CBRIII: Book#34: A Feast For Crows by George R.R. Martin

After the constant emotional beating of the last book, I was looking forward to a book others had told me was slower, less action-packed, and even a tad boring. I wouldn't agree with that assessment.

CBRIII: Book#33: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

This book was interesting to me because it uses authentic vintage photographs as a starting point for the narrative. Riggs has culled some quite peculiar photographs for his story's inspiration, this is plain. The pictures are scattered throughout the story and used to great effect at times. It is an unusual device, to be sure, though I'm not certain the book lives up to the promise of the photos.

CBRIII: Book#32: A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

Holy shit, you guys. (You know, the two people that read this.) Everyone told me that this was their favorite. That I would be blown away. They were not lying. SPOILERS AHOY.

CBRIII: Book#31: A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

This is the second book in Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. There will be spoilers in this review, as I can't really speak of the events in this book without referencing what occurred in the previous one.

CBRIII: Book#30: Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

It has been a long time since I read a Sookie Stackhouse novel. So long, in fact, that I couldn't quite remember what had happened in the last book and needed to re-read my own review to catch up. I was less than pleased with Harris's last outing in the Stackhouse series, but I tore through this one. Seriously, I picked it up from the library around three in the afternoon and finished it at a quarter after ten.

CBRIII: Book#29: A Game of Thrones: Book One of A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin

Well, I was finally coerced, er, convinced to read this book. I was terrified. It looked like Medieval lore and HARD SCI-FI all rolled into one 800-plus page paperback. Not to mention the various other large tomes in the series and the new HBO series that I would likely either come to hate or be obsessed with after reading the novel that started it all. I am so going to be obsessed with this series. *sigh*

CBRIII: Book#28: Many Bloody Returns edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner

Oh, man. I only got this for the Charlaine Harris Sookie story and the Kelley Armstrong story. This book, it isn't really bad so much as predictable and less enjoyable than other kinds of short story collections. Let me explain.

CBRIII: Book#27: Bossypants by Tina Fey

 

I don't even know what to tell you about this book. I mean, if the fact that Tina Fey wrote it doesn't make you want to read it, nothing will. Also, you may be some kind of a walking turd. I don't know.

CBRIII: Book#26: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Thar be SPOILERS AHEAD. This is the third book in a trilogy, after all. I'll be discussing all three books here. There are no big spoilers, as I don't spell it all out, but you won't have many surprises if you do read this.

CBRIII: Book#25: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

If you haven't read The Hunger Games Trilogy, DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW! SPOILERS AHOY! I mean, duh.

CBRIII: Book#24: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

All of the hype surrounding the upcoming movies based on The Hunger Games combined with the adoration for the series led me to request the novel from my library. I thought it would be months before my place in line netted me the book. Instead, I had it within a week or two. And here I've finished it in around than three days and I'm twenty-third in line for the second book in the series. If you can't tell, I really enjoyed this book.

CBRIII: Book#23: Death's Excellent Vacation edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner

I grabbed this anthology of stories because of the Sookie Stackhouse short story. I loves me some Sookie Stackhouse: Book Version Only. I really hate "True Blood" now. It went off the rails, jumped the shark and then pissed in the shark's mouth. I hate it. Anyway, that's why I grabbed this collection of stories about different supernaturals and their vacation tales.

CBRIII: Book#22: The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

 

This is another young adult offering from Otherworld series author Kelley Armstrong. I really enjoy the Otherworld novels and I am waiting for the latest to be released so I can devour it. Until then, I've got the first novel in her Darkness Rising Trilogy.

CBRIII: Book #21: The Raising by Laura Kasischke

Believe it or not, I was introduced to this book by a women's magazine. Family Circle or Woman's Day, actually. Generally they recommend books that I can't even begin to have an interest in, but this time I was intrigued. This is an extremely well-written book.

CBRIII: Book#20: A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

Alas, this is the last Christopher Moore book I had to read. I'm fairly sad about it, but this was a good book to end the run. It combines all of the humor, action, sweetness, and awesome that I've come to enjoy in Moore's novels while being something different than those before it. Yep.

CBRIII: Book#19: Bite Me by Christopher Moore

I have a soft spot (in my head) for Jody and Tommy, the focus of the Vampire Trilogy of Bloodsucking Fiends, You Suck, and Bite Me. They're two lonely kids that meet each other and immediately begin falling in love, even though vampire stuff and people trying to kill and separate them is happening all around. I really want these kids to make it and I really wanted to see their story through to the end. If you don't want to be spoiled about the first two books, then DON'T READ ANY FURTHER.

CBRIII: Book#18: The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore

If the last novel, Fluke, was my least favorite then The Stupidest Angel is my favorite. Maybe it's the recurring characters, the Christmas theme, or the undead walking the Earth. I know it's at least one of those things, if not all of them, that make this my favorite. I grinned while reading it, which is odd. But it is so much fun and so good!

CBRIII: Book#17: Fluke by Christopher Moore

This book is my least favorite of Moore's novels. That's not to say that this is a bad novel or poor story-telling or any other really negative slam on Moore or Fluke. It just wasn't my favorite.

CBRIII: Book#16: Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore

Yes, another Christopher Moore novel. No, I don't care if I seem to be stuck on his works. That's how I am. Next up? Another Moore novel!

CBRIII: Book#15: Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

I didn't like this book at first. I was frightened. I've never read the Bible and I was concerned that I may not be able to follow what Moore was doing. I'm also Catholic (I converted in my early twenties to marry a Catholic boy. However, the guilt comes to me easily) and I wondered how this novel might fit into the religious views of a former Athiest and current lazy Catholic. I soon stopped worrying about these things and began enjoying Moore's take on the life of Jesus H. Christ, aka Joshua.

CBRIII: Book#14: The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore

Theophilus Crowe is the constable of Pine Cove, a small town that flourishes in tourist season and slows to a crawl the rest of the year. He's also a forty year old stoner. Molly Michon is the town's crazy lady and a former B movie actress who lives in a trailer park with her signature leather bikini and broad sword. Val Riordan is the town psychiatrist that decides to put all of her patients on placebo, without their knowledge, after a patient suicide. The Sea Beast? Well, he's just looking to get laid.

CBRIII: Book#13: Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore

Tucker Case is a screw-up. He's also a pilot for make-up guru Mary Jean Dobbins. After drinking in a airport bar, Tucker makes the biggest mistake of his life. Well, up to that point.

CBRIII: Book#12: Wicked:The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

I've made a huge mistake.

CBRIII: Book#11: The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver

There were times while reading Deaver's The Bone Collector that I started to think I was back in college. (I have my degree in criminal justice, emphasis crime scene work.) Deaver really did his homework on the vast and infinitely interesting world of forensics and crime scene investigations and it helped this novel come alive for me. However, it isn't the best book I've ever read but it's not anyplace near the bottom either. It's enjoyable, tense, and full of detail.

CBRIII: Book#10: Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Oskar is a twelve year old boy that lives with his mother in the Swedish town of Blackeberg. He is obsessed with murderers and keeps a scrapbook with macabre clippings from newspapers in it. Oskar is mercilessly picked on by boys in his class named Micke, Jonny, and Tomas. He's sick of being called Piggy and being tormented for the sick pleasure of the other boys. One night Oskar meets Eli on the monkey bars outside of their respective apartments. Oskar is immediately taken with the strange girl and they slowly become friends. However, Eli and her assumed father are not how they seem.

CBRIII: Book#9: Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore

Jody Stroud is afraid. She's afraid of being alone, as evidenced by living with several different guys over the course of her lifetime. She's afraid of walking the streets of San Fransisco, crossing the street whenever a perceived threat crosses her path. Unfortunately, she didn't see the vampire that attacks her on her way home one night. The one that bites her, makes her drink from him, and then places her under a dumpster to sleep while she changes into the Undead.

CBRIII: Book#8: You Suck by Christopher Moore

Oh, vampires. I am so very not sick of you and all of your iterations. Seriously, I still love vampires. Sparkly ones, ancient ones, sexy ones, evil ones, nice ones, all of them. So when my cousin let me borrow two bags of books and I saw this title in the pile, I thought, "Awwww, yeeeeah."

CBRIII: Book#7: Just After Sunset by Stephen King

Oh, Stephen King! I just can't quit you! No matter how many times you disappoint (Under the Dome) or underwhelm me ('Salem's Lot), I just keep coming back for more. It's a good thing that you are on more than you are off, sir. Good for you and good for me. This collection of stories is another batch of good.

CBRIII: Book#6: Fool by Christopher Moore

I must admit, it took me a while to really decide that I wanted to finish reading this book. I started reading it and then was unable to make myself pick it up for long periods of time. Then one day, it all clicked. I snuggled up in a blanket, bullied my family out of my face, and read a huge chunk of Moore's novel. It really is worth the time. And it is deliciously perverse, which I love when done correctly.

Snowpocalype: The Ice-ening

Not my home, but a good representation.

Holy shit, kids. The weather people said we'd get ice and power outages and then a layer of snow on top and we got it. At my house we're on Day 2 of Everyone Is Home and Momma Needs Some Time To Herself, Gawl. I need time to sing to myself, clean when no one is walking behind me and mucking things up again, and curl up and read. I can't do these things when the television is on and fluctuating between Word World and How The Earth Was Made constantly.

Luckily, our electricity only went out twice for about 2 or 3 minutes a time last night. I had set out candles and flashlights but when the electric actually went out I couldn't find the flashlight. SMRT. That's me. Probably more annoying was the fact that the electric went out twice during Easy A and the same part of the movie. Thank Godtopus for scene selection on Blu-rays. Easy A was a fun watch, good but not as awesome as I was expecting. I blame my fellow Pajibans for hyping it up. Sadly, I can't blame the crapulence of Devil on the ice storm, wind, Pajibans, or electricity. What a turd.

I went to bed and was awakened by the wind whipping at the house around 2:30 this morning. Then the wind was throwing ice or something at the house and kept jerking me away just as I was about to drift off to Dreamland again. (Which I would have loved to do since my dreams are awesome. I should really document them more on here and then try to get someone to pay me to make them into movies.) The Husband checked around the house this morning and found nothing amiss, save a few small branches in the yards, front and back. However, the house next door has a HUGE limb near the street and the house across from us has a huge limb in the driveway. The house across the street is empty, so, you know. That branch will be there until Mother Nature claims it back into the ground.

I shouldn't complain too much. My friends had their LOCKED front door BLOWN OPEN BY THE WIND. And their electric has been out since 11:30 last night. They're going to a hotel for the night. My aunt is without electric as well and apparently my brother lost power at his place last night. His one-year-old son was less than alarmed by this development, as he had a flashlight to play with so screw the dark.

So that's my boring recap of Snowpocalypse: The Ice-ening. I'm just glad I don't have anything exciting to relay about it.

CBRIII Book#5: Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King

I say with no sarcasm or undue praise that this collection of short stories is probably the best work that King has done in a while. The stories are haunting at times, terrifying at others, and always a study of the pitfalls of human behavior.

CBRIII: Book#4: 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill

If you've read any of this blog, you may have seen my reviews of Joe Hill's Horns and Heart-Shaped Box . If so, you already know that I adore Joe Hill and his writing. I believe that he has a real gift for writing and infusing his horror stories with real emotion and relatability. I only learned, or perhaps re-learned, that Hill had his own collection of short stories when the lovely and delightful Julie shared her spoils from Barnes & Noble on Facebook the other day. I immediately reserved it from the library and waited. Luckily, I didn't have to wait long.

Side Job on the Side of the Other Things I Do

For the past two weeks I've been helming the Eloquent Eloquence at Pajiba. You should head over there and read it here and here. Sadly, my last EE will be posted next Monday.

I've also had my review of I Am Ozzy posted over there. Go, read, lavish me with praise.

CBRIII: Book#3: Room by Emma Donoghue

I never thought I would ever read a novel written in the first person voice of a five year old boy. I chose to read Room when I saw it listed on a Best of 2010 list. The only description there was basic and enough to get me interested in reading it. I really had no real idea of what I was in store for and I was riveted when I began to read.

CBRIII: Book#2: I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne with Chris Ayres

I used to be terrified of Ozzy Osbourne. His album covers were nightmare material and I suspected that the Prince of Darkness would emerge from the shadows of my back yard and murder me. I was afraid that listening to his songs would be akin to calling out Candyman in my bathroom mirror. I was such a pansy. But I got over it. And I listened to Black Sabbath and Ozzy and I realized this was just a man. A flawed, insane, entertaining man. I'm so glad that he 'wrote' (as I suspect Ozzy narrated and Ayres transcribed the stories with the help of a roomful of language experts) about all of the crazy things he has done in his life.

CBRIII: Book#1: The Keep by Jennifer Egan

The Keep is an interesting sort of novel. The blurb provided by the jacket and short reviews focus on an event that occurs when two cousins are teenagers and how they come together later in life with different lives because of that event. After reading the book I feel like it isn't about the cousins or the event. It is about perception and the lengths that people will go to in order to be close to the people and things they love. It's also about choices.