Book Reviews and Links to Other People's Book Reviews
Bonus treat! The promo video my friend Pux (dark_puck) did for the Dresden Files tv show when it came out.
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath (Amazon | Powell's) is a book I picked up from reading fluentself. She provides a lovely review here.
Oishinbo a la Carte by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki (Amazon | Powell's) is a food-porn manga. I originally picked it up because of this review by telophase. It is so what she describes. Delightfully over the top and full of a gourmet love of food. I would kind of like to see a full version of the manga released sometime so I can get the overall story, but I greatly enjoy the straight FOODFOODFOOD focus of the a la Carte collections. Japanese Cuisine, Sake, and Ramen and Gyoza are the three collections currently out with a fish-based collection due out in July.
Dragonbreath by Ursula Veronon (ursulav) (Amazon | Powell's). In addition to creating delightfully weird art and Digger, Ursula Vernon also writes children's books! This is her second one, and the first in a three-book series. The first one is a stand-alone adventure, featuring Danny Dragonbreath and his best friend Wendell. Danny is the only dragon at a school full of reptiles and amphibians. He also still hasn't quite managed breathing fire. Wendell is an iguana and often acts as the voice of reason for Danny.
Danny, of course, ignores Wendell being reasonable most of the time.
Having gotten an F on his report about the ocean, Danny has to rewrite it with (horrors!) actual research! Wendell suggest the library, because Wendell is sensible. Danny decides to go visit his cousin Edward the sea serpent, because Danny is not.
Adventure ensues! Things are learned about the sea! (Accurate things are learned about the sea at that, if you ignore the sea serpent and the breath mints.)
The story is mostly prose, but Ms. Vernon also illustrates it, and there are a few places where she moves the story along via comic pages. It's very nicely done, enjoyable, and well-written. It strikes me as being for younger children than Nurk was for, however, I'm in my twenties and enjoying it just fine.
Also, there is aggressive potato salad. It's hard to go wrong with aggressive potato salad.
Ruthless Tycoon, Inexperienced Mistress by Cathy Williams (Amazon | Powell's) is a Harlequin Presents category romance for the month of June. From the Harlequin website, I am given the impression that the Harlequin Presents category involves a lot of wealthy men, sexy women, an international setting, and a strong dose of passion. From actually reading several of them, there are also babies involved.
And stupid titles. Let us never forget the stupid titles.
Despite the stupid title on this one, this book is an enjoyable read. Cesar Caretti is our titular tycoon - a Spaniard living in London with some undefined but highly-profitable businesses. The fact that he is Spanish seems to have little to no bearing on the story at all.
He goes to Kent (howling wasteland of snow and jazz clubs that it is /inside joke) to visit his brother's newest project. He meets our heroine, Jude, who seems to have no last name. I have no idea what's up with that.
It starts snowing! The party goes on late! Cesar needs a place to stay! He cannot stay with his brother, because his brother has a sexy blonde pregnant woman at his apartment that he doesn't want Cesar to find out about! Quick, Jude to the rescue!
She takes him home to her place so she can check the local hotel's address and send him there. But the snow traps the car so he has to stay there. Then they smolder at each other a lot until there is sexings.
The best part of the book, in my opinion, doesn't come until she goes to tell him she's pregnant.
Cesar: "You are pregnant? We must get married!"
Jude: "I was thinking more in terms of working out when would be good visiting days for you to visit our child. Because I object to being a trophy wife, and I'm still not sure I like you that much."
Cesar: "No Caretti is going to be born out of wedlock!"
Jude: "Oh, honey, welcome to the twenty-first century."
The happy ending feels a little rushed and over the top, but it is a short little book and it is a Harlequin. It works for the genre.
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath (Amazon | Powell's) is a book I picked up from reading fluentself. She provides a lovely review here.
Oishinbo a la Carte by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki (Amazon | Powell's) is a food-porn manga. I originally picked it up because of this review by telophase. It is so what she describes. Delightfully over the top and full of a gourmet love of food. I would kind of like to see a full version of the manga released sometime so I can get the overall story, but I greatly enjoy the straight FOODFOODFOOD focus of the a la Carte collections. Japanese Cuisine, Sake, and Ramen and Gyoza are the three collections currently out with a fish-based collection due out in July.
Dragonbreath by Ursula Veronon (ursulav) (Amazon | Powell's). In addition to creating delightfully weird art and Digger, Ursula Vernon also writes children's books! This is her second one, and the first in a three-book series. The first one is a stand-alone adventure, featuring Danny Dragonbreath and his best friend Wendell. Danny is the only dragon at a school full of reptiles and amphibians. He also still hasn't quite managed breathing fire. Wendell is an iguana and often acts as the voice of reason for Danny.
Danny, of course, ignores Wendell being reasonable most of the time.
Having gotten an F on his report about the ocean, Danny has to rewrite it with (horrors!) actual research! Wendell suggest the library, because Wendell is sensible. Danny decides to go visit his cousin Edward the sea serpent, because Danny is not.
Adventure ensues! Things are learned about the sea! (Accurate things are learned about the sea at that, if you ignore the sea serpent and the breath mints.)
The story is mostly prose, but Ms. Vernon also illustrates it, and there are a few places where she moves the story along via comic pages. It's very nicely done, enjoyable, and well-written. It strikes me as being for younger children than Nurk was for, however, I'm in my twenties and enjoying it just fine.
Also, there is aggressive potato salad. It's hard to go wrong with aggressive potato salad.
Ruthless Tycoon, Inexperienced Mistress by Cathy Williams (Amazon | Powell's) is a Harlequin Presents category romance for the month of June. From the Harlequin website, I am given the impression that the Harlequin Presents category involves a lot of wealthy men, sexy women, an international setting, and a strong dose of passion. From actually reading several of them, there are also babies involved.
And stupid titles. Let us never forget the stupid titles.
Despite the stupid title on this one, this book is an enjoyable read. Cesar Caretti is our titular tycoon - a Spaniard living in London with some undefined but highly-profitable businesses. The fact that he is Spanish seems to have little to no bearing on the story at all.
He goes to Kent (howling wasteland of snow and jazz clubs that it is /inside joke) to visit his brother's newest project. He meets our heroine, Jude, who seems to have no last name. I have no idea what's up with that.
It starts snowing! The party goes on late! Cesar needs a place to stay! He cannot stay with his brother, because his brother has a sexy blonde pregnant woman at his apartment that he doesn't want Cesar to find out about! Quick, Jude to the rescue!
She takes him home to her place so she can check the local hotel's address and send him there. But the snow traps the car so he has to stay there. Then they smolder at each other a lot until there is sexings.
The best part of the book, in my opinion, doesn't come until she goes to tell him she's pregnant.
Cesar: "You are pregnant? We must get married!"
Jude: "I was thinking more in terms of working out when would be good visiting days for you to visit our child. Because I object to being a trophy wife, and I'm still not sure I like you that much."
Cesar: "No Caretti is going to be born out of wedlock!"
Jude: "Oh, honey, welcome to the twenty-first century."
The happy ending feels a little rushed and over the top, but it is a short little book and it is a Harlequin. It works for the genre.