Wednesday is Library Day!

I've been reading! Bet you didn't know that, huh?
****

Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb
From the cover: When the newly promoted captain of the NYPSD and his wife return a day early from their vacation, they were looking forward to spending time with their bright and vivacious sixteen-year-old daughter who had stayed behind. Not even their worst nightmares could have prepared them for the crime scene that awaited them instead. Brutally murdered in her bedroom, Deena's body showed signs of trauma that horrified even the toughest of cops; including our own Lieutenant Eve Dallas, who was specifically requested by the captain to investigate. When the evidence starts to pile up, Dallas and her team think they are about to arrest their perpetrator; little do they know yet that someone has gone to great lengths to tease and taunt them by using a variety of identities. Overconfidence can lead to careless mistakes. But for Dallas, one mistake might be all she needs to bring justice.

Over the last 2 months, I have gone back and re-read this entire series. I like Robb's writing- She is incredibly gifted at creating characters- painting a vivid portrait in one or two lines, but then she is also pretty amazing at filling in those lines with details. Her mysteries are often not 'true mysteries', in that she does not give the reader everything they need to figure out who-dun-it. Instead, much like a cop show, she follows the police as they investigate the murders and figure out who and why.
She's good, and reading them again reminded me of why- yup, she tells an excellent story, but with her it's all about these characters that you come to know, love and understand. In this series, I particularly enjoy seeing the married couples- they are what we want married couples to be- together. They argue, disagree, and drive each other crazy, and have a great bed-room life; however, they stick it out... Robb also adds in other characters you come to know and love- the partner, the medical examiner, the reporter, the wacky friend...



500 Earrings; New Directions in Contemporary Jewelry Compiled by Lark Books


From the cover: These exquisite earrings, chosen especially for this collection by award-winning artist Alan Revere, capture the most prevalent concepts in contemporary jewelry: exploration of materials, innovative methods, and contemplative solutions alongside a traditional search for beauty.

Fantastic book. Very useful. Wish I owned it, and hadn't borrowed it from the library! The Lark book 500 series is a great idea- they've got a wide variety of them, from jewelry to chairs, from hand-made books to art quilts, from baskets to knives...
I got a lot of ideas out of this one- not that I'm going to copy anything! I'm going to reflect the ideas I see, and make them mine, and I hope, better. ;)
Now that I'm doing metal-smithing so many avenues have opened up, and the book lets me know some of the things that are possible.
A lot of the pieces in this book are purely for the sake of art- not wearable at all- and I want to do wearable art. A whole philosophical difference... Maybe if I were back in school, and could make jewelry just for the process itself and not to learn my craft I would be making different pieces. I don't know. Right now, my goal is to gain a solid knowledge of the craft, to have fun, and to decide which tools I want to invest in for my own shop. I hope that in this process I can create pieces to sell. However, most of these first pieces wouldn't be worth much to anybody except me. That's okay. It's a process. And I'm enjoying the process...



WereHunter by Mercedes Lackey

From the Cover: Lope through the night with a young woman who has been given the power to transform herself into a leopard, but who now finds herself pursued by a hunter who is more than human. Follow the adventures of Skitty, ship's cat extraordinaire, and telepathic problem-solver. Ride with a late night drive on a solitary road who learns that what appears to be a piece of cardboard blowing across the road is actually something very sinister in disguise. Join Lackey's celebrated occult detective Diana Tregarde as she attends a gathering of romance writers and encounters a visitor who passionate desire is for fresh, warm blood. Return to the world of the Heralds of Valdemar. And there's much more.
Lackey's many fans will know what to expect: unforgettable characters in spellbinding stories from a grand master of fantasy and science fiction. And readers just discovering her have a treat in store.

I love short story books- I get a taste of the worlds an author has envisioned. I love Mercedes Lackey- her books appeal to me in many ways- from the characters to the worlds and the story lines. I think my favorite stories in this anthology were the Skitty ones- There's four of 'em and each of them was fun.