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Backup, by Jim Butcher
I didn't expect much from this short novella other than a predictable infusion of Jim-Butcher-juice, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I'd rate this among his best works. He really brought Thomas to life, front and center, and Thomas is nothing like Harry or Tavi, who for all their charms are similar enough that I figured there was really only one first person voice Butcher could do well. I was wrong!
(84/275)
Nine Lives, by Lynn Snowden
I didn't actually set out to read two books with the same title this month, it just happened. Anyway, I really liked this one - the author spent short amounts of time trying out 9 different jobs, some stereotypically girly, some stereotypically butch; some enviable and some that are traditionally thought of as awful jobs to do. I think my favorite part was the very first, about her stint as a Skid Row pyrotechnician, but the whole thing was a fun and engaging read with some interesting points to make about the nature of work.
(85/275)
Bodies in Motion, by Mary Anne Mohanraj
Stunningly good stories, often sensual, sometimes heartwrenching. I often claim I don't like short stories, and sometimes I dispute that claim - in this case, I'm pulling out the "linked short stories are really more like a novel anyway" loophole. Anyway! It's good, you should read it, and I can't believe it took me this long to get around to reading it considering it came in 2005, and I first read writing by Ms. Mohanraj online back in .... 1996? 1997? A Very Long Time Ago. If you have been similarly foolish, fix it! And if you've never heard of her before, this is a great place to start.
(86/275)
Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones, by Brandon Sanderson
I remembered how much I liked the first book in this YA series, but I had forgotten how completely swoony I was over the voice! The narrator (first-person, intrusive to the point of obnoxiousness if it weren't so damn hilarious) really makes this story, but the plot's pretty nifty too. Excited that the 3rd is coming out this fall!
(87/275)
Verdict in Blood, by Gail Bowen
The Brutal Heart, by Gail Bowen
Verdict filled in some blanks for me, dunno how I missed it the first time around - but knowing some of the stuff that happens later didn't mess up the story any; it made some things more poignant. One of the best in the series. The Brutal Heart was excellent character- and digression-wise (which is why I read mysteries, honestly), but the "surprise" ending was so obvious to me that I was stressing out mightily for the last hundred pages or so, and kind of expecting a last minute reverse twist that I did not get. Not my favorite of her plots. (On the other hand, if my beloved spouse hadn't been pestering me "SO DO YOU KNOW WHO DUNNIT?" ceaselessly, perhaps I wouldn't have bothered to notice and the suspension-of-disbelief-mystery-version would've swept me along to the end.)
(88/275, 89/275)
I didn't expect much from this short novella other than a predictable infusion of Jim-Butcher-juice, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I'd rate this among his best works. He really brought Thomas to life, front and center, and Thomas is nothing like Harry or Tavi, who for all their charms are similar enough that I figured there was really only one first person voice Butcher could do well. I was wrong!
(84/275)
Nine Lives, by Lynn Snowden
I didn't actually set out to read two books with the same title this month, it just happened. Anyway, I really liked this one - the author spent short amounts of time trying out 9 different jobs, some stereotypically girly, some stereotypically butch; some enviable and some that are traditionally thought of as awful jobs to do. I think my favorite part was the very first, about her stint as a Skid Row pyrotechnician, but the whole thing was a fun and engaging read with some interesting points to make about the nature of work.
(85/275)
Bodies in Motion, by Mary Anne Mohanraj
Stunningly good stories, often sensual, sometimes heartwrenching. I often claim I don't like short stories, and sometimes I dispute that claim - in this case, I'm pulling out the "linked short stories are really more like a novel anyway" loophole. Anyway! It's good, you should read it, and I can't believe it took me this long to get around to reading it considering it came in 2005, and I first read writing by Ms. Mohanraj online back in .... 1996? 1997? A Very Long Time Ago. If you have been similarly foolish, fix it! And if you've never heard of her before, this is a great place to start.
(86/275)
Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones, by Brandon Sanderson
I remembered how much I liked the first book in this YA series, but I had forgotten how completely swoony I was over the voice! The narrator (first-person, intrusive to the point of obnoxiousness if it weren't so damn hilarious) really makes this story, but the plot's pretty nifty too. Excited that the 3rd is coming out this fall!
(87/275)
Verdict in Blood, by Gail Bowen
The Brutal Heart, by Gail Bowen
Verdict filled in some blanks for me, dunno how I missed it the first time around - but knowing some of the stuff that happens later didn't mess up the story any; it made some things more poignant. One of the best in the series. The Brutal Heart was excellent character- and digression-wise (which is why I read mysteries, honestly), but the "surprise" ending was so obvious to me that I was stressing out mightily for the last hundred pages or so, and kind of expecting a last minute reverse twist that I did not get. Not my favorite of her plots. (On the other hand, if my beloved spouse hadn't been pestering me "SO DO YOU KNOW WHO DUNNIT?" ceaselessly, perhaps I wouldn't have bothered to notice and the suspension-of-disbelief-mystery-version would've swept me along to the end.)
(88/275, 89/275)
