Happy Halloween!

Anyone looking for a Halloween read should check out:


The dead are easy to talk to. Live people, not so much.

Charlie Sulliven thinks she knows all the secrets of the dead. Raised in a funeral home, she’s the reluctant “Ghoul Girl,” her reputation tied to a disastrous Halloween party. But navigating her life as a high school sophomore is an anxiety-inducing puzzle to her. She haunts the funeral home with her parents, emo older brother, Garth, their pistol-packing Gramma, and the glass-eyeball-devouring dachshund, Lothar.

Chewed human bodies are appearing in her parents’ morgue…and disappearing in the middle of the night. The bodies seem tied to a local legend, Catfish Bob, who has resurfaced in the muddy Milburn river near Charlie’s small town. When one of Charlie’s classmates, Amanda, awakens in the cooler as a flesh-eating ghoul, Charlie must protect her newfound friend and step up to unravel the mystery…and try to avoid becoming lunch meat for the dead.


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Deadlocked - Book Review

Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse #12)
by Charlaine Harris

What is it about:
Sookie has a murder investigation on her hands.

A young girl has died at a vampire party - and it looks as though her lover, Eric, might be responsible. Eric swears he didn't do it, the police don't believe him, and even Sookie isn't so sure. Nor is she inclined to take his word for it, not having caught him enjoying the victim's blood minutes before she was killed.

But something strange is going on. Why had Sookie been asked to come to the fateful party a few minutes early - just to catch Eric in the act? And why had the victim spiked her own blood before approaching Eric? Was it simply because she wanted to be irresistible, or was it something more sinister?

Sookie will have to find out ... but it's the worst moment to investigate, as her Fae family are having troubles of their own and Sookie is, inevitably, drawn in. And there is one last complication. The cluviel dor her grandmother left her. It will grant her one wish, which could fulfill Sookie's heart's desire. The only problem is, she still doesn't know what - or who - her heart truly desires ...

What did I think of it:
My attempts to finally finish this series continue.

And this was yet another very enjoyable read that had me firmly engrossed in the lives of Sookie and those around her. Maybe it's that I already know a bit about how this series ends, but to me it seems this book and the previous one are clearly paving the way for that ending. And I must say I'm looking forward to seeing everything falling together. Something I'd never thought would happen after book 8.

Talking about that book. There was one minor grumble in this book: Sookie hears from Quinn and apparently he had something with a were-tigress called 'Tijgerin'...

Yeah...

Tijgerin is the Dutch word for tigress, so... that's like calling your daughter Girl or Woman. Those parents should be kicked in my opinion.

That grumble aside this was a fun and entertaining read. I hope my copy of Dead Ever After arrives soon, so I can find out how everything ties up.

Why should you read it:
It's a fun UF read.


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Dead Reckoning - Book Review

Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse #11)
by Charlaine Harris

What is it about:
With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. Sookie suspects otherwise, but her attention is divided when she realizes that her lover Eric Northman and his "child" Pam are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, Sookie is drawn into the plot-which is much more complicated than she knows...

What did I think of it:
Even though Dead in the Family started really slow, I was firmly back in the world and story at the end. So I decided to pick up the next book to see where things were going.

And this book was much better in my opinion. There was action from the start, interesting developments, and I even agreed with Sookie about some things.

There is more revealed about Sookie's family and Sookie's particular talents, and next to some cool action scenes there are developments in Sookie's love life as well. Some things are resolved, but others promise to play a big role in the next book.

All in all I'm enjoying this series again, and I'm planning to finally finish it. I already have Deadlocked on my shelves and I ordered the last book so I can finally read the apparently controversial ending that had so many people in a snit.

Why should you read it:
It's an action-packed and fun UF read.


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On McPig's Wishlist - Gunpowder Alchemy

Gunpowder Alchemy (The Gunpowder Chronicles #1)
by Jeannie Lin

In 1842, the gunpowder might of China’s Qing Dynasty fell to Britain’s steam engines. Furious, the Emperor ordered the death of his engineers, eliminating China’s best chance of fighting back.

Since her father’s execution eight years ago, Jin Soling has kept her family from falling apart. With her mother addicted to opium and her younger brother in danger of being sent off to the factories, Soling has no choice but to sell off the last of her father’s possessions. Unwittingly, her actions bring her to the attention of the imperial court—the same court that betrayed her father.

The Crown Prince has launched a secret mission to bring together the remnants of the former Ministry of Science. To restore her family’s name, Soling must track down the rebel alchemist who holds the key to powering the imperial fleet. Her only ally is a man she’s just met—the engineer with a mysterious past who was once meant to be her husband…


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Dead in the Family - Book Review

Dead in the Family (Sookie Stackhouse #10)
by Charlaine Harris

What is it about:
It's all about family ...

Sookie Stackhouse is dealing with a whole host of family problems, ranging from her own kin (a non-human fairy and a telepathic second cousin) demanding a place in her life, to her lover Eric's vampire sire, an ancient being who arrives with Eric's 'brother' in tow at a most inopportune moment. And Sookie's tracking down a distant relation of her ailing neighbour (and ex), Vampire Bill Compton.

In addition to the multitude of family issues complicating her life, the werewolf pack of Shreveport has asked Sookie for a special favour, and since Sookie is an obliging young woman, she agrees. But this favour for the wolves has dire results for Sookie, who is still recovering from the trauma of her abduction during the Fairy War.

What did I think of it:
It's been awhile since I read the previous book, but I finally decided to try to continue this series.

And maybe this isn't the best book to pick up after being in a series slum. it was slow.

The previous book had lots of action and heartbreak, so maybe it's not so strange that Sookie is taking things easy, but for me it felt like ages before the story was going somewhere. Still I decided to stick to it and finally stuff started to happen and I was dragged into the world again. At the end of the book I was happy enough about developments that I might just pick up book 11 soon.

Why should you read it:
It's an enjoyable UF read.


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Teaser Tuesdays - Heat Stroke

The Ifrit purred, "Peace to you, my sisters."
"War, my sister," Rahel answered softly.

(page 93, Heat Stroke by Rachel Caine)


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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Ninth Key - Book Review

Ninth Key (The Mediator #2)
by Meg Cabot

What is it about:
Everything is going great for Suze. Her new life in California is a whirlwind of parties and excellent hair days. Tad Beaumont, the hottest boy in town, has even asked Suze out on her very first date. Suze is so excited that she's willing to ignore her misgivings about Tad... particularly the fact that he's not Jesse, whose ghostly status - not to mention apparent disinterest in her - make him unattainable.

What Suze can't ignore, however, is the ghost of a murdered woman whose death seems directly connected to dark secrets hidden in none other than Tad Beaumont's past.

What did I think of it:
This is yet another fun book by Cabot.

Suze is jumping to conclusions rather fast, and has poor judgement at times, but it makes for an enjoyable story, so I won't grumble about it. It did feel like there was less action in this story, but that may be because in the first book lots of things had to be explained and had to happen to get to know Suze, so it might have felt like a faster story because of that.

All in all this is a fast and entertaining read. I might pick up the next book when I'm in the mood for something breezy.

Why should you read it:
It's an enjoyable Paranormal YA read.


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