November can't get here soon enough!

Review: Dark of Night

Dark of Night by Suzanne Brockmann

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Game on! This is the book I wished "Into the Fire" had been. There were some spots of ITF that were brilliant, but it was very inconsistent. Dark of Night, on the other hand, is spectacular. I'm not going to write too much here, because almost anything I write would be a spoiler at this point. But, I will say that I had guessed about Decker, and I was so glad I was right. I couldn't be more pleased at that storyline. I had originally wanted the "her" part of that couple to end up with someone else, but Brockmann made the case very well. Completely believeable.



More importantly, the Jimmy Nash storyline is tied up. I don't think I've been shy about saying that Nash is one of my favorite characters in all of pop lit, so any book with him is a win.



Sophia. I began to like her a little more in this book. I won't say she won me over completely, because she didn't. But, I'm glad all of that is over.



I could read this book again right now. Yes, it is that entertaining. If you're not reading Brockmann's Troubleshooters series I really need to know why.


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Review: Betrayed

Betrayed by P.C. Cast

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
The good news is that I'm still interested. I like the characters. I'm curious about what is going to happen in the next installment and I find the storylines interesting. The bad news is I feel like there is very little structure to this book. There are some kids, plopped down into a school in Oklahoma, and off we go! At the same time, I understand that you don't want to slow a story down by explaining a backlog of stuff to readers. World building is tedious, I get that. But, sometimes, you just gotta. World building sometimes takes away the mystery. But, sometimes, you just gotta. I need to know WHY there is this entire underground world of people who are dead, but not. I need to know HOW this entire society exists apart from regular society. I need to know the rules of the vamp game in this particular book because, as you know, it seems to change from author to author.



The other thing that began to get a little tiresome in this book was the style. There isn't anything wrong with it, per se, but there was a bit too much repetition. We get that Damian is gay and still very cool. We get that Eric and Shaunee and like twins, but different colors. We get that Aphrodite is a bitch, but is also more than we anticipated. And we get it over and over again. It's a personal style choice, so it may not bother you at all. And, even though it bothers me, it doesn't bother me enough to stop reading the books. A solid entry. I would have given it 3.5 stars if I could, but I rounded up.


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Royalties for Public Lending

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (or IFLA) has a very interesting and informative stance on the idea of Public Lending Rights that are all the rage in more and more countries. While I love authors (and make no mistake, I do love authors) I'm skeptical about the idea of authors being paid EVERY TIME a book is lent from the library. There has to be some kind of co-existence between the rights of the user who has bought the book: the library, and the author. Libraries have taken five steps forward in terms of serving the public through lending items that OF COURSE authors (and other creative artists) would rather individuals bought instead of borrowed. But there has to be balance.

IFLA says it much better than I ever could here.

One more site for college profs to check!

There is an interesting discussion going on over at the Smart Bitches blog about plagiarism. So, when I flipped to GalleyCat and saw this my first thought was: college students. They get a bad rap, generally, for the whole plagiarism thing. But, you just KNOW some idiot is going to be trying to write their paper the hour before class and being too liberal with the copy and paste.

My second thought was: how the hell do I know the person who wrote the book has even read it? Now, I suppose there will be enough people monitoring the thing to call bullshit when someone says King Lear was a black king with a white wife who killed herself with an asp. BUT, there could be other, more subtle, things that are inaccurate.

I don't know. But, it's kinda fun. And reading the summary of The Outsiders made me wanna see the movie again.

Review: Wishful Drinking

Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
You know, this wasn't a bad book. Parts of it were hilarious, in fact. Fisher has a warped sense of humor, and if the book catches you in the right mood, you will find yourself laughing out loud. And, she certainly knows how to laugh at herself, and her situation, and everyone around her. What you won't find in this book is a lot of the things you want to know, especially if you're picking up the book anxious to hear every detail about the filming of a certain SF trilogy. Granted, that was but a few moments out of Fisher's 50+ years, but still.



The beginning of this book is nearly incoherent. It could be that I was tired, but I found myself reading the first ten to fifteen pages over and over and OVER again. WTF did she say? The sentences don't seem to work together. The pages don't seem to work together. The thoughts don't seem to work together..... Things straighten up soon after that, the ship rights itself, and the rest of the book is a quick page turner.



And when I say "quick" I mean just that. Clocking in at under 200 pages, you might be able to read this one during commercial breaks while you watch tv, surf the net and talk on the phone at the same time!



Bottom line: Give it a read if you're interested. If you like it, great. If you don't, at least you haven't wasted that much time out of your life.


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Review: Page

Page by Tamora Pierce

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
The only problem I had with this book is a problem I have with many juvenile books: the characters don't act their age.



The main character in this book is supposed to be 11. Really? She's already done things that people twice her age have done. Come on. What the author seems to want to do is write a great story (which she did) that has older characters. BUT, for some reason, she feels compelled to make the characters younger. The problem is that you're going along with the great story and then, when age is mentioned, you're pulled right out by a cold blast of reality. And you think, no way could an 11 year old do these things! It completely ruins the magic of the book.



If you forget that minor detail, the book rocks.






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Review: Marked

Marked by P.C. Cast

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a book that had been sitting on my shelf since April. Once I read it, though, I was pretty impressed. The book seemed seamless in that I didn't notice a change in tone between the two authors. I don't know if they each wrote different characters, or how they divided up the work. But, whatever they did, it worked.



I've been reading a lot of YA books lately after reading virtually none in the past, and I may be reaching my limit. There is just something inherently whiny about YA books that I can only stomach for so long. While this one is pretty good, there were still moments when I alternated between rolling my eyes at something a character said, and wanting to strangle them.



If you're looking for something fun, I recommend giving this one a try. I liked it enough to keep reading the series.


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Great (?) News

There is always a little bit of apprehension when I hear that a book I love is going to be "adapted" for the big or small screen. But, I'm more hopeful than not about this project. HBO usually does good things, Martin says the script is on point, and they're looking at a "season" = 1 book. So, not too much would be cut out. I'm not even worried so much about the casting, as long as they can act. Cross your fingers, people.

Not a surprise

Galleycat has an interesting blurb about a team of econ profs who analyzed the effect of the "bestseller". That term aside, they mention anecdotally that The Kite Runner "has arguably done more to educate Western readers about the realities of daily life in Afghanistan under the Taliban and thereafter than any government media campaign, advocacy organization report, or social science research."

This is something that people who have been paying attention to books and/or movies, music, tv, media have known for years.

Review: Inkheart

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was recommended to me and I've very happy for it. I listened to this book, read by Lynn Redgrave, and there were times when I wanted her to HURRY UP so I could see what would happen next. It is billed as a juvenile book, but it is juvenile in the way that Harry Potter was juvenile. The language is sophisticated, more sophisticated than your typical juvenile book.



It makes you wonder about what happens between the pages of the book when you're not reading it. Or when the book is over? Or before the book begins. The characters Funke creates are vibrant and three dimensional. There are many twists and turns as well, so you can never be sure what lurks behind the next page.



The only thing that diminished the book for me was that Funke telegraphs her punches many times in the book. By that I mean she'll often use the phrase "Later, when they thought of this..." or "Later, they would recall..." which all but tells you that said character survives whatever nasty surprise yet to befall them. You know certain characters aren't going to die because.....well, they recall things later! It does a lot to dampen the suspense of the book. Maybe that is by design, because it IS a children's book, but it wasn't necessarily what was best for me. Other than that, though, I have no complaints.



Let's hope the movie (set to release in early 2009) is as good as the book!


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Review: Living with the Dead

Living with the Dead by Kelley Armstrong

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I listened to this one on audio. It was so good that I listened at work AND at home. I couldn't stop. I wasn't sure how I would feel about this book because it didn't appear to focus on any of my favorites. But, I needn't have worried.



The main storyline was intriguing. The main character had the perfect combination of grit and stupidity that made you cheer for her, and want to strangle her at the same time. The main villain was completely bat shit crazy, even though Armstrong makes her seem somewhat logical as she writes from her point of view. Armstrong strikes a great balance between stalker-chic and sanity, making it so you don't know quite which way to turn.



It was nice to get a continuation of Karl and Hope's story. I'm a fan of Karl and Hope, but I was only partially invested in their couple-hood. I feel better about it now. He is delicious, by the way. No two ways about that!



LOVED Fin and Damon.....and Robyn. Eve cameo was nice, but I did miss Kristof. All in all, a good entry in the series. If people haven't picked up one of these books before, I don't think they'd be left behind. Or, I should say, they won't feel like they have been left behind. They won't have the backstory to fill in the details, but the story told in Living with the Dead is self containing. Hopefully, though, a first time reader would want to find out what they have been missing.


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Review: One False Move

One False Move by Harlan Coben

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is probably my favorite of the Myron Bolitar mysteries by Coben. I listened to it this time, and I'm not crazy about the reader. It didn't seem like he had the same intensity throughout the entire book.



There were things in the story that I had glossed over the other times I had read it. There was an obscure Joe Biden reference that seemed to pop out at me given our current political situation. And, there was a reference to the Billy Jack series of movies that I immediately had to wiki. Listening to it may have made my mind focus on other things. The basic story, though, was still as incredible as the first time I'd read it. Yes, I know the ending. But, the ending wasn't really why I was listening to it. All of the action leading up to the ending wasn't as intense as the first time I'd read it, of course, but it was damn close.



If you're looking for a good mystery, this is a great choice. If you're looking for a book with spectacular characters and will make you laugh out loud while you're reading, check this out. No one I have recommended this book to has been disappointed.


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The Sound of a Giant falling

Tony Hillerman died over the weekend. I'm sure there will be a multitude of obits over the next few days, weeks.....months. I never got around to reading one of his books, and thankfully I still have the chance. But, you can't really be a fan of literature, fiction, or popular culture, without knowing what a large figure he was. I know he'll be greatly missed.

The Brass Verdict: A Novel by Michael Connelly

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
When I said back in August, that I had a soft spot for Mickey Haller, I really did mean it. I loved Connelly's The Lincoln Lawyer and I was glad to see him doing a new book with that character. I expected to like it.



Part of what I loved so much about it, though, was the audio reader who brought the character to life. When I saw that there was going to be a different reader, it made me wonder if I would feel the same way with a different reader.



Yeah, I needn't have worried. Both the reader, and the author, come across in The Brass Verdict. The characer of Mickey Haller is as complex and conflicted as he was in Lincoln Lawyer and he's got a few new scars and ghosts to carry. For those hardcore Connelly fans who are expecting lots of Bosch, you're going to probably be disappointed. All the advertising plays up the fact that the two of them are together, but there isn't as much togetherness as Bosch fans might want. This is definitely a Mickey Haller book, and Bosch is a supporting actor.



I highly recommend this book, and I recommend it even more on audio. But be warned: you probably won't get anything else done until you finish it.


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Very astute observation

I haven't read Kathy Reichs' books. Things in books always seem a bit more real than on TV, and I'm not sure I would like to read about the grisly details of forensic science. It's already bad enough that I can't eat and watch CSI at the same time.

That said, Reichs, herself, sounds like an interesting person. Here is an article about her from Scotland's Daily Record.

This, for me, was the money quote:

"Not everybody is suited to dealing with maggots or decomposing bodies."

Damn skippy!

News you won't use

Why is it that Starbucks isn't happy just selling coffee? I mean, seriously, that seems like a pretty good business to me! Just the fact that there is such a thing as a "Starbucks Entertainment Division" is crackhead crazy.


Book Reviews? Do you really care what someone, who you don't even know, says about a book? I've always been curious about that. I love reading book reviews, but it doesn't impact whether or not I'll read the book for myself. I take that back.....I may decide to read a book based on a book review because, after reading the review, the subject matter sounds interesting. But, I've never decided NOT to read a book based on a review.

Review: Family Tree

Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was a book that had been on my shelves for almost a year before I finally got around to it. The premise is a lot like the Kate Chopin short story Desiree's Baby So, I won't rehash the plot.



There were moments in this book where I wanted to shake every character in this book (except the baby) within an inch of their lives. But, reality says that people sometimes do very stupid things, even if they know better. So, in that way, I suppose the characters were very realistic.



I think Delinsky goes wrong here by trying to do too much. The plot with the baby and the plot with the main character's long lost father is enough. Delinsky adds in other sub-plots and it just becomes a muddled mess of secrets that really detract from the story. I think the book worked, it told a good story, but it could have been so much better. I would recommend it to people, but I wouldn't be surprised if they came back with complaints.


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Review: Sex and the Single Braddock

Sex And The Single Braddock by Robyn Amos

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a quick read. A very quick read. But, it was entertaining. Kind of like cotton candy, which I love. But, I couldn't eat it everyday.



What did I like about this book? I liked the characters. I thought they were believeable and interesting. I thought they were three dimensional, even given how short the book was, and how much plot she had to work in. Secondary characters in this book were cardboard cutouts, even the main secondaries like the ex girlfriend, the roommate, and the overbearing father. They had a bit more heft to them, but no real depth.



I also liked how it seemed very authentic. When the ex girlfriend pulls her stunt, and all is revealed at the end, there is no instantaneous "all is forgiven" moment. Hell no, all ain't forgiven. I started to roll my eyes a bit at the white guy likes hip hop, black chick likes country element thrown in, but Amos makes it make sense. Why wouldn't she like country music, born and raised a Texan? And white guys liking hip hop isn't even unusual enough to mention, so it worked. I like how she called him out on the hip hop only to have him not even understand why she'd think it was unusual. It all seemed very realistic to me.



I liked the fact that the race issue got a passing mention and that was it. If this is a trend in interracial romance books, I like it! It got a mention because it isn't completely a non-issue in Texas oil baron social society and/or political circles. But, it was hardly the focus of the story. I don't even think it was the focus of the paragraph where it got a mention. Perfect. It was almost a throwaway line, and that's exactly where it should be.



The ending was good. Almost tips the scale of believability, but then it all falls into place. The only thing I wish was that this book was longer and Amos had more time to develop these characters properly. And, when you want more of the book, that is always a good thing!



P.S. Oh yeah, and the sex was HAWT!


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Review: The Black Dagger Brotherhood

The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide by J.R. Ward

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Here's the thing: there are people who read books, and there are people who are "readers." People who read enjoy books. Readers take that to an almost insane degree. They don't just read books, they immerse themselves in them. And, to the extent that they have a "favorite" book or author, they can get lost for days....or longer. Readers read favorites over and over (and over) again. It isn't so much about the words that are put on the page, although those can be very good. It is more about how you feel when you read that book or that author. People who read roll their eyes when I mention this. Readers understand completely.



To that end, this is a book for readers. If you're a casual fan of J.R. Ward, this probably isn't the book for you. Yes, there is new material in it, but you're not going to buy this book just for the original short at the beginning. The majority of this book consists of a lot of insider baseball, which is great if you're a major league fan. I started in the middle, skipped around things I'd already seen on the website, and then went back and read Father Mine the original short story. Finally, I read the preview of the upcoming book about Rehvenge. May can't get here fast enough!



I recommend the short story to everyone who is even remotely interested in the Brotherhood and JR Ward. It is really very good. If you only have a passing curiosity about the rest, check this out from the library. But, if you're a big fan, you won't need me to tell you to buy this book. In fact, you probably already have it!


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