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March's reading
Apr. 1st, 2008 01:18 pmMarch was not the best of months, in terms of reading. Of eighteen books begun, there were six DNFs, two re-reads, and only four new-to-me books that I would recommend heartily. I think maybe I need an attitude adjustment or to change my reading selection process, because that's a high percentage of books that I didn't really care for.
1. The Painted House by Drew Zachary. M/m, ebook. It was sweet, but a bit flat – no conflict, no tension. Which would've been fine in most cases, but was not exactly what the backblurb led me to anticipate.
2. The Ties That Bind, anthology. M/m, ebook. I liked one of the stories, but the others were forgettable.
3. Scoundrel by Elizabeth Elliott. Historical. DNF. The heroine was a Mary Sue (and not the good chocolate easter egg kind); the hero was an @sshat; the plot was dull and cliché-riddled.
4. Demon Night by Meljean Brook. Paranormal. B+/A-. I liked this book, but didn't have anything original to say about it.
5. Hallowed Ground by Lori G. Armstrong. Mystery. Wowwed by this book, and talked about it a little bit. A
6. A Secret Rage by Charlaine Harris. Mystery. An older mystery, stand alone, that has been reissued. The ending felt abrupt, and I’m not really sure what to make of this book. This is the second of Harris’s protagonists who as been sexually assaulted; taken in conjunction with Sookie Stackhouse’s precarious position as a telepath among other supernaturals, it makes me wonder about what sort of underlying message or theme Harris may be trying to convey about the vulnerability of women in society. B-/C+.
7. A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold. A space regency, reread. A+
8. This Is How It Happened (not a love story) by Jo Barrett. Contemporary. D+. This book really did not work for me, as I explained here.
9. Shallow Grave by Lori G. Armstrong. Mystery, third book of the series. A-. The shift in POV at the end of the book was jarring, and did not work well for me, despite periodic shifts that occurred in Hallowed Ground. Curious about where Armstrong is going with this series, and wonder if the romance thread is going to end in a disaster that will reverberate through the other parts of her life.
10. The Devil’s Delilah by Loretta Chase. Trad regency. DNF
11. Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold. Science fiction. DNF
12. Blood Ties by Lori G. Armstrong. Mystery, first book of the series. Good debut of the series, but riddled with typesetting errors (missed paragraph breaks, dropped punctuation) and awkward grammar.
13. Killer Secrets by Lora Leigh. Romantic suspense. DNF
14. Ride A Painted Pony by Kathleen Eagle. Contemporary. DNF
15. The Windflower by Laura London. Historical. DNF
16. The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner. Fantasy, alternate history or reality. Reread. Reviewed here.
17. Shaken and Stirred by Kathleen O’Reilly. Category. B-/C+ Touched on it briefly here.
18. Sex, Straight Up by Kathleen O’Reilly. Category. B+/A-. Putting my thoughts together about this one now.
1. The Painted House by Drew Zachary. M/m, ebook. It was sweet, but a bit flat – no conflict, no tension. Which would've been fine in most cases, but was not exactly what the backblurb led me to anticipate.
2. The Ties That Bind, anthology. M/m, ebook. I liked one of the stories, but the others were forgettable.
3. Scoundrel by Elizabeth Elliott. Historical. DNF. The heroine was a Mary Sue (and not the good chocolate easter egg kind); the hero was an @sshat; the plot was dull and cliché-riddled.
4. Demon Night by Meljean Brook. Paranormal. B+/A-. I liked this book, but didn't have anything original to say about it.
5. Hallowed Ground by Lori G. Armstrong. Mystery. Wowwed by this book, and talked about it a little bit. A
6. A Secret Rage by Charlaine Harris. Mystery. An older mystery, stand alone, that has been reissued. The ending felt abrupt, and I’m not really sure what to make of this book. This is the second of Harris’s protagonists who as been sexually assaulted; taken in conjunction with Sookie Stackhouse’s precarious position as a telepath among other supernaturals, it makes me wonder about what sort of underlying message or theme Harris may be trying to convey about the vulnerability of women in society. B-/C+.
7. A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold. A space regency, reread. A+
8. This Is How It Happened (not a love story) by Jo Barrett. Contemporary. D+. This book really did not work for me, as I explained here.
9. Shallow Grave by Lori G. Armstrong. Mystery, third book of the series. A-. The shift in POV at the end of the book was jarring, and did not work well for me, despite periodic shifts that occurred in Hallowed Ground. Curious about where Armstrong is going with this series, and wonder if the romance thread is going to end in a disaster that will reverberate through the other parts of her life.
10. The Devil’s Delilah by Loretta Chase. Trad regency. DNF
11. Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold. Science fiction. DNF
12. Blood Ties by Lori G. Armstrong. Mystery, first book of the series. Good debut of the series, but riddled with typesetting errors (missed paragraph breaks, dropped punctuation) and awkward grammar.
13. Killer Secrets by Lora Leigh. Romantic suspense. DNF
14. Ride A Painted Pony by Kathleen Eagle. Contemporary. DNF
15. The Windflower by Laura London. Historical. DNF
16. The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner. Fantasy, alternate history or reality. Reread. Reviewed here.
17. Shaken and Stirred by Kathleen O’Reilly. Category. B-/C+ Touched on it briefly here.
18. Sex, Straight Up by Kathleen O’Reilly. Category. B+/A-. Putting my thoughts together about this one now.
