Rooms

Rooms by Lauren Oliver
303 Pages

When Richard Walker dies, his estranged family returns to the house he lived in, a house currently haunted by two ghosts.  His ex-wife Caroline, teenage son Trenton, and daughter Minna begin the process of packing up Richard's belongings  and the ghosts Alice and Sandra act as peeping toms on their lives and secrets.  But the ghosts have secrets of their own, secrets that tie them to the house.    When a new ghost arrives the status quo is upset and secrets begin to come out.

Strongly recommended, this book was one of the picks in LibraryReads. 

Turning Season

Turning Season by Sharon Shinn
341 Pages

 A Shifting circle novel continues the story of a community of shapeshifters.  Karadel is one such shapeshifter who is unable to control when she shifts and what animal she becomes.  Her circle of friends and fellow shapeshifters are threatened by a series of events that might expose their secret.


Sharon Shinn is a local author and I've pretty much enjoyed everything she has written.  While I'm not a huge fan of the Shifting Circle novels,  they are still an enjoyable read.

Shadow Lamp

Shadow Lamp by Steve Lawhead
388 Pages

The fourth book of the Bright Empires series begins to wrap up the series as the heroes try to find the link between the Shadow Lamp, the Skin Map, and the Spirit Well.   They must do this quickly as the Zetetic society has determined that the universe's expansion is slowing and quite possibly reversing which could mean the end of everything. 

Finally the books start to answer some questions and wrap up storylines which helps to reduce the convoluted plot.

H.P. Lovecraft: Tales

H.P. Lovecraft: Tales by H.P. Lovecraft, 578 of 807 pages read

My dad would sometimes give me short stories to read as a child, and "Cool Air" by Lovecraft was one that always stuck with me. First, I hadn't read any Lovecraft since childhood, so I figured I'd revisit his works. Second, I also used to have a black cat named Cathulu (a feline appropriate rendition of Cthulhu) but I had never actually read "The Call of Cthulhu", so I felt like it needed to happen. Third, Lovecraft is considered one of the grandfathers of horror, and I have a special place in my heart for good horror. His stuff does, however, also have a sci-fantasy element to it.
I started reading this from the beginning, but then I started jumping around, reading different stories. After the first few, I honestly started to feel like each story was the same as the last. I didn't anticipate feeling this way. Lovecraft style and wording starting feeling too repetitive, which is why I didn't actually end up finishing this book. Some of the stories were also not very short, and seemed to just drag on for too long.
I enjoyed what I did read, and he definitely had a knack for creating elaborate scenes and describing in great detail the mythical beings he dreamed up for his writing. However, he didn't have enough in his head to keep from being repetitive.
I looked up Lovecraft's personal life as I sometimes do when reading an author I know little about, and I found that his works did not actually become the cult classics they've become until well after his death. He died a sad, lonely, penniless man. If only he knew how influential his work was and how many different ways Cthulhu would be referenced and drawn later on.
All in all, Lovecraft is essential for any fan of horror, and anyone who appreciates an author with a vivid imagination. Others who read his work might not find him quite as repetitive as I did.

The Dinner

The Dinner by Herman Koch, 304 pages

This book was strongly recommended by a fellow blogger who, to build suspense, will remain nameless. While she has yet to recommend a bad book, I was not sure what to make of a novel that happens entirely around a restaurant dinner table. But what starts out as a slow novel with all of the building of the characters and their personas, eventually spirals into a dark and sinister finish. There are several hints provided throughout the novel that allude to the ending but I didn't find them to be so over done as to spoil it.

By the end I found myself liking the books delivery and pace even if the message behind it is so horribly wrong. I would have thought it difficult to convey an entire mystery and suspense story through a dinner conversation but Koch certainly pulled it off.

Though I must admit I, at times, found myself wondering if the was an underlying reason or secret behind the forceful recommendation of this book.

Ring of Water

Ring of Water Chris Bradford, 304 pages

Jack Fletcher wakes up bruised and beaten in a roadside inn. He has lost everything, including his memory of what happened. Determined to figure out what happened to him he sets off to retrieve his belongings. With only his training and a washed up Ronin for help, Jack must piece together what happened while evading the Shogun's samurai who are still searching for him.

So far I feel this is one of the better books in this series, Bradford does a good job of describing his characters as well as their situations and actions. The story itself is fast enough paced, while not becoming jumbled or incoherent and provides plenty of action and adventure that make this series worth reading.

Humanism, Reform, and the Reformation

Humanism, Reform, and the Reformation: The Career of Bishop John Fisher, edited by Brendan Bradshaw and Eamon Duffy, 225 pages

St John Fisher was the Bishop of Rochester from 1504 until his death in 1535, and Chancellor of the University of Cambridge during the same period.  Renowned as a humanist and patron of scholars, friends with Erasmus of Rotterdam, Johann Maier von Eck, and St Thomas More, Fisher stubbornly refused to recognize Henry VIII as Supreme Head of the Church of England, and was executed on the same day as More.

This book, a compilation of papers presented at a Cambridge symposium in 1985, examines the various facets of Fisher's multifaceted life, including his impact on the University, his pastoral style as bishop, his apologetical work against Luther, and his resistance to royal absolutism.  The figure revealed escapes easy categorization - neither a progressive nor a reactionary, with one foot in the humanist world of letters and the other in the scholastic world of ideas.  Above all, it reveals Fisher to have been thoroughly human, as all saints are.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Will Grayson, Will Grayson
by John Green & David Levithan, 310 pages

This book's been on my 'too read' list since it came out. After Tiger recently reviewed it, I decided I needed to finally read it. I rarely read young adult novels, but I do enjoy them in general.
The overall story was entertaining and the message being conveyed came through loud and clear. However, I had a couple issues with this book.
1. I really thought the authors tried to cram too many types of characters into one book. Gay, goth, terribly depressed, super fat kid, etc. Maybe it's just me, but I felt they could have spent less effort on that and more on just developing a couple more intricately. 
2. Although the above details were mentioned, there wasn't much to really give you a feel for how the characters looked. Everyone might not care about this, but I like to have a little something to give me a picture in my head of the characters. For some reason, I pictured nothing.
There are so many books out there now for teens that deal with being gay. I don't know if this is because so many teens are coming out or if it was just a niche that needed to be filled, but I think it's a good thing. When I was in high school, there were kids who were gay, but they did not come out until they left high school and the town, for good. I grew up in a very rural area though, so I know this was a factor. I wonder, however, if it might have been a little different if books such as these were accessible for those teens to read and relate to.
Anyway, though I thought a few things could be improved upon, I did still enjoy reading this, and it was a quick read, as teen novels tend to be.

The Big Book of Hair Metal

Big Book of Hair Metal: The Illustrated Oral History of Heavy Metal's Debauched Decade
by Martin Popoff, 23 out of 221 pages

I was still pretty high from reading Mad World when I selected this, so I was excited for another oral history related to a musical genre. Unfortunately, this book did not hold my interest even remotely as well. This book was set up starting with the decade of the 60s with some outline of the influence of hair metal (both hair metal and new wave took inspiration from black blues musicians in the 60s), continuing with the decade of the 70s (both also took inspiration from British glam) and then of course detailing each year of the 80s, where hair metal reached its heyday (also new wave's heyday). The way this book was organized was not that great, as it had lots of timelines with uninteresting details, album cover pictures scattered throughout, and it was very text heavy. None of these details are really that terrible, but I realized as I was reading this that I was never really a big hair metal fan. I could remember some of the big radio singles, but it was never really a genre that appealed to me. I do like seeing photos of anorexic dudes with huge hair and lots of makeup, similar to many of the new wave artists I adored. The hair metal guys did have a distinct feature, in that they wore lots of skin tight leather and many sported very high heeled platform boots. So, I did flip through the whole book so I could at least see all the photos. But even those weren't really that great.
If you were a true hair metal fan, this book might appeal to you a little more than it did me. If nothing else, it's good for a giggle.

Ring of Earth

Ring of Earth Chris Bradford, 319 pages

Masamoto has banished by the new Shogun and Jack is now on the run with a price on his head. All foreigners have been banished to remain is death and many have failed to make it to the ships in Nagasaki.While attempting to avoid capture by samurai Jack is captures and taken to village of ninjas, whom Jack blames for the death of his father. After much inner turmoil Jack decides to undergo ninja training, believing it will help him get to Nagasaki.

This book picks up nicely where the previous book left off with Jack leaving his friends, and continues to be a fun quick read for anyone who enjoys action and adventure, and want a break from all the supernatural young adult fiction.

Way of the Dragon

Way of the Dragon Chris Bradford, 503 pages

Japan is threatened with the war, samurai are taking sides, and soon Jacks training will be put to the test. With his father's book in the hands of Dragon Eye Jack's only hope for survival and returning home depends on mastering the Two Heavens, the sword technique of his mentor Masamoto Takeshi.

I enjoyed this book, I felt that Bradford took his time with this third book and while it lacks in some areas such as character development, it makes up for it with well written scenes and and plot twists. Overall I thought it was about average compared to the rest of the series, and definitely aimed more towards young adult.   

Shadows over Baker Street

Shadows over Baker Street, 446 pages

Shadows over Baker Street is everything it advertises itself as, which is Sherlock Holmes with Lovecraftian themes. Of course by Lovecrafitan it means Cthulhu, Innsmouthians and other macabre themes. Much like the original Holmes collection, this book is a collection of short stories, though these are written by a collaboration of different authors.

What I really liked about Shadows over Baker Street is that each and every story holds up. Where before with collections like this I would highlight the ones that I really liked and shame the ones I thought fell short here they were all good, for a Holmes novella. By that I mean they all rely on Holmes knowing more than everyone else and in some cases more than it seems likely he should know. But that is what makes a Holmes novel, well that and the brilliant deductions he comes up with. That being said I think these could have been better with the clues to the ending or what was going on spaced through the novella so that the reader could solve the case as well.

If you like the writings of Lovecraft I think you would enjoy this book though it is not as dark. If you like the Sherlock Holmes series and at least can tolerate some of the bizarre then I would say give this a try.

Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice, Manga adaptation by Stacy E. King, 377 pages

Pride and Prejudice is one of those classics that commonly appear on top books to read or books to read before you die. It is also one of those books that whenever someone starts talking about it I tried to fake that I might have read it. Well I still have not read the original but now at least I know enough of the characters and plot that I can discuss it without looking foolish.

Pride and Prejudice was originally written by Jane Austen and is definitely considered a classical work. It follows the life of Elizabeth Bennet and to a lesser degree her sister Jane as they explore and experience manners, morality and marriage. The book is rife with misunderstandings and misconceptions that while in that time period helped explore morality, today would be of little consequence. It is odd to see the things that back then would prevent a marriage such as family stature and wealth. While that still likely exists among the higher societies in todays time, it does nothing to associate it with the common reader.

I was hoping that by reading this manga adaptation I would then feel motivated to read the original. Sadly it had the opposite reaction. I now feel that I have read enough to be able to talk about the book and the morals that go with it and no longer need to read the original. Maybe someone will be able to convince me otherwise in the comments

Constantine Hellblazer Volumes 1-4

Original Sins, Devil You Know, Fear Machine and Family Man by Jamie Delano, 304, 264, 240 and 277 pages

These first four volumes in the Constantine Hellblazer series represent the print issues 1-32 and cover the early years of Constantine's existence (1988-1990). While I have read some comics through the years I have never been a big fan of reading a series from start to finish. Nor had I really heard of John Constantine until the semi recent movie starring Keanu Reeves. Since then there has been a reboot of the Constantine comics and also a television series. Both of these try to bring Constantine into the modern world but I feel they lose some of their grittiness in doing so.

The Hellblazer series obviously follows the life and career of John Constantine as he learns about and combats the growing dark forces. While this is sort of the theme to every comic and superhero Constantine's attitude and approach is what sets him apart. While he will morn the death of a friend or associate he still frequently throws them in harms way either as bait or through his inexperience. The fact that you also see him smoke constantly, get drunk and generally skate by while mooching off his friends helps him seem like a normal person. Since this series reached 300 issues I guess that imaging worked.

If you like darker, almost horror, comics or if you liked the Constantine movie than I recommend you give this series a try.

The Necromancer's House

The Necromancer's House by Christopher Buehlman
410 Pages

Andrew Blankenship is a recovering alcoholic and a practicing warlock whose specialty is to be able to speak with the dead through film. When one of his friends kills a Russian guy, he finds himself the target of a monster from Russian folklore who is determine to end his comfortable life as well as the lives of his friends and acquaintances. 

 A well executed book with a lot of detail.  I would give it 3 out of 5 stars.

A Wedding on Ladybug Farm

A Wedding on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
359 Pages

I started reading this series a long time ago and  the only way I could classify it is as a Hallmark/Lifetime sort of book.  Normally I wouldn't read this type of book but I think I'm fascinated with the idea of finding an old house and uncovering mysteries while rehabbing it.

The series follows the adventures of three women who started their second lives by blending their households and buying an old mansion and farm in the Shenandoah Valley. In this book, Lindsay is getting married while Bridget and Cici struggle to understand the motives of their grown children.

The Burning Room

The Burning Room by Michael Connelly
388 Pages

Harry Bosch returns with a new partner and a new cold case to solve.   When a shooting victim dies years after being show, the death is deemed murder.  Bosch and his partner Lucia Soto must start examining the evidence to see if they can find who committed this crime in an apparent drive-by shooting. 


Michael Connelly write excellent police procedural  and this one does not fail to to satisfy.

The Day She Died

The Day She Died by Catriona McPherson
301 Pages

Jessie Constable lives a quiet life, working part-time in the local thrift shop.  She becomes involved with Gus King when he becomes upset in the local supermarket.  Soon she is living with Gus and taking care of his two children.  But as time progresses, the story Gus is telling her doesn't match up with mounting evidence. 

I found it to be fairly obvious what had happened and as a reader wanted to hit Jessie over the head with her obliviousness to what was apparent.  It should be noted that the writing style was strong enough for me to finish the book however. 

The Lesser Dead

The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman
362 Pages


This is a vampire story of a young 14 year old vampire who lives underground in New York city.  Joey Peacock relates the vampiric lore of this novel and his creation story.  The group of vampires he lives with become embroiled in a mystery of a group of children vampires who suddenly appear and start killing off large quantities of people, an act which might get the society noticed. 

A good horror story with original plotting. 

Florence Gordon

Florence Gordon by Brian Morton
306 Pages

Florence Gordon is a feminist writer who was prominent in the 60's and who now at the age of 74 is experiencing a resurgence of popularity when she receives a laudatory review in the New York Review of Books.  She is a plain spoken, sometimes harsh woman who does and says exactly what she wants without worrying about what other people think.  Her family has come to New York for a short time and Florence starts to get to know her granddaughter.  However, everyone in the family holds a secret and we see how these secrets effect their relationships.

Florence is a somewhat likeable character despite her gruff style and we see a thawing toward her granddaughter that doesn't descend into a hallmark-like ending.