Books Blog : San Francisco

Sunshine & Bloodsucking Fiends

Shh_ImReading@evpl — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:20:00 GMT

I've avoided Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series and put off trying Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series but I haven't steered clear of all vampire novels. Several years ago, I read Sunshine (see also) by Robin McKinley after a friend recommended it. It was so good I picked it up and read it again recently. Rae, or Sunshine, as she is known to her family and friends, had a fairly ordinary life baking for the coffeehouse her stepfather owns, spending time with her family and her boyfriend, Mel, who cooks at the coffeehouse. Her world is very much like our world, at first glance. The differences are written in a little at a time. Sunshine wasn't expecting to run into vampires at the lake, but she knew vampires existed. People protect their homes and businesses with wards and charms. There is an FBI-like organization that focuses on finding vampires, werewolves, etc. I'd love to tell you about the plot, but I don't want to risk giving anything away. Sunshine is a very detailed, dramatic and sometimes funny. I remember the first time I read it, I was almost sorry to reach the last page. One thing I must warn you about before you read Sunshine, is that since Sunshine is a baker, you may find yourself craving various muffins, pastries and especially cinnamon rolls while you read.

After I re-read Sunshine, I remembered I'd been meaning to read Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story by Christopher Moore. So I finally picked it up and read it. It's not nearly as good as Sunshine, but it's also completely different. Bloodsucking Fiends takes place in San Francisco, California. Tommy and Jody neither one have ever been particularly lucky in love until they meet each other. There's a catch, though: Jody is a vampire. In fact, their relationship begins because Jody finds out Tommy works nights stocking at a Safeway, which means he's free during the day to run errands for her. Tommy and Jody's nontraditional romance get rocky, wild and dangerous. As with any Christopher Moore novel, there are funny moments and disgusting, disturbing moments... sometimes simultaneously. If you like it, there are two sequels, You Suck and Bite Me.

Robin McKinley's website: http://www.robinmckinley.com/

Christopher Moore's website: http://www.chrismoore.com/

I Heart The Spellmans!

Shh_ImReading@evpl — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:17:00 GMT

Back in January, I wrote a little bit about Lisa Lutz's Spellman series. Last night I finished the third installment, Revenge of the Spellmans. It is EXCELLENT! This has become my new favorite series, since I've begun to grow tired of Janet Evanovich's Plum series. Private investigator Izzy Spellman might come from a fantastically dysfunctional family of fantastic private investigators, but the Spellmans love one another... for the most part... and they make endearing characters. This time 31-year-old Izzy is in court ordered therapy, living in a secret location and trying to solve a case that looks simple on the surface but only gets more complicated as she digs deeper. David revamps his life and Rae tries out new deviations. Henry Stone loses his patience with more than one Spellman. This third book introduces two new characters that I think might appear again-- Connor, an Irish bartender with a very thick accent and Maggie, a defense attorney who's almost as quirky as the Spellmans themselves. As usual, there are investigations of family members, investigations of friends of family members, a few arrests for spice and a dash of blackmail too. I couldn't possibly tell you all of the goings-on and I wouldn't want too; read it for yourself!

Lisa Lutz's website

Lisa Lutz's Izzy Spellman Novels

Shh_ImReading@evpl — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:41:00 GMT

I read The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz during our 2008 summer reading program, how about you? It was good enough, I read Curse of the Spellmans right afterwards. What a quirky family! The books focus on a wild private investigator named Izzy Spellman, but her whole family (mother, father, older brother & youner sister) of private investigators and a few special friends complete the character cast. Part mystery, part family drama and part "What did I do last night?", these funny books are a treat. Now a third installment, Revenge of the Spellmans, is set to be released in March!

Books Blog : San Francisco

Sunshine & Bloodsucking Fiends

I *Heart* The Spellmans!

Lisa Lutz's Izzy Spellman Novels

I Heart The Spellmans!