Time for another round of mini book reviews of what I've been reading...and I've been reading...A LOT! Can't seem to keep up with my reviews, so let's flash our way through these, yes? :-)

Blue Heaven by C.J. Box

I've never read anything by Box, but the name comes up as a "if you like Coben/Patterson/Baldacci, you'll like", so I checked it out. Good mystery set in the wilds of Idaho with a lot of twists and turns - and pretty scenery!










The Widow's Season by Laura Brodie

"Sarah McConnell's husband had been dead three months when she saw him in the grocery store..." is the teaser on the back of this contemplative novel. I can't really tell you the plot, except to say you won't know until the very last page what story to believe...









City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

This is the first in the "Moral Instruments" trilogy, written for young adults. What a fantastic fantasy novel! Demons, vampires, love triangles, mystery, suspense and more fill this well-written, totally engrossing novel! Sexy, dark, dangerous - I can't wait for the next book in the series (I've put a hold on it for as soon as it's returned!)








Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich

Book fifteen in the perennially popular Stephanie Plum series. The may be formulaic, but these novels are always fun - and funny! Lula witnesses a murder, Stephanie and Joe are on the outs, and Ranger needs help with a business problem...all this adds up for another fun romp through the Burg, with a few laugh out loud moments along the way!








Dead Lucky: Life After Death on Mount Everest by Lincoln Hall

In continuing my Mount Everest dorkdom, I had to read this memoir about Hall, who was left for dead near the summit of Mount Everest but who amazingly survived an entire night on the peak and was rescued the following morning. Pretty inspiring story with lots of Everest lore and information throughout.








All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

The seventh book in the Sookie Stackhouse series - this time Sookie and Co. head to Illinois for a vampire convention where murder and mayhem inevitably abound. Good times!










Fields of Light by Joseph Hurka

I've had this book for ages, and have finally read it, about Hurka's father during the Communist occupation of Czechoslovakia, as well as World War II. Made me yearn to be back in Prague again, and to hear my grandfather's stories about his time in Prague. Very nice descriptive little book...









June Bug by Jess Lourey

This is the second title in the "Murder By Month Mysteries" series, and features intrepid librarian and journalist Mira James, on the hunt for a big honkin' diamond, a long ago mystery and touch of murder in Minnesota. Always fun!









Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang by Katie MacAlister

Finally! The second half of the story of vampire Kristoff and his Beloved, Pia, which was begun in Zen and the Art of Vampires. Ties things up nicely, but with a lot of drama, sexy scenes and mystery along the way. Whew!










The French Gardener by Santa Montefiore

I admit, it was the cover that caught me, but I really enjoyed this novel - set at a rambling estate in Dorset with a garden that needs refurbishing - and magic. This details two marriages, two affairs, two endings...a descriptive, lovely, sad and happy, beautifully written novel. Perfect for a rainy day!









The Last Beach Bungalow by Jennie Nash

A woman celebrating her five years of remission from breast cancer finds herself fantasizing about a contest to win a beach bungalow, while trying to repair her marriage - and find herself. A short, spare, lovely novel.










Evermore by Alyson Noel

Looking for a new YA novel to recommend to lovers of Twilight? Look no further! First love, brooding boy, lost girl, good and evil - this novel has it all - and there are more novels to follow!










The Lover's Knot by Clare O'Donohue

A fresh take on cozy mysteries - Nell moves in with her grandmother to care for her after a fall and takes on helping at her quilt shop to heal her broken engagement. A fling, a quilting circle and a murder later, things are heating up for Nell...









Busy Woman Seeks Wife by Annie Sanders

Alex is too busy to care for her house, cook, or clean, so she advertises for a "wife" to care for all domestic things. What she doesn't count on is an out of work actor, Frankie, stepping into the role and what follows is a fun story with great supporting characters, a bit of a mystery, and a great take on role reversal. Fun!








Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

Short, spare, very sad YA tale about Alice, who has spent the last five years with Ray, her abductor, who is waiting for her own demise as Ray seeks out another girl to kidnap. Haunting...










American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

I had to read this to lead a book discussion - wouldn't have been my first choice. This is a (very) thinly veiled account of Laura Bush and her life with George, but with different names and a different state. Long, long, long (needs to be edited, big time!), sexually frank, but interesting for a book discussion - they had lots of things to say about it!








The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham

Milly is ready to settle down with perfect Simon, and her mother is planning the wedding of the century...but it all goes horribly wrong when a secret from Milly's past catches up with her...this is a cute little book, filled with great secondary characters and with a lot of heart. Wickham also writes as Sophie Kinsella, the author of the "Shopaholic" books.








Fresh Disasters by Stuart Woods

I really enjoy listening to the "Stone Barrington" novels, and this one is no exception. Stone is giving a bitch of a case, complete with an idiot client, the mob, romance, a beheading and a lot of whiskey at Elaine's. These are great to listen to!









Whew! That's a lotta reviews!

Labels: book review