Grave Witch

Grave Witch (Alex Craft #1) by Kalayna Price

Grave witch Alex Craft can speak to the dead, but that doesn’t mean she likes what they have to say . . .

As a private investigator and consultant for the police, Alex Craft has seen a lot of dark magic. But even though she’s on good terms with Death himself—who happens to look fantastic in a pair of jeans—nothing has prepared her for her latest case. Alex is investigating a high profile murder when she’s attacked by the ‘shade’ she’s raising, which should be impossible. To top off her day, someone makes a serious attempt on her life, but Death saves her. Guess he likes having her around . . .

To solve this case Alex will have to team up with tough homicide detective Falin Andrews. Falin seems to be hiding something—though it’s certainly not his dislike of Alex—but Alex knows she needs his help to navigate the tangled webs of mortal and paranormal politics, and to track down a killer wielding a magic so malevolent, it may cost Alex her life . . . and her soul.

I absolutely love the opening for this book! "The first time I encountered Death, I hurled my mother's medical chart at him. As far as first impressions went, I blew it, but I was five at the time, so he eventually forgave me. Some days I wished he hadn't - particularly when we crossed paths on the job." This is the foundation for the funky relationship Alex and Death have going on. I love how he is portrayed as normal with faded jeans and t-shirts. The idea of him as a potential love interest just spells trouble in my mind, but it would be awesome to see it work out. There is an incredible dynamic of tension whenever he is around because he loves to keep Alex guessing. She never knows if he is there to collect a soul or just wants coffee.

The plot revolves around a mystery -- several interconnected murders that have some ritual elements to them, the traces of which only Alex can see, which is what brings her to the attention of Detective Andrews -- but in the course of investigating them, she unravels some other interesting mysteries -- about Detective Andrews, her estranged father, her long-lost roommate, and her own magical gifts.

Excerpt: Chapter 1

A Kiss of Shadows

A Kiss of Shadows (Meredith Gentry #1)
by Laurell K. Hamilton

Well, I admit a love and addiction to Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series. I love it. That being said I had never picked up her Meredith Gentry series before. I didn't know if I would like it because it deals with Fae. I have a hard time getting into books that are centered around Faeries. I have to say though I am hooked. This is really a testament to how wonderful of an author that Hamilton is. For me to be hooked on a series that revolves around the fae is amazing.

Our world, our technology, but with magic.

“My name is Meredith Gentry, but of course it’s not my real name. I dare not even whisper my true name after dark for fear that one hushed word will travel over the night winds to the soft ear of my aunt, the Queen of the Air and Darkness. She wants me dead. I don’t even know why.”

Meredith Gentry, Princess of the high court of Faerie, is posing as a human in Los Angeles, living as a P.I. specializing in supernatural crime. But now the Queen’s assassin has been dispatched to fetch her back–whether she likes it or not. Suddenly Meredith finds herself a pawn in her dreaded aunt’s plans. The job that awaits her: enjoy the constant company of the most beautiful immortal men in the world. The reward: the crown–and the opportunity to continue to live. The penalty for failure: death.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars

Read a Book Excerpt

Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Eric Hitchens (April 13, 1949 – December 15, 2011) is an English-born American author, journalist and literary critic. He has been a columnist at Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, World Affairs, The Nation, Slate, Free Inquiry, and a variety of other media outlets. Hitchens was also a political observer, whose best-selling books — the most famous being God Is Not Great — have made him a staple of talk shows and lecture circuits.

"All first-rate criticism first defines what we are confronting," the late, great jazz critic Whitney Balliett once wrote. By that measure, the essays of Christopher Hitchens are in the first tier. For nearly four decades, Hitchens has been telling us, in pitch-perfect prose, what we confront when we grapple with first principles-the principles of reason and tolerance and skepticism that define and inform the foundations of our civilization-principles that, to endure, must be defended anew by every generation.

"A short list of the greatest living conversationalists in English," said The Economist, "would probably have to include Christopher Hitchens, Sir Patrick Leigh-Fermor, and Sir Tom Stoppard. Great brilliance, fantastic powers of recall, and quick wit are clearly valuable in sustaining conversation at these cosmic levels. Charm may be helpful, too." Hitchens-who staunchly declines all offers of knighthood-hereby invites you to take a seat at a democratic conversation, to be engaged, and to be reasoned with. His knowledge is formidable, an encyclopedic treasure, and yet one has the feeling, reading him, of hearing a person thinking out loud, following the inexorable logic of his thought, wherever it might lead, unafraid to expose fraudulence, denounce injustice, and excoriate hypocrisy. Legions of readers, admirers and detractors alike, have learned to read Hitchens with something approaching awe at his felicity of language, the oxygen in every sentence, the enviable wit and his readiness, even eagerness, to fight a foe or mount the ramparts.

Here, he supplies fresh perceptions of such figures as varied as Charles Dickens, Karl Marx, Rebecca West, George Orwell, J.G. Ballard, and Philip Larkin are matched in brilliance by his pungent discussions and intrepid observations, gathered from a lifetime of traveling and reporting from such destinations as Iran, China, and Pakistan.

Hitchens's directness, elegance, lightly carried erudition, critical and psychological insight, humor, and sympathy-applied as they are here to a dazzling variety of subjects-all set a standard for the essayist that has rarely been matched in our time. What emerges from this indispensable volume is an intellectual self-portrait of a writer with an exemplary steadiness of purpose and a love affair with the delights and seductions of the English language, a man anchored in a profound and humane vision of the human longing for reason and justice.

“Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods.” ― Christopher Hitchens

If I had a complaint, it’s that, at 749 pages, it’s still too short. Thankfully, everything he's written is archived somewhere. In all, ‘Arguably’ is brilliant.

In a world of vacuous punditry and unchecked credulity his was a voice of unequivocal reason and studied skepticism. He will be missed.

The Devil Inside

The Devil Inside (Morgan Kingsley #1)
by Jenna Black

Posession. Murder. Mayhem.
Let the games begin...

Exorcism isn’t a job, it’s a calling—and a curse. Just ask Morgan Kingsley, a woman who has a stronger aura than any Demon. Or so she thought. Now, in a pair of black leather pants and a kick-ass tattoo, Morgan is heading back to Philadelphia after a nasty little exorcism—and her life is about to be turned upside down…by the Demon that’s gotten inside her.

Not just any Demon. Six foot five inches of dark, delicious temptation, this one is to die for—that is, if he doesn’t get Morgan killed first. Because while some humans vilify Demons and others idolize them, Morgan’s Demon is leading a war of succession no human has ever imagined. For a woman trying to live a life, and hold on to the almost-perfect man, being possessed by a gorgeous rebel Demon will mean a wild ride of uninhibited thrills, shocking surprises, and pure, unadulterated terror. . . .

Morgan is an exorcist. In her world Demons exist. There are legal and illegal posessions. Demons can legally posses someone who is of legal age and gives consent and if they behave. It is illegal to posses someone against their will of someone underage.

Illegals get exorcised or in 10 states they also allow the execution of the human hosting the illegal demon. The only way that it is believed that demons can be killed is to exorcize it or burn it's host alive.

Morgan learns that things in her life have become complicated and that there is a demon in her and that there is a lot that needs to be done. She need to be careful though too because she lives in Pennsylvania a state that is ok with burning her alive. It is up to her to be someone that she never planned to be... a hero.

I love this book. This is book #1 of a series and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars

The Pope Who Quit: A True Medieval Tale Of Mystery, Death, And Salvation

The Pope Who Quit: A True Medieval Tale Of Mystery, Death, And Salvation
by Jon M. Sweeney

At the close of the tumultuous Middle Ages, there lived a man who seemed destined from birth to save the world. His name was Peter Morrone, a hermit, a founder of a religious order, and, depending on whom you talk to, a reformer, an instigator, a prophet, a coward, a saint, and possibly the victim of murder. A stroke of fate would, practically overnight, transform this humble servant of God into the most powerful man in the Catholic Church. Half a year later, he would be the only pope in history to abdicate the chair of St. Peter, an act that nearly brought the papacy to its knees. What led him to make that decision and what happened afterward would be shrouded in mystery for centuries. The Pope Who Quit pulls back the veil of secrecy on this dramatic time in history and showcases a story that involves deadly dealings, apocalyptic maneuverings, and papal intrigue.
I thought that this book sounded very interesting. It is about Peter Morrone, the pope who quit. A hermit, a reformer, an instigator, a prophet, a cowerd, a saint, and possible murder victim... it all depends on who you talk to. That really made me interested in the book, which I received for free through Goodreads and was able to read before it hit stores 2/14/12.

After I got the book in the mail I realized that I might not be the ideal reviewer they are looking for thought because the book is by Image Catholic Books and I am an atheist, but here are my thoughts.

Growing up in an Anabaptist background I had taken church history in Mennonite school, so I know a bit about this time period in church history.

I would recommend this book to Catholics because if you are going to be catholic I think you should know your church history. I would also recommend this book to all Christians because like the Catholics, if you are going to be a christian you should know church history.

I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars.

The Story of Jane

The Story of Jane
by Catherine Cusset

WHAT IF SOMEONE WROTE A STORY ALL ABOUT YOU...A STORY THAT DETAILED YOUR LOVE LIFE, YOUR RELATIONSHIPS, YOUR DAILY COMINGS AND GOINGS? AND WHAT IF YOUR ANONYMOUS AUTHOR GOT IT ALL RIGHT?

Meet Jane. A professor at an academically outstanding college, she is recently divorced and feeling somewhat unsure, especially in terms of the opposite sex, having had several recent attempts to befriend men go awry.

As she leaves her apartment one day, she discovers a package addressed to her in the foyer of her building. Opening it, she discovers that it's a novel -- entitled "The Story of Jane." As she starts to read, she realizes that the novel is all about her -- her and her love life, or failure at love, to be more exact.

There's no name on the manuscript, no return address on the package. Suddenly uneasy and feeling much too exposed, she retreats to her apartment and sets about reading. At various points during the afternoon she stops to wonder -- sometimes in amazement, often in anger -- who could have known her well enough to write this story of her life. And where could that person be now?

As we peer over Jane's shoulder, reading along with her, we learn all about her life since arriving at Devayne University. We see her affairs, her marriage to the very sexy Eric, which ends in divorce, her disastrous friendship with the already married Francisco. One by one, Jane considers the men she has known, sure that one of them is the obsessed author and more than a little afraid that she might be in danger.

A startlingly fresh and innovative novel, "The Story of Jane" takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride of emotions and revelations as the layers of Jane's life are peeled away andthe anonymous author becomes known.

The ending is amazing. Reading this book for the first 3/4ths of it I was thinking it was a 3 out of 5 star book but the ending......

The ending is so very good.

This book gets a 4 out of 5 stars.

99 Coffins: A Historical Vampire Tale

99 Coffins: A Historical Vampire Tale
by David Wellington

In Gettysburg there is a cemetery. In it lie 100 coffins. 99 of the coffins hold vampires, who are missing their hearts. One coffin is smashed, broken and empty.

Who was in that coffin? Does he have the 99 hearts? If those hearts were put back in the 99 bodies that would make an army of vampires.

How did they lie there undisturbed for 150 years?

Laura Caxton has to figure all that out and save Gettysburg from a mass invasion of the undead.

Laura works for the Bureau of Criminal Investigations. Her live in girlfriend, Clara, works as a police photographer for the sheriff"s department in Lancaster County.

I always find it interesting to read books that are "based" in my area.

The vampires in this book aren't those "sexy vampires" and they don't sparkle either :)

This book really drew me in. I almost cried when Laura calls her girlfriend and tells her that she loves her because Laura knows that it might end bad. Laura might not make it through the night alive.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.