Lilian Jackson Braun
From the first Cat Who… book, I jumped to one of the more recent, as I’d lost track of the series several years ago, and felt the need to catch up. Qwilleran and the cats (KoKo aquired a female partner a few books into the series) are in the tiny town of Pickax now, and the characters woven through this story are mostly old friends.
It involves a local production of The Importance of Being Earnest, bananas, bookstores, and real estate.
Enough said.
Lilian Jackson Braun
I read this book years ago – decades even – when my mother still lived in the US, and we used to hit the library together every weekend, sometimes with my grandmother, sometimes not, and take home as many books as we could carry. Together, we worked through all of this series, as well as many others.
In any case, this book was originally published in 1966, but it manages to hold up pretty well, considering, and it’s the first in a long series of cozy mysteries about reporter Jim Qwilleran and his crime-solving Siamese cat KoKo.
These books aren’t intellectual in the slightest, but they’re full of great characters, gastronomic and architectural delights, and mild mysteries that are completely lacking in horror and gore.
Perfect for afternoon tea.
Or for sharing with your mother.
Jacqueline Carey
I don’t remember who recommended the Kushiel books to me in the first place, only that I resisted reading them for the longest time, then, when I did, sheepishly admitted that I liked them.
In any case, I bought this, the final book in the Kushiel’s Legacy trilogy, several months ago, but only read it very recently, when I was between trips to the library. I liked it well enough, I guess, but I hate to see series end, even though the ending in this case was a natural one, as the story arc was not only complete, but all the loose ends had been tied up.
Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels
Opening very soon after the end of Star Trek: Nemesis, this novel is the first in a subseries of Pocket’s Star Trek: The Next Generation series, and is set in the first mission of the U.S.S. Titan, under the command of William T. Riker.
It includes a mix of characters from TNG, DS9 and Voyager, as well as some familiar faces from the A Time To… series, and was surprisingly interesting, though it was difficult to read a novel with TNG characters that didn’t include Picard or Data.
Definitely worth reading.
J. K. Rowling
After waiting two years for this installment, the second to last in the Harry Potter series, it seems a shame that I finished it in about four hours, not including the nap I took around page 204, and the ninety minutes I was out of the house for dinner with my husband.
I think at this point people need to get beyond the “children’s book” label for this series. EVERYONE is reading them, not just children. This book was both more and less dark than it’s immediate predessor (less CapsLock!Harry, but with a major character death, and many many shades of grey) , but it still was heavy on exposition, as seems to be typical with the middle books in ANY series.
I can’t write any more about it without giving away the details. It’s enough to say that the next two years (the minimum duration we must wait for book seven) will crawl by, at least in the Potterverse, and many of us who dabble in fanfic have to restructure our versions of Rowling’s sandbox.
Jeffrey Lang
I bought the eBook version of this because I was desperate for instant-gratification in the form of mind-candy, and Trek books always qualify. This one is the only novel that features EmotionChip!Data, and it’s also the only full-fledged Data-romance.
A fanfic author I respect once said that she didn’t think it was possible to write a credible romance for Data. I disagreed at the time, but after reading this, and finding that many of the scenarios were more than a bit contrived, I’ve changed my mind.
Still, it was enjoyable, in a guilty-pleasure sort of way.
Storm Front
Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a detective named after three magicians, which is appropriate, since he’s a wizard. Storm Front, the first novel in The Dresden Files, introduces us to Harry, who is a little bit snarky, a little bit romantic, and more than a little bit of a gentleman, despite his lack of finances.
The mystery is interesting, with a good balance of action and exposition, and the world – an alternative Chicago – is just enough like our own that it’s believable.
The overall tone? Sara Paretsky meets the Supernatural. I’m eager to read the rest of the series.
Kelley Armstrong
The fourth installment in the Women of the Otherworld series picks up just a few months after Dime Store Magic, and continues the story of Page and Savannah, this time throwing in a series of murders of young Cabal relatives as the mystery plot. Paige and her sorcerer boyfriend Lucas must track down the murderer while protecting their young ward, and maintaining their new relationship.
As with the previous novels, it’s a fast-paced, entertaining read.
Kelley Armstrong
Dime Store Magic the third installment in Ms. Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series changes its focus from Elena the werewolf to Paige the witch and foster-mother. It’s as much a tale about mother-daughter relationships as it is about witchcraft and sorcery, with not a little romance thrown in. A delightful read, and consistant with the world Armstrong has introduced to us in the previous two novels.
Keith R. A. DeCandido
This last installment in the A Time To… series is my favorite. Not only does it wrap up all the lose ends in the series itself, but it also ties in nicely with Nemesis.
Even better, it shows us that the Federation isn’t limited to Starfleet, by showing us the politics of the presidency.
To describe the plot would be to spoil it – just go read it.