Books Read in April

I've got to admit this was the month for non-fiction reading. What else do you expect when it's final exams though. A round-up of my book reviews for this month, in reverse order with the most recent at the top of the list:

Daughter Of The Blood - Anne Bishop
A quote from my review:

This is the first of the Black Jewels series, and an incredible start at that. All of the characters have their quirks, the things that make them human in a brutal world.

Women of the Raj - Margaret McMillan
This was actually a book I bought for my mother.
A quote from my review:

Margaret MacMillan has written a number of bestselling books including The Uses And Abuses Of History, and Paris 1919 and, reading this one, I can see why. She has a way of making the daily details interesting and amusing to read. It was absolutely fascinating, looking at the lives that British women in India were living under the British Empire. The book is written with anecdotes, quotes, letters and the like from the women themselves. It is also lavishly illustrated with four sets of photographic inserts.

The Worlds Of Medieval Europe - Clifford R. Backman
A snippet from my review:

If you're looking for a good background book on the Middle Ages, this is a good one, and it is surprisingly reasonably priced too, at least compared to some of the other books I have.

Reading The Middle Ages - Barbara Rosenwein
This is a book of extracts from the primary source material of the Middle Ages.
A snippet from my review:

This is just as much a suitable book for someone who's just getting started in their study as it is for someone who has more background.

Bloodhound - Tamora Pierce
This, honestly is a book that I'd been looking forward to since last November when I gave in and read the teaser in the back of Terrier.
A quote from my review:

There's plenty of excitement, and as with the Alanna books it's possible to see what a good Rogue can do for the city as well as how much damage can be done by a bad one. That's another neat difference with this series: the thieves and other 'undesirables' are shown as real characters with good points as well as bad ones, not to mention actually playing a positive role in the world Tamora Pierce has created.

The Athenians And Their Empire - Malcolm McGregor
Not my favorite book of the month, I have to admit.
A snippet from my review:

...the book is quite readable, and doesn't take too long to get through. It's good as an overview of the period, but counter it with some other books as well.

Lover Unbound - J.R. Ward
The fourth book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.
A snippet from my review:

Not my favorite of the series, but Lover Unbound was a really good read nonetheless. I did find the bad language to be a bit much, which is one of the reasons it moved away from my favorite slot.

Lover Revealed - J.R. Ward
The fourth book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.
A snippet from my review:

From the outset of the first book Butch has been an interesting character and one of my favorites. Finding out more of his background and watching his interactions with the others has made this my favorite book in the series to date. The Brotherhood is protective of the human, but he wants to fight the lessers that have made themselves into such a problem.

Lover Awakened - J.R. Ward
The third book of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. As with the others, the villains were creepy and even more evil than I'd thought, while the heroes are nowhere near perfect, but interesting to say the least.
A quote from my review:

Lover Awakened is the third book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, and I've heard it called the best of them. While I'm not entirely certain that that is my opinion as well, this was yet another book that I couldn't put down, and I found myself reading until one thirty in the morning yet again.

Lover Eternal - J.R. Ward
The second book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.
A quote from my review:

The sequel to Dark Lover, this was another book that I couldn't put down. The characters are gripping and the story moves fast. And the twist at the end... It's a romance novel, but for a while I was wondering as I couldn't see any way for the traditional happy ending.

On Basilisk Station - David Weber
The first book in his best-selling Honor Harrington series.
A quote from my review:

I can't describe the book from the perspective of a first time reader anymore, it's been too long for that, but this is a book that can be read again and again - as can the rest of the series.

Dark Lover - J.R. Ward
The first book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I picked it up on a whim after a co-worker said that the series looked interesting. WOW! The next day, I was at the bookstore buying the next few books in the series.
A snippet from my review:

No complaints of "I finished this book in less than four hours" here. Instead, Dark Lover kept me up past midnight at least once, and Lover Eternal, the sequel, is following the same trend (1:30 AM last night).

Books bought in April

I went a little crazy in buying books this month. The list below is copied from my Unread Books list.

1. On The Prowl - Anthology (Romance) Mass Market Paperback
2. Knight Of Darkness - Kinley MacGregor - Fiction (Romance) Mass Market Paperback
3. Sword of Darkness - Kinley MacGregor - Fiction (Romance) Mass Market Paperback
4. **Lover Eternal - J.R. Ward - Fiction (Romance) Mass Market Paperback
5. **Lover Awakened - J.R. Ward - Fiction (Romance) Mass Market Paperback
6. **Lover Revealed - J.R. Ward - Fiction (Romance) Mass Market Paperback
7. Lover Enshrined - J.R. Ward - Fiction (Romance) Mass Market Paperback
8. Dark Lover - J.R. Ward - Fiction (Romance) Mass Market Paperback
9. Lover Unbound - J.R. Ward - Fiction (Romance) Mass Market Paperback
10. Sword and Sorceress VIII - Fiction (Anthology) Mass Market Paperback
11. Sword and Sorceress XV - Fiction (Anthology) Mass Market Paperback
12. Sword and Sorceress XIV - Fiction (Anthology) Mass Market Paperback
13. Sword and Sorceress X - Fiction (Anthology) Mass Market Paperback
14. Sword and Sorceress VI - Fiction (Anthology) Mass Market Paperback
15. Sword and Sorceress IX - Fiction (Anthology) Mass Market Paperback
16. Alta - Mercedes Lackey - Fiction (Fantasy) Mass Market Paperback
17. Rocket Ship Galileo - Robert Heinlein - Fiction (Science Fiction) Trade Paperback
18. The Number Of The Beast - Robert Heinlein - Fiction (Science Fiction) Mass Market Paperback
19. The Real Middle Earth - Brian Bates - Non Fiction (History) Trade Paperback
20. To Sail Beyond The Sunset - Robert Heinlein - Fiction (Science Fiction) Mass Market Paperback
21. Lammas Night - Fiction (Anthology) Mass Market Paperback
22. Roman Poets Of The Early Empire - Poetry - (Primary Source) Trade Paperback
23. Redline The Stars - Andre Norton and P.M. Griffin - Fiction (Science Fiction) Mass Market Paperback
24. Derelict For Trade - Andre Norton and Sherwood Smith - Fiction (Science Fiction) Mass Market Paperback
25. Readings In Medieval History - Patrick Geary - Non Fiction (History) Trade Paperback
26. Troilus And Criseyde - Geoffrey Chaucer - Poetry (Primary Source) Trade Paperback
27. Falls The Shadow - Sharon Kay Penman - Fiction (History) Trade Paperback
28. The Reckoning - Sharon Kay Penman - Fiction (History) Trade Paperback
29. The Early History Of Rome - Livy - History (Primary Source) Trade Paperback

Miscelaneous Book Related Things

No books reviewed today. I was too busy taking a crop of books to the used book store. Four medium sized boxes of books out, and of course, I had to buy more. I ended up refilling one of those boxes and bringing home more books.

Some are on medieval and ancient history, but most are fiction. A number of the Sword And Sorceress anthologies edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley, a couple of Sharon Kay Penman novels as well as some books I've been hunting for for a couple of years. As a result, I've updated the Unread Books List, taking off some books I sold on, and adding the new ones.

Currently, I'm reading far too many books: Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward (so I can get to Lover Avenged), S. M. Stirling's Island In The Sea Of Time, and Heir To The Shadows, by Anne Bishop.

Upcoming and New Books

There are some good looking books coming out in the next few months:

J. R. Ward's latest, Lover Avenged just came out today in hardcover. It's the seventh book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, and focuses on the character of Rehvenge.

The blurb from the Amazon.com page for Lover Avenged is:

J. R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood novels have introduced readers to a “different, creative, dark, violent, and flat-out amazing” (All About Romance)world. Now, as the vampire warriors defend their race against their slayers, one male’s loyalty to the Brotherhood will be tested—and his dangerous mixed blood revealed…

Rehvenge has always kept his distance from the Brotherhood—even though his sister is married to a member, for he harbors a deadly secret that could make him a huge liability in their war against the lessers. As plots within and outside of the Brotherhood threaten to reveal the truth about Rehvenge, he turns to the only source of light in his darkening world, Ehlena, a vampire untouched by the corruption that has its hold on him—and the only thing standing between him and eternal destruction.

Naomi Novik has some new books as well:

Victory of Eagles, the fifth book in the Temeraire series is due out in mass market paperback on May 19th according to the Amazon.com page. It follows the book Empire of Ivory.

So far, I've found this to be a great series, which I usually describe as being close to Patrick O'Brien's Master and Commander series, but with dragons and less jargon. So far, the first three books in the series have been impossible to put down.

The blurb given by Amazon.com is:

For Britain, conditions are grim: Napoleon’s resurgent forces have breached the Channel and successfully invaded English soil. Napoleon’s prime objective is the occupation of London. Unfortunately, the dragon Temeraire has been removed from military service–and his captain, Will Laurence, has been condemned to death for treason. Separated by their own government and threatened at every turn by Napoleon’s forces, Laurence and Temeraire must struggle to find each other amid the turmoil of war. If only they can be reunited, master and dragon might rally Britain’s scattered resistance forces and take the fight to the enemy as never before–for king and country, and for their own liberty.

And, the next book in the series, In His Majesty's Service is due out October 27th. The description is not yet given, however.

The Pre-Printing Press Challenge

The Pre-Printing Press Challenge
May 1st 2009-April 30th 2010

The Pre-Printing Press Challenge
May 1st 2009-April 30th 2010

I've seen a lot of challenges for reading romances, fiction, award winning books and many more. Challenges on various themes (King Arthur etc.) and challenges to fit certain criteria, such as the What's In A Name Challenge.

What I haven't seen is a challenge for reading books that pre-date the Printing Press. There's so many good pieces of writing that fit in this category (and I'm not asking you to read them in the original language unless you want to). So, for my first reading challenge, the pre-printing press challenge, I'm asking people to give these ancient and medieval books a try.

I'll admit that I'm more familiar with the European books, but if you know of something that fits the qualifications of the challenge from other parts of the world, feel free to include it.

Just some rough examples of the sorts of books that count, both histories and fiction:
Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War
Herodotus The Histories
Homer The Iliad and The Odyssey
Greek Tragedies and Comedies
Virgil
Ovid
Plutarch

Beowulf
Norse Sagas
Geoffrey of Monmouth The History of the Kings of Britain
Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

The lists could continue on and on.

The rules of the Pre-Printing Press Challenge:

1. All books must have come out before 1440, when the printing press was first invented.
2. Books chosen for this challenge can overlap with other challenges.
3. Books can be translated into the language of your choice.
4. All the books you've chosen must be read by April 30th 2010.
5. You can read 1-3 books, 4-6 books, 7-9 books or 10 or more books if you're feeling particularly ambitious.
6. The choice of books is up to you. There are no set reading lists, and you don't have to set one when you join.
   
7. Post your blog address where you'll be posting your comments on your choice of books in the comments of this post when you join, and tell me how many books you've chosen. I'll set up a link to participating blogs from here.
8. Above all, Have fun.

The challenge starts May 1st.

Daughter of the Blood - Anne Bishop

Daughter Of The Blood
Anne Bishop
New American Library
Copyright: 2007
9780451461483

From the Amazon.com blurb:

Anne Bishop's debut novel, Daughter of the Blood, is like black coffee--strong, dark, and hard on delicate stomachs. Within the Blood (a race of magic-users), women rule and men serve, but tradition has been corrupted so that women enslave men, who seek to destroy their oppressors. Female children are violated before they can reach maturity; men are tortured and forced to satisfy witches' sexual appetites.

Bishop's child heroine, Jaenelle, is destined to rule the Blood, if she can reach adulthood. Her power is hidden; her family believes her mad. Saetan, High Lord of Hell and most powerful of the Blood males, becomes Jaenelle's surrogate father and teacher. He cannot protect her outside Hell, where he rules. She refuses to leave Terreille, risking herself to protect or heal other victims of violence. Can Daemon, Saetan's estranged son, keep her safe from the machinations of the evil High Priestess? Or will he lose his battle to control his destructive urges and endanger her?

This is the first of the Black Jewels series, and an incredible start at that. All of the characters have their quirks, the things that make them human in a brutal world.

There's Daemon Sadi, one of the most frightening characters when he's angry, and one of the main viewpoint characters. By turns cold and hot, he's near the center of everything going on, sometimes through misunderstanding, sometimes simply by chance.

Jaenelle, the girl who's the focus of the story as she grows up is another interesting character. Some think she's crazy, others see her for what she is - incredibly powerful and a symbol of what the Blood are all about.

Their world has been perverted from what it should be. Instead of being balanced under the laws of the Blood, it is falling further and further into a twisted shadow under the disasterous rule of the High Priestess of Hayall.

For all the world's detailed creation, there are a couple of things that don't quite seem to fit: mostly Mrs. Beale and her husband. No other character that I can find in the world of the Black Jewels is referred to by the title "Mrs." or "Mr.". That and names such as "Winsol" are the only jarring element to Anne Bishop's world.

One thing about this series: it is definitely not for children. The world is brutal and the characters frank about life, death and sexual activity. If that doesn't bother you, then give the books a try. I know I've read them through several times.

The other books in the series:
The Invisible Ring

Daughter of the Blood
Queen of the Darkness
Queen of the Darkness

Dreams Made Flesh

Tangled Webs
The Shadow Queen

Other reviews can be found at:
Books and Other Thoughts: Daughter Of The Blood
ReadingAdventures: Daughter Of The Blood by Anne Bishop

Women Of the Raj - Margaret MacMillan

Women Of The Raj
Margaret MacMillan
Penguin Books
Copyright: 1988
9780143052616

From the cover of the book:

From the author of Paris 1919, Women of the Raj offers a fascinating portrait of the British women who were at once fearful of and mesmerized by the beauty and strangeness of India.

In the nineteenth century, British men and women embarked on a journey to a far and sometimes alien place to uphold British rule-the Raj-and replicate British society in India. The women often came to India not for India's sake but to fulfill their duties as wives. Women of the Raj considers how these women adjusted, if at all, to a strange land surrounded by people whose language, customs and religion were different from their own, to life in bungalows with teams of servants, to repeated moves and heartbreaking separations from their families, to the heat, illness, loneliness and boredom, to holidays in hill-stations and to the unforgettable Indian landscapes.

Margaret MacMillan, using interviews, letters and memoirs, describes the women and their society, and how in the end, India touched their lives and souls forever. Complemented by a wide-ranging selection of illustrations, Women of the Raj vividly brings to life their experiences-exotic, jolly, humdrum, tragic-for contemporary readers.

Margaret MacMillan has written a number of bestselling books including The Uses And Abuses Of History, and Paris 1919 and, reading this one, I can see why. She has a way of making the daily details interesting and amusing to read. It was absolutely fascinating, looking at the lives that British women in India were living under the British Empire. The book is written with anecdotes, quotes, letters and the like from the women themselves. It is also lavishly illustrated with four sets of photographic inserts.

Women of the Raj discusses the social life, fashions/clothing, education, health and families of the women who lived in India in this period. She starts with the experiences of a woman traveling out by boat, what it was like as time passed, and what the first sight of India was like.

From there MacMillan progresses to the structures of the houses and their amenities (or lack of), the servants, the familial expectations and the daily lives, including fighting against the weather and the native life (not always majestic and spectacular. India was apparently rife with pests). She also goes into problems with transport - from food and required things, to the risks involved with transporting furniture.

Life wasn't always fun, games and parties either. Women of the Raj points out the dangers of the natives as well, such as the Mutiny of 1857, and some of the cults such as the Thugee.

For someone like me, who's only ever read novels such as The Far Pavilions and Shadows of the Moon by M.M. Kaye, this was an absolutely fascinating read, and it has inspired me to look further into this period of history.

What's more, I'd guessed that The Blue Sword was based on life in India, but I hadn't realized how closely that was the case. Certainly the Homelander characters were closely modeled on the types described by MacMillan here, as was the scenery.

Love Bites Reading Challenge: 3rd Review Posted

I've posted the third review for the Love Bites Reading challenge over at the challenge blog. As with the previous two, I've simply copied the review I posted here. The book in question is J.R. Ward's Lover Awakened, the third book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

Sigurd and Gudrun Prologue at TheOneRing.Net

This was sent to one of the Tolkien lists I'm on.

TheOneRing.net has posted Christopher Tolkien's prologue to the book Sigurd and Gudrun, written by J.R.R. Tolkien in the 1930's, due out on May 5th. I've got to say it explains more about the work and what it is. The link is: http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2009/04/22/31886-christopher-tolkiens-foreward-to-sigurd-and-gudrun/

Upcoming: Sigurd And Gudrún - J.R.R. Tolkien

Sigurd And Gudrún
J.R.R. Tolkien
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Release Date: May 5, 2009
978-0547273426

According to the Amazon.com page:

The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún is a previously unpublished work by J.R.R. Tolkien, written while Tolkien was Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford during the 1920s and ‘30s, before he wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It makes available for the first time Tolkien’s extensive retelling in English narrative verse of the epic Norse tales of Sigurd the Völsung and The Fall of the Niflungs. It includes an introduction by J.R.R. Tolkien, drawn from one of his own lectures on Norse literature, with commentary and notes on the poems by Christopher Tolkien.

Christopher Tolkien has been busy again! He's dipped into the store of his father's unpublished works to come up with another gem. This one may be a bit more specialized than the Children of Hurin, but if you are a fan of Tolkien, it appears to be another "must have" book. I know I'm going to be buying it as soon as I see it.

The other market for whom this is a perfect book would be those who like the Norse sagas. I'm looking at it as a good introduction to those, and if I like this, am probably going to get translations of some of the Norse and Icelandic poems as well.

Going by Tolkien's translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight which has maintained the rhythm and alliteration of the Middle-English, this is sure to be a fine piece of work. I'm certainly looking forward to it.

Remember, it comes out on May 5th.

The Worlds Of Medieval Europe - Clifford R. Backman

The Worlds Of Medieval Europe
Clifford R. Backman
Oxford University Press
Copyright: 2008
9780195335279

From the cover of the book:

Deftly written and beautifully illustrated, The Worlds of Medieval Europe, Second Edition, presents a distinctive and nuanced portrayal of a western world that was sharply divided between its northern and southern aspects. By integrating the histories of the Islamic and Byzantine worlds into the main narrative, author Clifford R. Backman offers an insightful, detailed, and often witty look at the continuum of interaction--social, cultural, intellectual, and commercial--that existed among all three societies.

Filled with relevant primary documents, this compelling volume surpasses traditional textbook representations of the Middle Ages by balancing the conventional focus on political affairs, especially those of northern Europe, with equally detailed attention to medieval society as it developed in the Mediterranean. In addition, Backman describes the ways in which the medieval Latin West attempted to understand the unified and rational structure of the human cosmos, which they believed existed beneath the observable diversity and disorder of the world. This effort to re-create a human ordering of "unity through diversity" provides an essential key to understanding medieval Europe and the ways in which it regarded and reacted to the worlds around it.

Thoroughly updated and redesigned, the second edition features an inviting and accessible layout and integrates captivating new illustrations--nearly twice as many as in the previous edition--to stimulate students' engagement with the material. Moreover, it offers a sophisticated analysis of gender, along with an intriguing examination of the tumultuous relationship between the Mediterranean and Islam.

An invaluable resource for both students and instructors, The Worlds of Medieval Europe, Second Edition, is ideal for undergraduate courses in medieval history, Western civilization, the history of Christianity, and Muslim-Christian relations. It also serves as an excellent supplement on the history of a specific country in the medieval period, the history of medieval art, or the history of the European economy.

If you're looking for a good background book on the Middle Ages, this is a good one, and it is surprisingly reasonably priced too, at least compared to some of the other books I have.

As with some of the other non-fiction books I've reviewed here lately, this one is also a textbook from the past semester's classes. That doesn't stop it from being interesting and readable though. Far from it. The author has quite the sense of humor!

All you have to do is read some of the footnotes to see that. Anecdotes, funny little comments, definitions and more all abound in the book. It's rare for a textbook to leave me snickering (especially when cramming at two in the morning for the final), but this one managed it several times.

There are individual chapters on the Roman World, Daily Life, the Carolingian Era, The Fourteenth Century, Religious Life and many more. Each chapter looks at either a specific time period, institution or concept in detail. There are also a number of maps for different eras, areas and themes placed throughout the book.

Each chapter has an extensive suggested reading list (usually about a page to a page and a half), broken down into primary sources, source anthologies and secondary sources, here termed "studies". Backman quotes extensively and thoroughly from the primary source texts to make his points clear, and the sources are all given in the Suggested Reading sections.

This is not at all a "dry" read, and it's definitely a book I'm keeping for reference purposes now that the class is done with. It certainly goes very well with the Rosenwein book Reading The Middle Ages Volume II, that I reviewed yesterday. In fact, both were textbooks for the same class.

Previously, I've felt that Tierney's book Western Europe In The Middle Ages was one of the best books on Medieval History that I'd read. Now, I have to say that The Worlds Of Medieval Europe is easily the equal or better of the older book. It's certainly the less expensive! Amazon is listing Tierney's book (trade paperback format) for $105.07!

Other medieval history books I've reviewed:
Pilgrimages - John Ure
Reading The Middle Ages - Barbara Rosenwein
The Crusades - A Very Short Introduction - Christopher Tyerman
Life In A Medieval Village - Francis And Joseph Gies
1215: The Year Of The Magna Carta - Danny Danziger and John Gillingham
By Sword And Fire - Sean McGlynn

Reading The Middle Ages Volume II - Barbara Rosenwein

Reading The Middle Ages Volume II: From c.900 to c.1500
Ed. Barbara H. Rosenwein
Broadview Press
Copyright: 2007
9781551116969

From the cover of the book:

Following her highly acclaimed A Short History of the Middle Ages, Barbara H. Rosenwein now presents a unique edited collection of documents and readings. Spanning the period from c.900 to c.1500, the ambitious Reading the Middle Ages Volume II incorporates in a systematic fashion Islamic and Byzantine materials alongside Western readings.

This is the second volume of Rosenwein's collection of the primary sources for Medieval Europe. I haven't seen the first one at all as this was bought as a textbook for this past semester, but this one covers the period of my primary interest and does so very well.

Reading the Middle Ages is made up of short primary source texts on various subjects as well as extracts from longer ones.

Some of the texts included are:

• The Battle Of Maldon
  
• Sir Gawain And the Green Knight
  
• some Fabliaux
  
• The Magna Carta
  
• Various Constitutions
  
• The Domesday Book
  
• Manorial Court Rolls
  
• Letters to and from various people:
  
  
  
  • Bishops
    
  • Kings
    
  • Joan of Arc
    
  
  
• Saints Lives
  
• and much more.
  

Each text is introduced with some basic background and often a comparison point with an earlier text, sometimes from the first volume of the series, sometimes from this volume, along with something to make the reader think about the text they are reading. Each of the texts is well footnoted to identify the various figures named, word definitions, biblical references and the like as well.

It really is the perfect book for a student of Medieval History.

Reading the Middle Ages is also, I've found, not a book to really be read from cover to cover. I'm going to be keeping this book as a reference sourcebook for specific points and issues.

This is just as much a suitable book for someone who's just getting started in their study as it is for someone who has more background.

Other medieval history books I've reviewed:
Pilgrimages - John Ure
The Worlds Of Medieval Europe - Clifford R. Backman
The Crusades - A Very Short Introduction - Christopher Tyerman
Life In A Medieval Village - Francis And Joseph Gies
1215: The Year Of The Magna Carta - Danny Danziger and John Gillingham
By Sword And Fire - Sean McGlynn

John Rateliff on the new Tolkien e-books

John Rateliff has more information on the new Tolkien E-books at his blog.

Apparently, at some point in the future the History of Middle-Earth books and others are also going to be made available.

Now, if these e-books would be for more than just an e-book reader, so I can use them on my computer, that would be perfect (and persuade me to buy copies where I already have more than one of the book in hardcopy).

Tolkien E-Books

Found this piece of news at Bookspot Central:

Tolkien's books are now available through Harper-Collins as E-Books.

So far it's just The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Children of Hurin, but we can live in hope for the History Of Middle-Earth books and the Unfinished Tales as well.

This isn't the only new Tolkien-related book information either. The newest book edited by Christopher Tolkien is due out May 5th according to Amazon.com.

Ultimate Vampire Book List

I've been reading a fair amount of paranormal/vampire books lately, so when I saw this I thought it was worth a closer look: The Ultimate Vampire Books List.

Talk about a labor of love! There's apparently over four thousand titles there.

Bloodhound - Tamora Pierce

Bloodhound: The Legend Of Beka Cooper #2
Tamora Pierce
Random House Children's Books
Copyright: 2009
9780375814693

From the cover of the book:

Beka Cooper is finally a Dog—a full-fledged member of the Provost’s Guard, dedicated to keeping peace in Corus’s streets. But there’s unrest in Tortall’s capital. Counterfeit coins are turning up in shops all over the city, and merchants are raising prices to cover their losses. The Dogs discover that gamblers are bringing the counterfeit money from Port Caynn. In Port Caynn, Beka delves deep into the gambling world, where she meets a charming banking clerk named Dale Rowan. Beka thinks she may be falling for Rowan, but she won’t let anything—or anyone—jeopardize her mission. As she heads north to an abandoned silver mine, it won’t be enough for Beka be her usual “terrier” self. She’ll have to learn from Achoo to sniff out the criminals—to be a Bloodhound. . . .

I've been waiting for this book since about November when I made the mistake of reading the teaser in Terrier, the first book in this series. I'll state right off that it was as good as I'd hoped for, although it was a moderately fast read. Still, it took me until midnight to finish it on Friday.

As the jacket says, the main crime issue in Bloodhound is counterfeit silver coins, and although this is a fictional book, I learned quite a bit about it that I'd never thought of. Yes, I knew it could destabilize an economy, but some of the other reasons for distributing counterfeits that the author goes into were completely new to me, such as to purposely destabilize a country.

I'd love to know what breed of dog is closest to the descriptions of Achoo, just so I have a better picture in my head. Anyone have any ideas?

Like Terrier, Bloodhound is somewhat slang heavy, which is distracting to start with, but it blends into the story after a while. Thank goodness for the glossary at the back though.

As with the previous book, Tamora Pierce has written this in the form of Beka's unedited journal, right down to blotches, crossed out spelling errors and Pounce's paw-prints. The last are, I think a particularly cute touch, stepping across the page.

Both Terrier and Bloodhound show a rougher side of Tortall than any of the other books set in this world so far. I'm wondering if that's because Beka is from the lowest classes and still works among them, or if it has more to do with the fact that the book is set several generations before the start of the Alanna Quartet and following books. The same is true of the Dogs. Were they still so casual about torture and bribery in Alanna's day? It makes a nice change though to not have the characters be among royalty and the noble classes as is typical of many fantasy novels.

There's plenty of excitement, and as with the Alanna books it's possible to see what a good Rogue can do for the city as well as how much damage can be done by a bad one. That's another neat difference with this series: the thieves and other 'undesirables' are shown as real characters with good points as well as bad ones, not to mention actually playing a positive role in the world Tamora Pierce has created.

The closest to this that I can think of is Skif from Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar world, and even so, he's gone (more or less) straight after he was Chosen.

Another good book from Tamora Pierce and one that's suitable for older teens as well as being a good read for adults. Were I rating books on this blog, I'd give it five stars.

According to Tamora Pierce's website, there is a third book, Mastiff due out next year some time.

Other reviews:
Angieville: Bloodhound

Recommended reading list at Historical Tapestry

If you're a historical fiction buff, there's a great list of books set in India posted at Historical Tapestry.

I know it's a list that I'm going to have to take a closer look at in the future. Some of my favorites are on it: Shadow of the Moon, The Far Pavilion and Zemindar. I'm going to have to look at the rest of the list now and see if they are just as good (I'm betting the answer will be yes).

The Athenians And Their Empire - Malcolm McGregor

The Athenians And Their Empire
Malcolm McGregor
University of British Columbia Press
Copyright: 1987
9780774802697

From the cover of the book:

Malcolm McGregor draws on a life-time of scholarship to write a comprehensive account of the most celebrated period in classical Greek history - "The Golden Age" - in which military and political advances of the Athenians coincided with their greatest achievements in art, literature, philosophy and social theory. McGregor explains how democracy was nurtured in Athens and how effective government was achieved by a balance of open public debate and the role of individual decisive statesmen such as Pericles. This genuinely democratic government brought peace and prosperity to the Athenians and their allies and, as McGregor asserts, contributed to the extraordinary cultural ascendancy of fifth-century Greece.

In this straightforward but colourful narrative, McGregor avoids the detailed complexities of scholarly controversy. The Athenians And Their Empire is the only critical study of its kind and will be of equal interest to students, teachers, general readers and travellers with a keen desire to understand the most crucial and fascinating period of ancient Greek history and culture.

Malcolm McGregor is a professor of classics emeritus, University of British Columbia. At present he is a lecturer in ancient history in the Langara campus of Vancouver Community College.

First off, this was a textbook and the teacher didn't appear to have the highest opinion of the book, so some of that may have helped me in forming my opinions. With that caveat in mind...

One of my biggest issues with the book is the decision McGregor has made to not include any footnotes for his sources, not even when he quotes them directly. Granted that most of the sources used are from Thucydides and Herodotus, but still... The most they get is something like "Thucydides says" prefacing the quote. But where did he say it? I've never seen another history book do that before (at least not one I'd buy and trust as reliable).

Also, the book tends to skim over things, such as opposing sides and views. For example, at the start of the Persian Wars, the Athenians had done quite a bit of destruction to Persian cities. That is skipped, more or less, while the damage the Persians did in return is discussed in much more detail.

As with the above example, the author's biases are very visible in the words he's chosen. Still, my noticing that may come from the teacher's pointing a lot of the examples out in class. Essentially, McGregor is working from the opinion that the Athenian Empire was a good thing for Greece and for history.

Despite all of this, the book is quite readable, and doesn't take too long to get through. It's good as an overview of the period, but counter it with some other books as well. I preferred the other textbook: Raphael Sealy's A History Of The Greek City States 700-338 B.C. although it is nowhere near as readable.

Lover Unbound - J.R. Ward

Lover Unbound
J.R. Ward
Signet Eclipse
Copyright: 2007
9780451222350

From the cover of the book:

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other—six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Now, the cold heart of a cunning predator will be warmed against its will…

Ruthless and brilliant, Vishous son of the Bloodletter possesses a destructive curse and a frightening ability to see the future. As a pretrans growing up in his father's war camp, he was tormented and abused. As a member of the Brotherhood, he has no interest in love or emotion, only the battle with the Lessening Society. But when a mortal injury puts him in the care of a human surgeon, Dr. Jane Whitcomb compels him to reveal his inner pain and taste true pleasure for the first time- until a destiny he didn't choose takes him into a future that cannot include her.

Not my favorite of the series, but Lover Unbound was a really good read nonetheless. I did find the bad language to be a bit much, which is one of the reasons it moved away from my favorite slot.

Vishous, well he fits his name, and it was interesting to find out more about his background and also about Vampire society and culture. This is one series where the plots are twistier than they look at first glance.

Darius keeps coming up in background references, making me wonder if there's something more to this character who hasn't been seen for several books. It seems as though the author is building up to something with him.

John Matthew, the pre-trans found by Bella and Mary back in Lover Awakened is growing into more and more of an interesting character. He has a role that seems to be growing through each book.

Things are building up for Phury's book, Lover Enshrined as well, but Vishous is really caught between a rock and a hard place. Of course, because the novel is found in the Romance section of the bookstore, we all know there will be a happy ending. The question is how are they going to get to that point?

One thing about the series, and this may simply be because I'm reading the sixth book now without a break (other than for textbooks), but I'm starting to wonder if it is possible to have a main character who had a normal, happy life. So far, all of them have had really nasty lives in their pasts.

Still, I really recommend the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, and I'm wondering if anyone has recommendations for more books that are similar.

The other books in the series are:
Dark Lover
Lover Eternal
Lover Awakened
Lover Revealed
Lover Unbound
Lover Enshrined
Lover Avenged

Love Bites Reading Challenge book two review posted

I've crossposted my review of Lover Eternal, the second book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward to the Love Bites Reading Challenge blog.

Release Date For The Next Paksenarrion Novel

Elizabeth Moon has announced on the Paksworld blog that the next book about Paksenarrion is due out next March. The title is Oath Of Fealty.

I can't wait as The Deed of Paksenarrion (the omnibus edition made up of Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance and Oath of Gold) is one of my favorite fantasy novels.

The blog is worth checking out on a regular basis as Elizabeth Moon has periodically posted a small snippet from the story as she is writing it.

Update

I've added a box on the side for the challenges I'm currently participating in. At the moment there's just three of them: The Arthurian Challenge, the TBR Lite challenge and the What's In A Name challenge.

I've managed to complete a number of challenges as well, most recently the Love Bites Challenge.

Lover Revealed - J.R. Ward

Lover Revealed
J.R. Ward
Signet Eclipse
Copyright: 2007
9780451412355

From the cover of the book:

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other - six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Now, an ally of the Black Dagger Brotherhood will face the challenge of his life and the evil of the ages.

Butch O'Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard living, ex-homicide cop, he's the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world- to engage in the turf war with the lessers. He's got nothing to lose. His heart belongs to a female vampire, an aristocratic beauty who's way out of his league. If he can't have her, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers...

Fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, found by a miracle, the Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back, though even her love may not be enough to save him...

Lover Revealed is the fourth, and my favorite of the Black Dagger Brotherhood books that I've read to date.

Butch really is the odd one out among the Brotherhood. Or is he? He's human, but otherwise he has the same attitudes and lives just the same way, and has been the only human to get this close to the Brotherhood.

From the outset of the first book Butch has been an interesting character and one of my favorites. Finding out more of his background and watching his interactions with the others has made this my favorite book in the series to date. The Brotherhood is protective of the human, but he wants to fight the lessers that have made themselves into such a problem.

At the same time, the lessers are getting themselves involved in a prophecy that they think will give them a huge advantage. However, they're not as creepy this time around as they were in the previous couple of books. The stalker aspect has disappeared.

John's scenes are filled with little hints about the future and his past, and are leading up to something big in some future book.

Aside from Wrath and Beth, who still make small appearances through the series, the rest of the (surviving) Brotherhood all play important roles as the books progress, something that I really appreciate, as I like to see how their lives continue after the happy ending of their particular stories.

Lover Revealed is filled with twists and turns in the plot that made it impossible to put down, with plenty of plot. This was more than worth the money I paid for it, in fact, I suspect that if I hadn't bought all of the books to date, that I'd be willing to pay hardcover prices for more of this series.

Highly, highly recommended to all lovers of paranormal romance/urban fantasy books.

The other books in the series are:
Dark Lover
Lover Eternal
Lover Awakened
Lover Unbound
Lover Enshrined
Lover Avenged

The Love Bites Reading Challenge

I'm posting parts of my reviews for the Love Bites Reading Challenge at the challenge blog, so if they seem similar, that's why.

Love Bites Challenge completed

I've completed the Love Bites challenge.

The books I read for it are:
Dark Lover
Lover Eternal
Lover Awakened

All by J.R. Ward.

Lover Awakened - J.R. Ward

This should complete the requirements for the Love Bites challenge.

Lover Awakened
J.R. Ward
Signet Eclipse
Copyright: 2006
0451219368

From the cover of the book:

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other - six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Of these, Zsadist is the most terrifying member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

A former blood slave, the vampire Zsadist still bears the scars from a past filled with suffering and humiliation. Renowned for his unquenchable fury and sinister deeds, he is a savage feared by humans and vampires alike. Anger is his only companion, and terror is his only passion—until he rescues a beautiful aristocrat from the evil Lessening Society.

Bella is instantly entranced by the seething power Zsadist possesses. But even as their desire for one another begins to overtake them both, Zsadist’s thirst for vengeance against Bella’s tormentors drives him to the brink of madness. Now, Bella must help her lover overcome the wounds of his tortured past, and find a future with her…

Lover Awakened is the third book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, and I've heard it called the best of them. While I'm not entirely certain that that is my opinion as well, this was yet another book that I couldn't put down, and I found myself reading until one thirty in the morning yet again.

Zsadist's story picks up almost immediately where Lover Eternal left off, with Bella still missing and the search ongoing. This is the book where the lessers as villains really take off to new heights of creepiness. Mr. O is the most normal of the lessers yet, and yet at the same time the least normal.

At the same time Mr. O is more or less stalking Bella, some new things start being hinted about John, the young orphan introduced in the previous book, and Zsadist's background, hinted at in the previous two books is made clear. Yikes! I'm more familiar with the Sherrilyn Kenyon Dark Hunters series so I'll say he reminds me of Zarek from there.

It's a romance novel, so the happy ending between Zsadist and Bella is guaranteed, but that doesn't mean that everyone gets off easily. Plenty of problems are set up by the end of the book for the next books.

That's something I really like about this series. The following books are all built on the situations in the current ones, and all of the characters have important parts to play. In that it reminds me more of the fantasy series I read, where the romances have tended to be more self-contained in each book.

As I've said with the previous books, this is a book that's worth the cost: the font is a normal small, and the text is close set, meaning that the reader gets what they're paying for - namely plenty of story. This is no four hour read. I think it's closer to eight to ten hours for me to finish one of these, and I really like that.

This series isn't for the faint of heart though. There's quite a bit of violence, but if you like the Dark Hunter or the Anita Blake series that shouldn't be a problem. I'd have to recommend this series for fans of either one: unique (so far as I've read, any way) vampires, and their enemies, love and loyalty, all wrapped together in a well written story that moves at a fast and exciting pace.
The books in the series:
Dark Lover
Lover Eternal
Lover Awakened
Lover Revealed
Lover Unbound
Lover Enshrined
Lover Avenged

Lover Eternal - J.R. Ward

This book is another one to fill the requirements of the Love Bites challenge (which I've more than completed now. I just have to get the reviews up).

Lover Eternal
J.R. Ward
Signet Eclipse
Copyright: 2006
0451218043

From the cover of the book:

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other - six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Possessed by a deadly beast, Rhage is the most dangerous of the Black Dagger Brotherhood...

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetites. He’s the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover—for inside him burns a ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Possessed by this dark side, Rhage fears the times when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him.

Mary Luce, a survivor of many hardships, is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant on Rhage’s protection. With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love. Her faith in miracles was lost years ago. But when Rhage’s intense animal attraction turns into something more emotional, he knows that he must make Mary his alone. And while their enemies close in, Mary fights desperately to gain life eternal with the one she loves…

The sequel to Dark Lover, this was another book that I couldn't put down. The characters are gripping and the story moves fast. And the twist at the end... It's a romance novel, but for a while I was wondering as I couldn't see any way for the traditional happy ending.

One thing I'm really enjoying about this series is the way that characters other than the main focus character of the book get their time on the pages as well. The only books I have to compare it to are the Sherrilyn Kenyon Dark Hunter series and the books by Kinley MacGregor, where the characters from the previous books are simply background mentions. Here they are developed and grow preparatory to their own books and the books don't wind up into neat little packages. There's always some loose end to continue into the next book

The villains are downright creepy, although the worst are in the next couple of books (I'm about three ahead of where I'm reviewing now).

There are a couple of things about this series that I don't particularly care for however. The first one I've mentioned before: the way the author has gone about creating the language for the vampires: simply adding an "h" to a word and having it mean the same thing, and doing the same with names. They just seem a bit 'cute'. Still, it doesn't really get in the way of the story. The second is the amount of miscommunication between the main characters. By the third book, there is definitely a pattern and it gets to be a bit much. On the other hand, without it there might not be as much plot there. Overall though, I'm really loving this series, and this book nearly brought me to tears with one or two of the plot twists, such as Rhage's interactions with the Scribe Virgin.

If you like the paranormal romances, give this book a try. It's well worth the money at over four hundred pages and a small to normal font size instead of a large font and larger margins/line spacing.

The books in the series:
Dark Lover
Lover Eternal
Lover Awakened
Lover Revealed
Lover Unbound
Lover Enshrined
Lover Avenged

On Basilisk Station - David Weber

On Basilisk Station
David Weber
Baen Books
Copyright: 1993
9780451216953

From the cover of the book:

Having made him look a fool, she's been exiled to Basilisk Station in disgrace and set up for ruin by a superior who hates her.

Her demoralized crew blames her for their ship's humiliating posting to an out-of-the-way picket station.

The aborigines of the system's only habitable planet are smoking homicide-inducing hallucinogens.

Parliament isn't sure it wants to keep the place; the major local industry is smuggling; the merchant cartels want her head; the star-conquering, so-called "Republic" of Haven is Up To Something; and Honor Harrington has a single, over-age light cruiser with an armament that doesn't work to police the entire star system.

But the people out to get her have made one mistake. They've made her mad.

This is the first book in the Honor Harrington series by David Weber, and also a first for me: the first military science fiction novel I ever read. I don't remember the exact wording, but when I picked the book up, there was a review comparing it to the Star Wars movies, which I had only just seen for the first time. That's what hooked me in.

On Basilisk Station introduces the characters, the world, the politics and the technological rules for this universe, and does it in such a way that the book is nearly impossible to put down. The characters are strong, but in no way perfect - very real. Every character has his or her flaws, and some of those aren't just window-dressing, but have the potential to cause some very real problems for the rest of the characters.

I can't describe the book from the perspective of a first time reader anymore, it's been too long for that, but this is a book that can be read again and again - as can the rest of the series.

Normally I say "keep the politics far away from me when I'm reading for fun", however, this series is one of the few exceptions to that preference. David Weber goes into detail about the political/social systems and others, but doesn't go too far and make things dull for the reader, and yet it is easy to compare things to various systems in our current world.

I don't see this series becoming 'dated' any time soon. Rather I think it will continue being read by science fiction fans for a while to come, especially as Weber keeps putting out new books set in the world.

Definitely a five star book. Besides, who can resist the tree-cats? I kind of wish our cats were more like Nimitz (without the claws, thank you very much).

Awarded!!

Angela of Library Girl Reads just gave me the "Your Blog Is Fabulous" award! I've got to admit that I'm absolutely over the moon about this. Thank you!

My first two nominees are: Rhinoa's Ramblings and Books and Other Thoughts. I'll continue looking at the list a bit later to find the other three.

Dark Lover - J.R. Ward

Dark Lover is one of the books I'm reading for the Love Bites challenge at Royal Reviews.

Dark Lover
J.R. Ward
Signet Eclipse
Copyright: 2005
9780451216953

From the cover of the book:

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood.

The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed-leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate-Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead...

Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn't there before, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes to her at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of brotherhood and blood frighten her. But his touch ignites a dawning hunger that threatens to consume them both...

I found that the book got off to a bit of a slowish start, however, once I got into it, Dark Lover was one of those books that I couldn't put down, and I've already bought the next three books in the series. It's not perfect, but the writing is exciting, and the descriptions J.R. Ward uses are original and interesting.

The vampires Ward has created are very different from the 'typical' vampire: they live off of each other, and not by preying on humans, and she's gone as far as creating a religious type framework for their society as well. On the other hand, and this is really the only thing I found irritating (especially in the second book), the language Ward 'created' for her vampires seems mostly to consist of adding the letter 'h' to a word. Well, that and the names for the Brotherhood, which more or less just follows the same principle: ie Rhage. The stories are relatively violent, but no more so than say the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Dark Lover is centered on a member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood and a woman who, unknown to her, is the daughter of a vampire, one of the other members of the Brotherhood. Before her father was killed, he asked Wrath, the leader of the Brotherhood to take care of her, and the two end up falling in love, while trying to find the villains, the ones who orchestrated and carried out the murder of Beth's father. It's a fairly typical plot, at least going by the few romances that I've read, but it's a good book regardless.

Even more so, as the books are over four hundred pages each and the font is fairly small and close-packed, going against what seems to be the trend of large fonts and margins. No complaints of "I finished this book in less than four hours" here. Instead, Dark Lover kept me up past midnight at least once, and Lover Eternal, the sequel, is following the same trend (1:30 AM last night).

Each of the books in this series is going to be focused on one of the Brotherhood: book two, Lover Eternal is Rhage, and book three is Zsadist.

The books in this series are:
Dark Lover
Lover Eternal
Lover Awakened
Lover Revealed
Lover Unbound
Lover Enshrined
Lover Avenged

And, another challenge joined

The Love Bites challenge at Royal Reviews this time. It's another urban fantasy themed challenge geared towards fans of vampires and werewolves. I've held off joining until now as I didn't think I'd be able to find three books that fit the category: books with shapeshifters/vampires/werewolves within the deadline (I just finished reading my way through the Patricia Briggs books last month, and the newest books in the other series I follow aren't coming out for a couple more months at least).

Surprise, surprise! I've just gotten hooked on the J.R. Ward Black Dagger Brotherhood novels. The first one will be the first I blog about, having just finished it this afternoon.

I've got to find some way to keep the challenges I've joined straight now, there's getting to be so many of them, LOL.

Books read and reviewed in March

Books read in March were mostly reviewed. However, there was one, Beast Master's Circus that I didn't get to reviewing and as it has now been a couple of weeks, I doubt it will get a review at all.

It's been a Fantasy and Urban Fantasy month for the most, heavy on Patricia Briggs, with some David Weber and other authors thrown in for good measure.

Anyway, the rest of the books for the month are:

Marked: A House Of Night Novel - P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
A snippet from my review:

I think the story was decent, it did catch my attention in a few different places and kept me turning the pages, but event for a teen book, I found it too quick a read, and I'm not fond of the high-school set stories that are so popular right now.

Beast Master's Ark - Andre Norton and Lynn McConchie
A snippet from my review:

Honestly, I think this is the best of the Beast Master novels, but perhaps I'm influenced by the fact that this was the first of the books in this series that I read.

Bone Crossed - Patricia Briggs
A snippet from my review:

The book starts immediately after the end of Iron Kissed, making it seem more like one book in two volumes, and the action starts almost from the first page. Mercy's mother turns up, having read the articles in the paper about the events of Iron Kissed, and then, minutes later, Stefan, the vampire, pops into the room, literally, having been tortured. From there things don't let up for an instant.

Storm From The Shadows - David Weber
A snippet from my review:

I enjoyed reading Storm of Shadows, but I've got to say, when I came to the end my reaction was "When's the next book coming out?". Weber has left the book screaming for a sequel, which according to the note in the front of the book is going to appear at some point in the future (hopefully sooner than five years from now like this one was from The Shadow of Saganami).

The Shadow Of Saganami - David Weber
A snippet from my review:

Overall, that's the thing about David Weber's science fiction. He's created very detailed characters, worlds and political systems. Everything holds together very well with not too many "hey! that can't work" moments.

The Shadow Queen - Anne Bishop
A snippet from my review:

Set after Tangled Webs and the Black Jewels Trilogy, The Shadow Queen connects the events and time of the stand-alone book The Invisible Ring with the later books. All I can say is WOW! This book kept me up two nights running. Frankly, I preferred it to Bishop's last book, Tangled Webs. It had the scope the previous book didn't. On the other hand, unlike the other books set in this world, there was no villain to contend with. Instead, it was a book of rebuilding, learning to trust and going on with life.

Cry Wolf - Patricia Briggs
A snippet from my review:

Overall, this is a good start to an interesting series, and I'm looking forward to the next book I've seen rumored on Amazon.com (though it's not showing up on the Chapters/Indigo site yet.

Iron Kissed - Patricia Briggs
A snippet from my review:

As with Moon Called, and Blood Bound, the actual perpetrator of the crimes is left a mystery until the very end of the book, so that each time you think you know who it is, the author throws in another twist to keep you guessing (something that I really enjoy as I hate being able to predict what's going to happen in a story before it does).

Blood Bound - Patricia Briggs
A snippet from my review:

I like that it's not all about the supernatural, that there is some of the ordinary as well, ranging from work at the mechanic's shop to interacting with kids (albeit often in animal form). The other books in this genre that I've read seem to be so tangled with the supernatural/paranormal that there's nothing unconnected.

Moon Called - Patricia Briggs
A snippet from my review of this first book in the Mercy Thompson world:

I loved this book as, even though it seems to have all of the staples of the urban fantasy world, it had some unique twists as well and it kept me guessing right to the last page. I'll admit that I'm not overly familiar with the type of book, only really having read a few of the authors, namely Laurell K. Hamilton, Sherrilyn Kenyon and Tanya Huff, but Patricia Briggs is an author I'm enjoying a lot.

Tangled Webs - Anne Bishop
A snippet from my review:

This is the sixth book in the Black Jewels series, set about a year after the events in the trilogy and Dreams Made Flesh. Overall, perhaps the writing isn't the greatest, but the story mostly makes up for it. The book certainly kept me up far past bedtime, anyway, and had me laughing at the character interaction between the members of the coven and the SaDiablo family.

The Arthurian Challenge

I've signed up for another challenge. This time it's the Arthurian Challenge, and I've committed myself to between three and six books. Shouldn't be that hard to read in almost a year. Some tentative ideas include Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, some of the Avalon books by Marion Zimmer Bradley, and perhaps some Mallory.

I've seen reviews for this challenge at other blogs over the past few months, and I thought it looked really interesting as this challenge encompasses both fiction and non-fiction.

Still reading away at the two books I mentioned before, but it's slow going right now.