Monday, September 22, 2008

What I'm Reading

"The Summoning" by Kelley Armstrong.
Exerpt from Back Cover:
Chloe Saunders used to have a relatively normal life. But now she finds herself in some really strange situations because: *she suddenly starts seeing dead people. *she gets locked up in a group home for unstable teens. * the group home isn't what it seems...


I really liked this book, but in a way I felt like it was a cop-out, because the author is making it a trilogy, yet the book just ended on a cliff-hanger, and it felt like the story was only half-told. We were just starting to get to know everyone and figure out what was going on, and root for romance and all that. Still, I will read the sequel. It was fun.
--
"Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter, Book 1") by Laurell K. Hamilton

Anita is an "animator," meaning that her job is to raise zombies (like to find out who they wanted in their will, or who killed them, etc.) But she also works with the police to track supernatural killers, and ends up fighting a lot of vampires and gets into a lot of dangerous messes. It wasn't the best book I've ever read, but it was definitely entertaining, and I've already started the sequel: "The Laughing Corpse."

Amazon.com Review
Anita Blake may be small and young, but vampires call her the Executioner. Anita is a necromancer and vampire hunter in a time when vampires are protected by law--as long as they don't get too nasty. Now someone's killing innocent vampires and Anita agrees--with a bit of vampiric arm-twisting--to help figure out who and why.

Trust is a luxury Anita can't afford when her allies aren't human. The city's most powerful vampire, Nikolaos, is 1,000 years old and looks like a 10-year-old girl. The second most powerful vampire, Jean-Claude, is interested in more than just Anita's professional talents, but the feisty necromancer isn't playing along--yet. This popular series has a wild energy and humor, and some very appealing characters--both dead and alive.

--

Field of Blood by Eric Wilson (Jerusalem's Undead Trilogy)

I picked this one up because it just seemed really interesting, but I haven't started it yet (beyond reading the first chapter at the bookstore). Here is what the back says:

The Jerusalem's Undead Trilogy takes readers on a riveting jopurney, as imaginative fiction mels with biblical and archaeological history.

from Amazon:
The suicide of Judas Iscariot in 30 A.D. left his blood seeping into the soil of the Field of Blood, in Aramaic the Akeldama. When this same field is disturbed by work crews outside Jerusalem in 1989, a clan of supernatural Collectors is released from the ancient burial chambers. Infused with Judas's enmity, they seek to corrupt and destroy.

Gina Lazarescu has always felt like she didn't quite belong. But a bizarre accident with a delivery van leaves her questioning if the differences aren't more significant than she realized. When a man she met as a young girl in Romania reappears with a fantastic tale of immortality, Gina must decide whether to believe or to ignore what she's seeing.

Regardless of what she decides, she's headed for an unavoidable collision with the Akeldama.

---
And finally, Corinne reminded me that Untamed: A House of Night Novel comes out tomorrow. Yay!

20 enjoyed the bouquet.:

alison said...

agh! in my morning amazon frenzy, I realized there are two Morganville vampire books I haven't read....

How far do you think the walk is to barnes and noble???

maybe they have it at target.

Anonymous said...

i am totally embarrassed to suggest this to people cause they are SO naughty, and i mean VERY naughty - but have you heard of the black dagger brotherhood series by j.r. ward? i stumbled across one at barnes and noble and i got totally hooked on their vampire world! then i HAD to read the other five! there are 6 of them as of now...

alison said...

I've heard of it, but I always forget what they're called when I'm at the bookstore. ...I always want to recommend them to Kari--she lurvs the dirty stuff ;)

Kari said...

Hehe, BUSTED.

Anonymous said...

A little?

I just finished the 'Summoning' and it is a very bothersome cliff-hanger. It's supposed to be like that so you'll read the the next one. pls tell me when the next one of that series comes out.

L8r,
♥Z♦Z♥

heatheryruth said...

I'm on the waiting list for the first one at the Library! No worries Kari....I like em dirty too hehe!

alison said...

z~z, this is what I got from the author's website

http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/aAwaken.htm

The Awakening
May 2009
You know the big problem with a trilogy? After the first book, it gets really hard to describe the next one without giving away serious spoilers for book one. I've got the jacket copy for this one, but it's rife with spoilers. Hmm. How about an edited version?


"If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl—someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I’m as far away from normal as it gets. A *bleep*—not only can I see ghosts, but I was *bleep*. What does that mean? For starters, I’m a teenage necromancer whose powers are *bleep*. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever. I’m running for my life with *bleep* and we have to find someone who can help us gain our freedom back before the *bleep*."



Yep, a lot of bleeps. I'll post the real synopsis along with sample chapters later this year. For now, this is just a place-holder page to say "yes, book 2 is coming" and when.

Erin said...

I lurv the dirty stuff, too. Outlander WHAT!

I'll definitely have to check this out. And my library doesn't have Untamed: A House of Night Novel on their list yet, so looks like if I want it right away I'll have to buy it. So I probably will! (I love owning books, but it's so hard for me to spend money on them when I can get them for free...)

Jes said...

I just bought Untamed at Target! yippee!!

alison said...

ts only monday! I would have walked all the eff to target if Id have known I could get it today...

agh..


as it is, nate is taking me to the bookstore tomorrow and i can get five books. but still...

Kari said...

Man! I almost want to go to Target right now. I have a doc appt tomorrow for the glucose tolerance test and have to sit around for an hour.

alison said...

I know! I need to read more about being a ho-bag!!

or is that the wrong series??? I mix them up sometimes. so many books...

Kari said...

You're right, it's totally the House of Night series that uses ho-bag ...you ho-bag.

alison said...

thanks, slut ;)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for noticing Field of Blood. Hope you like it. I'm working on the sequel, about to turn it into my editor. The story lives on!

alison said...

yeah, I've only started it, but it seems like a very interesting and unique story.

Corinne said...

I fully expect you, Jes, to have "Untamed" finished and ready to pass on by opening pitch tomorrow...

Erin said...

Thanks for commenting, Eric Wilson! :-) Looking forward to reading Field of Blood.

Jes said...

i will try- i couldn't start it last night, cause I was writting a paper!

Now that an author has posted on our site I will definately read his book! so cool!

Anonymous said...

thanks Alison! to many bleeps. so very very frusturating. ;p

♦Z~Z♦