A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1

Author: George R.R. Martin
Year: 1996
Publisher: Bantam Books
Website: http://georgerrmartin.com/

Yeah, I finally read it. I also figure if you don't know what this book is about then you've been living in a cave somewhere for the past year; so, absolutely no descriptions from me. I will say that it took the book a while to get going and that I needed that appendix of the great multitude of characters in this book but that, once the book got to going, I loved it. 

The Snowman

Author: Jo Nesbo
Year: 2011
Publisher: Knopf 
Website: http://jonesbo.com/

Mothers are disappearing and left behind in their place are snowmen - the only clue that a serial killer is at work. Detective Harry Hole is convinced that the killer is playing a game with him because of a letter left for him.

This is a Scandinavian serial killer mystery by Jo Nesbo who is hailed as the next Steig Larrson. I can't comment on the comparisons to Larsson as I have got to be the only person left who hasn't read his Dragon Tattoo books (it is in my TBR stack). But, I can say this is a very good mystery. Nesbo's hero, Harry Hole, is tough, gritty, damaged goods who reminded me a lot of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch. Could be because they share the same name but I don't think it is. I think the characters are very similar.

This book was quite scary for a murder mystery and I felt that Nesbo dared to go further than many American authors would. And I liked it.

Water for Elephants

Author: Sara Gruen
Year: 1996
Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Website: http://saragruen.com

When he is 21 years old, Jacob Jankowski walks out of college in the middle of his veterinary final exams and joins the circus. It's not a pretty life. This story takes place during the Depression and the circus Jacob joins is not a top caliber circus. Animals go without food, workers without money and sometimes "disappear" during the night. 

I almost stopped reading this book before I got into the heart of the story because the first 75 pages was not at all what I expected and was much more explicit that I was prepared for. Once the Gruen got into the actual story, it was a beautiful story. The details of circus life were amazing - not necessarily pretty or something that made me want to run out and join the circus - but amazing. 

Thirteen Reasons Why

Author: Jay Asher
Year: 2007
Publisher: razorbill
Website:  www.thirteenreasonswhy.com 

Clay Jensen finds a shoebox with seven cassette tapes in it on his front doorstep. When he starts listening to them, Hannah Baker's voice tells him that if he's listening to these tapes, then he's one of the thirteen reasons why she committed suicide. Hannah tells him that he must listen to the tapes to find out why he is on her list and then forward the tapes to the person behind him on the list. Clay's dumbstruck. Why was he a reason that Hannah committed suicide? He had a crush on her! Through the night, Clay keeps listening. 

Again, another wonderful and emotional YA novel. I don't know how this book stayed off my radar until it came out in paperback. It's terrific. I was impressed with Jensen's use of the dual narration (not many authors could pull this off). Once I started this book, I couldn't stop reading. I had to keep going and find out who all was on Hannah's list and what did Clay do to Hannah that led to her suicide?

Very good read.

Hate List

Author: Jennifer Brown
Year: 2009
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Website: http://www.jenniferbrownya.com/

In her junior year of high school, Valerie's boyfriend opens fire on the student body in the Commons area of school, killing classmates, before turning the gun on himself. Nick's targets are people that he and Valerie had put on their Hate List - a list of people that they didn't like and thought should die. Now, in the aftermath, Valerie has to come to terms with  her boyfriend's actions and her role in them. After all, she did start the Hate List. For a while, the police question whether or not she was an active participant.  

This was an excellent book. It was very well written, tight lines, there wasn't a wasted sentence in the book. In addition, Jennifer Brown did an amazing job making me feel for the characters, sympathize with them and hope that somehow they were able to work everything out right. I highly recommend this book.

A Wizard of Mars: Young Wizards: Book 9

Author: Diane Duane
Year: 2010
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Website: www.youngwizards.com

I've been reading the Young Wizards since I was in middle school and I absolutely love these books. When I heard that A Wizard of Mars was coming out, I rushed to Amazon and pre-ordered the book so that I would have it delivered to my home on release day. And then let it sit in my TBR stack for over a year. I finally picked it up this week and started reading it and have been asking myself the same question all week: why did I wait so long to read this book?

In this ninth book, Nita Callahan and Kit Rodriguez find themselves having to deal with Kit's infatuation with Mars. Nita and Kit (but mostly Kit) are working to try and figure out the secrets of Mars and the truth to the question about was there ever life on Mars and what happened to Mars' planetary kernel. Kit accidentally triggers events that leads to the life emerging on Mars again. Unfortunately, the Martians' plans could destroy Earth. 

As always, I loved this book. I enjoyed seeing Nita and Kit growing up and starting to examine their relationship with one another and finally starting to start thinking about romance (come on it's been thirty years!). I also enjoyed seeing the friendships between Nita and Carmela and Kit, Darryl and Ronan.

Now, how long until the next book comes out? I definitely won't be letting that one sit on my TBR stack for a year.

Grave Sight Comic Book

Author: Charlaine Harris
Year: 2011
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment

This comic features Charlaine Harris' Harper Connelly character. Harper was struck by lightening as a teenager and since then she is able to see how people died. She can sense their ghosts and the places that they've died and the method of death. Harper can't always see who killed them but she can tell if they were murdered. Harper travels with her stepbrother, Tolliver, who works as her manager. 

I enjoy this character more than I do the Sookie Stackhouse character. I liked this comic a lot; although I did feel that the story was a bit short and I could've used more of it. I felt that it was well drawn but it did load a bit slowly on my nook.