Books, Books, Books!

Obviously I needed to catch up on my book reviews since I've been away from the computer for a week. No really great reason why except that I took a break while I waited to receive the computer I'll be using for my new contract job and can get back to earning some real money. I've even been lax about reading blogs this week, but I'll be catching up this weekend and hopefully will be back to normal after Easter. For now, enjoy some reviews of books I've read lately. It's a bit of a hodge-podge, but then my taste in reading materials is pretty eclectic.

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The Ship in the Hill by William L. Sullivan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


(Disclaimer: Won through Goodreads "First Reads", signed copy from author.



Another book I'd like to give 3.5 stars to if I could. I loved how this book blended the excavation of an actual Viking ship and the lives that the women found in the ship might have led in the 800's. Weaving some of what really happened, myth, legend and good old fashioned imagination the author brings to life the story of Asa of Agthir and the fictional Dr. Kirstin Williams. I think the author did a great job of taking the Viking legends and sagas handed down through time and used them as a starting point to flesh out the characters from the 7th century in the novel.



What I didn't like about the novel was how the people in the 20th century were "linked" to the people in the 7th century. I realize it helped to move the underlying plot, but seemed a bit contrived at times. But it didn't bother me too much, since it's a technique I've seen used by many a romance author who write stories that involve "time travel" (even though this book didn't).



All in all I enjoyed this book, it was interesting and well written enough to keep me reading well into the night. Plus I feel like I learned something about a part of the world that I didn't know that much about and it made me curious about Viking lore and history.


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The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The first in a series of mystery novels set in Africa finds Precious Ramotswe setting up shop as a "Lady Detective" after her father's death, definately not something anyone thought she would do with her inheritance. Along the way we learn about Mma Ramotswe's life before becoming the first lady detective in Gaborone. The main mystery surrounds the disappearance of a young boy from a small town in the region, but throughout the book "smaller" mysteries, which really aren't mysteries in the traditional sense of the word, are revealed. Through it all Mma Ramotswe's down to earth intelligence and good sense shine as she helps those who come to her for assistance.



I'd really give this one 3.5 stars if I could. It's a fairly easy read, not too taxing on the brain. I liked that the author stayed true to the setting, giving me as a reading more insight to the area and the people. I'd like to read more of these and will probably try to get them from the library.

Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure I got this one free from Amazon on my Kindle. Too lazy to check and see.

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Enchanting the Lady by Kathryne Kennedy

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Some romance, some fantasy, some magic, some Victorian England and a hot man who's a shape-shifter...what's not to like? I have to admit that I thought this was more a YA book until I hit the first hint of sex and realized it was meant for adults.



This wasn't a challenging read, I had most of it figured out pretty quickly, but it was interesting and fun, and just what a friend likes to call "good brain candy".



I liked Felicity, the main female character. She has spunk, even though it seems she's almost invisible to everyone until she meets Terrence Blackwell, a shape-shifting baronet who is also a spy for the royal family. Terrance can't seem to forget the beautiful woman he can see through the spell cast by relic-magic, the type of magic that killed his brother. Terrence is a were-lion and his character reflects his animal nature, which made sense and made the story even more interesting in my opinion.



The author does a great job of describing an alternate Victorian England that is filled with magical peers and were-animals, where even the buildings aren't what they seem. This is the first in a series that I downloaded from Amazon when it was offered as a free promotional and is no longer offered free. I liked it enough that I'll be downloading the other books in the series soon since this really gets a 3.5 in my book!


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I started a new knitting project, but I can't show it off yet. It's a present for a friend that I'm fairly certain reads my blog. Also, I haven't taken any pictures. I do have some stitching updates that I need to blog about so be on the lookout for those.