Editor's Note: We're back on track with regular doses of Aja! Still catching up? Check out Part the First, Part the Second & Part the Third in our archives. And click away for more info on MotherReader's 48 Hour Book Challenge! - Kirsten
41. Many Bloody Returns, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelnor. (Fantasy/Anthology) (A+) I got this because there was a Sookie Stackhouse story in it. BEST DECISION EVER. I now have a ridiculous amount of authors to look into. As you'll see below, Jim Butcher was one. I also have the Vampires of Morganville series on my nightstand. Too many good things to read. I liked the diversity of subject matter.
42. Storm Front, by Jim Butcher. (Fantasy) (B+) So, uh, the previous book had a story by Jim Butcher in it. And everyone's been telling me to read Harry Dresden. So, I read the short story, fell in love, and here I go.
43. Dogs and Goddesses, by Jennifer Cruise, Anne Stuart, and Lani Diane Rich. (Romance/Fantasy) (C+) Cute book but not a lot of substance. Since there was so much going on I didn't really get a feel for any of the guys with which they fell "in love".
44. Wicked Lovely, by Melissa Marr. (Fantasy/Young Adult) (A) Faeries. Girl forced to pretend they don't exist/she can't see them. Plus all the "do as I say, wait, no I didn't mean literally" aspects of a fey court. I want to read the rest of the series, of course, but I somehow ended up with two copies of the first book rather than a copy of the first and second. I know. Totally me.
I'd like to take this opportunity to talk about how 'Young Adult' is something of a misnomer. There are lots of books that fall into the young adult category that people would hardly realize because these books are amazing, compelling reads. I think a lot of people think of young adult reading as the novel equivalent of Disney's The Parent Trap (either version but most likely the remake). This is far from the case. It is a genre as mixed as any other. Some things are better for younger reading levels, some address more childlike problems, and others address the biggest issues possible. Remember The Book Thief? It was a One Book One Lincoln choice that most bookstores and libraries put in the fiction section. Guess what? Young adult book. This is why most of my genre markings have young adult second to its primary focus. Wicked Lovely, for example, is fantasy first and foremost and then a young adult selection.
Next up I'll be sharing my 48-Hour Book Challenge selections/thoughts/experiences from last year. You'll note I introduced the subject of it last year while doing it. Now you'll get the results of it too. Spoiler: 48 hours of reading was FANTASTIC.
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