Tuesday, July 26, 2011

We'll Always Have Parrots (Donna Andrews)

Summary:
Meg Langslow's boyfriend is a part time actor, and has a growing part on a semi-popular TV show that's a little Harry Potter, a little Star Trek, and a whole lot campy. Thanks to Michael's part in the show, Meg gets to delve into the convention world, seeing just how crazy people can get. The con organizers had animals brought to the hotel the con's being held in, in order to make it look more like Amblyopia, the setting of the TV show. But on the first day, the parrots and monkeys get loose, and hijinks ensue. Not to mention the dead body...

Thoughts:
Andrews does it again, bringing a yet another aspect of modern life into hilarious view. She has a way of bringing even the most outlandish situations into Meg's life, and pushing it straight past "feasible" into "outrageous" whilst still making all kinds of sense. How often do you find a single person that's found murder victims at a wedding, in a software company, during a reenactment of the Battle at Yorktown, on a weekend getaway, and now at a TV show convention. And in her next novel, Meg finds the body at a yard sale in her backyard. And there are perfectly good explanations for each and every one of these situations, and for the murders that take place. Few authors can do that without giving the reader a large pill to swallow in the form of the newest situation.

These books are fun, silly things, and completely addictive. (Case in point, I've already finished the next in the series, too!) To read one book of the Meg series is to sign yourself up for the long haul. They're great beach reading type books, too, though it'll take a lot for you to put it down, even just to roll over and even the tan!

Book 23 of 30

Pages: 331
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B+
Would I Recommend?: Sure, it's fun!

Monday, July 25, 2011

If Books Could Kill (Kate Carlisle)

Summary:
Brooklyn is a bookbinder and restorer. In the first book in the series, she finds her mentor and friend killed, and herself stuck as the prime suspect. In this second installment, she travels to Ireland for a bookbinding conference. On a tour through the city, she finds her ex dead, and she's determined to figure out who killed him. Her English pretty-boy cop buddy shows up in Ireland too, and helps Brooklyn get her out of trouble and hunt the killer down.

Thoughts:
This woman's love for books warms my heart. She's a strong character, and the cop guy is a smooth guy for sure. I like the series, and will probably keep up with it, whenever I get a chance to get my hands on the next book. It's a good summer read. Light and quick.

Book 22 of 30

Pages: 280
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B+
Would I Recommend?: Sure, if you're a mystery kind of person, this is right up your alley.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox (Eoin Colfer)

Summary:
Artemis Fowl is a reformed evil genius who's got a lot of friends in low places. And by low, I mean both figuratively and physically. He's got connections with the criminal underworld as well as the Fairy world under the ground. His mother turns up ill with a fairy illness that had been eradicated decades before by the fairies. and Artemis killed the last lemur that carried the cure. He gets the idea to go back in time. Thank goodness he knows some magical creatures! The book follows the paradoxical greatness of time travel.

Thoughts:
I love this series. It's so inventive, and no matter what Artemis thinks of to do next, it turns wrong quick, then right, and wrong again so fast your head could spin. I have yet to read one of these that I haven't loved. Colfer has a way of spinning a yarn that will make your head spin until the very last page, when everything comes together.

Just a note. Like many of the previous Fowl books, this one has a decoded message along the bottoms of each page. If you don't wait until you've finished the book, you might get a little bit spoiled. Just in case you're anti-spoilers.

Book 21 of 30

Pages: 391
Genre: Teen lit, fantasy
Grade: A
Would I Recommend?: Absolutely. When do I not recommend Colfer's work? never.