1st in a Series Challenge 2011 - Completed!

This was a fun challenge! I signed up for the second level: Series Lover - 6 books and reached that goal much sooner than expected. I considered upgrading to the next level of 12 books, but after having a bit of a down period in my reading recently I decided I didn't want the pressure. I'm sure I'll read several more books that are first in a series this year, but I don't want to feel guilty if I don't make it to 12. So, I hereby declare this challenge completed!

Here are the books I read with links to reviews. I also read Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder, but managed to delete the review without having a backup, so I'm not counting it anymore.

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
2. Burglars Can't Be Choosers by Lawrence Block
3. Heat Wave by Richard Castle
4. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
5. Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble by H.P. Mallory
6. Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer

CHALLENGE COMPLETED  4 JUNE 2011

Review: Bloody Jack

Bloody Jack
Being An Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy
By L.A. Meyer

First published: 2002
Series: Bloody Jack #1

Read: 28 May - 4 June 2011
Pages: 283
Challenges: 1st in a Series Challenge #7

From the cover
Life as a ship's boy aboard HMS Dolphin is a dream come true for Jacky Faber. Gone are the days of scavenging for food and fighting for survival on the streets of eighteenth-century London. Instead, Jacky is becoming a skilled and respected sailor as the crew pursues pirates on the high seas.

There's only one problem: Jacky is a girl. And she will have to use every bit of her spirit, wit, and courage to keep the crew from discovering her secret. This could be the adventure of her life – if only she doesn't get caught ...

Salty Adventure

I have read many a great review of the Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer, and as I was in the middle of a pirate phase (I watched all 4 Pirates of the Caribbean movies in a short period of time) I decided to see what all the fuss was about. I soon understood why everyone seems to love Bloody Jack. This middle-grade adventure of the high seas is just as entertaining for adults as it is for kids.

Meyer has expertly weaved a fantastic story of adventure, friendship, love and everyday life onboard a ship of the Royal Navy, but at the same time he doesn't shy away from more serious themes such as survival, violence, sodomy, and death. The characters are believable and well-developed, and everyone is important to the story. I can't vouch for the historical accuracy, but the setting pulled me right in and I could practically smell the ocean and feel the spray of the sea.

The story is told with Jacky as a first-person narrator. She has a distinctive voice that changes and evolves throughout the book, and as the story progresses you really feel like you get to know her. She's straight-forward and honest and tells everything like it is. She is also down to earth and practical, finding a solution to her problems when they arise but doesn't worry about them until it's necessary. There is an interview with the author at the back of the book, saying Jacky is only as brave as she has to be, but I'd say that is still pretty darn brave.

My biggest complaint is about the cover of my copy (pictured above). Although I love the dark colours and the ship in the top left corner, I think the girl looks much too modern for this historical tale. What do you think?

My rating:

The Bloody Jack Series

1. Bloody Jack (2002)
2. Curse of the Blue Tattoo (2004)
3. Under the Jolly Roger (2005)
4. In the Belly of the Bloodhound (2006)
5. Mississippi Jack (2007)
6. My Bonny Light Horseman (2008)
7. Rapture of the Deep (2009)
8. The Wake of the Lorelei Lee (2010)
9. The Mark of the Golden Dragon (2011)

Review: Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble
By H.P. Mallory

First published: 2010
Series: Jolie Wilkins #1

Read: 15 - 25 May 2011
E-book
Challenges: 1st in a Series Challenge #6

From GoodReads
A self-deprecating witch with the unique ability to reanimate the dead. A dangerously handsome warlock torn between being her boss and her would-be lover. A six hundred year old English vampire with his own agenda; one that includes an appetite for witches. The Underworld in a state of chaos. Let the games begin.

Life isn’t bad for psychic Jolie Wilkins. True, she doesn’t have a love life to speak of, but she has a cute house in the suburbs of Los Angeles, a cat and a quirky best friend.

Enter Rand Balfour, a sinfully attractive warlock who insists she’s a witch and who just might turn her life upside down. Rand hires her to help him solve a mystery regarding the death of his client who also happens to be a ghost. Jolie not only uncovers the cause of the ghost’s demise but, in the process, she brings him back to life!

Word of Jolie’s incredible ability to bring back the dead spreads like wildfire, putting her at the top of the Underworld’s most wanted list. Consequently, she finds herself at the center of a custody battle between a villainous witch, a dangerous but oh-so-sexy vampire, and her warlock boss, Rand. 

Witches and warlocks and werewolves, oh my!

This will be short and sweet, because I really don't have much to say about Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble. In short, it was a cute read. I chose it to read on my Scotland trip because I figured it would be light reading, and it turned out to be a perfect holiday companion. The book is teeming with creatures of the night; a hot warlock, a hot werewolf, a hot vampire, a hot ghost, a hot fairy... Oh yeah, and there's a war brewing in the Underworld.

I had a little trouble connecting to Jolie, the main caracter and narrator. Her constant self-doubting and insecurity, despite having all sorts of sexy creatures wanting to "bed her", started to get old after a while. I quite liked Rand the warlock (he's British, what's not to like?), and I would have liked to see him doing something else than telling Jolie why they couldn't sleep together.

The concept of the book is interesting and it was fun meeting all the different species of the Underworld and see them interact. The book doesn't exactly end in a cliffhanger because there is not enough suspense for that (someone on Goodreads called it a hill-hanger, which I thought was a pretty good word), but there is no conclusion to the story. Presumably the next book Toil and Trouble picks up where Fire Burn left off. I'm sure I will pick it up at some point, because I would like to know how this whole thing ends. 

Bottom line: Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble lacks the charm to make it a top read, but an abundance of sexy Underworld creatures and the suspense of a coming war make it a great read for the summer holidays.

My rating:

The Jolie Wilkins series

1. Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble (2010)
2. Toil and Trouble (2010)

Review: Heat Wave

Heat Wave
By Richard Castle

First published: 2009
Series: Nikki Heat #1

Read: 17 - 21 February 2011
Pages: 198
Challenges: 1st in a Series Challenge #3
Mystery & Suspence Reading Challenge #2

From the cover
Mystery sensation Richard Castle, blockbuster author of the wildly bestselling Derrick Storm novels, introduces his newest character, NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat. Tough, sexy, professional, Nikki Heat carries a passion for justice as she leads one of New York City's top homicide squads. She's hit with an unexpected challenge when the commissioner assigns superstar magazine journalist Jameson Rook to ride along with her to research an article on New York's Finest. Pulitzer Prize-winning Rook is as much a handful as he is handsome. His wise-cracking and meddling aren't her only problems. As she works to unravel the secrets of a murdered real estate tycoon, she must also confront the spark between her and Rook. The one called heat.

Fans of Castle Will Love This Book

If you have, like me, been watching and enjoying the police drama Castle on ABC, you know all about Richard Castle and Heat Wave. If you haven't, well, what has been stopping you?

Okay, okay, here is a quick summary: Castle is about the famous mystery writer Richard Castle who, thanks to his friendship with the mayor, gets to tag along with NYPD Homicide Detective Kate Beckett as research for his new series about famous journalist Jameson Rook who gets to tag along with NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat as research on an article he is writing about the NYPD.

I will give you a moment to think that through.

*whistles*

Got your head around it yet? Good! Then let us carry on with this review.

I don't know if the real author or authors of Heat Wave (should I call them ghost writers?) work on the television show, but the book certainly reads like a regular episode. I almost expected there to be commercial breaks between each chapter.

I love how Richard Castle is presented as a real, living author. There is a short bio of him inside the back cover, and at the end of the book there is a 4-page interview with him. The book even has blurbs by James Patterson and Stephen J. Cannell on the cover (these two have also appeared on the show as themselves).

The murder mystery itself is presented like in an episode; the reader gets the same information as the detectives and at the same time, so it is not easy to guess the murderer early on. In fact, I only realised who it was just before it was revealed in the book, and even then I was not sure.

I adore the dialogue between the characters (again, just like in the tv show). The banter between Heat and detectives Raley and Ochoa (affectionately known as Roach) reflects people who are comfortable with each other and used to thinking in unison. Rook's wise-cracking is very funny, and the sexual tension between Heat and Rook is (excuse the pun) hot.

Because I am so familiar with the tv show, it is impossible for me to think about Heat Wave without thinking about Castle. When I read it, I was seeing Stana Katic as Kate Beckett and Nathan Fillion as Rick Castle in my head instead of picturing Heat and Rook. Would I have enjoyed Heat Wave as much if I had not seen a single episode of Castle? I have no idea. Chances are it would have made me want to watch the show.

Best: The murder mystery, the banter, the sexual tension and being able to get inside the head of Kate Beckett – eh, Nikki Heat.

Worst: My biggest problem with this book was actually the binding. I have the mass market paperback, and the font was very small and the inner margins too thin, so I had to use force to hold the book open enough so that I could read the words closest to the spine. I wish I had bought the Kindle version instead; it would have been much easier to read.

Bottom line: A must-read for Castle fans, a clever mystery novel for everyone else.

My rating:

The Nikki Heat series

1. Heat Wave
2. Naked Heat
3. Heat Rises (coming autumn 2011)

Come back tomorrow for a giveaway of Heat Wave!

Review: Burglars Can't Be Choosers

Burglars Can't Be Choosers
By Lawrence Block

First published: 1977
Series: Bernie Rhodenbarr #1

Read: 14 - 21 January 2011
Pages: 293
Challenges: 1st in a Series Challenge #2
Mystery & Suspence Reading Challenge #1

From the cover
Bernie Rhodenbarr is a personable chap, a good neightbor, a passable poker player. His chosen profession, however, might not sit well with some. Bernie is a burglar, a good one, effortlessly lifting valuables from the not-so-well-protected abodes of well-to-do New Yorkers like a modern-day Robin Hood. (The poor, as Bernie would be the first to tell you, alas, have nothing worth stealing.)

He's not perfect, however; he occasionally makes mistakes. Like accepting a paid assignment from a total stranger to retrieve a particular item from a rich man's apartment. Like still being there when the cops arrive. Like having a freshly slain corpse lying in the next room, and no proof that Bernie isn't the killer.

Now he's really got his hands full, having to locate the true perpetrator while somehow eluding the police - a dirty job indeed, but if Bernie doesn't do it, who will?

It is no secret that I love stories about con artists and gentlemen thieves, so my expectations of this book were perhaps a little high. Luckily they were mostly met.

We come into the story just as Bernie is about to go on a job. He has been hired to steal a blue leather box from an apartment, which sounds easy enough. And it is easy - until it turns out he is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Suddenly Bernie is on the run from the police, wanted for murder.

The book is not particularly fast-paced, but the plot is full of twists and turns. I did not even come close to solving the mystery myself, which made Bernie seem all the more clever. Block also has a sense of humour, and I was chuckling throught the book. Consider this little exchange:

"I'll give you the location, the aparment, everything, and for you it's like picking up candy in the street."
"I never pick up candy in the street."
"Huh?"
"Germs."

Bernie is a likeable fellow. His career choice may not be the most ethical (or legal), but he is a nice person who would never dream of hurting anyone. He is smart and quick-witted, and the ladies are drawn to him. Speaking of ladies; I did wonder about Ruth's motives for helping Bernie, but I need not have worried, because Block is a good enough writer to have asked himself the same question.

There were a couple of times when I had to remind myself that this was written 34 years ago, because it generally did not have an "old" feel to it. When Bernie and Ruth spent 10 pages (and 5 phone calls and 1 directory) trying to find the name of an actor who was in a movie on TV, I kept thinking "Just look it up on IMDB!". It made me appreciate the wonders of the Internet even more.

Best: The humour and intricate plot.
Worst: The cover. Seriously, this picture does not do it justice. My copy is bright orange; so bright that I could use it to signal with in the dark.

Rating: 4 – Good

The Bernie Rhodenbarr series

1. Burglars Can't Be Choosers
2. The Burglar in the Closet
3. The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling 
4. The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza 
5. The Burglar Who Painted like Mondrian 
6. The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams 
7. The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart 
8. The Burglar in the Library 
9. The Burglar in the Rye 
10. The Burglar Who Dropped in on Elvis 
11. The Burglar on the Prowl

Lawrence Block's website: www.lawrenceblock.com

Review: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
(or The Sorcerer's Stone, if you must)
By J.K. Rowling

First published: June 1997
Series: Harry Potter #1

Read: 11 - 13 January 2011
Pages: 223
Challenges: 1st in a Series Challenge #1

I assume everyone already know what this book is about, so I will not bore you with a summary. You all know Harry Potter is a young boy who goes to wizard school and have all sorts of scary and exciting experiences, right? And if not, well, there you have it.

A Good Start to a Great Series

This was the second time I read The Philosopher's Stone, but last time was more than five years ago, so there were quite a few things I had forgotten about. I'm glad I decided to start from the beginning again before reading number 6 and 7.

To put it short, I really like it. It is not the best book I have ever read, nor do I think it is the best book in the series, but it is a good start. Rowling does a great job of establishing the setting and the characters and everything makes sense. Her imagination is definitely her biggest strength. The reader feels just as much in awe as Harry does when he walks along Diagon Alley (which is a fantastic name by the way) and tries to digest everything he sees. Things like Quidditch and the ceiling of the Great Hall really amaze me. This is a great passage that really showcases how imaginative Hogwarts is:

There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot. The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other and Harry was sure the coats of armour could walk.

Then of course there are the characters. They are all wonderful, I don't know how else to say it. Everyone from Harry to Ron and Hermione to Hagrid to Draco Malfoy to Albus Dumbledore; they all come alive on the pages. They have very distinct personalities, and none of them are two-dimentional or indeed all good or all bad. I think my favourite characters in this first book are the Weasleys (yes, all of them), and I must admit I have a bit of a soft spot for Professor McGonagall.

As this is the first book in the series (and only 223 pages long), Rowling does not go into too much detail. We see the outline of a bigger picture with You-Know-Who lurking in the shadows, but there is still so much to learn about Hogwarts and the magical world that we do not really have time to think about that until later.

My only complaint is that the ending feels a little rushed, like Rowling is taking the easiest way out. It doesn't bother me that much, but knowing what comes later in the series I know she can do better than this. But then I have to remind myself that the main characters are only eleven years old and their powers are still limited.

I wish I had read this series while I was still a teenager. I was 14 when The Philosopher's Stone was released, and I think I would have been able to identify with the characters (especially Hermione) on a much deeper level if I had been around their age. Fortunately these books can be enjoyed by everyone, young or old. I certainly enjoyed The Philosopher's Stone.

My rating: 5 out of 6