Conspiracy in Death

Okay, so this is filling in an unblogged re-read in my 9909 Challenge.

Conspiracy in Death is part of J.D. Robb's In Death series, starring Lieutenant Eve Dallas, her (totally sexy) husband Roarke (no last name needed or wanted), and their band of merry police officers.

In this one, Eve is investigating the murder of a homeless man. He had his heart taken out, and it looks too perfect to be anyone but a doctor. While she's trying to chase down leads within the biggest medical center in New York, she's also having trouble with another officer who just wants to make trouble for Eve.

Roarke, in true Roarke fashion, has his hand in many of the pies that Eve is investigating (I did mention that along with being incredibly sexy, Roarke owns about 1/3 of the known universe and is incredibly loaded too, right?), but can drop everything when Eve needs his help.

This time, it's worse because when the officer Eve was having trouble with ends up murdered, Eve is suspended from her duty, which sends her into an emotional tailspin that could never be repeated. Roarke, of course, drops everything to help her get back on her feet and solve the case outside of official bounds (he's a good husband like that...not to mention stellar with hacking electronics).

Of course, Peabody is there, helping out. Feeney is doing his backup thing. McNab and Peabody aren't dating yet, but it's not far off. In this one, we meet Louise Dimatto (MD), Officer Trueheart (as cute and amazing as the day is long), and every one's favorite rat-squad detective/ex-lover, Don Webster (he works with Internal Affairs, hence the rat-squad reference).

Anyway, due to the excellent police work and the equally great personal drama, this is one of my favorite In Death books. Sometimes the weight in on one side or the other, making the neglected side...well, neglected. But this one balances both equally well.

4 Snowflakes for rocking my world.

Ugh!

So, I just finished a NR book, and here's my question.

In my 9909 Challenge, why the heck did I pick 9 books that take place in the South? I should have chosen the Northwest, because I think I'd be done with the category by now!

Just because at the time I wanted to move to the South, and I thought I should "read up" on my future home...

And, of course, now I don't want to move to the South, and...just...ugh.

Vampire Academy

In the new brilliant tradition of teen vampire novels, I give you Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead.

This one stars two girls, Lissa, a vampire princess, and Rose, her half-human/half-vampire bodyguard.

It's an odd story, but really easy to get into. Much like the Blue Blood series, there are good vampires and bad vampires. Good vampires also have a certain magic they can tap into.

But Lissa and Rose ran away from the school that was supposed to keep them safe, only to be brought back. Lissa is doing her best to survive (high school sucks even if you are a princess), and Rose is training to make sure that she can protect Lissa.

Never mind the new girl who has it in for Lissa, or Lissa's rather odd talent. And Rose's terrible temper.

Oh, and did I mention the dead animals everywhere?

Right. It's a good book, fun read. I liked it.

And yes, it's the first in a series.

After Caroline

I swear I've been reading! I just haven't blogged about it in a really long time.

Anyway, I just finished After Caroline by Kay Hooper. Now, this one is older and kind of slow. It's when she was just starting out with novels more about mystery than about romance.

Joanna lives in Atlanta as a reference librarian. On July 1st, she gets into a car accident, and while her car is totalled, she emerges without a scrape. But as she is standing outside the car in awe, a tree falls on her car, and she is electrocuted. They revive her, but something weird starts happening.

Joanna is plagued by dreams from a place called Cliffside, and when she finally figures out where it is (Oregon, near Portland), she goes only to find out that she looks just like a woman named Caroline.

Caroline was also in a car accident on July 1st, and Caroline wasn't as lucky as Joanna.

Joanna is absolutely convinced that Caroline wasn't in an accident, and starts to dig into her life. Given the small town, it's easier than it could have been.

This, of course, piques the sheriff's interest in her, and Griffin decides to stick close. As time goes by, Joanna reveals a lot of secrets in this seemingly happy small town, but the most dangerous is about Caroline's last lover.

It was really slow to start out with. The first 100 pages or so, I didn't really care that much. The romance angle (Joanna and Griff) takes for-freaking-ever, and even then it's slightly unbelievable. Scott (Caroline's husband) and Lyssa (who works for him) have a thing, but it's slightly unbelievable too. It seems to be about settling often.

Anyway, it was fine. Not overly stellar, not terrible. Once you get into it, you really want to know who did it, but before then you only kind of care. At least, that's how I felt.

Lady and the Vamp

Okay, so I did mention as part of my 9909 Challenge that I have to blog about every book that I read that fulfills the challenge, right? It's like...proof.

Well, in case you missed it, this on hits the "New Vampire Book" quota. Lady and the Vamp is the third in a series by Michelle Rowen. Thankfully, you don't need to read the first two (which are about Sarah, a different vampire) in order to get this one.

It stars Janie Parker and Michael Quinn. Janie is in the business of doing whatever her boss tells her to do...because she signed a contract in blood (bad idea). Quinn is a vampire. A new vampire. Who used to be a vampire hunter (read: killer).

They're both going after The Eye, a magical...item that grants 1 wish every 1,000 years. Janie's boss wants it to do...well, what he does, while Quinn wants it so that he can become human again.

Needless to say, they see each other again (Quinn hung out with Janie's brother when they were younger, and Janie had a huge crush on him), and sparks fly. Mean while, they're trying to outwit each other for The Eye, defeat the many bad guys they come across, and not fall in love with each other. Oh, and Janie's partner is in lust with her, and Quinn's partner is a werewolf who can't stay in one form.

Confused yet? It's actually not so bad. The dialogue is witty (though a touch lacking), and the (rather inevitable) sex scene come very close to the end.

And, really, he should have let her kill Malcolm any of the times she wanted to. Both of them should know by now that enemies going after the same artifact will keep trying to get it until they either have it, or are dead.

All in all, the book was cute. I like it.

The Apple That Astonished Paris

I don't often sit down and read a book of poetry. I really like to peruse them as I have time.

The trouble is, I hate carrying them around, and therefore never peruse them.

So when I heard that my favorite poet, Billy Collins, had a new book out, I decided to request it. Then I saw another book out that I hadn't read, so I requested that as well. The Apple That Astonished Paris is short, and I'd read some of the poems before. Heck, I memorized one of them for my poetry class.

Anyway, it made me want to read Anna Karenina, just for a moment. I really liked the poems "Cancer", "The Frankenstein Poet", and "The Morning After My Death"

This book is more serious than funny, but I still really enjoyed his poetry. As always.

Plus...he's a man, so this counts as a book written by a man. Score!

C.J.'s Fate

So, when anyone asks me what I did at home...the easy answers are "read" and "watched movies"

I just finished C.J.'s Fate, and older Kay Hooper. But it stars a librarian! Although the only reason we know that is because it's mentioned...she does absolutely nothing librarian-esque.

Anyway, C.J. is attending a wedding in Aspen. On her very first night, tired of her friends harassing her about not dating, she enlists a stranger to pretend to be her lover. You can see where this is going, right?

Fate (yeah, his name is Fate) falls in love with her immediately, so he decides to woo her and play along. She can't decide if the affection is really him, or the role he's playing.

Eventually, of course, they end up together, but it was fun getting there. Especially when Fate decides to read C.J. poetry in order to woo her. Fun. Not at all demanding, very fluffy, and probably not anything I'm ever going to read again, but I enjoyed it.

Out of Sync

Okay, so I have two confessions to make before I review this book. (1) I love biographies, I just never sit down and read them. I always want to, but if I put them down for any length of time, I rarely want to pick them back up. (2) About 8-10 years ago, when *N SYNC, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, 98 Degrees and the like became famous...I was one of those teeny-boppers who loved them. With a heart filled passion. In every boy band, I had the one that I wanted to sweep me off my feet. With Backstreet Boys, I was a die hard Nick Carter fan.

When it came to *N SYNC, though, I was a little more subtle. I was Lance Bass fan. So when his biography, Out of Sync, came out, I have to admit that I was intrigued. Once I decided to do biographies for my 9909 Challenge, I decided it would be the perfect excuse to read it. So I did today.

It was interesting. It's about his life, a little before *N SYNC, about 1/2 during, a few chapters on the almost-astronaut months, then the breakup of the band and Lance's eventual coming out as gay (of course I liked the gay one...it just makes sense).

Anyway, it was short (under 200 pages). I get the feeling he wrote it himself, and you can tell he's not a writer. I feel a little bit bad about critiquing his work (he is telling his life story, and how would I feel if someone told me it was lacking?), but I wasn't as interested as I could have been. It mostly centered around his feeling of just not being in tune with the rest of the world (though the fact that he had an irregular heart beat would have been a very good metaphor...too bad he had that fixed).

Anyway, I enjoyed it, but probably wouldn't recommend it. Not unless you're a die hard *N SYNC fan, or curious about famous people who have come out as homosexual.

Surprised

I'm at my mothers, reading, and she's surprised when I finish my book.

Well, it's her book, technically. And it's my second book of the day.

But still, when I close it and bust open my laptop, she looks at me and goes, "Done?"

I, of course, look sheepishly at the couch in front of me, let out a small smile, and nod.

What can I say? I'm a fast reader.

She thinks it took me less than 3 hours. It's entirely possible she's right. But it was only 320 pages. What do you expect? This is me.

The Dewey Decimal System of Love

Okay, so I found this book for $5 on a clearance rack at Barnes & Noble. I thought to myself, "Huh...a book about a librarian falling in love. Fun."

So it's by Josephine Carr, and is entitled, The Dewey Decimal System of Love On the cover is a card that you could stick in the card catalogue. Since I barely remember using these, it makes me laugh.

Oh, yes, and it is my first filled requirement for the 9909 Challenge.

So, onto the story. Ally is not your typical librarian. Unless you count wearing her hair up, wearing "librarian clothes", having thick glasses, and her most intimate relationships are with books, then no, she's no typical librarian.

But when she goes to a concert and falls in love with the conductor (Aleski), her whole world changes. When he seems to be interested in her (never mind his lovely wife), everything is glorious.

Except the odd homeless man with a PhD from Harvard who may or may not be placing stink bombs in the library. And her boss, Gordon, who suddenly sees her as, well, a woman. And Yvonne, who's in love with Gordon. Oh, and did I mention that Aleski's lovely wife might be planning to kill him? How odd.

It's funny, yes. Not laugh-out-loud funny, but funny anyway. It's quick, and wraps up very nicely at the end. She bemoans her fate as a single woman (at about 40) after the first time she sees Aleski, and spends a lot of time talking to the reader (which is a little...unsettling).

Though, at the beginning of every chapter, it tells you where to find certain things in the Dewey Decimal System (oh, Dewey...).

A Quick Edit

So, you know how I'm doing the 9909 challenge (9 books in 9 categories in 2009)?

I have something to add to one of them. #2 is "9 Re-Reads" I'd like to change that.

#2 shall now and for the year read, "2. 9 Re-Reads I Haven't Blogged"

End of the Year

So, it's the end of the year.

And you know what that means...

The final count for how many books I read.

Okay, even I'm a little appalled this year. I'm trying to remember what else I did, because the number is astronomical...even for me.

Wasn't I in school? Didn't I hang out with friends? I hold down a job. When did I have this much time to read?

The total? 256 books.

Holy-freaking-cow.

2009 Challenge

So, I was reading on Mom's blog...a while back, and she linked to Becky (who I don't think I know...), who talked about reading challenges. Including one where you pick xx amount of topics, and read xx amount of books in them. The "xx" is the last 2 numbers in the year.

So, in 2009, you have 9 categories and you have to read 9 books in each category. I thought this sounded like fun, so I chose my own categories.

1. 9 Award Winners-- Doesn't matter what kind of award, so long as it's won one.
2. 9 Re-Reads-- This one will, of course, fill up the fastest.
3. 9 Books by Men-- I tend to read books written by women. I should work on that.
4. 9 Classics Everyone Should Read (But I Haven't)-- AKA the books I should have read in my college classes, but read the Cliff-Notes instead (No...I only read the Cliff-Notes for one book, I promise)
5. 9 YA Novels-- YA= Young Adult.
6. 9 New Vampire Books
7. 9 Books That Take Place in the South
8. 9 Biographies
9. 9 Books Starring Librarians.

So...here we go!

Blood Sins

Okay, so before now (and excluding the Thief Series), Kay Hooper has written books that are supernatural stand-alones. I mean, they're all about the in the same vein, but you don't need to read one before the other. Some times they mention the same people, but it's different.

Well, this time, it's not like that. I'm assuming that the third book in this set is going to be...well, more complete, but this one was kinda...weird.

It's shorter. It seems more like an outline than a the real book.

The storyline was fine, but underdeveloped. We never really find out what it is that Cody can do, but it's good. And what's up with the romance thing? Tessa and Sawyer never really get together. They just kind of skirt around it.

But I'm glad they took Samuel out. I'm really hoping that she fleshes that out more next book.

Which won't come out for a year.

I was disappointed. But it was okay.

Random Epiphanies and Why I've Been So Quiet

So, I had a really random epiphany today.

I'm re-reading Tribute by Nora Roberts, and I realize why I'm not such a big fan. I don't want to be Cilla, and I don't want a guy like Ford. I don't want their jobs, their cars, their lives.

Not that I want to be every character I read, but Nora Roberts has a way of making everything seem so cool.

One of the big reasons I always wanted to try playing the cello again was because Callie plays it in Birthright. A crazy awkward guy like Bo from Blue Smoke? That'd be cool.

But Cilla is a house rehabber, and Ford is...well, not my favorite NR man ever.

So that was my epiphany.

And why have I been so mysteriously absent lately? Well, I was working on homework, and then I re-read Divine Evil, then tried to read Broken by Kelley Armstrong, but decided that I'm really not that into her books. They take too long to get into, and I'm not sure how much I like the characters. Too much emotional drama, and I have enough of that in my own life, thanks.

And re-reading Tribute has taken me days, though who knows why. Nothing like today where my lunch break ended and I had something like 8 pages left. Makes me crazy.

Working Stiff

Tori Carrington is a husband and wife team who get together and write mystery novels starring Sophie Metropolis. Working Stiff is the 4th of this series.

Sophie is a Greek-American living in Queens. Specifically, she lives in Astoria, which (at least in the book) is like New York's own Little Greece.

Sophie is a private investigator, and she's had her share of odd cases. She mostly finds lost pets (see Sophie Metro for the reasons why...) and cheating spouses cases. She has a loud family who's always in her business, an office manager who is afraid of a lot of things and Puerto Rican, and having trouble deciding between two men.

Does this sound like any other fictional PI to anyone?

Anyway, in this book, Sophie has two major cases. The first is to find a missing body that disappeared from her aunt's mortuary. The second is to prove the innocence of a kid who's about to go on trial for killing his girlfriend.

As usual, she stumbles around, finally figuring things out...in an odd, round-about way. She and Dino (her Greek boyfriend who has great husband potential) get into a big fight, and she finally hooks up with Jake (a man of mystery who's not really husband material, but for one night he's pretty amazing. Oh, and he frequently gets her out of trouble).

And, she solves the mystery. Thankfully. Both of them.

I like these books. They're Stephanie Plum meets "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"

I'm serious. She even has an annoying dog.

Oh, and she and Rosie (her office manager) believe that there is a vampire family.

And she is continually having run-ins with the Mob (where she was actually fitted for cement shoes in Dirty Laundry).

The End of November

So, November is over. You know what that means here at Have Pen, Will Travel (huh...maybe I should change it to Have Book, Will Travel...)

Time for the monthly recap.

Here we go.

27 books. 2 non-fiction. 11 re-reads (impressively short!).

Oh...and 1 that I'm half through. Which is not included in the list, because in order for me to count a book, I have to have finished it.

Revelations

You know, I used to hate series books. Because I'd always accidentally start in the middle of one, and I'd have to go back and read up to where I started...

So would someone please explain to me why the last 9 books I've read have been part of a series.

The most recent one was Revelations, the third in Melissa De La Cruz's Blue Bloods series.

It was...odd. In a really good way. Schuylar has been forced to move in with the Forces, which means that Mimi is driving her crazy and Jack is fully ignoring her.

Meanwhile, her grandfather has taken over the vampire clan, which is driving Mimi crazy.

Now, I don't get who didn't see some of these things coming. Bliss is bleeding after something important went missing? Weird... (right...)

I like Bliss. I'm sad that she's such a psycho. And in some totally weird way, I understand that Mimi just loves Jack, and can't live without him.

And what is up with Ollie being all...woo-ey and in love? It's weird.

Anyway, I liked this one. The big fight scene, the beginning of the second war, the unknown history... it's really fun.

Salvation in Death

I promise you, I've been reading a lot lately, I just haven't been blogging about it.

That said, I just finished the latest J.D. Robb novel, Salvation in Death. I have no idea what I thought it was going to be about, but whatever I was expecting, it was so much better.

It starts out with a priest. He dies after drinking the sacrificial wine during a Mass for a dead man (I have no idea what that would be called...).

Just pitches over, mid-Mass.

And here I start thinking, oh, some guy who hates the church. Expect a bunch of priest killings.

Nope! Turns out...he's not really a priest.

So the whole book focuses on this one murder, though it branches out into old murders, and then there's the one mid-book. It was a little weird, another preacher (evangelical, this time) who is poisoned during his big preaching time. So then you think it's about killing religious leaders who are making bad choices.

Still not.

It was really good. I enjoyed it...even though I found some of it hard to follow. I know where the girlfriend comes in, and I know all the stuff she did, but it's still a bit confusing for me.

There was something else too.

Oh! Right! Ariel, from Creation in Death came by with a giant cake, and later Eve said something about Roarke going around the law to bring down the killer, and I couldn't for the life of me remember what he did! And I can't just go back and read Creation right now, because I've got (a) homework! and (b) tons of other new books in series that I'm supposed to be reading right now.

So confused!

Anyway, I really liked this one.

100 Posts

Okay, so at the Sardonic Girl, I just mentioned that I found the best, most inappropriate quote that I love.

Since I was reading it, I thought I'd mention it here.

I found this book... The Official Nora Roberts Companion.

Too funny. So I'm flipping through reading polls and glancing at pictures, when I see a quote relating to French fries. So I pause.

"How can one live without French fries? Not well, I say. In fact, I've been known to say that a day without French fries is like a day without an orgasm." -Nora Roberts.

Dime Store Magic

So, Dime Store Magic is the third in Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series (the first is Bitten, the second Stolen). If you remember, the first (and second, though I haven't read that one yet) starred Elena, a werewolf.

This one stars Paige, a witch. A lot happens in the second that leads up to this, but Paige is in custody of Savannah, a 13 year old witch.

When a half-demon tells Savannah's dad (Kristof) of Savannah's mother's death, she also convinces Kristof to go after Savannah.

Paige knows that it's best for Savannah to stay with her, and goes about fighting for her. She employs a human lawyer (Kristof has a sorcerer for a lawyer), but he's killed (by Leah, the half-demon).

Lots of things go wrong after that, most of them involving police action. Between stealing grave dirt, killing a boy, bringing an entire mortuary of dead bodies into zombiehood, and a police chase, Paige has her own problem.

Lucas Cortez, a sorcerer, has shown up, volunteering to be her lawyer.

The only other really important thing you're missing? The sorcerer's have their own mob-type families, called Kabals, and both Kristof and Lucas are heirs to their own Kabal thrones. Lucas doesn't want it, and Kristof does.

So Paige is also trying to keep Savannah out of that kind of trouble, and falling in love with Lucas.

It's a lot to follow sometimes, and it's a little slow (it took me a while to really get into this one...maybe because I read Haunted, the 5th in the series starring Eve, Savannah's mother, before I read this one). Other than those things, I liked it.

For A Few Demons More

You know, one day, I'm going to look back at this time in my life and laugh at all the things I read.

Anyway. I just finished For A Few Demons More by Kim Harrison. It's a supernatural mystery novel where vampires, werewolves (and all other weres), witches, humans, demons, and elves all coexist.

Of course, it takes place in Cincinnati, which is always fun.

Anyway, in this one Rachel (our main character and a witch) is trying to save everyone around her from going postal, maintain some sort of balance with her roommate (Ivy, a living vampire who's in love with her), her boyfriend (Kisten, another living vampire), keep herself from getting killed or turned into a demon's familiar (it's a complicated story), and solve the case of who's killing the weres.

I did mention this is part of a series, right?

Anyway, it's fun. Rachel is a little crude, a lot crazy, and a total adrenaline junkie. It's kind of awesome watching her work.

This one is intense, both emotionally and physically. Everything will, eventually, be okay, but right now it's all a little crazy. And then, Kist...oh, Kist. I love him. Have I mentioned how glad I am that they killed Piscary? Because he was a real jerk (that happens to really old vampires...)

Paying Attention

So, I bought a book today.

I thought it was Destiny Kills by Kay Hooper.

Turns out it's Destiny Kills by Keri Arthur.

They both start with a "K" and end with an "R"...that's the only reason I can even remotely come up with for why I confused the authors.

Lean Mean Thirteen

Lean Mean Thirteen is the thirteenth novel in Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. Man...I bet guessing where it was was tough.

Anyway, have mentioned lately how much I like these books, right? Because I do. They're fun and funny and just a trip.

In this one, Stephanie's ex-husband (Dickie) goes missing. Since Steph attacked him the day before he went missing, she's at the top of the suspect list.

Of course, then all the other people associated with Dickie's law firm start showing up dead, and she's suddenly not nearly as worried about being framed for murder as actually into the investigation.

And she has to move in with Ranger while Joe is working. I love it when she has to live with Ranger.

And Tank gets shot. I swear, the more Steph hangs out at RangeMan, the more dangerous it gets.

And I did mention how much I love Ranger and Joe, right? Because they're freaking awesome.

Bitten

Okay, so I was looking at the Amazon 4-for-3 lists the other day, and came across this series by Kelley Armstrong. The first was Bitten, so I decided to read it. I requested it from work, and it came in yesterday.

Of course, yesterday I was in the middle of Hunting Fear, so it had to wait.

Oh my gosh. I really liked this novel. It's about a woman (Elena). When we first meet her, she's living in Toronto with Philip. And she sneaks out in the middle of the night, changes into a werewolf, and runs to a ravine.

Then Jeremy calls. And she has to go back to New York, see her old "family."

Including her old fiancee, Clay.

Poor girl. She's put through an absolute emotional wringer, but finally figures out who she is. And who she loves.

Let's just say, she moves out of Toronto in the end (Which, of course, made me really, really happy. I like her and Clay together).

I was sad to lose Logan though, even though I don't know him at all.

This was her first novel, it became a series. One that Elena doesn't narrate the whole time (which makes me sad...I like Elena!).

Anyway...I'm going to see if anyone near me has the second one... I like Kelley Armstrong.

Oh, and I want to mention that it's a little graphic. The killing scenes are a little graphic, it includes references to torture and child sexual abuse. Just a warning.

Hunting Fear

Hunting Fear is another Kay Hooper Bishop/SCU novel.

I like this one. Like the others, it takes place in a small town, stars a psychic (or two...), and revolves around a serial killer. Bonus--about a couple who had been together before and are getting back together. And you wonder why I love these books.

Anyway, in this one, Lucas Jordan is our FBI agent (though Quentin has a secondary role...I love Quentin. He stars in Chill of Fear), and he can sense fear. Samantha Burke tells fortunes in a carnival. But when they find themselves in the same city again (Golden...what kind of city name is that? Probably a real one...), and a kidnapper/murderer on their hands, they have to work together to hunt him down.

Lucas is a little distant...until you find out why (at the almost-very end). Sam is really out there with her feelings, no matter how much she pretends not to be. Jaylene has a terrible name, but they usually call her Jay (Oh...she's Lucas's partner).

Bishop also makes his special appearance, both at the beginning (recruiting Lucas, trying to find Miranda), and at the end (see, our fearless leader really does have everything under control!). Miranda's there at the very very end too.

Anyway, as they're trying to find the victims (the 3 that get kidnapped in this part of the story...apparently the kidnapper has been doing this for 18 months before we come into the picture), Sam and Lucas are also coming to terms with each other...again.

Oh, I did mention that they met 3 years previously on another case, right? Right.

I'm a fan.

The Excel List

So, I have this really complicated Excel list that I keep about the books I read.

There's the main spreadsheet, which includes all of the following (in order) on any book I read: Title, Author Last Name, Author First Name, Stars?, Last Read, Genre, Sex, Violence, Language, Religion, Fiction/Nonfiction?, Other Authors, Own?, Series?, Personal Notes.

Most are pretty self explanatory, but personal notes is where I put an abbreviated version of this.

I'm going to have to add a new column, though. Blogged. Because I'm going to start re-reading things that I've blogged (I already have for a few, in fact), and I don't want to double blog, or have to go check the stupid records.

Oh, the other spreadsheets in the file are Read in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008, Books I Own (though I now have a new list in a separate file), and Thieves.

How did you think I kept up with how much I read every year and every month? It's on the list...

Blue Bloods

Okay, one of the girls at work recommended this to me. A post-Twilight teen vampire novel.

Blue Bloods is the first the series (so far, there are 3 out). Schuyler is an outcast teen at an overpriced, rich-kids school.

Oh, and in case you're wondering...she's a vampire. She just doesn't know it yet.

Yeah, all those rich, perfectly-pretty plastic type people? All vampires. Makes you hate them.

Anyway, a whole group of kids are inducted into their new lives (again, a lot of the usual vampire propaganda is not true...used to throw off humans).

But there is something hunting the vampires (they call themselves Blue Bloods, while humans are just Red Bloods). And it's the only thing that can cause true death in them.

And what choice does Schuyler have but to hunt down the thing hunting them? None, none at all. Especially after it...well, I can't say that. Revels a major plot point.

Anyway, well written (if a little confusing). Vampires, by the way, are angels that got kicked out of heaven. So there's an interesting tidbit.

It's odd, and doesn't end on the best of notes. I respect it for that.

But I'm certain she'll find her grandfather.

And I really, really hate Mimi. She's a moron. And Jack needs to wise up.

Divided in Death

Okay, so Divided in Death is a J.D. Robb novel. It stars Lieutenant Eve Dallas, and her oh-so-sexy husband, Roarke.

This one is kinda late in the series, and they've been together something like 2 years at this point.

One morning (around 2 am, when no good calls come in), Roarke gets a call. One of his employees (one with a high security clearance) has just found her husband and her best friend in bed together, dead. This is not good.

So Eve and Roarke go over there and Eve does her job (I did mention she's a murder cop, right?)

Murder, mystery, and mayhem ensue.

Also--lots of things come out about Eve's past.

Now, the problem with some of the J.D. Robb novels is they tend to focus on either the emotional stuff, or on the murder. She usually has trouble blending the two.

Oh my gosh--not this time. This time, it is so well done that the story would absolutely suck without the other stuff. They feed off each other. It's amazing.

One of my favorites in this series because of the way the two work together.

Re-Reading

You know one of my favorite things about re-reading books? When I find really random things shoved in the book.

Nothing like finding an old bookmark (I use index cards most of the time) at some really random point, or an old grocery list.

Today, I found a poem in Chapter 7 of Divided in Death, called "Thoughts Pressed Between Pages"

Now how freaking appropriate is that?

The USA Patriot Act Reader

Get ready for a bunch of these types of posts, I still have 4 more books to get through, and if they're this interesting, you'll be hearing about them. This one was edited by Alphonse B. Ewing.

This one goes over the Patriot Act (oh so long), then talks about libraries. But not in defense of libraries, but in defense of the Patriot Act. It was weird.

But really good. He addresses what the libraries were saying, and actually made me look at it a different way. The fact that libraries are never specifically addressed, for one thing. The wording is a little questionable too.

Something new to think about.

Anyway, I have to give it a 3 because there is a lot of boring for just a little insight. But what insight it is.

The Intellectual Freedom Manual

Okay, so the book I just finished up is a huge book on the policies and statements of the ALA on intellectual freedom, including the ALA Code of Ethics, the Library Bill of Rights, and a huge chunk of information on the ALA's views of patron privacy.

I'm researching for class. Give me a break.

Okay, it was actually interesting, if you're interested in politics, laws, ethics...oh my gosh, I'm into boring things.

I found a lot of good information, and a lot of things I would have never thought of. Bravo, ALA!

Oh, and I can't rate it, because it's not that kind of book. It's a manual.

Chesapeake Blue

There are all kinds of classics. There are the classics that they say are the ones that everyone should read, and there are the kind that you just fall in love with.

Chesapeake Blue in the last of 4 by Nora Roberts, and is my kind of classic.

You have to read the first 3 before you can read this last one, because otherwise a lot of this doesn't make sense. You can read it, and get a lot of the back story, but it's more fun if you know the background.

Seth was adopted by his brothers when he was 10. He spent the rest of his life fighting with his mother, a junkie who wanted everything she could get. Hoping to throw her off his back, he runs away to Europe to paint.

There, his work flourishes, and he becomes a widely known painter. But when Gloria (his mother) shows up at his door, he decides to go back home to Eastern Maryland.

Once there, he meets Dru, a woman who owns a flower shop. He talks her into posing for him, and they end up falling in love.

But Gloria isn't content to let Seth be happy. She threatens to tell a false story to the tabloids, but Seth, his brothers, their wives, and Dru all set her straight.

It's a really fun story. I've always been a big fan of Seth...he's a sweetheart. And Dru, because she's so prim and proper. It makes me laugh. Oh, and Aubrey. She's a spitfire.

Anyway, in case you missed it...I'm a huge fan.

Moby Dick, Part 1

As I recently mentioned on The Sardonic Girl, I've been reading too much trashy pop news and watching too much TV, so in an effort to keep my brain from going to complete literary mush, I'm going to be reading Moby Dick for the next 37 days or so. 20 pages a day. But there's so much, that I may need to talk about it here.

So, part 1. Chapters 1-3. I love what he says about the sea being the thing that keeps him from killing himself. That's interesting. Not to mention that, Ishmael is right. Meditation and water are wedded very close to each other.

The creepy painting in the hallway at the Inn he stays at? The one that's dark and hard to make out what it's supposed to be? Why does that seem like so much foreshadowing to me? Is it?

Also, what does it say that he wanders into a church thinking it's an inn?

Never mind he ends up sharing his bed with a cannibalistic headhunter who is possibly a white man covered in tattoos (did anyone else read Typee?). And! My favorite line! "Better sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunken Christian." What the heck does that mean?!?

If There Be Dragons

What can I say, I'm going through an old romance writers kick. As of recently, I've been reading a lot of old Sandra Brown and Kay Hooper novels.

Most recently was If There Be Dragons by Kay Hooper.

What you need to know: This is straight paranormal romance. By that I mean she (Brooke) is psychic, and the entire story is her getting over her issues so that she can fall in love with Cody.

And, yeah, they both refer to her issues as dragons.

The dialogue is cheesy, the temporary pet wolf is weird, and neither of them are very convincing characters, but it's a cute story. She barely uses her psychic ability, which is sad, but a little expected. I really like KH's mystery series better, if only because they use their gifts.

Anyway. It's cute, though a little trite. It was fine. Not stellar, but I'll probably end up re-reading it again in a year or so.

Bowled Over

I just finished Bowled Over, the 6th and latest book by Kasey Michaels, starring Maggie Kelly.

What you need to know about these books? You absolutely cannot start with number six. You have to read number one (Maggie Needs an Alibi) first. After that, go to town. Read what's handy. But you have to read it first.

Maggie is just your average, everyday, neurotic New York Times best selling Regency-Era romance writer living in New York when the series starts.

That is, until her hero, Alexandre Blake aka the Viscount Saint Just aka Alex Blakely, and his Watson-esque sidekick, Sterling Balder, show up on her doorstep.

In this sixth book, Maggie is going home for Christmas, but staying with her father in his bachelor pad while her mother's condo (only a block away) is taken over by siblings and their friends.

But when Maggie's dad is accused of killing a man, Maggie and Alex once again have to solve the crime and save the day (as they have for the last 5 books).

The great part about these books? Aside from being over the top and rather hilarious, they are almost a mete-novel. This book, in fact, has about 3 chapters devoted to the meta-novel. Talking about the killer, of course, and why he's doing what he's doing. It's fun, and funny, in a really odd way.

Anyway, as much as I'd love to say that it's perfect and amazing, it's not. I guessed the motive well into the book (though I thought someone else was the killer, apparently they at least had that right).

And...how did Maggie buy a 4 story house at such a "great price"? There has got to be a catch (and no new Maggie books on the horizon), I'm curious.

And this whole evolving thing? Weird. Though appreciative (because KM almost waited too long to get Alex and Maggie together) to see the characters grow, (a) the whole concept is weird and kind of hard to wrap your mind around (though, there is always "Stranger Than Fiction"), it's also (b) annoying to see how perfect Alex is. Grey hair is a mean (albeit fun) way to show him evolving.

Haha

I love it when popular authors cite other popular authors.

I'm reading Bowled Over, a Maggie Kelly/Saint Just mystery right now. It's an odd series (Maggie is the writer, and Saint Just, or Alex, is the main character in her novels. That is, until one day he shows up on her doorstep in New York...)

And Maggie's talking about marrying off Saint Just in the books, and she cites Nora Roberts, who has this great series about a man and his cop wife.

The In Death series, written under the pseudonym of J.D. Robb, starring the ever sexy, debonair Roarke and his lovely wife, Lt. Eve Dallas. Never mind the books are mostly centered around Eve's cases...not around Roarke (which means she should have top billing, not him).

So there you go. Who doesn't love this type of random reference?

Or I was reading a Janet Evanovich once that cited a woman reading...some romance author that I had heard of... Joy.

8 Minutes

I have (at the time of beginning this post) 8 minutes until the end of October.

That said, it's time for the monthly round up.

The grand total this month? 31.

And I just realized that means I'm averaging a book a day.

Grand total for the year (so far): 208.

Which says a few things.

The biggest and brightest being, what the heck am I doing with my life?

The second being, when do I do homework?

Oh, yeah, right now.

Homeport

Homeport is an older Nora Roberts book.

It stars Dr. Miranda Jones, a...well, she does something with verifying dates on old pieces of art, and Ryan Boldari (great names, both of them), an art gallery owner and gentleman burglar.

Miranda is an uptight, cautious woman who only believes in science. When she's called to Italy by her mother to authenticate a bronze statue, she believes she's found an undocumented Michelangelo.

Somehow, the press finds out, and the piece is transferred to another facility. She's sent home to Maine in shame, only to be robbed (you'll never guess by who...).

When the small bronze statue that was taken from the museum Miranda works at is found to be a fraud, Miranda and Ryan have to work together to find out who hates Miranda so much that they would kill 3 people and steal priceless works.

It's a fun romp, seeing Miranda and Ryan get together. She's so...anti-everything unorganized, and he...well, he's a second story man. Going with the flow is essential.

Also, I really like Andrew, Miranda's brother. Yeah, he's an alcoholic, but he's trying so hard to get over it! That doesn't mean that I support him looking to Annie as his savior, but he's trying. Which is important too.

Good story line. I remember not being able to figure out who it was the first time, and even forgetting the second.

This is way past the second time I've read it, so I'm sitting here reading it going, "I know who did it! I know who did it!"

But can I mention that it drives me crazy that the killer has to be crazy? It makes me sad.

Oh, and the kind of ick factor when you finally find out who it is? Big time shudder.

Eloquent Silence

When I can't sleep, I have a bad habit of picking up a book and reading until I can. Tonight I picked up Sandra Brown's Eloquent Silence because it was shorter.

Okay, here's what you need to know. She (Lauri) is teacher for deaf students. He (Drake Rivington, which I thought was awesome) is a (you have to be ready for it) soap star. He also has a daughter (Jennifer) who is deaf. He hires Lauri to move from New York to Arizona to privately tutor Jennifer.

Of course, there's this really strong attraction right from the beginning. Both are widowers. The difference? Drake is still in love with his dead wife, while Lauri was glad (in a non-creepy, non-black widow kind of way) that her husband died (she was sad at first, I swear).

Anyway, as Drake is in New York, filming, Lauri and Jennifer are bonding in Arizona.

Then Drake comes to Arizona. They (of course) become lovers after (many annoying) near misses, and (are you ready?) when her parents (a minister and his wife) show up unexpectedly at the house, Drake tells them (as to save her reputation) that they got married!

Oh my gosh. It all kind of spirals out of control from there. A reporter shows up, and suddenly everyone knows.

And she's mostly okay with it until Jennifer goes through the boxes of the dead wife's things, and Drake flips.

He leaves for New York, and when he come back, they hash it all out.

The best part of this book? The cheesy romance lines. "Drown me in your love, Drake!" (Oh man...so inappropriate...).

I can't even keep going, because the best ones are really, really inappropriate (especially given the context...oh my gosh), and I try to keep this (at least mostly) family friendly.

Anyway, it was fine. Good for an (inappropriate) laugh, but a fine story line too. Characters who were a little annoying, but not overly.

I liked it just fine.

The Spellman Files

Ok, so I heard about this one from my mother. The Spellman Files is the first of the series by Lisa Lutz. Curse of the Spellmans is second, and the third is coming out next March (Revenge of the Spellmans).

Let me just tell you...hilarious. So funny.

It's about a family (the Spellmans) who are PI's. Well, all of them except David.

Let me explain. There's Olivia, the mother who hates dentists (for good reason). Al is the ex-policeman-turned-PI. David is their oldest son, and he's "perfect" who's a lawyer. Isabel (out heroine and the one who tells the story) is the "problem child" who didn't attend college but stayed with the family business. Rae is the youngest, and the product of having two much older siblings. There's also Uncle Ray, who's an unabashed nut and addictive...well, everything.

Anyway, it's so funny. Izzy starts dating a dentist (and, I know he's Guatemalan, but when he says he's a dentist, I always think of the elf from Rudolph the Red-nosed reindeer), but she tells him she's a schoolteacher. Not a PI.

And such follows the madness of the wars between Ray and Rae, between Izzy and her parents, between Izzy and Rae, and watching David pay off his little sister.

Until, that is, Izzy gets caught up in a 12 year old missing persons case, and Rae goes missing.

Then they meet Inspector Henry Stone.

Did I mention some of Izzy's odd character flaws? She's addicted to old episodes of "Get Smart" (I'm wondering how she felt about the movie...), keeps track of her ex-boyfriends by listing their names, their professions, and what their last words are. Oh, and she prefers to enter by a window instead of by the door.

Numbers 6 and 9 need explained, but it's funny.

Oh, and privacy? Completely overrated in other people, but utterly necessary in your private life. Without it, madness occurs.

Out of the Shadows

Out of the Shadows is a paranormal romance/thriller by Kay Hooper. It's part of the FBI/Bishop Special Agent group.

Actually, this is the one starring Bishop, making it one of my favorites.

Anyway, Sheriff Miranda Knight lives in a small town where teens are being murdered. After the third teen has gone missing, she calls in the FBI's new department, one that's a little...unorthodox.

Noah Bishop, Tony Harte, and Dr. Sharon Edwards all come.

The trick? The new department is all psychics, and Bishop is the one in charge.

Of course, Bishop and Miranda have a past...one that makes Miranda the only person left for her little sister Bonnie.

And while a madman is trying to clean-up after his mistakes in this town, Bishop and Miranda are not only trying to find him, but trying to protect Bonnie from him, dealing with a creepy and angry spirit that's haunting all the local Ouija boards, and trying to figure out their relationship (I still think it's creepy when Bishop calls her "love." He's not that kind of guy.)

You can pick up any of these novels and not be too lost (I started with the latest one published at the time, Sleeping With Fear, which continues to be my favorite), though apparently the newest trilogy actually have an overarching story line. So there you go.

Valley of Silence

And the conclusion. In this third novel, Nora Roberts pits light against darkness, as with all great tales.

Yeah...they speak with that old English type-talk, and it tends to run through my head very well. Sorry if it comes out.

Anyway! This one takes place almost exclusively in Geall, with only a brief side trip to New York at the very end.

Moira become queen (something no one expected, right?), and the big battle happens.

Lilith and Lora (who I always want to call Lorna, and I don't know why) spend a lot of time together (they're close), plotting and planning to take over the world. Thankfully they kill off Davey. Kid gives me the creeps.

Anyway. With all the fighting, preparing for battle, and loss, there is a bright spot. You got it. Cian and Moira fall in love. Though, both know it's going to end with the battle. Either they'll die there, or they can't be together (he's a vampire, and she's a queen. It would never work).

So come the big fight, many are lost (over 500, but all the vampires, save Cian), but they win (of course. It does have to have a happy ending. It's a NR novel), and all 6 of the circle live.

Larkin and Blair move to modern-day New York, Glenna and Hoyt to the home that Hoyt grew up in, but in modern-day Ireland, not the 12th century. Cian goes to New York and spends almost 2 months drunk and wallowing. Moira tends to her country (her country. She's a queen).

Then, of course, Morrigan comes and offers Cian a choice. And what can he do except accept a boon from the gods?

Sigh.

I always like the big battle scenes the best.

Dance of the Gods

In the continuing series that is utterly unbelievable in the Circle trilogy, I just finished Dance of the Gods by Nora Roberts.

In this one, our six continue to train in modern day Ireland, including numerous trips to the cave to irritate Lilith (our big bad vampire). After rescuing some of the humans, almost killing Larkin more times than I can count, and trying to kill Blair off just a couple times for kicks, they head to Geall, the land of Moira and Larkin.

Oh, did I mention that Larkin is a shape-shifter? Not just one animal, he can turn into anything from a unicorn to a rat to a dragon. A big, gold dragon. It's pretty fun.

Oh, and he and Blair get together in this one.

Anyway, in Geall Moira is waiting for her time to try to pull the sword from the stone (a la "The Sword in the Stone") to see if she is going to be the next ruler. Her mother was queen, until she was killed by vampires and Moira went to Ireland to learn to fight.

Every one else is trying to help the Geallians train to become an army worthy of a vampire army. Well, everyone but Cian. He's busy just being a vampire and trying not to scare too many of the locals. He does, however, now have a cloak (that either makes him look like Zorro or like a bad B movie vampire impersonator, depending on who you ask) that lets him go out in the sun. How fun!

Again, more visits from the goddess, more fighting, more coming to terms with the fact that you really can have someone who loves you, no matter what your profession is (Blair is a demon hunter. Her last fiancee didn't take to well to that...he died this book).

Anyway, I'm a big fan.

Oh! And, Nora Roberts has started doing this thing where in her trilogies, in the second book, the two remaining characters (you know, the two who haven't fallen in love yet, but will in the third book, you just know it) kiss.

So, after Moira has killed one of the vamps who killed her mother, she tries to kill the second, but Cian kills him for her, and she gets mad to yell at Cian, and to shut her up, he kisses her.

And then you know...

Morrigan's Cross

Okay, so sometimes, you just have to re-read a book.

The thing about Nora Roberts is that she really likes books that take place in Ireland. They're second only to New York, but that's because she has an entire series that takes place there (running over 25 books at this point, I believe).

Anyway, I was trying to figure out what to read this morning (because I was so disappointed by Temperatures Rising yesterday, I wanted something I could count on), and I grabbed this one just out of fun.

So, I re-read it. Now, it's a little odd, I'll give you that. It's about 6 people who have to make it work to keep an evil vampire from taking over the worlds. They're charged by Morrigan, an Irish warrior goddess.

The charge starts with Hoyt, a sorcerer from (are you ready for it?) Ireland in the 1100s. He goes to modern day New York to find (here we go) his twin brother who was turned into a vampire about a week before he left.

Confused yet? In New York, he meets Glenna, a witch. The three of them, along with King, who's a friend of Cian (the brother...I love his name), head to Ireland to set up camp in Hoyt and Cian's old house.

It's keeps going. There they rescue Moira (another great name) and Larkin. Moira is a scholar and soon to be queen of a different world (probably more like Ireland mid-1500 or so, without the potato famine, and if they had never been thrown over by the English) called Geall. Larkin is her (ready?) shape-shifting cousin.

After a time, Blair comes to find them as well. Blair is a modern day Buffy, but she's not the only one. It's (come on now) the family business.

Now, all that unbelievableness aside, it's a great story. A little overdone in some parts, but oh-so-much fun.

Plus, when Glenna and Hoyt (not so great names, either one) get together (you know, have sex, fall in love, get hand-fasted, which is like marriage), flames have a bad tendency to burn hotter and brighter.

Not to mention, in the first book, we almost kill Hoyt twice, Glenna at least twice, Moira and Larkin at least once, Blaire is good at holding her own, and Cian at least twice.

Plus, there's the infighting, emotional family crap, reluctance, fighting of emotion, and all sorts of joys things they need to get through.

So much fun.

Temperatures Rising

So, I went from surprisingly stellar CF to a huge letdown romance. I'm just that kind of person, I guess.

Anyway, I just finished Sandra's Brown Temperatures Rising, an old one (1989!), so a straight romance.

Let me just say, Scout was very obsessed with Chantal's breasts. They came up at least once a page.

Anyway, Scout is an engineer working on a resort in the islands off Hawaii when he's kidnapped by Chantal, a beautiful native woman. He's accidentally shot, knocked out, and dragged to their village.

Chantal is a brilliant geologist who's village needs a new bridge. She kidnaps Scout so he'll build it for them. It's a rocky road (he doesn't want to, she ends up burning the bridge down so he will), never mind the fact they're both so attracted to each other that it's practically killing them.

I wasn't all that impressed. The writing was only okay, the plot line despicable, the characters unbelievable and annoying.

None of the great twists I've come to expect from a Sandra Brown, but then again, it is an early one before she had her style set.

Let me just say, I doubt I'll be reading it again.

Something New

So, on her website, when Mom talks about a book she read, she puts the author in the labels section.

I decided that could be a stellar idea.

That way, instead of having to search through all my posts to find out if I've reviewed anything else by them, you can just click on their name at the end of a post.

Of course, I read a lot of things that don't end up here, or other books by authors I have reviewed. I have a documented amount of over 600 books read. If you're curious, just ask me. I'm always more than happy to talk books with anyone who wants to.

Embrace Me

So, Carter, who is Lola's fiancee, lent Lola the book Embrace Me by Lisa Samson. Lola read it, and then told me that I had to read it, so she left it on my bed yesterday. I'm done with it now, and let me tell you---amazing.

Okay, so the story goes back and forth between a man and a woman. The man (Drew) happens in 2002/2003, and the woman (Valentine) happens in 2008/2009.

Here's your warning--this is a blatantly Christian novel. Big talk about Jesus and praying and redemption and the Church.

That said...

Drew is an ex-pastor who did everything wrong. He was kind of in it for the right reasons, but mostly for the wrong ones. When we meet him, he's left his mega-church and is living at the beach. He's detailing his sins for Father Brian, even though Drew isn't Catholic. It's a sad story of a man who wants power and approval, and will do anything to get it.

Valentine works in a Sideshow. Her face has been burned, and she dresses up in a green costume to become the Lizard Woman. Her best friend is Lella, the legless-armless woman. Val is bitter about her past, and churches in general.

It's the off-season in Val's time, so they're hanging around Mount Oak at the owner's house. A bunch of them who work in the sideshow stay together in the off-season.

Anyway, while Drew is working through his issues, so is Val.

It's amazing. Well written, well twined together, the story line is amazing. While the end gets a little cheesy, it is still poignant and beautiful.

I was a little sad that Gus stuck to his vows, but that's the (usually pushed aside and beaten up) romantic in me.

Oh, and let me just say that, for the record, the sins they deal with are things we all deal with. Wanting more. Greed. Unforgiveness. A likelihood of putting ourselves and our wants before anyone or anything else.

I loved it.

The Crush

So, in my hurry to get to work today, I forgot to bring the book that I'm nearing the end of. Good thing there was a book sale nearby and I picked up 20 (20!) books today.

I started reading The Crush by Sandra Brown when I had 15 minutes before my shift started.

When it starts out, you know exactly who the killer is, who the woman is, and who the man is. It's kind of nice, knowing all that right off.

With all that in mind, all you have to look out for in this book is the emotional twist.

Here's what's different about this book. They (Rennie and Wick) don't get together until really, really close to the end. It's refreshing, and a little disconcerting. The killer is a sane sort of crazy. The twists in his case (I really thought he was still with them by the beach when they get called away!) are very well done as well.

What's not so stellar: killing the other doctor right off. A little sad. The 4 page into on the security guard's issues...we only see him in the second chapter and never again. Waste of time, in my book.

Oh my gosh! Where Wick shoots Oren? Amazing! I couldn't believe it!

Yeah, in case you missed it, I'm a fan.

A Question

So, here's my problem, followed quickly by the question I am pondering.

I've been reading a bunch of those Nora Roberts early novels, the ones that they've re-released as 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 novels. The one I'm currently reading has 3, and the third one I've read before.

At least 3 times.

So here's my question.

If I skip the last book in the book, does it still count as reading it?

Because, normally, I don't count something if I don't finish it. Whether I have 100 pages left or just 10, it doesn't count until I close the book, every single chapter read.

So, does it count this time, or still not?

I'm thinking not.