Face the Fire

Face the Fire by Nora Roberts
Romance
This is the last in the Three Sisters Island trilogy. The story this time revolves around Mia Devlin. Mia owns the book cafe and is a self-assured confident witch who is very much in control of her powers.

A long time ago she fell in love with Sam Logan and was left heart-broken when Sam moved off the island. Sam returns to take over his family's hotel and assumes that Mia is more than willing to take up from where they left off. Mia, however does not want a repeat of the past and is unwilling to give her heart up once again.

This also is the conclusion to the curse of the island and the three witches must face the danger and save their beloved island

I hated the character Sam. He is too cocky, too self-centered and arrogant for my tastes.
I wish Mia had told him to hit the road. However, this is a romance and we must have a happy ending.

First Line: "Her heart was broken."
Rating:
(3.5/5)

Untold Damage by Robert K. Lewis

Untold Damage by Robert K. Lewis
Mystery

Mark Mallen used to be an undercover cop with the goal of ridding his city of drug lords. In his paranoia that he would be found out, Mallen shoots heroin to figure out what it really feels like, knowing that he will be able to stop. Except he can't stop himself, he keeps shooting and eventually gets kicked off the force. He loses his wife, child, and years of his life.

Four years in to his haze, there's a knock at the door. It's a detective he once knew asking after his best friend Eric Russ who was shot and killed. Mallen knows Russ from the academy, where Russ became a beat cop and when Russ was killed, he had Mallen's name and address in his pocket. This normally wouldn't be unusually, however Mallen and Russ hadn't spoken for years. Infact, Russ too had turned to drugs and did some time on the inside.

Mallen wants to know why Russ had his information and who killed his friend. But he can't do that without quitting heroin. Is it enough motivation to stop taking H?

This novel is described as gritty and it's a perfect description. There is nothing tidy about this story. It has drugs, revenge, multiple murders, jail, dirt and grime. The characters are gritty too. All of them have good and bad, though the bad seems to want to be prominent in most of them.

I enjoyed Mallen as a character. He had his problems but seemed like a smart guy. I only wish that he had a bit more trouble resisting heroin because it seemed a bit too easy of a quit for me.

The only real complaint I have about this book is that at times I found Lewis' writing style distracted from the story. A sentence usually includes a subject, noun, and verb but Lewis would write a string of sentences that have no subjects. For example: "He decided to go to the bar, the house suddenly too small to hold him. Went downstairs to his room. Put on some different pants. Combed his thinning hair back."

I'm sure there will be another book in this series. It would be great to see Mallen become a private detective (I couldn't ever see him returning to the force) and getting back with his ex-wife. It should make for an interesting read!

Visit the author's blog.

First Line: "Mallen woke up with the needle still in his arm."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Divided in Death by J.D. Robb

Divided in Death by J.D. Robb
Mystery

Lieutenant Eve Dallas' husband Roarke is called by his secretary to help her daughter Reva. Reva went over to her best friend's house to confront her for sleeping with her husband and instead finds the two of them in bed, dead. She gets knocked out and framed for the murder, but Dallas quickly sees past that. Who would set up a wife to take the fall for her husband and mistress? When Dallas finds out that both the husband and the mistress were Homeland employees, everything changes. Dallas also learns some things about her past when she opens up some files though and it's something that affects both her and Roarke.

The mystery part of this story was quite good, as per usual with these types of books. You think you know who has done it and usually something turns everything on its head to prove you wrong. A big part of this book, however, was Dallas learning about her past and fighting with Roarke over what to do about it. These two have argued in previous books and I've always felt that the tension between them during their arguments was manufactured and fake. I felt similarly with this argument. Their relationship is obviously very strong and I just can't see the issues they get in to causing strife like what they experience. It's a minor thing but since it went on for most the book, it bothered me most of the time.

First Line: "Killing was too good for him."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
Fiction/Literature

Clay Jannon was laid off as a designer from NewBagel, which had engineered the perfect bagel. Looking for a new job, he walks past a bookstore called Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore with a help wanted sign in front. On a whim, Clay walks in and asks for a job and soon finds himself working the night shift of this always-open bookstore. Clay is asked to take specific notes about each customer that comes in, although some of the customers are not typical bookstore customers. It seems like Mr. Penumbra also has a lending library, as some of his clientele will come in (at any time of day or night) and exchange one book for the next. The books all have weird names and Clay can't help but look in these books even though he's explicitly been told not to. Everything in the books are in code. Clay can't figure out what this book store is but when a young Google employee walks in to his store he wonders if she can help out.

This book is incredibly charming. Whenever Mr. Penumbra is in a scene and calls Clay "my boy" or they describe him smiling, you can't help but be endeared to him. All of the characters in this book are well written. Each is quite unique and serves a very important purpose to the story. Sloan does a fantastic job of bringing in elements of the story that are required for major plot lines further without making it feel unnatural or forced. I found the plot almost graceful from this stand point.

There's a geeky thread to this book that reminded me of Microserfs by Douglas Coupland, another book which I really enjoyed. Google and its employees play a big part in this book and there's a lot of talk about coding and algorithms which, being a computer science graduate, I quite enjoyed. The entire story has an upbeat feeling to it which is rather unusual these days.

First line: "Lost in the shadows of the shelves, I almost fall off the ladder."

Rating:
(4.5/5)

The Overlook by Michael Connelly

The Overlook by Michael Connelly
Mystery

Bosch is back, in yet another department of the LAPD. He gets a call to take a recent homicide at the overlook of Mulholland where Dr. Kent was shot in the head. When his FBI friend Rachel Walling shows up at the scene, Bosch knows there's something bigger to this crime. Working with his new partner, Iggy, provides some additional strain as they work to solve the case. Eventually they determine that radioactive material was stolen and part of the reason why Kent was killed. Are there terrorists out there planning an attack?

Bosch has a new partner in this book, coming from two previous partners with big personalities that came across well in the series. Iggy's personality hasn't come across yet, other than the fact that he wants Bosch to call him Iggy. I was hoping to get a better picture of who his new partner is but I didn't get that from this book and what I did get, I wasn't overly impressed.

Having just come off the back of finishing the TV show Homeland, I actually found this book a bit of a let down. But I think that's only saying that Homeland does a better job of terrorism than Connelly does, which is OK because Connelly is a master of detective novels.

First Line: "The call came at midnight"

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett

Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett
Fantasy

Death has been forced in to retirement for taking too much care in those he ushers beyond death. He decides to take up as a farm hand, calling himself Bill Door and living with Miss. Flitworth that runs the farm. Death starts to enjoy (as much as Death can enjoy something) the monotony of living life. However without Death, there's no where for souls to go and things are starting to get crowded. Life force is building up and hatching eggs in the shape of globes.

When wizard Windle Poons dies, his soul has no where to go so he goes back to his body and wanders around undead. His wizard colleagues aren't too happy about having a dead Poons around and try to push him back towards death but nothing seems to help. Eventually they stop, and Poons helps them determine why there is so much built up life force.

I had read two Discworld books prior to this; one in the wizards series and one in the death series. I didn't like the wizards one, but did like the Death book. This had both and I found that I enjoyed the Death part of the novel but not the wizards part. For some reason, I can't follow the wizards and their crazy story lines. Half the stuff they say makes no sense to me. Why do they always say Yo? What's with the librarian that makes no sense? It is just completely beyond me.

First Line: "The Morris dance is common toall inhabited worlds in the mutliverse."

Rating:
(2.5/5)

My Abandonment

My Abandonment by Peter Rock
Fiction
My Abandonment, which is based on a true story is about a 13 year old girl and her father who live in Forest Park, a nature preserve in Portland, Oregon. They inhabit a cave, shower in the rain and tend garden. Once a week they go into town to buy groceries and go to the library. Caroline, the daughter, is home schooled by her father. The father is a back to nature type who is a loner and wants to keep his 'business' to himself.

One day a jogger happens by their camp and because Caroline has made a mistake discovers their existence. They are taken in by police and eventually found a position on a horse farm. Unable to cope with civilization they flee again.

I found the first half of the book intriguing and was sympathetic to the pair. Where Rock deviates into the fictional part of the story I had trouble with the plausibility of the story. The first half of the book I would rate a 9.5, the second half a 7.

First Line: "Sometimes you're walking through the woods when a stick leaps into the air and strikes you across the back and shoulders several times, then flies away lost in the underbrush."
Rating:
(4.0/5)

Echo Park by Michael Connelly

Echo Park by Michael Connelly
Mystery

Bosch and his partner Rider work old, unsolved cases. There's one in particular that has gotten to Bosch, as he was the detective on the case years ago but they could never determine who killed Marie Gesto. Out of the blue, Bosch gets a call from the DA wondering where the files are because they have a murderer that wants to make a deal to escape the death penalty in exchange for giving up where he dumped Gesto's body. Bosch can't believe it. He pours over his notes once again to see if there was something he missed that would have pointed to the killer.

This isn't a typical solve-the-murder book. It brings a new element in of the DA's office and creating a deal with a criminal in exchange for information. It was quite an interesting way of telling a story. As always, the story grips you and you can't put the book down. I'm not sure how Bosch manages to get in to so many political problems in his career. In this book is no exception. The poor guy also has horrible luck with women. I only hope that by the end of the series he finally has someone that loves him.

First Line: "It was the car they had been looking for."

Rating:
(4.5/5)

The Space Between Us

The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
Fiction
In modern-day Bombay Bhima is an illiterate servant to an upper middle class Parsi woman, Sera. Bhima has worked for her for twenty years and shared in her sorrows and joys. Bhima lives in a slum with her pregnant granddaughter.

Both of these women have suffered at the hands of their husbands. Sera was abused and Bhima's husband became an alcoholic after an industrial accident.

Umrigar shows the unfortunate facts of being born a woman. Further there is the social stigma associated with class. Sera is so prejudiced that Bhima must use her own glass and cutlery when in Sera's house.

Bhima is trying so hard to improve her lot in life and is beaten down time and again. Umrigar shows how resilient she is and how she gets up and goes on.

I did enjoy the story but felt unfulfilled at the end and after reflection realize I just wasn't invested in the characters. It was an interesting story but the characters were 'flat' for me.

First Line: "The thin woman in the green sari stood on the slippery rocks and gazed at the dark waters around her."
Rating:
(3.5/5)

The Best Laid Plans

The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis
Fiction
Daniel Addison is a former staffer for the Opposition Liberal Leader. He leaves Parliament Hill for a University position in the English department. But first,he needs to find and run a candidate in the safest Conservative riding in the country. Muriel Parkinson, the previous candidate five times over will help with the campaign, but not run for election again.

Daniel finally strikes a deal with his landlord, engineering professor Angus McLintock. Angus agrees to run, on the presumption that he doesn't have to do anything for the campaign, and will definitely lose. In return, Daniel will teach the English for Engineers course.

Of course all things do not run smoothly and Angus does win the election. Now we have a Member of Parliament with no axe to grind, no need to cozy up with anyone and will do what is 'right' for the country.

This was a humorous story not LOL but still funny. I have survived the English for Engineers course as a student and the author had this course 'down pat'. What I did not understand was why Daniel had to do anything when he left Parliament Hill but I guess this is the main premise of the book. I loved Angus and did grin when I imagined him stripping and jumping off the dock.

First Line: "I am Daniel Addison."
Rating:
(4.0/5)