Sunday, December 30, 2007

Carrie Vaughn - Kitty and the Silver Bullet

This is the next installment in the Kitty of the Midnight Hour series. There are plenty of vampires and werewolves to go around. Too many actually. At least the supernaturals are out now so the cops are slowly learning to deal with the really bad guys. Highly recommended.

Friday, December 28, 2007

New Moon - Stephenie Meyer

This is the sequel to Twilight. The story continues with some unpredictable twists. There are more supernatural characters and there is way more teenage angst :)

This novel is PG at worst. I really like Meyer's willingness to avoid the easy clichés of bad language and sex. The book does have some violence, but it's about monsters so you have to expect a little. However, this is still a teen friendly book. Highly recommended.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

An Ice Cold Grave - Charlaine Harris

This is the third book in the Harper Connelly series. Harper and her non-brother Tolliver find more than they bargained for this time when they're called in to find some missing boys. This story has its share of close calls and close contact. It keeps you guessing right up to the end. Very highly recommended.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

The Wheel of Darkness - Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

This is another Agent Pendergast novel, and as always a good one. From the mountains of Tibet to the deck of an ocean liner, the adventure never stops. In this story Constance Greene moves out of the shadows again and contributes much to the tale. The twist at the very end comes from way out in left field. Highly recommended.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

The Society - Michael Palmer

This book explores the US health care industry in the context of a very good murder mystery. The story grabbed my interest and I found myself following it when I should have been doing other things. Sleeping mainly. Highly recommended with the caveats below.

There are always some things that drive me nuts. One is authors trying to make themselves sound more knowledgeable than they are. For the record Glocks don't have cylinders, hammers you can cock, or safeties you can check to make sure they're off.

I really enjoyed this story right up to the end when the author got on his political soap box and began to daydream about universal health care in this country. When he actually indicated that someday our country may enjoy universal heath care as good as Canada I was tempted to burn the book. Idiots can be authors too.

Friday, December 14, 2007

T is for Trespass - Sue Grafton

Kinsey Millhone is one of my favorite characters. This is another Millhone tale that weaves multiple threads into a very compelling story. Kinsey survives but it's a close at times. Grafton can't kill her off yet. We have U through Z to go! T was well worth the read. Highly recommended.

Monday, December 10, 2007

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design - Jonathan Wells

This is a scholarly defense of Intelligent Design (ID) with all the foot notes and references you could want. The book is obviously pro-ID and anti-Darwinism, but it does an excellent job of clearly explaining both sides of an issue that shouldn't really have sides in the first place. If you need ammunition for your next impromptu debate on ID look no further. Highly recommended.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

The Quickie - James Patterson

This story has more twists than a mountain road in West Virginia. Just when you think you have it figured out you have to brake for another curve. You don't know whether to have sympathy or outrage for the protagonist, if you can call her that. It sure keeps you turning the pages though. Highly recommended.

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Bond of Blood - Diane Whiteside

This novel adds new levels of complexity to vampire society. The author effectively uses flashbacks to build an understanding of the history behind the characters in her story, but there's not enough detail on her unique vampire society for my taste. Too many questions were left unanswered. Also, the story was liberally sprinkled with Spanish words and phrases. If you don't speak Spanish have a dictionary handy because otherwise you'll miss important nuances. That was a real annoyance. In spite of all this I enjoyed the book. The story was interesting and the two main characters were well developed.

Just a warning, there's a lot of sex in this novel. I would contrast Bond of Blood with Twilight by Meyer. I enjoyed that novel also, but there were no steamy erotic scenes to distract from the storyline. It's sad when authors resort to sex instead of words. Worth reading.