September Book Reviews

I'm a little late! Oh, well...

Smoke & Mirrors by Tanya Huff -The next in Huff's spin-off series from her Blood Vampire books. These follow Tony in his new TV job. Victor shows up every once in a while. A fun fantasy adventure. Vampires, ghosts, good writing.
Sacred Influence by Gary Thomas -Thomas discusses the way for a wife to influence her husband to become the man she knows he can be... Good book. He's got some good points. I appreciate his emphasis that marriage was not designed by God to make you happy, but to make you holy. I do not appreciate him beginning his book by saying that a woman's identity is best found in Christ (instead of in her husband) and then totally going back on that when he uses Jean-Antoinette (King Louis the whatever's famous commoner mistress) as an example of keeping your husband's attention... She was able to completely construct her life around him and focus all her attention on pleasing him... No children, no pesky dishes to wash, no job to keep up other than being his mistress. How nice for him.
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz -I enjoy this character- He has the ability or the curse (depends on how you look at it) of being able to see and communicate with the dead... Of course, this gets him into all sorts of trouble, including preventing an apocolyptic-type shootout. This was a re-read for me, and I remembered why I'd liked it so much the first time.
One Door Away from Heaven by Dean Koontz -This one follows three story lines til they converge about two-thirds of the way in. Some humor, some horror, some aliens. A little confusing to follow, a little heavy & dark, but otherwise quite good. This was a re-read for me, and I enjoyed it more this time.
Origin in Death by J.D. Robb -The next one in Nora Roberts futuristic cop thriller/mysteries. I enjoyed this one a lot. Lots of twists and turns. We ended up completely in a different place than I expected.
Wizard's Hall by Jane Yolen -Young adult fantasy novel. Quick fun read. I enjoyed the similarities between this one and Rowling's Harry Potter books. An awful evil sorcerer and a surprise ending.
The Mermaid's Three Wisdoms by Jane Yolen -Interesting reflection on the world of the deaf. I enjoyed her curmudgeony old sailor character.
The Mocking Program by Alan Dean Foster - A futuristic cop thriller. Fascinating world. Foster combines cultures & languages in a spanglish hodgpodge that is confusing at first, but becomes shockingly comfortable. A bit like watching a Shakespeare play- for the first scene you're lost catching up on the old English, and then suddenly you're understanding everything... The mystery is excellent, the action is quick. I really liked this one.
Toilet Training can't remember the author, a pediatric doctor - Useful, 'Nuff said