"Storm Born" by Richelle Mead

This is the first book in Mead's new Dark Swan series, and it's quite the departure from her Succubus books that I've been reading. While I did like this work, reader beware - this is definitely an dark urban fantasy with quite a bit more sex than the Succubus books. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Eugenie Markham is a shaman, and her services are sought after by those needing to banish spirits and fey who make their way into our world. Her latest case involves a tennis shoe; yes, it's actually a haunted sneaker. She's got a couple of sidekicks from the other side that are bound to her and must obey, etc. Sounds like the usual sort of fare for an urban fantasy, right? Enter Wil. He needs Eugenie to rescue his sister; she's been kidnapped by a fey to use and abuse as he wants. Having a soft heart, Eugenie agrees, even though it means putting her life at great risk. Normally, she sends her spirit self into the Otherworld, but this rescue will require her to go bodily.

Along the journey to retrieve the girl, Eugenie runs into a shape-shifter named Kiyo, and another fey king named Dorian, both of whom appear to be romantic interests. Oh, and several of the creatures living in the Otherworld seem to know Eugenie by her real name, not her spirit name of Odile (also known as the Dark Swan). Oh, those same creatures all seem to want to have sex with her, too. Turns out there's a prophecy of Eugenie and her future offspring, if she choses to have any. That same prophecy also reveals who her real father is. Cue the music, people...

While I liked this book, I must say that it seemed as if Mead was trying to make it as different as possible from her other work. I've run accross that sort of thing before, most notedly with Charlaine Harris' series about Harper Connelly. The first Harper book was a bit jarring, mostly because I think Harris wanted to be sure that she wasn't anything like Sookie Stackhouse. Mead has the same problem; she wants Eugenie to be a complete 180 from Georgina Kincaid. I gave Harris another chance, and now I'm a huge fan of the Harper books. So I will also give Mead another chance, and hopefully the next Dark Swan book will be better, too.

"This Land is Their Land" by Barbara Ehrenreich

I've been a fan of Ehrenreich's since reading "Nickel and Dimed". I enjoy her arguments on paying people a fair wage, on covering their health insurance, and basically on making it possible for people to acheive their dreams. It went without saying that I was going to read this book, which I did. And I really liked it, but not for the reason you'd think.

This particular work is a collection of previously published essays, so there's not really any new ground being covered here. The essay format was really nice for someone like me that wants to read the author's take on several different subjects, rather than one longer, more detailed work. It gives Ehrenreich the chance to cover wide scope of social issues, including but not limited to illegal immigrants, military families, unemployment, health insurance, corporate spying, cancer, and even - gasp - Disney's Princess products.

A little does go a long way, so I'd take my time with this book. Read an essay or two, ponder on them, give yourself time to digest the information, then hit a few more. It's also a good way to dip your toe into Ehrenreich's style of writing, which is not for the faint of heart. She does at times lean very close to the bleeding-heart liberal line, but most of her arguments are sound. And as she very clearly points out in most of these essays, the rich continue to get richer, to the detriment of those with very little to their names.

"Tethered" by Amy Mackinnon

I read this book several months ago, and it's taken me this long to really think about it and how I felt about it. Yeah, it's one of those books. It's a debut novel that had a lot of good press going for it, not to mention the interesting story, so I was very interested in reading it. I also loved the cover art - very eye-catching and made me want to read it that much more.

The story seems basic enough. Clara Marsh is an undertaker, a very quiet woman who believes that the dead should be dead. She shows great understanding of the people she works on, giving the reader a sense that she sees them as people, not just bodies. She leads a simple, rather introspective life, perhaps wishing for something more, but satisfied with things as they are.

When she's called out to a pick up a recently deceased Charlie Kelly, she meets Officer Mike Sullivan, who tells her that the police have been receiving anonymous calls about a little girl that was killed three years ago and a very special birthmark that was on the back of her neck. The same birthmark that Clara saw when she prepared the body for the funeral - but never told police about. A birthmark that has haunted Clara these three years.

As the plot unfolds, Clara becomes more attracted to Mike, and more involved in the murder case of the Precious Doe. She also meets a young girl at the mortuary, Trecie, who seems to come and go at will and has no sign of any parents. The mortuary's owner, Linus Bartholomew, seems to know Trecie and is content to let her play in her rather unusual "playground". But Clara believes the girl is somehow connected to the Precious Doe case, and her mere presence becomes unnerving. Does she have information about the case? Did she know Precious Doe? Is Clara getting closer to a killer?

I haven't really done justice to the plot, but then again, the book is very complex. To say more would more than likely give away things best left to the reader to discover. What I can say is this - I did like the book, but didn't love it as I had hoped. It's a very compelling read, and obviously thought-provoking if I'm still mulling it over after these several months. But I wish Mackinnon has fleshed out her characters just a bit more. I wanted to know more about Clara, more about Mike, even more about Linus and his wife. There were things that weren't explored that I remain curious about. I almost wish that Mackinnon would write a sequel about Clara, even though there's really nothing to warrant one, just because I want to know more about her. Overall, I give it a decent read rating, and hope that the author's sophomore work (if she puts one out) is better.

"Every Last Drop" by Charlie Huston

When we last left vamp P. I. Joe Pitt, he was exiled to the Bronx, mostly due to his own actions. He'd made quite a few enemies, becoming persona non gratis in almost every Clan. And he'd managed to get his HIV-positive girlfriend, Evie, infected with the Vyrus by someone in the Enclave, which means that she'll never get out. It was a dark time in Joe's life.

Joe's life hasn't gotten much brighter when "Every Last Drop" opens. He's been in the Bronx for a year now, subsisting as best he can, trying to keep his head low and not cause trouble. Except this being Pitt, trouble finds him, as usual, this time in the form of a gang of teen hoodlums, all infected with the Vyrus. Joe realizes that they're trouble, and thinks he can handle them; he ends up being bound with razor wire and delivered to their boss, Alistair Lament. While being questioned and tortured by Lament, Pitt is rescued by another old enemy, Mrs. Vandewater. Once his dealings with her begin, he is in turn rescued from her by yet another enemy, none other than Mr. Predo. Seems that the Coalition needs Joe to investigate the newest Clan on the block, the one started by a human girl, the one claiming to be working towards a cure. This would mean Joe being back on his home turf, but it won't be easy. Like I said, Joe made a lot of enemies the last time around.

Joe does what he does best - play everyone off each other. He agrees to Predo's demands, then tells the girl that he's spying for him. She in turn wants something, too. She asks Joe to find out where all the blood comes from. Of all the Clans, the Coalition is the only one that keeps its members fed, and fed well. Others have even gone to the Coalition and cut deals when their supplies have run low. Where does all that blood come from? The answer is, in a word, horrific. I always knew that Huston could write down and dirty when he needed to, or chose to, but wow. This took things in a completely nasty direction, one I didn't see coming. It's certainly not one that Joe expected, either.

It's another wild ride in Pitt's life, and I'm glad to say that I'm pretty sure it's not going to be the last. I mean, after all, Joe's still got to get the girl, right? Well, maybe. It is a Huston book, after all, and he's not known for his happy endings. Still, I'd like to think that Joe will get a happy ending - he's my kind of guy.

"Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip - Confessions of a Cynical Waiter" by The Waiter

This falls along the lines of "Kitchen Confidential" and other such "behind-the-scenes" books that have come out lately. That doesn't make it not worth reading, though, and I bet you're on your best behavior at dining establishment of all kinds afterward, too. The Waiter started all this as, of course, a blog, and finally collected enough rants, got himself a publisher, and voila! A book was born.

There are all sorts of good insider gossip here, everything from how the wait staff are abused by managers, the rampant drug and alcohol abuse by many in the restaurant industry as a whole, and the blatant paranoia of restaurant owners. It's pretty eye-opening stuff, or at least it was for me. Then again, I don't dine in fancy digs very often, being more of an Applebee's kind of girl. Good food for a good price is my motto, and quite frankly, the dive right down the street from work is more my style. Great burgers, fabulous breakfast stuff, and the hubby & I can go eat for right around $10 every time. Jacket and tie attire is not my style, so it was interesting to read about that world.

Of course, there are several "rants" about the customers, and rightly so in most cases. I think everyone should read this book just so they know how not to behave when they're out and about. I could never be a waitress - I would've told off several of the people described in this book. Just because you have money to eat somewhere expensive doesn't give you license to be an asshole. The worst rant was about a couple insisting on a specific section of the dining room, even when it became obvious that someone in that section needed urgent medical attention. While the EMTs were trying to get this woman out the door and save her life, these yahoos were still complaining that they would be most unhappy if they couldn't sit in that section. The Waiter was far kinder than I would've been, I can tell you that, but he does give his inner monologue, which is more along the lines of what I would've said.

It's a good little book, a bit repetitive at times, but overall worth the read. Again, if you see anything in here that even remotely reminds you of yourself, it's not too late to change your behavior and learn to be a good restaurant patron!

"Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth" by Simon R. Green

If I didn't already know that there are more John Taylor tales out there, I would have easily believed this to be the end of Green's Nightside series. It finally ties up the story of his mother, Lilith, and John's quest to deal with her without destroying the world, a prophecy that many have feared since his return to the Nightside. Where is the Nightside, you ask? London, but not on any map. It's a no-man's land where neither Heaven nor Hell are able to interfere, and where it's always 3 a.m. It's a place of magic and mayhem, and where John Taylor is most at home, even though it seems there's always someone out there trying to kill him. And this time is no different...

The usual cast of characters show up in this installment: Suzy Shotgun, Eddie the Punk God of the Razor, Tommy Oblivion, John's secretary Cathy, Dead Boy, and, of course, Walker. No wonder I thought it could be the end - the gang is all here. It's a fight to the death, but not the destruction, of Lilith. If she can't be vanquished, then John and his friends are all doomed, as is the entire world as we know it. To say much more is to delve deeply into the plot, and that seems silly, given that these books are fantastic and you're probably reading them anyway, right? Of course you are.

I will say that this is probably the bleakest of the Nightside books, and with good reason; Green could have decided to end the series here and gone on to other things. As it is, there are other books after this one, and he has gone on to other things, namely his new Shaman Bond series, which I've also reviewed. Basically, Green is a very good writer and I like his work, regardless of who he's writing about. Check him out for yourself in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of your local library/book store today.

"Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things" by Reader's Digest

This is a really interesting book, full of useful hints for things you probably have lying around your house/apartment. Some of the suggestions are common (use vinegar and baking soda to clean just about anything in your home) to downright ingenious (use clear nail polish to seal envelopes if you're not sure about the glue or hate to do the licking!)

The book is very use-friendly, too. There are a few pages at the front that are set up as "Most Useful Items for..." and contains such categories as "around the house", "for the cook", "for health and beauty", etc. These pages simply direct you to the hints themselves, so consider this a quick guide to what you may be looking for. Or take you time leafing through the rest of the book, which lists each "ordinary item" in alphabetical order. Some of the items only have 2-3 suggestions, then you have your "Super Items", which have page after page of hints. These are things like vinegar, baking soda, duct tape, etc.

This isn't really one of those books that you can read quickly, either. It's best to do a little at a time, and I'd keep a notebook handy - you'll want to write down some of the hints for your own use, or at the very least, make note of the page numbers and have copies done after you're done with the book. I know I did!