Three Salem witches, a Fixer Upper and a Dune Road

… and no they don’t go into a bar!
A young adult series including “The Salem Witch Tryouts”, “Competition's a Witch” and “She's a Witch Girl” by Kelly McClymer was funny if a little to wordy!
A teenage girl with a witch mother and mortal father has to move to Salem for LA and adjust to the magic world. It is a cute story! Very fluffy, stress-free and at times funny. But because I have never been a cheerleader I didn’t get what all the fuss was about! Huh!

“The Fixer Upper” by Mary Kay Andrews was great story. Dempsey a naïve lobbyist is fired and is blamed for her boss’s fraud. She moves to a small town in South to renovate an old mansion her father is inherited. If everything was that easy! FBI is pressuring Dempsey to help arrest her former boss, her old family house has an unwanted un-paying occupant, her hippy mom comes to town, town’s lawyers have a few proposition and uhhh… she has no money, no job, no perspective.
The characters are lively and the plot is simple but enchanting.

“Dune Road” by Jane Green is like her other books. Some picturesque scenes and scenery, a simple plot and a happy ending! Her books are very relaxing to read, the tension is low and plot line is so out there and unrealistic that you can not get anxious over it! My only objection is: How many bad thing and bad people can come into a story in a given time? A bad sister, an abusive ex, a bad babysitter and loss of job and money, all in one book?! I think this book was a little cramped with villains!

The warded Man, Lost enchantress, Bone Magic and accidentally demonic

Let’s wrap my list of books before February ends!
“The Warded Man” by Peter V. Brett is a post-acopolyptic fantasy, happening some few hundred years after the “age of science” or our present day. The civilization is gone and people are back to limited life of farming and trading like middle ages. All is due to nightly attacks of elemental demons. Humans have to hide behind the shelter of magically warded houses to stay. If the house wards fade or wears down, humans are brutally murdered and the house is aflame. In this atmosphere, the only connection between cities are Messengers, postmen, taxmen and traveling traders, they brave the wild roads and unsheltered nights to deliver medicine and letters and all the necessities between cities. In first few chapters , we get to know three important characters: Arlen, a farmer boy who loses his mother to demos and runs away to a city to learn warding and become massager; Eleesha, a beautiful girl who is abused and finds solace in the work of a healer and Roger, a handicapped boy who becomes a bard and magical musician.
The book is the first one in a series, is long and lengthy but well worth the time. I wait breathlessly for the second book to come out in May.
“The Lost Enchantress” by Patricia Coughlin is a modern day fantasy. Magic runs in a family but the young teenager blames herself for a tragedy that rips her family apart. All grown up she becomes a cynic reporter dealing in facts. But when in an action she purchases a necklace, the strange world of magic comes knocking on her door.
The plot was simple, good verses evil, “concur you past demons, so you can concur you present ones”, sacrifices, true love,… OK, let’s be honest and call it cliché! I guess it was the nice flow of the story that held me captive and convinced me to finish the book and not get bored with it.
Talking about getting bored, how do you like the newest book in Sisters of the Moon series? I thought “Bone Magic” (Book 7) by Yasmine Galenorn was the most boring one in the series ever. I put the book halfway down and I am not going to continue reading this series. Never, ever, ever!
We knew Camille is a nympho but do we have to suffer through sex scene after sex scene even when they are in danger, a jaded fiancé and an angry father-in-law are next door and her sisters are plotting their next move?!
And hey, what is it with these girls; one, two, even three guys are not enough for them?!
Yasmine Galenorn is becoming a worse sex-crazed author than L.K. Hamilton!
“Accidentally Demonic” (An Accidental Series) by Dakota Cassidy is cheesy, full of angry outbursts, cussing and lust for a hot cheater. I honestly thought the Accidental series was a triology and was not disappointed to see it finished. So it was plain curiosity that made me start this book and become totally frustrated. Call it: Cat, curiosity, intellectual suicide! Wanda’s sister has become a demon. How? A vampire spilled demon blood on her! Oh, gush! I know we are dealing with magic here, but you can not even get Aides through your healthy skin! Your skin is not a sponge that can absorb any junk!
‘nough said!
So the score is 1-3 and junkbooks win!

On demons, vampires, Betsy-Tacy and of Blood Lily

I have been seeing “Every Demon Has His Day” by Cara Lockwood displayed front and center in Barnes and Nobel sci-fi and newly published sections and I had been tempted for such a long time (a month or so!). So I checked it out of library, congratulating myself on my good fortune and then… Such a disappointment!
Here is a story that could have been great, it had such potential and it came out as a rushed commercialized cliché. The characters involve a minor-prophet chef whom her husband is murdered on the day he is supposed to sign the divorce papers , a former love-them-and-leave-them sheriff, an ammo packing cigar chewing priest, a false psychic, a trashy pop princess, a couple of screw up demons and a dog in pink cashmere sweater who is an angel in training.
Ahh, this has so much potential! But somehow it ended up as a religious romance with emphases on the fight between good and evil, praise for Catholic Church and true believes and lots of tiered scenes.
Take these as examples: 1- our non-believer sheriff can not hear the talking dog until he finally believes in god and his army of good. 2- our good guys are in two groups and are sneaking into Satan’s house to rescue that trashy actress/singer when they come face to face with each other in a hall way and both groups shout “freeze!” and start firing at each other.
Can I say grade school comic scene?!
Such a waste of a day of reading for me, ink and paper for the publishing house! But if they can dupe others into reading the book, why not!

“Blood memories” and “Hunting memories” by Barb Hendee were good. I won’t say better than Nobel Dead saga but much better than a lot of other vampire stories out there.
For more than a century, a handful of vampires have lived in America, isolated from each other, trying not to attract the attention of humans, hunting and killing as little as possible. Then one day Edward Claymore a charming rouge is fed up with his dark life and walks into sunrise, exploding in front of his friend Eleisha and a couple of psychic policemen.
This starts Eleisha’s search for shelter, safety and others of her kind. There are secrets to be find, friendships to be made and quite some bodies to bury.
It is an engaging story told in present time and also trough the memories of every new friend Eleisha makes.
My only two objections: Julian’s reasons for going on killing rampage is not completely convincing (even if he is mad!) and two, why Eleisha is becoming such a central figure with everyone depending on her. What is told is not enough to communicate her importance.

The final books of Betsy-Tacy series are “Betsy and the Great World” and “Betsy's Wedding” by Maud Hart Lovelace had such a nice comforting atmosphere. In “Betsy and the Great World” you get to travel to Munich, Venice, Paris and London at the dawn of WWI and see the excited scared atmosphere of the era for yourself. Get to know nice and interesting people who could have been best friends but the coming war will make enemies of them. The book has such a sobering effect and such an insight into human’s emotions. “Betsy’s Wedding” happens as America announces her neutrality in war, the story of how middle class Americans were living before the war and how that neutrality changed.
You can look at these two books as a kind of happy ending to Betsy-Tacy series although I prefer to read these as an anthropological account of middle class Americans in early twentieth century. No wonder this series has such a huge fan club!

Ooh, now the best part:
Finally got my long awaited favorite, latest from Lauren Willig, “The Betrayal of the Blood Lily” the sixth book of Pink Carnation series. This is the story of Penelope the third of Purple Gentian’s sister’s trio of friends. Confused? Henrietta, Charlotte and Penelope are childhood friends and after Henrietta dilly dallying with her brother’s friends and getting in trouble, each one are having their own tales told. And frankly I liked Penelope’s story more than Henrietta and Charlotte’s.
When Charlotte and her duke are trying to deal with the Hell club’s spying activities (in "The Temptation of the Night Jasmine"), Penelope, out of boredom; is seducing one of the club members, Lord Fredrick; to disasterous results. Their affair is discovered, Penelope is announced ruined and is forced to marry the irresponsible Freddy and the couple are sent to India. There is dashing Captain, a French spy nicknamed Marigold, a devious Indian prime minister and a few dancing girls. On the other hand, in present time London; Eloise is discovering unsavory facts about her boyfriend’s family.
I enjoyed the historical part of the story, all those adventures in India, but the affairs of Colin’s family were uninspired. I know, Eloise and Colin are happily in love and Eloise research is going great but couldn’t Ms. Willig think of more exciting plots for Eloise than a valentine’s day party and Serena’s boyfriend problems?
I thought it rather tame!


p.s. at 10:30 pm: Just remembered to add the “A princess of Landover” by Terry Brooks to this post.
This one is a sequel to Magic Kingdom of Landover series, happening some 5 years after the last book. Mistaya the daughter of Ben Holiday the High lord of Landover is fifteen years old. Her father is confused how to treat her like many fathers with teenagers. She is expelled from her boarding school, and then runs away from home and gets into a lot of trouble with the help of a magical cat.
Now, I loved the original “Magic Kingdome of Landover” series. I enjoyed the humorous adventures of Ben Holiday, his funny logic in the face of all his misfortunes, the banter between inept court wizard and the doggy steward and the stubbornness of Willow. But this sequel is not only not in the league with previous books but way way below them. The narrator is short tempered and rushed, there is no humor and what little dialogue between wizard and steward is forced. It looks like the author was forcing himself to write. Like a story teller who is bored with his story but obligates out of duty to continue with his tale. I wish Mr. Brooks hadn’t written this book. It is such a disappointment.

A quick review

I finished “Kitty’s house of horrors” and “Shades of Grey” last week. Kitty is offered to participate in a reality TV show with some of other famous supernaturals but then after a few days the whole game changes and becomes a matter of life and death.
Now Ms. Vaughn, I loved the book but that casual killing of very lovable characters was not nice. A phrase from the book is still ringing in my ears: when Anastasia tells Kitty “You pack animals are always taking care of others”. And at the end when Kitty says their pack of three is back. Really loved it.
“Shades of Grey” was unusual. It usually takes a couple of chapter to get the atmosphere and language of Fforde’s books. His stories always happening in different universes with different values and even vocabulary. In this book civilization as we know has collapsed and what has remained of humanity has a totally different and limited perspective (literaly). They can not see all the colors and their vision is so weak they can not see the star lights. Anyhow two characters start to question the system and try to break free. Now these post-acopolyptic stories are usually full of disgusting stuff. All I can say is that Fforde’s latest doesn’t disappoint! Aside from that total annihilation of humanity, the book is great and the story mesmerizing.
“What French Women Know: About Love, Sex, and Other Matters of the Heart and Mind” by Debra Ollivier was interesting! I used it as bedtime story to great effect. Four pages and I was fast asleep!
On the other hand, “The Gospel According to Coco Chanel: Life Lessons from the World's Most Elegant Woman” by Karen Karbo was such an interesting look on Coco Chanel’s life. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I had always admired Mms. Chanel but reading about her life and what she did in each stage, how everything related to her business and designs was so eye-opening. My greatest ambition has become owning a Chanel handbag or classic Chanel jacket, something made by her hands.
“The Belly Dancer” by DeAnna Cameron is a good novel. Happening at the turn of the century, a new bride (read: timid, shy, unsure, with great enthusiasm to impress) has to organize belly dancer’s program at a fair. Imagine the delicate sensibility of American Puritanism and how people were receiving half naked women moving provocatively when even kitchen maids and factory girls were wearing three layer of petticoat and corsets at the time.
Unfortunately I am not in mood for cultural clashes and gossip and great endurances and nasty comments right now, else I would have enjoyed this book much more.
A great collection of novellas, “Unbound” had stories by Kim Harrison, Melissa Marr, Jeaniene Frost, Jocelynn Drake and Vicki Pettersson. My favorites were “Lay Line Drifter” by Kim Harrison, about a mystery Jenks and Bis try to solve; “Reckoning” by Jeaniene Frost was about how Bone is looking for serial killers in New Orleans, “The Dead, the Damned and the forgotten” by Jocelynn Drake was about Mira’s problems and “Two Lines” by Melissa Marr was good if a little long.

A new series I just discovered: A Vampire Memories by Barb Hendee including “Blood Memories” and “Hunting Memories”. I’m lovin’ it!

Reading much?

Yep! A lot! And mostly Young Adult books. Here is the list:
As always starting mid-series with Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace. I read “Heaven to Betsy” and “Betsy in Spite of Herself”, “Betsy Was a Junior” and “Betsy and Joe" which are the books five, six, seven and eight in the series.
Betsy and all the other characters are delightful. The series is an educational look on how people were living a hundred years ago (exactly!), their life styles, concerns, morals and how they were interacting. I am hunting for the last two books of the series in the library.
Then the Mother Daughter Book Club series by Heather Vogel Frederick including: “The mother daughter book club”, “Much ado about Anne” and “Dear pen Pal”. A group of mismatched middle schooler in a New England small town start a book club with their mothers. In these three books, they go through “Little Women”, “Anne of Green Gables” and “Daddy Long Legs” and each book changes them and effects their personality.
A fun peaceful series.
And one not-such-a-great series by Liz Kessler: Emily Windsnap. “The tail of Emily Windsnap”, “Emily Windsnap and the monster form the Deep” and “Emily Windsnap and the castle in the mist”. Now this series is very simplistic and not only the plot is not well formed but the characters lack conviction and are very weak. I know the book is written for preteens but so are the other two series I mention before. And this one is a weak mishmash of mermaid fantasies without any attraction.
The grown up part of my brain is busy with “Kitty’s house of horror” (Kitty Norville, Book 7) by Carrie Vaughn.
Also parallel reading “Shades of Grey” by Jasper Fforde.
Wow, from YA to Urban Fantasy to Fforde? Something is wrong with me!

You're gonna laugh but another book I am leafing through is "Spanish for Dummies"!!!