Help me out here!

The last several books I've read have been major disappointments, from Nora Robert's The Search (boring) to Carrie Vaughn's Discord's Apple (good, but too complex for what I wanted/ needed to be reading right now, I had to really pay attention because there's a lot of switching back and forth from world to world. Sadly, when I get off work I just want an easy read, something to melt into without a lot of effort. Discord's not that kind of book. Would have been a better book to read over the weekend when I had more time to keep things straight.)

Vaughn's newest Kitty Norville book was good, but not my favorite in the series. The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory was so-so, better than the much hyped Other Boleyn Girl, but not by much.

So what's a girl to read?

There are some books coming out next year that I am waiting for:

• River Marked, the next Mercy Thompson book. I'm hoping for more of Samuel, we'll see. Jan. 25, 2011


• Blackveil, Book 4 in the Green Rider series, a loooooong awaited book by Kristen Britain. Feb. 1, 2011


• Twilight's Dawn by Anne Bishop. A Black Jewels book, yay! March 1, 2011.

And of course we have the pre-holiday book season coming up:

• Intrigues: Book Two of the Collegium Chronicles. Yay, another Valdemar book by Mercedes Lackey! Oct.5, 2010.


• A Holiday Yarn: A Seaside Knitters Mystery, Sally Goldenbaum. Nov. 2, 2010


• Double Knit Murders, Maggie Sefton. Nov. 2, 2010


• Happy Ever After, Nora Roberts. Nov. 2, 2010


• Indulgence in Death, J.D. Robb. Nov. 2, 2010


• The Other Side, J.D. Robb, et al. Nov. 30, 2010 (Busy, busy month for Nora!)

And several more I am wanting to read.

But what about NOW?? Any suggestions?

Undead and Unfinished

by MaryJanice Davidson.

If I rated this book, it would get something along the lines of 3 out of 5, with 1 being bad, 5 being good and a three being so-so. I'm very ambivalent about this book.
The bad: It was short, the first portion rehashed a lot of the previous books and don't get me started on the epilogue!

The good: I like finding out some of the back-story on Sinclair and Tina, I liked that Besty and Laura did some good things.

Hrmm. So maybe I lean a little more toward the bad side of things. I get where MJD is going with this, it's time travel and Betsy gets a glimpse of a not so great future and has to try and change it. So that's the hook, read the next book and see if Betsy can change things or if things are destined to get ugly.

But that's also part of the problem. Because time is fluid and things can change depending on the kind of decisions we make who's to say that even if Betsy does change the future for the better (and they go there to prove it) that one small stupid mistake (and Betsy is the Queen of more than just the vamps, she's the queen of acting before she thinks...) wouldn't change things right back or make things even worse?? I don't know, slippery slope you're negotiating, MJD....

Again, I recommend getting this book from your library or waiting for the paperback. It's definitely not the best in the series and may even have a tendency to alienate the reader (that damned epilogue!).

The Sweet Potato Queens'

1st Big-Ass Novel.

I have to say, this wouldn't have been on my usual reading list. I was wandering through the library and the title caught my eye. It was quirky enough to make me pick the book up and read the blurb on the jacket. On to my stack of books to take home it went.

I started reading Nora Roberts' The Search when I got home. By mid-afternoon I had put it down and picked up the queens. I stayed up until 1 AM to finish it.

The characters all matched the title, quirky and fun. It was a story of friendships and life. It was a light, fun read (if you're looking for something deep, look elsewhere).

I shall be searching out more books by Jill Conner Browne.

And maybe now I can go back and finish The Search...

Waking the Witch

by Kelley Armstrong.

Definitely NOT my favorite book by this author. After the last Armstrong book I read, I was really looking forward to this one, but it disappointed me. The main character, Savannah, was cocky, and all together a Mary Sue, capable of everything except asking for help when she needed it.

This book also cut out other favorite characters and focused solely on Savannah. What the heck? Savannah has been in love with Adam since she was a young teen and we get a lousy phone call or two, and a cameo at the end? Most of Armstrong's books are paranormal romances with a mystery plot. This one is all mystery and as such I felt it was missing something. There are reasons people read series books, and the regular characters are usually the main one. I've never been a huge fan of series characters going off on their own and leaving the rest of the cast behind because it's the interaction between those characters that make the books wonderful. I had been looking forward to seeing the Savannah/Adam relationship develop, even if it didn't turn into a full-blown romance between the two.

This is definitely a book I recommend getting from your local library or waiting until it comes out in paperback. And if you are new to Armstrong's Otherworld series, don't start with this one. It's missing to many elements of what makes Armstrong's books a pleasure to read.