Post-Apocalyptic Nomadic Warriors

I just finished the book Post-Apocalyptic Nomadic Warriors (A Duck & Cover Adventure) by Benjamin Wallace.

Oh My God...What a funny book!! I highly recommend this to anybody who needs a quick read. The Amazon.com description is:

The post-apocalyptic world isn't that bad. Sure, there are mutants. But, for the people of New Hope, daily life isn't so much a struggle of finding food or medicines as it is trying to find a new shortstop for their kickball team.  

This makes it difficult for a post-apocalyptic warrior to find work.  

Thankfully, an army full of killers is making its way to the peaceful town and plans to raze it to the ground. Only a fully trained post-apocalyptic-nomadic warrior can stop them.  

Two have offered their services. One is invited to help. The other is sent to roam the wasteland. Did the townspeople make the right decision? Will they be saved? Did they find a shortstop? What's with all the bears?  

Find out in Post-Apocalyptic Nomadic Warriors, a fast-paced action and adventure novel set in a horrific future that doesn't take itself too seriously. 

This really was a fast read and I enjoyed it immensely. I read it on my Kindle (I don't even know if there are printed copies of it). For the price, I give it two thumbs up (three if only I were a mutant). 

Same Kind of Different as Me

I know that I haven't been posting my completed reading this year, partially because I haven't been posting much of anything and partially because I haven't been doing a whole lot of reading. I have been listening to a number of books on tape, but this post isn't really about that.

Today's post is about a book that I just finished last night called Same Kind of Different as Me.

Now, I'm not a religious person, but did find this to be a really good book and very moving. The amazing thing is that this is a true story and takes place right here in the DFW area. This book was recommended to me by one of the nurses or volunteer folks at Harris Hospital when we (my mom and sister) were hanging out waiting for my Dad to get out of his surgery in January. It was recommended because my Dad's surgeon is mentioned in the book and we had been talking about what a nice person he is, however, as I read the book, it turns out that not only is Dad's surgeon, Dr. Senter, mentioned but also his other doctor, Dr. Redrow.

I would really recommend this book to folks. While it is very heavy handed with the religiousness, I am willing to look past that to the core meaning of the book, which is to look past the exterior "cover" of a person and into who they really are and that people, when given the opportunity, will sometimes really surprise you.

2011 - Book 30 - The Dirty Parts of the Bible

Same Torode's book, The Dirty Parts of the Bible, is a good read, and actually not too blasphemous. Description:

It's 1936 and 19-year-old Tobias Henry is stuck in the frozen hinterlands of Michigan. Tobias is obsessed with two things: God and girls.

Mostly girls.

But being a Baptist preacher's son, he can't escape God.

When his father is blinded in a bizarre accident, Tobias rides the rails in search of a lost fortune. Along the way, he is initiated into the hobo brotherhood by Craw, a ribald yet wise black man. Obstacles arise in the form of a saucy prostitute, a giant catfish, and a flaming boxcar. But when he meets Sarah, a tough Texas farm girl under a dark curse, he finds out that the greatest challenge of all is love.

I really liked this book. First, because it does have that blasphemous flavor. Second, because it takes place in Glen Rose, TX, which is just down the road from here. Third, because it is actually a really good story and in the end that is what counts. If you can get your hands on this, I highly recommend it.

2011 - Book 29 - Dumb White Husband vs. The Grocery Store

Okay, so technically, this is a short story, but I read it on the Kindle, so I'm counting it as a book...

Dumb White Husband vs. The Grocery Store by Benjamin Wallace is the first in a series of such short stories. Description:

John is a dumb white husband. That is to say that he loves and cares for his family, is successful in his career, popular around the neighborhood, can dress himself (often without injury) and is capable of reasonable thought. Demographically however, he functions likes a 4-year-old that can't quite master the intricacies of the potty.

It isn't his fault. He studied hard and got a college degree. He works hard and earns a comfortable living. But, like all other dumb white husbands, he leads a dual life; competent member of society by day, helpless male by night, weekends, and holidays.

He has served for years as the nervous legal department-approved foil of commercials, TV and movies. And, for this service, we thank him. No one has ever cared to look inside the mind of the dumb white husband - probably for fear of what we might find - but, if we took a minute to consider it, we may see that he's not as dumb as we all think. But, he probably is.

In this adventure, Dumb White Husband goes to the grocery store.

Well, it is a cute short story, although the description is almost as long as the actual story. I give it a thumb up, although I do find husband versus wife dichotomy a little trying. Perhaps I find it trying because I do not have a husband of my own, but I really doubt if that is what real middle-class WASP relationships are like...but what do I know.

2011 - Book 28 - Heartless

So, I am way behind on blogging about my reading, and other things, so here I go trying to catch up. I finished the third book in the Parasol Protectorate series, Heartless, over Thanksgiving. Here is a quick look at the book description:

Lady Alexia Maccon, soulless, is at it again, only this time the trouble is not her fault. When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband's past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux's latest mechanical invention, and a plague of zombie porcupines and Alexia barely has time to remember she happens to be eight-months pregnant.

Will Alexia manage to determine who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it is too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf's clothing? And what, exactly, has taken up residence in Lord Akeldama's second best closet?

Like the others in this series, it is a light, easy read that brings joy and not much of challenge, and I'm pretty good with that. The next in this series hasn't been published yet, but I do have it on my list to purchase when it does come out. However, I am again reminded as to how many story lines these days pit werewolves against vampires....that theme seems to be every where lately.

2011 - Book 27 - Blameless

As I'm sure you have gathered, I've been doing a lot of reading lately. As soon as I finished Changeless, I dove directly into Blameless, the third in the Parasol Protectorate series.

Quitting her husband's house and moving back in with her horrible family, Lady Maccon becomes the scandal of the London season.
Queen Victoria dismisses her from the Shadow Council, and the only person who can explain anything, Lord Akeldama, unexpectedly leaves town. To top it all off, Alexia is attached by homicidal mechanical ladybugs, indicating, as only ladybugs can, the fact that all of London's vampires are now very much interested in seeing Alexia quite thoroughly dead.
While Lord Maccon elects to get progressively more inebriated and Professor Lyall desperately tries to hold the Woolsey werewolf pack together, Alexia flees England for Italy in search of the mysterious Templars. Only they know enough about the preternatural to explain to her increasingly inconvenient condition, but they may be worse than the vampires -- and they're armed with pesto.

Again, great mind-candy kind of book. Not very challenging and yet very entertaining. Lots of steampunk visuals and hand-to-parasol combat. At the heart of this series is a love story and a girl's search for who she really is. There are two more in this series and I'm about to begin the fourth book....sadly, the fifth book will not be available until March of 2012, but I already have it on my wishlist!!

Oh, and now I'm hungry for pesto....

2011 Book 26 - Changeless

I just finished another trip to DC and while on the trip, I read Changeless, the second book in the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger. Here is a quick description of the book:

Alexia Tarabotti, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears - leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria.
But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest in fashion, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can.
She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.

This is a very fanciful series that I am completely addicted to. It is all very far-fetched and proper English. The characters are fun and the intrigue is well, intriguing. This series is a very fast read, which may also be why I am enjoying them as much as I am. I would give this book, and the series as a whole, the better part of two thumbs up. I would recommend them to only those people that I know who might have an interest in steampunk literature and who don't have a need to be overly challenged by their books.

2011 Book 23 - Winter Sea

Susanna Kearsley's book The Winter Sea was my most recent completion. Here is the back of the book write-up:

In the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobian fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown.
Now, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn that story into her next bestselling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write.
But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth - the ultimate betrayal - that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her...

I found this to be a great book. However, when I just read what was written on the back, I don't really see where that all comes from. I highly recommend this book. It made me smile and cry and smile.

2011 Book 21 - The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland

So, I actually finished two books during my recent travels. The second book was a really quick (and interesting) read titled The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland, Age 42 and Three-Quarters. Here is the book's description:

This comedy mystery, the first in a series of criminally funny fables, is set in Miami and London. Fans of Stephanie Plum will cheer for Alice as she watches her back in attempting to keep her head, while being stalked by Nigel's daft ex-wife and inept, but dangerous mobsters. Alice's world is filled with memorable characters strangely reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. She's guided through her dangerous adventure by her own Cheshire Cat.
Nigel, a chubby John Cleese with serious dress-code problems, whisks Alice to England. Alice sees him as her White Rabbit rescuer. The plot trips along at a cracking pace with Alice flinging zingers like a drive-by shooter.
After Alice discovers a gangster's freshly beheaded body in his Miami mansion, she launches a desparate self-defense in a kangaroo court. The main witness against her is Algy Green, a bumbling cockney swindler who super-glues his bat wing ears to his head and commits perjury for theme park tickets. But in the middle of the trial a small piece of evidence opens her eyes.

This book was actually recommended to me by a friend and I didn't actually read the description before I read the book...and actually not until just now as I write this up. So, as I was heading home from the airport yesterday and telling Sara about the book, I actually did reference Stephanie Plum as being similar. In short, this is a really quick read that has some cute parts, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you are looking for some simple brain candy.

2011 Book 20 - The Forever Queen

I finished off Helen Hollicks book The Forever Queen while on my latest trip to California. That is the beauty of taking a relaxing vacation...being able to just read and relax is heaven. Oh wait, I'm not talking vacation yet, this is about the book, so here is the write-up:

Married to a king incompetent both on the throne and in bed, Emma does not love her husband. But she does love England. Even as her husband fails, Emma vows to protect her people - no matter what. For five decades, through love and loss, prosperity and exile, Emma fights for Englan, becoming the only woman to have been anointed, crowned, and reigning queen to two different kings, the mother of two more, and the great aunt of William the Conqueror.

I really enjoyed this book. Like with other historical novels, there are of course slow parts, but in general it is an interesting tale. Nothing like a good book where the primary character is a strong female. I recommend this to anybody who wants a romantic look at early English history.

2011 - Book 19 - Murder on the Orient Express

This past weekend I went to Vegas for a Bachelorette party, which will be its own series of blogs that I just need to sit down and write. Since I was traveling, I had to have a book to read and my boss had recently tried to talk to me about Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, but I had to interrupt him as I hadn't read it. He was shocked and amazed that I had missed that one and insisted that I go out and get it and read it. Well, I always do what my boss tells me to do and so I went and downloaded it to my Kinndle and ate it up on my trip.

It is a classic. Yes, I had if figured out within a couple of pages of the body being found, although I'm not certain if it is because somebody in the past had informed me what the outcome was or if I had heard reference on some show or movie. However, that didn't deter me from reading it all the way through. I still needed to learn how it was all handled and how Hercule Poirot deciphered all the clues.
I give it two thumbs up and if anybody wants a quick read I highly recommend it. It doesn't have the flare and panache of a modern-day murder mystery, but it still a great read.

2011 Book 18 - Soulless

Finished this book on the flight home on Thursday. Soulless by Gail Carriger was great fun. Here is a synopsis:

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette. Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and hen the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. With unexpected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart? Soulless is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. It was an incredibly fast read and not too taxing on the brain. While I doing these work trips, I really don't want to have to face a daunting book as the work and the customer is daunting enough. I give this two thumbs up and am preparing to download the next two in the series to my handy-dandy Kindle. The only issue I did have with this book is how the author flip-flopped back and forth in referring her characters. One paragraph she would refer to her as Alexia and the next it would be Miss Tarabotti, but that really one of the few downfalls.

2011 - Book 17 - Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

I just finished Helen Simonson's novel Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and really liked it. Of course, it was one of my Kindle books (have I mentioned how happy my Kindle makes me? More on that later.). So here is the description from Amazon:

In her witty and wise debut novel, newcomer Helen Simonson introduces the unforgettable character of the widower Major Ernest Pettigrew. The Major epitomizes the Englishman with the "stiff upper lip," who clings to traditional values and has tried (in vain) to pass these along to his yuppie son, Roger. The story centers around Pettigrew's fight to keep his greedy relatives (including his son) from selling a valuable family heirloom--a pair of hunting rifles that symbolizes much of what he stands for, or at least what he thinks he does. The embattled hero discovers an unexpected ally and source of consolation in his neighbor, the Pakistani shopkeeper Jasmina Ali. On the surface, Pettigrew and Ali's backgrounds and life experiences couldn't be more different, but they discover that they have the most important things in common. This wry, yet optimistic comedy of manners with a romantic twist will appeal to grown-up readers of both sexes.

As I said before, I really enjoyed this book. I think I channel the Major sometimes because I often find myself echoing his frustration with the "younger" people who lack respect and are only superficial. While the Amazon write up said that this would appeal to both sexes, I personally doubt that, or at least the male writers that I know are not ones that I can see enjoying this story, but I would definitely give it two thumbs up for you female readers out there looking for what is essentially a love story.

Now, onto my latest profession of love for my Kindle... I now take it to the gym with me, increase the font, prop it up on the ledge of the treadmill and read while I work out... GENIUS!!

2011 - Book 16 - The Postmistress

Just finished reading Sarah Blake's novel The Postmistress. Here is write-up of what the book is about:

In 1940, Iris James is the postmistress in coastal Franklin, Massachusetts. Iris knows more about the townspeople than she will ever say, and believes her job is to deliver secrets. Yet one day she does the unthinkable: slips a letter into her pocket, reads it, and doesn't deliver it.

Meanwhile, Frankie Bard broadcasts from overseas with Edward R. Murrow. Her dispatches beg listeners to pay heed as the Nazis bomb London nightly. Most of the townspeople of Franklin think the war can't touch them. Both both Iris and Frankie know better...

The Postmistress is a tale of two worlds-one shattered by violence, the other willfully naive-and of two women whose job is to deliver the news, yet who find themselves unable to do so. Through their eyes, and the eyes of everyday people caught in history's tide, it examines how stories are told, and how the fact of war is borne even through everyday life.

I give this two definite thumbs up. While it took me a bit to actually get into the story, but once I did, I had a hard time putting the book down. It was actually a very powerful book after having just been to the Holocaust Museum in DC.

2011 - Book 15 - From Dead to Worse

AND.... the last Sookie Stackhouse novel that I have in my possession From Dead to Worse....

After the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina, and the manmade horror of the explosion at the vampire summit, Sookie Stackhouse is safe but dazed, yearning for things to get back to normal. But her boyfriend Quinn is among the missing. And things are changing, whether the weres and vamps in her corner of Louisiana like it or not. In the ensuing battles, Sookie faces danger, death...and once more, betrayal by someone she loves. And when he fur has finished flying and the cold blood ceases flowing, her world will be forever altered.

I have to say that I am done with this series for the time being. This last book was a little random and felt like the author was trying to wrap up a lot of the story lines that were going on throughout the past 7 books. She also is trying to open up a couple of new lines which may or may not be interesting to follow. I have a number of other books that I want to get through before I start tackling the remaining Sookie books.

2011 - Book 14 - All Together Dead

Just finished up the final two Sookie Stackhouse books that I have in my possession. I'll first address All Together Dead. Below is what is written on Goodreads about this book:

In All Together Dead, Sookie is trying to put past failed relationships behind her and has a new man in her life: the handsome and mysterious shapeshifter Quinn. But in the wake of the devastation from Hurricane Katrina, and with the entire Louisiana supernatural community still reeling. Sookie is summoned by Sophie-Anne Leclerq (the Queen of Louisiana) to accompany her to a historic regional vampire summit. However, the conference - where entire power bases could be gained or lost - is filled with friction and ill will; and when delegates are found brutally murdered, Sookie finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy-ridden power play where the unlikeliest of suspects could be a cold-blooded killer.

As with the other books in this series, they are fast reads and mind candy...but I love 'em. One more to go.....

2011 - Book 12 - Definitely Dead

I'm still loving the bring candy that is the Sookie Stackhouse series. I just finished the 6th book in the series and here is what is posted on the Amazon.com site about this book:

Sookie Stackhouse once tried to keep her mind-reading capabilities secret, but the word is definitely out in Bon Temps, Louisiana, her hometown, leading local police to call on her to help find a missing child. There's a new man, were-tiger Quinn, in the picture, too, but on their first date, two were-people attack them. Sookie isn't sure whether she or Quinn was the target but is soon distracted by a more pressing problem. Cousin Hadley, a vampire, has been murdered, and Sookie has inherited her apartment, meaning she has to go to New Orleans to uncover the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death and meet with Hadley's lover, the Vampire Queen herself. Though not quite as driven as past entries in Harris' Southern Vampire series--Sookie doesn't get to New Orleans until a third of the way in--this is a gratifying read for Sookie's fans because of a major surprise for Sookie about one of her old lovers.

So, I'm down to two left in what I've downloaded to my Kindle, and while I stated above that I'm enjoying these books, I'm about ready to be done with them for a while and move on to something else. Maybe this weekend I'll focus on a non-e-book and finish something completely different....
I also think I need to put the Trueblood series on my wish list because I've very, VERY intrigued as to how these characters translated into "flesh and blood" so to speak....but not until I'm done reading about them, I hate to be tainted by someone else's vision....

2011 Book 11 - Dead as a Doornail

As mentioned before, I am tearing through these Sookie Stackhouse books on my Kindle!!
Here is the write up from "the back" of the book (as known as what amazon.com says about the book):

Sookie Stackhouse just can't seem to stay away from the supernatural denizens of Bon Temps, Louisiana. In Dead to the World (2004), she found herself embroiled in vampire politics; this time around, she's involved in the machinations of the Were-people, whose pack leader has just passed away. -Alcide Herveaux asks her to accompany him to the funeral, where Alcide's father declares his candidacy against a slimy, calculating rival. Angry at being drawn into the conflict, Sookie can't distance herself entirely, because a sniper has been taking shots at Were-people, and the community suspects Sookie's brother, Jason, a new shape-shifter. Sookie's love life is every bit as complicated as usual, and her collection of would-be beaux continues to grow. Also, someone wants her dead, which she learns when an assailant sets fire to her beloved house. Harris' southern vampire series remains one of the best of the breed, concocted out of just the right mixture of humor, intrigue, and excitement. Its latest entry does not disappoint.

Unfortunately, like so many other things with empty calories, this brain-candy is starting to possibly decay my synapses and I probably need to shift gears and read some other genre shortly.....
Oh, who am I kidding, I've only got three more of these to read and then I find something else to tear through!!

2011 Book Ten - Dead to the World

Yes, I'm still tearing through the Sookie Stackhouse series of novels. A little background from the Amazon.com write-up since I do not have the book to actually quote from:

Fans of Laurell Hamiltons' Anita Blake looking for a lighter version of the vampire huntress should cotton to Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic Louisiana gal who really wants to be normal, but suffers from a huge self-confidence problem, a case of permanent bad luck, difficult relatives and a penchant for attracting unsavory characters of the not-quite-human kind. In this fourth quirky installment in this hitherto mass-market series (after 2003's Club Dead), Sookie finds that her bad luck has taken a new turn for the worse. Sookie's love interest, Bill the vampire, runs off to Peru to do research. In his place, Sookie is stuck with Eric, Bill's boss (and head vamp for the district), who appears out of thin air buck naked with no memory of who he is or what he does. Coincidentally, Sookie's brother Jason goes missing. Less coincidentally, but more ominously, a coven of witches (who also happen to be shape-shifters and vampire blood addicts) comes rolling into the nearest big city, looking for trouble. Consistent, well-built charactes and as trong, action-packed plot that will keep readers guessing to the end distinguish this frothy fusion of romance, mystery, and fantasy.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again, I am really enjoying this series and it is great to not have to think to much when I'm reading. Basically, there isn't much left to say, I'm just documenting what I'm reading at this point. If your into the series, join me in the brain-candy pleasure!!

Oh, and now that Amazon has pointed out Laurell Hamilton, I guess I'll have to look into that author...amazing how one thing quickly leads to another!!

2011 Book Nine - Club Dead

So, I've finished another book on my beloved Kindle. And, yes, it is the third in the Sookie Stackhouse series. This one, Club Dead, was a quick read that I enjoyed...I love the brain candy that these books afford me. Here is the write up from Amazon:

Sookie Stackhouse is having man trouble. Her vampire boyfriend, Bill, has been distant and inattentive lately. Then he announces that he is going on a business trip, which clearly is more than it seems. After a werewolf tries to abduct Sookie at work, Bill's boss, Eric, tells her that Bill fell under the sway of his--Bill's, that is--ex, a sexy vamp named Lorena, and has been kidnapped. Eric wants Sookie's help in getting Bill back, and despite her hurt over Bill's betrayal, Sookie agrees to go to Jackson, Mississippi, to find her wayward lover. Eric has persuaded Alcide, a dashing werewolf, to get Sookie access to Josephine's, aka Club Dead, the local hangout of Jackson's supernatural element. In between dodging kidnappers, the advances of amorous Eric, and her growing feelings for Alcide, Sookie has to find out who kidnapped Bill and figure out a way to rescue him. With some droll touches--Elvis, now a vampire, is Sookie's faithful guard --Club Dead is ideal for readers who like their vampire fiction light, humorous, and fast-paced.

As I stated earlier, I am enjoying these books immensely and am having a hard time pulling myself away from reading and actually getting stuff that I need to do done. Ah well, we all need down time, right?