(41) Temperance Brennan #5
Again, the cross-confluence of geography and mystery stretches credulity. Again, the resolution was so far out from the main story line I truly didn’t see it coming, though this time it felt a little more forced and made me wonder if the left-field solution wasn’t a last minute cop-out because she’d written herself into a box? Nonetheless, starting book 6 tonight and ordered up through book 12 from PB Swap.
(40)
Loved it. The language was fun–it rolled around in my head like Austen and the character’s internal dialogue felt very true to the period, especially in the earlier parts of the book. The multiples twists were fun, and I hope Liss pens more in this vein.
(39) Anita Blake #21
Meh. The Anita in this book is so very different from the conflicted Anita of the early days. This is not a bad thing, but the book’s plot was super thin and resolved far too quickly — the bulk of it was an overdose of unnecessary sex scenes and Anita’s ruminations on the nature of love. Basically a whole book to show us in overabundant detail how her moral stance has shifted. Glad it was a library loaner.
(38) Heroes of Olympus #2 <aka Percy Jackson #7>
Yes, Percy is back. Nice to get an inside view of the Roman camp, as well as meet the Roman faces of gods we thought knew from Percy’s series and to see the differences between the Greek and Roman versions. Some are subtle (Hera v Juno) and some are remarkable (Ares v Mars). Fun read, good series, great author.
(37)
As a longtime fan of The Bloggess, it was inevitable that I would read Jenny’s book — as soon as my number came up on the library’s waitlist (we’re thinking about moving so I’m making a conscious effort to not bring more books into this house this year). If you’ve read her blog, you get it.
Me? I laughed so loud while reading it that my husband first thought I was choking, then made me take it downstairs so I wouldn’t keep him up. I did the same at work and now my office mate is reading it. She laughed so hard her mom and sister are reading it, too, to see what the fuss is about. Yes, it’s that damned* good.
*swearing is for emphasis… and because if you’re going to read this book you’re going to have to get used it, she does it a lot.
(36) Fire and Thorns #1
I really liked this and cannot wait for book two (current pub date 9/18/12!). There was so much to like in this I don’t know where to start. The MC wasn’t persecuted, not truly — she imagined she was, but I think a lot of that was in the character’s head. Her growing up in this book was fun to witness as she grew to own the things that made her different. The book covered a lot of ground, and, with the exception of a vapid male lead, had characters with depth who changed and grew over the course of the story.
Read this. Really. For more info on the series (or the author’s novella that takes place in the same world with the same MC but prior to the events of this book) check out the Rae Carson’s website.
(35) Temperance Brennan #4
Wow. Really left-field resolution. I liked it — totally unexpected.
(34) Temperance Brennan #3
The crossover from Montreal to the Carolinas stretches credulity a bit, a problem that will continue throughout the series. Otherwise, good stuff and learned more than I ever knew I didn’t know about outlaw biker gangs.
(33) Temperance Brennan #2
Enjoyable, still too much geography.
(32) Crochet Mystery #2
Even less impressive than the first volume in this series. I only had a copy because the first time I ordered the first book (I crochet, I like mysteries, go figure!) the person sending accidentally sent me the 2nd book in the series and I wanted to clear it off my shelves. Sadly, it is still in my big box of books I have listed on PBSwap waiting for a new home.
The MC is getting more annoying, the supporting characters are cookie-cutters and the police boyfriend is both annoying and a stereotype on multiple levels. I will not be reading any more of these. If you want to give it a shot, please let me know and I’ll drop it in the mail for free just to get rid of it!
(31) Spellbound #1
Quick Kindle read (I was flipping through mine looking for something at random and liked the cover art, lol), I started and finished this one the same day. I didn’t get anything ~else~ done for a few hours, but I did finish this.
End result — it was okay. Not great, and there are a couple of spots where it just outright doesn’t make sense, but not a bad little book. I’ll probably read the next one, if it’s cheap or free since the writing itself had issues that would prevent my editorial snob self from paying more than a couple bucks for a sequel.
(30) Temperance Brennan #1
Yes, I totally ordered this from Paperback Swap because I’m a fan of Bones.
This was nothing like Bones — and it amused me to check out the reviews on Goodreads written by people who are also Bones fans and felt cheated by the book(s).
This reminded me most of early Cornwell — back when it was good and not all deep in the MC’s psyche and dealing with everyone’s neuroses to the point of plot yawning. .
I enjoyed the book, I liked that the character is, um, seasoned. The older I get the more I enjoy books with main characters who are not in their 20s. Shocking.
My biggest issue with the book was the excessive geography. I get that it’s in Montreal, but a sentence or two to give us the feel for the part of town she’s talking about is all I need, not driving directions. Other than that, it was a nifty mystery with, I thought, just the right amount of red herrings to keep it interesting.
(29)
This collection had some gems that stuck with me.. and a lot of tedious reads that didn’t. I started it in 2008 and it floated around the house for 4 years being read here and there til I finally resolved to finish it. Which I have done. Holding on to it for the moment due to the occasional gem (the fictional disciplinary report for John Crichton upon his return to Earth is pretty much worth the purchase price all by itself).
(28) The Klaatu Diskos #1
I read, and thoroughly enjoyed, Hautman’s “Godless“* years ago, and picked this up in passing when I took my girl to the library one day. It was dark (not for the younger crowd; think 14 and up, despite the youth of the protagonist) and interesting and I can’t wait for the rest of the series to make it all make sense. It came to enough of a conclusion that I didn’t feel cheated, as sometimes happens at the end of a series novel, but left lots of room for more answers in the next book.
(27)
I didn’t have very high expectations for this one — my feelings about King’s work are not strong, and I’m not a conspiracy theory fan, so I went into it with low expectations cuz my book club made me do it.
And was pleasantly surprised. The character development was awesome, and, despite the lack of happy ending, I thought the ending fit the story.
Dy's Take 