The Martian Chronicles

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, 268 pages

What a fantastic series of haunting vignettes about the colonization of Mars! It was high time I read this classic, and I'm glad I did. There will definitely be more Bradbury-reading in my future!

Equal Rites

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett, 213 pages

When a dying wizard accidentally passes on his powers to a baby girl instead of the boy he was expecting, the girl must come to terms with society’s expectations, as well as harness the great powers bestowed upon her, in this witty novel.

I'd been looking for an inroad to Pratchett's Discworld, and this book — which I believe starts the Witches storyline — was an excellent starting place. I thoroughly enjoyed Pratchett's humor (as I assumed I would) and I definitely plan on jumping back into Discworld as soon as I get a chance. Oh, and yay for quick-reading fantasy!

Murder on a Hot Tin Roof

Murder on a Hot Tin Roof by Amanda Matetsky, 277 pages

And here's another lighthearted mystery I read. Yet this one wasn't so fantastic. Set in 1950s New York during a scorching summer, tabloid crime reporter Paige Turner (yes, that's actually the main character's name; I should have known then that the book would stink) and her best friend Abby snoop around to solve the murder of Abby's friend, a rising star actor who was killed the morning after his Broadway debut in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Filled with '50s slang, references, and stereotypes about the gay community (the scene in which Paige dressed up as a lesbian to infiltrate a gay party had me cringing), the book is simultaneously too cutesy and too disturbing. I also hated the fact that the first-person narrative kept breaking the fourth wall to point out her own exaggerations and justifications. Oh, and the mystery has maybe one clue. The rest of the "detecting" is all based on hunches and stereotypes. Bleh.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke, 312 pages

In this lighthearted mystery, baker and amateur detective Hannah Swenson pokes around her hometown to discover who shot the milkman in the alley behind her bakery (while he was eating her prized chocolate chip crunch cookies, no less!), while dodging blind date set-ups from her overbearing mother. I'd never read one of the baking mysteries before, but it's a cute book; light, fun and just what I needed at the time. I can definitely see myself picking up more in the Hannah Swenson series when I need a breather from life.

Oh, and I did copy down one of the recipes in the book before I returned it. One of these days I'll make it and, yes, bring in samples. But my kids may be in college before I get the spare time to make the cookies, so don't anyone hold your breath on them.

The spy who jumped off the screen

The spy who jumped off the screen/Thomas Caplan 386 pg.

I really wanted to like this book...really I did.  Alas, I could not.  Aside from having only 1 woman character (aside from the hooker here and there) the men were obnoxious enough to want to slap.  I know we are supposed to just LOVE the soldier turned movie star turned spy, Ty Hunter.  I know this because he is a wonderful actor, a fine physical specimen and he has a previous serious girlfriend who is dead now.  He is so respectful and polite, we have to be reminded of it several times in the book.  He is also uber smart, knows several languages but is also a great actor so he ACTS like he doesn't understand what people are saying.  The bad guy here is such a creep he spends time with prostitutes then throws their money on the floor and makes them pick it up to show them who is in charge.  Our one woman character is beautiful and accomplished in her work but is in love with the creepy guy who is also the business associate of her god father, the smartest and richest businessman in the world who cares more about her than anything but doesn't notice that her boyfriend is a complete creep and, I guess, never thinks to have him checked out or followed or tracked in any way. 

Ok, so the characters aren't the strong suit here, maybe the plot is better?  Actually it is better but still there are problems and holes.  It is hard to get past the dislike of the people here and the improbabilities of the screen king following through and putting himself at risk over and over again after breaking this case open.  I guess the first world governments still need a James Bond type.  Skip this one and try Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy or something by Olen Stienhaeur

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Bake Sale

Bake Sale/Sara Varon 157 pgs.

Cupcake owns a successful bakery, has hobbies and a best friend, Eggplant.  His dream is to meet the world famous pastry chef Turkish Delight.  When a previously  unknown connection makes this a possibility, Cupcake works hard to earn the money to make the trip.  Of course nothing is ever as easy as it seems and Cupcake has to make a choice.  Cute story, cute illustrations and tempting recipes included.

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Her Fearful Symmetry

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger  406 pp.

This one had been on my "to read" list since it came out a few years ago. I was underwhelmed. The book is well written but loses it's way in the end. It is a ghost story of sorts but that is only a part of the story. Chicago twins Julia and Valentina inherit a flat in London and a considerable amount of money by the aunt they never met--their mother's twin sister Elspeth. The catch is they must live in it for a year and their parents must never visit the flat. In the flat below, is Robert, Elspeth's former lover. Above lives Martin, a crossword puzzle setter with an extreme case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder whose wife has left him. And then there is the ghost of Elspeth who is trapped in the apartment. None of the characters are particularly likable. The twins are dysfunctional without each other, Robert has made a career of researching death, and Martin is trapped in his flat by his mental illness. Late in the book the story takes some strange turns which. I probably could have left this off my "to read" list and never missed it.

Washington: a life

Washington: a life by Ron Chernow 904 pgs.

Another great book about our first president.  This book discloses his personality warts and all.  He was not above taking the best when it was available.  He was ambitious but also very careful to avoid becoming a monarch and voluntarily gave up power after the Revolutionary War and following his second term as president.  His public service was done at the expense of his personal fortune as he was often away from his home for years at a time.  He loved the company of the ladies but there is no evidence that he ever cheated on his wife.  And, for those who dislike the tone of modern politics, we have nothing on the founding fathers who wrote anonymous pamphlets about each other and extensive editorials ripping on each other.  Actually Washington never publicly ripped on his enemies but they certainly did not show him the same courtesy.

I've read several Washington books over the last year or so and I'm still struck about how many decisions got made by the first president that carry over into how we do things today.  He was confident that the country would last awhile and conscious that he was blazing a trail.  Still seems pretty amazing to me when I think of it in the historical context.

Don't be put off by the length of this book.  It is split into 6 sections that you can read almost as individual volumes and then come back to later.

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The Fire Rose/Mercedes Lackey

The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey (Elemental Masters series); historical fantasy, romance, fairy tale; 448 pages

Okay, I know what you're thinking. You're looking at the cover, and struggling to confine the snickers of amusement at the art. What can I say? It was printed in the '90's, so you have to cut it some slack.

This is another reread for me, of a book that's long held a place of honor on my shelves. I'm not saying that it's the best book ever--even the second edition is riddled with typos and anachronisms--but I think my love for it comes from the fact that this was one of the first fantasy novels I ever read, and I bonded with it. (I was 13, and had just finished reading Lord of the Rings--my first fantasy novel!--for the first time. I spent hours in the library trying to find just the right next book; my mom grew tired of waiting, walked up to the shelf, pulled two books off at random, and told me to read them and see if I liked them. This was one of them. Thanks, Mom! Though I think if you knew about some of the creepier parts in this story, you would have thought twice about handing it to a 13-year-old.)

The story is a retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" set in 1905 San Francisco. Rose Hawkins has lost everything with the death of her father, and finds herself forced to take up a position as a governess. But when she arrives, she finds that there are no children in the household--just a reclusive employer to asks her to translates obscure texts on magic and sorcery, mostly concerning legends of the werewolf. Of course, you can guess where it goes from there. Lackey later continued this world into a series: all retellings of fairy tales, set in the 19th or early 20th centuries. This book is often left out of the series because it was printed long before the others, and by another publisher. Nevertheless, it remains my favorite of Lackey's works, for purely sentimental reasons.

Blood Red Road by Moira Young 459 pages

Young's first novel is epic in scope. Saba's twin brother, Lugh is kidnapped and her father murdered by four mysterious cloaked horsemen. Their life far from civilization and other people had been rather barren. Lugh had cross words with their father and had threatened to leave the homestead just before the sandstorm bringing the strangers had arrived. Saba is left with the responsibility of a younger sister. She plans to leave her with a friend of here dead mother and ride off to rescue her brother. Emmi leaves that safe haven to follow Saba. They are captured and Saba is forced to fight for her life in a Coliseum like competition. Saba is a good fighter and quick thinker and devises a plan to escape with her life. She makes friends with the other fighters. She also finds herself attracted to the charming Jack and saves his life not once but twice. Fighting, romance and humor will keep readers entranced.