Looking for Your Next Book

 Wow. WOW!  This is 100% a five star book! I have been aware of author Seanan McGuire's "Velveteen" series for a number of years now, but I hadn't been motivated enough to crack open one of the books - for no particular reason other than that I've a lot of books in my TBR pile already. though I would also have to admit that the covers lead me to thinking these are treacly YA superhero books.  Of course, being the fan of McGuire's work that I am, I should know better. Velma Martinez has a super power.  She can manipulate objects - in her case, children's toys - to do her bidding.  She is given the superhero name of "Velveteen" when her parents sold her to the Super Patriots, Inc corporation, which manages all super heroes. But Velma walked away from the organization as soon as she was legally able to do so. Unfortunately for her, she was then branded a Super Villain - after all, why would anyone leave a hero group if they weren't otherwise opp...

Jose Carriles is a pilot - one of the best. He's also got friends in high places, and while he should be enjoying his time sitting behind a desk with nothing to do, instead he is on the Mosaic - a massive ship taking the first-ever journey outside of our own solar system. On the Lunar Colony of New Destiny, Corin Timony - a former friend of Carriles - should be celebrated as the best spy in the business. Instead, she's been demoted to menial admin duties. Carriles might be the one to blame for her current status. Carriles recognizes that he's only the pilot on this unique vessel, but he begins to sense some things are going wrong. In fact, if not for his quick, out-of-the-box thinking, the entire ship and crew might have been destroyed. When he brings his concerns to his superior, he is quickly put in his place and reminded to leave issues in other departments to those in charge.  Instead of being reassured, this has the opposite affect. Carriles might otherwise be unconce...

Mike believes he has witnessed a kidnapping and, only a young boy, he has to tell an adult what he's seen to help the girl who was taken. But Mike tells the wrong adult and the next thing he knows, he is waking up in a dark, damp, dungeon-like room. Mike is not alone, however. Carrie, the kidnapped girl, is in the cell with him. Carrie is the daughter of a wealthy family in the city. She's been kidnapped for ransom. Mike is the son of a farmer, unfamiliar with city ways. But he's observant and clever. There's no food, no water, not even any light, and Mike fears that their only possible salvation is to escape - but the men who've taken them are still about. If he can figure out where they are, Mike might be able to bring both he and Carrie to safety. I didn't know anything about this book when I received a free copy from the publisher, other than that it's a 'classic', worthy of republication. So I went into this blind. I didn't realize that this...

Three stories, intersecting in Budapest - a city with a long history, rich with culture. In the first story, Lajos Harkályi, a world-famous composer and, more importantly, a Holocaust survivor, has returned to Budapest to perform his final work. This is, perhaps, the most personal of all his work as the musical theme is based on a lullaby his mother sang to him as he and his family were being forced to leave Hungary for the infamous concentration camp Terezín in Czechoslovakia.  The second story is of a United States Army private, Jonathan "Brutus" Gibson. Stationed at a base just outside of Budapest, Gibson, a Black soldier with the patience of Job, is being blackmailed by his commanding officer and must choose between his being used as a mule for the delivery for an illegal arms deal, or go AWOL. In the course of making his decision, he is set upon by a local skinhead gang. Finally, the third story features Melanie Scholes, a young violinist who is to perform ...

 Makalani Pahukula is a park ranger in Oregon, but she's returned to the Hawaiian island of Kaua‘i to celebrate her grandmother's birthday. But Makalani has been gone for ten years and she's now realizing that she has a deep disconnect with her family, her home, and her 'people'. She arrives to find a lot of in-fighting among her family, but worse is that two of her cousins are missing. The latter doesn't seem to bother anyone, until Makalani learns that a body was found by some hunters in the Keālia Forest Reserve. Her ranger training has her concerned that something nefarious might be happening in the area and finding her cousins becomes much more urgent. Makalani must find her cousins, see to their safety, help settle family arguments, and find out what illegal activities are taking place in her beloved Hawaiian home before she heads back to Oregon. But the the island may be calling her home. I was looking for something new - a new author to read - and I didn...

Romulus Ledbetter is a Julliard-trained pianist who has had a good career, but he suffers from schizophrenia and he now lives in a cave in New York's Central Park and scavenges for food in dumpsters. He is convinced that a man named Cornelius Gould Stuyvesant is responsible for for the Y-rays and Z-rays and everything bad that has happened to people in recent times. Of course no one takes a crazy schizophrenic very seriously. When Ledbetter discovers a body outside his cave one night, he goes out to seek answers wherein the 'crazy' man must navigate the 'civilized' world of lies, betrayal, and murder. This is a really well-written mystery. Ultimately it boils down to our main character, Romulus, and whether or not we believe him. Author George Dawes Green has masterfully developed this character so that we can't tell when to believe him and when to question his sanity. It's this questionable sanity that keeps us fascinated for Romulus has lucid moments. He k...

I have to admit that I chose and started to read this book because I thought it was going to be a non-fiction book about Billy the Kid - an infamous outlaw about whom I know very little. I also know there's been a trend of non-fiction books that push the boundaries of non-fiction, giving dialog and intentions to historical figures without really knowing what was said, or why. For the first few pages, this is what I thought I had.  This book isn't non-fiction, but it's not quite a fiction novel, either.  Author Ryan C. Coleman has a strong interest in the history of William Bonney (aka Billy The Kid) and, as he writes in his Author's Notes, "Everyone knows how Billy the Kid's legendary story ends. Here is how it began." It's fiction ... following all of the facts we can find, Coleman tells Bonney's story as if he were a character he'd created. Coleman is clearly sympathetic to Bonney, playing him up as a victim of circumstance and, at heart, a y...

In Victorian London, the Ashe and Pretorius' Carnivale of Curiosities is one of the most sought-after entertainments. Each performance is a limited engagement, and even London's elite boldly dare the dangerous streets of Southwark to witness the Carnivale's marvels.  But the real show is behind the curtains. Aurelius Ashe is the man behind the show and it's rumored that he is more than an average magician. But even a prominent man like Ashe has problems that can't be swept away. For Ashe that problem is Odilon Rose - a powerful London thug who has his eye on Charlotte - the beautiful young girl in Ashe's charge. Odilon has secrets that could threaten the carnivale so Ashe has little choice. Charlotte hightails it from the carnival (the only home she's known) with Lucien the Lucifer - the carnival's star attraction - who only wants to help. But Lucien and Charlotte begin to feel drawn to each other, but with Odilon on their trail and a number of grave sec...

There are many changes happening at Whimbrel House. Among them, Merritt and Hulda are raising a family. And Owein has signed a marriage contract (with the magically compatible Lady Cora). But another change is in the air, and this time it’s something wicked. The greatest wizard of the millennium, Silas Hogwood, is back—after five years dead - now driven by madness and revenge. Owein seeks Cora’s help and influence in England, and Queen Victoria dispatches her League of Magicians to aid in Owein’s defense. Good and evil converges at Whimbrel House. Silas's forces are strong and Hulda has some secret magic that could save them all, but she doesn't want Owein to have these secrets. Without help, Owein is bound to lose to Silas. While I have really liked Charlie Holmberg's work (some of her books are among my absolute favorites), I haven't been a huge fan of the Whimbrel House series. This one works better for me, though. This is one of the first times that the magic of thi...

The youngsters from the Star Trek universe come together to share a story. Three of Star Trek 's most famous sons are struggling to find their own way in the universe. Jake Sisko's family has been reunited and his father has saved the universe - again - and Jake is trying to understand where he fits into the picture. Meanwhile, Nog feels the pressure of performing well and proving the nay-sayers wrong, as he faces the challenges of being the first Ferengi enlisted in Starfleet. And Alexander Rozhenko, son of Worf, is still emotionally crippled after having been one of Kahless’ most devoted followers. Who better, then, to bring these three sons together in an 'It's a Wonderful Life' sort of way than the cosmic egomaniac, Q? But these are the sons of Star Trek , so it's only fitting that this Q is QJ - Q Junior, the son of the Q we know. They are transported to alternate realities where, presumably, they can work out their issues and grief, and come back as bett...