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So I need some help

falldownnight — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 01:09:31 GMT

I've been reading the Anita Blake series by Laurell K Hamilton, and also re-reading the Twilight series, but I'm in need of some really good suggestions for book/authors. I love vampire love stories, and also vamp/wolf/crime/love combos :P You guys all rock so I'm sure someone can suggest something :D

Thanks in advance

Never Been Witched by Annette Blair

_ocelott_ — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:19:33 GMT

Series: Triplet Witch
Publisher: Berkley, 2009
Genre: Romance
Sub-genre: Paranormal

Read the full, spoiler-free review here.

Allow me to mention straight up that I haven't read the previous two books in the trilogy. It's not my usual choice to dive into a series by picking up the last book, but I had been assured Never Been Witched worked as a stand-alone. And it does, sort of. I could follow the story and the characters well enough, but I was also made aware I was missing pieces. So should anyone find themselves intrigued by this book, I highly recommend checking out the other two first, which will hopefully mean all the references to things having gone on before page 1 here isn't so very distracting.

A lot of the story focuses on the sex between Destiny and Morgan. This had some interesting potential, with him being a virgin and her being more experienced, but since Morgan was apparently able to learn everything he needed to know about sex from books, he manages to last all night his first time. In fact, he frequently pleasures Destiny until she passes out, which makes me think they must be doing something horribly wrong. Certainly it doesn't sound like much fun.

Having come to the series already in progress, I'm hoping the characters were well established in the previous two books. When they're not in bed, they're exploring the ghosts of Morgan's past and Destiny's psychic predictions (which seem to come true with 100% accuracy), and in spite of Morgan being creeped out by the eerieness of the way Destiny's predictions seem to reflect his life, they didn't seem as much the "opposites attracting" as the author wanted me to believe. Certainly not enough to justify Destiny's despair when she realizes she's in love with Morgan but they could never build a life together because they're just soooo very different.

In picking the book out of my TBR pile, I was hoping for something light and fun. Light it definitely was, although while it had its smileworthy moments, it ultimately failed to charm me. Readers looking to indulge in some psychic romance may want to give it a whirl (after reading the other two books), but I think it's really one of those books you have to already be anticipating to get much satisfaction from it.

Books 1 & 2

jayne_190 — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 08:48:50 GMT

Book #1
Title: Austenland
Author: Shannon Hale
# of Pages: 208
Rating (out of five): 3
Summary of the book: Thirty-three-year-old Jane Hayes, who has a fairly serious addiction to the Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice, inherits a trip to Pembrook Park, Kent, England, the location of a resort where guests dress, talk, think, and act in ways that Jane Austen would approve. Refusing to lie about her age, even on vacation in a place right out of Austen's England, Jane finds herself quickly overcoming the obsession with Mr. Darcy that may very well have jeopardized her 13 "relationships" over the years. Left to walk in last to dinner, mildly obsessed with one of the hotel's gardeners, and annoyed by another guest's overeager attempts to bag a man, Jane is eager to return to Manhattan. Then she decides to give it all one more chance, since Great-Aunt Carolyn did see fit to pay for the entire vacation.

Review: Nice quick read to start the year. Something light and easy and something I can say that I can say I am obsessed with, especially since I have watched the BBC version of the P&P several times and have read the book and loved it.

Book #2
Title: Edge of Recall
Author: Kirsten Heitzmann
# of Pages: 416
Rating (out of five): 4
Summary of the book: Tessa is a landscape architect obsessed with labyrinths. She is drawn to the ruins of an intriguing labyrinth; however, to follow her passion, she must work with a man she once loved but who ultimately betrayed her.
Review: Very well done. Even though it was a cheeky, Christian romance book at the end of the book, it was very much a page turner and at times I was spooked out. I was pleasantly surprised at how little the author mentioned Christianity in the book.

Industrial Memory by Gary Frank

_ocelott_ — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:29:00 GMT

Publisher: Medallion, 2008
Genre: Horror
Sub-genre: Paranormal

Read the full (spoiler-free) review here.

As is common for the horror genre, all the major characters have tragic backstories and are generally miserable people before the action even begins. Which, I'll admit, kind of annoys me. I understand trying to set the tone, but I get bored when every single person is so very very miserable... oh yeah, and then bad stuff starts happening. Someone living a happy life has a lot more at stake, y'know?

The man with the failing marriage, the woman still recovering from the psychological damage heaped on by her abusive ex-boyfriend, the chick who's so very lonely but can't get too close to anyone for fear they'll be repulsed by her habit of cutting herself; all the characters are damaged in ways that might have been interesting if the story had been more focused on them, but instead we have a tale about the alien entity that wants to suck out their energy. Character development was awkward, since we see just enough of the major players to see their broken pieces but they never really get a chance to deal with their issues. Instead, they're dealing with freaky cables dropping from the ceiling and trying to strangle or cut them. Which, y'know, is really not the same thing at all.

With the character whinging out of the way, I did enjoy the dark tone, and I'll admit to having been creeped out a time or two. (The malicious cables were an especially nice touch.) The gruesome varieties of death and torture were imaginative and occasionally disturbing, and the book in general has a nice energy to it that keeps the pages turning.

The pacing was awkward. For the first half of the book, all of the mysterious occurances (with the exception of the first disappearance) are so minor the characters either don't take much notice or assume they're imagining things. Then, all at once, the building goes nuts and begins fusing doors and sucking people into the floor in an attempt to create terror and keep the people inside to provide a steady source of fear energy. Instead of a slow build to a natural climax, it felt more like "slow... slow... slow... suddenlyeverythingallatonceGO!"

Really, this is a story that had a lot of potential, but needed some tightening up. With the action and character development a little more evenly spread out and a few inconsistencies cleared up, this would have been a gripping novel. There are some really great ideas here, and it makes me sad that something with such a promising premise ultimately leaves me underwhelmed.

The Servants by Michael Marshall Smith

_ocelott_ — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:29:35 GMT

Publisher: Earthling, 2007
Genre: Fantasy
Sub-genre: Contemporary, YA

The Servants came to my attention through all the acclaim it seems to be getting. The book has been nominated for both the British Fantasy Awards and the World Fantasy Awards, which of course made me curious. A book nominated for two major awards should be pretty much made of awesome, so to the library I went for a copy. (You know how it is, my TBR pile just isn't big enough, so I've got to borrow more.)

Clicky for full review!

The characterization in The Servants is incredible. Smith clearly remembers what it's like to be eleven years old and powerless to make changes in your own life, and Mark's emotions and insights ring true on every page. He's frustrated and angry, but instead of coming across as hormonal and irritating, the result is actually quite heart-wrenching. Mark makes for a wonderful and sympathetic protagonist, someone who grows and changes and winds up making things work in his own way.

The plot is intriguing, a series of slow reveals bringing a broader viewpoint to the situation. My one complaint is that the ending is perhaps a little too pat, too tidily wrapped up when the point of the rest of the book is that the situation isn't as simple as it first seems.

The Servants is a powerful, emotional story about a very relatable kid whose frustration will resonate both with the younger set and any adult who remembers what it's like to be that age.

My Lord and Spymaster by Joanna Bourne

_ocelott_ — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:00:06 GMT

Publisher: Berkley, 2008
Genre: Romance
Sub-genre: Historical

What is with the seafoam green dress? Who outside of the 1970s wears seafoam green? Although I suppose she's not really wearing it, since the instant she takes a breath, that thing is going to fall right down. I'd also like to point out the big, creepy hand in the middle of her back. That this is downright creepy. Actually, the cover says "horror" more than "romance" to me, but I suppose some people are into disembodied hand love. Kinky.

Incidently, why is it called seafoam green? Sea foam is not that colour. Seriously.

And while I'm being picky, Jess has blonde hair and is described as golden, not a rosy brunette. Pah. This book so deserves a better cover.

Clicky for the full review!(spoiler-free)

Fear the power of this book's awesomeness. It will kick you in the head with its greatness, and you will be grateful it did.

I think it's fair to say I loved My Lord and Spymaster and highly recommend it to anyone who likes spies or mysteries or romance. Or ferrets. Or, y'know, just anyone who can read. If you'll excuse me, now, I have to go accost some random strangers and force them to read this book.

Book #17

jayne_190 — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:28:40 GMT

Title: Lock and Key
Author: Sarah Dessen
Genre: Fiction, Young Adult
# of pages: 422
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: A-

Description of the book: When she is abandoned by her alcoholic mother, high school senior Ruby winds up living with Cora, the sister she has not seen for ten years, and learns about Cora's new life, what makes a family, how to allow people to help her when she needs it, and that she too has something to offer others.

Review: A nice, quick read. After reading a couple of her books in which I wasn't really impressed with the story, I was somewhat hesitant in reading this book and I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the writing and was just as please with the book as I was when I read Just Listen last spring.

Up next: The Waterboy (has to be returned to the library)

17 / 50 books. 34% done!

5805 / 15000 pages. 39% done!

Book #16

jayne_190 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:13:27 GMT

Title: All she ever wanted
Author: Lynn Austin
Genre: Fiction, Christian
# of pages: 400
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: B+

Description of the book (from the back of the book): Thirty-five years ago, Kathleen fled her home, desperate to cast off weights of poverty and shame. But an unexpected invitation from her sister unwittingly draws her back to the sleepy New York town, her own daughter in tow.

A trip meant to salvage her relationship with her daughter changes course as Kathleen reexamines her own childhood. But even more enlightening are the stories of Eleanor, her once-vibrant mother, and Fiona, the grandmother she barely knew.

The more Kathleen learns, the more answers she seeks concerning her family's mysterious past. Yet with the past exposed, Kathleen is torn between her need to forgive and the urge to forget.

Review: A nice quick read, especially since its a familiar formula that I have encountered from Austin. While most of the book is well-written, the end of the book is a bit of downer, especially in the last few pages, where it becomes rather formulaic. Overall, it was good.

Up next: The Waterboy by Bobby Ackles

16 / 50 books. 32% done!

5383 / 15000 pages. 36% done!

Win a free book!

_ocelott_ — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:46:05 GMT

Just a note to say that genrereviews is having an awesome contest. It's reeeeally easy: clicky on the contest link, grab the book closest to you, flip to page 132, and give me the 7th line. (You probably want to give me the author and title, too, because I'm more than likely to ask.) Yes, that's really it. So go do it! Because the winner gets a free book of their choice from the list of books we've reviewed on the site.

Deadline's July 14, and you get an extra entry for every person you refer over. Tell 'em to say who sent them!

Cross-posted the contest announcement to a bunch of places, so my apologies if you get it more than once.

Book #15

jayne_190 — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 06:06:06 GMT

Title: Secrets
Author: Kristen Heitzmann
Genre: Fiction, Christian
# of Pages: 410
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: A

Description of the book: Lance Michelli is on a quest to discover the secrets his grandmother cannot tell. What happened all those years ago, and what is it she so desperately needs him to find? The old villa in Sonoma holds the answers, but it is now owned by a young woman who neither knows nor cares about his mission. But Rese Barret is a force to contend with, and her own impending storm could sweep him up as their sparring creates a fierce and uncomfortable attraction.

Review: This was my third time reading the book and just like the previous two times that I read the book, I really enjoyed it. While it is a Christian novel, I found it to be well written and quite enjoyable. Hopefully the next two books in the series will be equally as so.

Up Next: Not quite sure yet.

15 / 50 books. 30% done!

4983 / 15000 pages. 33% done!

Survival by Julie E Czerneda

_ocelott_ — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:30:59 GMT

Series: Species Imperative
Publisher: DAW, 2005
Genre: Science fiction
Sub-genre: Alien encounters

Cross-posted from genrereviews.

I have to give kudos to the cover artist for making the alien match the description in the book. It's refreshing to see something that actually looks the way it's supposed to. The Dhryn are described in great detail, and it looks like someone was paying attention.

I'm not really sure what the girl's doing with her chest thrust so far out in the air, though. I'd say she's trying to force us to stare at her chest, but she doesn't seem overly burdened there. Maybe she smells something strange. Judging by the look on her face, it's not the most pleasant thing she's ever smelled. Either that, or she took Joey Tribbiani's acting classes and is trying to look thoughtful.

Dr Mackenzie Connor, or "Mac" as she prefers to be called, is a biologist, her research specializing in salmon and the necessity for diversity to continue the species. Working with her best friend, the fun-loving Dr Emily Mamani, Mac has settled in an isolated area where she's free to study her beloved fish. Without warning, their studies are interrupted by an alien visitor and his human entourage, ruining any chance Mac and Emily might have had to collect untampered data.

Mac has never had any interest in affairs outside her own little realm, in spite of her status as one of the few researchers at the facility who has never been offworld or interacted with aliens. This time, she doesn't have a choice; Brymn has come specifically in search of her. Big, blue, and very enthusiastic, he has come to her for help, believing her area of expertise will be useful in his search for an explanation behind the obliterated worlds that are known as the Chasm. She's told the work is urgent, and potentially a matter of survival for both species, but the importance doesn't really sink in until the research facility is attacked and Emily kidnapped.

Having barely survived the attack herself, Mac is brought to the Dhryn world for safety, Brymn and his people being the only ones with effective protection from the Ro, the mysterious and invisible aliens who kidnapped Emily. Now Mac, who previously was more than content to never even think about anything occuring outside her friends, family, and salmon, is the only human ever having set foot on the planet of Dhryn. Because of the threat the Ro present, Mac can't even have outside contact from the human world. All she can do now is learn as much as possible about the Dhryn, the Ro, and their histories in hopes of stumbling across the secret of the Chasm so they can stop the human and Dhryn worlds from being obliterated in the same way. In the process, she may start finding out the truths behind the things she previously thought she knew.

Sorry if I lost anyone there, it's kind of a complex plotline going on there. Czerneda has quite the story here to tell, full of twists and feints and possibilities. The plot is one of those "can't wait to find out what happens next" types, and on its own is enough to ensure I'm itching to get my fingers on the other two books in the trilogy.

The characters are as involving as the story itself, and I found myself really caring about what happened to each of them by the time they got swallowed in the events surrounding them. Brymn was especially well drawn, balancing his completely alien reasoning with enough "humanity" (so to speak) to make him sympathetic.

It's clear Czerneda put a lot of work into her aliens, and every detail is there. No, I mean it. Every detail. There were times I lost track of the story because of the great detail of the Dhryn race or world. These were the sections I found the book easy to set down or skimming over, because they were often really long. We're not talking Tolkien levels of over-descriptiveness, but it was enough to discourage me, and as a result, this book took me a lot longer to finish than it should have, especially because I really liked the story and the characters. Granted, this is the first book in a trilogy, and a certain amount of worldbuilding is to be expected if the story is going to last more than a few hundred pages. I have high hopes that the second and third books will skip over some of the lengthy descriptions that Survival suffered from, since we've been through them already.

I really loved the way the book ended, I have to say. It was fully satisfying and it may not have been the way I wanted things to go, but it was the only way the story could have ended. There aren't many things I enjoy more than a book that can elicit an emotional response from me as it ends, and this definitely counts as one of those.

Book #14

jayne_190 — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:36:55 GMT

Title: 21: Bringing Down the House
Author: Ben Mezrick
Genre: Non-fiction
# of pages: 340
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: B+

Description of the book: The long-running New York Times bestseller that has become a cultural phenomenon, Bringing Down the House is an action-filled caper carried out by the unlikeliest of cons -- supersmart geeks. Gambling pervaded the M.I.T. campus, and genius kids with money and glittering futures were just as likely to be found in a Paradise Island casino as in the school library. A highly elite group of mathletes was recruited to join The Club, a small, secret blackjack organization dedicated to counting cards and beating the major casinos across the nation at their own game. As a successful ring of card savants, backed by a mysterious ringleader and shadowy investors, they infiltrated Vegas and won millions.

Review: If you are thinking that the book is going to be anything like the movie, you have got that wrong. While there are parts that are slightly sluggish, the book does move at a quick pace and you are seduced into what seems to be a glizty type of life. Recommened.

Up next: I have not a clue

14 / 50 books. 28% done!

4573 / 15000 pages. 30% done!

Memory in Death by JD Robb

_ocelott_ — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:27:14 GMT

Series: In Death series
Publisher: Berkley, 2006
Genre: Mystery/suspense

Cross-posted from genrereviews.

I'm not sure why they started putting Nora Roberts's name on her JD Robb books. I'm pretty sure they didn't always do that, and one would think it defeats the purpose of starting a new line with a new name. Maybe the publishers felt the series could use an extra push by pulling in Roberts's devout romance fans, who knows? I don't think the alter ego was ever particularly secret, but I know a major reason authors will change their name with a new series like this is to broaden their reading audience. People who would never be interested in a Nora Roberts romance may well be willing to try a murder mystery by JD Robb, and she can make a drastic genre shift without confusing or infuriating her regular readers. That much makes sense to me. The double name on the cover? I dunno, but it makes the cover layout a little more confusing.

The cover itself is very, very orange. I don't really mind the orange, it's very dramatic and eye-catching, but there doesn't seem to be much else to the cover. "LOOK, I'M ORANGE! And, uh, now that I've caught your attention, I have nothing more to say." I'm not so sure "nothing more to say" is the best first impression to give a reader, but hey, I'm not in charge of book covers. (Obviously.)

This is the first book in the series I've read, and I was relieved to find it could easily be read as a standalone novel. I'm sure reading the book within the context of the rest of the series adds depth and history to the characters and the story, but given this is the one that fell into my lap, I'm pretty glad I didn't have to read the 21 books preceding it. This is one long series.

For the uninitiated (and I include myself in this group), the series follows New York homocide detective Eve Dallas, a woman who is strong and independent almost to a fault. Set in the near future (circa 2050), the technology she uses is more advanced than ours, but still recognizable. I have to say, I appreciate the series following a homocide detective; so many murder mystery series have no reason for the protagonist to be surrounded by so many unnatural deaths.

Eve and her partner, Peabody, are wrapping up the case of a Santa who's had a little too much special holiday punch when an older woman comes in insisting to see Eve. At first, the woman is unfamiliar, until she says something to trigger some long-repressed memories from Eve's childhood. The woman is Trudy Lombard, the abusive foster mother who had Eve for several months when she was just a little girl. Trudy's appearance trigger powerful flashbacks that unsettle Eve enough that the tough police officer leaves work to crawl home. Her husband, Roark, a powerful Irish tycoon, comes to take care of her, despite Eve's protests.

After hearing the story, Roark is certain Trudy is there for more than just a visit, and is unsurprised the next day when she shows up at his work, demanding two million dollars in blackmail money. If he refuses to pay, Trudy promises to expose Eve's traumatic childhood, which will likely cause problems both emotionally and professionally. Roark counters Trudy's threats with a few of his own, sending her running from his office in both fear and fury. Knowing it's unlikely they've heard the last from her, Eve determines she needs to meet with Trudy face-to-face and stand up to her, proving to both of them she's stronger than the little girl who was once terrorized by her foster mother.

When Roark and Eve arrive at Trudy's hotel room, however, they find her lying in a pool of her own blood. As the first detective on the scene, Eve is running lead on the case, which offers her a couple of unique challenges: she has to set aside her personal feelings to work on the case; the investigation is happening over Christmas, which means the police are understaffed and regular working hours no longer apply; and given the woman's personality and history of cruelty towards children taken into her house, there are no shortage of suspects.

I really enjoyed the depiction of the relationship between Roarke and Eve. They weren't lovey-dovey all the time, but neither were they constantly annoying each other. They fought, they made up, they bantered, and they took care of each other. Their relationship wasn't perfect, but without having to explain things in the narrative, it was clear they knew each other very well and really cared about each other, in a way that goes beyond the flash of infatuation and physical attraction depicted in so many stories. Their marriage rang true for me.

Actually, all the characterizations were well done. As the 22nd book in the series, the characters could all have become really flat, relying on earlier character traits to justify their actions and relationships, but they weren't. Even the minor characters clearly had their own personalities and backstories, and as a character-driven reader, it made me a happy little page-turner. On occasion, Eve would say something to irritate me, but it was always in character and usually some small detail that would have blown over by the time I flipped the page.

The mystery moved along at a nice pace, fast enough that things seemed to keep happening, but not enough to overwhelm me with details. I did find the whodunnit part predictable, having worked it out for myself fairly early on in the story, although to be fair, Eve had things more or less figured out sooner than I thought she would have, considering the length of the book. Being a police officer, though, she had certain channels she had to go through to get the evidence to back up her conclusions, something the reader doesn't have to do.

The story doesn't end with a "happily ever after;" it's a bittersweet sort of ending, which I simultaneously like and dislike. I found it very true to life, and a touch that makes the book stand out amongst others of its type. On the other hand, I'm a sucker for a happy ending. I just am. So while it ended on a realistic note, it was perhaps not the most satisfying conclusion I could think of. Then again, it's not my story, so I don't really get a vote.

I enjoyed the story as a brief escape, and if another in the series fell into my lap, I'd have no hesitation in reading it, although I don't think I'll be breaking my bank account to procure myself copies of the rest of the books in series. It was a lovely place to visit, but I won't ever make it my home.

Book #13

jayne_190 — Mon, 26 May 2008 17:48:57 GMT

Title: Remember Me?
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Genre: Chick-lit
# of pages: 400 Pages
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: A-

Description of the book: When twenty-eight-year-old Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital, she’s in for a big surprise. Her teeth are perfect. Her body is toned. Her handbag is Vuitton. Having survived a car accident—in a Mercedes no less—Lexi has lost a big chunk of her memory, three years to be exact, and she’s about to find out just how much things have changed.

Somehow Lexi went from a twenty-five-year-old working girl to a corporate big shot with a sleek new loft, a personal assistant, a carb-free diet, and a set of glamorous new friends. And who is this gorgeous husband—who also happens to be a multimillionaire? With her mind still stuck three years in reverse, Lexi greets this brave new world determined to be the person she…well, seems to be. That is, until an adorably disheveled architect drops the biggest bombshell of all.

Suddenly Lexi is scrambling to catch her balance. Her new life, it turns out, comes complete with secrets, schemes, and intrigue. How on earth did all this happen? Will she ever remember? And what will happen when she does?

Review: I really liked the book. Unlike the Shopholic series, there was also a bit of maturity to the character, which was nice. Sometimes I have been pulling my teeth when reading any of the Shopoholic books, but I found this a nice pleasant read and an easy one after reading "Mistress of the Sun". Like Sophie's other books, its a great read for the beach.

Next up: 21: Bringing Down the House

13 / 50 books. 26% done!

4233 / 15000 pages. 28% done!

Reckless by Shannon Drake

_ocelott_ — Sun, 25 May 2008 00:41:03 GMT

Publisher: Harlequin, 2005
Genre: Romance
Sub-genre: Historical

Cross-posted from genrereviews.

I honestly don't remember why I picked this one up. It was in a huge pile of used books, and I grabbed a number of them, this one among them. It might have been the warm tones on the cover that caught my attention, although honestly I thought this was a contemporary until I started reading it. Imagine my confusion when the heroine reflects on her lack of corset and bustle. I suppose she's pretty clearly hanging around in her underwear, but in my defense, it could easily have been a dress in a more modern setting.

I am a little annoyed that they cut her face off so she has no eyes. I don't mind the current popularity of the "headless heroine" covers as much as some people, but this is more blatant than most. We get her full body, all the way up to her nose... but NO EYES because then people might see the heroine as a personality instead of just some chick who looks good in her underwear, and we can't have that.

Allow me to share with you the plot summary from the back cover:

"When Kat Adair plunges into the waves to rescue a drowning man, it is just the beginning of an odyssey that will sweep the fisherman's daughter into danger and desire. Convinced she is in love with the man she saved, Egyptologist David Turnberry, she feigns amnesia, thus enabling her to linger among the highborn. Hunter MacDonald, rugged archaeologist, is wise to her little charade--and determined to protect his best friend.

Undaunted, Kat stows away on the ship carrying David and Hunter's expedition party to the land of the pharaoh. Scandal ensues, and Hunter vows the only way to curtail this confounding woman's schemes is to marry her. Inevitably, in the sultry heat of the desert, passions ignite. But as the secrets of the ancient tombs are revealed, terrible danger unfolds, and Kat must trust the one man willing to risk everything to save her from doom."

Having read all that, I have only one question to ask: Did the person who wrote that summary even read the book? None of this happens! The heroine's name is Kat... and there is a David and a Hunter, and they do go to Egypt. And that's really about all the book and that summary have in common. The cover makes it sound like the old movie Sabrina, only in Egypt. I seriously have to question how this summary got published on the back of the book.

So the actual story? Glad you asked. Kat is boating with her sister and her struggling artist father, when she sees David, a spoiled student she's had a crush on for ages, fall off the boat he's sailing with his friends. Since nobody else seems willing or able to do anything to help him, Kat strips down to her skivvies and jumps in to save him. Which, by the way, is the fastest way to drown both people. Drowning people are panicky and will shove a rescuer under the water in an effort to get their own head high enough to breathe. These people have apparently never heard of lifesavers.

Miraculously, Kat makes it to shore with David, who wakes up, pronounces her an angel. Kat is momentarily thrilled until others start approaching, and she realises she's in her underwear, and like any sane, rational person would do, runs right back to the river and dives in. It wasn't enough she almost didn't make it once, evidently.

Unknown to Kat, Hunter also had dived in to save David, but Kat got there first. When she goes back in the river, he mutters a bit about her idiocy and goes after her. Naturally, Kat runs out of steam before she returns to her father's boat, and Hunter gets to rescue the rescuer. Ever gracious, Kat refuses to thank him, insisting she would have been just fine on her own, even knowing she never would have made it all the way back. When she finds out David's father is eager to thank his son's rescuer, Kat pretends she can't remember where she came from, convinced one introduction to David is all it will take for him to fall madly in love with her, ignoring the class difference between them. It's good to know the heroine is such a down-to-earth sort of person.

Not knowing where else to take her, Hunter takes her to his house, letting his housekeeper take care of Kat. As he expected, Kat bolts for home given the opportunity, and he follows her, staying to watch the reunion with her very worried family which is... a little bit creepy, actually. Kat returns to Hunter's place the next morning, trying to pretend she just went out for some fresh air, but Hunter confronts her, and she admits she does in fact know who she is. Which apparently makes no difference, since David's father still wants to meet her and thank her. (Which makes me wonder why the false amnesia was brought into the story at all.) Hunter quickly discovers Kat's mad crush on David, and isn't particularly impressed, since he doesn't think very highly of David.

Conveniently, all the highborn buddies of David's family are familiar with Kat's father's work. They've been searching for the mysterious artist who did the artwork they admire so much, and are thrilled to have found him. He suddenly has commissions coming out the wazoo, and everyone decides Kat must also be bursting with artistic talent. And of course, the best way to nurture that talent is to invite her to come with them on their impending trip to Egypt. Hunter and his friends are famed Egyptologists, David and his friends are coming along for the adventure and because they can claim it's educational. Kat agrees to come along because it will get her closer to David.

Of course Kat is astonishingly beautiful, and so one of the older gentlemen going on the voyage expresses a concern that she'll cause trouble among the young men, so in desperation Kat pleads with Hunter to pretend they're engaged, and for whatever unfathomable reason, he agrees to go along with it. Soon, Hunter finds himself forced to protect Kat not only from the less-than-honourable attentions of the young men on the journey, but from several attempts on her life.

The story picks up a little when they actually start travelling, and a series of mysterious incidences (most of them potentially fatal) bring up the question of who among them is trying to stop their excavation, and why.

It took me awhile to figure out what time period this book took place in, since it seemed a bizarre amalgamation of past and present. When I finally got it narrowed down to turn of the century (late 1890s), the reading went much smoother, because suddenly it had a setting. Drake has clearly done a lot of research on the time period and the places the characters visit, but when no definitive clues are dropped until the reader is well into the story, it doesn't actually serve to deepen the setting, it's just very confusing. They have cars, but their buses are pulled by horses? What?

Hunter was an interesting character, strong, intelligent, and I probably would have liked the book a whole lot more if the story had followed him more than Kat. Kat annoyed me to no end. The other characters went on and on about how smart she was, what a quick study, but she kept doing one stupid thing after another. She's the type of heroine who thinks it's a good idea to rush off by herself to confront the hoard of bad guys, without even bothering to tell anyone whereured 's going, and then when she's inevitably captured and having her life threatened, she sits and thinks "oh well, they'll come for me." The only thing remotely intelligent she did was learn to translate Egyptian hieroglyphs into English in one afternoon. Fluently. I'm thinking this doesn't qualify her as a smart person, though, she's more of a savant.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle makes a rather gratuitous appearance, presumably to highlight the mystery portions of the book. In truth, the plot had potential and kept me turning pages despite wanting to bash Kat over the head with something blunt and heavy, but the ending aimed for something too large and just wound up feeling overblown. Some of that might have to do with Kat's insistence on plunging headfirst into danger when it wasn't necessary, but considering there was only one character in the entire book who is introduced as unlikeable, it's hardly a surprise when the villain is finally revealed.

The prose suited the tone of the book, and the dialogue was appropriate to the time period. I briefly touched on the attention to detail before, but it bears mentioning again that Drake clearly knows how to enrich the world she's created without forcing lengthy descriptive passages in there. In all honesty, this book would likely have scored much higher if Kat hadn't been quite so -ahem- reckless. As it stands, I would have called the book Bull-headed Idiot, but I suppose it might not have sold quite as well that way.

Hey, there's a reason nobody pays me to invent titles for novels.

Book #12

jayne_190 — Fri, 23 May 2008 03:47:09 GMT

Title: Mistress of the Sun
Author: Sandra Gulland
Genre: Historical fiction
# of pages: 352
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: A-

Description of the book: A novel of Louise de la Vallière, mistress of the Sun King. As a girl, she won the trust of the wildest of horses; as a woman, she would win the love of the most charismatic of kings.

Review: Thought that the book was really good. The reason that I say this is that not only where the descriptions wonderful, but the author had a way of keeping the reader interested in the material to the point where I had a couple of nights where I could have lost track of time, had it not been for ESPN Radio blaring next to me as I read the book. If you are looking for something that will keep you entertained for a few days, highly recommend it. Also if you happen to like historical fiction and anything surrounding the court of the Sun King.

Next up: Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

12 / 50 books. 24% done!

3549 / 15000 pages. 24% done!

Book #11

jayne_190 — Mon, 05 May 2008 08:01:34 GMT

Title: Look at me in the eye: my life with asperger's
Author: John Elder Robison
Genre: non-fiction, memoir
# of Pages: 288
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: B+

Description of the book (from Chapters.ca): Look Me in the Eye is the moving, darkly funny story of growing up with Asperger’s at a time when the diagnosis simply didn’t exist. A born storyteller, Robison takes you inside the head of a boy whom teachers and other adults regarded as “defective,” who could not avail himself of KISS’s endless supply of groupies, and who still has a peculiar aversion to using people’s given names (he calls his wife “Unit Two”). He also provides a fascinating reverse angle on the younger brother he left at the mercy of their nutty parents—the boy who would later change his name to Augusten Burroughs and write the bestselling memoir Running with Scissors.

Review: As somebody who has Asperger's, I could understand John's feelings of not feeling as though one quite fits in and needs to find something that they like. While at times the language was a little simplistic, it was good. Found it enjoyable and was quite amused by the names he gave his parents and younger brother.

Next up: Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland.

11 / 50 books. 22% done!

3485 / 15000 pages. 23% done!

Books read in April

greencudagal — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:09:03 GMT

Books Read in April
14. Ten Big Ones-Janet Evanovich (Grade B+)
15. Club Dead-Charlaine Harris(Grade B+)
16. Dead to the World-Charlaine Harris (Grade A)

Best surprise/Most recommendable: Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris was quite the interesting read. This series is turning in another direction and I really like it.

Worst read of the month: I really like the Stephanie Plum series. However Ten Big Ones was just an ok read.

**I am currently reading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. What are you reading?

Book #10

jayne_190 — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:24:56 GMT

Title: If I Gained the World
Author: Linda Nichols
Genre: Fiction, Christian
# of Pages: 416
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: B+

Description: When the pain of loss shatters two people--one from the inside out and the other from the outside in--how do they find their way to faithfulness, grace, and love? Only over time and distance will they eventually discover that it is through turning to the One who is faithful, whose love never fails. Lenore and Daniel have a cozy home and a wonderful son, a mirror image of his father. Lenore loves her life and wants nothing to change--except for one thing. As innocent as it seems, her request is the beginning of the end, and their life together unravels. Lenore takes little Scottie and begins her quest for meaning, purpose, and a new start--as far away from those bittersweet memories as she can get.

Review: Overall, it was pretty good, for a Christian novel. And when I was able to get into it, I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. While the book didn't have a typical storyline that Christian fiction tends to have for the most part, it did have a fairly typical ending to the book. Overall, it was quite enjoyable. I don't know if I will read it again, but it is one that I would consider reading again.

Up next: Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robison

10 / 50 books. 20% done!

3197 / 15000 pages. 21% done!

Book #16

greencudagal — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 21:37:06 GMT

Book #16
Book Title: Dead to the World
Author: Charlaine Harris
Category: fiction; mystery
# of pages: 291
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best].: A
Short description/summary of the book: (taken from amazon.com):It continues the story of psychic waitress Sookie Stackhouse, who has fallen out with her undead lover, Bill. Bill has no sooner departed for Peru, than Sookie finds the head vampire, Eric, running naked and terrified through the rural night. She helps Eric, and discovers his memory has been destroyed by a coven of unscrupulous, astonishingly powerful witches, newly arrived in her small Louisiana town, and offering a huge reward for Eric. Sookie tries to hide Eric, but her brother sees him--and immediately disappears. And Sookie finds herself caught in a war among witches, vampires, and werewolves.

My Thoughts: I really liked this book because Eric is by far my favorite of all of the characters in the series and I found the whole memory loss aspect to be quite interesting. The other plot about Sookie's brother just added more greatness to the series. I don't think that I can recommend this series of books enough. Also am I the only one who cannot stand Bill?

Books read this year: 16/50. I'm 32% done!!!

Next read(s): I think I am going to start reading The Hobbit tonight.

X-posted to my book community, book_stuff and a whole lot of other places!

Reviewing contest!

_ocelott_ — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:14:58 GMT

Hope this is ok. If not, mods, feel free to delete.

The genrereviews community is holding a review contest. Basically, all you have to do is let us know what you thought of your most recent read. There's no restriction on what type of book, and you can make your review as long or short as you like. To enter, you can post a reply to this post, or send an e-mail to genrereviews@gmail.com.

Need more information? Check out the original contest post!

This has been cross-posted in a bunch of places, so if you get it more than once, I'm sorry.

bombfire — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 01:54:02 GMT

does anyone have an account on goodreads.com? i want to make friends on there so i can get ideas for what to read :)

Book #15

greencudagal — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:23:01 GMT

Book #15
Book Title: Club Dead
Author: Charlaine Harris
Category: fiction; mystery
# of pages: 292
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best].: B+
Short description/summary of the book: (taken from amazon.com):Sookie Stackhouse is having man trouble. Her vampire boyfriend, Bill, has been distant and inattentive lately. Then he announces that he is going on a business trip, which clearly is more than it seems. After a werewolf tries to abduct Sookie at work, Bill's boss, Eric, tells her that Bill fell under the sway of his--Bill's, that is--ex, a sexy vamp named Lorena, and has been kidnapped. Eric wants Sookie's help in getting Bill back, and despite her hurt over Bill's betrayal, Sookie agrees to go to Jackson, Mississippi, to find her wayward lover. Eric has persuaded Alcide, a dashing werewolf, to get Sookie access to Josephine's, aka Club Dead, the local hangout of Jackson's supernatural element. In between dodging kidnappers, the advances of amorous Eric, and her growing feelings for Alcide, Sookie has to find out who kidnapped Bill and figure out a way to rescue him. With some droll touches--Elvis, now a vampire, is Sookie's faithful guard --Club Dead is ideal for readers who like their vampire fiction light, humorous, and fast-paced.

My Thoughts: This book was pretty good. I really like Alcide and am hoping to see more of him as the rest of the series progresses. I can say right now that I am not a fan of Bill especially after this book. I am ready to see what happens to all of the characters in the books that follow.

Books read this year: 15/50. I'm 30% done!!!

Next read(s): I think I am going to read the next book in the Sookie Stackhouse series.

X-posted to my book community, book_stuff and a whole lot of other places!

Trollbridge: A Rock 'N Roll Fairy Tale by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple

_ocelott_ — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 07:42:43 GMT

Publisher: Starscape, 2006
Genre: Fantasy
Sub-genre: YA

Cross-posted from genrereviews.

This has to be the best title for a book ever. Normally I'd go on about what I like/dislike about the cover, but you know what? For once, I honestly don't care what it looks like. Pretty? Ugly? I have no idea! I didn't even look, because I was too busy being mesmerized by Trollbridge: A Rock 'N Roll Fairy Tale.

I keep meaning to review some Young Adult fiction, but it's been pushed to the back burner a number of times now, and I really can't say why. I have a number of books intended for younger readers on my TBR list, and they're a nice change of pace after reading something dark or heavy. A good way to cleanse the palate, if you will. So without further ado, I introduce the first of my YA reviews.

Every year, at the Vanderby State Fair, twelve dairy princesses are chosen, outstanding local girls whose likenesses are carved in butter and displayed on the Trollholm bridge. This tradition goes back hundreds of years, but this year's crop of princesses is notable for two reasons. First, Moira Darr, the famous harp prodigy has been selected as one of the dairy princesses. At sixteen, Moira is already more accomplished than most of the professionals she's met who have devoted their lives to classical music. The second change is caused by the new mayor's concern about the pollution factor of melting butter on the river, and so the butter sculptures are not going to be displayed on the bridge.

What neither the new mayor or Moira realize is that the long-standing tradition is in place to appease the troll who lives there. As long as Aenmarr the troll receives his twelve princess sacrifices, he is content to leave the people alone. Without the statues as the yearly sacrifice, Aenmarr comes to take the twelve princesses the people owe him, delving Moira and the others deep into the sort of fairy tale where a happy ending is not guaranteed.

Meanwhile, the three Griffson brothers, well known for their good looks and the catchy pop tunes they write themselves, have arranged a week off their busy schedule of touring and recording to spend by themselves. The three teen boys hop into the car, not caring what direction they head in as long as it's away from the pressures of their fame. They don't get very far before a fox crosses their path, and Jakob, the youngest brother, is sure he can hear the fox's voice in his head. With no particular goals or destination, the three boys follow the fox until they run across the Trollbridge and are captured by Aenmarr.

Foss, the fox, is indeed communicating with Jakob, and can speak to Moira as well. It seems the troll wants to eat the boys and marry the girls off to his three sons. Unfortunately, Moira is the only dairy princess who's remained conscious, and none of them are quite sure how to deal with a troll or how to get back home again. Of course, their first priority is to get out of the troll's home alive...

I dig fairy tales when they've got some bite to them. Trollbridge is a great example of this sort of thing, where the critters and situations aren't nice and clean. The original fairy tales are actually very dark, and this interpretation stays true to that. Without hearing too many graphic details, we're left with no doubt that the trolls have every intention of chopping up and eating the teens. The trolls and the fox are nicely handled, none of them being entirely good or entirely bad. They act on their own inhuman interests, which is really refreshing to see.

The kids themselves have very modern attitudes, with virtually no knowledge of the way the old fairy tales fall out. All they have with them is their wits and their varying musical abilities, and dubious help from Foss the fox.

The book itself is very short. I finished it only a few hours after first picking it up, and that time includes the many interruptions from my small herd of troublemakers at home. The story progresses at breakneck speed, and there were a few times I would have liked to see things slow down a little. Fast paced is nice, but the occasional lull would be a welcome change of pace. The book moved along so fast the ending felt more abrupt than it should have, because it was the first time the plot wasn't motoring along.

Moira and the three boys were likeable enough as heroes, although because of the length of the book, I didn't feel like I got to know any of them particularly well. They felt more like snapshots than full characters to me. Jakob, the youngest brother, was a very interesting character with a lot of potential, and I'm kind of sad he didn't get explored a little more thoroughly. The same could be said of the others, but he was my favourite pretty much from the beginning.

A lot of the book centres around music. Jakob and Moira are musical prodigies, and Erik and Galen have their own musical abilities, as well. Songs based on the adventures are liberally dispersed through the book, as a collection put together by the kids after the fact. Adam Stemple is a rock musician, and this is clear by the way the songs are written. Even without the accompanying music, the lyrics are well-written and worth glancing over. I'm not usually a fan of songs or poems stuck in the middle of my story, but these ones were worked in nicely, without feeling like the authors gratuitously stuck in some old poem written years earlier.

Overall, Trollbridge was a fun romp, and worth looking at if you're at all interested in fairy tales that don't follow the Disney rules of prettifying everything. And most importantly, for a YA novel, it's absolutely something I'd give to a teen or pre-teen. I'd have no hesitation as far as content, language, or anything else goes. I'd even go so far as to say they'd find it entertaining and enlightening. I know I did.

Book #14

greencudagal — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 23:49:50 GMT

Book #14
Book Title: Ten Big Ones
Author: Janet Evanovich
Category: fiction; thriller
# of pages: 319
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best].: B+
Short description/summary of the book: (taken from amazon.com):Stephanie Plum, girl bounty hunter, the terror of Trenton, the bane of her boyfriend Joe Morelli's existence, and the delight of her crazy grandma's heart, is in the wrong place at the wrong time--as usual. Just happening to be indulging her nachos jones at a local deli when it's robbed by the notorious Red Devils, Plum is the eye witness who could put the gang leader, known as the Junkman, behind bars... if he just lets her live long enough. Looking for a place to hide out from the killer until the cops catch up with him, Stephanie sneaks into her fellow bounty hunter Ranger's apartment without telling Morelli, who's not overly fond of him. All the usual suspects in this long-running series are along for a wilder than ever ride, including Lula the gun-toting ex-hooker, Grandma Mazur, Stephanie's pregnant sister Valerie and her fiancé, as well as a host of minor characters who bring Trenton's seedier environs to life. Ten Big Ones is another madcap caper by a writer whose fans will doubtless catapult this easy beach read to the top of the bestseller list.

My Thoughts: This book was pretty funny. However to me the plot seemed a bit simple to predict. However this series is really funny and the characters are great.

Books read this year: 14/50. I'm 27% done!!!

Next read(s): I am about to start Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

X-posted to my book community, book_stuff and a whole lot of other places!