Mortal Causes (1994) Ian Rankin This is the sixth Inspector John Rebus book. It’s the Edinburgh Festival, and everyone is working extra shifts. Unfortunately for Rebus, on his Saturday night shift someone discovers the body of a man who was tortured and executed and it looks like it might be a sectarian/gangland murder, something that […]
The Black Book (1993) Ian Rankin The fifth Inspector John Rebus book starts with Rebus being kicked out by Patience, he has been placed on a task force he doesn’t think will succeed, his brother Michael reappears in his life, and Brian Holmes being attacked and found unconscious. Trying to discover what could have lead […]
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. […]
Fire and Ice (1998) Dana Stabenow Liam Campbell is a state trooper who has been demoted and shipped off to Newenham AK, where he supposes he’ll rebuild his life–but isn’t much looking forward to it. As he steps off the plane the first thing he sees is a bloody death, and the second the woman […]
Chew Vol 1: Taster’s Choice (2009) John Layman and Rob Guillory Tony Chu is a Cibopath. When he eats something, he gets impressions of the past (and even present) of whatever he eats. Which makes meat really unappealing, since he can see the last moments of the animal before it was slaughtered or even as […]
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 […]
Muse and Reverie (2009) Charles de Lint The last Newford short story collection was in 2002, so it was quite a wait for this fifth collection. In the interim of course, he has had stories in a variety of anthologies, many of which I have, some of which I picked up solely because he had […]
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 […]
Where Shadows Dance (2011) C. S. Harris There are several authors whose books I pre-order as soon as I see them available. A far smaller set are authors whose books I will pre-order in hardback. C. S. Harris’ Sebastian St. Cry series falls into that very select category. Interestingly, I quite enjoyed this book despite […]
Blackout (2011) Rob Thurman I. Love. Rob. Thurman. There it is. I’m tempted to never ever learn anything about her personal life for fear she’ll one day go all Orson Scott Card on me, and if I lost these books the way I lost Ender’s Game, I believe I would be mortally crushed. What is […]
Tiger Eye (2005) Marjorie M. Liu I picked up my first Dirk & Steele book at a grocery store, when I realized I had a wait in front of me and absolutely nothing to read. I knew when I bought it that it was a paranormal romance, so managed to enjoy it despite the boinking. […]
The Black Moth (1929) Georgette Heyer This is the first of Georgette Heyer’s historical romances, and in it are all the elements of the later stories of hers I have read: love, romance, kidnapping, spouses misunderstanding one another, highway robbery–everything needed for a romantic adventure. Interestingly, although it is a romance, one of the main […]
The Gauntlet (2010) Karen Chance This is a short story that is also quite obviously an opening for a new historical paranormal romance, staring Kit Marlowe, vampire. It was a nice distraction while stuck in the car, but I have no interest in reading a series based on these characters, and the story was entirely […]
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 […]
Iorich (2009) Steven Brust Vlad is once again back in Dragaera City. Aliera has been arrested for practicing elder sorcery. Yes, she has been doing so for years, but so have many other people, none of whom has been arrested. Although Aliera has friends–many powerful friends–their positions in court and the stability of the empire, […]
The Tokaido Road (1991) Lucia St. Clair Robson Despite my known dislike of boinking books, I am a huge fan of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. I admit, I was initially a fan for the cover snark, but any site that loves and defends genre fiction, and is blunt and in your face about what they […]
General Winston’s Daughter (2007) Sharon Shinn Averie is headed to Chiarrin, where her father and betrothed are with the army, which is currently seeking to make the area part of its empire. On the trip over Averie makes friends with Lieutenant Du’Kai, a Xan’tai member of the Aerberelle Army. This means only that as a […]
The Convenient Marriage (1934) Georgette Heyer The Earl of Rule has decided to finally get married. As he’s not particular about who he marries, he decides to request the hand of Elizabeth Winwood. Unfortunately, Elizabeth is in love with someone else, so her younger sister Horatia decides that Elizabeth should not have to make the […]
The September Society (2008) Charles Finch Charles Lennox is visited by Lady Anabelle, a widow who is worried that something terrible has happened to her son. Lennox considered brushing her off politely until she tells him she found a murdered cat in her son’s rooms at Oxford. Lennox is actually looking forward to taking on […]
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 […]
The Rabbi’s Cat (2005) Joann Sfar One way to summarize this story would be that when the Rabbi’s cat eats the Rabbi’s parrot and gains the power of speech, his relationship with the Rabbi and the Rabbi’s daughter, Zlabya, changes. But it is so much more than that. The cat is both an observer and […]
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 […]
Madame Xanadu Vol 3: Broken House of Cards (2011) Matt Wagner, Amy Reeder, Richard Friend, Joelle Jones I am really enjoying this series. I know there is a ton I am missing because I am not familiar with classic DC comic characters, but it doesn’t matter because they appear in the story as unknowns to […]
House of Mystery Vol 5: Under New Management (2011) Matthew Sturges, Luca Rossi, Jose Marzan Jr I think what I like best about the House of Mystery are the stories between the story. Like the House at World’s End, it’s full of tales and stories told by the visitors to the house, tales from other […]
Wild Hunt (2010) Margaret Ronald The sequel to Spiral Hunt finds Evie discovering that destroying the undercurrent’s power structure, while and good thing in and of itself, had unforseen repercussions. For one, some people now expect her to fill the void. For the other, if she doesn’t do it, someone else will. I quite liked […]
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 […]
Cast in Chaos (2010) Michelle Sagara I have a complicated relationship with this series. I cannot decide how I feel about the series, but I also can’t seem to stop reading it. This is the sixth book in Michelle Sagara West’s Cast series. Kaylin is still working with the Hawks and still in a complex […]
Tempest’s Legacy (2011) Nicole Peeler First and foremost, this is a boinking book. There is less boinking than in the last book, and the boinking actually wasn’t superfluous but was instead important to the course of the story, but still. Boinking. So be aware. Jane True is back in Rockabill, trying to recover from the […]
The Good, the Bad, and the Uncanny (2010) Simon R. Green John bloody Taylor is still in Nightside, just as appalling as ever. The Authorities are gone, replaced by the new Authorities; not necessarily kinder and gentler, but almost certainly less evil than the group they replaced. And Walker is dying. The man who was […]
Footsteps in the Dark (1932) Georgette Heyer Peter, Margaret, Cecelia and Charles (Cecelia’s husband) have inherited an old house in the country–the Priory. Some claim the house is haunted, and others claim to have seen the figure of a ghost on the grounds. But the four–and their aunt Lilian–refuse to be driven from the house […]
The Babylonian Codex (2010) C.S. Graham I found this book quite frightening, not because it was particularly suspenseful, but because the political scenario described so very well could come true. Toby is asked to do a remote viewing to see if she can discover where some of the artifacts stolen during the looting at 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 […]
Girl Genius Vol 9: Agatha Heterodyne and The Heirs of the Storm (2010) Phil Foglio & Kaja Foglio Rating: 7/10 Published by Studio Foglio
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 […]
Unseen Academicals (2009) Terry Pratchett Although there were parts of this story that I loved, there were other parts I was less sure about–it may just have been my interpretation, but parts of it felt a little bit too heavy on the moralizing. But I loved Glenda. Rating: 7/10 Published by Harper
Firebirds Rising (2006) edited by Sharyn November Huntress by Tamora Pierce Unwrapping by Nina Kiriki Hoffman The Real Thing by Alison Goodman Little (Grrl) Lost by Charles de Lint I’ll Give you My Word by Diana Wynn Jones In the House of the Seven Librarians by Ellen Klages Wintermoon Wish by Sharon Shinn The Wizards […]
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 […]
Ex Machina: Vol 10 Term Limits (2010) Brian K Vaughan, Tony Harris, JD Mettler Last volume in the collection. I can’t decide if I’m extremely happy or ridiculously disappointed. Regardless, it’s over. Rating: Published by Wildstorm
A Night Too Dark (2010) Dana Stabenow Rating: 7/10 Published by St Martin’s Paperbacks
Swordspoint: A Melodrama of Manners (1987) Ellen Kushner Why yes, I did just re-read Swordspoint. And it was good. Published by Bantam Rating: 10/10
Serenity: The Shepherd’s Tale (2010) Joss Whedon, Zack Whedon, Chris Samnee The long awaited story of Shepherd Book’s past. First. Too short. Way too short. Extremely too short. We are given brief glimpses of his past and how he became the man who boarded Serenity. I suppose Book is supposed to be remembering his past […]
Devil’s Cub (1932) Georgette Heyer It took me a ridiculously long time to realize that this is (sort of) a sequel to These Old Shades. Dominic Alistair, Marquis of Vidal, is the son of Justin Alastair, the Duke of Avon, and he is, if possible, more of a rake than his father. And her certainly […]
The Amazing Screw-On Head (2010) Mike Mignola I think that even for Mike Mignola this is a strange collection of stories. Amusing and interesting, yes, but also strange. The first story is about Screw-On Head, who is a head that screws into different bodies. Which is a fascinating idea. He’s sent out by President Lincoln […]
Hellboy: Masks and Monsters (2010) Mike Mignola, James Robinson, Scott Benefiel, Jasen Rodriguez These are two tales outside of the Hellboy time line (ie this is not a sequel to The Wild Hunt) but are crossover with other characters including Batman and Starman. Batman doesn’t play a particularly large role (after all, he’s a busy […]
Cotillion (1953) Georgette Heyer Kitty Charing has been adopted by the very rich and very unpleasant Matthew Penicuik who has decided that she will inherit his entire fortune–if she marries one of his great-nephews. Odds are on Jack, who is Uncle Matthew’s favorite (and Kitty’s too) but Kitty doesn’t like being told what to do, […]
Sins & Shadows (2009) Lyn Benedict If this hadn’t been my carry around to read during lunch book, I probably wouldn’t have finished it. But having nothing else to read, I slogged through and finished. But I didn’t like it. Where to begin with what I didn’t like? First and foremost, although there don’t seem […]
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 […]
The Track of Sand (2007) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli Despite the fact he is quite frequently a right bastard, I am terribly fond of Montalbano. Salvo awakes from a bad dream, and so wanders out to the beach behind is house to clear his head only to discover a dead horse–a horse that […]