Laura's 100 Books in 2012 - #6

Secrets by Robin Jones Gunn

I went from courtesans selling themselves for a crown at #5 to Christian fiction at #6. What can I say? I like to change it up a bit.

Secrets is the first book in the Glenbrooke series. It's about a girl named Jessica who is running away from her old life in California by trying to start a new one as an English teacher in a small town in Oregon. Jessica meets a variety of people that change her way of thinking, and eventually her life.

I can't say much about this book. It was my first Christian fiction book, so in a way that was refreshing. However, I could tell what was going to happen way before I read it, which I tend to dislike in a book. I plan on reading #2 and #3, so I'm going to give this series another chance.

Weekly Round Up, Sunday February 19th, 2012

News:
"Kiss Me, I'm Irish" - Iron Druid Re-read Contest
GoT: S2 - War Is Coming

Comics:
New 52 Year 0.5: Batman and Robin
Comic Mini-Reviews Week of February 8th, 2012
First Batman, Incorporated Cover
New 52 Third Wave Pitch: Brian Clevinger Edition
Comics Trey Didn’t Buy: Prophet

100 Books in 2012:
Liz's 100 Books in 2012 - #7
Liz's 100 Books in 2012 - #6

UPDATE:
FIGcast - Episode 52 - "Bonus Tacos"
What Would Darren Read, Home Edition (Feb. 15th)

Comics Trey Didn’t Buy: Prophet

So the next time you are perusing the latest releases at your local comic book shop and cannot find a copy of Prophet issue 21, immediately turn around, look the guy behind the counter in the eye and yell “Give us John Prophet!” with all the dramatic emphasis of Djimon Housou’s performance in Amistad. If your comic book guy seems nonplussed, or thinks you are the demon Legion (look it up,it’s in The Bible Luke 8:26-39), run over and grab the laptop he undoubtedly has (looking over the latest comic news from your pals at FIG), go to the Image Comics website, find the January solicitations for Prophet and point at it whilst giving him your best Cro-Magnon man grunt. At this point he will instinctively understand the display and reply, “Oh yeah, I’ll add it to your pull list.”

Liz's 100 Books in 2012 - #7

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Let me just say that I had no idea what to expect going into this book, but the cover alone was enough to get me interested! The whole idea is that the history that we know about Abraham Lincoln is only half-true. He secretly hunted vampires as his real passion in life, and that hunting actually led to his involvement in politics.

I loved how Seth Grahame-Smith seamlessly mixed historical accounts of Abraham Lincoln's life with vampires. After reading this book, I felt like I needed to brush up on my Lincoln history to see what actually happened and what didn't--that's how well he intermingles the facts with his story (either that or I'm super gullible). Either way, by the end of the book I was somewhat confused about reality and fiction. Are there really vampires?? Is this a conspiracy theory?? Does this author have proof of the paranormal?? What other major historical figures have been swayed by vampires or zombies or other so-called "mythical" creatures??
This opens up a whole slew of possibilities for other novels: I'm thinking WWII and werewolves, Titanic and the Sirens, or Les Miles and voodoo magic. The ideas are really endless...

I loved this book so much that I'm giving it 6 out of 5 frankfurters! The extra is for originality and because, frankly, I'm scared of the author and his knowledge of otherworldly activity.

Liz's 100 Books in 2012 - #6

Weaving Destiny by G.P. Ching

I got started on The Soulkeepers Series, again, from the free eBooks list on Amazon. I realize this probably isn't the best way to pick quality literature, but it's FREE!! Anyway, this is the second book in the series (I read the first last year). It's Young Adult Paranormal Fiction that focuses on a teenage boy who is learning about his family legacy to protect human souls. Along the way he is thrust into a brand new town and high school, gets a new girlfriend who may have some secrets too, and gets to know his bizarre neighbors. Throw in his missing mom and some demons and you've got yourself a pretty involved plot.

I liked the setting and the new world that the author creates. The characters are interesting, but not quirky enough to make them feel real to me. Overall, it's an interesting story, but I don't feel the need to rush out and buy the next in the series or read any fan fiction about them (P.S.- am I the last one to figure out about fan fiction? Thanks for telling me Laura! I thought we were friends!).

What kept this series going for me is the mystery shrouding the entire idea of the Soulkeepers. The author does a really good job of keeping the reader guessing as to what's going to happen next, and she doesn't play by normal mystery rules.  When the next book shows up on the free eBook list, I will probably read it, but I won't be running to the store to buy it anytime soon. It gets 3 out of 5 bratwursts.

"Kiss Me, I'm Irish" - Iron Druid Re-read Contest

So, a handful of book bloggers are hosting a contest in March surrounding the reading (or re-reading) of Hounded, the first book in the Iron Druid Chronicles.  I read Hounded about a week after it came out last summer, and immediately pre-ordered the two sequels.  This contest was scheduled to celebrate the release of the fourth book, Tricked, on April 24th.  If I understand the contest correctly, I'll be publishing posts on March 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th, and April 6th.  Each post will have new questions that all the participants will be answering on their respective blogs.  So, you've got that to look forward to, and maybe I'll win some sweet swag.

New 52 Third Wave Pitch: Brian Clevinger Edition

Here's the deal: Way back in August and September, when the New 52 rumor mill was in full swing, one of the tidbits floating around was that Brian Clevinger (Atomic Robo, 8bit Theater) had been asked to write one of the relaunch titles but declined. As a fan of his work, this was sad news to me. Atomic Robo has proven that he is able to mix crazy ideas with humor, science, science fiction, and strong character work. Regardless of whether he declined DC's offer or not, there are already several books he would have been perfect on. (For example, Firestorm, Captain Atom, and the already canceled Mister Terrific) However, there are still a few characters that have yet to make an appearance in the DCnU that would benefit from Clevinger's writing ability. That's what I am focusing on today, exploring a couple of DC properties that I want to see in the hands of the Atomic Robo scribe.

GoT: S2 - War Is Coming