Tag Archives: reviewettes

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity limps along

15 Comments

Congrats to Melandra, who won Out of Time by Clare London!

Congrats to Ardent Ereader, who won Making It Pay by JL Merrow!

Randonymity

  • I spent Wednesday evening in the emergency room with what they initially thought were kidney stones, but which turned out to be a ruptured hemorrhagic ovarian cyst. Yay, painkillers!

Contest(s)

Bookity

Do, Make, Think, Learn

Cookity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
All Clear (All Clear #2) by Connie Willis. No reviewette I write can possibly do this book (or really, the single book composed of Blackout and All Clear) justice. Amazing. Epic. Subtlety of detail that had me paging back to confirm something hinted. Love. Loss. Loyalty. Uncertainty. Hope. Humor. Tragedy. The triumph of the human spirit. Connie Willis has outdone herself with this amazing tale of time travel so deeply rooted in place. Her Hugo and Nebula awards for Blackout/All Clear bring her lifetime totals to eleven Hugos and seven Nebulas. Make sure you have both books on hand and clear your schedule for a few days…
Fire Watch by Connie Willis. Pretty good short that introduced us to the time-traveling historians of Oxford. When comparing this to Blackout/All Clear, you can really see how much Willis has honed her craft over the years.
To Say Nothing of the Dog, or How We Found the Bishop’s Bird Stump at Last by Connie Willis. Delightfully excellent romp through 1888 and 1940 with the time-traveling historians of Oxford. If you’re reading it for the first time, don’t be concerned when you have absolutely no idea what’s going on for the first quarter of the book. You’re in the narrator’s headspace and he has no idea, either.
For Heaven’s Eyes Only (Secret Histories #5) by Simon R Green. Ok continuation of this James Bond-inspired paranormal series. Yet another cliffhanger. Don’t be surprised when I suddenly stop reading the series, even if I have the next book on hand. Cliffies really piss me off.
Live and Let Drood (Secret Histories #6) by Simon R Green. Another ok continuation of this paranormal series. At least it wasn’t a cliffie!

“…zzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Chaos

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity is taking a four day weekend, falalalalala!

14 Comments

Randonymity

  • Finished a Christmas gift:

Bookity

Think, Make, Learn, Do

Cookity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
The Spy Who Haunted Me (Secret Histories #3) by Simon R Green. Ok paranormal thriller in which Eddie is teamed up with five other agents, who must work together and compete against each other to solve five great mysteries. The best part of this was Walker from the Nightside being one of the agents.
From Hell with Love (Secret Histories #4) by Simon R Green. Ok continuation of this paranormal thriller series. I would’ve been severely annoyed about the cliffhanger ending if I hadn’t had the next book on hand.
Blackout (All Clear #1) by Connie Willis. Very good story about the delightful chaotic time traveling historians of Oxford. Of course things go terribly awry. 🙂 Be warned that this is the first half of a story and things stop at a precarious point, so have All Clear on hand to continue. *hopes that someone returns an ebook copy to my library very, very soon*

“Socks socks socks socks socks!” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity fears winter is drawing nigh

7 Comments

Contest(s)

Bookity

Do, Think, Make, Learn

Cookity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Daemons Are Forever (Secret Histories #2) by Simon R Green. Pretty good continuation of this paranormal suspense series loosely (very loosely) based on James Bond: Eddie Drood is Bond, the Armourer is Q, Penny is Moneypenny, the Matriarch is M, and the books’ titles are hauntingly not-quite-familiar.
Libriomancer (Magic Ex Libris #1) by Jim C. Hines. Good contemporary fantasy about a wizard whose power is being able to make things from books real. Due to a magical mishap, he’s been relegated to working as a librarian in the UP (Michigan’s Upper Peninsula) and not using magic… until the shit hits the fan, of course.
Codex Born (Magic Ex Libris #2) by Jim C. Hines. Ok continuation of this contemporary fantasy series about a UP book mage and the dryad he loves. That’s a radical simplification of things, but I’m still annoyed about the ending – it wasn’t a cliffie, but things were left way too wide open. If that happens with the next book, I won’t continue reading the series.

“Mom, I’m pretty sure you should back away slowly from the photo effects.” -Mayhem

Covers, Linkity linkity link, Reviewettes

Halloweenity!

8 Comments

Bookity

Think, Learn, Do, Make

Cookity

Drinkity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
The Man with the Golden Torc (Secret Histories #1) by Simon R Green. Good paranormal thriller about Eddie Drood, the black sheep of a massive family that quietly protects the world from the supernatural. I was completely surprised by all of the turns this one took! *still  boggled* This isn’t rated higher because there was an awful lot of exposition that felt unnecessary and at times unending.

“I wish the windows were open. Mom is mean.” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity leaking lime (I have no idea what these titles mean, either)

8 Comments

Congrats to Sara, who won A Time for Loving by Nico Jaye, plus a “Love” ring!

Congrats to Carolyn, who won Trick or Treat by JL Merrow!

Randonymity

  • A bookmobile in front of the Wild Rumpus bookstore in Minneapolis last weekend:

Bookity

Think, Learn, Do, Make

Cookity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes – Photographs from the International Space Station by Chris Hadfield. Amazing, perspective altering photos of the Earth from the International Space Station, as taken by Commander Chris Hadfield during his nearly 3000 orbits of the planet. Apparently he took nearly 45,000 photos turning his time aboard the ISS – I can’t imagine how much work it was to sort them and identify the locations…
An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything by Chris Hadfield. Colonel Chris Hadfield’s engrossing autobiography provides a fascinating look at not only his life and the path he chose to becoming an astronaut, but also incredible glimpses of what it was like to fly on the Shuttle, ride a Soyuz to and from the International Space Station (ISS), and live in the ISS for five months. Throughout the book, Hadfield’s sense of humor and joy, as well as his levelheadedness, shine through and provide insight into living a more fulfilling life here on Earth.
Widdershins (Whyborne & Griffin #1) by Jordan L Hawke. Good paranormal m/m romance about repressed scholar Whyborne who gets involved in private detective Griffin’s investigation of a mysterious death. The especially mysterious and paranormally bits were straight out of HP Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. Truly, having studied at Miskatonic University in Arkham, the town of Widdershins would have to be Very Odd Indeed for Whyborne to notice anything amiss. And Whyborne’s colleague at the museum, Christine, reminded me a bit of Amelia Peabody.

“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Chaos

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity leeway lacks

6 Comments

Don’t forget to enter the contest for Cutting Out (Cutting Cords #4) by Mickie B Ashling! Closes 7 pm CDT, Tuesday, October 28.

Congrats to Lee T, who won Danny and Mike (2nd ed) by Valentina Heart!

Bookity

Learn, Do, Make, Think

Cookity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Cited to Death (Jamie Brodie #1) by Meg Perry. Good mystery about an academic librarian who receives a puzzling letter from a recently deceased ex-boyfriend (a medical librarian) and encounters no end of problems as he tries to figure out the puzzle.
Hoarded to Death (Jamie Brodie #2) by Meg Perry. Pretty good mystery in which Jamie agrees to go on a hoarding show to help his ex-sister-in-law. While I really appreciated that Jamie and his boyfriend deal with issues in a realistic way, I got annoyed by how contrived the plotlines were.
Burdened to Death (Jamie Brodie #3) by Meg Perry. Ok continuation of the series as Jamie and Pete continue working on their relationship issues and it didn’t really feel as if the “mystery” had enough substance for the book.
Researched to Death (Jamie Brody #4) by Meg Perry. Good series continuation as both Jamie and Pete’s ex-boyfriends turn up, Jamie gets involved in a murderous search for an old book, and, of course, Jamie and Pete continue to work on their relationship issues. Fortunately, the mystery in this one was more substantial than in the previous book, although I think both mystery and relationship issues could’ve been edited down to decrease how repetitive and contrived things felt by the end.
Hidden (Alex Verus #5) by Benedict Jacka. Good continuation of this urban fantasy series about a London mage specializing in divination, although you’d think his specialty was finding trouble!
Hockey Abstract 2014 by Rob Vollman, Tom Awad, & Ian Fyffe. Very good explanation, using NHL examples, of the basics of hockey analytics. This edition builds on what was covered in the 2013 edition, including discussing where and why their predictions for the 2013-2014 season went wrong. I’ll definitely be rereading this to help all the concepts sink in.

“squirrelsquirrelsquirrelsquirrelsquirrelsquirrelsquirrelsquirrel!* -Mayhem

The squirrel is hard to see – it’s between May’s body and the curtain (but outside, fortunately!).

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity is forced to admit that it’s fall

11 Comments

Contest(s)

Bookity

Think, Make, Learn, Do

Cookity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook: Revolutionary Techniques, Groundbreaking Recipes by America’s Test Kitchen. What I liked the most about this cookbook is its approach to gluten-free cooking. Instead of just providing recipes, America’s Test Kitchen explains what they tried that didn’t work as they developed each recipe. Maybe that doesn’t sound like a big deal, but gluten-free cooking (especially baking) requires a completely different sort of cooking chemistry than what most people are familiar with. Because they explained what the challenges of each recipes were, what they tried, why they tried it, and how successful the results were, I learned more about gluten-free cooking from this cookbook than I’d learned in my previous 18 years of being gluten-free. While the baking recipes use a flour blend developed by America’s Test Kitchen (which can be made in bulk for less than buying flour blends), each recipe also includes adaptations for using two different commercially available flour blends.
Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over the World by Anne Jamison. I’ve officially given up on this one – I just haven’t been in the mood to read academic writing. Might never be in the mood to do that, actually. 🙂
The Cats of Tanglewood Forest by Charles de Lint. Illustrated by Charles Vess. A young girl who lives in the Ozarks wanders deep into the woods and ends up on a very unexpected path. Charming illustrations follow her journey, as she learns about friendship. consequences, and standing up for herself.

“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Chaos

“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Mayhem

I have no idea where May’s head is in this picture. That’s her front paw to the right of Chaos’ nose, but other than that… o.O

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity loves rainbows

7 Comments

Randonymity

  • And lo! a complete rainbow was seen through my living room window this evening:

  • It is surprisingly hard to take a decent picture of a rainbow with a cell phone camera through a window… or maybe not so surprising.

Bookity

Do, Think, Make, Learn

Cookity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

Whoops!

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Street Magic (Black London #1) by Caitlin Kittredge. Pretty good London-based urban fantasy about a detective inspector who discovers the informant she’s meeting is the mage she thought died over a decade ago – a death that left her traumatized. We’ll see how far I make it into this series…

“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Chaos

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity wishes the Chaos Kitty a happy 11th birthday on Sunday

20 Comments

Randonymity

Contest(s)

Bookity

Think, Do, Learn, Make

Cookity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
London Falling (Shadow Police #1) by Paul Cornell. Very good urban fantasy about three police officers and an analyst who find themselves able to see the unseen as they pursue something murderous throughout London. It took me a couple of chapters to get drawn into this, in part because it starts so mundanely and with a lot of names to suddenly remember. After that, I was immersed – so immersed that I didn’t even realize it was written in third-person omniscient until well past halfway.
The Severed Streets (Shadow Police #2) by Paul Cornell. Pretty good urban fantasy, but not nearly as good as the first book – this was definitely a sophomore effort, suffering some times from self-consciousness and at others from trying too hard. While I enjoyed Neil Gaiman’s initial brief appearance in the book as a clever cameo, I found his reappearing and having a significant part to play in the narrative much less enjoyable. It felt as if a line was crossed, if that makes any sense.
Thicker than Water (Felix Castor #4) by Mike Carey. Good installment of the series in which Felix finds out altogether more about demons than he really bargained for. Very intense read, this. Definitely reading the fifth and presumably last book (since it was written five years ago) immediately.
The Naming of the Beasts (Felix Castor #5) by Mike Carey. I believe this is the final Felix Castor book, unless the author decides to begin a new story arc in the future. Felix ends up roughly where the series began, trying to fix what he broke three years ago. Many of the faces will be familiar from the previous books, as everything swirls down to a final confrontation.
Hard Spell (Occult Crimes Unit Investigation #1) by Justin Gustainis. Ok urban fantasy from the point of view of a cop in the Scranton, New Jersey, Police Department’s paranormal division.
Evil Dark (Occult Crimes Unit Investigation #2) by Justin Gustainis. Ok addition to this series about a cop who investigates paranormal crime in New Jersey. These are an enjoyable enough distraction, but not exactly involving or compelling reads.

“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Chaos

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity regrets to inform you that it’s Talk Like a Pirate Day

9 Comments

Congrats to Yvette, who won Love Comes Around (Senses #4) by Andrew Grey! Love Comes Around is being released today by Dreamspinner Press.

Congrats to Loren, who won With Wings (The Dark Angels #1) (2nd ed) by Z Allora!

Randonymity

Bookity

Do, Make, Think, Learn

Cookity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
The Grendel Affair (SPI Files #1) by Lisa Shearin. Ok paranormal romance about a seer who works for a secret non-government agency devoted to keeping the existence of the magical world secret. Since I never got invested in the POV character, I don’t believe I’ll be reading more of this series.
Stray Souls (Magicals Anonymous #1) by Kate Griffin. Good urban fantasy about a London barista who discovers she’s a shaman and somehow has to rescue the missing spirit of the city. I enjoyed the unusual premise, but struggled a bit with the style – although that got better as I became more used to it. Plus I think this could’ve been trimmed down a bit, as bits of the middle seemed to drag.
The Devil You Know (Felix Castor #1) by Mike Carey. Good London-based urban fantasy about an exorcist who’s been on hiatus but takes an innocuous sounding job because he desperately needs money. I tried reading this 18 months ago and quit at 1/3 because I couldn’t get into it – no such problem this time!
Vicious Circle (Felix Castor #2) by Mike Carey. Good continuation of this urban fantasy series as Felix tries to do right, but things get terribly screwed up in the process.
Dead Men’s Boots (Felix Castor #3) by Mike Carey. Good continuation of this series in which Felix finds himself helping the widow of another exorcist, who killed himself. Of course, nothing’s as it seems and everything gets much more complicated. I did catch a couple of continuity errors, which I always find distracting.

“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Chaos & Mayhem

This picture requires a bit of explanation. 🙂 Mayhem’s side is in the foreground – you can kind of see one of her ears to the left of Chaos’ head, between his head and his tail. She’s sleeping with the top of her head smooshed up against Chaos. He started to hiss at her (I think she was making happy paws on his throat), but fell asleep mid-hiss.