June Books

Uglies, Pretties, and Specials by Scott Westerfeld - I read the entire trilogy right in a row. The first two books were awesome and the third was disappointing. Apparently there's a fourth book in the series (Extras) but I find myself not particularly excited to read it. The premise of Westerfeld's world is interesting and I was riveted to watch the consequences of that premise early in the series. Do read at least the first two.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson - The third book in a trilogy. This one picked up right where the second one ended and was unbelievably awesome. I've recently read some criticism of this series (too violent, too slow, too many unrelated tangents) and while I agree with all the criticisms to some extent, after the first two hundred pages of the first novel, I have been riveted and unable to put the books down. This trilogy ended excellently.

Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman - So the narrator of the story commits a drug crime and is sent to a women's prison. I was interested in what it was like in the prison - the relationships she formed, the routine of the prison, the difficulties of living life in such an institution - but the narrator herself? I could have strangled her. In a comment left on someone else's site, I kind of went off on Piper Kerman:

Really? You thought the character in Orange is the New Black attempted to sound repentant? Because I thought she just sounded like she was sad she was an idiot, but, hey, drugs aren’t that big a deal. I think she was genuinely upset at what she put her family through, but in terms of the crime itself – I think she thinks the laws are dumb and she’s above them. But maybe I read too much into it. (I found the parts in the prison supremely interesting, but it took half the book of her justifying her idiocy before we got there…some editor had an epic fail.)

Just One Wish by Janette Rallison - I read this at JFK airport waiting for my plane. I remember none of it, so I guess it wasn't a great book.

The Midnighters Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld - Amazon recommended this to me over and over and over again after I completed the Uglies trilogy. These were interesting, but I would again claim that the first two books are strong and the third...is not. So, hey, Westerfeld, can you work on making me happier with your endings? I think this author has an amazing sense of setting and the worlds he creates are vivid and fascinating and I bet he has a difficult time sleeping at night.

Critical Care by Candace Calvert - This was a free Kindle download on Amazon and of course, it was Christian fiction. I will never learn to read between the lines. It wasn't too preachy, but it was preachy, so don't read it. (Bottom line in all these books - religion and god are the answers. While I don't have a problem if you believe that, I don't believe that, and I'm mostly annoyed when proselytizing gets thrown in my face.)

Violet Dawn by Brandilynn Collins - I had to go look at this one again before I could remember it. Woman with mysterious past finds dead body in her backyard and hijinks, mystery, and terror ensue. Eh. I say you can skip it and your life will be fine.

Shakespeare's Trollop and Shakespeare's Counselor by Charlaine Harris - These are books #4 and #5 in Harris's Lily Bard series. I know I said I was done with Lily Bard, but I lied. I read more. I was equally disenchanted with the main character in these books, but what can I say? The way Harris writes dialogue (one character says, "she died and I was heartbroken" and the other character says, "did you just say heartbroken? who uses the word heartbroken?") makes me want to read her books despite the annoying Lily and the even more annoying Jack.

Eternal Hunter by Cynthia Eden - Free Kindle download. Girl has special powers and her boyfriend turns out to be a shapeshifting white lion. Fuck me, is this a Sookie Stackhouse novel? Just. No. Come up with your own ideas.

Nightwalker by Heather Graham - I had fun with this book. The main character sees ghosts, but so do other people (not everyone, just some). It was fun and dynamic. The opening chapter is boring as hell, so if you do a free preview, you can just skip the prologue and move right into the real plot of the novel.