Sookie needs to find a "normal" guy

I know that everyone in a relationship comes with extra baggage but Sookie's guy, Eric, comes with several trunk loads - or ship loads. As Sookie is helping other people to have happy lives, she needs one of her own. She's inherited money from her vampire cousin and now from her fairy godmother but the men in her life all seem to bring her into major danger - OK, it's often beyond their control, but still! Eric has a nasty new over-boss, Victor, who's like him and his people gone. There's trouble in the 'were community and a nasty fairy in Sookie's woods. Bill, her first love, is still in a very bad way after the fae attack with silver. However, her brother, Jason, has found a good woman; her best friend, Tara, is pregnant with twins and most of the people at the bar seem to be in a better place. Then, Eric's maker shows up with the former crown prince of Russia as his new boy toy!

Back in the reading mood

I started Laurie R. King's "The God of the Hive" and just couldn't get into it. Luckily, I left it for a few days and then I really started to enjoy the mystery. I guess I just had to be in the right mood. This book follows up "The Language of Bees" that left me so frustrated by not totally ending. I loved Sherlock's little granddaughter, Estelle, and Mary Russell's lack of knowledge about children. The introduction of Robert Goodman was marvelous. This "Puck" was a wonderful creation. I admit to being a little uncertain about Mary's anger with Mycroft over the whole funding thing - I'm probably too much of a product of my age.

Fantasy and Mystery

I really enjoyed "Darkship Thieves" by Sarah A. Hoyt. This author's range is amazing.I like her books about the paranormal shapeshifters set in Goldport, Colorado and the titles by her as Elise Hyatt also set in Goldport. This one is about a wealthy young woman who comes to in her father's space cruiser as one of his guards is apparently about to tranc her. She manages to escape in her nightgown into the powertrees only to end up the captive of one of the darkship thieves. She will soon find her entire universe is turned upside down as she comes to know those who have been declared the enemy of the human race is revealed to be more humane than those who she has grown up with. Action and fun dialog makes this a great read.
Earlene Fowler's newest title, "State Fair" made me realize that California fairs are different from Montana county fairs in numerous ways and the very same in many others. This mystery involves racial tension with the new manager of the fair - an African American man and those who don't want "his kind" in charge. Plus the Ebony Sisters Quilt Guild's showing of traditional African American quilts that is cosponsored by the folk art museum where Benni Harper is the curator. The added tension and humor comes from her great aunt Garnet who has come for a visit and is really into cop shows. She decides that she and Benni will be the ones to solve the murder that they discover at the fair.
Laura Anne Gilman has started a new series on Paranormal Scene Investigations - P.U.P.I - Private, Unaffiliated, Paranormal Investigations. These have been alluded to in her Retriever series and this series starts with the beginning of the group. Five twentysomethings, all magic users, who are hired to a career in forensic magic. The action is great and the smart-alack dialogue pretty typical of that age group. I'll be anxiously awaiting the next in the series.

Finally back to typing!

I broke my little finger on my left hand on Easter Sunday morning and spent six weeks with various splints on that hand. One handed typing is not the way I want to keep up with blogging. Finally able to take a shower without a plastic bag over that hand and now I'm getting back on track with my cleaning. Hope to get back to my beading in the next week or so. I've got at least five ornament patterns waiting for me - beads and all. Rebecca Hubbard gave me two ornament trees for my birthday/retirement and I need to get something on them - like that's the only excuse!
I got the latest Monkeewrench novel and couldn't stop reading until I had finished it. The FBI has recruited the computer geeks to help them find the persons responsible for a series of murder videos posted on the Web. Soon the Minneapolis police detective Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth have a bride in the river whose death is being shown on YouTube. There are some character changes that I'm not sure about. Guess I'll have to wait for the next book.
We were lucky enough to attend an author event that the library sponsored for their book clubs with Craig Johnson. What a fabulous afternoon that was! He's so easy to talk to and tells such a great story. Harry found the newest book at a half-price bookstore - three weeks ahead of the release date!!! We've all gobbled it up. Love Dog, Vic, Henry, Ruby, Lucian and all the others. Wish we didn't have to wait a year for the next book

Another week of books

I waited for "Apple Turnover Murder" by Joanne Fluke with happy anticipation only to want to wring her neck at the end. The mystery was lame and she left a new mystery to be solved in the next book and Hannah being confronted by Norman appearing with a new woman - AT THE VERY END OF THE BOOK. Some fun recipes but no mystery.
Sad to say that "Pretty in Ink" by Karen E. Olson was really good - especially after the Fluke book. I enjoy Brett Kavanaugh, the tattoo artist with the smart mouth who owns her own shop in Las Vegas - The Painted Lady. This mystery involved drag queens and a champagne cork that brought one queen down. A nasty cop with a grudge against Brett's brother, also a cop and another tattoo artist who just might be the answer to Brett's prayers, or drive her crazy.
"Ghouls Gone Wild" by Victoria Laurie features M.J. Holliday with her ability to communicate with the dead. She and her new partner, Heath, have gone to Scotland to film their new television show and may be up against more than the two of them can handle - not. I enjoy this series but like her psychic series better.
I truly wish that Peter May would have a new Chinese mystery out at least every other month. "The Runner" proceeds "Chinese Whispers" but just got published in the U.S. It's centered around the athletes preparing for the Olympics. Unfortunately, several of them have died in what seems to be accidents or natural causes - until the number of deaths becomes apparent. Li Yan is preparing for his marriage to Margaret Campbell, the American pathologist who is pregnant with his baby. With his angry, estranged father and her pretentious, estranged father meeting for the first time during this touchy investigation the future doesn't look particularly bright. Now I have to re-read "Chinese Whispers".
Add to this the beading and needlepoint I'm doing, cleaning up my craft area and my plate is full and retirement is indeed, good!

What a good week this has been!

I've had three books that I've been excited about this week. The first was "Blackout" by Connie Willis. I've read her other titles about time travel and this one was fantastic. I'm almost sorry to tell people that it involves time travel because they tend to get glassy eyed and impatient but this was such a wonderful book I want to smack them alongside the head and say "Get over yourself and give this book a chance." This one is set during World War II Great Britain and is really about how the ordinary people got along in the midst of daily turmoil and nightly bombings - all before the United States got involved. The whole Dunkirk rescue by just about anyone with a boat, the people who made due in London with the underground stations serving as bomb shelters and the country people who took in the children evacuated from London - including two of the most annoying, bratty children who still managed to tug at my heart strings.The only thing that was dismaying was to get to the end of this huge book and discover that we have to wait until the next book to find out how everyone's problems turn out!!

I've loved Liz Williams' books involving Detective Inspector Chen that are set in Shanghai Three where everyone is now getting used to demons and gods and magic. Chen's partner, the demon, Zhu Irzh, and the badger familiar of Chen's wife, Inari, who is also a demon, have been taken hostage in a strange jungle hell. Meanwhile, Chen is dealing with a Bollywood actress who is a tiger demon and on a killing spree. Mhara, the new Lord of Heaven, is being stalked by an assassin hired by his mother - oh, things get really exciting in these books. Beings die - sort of and there is lots of action and quite a bit of humor. Terrific book.

Lastly, I savored the newest book from Lorna Freeman. I thought for a while that we were never going to have another book about Lord Rabbit and the Borderlands but finally the publisher, ROC, came through. Rabbit is still trying to learn about his various gifts of magic and still reeling from the rebellion that he helped put down when one of the lords of the land demand that he marry his daughter since Rabbit's mother had jilted him to run away with Rabbit's dad. King Jusson takes his royal entourage off to Mearden for a diplomatic mission and to assess the situation with the demands for Rabbit's marriage. Wow, does the shit hit the fan. The entire House of Mearden seems to be full of intrigue and cranky people. There is the daughter of Captain Suiden who has arrived with a war wizard, the wolf, Kveta, who Rabbit knew from his home in the Borderlands and a strange "Watcher" of the local forest. Oh, I want to read this book again and savor all of the bits I missed because I wanted to see what would happen next. Please, please, let there be more.

What a good week this has been!