Books I read in September

Ultimate X-Men Vol. 10, 11 & 12 (Issues 50-60 & Annual #1) Has Gambit’s return & death… an intro to Longshot… a very interesting kiss between Storm & Wolverine… some of Storm’s history… Xavier coloring outside the lines… I have to say- I don’t get the whole Ultimate vs. Astonishing X-Men. So they’re re-writing some of their history to bring in… what? New Tech? More stories? Crazier relationships? More 2000 angst? My impression is that they are just going back and making up different stories. I think I prefer the Star Trek way of handling new additions… you’ve got to fill in holes- not just come up with new ways of the same thing happening…

Astonishing X-Men Vol. 1 (Issues 1-6) Cyclops & Emma Frost reform the X-Men… Then a cure for being a mutant causes a riot.

Playboy Prince & Cordina’s Crown Jewel by Nora Roberts B+, D
Yes, every once in a while I succumb to the lure of a romance novel written by Nora Roberts. She’s the only romance author I’ve ever read that wrote real people and not cardboard cutouts. Crown Jewel was excellent, (good characters, interesting relationship, fun situation) but Playboy Prince SUCKED. Sorry for the language. I felt strongly about this- It was a VERY lousy book. Prince starts out with a lie that spins out of control and then the anger and resentment from the lie bursting forth from the two main characters destroy the believability of the ‘romance’ that’s supposed to be developing between them. Yuck. One of those romance novels that gives ‘em a bad name.

Tattoo by Jennifer Lynn Barnes C
Beth suggested I read this, and like a good sister, I did. It looked like it could be interesting and I like reading YA novels, ‘cuz generally they’re just good literature. This one wasn’t. It was an interesting idea- four friends are given magical powers to defeat a returning evil power… An oldie but a goodie. Anyway, nothing really new here. Barnes tries to maintain a balance between light frivolity and Sidhe evil, but she just doesn’t achieve it. The tone swings wildly between too light and too dark… A disappointment.

Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer A
I’m thoroughly enjoying these… I’m not a ‘fairy’ person- I know people who love fairy books and I just don’t get it, but these are clever & fun. They’re YA with good solid characters, situations, and plots. YA that lives up to it’s potential.

Mr Murder by Dean Koontz B
Not his best. Not his worst. I was ready for it to be over before he was...

Cat People By Michael & Margaret Korda B
Short vignettes about different cats and their people. Not as good as you’d hope, but not horrible. These people are strange about their cats- letting them take over entire rooms and sections of their house… Utterly destroy furniture and attack guests. Is this normal for rich people?? ‘Cuz it’s not normal to me, and I would call myself a ‘cat person’..
My cats have been my pets. Not people. Not babies. Friends, yes. Beloved companions, definitely. My Tiger was the only one I'd share my secrets and sorrows with back in junior high & high school, but she did not run my life...

Forgotten Truth & Lost Truth by Dawn Cook A
The final two in a four part series. Oh, man, these were good! I haven’t been able to find the third one and had to Interlibrary loan it, so it took forever to get it. I was impressed at how everything came together by the end of the book- even things I didn’t realize were important. These are girly books, though so I can see how some guys might not enjoy ‘em.

The Third Eye by Lois Duncan A
Interesting. I read almost all of Duncan’s books back in 7th and 8th grade, and enjoyed them back then. Paranormal stuff, with scarey twists. She’s the one that wrote the book that the movie ‘I know what you did last summer’ was based on. I didn’t see the movie, but I’m quite sure that it wasn’t as good as the book…
This one was good, a mystery that turns out to be really about relationships.

Greywalker by Kat Richardson B
Harper Blaine, PI is in a terrible accident, dies for a couple minutes and comes back able to see into the ‘grey’- the space between here and death. Of course, she immediately runs into huge problems… This was good, and I see a lot of potential for Richardson to become an excellent author of urban fantasy. Right now her writing is kind of choppy and rough, but she’s got good ideas and interesting characters.

Urban Shaman by C.E. Murphy A
Loved this! Good urban fantasy. Good characters, strong story. Our main character is Joanne, a police car mechanic who returns from her mom’s funeral only to be sucked into a mythological/magical war involving The Great Hunt. She has to manage her new found powers, save the world and adjust to being a beat cop...