Morrigan's Cross by Nora Roberts

This is the first book in the Circle Trilogy. In 12th-century Ireland, sorcerer Hoyt Mac Cionaoith does battle with a centuries-old vampire named Lilith, who has turned Hoyt's twin brother, Cian, into a fellow bloodsucker. Unable to defeat her, Hoyt is visited by the goddess of battle, Morrigan, who charges him with the task of leading a battle, "the greatest ever waged," against Lilith and her demons. Hoyt must gather five others to fight alongside him: "the witch, the warrior, the scholar, the one of many forms, and the one you've lost." He travels in time to present-day New York, where he encounters his vampire brother, Cian, and Glenna, a beautiful red-haired witch. Two more warriors, Moira and Larkin, join them back in the Mac Cionaoith ancestral home. Romance ignites between Hoyt and Glenna as enemies emerge from the shadows, and the "circle of six" prepare for the big showdown with Lilith.

The romance is a bit rushed, the dialogue is witty and there is action. Overall an entertaining read.

Monk's Hood by Ellis Peters

Monk's-Hood is Ellis Peters' third Brother Cadfael mystery. It is set at the close of the year 1138 in the Abbey of St Peter and St Paul where Cadfael is a Benedictine monk.

Brother Cadfael is called upon to help a poisoned guest at the Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul. Upon reaching the dying man's side, Cadfael discovers two very disturbing things: the poison was taken from Cadfael's own workshop, and the dead man's widow is Cadfael's former fiance. Cadfael feels that it is his responsibility to find the guilty man and to prove the widow's son innocent of the murder of his stepfather.

Cadfael is brave, compassionate, and worldly, but above all a shrewd observer of human nature--both clerical as well as secular.

I'm glad I've got another couple of Cadfael's in my TBR's.

The Blood Doctor by Barbara Vine

Martin Nanther-biographer and member of the House of Lords-discovers some blighted roots on his family tree while researching the life of his great-great-grandfather, Henry, an expert on hemophilia and physician to Queen Victoria. Martin contacts long-lost relatives who help him uncover some puzzling events in Henry's life. Was Henry a dour workaholic or something much more sinister?

I did find it a somewhat entertaining read, and I actually liked all the local color -- the time Martin spent at the House of Lords, the travels to Switzerland etc. As far as the extensive familial research we had to plow through, I understand that Martin needed to do this for the biography he was writing, but it was terribly confusing at first, tho I did get a better grasp of timelines and family relationships the further I read.

For a biographer doing such research Martin did a lot of guessing, hypothesising, and presuming. I could work out what his ancestor had done a lot earlier than Martin. I got the impression he was blind about what he didn't want to know. Either that or he was a bit thick!

13 Bullets by David Wellington

Special deputy Jameson Arkeley stopped a vampire rampage 20 years earlier, during which he whittled down all known bloodsuckers to a single survivor, Justinia Malvern. Kept alive at a sanitarium in rural Pennsylvania by minimal life support and bizarre laws preventing her extermination, wispy Justinia seems a threat to no one—until a series of vampire killings in the area suggest that she has found a secret way to spread her taint. Convinced that Justinia's minions plan to spring her and revive her to full power, Arkeley commandeers state trooper Laura Caxton to help him find their lair and wipe them out before they can get their vampire queen the blood she needs.

This was better than I had expected. The vampires were icky...definitely not sexy. The heroine was a lesbian, the hero was neither handsome nor compassionate but it worked. The ending was totally unexpected. It finished this story nicely, but at the same time left the storyline wide open to continue in a sequel.

I'm glad Lani lent it to me.

Life Mask by Emma Donoghue

Oct '06 - Jan '09

The story follows the loves and lives of Eliza Farrow, actress, Lord Derby who is in love with Eliza, and Anne Damer, a sculptor who also appears to be in love with Eliza. Thus we are introduced to their triangluar relationship and become privy to open and closed secrets.

It was rich in historic detail, sometimes a little too rich. But overall an enjoyable read.

Keeping It Real by Justina Robson

The Quantum Bomb of 2015 changed everything. The fabric that kept the universe's different dimensions apart was torn and now, six years later, the people of earth exist in uneasy company with the inhabitants of, amongst others, the elven, elemental and demonic realms. Magic is real and can be even more dangerous than technology. Elves are exotic, erotic, dangerous and really bored with the constant Lord of the Rings references. Elementals are a law unto themselves and demons are best left to themselves.

Special agent Lila Black used to be pretty but now she's not so sure. Her body is now more than half restless carbon and metal alloy machinery. A machine she's barely in control of. It goes into combat mode, enough weapons for a small army springing from within itself, at the merest provocation. As for her heart ... well ever since being drawn into a Game by the elven rockstar she's been assigned to protect, she's not even sure she can trust that anymore.

It took me a little while to get into this, but the more I read the better it got.

A Noble Radiance by Donna Leon

When a rural landowner discovers the body of Roberto Lorenzoni, who was kidnapped two years earlier, Brunetti immediately suspects the victim's family. The Lorenzoni clan bears the legacy of betraying the Jews of Venice during World War II, and from these ashes, its members have created a thriving enterprise. Roberto's cousin Maurizio, who's next in line to inherit the family fortune and business, is the logical suspect, but Brunetti senses something more insidious at play. As he works his way through Italian three-course meals and family crises, he uncovers disturbing details about the Lorenzoni family.


This is another of Donna Leon's wonderful Comissario Guido Brunetti mysteries set in Venice.

Death by Water by Kerry Greenwood

The nice men at P&O are worried. A succession of jewellery thefts from first-class passengers is hardley the best advertisment for their cruise liners, particulary when it is likley that a passenger is doing the stealing.

Phryne Fisher, with her Lulu bob, green eyes, Cupid's bow lips and Chanel travelling suits, is exactly the sort of elegant sleuth to take on a ring of jewellery thieves aboard the high seas- or at least, aboard the SS Hinemoa on a luxury cruise to new Zealand. With the Maharani-the Great Queen of Sapphires-as the bait, Phryne rises magnificently to the challenge.

There are shipboard romances, champagne cocktails, erotic photographers, jealous husbands, mickey finns, blackmail and attempted murder, all before the thieves find out-as have countless love-smitten men before them-that where the glamorous and intelligent Phryne is involved, reistance is futile.

There are lovely descriptions of New Zealand, interesting characters, some humour and a few twists. Overall a very entertaining read.

The Waterborn by Greg Keyes

In this world, the River, a jealous and powerful god, runs in the blood of the nobility of the city of Nhol, including in that of a bright and independent princess, Hezhi. Ten years old, Hezhi wishes to understand the world she was born into and why her cousin and best friend, Den, was taken away to the River by the priests.

Meanwhile, Perkar, a young warrior, has fallen in love with a Stream Goddess who fears being eaten by the River. Wishing to save his beloved, Perkar vows to kill the River. In interweaving story lines, both protagonists make mistakes but unravel mysteries and, aided by many strong secondary characters, come of age.

It was a good entertaining book.

The Dead and The Gone by Susan Pfeffer

This is a companion book to "Life As We Knew It".

This time it's New York and 17 yr old Alex is left looking after his 2 younger sisters when his father is in Puerto Rico when the moon is hit and his mother has been called in to work at the hospital but doesn't come home.

It was very good, but somehow not quite as brilliant as Life As We Knew It.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer

Miranda begins her diary entries with the usual teen business of school, friends and family with a little digression into figure skating fandom. The forecast collision between asteroid and moon seems like a fun event, as well as an excuse for homework assignments from her teachers, in other words, of interest but not particularly interesting. But the unexpected happens and the collision knocks the moon out of its normal orbit around earth and terrible things begin to happen. Life as Miranda knew it changes quickly and relentlessly from one of normality to a frightening spectre of violent death and terrible deprivation. As suddenly as this happens in parts of world where tsunamis, earthquakes and floods wipe out huge areas of land and people, the changes in Miranda's world occur more gradually but relentlessly. Miranda's world becomes more and more focused on the tragedy and the effects of the global climactic change, and her frame of reference as a teen in a world of school, friends, sports and the future, shrinks down to the day to day survival of herself and her family of four. Miranda struggles to maintain her identity, her physical existence and her hope in the face of frightening odds against her.

The novel is a dark microcosmic view of a small town family facing the worst that life can throw at them, but it never loses hope even in the face of hopelessness. Miranda muses at one point in the book that she might as well enjoy today no matter how bad it is, because tomorrow was going to be worse. And yet there are little joys, rays of hope, tantalizing moments of what passes for normal in the midst of an ever darkening prognosis for survival. Miranda remains true to who she is and her family shows the strength of their commitment to each other throughout this ordeal.

There are no fairy tale endings to this book, but it does end on a hopeful note and the reader is left with the conviction that better days may yet be ahead.

A compelling story that makes it impossible to put the book down.

Fear of Frying by Jill Churchill

Jane and Shelley find a corpse at a remote campsite which vanishes and then shows up alive and well.

A nice, light cosy. I worked out who and how well before the annoying and thick Jane and Shelley.
(The victims brother, so he would get all the inheritance from their parents)

For Rouenna by Sigrid Nunez

Jan 2006 - Jan 2009

FOR ROUENNA starts comfortably enough, with the narrator, a novelist, receiving a letter from a woman she barely remembers from childhood. This woman, the Rouenna of the title, pressures the narrator to visit her Brooklyn apartment so they can talk, though the narrator fears the intimacy of a face to face meeting. Eventually, though, they meet, becoming friends despite their differences. Their friendship has barely taken root when Rouenna commits suicide in her mother's house in New Jersey. As the narrator tries to come to terms with the loss, she finds herself writing about Rouenna - her difficult childhood in the projects of Staten Island, and, most compellingly, of her time in war-torn Vietnam as a military nurse. The story becomes a powerful, unsettling eulogy not only for Rouenna, but for the innocence America lost during those turbulent times.

The story draws you in slowly, into the lives of Rouenna and the unnamed narrator. I don't know that enjoyed is quite the right word, but I am glad I read this book.

Footprints in the Butter by Denise Dietz

The day after her high school reunion hits Ingrid Beaumont hard: someone has murdered Wylie Jamestone, famous artist and member of the close-knit group of former dissenters that included Ingrid. Wylie bequeathes Ingrid a painting and a cryptic note referring to a treasure hunt, so she begins a quest to find his murderer.

I didn't like this as much as I had hoped to. The characters were shallow, many were nasty people and why would you do anything for a murder victim who had made many peoples lives hell? The elephant jokes were the best part.

Chocolat by Joanne Harris

When an exotic stranger, Vianne Rocher, arrives in the French village of Lansquenet and opens a chocolate boutique directly opposite the church, Father Reynaud identifies her as a serious danger to his flock - especially as it is the beginning of Lent, the traditional season of self-denial. War is declared as the priest denounces the newcomer's wares as the ultimate sin. Suddenly Vianne's shop-cum-café means that there is somewhere for secrets to be whispered, grievances to be aired, dreams to be tested. But Vianne's plans for an Easter Chocolate Festival divide the whole community in a conflict that escalates into a 'Church not Chocolate' battle. As mouths water in anticipation, can the solemnity of the Church compare with the pagan passion of a chocolate éclair?

I loved this book. It was about chocolate so how could I not, lol?

The language evokes clear, luscious images of the people, the smells, the feel of this small French village.I enjoyed the touch of magic. I enjoyed the way the story was told from 2 viewpoints and the way the stories of the main characters were gradually revealed.

A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole

Emmaline is half vampire and half Valkyrie. She is known in her coven as Emma the timid. Her family is shocked when she decides she wants to travel to Paris alone to find out the truth about her father. While there she is attacked by a handsome, yummy, strong, yummy, scary, yummy man who scares the stuffing out of her. She is even more shocked to find out that in order to return to Louisiana she will have to help Lachlain MacRieve the leader of a Lykae Clan return to his home in Scotland. She'll do it believing she will be allowed to return home. She has no idea Lachlain is her forever mate and he has no plans on ever letting her get away.

Lachlain has spent the last hundred and fifty years being tortured by the vampire Demestriu. He is slowly going mad and then...he scents his mate. He has been waiting an eternity to find her and he is not going to let her get away now. He is shocked and somewhat disgusted when he finds out his long awaited mate is half vampire. But despite this he can't keep himself from feeling things for the wee little Emma. She fires his blood and he will do what he must to keep her...even if it means to lie to her. Anything to get her home to Scotland where he will be able to keep her safe and protected when he goes to get revenge against Demestriu. But, life doesn't always go according to plan and wooing Emma is just one of those things.

Lachlain and Emmaline hooked me from page one. Vampires, lycans, witches, valkyries and wraiths make for an interesting cast of characters with lots of potential.

I enjoyed this and now want to read more in this series.

Fear and Trembling by Amelie Nothomb

This is a strange little book covering the narrator's experiences working for a big Japanese corporation. It documents her fear and humiliation and the intricacies of Japanese etiquette.

This book is delightful and engaging. I read it in a single sitting.

Killer Pancake by Diane Mott Davidson

Caterer and amateur sleuth Goldy B. Schulz gets caught between a ruthless cosmetic company and a violent animal rights group. When Goldy, owner of Goldilocks' Catering, faces the challenge of whipping up a sumptuous lowfat feast for the Mignon Cosmetics' company banquet, she rises to the occasion brilliantly...only to discover just how ugly the beauty biz can be!

On the day of the banquet Goldy finds herself confronting an angry mob of demonstrators--"Spare the Hares"--who object to Mignon Cosmetics' animal-testing policies. As she struggles to carry forty pounds of lowfat fare from her van to the mall where the banquet is being held, she hears an ominous squeal of tires and a horrifying thump. Seconds later, a Mignon employee lies dead on the pavement. And soon the police discover that this hit-and-run was no accident.

Now Goldy is enmeshed up to her saute pans in a homicide investigation. Could the murder have had something to do with Spare the Hares--or with the exotic flower found near the dead body? Though busy serving up Hoisin Turkey and Grand Marnier Cranberry Muffins, Goldy decides to start digging at Mignon's million-dollar cosmetics counter. But when another murder takes place and Goldy herself is attacked, the caterer turned sleuth knows she must step up her search for a gruesome killer.

The first I've read in this series and I enjoyed it. I also liked the recipes scattered throughout the book.

Julie and Julia by Julie Powell

This book is about Julie Powell (the author) recounting the year she spent cooking every recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Childs (famous cooking person).

She wrote this book based on her Blog and at times it comes across as very chick-lit and whiny.

I liked the 2nd half of the book more than the first half, perhaps because by then she had started to, as Julie put it, "get over herself".

Raisins and Almonds by Kerry Greenwood

Handsome, Jewish Simon Abraham made a nice distraction for a while. Phryne and Simon entered a dance contest and would have won if Phryne had been Jewish. When a Jewish student was poisoned in "Lee's Books New and Secondhand," Simon's father Benjamin Abraham asked Phryne Fisher to investigate. Benjamin owns the building housing the bookstore. Miss Sylvia Lee ran a quiet and neat establishment. When the body was removed, Miss Lee swept and cleaned, bringing suspicion upon herself. Phryne agrees to look into the matter for ten quid a day. She warns Benjamin that she will tell him only the truth. It may be that a "Jew murdered a Jew." The investigation takes Phryne deep into the Jewish community, politics, and culture.

This isn't my favorite of the series. Too much emphasis on the Jewishness of Phryne's latest young lover, the victim, the suspects and their interest in Middle Eastern politics and I even guessed right about the villain.