7-28-07 Strangewood by Christopher Golden - Fiction

2 - This is marketed as horror but it's not really scary and not particularly good. An author's son suddenly goes into an unexplainable coma. It turns out the son has been kidnapped into Strangewood, the setting for his books. Here's where the story loses its punch: the author writes kids books. So the author OD's to put himself into a coma and enters Strangewood to canter around with his characters. So he's charging through Strangewood with characters named Mr. Tinklebum, Brownie the dancing bear, Fiddlestick the dragon, and the Peanut Butter General. The main baddie is Jackal Lantern. You see why it's just not scary.

7-25-07 A Flash of Red by Clay Harvey - Fiction

5 - I love a smart ass and Harvey has written one of the greatest. Harvey's only fault is that he does tend to be a bit grandiose in his selection of verbiage, but he writes a fast paced thriller. The story line makes sense and the details of the fight scenes and weapons used add to instead of detract from the story. It does look like this book is out of print, but I suggest hunting it down at the library or a used book store.

7-22-07 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling - Fiction

5 - Holy Crap! No spoilers here, but be prepared for a lot of deaths and people revealed for their true selves. Fabulous ending to the series!

7-22-07 Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling - Fiction

5 - Darker and dirtier than the previous books but doesn't hold a candle to the final book.

7-20-07 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling - Fiction

5 - Setting things up for the Wizard War, this book has the first true battle.

7-18-07 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling - Fiction

5 - Love this book, the buildup to the return of Lord Voldemort. New characters and a lot of plot potential.

7-14-07 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling - Fiction

5 - However, this book is still in good shape. Since I'm rereading these for the release of the 7th book, I probably won't pick them up again for a while, but it's good to know this one won't fall apart.

7-12-07 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling - Fiction

4 - Yeah, I need to replace this book too.

7-10-07 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling - Fiction

5 - Oh yeah, I'm rereading the whole series in preparation for the final book. But I won't be reading this one again soon. The spine has now broken and the pages are going to start falling out.

7-7-07 Acacia by David Anthony Durham - Fiction

4 - I picked this up because of a review in 'Entertainment Weekly' and I'm glad I did. I don't fully agree with the plot description in that review (nothing like the Narnia kids), so I'll give my own. This book, which is split into three books within, has the potential to become a great epic fantasy series (or trilogy. No idea of how many there may end up being). The story is about four royal siblings and their father's reign. Admittedly, the first book is interesting, but not exactly compelling in plot. But, trust me, there are important background notes and once you're through this book, the story really takes off. The second book sees the siblings 12 (?) years later having been scattered to the four corners of the known world almost literally. Seeing how each sibling has grown since their days of togetherness in the castle is an interesting sturdy in nature, nurture, duty, and leadership. Once the siblings start to assemble in the third book, the plot is set and the figurative shit begins to hit the fan. I look forward to the next Acacia novel because the outcome of this story is still very much up in the air.

7-1-07 The Ranger's Apprentice: The Icebound Land by John Flanagan - Fiction

5 - Flanagan does a wonderful job of continuing this series. The original characters become more complex and the newer characters are well fleshed out. But, no, this isn't a trilogy. We have to wait until at least the fourth book (due in March?) to find out the fates of Halt, Will, and the others. Damn.

7-12-07 I Am Legend by Richard Matheson - Fiction

5 - Stephen King notes that Matheson was very influential for him. This collection of stories displays that influence. Slightly creepy, a little disturbing, but a fantastic read!

6-10-07 Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert - Fiction

3 - This book is really slow. Mostert has an interesting idea using sister witches with a knack for alchemy, but the story doesn't really get interesting until the very end.

6-2-07 Bittersweet by LaVyrle Spencer - Fiction

4 - Yet another fluff read, this is a sweet story about a second chance for first love.

5-31-07 The Prophetess by Barbara Wood - Fiction

4 - This book is a pretty good thriller along the lines of the movie 'Stigmata.' A woman is fighting to bring to light a truth the Catholic church does not want shared with the world.

5-27-07 A Sending of Dragons by Jane Yolen - Fiction

4 - The final book of the trilogy, Yolen brings full circle the story of Jakkin, the boy who became a man through suffering and love.

5-24-07 Heart's Blood by Jane Yolen - Fiction

5 - Bringing politics into the story, Yolen continues a wonderful tale about a boy, his dragon, and the girl he loves.

5-21-07 Dragon's Blood by Jane Yolen - Fiction

5 - Years before Harry Potter or Eragon, there was Jakkin. The first book in Yolen's Pit Dragon trilogy, this is a wonderful story about a boy's determination to become a man.

5-19-07 Vows by LaVyrle Spencer - Fiction

5 - This is my favorite book by Spencer, a nice fluff read to clean the palette.

5-17-07 One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding by Rebecca Mead - Non-Fiction

3 - A must read for any bride before she spends a penny, this is a look behind the scenes of what has become the wedding "business." Mead looks at wedding planners, bridal gown manufacturers, and more giving an insider's look at how these professionals and many more have myriad ways to part brides from their money in their desperate quest for their "perfect day."

5-13-07 The Ranger's Apprentice: The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan - Fiction

5 - Flanagan continues the story and leaves a wonderful opening for the third book.

5-11-07 The Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan - Fiction

5 - This is a fantastic fantasy series that's hidden in the kid's section! Flanagan creates well rounded characters and writes a great coming of age story.

5-10-07 Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith - Fiction

5 - This book is a neat blend of 'Twilight' and the Kim Harrison books. A girl loves the half-wolf next door but is given by her uncle to a master vampire as his bride and she has to make a choice. Bonus: Smith centers the story around a restaurant so there's foodie stuff too. I hope she continues to write like this.

5-8-07 Every Which Way but Dead, A Fistful of Charms, For A Few Demons More by Kim Harrison - Fiction

5 - Books 3, 4, and 5 continue a great series and build even more interest in and attachment to Harrison's characters. She also has a continual story thread that shifts and turns to make each book fresh.

4-27-07 The Stand by Stephen King - Fiction

5 - This is one of King's best works. Each character is fleshed out, good and bad, making each one human and not a caricature of good or evil. It's King's focus on human behavior and interaction in the face of the incredible that makes the basic story of good vs. evil so powerful.

4-19-07 The Good, the Bad, and the Undead by Kim Harrison - Fiction

5 - Harrison's second book in the Hollows, she continues to develop the characters and ties the story lines together seamlessly.

4-16-07 Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison - Fiction

4 - I really enjoy Harrison's mix of current day reality with Inderland fantasy. She creates great characters and a fabulous story line.

4-13-07 Empire by Orsen Scott Card - Fiction

5 - A fantastically scary story. America faces another civil war, but the politics are so twisted you don't know who the "good guys" are. Terrifying because of its plausibility; it takes place on current day Earth.

4-5-07 Through Violet Eyes by Stephen Woodworth - Fiction

5 - This story is an excellent look at channeling. 'Violets' can contact the dead and are used by law enforcement to assist in crime solving. Woodworth keeps up a quick pace for an enjoyable read.

4-1-07 Freedom's Landing, Freedom's Choice, Freedom's Challenge, Freedom's Ransom by Anne McCaffrey - Fiction

4 - I really like this series and after reading them all straight through, the fourth one's not so bad.

3-20-07 Edenborn by Nick Sagan - Fiction

4 - "Edenborn" picks up after the kids have discovered the truth of the world. They are now in their 30's, raising children and learning from their own mistakes. Don't let this description fool you just because it sounds very mundane, this is still a science fiction story.

3-18-07 Idlewild by Nick Sagan - Fiction

4 - Yes, Nick Sagan, Carl Sagan's son. He writes a good story and adds the science with IVR - Interactive Virtual Reality. This is the first in a trilogy.

3-16-07 Scavenger by David Morrell - Fiction

5 - Unbelievably, a continuation of "Creepers." The first carry over of characters by Morrell, if I'm not mistaken. Amanda and Frank are back and this story combines video gaming and geocaching.

3-14-07 Creepers by David Morrell - Fiction

4 - This is a really good story with an interesting look at a subculture you don't hear much about.

3-11-07 Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - Fiction

5 - This book really is as good as they say. Although I am a little biased when it comes to military scifi, the use of children puts a whole new twist on the story.

3-6-07 Timeline by Michael Crichton - Fiction

4 - This book is really good, darker and dirtier than the movie. Crichton gives a great history lesson on the Middle Ages and a good introduction to quantum theory.

3-3-07 Volk's Game by Brent Ghelfi - Fiction

3 - A good thriller, but I really didn't like the end. It felt preachy and like a moral lesson. However, this book gives an interesting look at present day Russia and the black market for art in Europe.

2-26-07 Ivy Cole and the Moon by Gina Farago - Fiction

5 - This is an original werewolf tale. A girl wanders through the backwoods country with her caravan of dogs and settles in a small town. You know how small towns are with secrets.

2-22-07 Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill - Fiction

5 - This is a fabulous ghost story. An actual ghost story, not a haunting. Hill takes an already interesting main character and throws in a vengeful ghost with personal ties. Remember, the dead claim their own.

2-16-07 The Dead Father's Club by Matt Haig - Fiction

3 - An original retelling of Hamlet through the eyes of a modern eleven year old boy. It is very dark like the original, but Haig doesn't quite manage the intrigue of Shakespeare.

2-10-07 American Shaolin by Matthew Polly - Non-Fiction

5 - A descriptive and humorous story of an American learning the truth about Shaolin Monks in China. Polly is very open with his observations, finding humor and humility in his missteps. Not only full of wonderful facts about the monks, Polly also throws in some cultural do's and don't's.

2-5-07 You Suck: A Love Story by Christopher Moore - Fiction

5 - Any book that can make me laugh out loud is a winner. As usual, Moore's characters are all a little bit odd, some odder than most. But really, what could be better than a romantic comedy starring vampires?

2-3-07 The Spellsinger series by Alan Dean Foster - Fiction

5 - Foster creates a great series that combines a modern character with a fantasy story. There are subtle and not so subtle references to current day people, places, and ideas. Jon Tom, the spellsinger, never does get his craft quite right, but his song choices are very entertaining.

The books in order: Spellsinger, The Hour of the Gate, The Day of Dissonance, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and The Time of Transference.

These are all out of print. Sorry.

1-17-07 The Once and Future King by T.H. White - Fiction

4 - This book is very good, but very long. White takes a different look at the Arthurian legend, bringing a more political and human touch to the story than other versions I've read.

12-24-06 Countdown: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December by Daniel Parker - Fiction

3 - As a whole, I can only give this series a 3 because it became out of date (and out of print) the minute Y2K passed. (If you don't know what Y2K was, ask your parents). Even so, this is a great series. Good luck finding it though.

12-15-06 New Moon by Stephenie Meyer - Fiction

5 - Yup, still better than the first book. Meyer not only uses characters to tie the two books together, but she also uses information given in the first book to expand the story.

12-13-06 Twilight by Stephenie Meyer - Fiction

5 - Yup, still fabulous. It's fantastic how Meyer covers all the myths surrounding vampires.

12-9-06 The Bancroft Strategy by Robert Ludlum - Fiction

5 - Dad, you were right, this is a great book! It's a quick moving espionage story with believable naivete in some of the characters.

12-6-06 The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore - Fiction

5 - This is the best Christmas story ever! No one but Moore could combine zombies, IKEA, a warrior woman, and a fruit bat to make a Christmas tale.

12-1-06 Warchief, The Sachem, Renno, Tomahawk, War Cry, Ambush, Seneca, Cherokee by Donald Clayton Porter - Fiction

4 - This series is an interesting look at the growth of our nation through some outside eyes. Just when the books start to get a little boring, Porter introduces the Cherokee. Yes, the series itself is a little rote: blood feuds, visions, romantic interests. However, Porter does give the characters different personalities.

11-16-06 Renegade by Donald Clayton Porter - Fiction

4 - Porter continues the story of Renno and introduces new characters in Massachusetts Bay.

11-13-06 White Indian by Donald Clayton Porter - Fiction

5 - The first in this series, Porter ties together the Massachusetts Bay colony and the tribe of the Seneca. Porter gives insight into both the lives of the Indians and the colonists.

11-10-06 The Tommyknockers by Stephen King - Fiction

4 - This is one of his better books. King excels at the study of small town life and the secrets always found within.

10-29-06 Jovah's Angel by Sharon Shinn - Fiction

4 - Admittedly not as wonderful as the first, but still a wonderful story. A novel of Samaria, this story traces the origin of the planet.

10-28-06 Archangel by Sharon Shinn - Fiction

5 - If you love romance novels but turn your nose up at fantasy stories, I challenge you to read this book and not enjoy it! Shinn has an incredible knack for creating characters that are rich and flawed and likable. Plus, her themes are so universal, the settings are easily believed.

10-25-06 Dark Moon Defender by Sharon Shinn - Fiction

5 - The third book in the 'Twelve Houses' series, this story follows Justin. Shinn still captures the excitement of the first two books and continues the same story.

10-22-06 The Black Sun by James Twining - Fiction

5 - This is one of the best espionage thrillers I have read in a long time. Twining picks up the mantle from David Morrell.

10-19-06 Here There Be Dragons by James A. Owen - Fiction

3 - Have you read Tolkien and C.S. Lewis? Are you familiar at least with their stories? Are you up on your Arthurian mythology? If you answered yes to these questions, you will enjoy this book. Otherwise you will miss the many references throughout the story. Owen draws on a variety of authors and stories and I may have missed some of the references myself. However, it is a clever tale.

10-14-06 The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon - Fiction

5 - A trilogy in one book, this is a superb tale about a sheepfarmer's daughter who goes on to do great things. The main character is likable and the military strategy is plain spoken and exciting.

10-4-06 Shopportunity! by Kate Newlin - Non-Fiction

4 - Newlin takes an interesting look at why we, as a society, hate to shop anymore. She discovers and lays plain that not everything is about price.

9-28-06 World War Z by Max Brooks - Fiction

5 - This book reads like a non-fiction account of WWI or WWII. It is written as a collection of stories by the survivors of the Zombie wars, or World War Z. As a whole, the book is a little scary and disturbing but not because of the zombies, because of the realism Brooks employs to document that type of pandemic.

9-15-06 Walking in Circles Before Lying Down by Merrill Markoe - Fiction

4 - This is a funny book. The main character can talk to dogs and hear dogs talk back. Seeing the world through those conversations is very entertaining. Plus, the main character's family is wacky.

9-10-06 Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert Heinlein - Fiction

5 - This is a great book just as I've been told. Heinlein's vision is uncanny in the way it relates to today's world and society.

8-31-06 Resurrection by Steve Alten - Fiction

5 - This is the second book in what I believe will be a trilogy by Alten. This book delves deep into the Mayan creation legend, but I'm not quite sure where the third book will go after the ending.

8-25-06 Domain by Steve Alten - Fiction

4 - This is a great an well researched novel based on the Mayan calendar and their belief that the world as we know it will end December 21, 2012.

8-16-06 New Moon by Stephenie Meyer - Fiction

5 - I think that this book is even better than the first! Meyer introduces new "monsters", with her own unique twist of course, old acquaintances, and even throws in a bit of international travel. A powerful story.

8-14-06 Twilight by Stephenie Meyer - Fiction

5 - No matter how many times I read it, this is still a great book. The love story isn't mushy and all encompassing and the suspense of the plot is fabulous.

8-12-06 Apathy and Other Small Victories by Paul Neilan - Fiction

4 - This is a book for Christopher Moore fans. I was laughing until tears ran down my face.

7-28-06 Dune by Frank Herbert - Fiction

5 - This book is the great science fiction classic it's touted to be. Herbert writes a story full of political maneuvering and religious mysticism. His characters, while not necessarily likable, are all completely engrossing.

7-28-06 The Good, the Bad, and the Undead by Kim Harrison - Fiction

4 - This is a really good series. In this book, Harrison extends into the human world a little bit more.

7-25-06 Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison - Fiction

5 - I really like Harrison's characters. She also does a wonderful job of blending fantasy story elements including pixies, werewolves, and vampires with our everyday world.

7-20-06 100 Bullshit Jobs and How to Get Them by Steve Bing - Non-Fiction

5 - This is a really funny business book. Learn what you need to know to become a mogul, dolphin trainer, psychic, or Donald Trump!

7-11-06 Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling - Fiction

5 - Such a sad, depressing, and dark book. But definitely the best so far!

7-8-06 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling - Fiction

5 - Still so good, still so sad.

7-2-06 Wither by J.G. Passarella - Fiction

4 - A good witch story (a good story, not a good witch). Passarella uses the witch trials as background and a base for the story. Fast moving and well written.

6-30-06 Heat by Mark Buford - Non-Fiction

5 - This is an informative and very entertaining look at the workings of a professional kitchen. Buford also sets on display a cook's love of food. Buford starts in Mario Batali's restaurant kitchen, then continues his journey to Italy and beyond. A lot of the humor comes from Buford himself. He's a menace in the kitchen; he actually set himself on fire!

6-8-06 The Dreammaker's Magic by Sharon Shinn - Fiction

3 - This is the final book in her teen trilogy. It isn't as good as the first two, but it still is a nice light read.

6-6-06 The Ranger's Apprentice: The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan - Fiction

5 - This is such a good series! You like the characters and root for them through the story. And the cliffhanger...Bravo!

6-2-06 The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - Fiction

4 - Not quite as good as their other Pendergast books, there's a touch of camp in my opinion, but it still contains the twists and turns they're known for. And we find out a little more about the relationship between the brothers.

5-30-06 Monster Blood Tattoo: Foundling by D.M. Cornish - Fiction

2 - This book was OK, but not an interesting enough story for me to bother with the second book. It's about monster hunters and an extremely dimwitted boy.

5-19-06 HP and: the Chamber of Secrets, the Prisoner of Azkaban, the Goblet of Fire, the Order of the Phoenix, the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

5 - This series is freaking fantastic! I still cry during the last two. (I know, I'm a puss)

5-2-06 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling - Fiction

4 - Did I mention I reread these a lot? Of course, it was good as always. The more I read them, the more I pick up on little bits of foreshadowing.

4-28-06 Santiago by Mike Resnick - Fiction

4 - This is a great political science fiction book about a revolutionary hero/criminal that cannot die (in a Dread Pirate Robert kind of way). I believe it is still in print, but it may be difficult to find.