One imperfect letter, one missing page

131. Going Under by Justina Robson
I totally love this series. It's got just enough science fiction to keep the fantasy from driving me nuts. But by saying that, I'm not giving the book enough credit. It's an extremely fun read, well written and keeps me engaged. I enjoy that the main character, Lila Black, is not perfect. She has her own issues and spends lots of time trying to sort them out -- along with a bunch of other things. All the characters are well developed and we learn more about them, as well as the places Lila inhabits/visits, as the novels go on. I look forward to the next novel in this series.

132. Bloody Confused! by Chuck Culpepper
I can see, quite clearly, why a lot of football (soccer) purists would be upset with this book. First of all, he calls it soccer (as he should), second -- he never really mentions MLS (who can blame him, it's about England and football) and third, he talks about American sports. All of these things are positives, no matter what others might think. This is not for the hardcore fan (unless you're an open-minded fan who wants to know what it's like for non-expats just getting into the sport or someone who also enjoys American sports, such as myself), it's for the casual fan, the non-fan and the general sports fan. And that's what I like about the book. Culpepper's writing style draws you in and keeps you reading. It's not a great treatise on the wonders of English football. It's a love story -- a man and his team. It's something any fan can identify with. And, of course, Culpepper does address the issue of the fact that he chose a team. But, in the end, it's clear (at least to me and perhaps to Culpepper, and the friends he makes along the way) that the teams choose us.

133. How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier
My sister told me I was going to love this book, and she was right. Larbalestier has created a wonderful world within the confines of her novel. In some ways, it reminded me of her husband's (Scott Westerfeld) Uglies series -- but in all the good ways. The story focuses on Charlie and her problems with her fairy. She runs into trouble: with friends, boys and, of course, trying to get rid of her fairy. But Larbalestier writes Charlie in such a way that you never really get annoyed with her problems. Instead, you want her to win -- to figure out how to ditch that fairy of hers and get the boy in the end. I almost hope she writes more in this universe, maybe not the same characters, but the same world. Even if she doesn't, this is a great and fun fantasy novel.

134. Geography Club by Brent Hartinger
Before reading this, I'd skimmed over some reviews (I think on Amazon) and they were mediocre, sort of in the middle. I can see why, there are some plot holes, but overall, it's a cute book that deals with some very real issues. The idea is that our hero, Russel, is gay and hasn't told anyone -- not his friends, family or anyone. He looks at stuff on the web and suffers through the tortures of PE, but keeps his secret safe. Until one day he meets someone in a chat room and ends up agreeing to meet them. I won't spoil anything, but it's an interesting idea, made even more interesting because the entire story is told from Russel's point of view. We don't have the omniscient narrator trying to tell us what's going to happen. We have to go through things the same way that Russel does, and I think this is one of the novel's strengths. There are a few glitches, especially relating to the boy that Russel meets online and then in person and to his friends. But overall, it's a cute book that has a very nice (if slightly convoluted) point.

134 / 150 new reads. 89% read!

11. Selling Out by Justina Robson
As with Keeping It Real, Robson continues to mix a little science fiction with fantasy and romance. She effortless creates worlds (since there's not just one) that the reader can drift between along with Lila Black, our heroine. This sort is a bit darker than the first book, there are more deaths and more dangers, but somehow Robson manages to keep the humor throughout the book. One of the surprising things was that we had a few unexpected reveals, and as trite as Robson could have been (Lila having to go to Demonia to get to Hell), she manages to avoid it. I really enjoyed reading it and I look forward to the next book in the series.

12. 30 Days of Night by Steve Niles
I read this so I didn't have to go see the movie. I have to confess, this was a huge disappointment. I was completely bummed by the way the graphic novel ended. I have placed an ILL request for the sequel, but I don't hold out much hope. Also, I still have no desire to see the movie.

13. The Killing of Worlds by Scott Westerfeld
I was really, really excited about reading this one. I loved The Risen Empire and I think it would have been fun to read the books together. Taken separately, it would seem amazing how well Westerfeld managed to keep the plot and characters together. But since it was originally published as a single work, it's not that hard to imagine. As with the first book, I loved the characters (especially the Captain and the Senator -- which, I know, was the point). There isn't really much to say about this, except that it was a good ending to the "series" (since it's only two books).

13 / 80 new reads. 16% read!