110:14 After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn

A definite departure from her well known Kitty Norville series.   Celia West is the daughter of Captain Olympus and Spark, superheros of Commerce City.  Unfortunately, the only superpower she seems to have inherited is the that of a super captive as every criminal in town wants to kidnap her to use against her parents.  Now she has set off on her own and turned her back on her parents in an effort to forge her own life but unfortunately, there's a new criminal in town and he's not ready to forget who she is.  Forced to confront more of her past than she ever imagined, what exactly will she find out once all the dust settles?

Gripping and fast-paced.  A little over the top on expose from time to time but not so long winded as to get in the way of the story.

Page count: 342p/4,836p ytd

110:13 Shadows in Flight by Orson Scott Card

The latest installment in the Ender's Shadow series and a direct sequel to Shadow of the Giant.  Bean and his genius children have been travelling at lightspeed for the last 5yrs and he has now grown so large that he spends his time in bed with a low gravity to keep the strain on his heart as low as possible.  The children are 6, they are brilliant in genetics, engineering, and tactics but in many ways are still just children without any experience to draw upon and now Bean's time is drawing near and he is looking forward to what kind of life they have once he's gone.

I admit to being disappointed with the last couple of books from Mr. Card but not this one.  Good story, nice character development, interesting twists.

Page count: 237p/4,494p ytd

110:12 Side Jobs by Jim Butcher

A collection of short stories set in the Dresden universe, most are written in the usual style from Harry's point of view but the last one is written from Karrin's point of view after Harry's disappearance.  Several of the stories are simply reprints from previous anthologies.  Fun stories but I think my favorite was Day Off where Harry actually tries to take a day off.  Maybe it's just because it reminds me so much of my own life.

I wanted to like the last story more but I didn't feel like Karrin's voice was different enough from Harry's.  It was my biggest let-down from the whole book.  A good story but I just didn't feel the author did as good a job speaking for her.

Page count: 418p/4,257p ytd

110:11 Every Thing On It by Shel Silverstein

The newest Shel Silverstein book.  Everything you've come to expect and love from Shel with his wacky humor, zany illustrations, and creative prose.

Page count: 194p/3,839p

110:10 The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum

The 7th book in the Oz series by L. Frank Baum.  Ojo the Unlucky's uncle has been turned to marble and Ojo must search high and low through Oz for the ingredients to bring his uncle back to life.  On his journey, he meets Dorothy, The Scarecrow, Ozma, and eventually The Tin Woodman and learns that  perhaps he isn't so unlucky afterall.

A delightful story in one of the most delightful fantasy worlds.

Page count: 340p/3,645p ytd

110:9 The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett

The first book in the Discworld series.  I had a bit of a hard time at first with the language and how jumpy and choppy it was but by half-way through I'd gotten used to the narrative and was able to settle in and really enjoy the imaginative world Mr. Pratchett has created.  It definitely reminds me of Douglas Addams Hitchhiker's in terms of playfulness and intricacy.  A fun beginning to what promises to be a very fun series.

Page count: 210p/3,205p ytd

110:8 Spider's Revenge by Jennifer Estep

The 5th book in the Elemental Assassin series.  It's finally time.  17yrs after Mab killed her family, Gin has declared war on her and it's time to take her out but Mab is a powerful fire elemental, the most powerful elemental seen in 500yrs.  How can Gin possibly kill her?  She's willing to risk herself but is she willing to risk her friends and her new-found sister?

Another riveting tale.  Again, a little too much of the same internal monologue that we've been listening to every book.  Once in a book to remind us is one thing but it gets a little repetitive.  Thankfully the rest of the book is so well written and engaging that you are too wrapped up in it to notice for long.  The big question is, what do I do now while I wait for the next book to come out?

Page count: 367p/2,995p ytd