The nitty-gritty: Another hilarious entry into the Sin du Jour world, with some of the funniest dialogue I’ve ever read. “Are you guys almost done down there?” he asks the impossibly small piece of composite concealed in his right ear. “I’m fuckin’ bored.” “Us ‘guys’ are rigging the final charge now,” Cindy’s irritated voice answers […]
The nitty-gritty: A compact story with big ideas, featuring a fascinating magic system and fierce and determined female characters. I was immediately drawn to this novella by the cover: a beautiful and fierce-looking woman in the middle of a stormy sea. What was happening to her? It is book covers like this that make me want […]
The nitty-gritty: A darkly funny and violent tale with black magic, fallen angels, demons and angry girlfriends, complete with some loathsome characters you will love to hate. Trixie’s eyes widened as she took in the crimson and grey splatter all over the wall of my office, and then the corpse lying in a pool of […]
The nitty-gritty: A laugh-out loud skewering of the fast-food industry, filled with funny dialog and memorable characters. I have to admit, when I first saw the cover for Envy of Angels, I immediately filed it in the “I hate the cover so I don’t want to read this book” compartment of my brain. Typically I […]
The nitty-gritty: A story about gun-toting animals, with an unexpected combination of violence and wit, and some emotional moments as well. “That’s an ugly hat,” Barley started. Bonsoir’s eyes went wide with mock fury. “This is the greatest hat anyone has ever worn,” he said, pointing at his beret. “This hat was a gift from the Emperor […]
The nitty-gritty: A magical tale steeped in Chinese folklore and history, with memorable characters, exciting action, humor and one very special eyeball spirit named Mr. Yanqiu. “This wood came from a peach tree that grew at Mount Longhu,” I said, “in the shadow of the Hanging Coffins. My husband cut the wood himself. He was […]
The nitty-gritty: A disturbing and violent glimpse into a notorious historical figure, a dash of the supernatural, and a compelling story. For fans of shock horror, this is a must read. I’m always cautious when someone asks me to read a book from a small publisher I’ve never heard of, but when Lesley Conner asked […]
The nitty-gritty: An Alice in Wonderland re-telling that didn’t quite hit the mark, but a wonderful look at the effect of Victorian society on a handful of memorable characters. So Mama waggled her fingers in the air, Go, go, and settled her crown of hair, the color of browning roses, upon the bolster of the […]
The nitty-gritty: A clever story of alternate history that answers the question, “What led Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein?” Mary was kneeling on the other side of Oliver’s body, her face still spattered with cemetery dirt. We were a sight, the pair of us, Mary with her muddy dress and wild hair, me with the […]
The nitty-gritty: And we’re off! The story starts to take shape, we get to know the characters better. You can read my review of Badge, Book, and Candle (Bookburners #1) here. The walls of the room were hair and plaster. No. Splinters and sinew. No. The policeman didn’t know what the walls were. And, within […]