Holden Driver Dance Instructor Argentinean Cowboy in Suburban Australia

I don’t mean to alarm anyone, but I have reason to believe there is a Holden driver dance instructor Argentinean cowboy in suburban Australia. Or at least that’s the image the owner of this vehicle is trying to project.

P.S. The car was parked near a dance school, thus the “dance-instructing” part of my deduction. I can has smartz, y’all!

[COVER ART] The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner – Stephenie Meyer

Cover for Stephenie Meyer’s The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner.

4 New Covers

4 new covers behind the cut.

Andrea Cremer: Nightshade Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Jeannie Holmes: Blood Law Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Gemma Malley: The Legacy Buy (UK) Buy (Worldwide)
Skyler White: In Dreams Begin Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)

Marjorie M. Liu’s THE IRON HUNT

Marjorie M. Liu
The Iron Hunt (Hunter Kiss, Book 1)
Penguin Ace (US & CA: 24th June 2008); Hachette Orbit (UK: 6th May 2010)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

OMGWTFUNICORN!

Tattoos. “The boys.” Hunters. Zombies. Wolf. Unicorn. Avatar. Whatever the heck Grant is. Time-travel. Labyrinth. Breathing underwater with no eyes, nose or mouth. An iron band that can turn into a sword.

Listing these things doesn’t mean I understand them. The novel seems like one big hallucinogenic trip, but while I don’t get it, I do want to read more, and have already started Book 2.

Dude!

P.S. Yes, this is another non-review.

Julia Cameron’s THE ARTIST’S WAY

Julia Cameron
The Artist’s Way (non-fiction)
Pan Macmillan (AU: 1st November 1995; UK: 6th June 1997); Penguin Tarcher (US: 4th March 2002)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

I gave up after 90 pages, so this is not a review. This book has been recommended, and my library region has it, so I gave it a chance.

Basically, it’s just too vague. It’s for all kinds of artists: painters, film-makers, writers, etc, but I need something specifically for writers.

There’s a feck of a lot of religion and spirituality here. Some higher being or greater force has gifted us, and we need to unlock something to freely use our gift. Okay, so the author’s had problems with drink and drugs, and God helped her through that. But I’m an atheist who’s never relied on drink or drugs. And I don’t have a muse, or whatnot. My abilities come from me – not something, or someone, else. The book harps on about affirmations and how you’re good, you’re great, you have the power…but there’s still talk of God, so the theories contradict one another. Who’s more awesome: you or God? Who has the creativity? Are you really a creative force, or just a conduit?

Yeah, so this totally isn’t the book for me, and I should’ve quit it much earlier. Maybe those of you with spirituality and muses will get something out of it.

April 2010 Releases

Done with March 2010 Releases? Here are April 2010 Releases. To look into the future, check Reading Wishlist.

[REVIEW] Lying in Bed – M. J. Rose

M. J. Rose
Lying in Bed
Harlequin Spice (US: 1st June 2006)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Marlowe Wyatt writes love letters and erotic short stories for her clients to gift their lovers. When she meets with a particular client, he launches her on her own erotic journey, uncovering the person Marlowe used to be until she was ultimately betrayed eight years ago. A betrayal she still hasn’t got over. And she must confront the betrayer to secure her privacy.

Gideon’s already in a relationship (or is he?), so his meetings with Marlowe don’t feel healthy. And most of their time together is focused on her, so their pairing doesn’t seem equal. And I thought artist types were usually poor, so I don’t understand how Marlowe can afford to live in New York City, purchase all her expensive art supplies, and buy rather pricey-sounding food and drink. But that’s just me nitpicking. Also, relationships between step-siblings still count as incest (though Marlowe protests that too much), so parts of this novel are rather awkward.

She may have since moved on to writing thrillers, but Lying in Bed is M. J. Rose writing what she does best: a psychological study. Marlowe’s history is slowly unravelled, culminating in a smashing face-off with her past. Her character journey is by far the most fascinating part of the novel, and the attention to detail is deep. The author’s early work (pre-Reincarnationist) is her best, in my humble opinion, so do make an effort to hunt down this 2006 gem.

[REVIEW] Life As We Knew It – Susan Beth Pfeffer

Susan Beth Pfeffer
Life As We Knew It (The Last Survivors, Book 1)
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Graphia (US: 1st May 2008); Scholastic Marion Lloyd (UK: 3rd May 2010)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

An asteroid is due to crash into the moon – interesting to watch, but no big deal. But no one predicted that the asteroid would push the moon’s orbit much closer to Earth. The moon controls the tides, so tsunamis are the first disasters. Earthquakes and erupting volcanoes soon follow, and illness may very well lead to death.

Miranda Evans is taking it one day at a time, just like everyone else, but she can’t fight her personal darkness. One of her friends has fallen so far into religion that she’s starving herself to death. Another friend is escaping the town with a forty-year-old man. News from her father and stepmother just doesn’t come fast enough. And then there’s the stuff too close to home: the blizzards, the woodstove malfunctioning, and the sickness that strikes Miranda’s mother and brothers. And when she, too, falls ill, not even she may survive.

The book would’ve worked better had it just been a straight first-person account, rather than a diary. Who actually remembers exact dialogue from their day? You don’t need a reason to write first-person – just do it. Susan Beth Pfeffer plays it smart by focusing on everyday life in a small town, rather than city kids running from tsunamis and erupting volcanoes. And there are enough issues that contemporary teens face: fighting with friends, a mother wanting her daughter not to have a boyfriend, mixed feelings toward step-parents…Miranda’s even a bit fangirly over a figure skater.

It doesn’t take much to shock me, but Miranda’s July 17 diary entry certainly did. So sad!

Fans of Jeanne DuPrau and Julie Bertagna should gravitate toward this stark and striking story.

[REVIEW] Flirt – Laurell K. Hamilton

Laurell K. Hamilton
Flirt (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter)
Penguin Berkley (US & CA: 2nd February 2010); Hachette Headline (UK & AU: 2nd February 2010)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

At lunch, Anita Blake and three of her men engage in public displays of affection, and flirt with the waiter. They’re being watched. When Anita goes there alone later, she’s approached by two werelions, who will kill Anita’s loved ones if she doesn’t raise a zombie for their client – the same person from whom Anita earlier turned down work.

When the author is good, she’s very good, as demonstrated in the cemetery scene. Laurell K. Hamilton is at her best taking Anita through the procedure of animating zombies. Instead, most of the book follows the politics surrounding the werelions. And whilst the chapter with Natalie Zell is interesting, it ultimately has nothing to do with the story, except for a short time making Anita wonder who sent the hired goons – and the answer is in the book’s cover copy, and thus not a spoiler.

This between-the-novels snapshot is ultimately unnecessary, and is not worth the hardcover price. Borrow this one from the library, or wait until a paperback edition is available for purchase. You’re not missing much.

[COVER ART] Lili St. Crow’s JEALOUSY

US/UK cover for Lili St. Crow’s Jealousy. Dru’s hair isn’t usually that perfect, and she doesn’t wear make-up. The image just isn’t right for the character.

Lili St. Crow: Jealousy Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)