7B7O7O7K7S7
This post has been in draft form since MARCH. LOL. So YAY for having INTERNET!!! Now I can blog. With vengeance. While I wasn't internetting, I *was* reading. So here come a slew of books, watch for another 11 very, very soon!
Naomi Novik's His Majesty's Dragon - Grade: B+. I enjoyed this book, though at times I had trouble getting through. Was definitely able to put this one down, unfortunately. But overall liked the characters and the plot.
Rick Riordan's The Titan's Curse (Book 3 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians) - Grade: A. Rick Riordan bounces back in the third book of his series. I had no trouble with this book, and may even have shed a tear or two. The characters are becoming more and more believable, and I think I love them. Nicely written.
Timothy Carter's EVIL? - Grade: A+. Not a sequel, or a series, but I read Epoch for Kerry when I was playing Intern. Epoch was a decent read, but EVIL? outdoes it by LEAPS AND BOUNDS. Hilariously brilliant, irreverent and ingenious all at once, this book had me in stitches. And it humorizes sensitive and otherwise untouchable-with-a-ten-foot-pole-by-conservatives subjects in a playful and appropriating way. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a little humor who doesn't mind talk of homosexuality and pubescent teenage boys' favorite solo activity ;)
Rick Riordan's The Battle of the Labyrinth (Book 4 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians) - Grade: A-. Riordan just can't seem to make up his mind, can he? Book 3 was wonderful, and this book was almost as good. However, I felt like in many places the vastness of the plot for this novel overwhelmed the great character interplay that I've come to enjoy throughout this series.
Rick Riordan's The Last Olympian (Book 5 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians) - Grade: A. Really? I'm at the end already? That's the whole series? I absolutely loved this one, and was so worried that the end of the series would flop or not wrap up wonderfully, but Riordan did not disappoint. He made the climactic final battle full of suspense, twists and turns, and poignantly dramatic as well. I'll confess to having tears at this one. But that's how a good series SHOULD be. I mean I've invested all this time in you that could have been spent... yeah, not going there... I should get a good payoff at the end, right? I think that's the least I can demand as a faithful reader.
Leah Cypress' Mistwood - Grade: B+. Yay! It's finally here! One of my editor friends from the NYC had this book in manuscript form the first time that I met her at WIFYR, and that was pretty much all she raved about. And now it's finally out in print. I don't think I've been this excited for a book since I read Homefree. And for a first-time novelist, Cypress doesn't do too shabby. The conflict definitely drives the plot, and the characters are beyond interesting. I thought much of the language structure was sort of geared more-for-kids, and wasn't all that elevated, but it's YA lit, so I guess I cut her some slack? Nah. I'd like to have seen a more-tightly written plot going to all the same places she did loosely.
Brian Jacques' The Sable Quean (Book 21 of the Redwall series) - Grade: B. I was at the library one day recently and on a whim checked to see if he had anything new. He did! I'm going to vote this one better than others (I'll put it on par with Doomwyte or High Rhulain) because it wasn't completely recycled like some of his others. It still felt kind of the same (I think the majority of them have this problem) though, so I wasn't completely giddy. I did read it all the way through the first time I got it though, which is rare with a Jacques book (long long airplane rides helped, I'm sure).
Clay Coleman's Stranded! (Book 1 in the Escape from Lost Island series) - Grade: B. I loved these books when I was little! With such fond memories I tracked down the series again to give them a read. They are super short, I can read one in a bout an hour... but they ARE made for 10-year olds, so...
Clay Coleman's Attack! (Book 2 in the Escape from Lost Island series) - Grade: B. I didn't remember these books being so gross! Brain matter on the beach, blood in the water, I must have been an icky 10-year old. LOL Anyway, these books are entertaining. The writing isn't the best, but again with the 10-year olds...
Clay Coleman's Mutiny! (Book 3 in the Escape from Lost Island series) - Grade: B. Mutiny! Betrayal! Will the boys survive?! So intense. There are some parts where the plot stretches, but... do I even need to say it?! :)
Clay Coleman's Discovered! (Book 4 in the Escape from Lost Island series) - Grade: B. I think this one's my favorite. They are all...okay. Don't know that they make top ten lists or when awards, but they aren't boring.
More books are coming!
Naomi Novik's His Majesty's Dragon - Grade: B+. I enjoyed this book, though at times I had trouble getting through. Was definitely able to put this one down, unfortunately. But overall liked the characters and the plot.
Rick Riordan's The Titan's Curse (Book 3 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians) - Grade: A. Rick Riordan bounces back in the third book of his series. I had no trouble with this book, and may even have shed a tear or two. The characters are becoming more and more believable, and I think I love them. Nicely written.
Timothy Carter's EVIL? - Grade: A+. Not a sequel, or a series, but I read Epoch for Kerry when I was playing Intern. Epoch was a decent read, but EVIL? outdoes it by LEAPS AND BOUNDS. Hilariously brilliant, irreverent and ingenious all at once, this book had me in stitches. And it humorizes sensitive and otherwise untouchable-with-a-ten-foot-pole-by-conservatives subjects in a playful and appropriating way. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a little humor who doesn't mind talk of homosexuality and pubescent teenage boys' favorite solo activity ;)
Rick Riordan's The Battle of the Labyrinth (Book 4 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians) - Grade: A-. Riordan just can't seem to make up his mind, can he? Book 3 was wonderful, and this book was almost as good. However, I felt like in many places the vastness of the plot for this novel overwhelmed the great character interplay that I've come to enjoy throughout this series.
Rick Riordan's The Last Olympian (Book 5 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians) - Grade: A. Really? I'm at the end already? That's the whole series? I absolutely loved this one, and was so worried that the end of the series would flop or not wrap up wonderfully, but Riordan did not disappoint. He made the climactic final battle full of suspense, twists and turns, and poignantly dramatic as well. I'll confess to having tears at this one. But that's how a good series SHOULD be. I mean I've invested all this time in you that could have been spent... yeah, not going there... I should get a good payoff at the end, right? I think that's the least I can demand as a faithful reader.
Leah Cypress' Mistwood - Grade: B+. Yay! It's finally here! One of my editor friends from the NYC had this book in manuscript form the first time that I met her at WIFYR, and that was pretty much all she raved about. And now it's finally out in print. I don't think I've been this excited for a book since I read Homefree. And for a first-time novelist, Cypress doesn't do too shabby. The conflict definitely drives the plot, and the characters are beyond interesting. I thought much of the language structure was sort of geared more-for-kids, and wasn't all that elevated, but it's YA lit, so I guess I cut her some slack? Nah. I'd like to have seen a more-tightly written plot going to all the same places she did loosely.
Brian Jacques' The Sable Quean (Book 21 of the Redwall series) - Grade: B. I was at the library one day recently and on a whim checked to see if he had anything new. He did! I'm going to vote this one better than others (I'll put it on par with Doomwyte or High Rhulain) because it wasn't completely recycled like some of his others. It still felt kind of the same (I think the majority of them have this problem) though, so I wasn't completely giddy. I did read it all the way through the first time I got it though, which is rare with a Jacques book (long long airplane rides helped, I'm sure).
Clay Coleman's Stranded! (Book 1 in the Escape from Lost Island series) - Grade: B. I loved these books when I was little! With such fond memories I tracked down the series again to give them a read. They are super short, I can read one in a bout an hour... but they ARE made for 10-year olds, so...
Clay Coleman's Attack! (Book 2 in the Escape from Lost Island series) - Grade: B. I didn't remember these books being so gross! Brain matter on the beach, blood in the water, I must have been an icky 10-year old. LOL Anyway, these books are entertaining. The writing isn't the best, but again with the 10-year olds...
Clay Coleman's Mutiny! (Book 3 in the Escape from Lost Island series) - Grade: B. Mutiny! Betrayal! Will the boys survive?! So intense. There are some parts where the plot stretches, but... do I even need to say it?! :)
Clay Coleman's Discovered! (Book 4 in the Escape from Lost Island series) - Grade: B. I think this one's my favorite. They are all...okay. Don't know that they make top ten lists or when awards, but they aren't boring.
More books are coming!
Comments
Rachel Caine - her Morganville Vampire series is really original and her Weather Warden series kept me interested.
Marjorie Liu - writes romance, but her Iron Hunter series first book was different.
Suzanne Collins - really liking her Hunger Games series.
Graphic novels by Sherilyn Kenyon and Christine Feehan are fun.
I'll be tackling some of your recommendations once I get through my stack. Love you - Rene'