Unless you’ve been hiding deep, deep, deep under a rock, you know that Eclipse comes out today. Well, tonight, actually. I thought I would post my review of the book. Let me say first of all that I’ve become a reluctant Twilight fan. You won’t find me shouting my love for Edward, Bella, or Jacob […]
The Magicians by Lev Grossman: Book Review
Quentin Coldwater is the top in his class. He’s also in love with his best friend’s girlfriend and unhappy at home. One day, he receives a manuscript that looks like an unpublished addition to his favorite fantasy series, set in a fantasy world called Fillory. In a roundabout way, this manuscript leads him through a […]
The Confessions of Catherine de Medici by C. W. Gortner: Book Review
Catherine de Medici. I picked this up not knowing exactly who she was, knowing only that if she was “de Medici,” there would be lots of the drama that make the best historical fiction. Her parents died when she was young; she was held hostage in a convent in Florence when the Medicis were overthrown; […]
Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters: Book Review
Miss Amelia Peabody is a confirmed spinster. Her father died and left her a comfortable inheritance and she has decided to start traveling to those ancient sites they both loved. She acquires the lovely yet troubled Evelyn as a companion in Rome and she sets off to visit Egypt. There, she meets the Emerson brothers. […]
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson: Book Review
Bill Bryson is back and this time’s he’s tackling the question of “Where do we come from?” in a very accessible kind of way. He gives an everyman’s scientific explanation of the creation of the universe, the world, the atmosphere, evolution, human evolution, you name it. Pretty much all the sciences are covered, from astronomy […]
Everlasting by Angie Frazier: Book Review
Camille Rowen is engaged to Randall Jackson, the most eligible bachelor in San Francisco. So why doesn’t she feel anything when he kisses her? And why is she so excited to go on one last voyage with her sea captain father? Could it have anything to do with handsome, inappropriate Oscar Kildare? And why does […]
Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran: Book Review
When Cleopatra and Marc Antony are defeated by Octavian, their children are taken to Rome, where Octavian can make sure they don’t become rallying points for those who might oppose his rule. Their daughter Selene is never happy in Rome and constantly looks for ways to win her family’s way back home. This book jumps […]
The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea Campbell: Book Review
Damien Locke is the son of the Mistress of Mayhem, a mad scientist supervillain living in Golden City. On his sixteenth birthday, he has a huge party to celebrate his thumbprint becoming a “V,” meaning that he’s a born supervillain. Except that it doesn’t. It becomes a mythical “X,” which can only mean one thing: […]
Muse and Reverie by Charles de Lint: Book Review
In the author’s note at the beginning of this volume of short stories, Charles de Lint says that he’s taking a break from Newford for a while but that he still has enough short stories lying around to publish one more collection. I read that and my heart stopped for a second. I love Newford […]
Bite Me by Christopher Moore: Book Review
I don’t think I can even begin to explain the appeal of these books. A synopsis is going to make it sound ridiculous. A giant shaved vampire cat named Chet is stalking the San Francisco night? Puh-leeze. Except that leaves out Abby Normal, Emergency Backup Mistress of the Greater Bay Area Night. I. ♥ This. […]
Thumb Flagging by Jerome Peterson: Book Review
Willy is a seasoned hitchhiker who introduces Jay to the wonders of the open road in order to boost his self-confidence and rid him of his spoiled-Catholic-boy tendencies. I enjoyed this. As you can imagine in a book about hitchhiking, it’s a bit of a picaresque novel with stories about the other hitchers and rides […]