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!