Reading Re-Reading, and Studying

When it comes to reading, I tend to multitask. There are books that I am reading, books that I decide to re-read, and books that I mull over as I read— that is the studying part. Seldom do I read one thing at a time.

The last fiction item that I read was a bit of a disappointment. Having read Angela Knight’s entertaining paranormal romance, Jane’s Warlord, I purchased her new entry in that series, Warrior: The Time Hunters, from eBook retailer Fictionwise. Jane’s Warlord, considered a “debut” novel by the “big time” publishers in NY, was not a debut at all, because Angela Knight, who has written for newspapers for years under her real name, has been writing erotic and science fiction for the eBook publishers for quite a while prior to making the jump to a bigger publishing house. My take on Jane’s Warlord is that Knight has a magical ability to combine character, setting, suspense, and a sufficient amount of science-fiction/fantasy elements to cause a lover of the genre (me) to say, “Wow, that was a good book.” Any readers of this blog who don’t know me might not realize that I do not gush over anything, so that is high praise. Alas, Warrior may share the same setting and a few characters, but it seems to be a pedestrian work. Knight has great talent, and I will probably try something else by her, but this book is not just not worthy.

For the past few weeks (months, really) I’ve been reading (and sometimes re-reading) Conversation Peace. This is a combo inspirational and self-help book. The intended audience is the gossiper, and, as I noted in my previous post, that is not usually a problem for me. That is not why I am studying it. All people, certainly not just yours truly, are sometimes victims of the wagging tongue. The lesson in this book is to avoid retaliation when being victimized. I suppose that means that perpetrators and victims can benefit from it! Certainly it is worth a read, and I am actually studying and not just reading it.

As for re-reading, I have logged some time in health care facilities recently— not as a patient, but as a “caregiver.” When there is nothing to read, I turn to my handy Palm, with some 65 eBooks installed. Thus, I was clicking through the list, and picked Pauline Baird Jones’ “The Key” to wile away some time, and I was hooked, yet again. An earlier entry is devoted to this book, and I did enjoy it the second time as well. Some books don’t hold up to re-reading, but this sassy heroine’s adventures are such fun that I finished it at home, where there are plenty of things in my TBR stack.

For more on my reading, including some upcoming titles, see my shelf at Shelfari.

An Action Packed Page Turner

Best wishes for a wonderful New Year!


The stats indicate that Christmas shoppers tend to buy just about as much for themselves as for their giftees. I don't usually do that; but after the wrapping paper is in the trashbags and the kids go upstairs to play with all the stuff they got under the tree, I do shop for me. Often, I do it online, and this year was no different. I visited the sales at LL Bean and Land's End, and I took advantage of the end of year sale at Fictionwise. While cruising through bestsellers in Science Fiction, I came upon a real gem by Pauline Baird Jones, entitled The Key.

Fighter pilot Sara Donovan crashes on a mysterious planet and is rescued by an alien who is seriously hot. The Key is not hard science fiction, nor is it a sensuous romance, but that is a plus for me. Instead, it is action-packed, often funny, and blessed with enough suspense and engaging characters to keep readers turning the pages. I enjoyed it quite a great deal, and I believe my teenaged son would also enjoy it, due to the frequent "kick their trash" battle scenes. There are a few lapses in logic, but that is all part of the fun in space opera, so if you are willing to suspend your disbelief, Jones' saga is worth your time.

By far, this is the best space opera I've read since Tigra, which was my favorite entry in the genre in 2007. I read this as an eBook, but it is also available in trade paperback from Amazon. This novel further cements my belief that the most entertaining stories are not being put forth by the "big guys" in publishing.

The Amazon.com price for the trade paperback is $14.93, considerably less than a book would be with my current publisher, WCP, so kudos to L&L Dreamspell, a new publisher, which printed this wonderful read at a reasonable, if not cheap, price. I recommend this book for an entertaining way to stay inside out, of the cold.