October's book count

[jmc_bks]

October was a fairly mixed bag, reading-wise.

I ended up buying a batch of old categories at the library...which may have been a mistake since the ones I read were either average or DNF. Of course, that doesn't stop me from buying them, does it? I can't resist a book that is priced at a quarter.

The books in RED are the ones that I would warn readers away from; the books in PEA SOUP GREEN are books that I liked but didn't love. The books in BLUE are the keepers. The others were okay, but....



1. Chemical Reaction by Catherine Anderson. Medical category. DNF wallbanger.
2. Castaway by Laurel Ames. Regency-set historical, reminded me of Carla Kelly's books. I think I have Ames's Teller of Tales in the TBR somewhere. Must pull it out. B
3. An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris. Mystery with an urban fantasy twist. I'm finished with this series because the Harper-Tolliver thing causes me serious squickage. The book itself wasn't bad, though. B-
4. Forbidden by Suzanne Brockmann. Reissue of a 1997 category. B-
5. The Boy Next Door by Jennifer Echols. Contemporary YA. It was okay but something about it just didn't work for me as well as her debut did. B-
6. Pagan Enchantment by Carol Mortimer. HP from 1983. Liked the setting but didn't care for the h/h. D+
7. Right Touch by Eileen Nauman. Harlequin Temptation from 1986. Intriguing heroine (Olympic fencer) paired with Marine pilot (was this pre-Top Gun, before pilots were popular heroes?). C+
8. Pirate Royale by Cordelia Byers. Pirate historical. Picked this up b/c I remember reading it on the sly at the beach with Mommom. It did not stand the test of time. DNF
9. Miss Invisible by Laura Jensen Walker. Christian chick lit. C+
10. An Unbreakable Bond by Robyn Donald. HP from 1986. C
11. Plain Jane by Rosemary Hammond. Harlequin Romance from 1987. C
12. The Last Key by Beverly Sommers. Harlequin American from 1984. C
13. Driven by Eve Kenin. Urban fantasy/futuristic, suspense. B
14. Casanegra by Blair Underwood, Tanarive Due and Steve Hansen. Mystery. B-
15. Chiaroscuro by Jenna James. M/M contemporary. C
16. American Fuji by Sara Backer. Mystery, set in Japan. B/B+
17. Off the Record by Jennifer O'Connell. Chick lit. C-
18. Contact by Evelyn Vaughn. Romantic suspense. B-
19. Northern Lights by Nora Roberts. Romantic suspense, reread. A
20. Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon. Historical mystery. The account of the daily life of a professional soldier was interesting; I like Lord John. The mystery was a bit convoluted and boring, IMO. And I still don't get the hawtness of Jamie Fraser. B/B+
21. To Hell With Love by Sherri Erwin. Marketed as paranormal romance but IT WASN'T! There was no HEA.
I even went back and tried to reread with different expectations -- found more to dislike, including the heroine's self-centered attitude, the books indecision about what it wanted to be, and the voyeuristic ending. F
22. Desire by Charlotte Lamb. HP from 1981. DNF because of the sexist crap it spouted about the fragility and emotionality of women. Plus, I thought the heroine was TSTL.
23. Vampire Lover by Charlotte Lamb. HP from 1995. The heroine was a busybody know-it-all who seemed too afraid to live her own life and instead ran her family's lives. DNF.
24. All Through the Night by Suzanne Brockmann. Action/suspense. Most of the fluff would've irritated me in other books, but I liked seeing Jules and Robin get their HEA. B+

Books that I've begun but not finished:
1. Bad for Each Other by Kate Hathaway, category, reread
2. Dead of Night anthology
3. War Made Easy by Norman Solomon, nonfiction
4. Thermopylae: The Battle That Changed the World by Paul Cartledge, nonfiction

Comments

[menage-a-kat.livejournal.com]

The first M&B I remember reading was by Charlotte Lamb. It featured kissing cousins. Yeah, eww! But at the time, it was the first book with a real sex scene in it that I'd read, so I remember it with much fondness. I've made it a point never to read another Lamb book since, so as not to sully that memory. *g*

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

I seem to lack sense about preserving fond memories. I've now hunted down about a half dozen early romances that I *adored* only to find that they were just awful. To say that I was not the most demanding of readers as a teenager would be an understatement.

[(Anonymous)]

I have to agree with you on the Harper Connelly squickage. It makes me feel a little dirty, and not in a good way. ;)

-Jennie

[(Anonymous)]

Totally did not squick at the Harper-Tolliver pairing. Don't know why. I'm glad you liked American Fuji, though. B/B+ is what I gave it too. Good book.

AAR Rachel

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

I could see the Harper/Tolliver thing coming. And objectively, I know they aren't related. But the lengths Harris went to in the first book to establish the fraternal relationship worked, so this change just bothered me.

Thank you for recommending American Fuji!