Books for Review

I've received a couple of books for review in the past few days. Hopefully I can get to them soon. I think I've got at least 5 books I'm in the middle of reading (probably more), and I'm not making progress on any of them. And I've got a big stack of books from the library, too.

But anyway, here's what I got:

With OtherWorlds,you will learn to draw and paint fantasy scenery. Also disc over how to bring forth ideas more quickly, and communicate a sense of place that evokes a range of emotions, especially the thrill of taking an exotic journey to explore the unknown. Enjoy Tom Kidd's lively and personal step-by-step instruction that includes information on materials, observing nature, drawing, form, color, creating special effects and more. You will learn to create scenes so vast they take your breath away with exquisite skies and aircraft, rugged terrain, glittering cites, spectacular rock formations, stormy seas, magnificent forests and more.


In a sleepy, snow-covered city, Cora Crowder is busy preparing for the holiday season. Searching for a perfect gift, a fortuitous trip to Warner, Werner, and Wizbotterdad’s (a most unusual bookshop) leads to an unexpected encounter with co-worker Simon Derrick. And the surprise discovery of a ticket for a truly one-of-a-kind Christmas Ball.
Every year, the matchmaking booksellers of the Sage Street bookshop host an enchanting, old-fashioned Christmas Ball for the romantic matches they’ve decided to bring together.
This year, will Simon and Cora discover a perfect chemistry in their opposite personalities and shared faith? Or will the matchmakers’ best laid plans end up ruining everything this holiday?

Not Much to Report

I'm still around. I'm just not reading very much right now, because I've found something else to consume my time, which is trying to figure out a better budget and trying to eat healthier and buying more foods locally. So I guess I'm reading a little, because I'm reading two books on those topics now. One is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and the other is The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn (which is 976 pages!). Both are interesting, but they're not books I can sit down and read for hours.

So I really have nothing to report around here. I've also got the third book in the Oracle's Legacy Trilogy by R.B. Holbrook that I've started but not made much headway. It's good, but my focus has been on too many other things to read fiction. I hope to get back to it soon so I'll have something to talk about around here.

Double Cross

Book Details:
Genre: urban fantasy
Page Count: 336
Publication Date: Sept. 28, 2010
Why I read it: book 2 in a trilogy
Grade: A

The plot:
Justine Jones has lived her life as a fearful hypochondriac until she's lured into the web of a mysterious mastermind named Packard. He gifts her with extraordinary mental powers-dooming her to fight Midcity's shadowy war on paranormal crime in order to find the peace she so desperately craves.

But now, serial killers with unheard-of skills are terrorizing the most powerful beings in Midcity, including mastermind Packard - and his oldest friend and worst enemy, Midcity's new mayor, who has the ability to bend matter itself to his will.

As the body count grows, Justine faces a crisis of conscience as she tests the limits of her new powers and faces an impossible choice between two flawed but brilliant men . . . one on a journey of redemption, and the other descending into a pit of moral depravity.

My review:
You know how sometimes you read the first book in a series, and you really like it, but then you get book 2 in your hands and you're afraid it won't be as good, so you put off reading it? I did that a little bit with Double Cross. Lately urban fantasy series have been disappointing me. But I shouldn't have worried about this one. In fact, I would say that Double Cross is better than Mind Games. Which is good--authors should improve with each book. But if Carolyn Crane gets any better, I'm afraid I might have a heart attack while reading the next book. Or a vein star episode. Like my head might seriously explode.

The biggest problem with this book was that it ended. It was like I was on this really awesome ride with lots of twists and turns, and the ride got really intense, and I started getting worried, like WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING WITH THIS RIDE AND WHAT'S COMING NEXT? And then the ride comes to a sudden stop. And I know there's more ride, but I can't go on it right now. Logically, I feel like it was as good a place as any to end this part of the story, unless she was going to wrap up the whole story right now (but since it's a trilogy, that wasn't happening), it's just that I want to find out what happens right this minute.

So, I really like Justine. I like that she's conflicted, and that there are no easy answers for her. I even kind of like this love triangle, even though I normally hate love triangles. Both Packard and Otto are so horribly screwed up (as is Justine), but they've also got very attractive things about them. And maybe what I like about them is that they don't have everything going for them. Just about everyone in this book is flawed in some way, some a lot more than others, but the world somehow seems to stay believable. And I've grown to really care about some of these characters--maybe a little too much, judging by my reaction to the ending.

Double Cross has been enough to renew my faith in the urban fantasy genre. Before this I had gotten very burned out, and it seemed like there was nothing new there to find. This is different. It's emotional, heart-pounding, gray area all over the place wonderful. I would highly recommend this one! Any book that leaves you with an intense emotional reaction has to be doing something right. I'll leave you with what I facebooked right after I finished it:

Just finished a book that I want to punch in the face. Not because it was bad. It was excellent, but it's book two of a trilogy, and it was very cruel of the author to end it where she did.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Floating Islands

I don't usually participate in memes, but I like this one just for the fact that I find more books to add to my TBR list. And I don't care if I'm coming up on 700 books on my list, I can always use more. So, here's one that I'm waiting on:

The Floating Islands by Rachel Neumeier
When Trei loses his family in a tragic disaster, he must search out distant relatives in a new land. The Floating Islands are unlike anything Trei has ever seen: stunning, majestic, and graced with kajurai, men who soar the skies with wings.Trei is instantly sky-mad, and desperate to be a kajurai himself. The only one who fully understands his passion is Araene, his newfound cousin. Prickly, sarcastic, and gifted, Araene has a secret of her own . . . a dream a girl cannot attain.Trei and Araene quickly become conspirators as they pursue their individual paths. But neither suspects that their lives will be deeply entwined, and that the fate of the Floating Islands will lie in their hands.

If you'd like to see more Waiting on Wednesday posts, visit Breaking the Spine.

Allegra Fairweather

Book Details:
Genre: Paranormal
Page Count: 209
Publication Date: May 26, 2010
Why I read it: netgalley review copy
Grade: B-

The plot:

Allegra Fairweather here. Paranormal investigator. Got problems with specters? Shapeshifters? I'm the woman to call. Just don't call me a Ghostbuster. The last guy who did that ended up flat on his back with my boot at his throat.

With my 99.5% success rate, solving the mystery of a bleeding rose that has sprung up on the shores of Loch Furness should have been an easy gig. But already I've heard the shriek of the local banshee, discovered two bodies (and then lost two bodies), and had a near-death encounter with a three-hundred-year-old ghost. And perhaps most dangerous of all, the hot pub owner who hired me now wants to show me exactly what's under his kilt.

Luckily, I'm ably assisted by my very own guardian angel. I'm grateful for his help-but he's also drop-dead gorgeous. A bit distracting when I've got a mystery to solve, and the clock is ticking...

My review:
Let me tell you right up front that I think this book is only available in e-book edition. I enjoyed this one, but it was really nothing more than a fun, easy read; a good way to pass a couple of afternoons. What I liked best, I think was the setting. I would love to travel to Scotland. Forget the handsome men in kilts, I'm jealous of Allegra just for the scenery. And it was very much a part of the story, so that's good.

Allegra is a fun character, even though she seemed to have a bit of a hard time figuring anything out. If she really does have a 99.5% success rate, I don't know how she did it. She kind of bumbles around and figures things out only with luck. But still, she's fairly tough (although it does help that she has a guardian angel to get her out of all kinds of scrapes), and definitely likable.

There was a little bit of romance here, but not too much. It didn't overshadow the story, at least. It seems that this is the start of a series. Book two is already written and has been acquired by the publisher. So that's good news for those who liked this first one, but I'm afraid of the direction it'll take. I didn't think her romantic interest in her guardian angel was all that great, but I think it'll become more and more the focus. We'll see, it could be done well. I would recommend this to fans of paranormal romance, especially if you're not as interested in the romance. If you're looking for a hot and heavy bodice-ripper type novel, this isn't it.