Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Two Weeks in Review (Book Review)

All that time I spent reading over the holidays (while not writing), yielded some new recommendations.

1. Blind Submission, which I've already mentioned, was wonderful. Set in the publishing world with a heroine who loves books and seems to just know how to make them better, it has a little bit of everything: romance, intrigue, suspense, mystery. And through it all, there is witty repartee, snarky asides, and larger-than-life behavior. Side note: also interesting is the author's website and the other books, all memoirs, that she has written.

2. Hex Marks the Spot. I haven't read a cozy mystery is quite a while, but I was intrigued by this heroine who is apparently an empath (able to feel/experience what others are feeling). While I enjoyed the story, its quirky characters, and the hint of a bad-boy romance (which I assume will be developed more as the series continues), I was actually surprised that there wasn't more focus on the heroine's 'gift' as an empath. Still, a fun read!

3. The Wright 3, follow-up to International Bestseller Chasing Vermeer, which I greatly enjoyed. This second novel did not disappoint, and I have to admit to being fascinated by the apparent workings of the University of Chicago's Laboratory Schools, where author Blue Balliet worked as a teacher, not to mention the carefully crafted mysteries for middle-graders.

I'm currently reading the forward in Exultation of Larks (quite long), and I have two books on hold at the library for those moments when I'm not writing (or otherwise occupied). They are Dangerous Admissions by Jane O' Connor and There's No Place Like Here by Cecelia Ahern, whom I love.

6 comments:

Barrie said...

Thank you for the reviews. How goes the writing?

Alyssa Goodnight said...

Hey Barrie, the writing is going good. I'm (pretty much) sticking to the 2 hrs. everyday, and yesterday I had considerably more than that! :)

It occurs to me that I didn't even post the authors for the first two books! Egad! Blind Submission is by Debra Ginsberg, and Hex Marks the Spot is by Madelyn Alt. Not that you couldn't have figured it out...it's just common courtesy for me to provide it. ;)

Sara Hantz said...

Great reveiws... I'll definitely look out for them.

Yay on sticking to your writing goals.

Vicki said...

Thanks for the great reviews. I love to hear about books that I haven't read yet. Now to find the time. Between rewrites and the day job it's becoming harder to do.

Yay, on your writing goals!!!

contemporary themes said...

Thanks for the recommendations. Hope your writing schedule continues to go well.

Amanda Ashby said...

Oh, I'm planning to buy Hex Marks the Spot soon so will look foward to reading it. I've just finished a book by Victoria Laurie which I really enjoyed, What's a Ghoul To Do.