Friday, June 17, 2011

"Hit List" Misses the Mark

When I first was introduced to the Anita Blake series, I loved it. Anita was a kick butt heroine with some hefty emotional issues, trying to cope with the horrors of her job as an animator. But slowly and surely Hamilton bumped up the kink with the multiple men and the ardeur plot line which meant that in the second half of the series is practically page after page of sex. Now I like a little bit of raunch just as much as the next girl, but enough is enough.

That was why I was glad that Hit List, the most recent edition to the series only had one very short scene. At the same time, Anita has added another man to her already full dance card and spent most of the rest of the book putting up a feminist defense to the overbearing bully of a U.S. Marshal. It's old. And it leaves me wondering whether or not Hamilton can keep the series going. The logistics of Anita's life are mind boggling and if another guy or two gets added each book ... I can't even keep them straight now.  Plus, I keep forgetting who she's done and who she hasn't; I need to make a score card like I did for the Merry Gentry series.

Plus, Hamilton has killed off the Marmee Noir plot line, a little to easily for my taste. But what now? I mean the Olaf plot is heating up, but how far can that go?  Does Hamilton have some bigger, badder monster than the Mother of All Darkness? On the other hand, how is this series going to end? The only way I can see is that Anita has to die, but that isn't exactly the happy ending I want.  This series is too much like an amusement park ride. It's great and exciting while your on it, but at some point you have to get off. But when do we get off?

**I just found this awesome drinking game via GoodReads and Reading Amidst the Chaos. I may try this on my next day off. (Though some of the other books will get soused faster.)

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Branching Out

I began this summer with no specific reading goals in mind except to explore some of the social networking sites for readers. However, I am amending that previous decision. Because of my joining both LibraryThing and GoodReads, plus the book blogs I follow: Reading Amidst the Chaos and  Blogging for a Good Book, I am realizing just how many books out there I want to read. So instead of re-reading some of my favorite comfort food reads, I am branching out and not going to re-read anything else this summer. (Two exceptions: Name of the Wind, so I can remind myself of the story before I move onto The Wise Man's Fear, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows because the final movie is coming out this summer!).

Here are just some of the books I want to read this summer:

The Hunger GamesImage via Wikipedia

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins -  It's a very "in" book right now and I do love me some, post-apocalyptic teen fiction. I've heard some rave reviews about it and my colleague let me borrow her copy, so I should be getting started fairly soon.

Fifth Avenue., 5 A.M. by Sam Wasson - I usually stay away from exposes, but I love Breakfast at Tiffany's the movie, though Capote's story was not my favorite.



The Riddle-Master by Patricia McKillip - My supervisor recommended the series to me and the cover blurb was intriguing. However, the GoodReads reviews are mixed, so I will proceed with caution.

Broadway Musicals: The Biggest Hit and Flop of the Season, 1959 -2009 by Peter Filichia - It seems like such an interesting book and will get me one step closer to the bright lights I have never seen but long to.

Check out my GoodReads for future updates! (I hit the 200 book limit for LibraryThing so I have to decide how much to pay for a membership). And look for a post towards the end of the summer where I will discuss the various reading social networking sites.
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