Place: Publisher & Year: New York: Penguin Audio, 2011

Genres: Fantasy, contemporary fantasy, paranormal, mystery, paranormal mystery, mythic fiction

Series: Mercy Thompson; 6

Format: Audiobook – MP3

ISBN: 9781101436547

Audience: Adult

Length: 8 hours, 54 minutes

Setting: Columbia River Gorge – OR & WA,  Tri-cities (Richland, Kennewick, & Pasco), WA

Time period: Contemporary

Plot summary: Mercy and Adam finally get to spend some alone time together for their honeymoon.  No vampires, no other werewolves – it’s just the two of them camping along the Columbia River.  However, Mercy’s connection to coyotes and Coyote, means that chaos will find her.  This time chaos takes the form of a monster that lives in the river.

 Appeal factors:

Pacing: This is a very fast paced story.

Characterization: The story is told in first person through Mercy.  The regular series characters are all included in very small roles.  The most important secondary characters in this story are Adam, Coyote, and Gordon Seeker.

Frame: The title sets the frame – the story is set along the Columbia River and Mercy is marked by the monster early in the story.

Story line: Mercy and Adam’s romantic getaway turns into an adrenaline filled period where Mercy discovers her heritage and in the process puts her life on the line for human kind.

Subject headings:

From Pima County Public Library:

Shapeshifting — Fiction.

Occult fiction.

Thompson, Mercedes (Fictitious character) — Fiction.

Audiobooks.

Similar works:

Jim Butcher – The Dresden Files series

Charlaine Harris – Sookie Stackhouse series

Kim Harrison – Rachel Morgan/ Hallows series

Karen Marie Moning – MacKayla Lane/ Fever series

Personal notes:  A friend of mine mentioned that she noticed that I had given this five stars on Goodreads (which is not something I do very often.  I think have consistently given other books in this series four stars).  This story stood out for me, though – what I enjoyed the most was Mercy learning about her heritage.  Mercy and I have a bit in common – not the shape shifting coyote thing.  Mercy and I were both adopted and never knew our biological fathers – until this book where Mercy meets and gets to spend time with her father (even though she  almost dies in the process).  And that is where my five stars comes from.  One of my favorite characters has been able to do what I’ve always dreamed of – learn more of her heritage by talking with her father.

Other: Diversity: – walkers (shape shifters), werewolves, fae, First People, Native Americans – Yakama, multiracial woman – part Native American, vampire, female auto mechanic, homosexuals

Patricia Briggs website

Place: Publisher & Year: New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2011

Genres: Western, historical fiction, cowboy noir

ISBN: 9780062041265

Audience: Adult

Number of pages: 328

Setting: Oregon City, Oregon Territory, & California (including San Francisco)

Time period: 1851

Plot summary: Charlie and Eli sisters are known throughout the Oregon Territory and California as killers who work for the Commodore.   What begins as an ordinary assignment for them – to go to San Francisco and kill a man – becomes a life changing journey for both of the brothers.

Appeal factors:

Pacing: Short chapters and terse writing combine to make this story moderately brisk.  And while there is plenty of action, there are also many bizarre scenarios which offer pause for reflection.

Characterization: The story is told in first person by Eli.  Charlie is the most important secondary character. While there are a slew of interesting characters found in this story, Eli’s horse, Tub, plays a significant role.

Frame: From the first paragraph and throughout its entirety  the story is framed by violence (and horses).

Story line: A bizarre western that reads like a Coen Brothers movie.

Subject headings:

From Pima County Public Library:

Brothers — Fiction.

Gold miners — Fiction.

Frontier and pioneer life — West (U.S.) — Fiction.

Western stories.

Humorous stories.

Possibly similar works:

Welcome to Hard Times by E.L. Doctorow

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

True Grit by Charles Portis

Personal notes:  This was a great book.  And I would love to see the Coen Brothers make a movie from it.  I really enjoyed reading Eli’s perspective on life.

Other: Diversity – hired killers, prostitutes, Native Americans, alcoholics

Patrick deWitt’s website

Place: Publisher & Year: New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2011

Genres: Mystery, suspense,  thriller, police procedural, Scandinavian noir

Series: Harry Hole; 8

ISBN: 9780307595874

Audience: Adult

Number of pages: 513*

Setting: Hong Kong, China, Oslo,  Norway, Kigali, Rwanda & Goma, The Congo

Time period: Contemporary

Plot summary: After working on The Snowman case, Harry’s life takes a turn for the worse and he finds himself indebted to a gangster in Hong Kong.  Meanwhile, another serial killer is on the loose in Oslo and Crime Squad wants Harry on the case.  Unfortunately for the police, Harry doesn’t want to have anything to do with serial killers or the people trying to track them.  The only thing compelling Harry to return to Oslo is family.

Appeal factors:

Pacing: Short chapters with lots of action and dialog contribute to the speedy pace.

Characterization: Predominately told in third person from Harry’s perspective.  Exceptions include brief, mysterious segments written in first person interspersed throughout the story, as well as chapters shown from other character viewpoints.  Important secondary characters include Kaja Solness, Mikael Bellman, and Harry’s father, Olav.

Frame: The frame is set by the title.  Although most of the story is set in Oslo, parts do take place in Rwanda and The Congo.  On Harry’s first visit to the area, he sees some people carrying a dead leopard.  His driver refers to the animal as a “lonely animal” which “hunts only at night” (p. 149*).

Story line: A complex and thrilling mystery with lots of twists and turns.

Subject headings:

From Pima County Public Library:

Hole, Harry (Fictitious character) — Fiction.

Police — Norway — Oslo — Fiction.

Women — Crimes against — Fiction.

Oslo (Norway) — Fiction.

Mystery fiction.

Similar authors:

Jussi Adler-Olsen

Michael Connelly

Karin Fossum

Stieg Larsson

Henning Mankell

Personal notes:  I scored an Advanced Reader Copy* of this book at a conference and started it immediately – it was really good.  The beginning is rather gristly and I was slightly disappointed that it seemed rather similar to The Snowman, but my disappointment didn’t last long as I was pulled into the story.  I made the same conclusion that Harry did in the book in trying to figure out the killer – only to have the story twist on me.  I was also slightly disappointed by the ending because I really like Harry’s character and would love for him to find some peace – but then that would probably end the series.

*Since I was reading an Advanced Reader Copy, the pagination seems to be slightly different from the final product.

Other: Diversity – Norwegians, Rwandans, Congolese, Belgian, Finn, Germans, Hong Kong people, alcoholic, refugees, child soldiers

Jo Nesbø’s website

Place: Publisher & Year: New York: Pantheon Books, 2011

Genres: General fiction, mythic fiction

Format: Graphic novel

ISBN: 9780375424144

Audience: Adult

Number of pages: 665 (672 includes notes and author description)

Setting: A Middle-eastern desert, an unnamed village, and Wanatolia

Time period: No set time period –seems like the past, present, and future all at once

Plot summary: Dodola adopts Zam when he is three years old and she is thirteen.  Although she is young, she has already been married, witnessed the slaying of her husband, and been kidnapped to be sold into slavery.  She manages to escape from the slavers with Zam and takes him into the desert to raise him.  When Zam turns thirteen, their world is shattered when they become lost to one another.  After years of separation, their love for one another eventually brings them back together.

Illustrations:  Intricate black and white drawings

Appeal factors:

Pacing: Very fast paced.

Characterization: The story is told in both first and third person perspectives.  The primary perspective is from  Dodola, although readers are also given Zam’s perspective.  Stories from both the Qur’an and Bible are interwoven with the larger story.

Language: Habibi is written in English, but incorporates Arabic letters to tells stories within stories.

Frame: The title sets the frame –  habibi means beloved.  Love frames the story.

Story line: A fairy tale set in both ancient and contemporary Arab worlds that examines issues of social injustice, environmental degradation, and some commonalities between Christian and Islamic cultures.

Subject headings:

From Pima County Public Library:

Slaves — Comic books, strips, etc.

Refugees — Comic books, strips, etc.

Interpersonal relations — Comic books, strips, etc.

Comic books, strips, etc. — United States.

Graphic novels.

Graphic novels.

Similar works:  I haven’t found any graphic novels  which could really be called similar. 

Personal notes:  Wow!  This book is a masterpiece.  The art and story are both utterly amazing .  I can truly say that I’ve never read anything like this.  I’ve read other beautiful stories about love and healing, but not one that is graphically depicted in the style which Thompson uses, while also educating me about aspects of Islamic history and culture.  Wow.

Other: Diversity – orphans, refugees, slaves, child wives, eunuchs, Arabs, Blacks, sultan, poor villagers

Craig Thompson’s website

Place: Publisher & Year: Burton, MI: Subterranean Press, 2001

Genre: Mystery, hard boiled crime fiction

ISBN: 9781892284914

Audience: Adult

Number of pages: 190

Setting: Ottawa, Canada

Time period: mid 1980s

Plot summary: Private investigator, Jake Swann, has a big heart, especially when it comes to his friends.  When Jake discovers that one of his friends has been terrorized by a gang of thugs, he vows to get revenge.  It doesn’t matter that the thugs happen to be police officers.

Appeal factors:

Pacing: Short chapters with lots of dialogue and action make this a quick read.

Characterization: Told in third person mainly from Jake’s perspective.  Important secondary characters include Sammy, Jimmy Crackle, and Bo.

Frame: The title and opening chapter set the frame.  Lisdoonvarna represents an idyllic destination and goal for the main characters.

Story line:  A hardboiled mystery complete with the damsel in distress, big hearted PI, great sidekicks, gangsters, and rotten cops.

Subject headings:

From Pima County Public Library:

Ottawa (Ont.) — Fiction

Mystery fiction.

Similar authors: Charles de Lint primarily writes contemporary fantasy, but his love of hardboiled detective novels inspired him to write one.  In the Introduction, he notes authors which he has enjoyed reading:

Robert Crais

Dennis Lehane

Mickey Spillane

Andrew Vachss

Personal notes:  I enjoyed this story.  It had a very black and white background with clear bad guys and good guys.  And while it is definitely not a fantasy book, it does have a bit of a fairy tale ending.

Other: Diversity – Native American – Ojibwa, physically disabled woman, punk rockers, runaway

Charles de Lint’s website

Place: Publisher & Year: New York: Harper, c2000, 2011

Genres: Mystery, suspense, thriller, police procedural, Scandinavian noir, historical fiction

Series: Harry Hole; 3

ISBN: 9780062068422

Audience: Adult

Number of pages: 553 (563 including an excerpt from The Devil’s Hole)

Setting: Oslo, Norway, Leningrad, Russia, and Vienna, Austria, & Johannesburg, South Africa

Time period: There are two timelines – one takes place from 1999 – 2000; the other takes place during WWII – from 1942 – 1944.

Plot summary: In the course of duty, Police Officer Harry Hole is required to make a very difficult decision in a few seconds.  As a result, a team member is critically wounded and Harry feels responsible.  Therefore, the last thing he expects is a promotion.  As a new inspector, his job is routine and boring – until one report crosses his desk.  As he follows through with the report, he finds evidence of neo-Nazi involvement in an assignation attempt.

Appeal factors:

Pacing: Very tight and fast pacing.  Even as Nesbø shifts time frames between the present and past, the tension and cliff hangers ending the chapters keep one turning the pages.

Characterization: The story is told in third person  primarily from Harry’s  perspective.  Important secondary characters include Ellen and Rakel.

Frame: The robin redbreast sets the frame for this story.  In the first chapter, Ellen explains to Harry how a certain number of these birds make a calculated risk each year by choosing not to migrate for the winter.

Story line: A convoluted and complex mystery spanning two time frames and involving themes of Nationalism, racism, power, and sexism.

Subject headings:

From Pima County Public Library:

Hole, Harry (Fictitious character) — Fiction.

Heroes — Fiction.

Suspense fiction.

Mystery fiction.

Similar  authors:

Michael Connelly

Stieg Larsson

Henning Mankell

Jussi Adler-Olsen

Personal notes: I really enjoyed this book, even though I had a hard time with Ellen’s response to her thoughts that her life might be in danger.  She made the calculated risk to go out, but why didn’t she leave another message for Harry on his machine when she didn’t get a hold of him?  The following chapters with Harry talking to her machine were very moving.  At the start of the story, I had a bit of difficulty keeping track of all the characters and time frames, but that soon passed.  Of all the Scandanavian noir I’ve read since The Girl series, I think this book is the most similar in themes.

Other: Diversity – alcoholics, female police officer, soldiers, resistance fighters, traitors, neo-Nazis, single mother, woman with Down’s Syndrome

Originally published in Norway as Redstrupe.

Jo Nesbø’s website

Place: Publisher & Year: New York: Pocket Books, c 1977, 2001

Genre: Horror

ISBN: 9781439570616

Audience: Adult

Number of pages: 683

Settings: The Overlook Hotel & Boulder, CO, Stovington, VT, St. Petersburg, FL

Time period: Late 1970s

Plot summary: Jack Torrance has made mistakes in life – most recently, losing his job at an elite New England prep school.  As a result, he is determined to take the job he is offered as a winter caretaker at the Overlook Hotel in Colorado.  It will be a new start for his family and the job should give him time to finish writing the play he started.  Unfortunately, the hotel is haunted and Jack’s five year old son, Danny, knows it.  Danny has “the shine” and knows things that others do not.

Appeal factors:

Pacing: Very fast paced

Characterization: The story is told in third person through various perspectives.  The primary viewpoints are from Danny,  Jack , and Wendy.

Frame: The quotes King includes prior to the start of the story set the frame.  One is a folk saying; the others are by Edgar Allen Poe and Goya.  They frame the story in opposites – terror and gaiety, darkness and light.

Story line: A dark, creepy story which examines the perils of knowing the future and not being able to change it.

Subject headings:

From Pima County Public Library:

Hotelkeepers — Colorado — Fiction.

Family — Colorado — Fiction.

Hotels — Colorado — Fiction.

Demonology — Fiction.

Authors — Fiction.

Occult fiction.

Horror fiction.

Similar authors:

Dean Koontz

John Saul

Peter Straub

Personal notes:  I really enjoyed reading this book in spite of having seen the movie at least twice.  I thought the book was creepier than the movie – the sense of dread is greater due to a better understanding of the characters.  I liked the ending of the book much better than the movie.  I also thought that the hedge animals were scarier than the maze.  I’m guessing that Kubrick changed this part of the story because the special effects were much more limited at the time the film was made.  The movie was mostly true to the book.

Other: Diversity – telepaths, ghosts, evil spirits, alcoholics, Black man

Stephen King’s website

Place: Publisher & Year: New York: HarperTorch, c2001.

Genres: Fantasy, contemporary fantasy, mythic fiction

ISBN: 9780380789030

Audience: Adult

Number of pages: 592

Setting: USA – Eagle Point, Indiana;  Chicago & Cairo, Illinois; House on the Rock & Lakeside, Wisconsin; South Dakota; Lebanon, Kansas; Virginia; Lookout Mountain/ Rock City, Georgia; Fort Pierce, Florida; and many points inbetween.

Time period: Contemporary

Plot summary: A storm is coming. Shadow is let out of prison a few days early because his wife was killed in an accident.  On his journey home, Shadow meets Wednesday, who knows more about Shadow than which Shadow is comfortable.  A storm is coming and Wednesday needs Shadow’s help.  Shadow has been having strange dreams as his life has been turned upside down.   A storm is coming and it’s heading for Shadow. Appeal factors:

Pacing: Brisk pace

Characterization: The story is told in third person primarily from Shadow’s perspective; there are very few other perspectives/ journal entries given.  The most important secondary characters are Wednesday and Laura

Frame: Early in the story, the reader is introduced to the metaphorical storm which is approaching.  This storm provides the frame throughout the book.  It will not be a pleasant, gentle rain, but rather an earthshaking, loud, and dangerous storm.

Story line: A complex plot with intriguing characters (which include bloodthirsty gods and spirits from trickster backgrounds) trying not only to survive under difficult circumstances, but to live their lives to the fullest.

Subject headings:
From Pima County Public Library:
Ex-convicts — Fiction.
Bodyguards — Fiction.
Widowers — Fiction.
National characteristics, American — Fiction.
Spiritual warfare — Fiction.
Fantasy fiction.

Similar works: Imajica by Clive Barker Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell  by Susanna Clarke Nation by Terry Pratchett Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins

Personal notes:  Great story! I love the Caveat, and Warning for Travelers in the beginning.  “Furthermore, it goes without saying that all of the people, living, dead, and otherwise in this story are fictional or used in a fictional context.  Only the gods are real.” While I truly enjoyed this story I think I preferred Anansi Boys because it is a much lighter (and humorous) story.

Other: Diversity – gods from various background, spirits, undead woman, animal people, people of mixed heritage, ex-convict

Neil Gaiman’s website

Place: Publisher & Year: New York: Ace Books, 2008

Genres: Fantasy, contemporary fantasy, paranormal, mystery, paranormal mystery

Series: Mercy Thompson; 5

ISBN: 9780441018192

Intended audience: Adult

Number of pages: 342

Setting: Tri-cities (Richland, Kennewick, & Pasco), WA

Time period: Contemporary

Plot summary: Mercy is still adjusting to pack life; this is made more difficult by the fact that there are pack members who resent her becoming pack.  Additionally, she has a magical book that needs to be returned to its owner, but he can’t be found.  She also has a roommate who is in desperate need of her help and attention.

Appeal factors:

Pacing: Like the rest of the series, this is an extremely fast book.

Characterization: Told in first person through Mercy.  Adam is an important secondary character, as is Samuel.

Frame: The story is framed by the title – I had to look up the spelling of borne, since I was unfamiliar with it.  It is the past participle of the verb to bear (which can mean to give birth, but also means to hold up or support).   I interpret the title’s meaning as supported by silver.  There is a character in this story who goes by the name of Silver.

Story line:  An action packed story which delves deeper into the world of the fae, as well as Mercy’s new pack connections.

Subject headings:

From Pima County Public Library:

Automobile mechanics — Fiction.

Werewolves — Fiction.

Occult fiction.

Thompson, Mercedes (Fictitious character) — Fiction.

Similar authors:

Jim Butcher – The Dresden Files series

Charlaine Harris – Sookie Stackhouse series

Kim Harrison – Rachel Morgan/ Hallows series

Karen Marie Moning – MacKayla Lane/ Fever series

Personal notes: I enjoyed this story more than the previous one.  The characters and relationships continue to grow stronger as the series progresses.

Other: Diversity – walker (shape shifter), werewolves, gremlin, fae, witch, multiracial woman – part Native American, female auto mechanic, homosexuals

Patricia Briggs website

Place: Publisher & Year: New York: Forge, 2001

Genres: Fantasy, historical fantasy, historical fiction

Series: Epona; 3

ISBN: 9780312876166

Audience: Adult

Number of pages: 415

Setting: City of Lir, Village of Long Ford, World’s End, Sea of Grass (open steppe)

Time period: Prehistory – Neolithic time period

Plot summary: When Rhian is born to the Mother in the City of Lir, there are some priestesses who want to kill her immediately.  The portents reveal a time of destruction and evil associated with her.  Rhian escapes an early death and grows up in a small village outside of the city, listening to what the wind tells her.  When the priestesses make their rounds, choosing young women to come to the temple, they disregard Rhian and her innate abilities.  It is then that Rhian chooses a different path for herself and the White Mare chooses her.  Rhian soon finds herself on a journey to the east to meet The People of the Wind, who are travelling west and conquering all of the people whom they encounter.

Appeal factors:

Pacing: In general, the story has a moderate pace.  Some parts move quite quickly, while others unfold more slowly.

Characterization: The story is told in third person from various perspectives.  Rhian’s perspective is primary in the beginning of the story.  Other perspectives come from Minas, Aera, and Emery.

Frame: The frame is set in the very beginning when Rhian is born.  The reader is introduced to the priestesses and the culture of the city and learns that Rhian will have a difficult  journey through life.

Story line: A finely crafted, prehistorical fantasy that includes a clash of cultures as well as two separate love stories.

Subject headings:

From Pima County Public Library:

Women prophets — Fiction

Goddess religion — Fiction

Prehistoric peoples — Fiction

Historical fiction.

Fantasy fiction

Similar works:

Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay

Foundation by Mercedes Lackey

The Horse Goddess by Morgan Llwelyn

The White Mare by Jules Watson

Personal notes:  I really enjoyed this book even though it took me a while to get through it.  I’m glad to have read something by Judith Tarr now, since she will be at the next Tucson Festival of Books.  She seems to be a very diverse writer and I imagine that I will read something by her again in the future.

Other: Diversity – priestesses, Mothers, daughter of the Mother, princes, kings, shamans, witch

Judith Tarr’s website