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bert501 · 07-28-2012, 11:59 PM

I've had a busy reading month and thought I would share a few highlights and a couple of stinkers!

Creole Belle, James Lee Burke 4/5 stars. Burke writes like smooth whiskey flowing over your soul...or something like that! I always enjoy his characters and his take on why people do the things they do. This has all the familiar "stuff" of murder, intrigue, extreme violence,innocent victims and bad people getting what they truly deserve. There is a nice subplot for Clete that felt clunky at times but Burke got it all wrapped up in a nice way at the end.

a re-read of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness then into her new release Shadow of Night I give 4/5 stars for both but Shadow of Night was SOOO detailed I almost gave up on it. I appreciated the attention she took to the historical accuracy of the story but there were a few places that felt very "edited" so it wouldn't turn into a history lesson, if you know what I mean. Harkness also had a subplot that ended strangely, and she missed a really great character/opportunity which would have added depth to the main character but I hope she will go back and wrap up in the next book.

Did a quick quick skim/read of Hangman's Daughter and the Dark Monk but they were so awful I didn't even add them to my Goodreads list! Too many characters that went nowhere after excruciatingly detailed introductions.

Also worked my way through the Downside Ghosts series by Stacia Kane (1) Unholy Ghosts, (2) Unholy Magic, (3) City of Ghosts, (4) Sacrificial Magic, and (5) Chasing Magic. Really interesting premise-the ghosts are NOT like your usual paranormal mischief makers. 4/5 although there is an "issue" with the main character that gets tiresome...deal with it or ignore it but stop going on & on about it...

Married With Zombies by Jesse Petersen 2/5 stars, this was a cool little book that had some genuinely creepy parts. I gave it 2 stars because itcould have been a great book if 2/3 of the violence was cut in favor of character/plot development...blah blah, my complaint with everything I read!! It's the first in the Living with the Dead series and held my attention at least enough to check out the next book in the series.

Maids of Misfortune by M. Louisa Locke 3/5 stars. A super fun and quick read with an unusual premise in that the lead character is also secretly a psychic in Victorian San Francisco! Plot had some nice twists and I hope a couple of the peripheral characters turn up again in the series.

Murder in the PTA by Laura Alden 4/5 I grabbed this for a light read when I don't have time to really sit down & read. But, this thing turned out to be so good I read it in one sitting! The plot is old & familiar: Mom joins the PTA, Principal is murdered, mayhem ensues and it's all wrapped up in time for supper! But there were some nice twists, a little danger I didn't see coming and a nice bit of character development. It's listed as #1 in series so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.

The Diva Digs Up the Dirt (Domestic Diva #6) by Krista Davis 4/5 stars Another fun romp with Sophie and the wacko's in her life! This time her ex-husbands new flame sets Sophie up to have her backyard redone by a television home improvement show-of course murder occurs, there is lots of running around, cooking (recipes included!), and convoluted reasons to explain all the plot twists. Very enjoyable if you don't think too hard and just enjoy the fun.

Whew! Hope this helps someone to choose something to read.

07-28-2012, 11:59 PM	#13832
bert501 Connoisseur Posts: 68 Karma: 263126 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Missouri, USA Device: Kindle	My July Reads I've had a busy reading month and thought I would share a few highlights and a couple of stinkers! Creole Belle, James Lee Burke 4/5 stars. Burke writes like smooth whiskey flowing over your soul...or something like that! I always enjoy his characters and his take on why people do the things they do. This has all the familiar "stuff" of murder, intrigue, extreme violence,innocent victims and bad people getting what they truly deserve. There is a nice subplot for Clete that felt clunky at times but Burke got it all wrapped up in a nice way at the end. a re-read of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness then into her new release Shadow of Night I give 4/5 stars for both but Shadow of Night was SOOO detailed I almost gave up on it. I appreciated the attention she took to the historical accuracy of the story but there were a few places that felt very "edited" so it wouldn't turn into a history lesson, if you know what I mean. Harkness also had a subplot that ended strangely, and she missed a really great character/opportunity which would have added depth to the main character but I hope she will go back and wrap up in the next book. Did a quick quick skim/read of Hangman's Daughter and the Dark Monk but they were so awful I didn't even add them to my Goodreads list! Too many characters that went nowhere after excruciatingly detailed introductions. Also worked my way through the Downside Ghosts series by Stacia Kane (1) Unholy Ghosts, (2) Unholy Magic, (3) City of Ghosts, (4) Sacrificial Magic, and (5) Chasing Magic. Really interesting premise-the ghosts are NOT like your usual paranormal mischief makers. 4/5 although there is an "issue" with the main character that gets tiresome...deal with it or ignore it but stop going on & on about it... Married With Zombies by Jesse Petersen 2/5 stars, this was a cool little book that had some genuinely creepy parts. I gave it 2 stars because itcould have been a great book if 2/3 of the violence was cut in favor of character/plot development...blah blah, my complaint with everything I read!! It's the first in the Living with the Dead series and held my attention at least enough to check out the next book in the series. Maids of Misfortune by M. Louisa Locke 3/5 stars. A super fun and quick read with an unusual premise in that the lead character is also secretly a psychic in Victorian San Francisco! Plot had some nice twists and I hope a couple of the peripheral characters turn up again in the series. Murder in the PTA by Laura Alden 4/5 I grabbed this for a light read when I don't have time to really sit down & read. But, this thing turned out to be so good I read it in one sitting! The plot is old & familiar: Mom joins the PTA, Principal is murdered, mayhem ensues and it's all wrapped up in time for supper! But there were some nice twists, a little danger I didn't see coming and a nice bit of character development. It's listed as #1 in series so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. The Diva Digs Up the Dirt (Domestic Diva #6) by Krista Davis 4/5 stars Another fun romp with Sophie and the wacko's in her life! This time her ex-husbands new flame sets Sophie up to have her backyard redone by a television home improvement show-of course murder occurs, there is lots of running around, cooking (recipes included!), and convoluted reasons to explain all the plot twists. Very enjoyable if you don't think too hard and just enjoy the fun. Whew! Hope this helps someone to choose something to read.