Lyon's Pride by Anne McCaffrey

I think I liked this one almost as much as The Rowan. Although it is just a continuation of the Damia's Children* and they really should be read back to back. The were written in the same year so I think they were intended to be read that way. A bit more romance in this one, with the kids finding mates for themselves. More adventure as well, although this one didn't have the same urgency that some of the previous ones did.

Rating: 4 stars

Recommendations: The last book in this series is The Tower and The Hive. Also start with Dragonflight, in the Pern series!

Sorry guys I don't know how many pages this one was, took it back to the library too soon!

Damia's Children by Anne McCaffrey

I liked this one a lot more than I liked Damia*. I think it's mostly because I didn't care for Damia as a character. But this story is about her four oldest children. It definitely should be read back to back with the next volume, Lyon's Pride*. And really with the last book in the series, The Tower and the Hive. The book pretty much follows Laria, Thian, Rojer and Zara as they find their places in the Talent universe. There is not as much romance in this volume and a lot more adventure.

Rating: 4 stars

Recommendations: The rest of the series obviously. But my favorite McCaffrey books are the Dragonrider of Pern series. Which I will review as I get to them :)

272 pages only took me 2 hours.

* denotes books that I have read and reviewed.

A Clue for the Puzzle Lady by Parnell Hall

I was really torn by this book. One on hand, I really enjoyed it. The mystery was excellent, there were *several* red herrings that totally threw you off the scent. I didn't predict who the murderer was or why it was committed. But, on the other hand, I really didn't like the main characters, Sherry and Cora. Sherry is fearful, bitter and a little prudish about her aunt, Cora who is a drunkard. I think I will probably read more in this series just because the mystery was so well done but I think I'll have to spread it out a little. I think Sherry will get a little more likable as time goes by.

Rating: 4 stars (I almost gave it three, but again the mystery was so well done!)

Recommendations: I'm going to go ahead and recommend the rest of this series, and since I'm sure this author has written other stuff I'll check that out too and let you know what I think!

289 ages took me about 2 and half hours

Curiosity Thrilled the Cat by Sophie Kelly

Great book! The main character, Kathleen, is smart and funny and very human. She has flaws and does stupid things. She bakes, a lot, when she is stressed (woman after my own heart!). The cats are obviously magical and don't try very hard to be cat like. My only complaint was that there were too many friends/neighbors whose names started with R! Roma (the vet), Rebecca (the neighbor?) and Ruby... I don't remember who she was. Just the barest whisper of romance, with the police officer investigating the murder of course! :) I'm very excited for this new series, the only downside is the next book isn't out until Sept!!

Rating: 4 stars

Recommendations: I think these books are similar in tone to the Cat in the Stacks mysteries by Miranda James (another new series!). And of course I will be waiting for the new book in this series.

324 pages... about 3 hours

High Rhymes and Misdeamenors by Diana Killian

Alright, so I like this series even better than the Mantra for Murder series! This book was a lot lighter but at the same time there was more murder and mayhem in this one than in the Yoga books. The whole feel is a little whimsical. The main characters, Grace and her partner Peter are great together. Just a touch of romance too. The banter between them is very fun. The two of them are well matched. I am very anxious to see where this series goes :) I only wish my library had the rest of the series!!!

Rating: 4 stars (I'm wavering on going up to 5 stars... )

Recommendations: I still really enjoyed the Mantra books. But I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in this series, Verse of the Vampyre.

325 pages took me... about 3 hours I think! I try to time myself I swear!

Bambi: A Life in the Woods by Felix Salten

If you are thinking of the Disney movie by the same name, forget it. The book is absolutely nothing like that. It is a serious and rather philosophical story of a life in the woods. There is something very deliberate and deeply moving about this story. The animals are not simply cute and fuzzy creatures. They have an animals understanding of their world. There is nothing condescending about the portrayal of them. I'm sure there are plenty of people who have analyzed this book and found it to be an allegory for all sorts of things. But I found it to be about as honest a look at life in the woods as we can understand or imagine. And there is wisdom in that.

Rating: 5 stars, I first read this story when I was 8 years old. I actually read the book before I saw the Disney version. I was repulsed by the movie, it was so infantalized and so cutesy that I couldn't even reconcile the book and movie.

No recommendations for this one.

191 took me a little over an hour.

Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey

Dragonsong, is the second book in the Harper trilogy. I love it almost as much as the first book, Dragonsinger*. While the first book in the series was about being an outcast, this one was about finding your place. I also loved this book because it had a lot of the Robinson character. I always loved him (and luckily there is a later novel all about him!). Not as many dragons in this one, but plenty of fire lizards! And it does help to have at least a passing knowledge of music.

Rating: 5 stars

Recommendations: Dragondrums is the last in the Harper Series. Also read Dragonflight.

192 pages took me about an hour and half.

Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey

So my volume includes; Dragonsong, Dragonsinger and Dragondrums. But I'm reviewing them seperately. :)
Dragonsong I think is my favorite of the three. This story is one of the very first sci-fi books I ever read, I was probably eight or nine. i used to stay up and read and re-read this book. This actually introduced me to Anne McCaffrey. Now I love this story for a couple of reasons. First the main character, Menolly. I empathized with her so much, she was an outcast. I often felt like one, not because of musical talents but I was too smart for my own good and didn't have any/many friends. I still love that aspect even though I don't feel the same way, the situation is presented in a very honest way and I can appreciate that now. Then there were dragons, and their smaller cousins, fire lizards, they were utterly charming creatures. I wanted more! And finally I love the idea of surviving on your own, not depending on anyone else for your survival. Just a wonderful book!

Rating: 5 stars, I have owned this book for over 20 years. Sadly it is starting to fall apart and one day soon I will have to replace it!

Recommendations: The rest of the Harper series obviously! And really any of the Pern books, although I haven't liked the later books near as much.

140 pages in an hour... although I've read this story so many times I almost don't have to read it all!

Thyme of Death by Susan Wittig Albert

I really wanted to love this book, it's got a main character that owns a herbal shop, so I was hoping for lots of little tidbits about herbs. And there were, but not a lot and only what related directly to the story. I also wanted to love this book because there are about a gazillion books in this series and it would keep me busy lol. This book was alright, it took a while for it to really hook me. The characters were pretty good, I'm looking forward to getting to know them better. The plot was pretty straight forward, I had things more or less figured out. I'd rather things be a surprise but maybe I'm just getting good at this mystery stuff.

Rating: 3 stars, but I think I will read some more from this series and see what happens.

Recommendations: This author has another series, the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter, that looks intriguing so I'm going to check those out. And I think I will check out more of this series, Thyme was her first novel after all!

320 pages took me , I dunno about 3 hours spread out over a week (been *VERY*) busy with work lately!!

Damia by Anne McCaffrey

This is the second book in this series, after The Rowan. While the Rowan felt like a stand alone novel, this begins to feel like a series. I also think that this is where the series declines in quality. But, since I am a little compulsive, now that I've started I have to finish lol. I read the whole series years ago but I don't really remember the next few books, and I didn't remember this one very clearly either. It's not as crisp as The Rowan was, it's a little more sentimental. And while the title might be Damia, the story is as much about Afra as anyone. Over all though I liked this book.

Rating: 4 stars

Recommendations: The rest of this series, the next book is Damia's Children. And then there is the Dragonrider books, definitely want to read those!

336 pages took me about 3 hours

The Rowan by Anne McCaffrey

I have read this book many times and I still love it. It is the first book in the series, the next couple of books deals with Rowan's children and grand children. It's got a little of everything, psychics, romance, alien invasion, bureaucracy, even cats. This is not hard sci-fi, there are not a lot of technical details, but it's engaging and this universe is laid out in broad strokes. I love Anne McCaffrey, especially her earlier books. I'm sure I'll be re-reading and reviewing a bunch of her stuff. :) McCaffrey is one of the first scifi authors I ever read and is what firmly cemented my love of the genre.

Rating: 5 stars

Recommendations: The rest of the this series, the next book is Damia. And the series that McCaffrey is most famous for, the Dragonriders of Pern. I haven't read the most recent additions, specially the ones co-written with her son, but all the earlier stuff is great. Start with Dragonflight!

335 pages in 2 hours! McCaffrey is always a quick read for me, especially since I've read this before! :)

Murder on the Eightfold Path by Diana Killian

This is the third book in the Mantra for Murder mysteries, and I enjoyed it most of all. This time AJ's mother is the prime suspect. And I have to say that her mother drives me crazy, I cannot stand characters (and people) that are so self centered and so self deluded as that woman. There was a little bit more on the relationship side going on too, which, since I'm a girl :), I enjoyed. This had a feeling of a series being wrapped up though. I hope it's not! But I didn't see any more books slated to come out any time soon.

Rating: 4 stars

Recommendations: The previous books in the series. The author has another series too, a poetry one, I have it sitting on my shelf but it's sometimes hard for me to switch series within an authors work so that one might have to wait a little while!

308 pages took me about 3 hours!

The Heart of Wicca by Ellen Cannon Reed

This is one of my favorite Craft books. The author eloquently puts into words a lot of how I feel about Wicca. I completely agree with her thoughts on how serious the work that you do in the Craft should be. The author is thoughtful, giving clearly thought out ideas and rationales. A lot of how she says a coven and the Craft in general is right in line with how I, and my husband think. We often disparage the lack of good, serious thought provoking books about Wicca and especially tradition Wicca, and this book fills a void for us. This book has prompted a lot of good conversations, and not always because we agree with the author! It is not a "Wicca 101" book, it talks more about the philosophies and ethics behind what Wicca is all about. I simply cannot say too many good things about this book. I love that the author is not afraid to be force full with her opinions. She merely states that this is her opinion and runs with it. She has one of the best definitions of Initiation and the Mysteries and of symbols that I've seen just about anywhere. This is a great book!

Rating: absolutely 5 stars

Recommendations: Another book that is geared more for coven work; Wicca Covens by Judy Harrow.

127 pages, probably only an hour or so but I read and discussed this book over the course of several weeks.

Dial Om for Murder by Diana Killian

I really like this series. I didn't at first, the first book, Corpse Pose*, took me a while to like. I thought the main character, AJ, was a little hard. But after further thought I think that she is a much more real character than most others in the Cozy genre. Now, one of the reasons I like this genre is because the characters are a little lighter than usual, but this one finds a nice balance. The characters have flaws and problems that are serious but it still manages to be mostly light. I also enjoy the yoga info that is thrown into the story. The author has a habit of ending chapters in the cliff hanger fashion, so you just *have* to read on. This does not help my problem, which I call, "Just one more chapter syndrome." I can just one more chapter my way to the end of a book and next thing I know it 3 am and I have to work in 3 hours.

Rating: 4 stars

Recommendations: The rest of the series of course, the first book, Corpse Pose*, and the third book is Murder on the Eightfold Path. Diana Killian also has another series(?) Poetic Death Mysteries, the first book is High Rhymes and Misdemeanors.

276 pages took me about 2 and half hours.

The Diva Paints the Town by Krista Davis

Another in the Domestic Diva series, love it! As usual great characters,this installment, it's Sophie's best friend, Nina that is over the top lol. I was a little glad that Sophie's parents didn't make an appearance in this book, I haven't warmed to them yet. One of my favorite features of this series are the little advice columns at the start of every chapter, some are from Sophie (who I almost always agree with) and some are from Natasha (who almost always makes me roll my eyes lol). I also like the recipes at the back of the books.

Rating: 5 stars again!

Recommendations: Read the rest of this series!! The first book is The Diva Runs out of Thyme*.

292 pages fnished in just under 3 hours, although for the last hour of that the TV was on ;)

The Diva Takes the Cake by Krista Davis

I really love this series, the characters are fun and very human. They have flaws and are sometimes silly. In this book, it is the bride(zilla) Hannah, that just cracks me up, she's just so over the top. There is a lot going on in this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed how the author brought all the strands together. My only complaint is that Sophie is sometimes too nice, she doesn't want to hurt people's feelings and that gets her into trouble sometimes.

Rating: I'm going to give this 5 stars.

Recommendations: This is the second in the series, the first is, The Diva Runs Out of Thyme*. The rest of the series is, Diva Paints the Town*, The Diva Cooks a Goose, and in Sept, The Diva Haunts the House! I want this author to hurry up and write more!

302 pages, 3 hours.

Buzz Off by Hannah Reed

I enjoyed this book. The plot twisted and turned a lot and there were plenty of red herrings thrown out. I also like the information about bees that was scattered throughout the story. I didn't feel like the main character had a lot of depth however. I'm hoping that she will get a little more developed in later books. The author liked to use lists to move the plot along, which was a little annoying, and I felt, lazy. But overall a pretty good book.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Recommendations: The next book in this series isn't out till May! I didn't realize this was a *new* series, damn it! I want nice established series so I will have plenty to keep me busy!! :)

317 pages in about 2 hours

A Deadly Row by Casey Mayes

I thought this book was ok, the plot was interesting, I didn't figure out who the murderer was. The characters were interesting, but I found the interaction between the husband and wife a little cloying. Although there were a few very charming moments between the two of them. There was a little side plot going on, but it wasn't very well fleshed out, and I didn't find myself all that interested when the reveal came. But I will probably read any other books this author might write. She might do better next book!

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Recommendations: This is the first book in a new series, but I did see another puzzle related series called the Puzzle Lady Mysteries that I want to check out. The first book is, A Clue for the Puzzle Lady.

291 pages, two hours!

Fundraising the Dead by Sheila Connolly

I enjoyed this book, I liked the characters and the plot was moderately clever. There were no real surprises or twists but it was still a good solid read. There is a new one in this series coming out in July, I'll be reading it! I for some reason thought this was a supernatural type mystery and so was disappointed (and confused) for a little, but the story drew me in.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Recommendations: Sheila Connolly has another series, the Orchard Mysteries. I've got the first book, One Bad Apple, on hold at the library. And the next book in this series, Let's Play Dead is coming out in July.

324 pages took me about 2 and a half hours.

Prefabulous and Sustainable by Sheri Koones

This was a great book. It had lots of ideas, and clearly explained the different prefab building techniques, i.e. modular, panelized, SIP's etc. It also had loads of other ideas for green build or even remodels. I really liked the resource list at the back too. Tons of websites and architects and such. I also liked the little sidebars that explained certain products, processes or ideas. The language was not too technical but still gave further resources if you wanted more information. This book also had lots of pictures of the beautiful houses. My husband who is *not* a speed reader like I am, liked that!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

233 pages took me about an hour and a half.