The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is one of those books that I felt obligated to read. It's on every SciFi list. Most of the CPAAGers love it. It glares at me from shelves of Barnes and Nobles.

In short, I was going to have to read it whether I liked it or not.

Thankfully, I liked it. No, actually I loved it! I first downloaded the ebook from my library, but very quickly discovered that the wonderful Stephen Fry narrated the audio version. As quick as I could, I traded versions, and then gleefully waited for the start of the Ravellenic Games. The anticipation was killing me. Not because all of these people loved the book, but because I got to listen to hours of Stephen Fry speaking. That man's voice is second only to Alan Rickman in my mind.

About five minutes in and I was completely hooked. I adored Arthur Dent. I liked Ford Prefect. I didn't quite enjoy Zap but I'll take what I can get. The concept was so interesting and well executed that I couldn't stop listening. It was a bit difficult to understand in some places (especially when it came to the Ultimate Question. I think that may have been because I was listening, rather than reading the page), but just how overwhelmingly funny it was more than made up for it.

I can not wait to read the next volume!

(4/5 stars)

Murder is Binding

Murder is Binding was a rather... interesting book for me to listen to. When I first stumbled across the concept, I adored it. A mystery book store owner solving a murder? How quaint! I quickly became bogged down in the actual book, unfortunately. I'm not sure if it was just my difficulty in relaxing into to the narration, or the writing, however.

Every time the narrator started to speak in anyone's voice other than Tricia, I felt myself wince. Angela became obnoxious to listen to, even though I felt that she was the most funny and interesting character by the close of the book. The male characters were similarly hard to listen to due to the narration.

In terms of writing, I felt that the author was... stilted at first, and didn't really hit her stride until the concept of Grace Harris' mistreatment was introduced. In fact, I had a hard time even convincing myself to play the book until that point. Once Grace was introduced, I was absolutely hooked.

I think my main problems with this book (apart from the quality of the audiobook. I'm still trying to understand why there was music that should have been featured in a play at the very beginning and end. It totally drew me out of the narration), were issues associated with the introduction of a new series. In a simple cozy mystery, I expect to have issues with characterization and world building when the writer is settling in, and this book was no stranger to these problems. They weren't, however, enough to significantly lessen my enjoyment. I absolutely loved the setting, and the mystery was interesting and not entirely predictable. The ending really sealed the deal in terms of my interest in the book. While I didn't see it coming, it wasn't so far out of reach that I felt it wholly implausible. I can't wait to listen to the next book in the series because I have a feeling it will be even better.

The high points of these books, besides the concept of BookTown (I so want to vacation there), was the introduction of interesting characters such as Angela and Mr. Everett, both of whom I'd love to take to lunch. Tricia herself was more of a shell of a character in this book, and I'm really hoping to see her develop more characteristics other than a grudging love for her sister. I was displeased that the ineptitude of the Sheriff wasn't addressed at the end, as I felt that it was highly unrealistic and I'm curious to see how it is handled in future books. All in all, I think this looks like the start of a great series!

(4/5 stars)

Dying for Chocolate

 After finishing Diane Mott Davidson's first book, I couldn't wait to start Dying for Chocolate. I wound up downloading the OneClick program on my sister's computer because I didn't feel that I could wait until my laptop was up and running again.

I'm really glad I did. This book was excellent. While I wasn't quite as enamored with it as the last book, I think a good chunk of that was because of Goldie's isolation. I would have loved to see her interacting with other people besides teenagers more often.

Apart from that minor quibble, I really enjoyed this. Davidson managed to weave together a believable, yet surprising mystery. While the integration of clues was not as skillfully articulated as in the last book, it was still interesting. I wasn't too pleased to see that she kept with the "in the family" theme, but hopefully this motif will end with the next book. After all, Goldie is running out of family!

One thing I really appreciated was that Goldie's relationship with Tom Schultz seemed by far more realistic in this book. I actually saw the attraction, as well as Tom's integrity when it came to his job- two things I thought were lacking in the last book. I really saw him as her support- even though this mystery revolved around someone Goldie had gone on dates with. That went quite far with me in terms of creating the backbone of their relationship.

(4/5 stars)

Catering to Nobody

 Right before my laptop bit the big one, I downloaded Catering to Nobody from OneClick. I'm not entirely sure what captivated my interest- maybe it was the title. At any rate, after adding it to my iPod, I promptly forgot about it.

In my utter desperation for lack of things to do, I sifted through my iPod to find more things to listen to, while computer-less. Catering to Nobody again piqued my interest. At first, I didn't realize that it was yet another "cozy" mystery, so when the first attempted murder is announced, I was quite surprised.

The rest of the book followed a reasonably predictable matter. The ending was definitely something I didn't expect, but Davidson still managed to artfully weave in niggling clues without being too vague. I had thought right off the back that Patty Sue's frequent visitations were odd, but I certainly didn't expect the giant mess that it had caused. The attempted, and actual murderers weren't something that screamed out to me ahead of time, but once it was expressed on paper, made perfect sense.

The only thing I'm slightly concerned about is how the author is going to cope with familial murders. I can only hope she moves out of the family tree in the next few books.

I loved Marla, she was a really intriguing character, and one in which I wish the author had paid more attention to. I thought Goldie's voice was highly realistic, and her tenuous relationship with her ex-husband and son completely believable.

The only part I didn't find believable? Her relationship with Tom Schultz. I know, I know, he's supposed to be the romantic interlude, and I understand that he's going to play a larger part later in the series, but it seems so... unappealing. He's bossy and unprofessional, and that rather irritated me. It was just a bit too far fetched t think he would take Goldie, a woman he hardly knew, out to dinner and spill juicy details of the case to her.

Apart from that slight annoyance, I really, really liked this book and am looking forward to continuing on in this series!

(4/5 stars)

Death Masks (way to be dramatic)

Of the books I've read in the Dresden Files series, Death Masks has been the best of the lot. That's not a tremendous accomplishment, as Jim Butcher's skill at creating an interesting plot and world has been consistently overshadowed by his inability to portray dialogue or women in a realistic manner.

This book managed to almost overcome those issues. We see the reemergence of Susan, and she's been completely transformed. She's actually not a helpless shell! She has powers, she had backstory, she has her own humorous lines! She also has a horribly awkward romantic scene that made me gag, but that's beside the point.

Butcher managed to introduce two incredibly interesting concepts in this book- the Denarians and the Fellowship of St. Giles. Butcher also managed to avoid the pitfall I find most serial writers devolve to- he's actually incorporating the magical being and groups into his subsequent novels. I loved the small glimses you got into the Knights of the Cross. Even though I'm not huge on my Christian relics, and I generally dislike stories that follow such things (Angels & Demons and Indiana Jones, I'm looking at you), the magical aspect of the Denarians kept me hooked.

This wasn't a perfect book by any shot. I'm getting awfully tired of Dresden's stupid remarks. While I know his "sarcasm" is supposed to be a funny quirk, it's overused and annoying at this point. It would be nice if every line wasn't said with insincerity. It would also be nice if Butcher didn't describe the breast of every single female he mentions, but apparently, that's asking for too much.

However, apart from those (usual) quibbles, I really enjoyed this book. I checked it out of the library and absolutely sped through it over the next day and a half. Yes, read. As much as I enjoy listening to James Marsters, my library is missing a few of the audiobooks in the series, but luckily, I'll be home long enough to check out and return a couple of the missing books.

(4/5 stars)

Definitely Dead

For all of my disappointment with the last book, Definitely Dead more than made up for it. I loved it. I loved it more than Dead to the World. Seriously- it was that good.

My major criticism from the last book was completely alleviated. There wasn't a slew of competing males, Sookie instead chose to dwell solely on Quinn- whose entrance I'm really enjoying. I hope that he's on the show as well. While she did have the heartbreaking experience of finding out Bill's true intentions, and Eric made his customary flirty remarks, Sookie didn't go on for eons about how they were trying to win her. In fact, she essentially wrote both of them "off" in one book. Clearly that isn't going to last, but it did at least make the romance easier to swallow. I was also glad that the Debbie Pelt and Alcide dramas came to a close. While I loved Alcide initially, the whole pack life thing really alienated him as a character, and the Debbie drama just irritated me. Debbie was frustrating enough of a character in life, in death she was even worse. Note: by saying frustrating, it's not a judgement of Harris' writing, more empathy for Sookie's situation. If anything, Harris did a fabulous job of getting me to feel for Sookie and her inability to escape that wretched woman.

Ahem. Now that I've rambled... The inner dialog was great. The fight scenes were great. The descriptions of the queen and her emotions regarding Hadley? Great. I seriously loved this book, and really sped through it. I'm really annoyed that I forgot to put the next one on hold, and now I have to wait forever for it! That's how good this book was.

My only quibble? Integral information to the plot wasn't included. She apparently wrote a short story in between this book and the previous one that confused the hell out of me. I hadn't realized it existed, so I had to check a few times to make sure I was reading in the right order. It would have been nice if that storyline was included in this book, as I understand that the story is only available with other sort stories that aren't integral to understanding plots. If I had known, I would have put that on my hold shelf and read it beforehand!

(4/5 stars)

Dead to the World

I've got to start reading something other than fluff. Midway through reading Dead to the World, Monkey peered over my shoulder and realized what I was reading essentially equated to porn- and then teased me mercilessly.

That being said, this was considerably better written than the previous books in the series. I don't think I quite liked it as much as the last book, but it was pretty darn good. I think Harris has really gotten into her stride as an author. She has a great concept of the personalities of her characters and is doing a much better job at showing them. Sookie's inner monologue is quite a bit more believable (though I still hate the Word of the Day Calendar thing), and Harris is really showing the dynamic between the characters a lot more. I loved Jason's incorporation, and that for once, his personality wasn't just mentioned by Sookie- it was actually demonstrated by Jason himself. I loved that Sookie got to be a strong, protective character, without having to be dragged into a physical beat-down. She's finally losing her naivety. I also love that Harris neglected to the overused plot device of two unrelated events turning out to be related- she managed to pull of two different story-lines reasonably well. It was quite refreshing to not have them converge.

I loved, loved, LOVED Eric in this book. I could just picture him and his childlike confusion. He really made this book hard to put down, and I really liked the difference in the mystery for this book. Rather than figuring out who the bad guy was, it was more about actually figuring out where the bad guy was- quite a difference from the earlier books, and not something I see a lot in the cozy mystery genre.

My only criticism? What the hell was point was Claudine? She wasn't involved enough for her importance. While I understand that she'll be more of a plot point in later books, her inclusion in this one was just plain unnecessary. If Sookie had merely mentioned her existence and dropped the matter, rather than dwell on her for pages and pages, it would have been handled a great deal better. She served absolutely no purpose for plot development, and just made the entire situation considerably more confusing.

Also, the cover art is absolutely hideous, but that's hardly the author's fault.

Besides that minor detail, I did enjoy this book, and I'm really glad Harris is choosing to continue all of the various "Supes" in the later novels. All too often I'm finding that authors like to talk about a new, interesting supernatural being in one book, only to drop it like a hot potato in the next. Harris does an excellent job of continuing to involve each of the new creatures in the next book, which does wonders for her world building. I think that if anyone wants to try this series, they should wait until this book before deciding whether or not they like it- it's a great representation of what her books should be. Fluffy, ridiculous guilty pleasures with great plots.

(4/5 stars)

A Study in Scarlet

A Study in Scarlet was the first Sherlock Holmes novel that I ever remember reading. It certainly wasn't my first experience with Holmes- that might have been an episode of Wishbone featuring the Hounds of Baskervilles- but at any rate, it was my first literary foray into that universe. I've mentioned before that I've always loved mysteries, and when I saw the first Sherlock Holmes novel, I was determined to read the original stories. I put a somewhat comprehensive book on my wishlist on Paperback Swap, and waited with glee for the book to arrive.

Unfortunately, by the time it actually did arrive, I had lost steam for the topic, and the book was pushed to the back of my to-read shelf. Nevertheless, last summer, I packed away the rather large book to take with me while basically isolated in my apartment during summer classes. My thought process was that it was large, and therefor should occupy quite a bit of my time. I managed to breeze through the first story in the book- this one- during nightly bubble baths. After that, I was sucked into the world of Doctor Who and spent essentially all of my free time watching that instead.

Flash forward six months later, and I kept hearing about the BBC program Sherlock. I was immediately drawn into the world of Holmes again. Unfortunately, I didn't have my anthology with me, so I resigned myself to waiting until Spring Break to start reading.

Yesterday, Monkey kicked me off my own computer, and out of my own bedroom so he could finish homework. After exhausting all of the TV possibilities, I finally stole his iPad and downloaded this book for free. It was every bit as gripping as the first time I read it. The ending was a complete surprise for me, which was both a good and a bad thing. Good, as it wasn't predictable or stupid, but bad in the fact that it came extremely out of the left field, and when the explanatory narrative started, I wondered if there was some sort of error in the book- I had assumed it was an entirely different story. Nevertheless, I really loved the introduction to Holmes' character. I love the bits and hints of his vices that are only suggested in this book, and I can't wait to continue on Holmes and Watson's exploits.

(4/5 stars)

What Happened To Goodbye

I still rememeber my first introduction to Sarah Dessen. I was in seventh grade, and saw the Quinticential Cool Artsy Girl (TM) reading her book in our art class. This was pre-emo and hipster days, so the fact that she was actually reading a book was pretty significant. The book she was reading happened to be Dreamland. As I happened to be a preteen nerd desperate to be liked, I immediately rushed out and bought the book- and promptly fell in love. I don't remember what that girl's name happened to be, but I'm infinately thankful she introduced to Dessen. Back when I used to journal on Livejournal, I followed Dessen's blog religiously. I was estatic whenever a new book would come out, and reread my favorites over and over again.

I hadn't read any of the Dessen books in quite some time when I happened to see her new book on the front page of my library's overdrive site. It happened to be availablem so I immediately swished my way to checkout and on my way I went.

Around 5AM that morning, I finally finished the book. What Happened to Goodbye encompassed some of the really great things about Sarah Dessen's work. The main character was relatable (man, can I remember going through changing myself and trying new "personalities" during my teen years), the characters were unique, and the overwhelming crisis was cathartic. It was a super quick read, and great for when you just want to cry for a while.

What I didn't like was that it felt a bit forced. While McLean's character was fleshed out and realistic, her romance wasn't. I just didn't feel as though we got to encounter Dave enough to really invest in him. While he was intriguing, he just didn't get enough face time. The secondary characters were similarly interesting, but not played with enough. I was really interested in seeing how Riley would play into their developing relationship, but she vanished off the face of the earth after a few pages.

While this was a really good YA book, it didn't measure up to the best of Dessen's work. Definitely something I'd recommend to any teenage girl, but with the qualifier to read more of Dessen before making any judgements.
(4/5 stars)

Club Dead

After breezing through the first books in the Southern Vampire series, I started Club Dead with rather low expectations. While I though the ideas behind the previous book were excellent and innovative, the actual writing left quite a lot to be desired. At times, they greatly resembled porn written by a pubescent girl- not really the most appealing style.

This book really started to turn the tables for me. Perhaps it was because for once, we get to see a character actually care about Sookie. Perhaps because there was little to no Bill (who I adore/d on the show but am very annoyed with in the books- even when Sookie is head over heels). Maybe it's just that Charlene Harris is finally improving her writing style. At any rate, I actually genuinely enjoyed this book, and I'm incredibly excited to read the next one. I can barely wait for it to come up off the hold list at my library.

This book marked a great change from the previous in that there was little to no graphic romance scenes, which frankly, made me quite uncomfortable in the previous novels- more because they were poorly written than because I'm a prude. This book neglected that aspect of the story, for which I'm really glad. It also helped flesh out more of Eric's character, and gave more backstory in terms of the universe Sookie is living. I loved that the solution to the problem plaguing Sookie for the second half of the book had a surprising end. Even though it was incredibly obvious, I didn't see it coming. I also loved the introduction of Alcide- it was nice seeing more supernatural beings. I was a bit disappointed that the show seemed to go more in depth with the various vampire courts, but I do recognize that delving into such things in that book would have significantly deviated from the overall plot. Finally, I think the best part of this book was that Sookie did step up for herself. Not only did she do the primary ass-kicking in this book, but she also stood up for herself in her relationship. Despite the fact that she's clearly still in love, she at least grew a backbone and acknowledged that she wasn't being treated as well as she should of.

This book really made me start to recognize the potential in the series- and not just for the ideas. While little aspects of Harris' writing style still annoy me (really? Word of the day calendar?), she's definitely improving in technique. I can't wait to read more- though the next book is when I stopped watching the show- spoilers, eep!

(4/5 stars)

Heat Rises

You know, it's funny. Heat Rises seemed so much different from the other books that "Castle" supposedly wrote. I highly suspect they got a different ghost writer. The book was entirely more likeable than the other two. The characters didn't seem as poorly written, the innuendo and banter was well played, and the action was thrilling. The plot really hit me hard, as it paralleled the television show so closely. I also noticed the subtle nods to the show and to Nathan Fillion more readily than the previous books.

The writing felt like Castle. It was silly for the most part, but serious when needed. There were horrible jokes, and Beckett's deadpan really shone through. I loved the whole saga of Heat's attempts to gain Lieutenant, as well as Roach's care and consideration for Heat. All in all, I absolutely adored this book. I cannot wait to see what ABC has planned for his next book, because this one was a stunner.

My favorite part? The description and title of the book Heat was reading at the end. No spoilers, but it really made me grin.

(4/5 stars)

The Execution of Sherlock Holmes

I'm going to throw up a disclaimer here that I don't actually know a lot about Sherlock Holmes. My first encounter with the character was on a television show I obsessively watched growing up: Wishbone. Apart from references in various movies, TV shows, and books, I still wasn't too experienced in his canon until fairly recently. I've since read a handful of the original stories, but again, I'm still no expert. After the first movie came out, I rushed to get an anthology of stories. After reading one (and a half), I set the book down because I couldn't knit and read at the same time (this is one of the main reasons I really want both a Nook *and* an iPad). I loved the stories, the characters, the mysteries, everything about the book. It was just too frustrating to just sit there and read. I was still anxious to read more int hat era, as I've come to really love mystery novels, particularly one set in the past.

I entirely blame my grandmother for that one. When she bribed me to read her Nancy Drew novels, she sparked a love of reading that has never subsided. And, apparently, a love for detective stories.

At any rate, when I stumbled across The Execution of Sherlock Holmes at my local library's overdrive site, I immediately queued it up. From the first story, I was hooked. I listened to the majority of this while deathly ill, and it absolutely perfect timing. My normal routine when sick is to drown myself in as many truly horrible Lifetime movies as possible and cry for hours on end, but this took my attention away from self-pitying.

The writing truly sounded like what I've read of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The stories were thoroughly engaging, and each had interesting twists that kept me guessing. My only minor quibble was that the first story was by far the strongest, so it was a bit of a disappointment that the subsequent mysteries were not as excellent. While they were good, they weren't as amazing as the first. Holmes and Watson both rang true to me, and I really enjoyed how the first story tied in with the last.

One odd thing about this book, however, was that one of the middle stories was so annoyingly familiar that it drove me crazy while listening to it. This was by no fault of the author, but it reminded me of something I had read or seen ages ago that had similar notes. From what I can remember, a young, unmarried girl is either believed to be or actually was having an affair with a married man. Her "lover" leaves a note for her asking her to leave a light and door unlocked on if she wishes to see him. The next morning, her corpse is found. I have no idea what or where I encountered this shell of story. Now it's driving me absolutely crazy.

At any rate, I really enjoyed this book, and it's definitely moved more Sherlock Holmes-esque fiction into my To Read list. I can't wait to read more of the actual canon as well. This book receives two thumbs up from me!

(4/5 stars)

The Graveyard Book

After listening to Good Omens, I was eager to explore more of Neil Gaiman's works. The Graveyard Book was the first of his that was available for download at my public library, so immediately seized on the opportunity to read it.

I'm going to preface this by explaining a bit about my background. If you hadn't already realized by my posts about our Halloween traditions, spooky and sometimes even supernatural is a big hit in my family. My sister and I were raised on movies like Nightmare before Christmas, Beetlejuice, and James and the Giant Peach. The fact that it's almost Christmas when I'm writing this and there is still a Mummy in our kitchen is a bit telling. The point is, even though I'm a huge wimp when it comes to scary movies (or trailers, or even slightly creepy book covers), I still love supernatural and/or macabre fiction. That alone gave this book tons of props in my mind, even though it was clearly intended for a significantly younger audience than I am.

This book was an excellent demonstration of what I loved reading as a kid. Bod Owens was an orphan adopted by a ghost and grew up in a graveyard. The story is a coming of age rendition of the trials of his childhood. It had the supernatural element, as well as the loneliness I think all kids can relate to. Not to mention an overarching mystery and an interesting take on fairy tale elements. I thought it was an extremely well written book about the trials of growing up and feeling "different". My only problem was the age of the protagonist when he's "grown up"- I don't know about you, but I was most definitely not "grown up" at fifteen. If Bod had been seventeen when the story ended, I would have been a great deal happier, but again, this was geared towards younger kiddos, and to them fifteen may seem ridiculously old...

In any case, this was a great choice for any kid who loves the spooky and magical.

(4/5 stars)

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

This book was one of those that I put on my to-read list as a whim. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children appeared to be a spooky, horror story that was perfect for Halloween. Granted, I didn't get a chance to read it until well past the creepy season, but still. What this novel turned out to be was an entirely different matter.

The best way I can describe this is to compare it to other books. If you have (or are) a kid who loved the Spiderwick Chronicles, Inkheart, and other similar novels, I think it's a great book. If you're expecting something scary and chock full of surprises, then you might want to look elsewhere. I think this was a *great* book if you're looking for a 10-12 year old kid. The plot was interesting and engaging, the characters were easy to relate to, and the pictures really added an great depth. The plot, however, was a smidgen predictable, and the characters did echo a bit flat. The book wasn't terrifying (one of the reasons it took me so long to start it), but it was spooky enough to keep me entertained. Overall, however, I'd definitely recommend it. I wasn't quite the target audience for this book, but I know that there are plenty of people who are.

This review is short, but I think it suits the book. I pounded it down in maybe three hours. Easy to read, and entertaining. This is one that I would recommend getting a hard copy, as an audiobook wouldn't capture the great photographs that are included.

(4/5 stars)

A Red Herring Without Mustard

After thoroughly dragging out listening to A Red Herring Without Mustard, I finally finished it. This was the third in the Flavia De Luce mystery series, and was a thoroughly engaging read. While I didn't enjoy it as much as the first novel, it was still greatly entertaining.

For the good parts of this book. Flavia's character is fleshed out further. She is developing, albeit slowly, into maturity. Her sisters and father are also humanized. The novel seemed to emphasize Flavia's loneliness and the ill effects that isolation at Buckshore has on the family as a whole. While Flavia's father has always been a distant figure, his utter disengagement from the rest of the family was felt more fully with this novel. The sub-plot of the portrait of the girls really served to emphasize how distant he had previously been, while hinting at the possibility of his becoming re-engaged with the rest of the family. Ophelia and Daphne also showed more rounded characters as well. While their harsh treatment of their sister has only grown worse as the novels go on, it wasn't until this novel that their own desperation to escape their isolated life emerged. Ophelia's attempts to escape are demonstrated with her flirtations, whereas Daphne buries herself in her books. I particularly enjoyed Flavia's explanation of the truce she and Daphne sometimes engaged in.

One criticism I've read about the sisters is that their cruel behavior is unlikely. Personally, I disagree with that statement. I'm quite a bit older than my own sister (nine years) and even though I know that I should behave more maturely, there are times when I wind up in horrible fights and say things as immature and hurtful as in the books. That sort of thing is natural among siblings. Even though my sister and I get along quite well the majority of the time, we both know the best ways to annoy and hurt each other.

Anyways, I particularly enjoyed the addition of Porcelain's character. While I still have many questions about her- like how old she was, how she was living in London by herself, and why she wasn't living with her grandmother if she was young enough to have such an equal relationship with Flavia- her addition really helped the author further drive Flavia's loneliness home. While I had noticed that Flavia personified her bicycle, it didn't really get driven home how desperate Flavia was for a friend. Her daydreams about being invited to tea with Antigone and her husband demonstrated how desperate Flavia is for a loving, engaged family.

It was, overall, a depressing read. I'm anxious to listen to the next book, as I'm hoping it will involve a more engaged home-life for Flavia, and a bit more happiness.

As for the bad parts of the novel, I have only one real criticism. The plot was very drawn out, and there were points where I grew frustrated because I figured out answers chapters before Flavia did.

(Really Flavia? You couldn't figure out why your fire-dogs went missing and then later reappeared coupled with Brookie's mysterious appearance in your house?)

The conclusion, however, wasn't spelled out. It was unexpected enough to still be enjoyable. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I'm quite anxious to read the next in the series.

(4/5 stars)

Dresden Files: Storm Front

After finishing Before Versailles, I immediately jumped into a book that had been in the periphery of my reading queue for ages. The first time I had heard of the Dresden Files was in an art class during my senior year of high school. One of the girls there was absolutely phenomenal at art. It didn't matter the media, she was just utterly fabulous. She was also that sort of self-assured geek that proudly declared her interests.

Naturally, I spent most of my time idolizing her.

At any rate, when I wasn't terrorizing my other friends in that class, I'd often listen to her talk to one of her friends about the various television shows and books that they love. Of the many things they talked about, all I can really remember now is Doctor Who, Dresden Files, and Death Note (apparently words that start with a "D" are memorable). I've since gone on to adore Doctor Who, though I'm sadly, not caught up on the current season, nor have I seen the older episodes. When I went to explore Dresden Files, I wound up stumbling across the short lived TV show first.

The TV is everything I like in a show- just cheesy enough to be silly, not dramatic enough to be ridiculous, and with a great sense of humor while still being able to carry a serious story. Sadly, it was cancelled after one season. And that was the end to my experience with the Dresden Files, at least for a few years.

A few months ago, when I was first exploring the overdrive website for my local libraries, I stumbled across the first book of the series, Storm Front. Without giving it much thought, I added it to my hold section and went on my merry way. A few weeks ago, I was able to download the book and pushed it to the side, as a reward for finishing the slog that was Before Versailles. When Monkey brought up the series a short while later after stumbling it in his now monthly search for new, nerdy obsessions, I became even more excited.

All that led to extremely high expectations when I started actually listening to the book. It didn't hurt that James Marsters, aka Spike from Buffy, was the narrator. Normally, you know where high expectations lead me, right? Disappointment. For once, this wasn't the case. There are a few, small nitpicky things about the audiobook that I didn't like. But the book itself? Utterly fabulous. It's like every great detective movie that plays on Turner Classic Movies, but with supernatural elements. Harry Dresden, the lone hero, trying to understand dual mysteries, escape trouble at every corner, and avoid his supposed fate. All while including a dry wit and great inner dialogue. The way the author incorporated magic was utterly fabulous. It was believable, easy to understand, yet still mysterious. I also really loved how he took the quintessential mystery plot- two, unrelated cases suddenly become interconnected- but did it in a believable, interesting way. Every time I read or watch a plot like that, I think of the movie "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" with Robert Downey Jr., one of my favorite movies of all time. This is the supernatural book equivalent to that movie, with sarcasm and an unlucky narrator to book. Utterly fabulous. While the writing was a bit cliche, the book was still immensely enjoyable, and it was a great start to a series. If, as I've heard, the author's writing matures as the series goes on (I believe he started this book while in college), then the series will be more than awesome- it'll be amazing.

The audiobook, on the other hand? Oh dear. First off, I don't think James Marsters is a bad narrator. In fact, I think he's rather good. He does sound a bit inexperienced though, and the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired. There are parts of the novel that jump in volume, for no apparent reasons. Marsters's voice is great for this kind of protagonist, and not what I was expecting at all. While I'm not too sold on his voices for women, they don't take me out of the story at all, which is more than I can say for many narrators. What does jar me out of the story is the stupid "please change disks now" voice at the end of each segment, said by another person. Since this is a library copy, I'm not surprised, but at the same time, it's incredibly offputting. I'm glad I never was interested in audiobooks while they were on tape or CD. I'm hoping that as the series progresses, the audiobook quality improves. I really enjoy listening to Marsters, so I have no intention of switching to e-reader or hard copy format.

Overall, I absolutely adored this book. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes the SciFi channel, or televisions shows like Castle, or really, anyone. I think it was a great start to a series, and I loved all of the characters. I can't wait to listen to the next book! And until then, here's a preview of the utterly fabulous Kiss Kiss Bang Bang



(4/5 stars)

The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag

Well, this was certainly a big step away from my usual reading material.I know I keep saying I've been disappointed in the books I've been reading. I've got to stop that. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag was a great sequel to The Sweetness At The Bottom of the Pie.

I'm not going to lie- I applied for a library card in Oklahoma specifically so I could have access to this audiobook.

It was so worth it. While I definitely wasn't as engaged as I was with the first book, I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that I've had a really stressful week, and I've had to pick it up and set it down more often than I like. That's one of the advantages of paper books that I really don't think will ever go away. With a paper book, I find it so easy to curl up somewhere comfy and just read until I finish. I get so involved in the stories that interruptions don't even phase me. With audiobooks and, to a lesser extent, e-books, I don't get as drawn in as easily, so I set them down more often, which leads to me continuing to not be as engaged. It's a never ending cycle. Really, what I should be doing (and what I did when listening to the first book in this series) is listen while I'm at the gym. Hey, it's killing two birds with one stone! The only problem with that is my utter inability to motivate myself to actually go.

Either way, I enjoyed this book. Flavia's character is still full of the precocious adorableness that drew me in the first time. While the murder took a longer time to occur (half the book from my estimation), the murderer and exact details were unexpected enough to surprise me when they all came out. I particularly enjoyed the introduction of Ophelia's potential suitors, it really helped me feel like the de Luces were a real family. However, I felt marijuana subplot was not developed as well as it should have been. Because it was almost thrown in there without any real delving into, I almost felt it unnecessary. It was almost as if the author was using a cameo or token plot line. That's just a tiny nitpick of an overall, wonderful book.

This is definitely a thumbs up in my book, and I already have the sequel geared up in my reading queue!

(4/5 stars)