Book 11 - Definitely Dead

January 31 ~ It's time for book six - Definitely Dead.

Definitely Dead at Amazon

Book 11 - The Underneath

January 25 ~ I made some book purchases over the weekend even though I promised myself I would wait for my Kindle. Oh well, too bad.

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt has been on my wish list for a while now. I just read the first page and am hooked. "There is nothing lonlier than a cat who has been loved, at least for awhile, and then abandoned by the side of the road." So sad. With a beginning this dismal, it can only get better...or can it?

The Underneath at Amazon.com

Book 10 - The Graveyard Book

January 22 ~ Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book won the Newberry Medal. Wow, what an honor! It was selected by The American Library Association as the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children in 2009.

I am at chapter four and enjoying it. It is pure Gaiman...creepy, different, and definitely unique. A murderer kills a family and is hunting for the one that got away...a toddler. This baby crawls away into the graveyard where he is taken in by the inhabitants there and offered the "protection of the graveyard" - which he needs.

The Graveyard Book at Amazon.com 

January 31 ~ The Graveyard Book is a page-turner. Newberry Award material? Sure. I believe it won because it is on the cusp of a newer trend in children's literature - the macabre. It is a fantasy unlike most others because it takes place almost exclusively in a graveyard and nearly all of the characters are indeed dead or supernatural. Neil has a knack for creating imagery that makes the fantastic seem real, the story starts with a jolt and ends with a flourish. It is a sincere, good-versus-evil delight and Gaiman finds "good" in the uncommon, the bizarre. I give it 4 of 5 stars.

Apparently Neil had the idea for this book over twenty years ago when he would watch his son ride his tricycle by the neighboring graveyard. He had the idea for a sort of graveyard Jungle Book. Interesting. Makes me want to read The Jungle Book.

On a personal note, I love the fact that it took Neil so long to write this book. It makes me see some light at the end of my "I'm-never-going-to-finish-my-novels" tunnel. Of course, he did pen a ton of great books in the meantime, but I am not thinking of that right now.

Book 9 - Dead as a Doornail

January 22 ~ It's time for another Charlaine Harris charmer. I am on book number five of the series - Dead as a Doornail. Book ten comes out in May so I plan to get these read by then. Not a chore! I adore them.

In this book, the shifters of Bon Temps and surrounding areas are under attack by a sniper.

Dead as a Doornail at Amazon

January 25 ~ I liked it but not as much as the first four; too much disturbing werewolf politics for my taste. The major mystery is finding the identity of the person hunting supernaturals. Many events are stumbling blocks to Sookie finding the culprit:  her house is set afire, she helps Tara out of a horrible "relationship", and she is enlisted by Alcide to help in his father's bid for packmaster among other things.

I will start book 6 in the series soon. 4 of 5 stars. Hopefully the coming books will have more Eric and Bill; especially Eric. He amuses me.

Book 8 - Doomed Queens

January 18, 2010 ~ Doomed Queens. Sounds cheerful, doesn't it? I am kidding of course. Historical non-fiction has always been of interest to me but I prefer it in "chunks" - small digestible morsels that I can handle without my brain aching and me saying, "This is not for a test, this is for enjoyment! Why am I torturing myself?" Sometimes historical non-fiction can be boring or monotonous. When I first perused this book, I quickly discovered Kris Waldherrell did not write your average stuffy, old history book.

Doomed Queens at Amazon

January 19, 2010 ~ The first thing I fell in love with in this book is the art direction. It is beautiful! From the delectable liner pages and lettrines, to the gorgeous illustrations and fun graphics. Then the text blew me away. It is so entertaining. Each doomed royal lady has her story told with wicked wit and a cautionary moral at the end. Cleopatra's states, "Choose your allies well, or they will come back to bite you in the asp." Diana Spencer's cautions, "Stay away from men with cameras and Camillas." I can't wait for more...Doomed Kings? Kris? Please! 5 of 5 stars. This book was a riot and I feel ready for this potential Jeopardy category too.

Book 7 - Darkly Dreaming Dexter

January 13, 2010 ~ Flipping the channels last summer and finding nothing worth watching led me to use the "On Demand" feature. There I found Dexter. I don't subscribe to Showtime and didn't know anything about the program besides the few lines describing the program which said something about about a serial killer who kills serial killers. Huh? That sounds convoluted and improbable, I thought. Then I watched it, bought into it, and unequivocally loved the show. What a intriguing character! His sister Deborah, who curses like a sailor (I abhor cursing) is another great character on the show. Since then, I ended up watching all four seasons.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter at Amazon.com

Right now I am a third of the way through Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay and it is pretty much exactly like season one of Dexter. There are usually subplots that don't make the cut when writing a screenplay. Besides some slight changes to the secondary characters, the story was the same. I think this is a credit to Lindsay's pulpy, darkly-funny writing.

The story is about a forensics expert named Dexter. By day he analyzes blood spatter, by night he hunts killers and dispatches them. His adoptive father knew there was no stopping Dexter's "Dark Passenger" so he developed rules to keep Dexter alive, out of jail, and maintaining some moral code - only kill killers. The killer in the book seems...familiar though. Dexter is...confused.

January 17, 2010
I discovered there were more significant changes from novel to small screen; most notably the conflict Dexter had with himself through most of the story. Had I done this? The LaGuerta character was quite different too. Yikes. I was surprised that Deborah becomes aware of her brother's Dark Passenger and how it came about. Good crime novel. If there were no Showtime Dexter, I'd read the series. Now, eh...maybe. 4 of 5 stars.

Book 6 - The Lovely Bones

January 13, 2010 ~ I am so pleased I took up another book recommendation, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I was nervous to read this book thinking it would be too sad for my sensibilities. While it takes you on an emotional journey, the story is one I could easily connect with even though the premise is chilling. Susie Salmon is raped and murdered at age fourteen. You care for Susie and ache with her as she deals with this and watches her family struggle in the wake of her death. In the wave that follows, her dad is pulled under and becomes obsessed with finding her killer, her mom runs from the wave and withdraws from the family, her sister Lindsay swims desperately with the wave - growing up quickly, and little brother treads water - just trying to understand the changes in his family. Susie watches them from her heaven, which is usually a high school, and she even reaches through to her family and friends at times. She sees them grow and change as the "Susie-fest" on Earth diminishes. I have 5 chapters to go...

The Lovely Bones at Amazon.com 

January 14, 2010 ~ It is an amazing book. I absolutely loved it. It was nicely paced and beautifully written. I thought it would be more of a murder mystery but instead it is more about the mystery of living with something so difficult - the murder of a loved one, a child. And, in Susie's case, it is they mystery of letting go of life when all she wants to do to do is really, truly live. Susie watches her sister, friend, and would-be boyfriend experience things she knows she never will. There is a surprise near the end that I did not expect at all. 5 of 5 stars.

P.S. (do people post-script on a blog?) I was worried that I wouldn't have satisfaction at the end...I did. Thank you Sharon for the recommendation.