Catching up - Books 14-28

14. 
Title: [When She Woke]
Author: Hillary Jordan
Pages: 150 of 354 pages
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: January 5, 2012
Rating: **1/2

When She Woke is terrifying for its semblance to contemporary American politics.  The early narrative is just as claustrophobic as the protagonist's jail cell, and the laws and governing body are at once surreal and far too familiar.  Ultimately, however, the text failed for me, as I found it impossible to find sympathy for the protagonist.  When my library loan expired before I could finish the book I had only the briefest moment of regret. 

15. 
Title: [We Have Always Lived in the Castle]
Author: Shirley Jackson
Pages: 160
Genre: Contemporary Gothic
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: February 15, 2012
Rating: *****

Jackson's novel is most compelling to me for its satire, which emphasizes sympathy for a murderer, and for its portrayal of madness as normality.  I find the way Jackson develops the story from Mary Katherine's point of view fascinating, and enjoy this text every time I read it.  My students did not all find it quite as enjoyable as I, although discussions about why they disliked the book were just as successful as discussions about major themes and ideas. 

16.
Title: [Megan's Mark]
Author: Lora Leigh
Pages: 304
Genre: Paranormal romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: February ?, 2013
Rating: ***1/2

Megan's Mark is standard fair, a la Lara Adrian and her ilk; so much so, though, that it will make a strong source for my upcoming paper, especially in terms of paranormal dominance.

17. 
  Title: [The Queen is Dead]
Author: Kate Locke
Pages: 352
Genre: Steampunk
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: March 2, 2013
Rating: ***1/2

The second book in Kate Locke's The Immortal Empire series is much stronger than the first; the action is well-paced, characters are given stronger development, and the highly-flawed protagonist is much more sympathetic as she comes to terms with her new racial and social identity. 

18. 
  Title: "Night Crow"
Author: Paisley Smith
Pages:17
Genre: f/f Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: March 4, 2013
Rating: **

At only seventeen pages, it's not difficult to imagine the level of development in Smith's story. "Night Crow" was included on a "best of" list for f/f paranormal romance, so I opted to purchase it as I wrap up my primary source research.  The premise itself is far from satisfying, and did not inspire a great desire to turn to historical "romance." 

19. 
  Title: "Purr"
Author: Paisley Smith
Pages:99
Genre: f/f Romance Erotica
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: March 4, 2013
Rating: ***

"Purr" attempts to be reminiscent of de Sade, portraying a very-loosely historical account of a sapphic compound.  Likewise included on the "best of f/f romance" list, this story included greater development and, while useless for my current project, was good for a romp.  Still, I would not argue that it is worth the $4.59 purchase price on Amazon. 

20. 
Title: [The Truth]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Pages:368
Genre: Satire
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: March 8, 2013
Rating: *****

"The Truth Shall Make Ye Fret!"

Terry Pratchett's Discworld Industry novel The Truth was my first introduction to the colorful world of Pratchett's satire, and remains a favorite. 

21. 
Title: "Bitten in the Big Easy"
Author: Delilah Devlin, Paisley Smith
Pages:91
Genre: f/f Romance Erotica
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: March 9, 2013
Rating: *1/2

Through reading these two short stories I discovered a few very important things.  First, it helped me realize why I so rarely enjoy contemporary vampire stories, despite my love of the genre historically: as a general rule, they show very normal, very boring people to be "special" and therefore deserving of eternal life and "love."  Bella Swann is not special, and neither are the protagonists of these stories.  Dracula's brides and Lucy Westerna are far more compelling.  Secondly, I've discovered that Delilah Devlin and Paisley Smith are two authors I can certainly avoid in the future. 

22.
Title: [Frost Burned]
Author: Patricia Briggs
Pages:368
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Preordered
Date Completed: March 11, 2013
Rating: *****

Although werewolves are not my paranormal subject of choice, I've discovered that the contemporary authors I favor most write primarily about werewolves.  Patricia Briggs is one of those authors.  Her novels are well paced with a close eye to development, and I've found her urban fantasy to be wonderfully compelling.  She is consistent with the characters she creates, while showing  progression through the series.  The "angst" that defines some series is here kept to a minimum, showing that not everyone has the luxury to mope about personal issues when there is an external threat to address.  Mercy is flawed yet sympathetic, and brings warmth to the series.  Frost Burned is a strong installment with an interesting twist, showcasing Mercy's growth as a pack leader and an individual. 

23. 
Title: [The Hunger Games]
Author: Suzanne Collins
Pages:384
Genre: YA Dystopian
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: March 13, 2013
Rating: *****

24.
Title: [Mockingjay]
Author: Suzanne Collins
Pages:400
Genre: YA Dystopian
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: March 14, 2013
Rating: *****

25. 
Title: [Catching Fire]
Author: Suzanne Collins
Pages:391
Genre: YA Dystopian
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: March 18, 2013
Rating: *****

All three are rereads, although this time I read them as a boxed set as opposed to ebooks; review was in order for this week's presentation.  I've said before that Collins doesn't do anything original with this series, but she does it very well.  It was interesting to approach the series from a more analytical point of view, and I look forward to sharing my ideas and theories with others. 

26. 
Title: [A Charmed Life: Growing Up in Macbeth's Castle]
Author: Liza Campbell
Pages:352
Genre: Memoir
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: March 21, 2013
Rating: ***1/2

The draw for me is simple: Macbeth.  Of course, as a contemporary memoir I understood that the text would have little to do with Shakespeare's play (or his historical inspiration), but the title was enough to pique my interest, as no doubt it does for many others.  And, to her credit, Campbell often delivers, pairing the story of her own life and childhood with the history of her home and family, satisfying both an interest in Scotland's often bloody past with the life now lead in these once-fortified homes.  The personal historical anecdotes are fascinating and enthralling.

Campbell's personal life is less so.  The story she has to tell is one of countless iterations - she is the "poor little rich girl" with the alcoholic father who pisses away hundreds of years of family history for goddness-knows-why.  The last Thane is repellent in every way; even when Campbell tries to explain the charm he once holds the reader's skin will crawl.  Campbell's role as a narrator is similar to her role as a child: she is bewildered, and doesn't seem to process the events of her own life. 

If this was Campbell's story alone it would not be one worth reading, unless one happened to be a personal friend.  However, her memoir holds interest for her accident of family, and the history she has to share. 

27. 
Title: [Gracefully Insane]
Author: Alex Beam
Pages:296
Genre: Nonfiction
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: April 2, 2013
Rating: **1/2

McLean Hospital is the stuff of narrative legend; temporary home to musicians, artists, authors, and the social elite, McLean Hospital is the benchmark for the posh mental institution of fiction.  The other descriptions of McLean - fiction, autobiography, song - are far more rich and entertaining.  There are stronger histories of mental institutions, and ultimately Beam's book reads more like a travel brochure history than a successful text for writing's sake. 

28. 
Title: [The Hobbit]
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Pages:320
Genre: Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: April 4, 2013
Rating: ****

I did not appreciate Tolkien's work (or, for that matter, read most of it) until taking a graduate seminar on Tolkien.  Dr. Verilyn Flieger is an amazing scholar and lecturer, and breathed a life into the work that I don't believe I would have found on my own.  I liked The Hobbit when I first read it at 13, but didn't really enjoy the story until I approached it from an analytical point of view.  Teaching the novel proved to be just as delightful as studying it myself, and lead to heated and thoughtful class discussions.  It is also feeding nicely into our present discussion of Beowulf, for obvious reasons. 

8. 
Title: [Tiger Lily]
Author: Jodi Lynn
Pages: 304
Genre: YA
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: January 30, 2012
Rating: ***

9-10. 
Title: [An Alpha's Path] and [A Taste for a Mate]
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Pages: 336
Genre: Paranormal romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: January 28, 2012
Rating: **1/2

I picked up Redwood Pack Vol. 1 (which contains the first two books in the series), because the title of a later novella caught my interest.  The most prominent feature of Ryan's books is her apparent failure of freshman level English; the grammatical errors are prevalent, and speak to both a poor grasp of mechanics on the part of the author, plus a terrible editor.  The narrative itself is formulaic werewolf paranormal romance, and actually fairly meta, as it is saturated with references to "romance novels."

11. 
Title: [Trinity Bound]
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Pages: 359
Genre: Paranormal romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: January 30, 2012
Rating: ***

For being such a "strong" pack of werewolves, it certainly is easy for enemies to sneak in and make off with selected individuals (usually defenseless female mates, of course, but in this case one of the weaker sons of the Alpha, who meets his own mates in the course of their escape).  What makes this text more appealing than the last is the exploration of a nontraditional relationship: a male werewolf (the alpha of the relationship), a human ex-SEAL, and a female witch.  I enjoyed watching the characters explore what I felt were natural uncertainties and nervousness, and appreciated that sexuality did not necessarily determine gender identity.  Formulaic and in need of an editor, yes, but thankfully less than the previous two. 

12.
Title: [Blurred Expectations]
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Pages: 73
Genre: Paranormal romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: January 30, 2012
Rating: **

The story that sparked my interest: the "trinity" from my last entry, attempting (and failing) to conceive.  My curiosity now sated, I doubt I will return to The Redwood Pack. 

13.
Title: [One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]
Author: Ken Kesey
Pages: 320
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: January 31, 2012
Rating: *****

This text has generated some very interesting and thoughtful discussions this semester - Kesey's novel is a keeper. 

7.
Title: Girl of Nightmares
Author: Kendare Blake
Pages: 332
Genre: YA Horror
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: January 18, 2012
Rating: **1/2

The weakest plot device of the first book, Anna Dressed in Blood, takes center stage in the sequel, Girl of Nightmares.  There is no greater believability in the second book, the tension is slow to build, and the narrative delves into one 1970s B-movie cliche after another.  That all being said, the conclusion to the action is highly satisfactory, making me glad I continued to read after all. 

5.
Title: Primal Bonds
Author: Jennifer Ashley
Pages: 320
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: January ?, 2012
Rating: ***

6.
Title: Kitty Goes to Washington
Author: Carrie Vaughn
Pages: 360
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: January 15, 2012
Rating: ****

Kitty Norville, late-night radio DJ, is an unlikely werewolf after surviving two different - and  yet similar - attacks in a single night.  After a series of conflicts lead to a near-challenge of her pack leader, Kitty finds herself essentially exiled from her home, and taking her radio show on the road, a la gypsy-like traveling. Along the way she is asked to speak at a Congressional hearing, and finds herself in DC, and in regular trouble.

"Discovery" is something that many urban fantasy authors attempt to address, with varying success.  One of my favorite "unveilings" is Kim Harrison's, which blames a mutant strain of tomatoes for killing off a large chunk of the human population, while leaving supernaturals unharmed.  Whoops.  Vaughn's broadcasting seems to suggest that Kitty herself is a primary player, which challenges believability.  However, when Vaughn brings the consequences to DC, and shows the political ramifications of such a discovery, she slams right back into reality.  The bureaucracy, the red tape, the hearings, the politicians arguing, the reporters hounding - if the word "werewolf" was not included it could easy read like contemporary politics.  This is a great strength in Vaughn's book, and makes the series promising in the future. 

I found something else particularly interesting: Alette, the "master" vampire of DC.  In Kitty Goes to Washington, the most powerful vampire in the immediate area carries a strong and often neglected role in the genre - she is a mother.  And, she suggests at the novel's conclusion, she becomes a vampire to become a better mother to her two children.  This maternal role is not entirely unique, but is often played in the opposite fashion - female vampires are often incapable of reproduction or maternal roles (with notable exceptions, I know) - and alludes to the deeper history of vampire mythology, which goes back to Lillith's revenge for her own children, the Greek Gello, etc.  Alette is a bit of a missing link in contemporary fiction, and a character I find very rewarding. 

4.
Title: Pride Mates
Author: Jennifer Ashley
Pages: 304
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: January 4, 2012
Rating: ****

It's not often that I will rate a romance book a 4-star read (even if I rate within genres instead of across the spectrum), but the first book in Ashley's "Shifters Unbound" series is just that, because she managed to make me extraordinarily uncomfortable within the parameters of an otherwise traditional shapeshifter romance.  The source of my discomfort wasn't the romance itself, and ultimately isn't unique to Ashley's work: she left me shuddering at racism and bigotry.  In her series, shapeshifters have been revealed, and the expected tension arises from humans, but the American creation of a distinct second class is all too familiar and ugly.  Instead of outright slaughtering shapeshifters, the government forces them to wear "Collars" - part magic and part technology that cannot be removed, and deliver debilitating pain when the wearer acts violently (even in self defense).  Shapeshifters are also forced to live in "Shiftertowns" - isolation camps (they are free to leave, just not live elsewhere), are not allowed technology, can only work minimum wage jobs, and are not allowed to even apply to four-year universities.  Much of the tension in the novel (smartly) pulls from this prejudice, and leaves the novels feeling all too familiar.  I appreciate that the conflicts are not insular to the world of supernaturals, and doesn't provide an easy peace.  This is a matter that most paranormal authors have to face sooner or later, and this particular account is far too ugly to not be believable. 

2.
Title: "Orion's Way"
Author: DC Juris
Pages: 30
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: January 3, 2012
Rating: *

The premise of "Orion's Way" is interesting: a vampire who has experienced sexual abuse works to reclaim his role in a BDSM "lair" to keep his partner.  However, the story does not deliver, as it remains cryptic and vague.  Even erotic short stories contain some development, and this story has none beyond the final sex scene.

3.
Title: [Saint's Curse]
Author: Lee Brazil
Pages: 60
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: January 3, 2012
Rating: ***

"Saint's Curse" is a m/m paranormal romance that focuses on the all-important discovery of one's paranormal status by his partner.  With more development than Juris's story, "Saint's Curse" is more narratively satisfying, although the "action" is superfluous to the plot (and sex) line.  The self-loathing of the werewolf is a bit too gratuitous, and smacks of "closeting," which I'm sure is no coincidence.  Overall, while not suiting my present purposes, the story delivers on its promise. 

Book List for 2012

List of Books Read in 2012

1.  Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.  1.1.12.  *****
2.  English After the Fall by Robert E. Scholes.  1.1.12.  ***
3.  "Rules for Virgins" by Amy Tan.  1.2.12. ****
4.  Green River Killer by Jeff Jensen.  1.3.12.  ****
5.  The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.  1.5.12. *****
6.  "The Crazy Old Lady in the Attic" by Kathleen Valentine.  1.6.12.  ***
7.  Stitches: A Memoir by David Small.  1.8.12.  *****
8.  Feynman by Ottaviani and Myrick.  1.9.12.  *****
9.  The Last Vampire by Christopher Pike.  1.11.12.  ***
10.  Inside the Victorian Home by Judith Flanders.  1.16.12.  ***
11.  Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud. 1.17.12.  **1/2
12.  Black Blood by Christopher Pike.  1.17.12.  ***
13.  The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan.  1.17.12.  ***1/2
14.  The Terrible Axe-Man of New Orleans by Rick Geary.  1.24.12.  ***1/2
15.  A Taste of Midnight by Lara Adrian.  1.27.12.  ***1/2
16.  Darker After Midnight by Lara Adrian.  1.28.12.  ****

17.  Lothaire by Kresley Cole.  2.3.13.  *
18.  Oedipus the King by Sophocles.  2.7.12. 
19.  Ex Libris: Confessions of an Common Reader by Anne Fadiman.  2.10.12.  ****
20.  Cinder by Marissa Meyer.  2.11.12.  ****1/2
21.  Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood.  2.14.12.  ***
22.  Wither by Lauren DeStefano.  2.21.12.  ****
23.  One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey.  2.21.12.
24.  Timeless by Gail Carriger.  2.24.12.  ****

25. A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison.  3.1.12.  ****1/2
26.  Torso by Brian Michael Bendis and Marc Andreyko.  3.4.12.  **1/2
27.  Fair Game by Patricia Briggs.  3.10.12.  *****
28.  Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead by Christina Miller.  3.14.12.  ****
29.  Habibi by Craig Thompson.  3.15.12.  *****
30.  The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.  3.24.12.  ***
31. Return of the Rose by  Theresa Ragan.  3.31.12.  ****
32.   Othello by Shakespeare.  3.31.12

33.  Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu.  4.5.12.  ****
34.  Hexed by  Ilona Andrews and others.  4.5.12.  ***
35.  At Home by Bill Bryson.  4.21.12.  ***
36.  Simon Said by Sarah R. Shaber.  4.27.12.  ***
37.  Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett.  4.27.12. 

38. Broadmoor Revealed by  Mark Stevens.  5.3.12.  *** 
39.Death Comes to Pemberly by  P. D. James.  5.4.12.  *
40.  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night by  Mark Haddon.  5.4.12.  ****
41.  "Beauty: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Outtake" by Laurell K. Hamilon.  5.9.12.  ***
42. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by  Alan Bradley.  5.13.12.  ***
43. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.  5.15.12.  ****
44.  Chime by Franny Billingsley.  5.17.12.  ***1/2
45. Charlotte Collins by Jennifer Whiteley Becton.  5.19.12.  *****
46.  Baby Shark by  Robert Fate.  5.19.12.  ****1/2
47.  A Tale of 3 Witches by Christiana Miller and Barbra Annino.  5.30.12.  **

48.  Avalon High by Meg Cabot.  6.6.12.  **1/2
49.  Kiss the Dead by  Laurell K. Hamilton.  6.7.12.  ***1/2
50.  Baby Shark's Beaumont Blues by Robert Fate.  6.9.12.  ***1/2
51. Witch Way to Murder by Shirley Damsgard.  6.26.12.  **1/2
52.  The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot.  6.?.12.  ***
53.  Insatiable by Meg Cabit.  Incomplete. 

54.  Persuasion by Jane Austen.  7.7.12.  ****
55.  Some Like it Hawk by Donna Andrews.  7.20.12.  ***
56. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.  7.28.12.  ***
57.  Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong.  7.29.12.  *****

58.  Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  8.4.12.  *****
59.  The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing.  8.24.12.  *****
60.  Never Buried by Edie Claire.  8.28.12.  ***
61.  Kitty Steals the Show by Carrie Vaughn.  8.31.12.  ***

62.  Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths.  9.23.12.  ***

63.  The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson.  10.7.12.  ***
64. Feed by M.T. Anderson.  10.14.12.  **
65.  Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown.  10.17.12.  ***1/2
66.  Othello by William Shakespeare.  10.20.12.  *****

67.  The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary e. Pearson.  11.1.12.  ***1/2
68.  Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare. 11.1.12.  *****
69.  The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny.  11.2.12.  ***
70.  The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross.  11.11.12.  ***
71.  We Sinners by Hanna Pylväinen.  11.20.12.  ****
72.  The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross.  11.22.12.  ***

73.  God Save the Queen by Kate Locke.  12.5.12.  ***
74.  Deep Kiss of Winter by Kresley Cole and Gena Showalter. 12.11.12. **1/2
75.  Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake.  12.12.12.  ****
76. Penelope by Rebecca Harrington.  **
77.  The Darkest Prison by Gena Showalter.  12.13.12.  ***
78.  Amityville Horrible by Kelley Armstrong.  12.13.12.  ****
79.  Delirium by Lauren Oliver.  12.17.12.  **
80.  Nightshifted by Cassie Alexander.  12.29.12.  **1/2
81.  Divergent by Veronica Roth.  12.30.12.  ***

80.
Title: Nightshifted
Author: Cassie Alexander
Pages: 352
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 29, 2012
Rating: **1/2

Another reviewer on LibraryThing comments that a female protagonist is rare in urban fantasy; apparently we have entirely different reading habits, because I find the genre to be saturated with strong-yet-annoyingly-vulnerable female protagonists with cozy-like occupations (shop clerk, DJ, nurse).  And Nightshifted is just such a novel.  The protagonist, Edie, is a nurse who takes a job on a secret supernatural ward in exchange for mysteries powers-that-be promising to keep her junkie brother clean.  Initially, this is an interesting plot device, but the novel proves to be more niche-focused than generally appealing; Nightshifted relies largely on genre fans with some personal attachment to nursing/hospitals, and falls flat for a reader like me. 

81.
Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Pages: 576
Genre: YA Dystopian
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Borrowed from the library
Date Completed: December 30, 2012
Rating: ***

If you're read more than one young adult dystopian novel, then you've read this before. 

In a genre that essentially lacks originality, what I find important is character development and pacing.  In Divergent, the reader follows Tris as she (predictably) leaves the faction of her birth to join the (predictably) violent faction in charge of "security," where she (predictably) makes enemies, proves to be "different," and finds a teenage love interest.  Ultimately, Tris is not an unlikeable protagonist, but the pacing of the novel shifts from tedious to absurdly rushed. The shift is jolting, and disrupts any suspension of disbelief.  Ultimately, Divergent is stronger than novels like Delirium, but is not the best example of the genre that has been published in recent years. 

74.
Title: [Deep Kiss of Winter]
Author: Kresley Cole and Gena Showalter
Pages: 436
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 11, 2012
Rating: **1/2

I've encountered both of these authors with varying success before, and as I approach a paper on paranormal romance I thought jumping into this pairing would be a good step back into the genre.  Both works, as this marketing scheme requires, are loosely related to a single idea used to bind the two stories together, with a bit of fan-girl-fawning over each other in the acknowledgements.  Cole's is certainly the stronger story, although neither is particularly captivating. Fans of either should stick with solo publications.  

75.
Title: [Anna Dressed in Blood]
Author: Kendare Blake
Pages: 320
Genre: YA Horror
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: December 12, 2012
Rating: ****

Anna Dressed in Blood is a true ghost story, of the kind that so often mark a horror enthusiast's early introduction to the genre.  This begins as the kind of story I would "sneak" out of the library and read under the covers, a la Scary Stories to Read in the Dark.  Cas is a ghost-hunter who, like his father, is dedicating his life to sending back murderous spirits.  He takes up the athame after his father ultimately lost who own battle with such a spirit, and with his witch mother travels the country, trying to keep the living safe from the dead.  As has to happen in YA novels, something is different about this ghost - Anna Dressed in Blood - and Cas finds himself with unlikely accomplices, despite his years of solo work. 

Blake wonderfully weaves in traditional ghost stories into this plot, giving audiences the hitchhiker and the haunted house that are so often abandoned after summer camps are a thing of the past.  Anna Dressed in Blood favorably reminds me of I Am Not a Serial Killer, and like the latter has what I'll call an "unnecessary element" that detracts from narrative.  Overall, the book is highly successful, and highly enjoyable. 

76.
Title: [Penelope]
Author: Rebecca Harrington
Pages: 120 read before giving up
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed:
Rating: **

I can understand why people would find this book entertaining, and even why people would like Penelope, the socially awkward and completely human Harvard freshman trying to find her way.  Personally, I found Penelope overly immature and dull, and found the social interactions even less interesting than when I myself was in college.  Penelope is not for me. 

77.
Title: [The Darkest Prison]
Author: Gena Showalter
Pages: ?  LT says 448, but there's no way
Genre: Supernatural Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 13, 2012
Rating: ***

Standard fare. 

78.
Title: [Amittyville Horrible]
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Pages:
Genre:
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 13, 2012
Rating: ****

When Armstrong concluded her Otherwood series with Thirteen she promised fans that this wouldn't be the last they'd see of the characters they'd come to love, and with the novella/short story "Amittyville Horrible" she keeps that promise.  This one follows Jamie, necromancer, as she's roped into another reality special - "for charity."  Like always, Armstrong is consistent with her characters, paces the stories well, and offers a twist I didn't expect.  "Amittyville Horrible" is a very fun read. 

79.
Title: [Delirium]
Author: Lauren Oliver
Pages: 480
Genre: YA Dystopian
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Borrowed from the library
Date Completed: December 17, 2012
Rating: **

Love is identified as a fatal disease, a "cure" is found, and the US closes its borders as it pushes to eradicate human connection in pursuit of "happiness."  Yes, you've stumbled upon a YA dystopian.  And, of course, this means that a rebellion is brewing, and our perfectly plain and unassuming protagonist is in for dangerous romance, rebellion, and chaos. 

Delirium was listed by a colleague as being one of "the best" of the genre, and if this is true then I would have to identify the genre as one that is inherently weak.  The story is trite and the plot devices are shallow; that an author would actually say that love is a disease is sophomoric and uninteresting, overshadowing all that could be redeemable in the narrative. 

73.
Title: God Save the Queen
Author: Kate Locke
Pages: 
Genre: Steampunk-scifi-esque
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 5, 2012
Rating: ***

 God Save the Queen: a perhaps-antisocial young woman living in a supernaturally-drenched world discovers that things aren't what they seem, and neither is she (do I even need to mention the inevitable love interest of standard characteristics and loyalty?). While not wholly original, this formula is one I enjoy, and pursue knowingly.

 Kate Locke's God Save the Queen is a fun little romp that could have been so much more, if Locke wasn't so concerned with the current trend in the supernatural genres. As opposed to focusing on her own story and creative endeavors, she seeks to write against other popular stories, which only works as a disservice to her own book. It's all well and good to offer alternative mythologies, and (as I've said just recently), tastes will vary even among loyal genre-fans, but the drive to be-or-not-be can overshadow a text. After the anti-Twilight barb in her introduction (which itself unnecessarily defends her own mythology - probably because she fears the same kind of backlash Meyers faces), quotes such as this: "Now, they write romances and make foolish teen films about {vampires and werewolves}" not-so-subtlely allude to the same text. What this does, however, is not separate Locke from Meyers by adopting a popular criticism of the series, but rather illustrates her own ignorance of the tradition and evolution of the genre in which she is publishing by arguing against vampires and werewolves as romantic figures. Not only is Dracula (1897) romantic, but so are "Carmilla" (1872) and "Christabel," (1797) to name just three of many examples. I won't argue that in-depth knowledge of the genre is necessary to write successfully within that genre, but I will argue that one should conduct better research before publishing such barbs, in order not to be mocked herself.

 I will be reading the second in the series, with the hope that another book will bring greater confidence on the part of the narrative as its own creation.