I'm not sure why my library has books 1,2,3 and 5 of this series but I'm all caught up now. I am really starting to enjoy the character development in this series. I almost didn't even care about the mystery really, although it was clever.
This was a delightful young adult novel and a great introduction to a new series and world. The main character is an "unlucky" thirteenth child. Eff. Her family moves out to the American frontier to give her a chance to grow up without stigma. The story follows Eff from childhood till she is eighteen. I say the American frontier, but this is a alternate universe that only bears a slight resemblance to ours. There is magic for one and magical creatures like Dragons, and apparently the South won the Civil War... there are other differences but you get the idea. I'm really looking forward to the next book in this series.
I've always loved this book. Part of it is the cover art, by Michael Whelan, I always loved this dragon. The story starts out as a fairly typical dragon story, a dragon has invaded and they need a hero to come slay it. But very quickly we discover that this is not your typical dragon story at all. The characters are complex and so are their motives.
This was one of my favorite books as a child. I found the story, and still do, so poignant and so richly drawn. I love the main character, she is so solemn and intelligent. She is also courteous and kind. In a lot of ways I wanted to be like her when I was a kid. She was pampered but not spoiled and she wondered if she would still be a good person (a princess) if her circumstances were not so kind. Even as a child I found this a very adult book in some ways. There are complicated undertones to the story that you really only appreciate as an adult, this is why I continue to read and re-read this book. It's still a wonderful children's story but it is also a coming of age story and a commentary on social class. I love it. This particular edition has absolutely gorgeous illustrations by Graham Rust. I have an edition of The Secret Garden with the same illustrator.
This is the third and final volume in the Fionavar Tapestry. It is the brightest, deepest, saddest and most glorious of the three. I cry throughout pretty much the last third of the book, because it's so sorrowful, so lovely and there is so much beauty. I love these books, they echo into my life and that is powerful.
This is the second book in the Fionavar Tapestry. I think it suffers a little from being the second of a trilogy. A lot of this book is concerned with setting up the last book. Now don't get me wrong, a lot happens and like the first book it completely absorbs me. I read this book in one day. There is so much woven into this story, so much depth that speaks to me so much. This book was much deeper and sadder than The Summer Tree* and the last book of the trilogy is even more again. This trilogy is one of those books that I don't take to work, it's too private for me, I don't want to explain why it is so sad and so glorious.
I wish sometimes I were a poet so I could adequately convey how beautiful and moving I find this book. This is one of my favorite books that I've ever read, however I can only read this book very occasionally. Unlike say, The Lord of the Rings which I read about once a year or so. I read this book, and the rest of the trilogy, so seldom, because I cannot bear to read it more than that. This story is so rich and so all consuming for me that I simply cannot read it more often than every 4 or 5 years. I think this might be my 3rd or 4th reading. Now, I am the sort of person that can read a book and then turn right around and read it again, if it's something I loved. This book ties together so much mythology and brings it so very alive. It reads like it should be a spoken epic. The language is so rich and simply drips off your tongue. I simply love it.
This isn't exactly the sort of book you can just read. It is much more a manual than that. But I wanted to get sort of the flavour of the book. It gives, fairly clearly and concisely instructions on how to kill, dress, and butcher just about any sort of meat animal. There are some nice diagrams to further illustrate. There are also some recipes for cooking various cuts of meats, but there are other better books for that. I learned a few things and I think, when we have livestock of our own, this book will be valuable.
This book has a great spirit to it, very infectious while still being full of practical advice. You just want to get out there and get going. It also doesn't get bogged down in a lot of technical details. It just gives you the philosophy behind the chicken tractor idea and enough practical knowledge to get you started. If you want a lot of technical details then there is a nice bibliography.
This is one of the first cozy mystery series I've read. The author also writes romance and it shows, this series is a lot more steamy than your typical mystery. I like it. The main character, Madiera, is a vintage clothes seller and clothing designer. She is also psychometric, she gets visions sometimes when she touches clothing. She also has two men in her life, and is trying to choose between the two. I absolutely love the interplay between Mad and her two men. And also the relationship between Mad and her family. It's charming. I also loved the mystery in this one, there were so many twists and turns it was excellent.
This is the latest in the Bath and Body mysteries. I've been fascinated by the characters in this series. They are very complex characters and I like learning about them and seeing how they interact. This time there is no murder but an abduction that must be solved. The mystery in this book is clever and has a great motive. There is something very mundane about some of the motivations of the villains (I won't give anything away!) that I like. I find that this author seems to understand human nature very well.
I had missed this series, I couldn't find this volume in the series for a while but now I'm back on track. The heroine of this series owns a mystery bookstore (some of the books I've read are recommendations from these books actually!) and seems to have the bad luck to be connected in a series of murders. I love this book and the earlier books because the heroine reminds me of me in a lot of ways, she loves books and she honestly wants to help people. The characters in this book seem a little more deep in your typical mystery series. I like it. The mystery almost is secondary to the personal relationships but that being said the mystery was clever.
This was the latest in the Cotton Malone books, it was set in the US and featured pirates lol it was great fun. I finished it in one day. One of the things I like about this author is he does a lot of research and includes it in his books. In fact, in the afterword he talks about what in the book was based on fact and what was his own creation, I like that. I like the Cotton Malone books and Steve Berry in general. He tends towards the more believable end of the action adventure genre.
Hit List is the latest Anita Blake novel. I enjoyed it more than the last couple, although I was disappointed at the end. Hamilton had spent several books building up the main enemy and then *poof* she was dealt with at the end of this one. She also ended this book really abruptly, like I said *poof* evil vanquished and then no fall out. I'm sure it will be dealt with in the next book but I was still annoyed. There are still plenty of monsters to be dealt with and emotional baggage to be explored. That's one of the things I like about this series is how much the main character has changed and grown.
I really like this series, I like the main character, I like the mysteries, I like the secondary characters, it's just a great series. This is actually book one, I read book two (A Blush with Death) first by mistake. The main character is Persia and she is a nicely rounded likable heroine. Her friends and family are pretty well rounded as well. The mystery was a good one, I didn't figure it out ahead of time.
I think this might have been my least favorite of the series. Mainly because it didn't go anywhere. Almost 400 pages and nothing was resolved, it's like there should be another book in the series. Plus, I really hate Michael's girlfriend, Anna. She is totally illogical, and very poorly conceptualized.
This was my favorite of the series. There was more thought put into this book, there was some exploration of how politics and tradition impacts the running of a war. The space battles were still poorly done but the overall arc of the story kept me in.
I liked this one a little better than the first book in this series, Battle at the Moons of Hell*, it still was a pale echo of some better series but I find myself warming to Michael. His character is starting to fill out a little and he's getting more interesting. Plus there weren't really very many space battles in this one to distract me.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was interesting, and who knew that dust would be interesting?? I like this sort of book; one that explores a particular topic through lots of different lenses, that looks at one thing from different angles. This book looks at how dust affects everything from health to global climate. This was also a very readable book, there was science but it was presented in a very straight forward manner. Thanks to Garreth for lending this book to me :)
I liked this book, but there were some problems with it. First and worst, was that I found the battle scenes tedious and confusing to read. If you want a really good space battle read David Weber's Honor Harrington novels. I also didn't really care all that much about Michael Helfort. His character was sort of flat. The last thing I didn't care for in this book was the direction it went in, the initial set up of the book didn't really mean anything. We start out with our hero taking the blame for something and it didn't really affect him. The author never really goes back to it, and it doesn't seem to be a driving force for the character. Now this was still a fun read and I enjoyed it, there are just better examples of this genre out there.
Just when I was starting to get irritated with what the author is doing with the main character, she starts to fix it! Love it! Last book in this series I was getting a little tired of Abby having such feelings of being a failure. And now in this book she has recognized that she feels this way and is working on it, hurray! I love it when character learn and grow :)
This is one of the first cozy mystery series I ever read. I really enjoy them, the writing is witty and fast paced. The mystery was fairly clever (although, it's never who you initially think it is so you can discount them) but the best part are the relationships between the characters. There are a few things that I don't care for, one the main character, Abby, is at one time very pig headed and so convinced that she is correct to the point of recklessness, and two (and at the same time) her self esteem is very. She considers herself a failure. I hope the author works on this and has the character grow!
I was disappointed by the finish to this series. The story started right out, fast paced, there was a feeling of urgency, that important things were happening. And lots of stuff did happen and it was fun, but things were not resolved. It feels like there should be another book in this series. There were a lot of loose ends introduced in this and earlier books that were just left hanging. Very frustrating.
I love, love, love this authors books. They are a very genteel and quiet kind of romance. There is no sex and only a few kisses exchanged between our hero and heroine. They are all pretty much the same (and there are over a hundred books by this author) and I just love them. The author always has lovely descriptions of fabulous food and clothes. This book was no different and finished with a nice gentle declaration of love. The novels are like a warm cup of cocoa under a blanket on a cold wet day. Comforting and pleasant.
Once again a strong effort from John Ringo, I've liked everything of his so far. Like I said for Against the Tide*, I read this one and that one out of order. But it was fine. This one doesn't have the same battles and tactics and strategizing that the other two books had but I still liked it. I think that of the three books I've read in the series this one had the least action. There was a lot of training and figuring out doctrines in this one, which was interesting but not as exciting the other books. There didn't seem to be the same sense of urgency in this one as in the others.
This was a fascinating book. I learned a lot about the way dogs smell/see/hear the world. Her descriptions of how dogs play and interact with each other, their people and their world was interesting. I liked the way that the author described little vignettes of her life with her own dog. I also liked how she tried to balance having a scientists objectivity with a dog owners love of her dog. I think that balance is important and difficult to do. I get frustrated with the scientific point of view that tries to reduce things down to the most simple answer but I know that that is the point of science. But as a dog owner I also know that my dogs are thinking feeling creatures, just because they can't speak doesn't mean I don't know that.
After reading, Nourishing Traditions* I wanted to know more about the nutrition in our diets as we eat them now and when we ate a more traditional diet with whole foods. Or what this author calls real food. The take away lesson is: Processed and refined sugars and starches (and food in general really) = bad. Whole, fresh, real food = good. The problem with nutrition, as a science, is that it is very complicated. There are lots of nutrients that are dependant on or work better with other things. This is very hard to test for and scientist always want to isolate ONE thing to study and and nothing else. This doesn't work very well. Plus, every one is different we process nutrients differently based on genetics, age, gender etc. So it's virtually impossible to find a perfect control group. Having said all that I can sympathize with scientists. And I know they hate anecdotal evidence BUT isn't it an amazing coincidence that heart disease, diabetes, obesity etc has increased exponentially over the last 50 years or so as the food in this country has gotten more and more industrialized and processed?? And doesn't it make sense that fresh meat, dairy, and veggies have been staples for human diets for centuries and we did pretty well on them that they are probably good for us??
So I read this book out of order, I should have read Emerald Sea* first, this is actually book 3 of the series. But that being said, all of the books in this series can be read as stand alone novel. They are *better* in order, a little richer and deeper. I actually wondered when I started it why there was such a gap between this book and (what I thought was) the last one and why there were so many events that were referred to that we as readers hadn't hard about lol but once I went back and read Emerald Sea I was fine. I really enjoyed this book, but so far I have enjoyed all of Ringo's books. I tend to like the navy more than army type of military fiction. This one had plenty of action and good dialogue, and I really like all of the characters. But I would recommend that you read this one *third* in the series.
I have to say, I was completely underwhelmed by this book. I was excited to get it from Amazon, it had been on my wish list. I can really remember very little specifics on this book, I read it over the course of a couple of nights and found myself nodding off each time (this *never* happens to me). I did like the central idea of this book, that you can live a more fulfilling life if you are mindful of it. But the way it was presented, I found completely uninspiring. I wanted something that had some actual practical applications that I could use in my own life; ideas, meditations, suggestions, something!
Yep, this is a mystery by the same author that brought you Winnie the Pooh. I loved it. It was just so charming, and the mystery was so well thought out and skillfully revealed. I really enjoyed the language and style of this book, it was very charming. To describe a room or a character the author would begin, "and now let us consider...." I really enjoyed it. I'm only sorry that the author didn't write more (apparently he wrote this for his father) and it makes me want to revisit Winnie the Pooh.
This series is a lot of fun. Very low on the believability scale though. The main characters are Nina an archeologist (who discovers Atlantis in an earlier novel) and her husband Eddie an ex-SAS soldier. There are tons of unlikely adventures and lots of very fast archeological work to uncover great treasures all over the world. But tons of fun and very fast read.
I'm starting to like this series, but the author is trying to cram in too much stuff and is neglecting the main characters (and everyone else) development. The characters start to work things out and grow and then oops another disaster to avert/fix. The characters even comment/think this! There were at least 2 spots in the book where the main character starts to reflect on her life/relationships/new powers and she says that she doesn't have time to think about it right now! Doesn't the author realize that this is the stuff we want to see?? I mean the witchy stuff is fun and all but unless there is more character development it gets boring.
So this series was my first foray into the "cozy" mystery genre. I've been waiting a few months for this! So I love the main character, Brooklyn (named by the way, for the city she was conceived in!) she grew up on a hippy commune, she is a book expert, restoring old books. She is also a little neurotic and faints at the sight of blood. She lives in San Fransisco and has interesting neighbors. She also has a great best friend and love interest. And her mother is hysterical! I love this series for it's characters. It helps that the mysteries are well thought out and interesting. It's funny as well. I might even go back and re read these books. If I do I will, of course, put my reviews up.
I liked this book a lot. It was fun, there was a touch of romance and lots and lots of action. I think on the believability scale... the over all plot was on the less believable side. But the actual action sequences I think were more towards realism. (I really need to come up with a believability scale, ideas? 1-10 just seems boring lol) Apparently this book was originally only released digitally, if so then kudos to the author! I am looking forward to reading more of this guys stuff!
I really liked this book. But not I suspect, for the usual reasons. The murder mystery was almost unimportant to me this time around. I was far more interested in the character's interactions. Especially the main character and his son, and the main character and the victim. There was a lot of realness, and humanity in how these relationships and interactions are portrayed, and I really enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the rare books that were described in the story. All in all a good read and I will be anxiously awaiting the next installment!
I liked this book, it's not something I would normally have picked (it was lent to me by a co worker) but I liked it. The book is set in Leningrad during WWII, it gives a nice little window on what life in the city was like while it was under siege by the Germans. The tone of the book is kind of dark and morbidly humorous but still very human. Especially the main character's internal musings. I'm sure if you wanted to nitpick about historical details you could, but that wasn't the point of the story, it just gives a feel to the event. It gives us a window on what life then could have been like.
This is a great book, it has lots of detailed information without getting bogged down in the technical details. The information in this book is comprehensive and presented very simply. The author writes in a very authoritative manner and he does have a lot of experience. He is also quick to admit mistakes that he has made, so that the readers do not repeat them. That being said some sections are repetitive, especially is rants about government regulation and the importance of honesty and attention to quality. The author makes the whole operation seem simple but emphasizes the hard work required.
Hurrah! A new book and series by Lincoln and Child. These two are some of my favorite authors. This book introduces a new character, Gideon Crew. Gideon is almost as interesting as the main character in their Pendergast novels. Gideon is not quite so quirky. He is charming and a little amoral and very intelligent. The plot was interesting and had enough twists and turns to keep things interesting. This is one of those adventure novels that lies somewhere towards the more realistic side of things. It's still not very realistic lol but better than say Threshold* was.
I was really looking forward to this book, I like David Weber and enjoy some military sci-fi. This book started out great, Earth is attacked humanity courageously (and kind of futilely) fights back. Things go on, the aliens learn about our psychology and are dumbfounded. We keep fighting, things are not looking good. Then all of a sudden, mysteriously alien bases start being wiped out. I think, cool we have figured something effective out. The aliens think, the humans are getting help from another alien species. I wish the aliens had been right. Instead, in the last 3o or so pages.... Vampires show up. Yep, vampires... and not just any vampires, Dracula himself!! They kick the aliens ass, and some of them go off to attack their world. I couldn't believe it. Vampires???! I was thoroughly disgusted.
I enjoyed this book. It was not something that I would have normally picked up, I usually like the lighter "cozy" mysteries. This one was a historical mystery a police mystery. The main characters are a veteran sergeant in the London police, and his partner, a nobleman who wants to do something worthwhile with his life. They are investigating a counterfeiting ring. The story was clever and the characters were really likable. I especially want to learn more about Sergeant Bragg.
So, romance novels are my guilty pleasure. I read them because they are predictable, they always have a happy ending. That is comforting. This particular one was also fun. Lately I have been reading more supernatural oriented romance types. I used to know some romance writers and so I have a lot more respect for romance novels than I used to. Yes, there is a formula to these books, and they are predictable but that actually makes it more challenging to the author to make each book feel fresh and new. I like this author, I've read a few things that she has co written with others. This one was fun and had a cute concept. The main characters were likable and they both grew and changed over the course of the book.
Ah this was a great, fun read. Totally ridiculous of course but that is part of the fun. This book definitely falls on the far end of the realistic adventure spectrum. But it's still a great book, you just have to know what you're getting into. The characters were great, the mystery was intriguing, and the adventure was very high paced. Lots of fun!
This book was alright, it had a fun concept. But the writer had his tongue so firmly is cheek it just got old. By the end of the book you were just sick of it. There oculd have been a lot more plot or character development but instead there was just clever little jokes and such. So the first few chapters were fun but then it just got annoying.
This is the sequel to The Magic of Recluse*. It completes the story of Lerris and his family. There is also a little bit more philosophy in this one, which I thought was interesting. The author talks about the nature of fairness, honesty, evil all sorts of things. This author doesn't draw a lot of hard and fast conclusions to these philosophical musings either, the characters implies understandings but doesn't usually state them outright. Leaving the reader to draw their own (if guided) conclusions. I didn't like this the first time I read some of the Recluse novels, it was too much work lol but I appreciate it more now :) But this book is not something I would read if I just wanted something fun and easy.
Now I'm an easy sell for this sort of book. Action adventure with some conspiracies and ancient treasures and secret societies... the movie, National Treasure, excellent! Absurd... lol but excellent. That's how I feel about books in this genre. That being said, I think one was a touch more realistic than most. There weren't any wildly improbably action sequences, the main character does not seem super humanly smart or strong. The history behind the plot is interesting and seems well researched. I can go both ways in this genre, either stick with facts as well as you can. Or go completely off the deep end. Antarktos Rising* was a great example of that end of the spectrum.
I really enjoyed this book, and in fact have the next one in the series ready and waiting for me! The main character, Tammy Jo was charming and likable and not without flaws. I didn't especially care for the romantic foils in this book, but you weren't supposed to exactly. I'm hoping that Tammy Jo gets her act together soon though, the seat of your pants not ever *really* knowing what you're doing thing will get old soon. I want to see her grow!
I liked this book. I found the conversational style rather charming and definitely easy to read. There were also some very good ideas for an amateur wildlife watcher to use; like, making index card files of all of the species you observe around you. There was not a lot of technical detail, which is good, I don't think that most people need or want a lot of detail like that. I at least just want the general idea. I'm a smart person I can take it from there. If I want more technical details then I will find them. By the way, if you are looking for ideas on how to keep animals *out* of your garden look elsewhere. The title is not kidding, the whole idea is to include wildlife in your planning.
I really liked this book. Not so much for the recipes, although there were a lot of those that I'm going to try. But on each page are little sidebars, and they are chock full of information and stories. I got a lot of other books to read from those little sidebars! There were a few things I didn't like about this book. One was that although the author is advocating a return to a more traditional diet she includes a lot of fairly obscure and hard to get ingredients. I know that she wants us to avoid processed sugars and flours and such, but I think a compromise would be beneficial. I think that was what bothered me most, was that it was a little unbending. Also to completely change your eating habits is hard. I think a gradual change is good, and more realistic. The way this book is presented you either eat healthy whole foods or you are eating crap. And I didn't like that... I know that cheetoes are bad for me, lol but sometimes I want them anyway and I don't want to feel judged for that!
I really liked this book. The main character was funny and smart and reminded me of me. I liked the way this author intertwined two plots. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in this series. I'm curious to see how the author is going to make this into a series though, how many ancient murders will the main character have to solve in a small town. Murders which will of course somehow tie into her own life. :)
I enjoyed this book, it was fun, had some good action and, an impossible premise. I like pretty much anything in this genre. I was a little disappointed that the characters weren't that developed. Or rather that once the big revelation of the book was revealed there was hardly anymore character development at all. But all in all a fun read.
