false 53 126 101 true 5715693 read 2 true 4589743 currently-reading 23 true 4589742 to-read 65 false 4890615 2009-reads 20 false 4890607 urban-fantasy 18 false 4890613 library-book 15 false 4984779 arc 14 false 4890690 to-review 9 false 5237161 ya 8 false 4890611 mystery-suspense-and-thriller 7 false 4932729 romance 6 false 4890251 chick-lit 6 false 5237168 cultural 6 false 4890600 want-to-read 5 false 6500658 fantasy 2 false 4890782 waiting-to-receive 1 false 8457433 first-reads 1 false 4890606 epic-fantasy 0 false 4890316 biography 0 false 4890245 memoir http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80642226 to: Best Served Cold (Hardcover) by Joe Abercrombie
bookshelves: 2009-reads, fantasy, library-book
Best Served Cold is my first Joe Abercrombie. I saw "him" on another blog earlier this year, then I found his blog, and thought to myself, "this guy has a wicked cool sense of humor"... So I picked this up when I saw it at the library. I must say, this book reminds me of my husband's favorite Shakespeare tragedies. Lots of death, with a dash of tongue-in-cheek humor for flavor.

It's a pretty big tome, not that I'm complaining. Monza is literally a shell of her former self, and I'm amazed at the nerve she has in planning for revenge, when she can't barely walk without her hip aching. But, plan she does. And recruits, too. And so this band of misfits stumble and fumble their way down Monza's list. Seven men must die, after all.

Joe's characters are entertaining, if a bit irredeemable. But some of them land on both feet, some don't land at all, and you won't want to put the book down as you march surely (if a bit slowly) towards page 632. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77836862 In the Courts of the Sun (Hardcover) by Brian D'Amato
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77836641 Truly, Madly: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback) by Heather Webber
bookshelves: first-reads, to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/8322.Published_Authors drey joined the Published Authors group. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70056571 to: The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel: A Novel (Paperback) by Maureen Lindley
bookshelves: 2009-reads, cultural
I requested this book based on the cover--I didn't know who Eastern Jewel was, which makes me wonder if I should somehow be ashamed to not know the history of my own race? Anyway. I asked for it, received it, and read it.

I have to admit, it took me a while to finish. Not because I didn't enjoy the book, but because the subject's life--while it must have been entertaining and adventurous to her--made me feel sad that she was as exploited as she was, and how willingly she participated in her own exploitation, all in the guise of freedom. Abandoned by her own family, mistreated by her adoptive family, and married off to live in a wasteland (especially when compared to her former homes!), Eastern Jewel, a.k.a. Yoshiko Kawashima, decides to make of the rest of her life what she wants. And so she runs.

Who knows if she might have been better served by staying in Mongolia? It's a moot point anyway, seeing as how her feet were set firmly on the path she was to traverse, from the tender age of fifteen. One wonders how her life might have differed, if the women in her adoptive family would have tended to her better than they did. Or if the family she was born into, would have kept her and taught her instead of sending her off to Japan.

As penned by Maureen Lindley, Eastern Jewel's story will resonate with those who seek to overcome society's mores to live their lives on their own terms. It also serves as a precautionary tale as to the predators who are willing to assist in achieving that life, yet exact a price--one that may be too high to contemplate.

Inasmuch as this is a fictionalized account of the life of a Chinese-princess-turned-Japanese-spy, I mourn the loss of a daughter of China to China's inability to love her own daughters.
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75788118 to: Tall, Dark & Fangsome (Immortality Bites, #5) by Michelle Rowen
bookshelves: 2009-reads, urban-fantasy
Tall, Dark and Fangsome is a book I jumped at when it was offered, mostly because I'd seen Michelle Rowen's Stakes and Stilettos floating 'round the blogs earlier this year... I mean, how do you not want to read a book called Stakes and Stilettos? Especially if you like shoes... And vampire books... *grin*

I liked Sarah. She's funny. Compassionate. Did I mention funny? But how oh how could she have feelings for Gideon?? I mean, the dude's a nutjob. Gideon aside, there were a few other things that put this firmly on the border of "ok" and "like" for me, instead of firmly in the "like" category. Like the Red Devil. Wait till you find out who it is. Like that wasn't a bat-signal in the sky (sorry, the Mr. is playing Batman: Arkham Asylum right now--really cool graphics, but that's so beside the point here...).

So, where was I? Oh yeah. Beside the Red Devil, there was the teenage dude aka The Darkness, who was supposed to eradicate Sarah's nightwalker curse. And the vamp who is Sarah's ex-boyfriend's wife--which makes (er, made?) Sarah the other woman. In a nutshell, a cast of characters who are either a little ridiculous, or make Sarah seem to need a therapist's couch.

The story itself is entertaining, if you can get over (or don't have) my hang-ups. It's light enough to read in one sitting, and what better thing to do indoors, now that the weather's way colder (we had frost last night. FROST.), other than read? Give it a try yourself & let me know what you think. Read on for how... ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75788032 to: Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega, #2) by Patricia Briggs
bookshelves: 2009-reads, library-book, urban-fantasy
Hunting Ground is Patricia Briggs' follow up to Cry Wolf, where Anna finds out that instead of being a worthless submissive in the pack, she's actually a rarity--an Omega. The one that all pack members strive to protect, and not because she's weak. But because she's outside of the pack's hierarchy.

In this sequel, Anna and Charles head to Seattle to attend a summit with the Alphas from the other continents, to discuss the "outing" of the werewolves. While there, they run into the most feared European Alpha, nicknamed "The Beast" because, well, he is. (ha ha)

Things turn tense when Anna is attacked by vampires, and another Alpha's spouse is killed. Hunting Ground is precisely that, as Anna and Charles try to stay ahead of their enemies, while trying to figure out who they are.

While I prefer the Mercy Thompson series, Briggs' Alpha and Omega books display another dimension into the werewolf. And this is not bad reading, at all. Pick it up if you (a) like weres, (b) like Charles, (c) want a good story to go along with your weres (and Charles)... ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75787891 to: Feelin' the Vibe (Paperback) by Candice Dow
bookshelves: 2009-reads, cultural
Feelin' the Vibe is my first Candice Dow novel. And after reading it, I'm not sure if I liked the book... It didn't seem like there was a whole lot of redeemable characteristics in the characters. Devin wants what he wants, and that's it. Clark commits adultery (& Devin too, since it's not something you can do solo). And to use love as an excuse just seems to cheapen love, to me...

I have no complaints about the writing though. It effortlessly takes you through events and Devin & Clark's ups and downs. If you're a fan of the more romantic side of things, you'll like the HEA. If you're a fan of characters finding their true selves and going after it, you'll like the story. So, I guess what I really mean is, I must've liked enough of the book, character behavior notwithstanding, to know that some of you will, too. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75787781 to: Undead and Unwelcome (Undead, #8) by MaryJanice Davidson
bookshelves: 2009-reads, library-book, urban-fantasy
It's been a while since I picked up a Betsy book... I'm pretty sure I read the first few books in the series, way back when... =) Anyway, I was reminded of why it was "way back when".

Betsy is like that fluffy thing-on-a-stick that you get at fairs and ball games (does it still come on a stick?)... All fluffiness, and not a whole lot else. Everything that happens is taken care of by those who love her.

Granted, the book is funny--I especially enjoyed Marc's acronym-laden emails, and his diary entries. But that was pretty much it. You'll like this book for a few hours of brainless, mindless, fluff, or if you're a fan of Betsy's. Otherwise, skip it. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75787707 to: Nibble and Kuhn (Hardcover) by David Schmahmann
bookshelves: 2009-reads
I liked Nibble & Kuhn. Not least for the name... There's just something about a law firm with the name of "Nibble"... *grin* Brings to mind that one joke (yeah, only one) about lawyers and the bottom of the sea...

Anyway. Never mind the bad lawyer jokes. Derek is a good guy. He's pretty smart, works hard, bills as he should... As he's coming up for partnership though, some things happen... He falls for Maria, and he gets assigned a huge case--taking over for an elevated-to-judgeship lawyer at his firm. Now, Maria. Maria is more than she seems. She's a good girl, who happens to fall for a not-quite-family-approved boy. Of course, they can hardly approve of Derek if they don't even know that he exists, right?

Nibble & Kuhn is part emotional drama, part comedy, and part satire. All told in a crisp, clean narrative by author David Schmahmann. You'll shake your head at some of the goings on at the moving-on-up law firm, wince at Derek's case, and laugh out loud at the re-branding of Nibble & Kuhn. All while rooting for Derek and Maria. Not a bad way to while away a fall evening at all... ]]>