10-18-08 No Humans Involved by Kelley Armstrong - Fiction

3 - I looked at this one a few times before I picked it up to read thinking the description on the jacket made it sound like it would be "eehh" at most. But I was pleasantly surprised. There's an interesting cast of characters that includes a necromancer, a couple of werewolves, a few half-demons, and a lot of ghosts. And it all takes place outside current day Hollywood and in the business of entertainment. Jaime Vegas is the necromancer and, yes, she sees dead people. She hides her talent in plain sight as a spiritualist showman but is drawn to the plight of several ghosts while filming a reality show with a planned finale of raising Marilyn Monroe's ghost. A pretty good read. WARNING: There is graphic sex in this book so if that's not for you, you might want to avoid this one.

10-17-08 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Fiction

5 - It's Battle Royale with more heart! It's The Long Walk with more action! It's The Hunger Games, an exciting read that leaves you with the tantalizing sentence "End of Book One" on the last page. Selected by the Reaping, 24 boys and girls are placed in an outdoor arena and are expected to fight to the death until there is only one survivor. They battle each other, the elements, and themselves. Kids being forced to outlast on another isn't a new theme (see the previously mentioned titles), but Collins ratchets up the tension by making the trial not only about survival, but also about government and audience approval. This title falls into my Highly Recommended list. Go! Read it now!

10-14-08 The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde - Fiction

5 - Jasper Fforde is one of my new favorite authors! This series deals with the NCD (Nursery Crime Division) of the police force. Humpty Dumpty has been murdered and it's up to Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his new assistant Mary Mary to solve the case. Oh yes, you can see where this is going. Brush up on your nursery rhymes and enjoy the show!

10-11-08 Sweet Mandarin by Helen Tse - Non-Fiction

4 - The story of her family beginning in mainland China in 1918 and ending in present day Manchester, England, Tse traces the women as they worked to improve their family in a nation and culture where women were substandard. Sweet Mandarin is a fascinating look not only at the generations of a family, but also into the growth of China and British controlled Hong Kong. The constant throughout is food. A love of food and traditional cooking ties all generations together through the story. A quick, easy, and extremely enjoyable read.

10-8-08 My Name is Will by Jess Winfield - Fiction

4 - The subtitle of this book is "A Novel of Sex, Drugs, and Shakespeare." Take that to heart. Lots of sex, tons of drugs (one of the main plot lines is the journey of a HUGE psychedelic mushroom), and of course Shakespeare, in two forms. The first William Shakespeare is the playwright, but before he became Shakespeare. The second William Shakespeare is a masters student at UC Santa Cruz. The story alternates between the two Wills showing the similarity of their situations even though they are separated by centuries. A hilarious story, this will be enjoyed most by those of us who already enjoy Shakespeare's comedies, but may also open up the world of Shakespeare for others who are not yet fans. Jess Winfield, one of the founding members of The Reduced Shakespeare Company (Rent some of these on DVD. They are crying in your seat, wet your pants funny!), has written a laugh out loud yet insightful story about how Shakespeare the bard relates to all of us.

10-4-08 Alabama Moon by Watt Key - Fiction

4 - By the end of the book I felt a little choked up. Not full blown tears but just on the edge. This story should really appeal to young boys as the main character, Moon, is a boy's boy. Raised in the Alabama wilderness by his father, with barely any contact with the outside world, Moon is suddenly alone when his father dies. He knows everything he needs to know about living in the wilderness and decides to travel to Alaska like his father suggested to find other people like them. Through what seems to be unfortunate circumstance, he instead is taken to a boys' home and gets on the wrong side of the local constable. This is where his real adventure begins. He begins to learn about a world he has never seen or been involved with and learns about friendship, family, and loss. Just wonderful.

10-3-08 The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galin Beckett - Fiction

4 - This reads like a Victorian novel and a portion of it is like a Gothic mystery. It is very easy to forget it is technically a fantasy novel because Beckett adopts so many facets of a Victorian England. The city and township names are similar in sound and the rules of society are similar as well. I greatly urge fans of Austin, Bronte, or period mysteries to try this book. I truly believe you will enjoy it. For hardcore fantasy readers there is enough magick and mystery to keep you enthralled as well even if the characters aren't traipsing through a wood full of orcs and elves. Well written with characters that are tied together by the tiniest twists of fate, The Magicians and Mrs. Quent is a truly enjoyable and engrossing tale.