Monthly Archives: September 2008

All About Samhain

This week from Samhain:

Best sellers from My Bookstore and More:

1. If All The Sand Were Pearl by Pepper Espinoza
2. With or Without You by KyAnn Waters
3. Becoming Miss Becky by Shannon Stacey

Reviews:

The Good, The Bad and The Unread

Book Utopia

All About Samhain

This week from Samhain:

Bestsellers from My Bookstore and More:

1. Handyman by Claire Thompson
2. Kiss Me Again by Dee Tenorio
3. Love Me by Kelly Jamieson

Reviews:

Mrs. Giggles

The Good, The Bad and The Unread

Book Utopia

Heartsick

I’ve been seeing Chelsea Cain’s Heartsick everywhere, including on my supermarket shelves. So I got it from the library last week, still not sure I would actually read it.

Despite the fact I liked the movie The Silence of the Lambs—I’m a big Jodie Foster fan—I’m not much of a serial-killer reader.

But never mind such generalities. I know why this book is being talked about everywhere and sold everywhere. It is one of the most compulsively readable books I’ve read in a long time. I think it first got on my radar because of Avid Reader’s review. I recalled that she talked about the damaged hero.

This isn’t a romance. And there are disturbing scenes, because the serial killer is psychotic and violent. There are two serial killers. One is currently killing and raping teenage girls; one is locked up after turning herself in after torturing cop Archie Sheridan for ten days. Archie is a mess, but he comes back to work to find the current serial killer. And a reporter, Susan, follows the news story.

The book is very well constructed, the characterization is nuanced, especially for such a fast-moving book, and the entire story is gripping. I’m not much one for gore and violence, but I found that while Cain doesn’t shy away from it, she also doesn’t make you wallow in it. It’s there to serve the story, not to give you nightmares for a week. Or so I found.

I’ll have to get my hands on the sequel, though a part of me balks at finding out more about Gretchen (the locked-up serial killer). But since I loved Archie and Susan, I’ll read more.

Death of a Pirate King

Another bonus about reading series? You don’t need to break between books.

Now this doesn’t really apply to me these days because I have no time to read. (Okay, I only get a little stressed by this. And it is not strictly true, but too often it feels like it.)

But the fact is that I’m one of those readers who has a hard time jumping into a completely different book directly after I’ve finished a book I’ve enjoyed. And the harder I loved a book, the harder it is to go on to the next one. Sometimes, I’m not ready to let go of the previous book, so there’s no room in my brain for a new one.

No such issue for series books where you want to know what happened next.

My son woke up sick at 5:30 yesterday morning. Not seriously sick, but once I’m up, I’m up. So I bought Death of a Pirate King before six a.m. and started reading.

It’s two years later! I felt rather sad that Adrien and Jake hadn’t seen each other for two years, but, well let’s face it, they needed some time apart after the end of The Hell You Say.

I feel constrained about what I should talk about because book four is so new. Even with warnings or cuts, I don’t think it’s right to give spoilers when it’s only been out less than two days.

Still, I will say that, for me, this was the most effective mystery Lanyon has written thus far in the series. It really worked well. All the secondary characters and red herrings and dead ends were interesting in themselves.

I continued to not like Guy, right down to his endearment for Adrien. Adrien’s new family is wonderfully drawn.

Hmmm, maybe I can say more year from now. But this is a terrific installment in a terrific series. Next up, book five at the end of 2009. I think titled The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks?

All About Samhain

This week from Samhain:

  • Handyman Claire Thompson. Novel. Gay contemporary romance.
  • Love Me Kelly Jamieson. Short story. Contemporary romance. Red hot.
  • Kiss Me Again Dee Tenorio. Novel. Contemporary romance.
  • Matilda’s Song JoAnn Smith Ainsworth. Category. Historical romance.
  • The Fallen Gwen Hayes. Short story. Paranormal romance.

Best sellers from My Bookstore and More:

1. Nice and Naughty by Jayne Rylon
2. A Question of Trust by Jess Dee
3. Wicked Garden by Lorelei James

Reviews

Mrs. Giggles

The Good, The Bad and The Unread

Series and The Hell You Say

One of the most intense reading experiences I ever had was rereading Dorothy Dunnett’s The Lymond Chronicles. Talk about an immersing oneself in a world. Not only was the series six books, they were long books too.

I somehow doubt I’ll recapture that experience entirely, especially considering what Dunnett puts Lymond through. But I do enjoy reading series from time to time, such as Megan Whelan Turner’s Attolia books (YA fantasy) or Kate Ross’s Julian Kestrel mysteries (set in Regency England). There is something about sticking with the same character or characters and watching them grow and develop over a number of books. I find it very satisfying. (Obviously this is different from romance series, which I also enjoy, but usually feature a different main couple each book.)

Anyway this past weekend, I decided to read the first three books of Josh Lanyon’s Adrien English mysteries. I did this in part to prepare for reading the fourth book, Death of the Pirate King, due to be released from Loose Id this Tuesday. Don’t read further if you want to avoid spoilers. Continue reading

Rolling drafts

Anyone else write rolling drafts? I cannot just write from beginning to end. I get to a certain point and back to the beginning I go. For the first third of my book, I do this a lot. They’re not false starts exactly, but the terrain is very tricky and I need to make sure I don’t make a wrong turn. Often the second third is more straightforward with more forward motion.

But right now I’m in the first third, and this morning I’m opening up my doc at Chapter One.

It’s a good thing I like revisions.

And because I’m writing cat shifters…look at this book coming up!

Into the Lair

Into the Lair

Not only did I love the first book in that same series, Into the Lair will be released on the same date as puma.