Book Twenty-Three: FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT

First Grave on the Right, by Darynda Jones, 2011. This is the first book of the Charley Davidson series, which I intend to catch up on before the summer ends.


TTR: a day and a half.

Comments:

I love Darynda Jones' book for many reasons, among which are the fact that I've met Darynda and chatted with her at a couple of writer's events (we were even on the same panel for new writers at the Jack Williamson Lectureship in 2012). It love to support local authors, in part because it is probably karma of some sort. One day soon I'll be a published author looking for local support *crosses fingers*. But also because--YEAH--people from around here are awesome. They're my people. They should definitely succeed.

The setting is AWESOME. As a New Mexico girl, I am always happy to see New Mexico in books, movies, television, etc.

I also just love supernatural detective stories, and Darynda is great at writing them.

Book Twenty-One: KITTY GOES TO WASHINGTON

Kitty Goes to Washington, by Carrie Vaughn, 2007. Book Two of the Kitty Norville series.

(See, I'm not all excuses! Told you I'd read this sometime near the beginning of the summer).
     

TTR: Uh, a day and a half? Something like that.

Comments:

I read the first Kitty book after listening to Carrie Vaughn speak at the Jack Williamson Lectureship in Portales, NM. She talked about the roots of Urban Fantasy and mentioned the Bronte sisters, which was awesome because I LOVE ME SOME VICTORIAN LITERATURE. And anyone who can reference it on a whim is worth talking to, or reading as the case may be.

I liked this book better than the first Kitty book. I like that the series takes place in different locations, and I like that Kitty is much more self-confident in this book.

Consensus? I'll keep reading the series. I like the premise.

Book Nineteen: MOCKING JAY

Mocking Jay, by Suzanne Collins, 2010.

 


TTR:  A day or two.

Comments:

I liked this book, but I also had less than happy feelings about this book. Blerg. It was frustrating (and, as a writer, completely understandable). Katniss is (again, understandably) a very unlikeable character in this book. She's being churned, once more, through the system. She's being asked to make decisions that go against everything she ever knew or thought she believed. She makes decisions that (SPOILERS) I do not think she should make: namely, to reinstate the Hunger Games one last time. BAD KATNISS. Although, I'm also not sure if this "yes" vote on her part is just her plan to assassinate President Coin or what.

Sorry for the garbled response. Garbed feelings equals garbled review...

Book Eighteen: CATCHING FIRE

Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins, 2009.
    

TTR:

A few days. I read this during finals week, and although it was great I was pretty burnt out.

Comments:

For some strange reason, this series reminds me greatly of Cormac McCarthy's The Road which (SPOILERS!) is about as pervasively hopeless in terms of world view.

In terms of the series as a whole, I think this was one of my favorite books. Although it feels somewhat abrupt and disorganized at the end, the characters in this book are much more relate-able than the characters in the first. Which is partly because Katniss is forced to move out of the narrow world-view she inhabits in the first book to see the humanity in people she would normally write off as sell outs or evil.

I liked it. *Shrug*

Book Two: AGENTS OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS

Agents of Light and Darkness, by Simon R. Green. Second book in the Nightside Series. Published by Ace, 2003.

TTR: Started 1/1/13 and Finished 1/2/13

Comments:

The Nightside series is set in London, England and built upon the premise of a sort of "underground" world/London in which all vice/illicit desire/things that society kicks to the curb exist and are amplified. In the Nightside, it is always 3am, reality isn't obvious/existent, persay, and crazy bleep happens. The series follows PI John Taylor and his crazy "friends," Susie Shooter and Razor Eddie as they find the solutions to mysteries (Taylor is gifted with a "Sight" that helps him find things, he claims not to solve mysteries, although that is basically what he does).

This novel is the second in the series, which means that the first one was good enough to peak my attention. The story was entertaining, but I felt that there were a lot of things that could have been expounded on. Elements of the plot and the story world that I found intriguing were brushed over and dismissed. There was lots of telling rather than showing. But still, and entertaining read.