Dead as a Doornail

Another Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris. "Dead as a Doornail" finds Sookie trying to help catch a sniper who is attacking shifters while she is forced to participate more than she would like to in the Shreveport Werewolves's competition for a new pack leader. She's plagued by awful things: her house is torched, she's shot, etc. I liked this one better than "All Together Dead". Maybe I was just having an off day when I read that one.

High on Arrival

Of course Mackenzie Phillips' new autobiography "High on Arrival" has been getting a ridiculous amount of buzz since the startling revelations on Oprah. I must say, this is one of the most enjoyable bios I've read in a long time. Her tone was friendly and warm and personable, like sitting down to chat over coffee with a girlfriend. And of course her life is completely fascinating. What I really loved about it was how matter of fact she was: to her, it just seemed normal and she doesn't whine or regret how she was raised. My own childhood was somewhat similar (to a much, much milder degree, of course) so I could relate to it. I hope she's able to stay sober and enjoy the rest of the life she has left. She seems to really want to.

All Together Dead: Blood Promise

"All Together Dead", another Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris, has Sookie at a vampire conference with the Queen of Louisiana. A lot was going on in this book, and I must admit I wasn't paying as close attention as I should have been, because I did get a bit lost towards the end. I think I need a vampire break.
So what do I turn to? "Blood Promise" by Richelle Mead. I know, I know, another vampire book, but a different kind of vampire book. Part of her Vampire Academy series, Rose is off in Siberia searching for Dimitri, who was turned into a Strigoi, or bad vampire, at the end of the last book, "Shadow Kiss". I am really enjoying this series, it seems to get better with each book. Her ideas and concepts have jelled and I like Rose and Lissa and the rest of the characters. The ending paved the way for the next one quite nicely.

More than a Game; Definitely Dead

Former Raven's head coach, Brian Billick, writes about his concerns for the future of the NFL in "More than a Game". I love the Ravens, after reading John Feinstein's "Next Man Up". After reading that I kind of felt like I got to know the Ravens team pretty well, and I liked Coach Billick. I was disappointed when he was fired, but anyway. This book was highly readable and made the somewhat technical subject of salary caps and contract negotiations in the NFL seem understandable and interesting. (Unrelated note: Ray Lewis--amazing!)
Moving on from football (ah, I love this time of year!). Another Sookie Stackhouse book by Charlaine Harris "Definitely Dead". Sookie goes to New Orleans to pack up her dead cousin Hadley's belongings. She finds out the Hadley had told the Queen of Louisiana all about Sookie's ability to read minds, and the Queen is intrigued and wants Sookie to attend an upcoming conference as her telepath. Of course, it being Sookie, she's in danger even away from Bon Temps, from a were family who suspects (rightly so) that she knows more about the death of their daughter/sister than she's letting on. I really like Sookie. She's pretty down to earth, all things considered.
On a totally unrelated note--happy birthday to Stephen King. I am looking forward to "Under the Dome". It looks like it's going to be amazing.

The White Queen; Rhino Ranch

Two new fiction titles from two of my favorite authors. First up, "The White Queen" by Philippa Gregory. This is the story of Elizabeth Woodville, Queen to Edward IV and mother of Elizabeth of York, who became King Henry VIII's mother. Elizabeth Woodville was also the mother of the infamous Princes in the Tower, so called because after her husband's untimely death his brother, Richard, took the boys under his protection into the Tower of London where they were never seen nor heard from again. Richard went on to declare them both bastards and himself as King Richard III. Over the centuries Richard has been much maligned as a murderer, which I don't believe, but that's for another book. This one focused on Elizabeth and Edward's loving marriage, their large brood of happy children, and the end of the Wars of the Roses. It was very good, even if Gregory does take historical facts lightly in some spots. It's the beginning of a new series, so I'm excited for the next one. I really liked the way she wove magic into historical events, and at the end when Elizabeth puts a curse on whoever was responsible for the death of her boys so that his male line would die out--does that sound like someone we know? A king who was so eager for a living male heir that he divorced and killed numerous wives? Hmmm :-)
"Rhino Ranch" by Larry McMurtry was disappointing, but I kind of expected it to be, so I wasn't too upset. This is the fifth and final (thank god!) book in the series that started with two of my favorites by McMurtry "The Last Picture Show" and "Texasville". The last three have just been too sad for my taste. After all the fun characters died off in "Duane's Depressed" there really didn't seem to be much use in writing this series anymore. They're semi-autobiographical, I know, and I'm sure it's hard for McMurtry to give up this character. Anyway, in this one Duane has divorced his young new wife Annie and moved back to Thalia, Texas, where a billionairess named K.K. is starting a wildlife reserve to save the black rhinos. There were very little laughs and even fewer memorable characters.

Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe; Zero at the Bone; Big Little Life

"The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe" by J. Randy Taraborrelli promised all kinds of new revelations, but there really wasn't anything new. That being said, it was still very well written and meticulously researched--he was quite adamant about clearing up old rumors and innuendo that couldn't be verified.
"Zero at the Bone" by John Heidenry told the story of the kidnapping of six year old Bobby Greenlease in 1953, by two dimwitted, drunken fools who seemed to pull the crime off by sheer luck. They shot and killed poor little Bobby almost immediately after kidnapping him and then proceeded to torture his poor parents for over a week with ransom calls promising to return the boy safe and sound so long as they got their $600,000. Amazingly enough the ransom was paid and it was only because of their extreme stupidity and greed that they were caught. People like this is the reason I believe in capital punishment. Being 1953, they were executed quickly and no one was sad about it.
"Big Little Life" by Dean Koontz tells the story of his special beloved golden retriever, Trixie, who died in 2007. Like "Marley and Me", this book is one that dog lovers will cry over, but unlike "Marley" it has Koontz's own special brand of humor and dry wit that made it that much more enjoyable. I wish he'd write more nonfiction someday, especially about himself and his views on life. It was very, very interesting and a great quick read.

The Big Rewind; Dead to the World

"The Big Rewind" by Nathan Rabin reminded me of Augusten Burroughs's books--he has to try to make us laugh to keep from crying. Abandoned by his mom, shipped off to a group home by his crippled father once he can no longer care for him, Nathan eventually finds his way in the world but not without a lot of bitterness, sarcasm, and references to pop culture. It was fun and I enjoyed it, it made me laugh, but in a guilty way.
"Dead to the World" by Charlaine Harris is her fourth Sookie Stackhouse book (yes, I know, I missed two and three. I'm on hold for them because I'm too cheap to go buy the series right now, although I'm sure I will at some point). Sookie and Bill are no longer together in this one. Her brother, Jason, is missing after spending New Year's Eve with a dangerous shape shifter girl, and Sookie comes across an amnesiac Eric while driving home from work. He's been cursed by a coven of witches who have a bounty out for him, so Sookie keeps him safe at her house until the spell can be reversed. She finds herself drawn to him when he's not himself, since he is gorgeous and no longer remembers that he's obnoxious. The scenes between the two of them were great fun.

206 Bones

New Kathy Reichs! Yay! "206 Bones" doesn't fail to disappoint: it's suspenseful and high tension. Tempe is being sabotaged in her own lab. At first it's just annoying and embarrassing, but then it becomes deadly when she is kidnapped and buried alive. Now if Reichs would just have Tempe and Ryan reconcile, all would be well in the world.

That Old Cape Magic

Richard Russo of "Empire Falls" fame (great, great book and miniseries, btw) is back with "That Old Cape Magic". I really liked this one. It was unpredictable and realistic and didn't have a pat, happy ending. Life is too complicated for that and Russo is able to capture all the bittersweet goodness of the world: love and not love, friendships ending, watching children grow up and live lives of their own. I'll definitely be picking this one up again someday.

Free; The Forest of Hands and Teeth

"Free: the Future of a Radical Price" by Chris Anderson was highly readable and quite interesting. He explores how companies have used "free" over the years in order to make money, and explains how the current global economy depends on free. Unlike some nonfiction it was never dry or boring.
"The Forest of Hands and Teeth" by Carrie Ryan was a YA mixture of M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village" and a bad zombie movie. I didn't care for it at all. The premise is ridiculous: a group of villagers have fenced themselves in from the forest where the unconsecrated (zombies) live, and are ruled over by a group of nuns known as the Sisters. Mary dreams of a world her mother told her about, before the unconsecrated, where there were oceans and beaches, and she yearns to escape and see these places for herself. From there the story takes some strange turns and never really gels: a lot goes unexplained and makes no sense, and I'm used to suspending belief in my fiction! The main character, Mary, is completely annoying and has no redeeming or endearing qualities whatsoever--two different brothers are both in love with her, willing to risk their lives for her, and she really doesn't seem to care either way. Cold. There are better zombie themed books out there.