Books & other thoughts

Wrapped

2012-01-27T07:30:00.000-05:00

Seventeen-year-old Agnes Wilkins is invited to a mummy unwrapping at the house of the dashing Lord Showalter just days before her official debut into Society. Agnes is dubious about the process of unwrapping mummies - it seems rather disrespectful and a bit ghoulish. But when Lord Showalter singles her out to unwrap the mummy in question, right in front of everyone at his elegant party, Agnes feels pressured to comply with his wishes. When she ends up with an artifact, unnoticed by the rest of the guests, she hides it rather than be the unwelcome center of everyone's attention once again. After all, it can't be very important, as it has no jewels or anything. But when a series of robberies occurs in the wake of the party, Agnes realizes that the little metal dog she has might be more than it seems. She teams up with Caedmon, an infuriating but handsome young man from the British Museum, and together they discover a plot that is as far reaching as it is dangerous.

This is a fun Victorian romp with mystery, romance, suspense, and a dash of humor to spice things up. While the novel appears to be targeted toward teenagers, I think that it's perfectly suitable for younger readers as well. I particularly enjoyed Agnes's relationship with her father, which reminded me a bit of Elizabeth Bennett's relationship with her father. That resemblance may not be an accident, as Agnes is utterly obsessed with Jane Austen (to whom she refers as "A Lady," the pseudonym Austen used at the time). While I found the ease with which Agnes goes haring off on her own at night to spend time alone with Caedmon in the British Museum, risking ruining her reputation, to be a bit unbelievable, I did appreciate her independence of mind. Teens who enjoyed the Theodosia books when they were younger will be sure to enjoy reading about Agnes' adventures, as will fans of period romances and historical mysteries.

Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury; narrated by Elissa Steele (Listening Library, 2011)

Succubus on Top

2012-01-26T07:30:00.000-05:00

I started this series last year and enjoyed the first one enough to continue with this second book. Our heroine is a succubus, as the title suggests, and while she would appear to be working for the dark side, she has quite a few redeeming qualities. In fact, one aspect of this series that I'm enjoying is the shades of gray, rather than the blanket, superficial good-vs-evil plot line that is more usual in these kinds of books. Not that there isn't a good-vs-evil plot here, but it's a bit more thoughtful than that.

In this second installment, independent-bookstore clerk (succubi need day jobs, too) Georgina notices that one of her coworkers is behaving oddly. At first she chalks it up to the general weirdness of young mortal men, but soon it becomes clear that he is caught in a self-destructive spiral, along with the members of his suddenly successful band. The more Georgina looks into the matter, the more she suspects there is a supernatural reason for the situation. At the same time, her life has become complicated by her relationship with Seth, the shy but devastatingly handsome author she met in the first book. Because she is a succubus, she runs the risk of draining his life force, so she cannot act on her feelings for him. But why do those feelings have to be so strong?

This is a fun supernatural mystery, one of my favorite genres, with interesting characters and a nice mixture of the ongoing personal lives of the characters and the supernatural mystery at hand. I am always skeptical about starting a new series in this genre, but with this second book, I'm officially in.

Books in the Georgina Kincaid series:
1. Succubus Blues
2. Succubus on Top (aka Succubus Nights)
3. Succubus Dreams
4. Succubus Heat
5. Succubus Shadows
6. Succubus Revealed

Succubus on Top (#2 in the Georgina Kincaid series) by Richelle Mead (Kensington Books 2008)

Aliens on Vacation

2012-01-25T16:58:00.000-05:00

I couldn't resist this book once I'd heard the premise: Scrub (aka Dave) is forced to visit his eccentric grandmother in Washington, only to discover that she runs a secret intergalactic hotel, and her guests are aliens looking for a primitive, backwater world as a vacation spot. His grandmother needs some help around the hotel - it's a tough place to run all by herself, but secrecy must be maintained, or the intergalactic B&B organization will shut her down. Scrub is happy to help - it's a fascinating place, after all, but trying to keep things secret is incredibly difficult. There's the town sheriff, who is suspicious and hostile, and a very pretty, very nice girl who is way too interested in aliens for Scrub's peace of mind.

This is a funny, sweet story that should appeal to both boys and girls. Scrub is an easy kid to like, and he tells the story in an accessible, entertaining way. I did have some trouble suspending my disbelief throughout the course of the book, but I doubt most young readers will share my reservations. The story is exciting and suspenseful and dishes out a few fun surprises. I'm not sure I feel the need to continue with this series myself, but I will certainly be recommending it to young readers at my library.

Books in the Intergalactic Bed and Breakfast series:
1. Aliens on Vacation
2. Aliens on a Rampage

Aliens on Vacation (#1 in the Intergalactic Bed and Breakfast series) by Clete Barrett Smith; narrated by Joshua Swanson (Brilliance Audio, 2011)

The Wild Ways

2012-01-19T09:42:00.000-05:00

I absolutely fell in love with the first book in the Enchantment Emporium series, with the unforgettable Gale family and their scary but funny aunties who bake charms into their food, the magical shop with mysterious items on its shelves, and the quirky cast of characters who often had me giggling as I read. So imagine my delight when I discovered the sequel! I had been hoping, but as the first book ended with a satisfying conclusion, I wasn't too certain if one would be forthcoming.

This second one certainly did not disappoint. I felt the usual resistance to switching point-of-view characters - this one features Allie's musical cousin, Charlie Gale, instead of Allie herself - but I was quickly drawn into the story and found myself enjoying Charlie's company as much as, if not more than, her cousin's. Charlie is a rolling stone, a musician who travels with various bands and stops by to visit family from time to time. Her magic is a wild power, but somehow her life has settled into something a bit less than wild.

But then she finds herself playing for a Celtic band at a festival that just happens to be near a contentious potential off-shore drilling site that is also a breeding area for seals - or what appear to be seals. She also finds herself babysitting an adolescent shape-changing dragon with a penchant for mayhem. Nefarious schemes involving enchantments and seal skins ensue, in an action-packed, twisting, turning tale that will keep readers guessing all the way to the end. The relationships among the characters make these books shine, and as with all good fantasy novels, the themes resonate on a more serious level that extends well below the surface of a fun magical romp. Fans of Charles de Lint and Nina Kiriki Hoffman will be sure to love this series. Here's hoping for another sequel. Not to be greedy or anything. But I'd sure love some more!

Books in the Enchantment Emporium series:
1. The Enchantment Emporium
2. The Wild Ways

The Wild Ways (#2 in the Enchantment Emporium series) by Tanya Huff (Daw Books, 2011)

Barrayar

2012-01-18T09:35:00.001-05:00

Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga is at the top of my list of very favorite series. I tend to prefer fantasy over science fiction, although I love them both, because too often (for my personal taste) science fiction novels tend to go off the deep-end with world building and indigestible lumps of exposition regarding the future at the expense of character development and forward momentum. Bujold's books, however, are never guilty of that sin, and her characters are so complex and dynamic, and the plots so well constructed and surprising that I am committed from the very first pages of every book she writes. And she writes beautifully.

I have already read every book in the Vorkosigan Saga, but I've been having a delightful time listening to the audio versions as read by Grover Gardner. Barrayar is actually the second book in the series, and the last one to feature Cordelia Naismith as its main character. The subsequent books focus on her son Miles, one of my all-time favorite fictional characters.

Cordelia has married a man from a different planet, a (to her mind) backward, conservative, violent place full of closed minds, sexism, and seething political intrigue. Her husband has been appointed regent, as the Emperor is too young to rule, and many of the noble houses are vying to oust the regency and rule in their own right. Despite the fact that all Cordelia wants is to have a safe place for her new family, she gets thrown into the middle of the upheaval, in a society where appearances are often deceiving. Luckily she is clever and politically savvy, taking nothing at face value. Even so, it is impossible to stop every political maneuver, and events soon take a deadly turn...

It is always a joy to return to Barrayar and spend some time with characters I've come to adore over the years. There is action and adventure, and a close look at the darker side of human nature, but also humor and brilliant world building as well as characterization. Even if you think you don't like science fiction, you should give this series a try. It is best to start at the beginning, but readers often begin with the third book, The Warrior's Apprentice, which is the first novel to feature Miles as the main character. I hope to listen to more books in this series during the coming year. Even with all the new books that are on my list to read, it is so worth it to take some time to revisit this series. The books are that good.

Books in the Vorkosigan Saga:
1. Shards of Honor
2. Barrayar
3. The Warrior's Apprentice
4. The Vor Game
5. Cetaganda
6. Ethan of Athos (almost a spin-off)
7. Brothers in Arms
8. Borders of Infinity
9. Mirror Dance
10. Memory
11. Komarr
12. A Civil Campaign
13. Diplomatic Immunity
14. Cryoburn

Barrayar (#2 in the Vorkosigan Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold; narrated by Grover Gardner (Blackstone Audio, 2009)

Chime

2012-01-13T09:11:00.000-05:00

Seventeen-year-old Briony Larkin knows she's a witch - her stepmother told her so, and she knows that because of this, it is her fault that her twin sister is, well, the way she is, and that a flood nearly destroyed their house, and that she is also responsible for her stepmother's death. She can communicate with the Old Ones who live in the swamp, and if anyone in the village finds out, Briony will be hanged as a witch. She can feel the rope around her neck every time she thinks of it.

As the story unfolds, the reader becomes aware that there is more to the tale than meets the eye, and as bits and pieces of the past are skillfully woven into the narrative of the present, the startling and disturbing truth of the situation is gradually revealed.

What a wonderful book this was! I originally picked up the audio book when I learned Chime had been nominated for a National Book Award, and then I found out that this audio version won the Audiofile Earphones Award - and it certainly deserves it. Susan Duerden's narration is delightful; it fits the evocative and atmospheric tale just perfectly, and the rich language and sensory details of the narration make me remember the book as though I've seen the film version. It is that vivid. Unforgettable characters, powerful supernatural elements, disturbingly creepy villains, a swoon-worthy romantic hero, and a complexly woven, moving tale make this one of my favorite books of 2011.

Chime by Franny Billingsley; narrated by Susan Duerden (Listening Library, 2011)

Witches Abroad

2012-01-12T10:18:00.002-05:00

Every time I sit down to review a novel by Terry Pratchett, I find myself a bit stymied, wondering how I can possibly do justice to the book. It's difficult because the books are so clever and funny; they are sometimes are parodies of various literary works; they're full of jokes, ridiculous puns and slapstick humor. But they are so much more than that. The characters are complex and delightful, not two-dimensional caricatures; the plots are surprising and intricate, and the themes are anything but superficial. The novels are smart and dense and light and funny, and often moving, too - and how on earth he pulls it off so well, I have no idea. To me, each book is a gift, and I always feel so fortunate and grateful every time I open one.

This twelfth installment in the Discworld series opens with the death of Desiderata, fairy godmother. She has not taken the time to train a replacement, but she has chosen her successor, a young and relatively inexperienced witch named Magrat Garlick. Just before her death, Desiderata sends her magic wand to the very surprised Magrat, along with instructions for her first fairy-godmothering mission. There is a dark situation brewing in a foreign land, and before she quite realizes what is happening, Magrat finds herself traveling to distant Genua in the company of Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg. It quickly becomes clear to Magrat that the older witches don't have much confidence in her abilities, particularly when the only thing she can get the magic wand to do is turn things into pumpkins.

The narrative follows the adventures that take place during the witches' unforgettable, action-packed road trip, and culminates in Genua, where Desiderata's nemesis has been hard at work shaping the city to her own ends. It is a funny and delightful novel, but as always there are more serious things being examined here, too. There is the idea of the power of narrative and how it shapes our lives - in good ways and in bad, depending on how much power we give the stories in our lives. It takes a look at the influence of archetypal symbols from folktales and fairy tales, and the way our expectations allow us to simply accept certain things without thinking because it's easier than paying attention and accepting the responsibility to act. It examines free will, and the results of imposing our will upon others, or of taking away someone's will, even for the best of motives. These more serious aspects of the book are, as always, handled humorously and with more subtlety than you might expect, and the added depth of this thoughtful side of the book makes the funny, punny side that much more enjoyable.

I loved spending time with the witches, and the audio version of this had me laughing out loud, as always. I encouraged my 11-year-old and 13-year-old daughters to listen to this one, too, because they are enormous fans of the Tiffany Aching Discworld books (the few books in the series that are written with younger readers in mind but are enormously appealing to adults as well). While I'm sure some of the humor flew straight over their heads, they loved getting more Granny Weatherwax and certainly could identify with Magrat's situation. They enjoyed this one just as much as I did, and I certainly wasn't surprised.

Books in the Discworld series:

1. The Color of Magic
2. The Light Fantastic
3. Equal Rites
4. Mort
5. Sourcery
6. Wyrd Sisters
7. Pyramids
8. Guards, Guards
9. Eric
10. Moving Pictures
11. Reaper Man
12. Witches Abroad
13. Small Gods
14. Lords and Ladies
15. Men at Arms
16. Soul Music
17. Interesting Times
18. Maskerade
19. Feet of Clay
20. Hogfather
21. Jingo
22. The Last Continent
23. Carpe Jugulum
24. The Fifth Elephant
25. The Truth
26. The Thief of Time
27. The Last Hero
28. The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents

29. Nightwatch

30. The Wee Free Men
31. Monstrous Regiment
32. A Hat Full of Sky
33. Going Postal

34. Thud

35. Wintersmith
36. Making Money

37. Unseen Academicals

38. I Shall Wear Midnight

39. Snuff

Witches Abroad (#12 in the Discworld series) by Terry Pratchett; narrated by Nigel Planer (Isis Publishing, 1996)

Also reviewed at:
A Book a Week: "I love the witches. My inclination is always to say that my favourite Discworld character is the one with whom I've most recently spent time, but the truth of the matter is that Granny Weatherwax tops them all."
Somewhere I Have Never Traveled: "I started off not in the right mood and so was unsure if the book was going to work for me, but by the time I finished the book, it was exactly what I needed. Silly and smart and playful and pun-y and joke after joke after joke."
The Wertzone: "Pratchett's grasp of character, humour and pacing is as expertly-handled as ever. The characters of the three witches continue to expand and be explored in greater depth..."

All Men of Genius

2012-01-11T09:09:00.002-05:00

In this steampunk novel inspired by Twelfth Night and The Importance of Being Earnest, Violet disguises herself as a man (using her twin brother's clothing and advice) in order to attend the prestigious Illyria College, a place where mechanical geniuses create amazing marvels. She is brilliant and talented, and she just knows if she can be accepted as a student, she will have to tools to create such wonderful things, she will prove once and for all that women should have a place there as well.

It is difficult disguising her sex, particularly when she discovers that the Duke of Illyria, the headmaster, is a very attractive man indeed. When his daughter is smitten by Violet, believing her to be a dashing yet sensitive gentleman, the fun begins. The plot thickens, narrated through alternating viewpoints, and involves mysterious creatures and rooms in the vast basement of the college, killer robots, blackmail, diabolical plots, schemes of revenge, and all the other usual college antics.

This was a lot of fun - I enjoyed the characters and the parallels with Twelfth Night. It did stretch my sense of disbelief to the utter breaking point several times - the ease with which characters manage to put together remarkable inventions, for example - even characters with little to no experience - was a bit over the top. I also found that the build-up of tension for the evil Mal Voglio's plan to far outweigh the actual execution of it, which was a bit disappointing. But really, it was a very enjoyable read, and its a great introduction to the steampunk genre for those who are interested in giving it a try. This appears to be Rosen's first published novel, and I will be interested to see the direction he takes from here. He clearly had a whole lot of fun writing this book, and that made it a lot of fun to read.

To hear Lev discuss his book, and how and why he used Twelfth Night as inspiration for the novel, check out this post from The Mad Hatter's blog.

All Men of Genius by Lev AC Rosen (Tom Doherty Associates, 2011)

Also reviewed at:
Fantasy Book Critic: "All Men of Genius succeeds because it hits the right balance in both style and content, while it charms you from the first page in accepting the over-the-top happenings that could easily transform the novel into pure farce."
In Which Our Hero: "All Men of Genius is far from essential reading, but if you've always thought that what Twelfth Night really needed was some killer robots, this will make you very happy indeed."
Sci-Fi Fan Letter: "As a steampunk novel there's a lot of experimentation going on, but very little scientific explanation, so those who want a more hard SF feel should look elsewhere, while those wishing for a book to ease someone into genre should think of this as the perfect gift."

The Sandman: Brief Lives

2012-01-10T09:28:00.000-05:00

It's been quite a while since I read a book in the Sandman series, but even so, I was sucked right back into the surreal world of Dream, Death, Delirium and their other Endless siblings. I tend to eke out the series I love as much as possible because I'm always sad when they end, and there is no more discovery, just rereading. There's a fine line that I tend to walk with my favorite series, between letting things go for too long so that the story threads grow misty in my memory, and reading through too quickly to really savor each one.

As usual, I advise anyone who is interested in this complex, fascinating series that runs that gamut from fantasy to horror, to read the first book first (which collects the individual comics that were first published), Preludes & Nocturnes. Start with that one and read the rest of the series in order or risk being lost and confused. Don't say I didn't warn you.

This seventh volume (only three to go! Sigh.) focuses on Delirium, an Endless that hasn't had a whole lot of screen time so far. She is a fascinating character: fickle, sweet, immoral, enthusiastic, confused - very much the embodiment of delirium. Learning about her earlier incarnation imbued the story with a sense of loss that was always present as the plot unfolded. At any rate, one of the Endless, Destruction, abdicated his role years earlier, and has effectively disappeared. He was Delirium's favorite, and she misses him dreadfully - so dreadfully that she's going through a self-destructive downward spiral. She turns to Dream for help in finding him, and their journey to discover the whereabouts of their missing brother becomes a metaphoric journey that ties together many previous plot strands and elements touched upon in earlier books.

The artwork is among my favorite in the series so far (there are many artists who have done illustrations for the various stories, but the writing is all by Gaiman), and it skillfully evokes the bizarre, surreal feeling of the story that's being told. I enjoyed the more cohesive feeling of this installment, as well as the way the story reveals so many new things about the various characters, things that make events from previous stories much clearer. I continue to enjoy the creative and surprising storytelling of Sandman, and I look forward to continuing the series - but not too soon. I'll be so sorry when it's over!

Books in the Sandman series:

1. Preludes & Nocturnes (collects The Sandman #1-8)

2. The Doll's House (collects The Sandman #9-16)
3. Dream Country (collects The Sandman #17-20)
4. Season of Mists (collects The Sandman #21-28)
5. A Game of You (collects The Sandman #32-37)
6. Fables and Reflections (collects The Sandman #29- 1, #38-40, #50, Sandman Special #1 and Vertigo Preview #1)
7. Brief Lives (collects The Sandman #41-49)
8. World's End (collects The Sandman #51- 56)

9. The Kindly Ones (collects The Sandman #57-69)
10. The Wake (collects The Sandman #70-75)

Brief Lives (#7 in the Sandman series) by Neil Gaiman (Vertigo, 1994)

Also reviewed at:
Bibliofreak Blog: "Wow. This volume of The Sandman is so full of awesomeness. It has got to be my favorite of the series so far."
Pat's Fantasy Hotlist: "In the past, I have complained that the plotlines are often all over the place, without any sort of continuity, that many of the stories appear to be vignettes that have little or nothing to do with one another. Yet the great thing about this story arc is that it does tie a lot of what seemed to be loose ends together."
Stella Matutina: "It’s a culmination; the point at which everything that happened in the last six volumes, every little way that Dream changed, every small hint, comes together."

A Red Herring Without Mustard

2012-01-09T10:08:00.001-05:00

This historical mystery series, set in England in the 1950s, is at the top of my list of favorite whodunits. The mystery element of each book is intricate and fascinating, yes, but it is the characters, in particular the 11-year-old chemistry genius, Flavia de Luce, that have me hooked.

The protagonist may be a child, but these books are very much for adults, and there is a certain darkness to the stories that can be very disturbing indeed. However, that darkness is brightened by the humor of the books, much of which comes from Flavia's delightful narration. I listened to the audio version of the first book of the series, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, and Jayne Entwistle's reading lent itself so perfectly to the telling of the story that this has become one of those series that I listen to exclusively because reading it on my own just wouldn't measure up.

This story begins with Flavia visiting a gypsy fortune teller, and old woman who tells Flavia things about her dead mother that she couldn't possibly know. A chain of events follows that involves a fire, a decades-old kidnapping of a little baby, a brutal assault, the discovery of a dead body, and a bizarre religious sect. Flavia's curiosity takes her to some unusual places, and during her investigation she uncovers some interesting things about her own family's past.

Flavia is a lonely child, and it would be heartbreaking that her closest friend appears to be Gladys, her bicycle, if it weren't for the fact that she manages, despite the utter dysfunctionality of her family situation, to lead a stimulating and very interesting life. It was fun to see her having to relate with a younger person, someone nearly her own age (who is not an odious, backstabbing sister) - Flavia is good at manipulating the adults in her life, for the most part, but a peer? That is unexplored territory for her. Once again it was a delight to spend time in Flavia's company as she intrepidly follows the course of the investigation, and I look forward to many more installments in this outstanding mystery series.

Books in the Flavia de Luce series:
1. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
2. The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag
3. A Red Herring without Mustard
4. I Am Half Sick of Shadows
A Red Herring Without Mustard (#3 in the Flavia de Luce mystery series) by Alan Bradley; narrated by Jayne Entwistle (Books on Tape, 2011)

Also reviewed at:
Becky's Book Reviews: "I am still loving the writing, the characterization, the descriptions, the pacing. There are just so many things to love!"
Savidge Reads: "Some people might say that these are cosy crime novels and yet I think in every one of Alan Bradley’s novels so far there is a real darkness, along with a certain camp, that make them so addictive."
Stainless Steel Droppings: "I don’t often read mysteries, but the Flavia novels have become must-reads and are numbered among the more special books in my collection."

Who Is Stealing the Twelve Days of Christmas?

2012-01-08T11:04:00.002-05:00

Last month when I was working at the information desk at the public library where I work, a woman came up to me who was desperate to find something for her daughter to read during winter break. Unfortunately her daughter wasn't with her, which always makes readers advisory more challenging, but I asked the woman what kind of books - particular titles if possible - her daughter enjoyed. She said that Martha Freeman was her daughter's favorite author, and that there was something about the humor in the books, and the character of the cat, that her daughter just adored, and no other books were hitting the spot for her. Did we have anything like Martha Freeman that she could check out?

Well, I was embarrassed to admit that I'd never read a single thing by Martha Freeman - and that woman has written a lot of children's books. I tried to think of books that have humor and mystery in them to recommend. The mother didn't seem interested in any of the book in the series section (Alphabet Mysteries, Geronimo Stilton, etc.), so I gave her The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, Regarding the Fountain by Kate Klise, The World According to Humphrey by Betty Birney, a Wayside School book, and a couple others that seemed like good possibilities. I hope she'll come back and let me know how it went. As soon as she left with the books, I put Who Is Stealing the Twelve Days of Christmas on hold for me. Clearly, this was an author I needed to read.

The story is about a nine-year-old boy named Alex and his best friend, Yasmeen, who live in a cul-de-sac called Chickadee Court. Every Christmastime, the twelve houses in the cul-de-sac put up decorations with the theme of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Each house features a day and its corresponding decorations: swans a-swimming, ladies dancing, geese a-laying, etc.

The holiday display is so popular that people come every evening to drive through Chickadee Court to see it and listen to the "Twelve Days of Christmas" carol that is pumped through speakers to accompany the lights and decorations.

When the parts of the displays begin to disappear from people's lawns, Yasmeen wants to solve the case. Alex, whose mother is a police detective, isn't too sure that detection is all that appealing. But Alex's cat sure seems interested - he is the first one to notice the disappearance of a decoration in the first place, after all. As the decorations disappear - and return - the plot thickens, and Alex finds himself drawn to discover the culprit despite himself - and learns a whole lot he never would have imagined about his neighbors, too.

This is a delightful middle-grade mystery, and a great choice for a holiday read-aloud. I can certainly see that this series would be appealing to a wide range of children with its mix of humor, friendship issues, an engaging cat character, mystery, action and adventure. There are more Martha Freeman books in my future, and I'm definitely going to be recommending them to young readers at my library.

Books in the Chickadee Court Mysteries series:
1. Who is Stealing the Twelve Days of Christmas?
2. Who Stole Halloween?
3. Who Stole Uncle Sam?
4. Who Stole Grandma's Million-Dollar Pumpkin Pie?

Who Is Stealing the Twelve Days of Christmas? (#1 in the Chickadee Court Mysteries) by Martha Freeman (Holiday House, 2003)

Also reviewed at:
Pillbee.books: "A fun read aloud to kids of all ages for the month of December. Who doesn't want to try their hand at solving a mystery?"

Cast in Fury

2012-01-07T13:06:00.000-05:00

This is the fourth book in Michelle Sagara's Chronicles of Elantra series, and it did not disappoint. Our heroine is Kaylin Neya, and she's certainly come a long way since Cast in Shadow, the first book of the series.

This installment has two main plot strands. In the first, Kaylin and her friend and partner Severn are called to work with a playwright. He is a grumpy, temperamental artistic genius, and he has been commissioned by the dragon emperor to write a play about the events that concluded the previous book, Cast in Secret, in order to sway public opinion and diffuse a potentially violent situation.

The Tha'alani, a telepathic race that used to terrify Kaylin, are misunderstood, and the majority of the human population of the city suspect the Tha'alani caused the devastating tidal wave that nearly destroyed the city - when in reality they are the ones who saved the city from destruction. The playwright is clueless about the Tha'alani, and the play he has written is ignorant and insulting to their race. In short, the situation is a diplomatic nightmare, and violence against the peaceful Tha'alani is brewing. Kaylin, the most undiplomatic person possibly in the entire city, is supposed to work with the playwright to sway public opinion in the Tha'alani's favor.

The second plot strand involves Marcus, a member of the lion-like Leontine race. He is not only Kaylin's sergeant, but the closest thing to a father that the orphaned woman has known. He is accused of murder, and when he does not refute the charges, Kaylin has to investigate the matter and unearths a complex web of danger and deceit.

One of the reasons I love this series so much is that it is so different from the other fantasy series that are out there. Instead of relying on the same old, same old vampires, werewolves and fairies, Sagara has created a world with distinct races with complicated, believable and fascinating cultural differences that truly define each race. These differences are inextricable from the way the plot unfolds and the characters interact, and that makes for some compelling and entertaining reading. Because of the complexity and the overarching plot that continues from book to book, it is crucial to read this series from the beginning, in order - and even then, the books can be a bit confusing at times. Confusing in a good way, though - a way that makes me think and rethink events in the series from time to time and consider them in a new light. Great worldbuilding, sympathetic characters, and plots that twist and turn and surprise - these are all elements that combine to make this one of my favorite fantasy series.

Books in the Chronicles of Elantra series:
1. Cast in Shadow
2. Cast in Courtlight
3. Cast in Secret
4. Cast in Fury
5. Cast in Silence
6. Cast in Chaos
7. Cast in Ruin

Cast in Fury (#4 in the Chronicles of Elantra series) by Michelle Sagara (Luna, 2008)

Also reviewed at:
Beyond Books: "There is vague in storytelling and there is way too vague. I think this series falls a little too deep into the way too vague category at times. And yet I love the series. I need more when I am done with a book."
Sci.Fi.Guy: "...the love of her characters and world she has constructed shines through page after page. The central mystery delivers plenty of action and plot twists."
The Steel Bookshelf: "The realm of Elantra is slowly revealed, as bits and pieces of its history and myths show up in each book, and it grows stranger and more intriguing as time goes by."

A Mortal Bane

2012-01-06T07:05:00.000-05:00

This is the first volume of an historical mystery series sent in medieval England. The story is told from multiple points of view, but the two main characters are Magdalene, the mistress of a whorehouse known as the Old Priory Guesthouse, and Sir Bellamy of Itchem, who serves the Bishop of London. The whorehouse is a high-class one, clean and discreet, and it is literally located at the former guesthouse of a priory, and rent is paid to the local bishop (much to the dismay of certain monks a the nearby church). Magdalene is not an ordinary whore (and this is how these women are referred to in the book - they mince no words); she can read and write, and she is clearly from an upper class (if mysterious) background.

When a man is brutally murdered on the very steps of the church, the residents of the Guest House are immediately suspected - after all, they are sinners, so why wouldn't they murder a man? Perhaps to prevent him from confessing after visiting their shameful house and thereby damning his soul? Not all the residents of the church are so quick to blame the whores, but those who do are very vocal about it. Magdalene worries about her women and their living, and when Sir Bellamy of Itchem is sent to investigate the murder, Magdalene joins forces with him in order to clear the Old Priory Guesthouse and its residents of suspicion. The stakes are raised when it is discovered that the victim was a Papal messenger, and Magdalene has some secrets that she does not want to reveal, even to the handsome and charismatic Sir Bellamy.

Politics, intrigue, scandal, hidden agendas - it's all here, and the tight, skillful storytelling, vivid historical setting and fascinating characters make for a compelling read. Despite the fact that the story is set in a whorehouse, there are no steamy sex scenes. True, it is their job, and it is discussed as matter-of-factly as people who work together would discuss whatever business they are involved in, and it was often amusing, particularly as Madelene's women discuss their various patrons.

The narrator of this audiobook, Nadia May, was new to me, and I found her a skillful reader, and her accents and vivid expression really added to the story. This is one of my favorite new series that I read in 2011, and I will definitely be continuing with the next books. Fans of Ariana Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death books would be sure to enjoy this series, too.

Books in the Magdalene la Batarde series:
1. A Mortal Bane
2. A Personal Devil
3. A Bone of Contention
4. Chains of Folly

A Mortal Bane (#1 in the Magdalene la Batarde series) by Roberta Gellis; narrated by Nadia May (Blackstone Audio, 2005)

Also reviewed at:
Aneca's World: "I have no idea if whores could rent from the church but I think Gellis wrote a compelling story that seemed to me with a believable medieval atmosphere."
Beth Fish Reads: "In A Mortal Bane, Gellis draws us into the world of medieval England, and we get a peek at the politics of the early church. Greed, murder, overzealous piety, politics, prejudice, and simple jealousy must all be sorted out before the murderer can be found."

Havemercy

2012-01-05T07:26:00.000-05:00

I picked up this book because I read a mention of it somewhere, and it sounded like a fun read, with metal dragons, magic, romance, and fun steampunk action and adventure. The book is told from multiple first-person points of view, and it is more introspective and character-driven than I expected. Which is fine - I enjoy delving into characters, and there are some interesting, if not always entirely likable, ones here.

The setting is Voltov, a city that has been at war for years, and it has been maintaining the upper hand because of its corps of magical, fire-breathing, metal dragons - a weapon the enemy has been unable to replicate, due to Volstov's unique magical source. The airmen (and yes, they are all men) in the dragon corps are so vital to the survival of Volstov that they are full of themselves and very poorly behaved - because, after all, they can get away with it. When an incident occurs that results in an international scandal, a timid, intellectual university student is sent to live with them, in order to teach them some manners. He is not at all welcome.

Meanwhile, Royston, a young wizard, is exiled to his brother's estate in the country, far away from the city he adores, as punishment for a too-public affair with the crown prince of a neighboring country. He sinks into a deep depression, but is eventually distracted by the handsome young tutor who is teaching his brother's young children.

The narration switches back and forth, quite leisurely, as the reader comes to know the characters and as the enemy is slowly putting into motion a devious, dastardly plan, one that will strike at the heart of the magic that powers the metal dragons, and will put in harm's way everything that each of these young men holds most dear.

There were many things I liked about this book - the writing was solid, and the characters were interesting. The plot unfolded well and was skillfully pieced together from each disparate point of view in a very effective way. I enjoyed Royston's goofy adolescent romance with Hal, although at times I did feel like shaking them and telling them to get on with it, already!

Other things didn't work as well for me. I found the complete absence of a single, strong, positive female character to be distracting and a bit distressing - it does seem odd, given that the novel is co-authored by two women. I found the lack of time spent with the dragons to be surprising, too, given that the dragons are an important part of the story, and that one of the dragons is the absolute most important thing to one of the main characters. I think the book would have packed more of a punch had the dragons been given more "screen time," so to speak. All in all I did enjoy the book, though. It took me longer to get through it than it usually does for me to read a book because I never felt compelled to get back to the story, and I can't say I'd feel the need to read further if a sequel were to be published. The book ends with a satisfying conclusion, and I'm content to leave it at that.

Havemercy by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett (Bantam Books, 2008)

Also reviewed at:
Fantasy Cafe: "Although it is not the best character-driven novel I’ve ever read, Havemercy is an excellent debut and well worth reading for those who prefer a slower paced look at some different characters to heavy action, a fast-moving plot, or massive worldbuilding."
Stella Matutina: "Overall, it was a great read. Fun, character-based stuff with a good setting. I'll admit, I've kind of been waffling back and forth over whether I loved it or just rather liked it, but I think I'm settling down into the loved camp."
Tia's Book Musings: "Havemercy has some good ideas and characters. Truthfully, I had a lot of fun bashing it in my head as I read, but it didn't come together as a great book."

Curse of the Pharaohs

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

This is one of those series that I started reading years ago, but then sort of got lost along the way, and when I rediscovered it I knew I'd have to start at the beginning to refresh my memory. I think I'd only read the first few books, so I clearly have a long way to go. I'd heard great things about the audio versions, so this will be in my audio series list, along with a few other favorites (Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series, J.D. Robb's In Death series, and of course Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, to name a few).

I was lucky enough to find the first book, read by Barbara Rosenblat, in my library's collection, as I'd heard her recommended above the other audiobook reader. But this second one was only available as read by Susan O'Malley, so I downloaded it from my library's digital book provider, and went with it. And wow, what a difference. It was hard to find Amelia very believable when she was speaking with an American accent! Honestly. I did try not to let the reading affect my enjoyment of the book, but I have to admit it did.

This mystery series is set in the Victorian era in Egypt, and is best read in order, as the lives of the characters progress from book to book. I will do my best to avoid spoilers, but you might want to check out my review of the first book, Crocodile on the Sandbank, if a humorous historical cozy mystery is appealing to you.

In this installment, Amelia and Emerson return to Egypt to take over an archaeological dig after an acquaintance of theirs dies in suspicious circumstances. It isn't long before it becomes clear that something nefarious is afoot. This second book in the series is a more traditional mystery story, along the the lines of a classic Agatha Christie mystery, but Amelia's opinionated storytelling voice adds a lot of humor to the tale, and makes it all the more enjoyable. It is fun to watch her relationship with her husband, Emerson, progress, and I love the way that even though she is narrating the story from her point of view, it becomes humorously clear to the reader (but not necessarily to her) that Amelia is not always as brilliant at sleuthing as she thinks she is, and sometimes the reader is a few steps ahead of her.

This is one of the series I often recommend to teenage girls who are transitioning from the YA section to the adult collection at the library where I work. Amelia is a funny and energetic character that teens are likely to relate to, and there is little content that might be considered inappropriate or objectionable. I have heard that this is one of those series that just gets better and better as the books progress, and I look forward to returning to Egypt with Amelia and Emerson to solve some more archaeological mysteries.

Books in the Amelia Peabody series:
1. Crocodile on the Sandbank
2. The Curse of the Pharaohs
3. The Mummy Case
4. Lion in the Valley
5. The Deeds of the Disturber
6. The Last Camel Died at Noon
7. The Snake, The Crocodile and the Dog
8. The Hippopotamus Pool
9. Seeing a Large Cat
10. The Ape Who Guards The Balance
11. The Falcon at the Portal
12. Thunder in the Sky
13. Lord of the Silent
14. The Golden One
15. Children of the Storm
16. Guardian of the Horizon
17. The Serpent on the Crown
18. Tomb of the Golden Bird
19. A River in the Sky

Curse of the Pharaohs (#2 in the Ameilia Peabody series) by Elizabeth Peters; narrated by Susan O'Malley (Blackstone Audio, 2005)

Also reviewed at:
A Book a Week: "I'm still recommending this series to anyone looking for a lighter cozy mystery with a fascinating, out-of-the-ordinary setting. Amelia's love of place (and perhaps Elizabeth Peters'?) shines through in her descriptions of Victorian-era Egypt."
Kay's Bookshelf: "This is sort of an Agatha Christie-like book, as we have a bunch of characters in the same household, each with his own secrets and schemes, which sometimes can seem enough to become murder reasons. "
Outlandish Dreaming: "I laughed out loud dozens of times during the course of this book, Amelia, as usual, is always right - even when she's not! Her asides and the way she phrases things to make herself look good are hilarious."

Succubus Blues

2012-01-03T07:24:00.000-05:00

Richelle Mead's Georgina Kincaid series is one of the few new series I started in 2011. I am a total sucker for modern-day fantasy stories featuring tough heroines and an interesting supernatural element, but I have grown leery of trying new ones because there are so many that just seem like weak copies made of recycled material, and I hate wasting my reading time. But still, I love the genre, which has become my go-to place when I need a little vacation from the routine of my daily life, so hope springs eternal, I guess. I try to keep my expectations reasonable - and also to give series books a few installments if I can, because often writers are honing their craft in the early books (I didn't get hooked on Kim Harrison's Hollows series till the third or fourth book, for example, and I'm glad I stuck with it).

Earlier in the year, I read the first in Richelle Mead's Dark Swan series (Storm Born), and while I fully intended to continue with it, I just sort of forgot about it. In fact, I didn't even realize this was the same author - or even an author I'd read before - when I picked up this book. I think someone recommended the series to me. I really do need to keep track of who recommends books to me - I'm sure it was one of you, but I can't remember! Anyway, Mead's Vampire Academy books are very popular with teens at my library, but I'm a bit tired of vampires these days, so this series looked like a fun one to start with.

Our heroine is a succubus, a sort of demonic entity who roams the earth, never aging, garnering souls for the dark side. I couldn't help but wonder how the author was going to make this character sympathetic enough for me to want to root for Georgina, but she pulls it off without much trouble at all. Georgina has an interesting back story that is slowly revealed, and she has a sense of honor that does conflict with her duty from time to time. She's also a hopeless romantic, which helps. As a former book store employee, I enjoyed the fact that she works in a book store, and I loved the literary crush she has on her favorite writer. It was lots of fun to see her, normally very strong and confident, fall to pieces when she meets him in person. The supernatural element is fresh and interesting, although at this point I'm left with many questions on how it all actually works and what the connections are - but that's okay, since I intend to keep reading.

Georgina is tough, but not too tough, and she's smart and resourceful, but despite her immortality she is still very human and has human failings. I enjoyed the mixture of fantasy, romance and mystery, and the characters are interesting and believable. I think this series would appeal to fans of Jennifer Rardin (although it does lack the supreme quirkiness and humor of her books - but most books do, so there you are) and Carrie Vaughn. I'm glad I've added this to my ongoing series, and I look forward to continuing.

Books in the Georgina Kincaid series:
1. Succubus Blues
2. Succubus on Top (aka Succubus Nights)
3. Succubus Dreams
4. Succubus Heat
5. Succubus Shadows
6. Succubus Revealed

Succubus Blues (#1 in the Georgina Kincaid series) by Richelle Mead (Kensington Books, 2007)

Also reviewed at:
Bloody Bookaholic: "One of the things that I loved about this book was that the lines between good and bad were blurred, nothing is what it seems, and rules that would apply in other installments have been banished."
Patricia's Vampire Notes: "I found this book to be in the "I don't want this to end" category. Mead creates such an imaginative, captivating world. I had no desire to leave it."
Tez Says: "I’d gone in expecting a succubus-in-love story with a chick-lit voice. Not really my thing. But once Georgina got serious and the plot developed, I was surprised, and mightily impressed."

Lucky for Good

2012-01-02T07:35:00.000-05:00

I found myself reluctant to read the third volume of the Hard Pan trilogy that began with the Newbery-award-winning The Higher Power of Lucky because I've come to adore Lucky and the quirky inhabitants of Hard Pan, a tiny desert town in California, and this is the final installment. I knew I'd be so sad to say goodbye!

In this last book, Lucky finds herself wishing that her stepmom Brigitte's restaurant weren't quite so popular. Restaurants are a lot of work - and it's the kind of work that is always being undone and having to be done all over again, like cleaning tables, washing dishes, and sweeping floors. Plus because the cafe is only open on the weekends, that cuts into any fun time Lucky and Brigitte can have together. But when a health inspector shows up and it looks like the cafe is going to be closed down, Lucky realizes that despite the hard work, the cafe is an important part of their lives - and the lives of Hard Pan's residents, too.

This book is about much more than the cafe, though. Questions raised throughout the trilogy are addressed, such as Lucky's relationship with her absentee father, and while Lucky, as usual, makes some rash decisions and a few mistakes as the story progresses, readers will be rooting for her all the way. Funny, fresh and honest, this book contains all the things I loved about the first two, and culminates in a moving, satisfying conclusion. I will miss Lucky and the memorable residents of Hard Pan, but I'm looking forward to whatever Susan Patron decides to write next. It is nice to know the Hard Pan trilogy will be there, though, waiting for a reread, whenever I decide to go back for a visit And I'm sure I will

Books in the Hard Pan trilogy:

1. The Higher Power of Lucky
2. Lucky Breaks
3. Lucky for Good

Lucky for Good by Susan Patron (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011)

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T23:12:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year, everyone! Although why is that baby New Year always a little boy? I say it's time for a little girl New Year, don't you think?

At any rate, I'm so bad at doing wrap-up posts of any kind, mainly because I'm always feeling behind with reviews, but I do think it is important to stop and reflect on things from time to time. After all, there are far more books out there than I can ever hope to read in this lifetime, and so stopping and deciding on a better focus or more defined goals can only be a good thing.

Reflecting on what I've read and listened to makes me realize that I read different things for different reasons. I read a lot of picture books and children's/YA fiction because it helps me have a broad range of books to suggest to the young readers who come into my library. I am much more willing to stretch out of my comfort zone with children's books because of this. Books for adults tend to be longer, so I'm less likely to devote my time to them unless I really think the payoff will be worth it. Right now my life is so very busy, with kids, work, my own writing, tennis, friends, family, chores, etc. So when I open a book I want to be in a good place, or at least an interesting or exciting one. Now is not the time in my life to wade through dry tomes or unappealing books.

Looking back over the books I've read this year, I see there's a pretty good mix of children's and adult books, graphic novels and audio books, and I've managed to continue with most of the series I've been following. I'm very pleased that my daughters, who are now eleven and thirteen years old, continue to enjoy my reading aloud to them, although we don't have as much time to do that as we'd like, given their homework and social activities. Still, we made it through a few books this year, and finally finished Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children last week. It was the book we chose for our annual Halloween read, and it took us that long to get through it! They loved it, though, and I enjoyed the reread.

My favorite series that I continued reading this year include the Disworld series by Terry Pratchett, the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs, the Vorkosigan saga by Lois McMaster Bujold, the Mediator series by Meg Cabot, and the Cassandra Palmer series by Karen Chance. I look forward to continuing with them, and I'm also excited to read the next installment in some series I've been waiting forever for, including the new Maisie Dobbs, Bloody Jack, Flavia de Luce and some others.

I can't narrow down the books I read this year to a top favorite, because I enjoyed so many of them. The YAs that stand out include The Five Flavors of Dumb and Jellicoe Road (yet to be reviewed). I also discovered an historical mystery series (My thanks to whomever recommended it to me - I can't remember who!) called the Magdalene la Batarde series, set in medieval London. I have so many graphic novels on my tbr list right now, and I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I don't read as many as I'd like because they are such quick reads, and I'm always so far behind on my reviews that I keep waiting to be more caught up. I'll have to remedy that in the coming year (although I failed tremendously in that resolution for 2011). I also discovered the audio versions of Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan books, which lend themselves perfectly to that format. I thoroughly enjoyed rereading those this past fall. I think my favorite audio book I listened to this year would have to be The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex. As far as graphic novels, my favorites are Zita the Space Girl, Anya's Ghost, and Page by Paige (yet to be reviewed).

I think my favorite new author that I discovered would have to be Rosemary Clement-Moore, who wrote Prom Dates from Hell and Texas Gothic. There's something about her quirky characters and the fun mix of horror and humor that just tickles me, and I look forward to more of her books this year.

Top reads altogether? It's hard to pick! I loved the Flavia de Luce books by Alan Bradley (The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag and A Red Herring Without Mustard - still to be reviewed). Franny Billingsly's Chime (to be reviewed) was wonderfully atmospheric and gripping, and of course Terry Pratchett's I Shall Wear Midnight was delightful. Patricia Briggs' River Marked was much anticipated and definitely did not disappoint. My kids and I found Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children to be our favorite read-aloud of the year.

As far as aspirations for the coming year are concerned, I'd first and foremost like to get caught up on reviews! I don't like when blogging starts feeling like a chore, but when I fall behind it becomes a bit daunting to get caught up. I'll continue with the short reviews and do my best to catch up within the next month or so. I may have to go shorter, which is so hard because it's hard to shut me up when I talk about books. I'd like to make some headway on my to-be-read list, and also to read more books that I own but have set aside in favor of library books. And, now that my girls are older and branching out to so many things I've never read, I want to make an effort to read every book they recommend to me. We'll see how that goes!

Best of luck to you all in this coming New Year. I hope it will be prosperous and happy for all of us!

The Twenty-Four Days of Christmas

2011-12-26T09:09:00.005-05:00

I remember reading this picture book/novella to my children quite a few years ago. We'd checked it out from the library, and it was old and battered and clearly nearing the end of its days. Now my library no longer holds any copies of this book at any of its branches. When I saw it offered as an ebook for just a few dollars recently, I immediately purchased it. It was a charming, nostalgic read, revisiting the Austins, one of my very favorite literary families, and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them during their 1950s New England holiday season.

This story predates the first book of the Austin Family series, Meet the Austins. Here Vicki is seven years old, and she is very excited because she has been chosen to play the part of the angel in the Christmas pageant. Unfortunately, she overhears an unkind remark made by the adults directing the play, commenting on the fact that she is awkward and clumsy, not the best choice for the part after all. While Vicki is crushed, she turns to her parents for help, and she works very hard to improve her performance. Just as things seem to be looking up, the alarming possibility occurs to her that her mother, who is nearing the end of her pregnancy, might not be able to see the pageant if the baby comes. She might not even be home for Christmas! As Vicki thinks about all the ways in which Christmas is only Christmas if the entire family is together, she becomes more and more worried about what might happen if the baby comes early.

The Austin family's Christmas is likely a much simpler affair than most children today experience. Every day they do something together to prepare and celebrate the advent season. They put out the figures from the nativity set one day, and they make a Christmas mobile from recycled tin cans the next. There isn't any mention made, really, of gifts and presents and what Vicki would like to receive for Christmas - it's about being together and enjoying holiday traditions, and I liked that. I think younger readers would enjoy the story as well, and they would definitely relate to Vicki's hopes and anxieties. Their eyes might not mist up as mine always do at the end of this story, but they'll be sure to enjoy it all the same.

Source: Purchased ebook

Books in the Austin Family Chronicles:
1. Meet the Austins
2. The Moon by Night
3. The Young Unicorns
4. A Ring of Endless Light
5. Troubling a Star

The Twenty-Four Days of Christmas by Madeleine L'Engle; illustrations by Jill Weber (Farrar Straus Giroux, 1964)

Reviews of other books by L'Engle:
A Wrinkle in Time
The Joys of Love

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt

2011-12-19T09:06:00.000-05:00

It's a scrapbook. It's a diary. It's a novel. What's not to like?

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt tells the story of a girl growing up in New Hampshire in the 1920s. She is a bright girl, but her family doesn't have much money since her father died, so when she is accepted at Vassar College with a partial scholarship, she turns it down, knowing what a financial burden it would be on her mother, who works as a night nurse, to pay the rest of her tuition. However, events conspire to enable her to accept the scholarship, following a most disappointing experience in love, and she sets off to gain an education and follow her dream of becoming a writer.

The story is told through text, photographs, old-time advertisements and magazine clippings, and is filled with authentic memorabilia such as ticket stubs, menus, greeting and post cards, and photographs. Throughout the book Frankie's strong and honest voice shines through. She makes mistakes, suffers disappointments, celebrates victories,documenting everything faithfully in the pages of her colorful scrapbook.

This book would make an excellent gift for anyone who enjoys scrap-booking, and it's also a wonderful look at life in the U.S. and Paris during the 20s. I'd recommend this to teens as well - it's a great coming-of-age story, and the historical details are fascinating. The list of clothing required for girls at Vassar College, for example, was hilarious. My grandmother lived and went to college during this time period, and it was fun to imagine her having some of these same experiences as Frankie. Although it made me wish I'd asked her more questions about that time in her life.

At any rate, this is a delightful story that is told in a unique way, and I highly recommend it.

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston (HarperCollins, 2011)

Thresholds

2011-12-14T09:44:00.000-05:00

Maya is recovering from an unimaginable loss - her very best friend has died, and her family has just moved from Idaho to Oregon, hoping that a change of scene will help Maya to move on and focus on new things, instead of on all the things that remind her of her friend. Maya is doing her best to move forward with her life, but it is of course not easy. When a fairy flies through her open window one evening, followed by an unusual encounter with a strange boy at school in which something scary, wonderful and inexplicably strange happens, Maya's life becomes much more interesting and bearable. As she comes to know the kids who live at the mysterious Janus House apartments across the street, entire worlds open up for her - literally.

This story for younger readers may lack some of the intense complexity and bizarre quirkiness of her Hoffman's books for teens and adults, but it is immensely enjoyable nonetheless. Maya is a tough, likable character, and the magical concepts that underlie the book are fresh and intriguing. As always with Hoffman's books, there is more than meets the eye to the characters and their situations, and she never relies on cliches or stereotypes in her storytelling. I recommend this one to tweens and younger teens (Maya attends middle school) who enjoy thoughtful and exciting magical tales.

Books in the Magic Next Door series:
1. Thresholds
2. Meeting

Thresholds (#1 in the Magic Next Door series) by Nina Kiriki Hoffman (Viking, 2010)

Other reviews of books by this author:
A Stir of Bones
Hoffman, Nina Kiriki - Fall of Light
Past the Size of Dreaming
Red Heart of Memories
Spirits That Walk in Shadow
The Thread That Binds the Bones

The Orphan's Tales, Vol. 2: In the Cities of Coin and Spice

2011-12-12T16:39:00.000-05:00

Despite the fact that over a year had passed since I read the first volume of these interconnected short stories, I was sucked right back into the evocative world of the tale-telling orphan who lives, alone and neglected, in the lush wilderness that is the sultan's garden. This second volume begins a new cycle of interconnected stories, but it continues the events in the lives of the storyteller and her ardent listener, picking up where the first volume left off. If you love intricate stories with a fairy tale flavor - tales that pull no punches, contain soaring flights of fancy and veer into dark and disturbing realms, I advise that you pick up The Orphan's Tales, Vol. 1: In the Night Garden immediately.

There is not much to say that I did not mention in my review of the first volume in this series. I continue to enjoy Valente's deft and lyrical prose, and I was once again caught up in the fantastical stories told by the orphan. This story cycle takes the reader to the City of Marrow, a ghost town that will forever eclipse all ghost towns in my mind, as well as to the Lake of the Dead. There are firebirds and manticores, stars and spiders, poisoners and sentient shoes with an agenda. And throughout the stories is the sense that the orphan's own story is about to come to a surprising conclusion, somehow connected to the characters and events that have been so mysteriously inked onto her skin. I highly recommend these two volumes of unforgettable stories within stories within stories.

Also reviewed by Catherynne Valente:
The Orphan's Tales, Vol. 1: In the Night Garden
Palimpsest

The Orphan's Tales, Vol. 2: In the Cities of Coin and Spice by Catherynne M. Valente (Bantam Books, 2007)

Ghostgirl

2011-12-09T09:17:00.001-05:00

Charlotte Usher is a marginalized teen who fantasizes about dating the most popular boy in school. She has big plans and schemes, but one day, in school, she chokes on a gummy bear and dies. She finds that the afterlife is just as difficult to deal with as her life was, as she still has a strange version of afterlife "school" she must attend. Her fellow dead students are just as hard to take as the live ones were, and she still finds herself obsessing about her crush, Damen Dylan. She finds a way to interact with the living, despite the fact that she is warned against such methods, and despite the fact that her fellow ghosts are in dire need of her help. She slowly comes to understand that she has people counting on her, but all that really matters to her is Damen and her "popularity plan."

The packaging on this book was what first caught my eye - the sequel arrived at my library, so I put this first one one hold to check out. It appeared to have many elements that I enjoy - an intriguing version of the afterlife, interactions between the living and the dead, a humorous take on a dismal situation, etc. But I found Charlotte to be so very self involved and superficial that I could not really care what happened to her. Plus I have very little patience (ahem, Bella!) with characters who only define themselves based on their relationships with boys. I find "You complete me" to be a creepy, suffocating and unhealthy sentiment. At first I thought the book was going to be funny and satirical - choking on a gummy bear, for instance, seemed to indicate that the story was headed in that direction. But it felt as though the story wavered between taking itself very seriously and not taking itself seriously enough, if that makes any sense. Either give me a character to care about in a situation with consequences that make sense, or give me a story that is clever and funny enough that I don't care if I connect very well with the characters. This one was right in between, and I guess that's why it didn't work well for me. Teens at my library seem to love the series, though, if the books' dilapidated condition is any indication, and this may just be one of those novels that younger readers will enjoy on levels that adults(at least this adult) just don't get.

Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley (Little, Brown and Co., 2008)

The True Meaning of Smekday

2011-12-05T09:33:00.001-05:00

This was my family's favorite audio book from last summer, and I'm ashamed that it's taken me until now to write about it! I had heard good things about this book and love Adam Rex's sense of humor (Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich is one of my favorite poetry collections and never fails to make me giggle - particularly the ones about the Phantom of the Opera, who can't compose because he has "It's a Small World" stuck in his head). When I learned that The True Meaning of Smekday had won the ALA's Odyssey Award (for excellence in audio book production), I checked it out from our library's collection. After about an hour or two of listening to it, I knew my children would love it, so I started all over again and listened with them. And I was right - they adored it.

I hesitate to say too much about this delightful novel. It is set in the near future and is told from the point of view of young Gratuitiy Tucci, as an entry in an essay contest in which school children are asked to write about "The True Meaning of Smekday," i.e. the day in which the alien Boov invaded the earth, which, coincidentally, happened on Christmas Day. Gratuity tells her story with humor and honesty, and we learn about the day her mother was abducted by aliens and go on an unforgettable road trip with Gratuity and an alien Boov named J. Lo. During their cross-country trek in Slushious, a floating car, Gratuity learns things from J. Lo that no other humans understand, which puts her in a unique position when the invasion shifts into a new and alarming situation. Unfortunately none of the adults think that a young girl could possibly have anything useful to contribute, so Gratuity and J. Lo have some quick thinking to do.

I love, love, loved this book. It is funny and moving, exciting and thoughtful. The audio production is a delight - narrator Bahni Turpin does an excellent job with voices and accents, particularly the aliens, and really brings the story to a whole new level. There are a few small sections of the story that are written (by J. Lo) in comic book format, and while they are described perfectly in the audio version, I of course had to see the pictures. So I checked the hard copy out from the library so we could read those sections ourselves. It would be nice if audio books contained pdf files of images and such so readers could see them, or even a link to the publisher's website with a code to access them, or something like that. This book should be appealing to male and female readers, and would make an excellent book club read - there are lots of interesting ideas and concepts here, and my kids and I found a whole lot to talk about as we listened together.

At any rate, I highly recommend this book!

Also by Adam Rex: Pssst!

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex; narrated by Bahni Turpin (Listening Library, 2010)

Steel

2011-12-02T22:50:00.001-05:00

Sixteen-year-old Jill lives and breathes fencing, and she has her eye on an Olympic gold medal one day in her future. But when she suffers a defeat by being one half of one second too slow, she finds her confidence and ambitions are shaken. Her parents whisk her off to the Caribbean for a change of scene they hope will improve her state of mind, but Jill still finds herself mulling over the defeat. Then when she is walking along the beach one day, she comes across an old rusty bit of metal washed up on the shore. Most people would probably stepped right over it and walked on, but Jill immediately recognizes it for what it is - the tip of an ancient rapier. The sword tip has a a connection to the past that is so strong that it transports Jill back to the time it was once a shiny, sharp blade. When she finds herself aboard a pirate ship, her previous worries seem small and unimportant.

This is a fun piratical romp, full of swashbuckling adventure, with strong female characters, a touch of romance, and a bit of enchantment. At the beginning I found Jill to be a bit too self-involved and whiny, and she makes some incredibly scatterbrained decisions along the way, but she does come to terms with her situation so that by the end I found myself rooting for her. I passed this one to my 12-year-old daughter, who has expressed an interest in learning fencing, and she enjoyed it but also found that she did not connect with the main character as much as she would have liked. Still, it was a fun read, and teenage fans of piratical adventure will be sure to enjoy it.

Steel by Carrie Vaughn (HarperTeen, 2011)

Something Deadly This Way Comes

2011-12-01T10:05:00.001-05:00

This third book in the Madison Avery series features a teen who, in the first book, dies and becomes a reaper, one of a group of supernatural beings that fight over human souls. Madison has been stirring things up a bit because she does not believe that they way things have always been done is necessarily the right way to do things. In the second book, she was able to win over some unlikely allies to help as she tries to prove herself. Her life is complicated by her relationship with Josh, a human boy who actually knows what's going on in her life and isn't completely freaked out by it all. When she finally discovers an opportunity to get her body back, which would enable her to go back to being a normal, teenage girl again, Madison has some serious decisions to make. But when she catches a glimpse into the future and sees flames and destruction - and the potential demise of a soul - she needs to focus on the here and now. This continues to be an entertaining series. I would personally prefer a little more depth to the characters, as with Harrison's Hollows series, but I think teens will be sure to enjoy the action-packed pace and interesting fantastical premise.

Books in the Madison Avery series:
1. Once Dead, Twice Shy
2. Early to Death, Early to Rise
3. Something Deadly This Way Comes

Something Deadly This Way Comes (#3 in the Madison Avery series) by Kim Harrison (Harper, 2011)

Horton Halfpott

2011-11-30T09:11:00.001-05:00

Due to the recent demise of my laptop (sniff.) and my increasingly hectic schedule, I have an enormous backlog of books to review. So I'm back to last year's strategy of nutshell reviews: reviewing the books in ten or fewer sentences. My goal is to get caught up with all my books by the end of the year.

This book is by the same author as The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, and while the humor is still there, this one is set in Victorian England rather than a modern American middle school. Our hero is Horton Halfpott, a servant at the elegant Smugwick Manor. A bizarre and humorous chain of events begins when M'Lady Luggertuck, mistress of Smugwick Manor, loosens her corset one fine morning, culminating in the mysterious disappearance of a precious family heirloom, the Luggertuck Lump. Of course the scrupulously honest Horton is innocent, despite the accusations against him. A lively and unusual cast of characters combine to make this an intriguing, amusing and absurd mystery novel that I enjoyed very much.

I did wonder as I read whether younger readers would appreciate the humor as much as I did, however. My ten-year-old adored Origami Yoda but sadly only made it partway through this one before she gave up. So I would suggest Horton Halfpott as an excellent choice for a read-aloud - I think if we'd read it together, I could have stopped to explained things so she'd have appreciated the humor much more. Fans of humor and historical novels should definitely give this one a try.

Also by Tom Angleberger: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

Horton Halfpott or The Fiendish Mystery of Smugwick Manor or The Loosening of M'Lady Luggertuck's Corset by Tom Angleberger (Amulet Books, 2011)

Manifest

2011-11-14T08:51:00.001-05:00

This is the first book in a paranormal series for teens about a Krystal, a fifteen-year-old who moves to a small town in New England with her mother, following her parents' divorce. She feels very disconnected being in the suburbs after growing up in New York City, and she is depressed and upset about her the divorce. The fact that her mother is already with someone new, someone who feels he has the authority to boss Krystal around despite the fact that he is not Krystal's father, only makes matters worse. Then when Krystal starts seeing the ghost of a boy from her school who died before she moved up from New York, things really get strange.

There were things about this book that I liked - I really liked the fact that Krystal is black - and part Cherokee - because there aren't many books in this genre that do not feature white heroines. The supernatural element was interesting, too, something a little different from the usual vampires and werewolves that proliferate the pages of YA fiction these days.

But as much as I really wanted to love this book, I just didn't. Aside from the fact that the book is written in the present tense, which is something I have personal issues with, the characters simply weren't very real. Krystal did nothing but whine and complain and be rude to the people around her. She was so negative and self-involved that I could barely bring myself to finish the book. Plus she just wasn't very bright. She receives suggestive, overtly sexual text messages when she knows there is a local sexual predator on the prowl - and people have been killed by this person - but she doesn't tell an adult? Argh! The writing was at times awkward and uneven, with punctuation and grammar issues, to the point that I kept getting yanked out of the narrative to reread sentences over again in order to figure out what the author was trying to say.

"I don't want to go," I say in a voice that sounds sulky and juvenile - I mean elementary-like.

and

While me, on the other hand, can't stand to be in the house Janet works so hard to create and walks around with enough friction in my mind to fill a psych ward.

Seriously? What does that even mean? I found myself getting angry that, as paranormal YA novels featuring minority teens are rare, shouldn't such books be even better than the norm? Shouldn't standards be even higher for such books? It is not good enough to have a lovely, slick cover and a good marketing campaign - for any book, particularly books for young readers. I wish I could say that this first book stands head and shoulders above its peers, but sadly, I can't.

Books in the Mystyx series:
1. Manifest
2. Mystify
3. Mayhem
4. Mesmerize

Manifest (#1 in the Mystyx series) by Artist Arthur (Kimani Tru, 2010)

Also reviewed at:
Charlotte's Library: "... although this first book of the series was somewhat uneven, the second book promises more -- Krystal's grown up somewhat, and I know longer want to shake her, and the paranormal plot is about to really get going!"
Do Not Disturb My Books: "I felt disconnected from the characters while reading the story. I felt like there was so much devoted to the story itself but the characters were left out of that."
Insert Book Title Here: "I really enjoyed this one. It had romance, supernatural powers, friendship, twists, turns, and mystery."

We had a good run...

2011-11-14T08:45:00.001-05:00

...but sadly, I had to bid my faithful old laptop goodbye a couple weeks ago. I've had it so long I was a little surprised to count up the years we'd been together. Seven? Eight? Maybe Santa will bring me a new one - I've been pretty good this year. :-)

So forgive me if I'm lag even further behind on my reviews during this busy, laptop-free time of year. I can't kick my kids off their computer when they're trying to get their homework done (as tempted as I may be), but I will try to keep visiting everyone's blogs and posting here as much as I can.

Gunnerkrigg Court, Volume 2: Research

2011-11-04T09:18:00.000-04:00

It had been such a long time since I'd read the first volume of the wonderful, quirky Gunnerkrigg Court (which I'd discovered back when it was still only available as a webcomic - and it still is, for free, here), that I thought I'd better reread it before starting on with this second volume, and I'm glad I did. First, because it is delightful, and it was fun to revisit those dark and mysterious boarding school corridors, and second, because I might have been a bit confused about the continuing events in the second volume if I hadn't done that reread first.

Volume 2 continues the story of young Antimony Carver, at the strange boarding school known as Gunnerkrigg Court. This is her second year, and she and her best friend Kat continue to explore the mysteries that the school - and Annie's past - have to offer. There's the strange relationship between the school and its emphasis on technology and robotics and the forest with its nature spirits and deities. There is the ghost that we met in the first book, who may have some answers to offer. And there's also the secret room beneath Kat's workshop and the strange ancient robots that the two girls discover there. Aside from the magical, robotic and mythological aspects of the girls' school days, there are also the mundane but no less important issues of navigating the ins and outs of friendship and change.

Where the first book was more episodic, with each chapter telling its own short story, this one is more cohesive, with a single narrative arc that runs throughout the volume. It has the same quirky humor and compelling plot, and the colorful illustrations are a visual feast. I love that I find this book just as engaging as my ten- and twelve-year-old daughters do, and while we may derive our enjoyment from different aspects of the story, we have a great time sharing our thoughts about the enigmatic hints and clues that always keep us guessing.

We are all very much looking forward to reading the third volume. I own the first volume of this series, and while I checked the second one out from the library, this is one series that I intend to purchase in its entirety for our own personal collection. I know it's one we'll all be reading and rereading over the years.

Books in the Gunnerkrigg Court series:
1. Orientation
2. Research
3. Reason

Gunnerkrigg Court, Volume 2: Research by Tom Siddell (Archaia, 2009)

Also reviewed at:
Back to Books: "Gone are the seemingly random vignettes, instead to be replaced by a full blown plot of magic and mayhem between the court and the forest, the humans and the non-human creatures living at Gunnerkrigg Court. "
Finding Wonderland: "Though fans of school stories like the Harry Potter books would probably enjoy this one, Gunnerkrigg is no Hogwarts. Though it, too, hides secrets everywhere and has a few ghosts hanging about, nothing is quite as clear-cut; there's no easy division between wizards and muggles, no complete separation between life and death and clockwork, between human and faerie."
Mama Librarian: "Siddell never takes himself too seriously, and we find ourself falling hard for his characters. A worthy heir to Buffy."

Prom Dates from Hell

2011-10-24T09:47:00.001-04:00

Maggie Quinn is the photographer for the yearbook, an aspiring journalist, and a high school senior, very much looking forward to exiting the high school scene and moving on. She isn't among the most popular kids (nor does she have any interest to be), and she has some very good friends. A bullying incident occurs, and she just happens to have her camera handy. She uses the incriminating photo as a means of ending the incident, only to find that not only has she made enemies of the football players who were involved, but the victim is furious with her as well, for not allowing him to handle the situation himself. Nothing worse than being rescued by a girl, after all.

The incident sparks a very strange situation. Maggie begins to have dreams, the true kind of dreams, which she'd somehow been avoiding having for years. Her grandmother, a woman with "the sight," has been urging Maggie to learn to use her talent for a long time, but Maggie has found it much more convenient to pretend it isn't there and try to live a normal life. But when these dreams involve the very real odor of fire and brimstone, and horrible accidents begin happening to students at Maggie's school, she realizes she can't stand back and let these things happen. Luckily her father, a university professor, introduces her to Justin, one of his students,who is studying the supernatural aspects of folklore, and Justin is willing to help her out. It doesn't hurt matters that he is a total hottie.

After I read Texas Gothic and enjoyed it so much, I knew I had to read everything else I could find by Rosemary Clement-Moore. Her sense of humor absolutely tickles me, and her writing is excellent. Maggie's strong, snarky voice carries this story, and while the storyline isn't anything terribly out of the ordinary as far as YA fantasy/horror stories go, there are some fun and surprising elements. The dialogue works beautifully, the pacing is excellent, and the characters are well developed and fun. I knew I was going to love the book when I came to paragraphs like this one:

I should point out that on Halloween, my chemistry teacher dressed up like Professor Snape from the Harry Potter books, and he sometimes referred to his course as "Potions Class" even when it wasn't October. He had a last name out of a Bronte novel and he looked like the mad scientist from Back to the Future. I love Professor Blackthorne.

I also enjoyed the fact that the author avoided the stereotypical scenario in which the clueless parents go about their day-to-day lives completely oblivious to the supernatural woes besetting the heroine. Maggie isn't completely on her own as far as her clairvoyance is concerned. Her grandmother is there to support her (but is willing to stand back and allow Maggie to deal with things herself), and her father is, too. Her mom is more of a pragmatist, who would clearly rather cover her ears with her hands and yell "La la la! I'm not listening" when Maggie has one of her terrifying prophetic dreams. I enjoyed Maggie's relationship with her dad, and they way they conspired to avoid freaking out her mother as much as they could. The book is smart and funny, using the situation and the supernatural themes as an effective way of examining many of the issues that high school students deal with without being preachy or patronizing.

I am sorry to see there are only three books in this series, and I'm very much looking forward to continuing with Maggie's Girl vs. Evil adventures. Fun, fun, fun!

Books in the Maggie Quinn: Girl vs. Evil series:
1. Prom Dates from Hell
2. Hell Week
3. Highway to Hell

Prom Dates from Hell (#1 in the Maggie Quinn: Girl vs. Evil series) by Rosemary Clement-Moore (Delacorte Press, 2007)

Also reviewed at:
Book Dweeb: "This story starts out good, but fizzles toward the end. The fantasy laws at work here are too contrived, and (unlike Buffy) it’s not funny enough to make up for the flaws in internal logic."
Reading Rants: "I just loved this outrageous supernatural romp. Among the sheer number of Buffy rip-offs and Twi-wannabes that crowd the book and DVD shelves these days, Rosemary C-M’s mystical offering manages to stand out, mainly because of Maggie’s snarly, sassy voice."
Teen Book Review: " This fast-paced, well-written adventure had me hooked from the start, and kept me that way!"

The Deadliest Bite

2011-10-23T09:49:00.001-04:00

This is the eighth and, sadly, final installment in the action-packed, hilarious and wickedly clever Jaz Parks series, and I held out as long as possible before finally giving in and reading it because I am simply so sorry to see it end.

The first thing you need to know, if you've never read any of Rardin's books, is that the eight books each contain their own individual plot line, but unless you begin at the beginning of the series (with Once Bitten, Twice Shy), you will be lost. Past events continually influence events in the present, and you will miss a whole lot if you just pick one up randomly and start reading.

As usual, it's tough to provide a synopsis without offering spoilers, so let me just say that the series involves a team of CIA assassins who possess supernatural or paranormal powers, or who simply are amazingly intelligent and skilled. Their targets are of the supernatural, immensely powerful and scary variety, and throughout the course of the series, the team comes together. Through each adventure, their relationships evolve and progress, and they learn how to combine their various skill sets to make the most of their abilities. Jaz is a stand-up heroine - she is believably kick-ass, flawed and likeable, and she has come a long way since the early books of the series. There's a whole lot to like here: very cool (and often funny) gadgets, swoon-worthy romance, gritty action and adventure, quirky and surprising plot twists, wonderful characters who grow and change from book to book, laugh-out-loud moments, and very spooky, disturbing villains.

This final book did not disappoint, and the conclusion was immensely satisfying and rather bittersweet. It felt just right. I was so saddened by the death of Jennifer Rardin earlier this year, and I'm immensely grateful that she managed to finish this wonderful series. I know I will be rereading this series again and again, so I can spend some more time with some of my favorite characters ever.

Books in the Jaz Parks series:
1. Once Bitten, Twice Shy
2. Another One Bites the Dust
3. Biting the Bullet
4. Bitten to Death
5. One More Bite
6. Bite Marks
7. Bitten in Two
8. The Deadliest Bite

The Deadliest Bite (#8 in the Jaz Parks series) by Jennifer Rardin (Orbit, 2011)

Also reviewed at:
A Book Obsession: "All in all an excellent book, with a very satisfying ending that will make it a little easier to say goodbye to these fantastic characters."
Book'd Out: "The Deadliest Bite is a fast paced, action packed final installment that leads to a definitive and satisfying culmination for the series."
e-Volving Books: "I thought this might be a trite vampire love story, but the characters are really strong and fiercely written and saves the book from falling into a stereotype."

City of Fallen Angels

2011-10-22T09:09:00.001-04:00

I wasn't sure what to think when I first saw this fourth installment in The Mortal Instruments "trilogy." While I had enjoyed the first three books immensely, it seemed to me that the relationship issues had been solved satisfactorily, and the big bad had been fought and defeated, and things were well on their way to happily ever after. But of course other big bads could appear, and it would be fun to see Jace and Clary work as a team, unburdened by the many various obstacles they had faced in the first trilogy (much the way that Eve and Roarke, in J.D. Robb's "In Death" series, team up to solve cases as their relationship continues to develop throughout the course of the series).

Instead, I was disappointed to find the book seems total rehash of everything that was purportedly resolved at the end of the third book. Same big bad issues (more or less), same villainous motivation - plus the relationship between Jace and Clary completely falls apart for pretty ridiculous reasons (you know, when if only characters would explain one little thing, everything would be okay - but for some inexplicable reason they don't, and everything spins out of control?) - undermining everything that was resolved at the conclusion of the trilogy. I'm not sure what the intent was here, but while I was initially excited to revisit some favorite characters and see them progress into an interesting new future with different conflicts and issues, instead I got a redressed version of the earlier books, and it was all rather disappointing.

Not that there isn't anything to like here - the writing is solid, and I always enjoy Clare's sense of humor and her skillful dialogue. I just wish I had stopped with the third book, which left me feeling that happy, satisfied glow that comes with a solid conclusion to a good series.

Books in the Mortal Instruments series:
1. City of Bones
2. City of Ashes
3. City of Glass
4. City of Fallen Angels

City of Fallen Angels (#4 in the Mortal Instruments series) by Cassandra Clare (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2011)

Also reviewed at:
Reading with Tequila: "As the first book in a new trilogy in this series, I can only hope that it was setting the stage for something bigger that will bring the frenzied "need to read as quickly as possible" feel back to the next two books."
So Many Books, So Little Time: "
I don’t really know how to start with reviewing City of Fallen Angels other than it took my hesitant expectations and trampled on them."

YA Reads: "This book is hypnotically well written, you get so comfortable reading it, 424 pages just doesn’t seem like enough. It comes complete with all the snark and sarcasm we’ve come to love from Cassandra Clare’s characters."

The Girl in the Steel Corset

2011-10-20T07:30:00.000-04:00

Finley Jane has a dark secret, one that she even tries to hide from herself. She is employed as a housemaid in a Victorian London home, but when the young lord attempts to force himself on her, Finley is only too glad to give herself over to the dark being that lurks within her. She might not be able to control it, but she can protect herself with the incredible strength it affords her. She flees after knocking out the young man in question, and when she is struck by Griffin King's speeding velocycle, her life swerves in a most interesting direction.

Finley is not inclined to trust people (afflicted as she is with her secret), and Griffin seems too good to be true. Can it be that he really wants her to join his group of most unusual friends? They are working for the crown in an attempt to locate the nefarious Machinist, whose automatons are wreaking havoc in London. There's the ingenious inventor, Emily, and Sam, who is part robot, and the polite but secretive Jasper, an American cowboy. Griffin himself seems to possess an unusual ability, but Finley isn't quite sure what it might be.

Action and adventure follow, involving diabolical automatons, plots against the crown, whimsical and clever inventions, and a certain mysterious substance from the center of the earth that may just have a mind of its own.

This was an entertaining steampunk romp with fun characters, gadgets and gizmos. The writing was occasionally a bit awkward, but it is the first of a series, and I did enjoy the interplay among the characters, as well as the homage to H.G. Wells and Robert Louis Stevenson. My main issue with the book was the predictability of the plot. Not only was the mystery glaringly obvious, but the plot was straight out of Disney's The Great Mouse Detective (minus the rodent characters), Victorian England setting, robots, evil scheme and all. That said, I enjoyed the book and do intend to pick up the next installment of The Steampunk Chronicles. This is a YA novel that will appeal to adult fans of Steampunk, and it's a great introduction to the genre for younger readers. It might even inspire them to pick up some Wells or Stevenson, and that is definitely a good thing.

The Girl in the Steel Corset (#1 in the Steampunk Chronicles series) by Kady Cross (Harlequin Teen, 2011)

Also reviewed at:
The Story Siren: "I'll admit that I had the bad guy pegged and his evil plan all figured out, long before the intelligent characters in this novel did! But it was still fun watching them putting all the pieces together themselves."
Tez Says: "Kady Cross writes automatons so well that I dip my dirigible captain’s hat to her."
YA Reads: "In addition to phenomenal character development, this book is packed with action. There are multiple plot lines and conflicts existing at once, thus there’s never a dull moment."

Passage

2011-10-19T07:07:00.000-04:00

This is the third book in the Sharing Knife series, which picks up immediately following the end of the second book, making this series more a single story broken into volumes rather than the more typical standalone story within each book. Each book does have a narrative arc to define it, but the series is more about the progression of events that began in the first book. I know I always say you need to read series in order, but for this one it's crucial.

As always, I strive to avoid spoilers, but it's tough with a series such as this. So if you are at all interested in a fantasy series that is first and foremost about character development, but is set in a unique fantasy world, is beautifully written and has a touch of romance to it, please read my thoughts on the first book, Beguilement. I have been listening to the audio versions of this series from the start, as I have very much enjoyed Bernadette Dunne's narration of books by Tamora Pierce, and she does a fantastic job with these as well.

In this installment, Lakewalker Dag and Fawn, his farmer bride, have set out to travel around the land. Their somewhat nebulous goal is to educate farmers about Lakewalker customs. Because Lakewalkers are the only people in the land who have ground sense, a sort of extra sense that enables them to sense the life force of the plants, animals, and people around them, they are uniquely qualified to combat the beings known as malices. These creatures periodically emerge from underground, like locusts, and proceed to drain the life force from everything around them. But superstitions have created distrust between farmers and Lakewalkers, and it is this very distrust that is jeopardizing the land - if farmers cannot trust Lakewalkers enough to call for help (or do not recognize the signs of a malice infestation in the first place), how can they hope to eradicate the malice in the short time they have before it molts and becomes nearly unstoppable?

Dag and Fawn secure passage on a riverboat heading downstream with some farmers, and they acquire a couple more Lakewalkers along the way. The combination of farmers and Lakewalkers proves to serve as an excellent starting point to try out their plans. Dag makes some startling discoveries about his magical gifts that go against everything he's ever been taught, and the farmers on board learn some new and interesting facts about the way Lakewalkers use their magic. During this time, Dag and Fawn are easing into their new husband-and-wife relationship, learning a few things about each other, too.

This is a very enjoyable series, sometimes quiet and contemplative, at others of suspense and tension. I like meeting some new characters during Fawn and Dag's journey and, as always, enjoyed my time spent in the delightful company of Dag and Fawn.

Books in the Sharing Knife series:
1. Beguilement
2. Legacy
3. Passage
4. Horizon

Passage (#3 in the Sharing Knife series) by Lois McMaster Bujold; narrated by Bernadette Dunne (Blackstone Audio, 2008)

Also reviewed at:
Fantasy Book Critic: "...expect characters you can’t help but fall in love with, a world that sometimes feels more alive than our own, and themes that we can all relate to including prejudice, sacrifice, family, and of course, love…"
Fyrefly's Book Blog: "...the series as a whole should definitely be of interest to anyone who likes well-developed non-traditional fantasy worlds, and doesn’t mind a little romance (really not much at all, at least in this volume) stirred into the mix."

Mind Over Monsters

2011-10-18T07:21:00.000-04:00

When I saw this title listed among the books on order at my library (I'm still loving the Wowbrary newsletter!), I knew right away that this would be a fun read for the R.I.P. Challenge, so I put it on hold. It is the first in a new series called the F.R.E.A.K. Squad Investigations, about a group of people with paranormal and supernatural abilities who are recruited to be a sort of Mission-Impossible type team that fights against supernatural baddies.

Our heroine is Beatrice Alexander, an elementary school teacher whose telekinetic ability is revealed when she saves a student from being squashed by a Humvee in a dramatic maneuver that involved lifting the vehicle up into the air with her mind. She is visited by a paranormal expert and, following an accidental use of her powers that injures her brother, Bea is convinced to at least give the squad a try. They will train her, so that she will have more control and be less likely to injure someone accidentally. She is not convinced this is the right thing for her - she'd much rather be teaching third graders, but she is shaken by the injury she's caused her brother, so she packs up, makes up an convenient excuse, and gives the squad a try.

Her first case involves a series of grisly, graphically-described murders that have taken place in cemeteries in a small town. People have been literally ripped apart, and the deaths blamed on animal attacks. Beatrice and her team quickly realize that the attacks can only have been from zombies, but the challenge of their investigation is finding out which of the people in the small town has been raising the dead, and without alerting the local authorities to the true nature of the problem.

This was a fun and often funny read, fast-pace and with an interesting, if a bit predictable, mystery to it. I enjoyed the interplay among the characters, and of course I always find spooky combined with humor to be particularly appealing. My main issue with this book was with the main character. I felt she never really became a fully fleshed-out person to me. One moment she's reluctant to be there, to be part of the team, the next minute she's having the time of her life whacking zombies with a machete, but then later she's packing up to go home because she can't handle it. She's needy and vulnerable, and then she's annoyed that people aren't taking her seriously, despite the fact that she's the newest member of the team and very inexperienced. She was kind of wishy-washy, and I couldn't believe in her because her motivation simply wasn't clear. I am also growing tired of the whole love triangle thing that seems to be a prerequisite for modern paranormal fiction these days. I found myself comparing the book to the Jaz Parks series by Jennifer Rardin, which hardly seems fair, as this is a first novel and that is one of my hands-down favorite series. I also couldn't help but wonder why one of the team members, who can ignite fires with her thoughts, wasn't just picking off zombies by setting them on fire - and why she didn't simply target the necromancer in the first place.

Still, I like the premise, and the characters are interesting, and this is a promising start to a new series. Plus it has zombies. Zombies, people! And they are not nice. Except maybe for one. I do plan to give the second F.R.E.A.K. Squad novel a try - and this one was certainly a fun read for R.I.P.

Mind Over Monsters (#1 in the F.R.E.A.K. Squad Investigations series by Jennifer Harlow (Midnight Ink, 2011)

Also reviewed at:
Karissa's Reading Review: "It was a nice diversion, but there wasn't anything here that was super creative or all that different from a number of other authors out there that do this kind of light, fluffy, fun girl-next-door meets paranormal baddies."
Livin' Life Through Books: " The details in this story were absolutely gory and creepy and I couldn't wait to read more. Well written, and fast-paced, Harlow leaves you wanting more."
Smexy Books: "Smooth writing and fast pacing will have you racing to the end to see how Bea handles herself on her first mission with the FREAK squad."

Hunt the Moon

2011-10-17T07:45:00.000-04:00

I continue to completely and utterly adore this series. I am so glad I picked it up a few years ago - I remember feeling a bit overwhelmed with the number of series I was following at the time, and thinking that I certainly didn't need to add another one to my towering stack of books - but I am so thankful I did! This series just tickles me - it seems tailor made to fit all my admittedly peculiar favorite characteristics of books.

The heroine, for one, is eminently likable, not to mention complicated and interesting. She also grows and changes from book to book, as a result of her experiences as the series progresses (not something that is necessarily to be counted on in a series). The plots are fun, fun, fun, and so smart and creative. You may have noticed that I read a lot of books, and because of that it's become a little harder for me to find books that can still surprise and delight me with intricate, non-predictable stories. This is definitely one of them. And then there's the humor - serious, laugh-out-loud humor that pops up from time to time throughout the course of the narrative. The fact that it's interspersed with intensely gripping plots and occasional dark and creepy situations is just icing on the cake. The characters are solid, complex and engaging, and there are mythological elements that form the basis of the fantasy universe that is the setting for the series, and I love that as well, particularly the unusual approach Chance has taken to weave those elements into the storyline. And yes, evidently I can just keep going on and on here. I'll spare you further gushing.

It would be tough to say much about the plot without offering up spoilers, so if you are curious about this series, please stop reading here and check out my review of the first book, Touch the Dark. Each book offers a stand-alone plot, typically a mystery with fantastical elements, usually related to Greek mythology. Cassie is a powerful clairvoyant (the Pythia, in fact) - but her coronation ceremony hasn't yet taken place, so it's not actually official yet. And when her enemies have the ability to go back in time and change the course of the past, and those same enemies are determined that Cassie not become the Pythia, Cassie has a lot on her plate. When she realizes that her enemies have decided to make sure she is never born, she has to act fast to stop them. Much time-travel-related, action-packed mayhem ensues. Some questions about Cassie's past, particularly her parents, are answered in this one, and in a very interesting way that makes me very anxious to read the next book in this series. Fun, exciting, romantic, funny, suspenseful - and did I say fun?

Books in the Cassandra Palmer series:
1. Touch the Dark
2. Claimed by Shadow
3. Embrace the Night
4. Curse the Dawn
5. Hunt the Moon

Hunt the Moon (#5 in the Cassandra Palmer series)by Karen Chance (Signet Select, 2011)

Also reviewed at:
Ink and Paper: "...despite the fact that Chance is a genius and always, always, surprises and wows me more than words can say, I would never have expected to be blown away to such a level as I was when I had finished reading."
Literary Escapism: "There is more mythology in this story than just “regular” history as well. As a big mythology geek, this made me quite happy."

Smokin' Seventeen

2011-10-16T09:04:00.000-04:00

Stephanie Plum is back in the seventeenth book of her hilarious, mayhem-filled adventures. In this installment, bodies are turning up at the empty lot that is the construction site of her bail bonds office, which burned down in the previous book. Soon it becomes clear that the serial killer is stalking Stephanie. Add to the story a dancing bear, a curse placed on Stephanie by Morelli's grandmother, and a fugitive senior citizen who thinks he's a vampire, and you have the typical screwball fun of a Stephanie Plum mystery.

I am always surprised by the mixed reviews of this series that I find when I browse through reviews online. I find that my expectations just aren't that elevated when I pick up a Stephanie Plum novel. Some books are funnier than others, true, and some have plots that offer more surprises, but I can't say I've ever been dreadfully disappointed by one of these books. I open one knowing that I'm going to be at least smiling, and probably laughing, not to mention spending some time with characters I've been hanging out with periodically since the early nineties. I figured out the mystery in this one way before Stephanie did, but that's okay - she clearly has a lot on her mind in this book! I thought it was a fun, entertaining romp.

Explosive Eighteen will be released next month, and I'm already on the waiting list for it at my library. I am always delighted to take a break from the stress and frenzy of real life to hang out for a while with Stephanie, Lula, Ranger and Morelli. What's not to like?

Books in the Stephanie Plum series:
1. One for the Money
2. Two for the Dough
3. Three to Get Deadly
4. Four to Score
5. High Five
6. Hot Six
7. Seven Up
8. Hard Eight
9. To the Nines
10. Ten Big Ones
11. Eleven on Top
12. Twelve Sharp
13. Lean Mean Thirteen
14. Fearless Fourteen
15. Finger Lickin' Fifteen
16. Sizzling Sixteen
17. Smokin' Seventeen
18. Explosive Eighteen (November 2011)

Smokin' Seventeen (#17 in the Stephanie Plum series) by Janet Evanovich (Bantam Books, 2011)

Also reviewed at:
Book Series Reviews: "It was a good story, so much better than the last half dozen or so offerings in this series."
Book'd Out: "Smokin’ Seventeen is a fun, light read that is true to the series formula and sure to provide a laugh or two. If you are looking for more than that then you will likely be disappointed but take it for what it is and it’s a delightful way to spend an hour or two."
Lesa's Book Critiques: "I picked up Smokin' Seventeen thinking I might get through a few chapters and quit. Instead, there were a few new twists to the story that made me laugh again at Stephanie's antics."

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

2011-10-15T08:13:00.000-04:00

It would be an understatement to say that Dwight is not a popular kid at school. He has awkward social skills and a way of making people around him feel uncomfortable. He gets in trouble, picks his nose, always "ruins it" for everyone (according to his teachers). But one day he comes to school with an origami finger puppet he designed and folded himself, a finger puppet Yoda that starts giving other people advice and even, it seems, predicting the future. While no one really wants to talk to Dwight, everyone wants to talk to Origami Yoda.

Is Yoda a supernatural creation, truly able to predict the future? The jury is out. But Tommy wants to find out, and not just because he's curious. Yoda has given him some very strange advice, and Tommy needs to make a decision about whether or not to follow it. The consequences will be major, and Tommy isn't sure what to do. So he gets the kids in his class who have had dealings with Origami Yoda to tell their stories, and he's compiled them into a case file. The book is illustrated by Tommy's friend Kellen, and the stories and pictures make for a very appealing package. I brought this home from the library, and my 10-year-old immediately made off with it and wouldn't let me read it till she finished. (And she enjoyed it immensely.)

At first it seemed this was going to be a light and funny read, with some humor that was perhaps a bit mean-spirited. But as the case file unfolded, with stories about interactions with Origami Yoda told from different points of view, it became clear that this is no simple, funny school story. It can be read on that level, of course, but there is unexpected depth here. The relationships between the kids at school are much more complex than is usually depicted in this sort of book, and there is a lot here to make readers think, particularly about their assumptions about the kids they may be sitting next to in class. Don't get me wrong - this is by no means a heavy-handed Message kind of book - it is sweet and funny, with enough crude and silly humor to please young readers, but there's more to it than that. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I've been recommending it to kids at my library, who have all been very pleased with it. I haven't read this authors' books before, but I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of his work.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger (Amulet Books, 2010)

Also reviewed at:
Becky's Book Reviews: "I enjoyed this one. It was a fun story with a cute premise. In times it's very silly--other times more serious."
MotherReader: "I found it to be more enjoyable than blowing up a Death Star. And blowing up a Death Star, that’s fun."
Sassymonkey Reads: "The stories in the book felt to me like they were things my friends and I would have done at that age."

From Dead to Worse

2011-10-14T09:35:00.000-04:00

Sookie Stackhouse has come a long way from the days when she was a simple (if telepathic) barmaid, wistfully dreaming about something otherworldly that might spice up her humdrum life. She is now firmly enmeshed in vampire politics, not to mention the world of shapeshifters, including town's local werewolf pack. This eighth book in the series deals with the aftermath of the massive upheaval that took place in the previous book, and while it's a quieter book in many ways, it delves into many of the unresolved issues from previous book in the series.

There is a lot going on in this book, and rather than one single, smooth storyline as we've had with some of the previous books, this one bounces here and there, from a series of murders, the issue with Bob the cat, vampire politics, the damage from hurricane Katrina, the disappearance of Sookie's boyfriend Quinn, and the appearance of a long-lost relative of Sookie's. I didn't mind that the plot was a bit scattered in this way - these were all fascinating elements, and I was happy to go along for the ride. This installment of the series felt like a little pause from the breakneck action of previous books - particularly as the overarching plot line goes - although it was definitely a gripping read. (Or should I say a gripping listen? I have come to adore Johanna Parker's narration of the audio books, so these days I exclusively listen to them.) I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'm very much looking forward to continuing the series soon.

Books in the Southern Vampire (Sookie Stackhouse) series:
1. Dead Until Dark
2. Living Dead in Dallas
3. Club Dead
4. Dead to the World
5. Dead as a Doornail
6. Definitely Dead
7. All Together Dead
8. From Dead to Worse
9. Dead and Gone
10. A Touch of Dead (short stories)
11. Dead in the Family
12. Dead Reckoning (2012)

From Dead to Worse (#8 in the Southern Vampire series) by Charlaine Harris; narrated by Johanna Parker (Recorded Books, 2008)

Also reviewed at:
Fyrefly's Book Blog: "But I think the real reason that I enjoyed it so much was that it was hugely, compulsively readable."
One Literature Nut: "To me, this seemed like a slower-paced storyline that helped the reader retrace everything. I enjoyed this regrouping and appreciate the continued strength that Sookie goes on to show."
Whimpulsive: "I felt like I was reading 3 or 4 shorter stories that got shuffled together without creating any smooth flow between or among them and as a result it just felt a little choppy."

Fire and Fog

2011-10-12T09:26:00.000-04:00

This second installment in the Fremont Jones mystery continues the events of Fremont Jones' life shortly after the first book ended. Fremont is an independent-minded woman, in many ways ahead of her time, who has moved from the security of her father's home in Boston and is living on her own in San Francisco in the early 1900s. She has set herself up in her own business, having attended a woman's college, and is working as a typist.

When the big earthquake hits, followed by a devastating fire, Fremont must leave her cozy apartment. Her mysterious and attractive neighbor, Michael Archer, teaches Fremont to drive, and she ends up working as an ambulance driver, helping out with the many injured people who are now homeless in the wake of the disaster. But she is also caught up in a series of strange events - dead animals are left at her doorstep of her temporary home, and murders follow. Once again Fremont is caught up in the tangled web of a complex case, and when Michael disappears, Fremont is left on her own, determined to solve it.

I enjoyed this one, perhaps even more than the first. The setting, with its many sensory details of the quake and the ensuing fire, really brought this story to life, and the mystery itself was deliciously complicated, with many strands and connections that were fun to try to unravel. Fremont is gaining confidence as a woman trying to make her way on her own, and she learns some important things in this book. I look forward to seeing how she fares in the next installment of this entertaining historical mystery series.

Books in the Fremont Jones series:
1. The Strange Files of Fremont Jones
2. Fire and Fog
3. The Bohemian Murders
4. Emperor Norton's Ghost
5. Death Train to Boston
6. Beacon Street Morning

Fire and Fog (#2 in the Fremont Jones mystery series) by Dianne Day (Doubleday, 1996)

Also reviewed at:
A Few More Pages: "Sometimes her independent nature makes her a bit too stubborn, and keeps her from seeing the big picture (this sometimes frustrates me about this character). But other than that, I truly enjoyed the book."
The Literate Kitten: "I'm not a genre reader, but this one gives a good feel for what it must have been like to have experienced the quake and fire. And a pretty decent story, decently written."

Demonglass

2011-10-05T21:27:00.002-04:00

I read the first book in this series during R.I.P. Challenge time last year, so I was a little worried that I might have forgotten too much about the first book to fully enjoy this one. But Rachel Hawkins does a nice job of recapping the events of the first book (without dragging down the pace of this sequel) so that I was quickly able to refresh my memory and continue on with the series. I do recommend (as usual) that readers begin with the first book, though, because this one picks up where the first book (Hex Hall) ends, and while I do strive to avoid major spoilers in all my reviews, if you're at all interested in a teen boarding school story with fantastical elements and a dash of romance, please head to my review of the first book.

Teenage Sophie learned a lot about herself in the first book, including the fact that she is not a witch after all. She is a demon, and she is so upset by the destructive potential of her powers that she has decided to undergo a dangerous ritual called the Removal, a process that will divest her of her powers - but potentially of her life as well.

Her father shows up, determined that she change her mind about the Removal, and before she knows it, Sophie is on her way to stay with her father in England. There she learns all kinds of things about the dreaded Council and how they operate. She also learns that Archer is in England - the boy she fell so madly for at school who turned out to be singularly untrustworthy. She has conflicting feelings about his presence nearby, particularly when she runs into him in a pub in London...

This was a fun sequel to Hex Hall, and it did a great job of answering some of the questions raised in the first book while raising further intriguing questions that, I hope, will be addressed in the next installment. Some of the plot elements were fairly obvious to me, to the point where I felt like shaking some of the characters to get them to see what was actually going on, but teen readers may not feel the same way. The characters themselves, however, are interesting and complex enough that it kept me reading, and I did enjoy Sophie's bravery and tenacity, particularly as she is once again thrust into a completely new situation that she doesn't fully understand The book ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger, but the next book will be released in the spring, so there won't be too long a wait. I'll be looking forward to another action-packed ride.

Books in the Hex Hall series:
1. Hex Hall
2. Demonglass
3. Spell Bound (March 2012)

Demonglass (#2 in the Hex Hall series) by Rachel Hawkins (Hyperion, 2011)

Also reviewed at:
Bookalicious: "Hawkins writes like my teenage head worked and I know that teens will enjoy Sophie and co. for all of her antics."
Inside the Mind: "So much happened and so much changed and I loved almost every second."
Sassy Monkey Reads: "Whenever I read a sequel to a really good first book I’m always a bit wary about it. What if it’s not as good? What if it doesn’t grasp me the same way? This one did."

Graveminder

2011-10-03T09:45:00.000-04:00

Claysville is a small town, a predictable, safe, sleepy town, but something suffocating about the place spurred Rebekkah Barrow to leave as soon as she was old enough to get out on her own. She has spent her early adult years traveling restlessly from place to place, never quite finding the right place to settle down. When her grandmother dies unexpectedly, Bek returns to Claysville, where she quickly discovers that her grandmother held many secrets, and that nothing is quite what it seems.

Bek discovers that her grandmother was murdered, and she is baffled that the police seem reluctant to investigate the matter. Her ex-boyfriend Byron has moved back to Claysville as well, and he is also anxious and puzzled by the unusual behavior of town officials. As she and Byron investigate, they unearth dark secrets about the town's past, things that make them see the bizarre traditions of Claysville regarding the dead - the rituals Bek's grandmother invariably performed in the town's cemetery, the rule regarding no embalming of corpses - in an entirely new and disturbing light.

What a wonderful, creepy tale for this time of the year! I have enjoyed Marr's Wicked Lovely series, but I have to say that this one is hands-down my favorite of her books. The characters are engaging and believable, and the setting is evocative and memorable. This appears to be a stand-alone novel - and it certainly offers a satisfying conclusion - but I found myself becoming attached to the places and characters in the story so that it was hard to let them go at the end. I'd certainly love to return for a visit some time soon. This is my third book for this year's R.I.P. Challenge, and it fit the bill perfectly. I'd definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for a creepy, complex and character-driven Halloween read.

Graveminder by Melissa Marr (William Morrow, 2011)

Also reviewed at:
Bewitched Bookworms: " This fresh, new mash-up of zombie and ghost mythology was fascinating and Graveminder is a page-turner that will leave you wanting more."
Bookalicio.us: "I have read Marr previously off and on, I love her style, I love her writing but after Graveminder I am officially a fan. A huge fan."
The Guilded Earlobe: "Graveminder works well as a moody, character driven ghost tale and fans of supernatural literature will defiantly find something to like here."

Texas Gothic

2011-10-02T09:22:00.000-04:00

I was sucked into this gripping, funny novel from the moment I opened it, and I had that "Where has this author been all my life?" feeling as I read. I knew right away that I'd just discovered a new favorite author, and isn't that just the best feeling?

Amy Goodnight has agreed to take care of her aunt's ranch in Texas while her aunt takes her first vacation in years. Amy's sister Phin is there to "help" her, but Phin is always absorbed in her various esoteric experiments, so Amy ends up doing most of the practical chores around the place. She tries to act as though everything is perfectly normal, but the fact is that her family is anything but. They are a family of witches, each with their own specific skill set, but Amy tries to present a normal front to the rest of the world.

Keeping up appearances isn't easy, though, when a powerful ghost shows up, determined to communicate with Amy. She is terrified, beset by disturbing childhood memories that made her turn away from her supernatural abilities in the first place. But as the situation escalates, involving outsiders (including a handsome, highly annoying cowboy from the neighboring ranch, an archaeological dig, and a team of ghost-hunting grad students), it becomes clear that the situation is not only dangerous, but risks exposing all the secrets Amy has been striving for so long to keep hidden.

What a fun, quirky, creepy novel this is. I loved Amy and her bizarre family, particularly the interplay between her and her sister Phin. The supernatural aspects are skillfully woven into a story with engaging characters, a solid mystery, romance, and plenty of humor interspersed with spine-tingling moments. This is my first book by Rosemary Clement-Moore, and I'm delighted that she has several others out there, which I've already added to my list. Fans of Nina Kiriki Hoffman will be sure to enjoy this one - it has that same character-driven, contemporary/fantastical feel to it, and it really hit the spot as my second read for this year's R.I.P. Challenge.

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore (Delacorte Press, 2011

Also reviewed at:
Bibliophile Support Group: "It's sexier, deeper, ghostier Nancy Drew-like fun! It's crackling with tension - both the sexual and the paranormal - and I was glued and totally invested in both the characters and the plot!"
The Ya Ya Yas: "Overall, I liked Texas Gothic but didn’t love it. Mostly because I was lot more interested in the Phin-Mark romance than Amy-Ben, which I never completely bought into."

Anya's Ghost

2011-09-28T10:39:00.002-04:00

When a book says "A masterpiece" --Neil Gaiman on the cover, there's enough reason for me to pick it up. That does, however, set one's expectations rather high, but in this case, it wasn't a problem. This is a delightfully creepy, funny, sweet story, told through expressive drawings in shades of gray that suit the tale much better than full-color illustrations ever could.

The story is about a young girl named Anya who moved to the U.S. from Russia when she was just old enough to have issues about her accent and different cultural ways. She has managed to shake the accent and get the right clothes, although she feels insecure about her weight and looks, particularly when she compares herself to svelte blonde Elizabeth, who happens to be dating the boy Anya thinks is the hottest guy at school.

The opening sequences of the graphic novel depict a fairly rotten day for Anya, but all of that pales in comparison to the accident that befalls her after school. She runs off through the woods, not paying any attention to where she is going because she is feeling overwhelmed and thoroughly sorry for herself, and she slips and falls down a well.

She survives the fall, but now she is stuck. She is in a secluded location, and no one is around to hear her cries for help. To make things even more horrific, she discovers a skeleton at the bottom of the well, lying not far from where she has fallen. A ghost appears. It is the spirit of a girl just about Anya's age, who fell down the well many years earlier. It is clearly not a comforting sight.

When Anya manages to get out of the well, she is followed home by the ghost, who tells Anya that she has been murdered. But when Anya tries to find out more so she can help lay the girl's spirit to rest, the ghost seems more interested in Anya's social life rather than in finding a way to move on. The ghost seems to mean well, but as time goes by Anya feels a sneaking suspicion that all is not as it seems.

I truly enjoyed this graphic novel, and I would recommend it to all those who enjoy a good ghost story, as well as to fans of Hope Larson and Raina Telgemeier. It's a fun combination of horror, humor, school story and coming-of-age, and it's told in a subtle, clever way that will get readers really thinking about the story and the relationships among the characters.

This is my first read for the R.I.P. Challenge. I'm off to a great start!

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol (First Second, 2011)

Also reviewed at:
The Blue Bookcase: "Something I love about this book is the character design. Having read a lot of comics all my life, I've ached for more variety in characters and their looks."
Finding Wonderland: "It struck just the right balance between funny, poignant and creepy—an odd combination, perhaps, but it worked for me."
Stainless Steel Droppings: "author/artist Vera Brosgol combines clean lines and subtle retro-styling with tight prose to tell a compelling and sometimes mysterious tale about a young girl’s journey towards becoming herself."

The SOS File

2011-09-26T09:02:00.000-04:00

An extra credit assignment is offered to the kids in Mr. Magro's class. A file box is placed in the classroom with the following sign on it:

Have you ever needed to call 911, but you didn't have a phone? Have you ever needed to run, but your legs were like spaghetti? Have you ever needed to yell "Help!" but your throat was dry with fear? For fun and extra credit write your story and put it in this file.

Twelve students take the plunge and submit their "SOS" experiences in the file, and each story is humorously illustrated and presented as a chapter in this delightful book. There's the story of the Pink Panther, a go-cart that runs amok as Liz screams in terror. There's "A Bear Tale," told by Augustus T. Breuwhiler III, who recounts how his life was saved from an angry bear by Abraham Lincoln. There's also a story involving summer camp, poison ivy and the spooky legend of the Pumpkin Man.

This is an entertaining and funny book that will keep readers engaged and laughing. The bold illustrations and large print, as well as the short-story format, make this one a perfect choice for readers who are transitioning from easy readers to chapter books. (For other recommended transitional books, click on the "transitional books" label at the bottom of this post or in the sidebar.) I think this book would also make a great read-aloud. I would have tried it out on my kids, but they ran off and read it on their own before I got the chance. It's definitely an all-around appealing book.

The SOS File by Betsy Byars, Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers; illustrated by Arthur Howard (Henry Holt and Company, 2004)

R.I.P. VI!

2011-09-24T09:45:00.000-04:00

Better late than never, I suppose. I look forward to this challenge all year long - it doesn't seem like autumn is here without it, actually. Plus I always mourn the passing of the halcyon summer days, and knowing that Halloween is around the corner inevitably cheers me up.

If you enjoy reading horror and dark fantasy - or if you'd like to get your feet wet but aren't sure where to start, you absolutely must head over to supreme challenge host Carl's blog, Stainless Steel Droppings, to check it out. And don't miss the review site, the place to go to check out reviews posted by challenge participants. I can't tell you how many fantastic book recommendations I've picked up from the review site from this challenge as well as the other challenges hosted by Carl throughout the course of the year.

As always, Carl offers several categories of challenge that readers can sign up for, from novels to short stories, to films. I plan to read as many creepy-themed tales as possible and post my reviews (maybe bypassing my backlog of reviews to get them up in a timely manner). I always plan to post short story reviews as well, but of course this is such a busy time of year, so I rarely manage it. Hope springs eternal, though!

Here are some of the possibilities for the challenge this fall. If anyone loved (or was disappointed in) any of these, I'd sure love to hear about it!

Teeth (an anthology) edited by Datlow and Winling
Graveminder by Melissa Marr
Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore
Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins
Manifest by Artist Arthur
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

I always do at least one spooky read-aloud for my kids, and this year I'm reading them Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, which I read last summer and adored. So far they love it, and are ever so slightly creeped out. Heh, heh.

Bloody Jack

2011-09-24T09:08:00.002-04:00

I've reviewed several books in this delightful series here on this blog, but I have not written about the earlier books because I read them before I started blogging. Now that my girls are old enough to appreciate (and understand) this series, I checked the audiobook out from my library, and we listened to it this past summer while driving in the car. They loved it - and so did my husband. It is a rare and wonderful thing when an entire family is equally appreciative of the same book.

This is the novel where the adventures begin, as Mary Faber, a young girl orphaned when her entire family is wiped out by disease, is left on the streets of London in the early 19th century. She lives with a gang of other street kids, stealing and begging for food. Her family was educated and Mary knows how to read, and she earns some money reading broadsides aloud for passersby. When things become to terrible to bear, Mary disguises herself as a boy and, thanks to her literacy skills, manages to get herself signed on to a Royal Navy ship as ship's boy, calling herself Jack.

Adventure, romance, pirates, naval battles, bullies, and other fun and exciting elements ensue, as Jacky, with her quick wits and impulsive but generous nature proceeds to turn her life (and the lives of those around her) upside down. This is one of my very favorite historical series, and I recommend often to readers at my library. They always come back to tell me how much they enjoyed the book and request the next one. Happily there are quite a few in this series, with more to come. I read the text version of this one initially, but now that I've discovered the audio books, I don't think I can go back. Katherine Kellgren does a spectacular job of reading this series - aside from giving characters their own unique voices, accents, and manners of speaking, she also sings the songs, which makes the books even more fun. It's almost like listening to a radio play.

My library shelves this in the teen section, because there are situations that are best appreciated by teens and preteens. There are references to Jacky's attraction to one of the other ship's boys, and to her developing body (and how difficult it is to maintain the illusion of her masculinity aboard ship), but it was nothing I felt uncomfortable about my ten-year-old listening to. In fact, listening to this book together sparked some interesting conversations about life in the past, and the politics of the time, and the complex social system aboard the ship.

We are now listening to the third one in this series (I'm SO behind on my reviews!), and now that school has started we are so busy, and it's become rare for the entire family to be in the car at the same time for more than a short ride, which makes it tough to continue with the book. But we're not allowed to keep listening unless all four of us are in the car! So the moment we are all together, there is inevitably a chorus from the back seat demanding "Bloody Jack! Bloody Jack!" and that's fine with my husband and me.

Books in the Bloody Jack series:
1. Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy
2. Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady
3. Under the Jolly Roger: Being an Account of the Further Nautical Adventures of Jacky Faber 4. In the Belly of the Bloodhound: Being an Account of a Particularly Peculiar Adventure in the Life of Jacky Faber
5. Mississippi Jack: Being an Account of the Further Waterborne Adventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman, Fine Lady, and the Lily of the West6. My Bonny Light Horseman: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, in Love and War
7. Rapture of the Deep: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, Soldier, Sailor, Mermaid, Spy
8. The Wake of the Lorelie Lee: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, on Her Way to Botany Bay
9. The Mark of the Golden Dragon: Being an Account of the Continuing Adventures of Jacky Faber, Wending Her Way Back from Botany Bay (October 2011)

Bloody Jack (#1 in the Bloody Jack series) by L.A. Meyer; narrated by Katherine Kellgren (Listen and Live Audio, 2007)

Reaper Man

2011-09-16T09:09:00.000-04:00

I've been making my leisurely way through the Discworld series, during the past year or two. I'd read the first few books years ago when they were first published, and recently with my children I discovered the joys of listening to Pratchett's novels read aloud, particularly the Tiffany Aching books read by Stephen Briggs, who is a phenomenal narrator. My library doesn't own the audiobook version for many of these earlier books, so I've been purchasing them from audible.com, and they are so worth it. My kids have listened to the Tiffany Aching books so often that they've taken to quoting from them (mainly stuff the Feegles say, which nets them some odd looks from people but always makes me laugh), so I know that in a few years they'll be loving the audio library of Discworld books that I've been gradually amassing.

At any rate, this one, Reaper Man, is the eleventh book in the series, and it features Death, one of my favorite characters, as well as some of the wizards that were introduced in earlier books. There are two main storylines. In the first, Death, it is decided, has served his time (and gained way too much personality), and it is time for him to die and be replaced by a new Death. Off he goes to discover life in the short amount of time he has before he will die - and suddenly things that seemed foreign to him - in particular, the desire of humans to keep on living - take on a whole, new understandable meaning. The second storyline features the elderly wizard Windle Poons, who knows (as all wizards do) when he is going to die. Death comes in person to collect the souls of wizards, but when Death doesn't show up, Windle cannot move on, even though he's dead. Soon it becomes apparent that nothing is dying, and the situation gradually escalates in all sorts of interesting and delightful ways.

I really enjoyed seeing Death out of his element, so to speak, and while (as usual) much of the book is hysterically funny, there is a depth to it as well, which is why I always enjoy Pratchett's books so much. I was reminded of my other favorite Death character, from the Sandman comic books, and how she has to live a day as a mortal every century or so, in order to really bring home the value of each life that she takes. Windle Poons is also a delightful character, as are the others he must deal with in his quest to move on to the next phase of his existence. I particularly loved the Death of Rats - and although my children have yet to read the "grownup" Discword books, I had them listen to the section at the end of the book about the Death of Rats - and I was glad I did. When one of their beloved ratties died of old age a few weeks ago, we were all comforted by the thought that the Death of Rats had come to usher her soul into the great beyond.

Books in the Discworld series
1. The Color of Magic
2. The Light Fantastic
3. Equal Rites
4. Mort
5. Sourcery
6. Wyrd Sisters
7. Pyramids
8. Guards, Guards
9. Eric
10. Moving Pictures
11. Reaper Man
12. Witches Abroad
13. Small Gods
14. Lords and Ladies
15. Men at Arms
16. Soul Music
17. Interesting Times
18. Maskerade
19. Feet of Clay
20. Hogfather
21. Jingo
22. The Last Continent
23. Carpe Jugulum
24. The Fifth Elephant
25. The Truth
26. The Thief of Time
27. The Last Hero
28. Nightwatch
29. Monstrous Regiment
30. Going Postal
31. Thud
32. Making Money
33. Unseen Academicals

Reaper Man (#11 in the Discworld series) by Terry Pratchett (ISIS Audiobooks, 1999)

Also reviewed at:
A Reader's Journal: " I enjoyed it and found myself chuckling serveral times but it didn't enthrall me like Mort did."
The Wertzone: "The book never really seems to come together and fire up like the best books in the series, despite many individually good moments and some funny lines."

Moon Over Manifest

2011-09-12T09:13:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure I would have picked up this book had it not won last year's Newbery Award - not that it doesn't look appealing, but there are so many books on my reading list that I might not have gotten around to it, particularly as it's not in a genre that I typically gravitate to. Knowing beforehand that it won, though, gave me heightened expectations, but I'm glad to say that these were not disappointed. It is a charming novel, with engaging characters, and I particularly enjoyed the effectiveness of the book's structure.

Our heroine is a young girl named Abilene Tucker, who has been traveling from town to town in the company of her father. But suddenly, following an accident that left Abilene in need of serious medical care, her father has decided that life on the road is not a good life for her. He sends her, on her own, to the small town of Manifest, Kansas, to stay with a friend of his. Abilene feels hurt and angry, and worried that her father will never come back to get her.

She is determined to bide her time and keep to herself, but before she knows it she is drawn into life in Manifest. She's given a school assignment to complete over the summer - even though she fully expects (hopes desperately) to be back with her father by then. She hears old stories about life in Manifest when her father was young, and she and some friends are excited to hear about an actual spy known as the Rattler who lived in Manifest during World War I. They decide to investigate and are a little scared (and a little thrilled) to receive an ominous warning telling them to stop nosing around in other people's business. Little by little Abilene learns about the past events of Manifest, and as she comes to know the people who live there now, the past and present weave together in a story that might even show her her own place, right there, and how she's connected to everything else.

The story is told from Abilene's viewpoint, but there are sections told by other characters and through letters as well. The reader is given clues from these stories and can try to unravel the mysteries along with Abilene, and the plot unfolds in bits and pieces that finally arrange themselves to form a large, interconnected picture - it is skillfully done.

I have read here and there that this is the sort of book that adults will enjoy, but young readers not so much; that the structure and point of view are too complicated, and the subject matter too inaccessible. I disagree. First of all, Abilene is an incredibly sympathetic character, and readers will identify with her immediately. She has such an engaging voice, and she tells the story in a way that sucks the reader into the story. And secondly, the story is a mystery, really, and there are so many unanswered questions that surround characters that readers will quickly come to care about, so readers will be eager to see what happens next. Of course this book isn't for everyone - what book is? But for kids who enjoy a rich book about complex people in an unforgettable setting? This one will definitely be a hit.

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool (Delacorte Press, 2010)

Also reviewed at:
As Usual, I Need More Bookshelves: "I grew to like Abilene more and more throughout the book - her curiosity and sense of adventure, as well as her willingness to try to make the best out of a bad situation."
One Librarian's Book Reviews: "The writing is quite beautiful and I was really transported back to the 1930s and to the first great war."
The Literate Mother: "I laughed, cried and hoped through Moon Over Manifest, and I loved every page of it."

Legacy

2011-09-09T09:29:00.001-04:00

I am certainly glad that I waited to read The Sharing Knife series until four books were published. This sequel to Beguilement picks up immediately where the first one ended, and while Bujold does her usual swift and skillful job of catching readers up and refreshing their memories, the story gets going right away.

This reads like the second half of the first book, so it is very important to read the books in order. Not that you couldn't figure out what's going on by starting with the second book - but you'd miss out on so much of the fun. Inevitable spoilers may follow, so be forewarned.

Fawn and Dag, a farmer and a Lakewalker, are from two different worlds, yet they have spurned tradition and managed to find a way to get married following both Lakewalker and Farmer customs. Dag has, against all odds, manged to bring Fawn's farmer family around to accepting, even liking, him. But now he and Fawn are traveling to Dag's Lakewalker camp, where Fawn will be introduced as Dag's farmer wife. Fawn soon realizes that her family was an easy nut to crack compared with Dag's furious, spiteful mother and surly brother. Her arrival sets the camp in an upheaval that she could not have foreseen, and in the midst of Fawn and Dag's personal problems comes a Malice attack that is more damaging than anyone has seen in years. Dag, still a respected and effective Lakewalker patroller despite his negligence in falling in love with a farmer girl, is sent to deal with the Malice outbreak. Fawn is left behind, on her own among people who are unsympathetic and unwelcoming.

I enjoyed this installment in the Sharing Knife series very much. While the first book took a close look at Fawn's cultural background and lifestyle as well as the relationship that develops between her and Dag, this one examines Dag's background and the Lakewalker culture and traditions. We see why these traditions are so very important - they keep people alive in a land beset by horrific creatures that literally suck the life force from everything around them. We also see why the very traditions that have helped farmers and Lakewalkers to survive in a hostile land are beginning to threaten their survival. Dag and Fawn have gained a new perspective on things, but that perspective isn't well received by farmers or Lakewalkers, and they have a sizable challenge ahead of them, a challenge that will no doubt be explored in the follow-up to this book.

There's a lot to love here - complex, likable characters, fascinating fantasy elements, skillful pacing and a story that is intelligent and compelling. Anyone who has read Bujold's books won't be at all surprised by these elements, of course. I've come to expect them any time I open one of her novels, and because of it she is one of those authors, along with others like Terry Pratchett, Diana Wynne Jones, and Charles de Lint, whose books I turn to over and over again. I look forward to reading (listening to, actually - Bernadette Dunne does a fantastic job narrating the audio version) the other books in this riveting series.

Books in The Sharing Knife series:
1. Beguilement
2. Legacy
3. Passage
4. Horizon

Legacy by Lois McMaster Bujold; narrated by Bernadette Dunne (Blackstone Audio, 2007)

Also reviewed at:
Blog from the Windowsill: "Sweet and dryly funny and scary and sad and ultimately hopeful. And full of interesting possibilities still to be explored."
Fyrefly's Book Blog: " If you like original, well-built fantasy with great characters and a solid dose of romance, you should definitely pick up this series."

Magic Slays

2011-09-07T09:45:00.000-04:00

In the wake of previous events in this action-packed urban fantasy series, our heroine Kate Daniels has quit her job with the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid and has broken off on her own, establishing her own supernatural detective agency. But sadly she hasn't gotten many customers, especially with the Order (or certain unpleasant people there) constantly badmouthing her name. Being the mate of Curran, alpha of the local were pack, only complicates matters. She feels a need to succeed on her own - not because the pack could (and would) continue to fund her agency even if she never makes a cent.

She agrees to help with a vampire issue, even though she knows she may be getting over her head- but she has no idea that the ramifications will be so far reaching. To complicate matters, her ward, Julie, has run away from boarding school again, and Curran is having some issues sharing power and responsibilities fair and square with her. Their relationship has certainly progressed in many positive ways, but between Kate's reluctance to accept responsibility for others, loner that she's always been, and Curran's reluctance to share his power, or even delegate, fireworks tend to fly.

This series is an engaging mix of action and adventure, mystery, and romance, with a nice dash of humor thrown in along the way. Each book continues to develop the characters and their relationships with each other, giving the series a welcome complexity that can sometimes be lacking in books of this genre. I continue to enjoy this series, and I always look forward to each new book. The Edge series is fun as well, but it does change focus from one character to another. Sometimes that's fine with me, but I do enjoy coming back to characters I've come to love and seeing where life will take them next.

Books in the Kate Daniels series:
1. Magic Bites
2. Magic Burns
3. Magic Strikes
4. Magic Bleeds
5. Magic Slays

Magic Slays (#5 in the Kate Daniels series) by Ilona Andrews (Ace Books, 2011)

The Midnight Gate

2011-09-06T09:47:00.000-04:00

This sequel to Spellbinder picks up two months after the events of the first book left off, with our heroine, Belladonna Johnson, living at home with her ghostly parents. Things are back to normal - too back to normal, she thinks. It's almost as though all the excitement (and fear) of the earlier events never happened. Her friend Steve, who's been through everything with her, practically ignores her at school, and despite the fact that Belladonna is the Spellbinder, all the adults who are involved in the spirit world seem to think she must wait until she is older to learn more about her powers and responsibilities.

Then she goes on a class field trip to a haunted abbey, and she and Steve are given a strange map. Ghosts disappear - including Belladonna's parents - and she is whisked off to live at an unsettling foster home with a couple who appear to have diabolical plans for Belladonna. Once again she and Steve must work together, knowing very little about the otherworld and what they need to do to combat the powerful forces of the Queen of the Abyss.

Belladonna is a strong heroine, and readers will be sure to identify with her as she struggles to unravel the complex tangle of mysteries that her life has become. The adults in her life appear to be a little too clueless and unwilling to share relevant information with her, though - they seem to be testing her, as she is very young for such responsibilities, but considering what is at stake I found it just a bit over the top for them to be so unhelpful. But readers will be sure to appreciate the fact that despite their ignorance, Belladonna and Steve - as well as the feisty ghost Elsie - use their ingenuity and combine their various skills and talents to put up one heck of a fight.

Readers who enjoy action-packed fantasy such as the Sisters Grimm series, Percy Jackson or Diane Duane's Wizard series should find this one very appealing. It combines mystery, action, and a dash of wry humor, and with its continual twists, turns, and revelations, it will keep readers guessing all along the way.

Books in the Spellbinder series:
1. Spellbinder
2. The Midnight Gate

The Midnight Gate (#2 in the Spellbinder series) by Helen Stringer (Feiwel and Friends, 2011)

Source: Review copy received from author

Also reviewed at:
Bookworming in the 21st Century: "These are definitely great books that I will be putting in my elementary library for my students that love supernatural and adventure stories."

Charlotte's Library: "Although it's the monstrous questy things that will doubtless please the young Percy fans referenced above, for me the appeal of this series is the quirky charm that can be found off to the sides of the main plot."
The Happy Nappy Bookseller: "The elements I enjoyed in the first book are present again. Belladonna, Steve and the ghost Elsie still have good chemistry, making for some great dialogue."

The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag

2011-08-30T22:46:00.000-04:00

I immediately fell in love with the heroine of the first Flavia de Luce mystery (The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie), the brilliant 11-year-old chemistry whiz, Flavia de Luce. The narrator of the audio books, Jane Entwistle, does such a marvelous job that I wouldn't consider actually reading the books myself - and she continues to dazzle with her narration of this second book. This one is a bit darker than the first, and it gives the reader a good look at the seamy underbelly of what appears on the surface to be a peaceful and charming English village.

In this installment, Flavia makes friends with some traveling puppeteers. Her father has refused to consider purchasing a pointless, newfangled television set, so Flavia is unaware of the fame surrounding the puppetters and their popular show, but when their vehicle breaks down in the village, and they must wait a day or two for it to be repaired, the vicar persuades them to stage a performance there, to the delight of Flavia and the other residents of Bishop's Lacey. A rather gruesome death ensues, and Flavia, with her razor-sharp intellect and obsession with chemistry (particularly poisons), is in a unique position to discover whodunit.

I love that the narrator of this series is only eleven years old, yet the intended audience of these books is adults. What a risky decision for an author to make - but how delightfully it all works! Interesting and likable (and often eccentric) characters fill the pages, as well as characters who are truly disturbing. Flavia's voice is the heart of these books, and she brings Bishop's Lacey and its inhabitants to life with her keen observations and over-the-top descriptions of things. I continue to adore this series, and I look forward to the next installment of Flavia's adventures.

Books in the Flavia de Luce Mystery series:
1. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
2. The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag
3. A Red Herring without Mustard
4. I Am Half Sick of Shadows (November 2011)

The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag (#2 in the Flavia de Luce series) by Alan C. Bradley; narrated by Jane Entwistle (Random House Audio, 2010)

Beguilement

2011-08-21T10:27:00.001-04:00

I have long been a fan of Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorgkosigan books (science fiction/space opera with amazing characters and world-building). I reluctantly moved from that beloved universe to try her Challion books, and I loved those, too. So of course I went on to her Sharing Knife series with fairly high expectations, and, no surprise, I've been enjoying it as well. I opted for the audio versions when I discovered that they are read by Bernadette Dunne, who narrates a lot of the Tamora Pierce novels. I love the way she does all the different voices and expressions of the characters, so I popped over to my library's Overdrive site and checked this one out to download to my iPod.

The book is very much a romance, but unlike so many that have just the trappings of a fantasy world as a backdrop, this one is solidly rooted in the fantasy world to the extent that, without the magical elements, the story would completely fall apart. I like that.

Fawn is a young woman who is running away from home because she is pregnant, the young man who is the father has refused to marry her, and she is unwilling to confess to her family what has happened. Instead, she's decided to pass herself off as a widow and begin a new life elsewhere. When she is abducted by a bandit and a nightmarish creature and, when things look grimmest, is rescued by a man from the mysterious Lakewalker people, Fawn is drawn into a world where things she'd only heard of as legend turn out to be real. Dag, a patroller whose duty is to protect the land (and its people) from demon-like creatures known as malices, finds in Fawn anything but the ignorant, timid farmer girl he'd been expecting. Her curiosity, intellect and bravery as they work together to fight the malice soon have Dag falling head over heels for someone young enough to be his daughter.

This is a charming romantic story that took its time in the telling but definitely held my attention throughout the course of the novel. It was refreshing to have a tale unfold that did not rush from adventure to adventure, but instead left time to show the characters growing and changing from each encounter. Bujold is a masterful storyteller in whatever genre she chooses, and I look forward to reading any and everything that she decides to write. Fans of romantic fantasy will enjoy this one, and I wouldn't be surprised if romance fans will be willing to venture into uncharted territory with other books by Bujold after reading this series.

Books in The Sharing Knife series:
1. Beguilement
2. Legacy
3. Passage
4. Horizon

Beguilement (#1 in the Sharing Knife series) by Lois McMaster Bujold; narrated by Bernadette Dunne (Blackstone Audio, 2007)

Also reviewed at:
Aneca's World: "She is very good in the world building department. So good in fact that I did not feel this was romance but that it was fantasy with a romantic element and I still loved it."
Fyrefly's Book Blog: "I think it’s worth a try for anyone who is looking for a light read with a solid love story, and doesn’t mind the fantasy trappings (or, alternately, anyone who’s looking for an interesting fantasy world and doesn’t mind a serious dose of romance)."
Romance Book Wyrm: "I would definitely recommend this book to those that love a good fantasy romance. This is a five star book, in my opinion!"

Reunion

2011-08-20T09:36:00.000-04:00

Sixteeen-year-old Suze Simon returns in this third installment of the Mediator series by Meg Cabot (originally published as Mean Spirits under the pseudonym Jenny Carroll). Suze is a mediator, someone who can see spirits that linger on earth, and whose duty is to help them (or, in Suze's case, kick their backsides) into the next step of their journey to the afterlife.

She has accepted her role, but she's not exactly thrilled with it - particularly on beautiful California days at the beach when she just wants to spend some time with her friends, particularly her best friend Gina, who's finally come to visit her from New York. Suze is excited for Gina to see her new new home and her new family (including the often annoying stepbrothers she has acquired). Instead of the fun, relaxing time at the beach that she'd been hoping for, Suze sees the ghosts of teenagers who recently died in a horrible car accident. They have evil intentions toward one of her classmates, and if Suze can't sort things out quickly, there are sure to be more accidents - and angry ghosts - for her to deal with.

I continue to enjoy this series immensely. Cabot creates such engaging characters, and I enjoy the way she continues some storylines (such as the incredibly hot ghost haunting Suze's bedroom and his developing relationship with Suze, who realizes there can't be any future there, but still...) from book to book, but each installment in the series contains a gripping mystery of its own. I have recommended the first book in this series to my twelve-year-old daughter, who loves it, as well as to many teens at my library, who inevitably come back for the rest of the series.

Books in the Mediator series:
1. Shadowland (Love you to Death)
2. Ninth Key (High Stakes)
3. Reunion (Mean Spirits)
4. Darkest Hour (Young Blood)
5. Haunted (Grave Doubts)
6. Twilight (Heaven Sent)

Reunion (#3 in the Mediator series) by Meg Cabot (Pocket Books, 2001)

Also reviewed at:
Marjolein Book Blog: "It is stunning, fast and again mysterious. I really liked how everything unraveled during the book, it kept me interested and it was a very light and fun read."
Vixen's Daily Reads: "I am either really in touch with my inner YA or Meg Cabot just rocks as a writer. I go with a happy in between."

The Three Musketeers

2011-08-17T09:49:00.000-04:00

When I was about twelve years old, I happened to watch the movie version of The Three Musketeers, the one that starred Michael York as d'Artagnan, and featured a whole lot of famous actors including Raquel Welch, Faye Dunaway, Richard Chamberlain, Christopher Lee, and Charlton Heston. I'm not sure what it was about that story, but I just loved it! The action, the romance, the adventure, the camaraderie, and especially the humor were all things that really appealed to me. As this was in the days before quick and easy video rentals, I went to the library and checked out the book. I loved it as well, particularly because as I read I had such vivid pictures of the characters in my head, thanks to having seen the movie.

I'd been meaning to reread this one for a while, although I was a little worried that it wouldn't hold up to my fond memories of it. And as it turns out, I was right to be worried! It was still a fun read, and parts of it had a surprisingly modern feel to them, but there is zero character development, and I had the feeling that the author was moving people around to suit the needs of the narrative, rather than the characters behaving in a believable way that followed the events of the story. I guess I just didn't believe in them the way I did when I was twelve, and it made me realize how very much I brought to that earlier reading that just wasn't there this time around.

That is not to say that this one is not worth reading - it really is, particularly for the humor and the masterfully woven plot. Complex characters are not its forte, but of course what seems completely two-dimensional and stereotypical to today's reader was probably much fresher in the 1800s. There are some surprisingly interesting and strong women characters, although they are of course subject to disappointing literary conventions of the time.

The story is about a young man from the French countryside who travels to Paris in the hope of joining the famed musketeers, an elite military group that reports directly to the king (rather than to the cardinal). D'Artagnan is naive but loyal, and he becomes involved in events that have dire political ramifications, and an action-packed narrative ensues, full of romance, derring-do and political scheming. There are two additional novels in the cycle known as the d'Artagnan Romances: Twenty Years After and The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later, which continue the story of d'Artagnan.

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (Signet Classics, 1991; originally published in 1844 as a serial)

Kitty's House of Horrors

2011-08-03T13:01:00.000-04:00

When radio talk-show host Kitty Norville is invited to be on a reality television show, she is not interested. Not, that is, until she finds out that other people she respects and likes have already agreed to be in the show, which is apparently going to be a showcase of several different supernatural types. Kitty, a werewolf, is going to be spending time at an isolated country house along with other shapeshifters, vampires, psychics, and an adamant skeptic to liven things up. She isn't sure what she thinks about the whole thing at first, but she figures it'll be nice to get away for a while and fun to spend some time with friends - and the boost to her show's publicity can't hurt.

But then people start dying, and it becomes clear that the reality show is nothing more than a set-up, a diabolical trap set for no purpose she can comprehend. But the reality is that no one is safe, and Kitty has been thrown into a scenario straight out of a horror movie.

This was a fun change of pace from the previous books in this series, which focused on more personal issues and relationships in Kitty's life, as well as supernatural politics. Not that those things aren't interesting - they are - it was just fun to see Kitty thrown into a slasher-flick situation along with radically different personality types. She has changed from her early, submissive days when she was first changed into a werewolf against her will, and has become a charismatic pack leader - but now she is faced with the challenge of leading a disparate group of people with conflicting priorities and very different natures.

I always enjoy the Kitty novels. She is a strong, believable heroine - tough, yes, but not over-the-top or unbelievably so. She has come into her own throughout the course of the books, and I've enjoyed being along for the ride. As always, the pacing is tight, the characters compelling, and the plot kept me guessing. If you are looking for your next urban fantasy series and are baffled by the overwhelming number of choices that are available these days, you might want to give this series a try. I've enjoyed it from the first book, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next one.

Books in the Kitty Norville series:
1. Kitty and the Midnight Hour
2. Kitty Goes to Washington
3. Kitty Takes a Holiday
4. Kitty and the Silver Bullet
5. Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand
6. Kitty Raises Hell
7. Kitty's House of Horrors
8. Kitty Goes to War
9. Kitty's Greatest Hits (short stories)
10. Kitty's Big Trouble

Kitty's House of Horrors (#7 in the Kitty Norville series) by Carrie Vaughn (Grand Central Publishing, 2010)

Also reviewed at:
Adventures in Reading: "Carrie Vaughn does well with her entry into the survival horror genre. Kitty Norville brings humor and personality to a grim situation, but Vaughn doesn’t relent on the grim."
Book Series Reviews: "Pacing was mostly good, dialogue was good, funny moments were great, horrific moments were suitably horrific."
Graeme's Fantasy Book Review: "I got what I came for but I found the similarities to another book a little too much to get my head round..."

Power of Three

2011-07-29T09:18:00.000-04:00

I'm still reeling from the news of Diana Wynne Jones's death back in March. It's a powerful relationship we readers have to our favorite writers, through their books. Even though I've never met her, I've been reading her books since I picked up a library copy of Dogsbody when I was ten or eleven years old, and they have never failed to enlighten, entertain, surprise, and stretch my mind in some interesting directions.

I haven't read Power of Three in so long that, happily, it was like getting to read a new book. I must have read it back in the 70s, because there was a sense of familiarity to some of the elements, but mainly, it was like reading it fresh from the start. And what a delightful reread it was.

The book is layers wrapped in layers, and there is periodically an unwrapping of one of the layers that comes with a revelation, and each revelation takes the book to a new level. We start with the story of the curse that sets the entire chain of events in motion. Then the story moves to the present, and we see how that curse has affected the characters introduced in the initial story, with a particular focus on the children of Adara, who is featured in the first section. She has three children, two of whom have special abilities or Gifts, and one, Gair, who thinks he's ordinary (but of course the reader knows better!). Gair and his siblings are one of three races that exist in their world. The other two are Giants, who have amazing magical machines, and the Dorig, who can change shapes effortlessly. These races fear and distrust each other intensely, particularly Gair's people and the Dorig, and there are often violent incidents among them.

The effects of the curse involve an upheaval in the lives of Gair and his brother and sister, which sends them out into the world, where they confront Giants as well as Dorig, with results that are surprising and astonishing. The story took a little while to get going because the setup is crucial, but once it gained momentum I could not put it down. I hesitate to say much more, because as with all of Diana Wynne Jones's books, they are best read with few preconceptions, and this one in particular is especially twisty and turny and surprising. I prefer the above cover to the one below, which was on my library copy, because I think it coveys the atmosphere of the novel much more effectively. This is a standalone book, so it's a great one to start with if you haven't read her books before. Highly recommended!

Reviews of other books by DWJ:
Charmed Life
Dark Lord of Derkholm
Deep Secret
Enchanted Glass
House of Many Ways
The Game
The Merlin Conspiracy
The Pinhoe Egg
Witch Week
Year of the Griffin

Power of Three by Diana Wynne Jones (HarperCollins, 1976)

Also reviewed at:
Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog: "It’s lovely and it’s got funny bits in it (and some drama/tragedy) and adventure and action and broody heroes and strong females and it’s WONDERFUL."
Jenny's Books: "...one of the very few books by Diana Wynne Jones that I truly loved the first time I read it."

The Thread That Binds the Bones

2011-07-27T08:44:00.000-04:00

There is something about Nina Kiriki Hoffman's books that sets them apart from the many other fantasy novels written for adults (and teens). They are set in the modern world, yes, but they're not really urban fantasy. They often contain elements of romance, but they certainly don't follow the typical romance novel formula. While characters may appear in several books, they are not really a series - each book contains a single story that comes to a satisfying conclusion. And they don't tend to be hair-raising adventure stories with unbelievably tough kick-ass heroines. The heroines (and heroes) can certainly be tough and admirable, but they come across with subtlety, as complex, believable people with complicated pasts that have a lot of influence on the events of the stories.

Most of all, with Hoffman's books, you can be sure that you are not going to get the same old, same old anything. There will be surprises. You will find yourself imagining all kinds of unimaginable things, and you will find yourself nodding as you read, thinking, oh, yes, of course, that completely bizarre concept makes perfect sense. I love that!

This story is about a man named Tom who has marginalized himself from society because of he possesses unusual abilities, such as talking with ghosts, that have made his life too awkward and painful to be around others. He meets a woman named Laura, who comes from a family with unusual powers, too. Her family has an odd relationship with the nearby town, to the extent that the town is terrified of her relatives yet is awed by them as well. Laura has left, unwilling to be a part of that kind of situation, but she finds herself called back to attend a wedding. Tom ends up driving the cab that takes her home, and the simple fact of setting off in that taxi together sets off a chain of events that has bizarre and highly entertaining results.

The beauty of this story is in the telling, the sensory details, the complex relationships between the characters, the amazing and unusual fantastical elements. This is a gentle, subtle book. There is no alarming or overbearing sense of peril, really, but the characters are so sympathetic that the reader will keep reading simply to find out what can possibly happen next. I enjoyed this one, possibly not as much as some of the other books I've read by this author (and that's not because this one isn't good, just that I love love love some of the others so very much), but enough that I'm glad I picked up a used copy. I know I'll be giving it a reread some day.

If you enjoy the novels and stories of Charles de Lint and Patricia McKillip, you would probably love Nina Kiriki Hoffman's work.

The Thread That Binds the Bones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman (Avon Books, 1993)

Reviews of other books by Nina Kiriki Hoffman:
A Stir of Bones
Fall of Light
Past the Size of Dreaming
Red Heart of Memories
Spirits That Walk in Shadow

Also reviewed at:
Random Reading: "The other thing I especially love about her writing, is her ability to tell a story in a single book. This is coming to be one of my favorite traits in a fantasy writer, and Nina Kiriki Hoffman has it in abundance."
A Wicked Convergence of Circumstances: "The pacing is a little slow but it also manages to be engaging, unpredictable and interesting enough to make the reader want to stick with the story and find out what happens next."

Through No Fault of My Own

2011-07-24T10:13:00.000-04:00

When retired newspaper reporter Peg Meier was digging through the Minnesota archives one day, she came across the diary of 12-year-old Clotilde "Coco" Irvine, which had been published in a limited edition for friends and family many years earlier. As Peg read through it, she found herself having to stifle her giggles in the quiet historical society library. Coco's irrepressible character shines through the pages of the diary as she recounts the trials and tribulations of growing up in Minnesota in the 1920s, and her words made me laugh out loud, too.

Peg Meier so loved the diary that she was able to get it republished, and now it is available to a whole new generation of readers. Meier's introduction is helpful to setting the scene, particularly for younger readers who may be unfamiliar with the historic background, but those who want to skip right to the actual diary will be drawn immediately into her story and will likely be interested enough to go back and read the introduction once they've finished the book, just to find out more about the fascinating girl who received a diary for her birthday and started writing about her day-to-day life. Coco is a wealthy girl growing up in beautiful home on Summit Avenue that today is the official Minnesota Governor's residence. But her life is something that young readers today will easily identify with, particularly the crush she has on "Him," a boy who is never mentioned by name but is frequently written about, as Coco tries to figure out what his behavior means:

He danced with everyone but me. That's a good sign because even tho he didn't dance with me He looked at me three times.

Coco gets into trouble constantly, though she often protests that it is "through no fault of" her own, such as the time she repeats a joke she doesn't quite understand when the family is having dinner, and is baffled when her father becomes angry. Or she sneaks out of the house with her brother, dressed up in her mother's clothes, to go dancing one night. Or she time she steals silverware from the school in an attempt to prevent them from serving dreadful meals - without silverware, she reasons, everyone will have to be sent home for lunch. Coco has a way with words, although she is only twelve, and it is easy to see that she was well on her way to becoming a writer even then. She is a sweet, precocious, funny child and her words, written so long ago, will resonate with young readers - and older ones, too. Here is a passage taken at random just to show how charming and funny her words can be:

It was raining today so Dotty and I played paper dolls on our sleeping porch. This sounds like a childish game but isn't. Mother thinks it is. She smiled benignly at us when she looked out to see we were not up to something. If she only knew! My Cassandra paper doll is pregnant tho not married. Dotty got mad when I got her in this predicament because she is my best doll and as Dotty says we don't know how to get her out of this trouble and if we can't think of something I'll just have to tear her up. I suggested pretending that it had never happened, but Dotty said that isn't fair. Secretly she is jealous because my Cassandra is much prettier than her Isolde.

At the end of the diary is a section full of fascinating photos and anecdotes about the later life of Coco, including the identity of the man she finally ends up marrying (she writes about him in the diary, so it is fun to find out who it turns out to be). Coco apparently edited the diary later before she published it for her family and friends, and I do wonder what she might have changed or cut out, but no matter - what remains is truly delightful.

Through No Fault of My Own: A Girl's Diary of Life on Summit Avenue in the Jazz Age by Coco Irvine (University of Minnesota Press, 2011)

Also reviewed at:
Extended Shelf Life: "The chosen book is so charming I laugh aloud, so charming I read parts aloud to my family at dinner last night."

Bayou Moon

2011-07-23T09:42:00.000-04:00

I started reading Ilona Andrews' books with her Kate Daniels series, which I started with that skepticism I bring to every new paranormal or urban fantasy series these days. But I quickly came to enjoy the books and look forward to each new installment. So I wasn't surprised to find the Edge series well written and gripping, with engaging characters and an interesting magical premise. There is always a moment of reluctance for me when I find that a book in a series focuses on different characters than the previous book - but since the first book, On the Edge, had a very satisfying conclusion, I was a bit more open to the change. And I think I enjoyed this one even more than the first.

The magical premise of this series is that there are two distinct areas in the world, the Weird, where magic exists, and the Broken, where technology does. The zone between those two areas is called the Edge, and it is a rough place, populated mainly by those who are marginalized in some way. This installment involves a tough young woman named Cassie, whose family is caught up in a deadly feud. When her parents disappear, Cassie fears the worst. In their absence she must take up leadership of the family. William, a shape-changer who had thought to isolate himself in the Edge, is recruited to track down a dangerous spy, and he and Cassie find themselves working toward similar objectives. Neither trusts the other, and both are tricky and dangerous - but they soon realize that working together is their best hope of survival.

I hesitate to say too much, because the way in which the story unfolds and the characters are revealed is delightful, and best for readers to experience on their own. The characters shine in this one, particularly Cassie and her delightfully dysfunctional family as they interact with William. The romantic element is woven into the story very well - it's not the entire point of the book, but it's an important part, and the relationship between William and Cassie is developed skilfully with a sense of humor that tickled me into laughing out loud. The pacing is tight, the world-building is spot-on, and the book left me unsure which of the two series I'm most anxious for the next book to be published. Either one will be most welcome, that's for sure!

Bayou Moon (#2 in the Edge series) by Ilona Andrews (Ace Books, 2010)

Also reviewed at:
An Abundance of Books: "I liked Bayou Moon so much more than The Edge. The world was grittier, the bad guys were better and badder, the danger was more... dangerous, and the entire cast of characters were just great."
The Good, the Bad and the Unread: "It’s a well told story of some very interesting characters in a very believable alternate reality. It was easy to read it and forget where I was for a while (literally startled out of the “book trance” a couple of times)."
Scooper Speaks: "The book is flooded with magic: good and bad. Twisted magic, tormented souls and the light of love. The ups and downs of putting two people in a dangerous situation and asking them to find their happy ending."

Ruined

2011-07-22T22:27:00.000-04:00

Teenage Rebecca Brown feels completely out of her element when she leaves her home in New York City to live in New Orleans while her father is away on an extended business trip. She's staying in a run-down old house in the Garden District with her Aunt Claudia, who reads tarot cards for a living, and her little cousin. Her new school is an exclusive prep school, and the girls there are too caught up in the social hierarchy of the popular vs. the not-so-popular girls to want to spend time with someone who's not only an outsider, but also temporary.

Rebecca is trying her best to do her time, not get involved, and get back to New York as soon as she can. But one night she follows some of the more popular kids when they are sneaking into the cemetery near her aunt's house. There she finally makes a friend - not one of the popular kids, but a young African-American girl - who turns out to be a ghost. From that moment Rebecca finds herself becoming more involved with life in New Orleans, as she comes to learn about a mystery involving a curse that reaches back through the years but is still very much connected to the present.

This is a fun ghost story, full of the atmosphere of New Orleans, with a dark and disturbing mystery as well as a dash of romance. The secondary characters are a bit stereotypical, particularly the "bad guys," who are just a little too over-the-top evil and heartless. Rebecca's dad never seemed quite believable in his actions, either - his behavior simply didn't make sense to me in the light of later revelations in the story. Still, I did enjoy the evocative setting and the ghost story that stems from the fascinating history of lovely New Orleans.

Ruined by Paula Morris (Point, 2009)

Also reviewed at:
Books and Other Stuff: "Ruined is categorized as a Young Adult novel, but as an oldster, I enjoyed it. It was well written and informative. Morris also captured the pettiness of teens, which made me squirm."
Carrie's YA Bookshelf: "I love ghost stories, so this one was right up my alley. Morris' writing is eerie and suspenseful, which creates an atmosphere where you never really know which character is friend or foe."
Today I read...: "Overall, the book was a fun and quick read. There is a dark element, but nothing entirely frightening."

Blotto, Twinks and the Ex-king's Daughter

2011-07-13T16:12:00.000-04:00

I checked out this mystery from the library after reading that it is recommended for fans of Jeeves and Wooster, and also because I seemed to remember having read and enjoyed something by this author in the past.

The story is set in England in the 1920s or 30s, and opens as a body is discovered in the library of the elegant country estate of Tawster Towers. Blotto (whose real name is Devereux Lyminster) discovers the body, but although Blotto is devilishly handsome, he's not terribly bright. When he tells his mother, the duchess, about his gruesome discovery, she simply says, "Not now, Blotto. We have guests." Blotto knows that his sister Twinks (the Lady Honoria Lyminster) will know what to do, as she is fiendishly clever and loves to solve mysteries.

And Twinks, of course, does know what to do, although her mother the duchess is busily pulling strings to get the police detectives to drop their embarrassing investigation. When a kidnapping takes place, Blotto finds himself sent across the continent, away from his beloved England (and without the council of his clever sister). He's not thrilled about the matter, but he realizes it is his duty as an Englishman (particularly as the unfortunate young lady who has been kidnapped was staying as a guest at Tawster Towers).

I can see why this book is recommended to fans of Jeeves and Wooster. It is set during the same time period, and it pokes fun at the aristocracy. Blotto is not the brightest, and neither is Bertie Wooster. Twinks plays a Jeeves-ish role, and the plot is fairly ridiculous. But I have to say that although I adore Wodehouse, this one fell a bit flat for me. I think my ambivalence is mainly due to the cardboard cutout nature of the characters. They do say funny things, but each one is such a stereotype that I could never get past the cliche to see anything resembling an actual person. So I didn't really care about anyone, and when I don't care about anyone, I don't really see the point of reading the book. The plot was fairly predictable, and even though Wodehouse enjoys reprising plot points, there are always some delightfully funny surprises along the way, surprises that were sadly lacking in this book for this reader.

But I loaned this to my mother when I'd finished reading it, and she thoroughly enjoyed it and thought it was hysterical. If you are in the mood for a light and ridiculous mystery, you just might want to give this one a try!

Books in the Blotto, Twinks series:
1. Blotto, Twinks, and the Ex-King's Daughter
2. Blotto, Twinks and the Dead Dowager Duchess
3. Blotto, Twinks and the Rodents of the Riviera

Blotto, Twinks and the Ex-king's Daughter by Simon Brett (Felony & Mayhem Press, 2009)

Also reviewed at:
Books Please: "It is indeed silly in the P G Wodehouse style of Jeeves and Wooster silly, full of slang and poking fun at the amateur detective who is an expert in identifying toxins, reading clues and being several steps ahead of the plodding police."
Lesa's Book Critiques: "Brett has done a masterful job poking fun at mysteries with amateur sleuths of the British nobility...So, although I can appreciate what Brett did, the humor isn't my style."

The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story

2011-07-12T08:29:00.000-04:00

I love a good ghost story in the summertime. It must be because as a child the summer was my time to read whatever I wanted, so as far as "beach reads" go, mine must include at least one spooky ghost story. Mary Downing Hahn can always be counted on to deliver a spine-tingler, and while The Old Willis Place is one of the least conventional ghost stories I've ever read, it certainly delivers.

The story is about two children, Diana and her little brother Georgie, who live in the woods near a rambling old abandoned home. Something has happened to scare them into the woods, where they've been living on their own for years. Their one source of entertainment is spying on the succession of caretakers who periodically appear but are easily frightened away. It is only when caretakers are in residence that the siblings can watch a little television, by peering through the window, although for the most part the caretakers are fairly uninteresting people.

But when the new caretaker pulls into the drive, a man with a daughter just about Diana's age, everything changes. For one thing, the caretaker's daughter Lissa brings with her fascinating items such as a bicycle, and interesting books that Diana and Georgie have never read before. And for another, Lissa actually seems to want to be friends with them.

But Diana and Georgie live by a mysterious set of rules, and Georgie wants nothing to do with Lissa. After so many years with just her little brother for company, Diana can't help but be drawn to the other girl, even though she can tell that dark forces are stirring in the dreadful old house.

I don't want to give too much away - astute readers will quickly guess the true state of affairs at the old Willis place, but even they will be in store for some twists, turns, and dark surprises. This is a bittersweet tale, as all the best ghost stories are, with compelling characters and an unforgettable setting. My ten-year-old picked it up after I finished reading it, and she enjoyed it immensely as well.

The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn (Clarion Books, 2004)

Also reviewed at:
Book and a Garden: "Author Mary Downing Hahn has redefined the words “ghost story.” Her novel is peopled with believable characters readers will care about and remember long after they have read the last page."
Books We Love: "This is a great ghost story that makes me happy that I don’t live in the woods, or near an abandoned mansion!"
It's All about Books: "It's a ghost story, with lots of chilling parts, but not TOO chilling, perfect for kids I'd say. Lots of twists and turns and surprises."

Hit List

2011-07-11T21:55:00.000-04:00

I'm at the point in the Anita Blake series (which with this current book, Hit List, numbers 20 books) where I'm reading more for the characters than I am for the plot. Which is a good thing, because the past few books have set up to be serial killer mysteries, but in the end, the solving of the mystery and the capture of the villains takes a backseat to the goings on in Anita's life. And that is okay with me, although I might feel differently if I'd come to this series later and read through all the books in quick succession. I've been with this series since the first book came out back in 1993, and I've been reading each one as it has been published (with occasional rereads to refresh my memory) ever since.

In this installment the dreaded Harlequin of an earlier book are running amok killing people, and Anita and Edward are in the Pacific northwest trying to stop them. It is difficult because she cannot discuss the Harliquin with the police who are working on the case, and the deaths keep piling up. Anita is, for the most part in this book, away from her support structure in St. Louis, and that makes things feel all the more tense as the plot progresses.

There are things I love about this series. I love the character development, particularly the depth of Anita's portrayal and the way her experiences have changed her throughout the course of these books. I love how compassionate she is, despite the hardships she's endured, and the way she struggles so fiercely to find the right thing to do when there is no true right thing. The world-building is skillful and thorough, the relationships between the characters are wonderfully portrayed, and the dialogue and pacing are always solid. Sometimes Hamilton dwells on minute bits of description that leave me wondering what her fascination is with characters' heights or haircuts or clothes, and she has a way of replaying certain scenarios from book to book that make certain things a bit too repetitive. For example, there is often a cop or someone with whom Anita must work professionally, and this person gives her no end of grief and makes her life difficult. And there is always a needy, hurt, and sweet man who needs Anita to take him under her wing. She's accumulated quite a few of those, and I'm not complaining, really. There's just a bit of an "oh, this again?" feeling as I read.

I'm a little tired of the big bad that Anita's been fighting these past several books, and I'm hoping that there will be new and interesting antagonists for her to come up against in future volumes. It's strange that for a series with so many books, the new ones still manage to remain fresh, and they definitely hold my attention. Anita is an admirable heroine, and I look forward to reading about more of her adventures.

Books in the Anita Blake series:
1. Guilty Pleasures
2. The Laughing Corpse
3. Circus of the Damned
4. The Lunatic Cafe
5. Bloody Bones
6. The Killing Dance
7. Burnt Offerings
8. Blue Moon
9. Obsidian Butterfly
10. Narcissus in Chains
11. Cerulean Sins
12. Incubus Dreams
13. Micah
14. Danse Macabre
15. The Harlequin
16. Blood Noir
17. Skin Trade
18. Flirt
19. Bullet
20. Hit List

Hit List (#20 in the Anita Blake series) by Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkley Books, 2011)

Also reviewed at:
Bitten by Books: "I have to admit, even though the series is into book 20, I still never get tired of Anita Blake. I think the only disappointing thing to me in Hit List is that most of the regulars are missing."
Book Series Reviews: "It was an enjoyable book, a nice change of pace, and I look forward to seeing Anita back in St Louis again for the next book."
Anastacia Knits Designs: "I did enjoy the book, it was a light, fun, fast read. I give the book 3 stars because the book of course did have some problems/issues, but it was still worth reading..."

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

2011-07-10T17:13:00.000-04:00

Sixteen-year-old Jacob suffers a harrowing experience on the day that his grandfather dies. Jacob has a mental breakdown, and his recovery involves intensive therapy. When he decides to travel to Wales, the site of so many of his grandfather's stories about his childhood, his parents are skeptical. But his therapist encourages the visit, and Jacob heads to Wales with his father, in search of the truth that must be buried there.

The stories involved his grandfather as a young boy being chased by monsters, horrible creatures with tentacles that emerged from their enormous mouths to snatch and devour their prey. Jacob's grandfather had found sanctuary at an orphanage in Wales, a place that housed children with amazing and bizarre abilities. There were even photographs that depicted some of these children - one is pictured on the book's cover, of the little girl who had to wear weighted shoes so she wouldn't float away. There were other photos that Jacob had always looked at with amazement, of children hefting enormous rocks above their heads, or the invisible boy depicted by a suit of old-fashioned, empty clothing standing up by itself.

It wasn't until Jacob was older and learned that his grandfather was sent away from Poland during World War II by Jewish parents who later died, that he realized that the monsters his grandfather had always talked about were actually Nazis, and that all the stories were nothing more than metaphors for his grandfather's horrific childhood experiences. The photos were clearly fakes, and Jacob resented his grandfather for fooling him for so long.

When Jacob travels to Wales, the site of the stories, he's not sure what he hopes to discover. Something to reassure him that he hasn't lost his mind, perhaps. But what he does find only leads to more questions, and the answers to those questions, discovered in the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's orphanage, are stupefying.

What an amazing, creepy, fantastical book this is! The atmospheric tale has shades of Poe and Lovecraft, but with an approachable teenage sensibility that is sure to draw both teen and adult readers in and keep them on the edge of their seats. Jacob is a believable, likable hero, and the fantastical aspect of the book is skillfully handled. It's one of those beautifully written stories that, while it includes supernatural elements, is much more than an entertaining genre read. I particularly enjoyed the many compelling black-and-white photographs that are used as illustrations. As I read I loved the fact that they fit the tale so perfectly. I thought that they had been made to order for the book. It wasn't until the afterword of the book that I learned that all the pictures are authentic vintage photographs, lent from the personal archives of ten collectors. That made me appreciate the author's flexibility and creativity even more.

I enjoyed this one so much that I am planning it as this year's book to read aloud to my children as our annual Halloween read.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (Quirk Books, 2011)

Source: Review copy from the publisher

Also reviewed at:
Bloggers [heart] Books: "I loved the writing, it was one of those books that had me putting little scraps of paper throughout the book to mark the pages with quotes that I liked."
The Crazy Bookworm: "This is a book that should come to the big screen. It is loaded with Tim Burton-esque qualities that I would love to see come to life."
Stainless Steel Droppings: "...a genre-bending, genre-blending strange and wonderful novel built upon a foundation of the interpersonal relationships between children and adults. It is an accessible story with broad appeal."

The Mating Season

2011-06-29T09:06:00.001-04:00

The Jeeves and Wooster series is such a delight to listen to that I find myself spacing out the books in an attempt to make the series last as long as possible. But already I know that I will be returning to these books again and again. Admittedly, you need to be in the right sort of mood for the books, as they are light and silly, bordering on the ridiculous, but they are also intelligent and, despite the formula, often full of surprises that end up tickling me to no end.

In this installment of the series (which, for practical purposes, I'm defining as the novels, although there are a number of short stories out there as well, which I'll move on to once I'm finished with the novels), our hero Bertie find himself in a bit of a pickle. He has been invited to spend some time in the country at a place called Deverill Hall, as has his friend Gussie Fink-Nottle (who is engaged to the niece of the family). When Gussie is arrested and can't show up at Deverill Hall, Bertie must act quickly. He is afraid that if Gussie's engagement to Madeline Bassett falls through, Madeline will expect Bertie to marry her, as she is convinced he is suffering from unrequited love of her. Bertie would, of course, do so, because he is a gentleman, but he is prepared to do everything in his power to avoid such a situation. Therefore, he shows up at Deverill Hall posing as Gussie, and Gussie later shows up posing as Bertie, and Bertie's friend Catsmeat poses as Bertie's valet, leaving Jeeves to pose as the faux Bertie's man.

This is a brilliant and hysterical farce, one of my favorites so far. I was also interested to learn that there was some bad feeling between Wodehouse and A. A. Milne at the time this book was written, which explains the snide comments Bertie makes about Milne's writing when he is expected, in his guise as Gussie, to recite some of Milne's poetry in front of an audience. Bertie comments: "A fellow who comes on a platform and starts reciting about Christopher Robin going hoppity-hoppity-hop (or alternatively saying his prayers) does not do so from sheer wantonness but because he is a helpless victim of circumstances beyond his control."

I have recently started watching the television series for the first time, the one with Hugh Laurie, and my ten- and twelve-year-old daughters are loving it! I was initially taken aback by how young Jeeves is, but I've gotten past that and am enjoying the show nearly as much as the books.

Books in the Jeeves and Wooster series:
1. Thank You, Jeeves
2. Right Ho, Jeeves
3. The Code of the Woosters
4. Jeeves in the Morning (also Joy in the Morning)
5. Mating Season
6. Return of Jeeves
7. Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit
8. How Right You Are, Jeeves
9. Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves
10. Jeeves and the Tie That Binds
11. Cat-Nappers

The Mating Season (#5 in the Jeeves and Wooster novels series) by P. G. Wodehouse; narrated by Frederick Davidson (Blackstone Audiobooks, 2005; originally published in 1949)

The Beejum Book

2011-06-18T10:02:00.000-04:00

Teak is a 7-year-old girl who lives an unusual life, traveling with her parents from one country to another, mostly in Europe, during the period between the two World Wars. Teak is a sensitive, imaginative child, and her parents ignore her much of the time, but at least she has Nanny as a constant from one move to the next. When Nanny leaves to take care of a sick relative, Teak feels even more alone - but luckily she has discovered the country of Beejumstan. She travels there on a train once she's fallen asleep, and she meets all sorts of fantastical creatures, from talking rabbits and witches to intellectual owls and dragons made from pots and pans. Her trips to Beejumstan teach her lessons about herself, friends and family, the many difficulties and challenges of growing up, and the joy of creativity and the imagination.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this book. It is a difficult one to categorize, really. Teak is seven years old as the book opens, and while she is older by the end of the book, most of the book is about her experiences as a seven-year-old. But the book is clearly geared towards older children, and typically kids aren't too fond of reading about children who are younger than they are. There isn't much of an overarching plot here, aside from the emotional development or coming of age of Teak. The book is episodic, and there are elements touched upon that were very interesting but never returned to or explained.

For example, when the narrator describes Teak's relationship with Nanny, there is much hinted at beneath the surface: "Teak had no idea that Nanny might be lonely too, or that she might ever be tired or have a headache or wish that she could wear a red dress with flowers on it. Nor did Teak realize that she was the apple of Nanny's eye, that Nanny secretly loved her to pieces though she felt she had no right to. To Teak, Nanny was just there." Those words made me look forward to a greater understanding developing between the two characters as their relationship progressed, but that never happened. Nanny exits and never comes back, and that's that. There were many such interesting things mentioned but left unexplored in the course of the novel, which made it read a bit like a memoir - things happen in life, later we might understand them better, but life goes on. That's fine for a memoir, but for a novel, I find it unsatisfying.

My main problem with the book is that it touches on some issues that are personal peeves of mine. When I was a child, I couldn't stand it when books had a fantasy world that turned out to be all in the character's head. I hated that because I had my own fantasy world in my head already, but I wanted to get to Narnia, Oz, Middle-earth or any other magical land for real. So when a fantastical world in a novel turned out to be a dream, or a fantasy, it really annoyed me. What good was that? I felt betrayed and tricked, and it bugged me to no end - particularly if it wasn't made clear from the beginning that the magical parts were just a dream. In this book the fantasy world sequences were so full of long, intricate description of things that were never touched on in future visits that I found myself skimming over them after a while. It is unusual for me to prefer the real-world part of a book that includes a fantasy world, but in this one the realistic parts were far more compelling to me. Young readers would probably feel differently, though.

The other thing that annoys me is when characters have names that are patently fake - it just undermines my suspension of disbelief and shines a big spotlight on the fact that the story is just a construct meant to convey an idea or a lesson. Ick. So when the characters of Beejumstan are named Figg Newton, Rudintruda, Sir Lovalot, Asibov Sobelow, and Idy Fix, it jolts me from the story.

As a child I particularly disliked this convention of naming characters for their personal attributes because it just felt, well, patronizing. As though the author expected me to be too young or inexperienced to figure out what was going on. I want real characters, not two-dimensional ones, and if there is a lesson to be had, I don't want it written in neon lights. I want it to sink gently into my unconscious reader's mind to be pondered at my leisure. The lessons that Teak learns are clear responses to events that happen in the real world, but occasionally it seemed that her behavior came from out of the blue, simply in order to provide a lesson for her to learn in Bejumstan.

The language used in the book is complex, with a vocabulary that readers Teak's age might have some difficulty with, but it is combined with rather babyish terms for things ("tucky tix" for tickets, etc.), that I know would have annoyed me when I was a child. As I write this I can't help but laugh at what a picky reader I was - and apparently still am!

You might think I didn't enjoy this book, after reading all my griping about the little things that bugged me, but you'd be wrong. The author, who is a Jungian scholar, conveys a whole lot of very complicated ideas in a way that is surprisingly accessible to young readers, particularly as the ideas are central to the events of Teak's life. There are certain readers who are sure to adore this book, particularly quiet children who enjoy spending time in the worlds of their own imaginations. This book would make a great read-aloud for children who aren't ready to read it on their own yet, or for parent/child book clubs, because there are so many fascinating ideas to be discussed, and it would be an interesting way for adults and kids to share their feelings on subjects that aren't typically touched on in books - or in general conversation, for that matter.

The Beejum Book by Alice O. Howell (Bell Pond Books, 2002)

Have you reviewed this book on your blog? Let me know - I'd love to include a link to your review!

Enchanted Ivy

2011-06-13T22:30:00.000-04:00

Lily Carter has always dreamed of going to Princeton University, just like her grandfather and father before her. So she's excited when her grandfather takes her to visit, along with her mother - and even more excited when it turns out she can take the super secret Legacy test while she's there. If she passes the test, she's in! No college application, SAT scores, or essays necessary.

She does find it a little odd that all her test consists of is the somewhat obscure request that she find the "ivy key." She has no idea what she's looking for, but she's pretty sure her grandfather wouldn't set up a test that's impossible for her to pass. Lily sets out on her hunt for the ivy key with optimism and enthusiasm. But one strange thing happens after another. First of all, the gargoyles speak to her - and while she's pretty sure that they must be animatronic, they seem so real. Then a creature that could only exist in nightmares attacks her, and she begins to realize that there are some fascinating, if terrifying secrets lurking beneath the lovely surface of the Princeton University campus.

This was a sweet fantasy tale about a dogged heroine pursuing her dreams. I liked the fact that the "good" and "bad" sides weren't simply good vs. evil - it was more complicated than that. I found the explanation of the gargoyles and the otherworldly side to be a little confusing, though - its particularities suited the purposes of the plot but didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I enjoyed the depiction of Lily's relationship with her mother, whose precarious mental state has place Lily in the role of caregiver, and I would have preferred a more closer portrayal of her other relationships as the book proceeded.

My twelve-year-old daughter picked this one out of my book pile and read it first, and she enjoyed it immensely, saying it was one of the best books she's read so far this year.

Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2010)

Storm Born

2011-06-09T15:13:00.000-04:00

There is no question that I adore series featuring strong heroines in sticky situations, particularly those of a supernatural nature. I have quite a few that I'm following these days, a few of which I adore, and others that have grown on me over the course of several books. I always approach a new series, particularly in this recently booming genre, with a mix of skepticism and hopefulness. This author has written several series, but for some reason I hadn't read any of them. This paperback came into my library as a donation, and when I saw that my library system only had a few copies left, and those had been out dozens of times, I promptly added it to my branch's collection. And then I had to read it fast, because there is a waiting list for it!

The heroine here is Eugenie, a shaman who can cross over into the world of the spirits, as well as into Faerie, and she acts as a sort of enforcer, protecting humans and the human realm. Her stepfather has trained her, and she's become even more powerful than he, and she is confident that she knows what she's doing and where her life is taking her.

But then things start to change. For no reason she can ascertain she has suddenly attracted all kinds of unworldly attention, and to complicate matters she has agreed to travel - physically, not in her usual spirit form - into the world of the fey to rescue a kidnapped teenager. When she is there, she learns some unwelcome truths about herself and her origins that lead her to rethink all things she's ever believed in.

This is a promising beginning to a series, and Eugenie is a likeable character. The fictional world is interesting, but there wasn't anything that made it particularly stand out when compared to other novels of this genre. The characters are nicely complex, though, as are Eugenie's relationships with them - particularly as the book progresses. There is the usual love triangle - do these urban fantasies ever not have a love triangle? - but it is handled well and with a nice dash of humor, and I find myself undecided between the two hotties, which is where, I suppose, I am intended to be. I did find myself thinking - and this is in no way directed solely at Eugenie, but at the characters in general - that these kick-ass urban fantasy heroines are so often just too unbelievably, well, everything. Beautiful. Tough. Vulnerable. Powerful. Intelligent. Sexy. Great martial artists. Expert at wielding all sorts of weapons. Etc. I think they come across as more complex and sympathetic characters when they either become tougher or more proficient through the course of several novels (Kitty Norville from Carrie Vaughn's series comes to mind), or when they don't possess all of those characteristics. Just a thought.

At any rate, this one was fun and interesting with characters that held my attention, and I definitely intend to continue with the second book of this series.

Storm Born (#1 in the Dark Swan series) by Richelle Mead (Zebra Books, 2008)