The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling (2009) Maryrose Wood and Illustrated by Jon Klassen Penelope Lumpey has just graduated from the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females and now, at the age of 15 must make her way forth in the world. Luckily for her, a governess position was found by her […]
Ghost Hedgehog (2011) Nina Kiriki Hoffman Jack is in fifth grade and can see ghosts. Unfortunately for him, when his fifth-grade teacher dies, he discovers that ghosts can also see him, and attach themselves to him. I love Nina Kiriki Hoffman’s writing and stories. I love even better that eBooks can make these stories available […]
Raven Cursed (2012) Faith Hunter Jane Yellowrock is back in Asheville, NC, providing security for a vampire meeting. Lincoln Shaddock wants to lead his own clan, and has petitioned Leo Pellisser for that right. Shaddock’s ability to shorten the time of devoveo has made him a power, and so Lincoln must decide if he deserves […]
Madhouse (2008) Rob Thurman I have a huge To Be Read pile, yet I can’t stop rereading this series. This book starts off with Cal and Niko working on a kidnapping case. Cal–who is still pretty high strung (justifiably)–hates kidnapping cases, so there probably isn’t much chance things are going to go well. So of […]
Magic Gifts (2011) Ilona Andrews I actually finished this a couple weeks ago, but somehow forgot to write about it. For Christmas, the husband and wife team of Ilona Andrews made a novella, Magic Gifts, available for download from the website for a limited time. I of course downloaded it and once I figured out […]
Naked City (2011) edited by Ellen Datlow This collection of urban fantasy stories has several of my favorite authors, so it was a no-brainer to get. The bad thing is that I’ve been reading this collection for several months, so I now have no idea what the stories at the start of the anthology were […]
The White City (2010) Elizabeth Bear Abigail Irene, Sebastian,and Phoebe have traveled to Moscow, as they attempt to get over their loss of Jack. However, Sebastian spent time here with Jack, before he met Irene and Phoebe, and his memories of the place include Jack. And murder–past and present–inserts itself into their lives, both causing […]
Eight Skilled Gentlemen (1991) Barry Hughart This is the third and final book in the Master Li and Number Ten Ox trilogy. I’m a little sad to see it end, but it was quite enjoyable. Oddly, the passages that caught my attention in this book weren’t the funny ones, but the ones that related to […]
The Story of the Stone (1988) Barry Hughart Master Li has taken Number Ten Ox on as his assistant. The Abbot of the monastery of the Valley of Sorrows comes to Master Li asking for help resolving the unexpected death of his librarian, and the strange dead spots in the Valley. Along the way they […]
The Naming of the Dead (2006) Ian Rankin This is the penultimate Rebus novel. I have Exit Music left, and then I’m done. The G8 has come to Edinburgh, and almost every cop in Britain has descended upon the city, to help provide security for the heads of state that are coming. Except, of course, […]
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer (2010) Lish McBride Sam can’t decide what to do with himself, which means that by default he has fallen to the painful default of food service. His life is going nowhere, he’s job is crap, but he has friends, and friends can make anything easier. Even drawing the attention of a […]
Instead of Three Wishes (2006) Megan Whalen Turner This is an absolutely wonderful collection of fantasy short stories for the pre-teen set. Although some of the stories are dark, they are still fabulous, and far less dark than real life. The story “A Plague of Leprechaun” had a feel reminiscent of Charles de Lint. Someone […]
Resurrection Men (2002) Ian Rankin Rebus has done it this time. He’s finally put himself in limbo of sorts–a last chance “retraining” course for cops who can’t keep themselves out of trouble. This “last chance” group is referred to as the “Resurrection Men”–a group who are being given once last chance to revive their careers. […]
The Falls (2000) Ian Rankin The daughter of a wealthy banker disappears, and all the police are placed on high alert to help in the search. Her boyfriend–with whom she had a fight the afternoon before disappearing–expects he’s the prime suspect, but a search of her email turns up a mysterious webmaster with whom she […]
Vampires: The Recent Undead (2011) edited by Paula Guran As with many anthologies, this one has some stories I especially liked, and others I didn’t care for at all. I believe I’ll focus on the ones I liked. The anthology opens with Holly Black‘s story, “The Coldest Girl in Coldtown.” This was an unusual take […]
Kill the Dead (2010) Richard Kadrey If you read Sandman Slim, you’re familiar with James Stark, who escaped from Hell to seek revenge for his imprisonment there and the murder of his girlfriend. Now he’s at loose ends, drinking himself into oblivion, living with a disembodied head for a roommate, and trying to make ends […]
Madame Xanadu Vol 4: Extra-Sensory (2011) Matt Wagner, Marley Zarcone, Laurenn McCubbin, Chrissie Zullo, Celia Calle, Marian Churchland I really like the layout for this volume. We see slices from several years in the 1960s in which Madame Xanadu took part. The first several stories only have Madame Xanadu in the periphery–she steps in to […]
Quatrain (2009) Sharon Shinn Four novellas set in four different worlds: Samaria (Archangel), the land of Gold Mountain, Alora (Summers at Castle Auburn), and Gillengaria (the Twelve Houses). I have purchased the first book in the Archangel series, but had not read it, so I saw this as a nice introduction to that world. In […]
Girl Genius Vol 10: Agatha Heterodyne and the Guardian Muse (2011) Phil & Kaja Foglio It was reading Agatha H and the Airship City that made me realize it had been awhile since I read a new Girl Genius comic. (Yes, I know you can read them online, but I just like having the bound […]
The Hanging Garden (1998) Ian Rankin The story starts in the middle, moves back to the beginning, and then moves forward again. So we discover quite quickly that Rebus is in the middle of an investigation of a possible WWII war crime, a war is breaking out between the organized crime groups, and Rebus’ daughter […]
Magic Slays (2011) Ilona Andrews I’m starting to get nervous. We’re reaching the part of the series where it feels as if we are beginning to build to the final confrontation. Which often means cliff hanger endings. And I hate cliff hanger endings. But so far so good. Kate and Curran are (sort of) luxuriating […]
The Secret History of Fantasy (2010) edited by Peter S. Beagle This is an interesting collection of short stories, by some very good authors. I can’t say all the stories were to my taste, but they were all very good. The anthology opens with “Ancestor Money” by Maureen F. McHugh which is a story of […]
Folk Tales from the Russian (1903) Verra Xenophontovna Kalamatiano de Blumenthal I love folk tales. I have two shelves of them, and discovered when I got my Kindle there are lots of collections available out there FOR FREE. Free, of course, means the books are from the public domain, and were scanned and formatted by […]
The Iron Khan (2010) Liz Williams I stumbled across The Snake Agent in 2007, and since then have eagerly bought books in the Detective Inspector Chen series whenever they came out. However, at some point finding those books was getting to be more and more difficult. Scuttlebutt has it that Night Share Books (the original […]
Let it Bleed (1996) Ian Rankin The book starts with a car chase–a chase Rebus wants no part of–that leads to the death by suicide of the two teenagers they were chasing. This is followed by the death of an ex-con who just got out of prison. Neither suicide makes any sense to Rebus, and […]
Fables Vol 15: Rose Red (2011) Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Inaki Miranda, Andrew Pepoy, Dan Green Last we saw Rose Red she was slowly destroying herself after losing Boy Blue. Her lack of presence on The Farm means that things with Geppetto are spiraling out of control, while the Fables from Fabletown fight […]
Full Moon City (2010) edited by Darrell Schweitzer and Martin H Greenberg I love anthologies. Though I have to admit that with the way paranormal romance has taken off, the ratio of wheat to chaff has been unfavorable for me. However, Carrie Vaughn and Peter S. Beagle were pretty compelling reasons to get this anthology. […]
The First Rule (2010) Robert Crais Frank Meyer, his family, and their au pair are brutally murdered by a gang of burglars. Except that this looks far more like an execution than a burglary gone wrong, and Frank was not just ex-military but was also a mercenary (now retired) with Joe Pike. When Joe finds […]
Late Eclipses (2011) Seanan McGuire Apparently the beginning of March is THE time for new releases. I received a TON of books I’d had on pre-order this week, and had a very difficult time deciding what I wanted to read first. C. S. Harris and Rob Thurman won that decision hands down. Additionally, I started […]
Hunger Games (2008) Suzanne Collins I think what it comes down to is that I don’t like dystopias. And The Hunger Games is a tremendous dystopia. Despite that, I couldn’t put it down, because I had to know what happened. (Thus imagine my frustration when I discovered this was book one of three, and although […]
Masked (2010) edited by Lou Anders Masked is a collection of superhero stories by a variety of writers, many of whom are well known comic writers. Matthew Sturges, who writes House of Mystery, wrote the opening story, “Cleansed and Set in Gold.” …and I just ended up rereading the story when I flipped through to […]
First Drop of Crimson (2010) Jeaniene Frost I actually really like Jeaniene Frost’s writing, and loved all of the Night Huntress books I’ve read so far, even the ones I picked up in trepidation, thinking, “this can’t possibly be anywhere nears as good as I’m remembering the earlier books in the series to be.” However, […]
Under Her Skin (2009) Ilona Andrews, Jeaniene Frost, Meljean Brook So, this was the first full book I read on the Nook. I love Ilona Andrews and also really like Jeaniene Frost, so I figured I couldn’t go too wrong for three bucks. These are three short paranormal romances, focusing on shape shifters, but also […]
The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge (1972) David McCullough I picked up this book while perusing the “Buy 3 get a 4th Free” table at a book store, and it looked interesting, and I like to read about history, so I figured, why not? When the perfected East […]
Silver Bourne (2010) Patricia Briggs Every time I get a new Patricia Briggs book, I hesitate before reading it, afraid that this is the time she’ll let me down. That her previous books can’t be nearly as good as I remember them, and maybe this time I’ll be disappointed. I never am, but that doesn’t […]
Mercy Blade (2011) Faith Hunter This is the third Jane Yellowrock novel, and I’m still thoroughly enjoying the story line. Jane has taken on the job of rogue hunter for the New Orleans’ vampire clans, and is in the process of emptying her apartment in Appalachia to move south when a news broadcast announces the […]
Wintersmith (2006) Terry Pratchett Oddly, I thought I’d read Wee Free Men, but apparently I hadn’t. I tend to be quite fond of young adult books, and Terry Pratchett is no exception; not that his adult books would be unacceptable for young adults, it’s simply Tiffany Aching is a Teenager. Tiffany is sent to learn […]
Frederica (1965) Georgette Heyer Lord Alverstroke is a selfish rake who hates–more than anything–to be bored. When his sister as well as their cousin ask him to throw a ball to launch their daughters, Alverstroke refuses unequivocally. Frederica has come to London determined to find a good marriage for her beautiful younger sister, while keeping […]
Fables Vol 14: Witches (2010) Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, David Lapham, Jim Fern, Andrew Pepoy, Craig Hamilton Fabletown is a wreck, and as it is now inhabited by Mister Dark, it is completely inaccessible to the Fables, who have retreated to the Farm. The main characters of the first half of the volume […]
Running with the Pack (2010) edited by Ekaterina Sedia When I saw there was a new werewolf anthology edited by Ekatrerina Sedia with a story by Carrie Vaughn I automatically ordered it. Then of course, once it arrived, it sat around like anthologies tend to do, waiting for the “right” time to read it. But […]
About Face (2009) Donna Leon Brunetti and Paola are invited to a formal dinner at her parent’s house. During the dinner, Brunetti is seated across from an arresting woman–her facial features are frozen–rumor says through too much plastic surgery. Brunetti is unsure how to take this woman, but when she begins to speak of books, […]
Bryant & May on the Loose (2009) Christopher Fowler At the close of Victoria Vanishes, the PCU was disbanded, the staff placed on leave, and Bryant remains at home, barely able to get out of bed and slowly slipping away. However, the accidental discovery of a body by a staff member at loose ends brings […]
An Artificial Night (2010) Seanan McGuire How many miles to Babylon? Three-score and ten. Can I get there by candle-light? Yes, there and back again. If your heels are nimble and light, You will get there by candle-light. Things are not going well for Toby Daye. She sees an unpleasant harbinger, she’s getting calls from […]
Dark and Stormy Knights (2010) edited by P.N. Elrod I can’t help myself–I love anthologies. And fantasy anthologies with writers who write their fantasy with a healthy does of mystery? Sign me up! All anthologies have high and low points, but overall this was a fairly strong group of stories. The book starts off with […]
The Grimrose Path (2010) Rob Thurman I think I love Rob Thurman. Seriously. I’ve only read one book of hers I rated lower than an 8, and that one lost points for a cliff-hanger type ending. (Aside from the ending, it was an otherwise excellent book.) The Grimrose Path is the second book in her […]
Chasing Darkness (2008) Robert Crais Elvis seems to have recovered from the events in The Forgotten Man, however, life doesn’t seem to be interested in taking it easy on him. He’s sitting in his office when two cops storm on to demand his notes on a case from years ago. A man he had proved […]
Willful Behavior (2002) Donna Leon I really hate the way this series is released/re-released in the US. This book was originally published in 2002, but I wasn’t able to get my hands on it until this year. Which is frustrating, since it obliquely referred to events in the previous book, which was not the book […]
Dead Men’s Boots (2007) Mike Carey I’ve actually been waiting for this book for awhile. The American publishing and access to this series is… quirky. I was able to get the British copies of the two books that follow this, but I had to wait about a year for this to be put out by […]
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2008) Stieg Larsson translated by Reg Keeland Yes, yes, yes. I know I’m late to the game. But I had a large backlog of books to read through first. I started reading this soon after I broke my ankle. Since it was very difficult for me to carry things […]
Hellboy Vol 9: The Wild Hunt (2010) Mike Mignola, Duncan Fegredo All those Hellboy stories–the ones in the story collections where there wasn’t necessarily a theme for the entire volume? Suddenly, everything is starting to come together. Hellboy has spent quite awhile hiding from his supposed destiny. He doesn’t want to rule the world. He […]