By Laurell K. Hamilton
Read: March 2010
Rating: Engrossing
First, let me just say that that cover is a total plot-tease. It shows a woman’s belly, with a nice little round to it, and her hand just so… The series is about a woman trying to get pregnant. You are plot-teasing me, you stupid cover art! Bonus, nothing [...]

By Laurell K. Hamilton
Read: March 2010
Rating: Engrossing

To be perfectly honest, I’m going to speed through this review, and #3, Seduced by Moonlight. These books slam into each other and it gets hard to pull them apart.
Anyway, we now know the plot arc for the whole series. Merry’s aunt, Queen Andais, wants her bloodline to continue on [...]

By Laurell K. Hamilton
Read: March 2010
Rating: Wham
My mummy picked up one of the books in this series, and must have liked what she saw. She didn’t read it, she went and ordered all eight books. Mummy hates starting a series that she can’t finish, or at least be able to read a big ol’ chunk [...]

By Kate Forsyth
Read: ~2002, November 2009
Rating: Gripping
Hoo-! I was up MUCH later than intended last night, polishing off the last of book 6, which I read right on the heels of #5. Good reading, there. When I say gripping, I mean it. The last third especially…
The Skull of the World follows Isabeau’s ultimate quest in [...]

By Kate Forsyth
Read: Sept-Oct 2009
Rating: Nostalgic
Number four, in what was meant to be a trilogy. I had always liked this one because it stars one of my favorite characters: Finn.
Fionnghal was born a princess, heir to the MacRurach clan, but was kidnapped by Maya’s regime to use as a tool. The MacRurachs have the gift [...]

By Hergé
Read: September 2009
Rating:
This was the very first Tintin book I ever got my hands on. So there’s nostalgic attachment to it.
Published in 1936, the squabbling countries make speeches to… The League of Nations! Funnily enough, there’s not mention of communism, at all. But I suppose that wasn’t so much on the public radar until [...]

By Hergé
Read: September 2009
Rating: Transitional
One can definitely feel the transitional quality of this volume. It FEELS like a Tintin book, but the story is quite choppy, and for good reason–originally, it was running as a serial. There is a consistent story arc, but it’s not like later books where everything is geared toward that one [...]

By Hergé
Read: September 2009
Rating: Trippy
I now know why this volume confused the hell out of me as a kid.
Firstly, it’s the first in the series, as published widely, but it’s technically the third book. So there are references to Tintin’s past adventures, and he has a hell of a reputation. Such a strong reputation that [...]

A note, in case anyone should care.
I believe that comics are a wholly valid artform, and can be amazing pieces of literature. I also acknowledge that one page of a graphic novel isn’t necessarily equal to one page of prose, as far as ‘amount.’ Maybe ‘mass’ is the word I want?
When I add a graphic [...]

When I was very young, our town had an Encore books. It was a special kind of bliss, because it was like the library, but all the books were new. It’s from this book store that I got my set of the Chronicles of Narnia. I spent hours browsing their selection of Babysitters Club volumes. [...]

By Kate Forsyth
Read: Way Back When, July 2009
Rating: Bonny
Book Two in the Witches of Eileannan is a big ‘un. It covers TWO mega-battles/wars, and a giantass cast of characters. I love it.
And plenty of men in kilts. Not much fetishizing of the kilts, but plenty of kilts. And women kilting their skirts up because skirts [...]

By Naomi Novik
Read: July 2008
Rating: Intense
I got an email alert announcing the release of this book, and was able to attend Naomi Novik’s very first book signing EVARR. She was excited, we were excited, and the space at the Greenwich Village B&N was standing room only. How cool was that?!
She read an as-yet-unpublished short story [...]

By Naomi Novik
Read: June/July 2008
Rating: Fascinating
I put off reading EoI for a long while because I just wasn’t in the mood. I read the first three Temeraire books back in ‘06 and they have since been passed on to both my parents. All our paperbacks now have warped spines and white, messy edges. Signs of [...]

By Naomi Novik
Read: September 2006
Rating: Faboo!!
Every so often, the grocery store rewards my endless browsing with a shiny pearl. This is some of the coolest stuff you could ever present to me: Historical novel. With dragons. !!!!! of JOY! Some of the only ”traveling” books I have ever liked!
And you know it’s good, [...]

By Patricia C. Wrede
Read: When I was but a lass… and July 2006.
Rating: Fun
These were my very first proper fantasy novels. I’d recently made the graduation from the low paperback shelves to the (seemingly) giant big kids’ shelves, and had only been able to find books like Mrs. PigglyWiggly and brush up on the American [...]

Since time and interest don’t allow for every book to get its own lengthy review, I’m going to do some mini-reviews. Clod save us all.
This install comes from the 2006 50 Book Challenge, which is going great guns, thanks. Books 1-20 were read during this time period. This mini review includes:

Yentl’s Revenge (Essays on Judaism [...]

By Peter David
How apropos… Amazon.com
Rating: YOSH!
Read: Fall 05, April/May 2006
The tale of Sir Apropos of Nothing is not a particularly joyful one, but it is very amusing and insightful. Definately one of my faves.
Apropos is indeed the fellow’s name, and he is the most cynical, pessimistic, jaded young anti-hero ever. I mean EVARR. Apropos sees [...]

By Terry Pratchett
Rating: Merfle
Read: Feb 2006
I was a bit disappointed with this one, actually. I’ve read a handful or more Discworld books but this one wasn’t quite as jubilant as some of the others. Yes, there was snark, but it was sort of downplayed. Maybe that’s because the main character is an eight year old [...]

By Piers Anthony
Rating: Frabjous
Read: approx. 1998 (age 12), reread August 2005.

I first read the Incarnations of Immortality when I was about 12, and I remember enough to know that I didn’t comprehend nearly as much as I will now, some 7 years later. (Yosh, has it really been that long?) I’ve reread this particular book [...]

By J.K. Rowling
You don’t have your very own copy by now, WHY!? Amazon.com
Rating: Excellence
Read: July 2005

It’s here! It’s here! At very long last, it’s here! The penultimate! The one that’ll REALLY have us all on the edge of our seats-!
I cried at the end.
If you haven’t read it by now, you’re an even slower reader [...]

By “Lemony Snickett”
Rating: Good
Read: June/July 2005

These books are the way good childrens’ fiction SHOULD be. They don’t talk down, they are whimsical, clever, amusing, and honest.

By J. K. Rowling
Like the woman needs more money. The books are undeinably good, though. Amazon.com
Rating: Cantputitdowner
Read: First read a month or so after it came out, reread April 2005.

Agh- definately the most driving book so far. If you haven’t given it a good reread yet, do so before July when the 6th arrives. (*squeal* [...]

By J. K. Rowling
Like the woman needs more money. The books are undeinably good, though. Amazon.com
Rating:
Read: Dunno when the first time was (in HS, I know) but reread April 2005.

By J. K. Rowling
Like the woman needs more money. It’s still good, though. Amazon.com
Rating: Quality Comfort-zone.
Read: Dunno when the first time was (in HS, I know) but reread March 2005.

I decided it was time to reread all of these a long time ago (I’ve only read them through once, and that makes conversations with nutters [...]