Thursday, June 9, 2011

April and May

Realized I had read 6 more books since starting the post on the  last seven.
Hodgell, P.C.
Seeker's Bane
2nd in Kencyrath series
Baen ebook
5/12/11
This series is enjoyable, but somewhat confusing as there are time sequence changes, and location changes unpredictably.  The Kencyrath are not native to the world of Rathskellian, they are world travelers who move from world to world at the direction of their gods.  They don't interact much with the natives, they have staked out their own territory.  The primary character is Jame, sister to the High Lord of the Kencyrath.  She is the personification of one segment of the triune god, that of Nemesis.  Her brother represents another segment -- the Creator.  The world of Rathskellian has its own elemental beings, Earth Mother, Fire, Water, and Air.
It's complicated, but fun.


Cook, Dawn
The Decoy Princess
1st in Princess series
5/14/11
Tess discoveres she is not the princess she thought she was.  Instead, she was adopted at birth to be risen by the King and Queen while their real daughter is being raised in a convent to avoid assassins.  The prince who has come to marry the princess is really a evil and ambitious second son who kills the king and queen and tries to take over the country.  Tess escapes with her bodyguard and becomes his apprentice, to save the kingdom.


Newman, Sharan
The Difficult Saint
6th or so in Catherine LeVenduer series
5/17/11
I read this several years ago.  Hadn't seen any in this series for several years and found them on Amazon.  Catherine's sister marries a German lord, sight unseen.  When he is poisoned shortly after their marriage, she is accused of his murder.  Catherine and her family travel to her to solve the mystery.  This is set against the backdrop of the beginning of the second Crusade, and Jews are in a precarious position.  Catherine and her family are Christian, but her father was born Jewish and they have many Jewish friends.  The historic detail is very interesting, and the mystery is intriging.

Bishop, Anne
Shalador's Lady
Black Jewels series, sequel to The Shadow Queen
5/19/11
Persons with magic have jewels, color of jewel determines strength of magic.  Queens rule the land, aided by their court.  Lady Cassidy has been hired to be the queen for a region that is in need of a change.  One member of her court is attracted to a different queen and splits the land.  All's well that ends well.


Hodgell, P.C
Bound in Blood
3rd in Kencyrath series
5/19/11
Continues to be confusing and fun.  The trinity is still not complete at the end of this book, so presumably there is one more.


Stephenson, Neal
Cryptonomicon
5/24/11
Many books start slow, then get moving as you get into it.  This was rather the reverse.  It would have been vastly improved by paring its 1100+ pages by at least 600.  It has two parallel time tracks, the present (in 1999) and World War 2.  There is generally one set of characters in the present -- a small high tech firm involved in data encryption.  In the World War 2 time frame there are several parallel sets of characters, including a collegue of Alan Turing.  The first part of the book is very interesting, especially the discussions of the early computer development.  But it really drags on much longer than needed.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Jance, J.A.
Trial by Fire
5/5/11
5th in Ali Reynolds series
There is corruption in the sheriff's office and Ali is requested to be media relations consultant on a temporary basis.  She gets involved in a case and helps to solve it.  The characters are very interesting, from a burn victim, to a nun communicating with the victim, to a friend in the waiting room.

Pratchett, Anne
Bel Canto
5/7/11
OK this is a book club book that I really liked.  A group is gathered for a Japanese industrialist's birthday party being held in a South American country with a concert by an American soprano.  At the end of the performance, the lights go out, and when they come up, the ballroom is filled with kidnappers.  The interaction of guests/hostages from many countries and the kidnappers is compelling.

Harris, Charlaine
Dead Over Heels
5th in Aurora Teagarden series
5/9/11
A body falls out of the sky and lands in the back yard.  Ms. Harris doesn't seem to understand that women can exist with men.  Her series seem to follow a pattern, two or three books to find the characters voice, then they fall into a committed relationship.  Fun, but predictable.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Lee, Sharon and Steve Miller
Saltation

Local Custom
Scout's Progress
Conflict of Honors
Agent of Change
Carpe Diem
Plan B
I Dare

A while ago -- In March, presumably

Read all of these back to back on my iPad, from Baen.  Now I'm ready for the new one that comes after Saltation and I Dare which end at approximately the same place.

Murphey, C.E.
Coyote Dreams
3rd in Walker Papers series
Further exploration of Joanne Walker's shaman abilities.  There is a magical sleeping sickness going around in Seattle, and Joanne has to figure it out.  She gets a rival for the attentions of her boss and they settle their attraction.

Crombie, Deborah
And Justice there is None
Kincaid/James series
Gemma and Duncan are moving into a new home together, and Gemma is pregnant.  Gemma's investigation of the murder of a pregnant, unfaithful wife brings feelings out. Duncan gets in the act by investigating a similar murder which turns out to be related.

Modesitt, L.E.
Arms-Commander
Recluse series
A story of early on in the Recluse saga, follows the expulsion of Nylan and Ayrlyn from the Roof of the World.  The arms-commander of the angels, Saryn, is not happy with how the Marshal, Ryba, is running things.  She is sent to help out in a neighboring kingdom, and ends up in charge and shifting the relations between men and women.

King, Laurie R.
With Child
4th in Kate Martinelli series
Very intense.  Kate's life-partner leaves to visit her aunt, and Kate explores being alone.  She takes care of her work partner's step-daughter when he goes on his honeymoon.  Today's life complicates relationships.  The step-daughter is kidnapped and the search is frantic.

Scalzi, John
Agent to the Stars
4/  /11
A very funny scifi set in the world of Hollywood agents.  When aliens come to earth, they determine they have a PR problem, so they hire an agent to introduce them to the world.

Stross, Charles
The Family Trade
4/  / 11
First in series
Reporter, raised as an orphan, discovers her birth family -- in an alternate universe.  They, likewise discover her.  The meeting is not entirely amicable, particularly because she is the long lost heir to a lot of power and doesn't particularly approve of how that power is obtained and being used.

King, Laurie R.
A Monstrous Regiment of Women
4/ /11
2nd in Mary Russell series
Occurs some time after the first book.  Mary has graduated from University, and attains her majority.  She investigates a cult in London that supports poor women, and gets rich women to leave their money to them.

Smith, Sherwood
Treason's Shore
4th in Inda series
4/28/11
Inda goes to be Shield Arm for King Evred.  He is dispatched to defend against the Venn at sea and ends the war,but refuses the King's order to take over all the smaller kingdoms on the coast.  This causes a split between the two and he retires to his home territory.  This book covers several years in a sort of off hand manner.  I recommend reading the first in the series first (Inda) because the (personal) titles are not easy to understand otherwise.

Wells, Rebecca
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
4/30/11
Very well written story of a woman and her mother and her mother's friends -- the Ya-Ya sisterhood.  Not my usual cup of tea,  Book club book.  It was fun to read about rural Louisiana in the 50's.

Jecks, Michael
No Law in the Land
5/2/11
28 or so in the Knight's Templar series
The later books in this series are tracking the reign of Edward II and his pal Despenser.  This book is set in the fall of 1325, when law and order were breaking down due to the cronyism of Despenser.  To be his friend was to be above the law, his enemies were in danger of their lives.  A minor crony is taking over all in his area, killing and stealing whatever comes his way.  Our heros run afoul.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Most of March

I fully intend to update this weekly.  Actions unfortunately do not follow intent.


Harris, Charlaine
Three Bedrooms, One Corpse
3/2/11
Fun.  Ro tries to work in her mother's real estate agency and ends up finding bodies instead.  She finds a new beau, better suited than the minister.

Hoyt, Sarah
Darkship Thieves
3/5/11
ebook
I liked the first paragraph, and then it took an unexpected twist.  I still liked it, but it was a fairly predictable boy-girl, culture clash plot.

Asaro, Catherine
Diamond Star
3/8/11
ebook
I always like Asaro, and this did not disappoint. Boy runs away from home (not exactly, home sort of ran away from him) and finds fulfillment as a rock star.  This is third generation of the Skolia Imperial Family.

Butcher, Jim
First Lord's Fury
3/11/11
6th and final in Fury series.
Tavi having defeated the Cane now elists them to save the rest of the world.  I didn't find this as enjoyable as the previous in the series.  If you like battles, you will enjoy the final 150 page battle.

Stabenow, Dana
A Night Too Dark
3/12/11
Latest in the series.  Gold mining in the Park causes troubles.

Shepherd, Mike
Kris Longknife: Redoubtable
3/13/11
8th or so in series
Another planet rescue and helping Vicki Peterwald come into her own.

Bujold, Lois McMaster
Sharing Knife: Passages
3/16/11
Third of 4 in series
I had read book four earlier, not sure how I missed this one.  I enjoyed it.  It filled in a lot of blanks and developed three interesting characters: Fawn's brother Whit, and two young Lakewalkers.  Also introduced Boss Berry and her flatboat.  Gave a view of a different subculture on the planet.

Lee, Sharon and Steve Miller
Mouse and Dragon
3/19/11
ebook
Liaden universe
Story of Alianna and Daav, Delm Korval.

Lee, Sharon and Steve Miller
Scout's Progress
3/19/11
ebook
Liaden universe
Early story of Alianna and Daav.  I read this one quite a long time ago, and when reading the beginning of Mouse and Dragon kept saying "I've read this before."   Discovered I had indeed.  The last chapters of this one are the first chapters of that one.

Diaz, Junot
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
3/19/11
book club
Lots of discussions of Dominicans.  Pretty stupid book.

Lee, Sharon and Steve Miller
Fledgling
3/20/11
ebook
This is something of a sequal to Mouse and Dragon, main character Theo is daughter of alter identy of Daav after he has left Liaden to pursue a scholarly career and hide out from enemies.

Woods, Stuart
Lucid Intervals
3/21/11
Stone Barrington series
real book for a change
Stone alternates between two clients: HM government wanting him to find a traitor in the US, and a stupid lottery millionaire who insists on getting into trouble.  Guns and sex and airplanes.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

End of February

I am way behind here.  The dates below are approximations.  So, for that matter, are the dates above.

King, Laurie
To Play the Fool
2/13/11
Kate Martinelli series # 2
Kate and her partner investigate the death of a homeless man in a San Francisco park.  The investigation is complicated by a Fool, who speaks only in quotations.  The side information about the Holy Fool movement makes the story very interesting.

Ishiguro, Kazuo
Never Let Me Go
Kindle ebook
2/15/11
Very creepy.  Carers and donors grow up in a institution where they are given many privileges, excellent education, encouraged to develop artistic abilities.  As the book progresses, a much darker picture emerges.

Hodgell, P.C.
God Stalker Chronicles
2/17/11
Started in Baen ebook, decided to get paper after a bit.  Good fantasy, interesting creatures.

Child, Lee
Persuader
2/20/11
Typical Reacher.  You keep asking "so how is he going to get out of this one."

Dietrich, William
Napoleon's Pyramids
2/22/11
American former assistant to Benjamin Franklin in Paris joins Napoleon and his army as they attempt to conquer Egypt.  History is a distant second to adventure in a "Raider's" ripoff.

Spencer, Wen
Tinker
Baen ebook
2/24/11
As a result of the Chinese opening a gate to Elfholm, Pittsburg is semi-permanently transfered to Elfhome.  Tinker, aka Alexander Graham Bell, (female, 18 years old) rescues a Elf lord - Wolfwind, and much chaos ensues.  Lots of fun.

Spencer, Wen
Wolf Who Rules
Baen ebook
2/26/11
Wolfwind and Tinker continue their merry adventures.

Reeve, Laura E.
Peacekeeper
2/28/11
SciFi.  Space Opera.  Works as a murder mystery also. Special Reserve Major Ariane Kedros is activated to investigate a series of murders.  She has a civilian partner in space exploration who is left behind and gets into trouble of his own.  Lots of side issues, possibly not the best integrated book I've read, but I'm ready to get the next in the series.

Next up: the third Aurora Teagarden mystery, and Lord Protector's Fury by Jim Butcher.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Early February

Viehl, S.L
A Plague of Memory (reread)
Omega Games
2/6/11
Rereading Plague of Memory clarified some of Rebel Ice.  Resa was a friend of Cherijo and they both crashed on the Ice Planet.  Cherijo suppressed her memory and ended up with the Dead Handlers -- outcast women.  Resa was cared for by the tigers of the world, came to be in one of the Iisleg camps, and eventually ended up with the Dead Handlers.  When she comes to the Dead Handlers, Cherijo starts speaking and is given the name Jarn.
Omega Games has Jarn and Reever leaving Marel on Joren and taking off in a two person scout ship.  They are forced down on Trellus, a very sparsely populated planet, by one of Reevers "friends" so that they can recapture a creature that lays a spore in people and eats them from the inside out.  They have a close encounter with the Black Crystal that Maggie has been trying to get them to fight.

Hoyt, Sarah A.
Draw One in the Dark (Baen ebook)
Gentleman Takes a Chance
2/9/11
Kyrie is a panther shifter, her boyfriend (at least by the end) Tom is a dragon shifter.  They are drawn to Goldport, Co by a beetle shifter looking for a mate.  In the first book, the beetles kill a bunch of people, Kyrie and Tom deal with the Lord of the Dragons, and Tom reconciles sort of with his father.
In Gentleman Takes a Chance, they deal with another shifter who has decided to eat people, and an ancient shifter who wants to kill them because they killed the beetles babies.
Very good, deals with practical aspects of shape shifting -- such as what happens to their clothes, and relative size between a under 6 foot man and a much larger dragon.

Harris, Charlaine
A Bone to Pick
2/11/11
Second in Aurora Teagarden series
Better than the first in the series.  Ro inherits a house and lots of money from a former member of the Murder club in the first book.  She also inherits a mystery which she solves.

I am currently reading three books: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, God Stalker Chronicles by P.C. Hodgell (both on the iPad), and To Play the Fool by Laurie King.  I have to have at least one on paper, so I can read it in the bathtub.  I will finish the Laurie King tonight and probably the Ishiguro book club book tomorrow.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Viehl, S.L.
Endurance
1/22/11
Third in StarDoc series.  I went out to Amazon used books and got the whole series, so I'm going through them rapidly.  This starts directly after Beyond Varallan, with our heroine captured by the Hsktskt.  I am finding Cherijo less than admirable -- she jumps to conclusions about people and is very unforgiving.

Hyzy, Julie
Buffalo West Wing
1/24/11
Fourth in White House Chef series.  I do like series.  A new family has moved into the White House, and Ollie is uncertain whether she will keep her job.  Complications ensue, with the new First Family bringing their own chef, who is a major jerk.  There are now children in the First Family and they are the cause of the suspense in the story.

Vielh, S.L.
Shockball
1/26/11
Fourth in StarDoc series.  Cherijo is recaptured by her progenitor and we learn more about her early life.  Escapes him to end up in a Navaho underground.  Cherijo and Reever get a surprise when finally rescued by Cherijo's adoptive family.

Viehl, S.L.
Eternity Row
1/27/11
Fifth in StarDoc series. 
The gang are for a change not seriously threatened or imprisoned by anyone.  Find a cure for two opposite species, one which cannot die, one dying early.  Turns out they are symbiots.

King, Laurie R.
The Beekeeper's Apprentice
1/29/11
First in Mary Russell series.  Very different from her other series.  Mary Russell, 16 year old heiress, while wandering the countryside while escaping her odious aunt and guardian, encounters Sherlock Holmes who has retired to the country with Mrs. Hudson (but not Dr. Watson).  She becomes his apprentice and eventually partner.


Viehl, S.L.
Rebel Ice
1/31/11
Sixth in StarDoc Series.
Very confusing.  Cherijo has crashed on an ice world, after various adventures is rescued by Reever, but has changed personalities and is now Jarn.

Shepherd, Mike
Kris Longknife: Intrepid
2/2/11
Sixth in series
Series reminds me of Honor Harrington (Weber) and Lt. Leary.  Kris is Navy officer and daughter of political head, granddaughter of elected King.  She and her various companions participate in a planetary war in the boondocks, uncover a plot to assassinate the rival political boss to be blamed on her, save him, and extricate themselves from the resulting mess.
These books are very easy and enjoyable to read.