You Suck by Christopher Moore, 328 pages

This continues the "eternal" love story of Thomas C. Flood and his vampire girlfriend Jody. This book is just as funny and offbeat as the first one in the series, Bloodsucking Fiends. I really haven't read a Christopher Moore book yet that I haven't found myself laughing out loud while reading. How many vampires do you think contemplate the significance of their last bowel movement?

The Enemy by Charlie Higson, 440 pages

A plague has hit, with everyone over 16 getting sick and dying or turning in mindless, flesh-eating zombies. Kids are forced to hole up and forage for supplies, while avoiding all adults. In London, groups of kids have gathered in supermarkets and such, while being picked off slowly by hungry grownups. A teen shows up one day, promising safety at Buckingham Palace if they can make it across the city.
This was a good read, though very dark and depressing at times, watching child after child die. I think I have read too many zombie books this month so I need to read something upbeat next, lol.

Blood Suckers: The Vampire Archives Volume 1, 394 pages

This is a collection of vampire short stories by a collection of well-known authors ranging from Bram Stoker to Stephen King. Some of the stories were really odd and some were really good. My favorite was the Stephen King story. I found myself plodding through some of them, but this is still worth reading if you like vampire stories.

Virals by Kathy Reichs, 454 pages

Kathy Reichs is best known for her mystery novels featuring Temperance Brennan and the tv show Bones from her books. She has started a new teen series featuring Tory Brennan. Tory is a fourteen-year-old girl living with the father she just discovered after her mother died in a car accident. Living on a island with a tiny population of scientists, she has made friends with 3 other teens. Her and the 3 boys spend time exploring the local area. When they break a dog/wolf puppy out of a lab, they quickly find themselves smack dab in the middle of a conspiracy needing investigating. Exposed to something that is changing them, these 4 teens must find out what is happening to them and what a decades old murder of a teenage girl has to do with it.
I have read all of Kathy Reichs' books and am a big fan. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this new teen series but it was great. I can't wait to read the next one featuring these teens. This is definitely Maximum Ride meets Bones.

The Walking Dead, Vol. 13 by Kirkman, Adlard, & Rathburn, 132 pages

Boo-hoo! This is the last book in this series so far, so I will have to wait a while to find out what happens to the survivors of the zombie plague that has hit the world. I have enjoyed this series so much that I bought the first 8 books in a giant collection myself. Books-A-Million might be glad to not see so much of me though, lol.

The Walking Dead, Vol. 12 by Kirkman, Adlard, & Rathburn, 132 pages

Awesome, awesome, awesome. This series continues to hold my attention, the only sad thing is waiting for the next ones to come out.

The Queen's Rival by Diane Haeger, 406 pages

Elizabeth Blount, known as Bessie to her friends and families, has wanted nothing more than to follow her parents to court. She is elated when she is able to go and serve as a maid of honor to Katherine of Aragon. But her expectations are quickly diminished when the Spanish queen's court is quieter and more devoted to prayer than filled with revelery than Bessie was lead to believe. Bessie though soon finds the excitement she hoped for when the young and dymanic King Henry VIII returns from war. She has set the king on a pedestal, believing that the King and Queen have a courtly love that no one can come between. But the king's wandering eye soon lands on the beautiful and naive Bessie. Will Bessie's maidenly attraction for the king survive reality?

There are many books depicting the lives of King Henry VIII and his many wives, but very few covering the mother of his firstborn son. Diane Haeger's book "The Queen's Rival" brings to life one of the lesser known but no less interesting figures in one of history's most dynamic and intriguing times. As a fan of English history, I have read tons of books surrounding this time period, and Diane Haeger promises to become one of my favorite authors.

This is another review book from NightOwl Reviews that I got to read before it comes out. I love historical fiction and this was a great read that I totally recommend to fans of English history.

The Tudor Secret by C. W. Gortner, 327 pages

The court of King Edward VI abounds with conspiracies, secrets and danger in the summer of 1553 when Brendan Prescott, a foundling raised by the noble Dudley family is set to London to serve Robert Dudley. Before he has even spent a day at court, Brendan is drafted by William Cecil, to help Princess Elizabeth as a spy. The princess has come to London to visit her brother who has not been seen publicly for a while. While royal secrets and intrigue swirl around, Brendan also finds himself in the middle of secrets surrounding his own birth. Brendan must walk a fine line between intrigue and treason if he hopes to survive this tumultous time with his life intact.

C. W. Gortner always does a wonderful job bringing historical characters to life, and "The Tufor Secret" is no less entertaining than his other books. With a segment of history that is filled with real-life spies, intrigue, danger and royal secrets, Gortner has created a book that will delight fans of history for years to come. A new Gortner book is always something I look forward too and "The Tudor Secret" covers one of my favorite times, Elizabeth's life. I can't wait to see who he writes about next.

When this book comes out in February, I recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

The Princess of Nowhere by Prince Lorenzo Borghese, 308 pages

Pauline, sister of Napoleon Bonaparte, is beautiful, young, and nothing more than a bridal pawn for her brother. She is widowed, but hopes to find happiness in marriage to her new husband Prince Camillo Borghese. But Pauline's zest for life proves to be too much for her husband's sensibilities. Disappointment and misunderstanding continue to pull these two farther and farther apart. Yet, can a love between these two ever be truly destroyed?

"The Princess of Nowhere" by Prince Lorenzo Borghese (definite relation) tells the story of Pauline through the eyes of a cousin, Sophie. While many know of Napoleon, his siblings remain lesser known but no less intriguing. I loved this book from the very first page, with the wonderful descriptive settings, characters larger than life, and sweeping passions. For anyone who enjoys historical entertainment, this a must have for their bookshelves.

Seduced by Destiny by Kira Morgan, 330 pages

Josselin Ancrum grew up learning all manners of combat from her adopted fathers, intent on avenging her mother's death at the hands of English soldiers. She becomes one of Mary's, Queen of Scotland, operatives, glad to have a chance to fight against the English. But Josselin feels an attraction for a golfer, Drew MacAdam, that threatens to distract her from her work. Drew may seem to be nothing more than a golfer, intent only on filling his pockets with winnings, but he is actually English, trained by his uncles to fight the dreaded Scottish. His attraction to Josselin quickly grows into something deeper. These two lovers quickly find their future together threatened not only by their different nationalities and loyalties, but also by family secrets. Can an English golfer and a Scottish barmaid ever have a chance for life long love, or will it all come tumbling down around them?

"Seduced by Destiny" by Kira Morgan was one of the first historical romances I read that featured golf's Scottish beginnings, but still was interesting and romantic. While the book was too short on developing these characters into deeper, more belivable personalities, it contained a lot of humor and fun seduction. This is a great book for a fun, lighthearted read for anyone who enjoys historical romances and doesn't have a lot of time.

The above paragraphs were part of my official review for NightOwl Reviews where I try to say how the book was while being nice. Luckily here I can be a little less tactful (which I do best.) This book would have been good when I was 15 but now I don't expect people to instantly fall into bed, have huge differences that threaten their very lives, and throw everything aside to live "happily ever after." I want a little character development with believable romance. If you want nothing more than total mind fluff, you will love this book.

Giant Ripley's Believe It Or Not by Robert Ripley, 132 pages

I have always loved Ripley's Believe It or Not, heck, I even went to the museum in Branson, MO. So I was very excited to find this old book at an estate sale last week. It's about 1 foot by 2 foot, so it had tons of interesting stories. Unfortunately, due to it's age, by the time by daughters and myself finished reading it, the last 50 pages come off. But considering that I paid a whole 40 cents for the book, it didn't owe me anything. For anyone who has been living in a cave, Robert Ripley traveled the world collecting odd stories and published with little illustrations. The stories only go to show that the truth is stranger than fiction.

Blog Request

When creating your posts, can you please list your name as one of the tags or labels? That way it will be easier for me to keep track of who has read how much and what. Plus, you don't have to but if you want to add a picture of the book cover that would be great. You should be able to find the book cover at www.google.com/images
I hope everyone is having fun so far. We have a wide range of books read by staff people so far and we aren't even 3 weeks in. Keep up the reading!

The Walking Dead, Vol. 11 by Kirkman, Adlard, & Rathburn, 132 pages

I have enjoyed this series so much that I ended up buying the collection that has volumes 1-8 in it. Until they come out with the next big collection, I'm forced to go to Books-A-Million and Hastings and sit and read.

The Walking Dead, Vol. 3 by Kirkman, Adlard, & Rathburn, 132 pages

Yet another great book in a great series. Read them, now, come on!

The Walking Dead, Vol. 2 by Kirkman, Adlard, & Rathburn, 132 pages

Somehow I missed posting about a few volumes of these books so I'm playing catch up. This series has been really great from the very first book. Zombies, survivors fighting to find a safe place while holding onto humanity, plus it's a comic book. How much cooler does it get.

Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore, 290 pages

My daughter has raved about this vampire book for ages, until my husband finally picked it up. He laughed out loud, stayed up too late reading it, and immediately started book two when he finished this. With that kind of rave, how could I not pick it up. I have always enjoyed Moore's odd sense of humor, and this was just as good as his others.
Jody never gave any thought to being a vampire because she never thought they existed. That is, until she is attacked one night and wakes up under a dumpster with a burnt hand, super human strength and a thirst for blood. Jody must figure out how to spend eternity. Tommy moved to San Francisco from Indiana determined to be the next great writer. Jody and Tommy quickly come together, but forces are determined to pull them apart. Throw in an Emperor of San Francisco and his loyal subjects, turkey bowling Animals, a bored vampire, and cops intent on solving murders, and you have one of the funniest vampire books of all time.

Night of the Living Trekkies by Kevin Anderson and Sam Stall, 253 pages

Jim Pike had been a huge Star Trek fan, that was until he had completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan. Now all he cares about is making it through each day, being responsible for no one else. But the Houston hotel that he is assistant manager at is the site for a huge Star Trek conference. Just hours into the conference, Jim notices people acting odd, even for Trekkies. A virus has turned people into flesh-eating zombies. Now Jim must lead his ragtag band of survivors to safety, utilizing all that Star Trek has taught them. Can they survive this no-win scenario?
This was a really fun read. I'm a fan of zombies and Star Trek, but I wasn't sure how this would combine. It was well-done, hilarious without being too campy.

Ghostgirl: Lovesick by Tonya Hurley, 311 pages

Charlotte is almost done with Dead Ed but she has an assignment to complete. She must go back to high school and help some old friends with matters of the heart. But unfortunately, jealously could prevent Charlotte from completing her assignment.
This series has been pretty odd but compelling from the very beginning with Charlotte choking on a gummy bear and dying. The books themselves are almost pieces of art, with the beautiful covers, poetry at the beginning of each chapter, and dark and evocative ink drawings.

The Walking Dead, Vol. 9 by Kirkman, Adlard, & Rathburn, 132 pages

Yes, I know I've read a ton of these this week, but I got hooked. This is one the library doesn't have so I had to go to Books-A-Million and sit and read it. I bought a coffee so I don't feel toooo guilty about not buying the book. This series has been so good that I am seriously considering buying the major book that is the collection of books 1-8. Zombies, great artwork, violence, sex, and an exciting storyline, what more do you need?

Liar, Liar by K. J. Larsen, 237 pages

Caterina DeLuca is a private investigator whose specialty is cheating husbands. But while following the husband of Rita Polansky, she finds herself on the outside of a building just as it blows up. She quickly finds herself looking for a dead man who won't stay dead, missing diamonds, and bad guys galore. With the help of her "connected" family, sidekick beagle, and lots of attitude, Caterina is determined to solve this case, if it doesn't kill her first.
For anyone who enjoys the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich, you will like this book because it is exactly like them. I even doublechecked the author blurb just to make sure they weren't the same because the characters, plot lines, and even some of the names were identical. I guess it's true, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If you want an original book, don't pick this up, but if you want a fun, fluffy mystery, this is the way to go.

The Walking Dead, Vol. 8 by Kirkman, Adlard, & Rathburn, 132 pages

I just finished volume 8 and I am still in shock. This series has been amazing. Watching people try to survive after something happens that turns all the dead into flesh-eating zombies is a page-turning read. Plus, with these books you never know what will happen or who will die. You can honestly say that NOBODY is safe, the authors will kill off anyone. I finished this book and had to call a friend who had read them just to vent, it affected me that much. If you haven't seen the show or read these graphic novels, but enjoy zombies and horror, pick these books up, NOW!!!!

The Walking Dead, Vol. 7 by Kirkman, Adlard, & Rathburn, 132 pages

I've said it before and I'll say it again. These graphic novels are awesome! I was upset that I had to wait a few days to read volume 7 because someone had it checked out, but it was probably a good thing because I would have never gone to bed that night. I would have just stayed up all night reading. These novels are the comic book collections dealing with the world after a zombie plague has turned all the dead into flesh-eating monsters. The artwork is wonderful and the storyline is full of twists and turns, you never know what is going to happen next. I will probably be at Books-A-Million this weekend reading the ones the library doesn't have next in fact, lol.

Half Empty by David Rakoff, 224 pages

I picked this book up thinking it would a funny read, along the lines of David Sedaris, but I didn't find it nearly as humorous. I think it would have been more enjoyable if I was a New York Jew, especially as there is a whole chapter devoted to the Jewish guilty fascination with pork. One of the other problems is that the author looks like Richard from Season 1 of Survivor, so I kept reading it with him as the narrator. Maybe if I was deeper it would have been a better read for me.

The Walking Dead, Vol. 1 by Kirkman, Adlard, & Rathburn, 132 pages

The first entry in the graphic novels featuring the comic book sensation The Walking Dead. The premise behind this series is that a plague has struck, with the dead becoming flesh-eating zombies. The story follows Rick, a cop who is shot and falls into a coma. When he wakes up, his whole world has changed. He must fight his way out of a hospital that is empty except for zombies, and make his way home. Except when he gets home, his wife and son are gone. His only hope is making it to Atlanta, which is supposed to be a safe haven from the zombies. Maybe his family is there. These books are a collection of the comic books, and a must read for fans of the AMC TV show. The storyline is fast-paced and the dark, stark art work lends itself to the violent and disturbing theme.

The Walking Dead, Vol. 6 by Kirkman, Adlard, & Rathburn, 132 pages

This is yet another great entry in the series featuring society trying to survive after a plague has struck, turning the dead in flesh-eating zombies. This is one of the most graphic books so far. Michonne is one of the people taken captive by a neighboring town, and has been cruelly used by the "governor". She is given the chance to get revenge, and boy, does she ever. The revenge scene should not be read by the faint of heart. It makes you wonder who the real monsters are, the zombies, or the people who have lost much of their humanity.

Bink & Gollie by Kate DiCamillo & Alison McGhee, 81 pages

Jeana & Cari both reviewed and raved about this book, so I thought it would be fun to see what the fuss was about. Bink and Gollie are two cute and interesting little girls, who have a passion for pancakes. These 3 short stories were light and entertaining reads, and the artwork was well done. This is 15 minutes well spent. Let's see how JPL staff we can get to read this book this month.

The Walking Dead, Vol. 4 by Kirkman, Adlard, & Rathburn, 132 pages

This is another great entry in the comic book collection of The Walking Dead. Zombies swarm the land, with the dead turning into zombies within minutes to just a few hours at the longest. They are mindless creatures intent only on finding food, flesh. People have gathered in small groups, looking for food, shelter, and safety, goals that may be unreachable in this new world. If you have seen the TV show on AMC, you will want to pick these books up. They are a fast read, full of action, violence, and a storyline that will have you eagerly turning each page.

The Walking Dead, Vol. 5 by Kirkman, Adlard, & Rathburn, 132 pages

I hate to say too much about this book because I don't want to give away plot details, but this is a great graphic series. Basically, a plague has hit the world, turning all dead into zombies, intent on eating people. What happens to the survivors, how much of their humanity they hold onto, and the struggles they face are covered in these books. These books are collections of the comic books that are being published. If you have seen the TV show and enjoyed it, you will love these books. Each book has me gasping, exclaiming, and eagerly turning the pages. While it is at times gruesome and full of adult content, it has been well done, with the art lending itself to this dark and terrifying time. AWESOME READ!!!

The Caretaker of Lorne Field by Dave Zeltserman, 237 pages

Jack Durkin's family has been caretakers for Lorne Field for 9 generations. This job involves spending 12 hours a day, weeding a giant field of mutant plants that threaten the world otherwise. But the respect that came with this job has dissolved over the last few years, no one seems to believe that there is a threat. Jack watches his family, home, and basic way of life fall apart. Will Jack continue to fulfill his duties, or will he give up, and consign the world to destruction? Or do these weeds even pose a threat except in Jack's imagination? This was an interesting read, I spent the book trying to decide if there truly were evil weeds or if they were a figment of Jack's imagination. This was a pretty good psychological thriller, worth picking up.

The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice, 491 pages

I had to reread The Vampire Lestat for a book club, and before you know it, I'm sucked into The Queen of the Damned, again, for the 4th or 5th time. The book picks up with Akasha, Queen of all Vampires, taking Lestat as her prince consort, son to her Mother Goddess. She is determined to remake the world into a woman's world, with just a handful of men saved for propagation purposes only. Just a handful of vampires are left to stand between her and this new world. As always, Anne Rice's recreation of the vampire legend is stunning, intriguing and elaborate. For anyone whose only introduction to this book was the movie, please know that the movie SUCKED big time compared to the book. Yes, sucked is the only word that fits. But this book should really only be read after reading The Vampire Lestat to do it proper justice.

The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice, 481 pages

The Vampire Lestat is one of my favorite vampires books. I've read this book probably 4-5 times as it is. I first read this book when I was 16 (it had been out for a few years already) and fell in love with Lestat instantly. He is the "damnedest creature" and proud of it. Anne Rice created a new type of vampire, dark, brooding, sexy, fun, dangerous, creatures of the dark who walk among us, no longer hiding in the shadows. This is a great sequel to Interview with a Vampire, in fact, this is a much better book than Interview.

Kiss My Left Behind by Earl Lee, 229 pages

The cover of the book states "This is a parody of moronic books about The Rapture, and if you don't like it you can KISS MY LEFT BEHIND." As someone who has read all the Left Behind books and also has seen all the parody movies like Disaster Movies, all the Scary Movies, Date Movie and such, I was very excited when I saw this book. The book was definitely a parody, but while funny at times, it was mocking and degrading of all with a Christian faith, instead of extremists (who should always be mocked). There is one scene at the beginning involving demons claiming unborn babies, using a mallet and baseball glove that will either have you gagging or rolling on the floor laughing. Read if you want a pretty funny book, just hope Jesus doesn't decide to come back while you're holding it!