Book Readery for April
Thank goodness for the Orange County Public Library. Back in Seattle, you requested books and they were delivered to your nearest branch for pickup. Here in Florida, you request books and they’re delivered by courier to your front door. It’s like magic!
I’ve been keeping my library couriers busy; quite a few books have been delivered to my door the last couple of months. And when I stayed home sick for a couple of days recently, it was even more of a boon, since I had two books waiting to be read. I tackled a book a day.
First up is Gail Carriger’s Soulless, a book I first read about on one of the many literary agent blogs I read. In fact, Kristin over at Pub Rants posted Carriger’s original query letter for her readers.
Even though I’d read the description, I was intrigued to see how Victorian steampunk, romance, adventure, mystery, vampires and werewolves all blended together. And I’m happy to say, it was a pretty good romp. I’m not saying this book is high literature, but it’s a hearty step above a Harlequin novel. The heroine is witty and clever, and the supporting characters around her are, for the most part, drawn in good detail. The book moves along and develops at a good pace, and Carriger’s universe is crafted well enough that it pulls you in and never abruptly shoves you out. 8 out of 10.
I’ve already put the sequel, Changless, on my request list at the library. I’m third in line for one of the county’s six copies, so I should see it on my doorstep within the month. As opposed to Soulless, I don’t know anything about the plot of the sequel. All I know is that the heroine married the werewolf of her dreams at the end of the first, and I’m sure more adventure awaits them both.
There’s a third novel in the works in this series. Even though Amazon doesn’t list a release date, I know to look forward to Blameless because of this awesome video of the making of the cover. It tickles the book geek in me, as well as the graphic design geek.
Next up on the sickday reading list was The Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson. On the surface, it looks like a book I’d love — young adult, thriller, and it takes place in Disney World. And it was all right, but I definitely didn’t love it.
There were problems throughout the book that were so blatant, they took you right out of the universe Pearson was trying to create. The biggest one that comes to mind is his repeated reference to “Fantasmics” as the nighttime show at (what was then called) Disney-MGM Studios. Despite his copious research, the show is never referred to by its proper name, Fantasmic! (Exclamation mark and all). Other attractions also have not-quite-right names, but most of them are named correctly, so I have to assume it’s writer error.
The writing is frequently confusing — characters suddenly in new places, things that obviously need to be explained aren’t — and rambled into boring territory in a couple of spots. And it ended in a weirdly abrupt manner. There are two sequel books, so perhaps number two takes up right where number one leaves off. I’ll probably check out the second book sometime in the future, but it’s not on my request list right now. 5 out of 10.
