A novella set in the Women of the Otherworld series. Jamie Vegas is a real life necromancer who plays a spiritualist on stage for a living. After her last disastrous attempt at breaking into TV, she has decided that the normal show circuit is more to her liking until she is railroaded into another TV show. With her lover, Jeremy (alpha werewolf) by her side, she squares her shoulders and prepares for the show but even before the show starts, things start going weird and the spirits are waiting for her around every corner. But these spirits are unlike anything she has ever encountered before. Can she lay them to rest before they lead her to her final slumber?
A nice foray back into this fabulous world. I truly miss these books and am grateful for the new novellas that we get every so often to revisit those that we invested so much in. This was no disappointment and if you have been missing this world as much as I do, it's a definite must read.
Page count: 120p/13,476p/157,896p
Sunday, April 28, 2013
54:120 In Sea-Salt Tears by Seanan McGuire
Set in the world of October Daye, this short story focuses on the Selkies of Half Moon Bay and most specifically Elizabeth, a daughter of two Selkies who is repeatedly passed over for a skin, and their mysterious cousin Annie, a Roane whom cannot shift, who keeps watch over their traditions. What Annie gives to Liz is without compare, or so she thinks for many years until that which has ever been denied her is finally offered. Will she return to those who snubbed her over and over again or stay with Annie who has given her the love that was so often denied?
A very short story but one that gives some nice background to the world. Best read after One Salt Sea and another amazing piece of work by Ms. McGuire.
Page count: 24p/13,356p/157,776p
A very short story but one that gives some nice background to the world. Best read after One Salt Sea and another amazing piece of work by Ms. McGuire.
Page count: 24p/13,356p/157,776p
Monday, April 22, 2013
53:120 A Tangled Web by Mercedes Lackey
A novella in The Five Hundred Kingdoms series which takes place after Sleeping Beauty. Leo and Brunhilda are off taking a vacation in Olympia where there are no Godmothers, only the Gods who only sort of act in that capacity. They are enjoying a lovely day of relaxation on the meadow when suddenly a man driving a chariot with 4 black horses kidnaps Brunhilda and then the earth opens up and he disappears with her back under the earth where he came from. In another meadow, Persephone has escaped her chores and has met the shepard, her love, whom she knows is really Hades in disguise. They wander down to the underworld wondering why Thanatos never showed up to kidnap her as Hades had arranged but all too soon, they find out what has happened and then they have to figure out how to get Brunhilda back above ground since she was carried away by 'death' and how to make sure that Persephone can stay as Hades bride while convincing her mother to bring the earth back to life in Olypmia. And all must be done in accordance to the Tradition lest it take things amiss and come up with even more obstacles to thwart them.
A fun little tale in a wonderful series. It was nice to see Leo and Bru again and I enjoyed the bonus of the Greek legends intertwined A definite must read if you have enjoyed the series.
Page count: 91p/13,332p/157,752p
A fun little tale in a wonderful series. It was nice to see Leo and Bru again and I enjoyed the bonus of the Greek legends intertwined A definite must read if you have enjoyed the series.
Page count: 91p/13,332p/157,752p
52:120 Embrace the Night by Karen Chance
The 3rd book in the Cassie Palmer series. Cassie is desperately trying to find a way to remove the geis that was placed on her by Mircea but that has since doubled and mutated because her time travelling and time is running out as Mircea is now quickly losing his mind. She has been seeking out the Codex Merlini, the famous book of spells of Merlin, as the only place that she has been told there is a reversal spell. However, no one has seen the book in centuries and all leads have led only to dead ends and usually assassins. There are many forces aligning against her finding it as well because the book is rumored to have spells that are more dangerous than she can possibly imagine and if she finds it, those spells could spell the end of everything. Can she find the book and remove the geis before the Consul is forced to kill Mircea because she is rapidly coming to realize he is the one thing she is unwilling to live without?
A solid book in the series with some interesting twists that I didn't see coming. I'm hoping that this book sees the start of Cassie starting to really trust herself and her intuition instead of constantly allowing herself to be led by others. One of the characters made a good point that she is Pythia now, a major player in the supernatural world, and she needs to start acting like it.
Page count: 378p/13,241p ytd/157,661p lifetime
A solid book in the series with some interesting twists that I didn't see coming. I'm hoping that this book sees the start of Cassie starting to really trust herself and her intuition instead of constantly allowing herself to be led by others. One of the characters made a good point that she is Pythia now, a major player in the supernatural world, and she needs to start acting like it.
Page count: 378p/13,241p ytd/157,661p lifetime
51:120 The History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage
A look at how specific drinks (beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, sodas) have molded and shaped societies in unimaginable ways. Beer as one of the first forms of payment (along with bread) since the process made water that was previously contaminated safe for drinking. Wine, the first social drink. Spirits, particularly rum, which encouraged the slave trade. Coffee, for the intellectuals. Tea, the drink of the British Empire (after they were introduced to it by the Chinese). And lastly, Coke which has become a popular drink the world over as well as a symbol of America and consumerism. I found his weaving together of drinks with society an interesting way of presenting history and definitely more lively than dry textbooks. There were a few times when I thought he stretched a bit to make the connections work and other places where I think the information wasn't laid out as well as it could have been but overall, an enjoyable book. Not one I normally would have picked up but that's the best reason in the world to be part of a bookclub!
Page count: 322p/12,863p ytd/157,283p lifetime
Page count: 322p/12,863p ytd/157,283p lifetime
50:120 The Last Battle by CS Lewis
This is what I had to say last time:
An interesting end to the series. Not totally unexpected and certainly in line with most tales of that sort tho still not quite what I had thought was going to happen. It's hard to put my finger on but this one didn't feel quite right to me. I think perhaps it was the total lack of depth in some of the "main" characters this time around. Even the ones we knew from previous books weren't as "alive" as they were previously. Still, all in all, a very good series, very enjoyable with wonderful descriptive writing.
And you know, I'm going to stick with that. It just really wasn't very fleshed out in the manner of the other stories and was a bit of a letdown at the end. When asked, my 12yr old stated that The Silver Chair or The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe were his favorites (with The Magician's Nephew very close to making that list) and it's easy to see why. It's not a lack of action but more a lack of adventure of the self that this book is lacking.
Page count: 211p12,541p ytd/156,961p lifetime
An interesting end to the series. Not totally unexpected and certainly in line with most tales of that sort tho still not quite what I had thought was going to happen. It's hard to put my finger on but this one didn't feel quite right to me. I think perhaps it was the total lack of depth in some of the "main" characters this time around. Even the ones we knew from previous books weren't as "alive" as they were previously. Still, all in all, a very good series, very enjoyable with wonderful descriptive writing.
And you know, I'm going to stick with that. It just really wasn't very fleshed out in the manner of the other stories and was a bit of a letdown at the end. When asked, my 12yr old stated that The Silver Chair or The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe were his favorites (with The Magician's Nephew very close to making that list) and it's easy to see why. It's not a lack of action but more a lack of adventure of the self that this book is lacking.
Page count: 211p12,541p ytd/156,961p lifetime
49:120 The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter
I'm really not sure how I managed to go so far into my life never having read these. I had a few of them on my shelf as a child but really have no recollection of ever having heard them before I started reading them to my boys. A truly beautiful collection of animal tales that delights readers both young and old. There is a timeless simplicity to them and the artwork is so gentle in a world that is becoming more and more sensationalized, it's nice to return to that innocence.
Page count: 400p/12,330p ytd/156,750p lifetime
Page count: 400p/12,330p ytd/156,750p lifetime
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