The Harry's in my life

 My bookshelves are full of men named Harry.  I have a literary crush on most of them.

First of course there is Harry Potter.  No crush there.  But he is of course the Harry most people think about.

Next came Harry Dresden by Jim Butcher.  He too is a wizard.  And I will admit that this is one of the Harry's that I have a crush on. Learn More About Harry Dresden.

Harry Hole was the next Harry to come into my life.  Inspector Harry Hole is part of the Oslo crime squad.  He's a badass and I love spending time with him.  Harry Hole Books by Jo Nesbo.

The next couple of Harry's to enter my life are also members of the police force.

DCI Harry Grimm is a more recent crush.  I discovered these books by David Gatward due to an offering from Amazon Prime.  Though not love at first book, by number two my crush was forming.  He's a man out of his element having transferred from a busy English town to a sleepy English village that is obsessed with cake and cheese.  These books read to me like an episode of Masterpiece Mysteries.  They play out in my head so vividly I have a hard time believing I am not reading books based on a show I have already watched.  The characters came alive almost instantly.  These are fast reads that are perfect beach blanket escape.  More about Harry Grimm

The latest Harry to enter my life is DCI Harry Nelson who is a character in the Ruth Galloway Series by Elly Griffiths. He isn't the main character but I really like him.  Ruth Galloway Series

When we got a kitten 7 years ago I named him Harry after Harry Dresden.  Since then I have only encountered great characters named Harry so the name has remained special to me.  I am not sure how other people think of names but when you meet a not nice version of any given name sometimes that named is ruined for you.  

This post is dedicated to all the wonderful Harry's in my life.  The furry one and the paper and ink ones.

Mind the Gap

Mind the Gap by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon

This was a fun story. I am a fan of Christopher Golden's work and this story didn't disappoint. It is the first in a series called "The Hidden Cities". I am looking forward to reading more of them.

I haven't ever read Tim Lebbon but he is now on my list.

The Spellman Files Series

The Spellman Files Series by Lisa Lutz

There is no better beach blanket reading!

These books are funny, endearing, and completely entertaining!

The Night Circus

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I loved loved loved this book. It's unique, it's entertaining, and it's just downright enchanting.

Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

Love this series. I read it again because he finally put the next book out. It's filled with amazing characters that you love to hate and hate to love.

The Geogrpher's Library

The Geographer's Library by Jon Fasman was a random impulse buy at Barnes and Noble. I found it in the bargain fiction section and was intrigued by the dust jacket synopsis.

Once again, I was delighted to have found a diamond in the rough so to speak. Or maybe it is needle in the haystack.

A pleasant surprise, I LOVED this book. The characters were wonderful. The story was fascinating. The plot twists were unexpected and fantastic.

Way of the Wolf

Way of the Wolf by E. E. Knight was given to me by a co-worker. He likes the author and really enjoys the fact that the two series that the author writes are completely different in story and style.

Way of the Wolf if book one in his Vampire Earth series.

Set in the near future it tells the tale of a post apocalyptic earth.

This book has it all, monsters, aliens, war, famine, slavery and of course, every day people with a will to survive.

From the first page I fell in love with the author's writing style. I also enjoyed the fact that the books are set in the Midwest. Minnesota is where the stories hero is from.

I read this book in only a few days and I can't begin to tell you what a fun ride it was. This is not the typical vampire story. Not even close. These characters are more liken to the Wraith from Stargate Atlantis. Alien beings that survive not by feeding on human blood but rather by taking in their victim's life essence.

Simply put, the characters are lovable or hateable depending on what side they fall. The action is intense and fun. And the story telling is superb.

Brisingr

Brisingr by Christopher Paolini is book three in the Inheritance Cyle.

This young man is really coming into his own. His own voice, his own style. And what a treat!

If this young man will only get better at writing with age we are in for many years of exceptional books.

The City of Dreaming Books

The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers was a random book store browsing find. I was at the airport and had time to kill. I couldn't leave without this book.

This book reads like the style of Harry Potter. Fast, fanciful, and fun. With fantastic illustrations throughout the book.

I adored this book.

If you want something fun, a fanciful adventure with marvelous characters this is the book for you!

The Man with the Golden Torc

The Man with the Golden Torc by Simon R. Green

This is the first book in Simon Green's newest series "Secret Histories". I love anything this man writes.

I have been saving this book for a special occasion. And I decided that my trip to Florida for Tink's wedding didn't get any more special.

Did I mention that I love this man's writing style?

Funny, easy to read, creative as hell. Mr. Green is king when it comes to fun Sci Fi reading.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

Oh, where to begin.

My buddy Mike told my dad to read this one. WAY before Oprah by the way.

I had seen this, heard about it, and wanted to read it until.............

It made that damn Oprah list.

And well, stubborn mule that I am, as soon as Oprah tells people to read it, I avoid it like the plague.

But, Dad kept nagging me. Read it, read it. Did you get it yet? You have to go get it. READ IT!

Alright, alright, so I ordered it. I had to hunt around to find a copy that wasn't tainted by the Oprah sticker.

Ok, well, what can I say. I described it to a friend as One of THE BEST books I have ever read and one of THE WORST books I have ever read.

Does that even remotely make sense?

Given the wild swing in reviews if you check out Barnes and Nobles site, I'm not surprised I feel the way I do. It gets 1 star or 5 from people. Loved it or hated it.

I can admit that I felt both.

I saw a lot of my own dogs in this story. Not the well trained and obedient part. But the companion part.

I have given to calling Sophie my Lil Almondine.

The story in and of itself was disturbing and infuriating. But very well told.

The sign of a good author and a well written book is one that can put your emotions all over the map. Laughter, tears, sadness, anger, etc. This story runs the full spectrum.

It is beautifully written. It really is. And it made me fall deeper in love with my dogs.

I think this is one of those books that you have to experience and decide for yourself.

I am glad I read it. And I marvel at the range of emotions this book provokes.

I think each reader will have their very own, very individual, experience. And you can't say that about many books.

The Little Book

The Little Book by Selden Edwards

Dad read this one and told me it was a must read.

And, as usual, he was right. This was a good one.

I think, in all honesty, he liked this more than I did. But, I really did enjoy it. And I'm glad I read it. No regrets.

He would put this on his top 5 list. I would put this in my top 50. Which, given how many books I have read is not a bad placing.............

Proven Guilty

Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher

#8 in the Harry Dresden series.

See what I mean? I can't stop....................

Another good one.

Ok, I have to admit, this one, I got a bit emotional. In fact, I actually got mad enough that the book almost went flying.

But we are ok now. I'm still in love.

The Lies of Locke Lamora

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

I picked this book up while wandering around Borders. They had a section in their SciFi shelves for "If you Liked this: You'll like these:"

And, this was one of them. I had actually flagged this as a possible series to read so I figured why not give it a try.

What a great story.

Rather than the usual hero adventure this is the story of a band of thieves.

It's fun, exciting, a page turner, and the characters are well developed.

And nothing expected happens. Who lives and dies keeps you guessing from start to finish.

And that makes for a fun read.

I look forward to continuing this series.

Dead Beat

Dead Beat by Jim Butcher is #7 in the Harry Dresden series.

All I can say is this series is brain candy for me. I love it.

I'm addicted.

I can't stop.

Blood Rites

Blood Rites by Jim Butcher is book 6 in the Dresden series.

I fell in love with the Sci fi series The Dresden Files. When I found out the show was based on the books I had to read them.

It's always interesting to watch an author grow into his style, his characters, and into his own voice. Blood Rites is certainly the book in which Mr. Butcher found his voice.

I loved all the stories. Basically even though the series is canceled I can still enjoy the characters and the wonderful adventures. And this book was his best and most eloquent. I'm not sure what it was about this story but I felt like we had taken a literary leap. A little bit more poetic. A little bit deeper.

I guess I have to confess. I'm in love with a wizard. He's tall, dark, and very very handsome.

And these books give me a little bit of romance every day.

Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grill

Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grill by Steven Brust is a wild ride. I wouldn't say this was a book for everyone. It has it's slow moments. But I love the author and had this one on my list to read.

Basically Cowboy Feng's bar can hop time and space. And it tends to do it at the very moment nuclear weapons go off.

It's not until the 4th occurrence though that the regulars in Feng's start to wonder why this happens.

Like I said, it's an interesting story. But it is true Brust. Reads almost like a comic book, light on the brain. And just basically beach blanket entertainment.

The Gargoyle

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson was an impulse buy after seeing So many reviews and write ups of it. Costco had it for a really good price and I was planning to spend the weekend up at the cabin relaxing and reading, so, it all seemed to come together perfectly.

First I want to say that the first 50 pages of this book are VERY hard to read. If anyone you have ever loved has ever been burned or in a bad accident I am not sure this is the book for you.

I was burned when I was young. I really struggled with the first part of the book. But at the same time it was a little bit healing and a lot bit educational for me. A lot of things I went through made more sense after I read this book. I can't even compare what happened to me with what the character in this book experienced. Not even close. But still.........

Anywhoodle. It's a beautiful story. Very well written. And when those last sentences passed by my eyes I was sad, lonely, and I suffered literary withdrawal.

That's the best kind of book.

It is also unique, creative, and imaginative.