November Books

Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz B+
I love the quirky humor in this one. Delightful and scary, plus a darn good book. Jimmy Tock is born at the same minute as his grandfather dies. But before he can die, his grandfather predicts that there will be five dark, terrible days during his life. The reader is taken on the Tock’s nightmarish ride, but invited to see the good in everything. It’s interesting to me that Koont’ presents a world view similar to my Christian one- that there is terrible evil fighting and rebelling against a great, redeeming good…

Killer Dreams By Iris Johansen C-
Well, this is the second Johansen book I’ve read and I can definitely say I don’t care for her style. Dark, disturbing and I find her characters rather unsympathetic. Bad things kept happening to them and I wasn’t convinced that I really cared… I kept reading it thinking that it would get better and it didn’t.

Innocent in Death by J.D. Robb B
Disturbing little book. I don’t want to give away the answer to this mystery; however, let me say- I’ve been thinking of this one almost every day since I finished it. Yuck. Good book, but the story bothered me a lot.

Dark Moon Defender by Sharon Shinn A+
Aah, yes. Finally a jewel of a book! This is the third in Shinn’s ‘Thirteenth House’ series and brings back all my favorite characters, while furthering one of the group’s stories. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it! Magic, swords, evil vs. good, a little romance. Strong characters, and an interesting world. Very good.


Fall of Knight by Peter David B-
Third in his Arthurian saga. Not as much fun as the others- too much end of the world stuff, and too much stuff denigrating faith and Christianity.

Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer B
Not as good as the Artemis Fowl books. Kind of ‘Encyclopedia Brown marries Veronica Mars and they give birth to the Rug Rats’.

The Door Through Space by Marion Zimmer Bradley B-
This is a reprint of Bradley’s first novel, published in 1961. I admit this is not her best book, but it was a fun read. Kind of pulpy & campy... Takes place on Wolf, which is not Darkover but resembles it in mainly ways- drytowners, ya-men, catmen, red sun, desert, high mountains, chained women, low tech world, hates Earth and all earthlings… Has some themes she will later expand on and explore further (and better) in her Darkover novels… family relationships vs. friend relationships, a main character caught between two worlds, a haunting past.

Finding Laura by Kay Hooper C+
Second read… But it’d been years. I like Hooper’s ideas and characters. However, she believes in reincarnation, which adds a surreal touch to her books. They’re still good, though.

Trollbridge by Jane Yolen & Adam Stemple A
The second in their Rock ‘n Roll YA fantasy series. Fun & silly. This one’s a combo of the twelve dancing princesses and The Three Billy Goats Gruff. A very enjoyable read. (The first one was 'Pay the Piper', a retelling of the 'Pied Piper' tale.)

Cesar’s Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding & Correcting Common Dog Problems by Cesar Milan & Melissa Jo Peltier A
Written by ‘The Dog Whisperer’ on National Geographic. We’ve rented some of these from the library to watch while we’re beading. I think he’s amazing. His ability to get dogs to cooperate is astounding, and I think his opinions on dogs in the US are right on the money. He’s convinced that most dog problems are caused by their owners and after watching him work with a lot of very disturbed dogs, I agree. Though Jake & I aren’t planning on getting a dog until we move from our present residence, reading this has prepared me for some of the challenges in being a dog person. Bonus: It’s also helped some in dealing with my type A, strong-willed daughter!

The Artemis Fowl Files by Eoin Colfer A
Interviews with the characters, some silly additions, plus 2 short stories with all my favorite Fowl characters. Yay! Enjoyed these. Love the world that Colfer has created and it was fun to read a couple of the back stories.

Trading in Danger, Marque and Reprisal and Engaging the Enemy by Elizabeth Moon A+
I love finding a GOOD new series! These are reminiscent of David Weber’s space opera style, but without all the gore. Moon creates a solid believable world, and appealing characters. I’ve enjoyed diving into these books and have had an impossible time putting them down… I’m looking forward to finding the next installment in this series.