And the Postman Brought Me Books

I love getting a new book: breaking in the binding, the smell of ink and glue that still smells kind of classroom-y, and the promise of time spent reading it.  Thank you to Max (of Blackbird has Spoken) and Becky (of Lakes Single Mum) for my new books and other goodies.  You are both lovely.

"Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Ray Bradbury

I have vague memories of an '80's movie adaptation of "Something Wicked This Way Comes".  Mostly I remember the greem mist and creepy carousel.  The movie came out when I was two, so that's about as far as my memory goes on that one.  It was enough, though, to give me an extra sense of anticipation when reading Ray Bradbury's original "Something Wicked This Way Comes".

"Something Wicked This Way Comes" is classic Ray Bradbury.  It has a story and interesting characters, but even more than that it has a mood, a vision of the world, that is fascinating.  He takes a seemingly simple story with children for main characters and makes it both child-like and utterly adult.  If you're only going to read one Ray Bradbury book (and if you read one I don't know why you wouldn't read more), then this wouldn't be the first one I'd recommend.  But if you're going to read several Ray Bradbury books, this is an enjoyable novella.

In other news, it seems that my list of Bradbury's 59 books, taken from his own official website, is lacking.  I think the list includes his original novels and collections, but there are more.  My sister is reading "A Pleasure to Burn", a collection of Bradbury's stories and writings that culminated in "Fahrenheit 451".  On Amazon I also found these books that aren't on my Ray Bradbury list:

• "Where Everything Ends" (reprints of previous novellas, plus a new short story not in other collections)
• "I Live by the Invisible" (poetry new and old)
• "Summer Morning, Summer Night" (combination of his small town stories, some are reprinted from other collections and some were previously unpublished)
• "We'll Always Have Paris: Stories" (short story collection reprinted just last year)
• "Listen to the Echoes: The Ray Bradbury Interviews" (Sam Weller's interviews of Bradbury)

Maybe I'll never get to the end of Bradbury's writings...and just maybe I'm ok with that.

"Dancing with Mr. Darcy" edited by Sarah Waters



Wolvesey Castle in Winchester near where Jane Austen lived at the end of her life

I've got a soft spot for Austen adaptations and fan fiction.  I admit it.  So the short story collection "Dancing with Mr. Darcy" was really interesting to me.  All of the stories have some relationship to Jane Austen and/or her novels.  I loved some of the stories, and I admit that I didn't really enjoy all of them.  Overall, though, it was an interesting way to engage with Austen's literary legacy and be exposed to new authors.

To read my review of "Dancing with Mr. Darcy", click here.

"Made to be Broken" by Kelley Armstrong

This book has a kick-ass hitwoman for a main character, two interesting (and sexy in very different ways) male side characters, and a fast-paced plot full of twists and action.  For an entertaining read, what more could you want?  This is a great book to add a little excitement to your day whether you want something to read on the commute, during your breaks at the office, or waiting on the school run.

Kelley Armstrong's books may not be literary fiction or intellectual, but they are always entertaining.

To read my longer review of "Made to be Broken", click here.
To visit author Kelley Armstrong's official website, click here.

"Waking the Witch" by Kelley Armstrong

You've probably noticed by now that I enjoy Kelley Armstrong's novels.  I've read most of them.  I'd like to read the few books of hers that I haven't gotten to yet.

The Armstrong book that I've read most recently is "Waking the Witch".  Part of the "Otherworld" (sometimes called "Women of the Otherworld") series, "Waking the Witch" centres on the witch and private investigator Savannah Levine.  Savannah takes on her first solo case by travelling to a small town to investigate some murders.  She soon discovers that in this case, nothing is as it seems.

Although it wasn't my favorite book in the series, I did enjoy it and getting to read more about Savannah.  If you're just looking for a stand alone book I wouldn't really recommend it, but it does have its place in the series.

To read my longer review of "Waking the Witch" by Kelley Armstrong, click here.

If you enjoy "Waking the Witch", I recommend:

• the rest of Armstrong's "Otherworld" series.  "Bitten" is the first in the series.  For a similar crime type feeling without the paranormal element, try Armstrong's "Nadia Stafford" series.
• other crime fiction novels with a strong female lead, like Patricia Cornwell's books about Scarpetta.
• other urban fantasy/paranormal novels like "Generation Dead" by Daniel Waters or Rachel Caine's books.