Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Undead and Unreturnable by Mary Janice Davidson

Undead and Unreturnable - By Mary Janice Davidson - romance - pgs 250 - Great one. Just came out in paperback. Continues the series beautifully. How do vampires deal with the holidays when they get the icks just hearing merry Christmas? Thankfully Betsey doesn't have to worry about that. She does have to worry about one cop, one ex vampire slayer gone college student who wants to write a book, and of course the book of the dead. How will she ever get shopping.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Bitten & Smitten by Michelle Rowen

Bitten & Smitten by Michelle Rowen. Romance. Pgs 390. Sarah has just been on the worst blind date in history. Her date turns out to be a vampire who bites then gets himself killed. Yep a bad date if I've ever heard of one. While she's running away from the vampire hunters she just happens to find a vampire in the need of help. Together the two of them might just figure out what the hell to do. Specially since he's the oldest vampire around. But can even he help a vampire who finds hunters every time she turns around? Good book. I wasn't sure I was going to read it and I'm very glad I did.

Monday, May 29, 2006

Blood Secrets by Karen E. Taylor

Blood Secrets - by Karen E. Taylor - pgs 302. Out of print. Book one of the vampire legacy trilogy. It was very good. You should definitely read this book first. I found that it would have been better had I not read book 2 first. I am however very sure that if you read it first this wont be a problem :). The only draw back I had was giggling when something was said that was resolved in book 2. Read it it's good. The main female character is a vampire fashion designer. The main male character is a cop who is trying to solve a bunch of murders that this fashion designer seems to be all mixed up in. Throw in a completely psychotic vamp or two and a vamp dance club. Fun Fun.

Sunday, May 28, 2006

Fangs but no Fangs by Kathy Love

Fangs but no fangs by Kathy Love. Romance. Pgs 310. Jolee is a girl who no one thought would get anywhere in life. Sure as hell the rest of her family hadn't. But she was determined to make it work. Striking out on her own. Living in a trailer park. Owns her own dive bar. Christian is a vampire created by the spawn of Satan herself. Twisted by lust he does bad things in her name. After a very long time he figures it out and decides to "be human" using a 12 step program. Living in the very same trailer park as payment for his luxurious lifestyle. Who knew he'd find his true love in a trailer park. He didn't. This is a great book. Have fun.

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Midnight Bayou by Nora Roberts

Midnight Bayou - Nora Roberts - pgs 354 - romance - this book is about an incredibly rich ex-lawyer who buys a house in the bayou that he fell in love with 10 yrs earlier. The girl he meets who is descendent from one of the previous inhabitants. And the ghosts of the people who died in the house. The paranormal aspect of this book really attracted me. Are there past lives? Could you have been a member of the opposite sex in a past life? Can you make peace with those lives in the life you are leading now without living in the past? It was a great book. I'm beginning to rethink my previous view of Nora Roberts. Maybe she isn't just turning out trash once a month to be read by people who aren't to bright. Sorry to all those I might have offended with the not bright comment like I said I'm rethinking that opinion. After all I've enjoyed two of her books and if I continue to like them I'll have to admit I was wrong or find myself not to bright. LOL.

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Priestess of the White by Truidi Canavan

Priestess of the White by Trudi Canavan. Scifi. Pgs 589. Auraya is the fifth and last of the white. She's newly chosen by the gods. With war on the verge of breaking out. New alliances to be made. Auraya will have to learn how to be an immortal chosen on the fly. I've been meaning to read this for a bit now. The second book came out last month. I think if you like Jordan or Goodkind you'll like this book. I haven't read much of them though so I could be wrong. I highly recommend this author. She is also author of the magicians guild series. :)

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Eldest by Paolini

Eldest - by Paolini - pgs 668 - Teen Fiction - Eldest is the second book of the inheritance trilogy. the first book was eragon. This series is very tolkenesk. It is amazing to think that the first book was written when the author was 15 yrs old. I highly recommend it. But read the first book first. This series does not allow for jumping around. :)

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Micah by Laurell K. Hamilton

Micah by Laurell k. Hamilton. Pgs 280. Scifi. I read this in like 3 hrs. It's a great book. I feel it put her back on track. No Anita isn't a virgin again but she is a necromancer again. Yes she will actually raise the dead. She wont have public sex. She does have adult scenes (so no little ones reading). This book gives me hope for her future books. I've always loved Laurell K. Hamiltons books but I noticed that they were kind of going the way of B porn. This one is less B porn more B movie maybe even regular movie if someone with enough money could back it.

Monday, May 22, 2006

Midnight Work by Kassandra Sims

Midnight Work - By Kassandra Sims - Romance - pgs 351. I don't recommend reading this book. I hate writing that. I never thought I would say a book was bad but this one is. The plot is bizarre, it has potential to end in many place but doesn't, and when it does end it's in a weird spot. Unfortunately I'll probably end up reading her next one just to find out what they hell happens to everyone. I'm kind of hoping I forgot. The basic plot is this main female lead is a religious histories major working on her masters. Turns out she was part of this ancient religion in a past life that knew how to make a vampire. Main male lead vampire from ancient religion. Male lead finds female lead and turns her into a vampire when she would have died by accident. Female lead turns best friend in time of need. Turns out best friend is a member of ancient religion as well. Huh convenient. Secondary male also ancient vampire from ancient religion. Everyone goes on a killing spree except the male lead. Throw in a mix of crazy faery jerk and you have midnight work.

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Undead and Unappreciated by Mary Janice Davidson

Undead and Unappreciated - by Mary Janice Davidson - pgs 271. Romance. This fun series is great. You might want to read the first few before this but they are light reads. I read this in a few hrs. It's not your typical romance. Even if you don't normally read romance I would say go for it. The main characters is queen of the vampires. She has no clue what she's doing. She was made queen shortly after turning into a vampire. She also managed to get a consort that she doesn't know she wants. :)

Saturday, May 20, 2006

The Trouble With Magic by Madelyn Alt

The Trouble with Magic by Madelyn Alt. Mystery. Very good book. This is a great beginning to a new series. The main character grew up catholic. She is stuck in a dead end job and keeps showing up late. One day when she is perfectly able to make it there on time she takes the long route. Stopping at a shop she gets stuck outside in the rain. Taking shelter in the doorway she ends up on her butt in the store. The shop keeper was interested in her and offers her a job. It's a very lucky thing too since she's fired from her job that day. Or is it lucky? Within mere hrs her boss is taken in for questioning in the murder of her sister. Is this job worth is? Find out by reading on. pgs 261.

Friday, May 19, 2006

Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur

Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur - pgs 291. SciFi. This book was very good. This new author hit gold if you like vampire books. The main character is part vampire part werewolf. Her twin brother works to catch bad paranormal peoples. She works in the same office but in more of a secretarial position. However she finds herself put into a very difficult position when a naked vampire shows up on her doorstep. Coming into the week of the full moon she has to find out what's happened with her brother, why there is a naked vampire on her doorstep, and which of her boyfriends is lying to her. Join this heron's adventure through a very busy and dramatic week. (My write up on this is less then stellar but believe me that this is a great book.)

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Bitter Blood by Karen Taylor

Bitter Blood - Karen Taylor - pgs 351. Fiction section. Out of print. Second book in a 3 book series. This story of a female vampire who didn't chose to be made and her life since she found and killed her maker. Finding the love that her sire had nearly killed she tries to put her life together while the universe tries to rip it apart. this is a good book. Read these books in order. It's important to have all 3 books before you start reading since you'll want to read them in order and back to back.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

Rebel Angels - by Libba Bray - pgs 548. Teen fiction. Book two in the series the first book is a Great and Terrible Beauty. This is a very good book about a girl in the late 1800 early 1900. She discovered in great and terrible beauty that she has a special power. This is the continuation of her adaptation of that power and dealing with how it will effect her life in this pre suffrage time. Definite read. Definitely read A Great and Terrible Beauty first.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered by Maggie Shayne

Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered - By Maggie Shayne - Romance - pgs 278. Good book. Actually three stories. You have lots of witches and love. The first story, Everything she does is magick, is funny. You have a young witch, a young man, and three aunts with a prophecy that he must lose his virginity to her in order to produce an heir of epic proportions. Hehehe I bet he'll never look at magic the same again. The second story is Musketeer by Moonlight. A unbelieving witch accidentally summons her love and protector from the past. She summons a musketeer. She's running from the mob and has to teach a man with pride how to exist in modern day. Check it out. The Con and the Crusader is the last story. Would you wish on a well that asks you to pay for your wishes. The main character this time is male and he is in a lot of trouble. He gets ported back in time when he promises he'll clean up his act if he could only live through his brush with bullets.

Monday, May 15, 2006

Dragonswan by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Dragonswan - by Sherrilyn Kenyon - romance - series darkhunters (kind of its one of the transforming species ones that get lumped with the darkhunters but there aren't any actual darkhunters in the one). pgs 86. It was a good story although why it was put in a stand alone I'm not sure. I'd never heard of the characters before so it makes little sense to put out a bound book with only 86 pgs. I like the concept and can't wait to see what comes of this train a bit later on.

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Broken by Kelley Armstrong.

Broken - By Kelley Armstrong - Scifi - Pgs 444. Great Books. I loved it and I can't wait for the next one. Elena is so bored being stuck at home. Why is he stuck at home? She pregnant. As far as anyone knows this is the first werewolf pregnancy. So she's not out on the field cause well no one knows what will happen. Eventually she finds something that's mild enough that she talks the boys into letting her go. Unfortunately it doesn't turn out to be so mild and they end up fighting for not only their lives but the unborn. I write this one up specifically on mothers day in honor of moms.

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Every Which Way but Dead by Kim Harrison

Every Which way but Dead - Kim Harrison - pgs 501 - scifi - very good. I highly recommend this series. It starts with dead witch walking. Then there is the good the bad and the undead. This is the third book. It's got vamps were's witches and several other supernaturals like elves and pixies.

Every Which Way but Dead by Kim Harrison

Every Which way but Dead - Kim Harrison - pgs 501 - scifi - very good. I highly recommend this series. It starts with dead witch walking. Then there is the good the bad and the undead. This is the third book. It's got vamps were's witches and several other supernaturals like elves and pixies.

Friday, May 12, 2006

Comfortable reading size

There is this new trend to make books in what they call a comfortable reading size. It's slightly taller then a traditional mass market (about an inch), there is a bit more space between the sentences, and they run right to the edges of the pages. They also use thinner paper for everything (including the cover) and just don't hold up like mass market paperbacks. On top of all that they don't fit on the displays at work and it's awkward on my shelves at home. Oh I almost forgot to mention that they cost more too. I don't care for them. Mind you it doesn't keep me from buying them because I know the stories are mostly likely not going to be released into regular paperback.

Vision of Murder by Victoria Laurie

A Vision of Murder - by Victoria Laurie - pgs 296 - mystery. The psychic eye mysteries are hilarious. The style is similar to that of Janet Evanovich. The main character never wanted to help fight the bad guys but fate doesn't ever seem to actually give her a choice in that one. She decides to go in with her sister and handyman on a house. The idea is to buy it fix it sell it. One problem. It's hunted. The only way to make good on her investment is to solve the mystery. You have a psychic, madman, FBI officer, and police officer. Throw in one millionaire sister and your handy man. It's a set up for funny.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

Dirty Job by Christopher Moore. Fiction. Pgs 384. This book is great. I highly recommend this book. It is one of his best books. My two favorite are bloodsucking fiends and dirty job. So the main character is a new father who's wife died during child birth. Weird things start happening all over the place and he discovers that he collects souls from the dying and passes them on to new people. He doesn't even get what's going on when his little girl starts with weirdness. Then again most parents don't. Check it out it's really good.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Unleash the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Unleash the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon - pgs 343 - romance. I was worried she'd fallen into a rut but this one pulled her out of it. The newest dark-hunter novel was great. I read it in two days. I'm not sure how to write this one up without giving to much away. Lets just say lonely law student meets lonely busboy were-tiger. Can their worlds mingle without getting them killed? Only one way to find out. I went to her signing and she's just the greatest. She remembered us from last year and she signing a pic with me and her in it.

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Don't judge a book by it's cover

People tell you not to judge a book by it's cover. I've gotten a number of books where the cover has absolutely nothing to do with the story line. You just know the artist never read the book. Might not have even read the summary. I frequently feel bad for the author knowing that this person who's had nothing to do with their creative process may have sunk their book. Or worse gotten people to read it who had no interest in the actual subject. Problem is even though I know that these two people probably never sat together over coffee and talked about ideas sometimes I decide not to read a book because of it's cover. Should publishers take more responsibility for making sure that the cover matches the story line? If the publisher doesn't particularly like the story should they fluff the cover so that it sells better then it should? I happen to think that the artist should read the book first. At least talk with the author.

Sex, Lies, and Vampires by Katie MacAlister

Sex, Lies, and Vampires - by Katie MacAlister - pg 342 - Located in the romance section - This books is about a witch (in story actually called charmer) and the vampire (call dark one). The Dark one has lost his soul and only the charmer can help him get it back and save various dark ones that don't like him. Again I suck at describing books so this is actually much better then it looks. The book is the third in a series but it much better then the first two (the first to were good). You don't have to have read the first two in order to enjoy this one. Good book.

Monday, May 08, 2006

Cataloging your collection

Cataloging your collection will help in many ways. One is that you will buy fewer repeats. You can print a list out when you are going out hunting and keep things simple. Another is that it keeps track of how much you've spent on your books. Our favorite system for keeping track of our books is collectorz.com try it it's good. We even paid for it.

My Favorite Witch by Annette Blair

My Favorite Witch by Annette Blair - pgs 294 - romance. This book follows the kitchen witch book she wrote last yr. They don't have to be read in order. I highly recommend this book. It's very fun. A injured/retired rich hockey player gets conned by his grandma into running the family foundation for a few months. On his first day he meets the new special events coordinator. Lucky his she's a hot little witch. Can they have a cordial business relationship or will they go up in flames? On top of everything else how will they manage to drag the family orphanages into the black.

Sunday, May 07, 2006

Cover your books

I like to keep my hardcovers in good condition. There many different covers you can use to protect the dust jackets. I wouldn't use anything that uses glue or tape. I use the one that has the plastic cover front and paper back that you fold to keep on the book. I get them from my local used book store. http://www.shopbrodart.com/site_pages/bjc/ should also have them. Also, as a side note, I never ever put stamps or write inside my book. It also lowers the value of the book.

Kick @$$ Anthology

Kick @$$ - by Davidson, Shayve, knight, ford - pgs 329. Romance. This book was an anthology of 4 books. It was a fun read. Nothing to really write about those. 4 short romances. All 4 dealing with some sort of kick butt. The first was by Shayne and involved a spy who had lost her memory in a horrible accident. The second was by Davidson and was set in her undead series. The female lead a vampire slayer the male lead a vampire. Knight was the 3rd and weirdest. It's hard to explain but both of the main characters were in the army together. Ford was the forth and involved a super model gone spy (or at least she thought she was) and an actually spy.

Saturday, May 06, 2006

Dark Demon by Christine Feehan

Dark Demon by Christine Feehan - romance - 500 pgs. Good book. If you like her other dark books you'll like this one. It's a bit more original breaking from her set up occasionally. It's a fun read but not horribly intellectually challenging. You get to meet One new character who's part carpathian, part mage, and part tigress. You revisit a carpathian of old. And you get to visit with a lot of the other Carpathians you know and hopefully love. Have fun people.

Friday, May 05, 2006

Midnight Bayou by Nora Roberts

Midnight bayou - Nora Roberts - pgs 354 - romance - This book is about an incredibly rich ex-lawyer who buys a house in the bayou that he fell in love with 10 yrs earlier. The girl he meets who is descendent from one of the previous inhabitants and the ghosts of the people who died in the house. The paranormal aspect of this book really attracted me. Are there past lives? Could you have been a member of the opposite sex in a past life? Can you make peace with those lives in the life you are leading now without living in the past? It was a great book. I'm beginning to rethink my previous view of Nora Roberts. Maybe she isn't just turning out trash once a month.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Temporary Tattoos courtesy of Kim Harrison

Kim Harrison is so nice. We sent her a letter and she sent back a bunch of temporary tattoos. They are fun. They say A Fistful of Charms and have a heart with a stake through it. Her name and release date. The book comes out 6/27/06. The letter was even hand written in gold colored gel pen. I know it's silly but I love things that sparkle.

Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth by Simon Green

Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth by Simon Green - Scifi - 247 pgs. This is a great series called Nightside. John Taylor finds things. He can find anything. It's a power his mother Lilith gave him. It's the only power she gave him. Now Lilith (yes Adams first wife) is destroying the world and only her son might save it. Can he find the solution or will his mother stop him? After all she did give him the power for a reason. Read up people it's great.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Contest

Janet Evonavich has her monthly contest up. It's a maze. Figure it out and maybe you'll win a signed copy of book twelve.

I Hunger for You by Susan Sizemore

I Hunger for You - Susan Sizemore - pgs 312 - Good book but I found the first chapter is the same as in another book I've read. I plan to eventually dig through my books and find out which book it is but haven't yet. Confused me a lot. Thought I might have read it before and actually had to flip ahead to make sure I hadn't. Mia is from a long line of vampire hunters. Colin is a vampire. Can their relationship ever work out? What troubles lay in wait for them?

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

New Books

Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris came out today. It's only in hardcover so those of you that stick to soft cover you have a year to wait. I wont be waiting that long. Even Vampires Get the Blues by Katie MacAlister came out today in soft cover. :) Have fun everyone. Read on.

Already Dead by Charlie Huston

Already Dead by Charlie Huston. Fiction or Scifi. Pages 268. This is a really good book. I highly recommend picking it up. The main character just wants to be left alone. Unfortunately to be a lone agent he has to take gigs from a lot of different groups. He is tracking a bunch of zombies. After he catches them and eliminates them as a threat he decides to head home since the sun is coming up. Did I mention the main character is a vampire. Unfortunately someone comes across the bodies before he gets a chance to come back and clean up. The average world doesn't know about vamps and zombies so it has to be cleaned up. It all goes downhill for our main character from there.

Monday, May 01, 2006

Last of the Wilds by Trudi Canavan

Last of the Wilds will be coming out May 6th 2006. I am eager to see her new works. I still have to read Priestess of the White. After I'm done with the book I'm on I'm going to read it.

Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands

Quick Bite - by Lynsay Sands - pgs 360 - romance. This is a good book in a series of good books. It isn't however really new. It has the same basic plot line as the other books in the series. Not that that is a bad thing. I enjoyed having a fun light read at this time of the year. The main characters in the series are vampires. These vampires need blood because of the nano's in their blood. The nano's fix problems in their body but use up their blood in the process. They can go outside but it's not a good idea from them to be out long and it is really hard to kill them. Now to the plot of this book. A vampire afraid of blood. You've got to be kidding me right. Nope with a bad feeding memory in her past Lissianna is hemophobic. As her mother what can you do to help her? Why not kidnap a psychologist who specializes in phobias? One thing leads to another and you end up following vampire and psychologist through a funny set of incidences. Will she be cured? Only one way to find out.