Killer Unicorns
Its been a while since I last posted, but I have been lurking well. I've been reading and looking after a sickly husband and helping my brother and s-i-l move house and prepare for bub number 2.
I have caught up with a number of books I've been meaning to read for a long time - Georgette Heyer especially - and re-reading some old favourites. There have also been some good new books, as I am steadily working my way down that 'to-read' pile.
Rampant, by Diana Peterfreund, has the killer unicorns of the title of this post. Astrid Llewellyn has been brought up with tales of unicorns - the real kind with sharp teeth and poisonous horns, not the fluffy ones of children's stories. When her boyfriend is attacked in the woods, she is told of her family legacy as a descendent of Alexander the Great, and unicorn hunter. Her mother is delighted at the reemergence of the dangerous beasts and packs Astrid off to a convent in Rome where all previous hunters have trained, where she meets the other descendents and the house unicorn, Bonecrusher, a cute, fluffy zhi that thinks nothing of eating half a cow for breakfast and attacking males and non-virgins given half a chance. I found it very reminiscent of the last series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer once all of the potentials had been found, and would highly recommend it.
Ben Elton's latest, Meltdown, is another good, if undemanding read. Jimmy is a city futures trader that has overstretched himself on a property development when the GFC hits. Told in a series of flashbacks, the tale of Jimmy and his group of friends slowly unfolds, showing how the high-life can be ephemeral, and it is how a person deals with the bad times rather than the good that shows how they really are. Jimmy is a suprisingly likeable main character, but the book travels a rather well-worn social commentary that Elton has covered before. Not as groundbreaking as Stark, nor as suprising as Blind Faith, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Sharp Shooter, by Marianne Delacourt, is very Stephanie Plum-esque. Set in Perth, Australia, it introduces Tara Sharp, whose talent for seeing auras has led her to lose several jobs. When recommended to a paralanguage school, she graduates with honours and her first case is for a lawyer with very dodgy connections. Her instincts are telling her to say no, but the promise of a retainer and generous fee are enough for her to say yes. Mistaken identity, galah-napping and a hunky face from the past combine to give an enjoyable, easy read. If you are an Evanovich fan, then I would recommend this as perfect holiday reading.
Hope you find something you enjoy with these recs.
I have caught up with a number of books I've been meaning to read for a long time - Georgette Heyer especially - and re-reading some old favourites. There have also been some good new books, as I am steadily working my way down that 'to-read' pile.
Rampant, by Diana Peterfreund, has the killer unicorns of the title of this post. Astrid Llewellyn has been brought up with tales of unicorns - the real kind with sharp teeth and poisonous horns, not the fluffy ones of children's stories. When her boyfriend is attacked in the woods, she is told of her family legacy as a descendent of Alexander the Great, and unicorn hunter. Her mother is delighted at the reemergence of the dangerous beasts and packs Astrid off to a convent in Rome where all previous hunters have trained, where she meets the other descendents and the house unicorn, Bonecrusher, a cute, fluffy zhi that thinks nothing of eating half a cow for breakfast and attacking males and non-virgins given half a chance. I found it very reminiscent of the last series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer once all of the potentials had been found, and would highly recommend it.
Ben Elton's latest, Meltdown, is another good, if undemanding read. Jimmy is a city futures trader that has overstretched himself on a property development when the GFC hits. Told in a series of flashbacks, the tale of Jimmy and his group of friends slowly unfolds, showing how the high-life can be ephemeral, and it is how a person deals with the bad times rather than the good that shows how they really are. Jimmy is a suprisingly likeable main character, but the book travels a rather well-worn social commentary that Elton has covered before. Not as groundbreaking as Stark, nor as suprising as Blind Faith, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Sharp Shooter, by Marianne Delacourt, is very Stephanie Plum-esque. Set in Perth, Australia, it introduces Tara Sharp, whose talent for seeing auras has led her to lose several jobs. When recommended to a paralanguage school, she graduates with honours and her first case is for a lawyer with very dodgy connections. Her instincts are telling her to say no, but the promise of a retainer and generous fee are enough for her to say yes. Mistaken identity, galah-napping and a hunky face from the past combine to give an enjoyable, easy read. If you are an Evanovich fan, then I would recommend this as perfect holiday reading.
Hope you find something you enjoy with these recs.