May's books
May. 31st, 2009 08:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pjthompsonI made up for only finishing one book last month by finishing five this month. Some really good ones, too!
1. Hunt for the Skinwalker: Science Confronts the Unexplained at a Remote Ranch in Utah by Colm A. Kelleher and George Knapp (begun '08) - TBR
I'm placing this book with my collection of books on the Trickster. Although there is mention of skinwalkers (a Navajo and Ute Indian name for malevolent witches) in this book, it read more like an intersection with that other Indian myth. UFOs, sasquatch, lights in the sky, bizarre poltergeist and trickster phenomena, cattle mutilations plague a rancher and his family until in desperation they sell out their ranch to the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS) researchers so they can do an investigation. That investigation runs into obstacles and frustrations at every turn. An interesting read, but often repetitive. I most enjoyed the gripping beginning of the book when the family was under siege and the final section of the book which dealt with theory.
2. Ghostland by Jory Strong - new
There's a great deal of layered worldbuilding in Ghostland: a post-apocalyptic Oakland ruled by corrupt Churchmen, guardsmen, and the privileged rich. Magic workers are confined to the "red zone" part of the city and often used on the sly by the power elite. There's also a good mystery plot here, and characters that are sympathetic enough for me to get into the book. The problem: the sex scenes. They are numerous and explicit, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But these are so not my kind of erotic writing—lots of throbbing ****s and slick ****s and verging on the comic. Towards the end I was skim reading them in order to get back to that great worldbuilding and plot. But I definitely liked this enough to buy the next book in the series.
3. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris - new
Charlaine's my girl and I love her. This book takes a darker turn and has big developments on the romantic front. I really liked this one.
4. Shadow Touch by Marjorie M. Liu - TBR
An enjoyable entry into this enjoyable paranormal romance/urban fantasy series.
5. The Patriot Witch by C. C. Finlay - new
When I was a tween, Johnny Tremayne was one of my favoritest favoritest books. I think Johnny was my first literary crush. So I'm predisposed to like Revolutionary War stories, but this is a particularly good one. "The Secret History of the Revolutionary War," complete with good witches fighting evil ones and exciting battle scenes. Also, the kind of deep, layered, meaty characterizations Mr. Finlay handles so deftly. His people aren't perfect superheroes. They're flawed, sometimes fumbling, and fully human. I really look forward to reading the next book, A Spell for the Revolution.
Begun
1. Ghostland by Jory Strong - new
2. Meeting the Other Crowd: The Fairy Stories of Hidden Ireland by Eddie Lenihan and Carolyn Eve Green - TBR
3. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris - new
4. The Patriot Witch by C. C. Finlay - new
5. Catastrophe: An Investigation Into the Origins of the Modern World by David Keys - TBR
6. The Middle Kingdom: The Faerie World of Ireland by Dermot (Diarmuid) MacManus - TBR
7. Gorilla, My Love by Toni Cade Bambara - TBR
8. Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon - new
Purchased
1. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris - B&N
2. Living with Ghosts by Kari Sperring - B&N
3. Spider Woman's Granddaughters: Traditional Tales and Contemporary Writing by Native American Women by Paula Gunn Allen - Amazon seller
4. The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions by Paula Gunn Allen - Amazon seller
5. Grandmothers of the Light: A Medicine Woman's Sourcebook by Paula Gunn Allen - Amazon seller
6. Daughters of the Earth by Carolyn Niethammer - Amazon seller
7. A Spell for the Revolution by C. C. Finlay - B&N
8. Norse Code by Greg van Eekhout - B&N
1. Hunt for the Skinwalker: Science Confronts the Unexplained at a Remote Ranch in Utah by Colm A. Kelleher and George Knapp (begun '08) - TBR
I'm placing this book with my collection of books on the Trickster. Although there is mention of skinwalkers (a Navajo and Ute Indian name for malevolent witches) in this book, it read more like an intersection with that other Indian myth. UFOs, sasquatch, lights in the sky, bizarre poltergeist and trickster phenomena, cattle mutilations plague a rancher and his family until in desperation they sell out their ranch to the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS) researchers so they can do an investigation. That investigation runs into obstacles and frustrations at every turn. An interesting read, but often repetitive. I most enjoyed the gripping beginning of the book when the family was under siege and the final section of the book which dealt with theory.
2. Ghostland by Jory Strong - new
There's a great deal of layered worldbuilding in Ghostland: a post-apocalyptic Oakland ruled by corrupt Churchmen, guardsmen, and the privileged rich. Magic workers are confined to the "red zone" part of the city and often used on the sly by the power elite. There's also a good mystery plot here, and characters that are sympathetic enough for me to get into the book. The problem: the sex scenes. They are numerous and explicit, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But these are so not my kind of erotic writing—lots of throbbing ****s and slick ****s and verging on the comic. Towards the end I was skim reading them in order to get back to that great worldbuilding and plot. But I definitely liked this enough to buy the next book in the series.
3. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris - new
Charlaine's my girl and I love her. This book takes a darker turn and has big developments on the romantic front. I really liked this one.
4. Shadow Touch by Marjorie M. Liu - TBR
An enjoyable entry into this enjoyable paranormal romance/urban fantasy series.
5. The Patriot Witch by C. C. Finlay - new
When I was a tween, Johnny Tremayne was one of my favoritest favoritest books. I think Johnny was my first literary crush. So I'm predisposed to like Revolutionary War stories, but this is a particularly good one. "The Secret History of the Revolutionary War," complete with good witches fighting evil ones and exciting battle scenes. Also, the kind of deep, layered, meaty characterizations Mr. Finlay handles so deftly. His people aren't perfect superheroes. They're flawed, sometimes fumbling, and fully human. I really look forward to reading the next book, A Spell for the Revolution.
Begun
1. Ghostland by Jory Strong - new
2. Meeting the Other Crowd: The Fairy Stories of Hidden Ireland by Eddie Lenihan and Carolyn Eve Green - TBR
3. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris - new
4. The Patriot Witch by C. C. Finlay - new
5. Catastrophe: An Investigation Into the Origins of the Modern World by David Keys - TBR
6. The Middle Kingdom: The Faerie World of Ireland by Dermot (Diarmuid) MacManus - TBR
7. Gorilla, My Love by Toni Cade Bambara - TBR
8. Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon - new
Purchased
1. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris - B&N
2. Living with Ghosts by Kari Sperring - B&N
3. Spider Woman's Granddaughters: Traditional Tales and Contemporary Writing by Native American Women by Paula Gunn Allen - Amazon seller
4. The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions by Paula Gunn Allen - Amazon seller
5. Grandmothers of the Light: A Medicine Woman's Sourcebook by Paula Gunn Allen - Amazon seller
6. Daughters of the Earth by Carolyn Niethammer - Amazon seller
7. A Spell for the Revolution by C. C. Finlay - B&N
8. Norse Code by Greg van Eekhout - B&N