THE LONER by J. A. Johnson

J. A. Johnstone’s series The Loner has been around for a while, and has even been on my radar enough that I picked up a couple of books and never got around to reading them. Westerns are one of those genres of choice when I want to simply vege and forget about the world. And […]

THE COLD DISH by Craig Johnson

With the new Walt Longmire series starting up for summer television, I wanted to see what the character was about. I’d been hearing about Craig Johnson and Longmire for a few years, and had even picked up books that I hadn’t gotten around to reading. I once saw him at a book signing and should […]

KING CITY by Lee Goldberg

King City by Lee Goldberg was an absolute blast, an easy-reading, turn-the-pages story that took me back to the days when reading was a relaxation of the truest form. Just plug in, detach brain, and cruise through an adventure filled with good guys and bad guys and plenty of action. I’m really glad that this […]

STEAMPUNK!: AN ANTHOLOGY OF FANTASTICALLY RICH AND STRANGE STORIES by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant

Steampunk!: An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant was a mixed bag for me. Some of the stories didn’t seem to have more than a passing acquaintance with steampunk, or seemed to be too estranged from the genre to work for me. Others seemed to be the […]

THE DROWNED CITIES by Paolo Bacigalupi

I love Paolo Bacigalupi’s novels, especially his YA stuff. His books are written with a real sense of adventure and wonder. His characters don’t just struggle with problems, they live and breathe in a world that seems just right around the corner if things go badly. Kids are probably drawn to the post-apocalyptic feel of […]

RIP TIDE by Kat Falls

Rip Tide is the second book in Kat Falls’s action-packed science fiction young adult series. I’d been blown away by her first book, Dark Life, and my son had been too. My expectations for this second book were high, and I was afraid that I’d been expecting too much. But that was a needless worry. […]

SLEUTH OR DARE by Kim Harrington

Sleuth or Dare is the first novel of a new middle grader mystery series featuring two young girl protagonists. Norah and Darcy are two best friends, but they couldn’t be more different. Norah tells the story in this first book, and she’s bookish and into all things astronomy. Darcy is deliberately different, a free spirit […]

CARPATHIA by Matt Forbeck

The plot is so good for this one that I wish I’d thought of it first. Imagine the Titanic sinking only to have part of the doomed passengers rescued by a ship filled with bloodthirsty vampires. Cool, huh? Real movie potential. Matt Forbeck is a good writer and world builder, and he’s learned how take […]

DRIVEN by James Sallis

I read James Sallis’s first Driver novel before it had even been optioned for a movie, or made into one starring Ryan Gosling that became an eye-catching movie that captured moviegoers everywhere. I’d hoped that Sallis would follow up with a sequel and was glad when he did. Driven is another slam-bang feast of action […]