Up Next

I just pulled Nightwatch by Sergei Lukyaneko off the shelf (there are currently 21 books there to choose from). This book was a besteller in Russia and was recommended to me by the Barnes  & Noble clerk. 

I really don't know anything about it, but Gina* said it was the best book in the whole sci-fi section. So we'll see if she is right. 

*The name has been changed not to protect her, but because I haven't the foggiest idea what her name really was.

Ewww.....

I read the third book in Charlaine Harris' "Grave" series, An Ice Cold Grave. While the storyline was excellent, I could do without the step-brother on step-sister action. Couldn't she have just introduced them from the beginning as two people who grew up in the same house rather than "my brother this and my brother that"? Gross.... they're talking about marriage. And they wonder how their half-sisters are going to feel about this. Well, duh. They are going to be grossed out! 

Anyway - Harper has been called into a small town to do her "thing" and find the dead bodies of boys who have gone missing. Six in three years to be exact. Harper is able to sense the bodies and finds a few extra to boot. Well, the murderer just isn't too happy with her spoiling his fun and Harper has to figure out not only who is the snake in the garden in this kind town, but who wants her dead.

It has some great unexpected elements, but again, I could do without the step-sibling make-out sessions.

J.R. Ward is Addictive

Luckily, the next J.R. Ward book isn't out for a few months. Otherwise it would be even longer before I got anything done. I spent all day Sunday reading the story of Vishous, Lover Unbound. This story didn't have very much about the mortal enemy of the Vampires, the Lessers. It involved more about the relationships between the characters.

I was glad that John finally went through the "turning." He is a character with much promise and I've enjoyed how his story has progressed throughout the first five books. 

I'll get a break until June 3rd when book 6 is released. (Which should be a doozy. A 200-year old celibate vampire who is married to basically 40 "chosen" women but is in love with his twin's wife.)

In the meantime, perhaps I can get some laundry done?

P.S. Out of 502 pages, she only used the word "boots" once.

UPS Made It

So, as I was leaving yesterday to go meet Claire for a drink, I noticed that sometime between 4:00 (when I checked last) and 4:30, UPS had left my box of books by the front door. Thanks for ringing the doorbell, bud. 

As I came home last night, I had the choice of two books that I am looking forward to reading. I chose the Kresley Cole book, Dark Needs at Night's Edge, because Rachel originally got me hooked on this series and I thought if I got this one read first, then I could pass it on to Rachel and then Jennifer.

Well, I'm ready to pass it on. I started the book when I got home last night and read until about 1:30. I completed the book this morning. It was that good.

This book is just as good as the three books that preceded it. The main character is a "fallen" vampire, Conrad Wroth, who is really a little crazy. He has the memories of all of the people he has taken blood from and so he has a little trouble determining what is real and what is memory. His three brothers capture him in the attempt to bring him back from the brink of crazy. Hey - there's that crazy theme again. 

While he is imprisoned, Conrad sees a ghost. He doesn't realize that she is real, but she craves to be with him because he is the only one who can see her. They build an impossible relationship.

I enjoyed seeing some of my favorite characters, especially Nix. "Nucking Futs Nix" is great. 

Darn UPS!

Today I was home because I worked last Saturday. It is great to be home on a workday without being sick. You can get so much done. Unless you are trapped at your house waiting for UPS! 

I ordered new books from Barnes & Noble and they are scheduled to be delivered today. Now, when I'm at work, all of my packages are delivered by 1:30. But since I am home, it isn't here yet. Grr. When I go out to eat, I like to take a book with me so I don't sit and stare at the wall while waiting for my food. Since I'm excited about the books that I ordered, I don't want to start a new book at lunch when I have new ones coming.

So now I'm hungry and grumpy waiting for the next J.R. Ward and Kresley Cole books.

Back to Murder

This morning I finished Three Bedrooms, One Corpse by Charlaine Harris. I thought this was a good choice to ease back into murder mystery since it is an Aurora Teagarden book. I love this character. The retired librarian (who is in her early thirties) does her mom a favor by showing a house for an interested buyer. As she showed the three bedroom house, she finds a corpse in one of the bedrooms. Thus, the title.

I can't wait to read the next book. I think that this series was actually published some time ago and I could find the next book from a book dealer, but I am content to wait for the reprint. I have so much to read right now that I'm great.

Time for Romance

OK - apparently I've been reading too much about murder and hackin' someone up with a sword because you're some elite fighting machine that can't go out in the day. The other day I woke myself up trying to yell "HELP". It just came out as a squeak, but just the same, the dream was quite disturbing and evil...

I woke up laying inside a concrete cave not knowing how I had gotten there. As I begin to move to look around, my right shoulder brushes against something. My heartbeat is pounding as I look over to see what is next to me. I am able to get my whits about me when I realize that it is another woman with a slight build and long dark hair. She doesn't know how she has come to be in this place either.

I help her up and we head toward a ramp that leads up to daylight. It has the feel of the ramps that are underneath large stadiums. It isn't, but it feels that way. As we get to the top of the ramp, we find that we are standing in the medium of a large freeway and cars are whipping past us. My companion points to the other side of the road and says that if we go back underground, we can cross under the freeway to the other ramp and then walk to safety. It isn't until later that it occurs to me to wonder what may lurk under the freeway.

As we begin to descend into the concrete cave, a man smiles and says hello as he heads up the ramp. My companion is unconcerned, but being cautious, I turn as he passes so he is not at my back. I turn just in time to see him kick my companion in the small of her back as hard as he can and say "I thought you were supposed to work" as she begins to tumble down the ramp.

As I turn to fight him, (Yes, I was prepared to fight, not run.) I could feel waves of malevolence (evil) pouring off of him. I have my hands up, ready to go for his face so I can get him down and then grab my companion to run to the other ramp. As I'm tensing up for the attack, I try to scream but nothing comes out of my mouth. I try again with more determination and I wake myself up with a weak "help."

Soooo..... I went with the crazy book, and Shadow Music by Julie Garwood. This is set during the reign of King John I and occurs mostly in the highlands of Scotland. It has deceit, murder (I know I was trying to get away from it), and secrets. Fortunately the romance wasn't too over the top. I think there were only two real love scenes. Definitely more plot than sex. It was a good distraction for a weekend.

Crazy Needs Help

Charlotte Hughes co-wrote some really funny books with Janet Evanovich. The "Full Series", Full Scoop, Full Blast, Full Speed, etc. was very good reading and I look forward to the next book in the series. The book "What Looks Like Crazy" is the first book that I have read by Charlotte Hughes that wasn't co-written by Evanovich.

This book just seems to be almost there. Almost enough details, almost funny enough, almost an ending, almost, almost. Unfortunately, I thought this had to be her first book on her own, but when I went online to get the link, I found that she has about 7 or 8 books out before this one. I think with some seasoning, she could be a great writer, but am concerned that she isn't further along with the number of books she has published.

The plotline to this book is that Kate the psychologist is going through a divorce from her drop-dead gorgeous, supportive, compassionate husband Jay whom she still loves. I know, crazy, right? Well, she is divorcing him because he is a fire-fighter and she thinks that his job is too dangerous and he refuses to quit. Um. I believe that she knew he was a firefighter when she married him since she met him at the firehouse.

Anyway, as it turns out, her crazy family and crazy patients are making her life crazy, and as a result, her job as a psychologist just might be more dangerous than Jay's job as a firefighter. Yup, crazy.

I was most disappointed by the sharp end to the book. I don't believe the resolution did the book justice. I know that there is a sequel, but she left it as more of a part 2 than a second story since she never really finished the first book.

My favorite part of this book is the stray dog, Mike, who follows Kate home one day. Mike then proceeds to have puppies. Crazy.

Page 341 of Book 4

Yes, page 351 of book 4 is when J. R. Ward finally called boots boots instead of sh**kickers.

And the number is... 56

I have read 56 books (and 1/2 of an audio book) since I began this blog on November 29, 2007.

Catching Up

It has been a while since I have posted and in the meantime, I have read the following:

• Bone to Pick by Charlaine Harris - This was the second in the Aurora Teagarden series. I'm really liking this plucky little librarian. In this novel, Aurora has been named heir to an unexpected fortune. She has inherited her friend Jane's bank accounts and house (and a secret item hidden in the house). Great fun.
• Dark Lover by J.R. Ward - This is the first book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and establishes the environment and the rules. We meet the "Blind King" and find out that in this reality, vampires live as humans throughout adolescence and then go through the "turning" when they are about 25 or so. Very interesting take on the Vampire genre. One funny note, almost all of the vampires have emotions for names that you just throw some h's around in and there ya go. There is Rhage, Vishious, Phury, Thorhment, and Zsadist. Ok - I know Zsadist doesn't have an h, but same basic principal. She does the same thing with other common terms (all in the glossary) sheclusion is one example.
• Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris - I didn't realize that this book wasn't about Shakespeare, but as a Charlaine Harris book, I should have guessed. This book is set in Shakespeare, Arkansas and the main character, Lily Bard, selects Shakespeare as the small town to start a new life in after she survives a vicious attack. Lily, the anti-social weightlifter and maid spends the book trying to figure out who has killed the landlord of the "garden" appartments near her home.
• Shakespeare's Companion by Charlaine Harris - in this sequel, Lilly Bard tries to stay out of trouble, but can't stop her deductive skills. (And the fact that people say and do lots of things in front of Lily while she cleans the house gives Lily loads of information to use for clues.)
• Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward - this is Book 2 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. This book concentrates on the Black Dagger Brother, Rhage. He is cursed and tough and easy to love. I love the way J.R. Ward changes perspective so frequently. Sometimes it is "wait - is she alive or dead?" when we've moved on to what another character is feeling and experiencing. I think I enjoy books where we see the perspective of the "bad guy" as well as the protagonist. I like multiple point of views better than just first person narrative.
• Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward - I was surprised that she would pick Zsadist for the next book. He is anti-social and, of course, misunderstood. There are many rumors about how afwul he is and all of the terrible things that he has done, so no one gives him the benefit of the doubt. He reminds me of Zarek from Dance With the Devil. They were both tortured and lived lives as slaves while their brothers were free living as aristocrats.
• Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward - I'm almost done with this book. I should be able to finish it tonight (unless the Astros put on a great show). It focuses on Butch, the human who has befriended the Black Dagger Brotherhood. It really is a great story. A lot of twists and turns make this one of my favorite so far. We're also learning a lot about Vishous who will be the protagonist of the next book. My only complaint about this book is a complaint that I have about the whole series. If I read the word sh**kicker one more time I'm going to scream. It is ok to say boots. Really. I'd be interested to see the number of times she uses this word. It isn't as prevailent in this book because Butch is a clotheshorse and is wearing Gucci most of the time, but come on! She never once uses the word boots when referring to the shoes of most of the brotherhood. Nope, always sh**kicker.

Baseball Junkie

Don't go looking for a new book synopsis for a while. Baseball season has started! Fortunately, the Astros finally scored a run last night (the first of the season!). Unfortunately, we are now 0 - 2. *sigh* nowhere to go but up.

As a result of baseball, I have not read a word of my current book, Bone to Pick in several days.