And actually, quite a lot has happened in my quiet life. I went to Sarasota, Florida, to visit my new author friend! She let me read her new book prior to publication later this year. I was so honored, and it was so pleasant, being in their lovely home, so quiet and cool against the Florida heat, reading and reading -- my favorite occupation.
The new book is AWESOME! I can' wait to have it in my hot little hands so I can reread it. I plan to reread the whole series later when it's closer to release time.
Anyway, I've been reading and reviewing. A few forgettable things -
One Good Dog, and
Silverthorn which I only skimmed. Just couldn't take any more of Mr. Feist at the moment.
But then I read (or listened to)
With No One As Witness CD by
Elizabeth George
My rating:
5 of 5 stars
View all my reviews which was fantastic.
Burndive by
Karin Lowachee
My rating:
4 of 5 stars
Outstanding. A follow up to Warchild, this books delivers Lowachee's spare but rich prose, deep psychological understanding, and burning suspense. I was terribly disappointed in this edition, however, as it was peppered with typos that constantly took me out of the story. Looked like the publishers merely scanned it without proof reading in order to make a fast buck. The next book WAS available for Nook but has been taken down, an ERROR which I hope will be rectified soon. I bought it in paperback so will be reading it regardless. Do hope to see more from Miss Lowachee, however, as I've been gripped by both this book and the two previous ones I've read.
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Cagebird by
Karin Lowachee
My rating:
5 of 5 stars
The last, the most intense, and the most interior of this trilogy by Karin Lowachee. It tells the story of the second victim of the pirate Falcone, who kidnaps kids and raises them to be pirates through seduction and power and horrific abuse. At the age of four Yuri Kirov's home is destroyed by an alien attack... or is it a pirate attack? At any rate, Yuri ends up on Falcone's ship at the age of nine. We follow his life, told in first person during the same time period as the stories of Jos and of Ryan Azarcon, the boy/young man stories of the previous two books. It's a time of political upheaval and chaos in the world of Earth, Earth Hub (the stations in the galaxy belonging to Earth) and the world of the alien Strits and their stations. Crooked politicians, crooked members of Black Ops, pirates, and the two flawed but honorable men - both the captains of warships. One, Cairo Azarcon, a former protege of Falcone, who escaped the life and became captain of a huge battleship, and the other, Warboy, a human Strit sympathizer who captains a Strit warship and who helps Jos when he escapes from Falcone.
Yuri Kirov is the most damaged of the three boys and his story is gripping and filled with suspense, angst, tragedy, violence and love. Written with spare rich prose, integrity, and authenticity. Highly, highly recommended.
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Both Lowachee's were totally AWESOME!
Meanwhile read a very forgettable historical mystery/romance called
What Angels Fear, recommended by members of the Yahoo Dorothy Dunnett groups that was as unlike Frances Crawford as you could get. Ugh.
Better was
Wizard of the Pigeons by
Megan Lindholm
My rating:
4 of 5 stars
Wow! Really a story about PTSD in a Viet Nam vet who escapes into fantasy land. Wrenching in its revelations about the lack of understanding of this problem in those days, and the pathetic unresponsiveness of the VA. Beautifully written. More reality than fantasy.
The writer who became Robin Hobb.
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I went slumming with Sookie Stackhouse and read
Dead Reckoning by
Charlaine Harris
My rating:
4 of 5 stars
This one seemed a little uneven to me. Impossible to say what happens, of course, but it seems Sookie loves Eric and he loves her. There are kinks in the works, though. There were scenes that totally cracked me up, and make me glad all over again that it's not the TV series. One scene I roared out loud and couldn't stop laughing. My dogs thought I'd gone nuts. And it was Pam and her deadpan sarcasm that did it. Too funny.
Sigh. I suppose it will be another year before we get another one.
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Spirit Lens by Carol Berg was disappointing.
Got Dragonfly in Amber on sale from Audible.com - here's my review of that one!
Dragonfly in Amber by
Diana Gabaldon
My rating:
3 of 5 stars
OMG, I am finally finished. Someone said it ends in a cliffhanger and I BRIEFLY contemplated getting the next one, but NO! I've had enough of Claire and Jamie, thank you very much.
Beautiful writing, good research, but plot is snail's pace and not really much of a mystery. I can't imagine how she had enough interest in these characters to keep writing through -- how many? -- eight ? books???
Whew.
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Read a delightful mystery about Bangkok, called, aptly enough,
Bangkok 8 Review follows:
Bangkok 8 (Sonchai Jitpleecheep, #1) by
John Burdett
My rating:
3 of 5 stars
3.75 stars. Hilarious in spots. The ending a little weak. Very entertaining and exotic.
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Hellburner by
C.J. Cherryh
My rating:
4 of 5 stars
4.5 stars. A hell of a ride. As usual, Cherryh reveals the story up close and personal, showing us what's happening from the points of view of four or five main characters, in bits and pieces, building tension and suspense, despairing of a good outcome, until finally the whole jigsaw comes together in a complete whole. Cherryh writes fantastic science fiction from a very human perspective, with all the realities of politics, lies, sweat, insanity, and incredible pressure. What a writer.
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Can't beat Cherryh! And then read
Cyteen which has been waiting in my pile forever! Why why why? I should've read it a long time ago! IT WAS AWESOME!
Cyteen by
C.J. Cherryh
My rating:
5 of 5 stars
OMG! What a book! Best Cherryh yet! Now I have to read Forty-thousand in Gehenna and Regenesis! I can see why it won the Hugo. It's non stop psychological thriller with so many plot twists and unexpected turns that one can hardly keep up. She makes me hate a character and then come to understand them if not like them in a most interesting way, uncovering layers and layers of meaning.
I could hardly put it down and am now sad that it's over and I'll have to get myself involved in another book to get that feeling again. So, it's off to
Forty Thousand in Gehenna which I wish I'd read first.
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Forty Thousand in Gehenna by C.J. Cherryh