April Books

Come Thirsty by Max Lucado A
Excellent. I always enjoy reading Lucado’s books. He takes truths I know and turns them on their ear to make them new and fresh. Come Thirsty is about His mercy and the strength He gives us to live out our daily lives.

Hex and the City by Simon Green A-
Aah. We’re getting somewhere! Finally, we’re getting some answers to the mystery of our guy’s past... I enjoy the humor in these so much. Biting & sarcastic, yet fresh and not ancient.

Dismissed with Prejudice by J.A. Jance B-
Okay, there’s really nothing new here. Good mystery. Solid pulp fiction stuff. The only really interesting character thing that happens to J.P. is that he finally admits his slide into alcoholism. I like the character, but I think Jance was still learning the art of writing with Beaumont.

Gathering Blue Lois Lowry A+
Wow. This book is fantastic/excellent. A mystery wrapped in fantasy. Lowry writes of a future that has regressed technologically- a harsh world where the damaged and poor are cast aside.. A parallel to the cruelty of our world. Worth the time.

Grim Tuesday by Garth Nix B
I’ve got what’s going on in the world and the author didn’t have to give a bunch of exposition. The first book in this series, Monday, was really slow and confusing, but Tuesday was much better. Still not Nix’s best work.

Drowned Wednesday by Garth Nix A
I really liked this one. So far, definitely my favorite. Pirates, whales, magic. A damsel in distress, who more or less figures out a way to save herself. Wednesday is fun, definitely not something I can say about the first two...

Jinx by Meg Cabot B-
Cabot generally writes light, rather frivolous stuff and this fits in that category. We’ve got a witch determined to ignore her powers; however, ignoring them is getting her into more trouble than using them wisely... Fun light read.

Creation in Death by Nora Roberts A
A dark addition to this series. We follow the story of Eve, a NYC detective in the year 2050 or so, as she hunts down the bad guys. Roberts has gotten better at writing these as she’s gone through the series. At first they were mysteries with romantic/futuristic twists. Now they lean toward the horror & they’re more than just a good story- they comment on the human condition and what is good & true about life. She used to drop clues so that you could kind of figure out who the murderer is, but now you know. All through the book you’re watching who the murderer is and hoping she can catch him. No clues. No easy solutions.

Three in Death by Nora Roberts B-
Short stories- republished into one book. Not as good as the full stories.

Sleeping with the Fishes by Mary Janice Davidson B-
Silly romance about a half-human/ half-mermaid chick. Very funny, but a little annoying.
Reminded me of these horrible Sunfire romances I used to read in junior high- they were historical romance with a picture of a pretty girl on the cover and two guys on either side of her... She always had to choose between the two guys. Well, in this one there’s an arrogant jerk mer-prince and a nice marine biologist. Why is she struggling to choose between the two? I guess because the mer-dude can ‘understand’ her mer-half. But there’s NO way you’d catch me looking twice at the jerk...

Swimming Without a Net by Mary Janice Davidson B+
Better than the first. Still silly, but not quite so annoying. The mer-folk are trying to decide whether to show themselves to the rest of the world, and they drag our mermaid into the "Pelagic"- the big discussion/debate. We get to see the Mer-prince on his best behavior, and the marine biologist on his worst...

No One to Trust by Iris Johansen B+
I don’t understand why I keep picking up her books! Mom reads them and they’re around the house, but I should know by now that I don’t particularly care for her stuff. This one was better than some of them. I really liked the main character, but yuck! Most of the stuff that happens to Johansen’s characters is just over the top disturbing.

Minor in Possession by J.A. Jance A
In my opinion, this is the best of her Beaumont series. Excellent characterizations, interesting mystery. A very good book. Beaumont’s in an alcoholic recovery ranch and his roommate is murdered with Beau’s gun... Some interesting character things happen, and we get to the heart of Beaumont’s depression.

The Sharing Knife: Legacy by Lois McMaster Bujold A+
Oh, I didn’t want this to end! Magical fantasy. Interesting relationships. Delightful story.

Payment in Kind by J.A. Jance A
The next J.P. Beaumont. In my opinion, this is the best of her mysteries... Minor in Possession was the most interesting character book, but the murder mystery of Payment is fascinating. Plus, we’re still seeing changes in Beaumont’s character...

The House on Parchment Street by Patricia McKillip A
One of her earliest books. A young American girl goes to visit her relatives in England and discovers ghosts in their house. Very good- interesting historical stuff. Good YA fiction.