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.

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.

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 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.

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.

The Devil You Know

The Devil You Know by Mike Carey was an impulse buy when I was shopping Barnes and Nobles 1.99 and up clearance sale.

It had an interesting plot. Ghosts on the loose and the main character helps send them on to the next place.

A fun and fast read. I found myself invested in the ghost he was hired to make go away. I wanted to know her story. And then there was the succubus. She also became a character I looked forward to seeing again. And those are all words I never thought I would write in a single paragraph. So there you have it. A good story with a few characters you really get to care about. Oh, and the landlord. LOVED HER! And I can't tell you why. I just did.

The Rule of Four

The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell was a very fast read. I enjoyed this story. I added this book to my list after reading a review of it somewhere. It had received a great write up. When I looked at B&N it was interesting how the reviewers either gave it one star or 4/5. Sort of that loved it or hated it thing.

I enjoyed it. And I don't feel that I wasted my time at all with this book. It was an interesting read that kept my attention from start to finish. Considering I read it in just over 2 days, how can it loose ones attention?

The story takes place at Princeton University. Basically the narrator tells the story of a rare and unusual manuscript. His father made it his lifes work to uncover the secrets behind the book, but he died before he could solve the mystery. One of narrators friends has made the book the subject of his thesis. And thus begins the adventure. Jealousy, murder, revenge. It's all here.

The Count of Monte Cristo

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas has been sitting by my bed for months. And I have been reading it off and on. It's 1488 pages. Give me some slack.

But this was the second go around for me. I think I might have originally read the abridged version. So I picked up the unabridged and decided to give it a second read.

And even the second time around I loved this book.

I had one of the guys at work stop in mid sentence when he noticed it sitting on my desk. And he said I was reading his all time favorite book.

My dad LOVED it as well. He decided to read it because I had mentioned it was my favorite classical piece of literature and so had his friend at the coffee shop.

It's an amazing story. Even the second time around.

The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier was a fast and fascinating read.

Basically there are three states of existence, living, dead but remembered, and then, well, something after that but we don't know what.

The story goes back and forth between the living and a city of the dead. Because for as long as someone remembers you, as long as you are in their thoughts then you exist in the city of the dead.

This thought provoking story really does talk about how people might die but they live on in our memories.

Strange but beautiful, I enjoyed this story very much.

People of the Book

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks was a story my parents picked up and really enjoyed. So when we got together a few weeks back they gave it to me to read. And I'm glad they did.

The story is really cool. It takes place in modern times and in the distant past.

A Hebrew prayer book has been found and is lovingly preserved by Hannah. With each sample she takes from the book of stains, hair, and even a butterfly wing she tried to put together where the book has been in it's long life. And with each piece of evidence we are taken back in time to find out how those bits of evidence got to be a part of the book. As well as how the book in and of itself came to be.

It's a wonderful story. Fun to read, and beautifully written.

The Witch of Portobello

The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho was one of those grabs at the airport book store. I loved The Alchemist and this sounded irresistible. I was intrigued from the first page.

Ultimately, I'm not sure I loved this book. It was beautifully written and had some fantastic moments. And beautiful passages. But I feel a little empty. I didn't grow to care about the main character as much as I probably should have. She remained a little distant to me.

But, I'm not sad I read it. And I don't feel like it was a waste of time. It was a good story, just not a life changing great story.

The Shadow of the Wind

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafron was simply wonderful. Fantastic, couldn't be better. My dad read this book at the same time I did and we would call each other and talk about the quotes we liked from the book. There were many.

We had read "The Book Thief" and both thought that there was no way a book could compare. And that for a while it would seem that all other books were just not anywhere as good in comparison. But I picked this one up and as soon as I started it I called him and told him to grab it. That he would love it just as much.

And we certainly did. This was a really good story.

The Solitaire Mystery

The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder - I picked this book up on a whim at Barnes and Noble. I had read Sophie's World a few years ago. And I loved his style and his story. So I decided to give myself a treat.

And what a treat this was. A wonderful tale within a tale. A young boy on a journey with his father to find their mother is given a magnifying glass along his journey. Then, in another town he is given a bag of sticky buns. The baker tells the boy to keep the biggest stickey bun for himself and not to tell anyone about it. Later that night, hungry, the boy decides to devour the last stickey bun. He is surprised to find a book baked inside. The book has the tiniest writing he has ever seen. So tiny it would require a magnifying glass. Which, he just happened to have been given days earlier by a strange little man.

So begins the adventure................you'll have to read it for yourself to find out what happens.

A mix of life, mystery, adventure, and philosophy. This is a wonderful wonderful story.

Sophie's World

Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder - I read this book a few years back. I picked it up because I had always enjoyed the idea of Philosophy and the great philosophers but found the reading material about them very dry. And the classes I took in college seemed to always put me in a coma.

This book should be required reading in Philosophy 101. It is fantastic. The story of a young girl, Sophie, who is taught philosophy by Albert. I enjoyed this book as a fictional novel in and of itself. But it was the philosophy lessons interwoven amongst the story that really made this an enjoyable book. I felt like I got more bang for the proverbial buck. A great story and an education.

Curious about understanding philosophy - this is a great place to start.

The Vampire Papers

The Vampire Papers by Michael Romkey is book two in the Vampire series. This story focuses on two serial killers that have come together to destroy the families of a small southern town. And it is up to David and Mozart to stop them.

The second book is just as good as the first. I am enjoying this series and I look forward to the rest of the books. Most of them are out of print but I found the collection at a used book store and had them shipped to me.

The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana

The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Umberto Eco was on the clearance shelf at Barnes and Noble. The idea behind the story was fascinating so I picked it up.

The main character in the book suffers from a stroke and looses his memory of who he is. He doesn't know anything about his past, his wife, or his children.

But he does remember every book he ever read with precise clarity.

This is the story of his journey into remembering and piecing together his past.

I found this book fascinating, and very informative. A great deal of the story focuses on life in Italy during WWII. Overall I liked this book. At times I was getting a little distracted but for the most part I was so fascinated by the politics and culture of Italian life. This is not edge of your seat reading. But it is interesting and I might even have learned a few things.

A while back I picked up Baudilino by Eco but I wasn't able to get into the story and gave up on it. Or I should say that I shelved it for another time. I enjoyed this one so much for the sheer cortical stimulation that I picked up The Name of the Rose which is probably his most famous work. And I will give Baudilino a second try....................

Drinking Midnight Wine

Drinking Midnight Wine by Simon R. Green is one of his few stand alone novels. I am not sure how much I LOVED this book but now that it is over I miss the characters. So I guess that means it was pretty good.

This is the tale of two worlds colliding. The world of magic and the ordinary world of humans. Powerful forces, godlings, lycanthropes, you name it, they make an appearance.

To sum it up here is a few lines from the story:

What value can one ordinary man have in a magical world?

What can a mortal bring to the affairs of immortals?

Insight. Honor. Morality. Perspective.

Because nothing makes love and life matter more than the knowledge that some day it must end.