11-1-09 Tempted by P.C. and Kristin Cast – Fiction

5 – AAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!  The cliffhanger ending on this one is worse than the last ones!  The sixth book in the House of Night series continues the story of Zoey Redbird and her growing group.  I wasn’t sure where the story could go after the last book but the Casts keep the story thrilling and interesting all the way through.  And now I have to wait until God knows when for the next book!  Anyone who has ever read a captivating series knows exactly the frustration I’m feeling.  And for anyone who’s just started reading this next installment, here’s a teaser: one of the main characters dies.  HA!  Now you are as tormented as me.

10-30-09 Ill Wind by Rachel Caine – Fiction

3 – The premise and science behind this is very interesting.  There are Wardens who help protect the world from Mother Nature.  Some work with fire, some water, some earth, some weather.  Joanne is a weather warden and she’s in deep shit.  The story itself is good but some of the plot motivators are just mediocre.  But whenever Joanne uses her power to manipulate the weather it’s almost like getting a science lesson.  Since I love science this was a great treat in the story.  Overall though, I’m not sure yet if I will read the next book in the series.

10-28-09 The Devil in the Kitchen by Marco Pierre White w/James Stean – Non-Fiction

5 – This is the story of the first rock star chef.  The irony is that he did not want the fame and TV offers and articles; all he wanted was to make the best food and create the best dining experience possible.  He did achieve those goals and did it at such a young age that the media just couldn’t help themselves.  White was the first British chef and the youngest chef ever to win three Michelin stars.  He was also the first chef to give the stars back.  His life is fascinating and a wonderful glimpse into the autocratic kitchens that are no longer the norm.  He was an asshole in his kitchen but it was because he strove for absolute and consistent perfection.  He had some well known chefs work under him in his kitchens before they were famous: Dave Ramsey, Mario Batalli, and Heston Blumenthal among them.  He knew celebrities and met royalty.  He even went into business for a time with Michael Caine.  His stories are funny and informative if a bit crass.  There is a LOT of swearing in this book.  He loves food and continues to do so even though he retired from being a chef in 1999.  If you also love food, pick up this book and chow down.

10-25-09 Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore – Fiction

5 – I have found that my favorite books by Moore are his San Francisco stories and his Pine Cove stories.  The characters are lovably quirky and even though the stories are about separate people they always pull the familiar characters in and end up crossing each other somewhere along the way.  This is a San Francisco story.  I actually read the sequel to this, You Suck: A Love Story, first and figured I should read this one to get the back story.  And boy, this is just as funny.  One night, Jody is made into a vampire as she’s hurrying to catch the bus after work.  But her maker doesn’t stick around to giver her any instructions so she has to blunder through learning how to deal with her new status by herself.  Then bodies start to pile up and everyone starts looking for a vampire.  She has to trust her new boyfriend, who’s human, to help her avoid the cops and the Emperor of San Francisco while she tries to find the vampire responsible.  A very fun and funny romp.

10-22-09 Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein by Dean Koontz – Fiction

5 – This was an incredible trilogy.  Koontz really did well adapting a very familiar story into a new tale.  The basic premise is that neither Victor Frankenstein nor his monster died in the arctic but both believed the other perished.  200 years later the monster again meets his master.  By the way, I think I’m going to embark on a Koontz kick (I’ll be reading the rest of the Odd series) and it’s all Patrick’s fault.  Koontz really knows how to write an engaging tale with characters that are truly enjoyable whether they are good or bad.  You want to know all about them and truly yearn to know what happens next.  If you pick up the first book in this trilogy, Prodigal Son, just go ahead and pick up the other two because there are absolute cliff hangers at the ends of the first two books.  In honor of Halloween, pick these up and enjoy.