Recent Reading

I used to keep a log of all the books I read and I got busy and figured no one actually cared, but… I do, so I’m starting again.

In reverse order, these are the books:

April 2009

The Thirty Nine Steps, by John Buchan (Classic Suspense): So… you’ve seen the film by Alfred Hitchcock, but you really haven’t got the story. The style is very dated–it was written in 1915 about fictional events on the eve of World War I, after all–and the action is not exactly what you’d expect of an action suspense thriller now, but it’s still a fast, interesting read with a lot of insights into the period. It definitely lets its Imperialist background show, so readers must go in with eyes open and not take offense at period attitudes to Jews and “foreigners,” but it’s a very interesting bit of historically-significant fiction, pretty good basic story and stylish prose, and I think an updated film version of the book might be quite a lot of fun. It’s also a tiny book–a mere novella by modern standards–and you can pick up a copy cheap since B&N is now issuing it in their “Essential Reading” series for $8 (less used or distressed.) The forward by Kate MacDonald is a nice perspective-provider, but it does seem that she has a small axe to grind….

Baltimore Blues, by Laura Lippman (Tess Monaghan Mystery #1): I’ve put off reading these while doing other things, but having dived in at last, it’s obvious why Lippman is a shiny, shiny star in the Mystery firmament. Baltimore in the 1990s comes to gritty life here, yet remains real and complex under the examination of this loving native. Corker of a tale and a fast read that’s not too grim, but not too breezy, with a cast you fall in love with. Definitely will be reading more of Ms. Lippman’s work!

Territory, by Emma Bull (Fantasy Western): Oh Emma, how I love thee. A prelude of sorts to the events at the OK Corral, with the supposition that Wyatt Earp was a sorcerer and other magics abound in the Wild West, made wilder and yet more human by some really nifty research and a ton of excellent writing. I do hope Ms. Bull does more like this! (not that I don’t like anything she does, but it’s so nice to see a Western/Fantasy cross.) Truly excellent, not girly, but not too butch. Very appealing and compellingly odd.

March 2009

Light Me Up, by Katie MacAlister (Aisling Grey #2): silly fun with Aisling and her dragon mate at odds and cross-purposes at a magical conference as Aisling searches for a mentor and finds murder. Pretty funny, lightweight and not too heavy on the sex (though the two scenes in it are very hot. Well-balanced and breezy. The demon dog is hilarious–even better than the previous book.

The Garden of Evil, by David Hewson (mystery series novel): Couldn’t finish. Just didn’t quite hold me even though the writing was good. I’m not enamored of serial killer novels and the depiction of the ruined moldering bodies was a little too much for me at this time. Maybe I’ll give it another try some other time.

Lamentation, by Ken Scholes (debut novel): This is One Hell of a Fantasy novel. Epic, but of approachable size, complex, but easy to read, and very beautiful in construction and prose. A winner all around and I can’t wait for the next one in this series. Seriously, if you like traditional fantasy and are a bit overwhelmed by the ubiquitous door stops out there, get this book! Oh, and it has a devilish hook of an ending. (Curse you Ken! Write faster!)

February 2009

You Slay Me, by Katie MacAlister (Aisling Grey, Guardian novel #1): Goofy, demons-and-witches mystery with a large dose of steamy romance between our ditzy heroine and a hot dragon in Paris.  Technically I think these are marketed as paranormal romance and they mostly stick to that structure, but the mystery was well done and dizzy Aisling is somehow charming rather than annoying.  Also throw in one hilariously horny demon-in-a-dog suit and things are pretty fun.

Night of the Loving Dead, by Casey Daniels (Pepper Martin series book): Bleh.  Shallow fashionista Pepper Martin sees ghosts but I really couldn’t care about the self-centered, unpleasant protagonist enough to stick past the first 40 pages.  Nothing wrong with the craft, just not my thing.

The Ghost and the Haunted Mansion, by Alic Kemberly (Haunted Bookshop Mystery series book): Clever cozy in which the protagonist, a bookstore owner in a small New England coastal town, hooks up with the ghost of a PI who haunts her bookstore to solve local crimes.  Charming and well-built, if a bit routine (no big surprises in the plot or characters) but it did seem odd that although there were ghostly doings, none of the ghosts were real, except the PI.  But as a “cozy” there’s a formula and a comfort zone to be kept up and this one does just fine.  Entertaining, lightweight fun.

Murder at the Bad Girl’s Bar and Grill, by N.M. Kelby (Mystery): Florida crime humor set in an exclusive retirement resort town.  Just didn’t hook me.  I guess I’m just not the Florida crime humor type.

Trigger City, by Sean Chercover (Ray Dudgeon PI mystery #2): First I have to own up that I know Sean and consider him a friend so, yes I’m biased, but… Goddamn is this a good book!  I liked the first one, Big City, Bad Blood, a lot and I like this one even more.  Sean’s already-sharp and noir-lyric writing has gotten even better and his plot is tighter than ever.  PI-hero Ray Dudgeon is still messed up and hardheaded, but you have to pull for him, love him, and admire his sense of honor.  He’s a twenty-first century Sam Spade.  This time around Ray gets sucked into dark doings that revolve around the murder of the daughter of a retired Army Intelligence officer, the suicide of her killer, private military contractors, Chinese dissidents, and political corruption.  I had the feeling there was some tiny flaw somewhere, but I never could put my finger on it, so hypnotic is Chercover’s storytelling.    I’s a corker of a story, violent and gritty and mesmerizing. Chercover is still the best new PI novelist of the decade.

Why We Suck, by Dr. Denis Leary (Non-fiction Humor): OK, let’s be clear: I love Denis Leary–and I have ever since I first saw him on TV about two decades ago (eek!). He makes me mad and he makes me laugh and I think he’s got a cute butt. He also makes me want to lose weight, think more, and suck less. Wicked, funny, mordant, and did I say funny? It’s a little dated since he wrote it during the recent political campaign and didn’t know the outcome–though I’m sure he’d have something to say about that, too if he had–but it’s still witty and sarcastic and sometimes very touching. Great book about… well.. why we suck.

The Stepsister Scheme, by Jim C. Hines (Fantasy): First of a projected series of books based on old fairytales from the original sources. In this one, what happens after the Happily Ever After for Cinderella, Snow White, and the Sleeping Beauty is the center of a fast-paced and fascinating tale in which the princesses do the rescuing. Fantastic, occasionally grim in the finest original fairy tale tradition, and utterly wonderful. Highly recommended, but definitely not a children’s bedtime book.

Reserved for the Cat, by Mercedes Lackey (Fantasy): Book 5 in the Elemental Masters series. Interesting twist on the Puss in Boots story with an orphaned French girl whose life is changed completely by her involvement with a mysterious talking cat, an English music hall impressario, and a handful of magical complications. Quite a lot of detail and drama about ballet in the early part of the Twentieth Century adds depth and complication in fun ways. A winner for sure.

January 2009

Red Seas Under Red Skies, by Scott Lynch (Fanatsy): Excellent. Even better than as its predecessor, The Lies of Locke Lamora, though being a boat-geek I’m prejudiced in favor of Pirates! Great character-driven crime fantasy with wonderful, rich world-building and some really wonderful secondary characters. One thing that caused me a bit of a pang was the use of cliche I really despise. I hoped it would not happen but… there it was. OK, it worked for the plot and it motivates further action blah, blah, blah… but it still makes me think “oh! damn it!” Otherwise, fantastic!

American Lightning, by Howard Blum (non-fiction history):  Modern presentation and interpretation of the investigation and connected events and people in the 1910 bombing of the Los Angeles Times building and subsequent investigation of the Industria Iron Workers Union for a series of  terrorist bombings (and the indictments against Clarence Darrow for attempted jury tampering–on yeah, and D.W. Griffith and how he came to make The Birth of a Nation).  The beginning of the end of violet labor demonstration in the United States.  In this case let me use the term “creative non-fiction” in describing this book.  Factually interesting, but the author picks and chooses his facts and ficitonalizes encounters for dramatic effect in ways I find irritating and doesn’t say a word about the variance until he gets to the end.  He doesn’t footnote, he just gives a list of sources at the end and then refers to them by initials.  Very annoying, especially when he claims he didn’t fictionalize anything, but he doesn’t give decent notes to support this.  Interesting facts, but presented with a bit too much “wow!” for my taste.  And I’m still having a hard time seeing how D.W. Griffith is really that important to the facts of the case….

Fathom, by Cherie Priest (Fantasy/Horror): Cherie just gets better and better!  I guess you could call it a Near-Apocalypse tale of two cousins in Florida in the Depression, mix in 2 or 3 elemental gods, a few crazy local legends, and stir vigorously with lucent prose and you’d still just have to read it to understand the delicately horrifying confection Priest has whipped up here.  Mmm… good stuff!

Wolfsbane and Mistletoe, anthology edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner (werewolf Christmas stories!):  I had a story in this collection but I waited until I the holidays to read everyone else’s and I’m so glad I did–the stories were mostly fun little slices of wolfy-distraction, just right to provid a little relief from my own work, but not enough to keep me from it.  They were all pretty good, though I was a bit disappointed with some of the ones featuring series characters.  The stand-alones were all pretty good with the exception of Keri Arthur’s which I found too romance-y.  Of the lot, I have to give kudos to Joe Konrath, Rob Thurman, Dana Cameron, and Toni Kelner for surprising the holy shit out of me with some excellent tales.  Even ignoring my own contribution, it was a better-than-average anthology.  And fun!

*

Note: Due to a lot of required reading for committees in 2008, I couldn’t discuss the books I was reading. I still can’t discuss most of them until the results of those committees are made public, so, forgive the gap and let’s get back in the habit with 2009’s reading list.

April 2008

To Wed  a Wicked Prince by Jane Feather (regency romance):  *sigh* Big miss by one of my few-fave romance writers.  Good solid female protag, but male protag was simply not sympathetic or believable as the great love of Livy’s life.  Lots of funky little language and detail misfires, also.  Felt like a book written just to fill the contract.  Darn.

Blue Heaven by C.J. Box (standalone): Recommended by Mario Acevedo. Riveting kids-in-jeopardy thriller. Not my usual fare, but the writing was so clean and sharp I couldn’t help but read it. Very creepy and well-paced. Great ending, but a bit undermined by a forced happy-ending epilogue.

Pure Blood by Caitlin Kittredge (Nocturne City #2–manuscript): Yet again a book in a series I like by an author I know that’s even better than the really-good first book. Luna’s self-destructive attitude is better explained and her backstory strengthened, minor characters better-fleshed, terrific pacing. Exciting plot that kept me up until 3 a.m. to finish this werewolf detective thriller in a single day! Darn you, Caitlin–I’m supposed to be working!

Frostbite by Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy #2): Wonderful YA series–even better than the first IMO. Young Vampires at school, in love, and in danger! Terrific stuff and totally deserves its premier on the NYT Children’s Chapter Books at #7–not just because Richelle’s a friend. It’s really good stuff!

March 2008

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch: Fantasy Thieving and revenge in a really amazing setting. OK, I’m slow…. But this book is so good I’m glad I waited–’cause now I don’t have to wait for book #2! Oh boy!

The Extra Large Medium by Helen Slavin: Lit-fic that’s really a love story disguised as a ghost story. Funny, well-paced and very good. Slavin’s off-beat British wit takes a few pages to get into, but well worth the time and trouble. Terrific!

Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik (Temeraire #4): Mostly fun, but felt like three short books crammed into one volume and insufficient time spent with the dragon. Isn’t he the protagonist? Cliffhanger ending. Grrr…. Novik writes a good tale but doesn’t quite reach “ripping yarn” this time and just enough too long to damp my interest in rushing to buy the next one, which will be coming out in hardbound this July.

February 2008

The Samurai’s Daughter by Sujata Massey (Rei Shimura mystery #6): Rei gives up whinging in favor of acknowledging her love and getting her ass in gear to get things done. Has an “out of the blue” ending, however, that although set-up in advance is not well-supported by the rest of the plot. Lots of interesting history of Japan before, during, and after WWII is revealed. Over all good and an improvement in both craft and character over the previous Bride’s Kimono.

Access Denied by Donna Andrews (#3 Turing Hopper mystery): Still better but moving into darker territory as Turing and company attempt to find a master criminal who may have kidnapped Turing’s AI twin. Quite a bit of contemplation on “what is human?” but didn’t bother me. (Pleased to hear from Donna that Turning may have a new publisher soon….)

Click Here for Murder by Donna Andrews (#2 Turing Hopper mystery): Excellent follow-on to You’ve Got Murder, SFnal mysteries featuring the self-aware Artificial Intelligence Personality Turing Hopper. The series is still cozy, but has some rather dark notes as Turing and her friends are pulled into the sinister world of Internet stalkers and crime under the guise of “harmless” online gaming. Good stuff!

The Wainscott Weasel by Tor Seidler, illustrated by Fred Marcellino: Children’s chapter book about a Long Island weasel who falls in love with a striped bass. Sounds nutty, but it’s very charming, although it has one of the oddest endings I’ve ever read for a book in this age-class.

Night Life by Caitlin Kittredge (ARC-reading now): First in a new paranormal detective series by my buddy Caitlin featuring police detective and reluctant werewolf Luna Wilder. Fun stuff and boy can Caitlin world-build. It’s not without first novel flaws, but I’m still having a great time reading it and wanting more.

January 2008

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson: Bizarre true tale of the United States’s first serial killer H.H. Holmes parallelled by the struggle to build the Chicago World’s Fair. Intriguing and sometimes inspiring, it also had an unfortunate tendency for fictionalization passed off as fact which annoyed me. The writing and research are great, but you’ll have to read all the footnotes right through to the gruesome end to separate the truth from the speculation. And it does get horribly gruesome. I personally had wanted more info on the fair, less on Holmes.

Three Days to Never by Tim Powers: More spies, weird history, and paranoid paranormal doings! Not on a par with Declare, but still amazing. Time travel, Einstein, Charlie Chaplin, the Mossad, and Evil French Magicians ring a wild dance around a literature professor and his 12-year-old daughter when “grandma” dies mysteriously during the Planetary Convergence of 1987. Wild and weird.

Happy Hour of the Damned by Mark Henry (ARC): OK, it’s crass, crude, repulsive, ribald and very funny. Tale of a zombie debutante and her friends searching for a lost friend in Seattle’s undead community. Freakishly funny–but don’t read this while eating. Seriously.

December 2007

No Rest for the Wicket by Donna Andrews (#7 of the Meg Langslow mysteries): One of my favorite “cozy” authors. Meg and her crazy family get involved in X-Treme Croquet and murder most… well… “fowl” that comes home to roost. A bit less sharp than some of the offerings in this series, but still tons of fun–especially when you are sick and recovering from gum surgery–not recommended for those who shouldn’t laugh….

Second Sight by Amanda Quick (first in the Arcane Society cross-marketed series): Ambitious idea from Jayne Anne Krentz in her Quick/Castle personas to write a linked series of Romantic Paranormal Suspense books with alternating episodes in the Historical past and the near future. So the first book was a Historical issued under her Quick pseudonym and the second will be under Jayne Castle. Engaging, light, fun read about a female photographer in the Victorian era who has “the sight.” Haven’t gotten to the second installment yet, to see how well the series conceit will work out.

November 2007

A Free Man of Color by Barbara Hambly (first in Benjamin January series): Superb start to the historical mystery series Hambly said she might not continue after Katrina. That would be a pity, since Ben January and his New Orleans of the 1830s and 40s are too good to miss. Great research, great period feel and a terrific story with twists, turns, and amazing characters. Excellent.

October 2007

Dead on My Feet by Wm. Mark Simmons (sequel, second in series): Quite enjoyed the original book, One Foot in the Grave, with its interesting twist on the reluctant vampire trope and its generally irreverent view of the dark fantastic. But this was self-indulgent, badly edited, overly long, and self-consciously clever too much of the time to let otherwise good ideas shine. (And the already-dated pop-culture references and puns were gag-worthy.) I hate saying that. I hope the third book is better. I think the author has neat ideas, but the presentation needs more restraint and polish.

September 2007

Succubus on Top by Richelle Mead (ARC–second in series): Grrly stuff with my favorite succubus, Georgina Kincaid. This one’s a lot heavier on the relationship angle than the first one, but pacing and character depth have definitely improved–and they weren’t bad in the first one. Several surprising twists and a scorchingly hot ending. If you’re a Georgina fan, you’ll have to snatch this up as soon as it hits the shelves in January.

Already Dead by Charlie Huston (first Joe Pitt novel): OK, so it takes me a while to get around to some books…. This was completely worth the wait. Good, tight hardboiled writing and a fast, engaging plot with plenty of original, interesting angles on the “same old vampire thing.” Excellent.

The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus: Still not sure what the hoopla is about. It’s kind of funny, but I long ago figured out that not only are the rich different, they aren’t very interesting. I did get to liking the kid eventually and felt bad that I knew he’d be growing up in perpetual pawn-dom, but otherwise, not particularly moved by it. It will probably play better as a film.

Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood (Phryne Fisher #1): A bit pat in many ways and occasionally too busy being clever and showing off its historical research, but forgivably so, especially considering it’s a first novel. While it also suffers from some rather rough writing and plotting, the basic story is enjoyable and breezy and Phryne is a hoot to accompany on her adventures into the criminal world of 1920s Melbourne. Fun stuff.

August 2007

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon: mostly good story of two young Jewish men discovering their true heroic selves against the background of World War II, comics, magic, love, and loss–much of the first third is achingly funny and touching–but prone to occasional fits of literary-writing disease and a middle so grotesque and outlandish that I nearly dropped the book into the dustbin (sorry Mike: if you have 2 years clothing for 20 dead men there’s no need to skin the dogs.) Otherwise I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this lit-fest Pulitzer winner. Generally I find any book that’s won such august praise from self-loving critics and lit-panels boring pretentious and slow. This was not.

Bone Song by John Meaney (ARC): US release of UK author’s dark fantasy/SF crime thriller. Wow! A real page turner with a unique world and premise and great characters. Highly recommended when it’s released next Spring–if you like Simon Greene, or Liz Williams, or wish Richard Morgan wrote Fantasy, this is your book.

Working for the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow (Dante Valentine #1): Near-future urban fantasy with Powers suddenly revealed to be Real. A little rough here and there, but an excellent ending and hook to set up the next book in the series. Darn it… another series I’ll have to catch up to.

July 2007

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett: re-reading this classic I haven’t picked up since junior high school. Makes me feel inadequate as a writer and I simply can’t see anyone but Bogey in the part of Sam Spade, but it’s so good! Darn it.

Dreadful Skin by Cherie Priest: damn fine werewolf novel! Told in three parts with plenty of style and some really amazing character development in the cycle. Damn I like Ms Priest’s work. A lot.

June 2007

Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris: fabulous as always and they just keep on getting better. I hope Charlaine gets to continue this series for a while.

Johnny and the Dead by Terry Pratchett: I love these. They are my favorite Pratchetts. I wish he’d done more than three. Herein John Maxwell saves the cemetery and other interesting things befall the ghostly inhabitants of Blackbury’s burial ground. YA but way fun.

A Rich Full Death by Michael Dibdin: Umm… well…. Very good writing, very clever, very literate. And very frustrating. It’s very good literary historical mystery with not one but two twist endings. Still… I didn’t actually enjoy it.

Shattered by Dick Francis: reliable Francis sets a mistaken identity mystery around a glass blower, but this time its not the person whose identity is mistaken, but a video tape. The set up led me to expect more horse racing, but it was still mostly satisfying. Unfortunately, I’ve sniffed out a pattern to Francis’s works and figured out the “twist” ending a bit too far in advance so it ended a bit pat and I didn’t care for the way bloody consequences are piled upon a bystander rather unfairly and, I felt, manipulatively by both author and protagonist–which made me like the hero a little less than I wanted. Still pretty good stuff.

On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers: Whoohoo! Pirates! Puppets! Magic! Intrique! Sailing ships! Blackbeard! It was cool (except for a small let down over Blackbeard’s role a the end.) Now available from Babbage Press after many years out of print it’s worth the hunt to get a copy. Many many thanks to Ken for sending it to me. Soooo good! (Darn you, Tim Powers for distracting me from work. Again.)

Electric City by K. K. Beck (Jane da Silva #3): I wish Beck was better known. Yup, they are pretty cozy, but she’s got a great touch with breezy characters and she knows how to make a plot trip merrily along while giving some delightful background and detail and still hold the package to a nice size. Not saccharine or overly cute. Enjoyable mystery about blackmail, a missing Jeopardy! winner, and bad doings in Eastern Washington. Ending a little contrived and sudden, but what the hell.

May 2007

Reflex by Steven Gould (sequel): initially interesting sequel to Gould’s Jumper of a decade ago, but developed sequelitis early on and felt like a 50% retread of the first book with a sickening torture plot grafted in. Millie felt like Davy in drag and Davy hadn’t really matured in 10 years. Lots of copyedit and proofreading errors as well. Disappointing.

The Harrowing by Alexandra Sokoloff (debut novel): a ghost story. Unhappy, outcast college freshmen use a Ouija board to encounter a ghost and their already angsty lives go to Hell. This is one of those books I feel badly about. I know the author and I wanted to like this better, but it was predictable and read like a cheap horror film for teens and twenty-somethings that wasn’t going to get funded because it wasn’t gory enough–which was a point in its favor to me. Alex is smart and charming in person and I hope her next book is a lot better. This one was disappointing.

Bachelor List by Jane Feather (first of romance trilogy): Bad Kat, reading romance novels… especially when I should be working. But Feather writes really clever tension between her male and female characters by making them really interesting and unusual people whose very real personality quirks keep the plot moving for legit reasons, not for contrived ones. Definitely some of the best heroes and heroines in historical romance. I really shouldn’t be having so much fun… Hey, I have to read something and I don’t want to read my own niche while I’m working… but still… bad Kat….

April 2007

Nothing to Fear but Ferrets by Linda O. Johnston (pet sitter mysteries series book #2): OK, I picked it up because it had ferrets in it and cute little ferret illustrations on the cover (I’m a total sucker for ferrets.) Unfortunately, the cozy mystery didn’t hold up and in spite of doing some research, the author didn’t know a couple of key facts about ferrets–like the fact that they don’t make much noise, especially not the “loud squealing sounds” that were so important to the plot complications–I also quickly tired of the labored alliteration the author insisted on using at every turn and the fairly obvious Mary Sue protagonist (the author is a lawyer who lives in the San Fernando Valley and has a pet Cavalier King Charles spaniel named Lexie and the protagonist is a suspended lawyer who lives in the San Fernando Valley and has a Cavalier King Charles spaniel named Lexie….) Cute, cozy, lots of cute pets, and precious prose. I won’t be reading more of these.

Secret Stories in the Art of the Northwest Indian by Oscar Newman (non-fiction): more research reading. Lots of pictures of art, dance, and household items from Northwest tribes in the context of Native belief, cermony, and life. Some gorgeous plates.

The Book of Imaginary Beings by Jorge Luis Borges (translated by Andrew Hurely): reading for research. May need to hunt up a copy of this for my permanent reference. Lovely collection of imaginary beasties from historical myth and fiction. Neat stuff and easy browsing. Still nibbling this one, though I’ll have to return it to the library soon….

Distant Corner by Ochsner and Anderson (non-fiction): read for research for Underground City. Very interesting look at the history and development of Seattle–mostly Pioneer Square–in an architectural context. Found a lot of interesting tidbits about the era just before and after Seattle’s Great Fire of 1889.

Spirits of the Earth by Bobby Lake-Thom (non-fiction): read for research for Underground City. More Native American myths and belief-system information, rather too pompous in places, though….

Mythology of Southern Puget Sound by Arthur Ballard (non-fiction): read for research for Underground City. Nice collection of myths, legends, and tales of the local Salish people often translated from the original Lushootseed language by Ballard and assistants, though the pronunciation guide was inconsistent and hard to follow.

Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris (Harper Connelly #1): I should have read this a year ago. Very good Urban Fantasy in what’s usually expected to be a cozy bucolic setting–the small-town South–but manages to be wonderfully claustrophobic and gritty instead. Charlaine does a great job with the characters, plot, and twists and I have to admit, I like Harper Connelly the best of all her characters–my kind of girl (and apparently my kind of name, too….) Tasty stuff!

Declare by Tim Powers: fabulous. WWII/Cold War espionage and magic (almost magical realism). Wow! I continue to adore Powers–haven’t read a bad book by him yet.

Disappearing Nightly by Laura Resnick: OK, this was fun. Goofy screwball paranormal with a dash of romance that remains unresolved until the very end. Not brilliant, but fun, if occasionally prone to an overload of cliche and characters “borrowed” from other popular media.

March 2007

Courting Susannah by Linda Lael Miller: what was I thinking? feh. Even the historical Seattle setting didn’t save this standard romance. I’ll be sticking to reliable Amanda Quick and the insanity of Jane Feather in the future for my annual historical romance wallows, I think.

How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks: silly but amazingly free of most elementary-level romantic plot devices. Until the sudden appearance of an irrational character near the end that throws most of the ending into stock romantic ending territory. Still mostly satisfying, surprisingly pleasant romance and basic plot work and an ending that actually leaves an opening for a series–which most “get ‘em hitched and ditch ‘em” romance novels don’t. Better than average for the paranormal romance school.

The Crime Trade by Simon Kernick: a little slower than I’d anticipated, but well-plotted and I didn’t anticipate all of the plot twists. Nicely done, gritty, but realistic police noir. Another good one from Kernick.

A Babe in Ghostland by Lisa Cach: Romantic suspense surprisingly icky and gruesome here and there featuring a likable heroine not as determinedly blockheaded as the usual romance girl. Some genuinely creepy moments. Cover art gave the impression it would be a comedy. It wasn’t.

Every Inch a King by Harry Turtledove: Pretty funny mutant history of a fictionalized Southern and Eastern Europe before the Great War when an acrobat decides he’d like to be king of a tiny, backward country. He looks just like the guy who’s supposed to be king, so off he goes, with his faithful friend Max. Very funny–at least to me.

Dark Assassin by Anne Perry (Monk series book): Better than some but not as good as others, Monk’s first official job for the Thames River Police goes a bit off the rails when he solves the crime too early…. Middling.

Grand Tour by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer (YA series book #2): More adventures with Cecy and Kate in Regency Europe. Tons of fun for fans of Jane Austen-style writing with a touch of magic and bad-guy hunting adventure. Wheee! I love these books.

February 2007

Conspiracy Theory by Jane Haddam (series book): Whoohoo! Now, this is the good stuff. A play-fair mystery/thriller with a plot so twisty I can’t see through it and characters with real heart and soul. And I just love Jane.

AKA Jane by Maureen Tan (older series book): started out rather interesting, lightweight, post-cold war spy novel, but turned into a predictable and annoying crime-romance thing. Wish I hadn’t bothered.

Officer Down by Theresa Schwegel (debut novel): Edgar-winning police drama, but didn’t quite make it for me since the main character kept doing really stupid things. Not badly written and not badly constructed, really, but I hate dumb protags.

Big City, Bad Blood by Sean Chercover (debut novel): Great PI novel. Can’t say enough good things about this one. Go read it, damn it!

Boost by Steve Brewer: Slightly wacky crime novel about an Albuquerque car thief. Touching silly, but never falling into the pit of stupid. Fast paced and fun.

The Bride’s Kimono by Sujata Massey (series book #5): Pretty good. Almost gave up on it due to heroine’s romance-novel-like stupidity, but a good ending saved it. Still feeling a little unsure of this Nipponophile series, though. Massey and her heroine both took some detours I could have skipped.

January 2007

Serpent’s Shadow by Mercedes Lackey (series book #1): Excellent start to the Elemental Magicians series with an Edwardian take on Snow White. Quite enjoyed it.

Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest (series book #1): Remarkable Southern Gothic/Urban Fantasy mix. I’m glad I read the second book first, though, since the first one is so good that even the fabulous job she did on book 2 would have looked like Sophmore Slump if I’d read them in order. The best modern ghost story I’ve read in a long, long time.

Night Train to Rigel by Timothy Zahn: Riffing on such pulp-y thrillers as The Lady Vanishes and North by Northwest, it’s an SF adventure across the galaxy to uncover a dastardly plot to… but that would be telling. Silly fun, but has a sudden jerk and jolt of narrative in the final third that makes me think Mr. Zahn didn’t know how this was going to end when he started.

Goblin Quest by Jim Hines: warped, quirky and funny take on RPG-style adventure fantasies. But this one is from the perspective of a runty goblin named Jig who gets dragged along–unwillingly–on a Great Quest. Tons of fun!

Succubus Blues (ARC) by Richelle Mead: Way fun adventure, a touch of chick-lit but not enough to drive all male readers away–definitely compensated for by the hot sex–about a succubus in Seattle and a mysterious killer of immortals who seems to be stalking her and her friends…. Great protagonist and a lot of subtle literature and religion references from Mead, who has an MA in comparartive religion, but uses it very lightly. Fun stuff! Coming to bookstore shelves this March.

December 2006

In no particular order, these are the memorable books I gobbled down this month while taking a break from writing my own:

The Glass Harmonica, Louise Marley: Wonderful time/ghost story revolving around Ben Franklin’s invention, the glass armonica. I don’t know why more people haven’t read this book it’s well written and smart.

Holiday in Death, JD Robb (series book): Not so sure what the hoopla is about. Average police procedural with some SF spin and a lot of romance-novel sex. Not lousy, but not my cuppa.

The Name of the Wind, Partrick Rothfuss (ARC): Wow! I hate high fantasy epics. Or I thought I did until I read this one. Coming out in April, 2007. Too good to miss.

Wings to the Kingdom, Cherie Priest (series book #2): Urban fantasy to die for. Boy can this lady write! Ghosts! War! Monsters! Coffee! I really need to read the first book….

Citizen Vince, Jess Walter: Edgar Award winner and worthy of the prize. Great pace, great atmosphere, great characters… Oh to hell with it–it’s a great book. It’s also got humor and plenty of 80s references without becoming nostalgic and sickening.

The Prestige, Christopher Priest: (no relation to Cherie) World Fantasy Award winner and recently a film…. Frankly, it could have been better and probably is better as a movie. Multi-frame structure may have contributed to my annoyance along with a lack of characters I could actually like. Not bad, but… umm… I saw the ending(s) coming and I haven’t seen the film yet. It’s clever and the prose is mostly very good, but there’s not much difference in the voices of each of the four (or is it five?) narrators.