What I Read in September 2010

You can see how I rated any of these books by clicking on the Goodreads bookshelf on the right.


Paranormal

Blameless (The Parasol Protectorate) by Gail Carriger

Fantasy

The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V.S. Redick
Heroes Return by Moira J. Moore


Mystery

Kill and Tell by Linda Howard
To Die For by Linda Howard
Drop Dead Gorgeous by Linda Howard
Mr Perfect by Linda Howard
Son of the Morning by Linda Howard

Romance

To Tempt a Saint by Kate Moore
Cat and the Countress by Casey Claybourne
Model Man by NIcole McCaffrey
Doorway To His Heart by Jo Barrett
Suddenly You by Lisa Kleypas

Science Fiction Romance

Hearts and Minds by J.C. Hay
A Pirate's Passion by KS Augustin

Science Fiction

Undertow by Elizabeth Bear

What I Purchased in September 2010

At Borders:

Killbox by Ann Aguirre
To Tempt A Saint by Kate Moore

At Borders on Labor Day:

Borders had a buy one get one free on some trade paperback that were on sale for 3.99 on Labor Day. I couldn't resist and purchased 4 and got 4 free. All but one were books by authors I have not read. Here is that list.

The Magical Christmas Cat by Lora Leigh, Erin McCarthy, Nalini Singh and Linda Winstead Jones (Stroke of Enchantment by Nalini Singh is my favorite side story in the Psy/Changling series. I read the story when I checked the book out from the library. I could not resist sitting down and re-reading it as soon as I got home.)
Between Two Queens by Kate Emerson
Kismet, by Monica Burns
Shifting Plains by Jean Johnson
Mortal Seductions by Allyson James
Phantasm by Phaedra Weldon
Chalice of Roses by Jo Beverly, Mary Jo Putney, Karen Harbaugh, Barabara Samuel
How to Dazzle a Duke by Claudia Dain


At Amazon

Blameless (the Parasol Protectorate) by Gail Carriger
Suddenly You by Lisa Kleypas
The High King of Montival: A Novel of the Change by S. M Stirling
Rebel by Claire Delacroix

From Baen as eBooks

What Distant Deeps by David Drake
One Good Soldier by Travis Taylor
Seeker's Bane by P.C. Hodgell
Ragnarok by Patrick A Vanner
Monster Hunter Vendetta by Larry Correia

I purchased the entire September and November Webscriptions from Baen. The books listed above are the ones I have downloaded. November's new publication are not fully online. I will list them when I download.

Authors That Begin With S

Found on My Hardcover Bookshelf

Some of my favorite authors start with S. Because several of the authors have series with multiple books it takes two shelves for their books.

S.M. Stirling writes The Change series. I have all in hardcover. Dies the Fire is the first and the place to start.

John Scalzi's Ghost Brigade is the second book after Old Man's War. This is a series I recommend to anyone, SciFi fan or not.

The Family Trade by Charles Stross is the first book in The Merchant Princes series. Although I like the series when we read The Family Trade in the Science Fiction Book club and it got mixed reviews.

I loved Poison Study by Maria Snyder. It is also the first book in a series.

Charles Sheffield and Dan Simmons both have book on the S shelves. Sheffield book is The Spheres of Home and Simmons is Olympus.

Doorway to His Heart by Jo Barrett

Time Travel Romance

I love Jo Barrett’s romance books and have purchased six of her novels from Fictionwise. Last week when I say Doorway to His Heart as a new release on Fictionwise I purchased and loaded it on my eBookwise reader.

The premise reminds me of Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime. In that show Deb dies and wakes up in another body. In Doorway to His Heart Emily Mayfield is a concert pianist with terminal cancer. After her last concert she is very weak but has a friend take her to tour a historic English manor. While there Emily collapses and wakes up in another woman’s body in another time. Emily has been given a second chance at life but that chance does not come without problems. She is in the body of Millicent, the very unpleasant wife of the Viscount Westmore. Not only does Emily have to work very hard to overcome everyone’s dislike of the lovely Millicent she must also adjust to living in another time.

Doorway to His Heart is novella length and currently only available as an ebook. I loved the story. Doorway to His Heart has well-drawn characters, is filled with conflict, and has a very satisfying ending. All in all a very good read.

Wild Rose Press published Doorway to His Heart by Jo Barrett in 2010.

Authors that Begin with N and R (There are no O or P's)

Books On My Hardcover Shelf



Leopard in Exile by Andre Norton

Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik

All of the Starship books by Mike Resnick. This is a great space opera series. Start with Starship: Mutiny, Book One. If you have read Santiago you will want to read The Return of Santiago by Mike Resnick.

Kill and Tell and To Die For by Linda Howard

Mystery

I discovered Linda Howard on a recent trip when I checked out and listened to Killing Time. I really liked the book so when I was in McKay Books in Chattanooga I purchased used copies of several of her books. I just finished reading Kill and Tell and To Die For.

Kill and Tell has much of the same feel as Killing Time. Instead of being from two different times Karen Whitlaw and Marc Chastain are from two very different parts of the country. They are brought together when Karen’s father is killed in New Orleans. Mystery and attraction soon follow.

To Die For has a lighter feel. When Blair Mallory witnesses a murder it bring Wyatt Bloodsworth back into her life. Two years ago Wyatt dumped Karen after two very hot dates. They are two alpha personalities whose conflicts generate great dialog and exciting action. Often To Die For left me laughing so hard I was gasping for breath.

Linda Howard’s books are going on my keeper shelf and I will be adding to my collection.

Pocket Star Books published Kill and Tell by Linda Howard in 1998.
Ballantine Books published To Die For by Linda Howard in 2005.

Authors Beginning With M

Books On My Hardcover Shelf


The Stars Down Under by Sandra McDonald.

Paradox by John Meaney

Fall of Angles by L.E. Modesitt, Jr

Odyssey by Jack McDevitt

Jirel of Joiry by C.L. Moore

Freedon's Landing by Anne McCaffrey (one of three McCaffrey books)

Strength and Honor by R.M. Meluch (one of two Meluch books)

Against the Odds by Elizabeth Moon (one of eight Elizabeth Moon books)

Suddenly You by Lisa Kleypas

Historical Romance

Lisa Kleypas is on of my favorite historical romance authors and I have many of her books on my keeper shelf. Suddenly You is an older book that I did not have.

The novel is set in the 1830’s. Amanda Briars is a novelist and Jack Devlin is a publisher. Both characters are part of the working upper class. Amanda wants one night of passion for her thirtieth birthday. When Jack arrives at her house she mistakes him for the gift she has hired for herself. With the mistaken identity and the immediate attraction Suddenly You is a very sensual novel. This is one book where the sex is an important part of the story and I did not skim the sex scenes as I usually do. Jack and Amanda are both such strong characters that they have to have a very rocky journey. This was a very good addition to my Lisa Kleypas collection.

While many of the characters in Lisa’s books appear in numerous stories I don’t remember seeing Amanda or Jack in any pervious book.

Avon Books published Suddenly You by Lisa Kleypas in 2001.

I purchased Suddenly You new from Amazon.

Authors that Begin With L

Books On My Hardcover Shelf

The Liaden Universe books by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller are some of my favorites. Crystal Soldier, Balance of Trade and Mouse and Dragon are the three I have in hardcover. If you have never read any of their books don't start with any of these. I recommend Agent of Change to start the series.

Alta is the only Mercedes Lackey hardcover.

Retief to the Rescue by Keith Laumer rounds out the L's.

Blameless by Gail Carriger

Paranormal Romance

I have been waiting of Gail Carriger’s Blameless to be released. At the end of Changeless Alexia Tarabotti was left in a very uncomfortable and inconvenient condition. As Alexia stated she was used to defending herself from things she had done but this time she was suppose to defend herself from something she had not done.

In typical Alexia fashion, since she is not guilty, she leaves the scene and goes to France and Italy to find the proof of her innocence. We see the result of her action in Blameless, a book filled with more hair-raising adventures. Along the way we get to know more about each of the characters and the world they live in as well as meet new players who add important elements to the plot. The story is never boring. The dialog is crisp and often humorous in spite of the danger. There are some great lines in the book but to quote them here would give too many important elements of the book away. Get Blameless and read them for yourself.

Look for Heartless, the next book in the series in July 2011. Souless and Changeless are the first two books in the series.

Orbit published Blameless by Gail Carriger in 2010.

I purchased Blameless from Amazon.

You Tube has a video that shows the creation of the Blameless book cover. My June 25, 2010 post has the address to watch the video.

Authors that Begin With H

Found On My Hardcover Bookshelf

Found On My Hardcover Bookshelf

Robin Hobb and Tanya Huff are the two authors on this bookshelf.

I have the Liveship Traders series by Robin Hobb. Start with Mad Ship.

From Tanya Huff I have Valor's Trial, a Confederation Novel.

The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V.S. Redick

Fantasy

The Red Wolf Conspiracy is the debut novel for Robert V.S. Redick. In my experience most first novels often do not rise to the high standard found in The Red Wolf Conspiracy.

Redick does his world and character building using a series of diverse scenes containing a variety of different characters. Each scene provides important glimpses into the characters and history of the world he is building. This technique could result in chaos but Redick never loses the momentum of the story. The result is a book that grabs your attention and never lets it go.

At the heart of the story is an arranged marriage that will bring peace. Nothing is as it seems on the surface. You think you have a handle on a character only to find that their actions walk a complex and confusing path. You think you can predict what is coming next and something entirely different happens.

As this is the first book in a four book series The Red Wolf Conspiracy leaves many loose ends. Luckly I will not have to wait long to continue the story. Ruling Sea, the next book, is already out.

Del Rey published The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V.S. Redick in 2010.

I purchased The Red Wolf Conspiracy from Amazon.

Authors that Begin with F and G

Found On My Hardcover Bookshelf

Authors that begin with F and G are very thin on my hardcover bookshelf. There is one author for each letter.

I have Eric Flint's 1824 The Arkansas War the second book in the series. Only two books in the series have been published. The first is 1812, The Rivers of War. When I was at Reconstruction Con Eric said that he had a contract to continue the series, that he would probably write the next books in 2011 and expected the series to have a total of six books.

I have Terry Goodkind's Phantom, I have yet to read the book so I can't comment on it.

Heart Journey by Robin D. Owens

Paranormal Romance

I don’t think I have ever seen two more mismatched HeartMates as the two in Heart Journey. Helena D’Elecampane spends her time in the wild mapping Celta. Raz Cherry is an actor who will never be happy away from the big city and the theater. Meeting these two you don’t think that love can conquer all. While they are drawn to each other and grow closer while working to solve a series of robberies in Raz’s family the differences in their lifestyles seem to be too much to overcome.

Heart Journey is a good addition the Celta novels. There is some very good new world building in Heart Journey. Robin Owens makes very good use of the robberies in Heart Journey to reveal more of the history of Celta. The additional world building works seamlessly into the story line. In addition to learning more about the world of Celta I think I saw several hooks for future stories set in the Celta universe. As I love this series I hope I am right about many more books about Celta and HeartMates. (I wrote this before I checked Robin's web site. There are more books planned but I did not guess right on who the next books will feature. Maybe the hooks I saw will come in later books.)

Berkley Sensation published Heart Journey by Robin D. Owens in 2010.

I purchased Heart Journey from Amazon.

(Am I the only one who thinks the cover does not match the contents of the book?)

Authors Beginning With D

Found On My Hardcover Shelf

I have books by several of my favorite authors whose last names start with D.

I found David Drake's Daniel Leary series when it first came out. Baen publishes the series and I have several of them as eBooks. Lt. Leary Commanding is the only one in the series I have as a hardcover. This is a male/female paring where there is friendship but no romance between the two main characters. Start this series with With the Lightning.

Debra Doyle and James D. MacDonald wrote the Mageworlds series. The series has seven books and is great space opera. I had the early books in paperback but one of my sons packed them up with his books when he moved out. I keep trying to get them back but so far no luck. I have The Stars Asunder and A Working of Stars in hardcover. Start with The Price of Stars.

Gordon R. Dickson is another author who is a must have if you love Science Fiction. I have The Way of the Pilgram, Other and The R-Master in hardcover.

Big Jack by J.D. Robb

Futuristic Mystery

Nora Robert's also writes as J.D. Robb.

I just discovered Library 2 Go, Downloadable Media, at my local library. I like the In Death series and had seen Big Jack in the bookstore. When I found it on Library 2 Go I checked it out. Books from Library 2 Go can be downloaded to your computer and are available for two weeks. Big Jack is a story that was previously published in the anthology Remember When. It is also a sequel to Hot Rocks, a Nora Roberts novel set in the present.

On the In Death time line Big Jack takes place shortly after Roarke learns the truth about his Mother. Peabody has just been promoted to Detective and this is her first case working with Eve in her new position.

Samantha Gannon has written a book about a diamond robbery that took place in 2003. One fourth of the diamonds were never recovered. When she arrives home from a two-week book tour she finds her apartment trashed and her house sitter murdered. Eve draws the case. You can read the story of the diamond robbery in Hot Rocks. The final solution to the robbery fits well as a side story in the In Death series.

Check to see if your library has a subscription to Library 2 Go. As long as you do not mind reading on a computer it is a good way to get books without every leaving home.

Berkley published Big Jack by J.D. Robb in 2010.

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey

Fantasy

Dragonflight is the Science Fiction Book Club discussion book for September 2010. It is also Volume 1 of The Dragonriders of Pern series, a series that has become a classic in Science Fiction Fantasy. The person who recommended the book reread it before our July meeting and said we might want to replace it with another book as the story was not as good as he remembered. We decided to leave it in place and see what everyone else thought.

Like Stranger In a Strange Land, Dragonflight suffers because of the change in attitude about women’s place in the world. Lessa is the strong female character in the book but she is not treated as a strong female character is treated today. On the plus side for the book at least there was a strong female character. F’Lar, the lead male character in the book, never deals with Lessa as an equal. As a result much of the interaction between the two main characters does not stand the test of time.

The story in Dragonflight is still a good story but I had to work to keep some of the outdated elements from overriding my enjoyment of the book.

Del Ray published Dragonflight by Ann McCaffrey in 1968.

I checked Dragonflight out from the Rogers Public Library.

Authors Beginning With C

Found On My Hardcover Bookshelf

There is only one author whose name begins with C on my hardcover bookshelf. C.J Cherryh is one of my all-time favorites. I have read most of her series and an always thrilled when she publishes a new book. Most of my hardcover’s are books in the Foreigner series.

The characters in this series change and grow so start this with the first book, Foreigner. To date there are 11 books in the series with the 12th due out soon. I have all eleven in hardcopy.

The Dreamlight Series, Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krantz, Burning Lamp by Amanda Quick, Midnight Crystal by Jayne Castle

Paranormal Romance

Amanda Quick, and Jayne Castle are pen names for Jayne Ann Krantz. Fired Up is the first. book in the Dreamlight Trilogy. Burning Lamp and Midnight Crystal are the final two books.

Each book is set in a different time period. Burning Lamp is set in the last part of the 19th century, Fired Up is set in the present and Midnight Crystal is set on Harmony in the future. The common theme is a lamp fashioned by Nicholas Winters to hold physic energy and it’s affect on certain men of the Winter’s family.

All three books bring together the characters from previous series and introduce a new set from the Winters' family. You can read each as a stand-alone but think they read better in order.

In each book the Burning Lamp, a Winter’s male and a dreamlight reader play an important part in the story. There is a Winters' curse that some Winters males inherit and to overcome that curse they have to find the Burning Lamp and a strong dreamlight reader. The strong dreamlight reader in each book is a female who is at odds with the Winters' male. Someone with evil intent is also after the Burning Lamp. A perfect set up for conflict, adventure and romance.

The Dreamlight Trilogy is an entertaining addition to Jayne Ann Krantz’s other paranormal novels. The action is fast, the romance heavy, and the characters entertaining. I enjoyed the series and look forward to other future paranormal romance novel by the author.

Penguin Group published the Dreamlight Trilogy by Jayne Ann Krantz.

I purchased Midnight Crystal from WalMart and checked out Fired Up and Burning Lamp from the Rogers Public Library.

Authors Beginning With B

Found On My Hardcover Bookshelf

The Timeline Wars by John Barnes is shelved first on the shelf with authors whose names start with B. This is an omnibus edition what contains Patton’s Spaceship, Washington’s Dirigible and Caesar’s Bicycle.

Ben Bova’s Saturn is next. I have several of this series but only Saturn is in hardcover.

I don’t think any Science Fiction library would be complete without books by Mary Zimmer Bradley. My favorite of the hardcovers I own is Traitor’s Sun. If you have never read any of the Darkover books you are missing a very good series.

Last on my B shelf is Lois McMaster Bujold’s Paladin of Souls and The Sharing Knife series. I really got caught up in The Sharing Knife series. You should start with Beguilement.

Body Master by C.J. Barry

Paranormal Romance

I have copies of Unearthed, Unchained, Unraveled, Unleashed and Unmasked, C.J. Barry’s Futuristic Romance series, so I was excited when I read that Body Master, the first book of her new paranormal series, was released this month.

Body Master is set on Earth near the present time. Unknown to most people,an alien ship full of Shifters has crashed on Earth. Using DNA a Shifter can become the image of any human. Shifters lost their home world hundreds of years ago and have been unwelcome on other worlds where they have tried to settle. While many of the Shifters just want find a new home and blend in there is a criminal element that enjoys killing humans. A special task force has been formed to deal with the problem. Seneca Thomas is the best agent in the task force. She is forced to partner with Max Dempsey, a Shifter. The chances of a successful partnership seem dim at best. Then Max and Seneca discover a plot by a Shifter mastermind to sell out both humans and Shifters. Only by working together can they stop what is about to happen.

Body Master has plenty of action, a interesting cast of characters and a wonderful plot. I think C.J. Barry has the start of a great new series.

Berkley Sensation published Body Master by C.J. Barry in 2010.

I purchased Body Master from Amazon.

Authors Starting with A

Found On my Hardcover Bookshelf

No Sci-Fi bookshelf would be complete without some of the old masters. I have Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy and Poul Anderson’s For Love and Glory in hardcover.

I often purchased the hardcover edition when I don’t want to wait for the paperback. As a result I have 5 titles from the Skolian Empire series by Catherine Asaro. This is a great Space Opera/ Science Fiction Romance series and it’s best to start with Primary Inversion.

Kevin Anderson’s Metal Swarm is book 6 in The Saga of Seven Suns. One very nice thing about this series is “The Story so Far” at the beginning of each book. The series is complete so you can read it without having to wait for the next book to come out. Start with Hidden Empire, the first book in the series. The Saga of Seven Suns is a series I share with one of my sons so between us we have all of the books in either hardcover of paperback.

Taylor Anderson writes the Destroyermen, an alternate history series. I have Crusade and Maelstrom in hardcover from the first trilogy and Distant Thunders, the first book in the second trilogy. Start this one with Into the Storm, the first book in the series.

If you click on the highlighted links you will find where I have previous posts about some of the series, books and authors.

Authors starting with B will be next.

Imation is the Greatest Form of Flattery (My Bookshelf)

Books on my Bookshelf

I just read a post by Jo Walton where she detailed the authors and books on her bookshelf. Her books were shelved in alphabetical order by author and that is how she did her list. I though it was great fun and decided to do some of the same. After all, we share the same first name and some of the same tastes. I did find some new books reading her list and maybe someone will find some new authors and books reading mine. (Since my blog is a simple BlogSpot creation my list will be spread over many posts. I may have a son who does blogs but he does not do mine. I'm not sure I could afford him.)

I shelve my books alphabetically by author in three different sections (Hardcovers, Romances, and Science Fiction) so that is how I do my list. There are both books I have recommended and books I have never mentioned found on my bookshelves.

Look for the list of authors starting with A in my Hardcover section in the next post.