For several years, I've been looking forward to a book that Lackey said she was planning to write about Baron Valdemar, the first Heralds, and the creation of Valdemar. It was supposed to be called Foundation...of her Valdemar books (like the Gryphon and Winds series). I found the book enjoyable and am curious to see where she will go with the inevitable rest of the series. Four stars (B- in the new system)

This book is the sequel to the very enjoyable series premiere Off Armageddon Reef . In the first book, humanity was utterly defeated by a relentless alien foe that refused to negotiate. In a desperate... and it marred my enjoyment of the book in this case. Three stars, a C- in the new system. I kind of want to just read a recap of future books in this series, rather than investing all that time

Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks. Review: It was OK - and it's a cute concept. And it should've taken me less than two days to read...but somehow, after the first few chapters of "the Irish...it was my Amazon "make the order up to free delivery" choice. It's looking good so far. The way Murakami writes about food and beer I always end up wanting noodle soup and a beer when I read his books

Finished book 45 for the year, Salt: A World History , by Mark Kurlansky. A friend's boyfriend let me borrow this book. Halfway through reading it, I sent a copy to my father, along with Kurlansky's similar...so. All these things aren't a huge deal, but when it's a degree that's really not related to what I'm doing, and when an MBA would probably help me more, it seems crazy to keep going with this degree

This is a modern-day murder mystery set in Sweden. My girlfriend's father suggested that we would both like it. Both of us read it but neither of us did - alas. Everyone is surprised when a business tycoon... I had seen this author compared to Fred Vargas, but I don't agree - Tursten's characters are never quirky and rarely funny. I was only a few hundred pages in when I just wanted it to be over

Book 59 - Daywatch. Awesome. Finished in less than 2 days. Yes I am shipping it back to CA this week along with the bag. Never fear that is my plan. I am looking forward to reading the next two books in...Princess of Roumania by Paul Park. Interesting take on dimensional pockets, but difficult to follow. Jumps from one place to another sometimes without clear indications. A bit tragic, but believable

This book was a re-read for my GLBT reading group. I first encountered one of the Gilda Stories in the Penguin Book of Lesbian Vampire Stories. Yes, it exists, and yes, it is as awesome as you are imagining...read for the group. I enjoyed it a lot - of course, I'd read it before and already knew that I liked it. I recommend it to any fans of vampire stories with GLBT and/or minority themes. Four stars

I saw this series reviewed in a book review community and decided to try it. I have always been a fan of YA fantasy. Lucien is terribly terribly sick, from both the tumor in his brain and the chemotherapy...Jones. I recommend this book to those who have read YA fantasy exhaustively and want something new. For those who are new to the genre, I would suggest one of the other writers instead. Three stars

This book was well-reviewed in the "romantic sci fi" genre. It is basically a space opera number. Sirantha Jax is one of the elite - a jumper - she can navigate the pitfalls of grimspace that must be faced...ever that it is her job to keep everything from falling apart. She beats herself up for things she has no influence over. I just found it frustrating. I can't really recommend this book. Two stars

Meanna was a lady, unable to excercise her inborn gift of growing things. Wisp's past is mysterious - he knows how to do almost everything, but how did he get the whip scars on his back? Both have run...the execution. It was sloppily done. There were a number of inconsistencies, and not enough was explained. I don't think this book will satisfy any but the most indiscriminating of readers. Two stars