Thanks, NU!

Hope you enjoy it, Danielle! :)

You have good instincts about a series, so I take notes of some of your likes, NU. I hope to start the Kate Daniels series very soon.

I love urban fantasy and paranormal romance. :) If I like a series, it's usually because I like the writing style -I can't stand some books because of this; I usually like them more concise, precise and subtle- and the character or relationship development. Some of my favorite series:

Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward. She's got a very unique, to-the-point style, and she gets into her character's heads.

Psy-Changeling by Nalini Singh. Very creative world-building and overall political plot.

Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews. Love.

Darkyn by Lynn Viehl aka S.L. Viehl. A little dark.

Dark Swan by Richelle Mead. Style. Relationships.

Abra Barrow by Alisa Sheckley. Odd mix of women's fiction and horrorish, but I loved it.

Daughters of Arriane by Joey W. Hill. Emotional and a bit of the philosophical. o.O

Children of the Sea by Virginia Kantra. Romantic. Even the style.

I've read Briggs too, of course. :)

Always wrote: "Thanks for the tips Jim, but I got to ask about some stand alone titles. Could you give me some?"

Janny has several stand alone books. The Master of Whitestorm, her first book Keeper of the Keys (after reading it, Raymond Feist asked her to collaborate with him on the Empire Trilogy) & To Ride Hell's Chasm. You can get a signed copy of that, if you email her here.

I don't know if I've ever read a stand alone novel by Bujold. I can't think of one off hand, anyway, but her novels tend to stand very well by themselves. I'd suggest The Warrior's Apprentice for SF action or The Curse of Chalion for a good fantasy.

Thanks for the tips Jim, but I got to ask about some stand alone titles. Could you give me some?

Jim wrote: "Always, you should pick up one of the Miles Vorkosigan books by Lois McMaster Bujold. They're SF, but light on the science & more about people. Wonderful writer.

For fantasy, try ..."

Janny Wurts has been recommended to me before. I have her on the list to read.

Jim wrote: "That's tough, Danielle. We haven't read any of the same books, although you've marked a lot to read that I have read. From what I could see, you like romance & action.

I'd suggest some of his ..."

Thanks, Jim.

Always, you should pick up one of the Miles Vorkosigan books by Lois McMaster Bujold. They're SF, but light on the science & more about people. Wonderful writer.

For fantasy, try Janny Wurts. She's active here on GR & a really good writer. She has a series & several stand alone books.

I know Julie Kenner's "The Demon Hunting Soccer Mom" Series is a bit much. I never like the product placement she puts in there & the 2 year old is a pain even 2 me. However, she's a good writer and so far I'm enjoying something from a Female Writer....
Honestly, I don't find many out there I like.

That's tough, Danielle. We haven't read any of the same books, although you've marked a lot to read that I have read. From what I could see, you like romance & action.

I'd suggest some of his short stories like:
Frost and Fire
A Rose for Ecclesiastes
The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth
Last Defender of Camelot
Manna from Heaven
These are the title stories, but also collections.

You might like some of his novels, too. It looks like the September read at the Zelazny group (which I just started last week)
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/2264...
is going to be Nine Princes in Amber.
You might also enjoy:
Today We Choose Faces
This Immortal
Lord of Light
Doorways in the Sand

Drop by & ask for recommendations in the group. Others might share more of your interests in books & be able to help you better than I.

I haven't read Zelazny. Which books would you recommend, Jim?

Have you ever read any of Roger Zelazny's work, Danielle? He leaves you with plenty of questions. The added air of mystery is thought provoking & will often make me think of the story later, wondering. Very effective. Makes for good re-reads too.

That's a good point. I have a friend who has an issue with this and feels it is looking down at the reader. It's good information for me to keep in mind as an author.

I like the books that make you have questions when you read them. And the questions don't always get answered or they get answered over time.

I read Carpe Demon by Julie Kenner. I wasn't terribly impressed by it, unfortunately. Basically, a retired demon hunter is now a soccer mom & gets called back into action. She has to juggle her busy 'housewife' schedule against her old duties.

Interesting, but the frantic pace & decisions got old fairly quickly for me. I also didn't like how she felt the need to point out sarcastic remarks. For instance, she mentions cleaning up with help from her two year old & then says that it was a sarcastic remark. Of course it was!

I read a remark by Zelazny in a collection of his stories that he sat down one night & went through his rejected stories. He found that he was explaining too much, insulting the reader's intelligence. He vowed never to do that again & his stories started selling. While I think he may have taken this to extremes at times (often?) he made a good point. I felt Kenner insulted me often with her explanations. Worse, it interrupts the flow of the story.

I recommend The Demonica series by Larissa Ione. It's a very interesting take on demons. A reader has to put their thoughts on demons aside when reading it. Very well done.

Right now I'm reading Private Demon by Lynn Viehl. Incredible worldbuilding. She has some very old world vampires.

I just finished book 3 of the Frost books and though it was the best so far.
Kitty and The Midnight Hour series are pretty good too. Funny stuff.

I've only read the first of Frost's novels, but I have the 2d in my huge to-read pile. It was pretty good, but it's been quite a while since I read it.

Try Jeaniene Frost Vampire Huntress novels. They are a quick read and enjoyable.

I haven't read those yet. I've read Blue Moon Rising (Loved It) and the first three Nightside books. I loved those too. He's very funny but scary at the same time. He does have a vivid imagination. The thing I like about him is that he doesn't take himself seriously.

Did you read his Deathstalker series? I wish I hadn't read the last trilogy. It was hokey, space opera, but a lot of fun. Very imaginative. He sort of threw in everything including the kitchen sink from myth to high tech SF.

The Hawk & Fisher books were wonderful. Sword & sorcery at its best. A very memorable couple.

I really like Simon R. Green's writing. But everyone's got different tastes. Sorry about adding to your tbr pile. You should see mine. :)

Gatadelafuente, I've read the first 4 of Simon R. Green's Nightside series (& most of his DeathStalker & Hawk-Fisher novels). He's not the greatest writer, but his books are quick & enjoyable. I think his best stuff is the Hawk & Fisher novels. The Nightside was OK, though.

I have not read the other authors you mentioned. Darn you for adding to my TBR pile! It's already too big!

;-)

Thanks!

The Vampire Huntress series by Banks was too dry, which really disappointed me. Her Crimson Moon books look like they will be much better.

Jim wrote: "I'm lousy at separating one genre from another & don't really care to, but I do know my daughter & I are enjoying the rash of new books from mostly women authors with female heroines who are living..."

As far as paranormal romances, here are my favorite series:

Dark Hunters by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Immortals After Dark by Kresley Cole
Black Dagger Brotherhood by JR Ward
Psy/Changeling series by Nalini Singh
Dark Series and Ghostwalker series by Christine Feehan. These all have a fair amount of sex in them, just a warning. But the world building is excellent.

Jim wrote: "I'm lousy at separating one genre from another & don't really care to, but I do know my daughter & I are enjoying the rash of new books from mostly women authors with female heroines who are living..."

I love paranormal romance and urban fantasy. Bitten is excellent. I recently read Moon Called. I would highly recommend Urban Shaman by CE Murphy and Nightlife by Rob Thurman. I am a big fan of the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher and the Nightside series by Simon Gr. Green as well. I also enjoyed Ill Wind by Rachel Caine.

Thanks guys, I've got my list of all the books I want now, thanks again for all the help suggesting some good titles.

I have read Magic Bites & Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews. They're pretty good. I like the magic waves versus technology & her take on vampires. Both very different than anything else out there.

I haven't read any of Armstrong's YA stuff or anything by Caine, except "Glass Houses". I'll keep my eye out for these others & give them a try. Thanks.

I like almost anything written by Rachel Caine, but if her YA vampire series wasn't for you definitely try her Weather Warden series. The first book is "Ill Wind". The series main characters are special humans called Wardens that can control the weather, earth, fire, misc. and the djinn who feel like they've been enslaved.

I saw that you mentioned Kelley Armstrong, have you tried her YA trilogy? The first book is "The Summoning". The third, and final, book will be out early next year. It takes place in the same world as her adult series, but with an all new, teenage cast.

You may also like the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. The first book is "Magic Bites". There's all kinds of magic, were-animals, and a pretty neat take on vampires. She's also starting a second series with the first book, "On the Edge" coming out in September.

Alison, you write this sort of book & didn't tell me?!!! Shame on you!

I'll forgive you this time, but please tell us more about your books. We have a category for members who write. Please start a topic & let us know what you can.

Alison, I see that you don't have your books posted on our "written-by-group-members" shelf yet. Be sure to do that --for us writers, every little bit of publicity helps (or, at least, can't hurt :-))!

Alison, my daughter is reading one of Kelly Armstrong's books right now & also asked me to get the 'Men of the Other World' for her. I've had it on a couple of swap sites, but no luck so far.

Rachel Caine... Glass Houses! I have that book. I wasn't thrilled with it, I'm sorry to say. I especially hated the cliff hanger ending. I HATE those! If you check the book, you'll see my review. Are her other books better?

I'm glad to see someone else reads these books. I was beginning to think no one here did.

Ooh almost forgot Jim, Rachel Cain is a biggie too... and if you want to try a lesser mortal writer... Ahem ahem... Ermm me, just in case you wanted to try something similar, but very different. >;0) LOL xxx

Hey Jim and all Super fans, I love Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld, but I was an avid fan who read all her short stories about Men of the otherworld and now they have disappeared off her website. I am told they will be published as an anthology... Anyone know any news, I wish to buy said book and read to my hearts desire.

I'm lousy at separating one genre from another & don't really care to, but I do know my daughter & I are enjoying the rash of new books from mostly women authors with female heroines who are living in the modern world with a supernatural twist. Anyone else hooked on them?

Here's some of the authors we're following:
Kelley Armstrong - Women of the Other World series
Patricia Briggs - Mercy Thompson
Jim Butcher - the Dresden Files
Karen Chance - Cassandra Palmer
P.N. Elrod - the Vampire Files
Kim Harrison - Rachel Morgan
Laurell K. Hamilton - Anita Blake & Merry Gentry
Charlaine Harris - Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) & Harper Connelly
Vicki Pettersson - Signs of the Zodiac
Fred Saberhagen - Vlad Tepes
Jeanne C. Stein - Anna Strong

Believe it or not, there are others we've read too, but the above are the ones we like the best between us so far.

She likes Jennifer Rardin's Jaz Parks a lot. I read the first couple, but she's a bit to glib for me.

Neither of us cared at all for L.A. Banks's Vampire Huntress.

I read the first Queen Betsy book by MaryJanice Davidson & thought that was enough for me. Again, too glib & I just don't get a fascination with shoes. Kinky.

I have Carpe Demon by Julie Kenner & don't know how I'll like that, but I suspect I won't. Sounds like Queen Betsy, but in a soccer mom uniform. Hopefully I'll be surprised.

There are a lot of others out there. I tend to avoid the ones that are written for sheer steaminess, although I tried The Dream-Hunter by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I think I finished it. Kind of neat world.

Anyone else reading any of these?