JESSICA'S GUIDE TO DATING ON THE DARK SIDE - Beth Fantaskey, narr Katherine Kellgren & Jeff Woodman

From the back of the BOCD: High school senior Jessica Packwood is a down-to-earth mathlete with a murky future. What she definitely doesn't see coming is foreign exchange student--and vampire-- Lucius Vladescu showing up at her door. According to Lucius, Jessica is actually vampire royalty, and they've been betrothe to one another since infancy.

Yeah, great. That's just what a girl wants to hear. Thankfully, Jessica has a copy of GROWING UP UNDEAD: A TEEN VAMPIRE'S GUIDE TO DATING, HEALTH, AND EMOTIONS to help her cope. And, after all, Lucius may be arrogant, but he's easy to look at. Unfortunately, Jessica's not the only girl in school who's noticed. If she can hold off the evil cheerleaders long enough, she might just find a future with Lucius--and save his sould from eternal damnation.

Author Beth Fantaskey injects a little humor into the vampire romance genre with this critically acclaimed debut, while narrators Katherine Kellgren and Jeff Woodman capture Jessica and Lucius' colorful personalities.

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This story is such a fab one to listen to! It's funny, spooky, romantic, it's what I had hoped TWILIGHT would have been and wasn't.

Poor Jessica has enough issues with being odd chickie out what with being a 'mathlete', has vegans for parents and is an adopted child with a foggy foreign past.

I enjoyed watching the progression of the cautious and irritated Jessica dealing with the arrogant and pushy Lucius as he 'courted' Jessica. And then the tables started turning as Jessica realized what she was becoming and how she felt about Lucius and Lucius started courting other girls and enjoying his Americanized life.

The dry humor in the beginning segueing to life as it can be with the issues that plague normal let alone vampire teens was entrancing to watch.

I can't wait for her next book, JEKEL LOVES HYDE and I'll be listening to that one, too.

Four chocolate vampire yumminess.....

VERY VALENTINE - Adriana Trigiani, narr Cassandra Campbell

From the back of the BOCD: Meet the Roncalli and Angelini families, a vibrant cast of colorful characters who navigate tricky family dynamics with hilarity and brio. In this luscious, contemporary family saga set in Greenwich Village and bella Italia, the Angelini Shoe Company, makers of exquisite wedding shoes since 1903, is on the verge of financial collapse. It falls to thirty-three-year-old Valentine Roncalli, the talented and determined apprentice to her grandmother and master artisan Teodora Angelini, to being the family's old-world craftsmanship into the twenty-first century and save the company from ruin.

While juggling a budding romance and a design challenge presented by a prestigious department store, Valentine returns to Italy with her grandmother to learn new techniques and seek one-of-a-kind material to build a pair of glorious shoes to beat their rivals. There, in Tuscany, Naples, and on the Isle of Capri, a family secret is revealed as Valentine discovers her artistic voice and much more, turning her life and the family business upside down in ways she never expected. VERY VALENTINE is a sumptuous treat, a journey of dreams fulfilled, a celebration of love and loss filled with Trigiani's trademark heart and humor.

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Luscious is the key word here. O..M..G!!! I have never felt a desire to live in New York City until reading this book. I want to live in the city where the Angelini shoes are created and where the Roncalli and Angelini families reside. Trigiani totally makes me want to pick up sticks and move to flippin' Greenwich Village!

And I love the idea of living in Tuscany or the Isle of Capri some day, especially if I can make friends with the people who befriended Valentine.

I laughed, smiled, cried a bit, wanted to smack some of the people around and hug others throughout the whole time I listened to this wonderfully warm story. I fell in love with the families and friends.

I have been a fan of Adriana Trigiani since I first read BIG STONE GAP several years ago. I gave copies of the whole series to my mom and my sister. And now I will be getting this trilogy for them to love.

Five wonderfully HUGE Italian diamonds.....

Spring Forward...and all that jazz...

Hope you remembered to set your clocks forward this morning!

THE CREATION OF EVE - Lynn Cullen

From the back of the ARC: A lush and compelling tale of intrigue and longing, set in the sixteenth-century Spanish court.

THE CREATION OF EVE is a novel based on the tru but little-known story of Sofonisba Anguissola, the first renowned female artist of the Renaissance. After a scandal in Michelangelo's workshop, Sofi flees Italy and joins the Spanish court of King Felipe II to be a lady-in-waiting to his young bride. There she becomes embroiled in a love triangle involving the Queen, the King, and the King's illegitimate half brother, Don Juan. THE CREATION OF EVE combines art, romance, and history from the Golden Age in Spain in a story that asks the question:Can you ever truly know another person's heart?

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This book left me breathless. If you read my blog very often, you know that I don't typically 'do' historical fiction. It's not to say that I don't like it, it's just that the historical fiction books don't grab my attention as quickly as a mystery or paranormal books so the wandering finger as I trace out the titles choosing my next read will skim right on over the big 600 page tomes that are the norm for HF.

I won this from LibraryThing Early Reviewer, my first book win from them, from the January choices. I thought the premise looked very interesting and I was glad to win the book and to be proved correct.

It's a fantastic story based on a true occurrence. I think the Renaissance period of art history is my favorite. Sofonisba Anguissola was an artist who studied with Michelangelo for a time, but a perceived scandal and romance with a fellow artist sent her running home and then to the Spanish court to teach the new Queen of Spain how to paint and draw. It was mostly as a diversion due to her youth as the King was busy ruling half of the world and had no time for his young bride from France.

Sofi becomes the Queen's best friend in Court which had its positive bend and negative. She was at the Queen's beck and call which kept Sofi busy and her heart and mind occupied from dwelling too much on her love, Tiberio. It also kept her too busy to study her other love, painting. She was a woman, so couldn't be thought of as a serious artist. Her paintings and portraits mostly went unsigned or signed by other (male) artists.

The kicker was the constant intrigue of the Spanish court. All of the backstabbing and catfighting, though couched in kid gloves, was never-ending. I'd have been exhausted each day and someone would have been bitch-slapped. I'd not have lasted long back in the day of the royal Courts I would imagine.

Lynn Cullen's written imagery was spectacular and put me right in the time and place of sixteenth-century Spain. My face squinched each time the condesa de Uruena stuck her pomander filled with civet to her nose. I could see the scenery of the Spanish countryside and hear the barking dogs or the clatter of the banquet hall.

Five Renaissance diamonds.....

BLOOD RETRIBUTION: Lee Nez #2 - David and Aimee Thurlo

From the back of the book: Lee Nez is a nightwalker--a Navajo vampire. He's also a New Mexico state police officer. Paired with sexy FBI agent Diane Lopez, Lee is tracking down violent smugglers who have killed two cops while bringing silver and turquoise across the border from Mexico.

Shocked to discover that the smugglers are Navajo shapeshifters--skinwalkers--Lee and Diane realize they must wipe out the whole pack, and fast, before the skinwalkers realize there's a nightwalker on their tails. Werewolves and vampires are deadly enemies....

Complicating matters, Lee is being stalked by a pair of vampire assassins. He killed the leader of their clan and the survivors are bent on revenge. Blood for blood, as the saying goes.

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This was my purse book, therefore it took a very long while to get through. I wish I'd had more time immediately with it so that the story would take hold and keep me there. I read the first one a long while back, but it stuck with me. This one didn't grab me right away and the two stories going on with two sets of 'bad guys' had me a little off at times, too.

All that said, I did like reading more adventures about Lee Nez, now known as Officer Leonard Hawk in this particular alias. I look forward to finding the next two in the series. I've been told they are hard to find, so I hope I can run across them somewhere. I will be looking for the Ellah Claw series the two authors have as well as the Sister Agatha series.

Four Southwest skinwalker beans....

Books in the House - 8 MAR 2010

From the very cool & sweet Jaye Wells:

~Signed bookplate

~2 bookmarks featuring her two books RED-HEADED STEPCHILD and THE MAGE IN BLACK

From the author:

ANTICIPATION & SEDUCTION - Patrice Michelle, signed TPB, romance (smokin' HOT cover)

From Hilda on BTO:

BLUE MOON - Alyson Noel, TPB, paranormal

From Bonnie (RedLady):

THE BRIDE COLLECTOR - Ted Dekker, ARC - release in April 2010, thriller

From Pamala, Our Lady of the Books:

LIST OF SEVEN - Mark Frost, MPB, suspense

DARK LIGHT - Randy Wayne White, MPB, suspense for my dad

SIX SECONDS - Rick Mofina, MPB, suspense

PERSUADER - Lee Child, MPB, (now I have two copies...)

WITCH HUNT - Ian Rankin, MPB, Brit thriller

STEP TO THE GRAVEYARD EASY - Bill Pronzini, HC, noir thriller

THE EXCALIBUR MURDERS - J M C Blair, HC, Arthurian mystery (think this might be next up bedside book)

HEARSE CASE SCENARIO - Tim Cockey, HC, cozy mystery

HEARSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR - Tim Cockey, HC, cozy mystery

CEMETERY OF ANGELS - Noel Hynd, MPB, horror

THE DARK ROOM - Minette Walters, MPB, Brit suspense

BUNDORI - Laura Joh Rowland, MPB, mystery

THE CONCUBINE'S TATTOO - Laura Joh Rowland, MPB, mystery

NOTHING TO LOSE - Lee Child, MPB, suspense

DISORDERED MINDS - Minette Walters, MPB, Brit suspense

LADY OF THE FOREST - Jennifer Roberson, MPB, Arthurian legend

Little sidenote, I now have all but the last two Jack Reacher series...yay!

From LibraryThing Early Reviewers:

LOGAN AND THE MAGIC FISH - Otto Scamfer, pdf, children's book

FROST MOON - Anthony Francis, pdf, paranormal

Lady K and Fun Day at Swim Lessons

Fun Day is the last day of each swim lesson course and Lady K luh-huvs Fun Day. The kids get to frolic and go down the big purple slide, etc. She was only a little hesitant on the diving board at first, then it was all 'kowabungah' cannonballs. A good time.

I am a Big Ol' Book Geek

Look what arrived in the mail today!! Take Me To Your Reader t-shirt can be found at Cameesa. I have been enamoured of this tee for a long while and finally decided to order one for my collection after seeing that WonderBunny had a coupon code for 30% off...jumped all over that donthca know. This may mark me officially as a bookaholic geek, but there it is...

...by the by...that is not a picture of me in the shirt....pipes aren't that cool and I have a better rack....

Book Journal for February 2010

BLOOD LURE - Nevada Barr, BOCD, good stuff

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO - Steif Larsson, BOCD, holey crappe amazing!

THE DEMON'S LIBRARIAN - Lilith Saintcrow, TPB, rough and good

THE DA VINCI CODE - Dan Brown, BOCD, re-listen, still good

SUCCUBUS HEAT: #4 Georgina Kincaid - Richelle Mead, TPB, excellent

THE ECHO - Minette Walters, BOCD, intense Brit suspense

HEART-SHAPED BOX - Joe Hill, BOCD, good scary horror!

HELL'S BELLES - Jackie Kessler, MPB, snort laugh funny good paranormal romantical

TEN THOUSAND ISLANDS - Randy Wayne White, good and fast

THE QUIET GAME - Greg Iles, BOT, superb!

SWEET POTATO QUEEN'S BIG-ASS COOKBOOK (AND FINANCIAL PLANNER) - Jill Conner Browne, BOCD, hootin' funny

TEMPEST RISING: Jane True #1 - Nicole Peeler, MPB, highly excellent, keepin' this!

BELLE RUIN: Emma Graham #3 - Martha Grimes, BOCD, good

HUNTER'S MOON: #14 Doc Ford - Randy Wayne White, BOCD, okay, not my favorite of the series

ONE, TWO, BUCKLE MY SHOE - Agatha Christie, BOCD, good Poirot mystery

MAGIC TO THE BONE: Allie Beckstrom #1 - Devon Monk, signed keeper, super fab!

Books: 5

Audio: 11

Total this month: 16

Total this year so far: 32

MAGIC TO THE BONE: Book 1 Allie Beckstrom - Devon Monk

From the back of the book: "Using magic meant it used you back. Forget the fairy-tale, hocus-pocus, wave a wand and bling-o, sparkles and pixie dust crap. Magic, like booze, sex, and drugs, gave as good as it got."

Everything has a cost. And every act of magic exacts a price from its user--maybe a two-day migraine, or losing the memory of your first kiss. But some people want to use magic without paying, and they Offload the cost onto innocents. When that happens, it falls to a Hound to identify the spell's caster--and Allie Beckstrom's the best there is.

Daughter of a prominent Portland businessman, Allie would rather moonlight as a Hound than accept the family fortune--and the strings that come with it. But when she discovers a little boy dying from a magic Offload that has her father's signature all over it, Allie is thrown into the high-stakes world of corporate espionage and black magic.

Now Allie's out for the truth--and must call upon forces that will challenge everything she knows, changer her in ways she could never imagine...and make her capable of things that powerful people will do anything to control.

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Holey schmokes!!! I mowed through this book rather quickly for many reasons: to make one more book for my book journal this month, to get one more review in for the mini-challenge over at Literary Escapism/League of Reluctant Adults...but, most of all, I couldn't seem to stop reading this superb book! I obviously had to stop to sleep or go to work, dagnabbit (how else does one support a bookholic habit?), but I wished I could have stayed home to continue reading. Some points, I had to sleep from the feeling of exhaustion in response of all that Allie went through on hour-to-hour, minute-to-minute basis.

This is why I love reading the urban fantasy genre, it's dark, action packed, putting the main character into situations they'd rather not be in, but take care of anyway because it's how they are wired. They keep going in the positive aiding direction even after the point of exhaustion, after getting injured...they just keep going. Makes me wish I could be that heroic/stoic, but I'm not so I read about the character who are that way.

That's Allie through the book, aiding those weaker than she and in need of help. She gets assistance from the mysterious Zayvion, the Savant Cody, and her best friend Nola who lives in the magic-free countryside. Mostly, though, Allie stands on her own two feet and gets what needs doing accomplished. She learns along the way, even with losing some of her memories of her past through the use of magic. Using magic has its consequences. And Allie knows it only too well.

The atmosphere of the genre seems best set in the Pacific Northwest, rain seems the prevailing weather adding to the dark mystery. Cold, drizzly, always there rain....

I cannot wait to get and read the rest of this series. This one is going on the keeper shelf, it's a fab book that I will revisit and my good book buddy, Jenna, got it for me and had Devon Monk sign it. I don't keep many books, but this one is definitely one of the few that stays in Casa IYamVixen.

Five rain adds to the magic diamonds.....

TEMPEST RISING: Jane True #1 - Nicole Peeler

From the back of the book: Living in a small town Rockabill, Maine, Jane True always knew she didn't quite fit in with so-called normal society.

During her nightly clandestine swim in the freezing winter ocean, a grisly find leads Jan to startling revelations about her heritage: she is only half-human.

Now, Jane must enter a world filled with supernatural creatures that are terrifying, beautiful, and deadly--all of which perfectly describe her few 'friend,' Ryu, a gorgeous and powerful vampire.

It is a world where nothing can be taken for granted: a dog can heal with a lick; spirits bag your groceries; and whatever you do, never--ever--rub the genie's lamp.

If you love Sookie Stackhouse, then you'll want to dive into Nicole Peeler's enchanting debut novel.

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O..M..G!!! I have absolutely no idea what took me so long to buy this incredibly hellah fun book. It's been on the WWBL ever since I started reading Nicole's bloggage on League of Reluctant Adults and interviews here there and yon in anticipation of the release of TEMPEST RISING last November.

I bought it when I joined up Literary Escapism's mini challenge to read as many League books as possible in February, preferably the League authors we hadn't read yet. Good enough to go book shopping and put this one in the cart. Then it became the next book after Jackie Kessler's HELL'S BELLES. I was two for two in new author 'YAY, I'm so glad I found this author' pool.

I could empathize with Jane's outsider-ness and the small cache of friends she loved and who loved her. I'm glad Nicole didn't dwell on the sheer town bastards who treated Jane like shite at every opportunity. Rather, Jane glowed when she showed her strength of character, her love for her father and fab friends, especially the owners of the bookshop where she worked. And her love of the ocean without understanding why she felt so at home and at peace when in the water.

Then she found the body on the beach and her world started to change. Anyan, the talking dog arrived as did Ryu, the uber hot vampire and investigator for the fae world. The body on the beach wasn't just any body, he was a halfling, half human and half...well, not human. As was Jane.

I liked how Nicole gave Jane just enough 'Wuh-haaat?' incredulity and the right amount of common sense to go along with the flow of events as they occurred.

And, oh the fab 'dirty drawer'....snort laugh funny throughout, excellent fight scenes, well written other world characters, both full and halfling varietal. The humans are pretty much secondary in the whole book and that's just fine with me. Especially since the majority of the humans in the book are aith-holes and life is too short to read about them...movin' on....not to say that the fae world is all la-la-la airy fairy nice. Nope, there's some eeeevil ones on that side of the bed, too. The good ones are good and ornery and funny and the bad ones are eeeevil. Fab mix.

So...I changed up the rating..TEMPEST RISING gets to be the first five sparkly diamond rating....I'll still do coffee beans, but the really special ones from now on will get the diamonds....

Here's five sparkly diamonds for Jane and the gang....

BELLE RUIN: Emma Graham #3 - Martha Grimes

From the back of the BOCD: When twelve-year-old Emma Graham, a waitress at her mother's decaying resort hotel and now the youngest cub reporter in the history of La Porte's Conservative newspaper, discovers the crumbling shell of a fabulous hotel hidden in the woods near her small town of Spirit Lake, she never imagines that the mysteries it holds will bring her one step closer to solving a forty-year-old crime---and force a new transgression to light. The sumptuous Belle Rouen, with its ornate public rooms, two golf courses, and grand ballroom, was the place to be each Saturday night until it burned to the ground before Emma's birth. With a collection of singular characters helping her along, Emma is determined to discover the buried family secrets that lie just beyond the tree line in Cold Flat Junction, "where all mysteries" says Emma, "being and end."

Highlighting Martha Grimes's extraordinary range and depth, BELLE RUIN is a fitting follow up to the acclaimed HOTEL PARADISE and COLD FLAT JUNCTION that will continue to enchant readers who avidly follow the adventures of intuitive, calculating, and irrepressible Emma Graham.

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One of my favorite books in the world is HOTEL PARADISE. It was the reason I started collecting Martha Grimes's books, her Richard Jury series, Emma Graham series and her stand alones. I will read BELLE RUIN as a handheld to get more from the story and do a new review afterward. I know the bean count will go up then. Not crazy about the narrator and I listened to this at work, so didn't get as much from the story as I would have liked. I also think I will read COLD FLAT JUNCTION before I read this one again. That might help fill in some gaps.

Until then,

Four Emma is one plucky 12 year old youngun'.....

TEN THOUSAND ISLANDS: #7 Doc Ford - Randy Wayne White, narr Ron McLarty

From the back of the audiobook: Author of best-selling mysteries including MANGROVE COAST, Randy Wayne White sets his novels in the Florida waters he knows so well---he is a veteran fishing guide and contributor to Outside magazine. TEN THOUSAND ISLANDS is the seventh in the Doc Ford series.

Fifteen years ago, a teenage girl found an ancient gold medallion on a small island off the Florida gulf coast. Soon she was having nightmares and alter was found hanging from a tree. Although the death was ruled a suicide, the girl's mother, Della, is now sure there was foul play. Her trailer was vandalized and her daughter's coffin raided. When Della comes to Doc for help, the mysterious gold medallion plunges the Florida marine biologist into a perilous search for answers.

Filled with suspense and highly charged atmosphere, TEN THOUSAND ISLANDS received rave reviews from critics. Ron McLarty's dramatic narration highlights its gripping mixture of ancient ritual and modern evil.

**********************************

Each book from this series is a different adventure, which I'm sure is what Randy Wayne White is shooting for. It makes each one a stand-alone even if it is a series...some start out slowly and build up to high tempo and others start off with a big bang and keep it going. This is one of those big bang start and kept on banging at the cranium.

In among the action is the first time Doc Ford has some leftover fish baked up by Tomlinson and Tomlinson used his creative side to add some 'shrooms...the magic kind....and Ford has himself a little unplanned 'trip'. Tomlinson assures him that he is there for the duration to help him through the journey. This was a superb break in the thrill mode.

I think Ron McLarty is my favorite of the narrators for this series. He gives my favorite character, Tomlinson, the best voice. Kind of a stoner dude hippie feller and I love him so.

Four stoner 'shroom action in the middle beans.....

HELL'S BELLES - Jackie Kessler

From the back of the book: Once upon a time, Jezebel was a powerful succubus, capable of seducing men and sucking out their souls. But that was before Hell put a bounty on her head. Now her only chance to escape a fate far worse than death is to live as a mortal, losing herself in a sea of unfamiliar humanity, in a place where sinners walk hand-in-hand with saints ----a place like New York City.

Working as an exotic dancer is a piece of cake for a former demon who once specialized in sex. But she hadn't counted on meeting sexy Paul Hamilton, a man haunted by his past. Good-bye, succubus; hello , lovestruck.

But Hell hasn't stopped looking for her. The secrets Jezebel holds are the most dangerous of all, the kind every demon in the Underworld would do their worst to protect. Demons are closing in, which is enough to make Jezebel shiver in her G-string. But it's her love for Paul that's going to have deadly consequences.....

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How fun was this book??! I knew I'd probably like it, but didn't realize how much I'd dig it or how fast I'd read it. Jezebel is such a resourceful and funny character who makes her way to the big City to make it, well, big......or at least get herself off of Hell's minion's radar and stay alive.

I could cringe at the way she stole an identity, stole money and credit cards before making her way to NYC, but Jezebel is a succubus, a demon, so this pretty much comes as normal for her, so I could enjoy the ride. That and I could see Jezebel changing and becoming a better person as the book continued. Heck, she made becoming an exotic dancer could be a smart career move. Loved reading the description of feeling the music move through her and using it to keep her body moving for the slavering masses.

I liked seeing her inner thoughts as she conducted business, met Paul (oh, me like...me like a lot!), met the dancers, danced. She never just walks or runs, Jezebel sashayed, undulated,marched. And she more often than not purred instead of just saying something.

I liked Jezebel for all her faults. She tried to be better and she wanted out of Hell. Management was making some changes and Jezebel didn't want anything to do with it.

Five Hell is going to hell and Jezebel is outta here beans....

THE QUIET GAME - Greg Iles, narr Tom Stechschulte

From the back of the audibook: Passion and racial tension seethe through the pages of this multi-layered thriller set in the South. New York Times best-selling author Greg Iles creates a compelling tale of a young lawyer determined to find justice--no matter what the cost.

Houston prosecutor Penn Cage returns to his childhood home in Natchez, Mississippi after his wife's death. Instead of finding peace, he discovers his father beaten down by a ruthless blackmailer and himself the target of a nameless killer. As Penn struggles to save his family, he uncovers shocking information about a decades-old murder steeped in racism.

In a desperate attempt to right a terrible wrong, Penn must face off with formidable foes: the FBI, a powerful judge, and a town filled with people who play "the quiet game." Tom Stechschulte's dramatic performance captures all the intrigue, danger, and breathtaking action.

**************************************

WOW! That's the first thing to say about this absolutely gripping suspense/thriller novel. Penn Cage is a very popular author of legal thrillers after being a successful prosecuting attorney in Texas. He has come home to his hometown in Mississippi to help himself and his 4 year old daughter, Annie, move on after the death of Sarah, Penn's wife and Annie's mother.

What he finds is his father under a shroud of blackmail and a 30 year old unsolved murder case that possibly involves the father of Penn's high school flame. This man, a wealthy and powerful judge, is a big deal in the city of Natchez, heck in the state of Mississippi and is virtually untouchable. But Penn feels compelled to solve this case and bring justice and closure to the family of the murdered man and possibly closure and justice to Penn's own family.

Each turn of the page (or new audiotape) brings a new layer to the crime, interweaving more lies and cover-ups from the past.

It's my first Greg Iles and it is definitely not going to be my last. I have a few MPBs by Greg Iles and they are going to make it to the top of the stack very soon. I will listen to more of these as I find them on RecordedBooks. These are the kind of audiobooks that make me want to sit in the parking lot or the driveway to find out what is going to happen. It is that tense and suspenseful.

Five Southern, steamy, dark suspense at its best beans....

Books in the House Monday, 15 Feb 2010

I didn't have time last week to post my books from the week before so this is a double hitter:
8 Feb 2010

From Sherri:

THE GLASSBLOWER OF MURANO - Marina Fiorato, TPB, mystery

From Mary Ann:

DEAD MEN DON'T GET THE MUNCHIES - Miranda Bliss, MPB, cozy

B&N:

DESTINED FOR AN EARLY GRAVE - Jeaniene Frost, MPB, paranormal

SKIN WALKER - Faith Hunter, MPB, paranormal

SOME GIRLS BITE - Chloe Neill, TPB, paranormal

HIGH CRIMES ON THE MAGICAL PLANE - Kris Neri, TPB, paranormal

THE SERPENT'S TALE - Ariana Franklin, HB, mystery

LAST RITUALS - Yrsa Sigurdardottir, HB, mystery

QUEEN VICTORIA: DEMON HUNTER - A E Moorat, TPB, paranormal

TAINTED TRAIL - Wen Spencer, MPB, mystery

MAMMOTH NEW HISTORICAL WHODUNITS - anthology, TPB, mystery

BIRTH MARKS - Sarah Dunant, TPB, mystery

High Crimes:

BLOOD TIES - Lori Armstrong, signed MPB, thriller

NO MERCY - Lori Armtrong, signed HB, thriller

ARK OF FIRE - C M Palov, MPB, thriller

15 Feb

High Crimes:

THE CORPSE WORE PASTIES - Johnny Porkpie (Burlesque Mayor of NYC), MPB, hard case crimes

AMONG THE LIVING - Dan Vining, TPB, paranormal

STALKING THE UNICORN - Mike Resnick, TPB, paranormal mystery

B&N trip:

TEMPEST RISING - Nicole Peeler, MPB, paranormal

LibraryThing Early Reviewer:

THE CREATION OF EVE - Lynn Cullen, ARC/TPB

Mary Ann:

LOOP GROUP - Larry McMurtry, HB

Happy Valentine's Day

I hope it's a spiffy one!

Lady K-ism of the Day

Lady K: "Daddy is not amused...."
This after letting out a toot and fanning it over towards DH.....lordhavemercy.....where does she get this?

SUCCUBUS HEAT: #4 Georgina Kincaid - Richelle Mead

From the back of the book: Georgina Kincaid has been a bad, bad succubus...

....which should be a good thing. But lately, thanks to her foul mood over breaking up with bestselling writer Seth Mortensen, she's been so wicked that Seattle's uber-demon Jerome, decides to to 'outsource' Georgina to a rival--and have her spy for him in the process.

Being exiled to the frozen north---okay, Vancouver---and leaving Seth in the cozy clutches of his new girlfriend is unpleasant enough. Then Jerome is kidnapped, and all immortals under his control mysteriously lose their powers. One bright spot: with her life-sucking ability gone, there's nothing to keep Georgina from getting down and dirty with Seth--nothing apart from his girlfriend that is. Now, as the supernatural population starts turning on itself, a newly mortal Georgina must rescue her boss and figure out who's been playing them--or all hell will break loose....

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I LOVE THIS SERIES!! And this one is the best yet. I say that each time I think, but this one is superb. Georgina is acting how I think of a succubus, getting energy from all males, especially the good ones she's supposed to target, out cattin' around with her buddies and being bitchy. Her heart is broken by the break up with Seth (read book 3) and she's hooked up with Dante, the bad boy palm-reader. All of Georgina's friends tell her she can do better, but she's not so sure.

Then she gets sent to Vancouver and Jerome gets summoned and her abilities are gone. She's bummed at the loss of her shape-shifting (her hair is frizzin' like crazy!), but she now has a chance with Seth now that she won't suck any life from him if they get down on it.

The vampires are the ones who crack me up the most. Peter and Cody can now walk in the sun and take advantage of it and trying to remember that this fun ability might disappear rather quickly if Jerome is found or another arch-demon takes his place. Georgina reminds them to keep sunscreen handy.

April can't get here fast enough....the next Georgina Kincaid will be out then...wooo-hoooo!

Five being a succubus can be a bitch beans.....

THE ECHO - Minette Walters, narr Simon Prebble

From the back of the BOCD: Best-selling author Minette Walters captivates mystery aficionados throughout the world with her evocative, multi-layered novels, which have been translated into 22 languages. In THE ECHO she spins a finely-wrought web of secrets and betrayals, love and guilt that entangles everyone who touches it.

A homeless man has been found dead of starvation--huddled next to a food-filled freezer--in a London socialite's garage. When journalist Michael Deacon interviews the wealthy woman, he suspects she is hiding something. His search for answers leads him on a perilous journey through unsolved crimes of the past and the shadowy world of London's down and out.

Edgar Award-winning Minette Walters grips her readers' emotions with her ever-heightening psychological suspense. British actor Simon Prebble's dramatic performance will keep you enthralled throughout the sinuous plot and the shattering finish.

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The first part of the story was a little bit tangled up for me, the end of the story was a little bit tangled up for me, but the middle part was superb and made up for the tangles on either end.

You have to like British dark suspense with all that that entails of everything having hidden meaning and no one is who they appear to be at any given time. I know I love watching these on BBC America, with all of the visual cues and atmosphere.

My sister's been on me to read Minette's books, so this was the way I chose to do the first one. I'll read more and listen to more.

Four British atmospheric suspenseful beans......

BritGalSarah is Celebrating Her 2nd Blogiversary...and she has a contest!!

BritGalSarah, she who emigrated to the US to be with her sweet patootie Okie honey, is celebrating her 2 year Blogiversary and to celebrate she has prezzies! So go on over, tell her I sent you, and join in the fun!

Why Werewolves Teach Their Pups Grammar...thanks SciFi Guy!

Just saw this over on SciFiGuy's blog and had to ask if I could share on my blog..he said cool...

THE DEMON'S LIBRARIAN - Lilith Saintcrow

From the back of the book: Demons are preying on schoolchildren in her city, so Francesca Barnes does what any red-blooded librarian would do--she does some research and goes hunting. But the books she finds in a secret cache don't tell her the whole story. Chess has no idea what she's just stepped into or just how special she is.

Orion is Drakul, part demon, and a loyal servant of the Order. He doesn't expect a motorcycle-riding librarian to be messing around with demonic forces, and he doesn't expect her to smell so damn good. But Ryan's got bigger problems. His partner has disappeared, and the forces of Darkness are rising.

Now Chess is Ryan's only hope of finding his partner, and Ryan is Chess's only hope of survival because the demons now know Chess exists and that she is the heir to a long-lost power that could push back theri dark tide. If Ryan can keep her alive long enough, she just might be the key to destroying the demons completely.

But Ryan doesn't know he's been betrayed by the very Order he serves. And if Chess does, by some miracle survive, he won't ever be able to touch her again....

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This is my intro book to Lilith Saintcrow. I have two of her Dante Valentine books and one Jill Kismet on Mt Git'r'Read, but this is the one that hollered at me to order and read almost immediately. The premise is kind of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in that the main character is a normal chick who finds out she's more than normal, in fact rather special. And there's a special demon kind of guy who's a hottie and warm for her form and has a tendency to lose control of his demon side from time to time.

I was kind of hoping that this would be the start of a series, but can abide with the idea it is a stand-alone. It has plenty of good versus bad action, well written demons and a demon killing librarian and the half-demon who digs her and can kick big time ass along the way.

Five not your normal librarian beans......

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO - Stieg Larsson, narr Martin Wenner

From the back of the BOCD: A spellbinding amalgam of murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue.

It's about the disappearance forty years ago of Harriet Vanger, a young scion of one of the wealthiest families in Sweden...and about her octogenarian uncle, determined to know the truth about what he believes was her murder.

It's about Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently at the wrong end of a libel case, hired to get to the bottom of Harriet's disappearance...and about Lisbeth Salander, a twenty-four-year-old pierced and tattooed genius hacker possessed of the hard-earned wisdom of someone twice her age who assists Blomkvist with the investigation. This unlikely team discovers a vein of nearly unfathomable iniquity running through the Vanger family, astonishing corruption in the highest echelons of Swedish industrialism, and an unexpected connection between themselves.

Contagiously exciting, it's about society at its most hidden, and about the intimate livesof a brilliantly realized cast of characters, all of them forced to face the darker aspects of their world and of their own lives.

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My sister sent the audibook to me for Christmas a year ago and it's been on Mt Git'r'Read ever since. I have absolutely no idea why I waited so long, but I did. I read so many fab reviews that I knew it was time....that and I didn't have any audiobooks from RecordedBooks since I've been mowing through them the last week or so. I pulled it off the shelf last week and listened to it at work. WOW! It was a superb book to listen to and I cannot wait to listen to the other two.

The book does start slow, as I'd been warned it would, but when it picked up, it SMOKED! It's a well told mystery that's actually several mysteries going on throughout. My favorite character is Lisbeth Salander. She's tough and smart, with a big ol' chip on her shoulder, but I think it's a well deserved chip.

There are scenes that are not for the faint of heart whatsoever. I even had to grit down and take a walk after listening to one particularly horrific scene.

It is very sad that the world has to make do with only three of Stieg Larsson's books. He died just after he submitted his three manuscripts in 2004.

Five absolutely outstanding Swedish beans....

BLOOD LURE - Nevada Barr #9 Anna Pigeon, narr Barbara Rosenblat

From the back of the BOCD: The Anna Pigeon mysteries are a New York Times best-selling series. Each addition is eagerly anticipated by fans of its award-winning author Nevada Barr, who uses her experience as a park ranger to create stunningly authentic details. BLOOD LURE takes Park Ranger Anna Pigeon high into Glacier Park and deep into a grisly murder case.

Anna has joined a bear research team in the vast park that spreads from Montana into Canada. They hope to gather enough information to form a picture of its Grizzly bear population. Instead, one terrifying night, a bear finds them. By morning, their camp in ruins, and the youngest member of the team is missing. A few hours later, the body of a camper is discovered: the neck broken and the face mutilated.

As Anna sets out to find what, or who, is responsible for the carnage, her search will stretch all her resources--physical, mental and moral--to new limits. Audie Award-winning narrator Barbara Rosenblat's voice is perfect for Anna, capturing all her courage and vulnerability.

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I was very glad to get back to the Anna Pigeon in the woods. She does a much a better story when she's in the Nation's parks wherever they (and she) are. Nevada Barr seems much more comfortable when Anna is hiking trails, fighting gators, or bears or critters of whatever nature and looking after the tourists who are visiting.

The mystery was a teensy bit convoluted, but that may have had something to do with the fact that I was trying to listen to the story at work and everyone around me was in a highly jovial mood and getting loud, so I might have missed some bits and pieces. I will take a break from the series now. I've had two in a short period of time and I rarely read or listen to books in a series back to back. I do like to mix it up.

Four there's bars in them thar woods beans.....

Lady K's Big Girl Haircut

Discussing with Kristi what she would like to do with her hair

First time in the backwards sink with big girl shampoo and conditioner

In the beginning....there was a crapload of hair.....

As evidenced on the floor.....

Ta-daaaaaaaaa......a much happier Lady K and her perky new hairstyle....

Lori Armstrong Book Signing Pics

This is Lori Armstrong, signing my copy of BLOOD TIES, the first in her Julie Collins thriller mystery series...this also nicely shows a good (albeit upside) view of NO MERCY, Lori's first book in her new Mercy Gunderson thriller series.
She gave a super talk about where she lives (in Rapid City, South Dakota), why she lives there (she likes it), the writing process ( she needs to be on her computer that has only a word processing, no internet distractions), the research process and how she is not a gun expert, nor a very good shot even if the family business is the firearms industry.
She also writes under the pen name of Lorelai James. She writes erotic love stories set in the Wild West. Schnikees dudettes! Go to her site if only for the hot patootie eye candy! I mean WUH-HOOF!

And hey! I got to meet one of my absolute favorite bloggers, Becky, of No More Grumpy Bookseller !! I've been following her for a while now and was so glad to see her at the book signing. Bless her, she let me babble happily along, agreed to a picture for blogger posterity, and stood outside in the chill to chat some more. It's excellent meeting a fellow bookaholic with highly similar taste in reading material.
Thank you, Cynthia of High Crimes, for hosting Lori for Wed night's fun and thank you to Oriental & Navajo Rug Company for the space for Cynthia to use for her book signings. Very much going back there with DH. He's going to love it.

Lori Armstrong Book Signing Info

Lori Armstrong is going to be up in my neck of the Colorado woods tomorrow night. She will be signing her latest book, NO MERCY, at Oriental & Navajo Rug at 927 Main Street in Longmont CO Wed 3 Feb 2010 at 7pm.

Cynthia of High Crimes Mystery Bookshop is hosting the event and going to be bringing lots of Lori's books for us to have Lori sign!!

Books Read in January 2010

This was a banner reading month for me, way to start off the New Year! If I reviewed the book, I've linked back to the review. ** means I really dug on this one....
**ANGEL'S ADVOCATE: Book 2 Beaufort & Company - Mary Stanton, MPB
**UNDERGROUND: Book 3 Greywalker series, BOCD
**CURSE OF THE SPELLMANS - Lisa Lutz, BOCD
**BITSY'S BAIT & BBQ - Pamela Morsi, TPB
STREET OF THE FIVE MOONS - Elizabeth Peters, BOCD
THE CHILDREN OF MEN - P D James, BOCD
**TRULY, MADLY: Book 1 Lucy Valentine series - Heather Webber, MPB/ARC, on the shelves 2 Feb!!!
**CARPE CORPUS: Book 6 Morganville Vampires - Rachel Caine, MPB
DARK LIGHT: Book 16 Doc Ford series - Randy Wayne White, BOCD
**TOMBS OF ENDEARMENT: Book 3 Pepper Martin series - Casey Daniels, MPB
DEAD RINGER - Lisa Scottoline, BOCD
**DARK SIDE OF THE MORGUE - Raymond Benson, MPB
LIBERTY FALLING: Anna Pigeon series - Nevada Barr, BOCD
THE STRAIN - Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan, BOCD
DEVICES AND DESIRES: Adam Dalgliesh Mystery - P D James, BOCD
**SUCCUBUS DREAMS: Book 3 Georgina Kincaid series - Richelle Mead, BOCD

Audiobooks: 9
Handheld books: 7
Books read this month: 16
So far this year: 16