So. Um. Where to start? I've read several books since I posted last. I've begun and not yet finished several more.... I'm busy lately and it's as though my noggin just can't focus long enough to finish a whole book.
I did read and finish Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick (Hush, Hush book 3). Loved it, as usual. I am yet again pleased by Patch's ability to retain his undeniable bad boy attitude after he falls for the girl. So many bad boys turn to goo after that fateful, true-love-finding chapter. Not so with Patch. :) He is still rather naughty. So I'm still reading. Another thing I love about this series? Nary a love triangle to be found. Sure, Nora's friends with Scott and he's probably nursing a crush for her. But Norah knows what she wants, and they seem ready to remain friends without too much complication. I appreciate the saved drama. While I was thinking of giving this one only four of five toes, I think I'll go ahead and make it five. Patch wins the book an extra toe in the prologue when he beats the bloody hell out of Nora's (oh so deserving) dad. Reading it actually made me cringe, so it deserves points for unexpected badass-ery.
And also, Kitty's Big Trouble, a Kitty Norville novel by Carrie Vaughn. I've been a big fan of this series from the start, but for some reason this installment didn't get me quite as excited as previous installments have. I kind of missed Kitty's pack, I think. And it felt a bit like Kitty is loosing steam. Not that any normal person wouldn't. I did enjoy the Chinese culture and mythology that was at the core of this book, even if it kind of clashed a little with the vampire hunting cowboy beginning. So, um.... I liked it okay. It wasn't my favorite in the series, but it wasn't a deal breaker for me either. I'll still pick up the next book when it's out. 3.5 of 5 toes.
Also, I finally read The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff. Squee? So good. So creepy. So bone chillingly perfect for this time of year. The Replacement is a story about a changeling, living in a town where children sometimes mysteriously die. The town is rarely subject to any other hardships, but losing children is hardship enough. So our changeling protagonist spends his life trying to stay away from iron (not easy in this day and age) and trying to blend in because standing out could be deadly. Raised among humans, he is less than sympathetic to the plight of the creatures who abandoned him as an infant. His fight to save a little girl's life, to do what is right and not what is easy, is touching and compelling. The prose is lyrical and eerie throughout, making you feel like you're walking in a misty world full of deadly iron right beside him. Fans of Holly Black and Melissa Marr will enjoy this dark take on Faerie lore. 5 of 5 toes.
And now for the bit about Turtle Reading.
"What is Turtle Reading?" you ask. Why, I'll tell you. Turtle Reading is reading so slowly that people ask "Aren't you finished with that book yet?" and you have to answer shamefacedly, "I'm only on Chapter 14.... of 75......"
"How long have you been at it, now?" Your querulous assailant will enquire.
"Only three months," you'll reply.
This is me, reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Bit by bit, chapter by chapter, I am creeping my way through this book. Part of me does not want it to end. Part of me wants to take it in in slow motion. It's that kind of book. There are secrets and possibilities braided into every sentence, and I am enjoying picking each one apart. It's a book I want to nibble at, slowly, to better enjoy the flavor. It's not the first time I've taken so long to read a book. But with perhaps the exception of Eragon (which I found to be very slow and dull through the first half of book one), it is the only one of its kind that I think I'll actually finish some day.I kind of want to live at the Night Circus. I'm dressing in all black and white in homage this Halloween. I think when I finish, I'll probably start it over again, to gather up the loose bits that I missed. I want to recommend it to everyone I see and talk to, but I just don't have enough faith in the general public's taste. And, too, I live and work in Griffin. So, you know... there's that. But! Jenn, I have faith in your taste, and you have to have to have to read it. :) Even though I haven't finished it, I give it all the kitten toes in the known universe.
Another book I'm inching my way through, though not as slowly, is The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan. This is hardcore, noire horror movie (the old school kind that were really scary and not just gross) grit with a truly monstrous anti-hero protagonist. Even when I'm not certain I'm reading a "scary part" it's giving me chills. Also, the book trailer (follow the link above to see it) is kind of nifty with all the creepy anagrams it reveals. Perfect Halloween read. Read it in the dark while it rains and thunders outside for maximum atmosphere. :) 5 of 5 toes (even if I'm not quite finished yet.)And now, it's 1:00 AM (I'm home by the way. Not still stuck in the shop without my keys, thank the Tallest.) so I'm off to bed. Or maybe just off to Twitter, if I'm honest. But off to do something a little more mindless. <3
