Monday, July 26, 2010

Big Jack - J.D. Robb

Big Jack is another futuristic Lt. Eve Dallas novel. The first one I've read where the title doesn't end in "Death".  The year is 2059 and Eve and her crew have to solve a 50 year old diamond heist in order to solve a pair of current murders.  Highly recommended.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Kitty Goes to War - Carrie Vaughn

Kitty Goes to War is the eighth Kitty Norville novel.  Kitty is asked to help some soldiers back from the Afghanistan war, who also happen to be werewolves. While she's dealing with their problems adjusting she's also hit with a lawsuit for libel because she dealt with mysterious happenings around a chain of Speedy Mart stores on her radio show. And wait until you find out what happened to Cormac in prison.  A must read for every Kitty fan.  Highly recommended.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

The Killing Room - John Manning

The Killing Room is a great ghost story.  The Young family estate is on the Maine coast.  Something terrible happened there 80 years ago and every 10 years the Young family gathers for a reunion and pays for that terrible event in blood.  Before the next reunion an ex-FBI agent turned private detective is hired to figure out how to stop the dying.  Will she solve the mystery or just become another victim?  How many will die this time?  I lost some sleep finishing this one.  It's hard to put down.  Very highly recommended.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner - Stephenie Meyer

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is a Novella that parallels the Eclipse novel. It's written from the perspective of the young vampire from Victoria's army who surrendered to Carlisle. Along the way we also meet Fred, another young vampire with an amazing power. It's a good read and adds some perspective to the whole Twilight saga. I'm not one of those readers who goes back and compares time lines and character specifics between two parallel stories. I just read to enjoy and I enjoyed this book. Bree and Fred were characters worth reading about on their own merits. Highly recommended.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Proven Guilty - Jim Butcher

Proven Guilty is the 8th Dresden Files novel.  This time Harry is fighting some nasty phobophages at a horror film convention.  You'll never ever guess who lured them to our world.  Harry and the usual group of friends have to fight their way into the nevernever on a mission to rescue the guilty party.  Meanwhile, Harry is involved in the political intrigue of the white council and fighting for his life once again.  Highly recommended.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

KnockOut - Catherine Coulter

Knockout is another FBI thriller featuring Dillon and Sherlock, the husband and wife FBI duo.  This time around Dillon is caught in a bank robbery that goes bad.  Then a few days later he's contacted by a little girl who needs some help, but he's contacted telepathically.  Both the bank robbery and telepath threads unwind in parallel and keep Dillon and Sherlock busy.  It's been too long since I came back to Coulter.  She's a great read.  Highly recommended. 

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Variable Star - Robert A. Heinlein, Spider Robinson

Variable Star is a chance to read one more Heinlein.  Robert Heinlein is one of the greatest names in science fiction.  Spider Robinson is another.  This book is excellent.  How does an 18 year old musician get a ride on a star ship?  What adventures will he encounter on the voyage?  Will the human race survive?  These are all answered in this book, and in a very entertaining way.  I actually read this one twice.  If there could just be more Heinlein.  Very highly recommended.    

Friday, July 9, 2010

61 Hours - Lee Child

61 Hours is the fourteenth Jack Reacher novel.  This is an awesome series.  I have yet to read one of Child's books that I could really lay down without wanting to read one more chapter.  I have to sleep sometime, but really don't want to in the middle of a Reacher novel.  This time he's stranded in South Dakota in the middle of winter.  Just in time to help with some trouble, of course.  The question is will Reacher make it out alive this time.  I've read the book and I don't know.  Very highly recommended.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Sizzling Sixteen - Janet Evanovich

Sizzling Sixteen is another Stephanie Plum novel. The usual cast of characters manage to survive guns, bombs, stampeding cattle, and alligators.  Will the lucky bottle provide good luck or bad? You might get confused when a horde of hobbits come to the rescue, but keep reading, you're not in a Tolkien fantasy :) Highly recommended.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Dead in the Family - Charlaine Harris

Dead in the Family is the 10th Sookie Stackhouse novel.  I have to assume you've read the previous novels in this series or you'll be lost.  I have to assume you are not trying to map the books to the HBO series or you'll be even more lost.

This book takes place in the aftermath of the faery war.  Some of Sookie's family died or were banished, and she's recovering from her wounds.  The book goes slower in the beginning but picks up a little momentum as it moves along.  Sookie has to deal with Eric's problems, Bill's problems, bodies buried in her woods, were issues, and lots of little things.  I particularly like the part where Sookie works with her little cousin Hunter to help him with his telepathic ability.  This was a good book and a good pace.  I hope there's still lots more to come.  Highly recommended.