Charm Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 Plum Lucky ~by~ Janet Evanovich Great review Shin! These books sound interesting, do you think I'd like them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Posted January 21, 2011 Author Share Posted January 21, 2011 I would say that they would be a 'bounty hunter' version of the Queen Betsy series. No vampires in these books but they are quite funny and the series starts with One for the Money. I know you like the Queen Betsy series so I think you might like these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brida Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 (edited) Noticed some great books on your lists (Kafka on the Shore, Flowers for Algernon, The Diary of Anne Frank - though it's been a long time since I read that one). Nice to see you enjoyed Lestat, I've only read Interview with the Vampire, so it's great to see your thoughts. Might give it a go myself. Happy reading! Edited January 21, 2011 by Brida Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charm Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 I would say that they would be a 'bounty hunter' version of the Queen Betsy series. No vampires in these books but they are quite funny and the series starts with One for the Money. I know you like the Queen Betsy series so I think you might like these. Oooh, that does sound interesting, I will definitely keep an eye out for them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 Oooh, that does sound interesting, I will definitely keep an eye out for them Do, they are quite funny. Noticed some great books on your lists (Kafka on the Shore, Flowers for Algernon, The Diary of Anne Frank - though it's been a long time since I read that one). Nice to see you enjoyed Lestat, I've only read Interview with the Vampire, so it's great to see your thoughts. Might give it a go myself. Happy reading! Thanks Brida, definitely give The Vampire Lestat a go...I think it is worth reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 Undead and Unworthy ~by~ MaryJanice Davidson Started: 20th January 2011 Finished: 22nd January 2011 Rating: 4/5 Synopsis by Waterstones Having recently lost her dad and stepmother, Betsy Sinclair (nee Taylor) is adjusting to rather more than just married life. Their untimely deaths have left her and Eric as sole guardians of her little brother, Jon. Two vampire parents - albeit vampire royalty - for a decidedly human baby. Still, Betsy is more than up for the challenge. If only everyone would stop being so nervous around her, given her sudden recent burst of power. Betsy most emphatically does not want to discuss it, and for the moment, everyone is following her lead. But then the ghost of Betsy's stepmother turns up at their house. And as stubborn and insufferable as she was in life, she's even more annoying in death - especially as she regards her demise as all Betsy's fault! My Review I just love the Queen Betsy series. They are light hearted, funny and short reads. Not only is Betsy trying to cope with married life, being a parent to her brother, BabyJon, she also has now to deal with the Ant floating about and the disastrous Fiends. Davidson has stated at the beginning of this book that this one is the first in a trilogy and the whole series is now going in a different direction. I am looking forward to seeing how this pans out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 (edited) Plum Spooky ~by~ Janet Evanovich Started: 22nd January 2011 Finished: 27th January 2011 Rating: 3/5 Synopsis by Waterstones Stephanie Plum is back in town, along with her sidekick Lula, her Grandma Mazur, and an ever-widening cast of freaks, criminals, deranged felons, and lunatics looking for love. And just when Stephanie thinks her life can't get any more complicated, in walks the mysterious Diesel. A man who seems to show up at the most inconvenient moments. This time, he's the instigator for Stephanie's new adventure, which involves camping in the Pine Barrens with Lula, and perhaps even a sighting of the Jersey Devil My Review This is another one of Evanovich's "Between the Numbers" novel but this book is not the normal slim, short story like the rest of the in-betweeners. Again, the mysterious Diesel is back and this time is on the hunt for his cousin Wulf who is tied up in some technology scam with Martin Munch....Stephanie's latest PTA. They also have Carl tagging along....a cute, funny and rude little monkey that Stephanie is roped into babysitting. Evanovich seems to leave Morelli and Ranger for the main novels but I am delighted they were featured a little more often in this book than they have done in the other in-betweeners. To sum up my review, I think this book was good but I think Evanovich has lost her touch with these books. There was a time I would have given these books a 5/5...no questions asked but they don't make me laugh the way they used to. I think that the inbetweeners was a bad idea...even though I do like reading them. I also think it is time for Evanovich to take the books up a level...like may be Morelli and Stephanie getting married and how her married life fits around bounty hunting. Despite this review....I won't stop reading the series. Edited February 7, 2011 by Shin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 (edited) Undead and Unwelcome by MaryJanice Davidson Started: 27th January 2011 Finished: 31st January 2011 Rating: 4/5 Synopsis by Waterstones Betsy Taylor has problems that only a vampire queen/suburban wife could possibly understand...such as fifty thousand angry werewolves. That's what Betsy is facing when she takes her werewolf friend Antonia's body to Cape Cod, where the Pack resides at Wyndham Mansion. Because Antonia died in her service, Betsy is alive and well - and wracked with guilt. She has no idea if the Wyndham werewolves will welcome her with fangs or friendship. While Betsy and her husband Sinclair try to make nice, their legal ward BabyJon is freaking out every werewolf he comes in contact with. Meanwhile, Betsy's posse back at the St Paul mansion are not happy. Increasingly frantic emails alert Betsy to her half-sister's increasingly erratic behavior. Looks like the devil's daughter is coming into her own - and raising hell. All in the name of making Betsy's life easier, of course. My Review Betsy along with her husband, Eric Sinclair and half brother BabyJon, set off on a trip to Cape Cod to bring Antonia's body back to her pack. The book is written in half the 'normal' manner and 'half' journal written by Marc. I found this quite odd (I think the whole 'Marc keeping a journal' thing ridiculous and would have made more sense if he was just telling the stories through emails to Betsy) but could see the sense in it in the end....of course we needed to be updated on what is going on back in Minnesota while Betsy and Sinclair are inches from a vampire / werewolf war. As the previous book to this one was the first of a trilogy amount the series, I was left quite confused in how different these books are to the 'norm' and how they were taking the wholes story to a different level. Still, they are great wee reads...very funny and uplifting. Edited February 15, 2011 by Shin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 Undead and Unfinished by MaryJanice Davidson Started: 1st February 2011 Finished: 6th February 2011 Rating: 5/5 Synopsis by Waterstones Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor is fed up of trying to decipher the strange things prophesied in The Book of the Dead. At the end of her tether, she strikes a deal with Satan who promises to help - if she and her half-sister Laura pay a visit to Hell. Hell, it would seem, is more terrifying than Betsy could have ever imagined - a waiting room with bad carpeting, re-runs of 70s TV shows and ancient Good Housekeeping magazines. But when Betsy and Laura find themselves catapulted back and forth through time, they realise they could seriously screw everything up for good... My Review I have to say that this has to be my favourite book so far in this series. The doubts I had in the reviews in the last two books have now crumbled and I can now see were everything is going and it is getting so much more interesting. Truthfully, the start of the book was really slow for me...so unlike me as I could finish one of these books within a few hours. I don't know but I don't really like Laura...she bores me! I know it is tough on me because it seems that the series is revolved around Betsy and Lauras relationship but I think in future books, I may begin to like her. It was really interesting when Betsy and Laura started travelling through time and I must admit Betsy annoyed me a little in this book....just with her usual attitude...but we should really love her for it. May be I was I little tired when reading the book. To sum it up....the ending of this book made me gasp! I finished it last night and I still have not stopped thinking about it. Everything has slotted into place and I just can not wait for the next book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Posted February 25, 2011 Author Share Posted February 25, 2011 (edited) I am currently reading Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. It is going well but I had to put my reading aside this week and also the start of next week as I have promised my friend that I will have her wedding invitations ready for her by Wednesday. I am soooo behind. After that I will only have the evening invites and placecards to do and they are more straight forward so I will be able to relax and pick up on my reading again. I still have to do my review for the last two books I have read so they will be coming up. Edited February 25, 2011 by Shin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Posted February 25, 2011 Author Share Posted February 25, 2011 Just back from a walk while on my lunch hour and called into the charity shops again. I got the following for £2.40 and some are from my wishlist. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult The Distant Echo by Val McDermid The Bone Collector by Jeffrey Denver The Testament of Gideon Mack by James Robertson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Posted February 25, 2011 Author Share Posted February 25, 2011 (edited) Every Which Way But Dead ~by~ Kim Harrison Started: 7th February 2011 Finished: 14th February 2011 Rating: 4/5 Synopsis by Waterstones If you make a deal with the devil, can you still save your soul? To avoid becoming the love-slave of a depraved criminal vampire, bounty-hunter and witch, Rachel Morgan, is cornered into a deal that could promise her an eternity of suffering. But eternal damnation is not Rachel's only worry. Her vampire roommate, Ivy, has rediscovered her taste for blood and is struggling to keep their relationship platonic, her boyfriend, Nick, has disappeared -- perhaps indefinitely, and she's being stalked by an irate pack of werewolves. And then there's also the small matter of the turf war raging in Cincinnati's underworld; one that Rachel began and will have to navigate before she has the smallest hope of preserving her own future. My Review The third book in the Hallows series commences with Rachel Morgan settling her arrangement with scary demon, Algaliarept, or better known as “Big Al”. An arrangement made in exchange for Big Al’s help to imprison high vampire Piscary...the arrangement to become his familiar and taken to the ever-after. Rachel does everything in her power to prevent Big Al taking her there and in the meantime she accommodates her predecessor (Big Al's previous familiar). Most of the story was focused on Rachel trying to escape Big Al every time she tapped into a ley line and her relationships with those close to her. Her boyfriend Nick leaves, human vampire Kisten tries to date her, room mates and business partners Ivy and Jenks gives her cause for misery. All in all it was a good story. I can see the story evolving more and more and I love the new relationship between Kisten and Rachel. It is not one of my favourite series but I will continue with books. Edited February 25, 2011 by Shin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Posted February 25, 2011 Author Share Posted February 25, 2011 Sizzling Sixteen ~by~ Janet Evanovich Started: 15th February 2011 Finished: 18th February 2011 Rating: 4/5 Synopsis by Waterstones Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has inherited a 'lucky' bottle from her Uncle Pip. Problem is, Uncle Pip didn't specify if the bottle brought good luck or bad luck...Vinnie, of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, owes a gambling debt to mobster Bobby Sunflower. It's up to Stephanie, office manager Connie, and file clerk Lula to raise the money if they want to save their jobs. Saving the business means Stephanie can keep being a bounty hunter. In Trenton, this involves hunting down a man wanted for polygamy, a Turnpike toilet paper bandit, and a drug dealer with a pet alligator named Mr Jingles. The job comes with perks in the guise of Trenton's hottest cop, Joe Morelli, and the dark and dangerous security expert, Ranger. With any luck at all, Uncle Pip's lucky bottle will have Stephanie getting lucky -- the only question is...with whom? My Review After my disappointments with Evanovich’s previous books in the series, I think she is back in form after reading this one. I found myself laughing out loud in some parts of the book, which I have not done with this series since the earlier books. This time we see Vinnie (the owner of the bail bonds company and Stephanie’s cousin) go missing. So to keep their jobs otherwise they would not have bothered, Stephanie, Lula and Connie set off to get him back. I loved reading the antics of these three together. Connie is the Office Manager at Vincent Plum Bails Bond and doesn’t assist Stephanie and Lula on their trips but we were introduced to three amigos in one of the “In Between the Numbers” novels, Plum Lucky and I thought it worked. They are so funny together. Of course, you still had the usual FTAs escaping and the endless trips to Cluck in a Bucket and Tasty Pastry. Then there is the currently “off-again” relationship with Morrelli. I love Morrelli and I think that it is time Stephanie and Joe settled down but I think the “off-again” relationship made this book a little more interesting. Then there is Ranger…..I will say no more. I have to find myself some of that Bulgari shower gel!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickle Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Every Which Way But Dead ~by~ Kim Harrison Started: 7th February 2011 Finished: 14th February 2011 Rating: 4/5 Synopsis by Waterstones If you make a deal with the devil, can you still save your soul? To avoid becoming the love-slave of a depraved criminal vampire, bounty-hunter and witch, Rachel Morgan, is cornered into a deal that could promise her an eternity of suffering. But eternal damnation is not Rachel's only worry. Her vampire roommate, Ivy, has rediscovered her taste for blood and is struggling to keep their relationship platonic, her boyfriend, Nick, has disappeared -- perhaps indefinitely, and she's being stalked by an irate pack of werewolves. And then there's also the small matter of the turf war raging in Cincinnati's underworld; one that Rachel began and will have to navigate before she has the smallest hope of preserving her own future. My Review The third book in the Hallows series commences with Rachel Morgan settling her arrangement with scary demon, Algaliarept, or better known as “Big Al”. An arrangement made in exchange for Big Al’s help to imprison high vampire Piscary...the arrangement to become his familiar and taken to the ever-after. Rachel does everything in her power to prevent Big Al taking her there and in the meantime she accommodates her predecessor (Big Al's previous familiar). Most of the story was focused on Rachel trying to escape Big Al every time she tapped into a ley line and her relationships with those close to her. Her boyfriend Nick leaves, human vampire Kisten tries to date her, room mates and business partners Ivy and Jenks gives her cause for misery. All in all it was a good story. I can see the story evolving more and more and I love the new relationship between Kisten and Rachel. It is not one of my favourite series but I will continue with books. I have read the first 8 of these books and the 9th has only just come out, I really like tham, they are funny and well written adn they do get better and better as they go on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charm Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Hey Shin, great reviews Every Which Way But Dead sounds good, do you think I would like this series? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Posted August 29, 2011 Author Share Posted August 29, 2011 Oh dear, I can't beleive it has been 6 months since I have been on here. I have also been bad as I have not read much either. Been busy running, dieting and making jewellery but that 6 months has flew by. Much up date my reading list then. Charm, I think you might like that series. It's slow to begin with but you get into it after book one or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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