Friday, September 23, 2011

Books

 It's probably not good for your psyche (or restful sleep) to read three Dexter novels in a row. But I was behind, and the books were there, like instantly, on my Kindle, and I was powerless to resist.

That said, Dexter in the Dark is a little weird, even for Dexter. We're not just dealing with our feeling-less little Serial Killer and his favorite activities, we're also dealing with Moldy Babylonian Gods. OK, so they're not Babylonian- I just like that quote. But still... it's an odd installment.
 In Dexter by Design, Dex is married and home from his Paris honeymoon (and don't for one moment mistake the books for the TV series- things are not the same, nor do they end the same way). Dex finds himself dealing with a really strange performance artist.
 Cannibals, y'all. That's all I have to say about Dexter is Delicious.

The latest Dexter comes out next month. I've pre-ordered it, but I have to say that I'm a glad to take a break from our favorite killer for a bit. My brain needs a rest.
 I probably would never have tried Soulless, but Amazon had one of those cheapo, one-day Kindle deals on the book, and the reviews looked intriguing, so I gave it a shot. I'd never read any Steampunk, and I wasn't particularly interested in doing so, but the description made it seem like a cross between Jane Austen and Jules Verne, with a dash of Charlaine Harris thrown in. I am so glad that I ordered the book- Gail Carriger accomplished what Pride and Prejudice and Zombies tried very hard to do, but did not: This is an absolutely hilarious book of (Victorian) manners... with vampires and werewolves. Main character Alexia Tarabotti suffers from having a half-Italian, dead father, extreme height, advanced age (she's a 25 year old spinster), a regal nose, and an inability to keep her opinion to herself. Oh yeah, and she has no soul. She butts heads with Lord Conall Macoon, who happens to be Scottish. And a werewolf. The story had me chortling from beginning to end, though I will warn those who want their literary sex off-screen: these books are just a tad racy. Or maybe, they're just racy enough.
I haven't finished Changeless, but I'm enjoying it every bit as much as Soulless, and I have every intention of continuing with the series.

I'm not quite done listening to Son of Tarzan (the Kindle reads it out loud to me while I treadmill), but I have to say that the book would easily have been 1/3 shorter, if Tarzan had just been smart enough to ask Meriem to describe Korak. Lord Greystoke might have realized a bit sooner that ol' Korak #1wasn't  imaginary, and #2 resembled Tarzan himself more than just a little bit.

No comments: