Kathy has
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| # | cover | title | author | isbn | isbn13 | asin | num pages | avg rating | num ratings | date pub | date pub (ed.) | rating | my rating | review | notes | recommender | comments | votes | read count | date started | date read |
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date purchased | owned | purchase location | condition | format | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 031298099X
| 9780312980993
| 4.19
| 1,714
| May 30, 2006
| May 30, 2006
|
Fourth in The Bodyguards romantic suspense series revolving around the Garrett family and their friends. The couple focus in this story is on Jason "P...more
Fourth in The Bodyguards romantic suspense series revolving around the Garrett family and their friends. The couple focus in this story is on Jason "Plowboy" Wilson and Sweet Baby Jane. My Take I had a hard time reconciling this Plowboy with the one we briefly met in To the Edge , 1. They just don't seem to be the same person. Both of the primary characters seem over the top if you accept the stereotype of soldier-boy from Iowa and rock star, but going deeper, you find a young man scarred by his past who has learned from it and a woman determined not to follow in her mother's path. Other than that bit of darkness, it was a fun, light read. Jason is so intent on proving himself and trying to stay away from the rock star who just keeps impressing him more and more while she's slowly becoming more and more intrigued with "Iowa", fantasizing about easing some of her tensions. In between, Gerard keeps us hopping and guessing, throwing more possibilities into the mix while she leads us by the nose. It's a sweet combination of wealth and down-to-earth realism with this pragmatic rock star, caught up in unreal situations. The Story Jason takes cap in hand to hire on with E.D.E.N. and gets a job guarding Sweet Baby Jane, a superstar rock star who's being used by too many and is being stalked by a predator who thinks he's what she needs. Only, Janey thinks Plowboy's the one who needs a babysitter. The Characters Sweet Baby Jane, a.k.a., Janey Perkins, has worked hard to be where she is---the pinnacle of success as a rock star. It doesn't mean it's gotten easier. Alice Perkins is the mother who only loves her Jim Beam. Fiona is Janey's housekeeper in Malibu. Jason "Plowboy" Wilson is in bad shape. Tossed out of the Rangers for an on-the-job injury, rejected by police academies and Sara, he's on a downward spiral until he remembers his old squad leader, No-man Garrett. Jeremy is the brother who died. Jason got his young-looking genes from his hot dad, Bruce. Members of the band/entourage include: Max Cogan is Jane's business manager, trying to cut back. Derek McCoy is the pretty-boy drummer who thinks he's all that and doesn't understand no. Bryant, the Australian guitar player, has a full suit of tattoos. Cam Logan plays keyboard and keeps to himself. Avery Blanchard plays rhythm guitar; Eric Holmes is on synthesizer; JoJo Starbuck plays bass; and, Lakesha Jones is a backup singer. Chris Ramsey is a freelance videographer making an MTV documentary; she's not above creating some drama for a better film. (Quincy Taylor is Chris' longtime lover and an independent movie producer who is just as venal as she is.) Jack Swingle is the record producer who first saw Janey's talent. Neal Sanders is a friend from school and her amusement park days. John Cummings is her pilot. The Garretts make up E.D.E.N. Securities, Inc. founded by their father, Wes: Nolan is the youngest, a former Ranger married to Jillian ( To the Edge ; they have a son, Conner Wesley Garrett); his twin, Eve, married Mac (To The Limit, 2); Dallas is the middle brother, a former Marine and former Force Recon, obsessing over Amy Walker's whereabouts ( To the Brink , 3); and, Ethan is the oldest and getting remarried to Darcy Prescott after events in To the Brink . Susan is their mom. Officer Rodman is the policeman from Tupelo, Mississippi, in charge of the hit-and-run case. Herb Meyers is a bookie without a heart. Mr. Haley is the chatty bank manager. Edwin Grimm is being released from prison. Alex Marshall is an assassin; he figures the money will tidy up his conscience. Reverend Samuel Black likes to show up at Janey's gigs and protest her music, her performance, and her costumes; Tonya is his deluded wife. Kevin Larson was a mistake. Kathy Wallace, Candice Richards, Lana Frederickson, and Tammy Smith all have something in common. The Cover The cover is an interpretation of a flight scene in Over the Line with Jason and Jane on the run from a killer. The title reflects Jason's worries about stepping Over the Line.(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Apr 22, 2013
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May 18, 2013
| Mass Market Paperback
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| B006CUDFJ0
| 4.13
| 572
| Jan 01, 2012
| Jul 03, 2012
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Third in the Indigo Court urban fantasy series revolving around two cousins and their friends. My Take It's heavy-handed, melodramatic , and all too eas...more Third in the Indigo Court urban fantasy series revolving around two cousins and their friends. My Take It's heavy-handed, melodramatic , and all too easy. Sure there are a number of dramatic moments: a hunt and battles. But when you take a step back, they are only moments---sweet, romantic, terror-filled, and fearful---and their conclusions are too simple. But hey, at least we have the clichéd protagonist who can't be bothered to stop for a minute to learn the negative side effects. Oops, gotta stop and grab that eyeball that rolled right out o' me eye socket... I was curious as to how Galenorn would handle the big reveal to Ysandra when Cicely confesses to their deception. Yawn. And what's with all the mention of werewolves in the stories so far? They pop up once or twice to what...add a hairy experience? Nothing ever involves them. So...why? We do get the back story on how Cherish and Shy meet. It's so sweet...yawn… Such potential with Geoffrey and Leo. Good thing Galenorn decided to wait...wouldn't want to tire the boys out too fast. Of course, we have to endure the big dramatic moments of Cicely's cheesy blind acceptance of how her choices will change her fate. No, there's nothing wrong with this; it's actually very admirable. Unfortunately, Galenorn has set me up like Pavlov's dog---a dramatic moment that will flatline and die off. I do enjoy the characters. They love and care for each other and yet have suffered such losses. Losses more obvious in the tell of the story than in the show. Intellectually, I can empathize, but Galenorn doesn't make me feel it. It's sad because Galenorn has a great plot with so much potential. Potential that fizzles with the snow that will melt in the spring. There's also the melodrama of it with patches of cliché worked in. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to the next in the series, Night Vision ---mostly because I always have to know what happens next, but it's not a story I feel compelled to own. The Story It's official. Their not-so-happy group have banded together as the Moon Spinners per the Consortium requirements. But they're still in hiding in the warehouse with the Shadow Hunters, Fae, and Vampires hunting for them, even as the Queen of Summer lies dying. Nothing will stay as it seems, and the old order will be overturned in too many ways to count. The Characters Cicely Waters is a witch who manipulates the Air, shapeshifts into an owl, and is soulmated to Grieve. Ulean is the Air Elemental Lainule asked Grieve to bind to Cicely's service. Aunt Heather was taken and turned in Night Myst , 1; all that's left alive of the family is Cicely's cousin Rhiannon Roland, a witch who manipulates fire. And has her own shape! A prince of summer, Grieve was turned by Myst into a Vampiric Fae, a fate he battles daily. Chatter, his best friend and cousin, is in love with Rhiannon. Wrath, Cicely's father, is the King of Rivers and Rushes, Lainule's consort. And the owl who has been training Cicely to shift. Lainule is the Queen of Summer, terrified by possible loss into choosing wrongful alliances. The Maiden of Knowledge was a great opportunity for some drama—guess Galenorn was tired that day. Peyton Moon Runner, a half-werepuma and half-magic-born, is about to meet Rex, the father she doesn't remember. Kaylin Chen is a 101-year-old martial arts sensei and dreamwalker possessed by a night-veil demon. And he is falling for the bard, Luna. Zoey is with the Akazzani, a source that may have a way to rescue Grieve. Geoffrey the Great is the Northwest Regent for the Vampire Nation and he's determined to turn Cicely, to use her. Leo Bryne was Geoffrey's day runner who made his preferences known in Night Veil , 2. Erik is another day runner who has made some bad choices. Icarus is a vampire who runs Inley, an underground club for vampires. Regina Altos is the Emissary to the Crimson Court, her brother's twin and lover, and one terrifying vampire; her brother, Lannan, is a professor at the Conservatory, a sadistic, cruel vampire who wants Cicely above all things. Juliana is part of Lannan's stable. Ysandra Petros is from the Consortium, who knows much more than expected. Myst, Queen of the Indigo Court, was fae and Geoffrey's lover before Geoffrey turned her, making her so much more powerful than he. When that powerful, who needs partners? The Vein Lords, a.k.a., the Crimson Court, a.k.a., the Vampire Nation, are the vampires. Yummanii are the fully human. The Consortium is a worldwide organization of supernaturals, who, along with the Vein Lords and certain officials, run the world. Akazzani are a group of historians---yummanii and magic-born---who bear silent witness to the events around them. The Moon Spinners are the new magical society in New Forest. What's left of the city anyway. The Cover The cover is a chilling foreshadowing of what is to come, and it's all about Cicely. A dark night brightened by the snowy landscape, by her head an owl roosts on a branch overhanging the icy stream near which Cicely crouches in her deep royal blue u-shaped tank top, her tattoos visible, wearing black leather pants and calf-high stiletto boots. One hand on her hip, the other crossing a thigh and holding a dripping dagger, Cicely is confident and challenging. The title finds me clueless. Could the Night Seeker be one of the vampires, a Vampiric Fae seeking to avoid the light-rage, or is it a euphemism for death? (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| not set
| May 2013
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May 18, 2013
| Kindle Edition
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| 0375971424
| 9780375971426
| 4.12
| 90
| May 28, 2013
| May 28, 2013
|
It's six months in the life of Julian Twerski---a very bright young man in 1969. My Take It's good. I love the flow of Goldblatt's writing, and he reall...more It's six months in the life of Julian Twerski---a very bright young man in 1969. My Take It's good. I love the flow of Goldblatt's writing, and he really captures the mind of a twelve-year-old. It's a structured stream of consciousness as Julian writes what he thinks of his teacher, his task, and his own actions. Actions that will have a far-reaching effect on his future and his becoming a man. You'll laugh, you'll cry. You'll shake your head. Some of it will bring back memories of your own. It was slow to get started, but once I got a third of the way in or so, things perked up and the reading just flew by. It was so perfectly a boy's childhood with the playing, the pranks, the worries, the sister, the mishaps. And boys who are easily led. For the most part, the boys are good kids. Sure they get up to mischief, but that Lonnie… He's a bit of a bad boy with too much charisma and leads the boys into devilry. The consequences of which seem to slide right off him. Maybe it's those minyans he keeps getting dragged off to, LOL. It was as if one pigeon took it into its head that the far end of Ponzini would be a good place to rest for a minute, and then the entire air force joined in. Oh man, Cyrano de Bergerac has a lot to answer for. And so does Lonnie, asking his friend to do such a thing for him. That love letter was a good effort on Julian's part, and it does at least further his friendship with a good kid. I do love Julian's insights into Shakespeare, and how he relates his lessons to his own life. How a guy can hurt his friend by doing the right thing. That, in the long run, no one will ever know or remember Julian Twerski, that he's a quintessence of dust. Julian is a good kid, introspective, and with a good heart. Once he quiets down away from Lonnie and his influence. he's smart and discovering an appreciation for writing. The Story A vicious little prank finds Julian paying for his part in it by writing a journal. It might grant him relief from Julius Caeser while Mr. Selkirk is hoping he reflects on his actions. Typical kidstuff, back in the day before kids had to be wrapped up in cotton wool...however, did the human race survive...*grin*... The Characters Julian Twerski is twelve years old and hangs with his friends—mostly in Ponzini, an empty lot behind an apartment building. His friends include Lonnie Fine, the leader of their gang and Julian's best friend; Quick Quentin is a bit slow; Eric the Red (it's his hair); Howie "Wartnose" Wurtzberg; Shlomo Shlomo (his mama…); and, Bernard and Beverly Segal---brother and sister. Bernard is "a waste of human ingredients" while Howie is in love with his sister. I think his sister Amelia has it right about Julian. The Dongs are the Chinese couple who own the house where Julian's family rent the upstairs. Mrs. Fine is a concentration camp survivor while Mr. Fine owns a candy store. Stanley "Danley" Stimmel is slow and attends a special school. Victor Ponzini is a year younger and unliked. Partly because he's a squealer. Jillian Rifkin is new to school and absolutely gorgeous. On the outside. Her dad is a great guy---just ask Eduardo, the Guatemalan fútbol player and orphan he takes in, who is a threat to Julian. Devlin is an obnoxious fourteen-year-old who mows lawns. Willie is another runner at school, almost fast enough to beat Julian. Mr. Selkirk is his English teacher. Mr. Caricone is the student teacher for Mr. Loeb's social studies class. Mr. Greetham is the coach. The Cover The cover is an egg in your face against a red background...and the truth behind how Julian feels, he's a Twerp for having done as he did.(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| May 17, 2013
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May 18, 2013
| Hardcover
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| 0670020877
| 9780670020874
| 4.18
| 1,676
| 2009
| May 28, 2009
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Fifth in the Walt Longmire mystery series about a Wyoming sheriff and his own sense of justice. This story was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Yea...more Fifth in the Walt Longmire mystery series about a Wyoming sheriff and his own sense of justice. This story was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year in 2010 as well as a Dilys Award nominee. My Take This one was a pip. Sure, it's your typical mystery in that the good guy is investigating a murder. It's not so typical for a Walt Longmire as he's hunting around, undercover, in another man's jurisdiction, without much backup. The flashbacks were odd---be sure to read the chapter starts as Johnson flips back and forth between present-day and ten-days, eight-days, four-days back as he progresses through the story. It can be confusing. What comes through---as it does with every Walt Longmire story---is the down home warmth and caring of a core group of people. I'm beginning to see that I'm particularly attracted to stories that make me consider moving to a place! Yeah, totally impractical, but it does make me stop and think about how a writer crafts his story, what he puts into it that tugs at me and wants me to become a part of it. In this story, it's hostile territory, and what's confusing about it is that nobody even liked the SOB! That ride with Wahoo Sue...whew...exciting and terrifying at the same time. What appears to be a complex plot actually boils down to the simplest: just another scumbag cheating his way through life. It's the extras that Johnson adds as he fleshes out the supporting and minor characters in The Dark Horse that creates all the buzz and warmth. There's a bit of back story on Walt's family and their ranch. And it makes me sad. I suspect it'll color how I see Walt in the future... Yeah, I wonder too...did Custer wear Arrow shirts, LMAO Dang it, Johnson kept dropping these clues all over the place, and I just didn't put it together. Although, I think Walt slipped up with that canteen. Just how trusting would you be in those circumstances? It's hard to believe that such a small backwater as Absalom could be such a hotbed of activity. The Story She's confessed to murder, but it doesn't set right with Walt. There's a falsity to the circumstances, and just why would Sheriff Sandberg send her to him, if he wasn't uncomfortable with the situation? The Characters Walt Longmire is the sheriff in Absaroka County in Wyoming and up for re-election. Problem is he just can't decide if he should run or not. (Kyle Straub, the current prosecuting attorney, has signs up everywhere.) Walt still has Dog whom he inherited from the last sheriff, Lucian Connally. Henry Standing Bear is Walt's best friend and always has his back. As evidenced by his signing up for that Powder River Pound Down Tough Man Contest. He does crack me up referring to Henry as "the Cheyenne Nation"; sure sounds like he's big enough! Mary Barsad is suicidal. Any one would be after what she's confessed. Wade Barsad's death can only be considered a blessing. Wahoo Sue is the most remarkable horse and belongs to Mary. Joey "Suits" Veneto is just one of Barsad's not-so-happpy employers. Wendell Barnecke is a dentist in Youngstown and Wade's fed-up brother. Victoria Moretti is Walt's undersheriff with whom Walt had a very short affair in Philadelphia. He's still not sure where or what to do. Santiago "Sancho" Saizabitoria is still recovering from his injuries. Sandy Sandberg is sheriff over in Campbell County, and he knows what Walt's made of. Joe Meyer is the state attorney general with a warning and a possibility. In Powder River... Bill Nolan is part of Walt's past. Juana Balcarcel is the illegal immigrant bartender with the precocious young son, Benjamin. I'm hoping Juana shows up again in a Walt Longmire story. Hersel Vanskike works for Barsad as did Cliff Cly, a rough and tough rodeo cowboy. Eric Boss represents the insurance company investigating the fire. Minor characters in this story include: Mike Niall is a pretty tough rancher. Ruby is the weekday dispatcher and department secretary. T.J. Sherwin is "the chief forensic pathologist for Wyoming's Division of Criminal Investigation". Dorothy Caldwell runs the Busy Bee Café where Walt eats a lot of meals. Ernie Brown is still editor-in-chief of the local paper. Dr. Isaac Bloomfield works very quickly. Catching up... Cady, Walt's attorney daughter who recently went back to Philadelphia after recovering from the beating she underwent in Kindness Goes Unpunished , 3, has gotten engaged. Michael Moretti, Vic's younger brother and a street cop in Philadelphia, just asked her. Lana Baroja from Death Without Company , 2, is doing well with her bakery and buying up more property. Rumors abound. The Cover The cover is in white, grays, and blacks in a woodcut effect with a wild Wahoo Sue whirling and snorting against a bleak Wyoming winter sky. Do check out the chains flying up around her neck---that a novel is quite clever. The title applies to several points in the story...see if you can find The Dark Horses. (less) | Notes are private!
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| not set
| Apr 26, 2013
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May 17, 2013
| Hardcover
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| 9780988327801
| unknown
| 3.83
| 2,138
| Sep 15, 2012
| Sep 16, 2012
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None
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| not set
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May 17, 2013
| ebook
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| B009Z78Z5G
| unknown
| 3.67
| 201
| Oct 30, 2012
| Oct 30, 2012
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Cute and I want to read more
| Notes are private!
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| not set
| Jan 05, 2013
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May 14, 2013
| Kindle Edition
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| 0786939532
| 9780786939534
| 4.25
| 19,697
| Jan 01, 1990
| Dec 01, 2005
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First in the Legend of Drizzt fantasy series, which I think is a sub series within the Forgotten Realm series. This particular story starts in the cit...more
First in the Legend of Drizzt fantasy series, which I think is a sub series within the Forgotten Realm series. This particular story starts in the city of Menzoberranzan in the Underdark with its twenty thousand drow. My Take This was just nasty. Well-written in the details although it had too many incongruities that no one caught, or that Salvatore simply didn't care about in this story about a culture that prizes lying, murder, assassination, and betrayal. I really didn't want to give it a "4"; I'd have preferred a "3" or less, but it would be incredibly unfair simply because I despise the main thrust of the "country". Or because I really hate it when authors create unpronounceable names that I have to struggle over. I do have to give Salvatore credit for writing so well and consistently of such awful people with this engrossing culture. The story just goes on and on and on, detailing the awfulness of it. However, it's also clumsy. If Zak is the best weapons master, then how can the clerics of House DeVir not have heard of him?; why does Zak think his only choice was to kill Drizzt? Why didn't he just flee with Drizzt? This is stupid. Why wasn't Drizzt taught about his society and their attitudes from the start? It just seems so dumb to leave him in ignorance until he goes off to the Academy. No, Salvatore leaves all these loose ends, and it irritates me. I don't understand the position of a patron of the house. It sounds like a good thing, but the status of males denies that idea. Nor does Salvatore ever explain it. I think part of my dislike is the utter waste of it all. These drow spend all their time plotting and knifing each other in the back. Instead, they could put all that brainpower to use building their people up. It's like crooks and terrorists who spend all this money, time, and effort to destroy when if they put the same into building up...the world could be so much better. It's odd that I find their customs and way of raising children disgusting. That I despise the female's power over the males; it's very much as women were/are treated by our own society. I think I feel better about myself, knowing that I find inequal treatment of anyone repugnant. The Story The plot is coming to fruition and House Do'Urden will advance in its ambitions. Small things, however, will have a bearing on total and eventual success. The birthed one that lives. The cruel and repugnant customs of the drow that will push their best away. It's of Drizzt's upbringing that we read and the slow and steady truth of his culture that he grasps. The Characters House Do'Urden, Tenth House of Menzoberranzan Drizzt Do'Urden is alive only through ambition, and his achievements as he reaches manhood are astounding. Unfortunately for his House, he is also capable of independent thought. Malice Do'Urden is the Matron Mother of Daermon N'a'shezbaernon; her daughters are Maya, a vicious bitch; Vierna, who has thrust her softer side behind her; and, Briza the worst of the daughters. Dinin is his older brother, a perfect drow: ambitious, violent, self-seeking; Nalfein is the eldest son. Zaknafein is the finest weapons master in the city, busy training their 300 troops. Rizzen is Malice's current flavor of the month. Alton DeVir is a son of House DeVir, the Fourth House. Matron Ginafae is his mother, but she has fallen out of favor with Lolth. Matron Baenre is of House Baenre, the First House. One of her sons is the city's chief wizard, and she doesn't hesitate to rub it in. Her daughter, Triel, is the Matron Mistress of the Academy. Berg'inyon is a son who is up against Drizzt at the Academy. The fate of House Teken'duis is yet another nail in the coffin for Drizzt, followed by the forced fight with Byuchyuch, then the behavior of Kelnozz of House Kenafin really rams home the truth of his culture. Why it took this many years for Drizzt to understand this, I'll never understand. House Hun'ett is the Sixth House Matron SiNafay is Masoj's mother. Guenhwyvar is the panther who exists on another plane until called by Masoj, who is serving his older brother, the Faceless One, a mage at the Academy. The Faceless One is desperate for aid, and in return for it, he has contracted to kill Alton DeVir. Lolth is the Spider Queen who encourages chaos and backstabbing. The Matrons and their talented daughters serve her as high priestesses. The females hold all the power; the males are fodder. I can't quite figure out what the yochlol is. It appears to be a representative of the queen. Station is the drow religion paying homage to the Spider Queen, a deity of chaos which rewards a stab in the back while frowning upon an overt attack. A drider is a drow turned into a half-drow, half-spider for angering the queen. I do like Drizzt's comment: Those most powerful in Menzoberranzan spend their days watching over their shoulders, defending against the daggers that would find their backs. Their deaths usually come from the front. The Gnomes A vein of gemstones is discovered close to drow territory and Belwar and his miners are sent to mine them. Goblins and orcs are treated as slaves. Tier Breche is the Academy of the drow with three schools: Arach-Tinilith, the school of Lolth; Melee-Magthere, the school for fighters; and, Sorcere, the school of wizardry. Hatch'net is the master of Lore---think of it as propaganda. The Cover No, I don't care for the cover either---hey, at least I'm consistent! It's shades of purple and brown as Drizzt and his friendly cat, Guenhwyvar, prowl the corridors around Menzoberranzan. The title is our introduction to a culture, people, and Homeland Drizzt learns to despise.(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Apr 27, 2013
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May 14, 2013
| Paperback
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| 1423148495
| 9781423148494
| 4.02
| 574
| May 14, 2013
| May 14, 2013
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First in the School Spirits urban fantasy series for Young Adults---a spin-off series from Hawkins' Hex Hall series---and revolving around Izzy Branni...more
First in the School Spirits urban fantasy series for Young Adults---a spin-off series from Hawkins' Hex Hall series---and revolving around Izzy Brannick, the youngest and one of the last of the family. The majority of this story takes place in Alabama. My Take This is one of those books that makes you want to curl up in a comfy armchair. It's cute with a unique twist on teenage monster-hunting even if it is a bit simplistic with a cozy troupe of outcast characters. Hawkins was clever with Romy's arguments as to why the PMS club deserves to be a school club. Hawkins gets even more clever in her setting Izzy up with a need to prove herself, although it got old rather quickly. And Izzy tends to jump too quickly to conclusions. It's not right to condemn someone on conjecture alone without actual proof. I'm curious as to why or how the Brannicks have been so reduced. Dang, it took going back over my notes to finally get what Pascal was talking about---the boy in the mirror. Wee-eeewwww. I am surprised that Hawkins doesn't repeat this suspicion. Nor does she do well with the guilt she's trying to get Mom to project. It's more as if someone suggested humanizing Mom or wanted her to be more mom-like, but Hawkins never really got behind it. It's heavyhanded and unnatural. Hmmm, another loose end with Dex's comment about being viewed as a freak when he was younger—I do like his confident independence! Torin cracks me up with his assessment of Izzy's wardrobe: There's some fun snark in this...intelligent and spot on. A nice core group of friends whom I'll miss in the next story. Hint, hint-hint, hint...it would be lovely if disaster were to break out and the Brannicks just had to stay… I'm surprised that Anderson doesn't stop and pick Romy up to go to school since he has a car and appears to live along her route. I'm not sure which was supposed to be the true purpose of School Spirits: settling with the ghost or the tension and drama of just what Dexter was---a Prodigium or something Izzy has never before encountered. Whatever he is, he's my favorite in School Spirits! Oh, and Dexter's decision at the end just made me cry. A bit melodramatic on Hawkins' part...but definitely requiring Kleenex. I did expect more from that hammer Mom was wielding. And what's with Mom's contradictory attitude about Torin?? I don't get it. I didn't care for the very end of the story. It's too simplistic and takes away half the fun. Still, I'm looking forward to the next in the series. The Story It's a moping Izzy who ends up going undercover in high school when Maya conjures up a haunting case at Mary Evans High. An unnerving---and first time---experience for our Izzy who's been homeschooled all her life. The Characters Isolde "Izzy" Brannick, a strong girl who heals fast and can sense Prodigium, is one of the last two of the Brannicks, a family of monster hunters with a compound in the woods in Tennessee. Once an independent and large family, the Brannicks have been reduced to being a police force for the governing Council. And they don't do magic! Finley is the slightly older sister who went missing. Torin is the 18-year-old, give or take 400+ years, evil warlock who got trapped in a mirror. He can travel between mirrors and see into the future, one that sees Izzy freeing him somehow. There's a Rowena who makes a very quick, brief appearance in one of the dreams into which he pulls Izzy. Aislinn is Izzy's mom. Maya is a hedge witch Mom knows and employs. Dexter O'Neil is a gorgeous young man with asthma and an attraction to Izzy. He just loves what she did to McCrary! Nana is his grandmother who is taking care of him. Romy Hayden started up the Parnaormal Management Society (PMS). Anderson is the rest of their group---the resident ghost lore researcher; he's in love with Romy. Other classmates and teachers at Mary Evans High include: Adam Lipinski is anti-PMS, but pro-Izzy. At least for a while. Ben McCrary sounds like he's a jerk at school; I like what Izzy did to him, and it does gain Izzy a number of friends. Beth Tanner is Ben's girlfriend, and another target. Mrs. Steele is the English teacher. Mr. Snyder is the chemistry teacher who was attacked. The Prodigium is the governing council of supernaturals; cousin Sophie is destined to be Head of the Council some day (which I'm curious about). Pascal is a rogue vampire Izzy is sent to capture. Mary Evans is the ghost of a high school girl who got died. The Itineris is a portal that allows the Brannicks to travel quickly all over the world, with only a few drawbacks. The Cover The cover is definitely pretty colors with that bright gold and the deep teal. The black-and-white checkerboard floor is a nice touch, although I'm not sure why the standing Izzy is reflected in Torin's mirror as Izzy... The title should really be singular as those School Spirits are really only one.(less) | Notes are private!
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| May 13, 2013
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May 14, 2013
| Hardcover
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| unknown
| 3.85
| 4,416
| Feb 05, 2013
| unknown
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May 13, 2013
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| 0062076108
| 9780062076106
| 4.30
| 5,824
| Mar 26, 2013
| Mar 26, 2013
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Second in the Night Prince urban fantasy series revolving around Leila in love with Vlad. My Take Oh, brother. Borrow this from the library. It's not wo...more Second in the Night Prince urban fantasy series revolving around Leila in love with Vlad. My Take Oh, brother. Borrow this from the library. It's not worth buying. It's got a lame romance-suspense plot with limp twists and moronic reactions. I'm hoping that Frost was simply overwhelmed with deadlines of some sort. I had been looking forward to this installment ever since reading the first in this spin-off series...and I'm so bloody disappointed. I kept checking the cover to be sure I really was reading a Jeaniene Frost... It has all the right pieces, but it just doesn't grab hold of me. There's no subtlety. The kidnapping is lame. Then there's Leila's reaction to what she supposedly wants. Gag. It's like reading a really bad romance novel. Okay, the Bits & Pieces of It... I completely understand Leila's reasonable reaction to Vlad's proposal. And what was Vlad thinking to make this kind of proposal? Supposedly he can "read" minds, so how did he miss what Leila is thinking and screw up this badly? The Maximus manipulation was halfhearted. Oh, whoopie, Leila's handicap has disappeared. How conveniently easy. Maximus' history is interesting to learn. Why does Leila believe the dreams aren't real? I mean, duhh. Her father is very unhappy with her attraction to Vlad, and with Vlad's actions with her. Yeah, well, what kind of father would he be if he weren't? Then there's Gretchen. Is she behaving more like a bad, trailer trash kind of sister in this or is it just my imagination? Why does everyone keep saying that Vlad is a "borderline psychotic" and a "crazy cruel bastard" when psychosis is defined as "a severe mental disorder in which thought and emotions are so impaired that contact is lost with external reality". I've never noticed Vlad being crazy; sure, he's been cruel and, in his cruelty, he can be a bastard. And, this attitude from Frost is just another nail in Twice Tempted's coffin. Dearie?? Really? The Story Leila is still handicapped and starting to worry over Vlad's lack of attention. Questioning if her power is the only attraction she has for him. Only, there's someone else out there who hates any attraction Vlad has to anyone for any reason. Betrayal is on the menu. The Characters Leila Dalton was changed by an accident in her youth. One that led her to Vlad's protection in Once Burned , 1. Unfortunately for Leila, she's fallen in love. Gretchen is Leila's greedy sister. The retired Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Dalton is her angry father. Marty is the dwarf vampire with whom Leila had a circus act. Had being the operative word. Vladislav "Vlad" Dracul, Prince of Darkness, vampire, is living with Leila. For now. Maximus, formerly known as Rossal de Payen, is Vlad's second-in-command with a secret passion. Shrapnel is Vlad's third-in-command. Isha is the chef angry with Leila, and Sandra and Joe are some of Vlad's live-in donors. Dr. Natalia Romanov is the in-house physician. Mencheres and Kira and Bones and Cat help out. I'm just not telling who they're helping. Edgar is a good, fair negotiator. Cynthiana is a witch and was Vlad's lover before Leila. Adrian is the bombmaker. Mihaly Szilagyi has been Vlad's bitter enemy for centuries. The Cover The cover is the best part with the hot---in every sense of the word---shirtless Vlad standing in profile amidst the flames. I suspect the title applies to Vlad and his worries over the reaction his first wife had. And now, with Leila, he's Twice Tempted.(less) | Notes are private!
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| Apr 26, 2013
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May 13, 2013
| Mass Market Paperback
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| 0316219223
| 9780316219228
| 3.57
| 107
| Jan 01, 2012
| May 14, 2013
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A fictional tale of two completely different people with their completely different lives that finally, eventually, join towards the end. Briefly. The...more A fictional tale of two completely different people with their completely different lives that finally, eventually, join towards the end. Briefly. The time span ranges from the 1960s to the 2000s. My Take I have absolutely no idea what the point of this story was. It's just pages and pages and pages of pointless background with pages and pages and pages of us following Laura's stream of consciousness as she picks up odd jobs here and there, slowly finding her niche in the working world. Ravi's story is more interesting but just as lacking in any depth. No, I'm not disrespecting Malini and Hiran, if anything I'm disappointed that de Kretser disrespects them. Simply using them to...what? She certainly hasn't made any points with it. It's more of an attempt to dredge up emotions by skimming through a tragedy. I loved Charlie's observation of Balinese affection for their children as he wonders why Westerners decided such affection spoils a child. What was the point of all this background about Laura's artistic talent? Why did we endure the childhood friendships, interactions at school, the Sinhalese friends and neighbors emigrating to escape the terrorism? De Kretser has attempted tension and drama, but goes nowhere with it. She's too busy throwing in bits and pieces. The pieces do eventually connect---they certainly add to the background of each of the unconnected but primary characters. It's just too frustrating that it reads more like a journal missing chunks of time. All the possibilities for Ravi with Malini and Hiran, that de Kretser never uses. A mention here and there in case we forgot what happened to them. That's it. Who is it who has been calling Laura and hanging up on her throughout the story? What happened to Charlie's kid? What's the point of Deepti Pieris? Sure, de Kretser uses her to attempt a bit of treachery, but she goes nowhere with it. Well, I suppose I shouldn't complain. At least going nowhere is consistent throughout the story. What was the point of the carved "RAVI"? Malini's politics had nothing to do with Ravi. Perhaps de Kretser should have developed this instead of skimming it. What was the point of destroying Freda's phone? Why bother introducing us to Hazel's neighbors if we're never going to interact with them? What's the point of Layla? The few pluses of this story are the travel and cultural exposure: Laura in England and Naples, Ravi in Sri Lanka, and both of them living in Sydney. It's fascinating to see through their eyes, to experience the prejudices and bigotry of the other characters. I loved reading about the food while the familial interactions are universal---we're more alike than different! I loved de Kretser's observations of how the state of the tourist was "always to arrive too late" when the countryside is spoiled, politics has gotten in the way, progress has corrupted...nothing is as good as what the tourist has missed. And ain't it the truth! She goes on to point out the silliness of it with if onlys that go back as far as the Flood! The best of this story is de Kretser's occasional, brilliantly descriptive turns-of-phrase and the mechanics of her writing. Because this is an ARC and there is a deadline to submit this review before it's published, the actual quotations may not be retained in the story---and that would be a shame: "A waterfall in a forest was mourning its lost life as a cloud." Unfortunately, these weren't enough of these to counter the pointlessness of Questions of Travel. It would have worked better as snippets of stories left on their own. Perhaps as entries in a journal... The Story On the one hand, Laura is an ugly woman with no ambition other than to explore the world, and we follow her on her meandering travels. Then we encounter Ravi Mendis beginning with his childhood, getting caught up in his wife's campaigning against Tamil terrorism against Sinhalese soldiers, police, and ministers in Sri Lanka, and following his struggle to survive. Eventually Laura and Ravi end up working at a travel guide publishing company. And Laura needs a destination that turns out to be Ravi's homeland. It's sad that the ending merely made me feel a little bit bad. To be honest, my reaction was mostly one of relief at Laura's fate and a mild curiosity about Ravi's. The Characters The majority of those characters I've listed are simply pointless color. And, yes, I've left a number of characters out. It's as if de Kretser was told to develop a background for her characters, but no one told her she didn't have to put it all in the story. Laura Fraser is the youngest, unwanted child in the family. Hester is an aunt who came to her father's rescue when his wife died, and it's her influence that encourages Laura's travels. Cameron is the only surviving schmuck of a brother who goes on to a career in commercial law; Hamish is the twin who doesn't go far. Donald Fraser is the medical director of a hospital and her father. At least in name. He marries the anesthetist---we never do learn her name. He reaps the attention he has sown. Ravi Mendis is the middle child, a boy, fascinated by computers and ambitious to get ahead. Until he falls in love with Malini de Zilva, and they have a son, Hiran. Freda Hobson encourages Malini in her politics and aids Ravi in the aftermath. Priya is his conventional older sister with a big chip on her shoulder; she marries Lal Fonseka, an amiable dimwit. Varunika is the youngest daughter who ends up working as a nurse in Africa. Suresh Mendis is his father, anxious to make his wife, Carmel, happy. Mrs. Andrado was their ambitious neighbor. D.S. Basnayake is a relative of the Mendis' who grudgingly helps the young couple out. Frog-Face is a professor who comes in handy. Tracy Lacey is Laura's snobbish "friend" who occasionally pops up to be a condescending brat. Destiny is Tracy's even worse child. Charlie McKenzie was one of Laura's art school teachers, and her first long-term lover. Blanche was a landlady in England. Theo Newman was one of her few friends in England; he introduced her to a variety of people including Bea Morley who became a lifelong friend (and has a cousin, Vivienne, who provides Laura with a great opportunity) and Meera Bryden, an editor of a travel glossy who takes on Laura (Meera's husband, Lewis, is a crude jerk). Theo's mother, Anna, was a German refugee who told her son stories of her past. Gaby Shapton is his married sister. Dr. Gebhardt (I suspect it's a slip of the pen that reveals the doctor as a woman...). is his thesis supervisor. Roshi de Mel and Anusha are the daughters of friends who emigrate; Roshi briefly pops up again but I really don't see the point of this character. Aloysius is their father. Dudley seems to be their mentally challenged brother who gets left behind. Nimal Corea is his web designing friend who gets fed up, again and again. I liked the idea of RealLanka. Angie Segal is the immigration lawyer in Sydney. Hazel Costigan is the woman who will rent a shed to Ravi in Sydney. Bettany is, I think, Hazel's daughter with Robbo, but she doesn't live with Hazel. It's very vague. Fair Play is a spoiled beagle-whippet, who adds color, but I wouldn't miss him if he had never appeared. Kev is Hazel's fourth, and he has Lefty, a big blond Labrador—adding more color. Russ is the third son (I think). Damo is Hazel's youngest son; he's protective of his mother and compassionate. He's also gay. Len is a husband who is mentioned twice. More color. And yet more color when we learn about Hazel's chairs. None of which has any bearing on the story. Ramsay Publications (mostly in Sydney) Helmut Becker works in the design office. Nadine Flanagan is the webmaster; I have no idea how Tyler Dean fits into the office other than that he's a techie, appears to be in charge, and hires Ravi as a favor to his lover, Damo. Cliff Ferrier runs the office now that the owner/founder/director and his new trophy wife are running around the globe, shopping. Quentin Husker is the head of Publishing whose sister Arabella was once married to Alan Ramsay. Crystal Bowles is obsessed with status and fashion. Jade is her sister who worked with Robyn Carr heads up Marketing. Paul Hinkel becomes the HR manager. Gina Piggott runs the London office, and she has what we first believe are delusions of grandeur. Alice Merton. Hugo Drummond is a dead artist whose still-living lover, Carlo Ferri, needs live-in help. Rosalba is Carlo's cousin, and she shares a secret past and passion with him. Banksia Gardens, the old folks home Abebe Issayas is an Ethiopian nurse's aide. Hana is his sister with a daughter, Tarik. The Cover The cover is golden with its porthole looking out onto a slope of forested land poking out into the water. The title would be more appropriately titled Questions of Why anyone bothered to publish this.(less) | Notes are private!
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| May 09, 2013
| May 12, 2013
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May 13, 2013
| Hardcover
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| 0307273555
| 9780307273550
| 3.43
| 763
| Jan 01, 2009
| Sep 20, 2011
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Drvenkar claims this is a thriller; in my book, this was more of a horror story! My Take This was godawful horrible. I'll give Sorry a "5" for the conce...more Drvenkar claims this is a thriller; in my book, this was more of a horror story! My Take This was godawful horrible. I'll give Sorry a "5" for the concept behind it and for the mechanics of the writing which was very good as well as the high level of horror, but Drvenkar kept it all so vague that I was never sure what was happening---a "2" in my book which averages out to a "3.5". I suspect the vagueness is necessary for part of the story---the part that holds back the identity of the murderer. But it goes too far in holding back everything in this mysterious plane of perplexity. And I do mean everything. Wolf and Erin's time together, the part between Wolf first mentioning her through the meandering of his thoughts to the end is baffling. Meybach's apartment, or is that apartments? The flashbacks that I have to decipher as to who is involved and when. I can't blame the murderer. Not really. Not as the truth unfolds. What I do blame is the original victims not going to someone from the start. Just like the foursome later on not going to the authorities from the beginning of their ordeal. It's sad what eventually happens. The destruction and loss. So much that was preventable. Nor does he have any right to pull them into his own mess, his own head trip. It's not their fault, what happened to him. Then WTF is Frauke thinking? Yes, it's the right thing, but only AFTER she's spoken with her friends. And she just keeps making it worse and worse. As for Tamara and that shovel...again, WTF? Then the threesome from the other side of all this. God, their justifications. I'll never understand how they can be okay with this. How they can accept this as a "good thing". I just want to retch---and get out my own hammer. I'm rarely sure from chapter to chapter who's speaking. His use of "After" and "Before" on the chapter headings is confusing---my brain started racing by the second chapter, trying to figure out what's going on. In some ways I appreciated how Drvenkar introduced the four principal protagonists, but I also think this could have been slid more smoothly into the story as opposed to just dumped in. It was as though he couldn't figure out how to introduce them and finally gave up. Drvenkar does create some interesting back stories for his characters. Perhaps the vague meandering is representative of how life really works and Drvenkar is replicating this. All I know is I don't like it. Huh, who knew I'd be complaining when the author can't make me cry… I regret some of the grief that's caused, but...I have a hard time dredging up much in the way of empathy. I guess it's all the stupid things that happen. The Story It's a brilliant idea---all those jerks, cowards, and shy people out there who can't say they're sorry. In some ways, they won't say it even when they know they should. Instead, Sorry steps up to handle it for you. Easy. A relief for both sides, in different ways. Only, someone perverts the idea. Subverts their intention of Sorry as a way to help people heal. The Characters It's the jerk in the park that sparks the concept in Kris Marrer's head. He's just been terminated and jobs are scarce. Wolf is his younger brother. One still suffering from Erin's death. Lutger Marrer is their father; their mother ran off on them years ago. Tamara Berger is also jobless, and she's mooching a place to live off her sister Astrid. She had a daughter, Jenni, some years ago with David, but decided she wasn't cut out for motherhood. Frauke Lewin is her best friend, has been for years. Frauke's mother, Tanja, is confined to a private clinic while her father, Gerd, owns a construction company and mourns her absence, tries to bury it with girlfriends. Frauke tends to have a variety of temporary jobs when and as she needs extra money. Bernd Jost-Degen is the boss who can't lie. The Belzens---Joachim and Helena---are their new neighbors across the water. A sweet couple. Franziska, "Fanni", and Karl Fichtner are not a sweet couple. "Butch" and "Sundance" are best friends. Marco M is a drug dealing friend of Kris' from school with useful connections. Gerald is Frauke's friend from the criminal investigations department. Jonas Kronauer is another policeman. Samuel is looking after the Belzens' house. Julia Lambert is a target for Sorry, one for whom Kris concocts a different approach. Hessmann is the client. Frank Löffler is another victim. Dorothea Haneff is one who deserves her fate. Lars Meybach is a client. The Cover The cover is stark. A deep dark background that forces the focus onto the crumpled white paper, slightly askew on the front with the title, its genre, and the author's name on it. Nailed and bleeding. The title is what it's all about---Sorry. That's just the way it is.(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| May 05, 2013
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May 11, 2013
| Hardcover
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| 1455527653
| 9781455527656
| 4.07
| 369
| Oct 22, 2011
| Mar 26, 2013
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0
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May 11, 2013
| Paperback
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| 0765328259
| 9780765328250
| 3.66
| 62
| Apr 02, 2013
| Apr 02, 2013
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Third in the Shadow Grail urban fantasy series for Young Adults and revolving around a very small cadre of school kids attempting to survive a curse i...more
Third in the Shadow Grail urban fantasy series for Young Adults and revolving around a very small cadre of school kids attempting to survive a curse in which all involved with Arthur's kingdom are "doomed to be reborn over and over until either the Shadow or the Grail triumphs". My Take Ohhh, Spirit's memories of the accident that claimed her family are starting to come back. Probably triggered by what Spirit learned in Conspiracies , 2! Heck, Spirit and her friends thought life at Oakhurst was bad before. It almost seems like a paradise now that the Shadow Knights have taken over. And Lackey and Edghill really crank up the tension on this. Sacrifices is a terrifying balancing act as the kids try to figure out who's who and on which side they fall amongst their fellow students, the faculty, and the Breakthrough employees. Friendships must be fiercely hidden even as Spirit and her friends must ferret out the Shadow Knights' plans. And people must be saved, no matter the cost. "It's like Where's Waldo?, except now with added mortal peril," Muirin sniped. Yes, it's tense and comes with drama galore. At times I started to think of it as a bridge story, but too much happens. Much too much that will shock you into groping for that box of Kleenex. The authors do drive me nuts with the vague hints they drop of who of today matches up with the Grail or Shadow Knights, although they do fill in the blanks on a number of characters. I will confess that it's strong enough to make me crazy about having to wait for #4 so I can verify my own suspicions as to who Arthur, Guinevere, and Gawain have been reincarnated as! If you've enjoyed Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy or Jennifer Estep's Mythos Academy, you'll enjoy this series. The Story The Shadow Knights have taken over and everything has changed from elegant dining to barracks-style brawls. Classes are brutal with an emphasis on combat and survival. Survival according to the Shadow Knights. The new curriculum makes the old look like a walk through Disney on a bright and sunny day. Now, friendships can lead to death, and each of the friends will be tempted to join the Dark Side. The Characters Spirit White lost her family and learned the truth behind that loss. And she's still at a loss as to why because she has no magic. QUERCUS is the one secret she's kept even from her friends; the one who arranged for her Internet access outside the school. Muirin Shae, an Air Witch, is a snob who loves to flout the rules, and she's hangin' with the Shadow Knights now. Ovcharenko in particular. Addie is the heir to Prester-Lake BioCo, and a Water Witch who just wants to get out of here. Loch Spears has some minor Gifts: Shadewalking and Kenning from the School of Air and Pathfinding from the School of Earth. He's also gay and sort of still in the closet. Burke Hallows, a Combat Mage, an orphan who learned the truth of his foster parents' murders, and he's in love with Spirit. Kelly Langley is "one of the nicer proctors"; Gareth Stevenson is okay; and, Joe Rogers has simply gotten worse. Trinity Brown refuses to take Dylan's place. Dylan Williams, a Jaunting mage, had been the official ringleader back in Conspiracies ; now he's Ovcharenko's chew toy. Poor Spirit is forced onto the dance committee with Maddie Harris (Water), Kylee Williamson (Energy), Zoey Young (Fire), Christopher Terry (Weather), and Dylan. The Townies who make up the other half of the joint dance committee include Juliette Weber and her twin brother, Brett---obviously the king and queen of Macalister High; Veronica "Couch" Davenport is a fat girl everyone picks on; Kennedy Lewis is the class "bad" girl; the giggler, Erica Bass; Brenda Copeland who just has to talk about her dad---the Sheriff---all the time; and, Bella. Tom and Adam Phillips are the local townies drafted to the dance committee. Elizabeth Walker (her Arthurian identity is as Yseult of Cornwall, Mark's wife, and Tristan's lover) is the student whose dreams provide the kernel of truth to Spirit. Dr. Ambrosius is the headmaster. Mrs. Corby is his personal assistant although she lacks magic, and Devon is a supervisor of the Boys' Dorm Wing; both are Ambrosius' bodyguards. Ms. Jane Smith is the math teacher who likes to break everyone down. Dr. MacKenzie (Fire) is the school shrink whom everyone is supposed to visit. Ms. Bradford is the school nurse. Beckett Green is a Combat Mage brought in to help teach the defense classes---and appeal to Burke. Mia Singleton teaches the Endurance Riding class. Anastus Leontivich Ovcharenko (Agravaine), a member of the Russian Bratva or mafia and Breakthrough's head of security, is teaching the defense classes with an emphasis on hurting his chosen victim. Ms. Lily Groves teaches History of Magic and intends to do some private tutoring with Spirit. Camelot, the Grail Knights High Queen Guinevere intends to carry on with Arthur's legacy. The Merlin, the Archdruid of Eire, the Bishop of England, and the White Horse Woman were involved in carrying out Mordred's sentence. The Shadow Knights Mordred, Arthur's illegitimate son and a mage, had engineered Arthur's fall and the "burial" of The Merlin. Nimue was once his ally. Breakthrough Adventure Systems is the new big employer in Radial run by Mark Rider (King Mark of Cornwall) and Theodore Rider. They are the Shadow Knights taking over the school. Madison Lane-Rider is supermodel-perfect, Mark's wife, and she takes over the History of Magic class. Clark Howard is a coder. Ken Abrams, Judy, and Brian are all in Graphic Design. Mandy Poole is a technician. The Hellriders were a motorcycle gang who inhabited Oakhurst before Dr. Ambrosius took it over. Stephen "Wolfman" Wolferman was a member whose three-county chase and the Hellrider Massacre was written about in a news article. Kenny is the gang member who saved Wolfman's life. Detectives Bethany Mitchell and Thomas Carter are from the Sheriff's Office in Radial. The Riders are a modern Wild Hunt on horses and snowmobiles. Oakhurst Academy, a posh boarding school only for future magicians who have been orphaned, is in the middle of Montana near the tiny town of Radial. The school has never encouraged the students to make friends with each other, grading them on everything including their Christmas gifts. But now it's worse. The Gatekeepers were thought to be a secret society within Oakhurst. The Cover The cover is a battle stance of Spirit in her below-the-knee turquoise gown with its stardust shrug against (or back-to-back with!) Muirin in black lace and lamé, both wearing dresses provided by Breakthrough for the school dance. The title presages events, the Sacrifices that will be made.(less) | Notes are private!
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| not set
| Apr 19, 2013
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May 11, 2013
| Hardcover
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| 1451638752
| 9781451638752
| 3.60
| 25
| Feb 01, 2013
| May 07, 2013
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May 08, 2013
| Hardcover
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| 1476716188
| 9781476716183
| 4.04
| 57
| Apr 29, 2013
| Apr 29, 2013
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First in the Monstrosity funny chicklit/urban fantasy series revolving around a group of monsters just trying to survive. My Take At last! Petersen give...more First in the Monstrosity funny chicklit/urban fantasy series revolving around a group of monsters just trying to survive. My Take At last! Petersen gives us the monsters' side of things. And it's too funny. I love it! I love getting the perspective on the daily issues monsters face. I love how Petersen melds the concept of the AA meeting with our idea of monsters. They're just regular people concerned about their jobs, being mugged, and obsessing about their appearances. Using The Story as a grounding for the murders is enough to make me want to crack the books, just to see how the monsters! are destroyed. To steel myself for another death...eek! For Grimes' mention of how that classic story about the Invisible Man ends, is sounding prophetic. When another of their group is found, it freaks 'em all out. "...authors of books and directors of movies got their lives so consistently wrong... Wait a minute, their support group is meeting in a church. And Dracula is one of their group??? LOL, I do like Alec. Underneath that jokey exterior, beats a heart of gold. Even if he does leave clumps of hair in the sink! Club Monstrosity isn't deep nor is there a lot of tension. It's a fun and light read that distracts from regular life---sure made me rethink my whining about having to shave my legs! Petersen manages to make monsters all too human and show us that anyone can be a monster. It's all in the way you act and treat people. The Story It's a bad start for their meeting and for once they'll have to pull together. But it gets worse when Natalie gets to work and discovers who the first body of the night is. Then the second. Alec is worried enough...and desperate enough to scare Natalie's roommate off. Linda is doing her usual—-crying her eyes out and whining. And Dracula comes with a possible out. The Characters Natalie Gray, a a Frankenstein's monster, works at the morgue and attends her Monstofelldosis Anonymous meetings at Holy Heart church. Whitney is her barely tolerable roommate. Bob the Blob is the group's facilitator. Kai, the mummy; Linda, the swamp dweller, a whiny, crying thing; Drake, er, Dracula, who is too theatrical for everyone else's patience; Dr. Henry Jekyll---who keeps bringing that Mr. Edward Hyde with him---but is actually a nice guy; Ellis, the invisible man; and, Alec Dunham, the laid back alpha werewolf, are additional members of the group. Dr. Gretchen Grimes is the medical examiner who adores spending time in the courtroom. Rehu is Kai's former lover and a lot closer to the story that's told of him. The mercenary Van Helsings, of course, are much worse, going after every monster, at the forefront of every mob...working it with whoever is paying the most. Sam and Georgia Winslow have their own untold tale. The Cover The cover has an Andy Warholish feel to it with its blocks of bright color showcasing four comic versions of the monsters in this story. I liked the strong bolt of lightning stitched to Natalie's block! The title covers so many interpretations, but all lead this group, this society, this Club Monstrosity. (less) | Notes are private!
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| May 07, 2013
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May 08, 2013
| ebook
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| 0553807056
| 9780553807059
| 3.90
| 19,075
| 2008
| May 20, 2008
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Fourth in the Odd Thomas philosophical horror-lite series. This story finds Odd in Magic Beach, California. My Take Being an odd-attractant is certainly...more Fourth in the Odd Thomas philosophical horror-lite series. This story finds Odd in Magic Beach, California. My Take Being an odd-attractant is certainly a useful, um, skill? It certainly explains how Odd attracts the, um, unusual, not to say, odd and leaves Koontz the leeway to use this as an excuse to not explain anything to the reader. It was irritating to try and figure out what's going on, but then Odd works his charm and I fell into it, slowly, wonderingly, confusedly. Brother Odd , 3, appears to have been, not a bridge, but a break to allow for Odd's new trek out into the world. And his encounter with the enigmatic Annamaria appears to be the connection, the initial path out into this brave new world of Odd's. It should be interesting to see where this pregnant "madonna" will lead. I'm still hunting for the reason that the three thugs came after Annamaria and Odd in the first place… Oh, I understand why they come after Odd, after that touch. But why touch him in the first place? Koontz leads you to believe one thing about why they're tracking Annamaria---paranormal connection---and later events don't bear it out. And what's with the coyotes? Oh, yeah, I can see what an amazing psychic Portentia was… The thing is, I don't need Annamaria's cryptic avoidance to want to read the next story as I like Odd. He's a decent guy who has given up any thought of his own life in exchange for helping the world. But he provides this aid with no thought of remuneration; he never wonders how it will help him. Koontz has created such an interesting dilemma for Odd with his odd abilities and a sure bet that no one would believe him. Which makes it even odder that so many do believe him without need of an explanation. Think James Bond zenned out. I did appreciate Odd's casually careful carelessness during his police interview. I could only hope I should be so relaxed...appearing. There's an odd quality...I know, I get so caught up in Odd that he permeates my thoughts. A sign of a good writer, yeah, like I'm one to judge, LOL, when characters and words continue to leap out at you when you're not reading! The thing is Annamaria's presence is peculiar with a Delphic-quality of communication. And Koontz doesn't give us a reason to trust her. I suspect the intention is to drag us along to Odd Apocalypse , the next in the series. A possible fulfillment of what Annamarie is insinuating. The Story Something, some pull has caused Odd to come to Magic Beach, to work for an ex-actor who hasn't worked on-screen in 50 years. A man who has been honing, instead, his paranoia about all the minute possibilities of harm. He is, however, a kind man, with skewed observations. The truth of which hits us over the head the night that Odd gets in the way. The Characters Odd Thomas sought refuge from the demands on his psyche, but it turned out only to be a another instance where his help would be needed. Now he's following yet another demand, waiting to learn where and how his help will be needed. Boo is the ghost of a white shepherd-mix Odd encounters at the monastery in Brother Odd . "Raphael" may well be joining the troupe. Lawrence "Hutch" Hutchinson is eighty-eight years old and a retired actor with a strong fantasy life as well as his paranoia. His primary income these days is the children's series he writes. There's an oddly surreal quality to his conversations with Odd, particularly toward the end. Annamaria is pregnant. Blossom Rosedale is a survivor and a quilter, who lives in the Cottage of the Happy Monster. Birdena "Birdie" Hopkins seems to have a calling just as Odd does. She's certainly a character! Samuel Owen Bittel is one identity for Sam Whittle. Reverend Charles Moran is with St. Bartholomew's Church; Melanie is his wife. Hoss Shackett is the chief of police in Magic Beach; he runs a rather terrifying jail. Utgard Rolf is one of his police officers. Buddy, Jackie, Joey, Jonah, and Hassan are helping out along with Valonia. Chief Wyatt Porter, the chief of police in Pico Mundo, California, Odd's hometown, vouches for him. P. Oswald "Little Ozzie" Boone is his author friend and mentor who writes several series of books about detectives. Frank Sinatra's ghost has taken up where Elvis left off. Pearl Sugars is his now-deceased grandmother who trailed high-stakes poker games. Bronwen "Stormy" Llewellyn was Odd's girlfriend before she died in Odd Thomas , 1. The Cover There's something about the way Odd is sitting with his back to us, his elbows up on the park bench, looking out over the nothingness and the roiling clouds of blue- and pale-grays that seems very peaceful, but the darkness hints at what's yet to come. I suspect the title refers to how long he has before everything will blow up in his face. He's on Odd Hours, which may be fewer than we think.(less) | Notes are private!
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Eleventh in the Kitty Norville urban fantasy series about a brash young werewolf taking it to the airwaves. Based in Denver, Colorado. My Take The under...more Eleventh in the Kitty Norville urban fantasy series about a brash young werewolf taking it to the airwaves. Based in Denver, Colorado. My Take The underlying theme in this story is death and temptation, and Vaughn sets the mood from the start with Grandma's death. But there's more than one kind of death, and "Bob"’s call-in to the radio show points this out to Kitty. There are also temptations: religion and the desire for its protection and that of power. One of those temptations provides Kitty the opportunity to put her philosophy to the test, a set of beliefs completely opposite to that of the original Denver alphas ( Kitty and the Midnight Hour , 1). Whoa, Kitty's getting quite a reputation as we discover when she and Ben encounter Andy and Michelle, the alphas for the Phoenix pack. And I think the pressure is starting to get to her as she tries to balance everything in her life. Hey, it appears that Edward Alleyn from Kitty Steals the Show , 10, has taken Kitty's advice and written his memoir. There's a debate on Kitty's show between two academics that will stroke your inner cynic. Cormac has a much larger role at last, although he seems too brash in this. With all the evidence that's drifting up, I can't believe that Hardin and Cormac are still intent on pushing in, ripping into the church and its protections. It just doesn't make sense. But what we do learn...oh, lord. It's just gonna get worse. No, I'm not buying Father Columban's argument, that any city Rick goes to is "just one city". If that's true, then Denver is also "just one city"... The Story Kitty's been in trouble ever since Kitty Steals the Show , when she was talking about the vampire conspiracy on the radio, and now Ozzie is riding herd on her. Seems a few others are taking note as well... The Characters Kitty Norville is a radio show host and the alpha werewolf for her Denver pack. She has explored the supernatural world with her audience and become notorious throughout the world for it. Ben O'Farrell is her werewolf lawyer husband. Her backup, her second, her lover. Cheryl is her suddenly pushy sister who is totally clueless about the restrictions of a werewolf's life Cormac Bennett is Ben's cousin, who shares his body with a 100+-year-old ghost, Lady Amelia Peabody with magical powers. Together they're supernatural private investigators. The Denver Pack includes: Shaun is still managing the New Moon Café. Trey has romantic problems with Sam and needs Kitty's help. Becky is having lots of thoughts: first ones, second ones, and third ones. Tom and Wes are more pack members. The abrasive Darren is the new boy, er, wolf, in town, and he wants to become a member of the pack. Detective Hardin is the head of the Denver PD's Paranatural Unit and becoming famous for her expertise---thanks to Kitty! Rick is the sympathetic Master of Denver whose headquarters are at Obsidian, an art gallery. Angelo is his lieutenant and doesn't like Kitty. Nasser is the skeptical Master of Tripoli who was also intrigued by Kitty's speech and meets with Rick and Kitty in Denver. Marid is a 2,800-year-old Babylonian vampire who calls Kitty Regina Luporum, the Queen of the Werewolves. Edward Alleyn is the Master of London and a former actor in Shakespeare's troupe. Father Columban is a magic-wielding vampire priest with the Order of Saint Lazarus of the Shadows with an invitation for Rick. Professor Sean Eret is an historian from the University of Michigan who debates In the Blood with Professor Amanda McAdams, a literature teacher at the University of California-Santa Barbara. It's an interesting tidbit of what historians look for in a primary text. And the lengths to which professors will go for tenure, LOL. Gaius Albinus, Dux Bellorum, a.k.a., Roman, is the major bad guy. A vampire since his Roman general days, he's been working the Long Game for centuries and intends to dominate humanity. Mercedes Cook is the first celebrity vampire---and one of Roman's. Ozzie is the producer of Kitty's show at KNOB, and he's not a happy camper. Matt is her sound engineer and thinks Kitty has a point. The Cover The cover is quietly intense with its bright orange sunset and the former church in an increasing darkness. It's a leather vest- and jean-clad Kitty caught in mid-stride with Ben as his wolf, cocky, self-assured. They'll need to be. I must confess that when I initially "translated" the title, my inclination was to go with "shakes things up" as per the pack, and I don't see that in this story. Instead, I'm going to assume that Vaughn intended Kitty Rocks the House to reflect Kitty's resolve both in terms of rogue wolves and the historic expectations of vampires.(less) | Notes are private!
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I do recommend getting the omnibus if only because you won't want to stop. Series: Wool, #1 Proper Gauge, #2 Casting Off, #3 The Unraveling, #4 The Stranded...more I do recommend getting the omnibus if only because you won't want to stop. Series: Wool, #1 Proper Gauge, #2 Casting Off, #3 The Unraveling, #4 The Stranded, #5 My Take Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! The things Howey can do to a stair tread! Taking every day things and describing them in a completely new way, making us feel and see everything. Just start to read that first page and you will fall into this story. Howey slowly pulled me into the truth of Wool. A truth that will shock, appall, and cause you to weep. And yet, it's a familiar plot of hope, acceptance, and gross betrayal. And an impressive story that still finds me crying. Howey gives this small twists with great betrayals, a deep sense of loss with some characters and yet other characters' deaths avoid that impact. A bit of a conundrum in some ways. The majority of Wool is subtle and made me think, and then there are the chunks here and there that feel too simplistic, too obvious. I don't know if it was Howey's intention to ensure I didn't miss his point, or to ensure my anger. There is a disconcerting back-and-forth---some of them are flashbacks while others, well, technically I think they are flashbacks, but they don't feel that way. The rebellion felt rather fake, although I suppose when you don't have access to books on history, war, tactics, or even fictional ones of action and suspense that it would make sense they'd screw things up. They just don't think that way. Okay, I'm missing just what war this will be if a cleaning fails. How will anyone know a cleaning failed? Is it simply not scrubbing? Reading of Juliette's underwater ordeal was amazing. I love how he used her natural ignorance of what would happen when she entered the water, how he caught the feeling of submerging, of feeling trapped. Like the lack of battle planning, I wanted to scream at Juliette about why she's feeling this confusion even though I know she can't possibly know when there's never been enough water for even a bath. Why are the rebels blowing up staircases behind them? Be sure to read all the way to the absolute end of the book. For some reason there's an epilogue after the page titled "Q&A with Hugh Howey". ...I dunno... The Story Grief can do horrible things to a person's mind with a need to dig, to discover what could possibly have set another off. It's this curiosity that sets off a chain of events as the true powers-that-be scramble to protect their sense of order. No matter who or how it hurts. The Characters Juliette Nichols is happy in her chosen element, Mechanical, and she hasn't seen her father, Dr. Peter Nichols, for twenty years, since it happened. It's her help over the George Wilkins murder that has brought her to Marnes' attention. Holston is the sheriff when we start the story. A good and decent man who misses his wife, Allison, a researcher in IT, terribly. Deputy Marnes has held that position for years and, yes, he has a reason for that. Mayor Marie Jahns is the ruler of the silo. As they say, the buck stops here. At least, so we think. Peter Billings is not Jahns or Marnes' first choice for sheriff, although he is for Bernard. Hank and Marsh are deputies. Knox is huge and very capable as head of Mechanical. Walker is brilliant with electrical, but a hermit while his former protégé, Scottie, has moved onward and upward into IT. Shirly is married to Marck, and she sees to it that Walker eats. Megan and Ricks, "Jinks" Jenkins, Caryl, Courtnee, Rachele, Pieter runs the refinery crew, and Harper all work in Mechanical. Jove McLain is in charge of Supply. Lukas works in IT, but at night he carefully watches for the stars and plots them. Nelson is the head of the cleaning lab. Good with lies. Bernard Holland is the head of IT; a man too big for his britches. Sims is in charge of security for IT. Pam works in the cafeteria in the upper forty-eight. Solo, Jimmy that was, has been alone for decades. Rickson, Elise, and four others have been hiding out. The Cover I adore the cover of the version I read! It's the tweedy look of the wooly letters with the feel of flame behind them against the greyish yellow-green background and a few eaten skyscrapers poking up beyond the top of the hill and that flaring sun that grabs me. The title will cause you to dig, to learn the truth, to try and decide if you should pull the Wool back from everyone's eyes.(less) | Notes are private!
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Thirty-sixth in the In Death romantic suspense series revolving around Eve Dallas, a lieutenant on the NYPSD, and her hunky billionaire husband, Roark...more
Thirty-sixth in the In Death romantic suspense series revolving around Eve Dallas, a lieutenant on the NYPSD, and her hunky billionaire husband, Roarke. My Take I'm bummed again. There wasn't as much Roarke, almost no Summerset, very little of her coworkers, her friends are mostly a cameo, and the premiere was a bust. Yup, barely anything about The Icove Case premiere, and I was so looking forward to all the pre-premiere activity with Eve getting ambushed by her friends, more snark about her dress and the jewels and the...you know...what we've become accustomed to In Death. Bits of fun with Dallas and Peabody's exchanges...although there didn't seem as many of those. It's pretty much the same 'ol, same 'ol with Roarke's help on the computers. I did enjoy Roarke's comment, I mean, who knew Roarke could ever get this comfortable in a cop shop…: "I'll be playing with my friends." That said, it was so sad with one man too selfish to consider how his actions affect others. The trauma and loss he inflicts. It is an amazing bit of detective work. I can never figure it out, and I'm always amazed by how she gets there. The Story It's a conundrum from the start with political considerations---having a judge for a relative always raises questions. A greedy selfish man thinks nothing of having people killed because they'e become inconvenient---they may discover what he's up to. The Characters Lieutenant Eve Dallas is one of the best of New York City's police. A homicide cop married to one of the world's richest men...and the most gorgeous...Roarke. A very supportive and understanding husband who does what he can to protect her, as well as play with her friends. Galahad is their fat, fussy cat. Summerset is Roarke's factotum with his own private war with Eve. Detective Delia Peabody is Dallas' partner and friend who gets a chance at some undercover work. McNab is a very colorful EDD cop and Peabody's significant other. Morris is the chief medical examiner requested specially. Captain Feeney heads up EDD and has a cameo. The detectives in Dallas's department include Baxter and Trueheart, Jenkinson and Reineke, and Carmichael and Sanchez. Yancey is still their sketch artist. Commander Jack Whitney is her superior. Officer Turney is first on-scene at the first murder. Dickie "Dickhead" Berenski is the chief lab tech and very good at his job. When he can be bribed into doing it. Not a friend. Harpo is brilliant with fibers. Dr. Mira is a psychiatrist and another of Dallas' friends. And still force-feeding Dallas herbal teas! Dennis Mira is her sweetheart of a husband. Reo is a prosecutor who works with Eve frequently. Nadine Furst is the top reporter for Channel 75 and the author of the book on the Icove case (see Origin in Death , 21) which will premiere in this story (at last!). Eve makes scant use of her. Mavis, Bella, and Leonardo are more of a cameo in this. Bradley Whitestone is one of three partners in a financial group, The WIN Group. Jake Ingersol and Rob Newton are the other two. Jasper Milk owns the contracting firm where the first body was found. Sasha Kirby of City Style is the designer. Her partners include Angie Carabelli, Holly, Clare, and Latisha Vance. Alva Moonie is a former society girl who has settled down. Cicily "Sissy" Morgan is her housekeeper...and saviour. Marta Dickenson, an accountant specializing in audits, is married to a judge's brother, Denzel Dickenson. Judge Gennifer Yung is Denzel's sister. Doctor Daniel Yung is her husband. Sly Gibbons is Marta's boss. Jim Arnold and Chaz Parzarri are accountants who were in an accident in Vegas. Lorraine Wilkie is another accountant. Josie Oslo was Marta's assistant. Candida Mobsley is a high society idiot whose trust fund Marta was auditing. Aston is the assistant trying to keep a rein on her mouth; Tony Greenblatt is her personal finance manager. Stuart Brewer is a senior partner of Brewer, Kyle, and Martini, and he agrees with McNab. Tuva Gunnarsson is Young-Sachs' administrative assistant. Carter Young-Sachs has the title of chief financial officer. Ty Biden is the slightly sociopathic one. Sterling Alexander, a very self-officious blowhard, and the self-effacing Thomas Pope are half-brothers---although you wouldn't think it to look at them or listen to them---in the real estate business. Clinton Roscoe Frye does security work and played semi-pro football. Not a particularly bright man. Brandy Dyson is Carter's ex, and man, can she dish the dirt! I like her. Chuckie's the one who became a momentary football. Mormon and Drumbowski were the ambulance attendants who got "replaced". Milo "the Mole" Easton is a famous hacker. Marlo and Matthew from Celebrity in Death Julian Cross and Mason Roundtree. The Cover The cover is a bright, metallic royal blue in the upper two-thirds brilliantly showcasing the author's name, J.D. Robb. The lower third is split between a gray-on-black diamond grid to showcase the title above a collage of events taking place in this story. The title is a reference to the accounting, Calculated in Death. (less) | Notes are private!
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This is a fictional biography about Nikola Tesla which speculates about what drove him. And I suspect Flacco is using this opportunity as a political...more
This is a fictional biography about Nikola Tesla which speculates about what drove him. And I suspect Flacco is using this opportunity as a political platform to point a finger of shame (fistfuls of fingers!) at the self-interested, greedy, shameful financiers, government agencies, and others who can't handle someone being more intelligent than they. People who didn't have the compassion of a Tesla, but were more interested in the health of their bottom line at anyone's expense. My Take Do read the intro...it sets up a question in one's mind. Although it didn't turn out to be the question I had in mind… I've been reading too many paranormal books! On the whole, while I appreciated learning something---fictionally, anyway---of Tesla's life, this story simply depressed the hell out of me. As I read, I was always tense and on the verge of crying. A brilliant man, who, admittedly, had his issues. One who was sabotaged every step of the way by unthinking people, greedy financiers, and paranoid, short-sighted government agencies. Part of me wanted to smack Tesla upside the head and tell him to pay attention to the basics of life and work. Or at least hire someone to take care of this. AND see a frickin' lawyer! Did he never learn from the past and the people who tricked him or cheated him? The other part wished that people would simply have accepted and supported him. There was so much he was willing to give away, so much that could have benefited the world, and instead it all fell apart for greed, fear, and ego. Edison, J. Pierpont Morgan, and Westinghouse should have been ashamed of themselves. They're the ones the government should have targeted. I only know bits and pieces about Tesla---that he was a true genius and surpassed Thomas Edison in intelligence and creativity. That he was an incapable businessman. So I don't know how much of Flacco's imagination has created the whole Karina thing. Tesla's metaphysical manifestations of the inventions, breakthroughs, and understandings was an interesting concept. And simply makes it all the sadder that his genius was publicly destroyed out of individual self-interest. I don't really understand the purpose of the first chapter. It's more of a fury out of context used to set Edison's hatred. Now if it had been a prologue, it would have made more sense to me, although whether its a first chapter or a prologue, its places an "importance" on it being Edison as the author of Tesla's destruction. And I don't feel that the story followed through on that importance. The demons of which Doktor Poeschl speaks, the demons of depression...well, that's just all too true and too depressing. Those demons certainly got to me, although it doesn't seem as if these particular demons touched Tesla. He carried his own very personal set of demons along in his life. Flacco was brilliant at conveying the fears of people then with their misunderstanding, their lack of information about science, progress, and the metaphysical. He certainly brought back those high school history sessions about the robber barons of the 19th century! And the government complicity of then that continues today. What is with Baudelaire? His obsession with conspiracies?? Hmmm, does that dripping water represent Baudelaire's irritation with Tesla? I do understand why people feel threatened by a fellow employee who is brilliant and works too hard. But why do they have to be so cruel about it? Why does it threaten their egos? How can a company not see the benefit of someone like Tesla? Then there's the Ugly American attitudes! Arghhh. What jerks! And no, I'm not saying it's an only-in-America perspective; it's one that's held by people everywhere. People who are too insular, too lacking in self-confidence who feel a need to put down another person's origins. Who feel a need to feel superior to everyone else. All in all, it's a fascinating story that depressed the hell out of me. I wish I had a time machine and could go back and help this man. The Story A young man with vision and the intelligence and drive to accomplish what he sees. He has such enthusiasm and trust. And it just makes me cry. Sure, he's one of those brilliant geniuses who has no social competence. But he tries. He has no business sense, and yet he continues to try. And what does the world do to him? The Characters Nikola Tesla was of Croatian descent and too intelligent for his own good. A typical genius, he had no sense of how to behave in society. And no real interest either. Reverend Milutin Tesla was his frustrated father; Djouka is his mother with a metaphysical talent of her own that she was pleased to see her younger son had inherited. Three daughters are mentioned. Karina was the "daughter of the town's most powerful family", way above Nikola's touch, but Nikola had been her tutor for a year (and in love with her) until her death. Samuel Clemens appears, and I'm not really sure why. George Scherff is an assistant hired shortly before the big fire; a true friend. George Scherff, Jr., was his son entrusted at the end with important plans. I'm not quite sure why there was such an emphasis on Nell Whitaker working for Tesla unless it was to emphasize his sense of equality. Herr Doktor Poeschl was the first to warn Tesla to be aware of his actions in society. A pointless effort. Manager Baudelaire was overly obsessed with Tesla's being transferred to him. Then his attempt to create failure or him...why? The cheat he perpetrated, and continued by Edison...scum. Both of 'em. Frederick William III, Crown Prince of Prussia, and heir to the Kaiser's throne. He's an anomaly. His actions don't jibe with World War I and yet he's close enough age-wise that I feel a need to research his reign. Corrine Watters is Tesla's first benefactor. I also see her as his second betrayer---on American soil. Fritz Lowenstein is working as a foreman on back-breaking jobs, but also can find the financing Tesla needs to start up his second laboratory. Mr. Stanley Adams is another investor. Thomas Edison was in his late thirties and already acclaimed as the Wizard of Menlo Park. And what a greedy, egotistical, fraudulent schmuck he was! Just thinking about what he did, the cheating!! and his stupid fear, is enough to infuriate me all over again. J. Pierpont Morgan is a banker with a need to humiliate others. George Westinghouse is a manufacturer who pays lip service to his honor. What would it have hurt him to support Tesla at the end! John Jacob Astor appears to have been a true philanthropist. The Cover The cover is electrifying with its fuchsia background setting off a black-and-white image of a gorgeous Nikola Tesla. The title makes me feel as though we are about to read of a trial...In the Matter of Nikola Tesla...and in a way, we are reading the trial that his life was. The subtitle...hmmm...so many ways to go with that one, and yet the underlying theme of A Romance of the Mind is Karina with discovery a close second.(less) | Notes are private!
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Third in the Bloodlines urban fantasy series for Young Adults and revolving around Sydney Sage, a young Alchemist, slowly loosening-up. Based at a boa...more
Third in the Bloodlines urban fantasy series for Young Adults and revolving around Sydney Sage, a young Alchemist, slowly loosening-up. Based at a boarding school in Palm Springs. My Take It's a slow eroding of the values instilled in Sydney, finally putting her intelligence to use along with her morals. And it's Sydney's problem that she has an extra set of skills Ms. Terwilliger is determined to hone. I dislike Sydney less in this story---she's starting to think for herself, becoming more flexible. Although, I still prefer just about everyone else in this series. She's such a rigid little dimwit for all her intelligence. And I get so tired of her whining… Some of the events in this are rather childish: the dare to prove yourself? How middle school. Their secret undercover mission doesn't fare too well with all the screw-ups. For all Sydney and Adrian's smarts, they're amazingly ignorant. My biggest problem with this story is how juvenile it is. And, I guess it's also very attuned to the high school mentality, which is Mead's target audience. So I'm having a difficult time separating myself out from my older expectations. On the other hand, there are Young Adult stories out there in which the characters aren't this untried (seems a fair word to use). I mostly read it to keep up with Rose and Dimitri and I do adore Adrian. And just when Sydney thinks she has it all together... The Story Sydney's rejection of Adrian in The Golden Lily , 2, is haunting Sydney, that and the questions that have been arising about the Alchemists. Worse, Ms. Terwilliger is becoming more insistent on learning magic! But it's Sonya and Mikhail's wedding that showcase the differences between Sydney and the other Alchemists. When Sydney learns of a rogue Alchemist, who doesn't exist, well, that's the end of blind faith. The Characters The socially clueless Sydney Sage (Melrose/Melbourne are her u/c names) is an Alchemist undercover as a student with the mission to keep Jill from being assassinated. She does have some human traits: an obsession with coffee, she's in love with Adrian's Mustang, and she's a bit OCD. Carly is her older sister; Zoe is the younger one who is so angry with Sydney for cutting her out of the mission. Jared Sage is her father; a cold, calculating man whom the Alchemists highly respect. Ms. Jaclyn Terwilliger is Sydney's history teacher who is sneakily teaching her magic—a class that still infuriates Sydney because magic is evil! Veronica Terwilliger is her older sister working in the blackest of magics. Adrian Ivashkov, a spirit using Moroi, is in love with Sydney; he's part of their group because he and Jill formed a bond when he brought her back. Jill Mastrano Dragomir is the queen's Moroi sister and Lissa's only remaining family. She is hiding out at Amberwood Prep, a private boarding school, with the help of the Alchemists and Queen Vasilisa Dragomir. (Christian Ozera is still Lissa's boyfriend.) Neil Raymond joins the bodyguarding detail at the end. Eddie Castile is her assigned dhampir bodyguard also undercover as a student attending classes and trying to put his love for her behind him by dating Angeline Dawes (McCormick is her u/c name), who is an uncivilized Keeper undercover is Jill's roommate and additional security, Fellow students include Trey Juarez, a fellow senior, football star, brainy, and friends with Sydney who's not too sure where his allegiances lie anymore; Micah is a human classmate who dated Jill at one point; Kristin Sawyer and Julia Cavendish are friends with Sydney; and, Brayden is an extremely intelligent but selfish non-Amberwood student who isn't dating Sydney because of her issues. Sonya Karp is a Moroi marrying Mikhail Tanner, a dhampir! Abe Mazur is colorfully present. Shockingly, Rose Hathaway is a bridesmaid(!), so naturally Dimitri Belikov is at the wedding as well. The Alchemists include Donna Stanton is Sydney's immediate supervisor and extremely close-mouthed. The extremely bigoted Ian Jansen still has a crush on Sydney. Zebulon Jameson is an official with the Warriors of Light. Marcus and his Merry Men Marcus Finch is a major question for Sydney. Rumors of his having been an Alchemist, his aiding Clarence, interacting with the Warriors of Light. Too many questions only to find he's a dissident and wants Sydney to join them. Lots of talk, not much action. Sabrina is Marcus' friend and undercover with the Warriors of Light. Amelia and Wade are additional dissidents from the Alchemists. People encountered on the hunt for Veronica include: Alicia, who is the receptionist at the B&B where the locator spell placed Veronica and Wendy Stone and Lynne Titus who are some of those who fit the profile of the targeted victims. The Palm Springs cast includes: Mrs. Desiree Weathers is the dorm matron for the girls. Lia DiStefano is a fashion designer who still wants Jill to come model for her. Not the best idea for a teen in hiding from assassins. Malachi Wolfe is the eccentric self-defense instructor who helps Sydney and Adrian. Clarence Donahue is an old Moroi who lives in Palm Springs and provides the gang with a refuge. The Alchemists are an organization dedicated to keeping mankind from learning about the Moroi or the Strigoi. Hierophants are the Alchemist priests. The Moroi are the good vampires, living their lives and working hard to avoid the Strigoi, the bad vampires. The Keepers are a secret group of Moroi, dhampirs, and humans who live in hiding in the backwoods---with all the stereotypes that entails! They do not adhere to the regular Moroi strictures about no fraternization. The Warriors of Light are a group that split from the Alchemists back in the Renaissance and their agenda is destruction. Callistanas are a type of minor and benign demon. The Cover It's a grim cover in grays and a blackish purple background with Sydney in the middle between Marcus and Adrian. A carved, silver font focuses on The Indigo Spell which is surrounded by ghostly looking morning glories. The title is held out as a hope to Sydney, for The Indigo Spell may set her free.(less) | Notes are private!
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Sixth in the Katherine "Kitty" Katt romantic science-fiction series starring Kitty Katt Martini and her troupe of hunky, gorgeous, delicious-looking a...more
Sixth in the Katherine "Kitty" Katt romantic science-fiction series starring Kitty Katt Martini and her troupe of hunky, gorgeous, delicious-looking aliens. My Take On the whole, while it was another fun read from Koch---I did enjoy Kitty's rapport with the Peregrines---can I get an amen!---I can do without Bellie and the too many paths with even more cartoonish effects. It simply left me very confused as to who is doing what and to whom when it comes to the intelligence being thrown about. Heck, with everything being thrown around. What was with those dino birds? It felt as if Koch tried to consider every possibility and couldn't consider leaving even one of 'em out. I'm not saying there wasn't a plot, it was just so buried… Still, it's a friendly bunch of characters in this series, a cast to which Koch keeps adding more and more. Almost like the various twists and turns and all the action sequences in Alien Diplomacy , 5. We had the older Martinis upset about Christopher and Amy's impromptu wedding as the "normal" scene to ground us in the story---just another case of a lack of communication and cultural differences, letting us know how human everyone is. But then we get the stupid HSAC test dropped on us. I can't believe everyone is buying into this. It's just lame. The situation isn't consistent with the characters, which just ticks me off. Then the Royal Peregrines getting dropped in and all their antics. Admittedly it is funny with Kitty's interactions with them, but oh brother. I do love Kitty's categories for Jamie's squeals. It is so sweet how much time Kitty and Jeff are able to---and want to---spend with their daughter. Hmmm, how very convenient of the Czech embassy building... Oops, dissension in the ranks! That could turn out to be interesting---I'm wondering what will happen with the current embassy people in Alien in the House? I don't care...I want the A-C elves to come visit me. A lot! Ah well, later, Eddie... The Story Poor Jamie-Kat...she's teething and her agony is cutting away at her daddy's control, so Kitty and Jamie are at the Martini Manor in Florida where they're forced to endure a visit from Senator Armstrong and Guy Gadoire. One which raises some hefty blackmail issues. Then there's the HSAC clearance testing. Kitty claims she's done a lot of testing like this in the past, and I'm sure the others have done testing like this as well, and nobody questions the type of questions being asked?? Nuh-uh. It's all careful preparation... The Characters Kitty and Jeff Martini, the world's strongest telepath, are both ambassadors for the American Centaurion Diplomatic Corps. Jamie-Kat is their five-month-old baby girl with hybrid powers. Bellie is Jeff's new best friend and a real challenge for Kitty, a gift from Peter the Dingo Dog. Bellie likes Jeff, Chris, well, heck all the boys. She just doesn't like any of the girls. The Poofs have expanded their circle of love to include Jamie Kat: Poofikins is Kitty's and Harlie is Jeff's Poof (he's head Poof). And Jamie-Kat names her Poof, Mous-mous. Mom, Angela Katt, is head of the Presidential Terrorism Control Unit (PTCU) and the only non-Jew to ever be in Mossad. Christopher White is Jeff's cousin and an Imageer married to Amy Gaultier White, one of Kitty's best friends from high school and a lawyer. (see Alien Proliferation , 4). Toby is his Poof; Mignon is Amy's. Through some, um, misadventures, Jeff has been enhanced too. Alfred and Lucia Martini are Jeff's parents. Clarence Valentino is Sylvia's husband (Jeff's oldest sister) and both are traitors (see Alien Proliferation ). Charles Reynolds has been Kitty's best friend since they were thirteen; now he's a self-made multi-millionaire, head of the CIA's Extra-Terrestrial Division, and always the smartest guy in the room---and Fluffy is his Poof. Esteban Cantu is also CIA, but a suspected rogue. Clifford Goodman is the new Head of Special Immigration Services and reports directly to the Secretary of Homeland Security. Embassy inhabitants includes: Len and Kyle are former college football players who are now CIA bodyguards for Kitty and Jamie (see Alien in the Family , 3 and Alien Diplomacy , 5). Malcolm Buchanan is a bodyguard assigned by Kitty's mother in Alien Diplomacy . Former Pontifex Richard White is Kitty's new partner and has a thing for the catsuit. Dr. Tito Hernandez ( Alien in the Family ) is Kitty and Jamie-Katt's personal physician while Melanie and Emily, both Dazzler A-Cs, assist Tito. Walter Ward is in charge of embassy security; his brother, William, is an imageer. Pierre is quite talented in styling, culture, and manners and very useful as the new Majordomo Concierge. Denise Lewis is Kevin"s wife, in charge of the embassy daycare, and teacher (Kevin is Kitty's mom's second-in-command at PTCU) and they, with their children, Raymond and Rachel, are living at the embassy. Doreen and Irving Weisman with baby Ezra also live at the embassy. Nurse Magdalena Rijos-Carter has signed on to help Tito. Alpha team includes: Paul Gower is a half-A-C/half-human and can read dreams and memories; he's ACE's habitat and the new Supreme Pontifex. Commander James Reader is a gorgeous former supermodel, who is in a relationship with Paul and Head of the Field for Centaurion Division; Kitty considers him one of her best guy friends. Gatita is Reader's Poof. ACE is an alien entity, who thinks Kitty walks on water, and lives inside Paul. Michael Gower is Paul's younger brother and an astronaut at NASA; Fuzzball is his Poof. Naomi and Abigail are Paul's hybrid sisters and the new cultural attaches. Erika is their mother; Stanley is their father. Serene (Ronald Yates' daughter and a full-A-C) is still pregnant and the head of Imageering; she's married to Brian Dwyer (Kitty's old boyfriend). Gladys is head of overall security for the A-Cs. Jeremy Barone and his sister, Jennifer, are pulled in to help police the festival. Airborne includes: Captain Tim Crawford is the new head of Airborne in Kitty's place. The unmarried ones include Captain Jerry Tucker, Matt Hughes, and Walker. Joe Billings is married to Captain Lorraine, and they have a son, Ross Edward. Randy Muir is married to Captain Claudia, and they have a son as well, Sean Zachary. Mister Joel Oliver is a photographer with World Weekly News. Olga Dalca and Adriana, her granddaughter, are with the Romanian embassy and very interested in events at the AC embassy after events in Alien Diplomacy . Adrien is Olga's husband, the ambassador, and has no idea what's going on. Senator Vincent Armstrong is the senior senator from Florida and not one of Kitty's favorite people. Guy Gadoire is a lobbyist for the tobacco industry and in interested in enticing Kitty into bed with he and his lover, Vance Beaumont. Mona Nejem and her driver, Khalid, are Bahraini; Oren and Jakob are Mossad. Prince is Officer Melville's German shepherd and they're part of the K-9 unit from Alien Proliferation . The Feliniad, Canus Majorian, and Reptilians show up, thank you very much. King Alexander, the king of Alpha Four and Jeff's cousin, is very useful with the gifts and spaceships. John and Sandra is in charge of the testing at Kennedy. Ronaldo Al Dejahl is Yates' son and bent on revenge. The Pontifex, Gladys, Alfred, and Serene are all Ronaldo's siblings. Amy's father's second wife, LaRue Demorte Gaultier, was the brains behind everything in Alien Proliferation and she fled Earth orbit. God knows where! Casey Jones is the stewardess from Operation Drug Addict and a member of Club 51. The Z'porrah look like mini T-rexes and are too totally clueless. Unfortunately, they do have a lot of power. Colonel Marvin Hamlin is Cliff's boss. Colonel Franklin is in charge of Andrews Air Force Base; Captain Gil Morgan, his adjunct, is "required" at the Dome. Them Dazzlers do like a smart boy! Stryker Dane, a.k.a., Eddy Simms, is a brilliant hacker who is the resident UFO and extraterrestrial languages expert and undercover in the military along with Big George Lecroix, who is Europe's best hacker and speaks some twenty languages fluently. Also Doctor Wu, a.k.a., Henry, is a software expert, China's most expert hacker, and covers the languages the others don't; Ravi Gaekwad is India's best hacker and big on hardware and software; and, Omega Red, a.k.a., Yuri Stanislav, is blind but killer with audio cryptology. Dazzlers are how Kitty collectively refers to the A-C females because that's what they do: they dazzle everyone with their beauty, intelligence, and compassion. Imageers manipulate images electronically and in front of you and can learn all about a person simply by touching an image. Empaths feel emotions. Poofs look like "tiny, fluffy kittens with no ears or tails, but with shiny black button eyes", who can morph into Jeff-sized, very, very protective critters. Once you name one, they're yours for life. With all the weddings, there are LOTS more Poofs. The Royal Peregrines are, initially, a most unwelcome gift from King Alexander that suddenly pops in during the night. Bruno appears to be Kitty's Peregrine; Lola is his mate. Richard's birds are Samson and Delilah; Kyle's are Fred and Wilma; Len's are Barney and Betty. I think George and Gracie belong to Walter; Chuckie's are Han and Leia; and, Harold and Maude are stressed about an invasion. The Cover The cover is a scene from the book with fires and monsters on the ground, alien ships in the sky shooting lasers, Royal Peregrines clawing, and Jeff with his back to us protecting Kitty and the baby. The title is accurate enough, if not descriptive enough, to describe the battles of Alien vs. Alien in Washington, D.C.(less) | Notes are private!
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Third in the Alex Verus urban fantasy revolving around an independent (well, he's trying not to belong to a faction) mage in Camden Town. My Take I find...more Third in the Alex Verus urban fantasy revolving around an independent (well, he's trying not to belong to a faction) mage in Camden Town. My Take I find Alex Verus' world fascinating. And, sad to say, sadly realistic with mages who are more interested in self-advancement, revenge, and power than doing the right thing. Alex, naturally, is one of the few good guys, interested in good and protecting others, and I love how Jacka easily lets us know how very powerful Alex is even as he balances it with Alex's difficulties. Whew, there are currents within currents in this story. Jacka tosses in so many questions that you won't be able to stop reading as you pursue those answers. It's not that the characters pull you in, but the way in which Jacka can take a basic plot and twist it all up according to the rules of this world he has created. In some ways, the world of Alex Verus reminds me of Kim Donovan's St. Viper's School for Super Villains series where our "accepted" beliefs in right and wrong are turned on their heads in these individual worlds. Hooie, Jagadev's club is practically bursting at the seams with the variety of people one can meet there. It's enough to make you want to sleep under the bed---after you've checked it for monsters! 'Bout time...Alex has been telling Luna how dangerous it is to get involved in the mage world, and she's finally starting to get it. The Story The White Stone tournament is coming up, and people just love to show-off. Mages aren't any different from regular humans in this regard. When Crystal tenders an offer to Alex to be in charge of tournament security, she's shocked at his response. Although, it seems he'll be there with another purpose in mind: the Council has another dirty deed that needs dealing with. One that will have a huge impact on Alex's and others' lives, for apprentices are going missing. The Characters Alex Verus is a diviner, able to see thousands of possible futures at a time, who just happens to run a magic shop in Camden Town. After events in the last two books, he's becoming the go-to guy for the Council. After events in Cursed , 2, Luna Mancuso is now formally Alex's apprentice, mostly so she can learn to control her curse. Since Jacka now refers to Luna as an Adept, I'm guessing she's moved up in power levels. Arachne is a ten-foot-tall spider who both weaves and designs beautiful clothes. David Sonder is a time mage who is more than a little interested in Luna. Some of Luna's fellow apprentices include the very polite Anne Walker, a Life mage; the vicious, tale-telling Natasha; Charles; and, the extremely suspicious Variam Singh, a fire mage. Anne and Variam's Master is Lord Jagadev, a rakshasa, who owns the Tiger's Palace, a club. Talisid, who looks more like an accountant than a mage, is involved with one faction of the Council. Lyle Trahelis is, well, more of a former friend of Alex's who is more interested in his own promotions, and he's teaching some of the apprentice classes. I'm curious as to what's in it for him as his only interest is in "status, advancement, prestige, and a position in the Council bureaucracy". Onyx is the enemy, a very deadly battle mage, from Fated , 1, the Chosen of Morden, who is himself one of the most powerful Dark mages. Sagash is a Dark mage who kidnapped Anne; Ebber is a Light mage who claimed he could help rescue her. Vitus Aubuchon was the mage who owned Fountain Reach previously. Hobson was a servant at Fountain Reach before Vitus disappeared. Crystal is a mind mage, and she's offered up her country home, Fountain Reach, for the White Stone tournament, an event at which mages and their apprentices do mock battle, sort of an Olympics of magic. The Council is the ruling body of Light Mages. Remember, "light" is just a term, as Alex puts it, at least the Dark mages are honest. The basic premise between mages---Light or Dark---is if you're not their tool, you're their enemy. Avenor and Travis are Council Keepers; think police. Sensitives are a step up from normals. They can "feel the presence of magic". Next up are the adepts who can "actually channel magic in a subtle way". Then there are the mages. Arrogant, self-absorbed, if they see something they want, they take it. The Cover The cover is an electric pink-purple with an eyeview through bullet-cracked glass of the Thames overlooking the water traffic and London. The title sums it all up, for the apprentices are Taken.(less) | Notes are private!
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