17. Fools Rush In by Kristan Higgins – This is Higgins’ first published book and it’s easy to see why she was offered a publication contract. So fun, with touches that ground the book in the real world and make the main character a “real” person, one you come to care about and root for. (finished 5/5)
18. Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins – Loved it! Higgins has serious chick-lit mojo, writing about real people in the real world with real jobs and real problems. Her characters’ emotional journeys are all too real and touching. Higgins’ writing is pitch-perfect. Plus there’s some LOL funny stuff here. Highly recommended. (finished 5/13)
19. Blood Noir by Laurell K Hamilton – The kinky, fun sex chapters in this book are definitely the highlights, vividly written and h.o.t. However, the vampire/were-/human/etc politics are a pain in the ass to keep straight. Especially since so much time passes in the real world between the publications dates of the various books in the series. Hamilton may be able to keep straight all the subtle implications of a particular mating or killing, as she lives with the book in her head a large part of the time, but the rest of us may have trouble. I know I do. Perhaps if I hadn’t read umpteen books (set in umpteen realities) since the last one, I’d find it easier (and faster) to reimmerse myself in Anita Blake’s world, but alas, I have. My final solution: skim the political crap till I get to the next sexy bit, then savor. (finished 5/16)
20. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold – Every good thing you’ve read or heard about this book? It’s all true. I loved it. This one is a keeper and will stay on my shelves. Perhaps now I can see the movie… (finished 5/18 )
21. The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold – Perhaps if I had not just finished reading Sebold’s The Lovely Bones, this novel would have struck me more strongly, made a deeper impression, impressed me with its narrative style. But, alas, I did just finish The Lovely Bones, which was a revelation of style and substance and heart, and it left this second Sebold novel feeling hollow and a bit forced and far more contrived. The ending did not satisfy the early promise of the story line/subplots and did not leave me feeling a glimmer of hope or transcendence as the main character faced her life. It was quite a downer, in fact. And while I don’t require a happy ending to enjoy a book, this one felt hurried and almost sloppy. Let’s hope Sebold’s next novel, which I will read ’cause the woman can write, returns to the standard set by her first. (finished 5/24)
22. Changes by Jim Butcher – This is the latest Harry Dresden novel and, man, it rocks! It raises the stakes in the most personal way and tests Harry and his friends almost beyond the pale. Loved it! (finished 5/31)
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