Here are some very good review sites:

Lesa The Librarian This is a great review site–Lesa covers YA, teens and adults. She reviews a lot of cozies, thrillers and other mysteries, although she does the occasional non-fiction, mainstream and fantasy. She also has a couple of book drawings each month and gives away free books!

Cozies! and other favorites – A really nice list of cozy authors, interviews, reviews, discussion–all about mysteries and cozies.  I was very pleased to find this one as there just aren’t a lot of mystery sites where I feel at home.

Red Adept Red reviews books that are out on Kindle. She also offers a Kindle subscription to this service if you happen to have an iPod touch, an iPhone or a Kindle! She does very detailed reviews and covers many small press and unknown authors.

Books on the Knob – Brings reviews, Kindle deals, free book deals, Kindle news/releases and general book talk.

Debut and Reviews This is a fun site. Instead of just a review after she reads it, Tia, the host, intros the book, talks about the website, any tidbits she hears about the author and then starts reading. She puts out a post or two as she reads and then finishes with a longer review. A number of authors stop by to comment.

The Book Smugglers – Two very fun book addicts talk all about their love of books. It’s a great site with plenty of reviews, free give-aways, interviews and just a nice atmosphere. They cover romance, paranormal, urban fantasy, fantasy…young adult…probably the back of cereal boxes…

Scott Pack has been in the business for a while and seen it from many angles–book buyer, publisher, editor.  He reviews many an eclectic book, does book giveaways, music discussions, magazine reviews and just your general “what do you think of that.”  It’s a fun site and because he lives in the UK, it often contains a slightly different viewpoint and different books than you might hear about in the US.

Marleen’s Journal Covering all parts of the world, Marleen brings you book thoughts from Ireland. She reads a very wide range and posts all her thoughts–good, bad and otherwise!!!

Mysteries in Paradise, Australia Just what the name says, ma’am. Kerrie covers all kinds of crime!

I recently finished Elizabeth Peters’ Laughter of Dead Kings the sixth and last book in the Vicky Bliss series.  It’s been over ten years since the fifth book came out.  I was so pleased to hear this book was out!   I read it and loved it.  It’s a great little cozy caper.  My full review can be found at BookSpotCentral.

I skimmed two other reviews of this book before reading it–there were some minor complaints about the book being rather drawn out.  I didn’t find this to be the case, but perhaps I just so enjoyed being around the characters again, I didn’t notice any slow spots.  What I did notice was that when looking for a cover shot of the book, the website that seemed to go with the author was woefully short on info about the book–no cover, no hoopla, no mention of the book.   That website was dedicated to the Amelia Peabody series (also a delightful series).  There was a mention of the Vicky Bliss series, but the list hadn’t been updated to include the latest title.  I then found the author website, but it just described the various series–it didn’t even list the names of the books!

Maybe there is another website out there with author info that includes info about this series, but I didn’t find it.  It’s disappointing to see that not much marketing is being done to draw new readers to the series.  It’s a wonderful little set of cozy mysteries with a unique voice.  But unless you were already a reader of the series, I doubt you’d ever hear about this title.   I don’t know if the older titles are still in print, but it seems to me that they are more likely to go back into print if the new book helps create demand.  With the little research I did, I’m guessing that the series will fade into general obscurity due to simple neglect.   It’s too bad.  All six books brought a smile to my face when I read them.

I’ve listed the titles in order below. I linked the first one to Amazon.

* Borrower of the Night: A Vicky Bliss Novel of Suspense (Vicky Bliss Mysteries)
* Street of Five Moons
* Silhouette in Scarlet
* Trojan Gold
* Night Train to Memphis

For anyone that likes Janet Evanovich’s series–Plum Boxed Set 1 (1, 2, 3): Contains One for the Money, Two for the Dough and Three to Get Deadly(Stephanie Plum Novels) and so on, I think you’d like both the Vicky Bliss and Amelia Peabody series.

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED. The winner is:

Liliana of Maryland!!!! Your book will be on its way shortly. Thanks to everyone who entered; and a special shout out to Danna at her Cozy Blog for sending people this way!

In celebration of a new book in the series, I’m giving away a brand-spankin’ new copy of Kaye C. Hill’s first in the series, Dead Woman’s Shoes.

Kaye’s latest book, “The Fall Girl” is available for pre-order at Bookdepository. The release date is around August 12. Woot!!!

This contest is open only to US addresses–However–if you live in the UK, you’ve a little luck: Dead Woman’s Shoe’s is on sale at the publisher site: Creme de la Crime for only 2 pounds! Pretty darn good deal for a trade paperback! (You may need to scroll down to find Dead Woman’s Shoes.)

Dead Woman’s Shoes is a cozy/mystery with a lot of suspense and great characters including Kinky the chihuahua, a missing cat, a vet, a policeman, an entire drama club, and of course, an amateur sleuth, Lexy, who must sort it all out even though she is on the run herself! There are twists and turns, capers–-and many a thread woven into a completely captivating tale. Dead Woman’s Shoes made my list of top books for 2008. I fully expect “The Fall Girl” to make my 2009 list.

If you include your mailing address in the email, and you are selected as the winner, I will announce the winner and mail the book right away. If you don’t want to include your mailing address, I will attempt to contact you via email ONCE. You will have a week to reply with your US mailing address. If I don’t receive an email within the week, I will select another winner. Please enter only one time. Multiple entries will be disqualified!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the covers or the books (if you’re read them!) Earlier, I posted some info about the covers and how the publisher designs their covers.

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to sit down and read. Then too, I’ve started a few books and just not been able to concentrate. Maybe it was the storyline, or maybe it was me. Good news, though! I picked up the first book in Anne George’s Southern Sisters series, and boy was it good. Murder on a Girls’ Night Out: A Southern Sisters Mystery is a cozy mystery. It’s fun, funny and well-plotted. The characters are not only charming, but real–family squabbles, an endearing husband (who sometimes make the heroine so mad she sleeps on the couch!) and good, old fashioned caper activities.

I’m really looking forward to the rest of the series, even though it takes a special series to keep my attention. I think this series will be a keeper. It’s a very nice comfort read, yet it is fast-paced and funny enough to have that special magic that keeps me wanting more. I haven’t read a lot this year, but this book is very likely to make my top reads for the year 2009.

One Jump Ahead by Mark Van Name is a wonderful little sci/fi adventure. Funny how I don’t read much sci/fi compared to fantasy and mysteries, but this year, the books I’ve most enjoyed have been in the sci/fi camp. Anyone who likes John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War series will love this series by Mark Van Name. I’d say I even liked One Jump Ahead just a bit better because I connected with the main character, Jon Moore, better. The creativity in this book gets extra points–there’s some use of animal characters that I really appreciated. There weren’t many female characters, but those that were in the book were fully developed and not stereotypical.

This is a great adventure with interesting and well-developed characters. The main character has some unusual characteristics, rather than your standard strong he-man. I liked that he didn’t spend time drowning his sorrows in booze, and there were several spots where the character stopped–and noticed the waves on the beach or the strange beauty of unusual woodwork.

For non-sci/fi readers, this book is a lot like Frederick Forsyth’s Avenger. Fans of Forsyth that haven’t ventured into sci/fi would do well to start here. Some excellent reconnaissance setups and “infiltration.”

Full review over at Bookspot.

Fabulous, just FABULOUS! I was going to make Magic Burns (Kate Daniels, Book 2) by Ilona Andrews the book of the month, however, I have in my hot little hands, Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels, Book 3) and I suspect that it will also make my top list, which means I’ll have another book of the week for May!!!

Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, Book 1) is the first in the Kate Daniels series and I highly, highly recommend it. It easily made my Books of the Year for 2008!!! Book two is bound to make it into the list for 2009.

These are strong urban fantasy books that use a lot of interesting, well-researched myth characters–not just a vampire or werewolf. The books have a touch of old fashioned romance. When there are vampires, they are also not your standard creatures, a take that I enjoyed because instead of trying to make a dead thing romantic, Andrews’ character knows dead is dead! Kate is a modern day warrior in Atlanta where the magic is back–but only in waves, existing next to technology when the magic isn’t working.

The links above go to Amazon where I noticed that the titles are on the buy 4 books for the price of 3 as of May 1–get all three. They are that good. If you need a recommendation for a fourth title, just let me know. I have oodles of recommendations!

Update:
My review of “Magic Strikes” the third in the series is over at BookSpotCentral Review. I loved it, of course. These books really made my week!!!

While doing the review and checking the copyright, I noticed that “Ilona Andrews” appears to be two people–Ilona and Andrew Gordon. One of these days I’ll have to look into this mystery of two people and find out just how it all works out into a book. No matter who is doing the writing, it’s just wonderful stuff!!!

The Dragons of Hazlett by Michelle Scott is a good debut. This is a beach read; nothing complex, a nice read for a quiet afternoon. I read it as an e-book, which is particularly good for stories that don’t require a lot of concentration. (I don’t own a fancy e-reader, I read on my laptop, which probably lacks the sophisticated features that make reading online easier.)

It took me a while to get used to the premise because it’s a little unusual: mechanical items are taboo and considered occult. What’s funny is that in real history, mechanical items were often thought evil, yet in fantasy, it’s almost always magic that is the occult. So I’m reading along with certain expectations and finding myself in a bit of a different place. Not a bad thing, but I found myself thinking, “Hey! Everyone knows that mechanical items are just…” Some of the examples of “mechanical” could have made the concept easier to accept. There’s one scene where the protag doesn’t really know what an arrow is…that brought me up short because it took my mind a while to wrap around the concept that in any world an arrow wouldn’t be common place (why waste magic when something as simple as an arrow would do?)

This is a murder mystery at heart and a good one. Romana’s granduncle has been murdered and though she didn’t know him, she is determined to find his killer. Even though it means accepting some unpleasant truths about his life and going to an unknown city where she has no friends or other family she takes on the duty with determination.

There were two POVs to the story, but the author kept it nicely simple. The character development was strong enough that I didn’t mind the two POVs—I cared about both characters enough to like both segments and not get annoyed at moving back and forth. That said, the character motivations were very simple. I’d have enjoyed a bit more complexity in motivations from both the main POVs and the other characters in the story. The characters are not one-dimensional, but they are simply stated rather than having hidden facets.

The actual plot is where the dimensions of the story is fleshed out. Just when things look simple, there’s a bit of a twist or at least an alleyway. Nicely done—right up until the end battle. It was a nice ending, had great tension, but then it dropped it suddenly. After some of the setup shown earlier in the story (which I can’t reveal as it would be a spoiler) the climax needed to deal with the issue as the true battle it was. Instead, it was packaged neatly and dispensed with. There were certainly other plot elements that were handled with the complexity they deserved so the ending felt a little like the author had a word limit.

Despite the rushed ending, this is a good story and a pleasant way to spend the afternoon. It’s easily worth the e-book price (about 5 dollars) and for those that don’t do e-books, it’s also available as Trade Paperback (click on the title links in this post to go to Amazon). Though it’s not labeled YA and probably rightly so because it isn’t a perfect fit, The Dragons of Hazlett would be good reading for that category as well as adult–I’d call it a cozy/fantasy/mystery.

(Cover Art by Skyla Dawn Cameron)

On the reading front, I just reviewed two very good books over at BookSpotCentral (click links below to read the reviews):

New Tricks by John Levitt – This one is definitely going on my books of the year list. The first in the series is Dog Days. I loved them both. If you love urban fantasy, this series is for you.

Shadowmagic by John Lenahan – This one is also very good; an unintended quest survival tale with a family-oriented twist. Good humor in this fast YA read.

Working Girl Reviews has reviewed Executive Lunch! What a thrill! Okay, anytime someone reviews my book, my first reaction is a bit of tummy-roil. What if…they hated it? What if..they liked it??? What if…they meander around and talk about their dog, their cat or their raincoat and somehow people think my book is about walking the dog in the rain???

Of course, I do try to be choosy about who I offer the book to for review purposes. I like a review site that is thoughtful, has reviewers who know how to spell and of course, has reviewers who love to read!!! It’s also nice if I like the same types of books they do–that way I also find new gems to read. Working Girl Reviews fit the bill for me, so I sent along a review copy and lo! I got a four-shoe review!

Here’s my favorite part:

To be honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy this book by self-published author Maria E. Schneider. I work from home and I’ve never been in the corporate world. Mysteries aren’t my favorite genre and I’ve never been much into sleuth capers. So, why did I even decide to read this book? I took a peek at Maria’s blog and online postings at bearmountainbooks.com. After a little reading there I felt like I knew her and wanted to give her book a chance. She is down to earth and realistic. She isn’t expecting her works to be on Oprah’s next book list but rather is writing for the enjoyment it brings to her.

That pretty much sums it up. All most authors want is a chance to be read!

Unleashed is the third book in my favorite Urban Fantasy series and is released into the wild, today, Nov 24. The first in the series is Dog Days (Ace Fantasy Book) and the second is New Tricks. If you haven’t read the first two, they are a great place to start.

I reviewed Unleashed for BSCreview–my last review for them! Here’s the review:

From the San Francisco aura described in the first paragraph to the magic on the last page, this book never let up. It’s action-packed danger, a see-saw between clues and just staying alive.

Not only did the characters grow and change in Unleashed, we get some unfinished business cleaned up. There were a few loose ends from novels one and two, but nothing that seemed major until this book, where we get to see what has been festering in the background. Mason has accepted that as a practioner of magic, he has some responsibility to the community. He’s more willing to look into problems and help clean them up. He’s still impatient and impulsive, but he’s also getting smarter.

Levitt uses his respect for and experience with music to describe magic and its traits, an analogy that really works, especially if you’ve ever heard someone play that has an indescribable talent, something beyond the mere human touch. His world-building is subtle; many times magic doesn’t even seem magic. It’s just another color or iridescent hue across the pallet. It’s a dog being a dog–is it magic, intelligence, or both?

Levitt’s biggest strength in world-building is his ability to create depth in characters–from the monsters to the people and everything in-between. There’s a subtle message that big, ugly and mean don’t always equate to true monster. There’s even a case made that those hanging on to what we view as sanity might be just a horse of a different color–a dangerous horse, but of value nonetheless. When dealing with something beautiful, be it a person or a place, you never know whether to expect poison or peace. The constant mixing of the world adds a realism that is unexpected, but delightful.

The mystery plot in Unleashed is very strong, probably the strongest of the three books and certainly the most tangled. There were enough red herrings to keep me guessing all the way through the book. Who was the guilty party? Who??? Every time Mason and Lou came close, there were more clues–and more false trails to be explored.

I could nitpick a character flaw or two and definitely pick on an area where I didn’t love the logic, but the plot moved so quickly, a minute detail here or there wasn’t important enough to hold me back. Magic isn’t always logical, and neither are monsters–be they human or other.

There are very few books I want to read twice. Unleashed made me want to go back and re-read books one and two. And before I was even done with Unleashed, I wanted to read it all over again.

Note: There are Kindle editions for “New Trick” and for “Unleashed,” but not “Dog Days.” The Kindle edition is about a dollar and a half cheaper than the 7.99 paperback. However, “Dog Days” and “New Tricks” are both available as part of the “order 4 books and pay for 3.” It’s possible Unleashed will be added to that deal…but if you need recommendations for how to fill out that order to 4 books, let me know. More than happy to help!

Jim Hine’s “Goblin War” is available starting today at your nearest bookstore!

Jim was kind enough to answer a few questions for readers. The full interview is posted below:

Jim, welcome to Fantasybookspot and thanks for answering our questions! First, here’s a little information about Jim C. Hines, the author of the Goblin trilogy:

Jim C. Hines began writing in the early 90s, while working on a degree in psychology from Michigan State University. For many years, he focused on short fiction. His work has appeared in Realms of Fantasy, Turn the Other Chick, Sword and Sorceress XXI, and over thirty other magazines and anthologies.

His first published fantasy novel was Goblin Quest, a funny, popular* tale about a nearsighted goblin runt named Jig. Goblin Hero followed in 2007, and Goblin War will be out in March of 2008.

DAW will also be publishing The Stepsister Scheme, which will hopefully be the first book in a new series.

Jim lives in mid-Michigan with his wife and children, who have always shown remarkable tolerance for his bizarre and obsessive writing habits.

Maria: Goblin War is a great little read. I loved the new setting (Poor Jig had to go outside his “safe” mountain lair) and I really enjoyed the new cast of characters. What was the most challenging aspect of writing in the new setting?

Jim: Thank you! After two books exploring the caves, it was time to get Jig out into the world. See more places, meet more people who want to kill you, that sort of thing. The new characters were fun, but it was also nice to revisit a few old friends. I do wish I had been able to spend more time with Oakbottom … one of these days, I may have to give him his own story.

One challenge was trying to keep everything interesting. Jig gets around in this book, to several towns and camps, each of which needed its own history and description to distinguish it from Generic Medieval City #15239. I’m particularly fond of Avery. Making it a formerly-elven town which had passed into human hands opened the way for a lot of entertaining details.

Maria: While my favorite characters will always be Jig and his pet fire-spider, Smudge, I really took a liking to Shadowstar, the “god” that pesters Jig. I thought your storyline there was brilliant, fun and…quite human. Have you known all along how Shadowstar’s history meshed with Jig or is this something you invented solely for Goblin War?

Jim: I would like to say that I planned it all from day one, because that would make me look far smarter than I really am. The truth is, it wasn’t until after the second book that I started thinking more about Shadowstar’s history. This led to some problems as I was writing Goblin War. Things I tossed into the first book because they were funny suddenly needed to make sense in the context of Shadowstar’s overall backstory. (The lizard bit was a huge headache.) I also had to figure out why a relatively nice, peaceful god like Tyamlous Shadowstar would have gone to war in the first place. (It’s mentioned in Goblin Quest that Shadowstar was one of the Forgotten Gods who rebelled during the War of Shadows.)

Showing how he and Jig came together from Shadowstar’s point of view was also a little tricky, though it was fun getting to see some of Jig’s history through those divine eyes. I’m very proud of the end result, and I’m eager to see what readers think.

Maria: Will Goblin Quest (and the rest of the series) come out in audio?

Jim: It will indeed! Just … not in English. But if you speak German, the first two books have been released on CD by my German publisher. I would love to see an audio version in English, but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards right now. We should be getting a goblin short or two in audio format one of these days, though. I’ll post the links from my blog and web site when they go live.

Maria: If you could choose a “voice” to do the Goblin series…who would it be???

Jim: In the past, I’ve said Patrick Stewart, simply because I want to hear that cultured Shakespearean voice doing Jig’s, “Oh, dung!” James Earl Jones would be fun, for similar reasons.

But if I could choose, I’d probably go with Jim Dale, who did the audio version of the Harry Potter series. I was very impressed with his skills as a voice actor. In some cases, I thought his characterization through voice alone exceeded what we saw on the screen. I would love to hear him bring my goblins to life.

Maria: You mean—you hear your Goblins—with an English accent?

Jim: Hm … good point. I could imagine Barius and Ryslind with the accent, and I suspect Dale would do a marvelous job with Darnak the dwarf. Ooh, what about Wil Wheaton? Do you think he’d make a good Jig?

Maria: Somehow I was thinking more a combo of James Belushi, Dan Aykroyd—and Billy Crystal as Jig, of course. Shrug. Oh well, maybe they can do the movie. Belushi…or Aykroyd as Shadowstar…now, there’s a thought!

Maria: With Goblin Quest you did a lot of online interviews, book signings, contests with book art, etc. From reading your blog, I know you’ve found a lot of the marketing aspects frustrating. If you could only do one thing–what do you think is the most effective promotion tool?

Jim: If I could do only one single thing? That’s easy; I’d write the next book. The release of Goblin Hero is the only thing (aside from Christmas) that ever caused a visible spike in my sales numbers for Goblin Quest.

I have a limited amount of time, energy, and money, so the actual writing has to come first. But I do what I can to help promote the books. The blog has been great that way. Not only have some of my readers found me and my books that way, but I get to chat and interact with a lot of great people.

I also made up some temporary tattoos of Jig. I don’t know if they’ve sold books, but they’re definitely fun!

Maria: I was very exited to see one of your short stories, Blade of the Bunny—first published in Writers of the Future—available in a “pick and build your own anthology” over at www.AnthologyBuilder.com Any chance we’ll see some of the short-stories that star Jig and Smudge over there? I’m building an anthology now, and I’d love to have a few more Jim Hines stories in there (Hint: especially Goblin Lullaby).

Jim: AnthologyBuilder is such a great project. I have no idea whether or not it will take off, but I’d like to see it do well. I’m excited to see Nancy Fulda trying something new in terms of publishing and distribution. (It was particularly nice to see that “Blade of the Bunny” was one of their top-selling stories!)

I’ve sold “Goblin Lullaby” to Podcastle, and “Goblin Hunter” (the short story formerly known as “Goblin Hero,” no relation to the book) to Clonepod. I’m looking forward to hearing these stories performed, but I don’t want to steal their thunder by publishing the stories elsewhere first, if that makes sense?

But getting the goblin short stories out there for more people to read is certainly on my To Do list.

Maria: So, if I’m looking, where can I find more short stories by Jim Hines?

Fictionwise has some of them. A lot of the anthologies I’ve sold to are still in print, like Fantasy Gone Wrong, If I Were an Evil Overlord, and Places to Be, People to Kill. Magic in the Mirrorstone should be out by the time this interview goes live, and includes a goblin story about Veka that takes place after the second book. The anthology Prime Codex has a reprint of “Sister of the Hedge,” the story that’s currently on the preliminary Nebula ballot. (We’ll see if it makes the finals — cross your fingers for me!)

My web site (www.jimchines.com) has a full bibliography, for any true collectors

Thanks for the great questions, Maria! It’s been fun!

Thank you, Jim.

I got a really special present in the mail today–a signed, limited edition of a hardback. I’ve never owned a limited edition before–and mine is a numbered one at that! My book is number 13 (pretty darn cool!) Not only that, this book is only out in the UK so far. (It can be ordered on bookdepository for those of use living in, well, other than the UK. I would imagine that Amazon UK also has it available.)

Check out this description:

Conor thought he was an average 21st century teenager. OK, so his father only had one hand and was a bit on the eccentric side but, other than that, life was fairly normal. Until, that is, two Celtic warriors on horseback and wearing full armour appear at hsi front door and try to kill him.

I will be reporting back on this fabulous book!!!

Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter (Dixie Hemingway Mysteries, No. 1) by Blaize Clement was a great little read. I don’t usually like mysteries that involve anyone getting over their grief, but this was handled as such a real, but manageable problem in the novel, that it pulled my heartstrings without bogging it down or breaking. The novel was fun, very fast-paced, warm and well-done. There are cats and dogs–and the author doesn’t stint when it comes to giving them a role in the novel, making this a wonderful read.

The character development is top-notch and there are enough side plots going on that it was impossible for me to guess the culprit. The personalities were real and complicated. There’s plenty of room for Dixie (the main character) to grow and develop. She has a heart (she’s a pet sitter, she *has* to have one or more!) and I’m greatly looking forward to her next adventure.

One of the books that I finished when I returned from Europe was, Recollections: A Baby Boomer’s Memories of the Fabulous Fifties. I downloaded the ebook version from Smashwords and read it on my laptop using the Mobipocket reader. It is also available in trade paperback and has some great pictures on the cover.

As I said when I started the book earlier–I enjoyed it. There were a lot of nifty little history facts thrown into a vivid recollection of better, simpler days. Oh, it wasn’t all glory and greatness; the author paid attention to the political upheaval during the times–race issues, the cold war and the like, but he managed to do it without preaching. The author captured that feeling of sitting around talking to relatives where they’re discussing their favorite parts of childhood–their toys, the commercials and tv shows they loved, the silly things that all kids do that get them into trouble. By the time I finished reading, I felt like I had been talking to one of my aunts or uncles for a couple of hours. Even though the author says in the description that the book isn’t a memoir, it’s the personal experiences and little side jokes that make the book special. I reviewed it on Smashwords and Amazon; it’s a good book to read on rainy day with a cup of coffee or tea.

As I said in my review, I only wish the author had included a few of those wonderful-sounding recipes from the golden days!!!! I can almost taste the butter pie crusts melting in my mouth!

Another really great read–Glass Houses by Rachel Caine is an YA novel, but oh, so readable for us fun-loving, adventure-reading adults (The cover isn’t so great, but ignore that). Although this story has vampires in it, it’s a character-based novel. There’s nice development on the theme of what it is like to be a misfit and trying to fit in, but not quite sure fitting in matters. Claire is off to college in a strange town–she is younger than her peers (16) because she’s got a lot of brain power. She loves school. She doesn’t believe in vampires–they aren’t good, cold science. This is going to be a problem for her because the town just so happens to be run by vampires.

The victim of some serious hazing, Clair ends up trying to live off-campus when she’s forced to run for her life–and that was just from the humans. Hunted by vampires, trying to help the roommates that took her in, keep her grades up and try to solve a mystery or two–she has a lot of responsibility on her shoulders. She isn’t always up for the job either, but she’s stubborn, smart and brave (foolish?)

This is a fun romp with a great little plot. Caine does a magnificant job of building tension without overdoing it, and she created a real page-turner here. My only complaint is that she ended the book on a cliffhanger. This never works for me because instead of feeling satisfied, I feel a tad cheated. It’s an effective device for wanting to make me run out and get the next book (very much so) but being me, I won’t do it right away because I get disgruntled. Don’t let that stop you from reading–just have both books one and two on hand before you get started. You won’t be disappointed! Rachel Caine is going straight into my list of favorite authors.

Been a while since a book has made an entire post by itself.  This one will make the author favorite lists as well.

The Automatic Detective by A. Lee Martinez   With a pulp-fiction cover and the ridiculous idea that anyone would want to read about a robot detective in a futurized (and much changed) earth, this book is a great read.  It’s funny, it’s comical, it’s absorbing and most of all, it’s FUN.   Martinez does such a good job with characterization, this robot manages to be endearing yet stay within the bounderies of a robot!  Fantastic!

I’m not sure I am going to do many reviews–but I thought I’d give this book a thumbs up.

Goblin Quest by Jim C. Hines is an excellent book! It’s a twist on the typical human hero quest–this story is told from the point of the Goblin, Jig, who is forced to help humans hunt their treasure. Usually the enemy, this poor Goblin knows he could be killed at any moment by his companions or by the risks his companions insist on taking.

He just doesn’t understand why the adventurers want to put themselves at risk over something that isn’t food! (A Goblin after my own heart!) What is a bit of gold or some magical thing? You can’t eat it, and you can’t curl up near it and be warm!

As with any quest, there is danger and adventure as the “heroes” search through caverns and tunnels, but the book is also quite funny in spots. It has warm-hearted moments too–although one wouldn’t expect it from a Goblin, this Goblin has a pet. By default Smudge is taken along on the quest. Smudge may very well be the most endearing character in the story; he’s certainly the strangest.

Overall this was a fabulous read–a book I read in one sitting!

Here’s a link to the author website where there are some other stories, mostly short stories listed:

Goblin Quest

Michael Jecks has written some 22 historical mysteries involving the characters Baldwin (loosely, an investigator for the king) and Simon (a bailiff). Jecks is a meticulous researcher and always includes frontmatter that describes a bit of his research. In this case it is a snipet of real history that caught his attention and led him to the main plot and subplots of the story. The Malice of Unnatural Death is based on rumors of necromancy and an attempt to kill the king–in this particular book, I think I would recommend reading the frontmatter last. It does provide quite a bit of foreshadowing and hints of what it is to come.

One of the most fascinating parts of reading a Jecks historical novel is the knowledge that he used real people–people whose feet walked on the actual cobblestones, people who ate hard bread, drank ale from mean cups…knowing that these people really existed creates a sense of wonder in the story as it unfolds.

Jecks other strength is in his depiction of the time period. The daily lives of the characters, from peasants to bishops to king’s messangers, appear so ordinary, so human. Minute details are littered through the text: eating habits, the fact that a typical woman of the time is lucky to own two pots, the fact that many a peasant–even one with a home–might do without the benefit of furniture. These details are not shown in a pitying way; they are just laid out as part of the daily routine.

Jecks employs several POVs in telling his stories; in fact, I do believe he uses more POVs than in any other book I have ever read. The skill is in bringing unrelated lives into a satisfying conclusion where all the bits and pieces fit. Much like a Patterson novel, no one section is too long, and I was often left wanting to continue with a particular character, when just like that, I was back with another. Tension builds as the book progresses because it seems that more and more of the characters find themselves in a trouble spot. Early on it becomes clear which character is guilty of murder–the plot works because as the clues are doled out to the heros–Simon and Baldwin–you are eager to see what they will learn next and how they will gather together the various characters and their seemingly unrelated lives.

The worldbuilding is every bit as intricate as that of a fantasy novel; the difference being Jecks builds it from a keen knowledge and sense of history, filling in the lives and weaving a mysterious tale in the process. If you’re looking to be transported to another world for an afternoon or two, The Malice of Unnatural Death is an interesting journey–but take your cloak and perhaps a dagger. History shows, it’s not a safe place to walk.

I’ve mentioned in my post on favorite authors that Carol O’Connell is one of my favorites. Her standalone “Judas Child” is a good place to start if you haven’t tried any of her books. Make sure you have plenty of time to read–you won’t put it down for sleep, food or a fire until you’re finished!

I just completed her latest Mallory novel–”Find Me.” Wow, what an excellent read. In short, I enjoyed all of the Mallory books in the series. The one previous to this one, “Winter House” made me wonder a little if O’Connell was ever going to answer the questions about Mallory’s childhood–clues had been strung out across the series of eight books. I don’t like to continue a series if I feel it has turned into a never-ending soap opera. Good news–in Find Me, she not only had Mallory chasing a serial killer she focused on Mallory’s fascinating past!

This book is an edge-of-your-seat read. They don’t get any better than this.

Jim Hines is out with his second novel in the Goblin series, another engaging tale of Jig the Goblin (or Jig Dragonslayer as he has become known in Goblin circles!) Jig is still that wonderfully comforting Reluctant Hero. As an added twist, in this adventure he must “compete” with another Hero, the goblin Veka, who dreams of making a name for herself.

Jig and his partner Smudge remain my favorites in the book. Jig is a determined character and the creativity he uses to get himself out of messes is often funny, almost always effective and in general, safe for kids to try at home–except for the ones involving his sword, which come to think of it, occur quite ofen. Honestly, Goblin Hero is a great book for young adults. The hidden message of the book — how much to sacrifice in order to achieve fame and greatness — is very subtle, but certainly applicable in today’s world. This grand adventure also requires bravery and self-sacrifice as Jig investigates a dire threat that affects not only his Goblin nest, but that of the Hobgoblins and Ogres.

Goblin Hero was paced a bit slower than Goblin Quest, or perhaps I found it so because of the duel POVs, one for Veka and one for Jig. Luckily for me, Hines spends most of his time with Jig, who is the more endearing and familiar. Veka certainly has opportunity to grow as a character, but in this book she plays the foil and there are times when you’d like to hop in the book and smack her yourself.

This is a great weekend read for when you want to enter a different, but familiar world with characters you’ve come to know. Do wear gloves and appropriate headgear however. This familiar world is that of the Goblins and it does include latrines!

For pictures of the cover–including a very good German cover with Veka–check out Jim’s blog

You may recall that I’ve been heavily researching for an upcoming cruise that includes Rome, France and Spain. The ship ends the trip in this little place along the Spanish coast called Malaga. I perused many a Spain guide and found little to nothing helpful. Oh sure, the main guides listed Malaga along with a place or two for eating and sleeping, but details were pretty scant. Since the cruise ends in Malaga, I wanted to spend a couple of days there so that dad had a better chance to experience Spain (one side of his family came from Spain long, long ago.) There are bigger cities we could travel to with much better known monuments, museums and sights, but there’s really nothing like being able to settle in one place and explore.

Enter:
Footsteps Guides: Footsteps Through the City of Malaga

Wow, what a nice little guide. It’s full color, coated paper with plenty of pictures. It covers not just the main highlights, but little gardens, smaller museums and some interesting local history. There’s nice instructions for walking through what sounds like a delightful and quaint city. No, it doesn’t tell you the five best places to stay or eat–rather it gives you enough information to help you decide how long you might be happy exploring the city, what there is to see and how to go about seeing it. It’s not a huge guide (60 brochure style pages), but it seems to cover the territory well. There’s a nice section towards the end that discusses a local cemetery, a 1900 shipwreck and some info on famous people of the Malaga area.

This is exactly the type of guide I love. It allows me to explore the city before I arrive so that I can decide what I want to see. It ensures that I know where to go when I want a quiet hour or so at a park or garden. And with a guide like this, I won’t feel that I missed anything!

Because restaurants and hotels are ever changing, the publisher opted to let other guides cover that. I cheated though. I wrote to the email address at the website and got some very helpful hints! Maybe in the future, Footsteps will consider having a forum where people can talk about restaurants or hotels that worked out well.

I’ll update this post or post again after the trip to let you know how the guide worked out with actual use in the city. I have high expectations.

The guide is also available at: Bookdespository.com