Silver Master by Jayne Castle (aka Jayne Ann Krentz)
Part of the Harmony series
Celinda Ingram is a professional matchmaker and has been living in Cadence for four months. Her particular paranormal ability as a para-resonator makes it possible for her to feel whether two people are compatible and would make good candidates for a full Covenant Marriage. She lives in the Old City part of town with her dust bunny Araminta and just wants to get on with her life after the horrible scandal in Old Frequency, her hometown.
Davis Oakes is the owner of Oakes Security and is a fourth generation descendant of a ghost hunter family. His is able to produce silver light which allows him to have special abilities, and while his ties to the Guild are strong he is not a ghost hunter himself. After suffering a traumatic experience while rescuing a kidnapped child, he cannot afford to pull any ghost light because his ability comes from a spectrum of color unknown to most people. Using it has unusual and possibly deadly consequences.
They meet when Davis is on the hunt for the powerful relic that Celinda supposedly bought as a toy for her pet dust bunny. When her dust bunny runs off with the relic it soon becomes apparent that this no plastic toy but some kind of psychic tool that Celinda resonates with. But she is not the only one who can use it as their lives quickly become in risk and the chase is on.
Lots of references in the final section of the previous books. Again the dust bunnies are important to the storyline but thankfully in not such an obnoxious way as in some of the previous books. A fun, quick read. Good chemistry between the main characters and the baggage does not feel contrived but something could happen to anyone.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Writing Class by Jincy Willett
Amy Gallup, is the teacher of the Writing Class. She is overweight and plain and bordering on agoraphobic. In her early twenties, she published a successful novel, but from there, her career went steadily downhill. Teaching an adjunct university writing class is her salvation, but she doesn't know it yet. She'd much rather stay at home with her basset hound, Alphonse, who doesn't like her much. Amy's students run the gamut from professional writers to those who are there to meet the opposite sex. Several are extremely talented.
The first two student excerpts, one about how to choose the rope you will use to commit suicide, are incredibly good. Amy's suggestions are usually right on the mark, especially when she tells her class not to assume the writer of the suicide poem is writing about her own life. When she discovers that one of the students writes nasty commentaries on other students work Amy isn't sure what to do. When the nasty comments turn to personal harassment Amy decides to cancel the class as she can't risk something worse happening. The writing class decides that the class will go on by meeting at one of the classmates homes as they won't let anyone stop their experience of becoming a better writer. But when one of the classmates is killed it is apparent that the nasty commentator is really a sociopath and who knows who will be next!
We get to read the murderer's letters and diary entries, as well as his/her comments on student papers. This lets us participate in trying to find the killer. There's some humor as well, most of it centering on Carla, a student who has taken Amy's class five times. It is a really interesting way of approaching a murder mystery plus I really enjoyed the various writing assignments the students had. Willett is a very gifted writer and I look forward to reading more of her work.
Amy Gallup, is the teacher of the Writing Class. She is overweight and plain and bordering on agoraphobic. In her early twenties, she published a successful novel, but from there, her career went steadily downhill. Teaching an adjunct university writing class is her salvation, but she doesn't know it yet. She'd much rather stay at home with her basset hound, Alphonse, who doesn't like her much. Amy's students run the gamut from professional writers to those who are there to meet the opposite sex. Several are extremely talented.
The first two student excerpts, one about how to choose the rope you will use to commit suicide, are incredibly good. Amy's suggestions are usually right on the mark, especially when she tells her class not to assume the writer of the suicide poem is writing about her own life. When she discovers that one of the students writes nasty commentaries on other students work Amy isn't sure what to do. When the nasty comments turn to personal harassment Amy decides to cancel the class as she can't risk something worse happening. The writing class decides that the class will go on by meeting at one of the classmates homes as they won't let anyone stop their experience of becoming a better writer. But when one of the classmates is killed it is apparent that the nasty commentator is really a sociopath and who knows who will be next!
We get to read the murderer's letters and diary entries, as well as his/her comments on student papers. This lets us participate in trying to find the killer. There's some humor as well, most of it centering on Carla, a student who has taken Amy's class five times. It is a really interesting way of approaching a murder mystery plus I really enjoyed the various writing assignments the students had. Willett is a very gifted writer and I look forward to reading more of her work.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Sookie Stackhouse is an ordinary waitress in small town Bea temp, Louisana
It is a world very much like our own - except for one difference, 4 years ago Vampires "came out of the coffin" and are now a legal part of USA society. In this way it's somewhat like the situation in the Anita Blake (author Laurel Hamilton) novels.
Sookie herself is unusual with a disability, she's a telepath, and that makes dating a virtual impossiblity until a vampire comes to town and she discovers he's her (almost) perfect man. Unfortunatley, at the same time people start getting killed, which most of the locals see as an unlikely co-incidence, and in a small town that can almost be deadly itself.
Full of Southern charm and very erotic prose Harris finds a way to make being the undead fun. I've been watching the series True Blood on HBO and was impressed by how closely the series follows the books so far. I'm looking forward to catching up with this fun series.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews
Newly divorced, Eloise "Weezie" Foley, from blue-blood architect Talmadge Evans III, but she still living in a carriage house in the backyard of their restored mansion. But to add insult to injur she suffers the indignity of having her ex's sexy fiance, Caroline DeSantos, living in the main house Weezie restored herself. As a "picker," Weezie earns her living foraging for discarded treasures in Dumpsters and at estate sales. She enjoys the thrill of the search and the indepence it offers her. But her main goal is to find that piece of junk is really a rare antique and get enough cash to open her own store. She is starting to find her own network of influencial friends too.
During one of her stakeouts Weezie discovers Caroline's corpse in a historic manor house and now Weezie is the prime suspect in her murder. To compound her quandary, Weezie's attorney her closeted Uncle James, an ex-Catholic priest is having an affair with a man from the DA's office. Factor in her on-again, off-again romance with old high school flame Daniel Stipanek, counterfeit antiques and her mom's alcoholism Weezie has a very complicated life.
Not a terribly complicated mystery but honestly I did not see the real murder so I guess that is one up on me. I will probably read more down the road.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
22 essays featuring Sedaris ramblings about his memories and life in general and how he observes it. I really enjoyed the section how he quit smoking and we find out how he got the title for the book. I listened to the CD which featured 4 live recordings which were really interesting to hear the audience laugh along with me. All 22 essays were read by Sedaris which at first was a bit disconserting but got used to his speech patterns pretty quickly.
He isn't for everyone so if language and talking about sex and gay people are offensive then he is not for you but if you are like me and often wonder inappropriate things while observing life happening around me than give him a try. I have not read any others books by him except his Holidays on Ice which I enjoyed about half the stories so I can read a book of his maybe every couple of years.
22 essays featuring Sedaris ramblings about his memories and life in general and how he observes it. I really enjoyed the section how he quit smoking and we find out how he got the title for the book. I listened to the CD which featured 4 live recordings which were really interesting to hear the audience laugh along with me. All 22 essays were read by Sedaris which at first was a bit disconserting but got used to his speech patterns pretty quickly.
He isn't for everyone so if language and talking about sex and gay people are offensive then he is not for you but if you are like me and often wonder inappropriate things while observing life happening around me than give him a try. I have not read any others books by him except his Holidays on Ice which I enjoyed about half the stories so I can read a book of his maybe every couple of years.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
The Official 411 Degrassi generations by Kathryn Ellis
This book takes us behind the scenes of "Degrassi: The Next Generation, Degrassi High, Degrassi Junior High," and "The Kids of Degrassi Street." We find out from the past and present actors and crew what it's like to be a part of one of TV's most successful teen series.
This was one of my favorite teen shows I watched in the 1980's on PBS. I loved everything Degrassi, I'm sure it was because I could live vicariously through their mistakes. I read the books, followed it online once the internet came along. The only thing I have not done is watch the Degrassi: the Next Generation or purchased any of the DVD's which I know have come out. But when I saw this at my local library I had to check it out just so I could read more about some of my favorite characters from the original show. I enjoyed reading about how the show came about and where the characters are now but I guess I've gotten too old to appreciate the DNG.
So I then tried to read one of the manga books "Turning Japanese: Degrassi Extra Credit #1 (Degrassi: The Next Generation)" and it was just too much. Maybe I'm past all the teen angst or problems they have I don't know but I just skimmed it turned it back into the library.
This book takes us behind the scenes of "Degrassi: The Next Generation, Degrassi High, Degrassi Junior High," and "The Kids of Degrassi Street." We find out from the past and present actors and crew what it's like to be a part of one of TV's most successful teen series.
This was one of my favorite teen shows I watched in the 1980's on PBS. I loved everything Degrassi, I'm sure it was because I could live vicariously through their mistakes. I read the books, followed it online once the internet came along. The only thing I have not done is watch the Degrassi: the Next Generation or purchased any of the DVD's which I know have come out. But when I saw this at my local library I had to check it out just so I could read more about some of my favorite characters from the original show. I enjoyed reading about how the show came about and where the characters are now but I guess I've gotten too old to appreciate the DNG.
So I then tried to read one of the manga books "Turning Japanese: Degrassi Extra Credit #1 (Degrassi: The Next Generation)" and it was just too much. Maybe I'm past all the teen angst or problems they have I don't know but I just skimmed it turned it back into the library.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)