Some new, or at least recent releases, in various genres.
Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books blow hot and cold, but the last couple have been decent reads and this one delivers a well paced story that follows the typical formula for a Reacher story. In most of his recent books, Reacher is the loner who lives by his own brand of right and wrong who ends up pitted against a local very bad guy – or guys in this case. A single act of charity has far reaching effects because the bad guys are just too stupid leave the man alone.
Every once in awhile, a book title is just so intriguing you simply MUST have it regardless of the fact it’s out of print and the publisher is defunct. Such was the case with The Case of the Virtuous Vampire. How did I stumble across such a niche market book from a tiny publisher? Paperback Swap. Yes, despite what many publishers think, book swapping online actually increased my purchasing of books, it didn’t reduce it. It does the same for many others. Why? Because you find many new authors and/or genres and the waiting lists move too slowly because there aren’t millions of copies sold. But I’ve bought a hundred paperbacks – trade paperbacks (those $14-$18 oversized paperbacks) and mass market paperbacks, many by new or new to me authors. I’ve also bought more than my fair share of hardcovers. SIGH!
I wonder sometimes just how much the current paranormal/UF craze owes to J.K. Rowling and her brilliant Harry Potter series. You have a whole generation of kids growing up enjoying the story of the ‘boy wizard’ in the books and the movies. A lot of today’s Twilight reader’s probably cut their fiction teeth on Harry and his friends. It’s only natural they would find a touch of the supernatural appealing. I think the predictions of a waning interest in paranormal and UF that many publishers predicted were a bit premature. (more…)
My apologies for being missing in action. I’ve been experiencing computer difficulties and two of my electronic babies are in the shop – one with a hard drive issue and one with a virus. So I’m on a new, rather stripped down model, trying to carry on. SIGH! Please be patient while I get these issues resolved. Thanks!
I’ve been a fan of Robert since he first published The Monkey’s Raincoat way back in 1987. Long time. Crais wasn’t one of those writers who regularly churned out a novel every 9 to 12 months. At first, it would be 2 to 3 years between books. It seems nearly every book he’s ever written, whether an Elvis Cole or one of his free-standing novels, gets multiple nominations for various book (more…)
Vince Flynn burst onto the action/thriller scene with a terrific book about revenge called Term Limits. He introduced Mitch Rapp, an undercover op and assassin for the CIA in second book, one of my personal favorites, Transfer of Power. His books have increasingly become a kind of a protracted editorial and justification for his personal political beliefs and Pursuit of Honor reads more like an editorial than an action/thriller. That part wouldn’t be so bad, but he makes two fatal errors – the first is, Mitch Rapp is never wrong, the second more grievous error is forgetting his readers want AN ACTION/THRILLER STORY! There was a time when Vince was an automatic buy for me, then after 9/11, with each subsequent book, there was less and less of interest and more and more about the power struggles in Washington, DC. I stopped buying him until I could either get his books as remainders – or from a book swapping site. (more…)
After The Demon King and I, not my favorite book, I felt oddly compelled to read the next book in this series in hopes I end up liking the next sister, Alexa, better. Overall, I found Dragons Prefer Blondes a classic first-person, light, breezy book of the chick-lit genre, but the heroine remains remarkably dumb, or more correctly, blindly unobservant and not a critical thinker. Dragons Prefer Blondes did have some of the annoying elements from The Demon King and I - fighting first and thinking last and the supposedly less intelligent other species showing far more intelligence than the Guardians do! The problem with chick-lit is the chronic faulty logic of the genre.
Alex Caruthers is a jet set club owner who is also the Guardian for the dragon world. The current leader of the dragons is Ginjin and he’s decided that to escape his arranged marriage, he will marry Alex. There’s the little problem of his trying to kill her, several times. And the fact he isn’t exactly fond of her, nor she of him, but he needs a powerful wife to keep his intended away so he can save his planet and she’s his best bet. Alex lies through her teeth and claims she has a serious relationship. Odd, the whole time she was talking about her non-existent boyfriend, she was thinking of the good-looking head of Caruthers security department, Jake, a total hottie. Ginjin isn’t thrilled by her refusal. Alex is worried about what dear old Mom, who is all about the ‘greater good’, might do to keep peace and decides she needs a ‘pretend’ boyfriend – like Jake. (more…)
Persephone Alcmedi, Seph to friends and family, is not just another Stephanie Plum clone, although the reader could be forgiven for initially thinking Vicious Circle feels like Stephanie Plum Does Harry Dresden. It doesn’t help that the characters share so much in common. The most obvious similarities are age, relative financial instability, batty grandmother (Nana) who isn’t quite as batty as she is cantankerous, an oversized and not really wanted puppy, a friendly personality, a desire to see the right thing done regardless of how prudent that might be, and finding herself in dangerous situations for which she is vastly unqualified that she tries to brazen her way through. She also has a fair dollop of Harry Dresden in her need to saved the innocent, not unexpected given she has a deep attachment to Arthurian legends and its paladins. Like Steph Plum, she also has a ‘boyfriend’, or a man who would like to be her boyfriend/lover, wærewolf rock singer Johnny – no last name needed. A tattooed, motorcycle riding, 6 foot 2 inch, body pierced, Goth/punk rocker, black leather clad wærewolf who would sincerely like to make whoopee with her. As appealing and familiar as this is, it’s all just superficial. This is not a mystery nor is it played for laughs. (more…)
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