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This is a test blog I use to play around with themes.
My live blog is here.
A really good interview with Patricia Briggs is up at Nalini Singh’s blog. She talks about her upcoming Anna and Charles book “Cry Wolf” (and the cover is posted there as well – love it!) as well as the Mercy series. The next Mercy book is called “Bone Crossed” and the vampires are back.
Catherine Asaro’s “Primary Inversion” has been added to the Baen free library. If you haven’t yet read any of her Skolian saga series, this is a great book to start with.
Quick thoughts on books I’ve read recently – yes, I’m actually starting to finish books now.
I finished Anne Bishop’s “Tangled Webs” – I’ll be honest, it felt like a padded-out novella to me. It’s always nice to revisit old characters and the Black Jewels world, but it was a bit of a let-down in terms of plot. I was expecting a brand-new novel with Surreal as a main character, and instead, it was a really a short story with cameos from Jaenelle, Daemon, Lucivar, Marian, Saetan, etc. It picked up steam once Surreal and Rainier entered the trap masquerading as a spooky house, but that was about halfway through. I would liked to have gotten more Surreal and Rainier, and less, well, the entire cast.
Having said all that, it’s a B grade for me, but that’s because I’ve read and loved the Black Jewels trilogy – don’t start with this one if you’re new to her world.
The other book I read was Vicki Pettersson’s “The Scent of Shadows” – an urban fantasy, with definite emphasis on the fantasy. Err… again, not the best of reads for me – but writing this has clarified my thoughts somewhat!
Slight spoilers…
There was this scene with comic books that really pulled me out of the story. Yes, I’m perfectly happy reading about vampires and werewolves (not in this book, I hasten to add), but read one scene about how the battle between Light and Shadow was illustrated in a set of comic books (and how the drawings come to life when she opens the books), and the story just completely stops working for me!
Also, don’t get me wrong – I know that urban fantasy is not about the HEA, but there is only so much a girl can take. Okay, MAJOR spoilers this time:
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The main character, Joanna, well, let’s see – ten years ago, she was raped, boyfriend left her, mum abandoned her (and there’s a pregnancy resulting from the rape). At the start of the story, she discovers very bad things are after her, gets disowned by father, gets back with boyfriend (sort of good, but then bad because of what happens next), sister gets killed instead of her, undergoes plastic surgery to become sister, loses existing identity… and that sets the scene for the rest of the story – and to be fair, probably the series as well.
I mean, it’s all linked together, and explained much better in the book, but just listing all of these in the previous paragraph made me smile. Way too much for one person, I think. While I think Ms Petterson wrote Joanna well – and by that, I mean that I never feel she is either sinking beneath the weight of all of these events, nor is she just shrugging them off like they don’t mean anything – all of these is, well, is too much. And maybe as a result, I can’t identify with Joanna and the story just doesn’t work for me.
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On the good side, while it is obviously the start of a series, the main conflict is wrapped up nicely. And just enough threads are left dangling to encourage the reader to pick up the next book.
It’s a difficult one to grade – a B because it is well-written, and a C for me personally, because it just didn’t do it for me. I think I just don’t get comic books, because thinking back about it, the plot pretty much reads like one. And I don’t mean that in a bad way! It’s like when you read the backstory on how Peter Parker became Spidey – and in this case, how Joanna became the Archer. Hmmm… it is actually starting to make sense now! LOL. I’ve done a quick google and the consensus is that it’s a superhero’s backstory. Maybe I’m just slow. Anyway, on the grade, I’m splitting the difference, and because this is my personal view – C+.
Minor panic attack last night as my ebook reader just restarted randomly while I was reading. I sat there barely daring to breathe until it had restarted properly and displayed all my books. All 63 books/novellas appeared so I’m completely relieved and don’t even quite mind that the Collections on my memory card have vanished. If all I have to do is re-organise my books, I’m happy.
Speaking of ebooks, this week’s Tor giveaway is Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory’s “The Outstretched Shadow”. I’ve read this one – so out of the four books so far, I’ve read three. LOL. Not doing too well there. On the other hand, it’s nice to have e-versions of the books to carry around.
Once my reader started behaving itself, I continued reading JD Robb’s “Innocent in Death”. I was wrong in thinking this was where I left off in the “In Death” series, btw – I missed the previous one where Mavis had her baby. I get confused with the titles in this series. Instead, I keep them straight by using “this is the one where the chambermaid got murdered”. Or “this is the one where the guy leaped from his flat”. You know, for a series with 20-something books, it’s pretty amazing that the murder/mystery is unique for each book. So this is the one with the history teacher murder.
I really really liked it. More than I thought I would. This series is sort of a comfort read for me – it’s reliable and I know what I’m going to get when I read an Eve/Roarke book. Which is good, but well, a bit boring.
But in this book, a lady from Roarke’s past makes an appearance. And she’s everything Eve isn’t – glamorous and polished, with a shared history with Roarke. And for once, Roarke’s famed cool and street smarts desert him. I didn’t think there would ever be a time when Roarke wouldn’t “get” Eve. So yeah, I really enjoyed the relationship angle in this book. Seeing Eve and Roarke struggle to re-connect and the pay-off at the end. Oh, and the solution to the murder? Very neat. And a bit chilling. A very strong B+ for me.
It feels as though every single publishing house is giving away free ebooks – not complaining though! As part of their 10th anniversary celebrations, Eos is giving away “Flight of the Night Hawks” by Raymond Feist. I can’t remember the last time I read a Feist book, though I distinctly remember being completely obsessed by the “Daughter/Servant/Mistress of the Empire” trilogy in school.
Jacqueline Carey has posted an except of “Kushiel’s Mercy” on her website. Three more months to go!
Suzanne Brockmann has put up the cover of her upcoming book “Into the Fire” (July 2007). Ummm… now that Jules has his HEA, I’m less excited about the Troubleshooter series. From her newsletter:
The book features former Troubleshooter Vinh Murphy, who’s been down and out since his wife, Angelina, was shot and killed in 2004’s HOT TARGET.
I’m not going to tell you too much about the book just yet — I’ll have the cover blurb for you in my April enewsletter — but the heroine is a new character — an old friend of Murphy’s named Hannah Whitfield. (In fact, Hannah introduced Murphy to Angelina, way back when…)
INTO THE FIRE also includes a subplot with Navy SEAL Izzy Zanella, as well an in-depth look at how Angelina’s death impacted Murphy’s fellow operatives at Troubleshooters Incorporated — particularly team leader Lawrence Decker.
Other point of view characters include Troubleshooters Sophia Ghaffari and Dave Malkoff. And of course, Izzy’s posse — Jenk, Lopez and Gillman — are major secondary characters in the book, too.
Remember my resolution not to buy a new book unless I finished one from my TBR? Shot to pieces by the Fictionwise Leap Day sale. I’m such a sucker.
I got a rather random selection of books:
“Innocent in Death” by JD Robb (futuristic romance/suspense) – The last In Death book I read was more than a year ago, so I’ve a few books to catch up. I *think* this is where I left off – I can never remember the titles with this series. I purposely took a break because I was finding each book just a bit too same-y – I think it worked because I’m actually looking very forward to this one!
“Demon Night” by Meljean Brook (paranormal romance) – Errmmm… I’m going to read “Demon Moon” this month. I promise. Then I can read this.
“The Perils of Pleasure” by Julie Anne Long (historical romance) - While the reviews haven’t been glowing, they’ve generally been good. I’m keen to find out if this one has the sparkle that characterised her first two novels.
“Virgin River” by Robyn Carr (contemporary romance) – I’ve been wondering about this one – I know a lot of peeps have rated it. So while I’m not a huge contemp fan, I’m giving it a go.
“Grimspace” by Ann Aguirre (SF romance) – After all the blogland buzz, I was incredibly curious. It’s a toss-up whether I’ll read this or the JD Robb one first, methinks.
“Silent in the Grave” by Deanna Raybourn (historical mystery) – Inspired by the review of the second book in this series over at Dear Author. I’m starting to read a lot more mysteries, and I like historical settings, so why not?
Gosh, when I break a resolution, I don’t just break it, I smash it…
I was at Amazon UK’s website and these covers for Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series came up (Orbit’s releasing them in the UK later this year):
Here are the original US covers:
I think the UK covers are more atmospheric than the US ones, but the US ones would grab my attention while I’m browsing in a bookstore. I think I just like colour!
The UK ones are quite good though - I like the silhouette-style concept and they do convey “urban fantasy” quite well. Also, it’s immediately obvious that they’re part of the same series. But – and especially in the “Iron Kissed” cover - doesn’t the girl strike you as just a tad bit too skinny?
Fictionwise is having a Leap Day sale this weekend – 29% off all books (in Micropay rebates). Arrrghhh. I’ve five books in my cart already. I’ve no willpower. I’ve a feeling I will click that “Check Out” button before tomorrow night…
I’m not exactly in a reading slump right now, but the pile of half-read books is steadily increasing. Granted, four of them are anthologies, but the last book I finished was err… about two weeks ago. Anyway, that may change, because I’m currently a few chapters into Robin McKinley’s “The Blue Sword” and it’s not bad so far (apologies, can’t remember who rec’d it!).
This also probably won’t stop me from getting a few books this month:
Anne Bishop’s “Tangled Webs” (dark fantasy) – I suspect I’ll probably finish this in a single sitting. This is set in her Black Jewels world and I think it’s Surreal who’s one of the major characters. I was in the bookstore today (no, I didn’t get anything) and saw the omnibus edition of her original Black Jewels trilogy. I was sooooo tempted. Especially since I seem to have misplaced book 1. We’ll see how I feel after I read “Tangled Webs”. Excerpt here.
Kelley Armstrong’s “Personal Demon” (urban fantasy) – Latest instalment in her Otherworld series. I’m excited that she’s switching to a new protagonist, even though I don’t remember Hope too well. I think it keeps the series fresh, like when she switched from Elena to Paige. Excerpt here.
Lee Child’s “Nothing to Lose” (thriller/suspense) – One of the few completely-no-romance series I read. Jack Reacher slowly grew on me – he’s like the ultimate ex-military loner. Oh, and the action/suspense/mystery is always good too. Excerpt here.
Lisa Kleypas’s “Blue-Eyed Devil” (contemporary romance) – Okay, this is a maybe for me. I mean, I’ll definitely get it, but perhaps not in hardcover. I wasn’t blown away by her first contemp, “Sugar Daddy”, but I think that had more to do with the plot structure than the writing. I wasn’t hugely keen on the first half of “Sugar Daddy” focusing on Liberty’s childhood. I’ll probably wait and see what the reviews say on this one. This is the UK cover, by the way. Very different from the US one. Excerpt here.
Amanda Quick’s “The River Knows” (historical romance) – Amanda Quick a.ka. Jayne Ann Krentz used to be an autobuy for me way back when. Not so much recently, which is why I’m wavering over the paperback release for this one. Anyone read it yet? Umm… can’t find an excerpt for this one.
