The Man with the Golden Torc by Simon R. Green

Title:  The Man with the Golden Torc
Author: Simon R. Green
Publisher:  Roc
Publication Date:  June 2008
Format:  Paperback, 416 pages
Age Group:  Adult
Series:  The Secret Histories (Book 1)

The Drood family has been protecting humanity for generations against all forms of evil, earthly or not.  At least this is what field agent Eddie Drood believes until his family declares him a rogue agent and tries to kill him.  Now he must go undercover as Shaman Bond and work with his enemies to discover his true family legacy.

This is the first book I've read by Simon Green and I really enjoyed it.  I'm finding some urban fantasy these days to be either too dark and serious or having too much romance and sex for my liking.  Thankfully, The Man with the Golden Torc is free of both those scenarios.  In some ways Eddie Drood reminds me of a British Harry Dresden facing the evils of the world with humor and determined to get to the heart of the matter while playing by his own set of rules.

My next comparison might be a bit funny but I truly mean it in a good way.  I realized last night that this book was a bit like Who Framed Roger Rabbit? for me.  Crazy things kept happening and nothing was really as I expected or believed it to be.  Eddie had all kinds of James Bond type gadgets that sometimes acted in a cartoon-type fashion and some of the enemies he was fighting seemed like cartoon characters as well.  This definitely fit in with the 'humor in the face of death 'aspect of the book.

There was some light romance near the end of the story but even that was treated with humor.  When Eddie and Molly realize they might be having a romantic moment, they immediately put a stop to it.  Of course this does start the wondering about whether or not they will develop into something more than just enemies working together with a common purpose.  I just really liked that they didn't stop right in the middle of the action to have a mushy romantic scene.

One thing I've found interesting in the days since I finished this book is that some of the things that I really enjoyed in this book are ones that I didn't like at all in Mind Games by Carolyn Crane (link goes to my review).  I think the biggest difference for me was the addition of humor in The Man with the Golden Torc.

The Man with the Golden Torc is part of our personal book collection and no one anywhere had any expectation of a review.  I am looking forward to continuing on with this series.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

Cheap Cabernet by Cathie Beck

Title:  Cheap Cabernet
Author:  Cathie Beck
Publisher:  Hyperion Voice
Publication Date:  July 2010
Format:  Paperback, 336 pages
Age Group:  Adult, Non-fiction, Memoir

When Cathie Beck was in her thirties she decided she needed some female friends.  To find some she placed an ad in the paper starting a women's group called Women on the Way.  There she met Denise, a bold woman with multiple sclerosis.  This book is essentially the story of that friendship.

I'll be straight forward here - I didn't particularly like this book.  If I had not received it through the Early Reviewers program at LibraryThing.com I probably would not have finished it.  I realize that memory is a fickle thing and that memoirs are probably not the easiest thing to write.  I realize that memories often connect in ways that make sense only to the person with the memories.  However, I also believe that the goal of a memoir must be to show those connections to the reader.  Beck's book meandered around in her memory often leaving me confused about what year it was, who she was with, what stage of her life we were in, and sometimes even who she was with and what she was doing.  I could not find an anchor in the constantly shifting time line.

I also felt that Beck was trying to hard to make every memory meaningful.  I don't know if she is one of those rare people who have the ability to analyze the moment while they are in it and truly see how it connects to the larger picture of their life (and I do actually know some people like this who have incredibly strong insight into themselves) or if she is more like the rest of us - looking back and trying to find the meaning in what was so that the present will make sense or continue to have meaning.  It just felt like she was constantly telling the reader how powerfully this friendship affected her life.

My final issue with the book was that I simply didn't like the characters.  This one almost makes me feel guilty since Beck tells the reader often that Denise will die from her illness.  I wanted to be sympathetic to that yet I still didn't like Denise.  Instead of seeing this powerful, life-changing friendship I saw a rather one-sided friendship with Denise moving forward full speed ahead, dragging Beck along for the wild ride.  I spent much of the book wondering why I was reading about these women - what made their friendship, their story so much more important than the rest of us that Beck wrote a book about it?

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

TSS: Library Girl Rambles...

Welcome to The Sunday Salon, a place for readers and book lovers to come together to escape into our books for a bit.  Each Sunday, we set aside some time to read and to discuss that reading, our reading throughout the past week, and other events in our lives.  Please join in the discussion here and take some time to visit some of the over 500 bloggers who participate.

One of my blogging goals this year was to be more consistent in my Sunday Salon posts.  I have failed miserably at meeting this goal!  I think I've finally caught on that weekends are not a great time for me to blog.  I'm either spending lots of time with my family, catching up on the things that need doing around the house, or I'm out of town.

So instead of beating myself up about my inability to commit to one single day of posting, I'm considering starting a new feature.  My idea is to have a post every so often (notice I'm not committing myself to a schedule here!) that goes beyond what I'm reading and reviewing and lets you into my life a bit more.  These posts could be about anything from introducing you to other hobbies, my favorite non-book related blogs and websites, or even product reviews.  I'm thinking of calling it Outside the Library so the posts would be easy to spot.  Now the big question is would anyone be interested in this feature?  Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts, I really want to hear them!

Back to books for a moment, it has been over a week since I've posted a review.  I actually finished The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown but decided not to review it.  The issue isn't that I'm lacking in thoughts about the book.  I actually have so many thoughts bouncing around in my head that I'm not sure I could get them written down in a way that would make any sense.

Today I finished Cheap Cabernet by Cathie Beck so look for a review coming sometime this week.  I have a feeling that this review will be difficult to write because I have a pretty strong opinion on the book but I'm thinking my opinion is not going to match the popular one.

I also have a couple non-fiction books checked out from the library but those have been slow going and I probably won't review them.  I'm really not sure what I'll pick off my shelf to read next - it is such a different feeling to be able to choose instead of moving right on to the next review book.

My current giveaway to win a book from the Prize Page is open until September 26 (US only).

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

One Lovely Blog Award

Thank you to Jazz at About Books Blog for giving me the One Lovely Blog Award.  I received this award once before but since it has been almost a year, I thought I'd take the time to pass it along again.

Rules:
Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Here is my list of fifteen blogs that I've discovered since I first received this award:

1.  A Book Obsession..
2.  From the TBR Pile
3.  Supernatural Bookworm
4.  YA Addict
5.  A Girl, Books and Other Things
6.  Book Faery
7.  Dark Wyrm Reads...
8.  In the Closet with a Bibliophile
9.  Tales and Treats
10.  Welcome to All-Consuming Books reviews by Tiger
11.  Rabid Reader
12.  Novel Thoughts
13.  Moonlight Book Reviews
14.  Lovin' & Livin' Life Reviews
15.  Kristen's Book Jungle

I hope that some of these blogs are new to you and that you will take some time to check them out.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

Book Blogger Hop 9/10

Each weekend, Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books hosts the Book Blogger Hop.  It is a great way for book lovers and book bloggers to find new book blogs and get to know each other.

I absolutely love the question for this week!  I've always wondered whether people visiting from the Hop actually stayed and looked around a bit or if it was more of a hop by on just the weekly post.  This week's question gives you a chance to see a bit more of the blog than just this post.

Post a link to a favorite post or book review that you have written in the last three months.

This is a tough one because I have reviewed so many great books in the past three months.  One of my favorites though is my review of Changes by Jim Butcher, which is the 12th book in the Harry Dresden series.  I absolutely love this series and it was a great book!

If you have hopped over from the Mr. Linky, Welcome!  I hope you will stay a bit and look around. I review a wide range of books including (but not limited to!) urban fantasy, young adult, contemporary fiction, historical fiction, chic lit, cozy mystery, and some non-fiction.  I love getting comments so please let me know you stopped by!

Current Giveaway:  September Book Giveaway (US only, ends 9/26)

I will actually be out of town this weekend but if you leave me a comment, I'll hop over to your blog when I get back next week :-)

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

Title:  The Girl Who Chased the Moon
Author:  Sarah Addison Allen
Publisher:  Bantam Books
Publication Date:  March 2010
Format:  Hardcover, 288 pages
Age Group:  Adult

After her mother's death, Emily Benedict moves to Mullaby, North Carolina to live with a giant of a grandfather who she has never met.  She soon learns that little in the town is what it appears to be and everyone seems to have a secret past.  Can Emily navigate through this sea of anger and distrust when she doesn't understand the source?  Will her friend Julia be able to mend fences and heal the hurts of the past as she bakes cakes in an effort to draw a lost soul back to her?

The Girl Who Chased the Moon is the first book I have read by Sarah Addison Allen but I can guarantee it will not be the last.  I absolutely adored this book.  These days it is a rare book that can capture my attention enough to read it in one sitting but I was so drawn in to this story that I did not want to put it down.  I loved all the characters and the intersecting story lines.  Sarah Addison Allen has created a world with magic but one that is as ordinary as our own at the same time.

Both Emily and Julia are struggling with fitting in.  Emily because of a family history she doesn't understand and Julia because of history she is trying to forget.  As their personal stories are revealed, the secrets of the town are revealed as well.  Often seemingly insignificant things have more power than could be imagined.  Sarah Addison Allen breathes magic into the ordinary with unusual descriptions and unique characters.

Thank you so much to Rob at Books Are Like Candy Corn for sending me a copy of The Girl Who Chased the Moon.  There was no expectation of a review.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong

Title:  Waking the Witch
Author:  Kelley Armstrong
Publisher:  Dutton
Publication Date:  July 2010
Format:  Hardcover, 320 pages
Age Group:  Adult
Series:  Women of the Otherworld (Book 11)

Savannah Lavine, orphaned daughter of a dark witch and a notorious sorcerer, hasn't had an easy time of things growing up.  Now she is twenty-one and eager to prove her skills as a paranormal investigator in the family business.  When she is offered a case while her guardians are on vacation, she jumps at the chance to go solo.  Can Savannah solve the murder mystery on her own or will the supernatural danger be more than she can handle?

Savannah and her guardian, Paige, have been two of my favorite of Armstrong's characters since they were introduced to the series.  Usually Paige and Lucas are the stars of the show so I was really excited to find out Savannah was going to be the main character for the next few books.  I was glad to see that Savannah hasn't lost her attitude even as she has matured.  Waking the Witch really shows Savannah coming into her own as she takes on more than her share of the responsibility while eventually learning to admit when she needs some back up.

Savannah is really put through a lot in this book while trying to put the pieces of the murder together.  While following up with the usual suspects, she also has the insight to dig deeper into the story and go at things from another angle.  In the end though, the killer was someone I never saw coming and Savannah didn't see it until it was almost too late.  I think I need to re-read some of the earlier books as I'd clearly forgotten some of the back story that would have helped me understand the big reveal a little more.  I still wouldn't have put things together any faster but at least I might have remembered the events Armstrong was building from.

The ending really left me wanting more and I can't wait until Spell Bound comes out in 2011 to continue with Savannah's story.

I received a copy of Waking the Witch from Dutton because I am the Guru of a related title on GetGlue.com.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

Book Blogger Hop 9/3

Each weekend, Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books hosts the Book Blogger Hop. It is a great way for book lovers and book bloggers to find new book blogs and get to know each other.

This week's question is: Do you judge a book by its cover?

Yes, I know I do.  Most often when I am just randomly browsing online or in a bookstore with no idea of what I'm really looking for.  Then covers do have an enormous impact.  A cover can catch my eye in a positive or negative way and this has the most influence when the author is one I am unfamiliar with.  If it is an author I already know and love, I might roll my eyes if they get a bad cover but it isn't going to stop me from reading the book.

If you have hopped over from the Mr. Linky, Welcome!  I hope you will stay a bit and look around. I review a wide range of books including (but not limited to!) urban fantasy, young adult, contemporary fiction, historical fiction, chic lit, cozy mystery, and some non-fiction.  I love getting comments so please let me know you stopped by!

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

Mega Swagbucks Friday

The first Friday of each month, I post about Swagbucks.  That is because every Friday means Mega Swagbucks for searching (but I don't want to overwhelm people with reminders every Friday)!  Haven't tried Swagbucks yet?  It is super easy - simply use the Swagbucks search engine to do your normal Internet searching and sometimes you will be rewarded with Swagbucks which can then be redeemed for some great prizes. My theory is that if I'm going to be searching the Internet anyway, I may as well get rewarded for doing it.

My favorite prize is the Amazon.com gift card.  My plan is to try to pay for as much of Christmas this year as I can using the gift cards I earn.  There are also tons of other gift cards available plus you can redeem for various merchandise as well.

On Fridays, Swagbucks gives out more Mega Swagbucks (anything over 10) than usual which means you can earn your desired prizes even faster.  The most I've gotten from one search so far is 59 Swagbucks.  I'd love to hear if one of my readers finds a high value one today or any other day!

Don't forget to check out the Special Offers section and keep an eye out for Swag Codes as well.  Both of those can help those bucks add up!  Daily Polls get you 1 Swagbuck each day and they recently added other trusted survey sites for another option to earn.

Swagbucks links contained within this post are referral links and I will earn some Swagbucks if you sign up using those links.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

deeply, desperately by Heather Webber

Title:  deeply, desperately
Author:  Heather Webber
Publisher:  St. Martin's Paperbacks
Publication Date:  August 2010
Format:  Mass Market Paperback, 320 pages
Age Group:  Adult
Series:  Lucy Valentine (Book 2)

Lucy Valentine uses her psychic talent to reunite Lost Loves in her division of the family's matchmaking company.  Often working with private investigator, Sean Donahue, sparks soon fly between them but will they be able to overcome Cupid's Curse?  Detective Lieutenant Aiden Holliday requests Lucy's help on a case that is technically a missing person but everyone believes the only thing found might be a murder victim.  Add in two colorful best friends, a family secret, and some threatening letters and Lucy is in for another wild ride.

I loved the first book in this series, truly, madly, and I'm happy to say that I loved this one just as much.  Lucy continues to be such a fun character.  She can be headstrong and impulsive but she truly cares about what is best for the people she loves.  Her heart goes out to her clients, whether she is looking for their lost love from years ago or working with the police to find a missing person.

Webber keeps the book moving with multiple story lines.  For a fairly short book, there really is a lot going on.  Lucy is kept off-balance as she tries to discover the truth in what is happening around her while also sorting through her feelings for Sean.  There is also a lot of humor in the book and the conversations between the characters range from quick banter to painful and serious.  Although Webber's story lines twist and turn in ways that I don't always see coming, I still think it is the personalities of the characters and their interactions that make these books so fun for me.

I'm glad that I only have to wait until February for the next book in the series, absolutely, positively.  I'm really hoping that is not going to be the last in the series.  Has anyone heard of any more books beyond this one?

I borrowed deeply, desperately from my local library and no one anywhere had any expectation of a review.  Here is my review of truly, madly.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.