Web of Lies

Title: Web of Lies

Author: Jennifer Estep

Publisher: Pocket Books Urban Fantasy

Copyright Date: 2010

Print Date: May 2010

ISBN: 9781439147993

Pages: 400

Series: 2nd in the Elemental Assassin series

Book Description (from back cover):

CURIOSITY IS DEFINITELY GOING TO GET ME DEAD ONE OF THESE DAYS. PROBABLY REAL SOON.

I'M GIN BLANCO. You might know me as the Spider, the most feared assassin in the South. I'm retired now, but trouble still has a way of finding me. Like the other day when two punks tried to rob my popular barbecue joint, the Pork Pit. Then there was the barrage of gunfire on the restaurant. Only, for once, those kill shots weren't aimed at me. They were meant for Violet Fox. Ever since I agreed to help Violet and her grandfather protect their property from an evil coal-mining tycoon. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm really retired. So is Detective Donovan Caine. The only honest cop in Ashland is having a hard time reconciling his attraction to me with his Boy Scout mentality. And I can barely keep my hands off his sexy body. What can I say? I'm a Stone elemental with a little Ice magic thrown in, but my heart isn't made of solid rock. Luckily, Gin Blanco always gets her man ... dead or alive.

Comments:

I can't afford to buy new books, and the library didn't have this. So I put in a purchase suggestion (pointing out that they already had the 3rd book, Venom), and voila. I could finally move on with the series. And move on I did. Like Spider's Bite, I really enjoyed Web of Lies. The characters are great, Gin included. The storyline is interesting. And I'm always hoping Gin gets through.

The only thing I didn't care for as much was Detective Donovan Caine. I kinda wished Gin would just get over him, open her eyes, and look around. Because there was a much better guy in the background. The moment he (the other guy... don't want to say too much) was introduced I thought he was perfect for her.

But the story is moving on. I already checked out Venom and read it as well (post to come).

May Summary

Books Read in May:

Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls by Victoria Laurie
One Fine Day You're Gonna Die by Gail Bowen
The Heiress by Lynsay Sands
The Anteater of Death by Betty Webb
Love You To Death by Gail Bowen
This Book Is Overdue! : How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All by Marilyn Johnson
An Affair Without End by Candace Camp

An Affair Without End

Title: An Affair Without End

Author: Candace Camp

Publisher: Pocket Star Books

Copyright Date:2011

Print Date: April 2011

ISBN: 9781439117996

Pages: 385

Series: 3rd in the Willowmere series

Book Description (from dust jacket):

When Oliver, Earl of Stewksbury, asks the dashing Lady Vivian Carlyle to ensure that his American cousins meet the cream of London society, he doesn't anticipate the danger she will pose to his own self-control. Thrown into intimate contact with the lovely lady, Oliver finds he cannot stop thinking of Vivian — of her wit, of her smile ... of her lips. And when Vivian, who has sworn never to subject herself to the bonds of matrimony, boldly suggests that she and Oliver become lovers instead, her scandalous proposal is temptation indeed! But with an alarming series of jewel thefts rocking London, the ever-outrageous Vivian insists on trying to discover the perpetrator despite Oliver's admonitions. And when a bold lady steps into danger, it is a gentleman's duty to protect her at all costs. What neither Oliver nor Vivian can anticipate, however, is the ultimate cost may be both their hearts....

Comments:

When I read a book by Candace Camp, I know I'll enjoy it. So when I picked this one up, I didn't worry about anything like series. Unfortunately, this means I skipped the first two books. Fortunately, I still enjoyed reading this book. (And hopefully I'll still get around to reading the other two.) I liked the characters (of course I'll still have to get to know them better later). I was especially fond of Vivian's brother. Overall, an enjoyable read.

This Book Is Overdue! : How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All

Title: This Book Is Overdue! : How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All

Author: Marilyn Johnson

Publisher: HarperCollins

Copyright Date: 2010

Print Date: February 2010

ISBN: 9780061431609

Pages: 252 + Notes + Bibliography

Book Description (from dust jacket):

Buried in info? Cross-eyed over technology? From the bottom of a pile of paper and discs, books, e-books, and scattered thumb drives comes a cry of hope: Make way for the librarians! They want to help. They're not selling a thing. And librarians know best how to beat a path through the googolplex sources of information available to us, writes Marilyn Johnson, whose previous book, The Dead Beat, breathed merry life into the obituary-writing profession.

This Book Is Overdue! is a romp through the ranks of information professionals and a revelation for readers burned out on the clichés and stereotyping of librarians. Blunt and obscenely funny bloggers spill their stories in these pages, as do a tattooed, hard-partying children's librarian; a fresh-scrubbed Catholic couple who teach missionaries to use computers; a blue-haired radical who uses her smartphone to help guide street protestors; a plethora of voluptuous avatars and cybrarians; the quiet, law-abiding librarians gagged by the FBI; and a boxing archivist. These are just a few of the visionaries Johnson captures here, pragmatic idealists who fuse the tools of the digital age with their love for the written word and the enduring values of free speech, open access, and scout-badge-quality assistance to anyone in need.

Those who predicted the death of libraries forgot to consider that in the automated maze of contemporary life, none of us—neither the experts nor the hopelessly baffled—can get along without human help. And not just any help—we need librarians, who won't charge us by the question or roll their eyes, no matter what we ask. Who are they? What do they know? And how quickly can they save us from being buried by the digital age?

Comments:

I was drawn to this book by the title. I found the first 2-3 chapters inspiring. (I felt proud that maybe I'd do that someday and anxious that I don't think I'll ever be that good and helpful.) After that I found myself alternately feeling interested and eager to move on to the next part. By the end I was dragging my feet. I'm not sure what this says about the book, because I tend to follow a similar pattern for most non-fiction. But even despite that, I think parts could have been cut or trimmed. Overall, though, I was happy I found and decided to read this book.

Love You to Death

Title: Love You To Death

Author: Gail Bowen

Publisher: Raven Books Rapid Reads

Copyright Date: 2010

Print Date: April 2010

ISBN: 9781554692620

Pages: 94

Series: 1st story featuring late-night radio host Charlie D (connected to Joanne Kilbourn series)

Book Description (from dust jacket):

Charlie D is the host of a successful late-night radio call-in show that offers supportive advice to troubled listeners. Love You To Death takes place during one installment of "The World According to Charlie D" — two hours during which Charlie must discover who is killing some of the most vulnerable members of his audience.

The Author Speaks:


McNally Robinson presents Gail Bowen from Mcnally Robinson Booksellers on Vimeo.

And for more details behind what inspired this series and format, you can visit Gail Bowen's blog post.

Comments:

I enjoyed the book, though I wish I read it before One Day You're Gonna Die. I'm still not sure if I'm drawn by the author, format, or story time frame. And Charlie D was as likable as I remembered. I especially like how inspiring he is to others. In any case, I can certainly see how this would be a good book for reluctant readers, etc. I look forward to reading the third in this series, The Shadow Killer, due out in September.

The Anteater of Death

Title: The Anteater of Death

Author: Betty Webb

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Copyright Date: 2008

Print Date: December 2008

ISBN: 9781590585603

Pages: 261

Series: 1st in the Gunn Zoo Mystery series

Book Description (from dust jacket):

The Anteater was framed! But if Lucy, the pregnant Giant Anteater from Belize, didn't kill the man found dead in her enclosure, who did? California zookeeper Teddy Bentley must find the real murderer before her furry friend is shipped off to another zoo in disgrace.

Then another human bites the dust, the monkeys riot, and wolves go nuts. Things get worse when the snooty folks at Gunn Landing Harbor attempt to evict Teddy from the Merilee, her beloved houseboat.

That's just the beginning. Her father, on the lam from the Feds for embezzling millions, gets targeted by a local gangster; and Caro, Teddy's socialite and former beauty queen mother who loathes Teddy's dangerous job, starts introducing her to eligible bachelors. But Teddy has already given her heart to Sheriff Joe Rejas, a migrant worker's son. Caro is not pleased.

Zoo life, animal lore, and the leaky ups and downs of Central Coast California houseboat living create a thrilling backdrop for murder.

Comments:

I saw the second book in this series, The Koala of Death, among the "Always Something New" section at the library where I work. Since I prefer reading a series in order, I searched out this one first. It took me awhile to finish reading it, but I enjoyed it. I liked Teddy, the zoo setting, and the intro from the anteater Lucy's perspective. And I learned more about, and gained an appreciation for, an animal I hadn't ever thought much about before. I look forward to reading the next Gunn Zoo Mystery.

The Heiress

Title: The Heiress

Author: Lynsay Sands

Publisher: AVON Historical Romance

Copyright Date: 2011

Print Date: March 2011

ISBN: 9780061963094

Pages: 370

Series: 2nd of the Madison Sisters series.

Book Description (from dust jacket):

Desperately seeking a husband…

Suzette is not like other heiresses; she wants a poor husband. A gentleman who will be so grateful for her dowry that he will allow her access to her dowry so she can help pay off her father’s gambling debts. When this alluring beauty encounters Daniel Woodward — handsome, titled, single…and even more impoverished than she could have hoped for — it seems Suzette’s wildest dream has come true.

But Daniel has not been truthful. Tired of being accosted by an endless stream of vapid coquettes and their fortune-hunting mothers, Daniel has decided to plead poverty to stop them in their tracks. Yet here is a most refreshing and delectable lady who claims to be thrilled by his penury. Now all Daniel has to do to find true happiness is to keep a little white lie alive… while avoiding a dastardly villain who’s determined to prevent this union by any means necessary.

Comments:

 I pretty much expect to enjoy a Lynsay Sands book. And the blurb on this one sounded like my kinda story.  I especially like her Argeneau series and Love is Blind. I enjoyed this book as well, though it won't join my favorites. The characters were likeable enough as was the story. But...

This is technically the 2nd of the Madison Sister series, but really they (The Countess and The Heiress) overlap. I'm just not a huge fan of overlapping books, especially romances (reminds me of Jude Deveraux's Chandler Twin books. There's one that I re-read and one I'll never read again, even years later). Anyway, I don't know if I'll ever read the "first" book, The Countess. But if I do, I'll have to make sure I don't remember anything about this one.