This Week in Books and Media

Books:

Heart's Blood by Gail Dayton - Victorian England setting except with wizards, sorceresses, alchemists and conjurers.  I thought the world building and magical elements were really interesting and the mystery held my attention. The romance portion of the book was a bit weak however. I liked the characters quite a bit but just felt like too much happened in too short of a time period. I will, however, definitely pick up her next book.

Short Squeeze by Chris Knopf - I am not sure if it was the continuous use of the volunteer at a library being called a librarian or constant references to the main character smoking pot but this book got annoying and repetitive after awhile. I just wanted to say okay, we get it. You have created a quirky pot smoking character. Let's move on already.

Fantasy in Death by J.D. Robb - I can't remember reading a book in this series that disappointed me. Some are better than others but none are bad. The near future setting (with really cool techie toys), the tough detective who faces down hardened criminals and serial killers with ease but panics when she is confronted with babies and determined hairdressers, and a super hot, rich fantasy of a husband who adores his wife all add to the appeal of this series. Add to that a group of friends who have managed to recognize each other as soul mates and create a family that buoys each other up during hard times and you have a winning series from my point-of-view.

Secrets of a Scandalous Bride
by Sophia Nash - This is one of the bad boy romances and I have to admit, while I like to flirt with the bad boys, the thought of dating one or marrying one leaves me a bit perplexed. Reading about them on the other hand, can be quite fun.  Anyway, there were parts of this novel that I really enjoyed but I couldn't figure out why the bad boy would essentially kidnap a woman and then make her cook for him when he doesn't like food. I think having him not ask for sex (as is typical in a bad boy novel) was showing that underneath the gruff exterior beat the heart of a gentleman but I couldn't figure out why he bothered. Don't get me wrong, I liked the heroine but he didn't know anything about her and at first didn't find her particularly appealing so why would he put himself through all that trouble. Once they fell in love is when the book picked up for me and I really enjoyed how the problem that kept them apart was handled.


Beaded Hope by Cathy Liggett - This book was pretty predictable and I could see the ending coming a mile away but I did very much like the details about the African women. As always when I read about the AIDS epidemic in Africa I want to sell the house, quit the job and join the Peace Corps.

DVD's:
Fantastic Mr. Fox - This was actually pretty fantastic and I can see why it was nominated for the Oscars.  It was clever and witty with a nice strong female character.  I had a bit of trouble not picturing George Clooney every time Mr. Fox spoke but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Highly recommended for adults.