Odd Thomas series books 1-3

Odd Thomas, Forever Odd and  Brother Odd  by Dean Koontz, 399, 364 and 430 pages (1193 total)

After seeing the Odd Thomas movie, I added this series to my to read list. Having run out of everything else to read... just kidding I still have a huge list of stuff to read but randomly picked this off my list. The first thing I noticed with this series is Dean Koontz can really write. Not only does the story flow smoothly, but it is also light and humorous. There are puns and deadpan humor that helps keep the mood light. Trust me when I say that every little bit helps because this is a dark series.

I think the darkness is namely because Odd Thomas can see dead people. They manifest to him and he helps them get closure and accept that they are dead. The heavy amounts of death and destruction certainly dont help either.

I will certainly continue reading this series and would encourage other to do the same. 

Finishing School books 2 and 3

Curtsies and Conspiracies and Waistcoats and Weaponry by Gail Carriger, 298 and 310 pages

So far I have liked everything by Gail Carriger that I have read, this is no exception. It at times runs the gauntlet from silly to chaotic. There are Picklemen who are just part of the anti-supernatural movement and are known by the green ribbon on their hat, mechanical droids running a muck and of course vampires and werewolves as well.  There is less romance in this series then in the Parasol Protectorate but there are certainly some aspects of it.

This series falls directly into what I am now calling my guilty pleasure genre; Steampunk fiction or even as far as steampunk romance. I am not entirely sure why I like it, maybe its the ladies fainting for stupid reasons, or the ridiculous standards everyone has on who can date or see who. Either way expect to see more of this stuff.

Lunar Chronicles continued

Scarlet and Cress by Marissa Meyer, 454 and 550 pages

Continuing where Cinder left off we meet more fantasy character re imaged in this futuristic world. Though since some of them have not had a Disney movie mad about them I am not quite sure who they all are supposed to be. Or even if they were originally fairy tale peoples. Not that it matters, it is not that important to the series.

Originally I thought this series was going to follow a different person in each book exclusively and only introduce the others as they meet them, but this was more of the main characters rotating out by the chapter. This lead to some early confusion as I don't tend to read the chapter titles. I know that seems weird but I hate to know spoilers and sometimes they are given away this way. I mean what author in their right mind names a chapter "Kidnapping" or "Conflict". Here they are named after which character's eyes we are seeing though. Much like the Song of Ice and Fire series I might add.

There are a lot of moving parts that still need to resolve themselves before I can say if I like this series, but I will have to wait till later as the final book has yet to come out.

City of... the rest of the Mortal Instruments

City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare, 2225 pages (541, 424, 535, 725)

These 4 books conclude the Mortal Instruments series. To say that a lot happens in these novels would be a serious understatement. But despite all of this action and death looming around the corner for all the main characters it still ends pretty much exactly how I predicted way back in book one. Now don't read into that too much. I am not saying the ending was bad, just that it is quite predictable. But honestly most young adult fiction is. The budding romantic couple will face numerous trials and tribulations but persevere in the end. No matter how dire the situation is or how easily the villain could win if they would just stop gloating or actually kill the hero when they get the chance, the main characters always emerge triumphant. But that is how most of the young adult stuff works. Again not a bad thing, but certainly a handicap or limitation that young adult writers seem to have.

If you have read other books in this series, you should finish reading it. The demon killing that was sporadic at best in the first couple books really ramps up in these volumes. If you have not started this series and would like to, or are thinking to, then go and read my review of the first book and see if that describes something you would like, then see the first part of this paragraph.

Reckoners series books 1 and 2

Steelheart and Firefight by Brandon Sanderson, 386 and 419 pages

This is quite an excellent series that was recommended to me by Nathan. Basically an event they call the Calamity gave some people superpowers. But in what I see as a more realistic superpowers novel, these supers, or epics as they are called, use their powers to rule others. While most of the population either dies or subjugates there are those that are called Reckoners that have made it their mission to kill the Epics and give the world back to humanity.

I really liked this series. It seems quite realistic, more so than a lot of the young adult stuff I read. If you like comic books and or superheroes then I recommend you read this.

Tales From Neverland

Tales from Neverland by Dan Wickling, 163 pages

Tales from Neverland is part of the Grimm Fairy Tales world that I have previously blogged about. In this short volume we see the history of some major Neverland characters. Namely Tinkerbell, Tiger Lily and the Crocodile.

I am not sure where this fits into the overall narrative being created in this Grimm Fairy Tales rework, but it certainly was interesting and seemed to be based off what little I know of the old Neverland tales. While this certainly can be read as a stand alone, I recommend finding more of the series and reading it all together.

Deceived

Deceived by Irene Hannon, 408 pages

This is the third book in the Private Justice series.  These books are related in the sense that they are the same characters but they definitely do not need to be read in order.  Three years ago Kate Marshall lost her husband and son in a boating accident, but her son’s body was never recovered.  Now she is living in St. Louis and is convinced that she saw her son at a shopping mall.  Knowing that it’s almost certainly not true but desperate to get to the truth, she hires Connor Sullivan to track down the boy and find out if he is her son or not.  This is more of a suspense and romance than a mystery.  We get to see all sides of this story and are well aware that the boy is Kate’s son but he man that has him will go to any lengths to keep him.  We also get to watch the budding romance between Kate and Connor.  Hannon is a good writer and this is a good story, as are all of the books in this series.  Readers that enjoy this genre will enjoy these books.

Storm

Storm by Donna Jo Napoli, 350 pages

This is the story of Noah’s Ark, told from the perspective of Sebah, a girl who managed to stowaway on the ark.  Sebah watched her brothers get swept away by the storm.  Unable to get back home, she met up with a young man who promised to help her.  They managed to create a raft and lived as husband and wife.  When they encountered the ark, the boy was too weak to climb the rope to get on the ark, but made Sebah promise to live.  Sebah managed to get on the ark but then had to hide for several months, so Noah’s family wouldn’t find her because she was afraid they would throw her off.  This was a really good story that I enjoyed a lot.  Teens who like historical fiction will probably like it.

Dangerous

Dangerous by Shannon Hale, 408 pages

Maisie is ecstatic when she wins a contest that will allow her to attend an astronaut training camp for three weeks.  She has been homeschooled all of her life and at the camp she meets a boy who is called Wilder.  Maisie is surprised that Wilder seems interested in her and even more surprised that she is interested in him.  Even better than that, her group wins a trip to the Beanstalk that attaches the earth to a space station.  When they arrive, they are actually allowed to go part way up to the halfway point where the camp benefactor, Dr. Howell shows the group something very unusual that ends up changing their lives, but maybe not for the better.  This is part romance and science fiction and all excitement for a large part of the book.  Many teens will enjoy it.

Hidden

Hidden by Donna Jo Napoli, 372 pages

This is a companion novel to Hush, which came out a few years ago, but the books don’t need to be read together; both stand alone.  This is the story of Brigid, captured when she was only eight.  She managed to escape and ended up living with a family in Denmark.  Although she is young, she manages to survive and actually has a few adventures.  She has vowed that she will find her older sister, Mel, who was taken when she was, and even though she was young when they were separated Brigid, now known as Alfhild, never stops searching and never gives up her dream.  This was a really good story.  Older kids and teens who like historical fiction will probably enjoy this book.

The Eye Of Minds

The Eye Of Minds by James Dashner, 310 pages

Michael and his two bets friends, Bryson and Sarah. Have only met in the virtual world.  They spend most of their time there, gaming.  They have a great time too, until the government comes to Michael with a proposition that he won’t be allowed to refuse.  A gamer named Kaine has apparently created a piece of code called the Mortality Doctrine which could end not only the VirtNet world but the real world as well.  The government wants Michael and his friends to find Kaine and stop him.  Although their first encounter with Kaine leaves them shaken and worried that Kaine might be capable of killing them, they decide to press on and stop him before it’s too late.  This was a pretty decent beginning to a new fantasy series that teens will probably enjoy.

Unfriended

Unfriended by Rachel Vail, 282 pages

When Truly is asked to sit at the popular table she jumps at the chance.  Of course, this means that she has to leave behind her friend, Hazel, who is a little strange and isn’t asked to join them.  Truly is totally excited by her new friends but is nervous about fitting in especially because the girl who invited her, Natasha, was her best friend until 6^th grade.  When Natasha became popular she dropped Truly until now.  But everyone else, Brooke, Lulu and Evangeline are all so nice.  Then strange things start happening online.  First, Natasha is targeted and then Truly.  Will the friendship be able to survive the cyberbullying?  This was an okay book for younger teens who like realistic contemporary stories.

Circling the Sun

Circling the Sun by Paula McLain   368 pages

If you, like me, loved Paula McClain’s novel, The Paris Wife, I’ll bet good money that you are going to enjoy her new novel as much.

The timeframe is still the 1920s, but instead of the United States and France, McLain’s new story takes to the wilds of Africa, when it was still a remote and uncivilized country. Kenya wasn’t Kenya yet; the majority of countries as we know them today didn’t exist either.

McLain also follows suit in that she has picked a real women to portray, Beryl Markham. I didn’t know much about Markham other than she was a renowned aviator. Because of that, I must also say that, as I was reading, I often thought of Anne Morrow Lindbergh as depicted in Melanie Benjamin’s wonderful novel, The Aviator’s Wife.

The story begins in 1934 as Markham is beginning her solo trip across the Atlantic from England to America. No one, not man nor woman, had ever managed this daring feat. After leaving readers with their hearts in their stomachs, the story starts where all stories start—at the beginning, when Charles “Clutt” and Clara Clutterbacck relocate their family from England to a farm in Njoro in the British East Africa Protectorate. From there, we watch young Beryl grow into a trailblazing horse trainer.

There were lots of names of town and native tribe language that I didn’t know how to pronounce, but it didn’t get in the way of the story. The writing and plot are solid, the story intriguing and enchanting, and the characters, both fictional and real, are captivating.

I give Circling the Sun 6 out of 5 stars.

So Many Christians, So Few Lions

So Many Christians, So Few Lions: Is There Christianophobia in the United States? by George Yancey and David A Williamson, 142 pages

This study by a pair of sociologists from the University of North Texas finds that the frequency of anti-Christian attitudes is in line with anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim attitudes, with the difference that the latter prejudices tend to propagate on the lower levels of our society, while the former is endemic on the upper levels, particularly in the media and academia.  As a result, bigotry against Christians in the US, while sharing some root characteristics with other prejudices, is distinctly different in many of its manifestations.

Unfortunately, the study is handicapped by its treatment of "Christian", "conservative Christian", "fundamentalist Christian", and even "conservative Protestant" as equivalent terms.  While the authors attempt to justify this by pointing out that those with anti-Christian attitudes often conflate these categories, this does not entirely convince, especially since many of the same respondents also confused "Christian" with "conservative".  As a result, it is difficult to extricate political animus from anti-religious hatred.  This reduces the book to an excellent presentation on the nature of prejudice with the equivalent of a bunch of randomly selected anti-Christian internet comments attached.

Ruby

Ruby by Cynthia Bond  368 pages

There’s not much left to say about the latest Oprah book selection. Critics nationwide have lauded, applauded, ad criticized Oprah’s latest pick.
 

Still, here I am, giving my two cents worth, whether anyone cares or not. Bottom line, I found the writing beautiful, the metaphor and similes some of the best I’ve read in years. If an illustration is needed, see page 6, first full paragraph. Here if probably my favorite sentence in the book, which I found in that paragraph. “She made it in that packet of time before dawn, when the aging night gathered its dark skirts and paused in the stillness.” Gorgeous, huh? 
 

I was surprised that I wasn’t pulled into the story more. The storyline moved rather slowly, but now that I think about it, that’s one of the things I liked best about Cynthia Bond’s debut novel.  As far as the language goes, it isn’t meant to be read fast; it’s meant to be savored, much like the P. S. Duffy’s writing in her debut novel, The Cartographer of No Man’s Land. The inability of the plot to make me long for my day to end so I could relax in my favorite chair was disappointing and the main reason I’m giving this novel 4 out of 5 stars.
 

My favorite character was Ephram’s sister. Although rather stereotypical in voice and description, she seemed the most stable and dependable character.

 

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.

 

Great Beanie Baby Bubble

The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute by Zac Bissonnette, 245 pages

Ty Warner had a difficult childhood.  His father was emotionally, and sometimes physically, distant, while his mother was a paranoid schizophrenic.  Extremely, even obsessively, detail-oriented, he was somehow able to be convincing without being likeable.  He struggled in business and life until he created a line of understuffed poseable plush animals - Beanie Babies.

Initially not a hit, Beanie Babies became the best-selling toy of the '90s after being repositioned as a collectors' item.  Warner's constant tweaking of his products led to multiple variants and retired pieces, which turned the collectors' market into a speculators' market.  Prices soared, with Warner deftly manipulating supply and demand.  Toys bought for $5 sold for $5000 a few years later.  Then, suddenly, inevitably, the craze ended, and those $5000 "investments" found their way into bargain bins at Goodwill.

Bissonnette's book is fast-moving, well-researched, and fun, despite being a little rough around the edges.  Considering that the central character refuses to be interviewed and some of the supporting cast were reluctant to say anything that could damage their relationship with a notoriously litigious billionaire, it's remarkable The Great Beanie Baby Bubble has any substance at all, affording a bit of insight into the formation and collapse not only of this specific fad, but of speculative bubbles generally.

Hurricane Punch

Hurricane Punch by Tim Dorsey, 368 pages

A conga line of hurricanes bearing down on the Florida peninsula, an Serge goal is ride each of them that rolls across the Sunshine State. Meanwhile a brutal serial killer is leaving victims at a disturbing rate, even for Florida, and has begun a stalking a sensitive crime journalist. Serge takes offense at this new serial killer and makes plans to stop him, while not out chasing hurricanes or collecting cool souvenirs and gadgets that is. Complicating matters is criminal profiler Agent Mahoney, who has just been released from a mental hospital after getting to deep into Serge's head. He believes that there is no second killer and Serge has snapped and is committing these murders without even knowing it.
This book will leave readers guessing as they try to figure out how seemingly unconnected plots will come together, and who is murdering who. Plus an old character resurfaces to add even more fun to an already fun packed book in this fun filled series

The Big Bamboo

The Big Bamboo by Tim Dorsey, 322 pages

Serge has decided it is time to resurrect his obsession with movies especially those featuring his home state. Mostly though he just wants to know why more films aren't shot there and why "Florida" scenes are filmed in California? When his grandfather leaves him a cryptic message that he needs to go to L.A. to uncover a family secret, Serge views it as fate and him and his companion fly across the country to straighten things out once and for all. Of course Serge's mission is hopelessly sidetracked with detours and other intrigue such as the kidnapping of the female lead of what is becoming the most expensive and behind schedule flop in Hollywood history, celebrity murder investigations, and the Japanese and Alabama mafias.

This eight Serge Storms novel easily continues Dorsey's over the top series with plenty of interesting characters and a plot that will leave the reader guessing until the very end.

Fifth Gospel

The Fifth Gospel by Ian Caldwell
431 Pages

"In 2004, as Pope John Paul II's reign enters its twilight, a mysterious exhibit is under construction at the Vatican Museums. A week before it is scheduled to open, its curator is murdered at a clandestine meeting on the outskirts of Rome. That same night, a violent break-in rocks the home of the curator's research partner, Father Alex Andreou, a Greek Catholic priest who lives inside the Vatican with his five-year-old son. When the papal police fail to identify a suspect in either crime, Father Alex, desperate to keep his family safe, undertakes his own investigation. To find the killer he must reconstruct the dead curator's secret: what the four Christian gospels-and a little-known, true-to-life fifth gospel known as the Diatessaron-reveal about the Church's most controversial holy relic. But just as he begins to understand the truth about his friend's death and its consequences for the future of the world's two largest Christian Churches, Father Alex finds himself hunted down by someone with a vested stake in the exhibit-someone he must outwit to survive."

I found parts of this book to be interesting but they had nothing to do with the murder or the main characters who I found to be annoying.  

The Stranger

The Stranger by Harlan Coben
386 Pages

"The Stranger appears out of nowhere, perhaps in a bar, or a parking lot, or at the grocery store. His identity is unknown. His motives are unclear. His information is undeniable. Then he whispers a few words in your ear and disappears, leaving you picking up the pieces of your shattered world. Adam Price has a lot to lose: a comfortable marriage to a beautiful woman, two wonderful sons, and all the trappings of the American Dream: a big house, a good job, a seemingly perfect life. Then he runs into the Stranger. When he learns a devastating secret about his wife, Corinne, he confronts her, and the mirage of perfection disappears as if it never existed at all. Soon Adam finds himself tangled in something far darker than even Corinne's deception, and realizes that if he doesn't make exactly the right moves, the conspiracy he's stumbled into will not only ruin lives--it will end them."

I like Harlan Coben as an author.  His books have good pacing and usually an interesting plot.  This book is good also although a little far-fetched.  

Searching for Grace Kelly

Searching for Grace Kelly by Michael Callahan
(161 pages read of 399)

"For a small-town girl with big-city dreams, there is no address more glamorous than New York's Barbizon Hotel. Laura, a patrician beauty from Smith, arrives to work at Mademoiselle for the summer. Her hopelessly romantic roommate, Dolly, comes from a working-class upstate town to attend secretarial school. Vivian, a brash British bombshell with a disregard for the hotel's rules, rounds out the trio of friends. Together, the girls embark on a journey of discovery that will take them from the penthouse apartments of Park Avenue to the Beat scene of Greenwich Village to Atlantic City's Steel Pier -- and into the arms of very different men who will alter their lives forever. "

Makes Sex and the City look like an in-depth character study.  The book could have been so much more than it was.

Knox Brothers

The Knox Brothers by Penelope Fitzgerald, 270 pages

The four sons of Edmund Arbuthnott Knox, Anglican Bishop of Manchester, and his first wife Ellen Penelope French, daughter of Thomas Valpy French, Anglican Bishop of Lahore, were all extraordinary.  Edmund, the eldest, was the editor of the celebrated humor magazine Punch for 17 years.  Dillwyn was a classicist who helped decrypt the Zimmermann telegram in World War I and break the Enigma code in World War II.  Wilfred became an Anglican priest of some distinction, theologically conservative but socially radical.  Ronald abandoned a promising career in the Church of England to become a Catholic, and became famous not only as a scholar, but also as a mystery writer and founding member of the Detection Club.

Fitzgerald, herself a successful novelist, has a unique insight into the lives of these men as the daughter of Edmund.  The rare combination of intimacy and literary talent would make this book a delightful read even if the subjects were not as interesting as they are, and if they had not had such interesting friends as John Maynard Keynes and Evelyn Waugh.  Fitzgerald captures perfectly what all the brothers, despite their profound differences, shared - a mutual love and respect, and an unwavering commitment to the truth.

Precious One

Precious One by Marisa de los Santos
359 Pages

 When Taisy Cleary's estranged father has a heart attack, she is summoned to his house to get to know his second family, especially his daughter Willow while writing his memoir.  Taisy is reluctant to go since she never has come to grips about her father's abandonment of her, her mother and brother and his actions which ruined the relationship between her and her boyfriend Ben. 

An enjoyable book with dual narratives of Taisy and Willlow. 

Hunger of the Wolf

The Hunger of the Wolf by Stephen Marche
 253  Pages

"The body in the snow belonged to Ben Wylie, the heir to America's second-wealthiest business dynasty, and it is found in a remote patch of northern Canada. Far away, in post-crash New York, Jamie Cabot, the son of the Wylie family's housekeepers, must figure out how and why Ben died. He knows the answer lies in the tortured history of the Wylie family, who over three generations built up their massive holdings into several billion dollars' worth of real estate, oil, and information systems despite a terrible family secret they must keep from the world."

 It is as if Marche couldn't decide what type of book to write.  Historical fiction? Supernatural? Morality Tale?  This indecision results in a book that fails to deliver a coherent message or to entertain. 

Sweetland

Sweetland by Michael Crummey
 322 Pages


"The scarcely populated town of Sweetland rests on the shore of a remote Canadian island. Its slow decline finally reaches a head when the mainland government offers each islander a generous resettlement package--the sole stipulation being that everyone must leave. Fierce and enigmatic Moses Sweetland, whose ancestors founded the village, is the only one to refuse. As he watches his neighbors abandon the island, he recalls the town's rugged history and its eccentric cast of characters."


I enjoyed parts of this book and felt the main character Moses Sweetland was fascinating.  However, the book had inconsistencies in plotting toward the end, as if the author was tacking on adventures to make the book longer. 

Ready Player One

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, 374 pages

When James Halliday, creator of the OASIS, the endless virtual world ever created, dies, he announces to the world that he has left an Easter Egg somewhere in OASIS and the first person to find it inherits pretty much everything he has, including ownership of OASIS itself.  Millions of people, who call themselves gunters, start looking, including a corporation called IOI, which controls most of the Internet access in the world.  IOI, whose hunters are called SIxers, wants to change the OASIS and most of the world agrees that the changes they want to make don’t fall in line with Halliday’s vision.  Many years go by without anyone having any luck and until a teen named Wade uncovers the first key and clears the First Gate.  Soon others are following, including the Sixers, who plan to kill not only Wade’s avatar in the game, but Wade himself if he refuses to cooperate with them.  This is one of the best books I’ve read, ever.  I would give this to anyone that likes any type of fantasy or science fiction.  In fact it will probably become the first book I would tell people about.  I completely loved it.

Zodiac

Zodiac by Romina Russell, 319 pages

Rhoma is a member of the House Cancer.  She is studying star reading on one of Cancer’s moons when disaster strikes.  Rho is horrified because she saw something written in the stars but because her technique for reading was unusual and the more usual techniques of senior teachers did not reveal anything.  Rho is convinced that the problems are due to Ochus, the exiled 13^th Zodiac Guardian.  Most people believe that Ochus is a fairy tale and do not believe her, even though following the disaster the former Cancer Guardian was killed and, much to her surprise, Rho was appointed the new Guardian.  Rho’s main goal is to convince the other Houses of the threat by Ochus and to get them to stand together against it.  That however, may be an impossible task.  This is the first book in a new series and I think that teens who like fantasy will enjoy it.

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan, 183 pages

Nick and Norah meet one night at one of Nick’s band’s shows.  They are both recovering from relationships that have recently ended.  When Nick’s ex, Tris, shows up, he asks Norah to pretend to be his girlfriend.  Norah complies, and thus begins a long night of Nick and Norah getting to know each other, mostly through music related situations.  This was actually a pretty good book.  It’s short and has a lot of musical references but not so much that the book becomes horribly dated, especially since there are a lot of references to bands that don’t really exist.  This has been a fairly popular book with teens.  While I’m not going to say that I loved it, I understand the appeal and I liked it pretty well.

The Bunker Diary

The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks, 260 pages

Linus has been kidnapped by a strange man.  He’s in what appears to be some kind of underground bunker.  Because he ran away a few months ago, no one even realizes that he’s missing.  Over the next few days, five more people appear in the bunker:  Jenny, a nine year old girl, followed by Anja, Fred, Bird and Russell, all adults.  The kidnapper eventually starts sending down food and other supplies but gives no indication of what he wants.  Time passes and the group tries to plot an escape, but after a failed attempt, the kidnapper punishes them by withholding food, drastically changing the temperature from one extreme to another and playing loud noises.  As time passes, Linus begins to give up hope.  This is a really well written teen book about an unusual kidnap situation.  I really liked but I was really unsatisfied with the ending.  I’m not sure I would personally recommend it because of that but I think that there are people who would like it who would be ok with the ending.

We Are Pirates

We Are Pirates by Daniel Handler, 269 pages

Gwen feels like she is trapped in her life, as do most of the character is in this story, including her parents and the girl who becomes her best friend.  This story is mostly told from either Gwen’s or her father’s perspective.  Gwen decides to run away and become a pirate.  With a small crew, including two adults and two other kids, she steals a boat and they take off.  Phil is out of town when he gets the news that his daughter is missing.  He immediately rushes home and we, as readers, are faced with the feeling that everything is falling apart.  I didn’t feel like this story worked.  It seems like it’s taking place in the real world and everything that happens in the story is something that could feasibly happen in the real world and all of the characters interact with each other as people really would, except that the idea of this particular group deciding to steal a boat, and succeeding in carrying out the plan, and the actions that follow are so ludicrous within the setting that the whole story just fell apart for me.  I didn’t like it, although I’ve liked others of Handler’s books, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

The Lost

The Lost by James Patterson and Emily Raymond, 355 pages

This is, I assume, the last book in the Witch and Wizard series.  Whit and Wisty have been regarded as heroes because they have healed so many people and saved the city but now people have begun to fear them and their powers.  Whit makes the decision to undergo Excision to remove his powers but almost immediately regrets it.  Wisty is furious with Whit and with the city for not having more faith.  When there is a new threat to the city, Whit and Wisty are once again needed, but with Whit powerless and Wisty so angry, this may be the time they are unable to help.  This series had begun to bore me so I’m glad it’s over.  However, teens who have enjoyed the series or who like supernatural stories will probably still enjoy this.

Prudence

Prudence by Gail Carriger, 357 pages

Carriger’s new series, The Custard Protocol, follows Prudence, daughter of the Maccons, the protagonists from her last series, The Parasol Protectorate.  Rue and her friends, Prim, Percy and Quesnel are being sent to India by Rue’s vampire guardian, Lord Akeldama, to find out what has happened to his tea.  In Rue’s new dirigible, The Spotted Custard, the group encounters new types of were animals and find out that there is much more going on in India besides some missing tea.  Unfortunately, no one seems inclined to explain exactly what they are dealing with.  Although I thought this was pretty good and liked the characters, I’d agree with Ed W that it isn’t as good as the first series, or even the YA series.  The whole book seems more focused on character development than plot.  However, I liked the characters and I plan to read more in the series as they come.

A Little Life

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
720 Pages


"When four classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they're broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their center of gravity. Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he'll not only be unable to overcome--but that will define his life forever."


To hear the critics go on you'd think this was the greatest book ever written.  I think it was just okay for two reasons.  One,  two of the characters of the four friends are hardly part of the story at all, the third character is a little deeper but the book is mainly about Jude.   The second reason is that the author has created the damaged character of Jude who dwells in his pain about his past and lets it control his life.  Then the author has all these additional bad things happen to Jude over and over again.  It becomes a bit soap operaish. 

Torpedo Juice

Torpedo Juice by Tim Dorsey, 322 pages

Serge Storm is back and looking to settle down into married life, he's searching the Florida Keys for Mrs. Right in the only way he knows how with binoculars and his homemade dating kit. He eventually settles down with an unlikely mousy librarian whom he sees as his perfect match. However even marriage doesn't seem to be able to slow Serge down as he handles a cult of devoted followers, ruthless land developers, old friends, and a new serial killer who is leaving a trail of bodies leading up to Florida.
This novel while entertaining wasn't as good as some of Dorsey's previous books in the series. I was disappointed with the way the two plots worked together and it doesn't add up as smoothly as other books. That being said the characters and craziness of the plot was on par with the rest of the series and make it worth reading.  

Cadillac Beach

Cadillac Beach by Tim Dorsey, 339 pages

In this sixth novel Serge is determined to understand the events surrounding his grandfathers death forty years ago. To do so Serge must escape from his latest stay in the mental health system, and start his own Florida tour company to uncover just how his grandfather might or might not have been involved in jewel heist in the sixties. Along the way he must deal the FBI, the mob, and drunken businessmen who have hired Serge's tour company.
Now that the briefcase of money is gone I was curious to see where this series would go next. So far this series has still managed to hold my interest with its interesting characters and convoluted plot. I was also excited to learn about Serge's grandfather and the strange relationship they had. 

Art of Political Murder

The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed the Bishop? by Francisco Goldman, 357 pages

In April of 1998, the Recovery of Historical Memory Project, a group within the Archdiocese of Guatemala City's Office of Human Rights, published a massive work entitled Guatemala: Never Again, documenting decades of human rights abuses during the country's civil war.  Two days later, Bishop Juan Gerardi, the chief architect of the report, was found bludgeoned to death in his garage.  The police centered their investigation on a priest who shared the rectory with the bishop, speculating that the bishop had caught the priest in the midst of some sexual misdeeds.  Others theorized that Gerardi had run afoul of local gangs or uncovered evidence of embezzlement by prominent ecclesiastics.  The victim's own human rights investigators, meanwhile, conducted their own independent investigation, following leads that implicated powerful figures in the Guatemalan military.

Part history of Latin American oppression and corruption, and part true crime thriller, The Art of Political Murder is both informative and interesting.  Goldman spent much of his childhood in Guatemala, and his easy familiarity with the country, its language and customs grants the book an added layer of authenticity.  His judgement is, perhaps, a bit less sure - a serious problem when reporting on a case with minimal physical evidence, unreliable witnesses, and surrounded by rumor and gossip.  While Goldman seems certain of his conclusions, readers may find themselves more doubtful.

Triggerfish Twist

Triggerfish Twist by Tim Dorsey, 306

Set the summer before Florida Roadkill, Jim Davenport, a mild-mannered family man is delighted when his company transfers him to Florida especially given his inaccurate knowledge of the Sunshine State. Then he meets his new neighbors and things go down hill. As it all starts to become to much for Jim he accidentally kills a bank robber, who happens to be the youngest on an infamous band of murderous brothers who just got out of prison. Fortunately for Jim his brand new neighbor might be able to help him out, after all Serge is an expert on Florida.  
On the cover of this book Dorsey admits that he killed off to many people in the first one and wanted to explore some of the characters he killed off more. Like the previous two books I reviewed I was okay with it being out of order, with this being the fourth book and yet being set before the beginning of the series. Even with this book being set before the first one I would still recommend reading them in the order they are published versus chronologically story wise.

Blink of the Screen

Blink of the Screen by Terry Pratchett, 286 pages

This is a collection of short works spanning the Pratchett's entire writing career ranging from old school assignments, through his first writing jobs, to his Discworld series and the present day. The stories themselves range from gnomes living in stores, chickens crossing the road, death, virtual reality, and a couple of pieces from Discworld.
 Anyone who likes Terry Pratchett's work should read this book, especially since he puts some his early works that aren't as easy to find.  I was actually impressed by some of the stories that he wrote when he was still in school, if nothing else just by some of the ideas for them.

Pseudo-Dionysius

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Complete Works by Pseudo-Dionysius, translated by Paul Rorem, 289 pages

St Dionysius the Areopagite was a Greek who was converted to Christianity by St Paul and later became the first bishop of Athens.  Some 400 years after his death, a set of writings appeared under his name in Syria, the unknown author of which is referred to as Pseudo-Dionysius.  These writings were introduced into the West by the end of the sixth century, where their Neoplatonic theology became immensely influential, especially in the High Middle Ages. 

The two key ideas of Pseudo-Dionysius are the unknowable transcendence of God and the nature of the divinely instituted hierarchy.  The former is at the center of his apophatic mysticism, which concentrates on the unlikeness of God and lesser things and qualities, until the mystic is left alone in the dark "cloud of unknowing", awaiting an enlightenment which can only come from above, from He who is beyond even Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.  The second key idea complements this, as Pseudo-Dionysius lays out the hierarchies of angels and men as forming what Medieval thinkers called the "Great Chain of Being", each level of the hierarchy mediating the grace of the Almighty to the level below.  The hierarchy is thus not only a chain binding Earth to Heaven, but also a ladder of ascent to God.

This collection includes all of the extant works of Pseudo-Dionysius, as well as essays by scholars including Jaroslav Pelikan.

Sinners Welcome

Sinners Welcome by Mary Karr, 93 pages

An admirable collection of poems that manages to wed the sublime to the grotesque.  Karr finds faith, hope, and love - in short, the sacred - in the unlikeliest places and things, conveying meaning and feeling with a light touch that never becomes sentimental or preachy.  The best of the poems surprise with a flicker of light in what seemed dead dimness.

Included is an essay Karr wrote for Poetry magazine about her slow, grudging conversion to Catholicism, out of long struggles with alcoholism but also a sense of the sacredness of words.

Imaginary Things

Imaginary Things by Andrea Lochen   400 pages

Every parent, at one time or another, wishes they could read their child’s mind. If that were possible, life would be so much easier. For Anna Jennings, this wish almost comes true. Although she cannot read four-year-old David’s mind, she can see his imagination, and it scares the bejeezus out of her.

Anna and David have returned to her grandparents’ rural Salsburg, Wisconsin, home. Anna spent several summers and one school year with Duffy and Winston, when she was too much for her mom to handle. Seems like Salsburg was the one place she could go when she had nowhere to go.

Anna, now twenty-two, is completely broke, having lost her job in Milwaukee. Divorced from David’s father, Patrick, she is trying to stabilize their life after dealing with Patrick’s mental illness.

David didn’t have many friends in Milwaukee and now he has none. So he does what most kids do, he invents an imaginary friend. Not just one, but two. They take the form of David’s obsession, dinosaurs. They seem to always be nearby, along with a black mist that has to spell trouble.

Speaking of trouble, guess who’s moved back to Salsburg and is living with his mother next door? Jaime. Anna’s best friend from her teenage years.

Author Lochen has created a whimsical tale in which love, friendship, and what really matters are the key elements. While this is not a heart-in-your-mouth thriller, it is a captivating novel that made me keep turning the page. I expected a dramatic scene involving the dinosaurs, but it never transpired, leaving me a tad disappointed.  However that shouldn’t stop anyone from reading this sweet slice of magical realism that is sure to resonate with them as much as it did with me.

Fairest

Fairest, by Marissa Meyer, 222 pages

I will admit it- one of my guilty pleasure readings is fairy tale retellings.  I enjoyed the rest of the Lunar Chronicles series, and I'm waiting on the release of Winter (come on, already!).  This will tide me over for now, and was actually an interesting, even somewhat sympathetic, take on Levana's story.  Levana is, of course, the evil queen of the Moon, but she parallels the story of the evil queen of the Snow White tale.  Let's just say that she was not always terrible... but there's definitely no redemption in store for her.

The Shadow of the Wind

The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, 487 pages

Ooh, this was a really great book- expect to see it as a future book club pick.  Daniel is a young man living with his father in post-Civil War Barcelona, Spain.  For his birthday, his father takes him to visit a mysterious place- the cemetery of forgotten books.  Here Daniel finds a wonderful but mysterious book that piques his interest and shapes the rest of his life.  This was a very beautifully-written book that I found is the first in a series, and the audiobook is read by someone with a very good Barcelona accent.

Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, 320 pages

Anne Shirley is a chatty little girl with dreams beyond her age- the exact opposite of what Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert thought they would be getting from the orphanage.  But it doesn't take long before she wins over the hearts of everyone in town, with tons of little mishaps and adventures along the way.  This is a really "clean" read that young girls, especially, may still like.

Anne of Avonlea

Anne of Avonlea, by L.M. Montgomery, 304 pages

In this second book in the Anne of Green Gables series, Anne is now a little older, but still the mischievous redhead with big ideas.  She's teaching in Avonlea, and helping Marilla with the two twin orphans they have taken in- and one of them is definitely a handful.  She's also cleaning up the town and making love connections along the way.  I read these as a kid and loved them; they aren't quite as interesting now, but they're still good- they are very wholesome and innocent and interesting to read as a product of a completely different time.

Burial Rites

Burial Rites, by Hannah Kent, 314 pages

This was a well-written, well-researched, beautiful book about a nineteenth-century execution in Iceland.  Agnes is sentenced to wait out her last months before being executed for murder, on a farm where the farmer's family comes to hear her side of the story and see that nothing is quite so black and white.  This is an excellent book for book clubs- there is alot to discuss and alot to learn about another country and another time.