The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (Guest Post)

July 8, 2011 by 1 Comment

I’m back! And with a guest post :-).

I’ve only gotten through the first book of the Dresden Files (it’s on my todo list! In fact the second one is sitting right next to me…) but my bookaholic parents both tore through them, and so I figured it’d be fun to write about what my mom thinks about these books!

Title: The Dresden Files (The first book is Storm Front)
Author: Jim Butcher
Pages: ~350 per book (paperback)
 Setting: The books take place in an alternative universe Chicago where magic is real and works, but most of the population still isn’t really aware of it. Magic has a tendency to interfere with technology though and there is a whole different world and politics revolving around magic.
Premise: Harry Dresden is a quite powerful wizard who has had a checkered past that got him on the bad side of the wizard government and is also the only wizard in the phone book and willing to help non-magical types. This obviously makes his life a little bit interesting when the magic entities that prey on humans get in his path.

Strengths:

  • Great characters
  • The main character has down sides to his magic, and isn’t all powerful
  • Good supporting characters with their own strengths and weaknesses, and they don’t always get along (more realistic)
  • The bad guys are really bad, so you’re quite happy for their demise
  • Good description/feel of Chicago
  • Complex plots and twists you don’t see coming
  • Magic is complex and there is a wide range of talent levels

Weaknesses:

  • First couple of books have a bit of frantic/stressful pace, but that gets better 
  • Dresden has a bit too much drama with authority figures, it just gets a bit unbelievable and annoying
  • Dresden’s mouth is also a bit annoying; someone in their 40′s should have better self-control

Summary: These are nice easy books that are fun for airplanes and summer activities that need reading. They are great urban fantasy and pull from a wide range of mythological backgrounds. If you have a problem with Christianity getting mixed in with magic and other religions, then you might not enjoy it. There are also some sexual innuendos, so PG-13 rating. Overall, great for the beach, everyone will know you’re a nerd!

-A (and Mom!)

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Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich

April 22, 2011 by 3 Comments

Sci-fi and fantasy novels are all well and good, but I do read other books. One example is the hilariously funny Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich. Now, Evanovich is a prolific writer and so has a lot of series, some better known than others, but the Stephanie Plum novels are a must read for anyone looking for a good laugh. I have listened to a number of them on CD, and I highly recommend listening to the later ones since the narrator definitely adds to them. The earlier ones have a different narrator and I might be biased (since I listened to the later ones first) but I don’t like the earlier narrator nearly as much. Also, these books really don’t need to be read/listened to in order! There are a few over-arching plots in Stephanie’s life, but each book easily stands on its own.

Title: Stephanie Plum novels (first one is One for the Money)
Author: Janet Evanovich
Setting: New Jersey, not quite our world from what I can tell of the spin offs, but very nearly
Premise: Stephanie needed a job so she became a bounty hunter for people who skip bail after getting bonded out. She has a tendency to wind up in ridiculous and hilarious situations and handles them with jokes and dumb luck.

Strengths:

  • Really really really really funny! You will be laughing out loud.
  • Brave and fairly intelligent but mostly lucky and witty female character
  • An endearing boyfriend and complicated friendship with a really hot guy
  • Hilarious minor characters, including a cross-dressing stoner
  • Light and easy mysteries

Weaknesses:

  • Warning, there is some swearing *gasp*
  • It can be a bit grisly sometimes despite the humorous setting. There are murders.
  • Not always very realistic :-)
  • I’ve never been to New Jersey, but I’m suspicious about how accurately it is portrayed :-)
  • I have a tendency to crave donuts after reading these books…

Summary: Really excellent books to pick up in the airport or whenever you need a good laugh and an easy read, as long as you don’t mind a bit of a darker side to the humor once in a while. They are also great to listen to while driving, since they don’t take much brain power to follow.

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Bell, Book, and Murder by Rosemary Edghill

April 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment

This collection is proof that I do like mysteries sometimes! It was recommended to me by a teacher from high school, so it must be good right? It is, don’t worry.

Title: Bell, Book, and Murder
Author: Rosemary Edghill
Length: 448 pages (paperback)
Setting: Modern day, New York, our universe as far as I can tell
Premise: Bast is a normal person, but in suspicious about the death of a friend in the first book, then people start relying on her to solve mysteries for them. She’s also Wiccan, which isn’t really relevant, but is done quite accurately and therefore deserves praise.

Strengths:

  • Very interesting plot twists, you’ll never see them coming
  • Accurate portrayal of Wicca
  • Well rounded characters, including the main character, who definitely was also duped at one point

Weaknesses:

  • It’s a little grisly a few times
  • It does have the classic problem that books involving normal people solving mysteries do, in that it seems highly improbable that this would ever happen :-)
  • There are no more books past these three :-(
  • The second one might have taken some liberties with history, but I am no expert
  • Apparently according to mystery readers these books aren’t that hard to figure out (proves how many mysteries I read… I was stumped :-) )

Summary: These stories are a little hard for me to classify, since they aren’t fantasy, but they aren’t really that strong of mysteries, but there is the Wicca element. I guess it’s a fiction that is a bit mysterious? Oh well, they are good stories with a delightful character and I recommend them. They can also be instructional about the Wicca religion if you’ve ever been curious, since they are quite accurate.

Til next time!
-A

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Veil of Lies by Jeri Westerson

December 10, 2010 by 4 Comments

So over winter break I wanted to take a break from reading fantasy, and so read a mystery that my dad had lying around the house. This little experiment reminded me why I don’t particularly like mysteries…. They just aren’t my thing :-). It also labeled itself a medieval noir, what is that anyway?

Title: Veil of Lies
Author: Jeri Westerson
Length: 273

Strengths:

  • Interesting main character
  • Not purely a linear plot, had some nice twists, as I think mysteries are supposed to have
  • I think it was fairly historically accurate, though I’m not a history person

Weaknesses:

  • As far as I can tell, there were about three different bad guy groups, a bit confusing there…
  • I’m not sure what the female character thought she was doing, but she annoyed me….
  • I think there were parts that were not very historically accurate…
  • The writing was rather meh
  • I was not convinced through reading this book that I should read more mysteries

Summary: If you like mysteries, you’ll probably like it better than I did. My dad checked out the next couple in the series from the library, so they couldn’t have been too horrible. If you are a history buff, be warned that you might end up cringing (though again I have no idea for sure). It was a fairly easy and quick read, so always good for airports or car trips!

-A

 

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