The Trouble with Catherine-Andes Hruby

Catherine Lacey is a fishmonger and she loves it. She is independent, speaks her mind, is tough and confident. So much so that she is often accused of being masculine. She's never really cared before, but now that she is nearing her 30th birthday, things are starting to look different. Things like marriage.

Is she getting married for love?or because this might be her last chance to get hitched?

Catherine is a bit slutty, but it is in keeping with her character. It was an okay read.

genre-drama

Burnt Offerings-Laurell K. Hamilton

Anita Blake is a vampire slayer and an animator of zombies. In her line of work she meets all sorts of interesting 'people' and it also puts her in many dangerous situations. She has the scars to prove.

A lot is going on in 'Burnt Offerings';The 'council' have come to town and they are the stuff even nightmares are scared of;Anita Blake is having relationship problems;and someone is setting vampire businesses and other vampire hangouts on fire.

As a fantasy novel I really liked Laurell K. Hamilton's 'Burnt Offerings'. I liked the different types of vampires, werewolves etc. that they had and the way that they are a kind of accepted part of society.It's a nice take and an interesting idea of how these "mythic" beasts would fit in modern day society.

It is not the first in the series. I would recommend reading some of the others first, although, this story is written well enough, that it's not necessary. Not for the squeamish, contains violent sexual acts and other violent acts. Descriptions may be too graphic for some.

Dark Desire-Christine Feehan

Shea O'Halloran experiences a horrendous pain as if she was being tortured. So painful that it causes her to pass out. And so begins her contact with Jacques Dubrinsky. A Carpathian male he was tortured and then buried alive. Somehow, he has psychically linked with Shea, and it is all that is keeping him from complete insanity.

Through this psychic link Jacques calls to Shea to come to him.

Although the story is a bit repetitive, it is still a good read.
Genre-romance/fantasy

The House of Windjammer-V.A. Richardson

As the title suggests, the story follows the Windjammer family which has been in the shipping business for at least a 100 years. As is common for shipping companies, their fortunes rely heavily on good fortune, and good weather with a bit of business skill thrown in. Sadly the Windjammers luck seems to have run out. To young Adam Windjammer falls the responsibility of the family fortunes.

Adam is a dodo. And so are some of the other characters. I really hate it when the main character is a dodo. There are enough dodo's in real life. Maybe I'm just too old for this story. It's a shame as I felt the story in itself is okay.

genre-drama
recommended reading for 8-10year olds, and maybe even young adults.

Like Angels Falling-Jane Adams

A cult leader who was imprisoned for the murder of three young boys dies. His death sets off a chain of events which is especially horrifying for the town where the 3 boys were murdered. The cult he was apart of, is still in operation and immediately comes under suspicion.

An interesting tale which moves at a good pace and has a satisfying ending.
Genre-murder mystery

Rebecca's Tale by Sally Beauman

It's a story about a woman called Rebecca who was very secretive about her past and died young. The tale is told from 4 people's perspectives, one of whom is Rebecca.

I struggled through the first half of this book. I felt that the 3rd part was finally getting interesting, but by then, I was so sick of the book I couldn't bear to read it anymore. Sad but true.

So this is in the pile of uncompleteds.

genre-drama

It's been a while.

Since I rely heavily on the local library for my reading material, and I live in a country where English is not the spoken language, my reading material is rather restricted. The good side to that is that I am forced to broaden my horizons, the bad side of that, is my broadened horizons seems to include a lot of crap books.

My list of books which I have only only half read, has grown considerably. It used to be I would only have one or 2 a year. hence the reason the have been so few entries recently. Also, I tend to do a lot of my book reviews on Facebook now.

But, I resolve to continue.

Priestess of the White - Trudi Canavan

Part 1 of a part 5 story. The core story involves a young woman named Auraya, 5 gods, a dreamweaver named Leiard, and the different races of this country. In the past a huge battle of the gods had taken place and only 5 gods survived. They formed a religion whose clergy wear white and have some magical talents. Occasionally the gods make an appearance to their followers. Before them, there were Dreamweavers who are healers with magic. They choose not to follow the gods and so their souls are forfeit.
Enter a third party, considered heathens, who worship false gods and in a belief that the White's gods are false, desire to eradicate the White and their followers.

Story seemed to move relatively slowly, and then suddenly it was over.readable.
Genre-fantasy
recommended for all ages but particularly youth.

The Traveller-John Twelve Hawks

Part 1 of a 4 part story. It begins well, leaving the fine details as part of the background. But about a quarter of the way through it starts to go into all the details. If you're into details then that's okay.

Slightly futuristic,as in more like the near future, with the main themes being the security measures taken to counter terrorism, invasion of privacy, freewill, and the people on the other side of the fence in opposition. The good guys are way out numbered, but they still mange to kick ass.

Readable,with general appeal.

Hour game-David Baldacci

Private investigator Michelle Maxwell happens upon a body when she is out on her run. Soon another two bodies are discovered which are linked to the first murder. Michelle and her partner Sean King are drawn into the investigation by a series of murders and are deputised by the local sheriff who needs their help. The murderer always seems to be one step ahead and he's not leaving any clues.
Because of this, I found it hard to stay interested in the story. Halfway through the book and the investigators still have no clue.

genre-mystery murder.

To the End of the World-Colin Foreman

An adventure story that moves between the past and the present. It follows the Scottish family of the line of Donald. There are Vikings, battles, explosions and magic. It begins in the present with a family of two boys and one girl who are sent to visit with their grandparents. Initially, the children themselves are not involved in any action. A storyteller provides the action in stories as a way for them to understood their past, so that they will be better armed for the future.

genre-fantasy/adventure
recommended for all ages but particularly from 10 and up.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter-Jeff Lindsay

Dexter Morgan is a blood splatter analyst. Dexter has a hobby with a difference. He is a serial killer but he only kills the bad guys. His sister is a cop who enlists his help. There is another serial killer on the loose. Dexter wants to find the serial killer. But is it to help his sister further her career? Or is it so that he can join in the "fun" with the serial killer.

It's not really a crime novel so don't expect a lot of crime scene details. With the advent of tv series like CSI, I prefer fewer descriptions of crime scene analysis. The story moves at a good pace and we get to see into the mind of a serial killer. Apart from Dexter, the characters characters do not really evolve. But that's okay.

Genre- thriller/suspence

Foetal Attraction-Kathy Lette

A cliche-d six foot Aussie girl, falls in love with an equally cliche-d English man. She is fooled into having his baby. This is their story. Set amongst the literati and the gliterati.

I guess it was too clever for me. I couldn't bear to finish it. Every single character got on my nerves.

Naked in Death-J.D.Robb

The first of the Eve Dallas books. Some one is intent on murdering 6 "companions"-licensed prostitutes. That some-one revels in taunting the police with their incompetence by sending footage of the murders to investigating officer-Eve Dallas. All the evidence seems to be pointing to Rourke-tall, dark, very handsome and rich.

Eve Dallas is a great heroine-tough, determined, makes no excuses.

Genre-Crime/romance

Dark horse-Tami Hoag

Interesting look into the underworld of horses. Molly Seabright's 18yr old sister is missing and no one seems to care. Her only hope is that Elena Estes, a former cop trying to come to terms with her past, will take her case.

I liked Elena and Molly. They are good, strong characters.

Genre-suspense/crime

Reinventing Romeo-Connie Lane

I read half this book, it got misplaced and I completely forgot I had started reading it. I kept wondering what this book was that kept coming up on my library tab. I finally found it and finished reading it. I guess this is a reflection of many of these romance novels-enjoyable reading, but not particularly memorable.

So, Alex Romero is a wealthy apparently savvy business man who becomes enemy no. 1 when he refuses to join with a money laundering group and agrees to testify against them. He must go into hiding with an earnest attractive female FBI agent.

Turning Thirty-Mike Gayle

It would appear that I have already read this book but I am not sure if I have read it to completion . The confusion arises from the fact that as I read, I remember having read this bit. However,my mind is still completely blank about what happens next. This could just mean that I have a bad case of dementia or this is a reflection of the book.

So anyway, told from an English guy's point of view about what turning thirty means to him. Now that he is approaching thirty and his life is not doing what he thinks it should, he returns to his roots.

Local Girls-Alice Hoffman

About the life of a young girl from a small town and the difficulties of everyday life. Some of the events are a bit strange but they work within the confines of this story. I enjoyed it.
Genre-drama/teen fiction
Recommended reading from 10 years.

Night Sins-Tami Hoag

Be warned that this is a 2 part story. So if you're checking it out of the library see if you can get "Guilty as Sin" as well. Small towns are seen as a haven from modern day influences-fast lane, burnout, deterioration of family, increased crime etc...So when a young boy disappears from Deer Lake, the whole town is shaken. The abductor leaves strange notes and toys with the police. Easy reading, and you are bound to guess who the criminal is.
Genre-crime

One for the Money- Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum finds herself unemployed, broke, and no real future employment prospects. In desperation she becomes a bounty hunter. Story contains humour and interesting quirky characters. Sadly I am not a fan of Stephanie Plum but the others make up for her bimbo-ism.
Genre-crime/humour
Recommended for all age groups

Holiday in Death- J.D.Robb

I think it's the second of J.D. Robbs books featuring Eve Dallas-a hardass Lieutenant,bent on protecting those unable to protect themselves. Story about a ritualistic serial killer murdering during Christmas. Set in the near future.
Even though this is technically not a love story, it's refreshing to read about a couple after the happy ever after ending, who are still very much in love and passion.

Genre-Murder Mystery\Romance

The Black Magician Trilogy- Trudi Canavan

The Magician's Guild - Even though I didn't love it straight away, I did enjoy the story. A girl from the slums manages to break through a group of magician's shields, by accident, with a stone. That simple act changes her life forever.

The Novice - I really hate books with bullies in it, and those in charge do nothing. Even though I understood the reason for it here, it still irritated me no end. Despite this I still enjoyed the story. Sonea begins her training as a magician. She is the first non-Noble allowed to train as a magician. She must face many trials through the prejudices of the 'upper classes'.

The High Lord - Things start to get really exciting. In the first book Sonea witnesses something 'forbidden'. Here she feels the full brunt of consequences that arise from this situation.

Recommended reading from 10 years old. And particularly as teen fiction.
Genre-Fantasy