2011 new titles

I’ve been waiting for a miracle and some free time to sit down and write reviews on all the books I read in 2011. That however didn’t happen! So here is a quick list (for the sake of record keeping) and a quicker grading system and commentary. In no particular order, I give you:

-“Inheritance” (Inheritance Cycle, Book 4) by Christopher Paolini. Grade: 2/5, weaker than the first couple of books of the series.

-Blue Bloods series, by Melissa de la Cruz including: 1-“Blue Bloods”, 2-“Masquerade”, 3-“Revelations”, 4-“The Van Alen Legacy” , 5-“Misguided Angel” , 6-“Lost In Time” and the two complementary books: “Bloody Valentine” and “Keys to the Repository” . Grade: 2.5/5, Gossip Girl gone vampire, totally mushy teenage love!

- “Witches of East End” (The Beauchamp Family) by Melissa de la Cruz. Grade: 3/5, new series involving Northern Gods and Valkeries.

- “The Soul Mirror” A Novel of the Collegia Magica by Carol Berg. Grade 4/5, a little dark!

-“River Marked” (Mercy Thompson, Book 6) by Patricia Briggs. Grade 10/5, Mercy gets married and learn about her father and his people!

-“Shot Through Velvet” A Crime of Fashion Mystery by Ellen Byerrum. Grade 2/5, this series is dragging on and on and getting more boring.

-“Blackveil” (Green Rider) by Kristen Britain. Grade 6/5, dark and saad and full of heartache with a very uncertain ending. Wish Ms. Britain would hurry and write the next one!

-“Absolutely, Positively” A Lucy Valentine Novel by Heather Webber. Grade 1/5, happy reading and happy ending!

-“Iron Crowned” (Dark Swan, Book 3) by Richelle Mead. Grade 2/5, a hurried story, rushed and illogical!

-“Pale Demon” and “The Hollows Insider: New fiction, facts, maps, murders, and more in the world of Rachel Morgan” by Kim Harrison. Grade 10/5, Rachel Morgan is getting better and better!

-“A Red Herring Without Mustard” and “I Am Half-Sick of Shadows”, the Flavia de Luce Mysteries by Alan Bradley. Grade 10/5, I am still so in love with Flavia!

-“One of Our Thursdays Is Missing” by Jasper Fforde. Grade 4.5/5.

-“Bless the Bride” and "The Amersham Rubies" (Molly Murphy Mysteries) by Rhys Bowen. Grade 5/5. So good, but if it was me, I won’t have married Daniel!

-“Tangled Threads” and “Spider's Revenge” (Elemental Assassin, Book 4 and Book 5) by Jennifer Estep. Grade 10/5 for both. I adore Gin, her royalty and her cruelty!

-“ First Frost” and “Touch of Frost” (Mythos Academy) by Jennifer Estep First Frost is a Kindle eBook. Grade 5/5 for both. The start of very promising series.

-“The Gathering” (Darkness Rising, Book 1) by Kelley Armstrong. Grade 5/5, can’t wait for the second book.

-“Dead Reckoning” (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 11) by Charlaine Harris. Grade 3/5, Sookie wasn’t acting like herself. I think the series has started to bore the author!

-“Lord Langley Is Back in Town” by Elizabeth Boyle. Grade 1/5.

-“Kiss of Snow” (Psy/Changeling) by Nalini Singh. Grade 3/5

-“Hunt the Moon” A Cassie Palmer Novel by Karen Chance. Grade 0/5, the series is not worth following anymore!

-“Kitty's Big Trouble” (Kitty Norville, Book 9) and “Kitty's Greatest Hits” (a collection of stories) by Carrie Vaughn. Grade 10/5. Can’t wait for the next one!

-“Hexes and Hemlines” A Witchcraft Mystery by Juliet Blackwell. Grade 1/5. Losing its appeal!

-“Heartless” (The Parasol Protectorate) by Gail Carriger. Grade 10/5, love love love!

-"Marine Biology" by Gail Carriger. Grade 3/5. romance!

-“Ghost Story” (Dresden Files, No. 13) by Jim Butcher. Grade 4.5/5. A little repeatetive, hope next one is better!

- “Waking the Witch” and “Spell Bound” (Women of the Otherworld, Book 11 and 12) by Kelley Armstrong. Grade 4/5, unfinished ending, aww!

-“The Tale of Castle Cottage” (The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter) by Susan Wittig Albert. Grade 5/5, so sad the series ended, I loved the Land between the Lakes!

-“Succubus Revealed”(Georgina Kincaid, Book 6) by Richelle Mead. Grade 2/5, disappointing and rushed!

-“ The Magicians and Mrs. Quent” and “The House on Durrow Street” by Galen Beckett. Grade 5/5, new series, a little Victorian and little magic and little space adventure!

- “Heist Society” and “Uncommon Criminals” (Books 1 and 2 of Heist Society series) by Ally Carter. Grade 5/5, fun and exaggerated, total teen fantasy!

-“The Nonesuch”, “False Colours", “My Lord John”, “Powder and Patch” by Georgette Heyer. Grades 2.5/5 for all. What can I say, I went through a Heyer phase!

-“ Wicked Appetite” by Janet Evanovich. Grade 1/5.

-“ The Iron Duke” (A Novel of the Iron Seas) by Meljean Brook. Grade 2/5, steampunk!

-“ Lady-Protector”The Eighth Book of the Corean Chronicles by L. E. Modesitt Jr. Grade 4/5, I should read the hwole series!

-“The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise” by Julia Stuart. Grade 1/5, slow and boring!

-“ Masques” and “Wolfsbane”by Patricia Briggs. Grade 5/5 for both. As good as Mercy’s series. Wish Ms. Briggs would continue the series.

- “Undead and Unfinished” (Queen Betsy) and “Wolf at the Door” by MaryJanice Davidson. Grade 1/5 for both. I’m not reading anything else from MaryJanice Davidson, seriously, enough is enough!

-“The Astronomer”A Novel of Suspense by Lawrence Goldstone. Grade ?. Honestly I can’t remember!

-“Roast Mortem" (Coffee House Mystery) by Cleo Coyle. Grade 0/5, very cheesy!

- “The Bohemian Girl” by Kenneth Cameron. Grade 2.5/5, dark mystery!

-“An Unforgettable Lady” by J. R. Ward. Grade 0.5/5

-“Lunch in Paris” A Love Story, with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard. Grade 1/5, great start, could have been better!

-“Strange Brew” by P. N. Elrod. Grade 4/5, anthology, all great stories!

-“I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You”, “Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy”, “Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover” , “Only the Good Spy Young” (Gallagher Girls series) by Ally Carter. Grade 2.5/5 for all, YA fun!

-“Whose Body?”, “Murder Must Advertise”, “Five Red Herrings” , “Strong Poison” and “The Documents in the Case” (Lord Peter Whimsey Mysteries) by Dorothy L. Sayers. Grade 1/5, slow old-fashion mysteries!

-“Lover Unleashed” A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J. R. Ward. Grade 0/5, why am I reading this BS?!

-“Death's Excellent Vacation” by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner. Grade 4/5 average, anthology, some stories are very interesting!

-“The Lady Most Likely...”A Novel in Three Parts by Julia Quinn, Eloisa James and Connie Brockway. Grade 4/5, nice romance!

-“Dead in the Water”, “A Mourning Wedding” and “Requiem for a Mezzo” (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries) by Carola Dunn. Grade 1.5/5, old fashion mysteries!

-“ Home Improvement: Undead Edition” by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner. Grade 4/5, mostly. Anthology, many of the stories are great!

-“ Very Classy: Even More Exceptional Advice for the Extremely Modern Lady” by Derek Blasberg. Grade 4/5, worth reading!

-“How to be Lovely: The Audrey Hepburn Way of Life” by Melissa Hellstern. Grade 5/5, love Audrey!

-“Canyons of Night” and “Midnight Crystal” by Jayne Castle. Grade 4/5, I love Harmony!

-“Curiosity Thrilled the Cat” and “Sleight of Paw” Magical Cats Mysteries by Sofie Kelly. Grade 2/5, nice slow mysteries!

-“A Werewolf in Manhattan” and “Werewolf in the North Woods” (A Wild About You Novel ) by Vicki Lewis Thompson. Grade 1/5, fun romance!

Well, these may not be all the new books I read in 2011 but all that I could remember!

In addition to those books that I reviewed in previous posts, I ended the year with a sum total of 134 give or take a few! Not bad for an awfully busy year!

Snuff

You know about my love of Discworld and anything related to City Watch of Ankh-Morpork. So saying I savored this latest installment in Discworld series, “Snuff” by Terry Pratchett; is a little understatement.

Captain Vimes is forced to take a vacation and visit his country seat with Lady Sybil and their son young Sam. But as he finds the country life boring, his expert eyes are looking for crime and “Just ice”. He finds both in the shape of law breaking country magistrates, enslavement of goblins and a murder. To top it all off there is the curious case of a laughing cigar. Join the gang and enjoy a wild river ride, fights on horseback, walking in dark tunnels and under hills plus a wonderful harp recital.

Discworld is where I take refuge when I’m running away from real life!

Crispin Guest Medieval Noir

It is a new series by Jeri Westerson that I discovered and fell instantly in love with. It mixes two of favorite subjects: mystery and medieval history and settings.

The books include “Veil of Lies”, “Serpent in Thorns”, “Demon’s Parchment” and “Troubled Bones” so far.

Expert from the “Veil of Lies”:

“Crispin Guest is a disgraced knight, stripped of his rank and his honor - but left with his life - for plotting against Richard II. Having lost his bethrothed, his friends, his patrons and his position in society. With no trade to support him and no family willing to acknowledge him, Crispin has turned to the one thing he still has - his wits - to scrape a living together on the mean streets of London. In 1383, Guest is called to the compound of a merchant - a reclusive mercer who suspects that his wife is being unfaithful and wants Guest to look into the matter. Not wishing to sully himself in such disgraceful, dishonorable business but in dire need of money, Guest agrees and discovers that the wife is indeed up to something, presumably nothing good. But when he comes to inform his client, he is found dead - murdered in a sealed room, locked from the inside. Now Guest has come to the unwanted attention of the Lord Sheriff of London and most recent client was murdered while he was working for him. And everything seems to turn on a religious relic - a veil reported to have wiped the brow of Christ - that is now missing.”

“Serpent in Thorns”:

“Convicted of treason, Crispin Guest was stripped of his title, his land, his money and his friends. Now with only his considerable wits to sustain him, Guest works the mean streets of 14th century London, building a small reputation for his skill. In 1383, a simple-minded tavern girl comes to his door--a body was found where she works and she's the only person who could have killed him. Except for the fact that the man was killed in place by a precisely aimed crossbow bolt. Making matters worse, the murdered man was one of three couriers from the French king, transporting a relic intended to smooth the troubled relations between France and England. Events quickly spin out of control and Guest now finds himself the prime suspect in the murder, one with terrible diplomatic implications. As the drumbeat of war between the two countries grow, Guest must unravel the con spiracy behind the murder to save not only his country, but himself as well.”

“Demon’s Parchment” :

“Guest, who's developed a reputation as "the Tracker," pursues two cases: a Jewish doctor, Jacob of Provençal, retains him to recover some lost Hebrew manuscripts, and the sheriff of London asks for his help to trace a serial killer who's strangled and eviscerated four young boys. In the course of his inquiries, Guest encounters a hulking figure who may be the legendary golem, a creature molded from clay to protect the Jewish community.”

“Troubled Bones” :

“Disgraced knight Crispin Guest gets himself into some serious trouble in London and as a result is forced to accept an assignment far out of town. The Archbishop of Canterbury has specifically requested Guest to investigate a threat against the bones of saint and martyr Thomas a Beckett, which are on display in the cathedral in Canterbury. The archbishop has received letters threatening the safety of the artifacts, and he wants Guest to protect them and uncover whoever is after them.
When he arrives at Canterbury, Guest is accosted by an old acquaintance from court – one Geoffrey Chaucer – and is surrounded by a group in town on a pilgrimage. Trapped amongst the pilgrims (who were, quite possibly, the model for Chaucer’s famous story cycle), looking for a murderer, a hidden heretic and a solution to the riddle that will allow him to go back home, Crispin Guest finds his considerable wit and intellect taxed to its very limit.”

Last Sacrifice and Bloodlines

“Last Sacrifice” the last book of A Vampire Academy Novel by Richelle Mead ended with Rose attempting to find the real murderer and also helping Lisa secure her power as the new queen of Moroi. Hence the story of Lisa and Rose ended somehow with happily ever after.

“Bloodlines” by Richelle Mead is the start of a new series, featuring all the secondary characters; Lisa’s half sister, her dispositioned guardian, Sydney the alchemist and of course Adrian. They are moved to Palm Spring California to be protected from rebellious Moroi but are facing new and un-anticipated threats. Sydney is the narrator and central figure of this new series.

All in all it looks less mushy than Vampire Academy series. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!