May reading list

My May reading list – tada! I had almost a whole week off work this month so I was a bit of machine on the reading front, but as you can see, quantity doesn’t equally quality.Okay, okay, I know I said I was through with the Anita Blake series after being relatively unimpressed with the first three, but what can I say? Once I start something, I like to finish it. Suffice to say the books didn’t get any better. A vampire hunter who doesn’t believe in sex until marriage? WTF! I’m more interested in the ongoing Marvel comic book series now because the art is fan-freaking-tastic. Plus, the mythology’s a bit too loaded with different creatures and myths etc etc. Let me preface this by saying I’m a massive fan of the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Series by Chalaine Harris. I think they’re witty, sexy, funny and addictive. Dead Reckoning didn’t feel like one of them. It felt a bit flat and there were a lot of unnecessary storylines that went nowhere. The ending too was really abrupt. But as my pal Bridie (aka J’Adour Jbaour) said, this feels like its leading up to a really good book. With the next instalment out 2012, I hope she’s right.The Mortal Instruments series I read more to understand the upcoming film adaptation, which is going to be directed by Scott Charles Stewart (Legion, Priest) who I’m a big fan of. Anyway, this was pretty much your standard Young Adult fantasy fiction novel. It had a forbidden romance, plenty of magic/creatures, a strong female protagonist, betrayal and a Harry Potter-esque hierarchy of institutes like Hogwarts and the Ministry Of Magic. I couldn’t overly get into the story, but I did really enjoy the characters, despite the fact they should have been older to make their experiences and conversations more believable. The battle and city in the third novel were particularly good, but overall these aren’t something to write home about. I also didn’t buy this supposedly passionate love story at the centre of the books. Not only is it incestuous for a good part of the series, this `incredible guy’ we’re all supposed to love is a dickhead. Okay, a dickhead who recites Shakespeare but a dickhead none the less. He’s a blonde, selfish and obnoxious douchebag, which is why Alex Pettyfer would be perfect for the role (if the rumour mill is anything to go by, he’s the hot favourite). Seriously, that Brit is a cunt.
Hooray! A book with completely no supernatural themes! It’s a rarity in my reading list this month, but hot damn is it gooo-oood. Note: those extra O’s are for emphasis. The first in what is a proposed series follows the adventures of a middle-aged detective Bernie and his dog Chet, who is the narrator of this tale. It’s Veronica Mars meets Inspector Rex. Funny, witty an action-packed, this isn’t like anything I’ve read before. Telling the story from the dog’s perspective is not only fresh, but freakin’ hilarious. Essentially it’s set in this very adult and somewhat dangerous world, but when told from Chet’s point of view . . .well, this extract might give you an idea:
“I’d never seen a real swan and was wondering how catchable they might be when I heard Iggy’s bark. Iggy had a high-pitched bark, an irritated-sounding yip-yip-yip. I barked. There was a brief silence, and then he barked again. I barked back. He barked. I barked. He barked. I barked. He barked. We got a good rhythm going, faster and faster. I barked. He barker I –“

You get it. This was very quirky and by far my favourite read this month. Plus, it has a quote from Stephen King on the front that sings its praise so when you know you’re in good company.

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April reading list

I know I'm trying to read more this year but seriously, I think I need to cut down on my supernatural fiction because I've been have some weird dreams. But as you can see from last month's reading list, that definitely didn't happen. Oh well, I'll call it research for when I write the supernatural novel TO END all supernatural novels. For those of you who aren't regular readers, Kat from Petticoats and Pemplums and I have this lil' pact where we post what we’ve read each month on our blogs, for better or worse, so we can stay motivated to read more. I'm mightily impressed with her April effort; the gal was travelling the world and she still managed to read four books! Kudos. Anyway, here's my reads:

I mentioned I was re-reading this series last month and yeah, I've come to the end. It was just as incredible as the first time I read it but I do think the third book is the weakest instalment. It lacks the OMFG brilliance of the first and the unpredictability of the second, plus the ending is a lil' too concise for me. In saying that, it's still incredible and the highlights for me were definitely in the city (some of the most horrific scenes in the series happen there) and after a certain pivotal character's death. Also, I loved Katniss' powerful, final act of rebellion. The Hunger Games fans, you know what I mean.

This is one of the freebies palmed off to me by our book reviewer because the press material said it was for “fans of The Hunger Games” aka one of my all time favourite book series. But let me preface this by saying Inside Out is NOTHING like The Hunger Games. The only similarity is that two young women unwittingly start a revolution. The rest couldn’t be more different. Having never read anything of Maria V. Snyder’s before, I’ve got to say this was damn good. I mean, it’s about an 18-year-old girl who essentially lives in air vents so to make that a really interesting and original read is impressive. It’s nearly impossible to talk about this too much without spoiling the book for you (because there are some jaw-dropping surprises) but this is a sci-fi actioner and quite unlike anything I’ve read before. Apparently this is the start of a trilogy, with the next book Outside In due to be released in July and giving the sneak peek at the first chapter . . . I’m really looking forward to it.

Neil Gaiman is a genius. What more really needs to be said? If you’ve read anything he’s written (Coraline, Sandman comic-series etc) then you know this to be true. The Graveyard Book is no exception and I just adored this. Like most Gaiman books, it’s a really dark, modern fairytale and man, the dialogue is just so beautifully written and the characters so rich. This follows Nobody `Bod’ Owens who’s brought up by ghosts and a vampire in a graveyard after his family is slaughtered by a serial killer when he’s a baby. The book follows him from toddler-age through to mid-teens and it’s a delightful read. It’s one of those books you can see yourself being read as a kid and then when you re-read it as an adult, you discover all these really dark undertones. In a nutshell, the cover quote “a modern classic” pretty much sums it up.

Okay, so I’m almost 20-years behind the eight ball here but at least I’m reading the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series now. I was listening to Sunday Night Safran and they had a vampire expert on and she described this series as the one that really started the whole vampire novel phenomenon. Of course, as a huge fan of said `non I got started these down. The first, Guilty Pleasures, was written in 1993 and with more than 19 books in the series now, you can really see how Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake influenced the she bad-ass in pop culture, particularly Buffy and even Sookie Stackhouse. But these aren’t amazing. I’ve only read three so far (working on the fourth at the moment) and yeah, they’re full of action and witty one-liners, but they lack the fun, charm and romance of Charlene Harris’ Southern Vampire series. Or even Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series. Okay, I’ll stop making comparisons before you all realise how much of this stuff I actually read. Don’t get me wrong, they’re okay, but I feel like we’re introduced to the Anita Blake character mid-way through her story and the brief mentions to her past are frustrating. Plus, I think Hamilton mixes too many mythologies here and that’s a pet hate of mine – it overdoes the supernatural element. In summary, these are good, not great and I’m not sure if I will make it through all of the novels but they are a quick, light read that I can smash between something heavier. As a side note, the first three novels were adapted into a Marvel comic book series which is actually pretty kick-ass.

So, until next month . . . .

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