May Bird and the Ever After: Book One (Paperback) by Jodi Lynn Anderson

May Bird and the Ever After: Book One by Jodi Lynn Anderson


Most people aren't very comfortable in the woods, but the woods of Briery Swamp fit May Bird like a fuzzy mitten. There, she is safe from school and the taunts and teases of kids who don't understand her. Hidden in the trees, May is a warrior princess, and her cat, Somber Kitty, is her brave guardian.

Then May falls into the lake.

When she crawls out, May finds herself in a world that most certainly does not feel like a fuzzy mitten. In fact it is a place few living people have ever seen. Here, towns glow blue beneath zipping stars and the people -- people? -- walk through walls. Here the Book of the Dead holds the answers to everything in the universe. And here, if May is discovered, the horrifyingly evil Bo Cleevil will turn her into nothing.

May Bird must get out.

Fast.



My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reading this with my 9 year old dd to encourage her to read bigger books.

1/10/10 -- Finished reading this with my daughter. It really is a quite enjoyable story. Fun and well written. We are both looking forward to reading the next 2 books in the series as well.

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A Touch of Dead (Southern Vampire Mystery Short Stories) by Charlaine Harris

A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris


Every Sookie Stackhouse short story ever written—in one special volume—from the New York Times bestselling author.

New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris has re-imagined the supernatural world with her “spunky” (Tampa Tribune) Southern Vampire novels starring telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse. Now, for the first time, here is every Sookie Stackhouse short story ever written—together in one volume.

Stories include “Fairy Dust,” “One Word Answer,” “Dracula Night,” “Lucky,” and “Giftwrap.”

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Gotta love Sookie!! I got this book in the mail yesterday and finished it last night. It was great to get all of the short stories together in one place. I do have all of the anthologies that these stories appear in but it was nicer to sit down and read them back to back in one book. My favorite was probably the last one -- 'Gift Wrap' simply because it was a fun story. The story about Sookie's cousin Hadley filled in some of the background that I felt was missing concerning Hadley's death in the regular Sookie books. I really enjoy this series and loved reading this book!

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Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith


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Quincie Morris has never felt more alone. Her parents are dead, and her hybrid-werewolf first love is threatening to embark on a rite of passage that will separate them forever. Then, as she and her uncle are about to unveil their hot vampire-themed restaurant, a brutal murder leaves them scrambling for a chef. Can Quincie transform their new hire into a culinary Dark Lord before opening night? Can he wow the crowd in his fake fangs, cheap cape, and red contact lenses — or is there more to this earnest face than meets the eye? As human and preternatural forces clash, a deadly love triangle forms, and the line between predator and prey begins to blur. Who’s playing whom? And how long can Quincie play along before she loses everything? TANTALIZE marks Cynthia Leitich Smith’s delicious debut as a preeminent author of dark fantasy.


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book was okay. I know that it is a teen book but to me it was just a bit too juvenile. The plot was a bit disjointed and the ending, while I saw it coming a mile away, was a bit abrupt and unsatisfying. The characters were a bit too shallow. I suppose it would be an okay read for the younger teen into vampire romance, but there are so many great teen paranormal books out there that this one really does not make the list for me.

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The Missing Ink (Tattoo Shop Mystery #1) by Karen E. Olson

The Missing Ink by Karen E. Olson


Murder leaves a mark

Brett Kavanaugh is a tattoo artist and owner of an elite tattoo parlor in Las V egas. When a girl makes an appointment for a tattoo of the name of her fiancé embedded in a heart, Brett takes the job but the girl never shows. The next thing Brett knows, the police are looking for her client, and the name she wanted on the tattoo isn’t her fiancé’s...



My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Fun new series. I liked the main character. She is spunky and fun. The mystery kept me guessing to the end. The book could have been written a little better, but it is a series that I intend to continue with.

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The War with Grandpa by Robert Kimmel Smith

The War with Grandpa by Robert Kimmel Smith


Peter thinks the only way he can reclaim his room is by declaring war on his grandfather.

Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, William Allen White Award, Tennessee Children's Choice Book Award, Parents' Choice Award, An IRA-CBC Children's Choice, Mark Twain Award, Young Hoosier Award, South Carolina Children's Book Award, Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award, Georgia Children's Book Award.



My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Reading for my 5th grade Literacy Circle

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Totally enjoyed this book. It was funny, cute and had a great message.

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Strange Brew by P.N. Elrod (Editor / Contributor)

Strange Brew by P.N. Elrod


Today’s hottest urban fantasy authors come together in this delicious brew that crackles and boils over with tales of powerful witches and dark magic!

In Charlaine Harris’ “Bacon,” a beautiful vampire joins forces with a witch from an ancient line to find out who killed her beloved husband. In “Seeing Eye” by Patricia Briggs, a blind witch helps sexy werewolf Tom Franklin find his missing brother—and helps him in more ways than either of them ever suspected. And in Jim Butcher’s “Last Call,” wizard Harry Dresden takes on the darkest of dark powers—the ones who dare to mess with this favorite beer.

For anyone who’s ever wondered what lies beyond the limits of reality, who’s imagined the secret spaces where witches wield fearsome magic, come and drink deep. Let yourself fall under the spell of this bewitching collection!



My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Very enjoyable read. Some old favorite authors as well as an introduction to some new ones for me.

My 2 least favorite stories were Charlaine Harris's Bacon and PN Elrod's Hecate's Golden Eye. The rest of the stories were quite enjoyable.

I will add one warning. If you have any desire to read the 'Cin Craven' series by Jenna Maclaine, you may want to read them before reading the short story included in this book -- 'Dark Sins'.


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Murder Makes Waves (Southern Sisters Mysteries) by Anne George

Murder Makes Waves by Anne George


Those hilarious southern sisters, who prove that sibling rivalry never ends, are heading for a vacation at the beach. Mary Alice's flamboyant behavior aside, serious, sensible Patricia Anne looks forward to relaxing at her sister's beachfront condo in Destin, Florida, so she kisses her ever-loving spouse Fred good-bye, reminds him to water the plants and feed the dog, and the girls head south for some fun in the sun.

Mary Alice loses no time in making the acquaintance of just about everyone in sight, so watching the sun go down on the beautiful shores of the Gulf of Mexico is a welcome respite as far as Patricia Anne is concerned. . .until a dead body washes up in the waves and the victim turns out to be one of Mary Alice's newfound friends. With no witnesses t the crime except a few great blue herons, the sisters have no choice but to bypass the clueless police and follow their own instinct to find the killer. Before long they're on a murky trail of dirty real-estate deals, giant turtle habitats, and a sea of evidence pointing to a mammoth motive for murderer.



My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another great adventure in the Southern Sisters Mysteries.

When Patricia Anne and Mary Alice go on an adventure to the Florida Panhandle they find themselves in the middle of another murder mystery. I love the interaction between these two characters and the other characters we see throughout the series.


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The Spy Who Haunted Me by Simon R. Green

The Spy Who Haunted Me by Simon R. Green


The legendary Independent Agent is dying ...so who will inherit his hoard of secret information and fabulous secrets? For most of the last century, he was the greatest spy in the world, but now The Independent Agent is retiring, he has decided on one last great game - the six greatest spies in the world today must work together - and compete against each other - to solve the six greatest mysteries in the world. Whoever wins the game will also win The Agent's priceless treasure-trove of information. Eddie Drood, aka Shaman Bond, has been invited to join the great game, and of course he can't say no, especially when he learns what the mysteries are - everything from the Tunguska Incident to the Philadelphia Experiment, to whatever the hell it was really happened at Roswell. But that means he needs to survive working alongside old friends and old enemies ...especially when the spies start dying, one by one ...And one of them is going to haunt him ...for the rest of his life. THE SPY WHO HAUNTED ME is the third of the Secret Histories: a riveting roller-coaster ride through the dark side.



My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoy this series. We got to meet some new characters, including Walker, who comes from Green's Nightside series.

The story was good, the characters were fun, but the ending was too abrupt for me.

I do however very much look forward to the next in the series.


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