Tag Archives: recommended read

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

I fell in love with this book.

I had grand plans for a review that would talk about magic and fantasy and why you shouldn’t flinch from a book that includes either one. I was going to link to an awesome post (Thoughts on Pratchett) and it was going to be epic and amazing.

But then, instead of sitting down and writing all that, I spent my time telling people about it. Solicited and unsolicited, at family gatherings and in e-mails at foolish times of the night I told everyone the same thing.

There is magic in this book, but just the perfect amount. The amount that brings extra vividness to a story about family. It’s beautiful writing and you’ve got to read it.

And, really, that’s all that needs to be said.

Would I recommend it? Yes! (And then I’d recommend First Frost and The Sugar Queen and possibly the rest of her books. I’m not quite sure yet as I haven’t finished reading them all but I have a feeling they are going to be excellent!)

Runes by Ednah Walters

I loved it.

It’s young adult. It’s fantasy. It’s a sappy love story. It’s full of bad-ass “people” and it stars a tenacious heroine.

Of course I loved it.

While it could be said that there is nothing super surprising or novel about this story line, Runes is well written with a good back story and solid characters.

Just because I’ve eaten and loved chocolate chip cookies my whole life doesn’t mean I don’t still want more tomorrow.

Would I recommend it? Young Adult fantasy lovers, grab your copy.  Runes is free for downloading on Amazon! Just be careful, like chocolate chip cookies, it’s hard to stop after just one. And, since my cookie and YA fantasy willpower are about the same, I can tell you that book number two, Immortals, is also quite tasty!

Eli’s Coming by Darcia Helle

The best aspect of this book was it’s compelling realism. The characters followed up plot twists with reasonably legitimate actions and…

OK.

Fine.

It’s possible that the Native American Tribe with the inherited powers that allow them to manipulate people’s energy isn’t totally normal. But it’s set up so well! And this is a supernatural suspense sort of book, so you’ve got to have something.

But in this book there is life beyond the supernatural suspense, you know, strangely like real life.

When the non-powered girl falls for the mysterious, handsome man (who, of course, has powers), yes she becomes involved in the plot line. She’s important to the story but the book does not revolve wholly around her and that was a refreshing bit of sensible writing!

Would I recommend it? If supernatural suspense is your thing, absolutely!

If you love a good suspenseful book and are willing to go along with some supernatural energy manipulating powers for the sake of the excellent characters, pick this book up!

If you hate “weird stuff” and prefer not to read while holding your breath and can’t stand a bit of bloody murder even when it’s really well written, then this one might not be for you.

As for me, I saw this was subtitled “Chasing The Night – Book 1” and there’s nothing I like better than a new series to follow!

Rosie's Book Review team 1

This honest review was given in return for a free copy of the book from its author.

 

Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

When a family friend tried to tell me about the book he was reading but was laughing so hard I could understand nothing more than “squirrel” and “superhero” I thought I’d better investigate further. I gently removed the book from the hysterically laughing seven year old’s hands to check the title and author.

A new Kate DiCamillo?

Good thing I was on my way to the library!

As soon as the book was in my hands I started reading a few chapters to the girls each night before bed.

There were nights that instead of the kids settling down when I read to them they started giggling like maniacs and shouting, “Holy bagumba!” at each other. Incidentally, while that is certainly a positive reaction to a book it is a pretty poor set up for getting young girls to fall asleep.

There were nights that Ulysses the flying squirrel was melting Flora the cynics heart, weightier issues than sprinkle donuts (and poetry) were being discussed and the giggles were more subdued.

And every night left them asking for “Just one more chapter!”

Would I recommend it? The girls liked it. “Holy bagumba!” is a new phrase in our house and I, hater of childish vocabulary, was happy to have my tongue trip over words like obfuscate and malfeasance! It’s silly and it’s sweet and you should read it to your kids just so you don’t miss out on the fun yourself!

Fire Blessed by Crystin Goodwin

Last fall I read UnBlessed by Crystin Goodwin and, while I recommend it. I refused to tell you about it. 

I didn’t want to ruin the experience.

Now I have read the sequel, Fire Blessed, and I’m still not telling.

I can’t tell you how it was that the author took a story that sucked me in so completely, expanded it and made the next installment even better without spoiling it for you.

I can’t give away just how the characters, that I wished had more substance in the first book, are fleshed out in this one. (But now there are characters of such complexity that I can’t decide if I love them or hate them.)

I can’t hint at the scheming going on behind the scenes. If you haven’t read UnBlessed you must come to it at it’s proper time. (But oh the scheming!)

And I can’t possibly tell you exactly how it leaves you at the end. (But I’m ready for book three!)

What can I tell you?

I can tell you that I’d absolutely recommend that you read it for yourself!

Would I recommend it? Start with UnBlessed (or it just wouldn’t be right) and have this one at hand for as soon as you reach the last page!

 

Kings and Queens by Terry Tyler

I learned something new about my husband of eleven years on our last road trip. He, who can solve an issue in a chemical reaction, spout dates and facts from WWII at will and re-plumb a water line as a matter of course, had no idea how many shenanigans King Henry VIII had been involved in.

I discovered this when I, historical fiction fan that I am, offered to read Kings and Queens, a contemporary retelling of the saga that was Henry VIII, aloud to him on our last road trip.

We spent hours reading and talking. John shouting “THIS IS SUCH A TRAIN-WRECK!” and me giggling at “aggressive” business tactics while reminding him that all those employees that were “fired” in this book had their heads removed in real life. I often interrupted the story to tell him how impressed I was to see how different events had been changed to work in the modern setting, while he impatiently banged on the steering wheel because he wanted to know what happened next. We took breaks from the book after each wife to head to the internet and brush up on our history and had hours of fun!

Would I recommend it? Henry VIII’s life was nothing if not a compelling train-wreck of a story, and Terry Tyler’s re-telling of it is no different whether you are a Tudor history buff… or not!

 

The Cull – Bloodstone and Blood Feud by Eric J. Gates

I like thrillers. A good dose of running-in, guns blazing while the world blows up, just as the good guy outsmarts the bad is good for the soul…  Ok maybe not good for the soul, but certainly good fun.

But in your typical thriller those good guys, can be a little, well, male. They seem to like to swear a lot and there’s a lot of talk of, to put it not near as bluntly as they seem to, boobs. Throw in the manly stuff that men do and women roll their eyes at and I’m sure it’s all quite realistic when you are down in the trenches with the fellows. But that eye rolling us women do? That’s realistic too.

In The Cull, a series that’s as suspensefully gun blazing as one could wish for, the two main characters are ladies.  Ladies, I might add, that can get by on a reasonable amount of swearing. And between their super brains and super computers, general kickassedness and sass, those typical male protagonists hardly stand a chance in a contest of pure awesomeness.

But that’s not the point.

The point is that unlike many women featured in thrillers, these girls have two things going for them. First off they have, so far, not fallen head over-heels for some hunk they are partnered with. Because once someone starts doing that, then they require rescuing and before you know it the whole world is going to shit they are stuck on a ledge over a giant void and they choose that moment to start kissing.

Seriously…

And these ladies from The Cull actually excel at what they do because of their skills instead of getting by on dumb luck and hunky male backup.  Two women, getting the job done with a bit of giggling that the men don’t understand.

Perfect.

Despite the look of their covers…

…I’d call them thrillers for women.

Also, if you are going to have a psychopathic vampire in your book, I appreciate that they are given a sense of humor and a good Irish Brogue so they can use the phrase “me darlin” often.

Would I recommend them? Yes!

Bloodstone is the second of The Cull series.  Not as edge-of-your-seat-I’m-never-going-to-sleep-again suspenseful as the first but still plenty of drama and lots of plot thickeners. Good suspense, in a way that had me avoiding responsibilities to keep reading and yet still let me sleep at night.

Blood Feud continues the storyline and as the characters continue to develop so does the reader’s knowledge of their “grey” sides- nothing is black and white after this one! I read this waiting in line at the DMV and found myself in the unusual position of wishing the lines were longer!

There are two more books coming and I’m ready and waiting to hear what these ladies do next!

 

 

Still Life with Chickens by Catherine Goldhammer (And a Chance for Real Mail!)

Are you a used book shop browser?

Always, I have been convinced that hiding amongst the throngs of books on the shelves are tiny gems waiting for me to discover them.  Perfect little books I wasn’t even looking for that will jump off the shelf and beg me to take them home. And it happens! If you spend enough time browsing book shops those books will find you. Now, I know there are many people who don’t like buying books – but I’m not one of them.  I like to have the books I love on my shelf. I, not unlike a dragon with it’s hoard of gold, like to have piles of my favorite books around to count, organize and admire.  And, quite unlike a dragon but more importantly, I like to have them available to put in the hands of people who I think may like them as much as I do.

Sadly, small children have cut down my used book store browsing time to exactly nothing.

But, luckily for me I have like-minded relatives. At a recent family gathering, my cousin handed me a cute little book with baby chicks on the cover and told me she thought I might like to read it. She found it in a used bookstore and started reading it standing in the aisle. Many minutes and a good way into the book later, she thought that for a dollar she ought to just buy it.

I’m glad she did.

Would I recommend it? Yes. In fact, because this is a book that begs to be shared, and because I’ve been blogging for five years without ever giving something away, and because everyone loves to get mail, I’m going to take this cute little book in my hand…

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… wrap it up in a nice little package and mail it to one of you who would like it.

So, if a book about chickens, and moving, and starting over sounds appealing, (And it should. It made me chuckle and sigh and there is one passage about moving that will stay with me forever) just leave a comment saying so before next Wednesday and I’ll mail it out to a randomly chosen person. (Open to those that live down the street or across the ocean. So long as the post office will recognize your address I’ll send it!)

Update: Still Life with Chickens is now winging it’s way toward Anna Eastland!

The Cull – Bloodline by Eric J. Gates

“Am I going to have to stage an intervention?” asked John as I tore myself away from the book and hopped into the kitchen arms flapping talking about vampires, secret services and possibly never sleeping at night again.

“No.”

“Honey?…”

“No, it’s just that I think I know what’s going on, but I’m not quite sure, but it’s all crazy, and then… but… AHHH!”

And then I dove back into my spot on the couch in front of the fire, burrowed up to my chin into my hooded sweatshirt and used the rest of a singularly icky April day to finish the rest of the book.

Would I recommend it? Yes, and don’t tell John but I’m going to have to read the next one…