting his final exams and joined the circus as a veterinarian and man-of-all-work. Animal trainer August befriends Jacob until his terrible fits of paranoia and murderous rage leave Jacob filled with hatred. August is a monster, and Jacob will do whatever it takes to rescue his new targets—his wife Marlena, and their elephant Rosie.

Comments: I can see where people would adore this book, and I can see why Hollywood decided to make it into a movie. It’s a good read, has all the expected (and some unexpected) plot twists. I’m glad I read it so I know what all the fuss is about. But it never quite grabbed me the way I expected it to.

2011-06-23T10:20:00.001-05:00

Firespell by Chloe Neill
246 pages

Started: June 22nd, 2011
Finished: June 22nd, 2011

Series: Dark Elite series #1
Favorite Quote: Lilly, “My father imagines himself a great comedian. My father has quite the imagination.” (I’m paraphrasing; I returned the book before I could get the exact quote…or the page #)

Summary: Fifteen-year-old New Yorker Lilly Parker has just arrived at St. Sophia’s School for Girls in Chicago after her parents embarked on a two-year sabbatical in Germany. Boarding school is just as awful as Lilly feared until she’s befriended by her roommate, Scout. Scout helps Lilly acclimate, but won’t answer all her questions. Where does Scout go late at night? Why does she always seem so tired? And what on earth is in the basement of the school?

Comments: I’m such a fan of Chloe Neill’s Chicagoland Vampires series that I thought to try her young adult series The Dark Elite. It’s a well-written series, and I’d love it if I were about fifteen years younger. But I just can’t get excited about a bunch of teenagers and their drama.

2011-06-20T16:17:00.001-05:00

Jack Daniels Stories by J.A. Konrath
299 pages

Started: June 17th, 2011
Finished: June 19th, 2011

Series: None, but features characters from the Jack Daniels series
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Fifteen stories starring Phineas Trout, Harry McGlade, and Jack Daniels of the best selling Jack Daniels series. And a novella by guest author Jack Kilborne.

Comments: Eh. It’s always fun spending time with Jack and the gang, but you won’t miss much if you skip this compilation. I particularly liked Phin’s stories—gives a neat little peek inside his head.

2011-06-20T16:14:00.000-05:00

Deadliest Bite by Jennifer Rardin
309 pages

Started: June 14th, 2011
Finished: June 17th, 2011

Series: Jaz Parks series #8
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: After centuries of searching for his sons, Vayl is surprised when one of them actually finds him. Unfortunately, Aaron is more interested in murdering dear old Ultimate Dad than bonding with him. It’s the only way his current father’s soul will be freed from Hell. Since Jaz and company have to go there anyway to carve Brude’s name on the gate and free Jaz from his influence, it seems most expedient to take Junior with them. Maybe they’ll find a way to save Dad that doesn’t involve Vayl’s death.

Comments: The last in a wonderful series. After thoroughly loving the book, and appreciating the way Rardin tied up everybody’s loose ends, I flipped on to her bio to see if it would give a hint to what her next project is going to be. Well. Am I the only person who didn’t know she died in Sept? Thank you, Jennifer, for such terrific books and loveable characters. Your books are some of my favs

2011-06-14T20:26:00.002-05:00

Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill
350 pages

Started: June 12th, 2011
Finished: June 13th, 2011

Series: Chicagoland Vampires series #4
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Chicago’s shapeshifters have followed the vampires’ lead and revealed themselves to the world—to the horror and shock of mankind. While dealing with nightly protests outside Cadogan House, Merit and Eric are summoned by the Mayor of Chicago. His Honor is not amused by the riots and anger in Chicago and has heard reports of deadly vampire raves. He wants Merit and Eric to find out why the vamps have suddenly gone berserk and fix the problem. Or else he’ll arrest Eric for disturbing the peace. Merit needs all the help she can get, and isn’t picky about who she asks.

Comments: Now I know why my coworker said she couldn’t talk to me until I finished the book. The way Merit kept harping on how important her support network was kinda clued me in that she was in for a big loss.

2011-06-14T20:26:00.001-05:00

First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones
310 pages

Started: June 6th, 2011
Finished: June 12th, 2011

Series: Charley Davidson series #1
Favorite Quote: Charley, commenting on her life, “If I couldn’t be a good example, I’d just have to be a horrible warning.” p. 183

Summary: Ever since she was five years old, Charley Davidson has helped solve murders. After all, when you’re a grim reaper and can talk to ghosts it’s pretty easy to find out who the killer is. All you have to do is ask their victims. For one ghost, Charley’s questions are more than just “who killed you.” A nightly visitor—complete with mind-blowing sex—is becoming more and more entwined in Charley’s life. Who is he? What does he want with Charley?

Comments: The fact that it took me six days to read this book speaks volumes about my enthusiasm (or in this case the lack thereof). Charley’s mindless drool-spawning fascinated obsession with Reyes Farrow drove me crazy. Then the plot lost me about halfway through. Either Jones suddenly introduced a whole bunch of new characters or I need to pay closer attention.

2011-06-06T14:51:00.000-05:00

Claude & Camille by Stephanie Cowell
330 pages

Started: June 1st, 2011
Finished: June 4th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: Claude, “Life isn’t simple. I want it to be. And then we lose the chance to go back and do things better.” p. 245

Summary: In the late 19th century, a struggling Bohemian painter named Claude Monet met and fell in love with his model, the upper class Camille Doncieux. Camille, in return, breaks with her family, throws over her fiancé, and sets up housekeeping with Claude and his odd friends—Cezanne, Pissarro, Degas, Bazille, and Manet.

Comments: What fun to meet so many Impressionist painters (albeit fictitiously)! I never would have found this book—let alone read it—if a patron hadn’t told me about it. I had more fun looking up all the paintings mentioned. If you’re going to read it, have a book of Monet’s paintings or the internet available.

2011-06-01T15:30:00.002-05:00

Air Force One: a history of the presidents & their planes by Kenneth Walsh
278 pages

Started: May 28th, 2011
Finished: May 31st, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: “William Jefferson Clinton took office in January 2003 promising to be a combination of Franklin Roosevelt and John Kennedy. Eight years later, after he was impeached by the House of Representatives for lying about his affair with former intern Monica Lewinsky, he seemed more a combination of Hugh Hefner, founder of the Playboy empire, and Otter, the charming but irresponsible fraternity boy in the movie Animal House." p. 176

Summary: Air Force One is recognized the world over as a powerful symbol of the United States. Walsh takes a look at the “flying presidents” from FDR to then-current president George W. Bush and how Air Force One impacted their presidency and their lives.

Comments: An interesting behind-the-scenes look at Air Force One, as well as some little-known (at least to me) tidbits about the presidents themselves. Good for any history buff who isn’t above a little bit of gossip.

2011-05-31T20:30:00.001-05:00

Knock Down by Sarah Graves
278 pages

Started: May 25th, 2011
Finished: May 27th, 2011

Series: Home Repair is Homicide series #14
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Jake Tiptree’s shady New York past has finally caught up with her. Twelve years ago, Jake was a money manager to some less than savory individuals…one of whom even brought his ten-year-old son with him to plead his case. Steven Garner owed the mob $50,000; and Jake refused to lend him the cash to pay off the debt. The man was murdered, and now the son has come to make Jake pay for letting his father die.

Comments: The last couple of entries in this series seem to have focused more on Jake and her trouble than an outside murder to investigate—something I miss from the earlier books in the series. I’m almost to the point where I question whether I want to continue with these books.

2011-05-26T09:44:00.000-05:00

Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
325 pages

Started: May 23rd, 2011
Finished: May 25th, 2011

Series: Sookie Stackhouse series #11
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Sookie is once again in the midst of danger. After someone firebombs Merlotte’s—owned by shape-shifter Sam—suspicion immediately falls on the anti-shapeshifter faction in town. Before she can get to the bottom of that conundrum, Sookie learns that Eric and Pam are plotting to kill Victor, the regent of Louisiana and their new boss. As much as Sookie hates vampire politics, she ultimately decides to lend a hand.

Comments: Phew. After last year’s refreshingly violence-free entry Dead in the Family , Harris more than makes up for it in this one. I actually had to stop every so often to get the bloody imagery out of my head!

2011-05-24T16:43:00.001-05:00

Shaken by J.A. Konrath
257 pages

Started: May 23rd, 2011
Finished: May 23rd, 2011

Series: Jack Daniels series #7
Favorite Quote: Dalton, to Jack, “There’s no good or evil, Jack. Each of us is the hero in the movie of our life. The only difference is that some of us are better at justifying our actions to ourselves…” p. 111

Summary: Three separate plots—one from 20 years ago, one from 3 years ago, and the present day alternate chapters. Jack and her partner Harry McGlade try to solve a string of paid companion murders in 1989. In 2007, Jack and Herb chase the infamously brutal serial killer Mr. K—credited with over 200 gruesomely horrific murders—but learn sometimes the bad guys get away. And in 2009, an unknown someone snatches Jack out of her house and commences a chilling regime of torture.

Comments: I finished this book and felt betrayed. I was so ready for the Big Red Herring of who dies to be true, and I thought it would be a fitting end to the series. Hah. I think I’m glad the next book—Stirred, out in February 2012—will be Konrath’s last in this series. The constant preference for violence over plot is beginning to annoy me.

2011-05-24T16:42:00.000-05:00

Hiss of Death by Rita Mae Brown
217 pages

Started: May 22nd, 2011
Finished: May 22nd, 2011

Series: Mrs. Murphy series #19
Favorite Quote: Cory’s response, when Harry asks if working with breast cancer patients is difficult, “I tell myself every woman I see is a legacy. She is teaching me for others..." p. 166

Summary: When a promising oncology nurse is found dead in her barn, the official cause is an allergic reaction to a hornet sting. Then another oncology-connected person is murdered. Then a third. In between her own health battles, Harry is determined to get to the bottom of things no matter how much her husband and friends wish she’d just butt out.

Comments: Minimal plot, maximum digressions. I miss the early books in the series—the ones where the plot actually made sense and I could keep up with the characters. By the time I got to the end of this book, I had no idea who the bad guy was, let alone why s/he was doing whatever it was that got him/her into trouble in the first place.

2011-05-24T16:41:00.000-05:00

Clara & Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland
397 pages

Started: May 20th, 2011
Finished: May 21st, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: Bernard and Hank are discussing artistic talent, “Bernard: ‘Is it really possible to detect talent in fourteen-year-old-children?’ Hank: ‘Yes, but it’s rarely possible to predict whether the divine spark will keep burning with enough steadiness to survive the world.’” p. 192

Summary: Mrs. Clara Driscoll adores her job as head of the Women’s Department for Louis Comfort Tiffany’s studios. A true artist, Clara is happiest when designing and selecting colors for Tiffany lamps. Slowly, however, Clara is forced to take a long hard look at her career. Continue working…or get married? Keep her artistic integrity…or knuckle under to the demands of the department?

Comments: I read the flap of this book and almost tossed it aside, expecting 397 pages of “will she marry her lover…or will she keep her job?” drama. I’m so glad I gave it a chance anyway. The romance is a very subtle sub-plot, allowing Vreeland to focus on the—to me—most fascinating part of the story: how those gorgeous Tiffany lamps came into being.

2011-05-20T12:38:00.001-05:00

The Poisoner’s Handbook by Deborah Blum
280 pages

Started: May 15th, 2011
Finished: May 19th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: Columnist Heywood Broun, in the New York World, commenting on the oft-deadly bootleg booze people drank during Prohibition, “The Eighteenth is the only amendment which carries the death penalty.” p. 159

Summary: A non-fiction account--set in the late 1920s and early 1930s
--of Charles Norris, the first medical examiner of New York City, and his toxicologist Alexander Gettler. Amid the backdrop of Prohibition, and later the Great Depression, a handful of men struggle to identify and classify the effects of different poisons appearing in a goodly number of the bodies they autopsy.

Comments: There is a liberal dose of easy-to-follow chemistry geekdom, but what makes the book so fascinating is the often-horrifying stories behind the poisoning cases. Be warned, this book is gross in spots and definitely not for animal-welfare activists. The descriptions of the scientific tests (mostly carried out by poisoning animals and then dissecting their brains) get a little...juicy. But if you don't mind your history with a certain amount of grittiness, this is a terrific book.

2011-05-15T15:43:00.000-05:00

Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
320 pages

Started: May 13th, 2011
Finished: May 13th, 2011

Series: Alcatraz series #1
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: On his thirteenth birthday, orphan Alcatraz Smedry received a bag of sand from his supposedly-dead parents, which was soon stolen by his case worker. The next day, a bizarre old man comes for Alcatraz. He says he’s Alcatraz’s grandfather, and if they don’t hurry, the Evil Librarians will use the sand to create the ultimate weapon in their quest to take over the world!

Comments: Librarians are evil, information-quashing, world-domination seeking enemies whose main purpose in life is to keep the rest of the world's populace in igorance. Yeah...whatever. ;)

2011-05-03T15:30:00.001-05:00

Sins of the Fathers by Lawrence Block
175 pages

Started: April 29th, 2011
Finished: May 2nd, 2011

Series: Matthew Scudder series #1
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Cale Hanniford has questions. His daughter Wendy was found murdered in her apartment. Her roommate, Richie Vanderpoel, had been arrested for the murder but hung himself hours after his capture. An open and shut case, except for the father’s wish to know more about his daughter’s last days. Ex-cop turned P.I. Matthew Scudder agrees to take the case.

Comments: Scudder is a functioning alcoholic with apparently super-natural powers when it comes to determining whodunit. Nothing I read even remotely pointed in the direction of the killer, yet within a few pages Scudder has not only twigged to the murderer, but confronts him and goes on to shed light on a whole other previously-unknown facet of the storyline. I was left scratching my head, and scratching Block off my list.

2011-04-29T13:04:00.001-05:00

Signing Their Lives Away by Denise Kiernan
245 pages

Started: April 25th, 2011
Finished: April 28th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: Collection of short biographies for every man who signed the Declaration of Independence. Includes little-known trivia and miscellaneous facts concerning one of our most important documents.

Comments: Fascinating. Though written ostensibly for children, the language and some of the authors’ comments really seem to be more adult-oriented. I’m ashamed to admit I only recognized a handful of the 56—57 if you count Hancock’s secretary—men who signed. Great read for any history buff.

2011-04-26T13:36:00.000-05:00

Death on the Lizard by Robin Paige
319 pages

Started: April 25th, 2011
Finished: April 25th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: Victorian Mystery series #12

Summary: Guglielmo Marconi is close to a breakthrough with his new wireless technology. Unfortunately, mishap after mishap plagues the station in Lizard village. After two “accidental” deaths, the head of the Board of Directors—Bradford Marseden—convinces Marconi to hire Charles Sheridan to poke around. Meanwhile, Kate and her friend Patsy have their hands full consoling Lady Jenna Loveday on the loss of her ten-year-old daughter, Harriet.

Comments: It’s always sad when one comes to the end of a beloved series. It’s somewhat less sad when said series has started to become less beloved and more ho-hum. I think Paige was right to end it when she did. Ever since she made the decision to give Beryl a voice, I’ve been less than thrilled with the books.

2011-04-25T10:34:00.003-05:00

Shakespeare Undead by Lori Handeland
291 pages

Started: April 24th, 2011
Finished: April 24th, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: None

Summary: William Shakespeare is not what you would call normal. Most writers have their own bizarre little quirks and eccentricities, but Will is different. He hears voices, sees ghosts, sleeps during the day, and has an unholy lust for blood. Kate Dymond isn’t normal either. Born in Jamaica, raised to be a hunter of zombies, she handles a sword better than anyone Will has ever seen. It’s inevitable they would meet, and fall in love—in between killing zombies and saving the world, of course.

Comments: It amuses me that, now that I’m free to read whatever I wish again, the first book I choose ends up being another explicit romance. Readers don’t have to be familiar with Shakespeare’s work to enjoy this odd little tale, but it adds so much more if you are.

2011-04-25T10:34:00.001-05:00

Barely a Lady by Eileen Dreyer
392 pages

Started: April 23rd, 2011
Finished: April 23rd, 2011

Series: Drakes Rakes series #1
Favorite Quote:

Summary: Olivia Grace’s husband divorced her and turned out of his home without a penny. Abandoned by her own family, Olivia has spent the past five years struggling to make a living. She’s also nourished a growing hatred for a certain Earl of Gracechurch, Jack Wyndham. When she finds a wounded Jack on the battlefield—in an enemy uniform—she’s tempted to leave him to die. Instead she brings him home to give him a chance to explain himself. Unfortunately, he awakes with amnesia. He thinks he’s still married to Olivia…and proceeds to treat her as such.

Comments: Book #5. Wow. For the first time in history I may have to go on and read the rest in the series. Excellent plot, loveable characters, and sex scenes that are loving without being lurid. Thus ends my romance judging for another year.

2011-04-22T22:41:00.000-05:00

You Only Love Once by Caroline Linden
371 pages

Started: April 20th, 2011
Finished: April 22nd, 2011

Series: None
Favorite Quote: “Most men kissed as if they wished to eat a woman in big, sloppy bites. Nate kissed her like a man tasting a rare delicacy…” p. 130

Summary: American Nate Avery is in London on a matter of some delicacy. Armed with a letter from President Monroe, he is to locate and bring back a certain Englishman wanted for forgery and embezzlement. His quest leads him to spymaster Stafford, who loans him Angelique—the best spy in England. Angelique however, has her own orders when it comes to apprehending the fugitive…

Comments: Book #4 is leaps and bounds better than #3. This one had a real plot, and dynamite between-the-sheets scenes (and staircase scenes…closet scenes…bedroom scenes…hackney cab scenes…). Only one more to go—dare I hope it’s even better?