Catherine Coulter, Knockout

This is the 13th book in this series with Dillon Savich and Lacy Sherlock, and Amazon.com readers give it a measley 3 stars. If I hadn't been loaned this book, I definitely wouldn't have picked it up. I remember the last time I read this series (TailSpin) that I had been disappointed with the cookie-cutter characters and numerous repetitive cliches. I also tire of the same-old references to MAX, Sean, and their dog. What once was amusing, has stopped amusing me after 13 times.

I really enjoyed The Maze and I thought that several others in this series had good plot, romance, and action. This book fell ridiculously flat, and the characters were static. Even the "romance" between the sheriff and mother of the adorable Autumn (who was the only round character in the book), wasn't a romance. It was an emotional attachment that was hardly romance. Absolutely no sparks or chemistry. Even Savich and Sherlock were simply partners.

What was truly bad about this story is that we were back to woo-woo-voo-doo and mind-games. It felt more X-Files than FBI. At book 13, I've also stopped feeling the FBI focus now that the stories are taking place in small towns. I often question, "Why is the FBI involved here?"

This was not Catherine Coulter at her finest. Her funniest, most romantic book was definitely The Sherbrooke Bride. It also had a bit of fantasy/ghosts, but The Bride series had true laugh-out-loud characters. However: stretching that series to 13 would also have made the characters cliche and campy.

This is a "meh" for me. It's light, adult level reading, and the characters are flat. There's a lot of action, adventure, and movement in the plot, and it does feel a bit like Numb3rs in the rotation of the story. If you choose to read, do so from the library. Don't waste your funds on the $20 hardback.

The Warrior/Wizard Heir

Yesterday, I read The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima. I had previously read The Wizard Heir before I realized it was book 2 in the series.

The Warrior Heir is young adult reading, in the middle school grades, and is interesting and creative fantasy. While the plot is not terribly original, the characters and plot unfold in a readable, accessible way.

I enjoyed The Warrior Heir more than The Wizard Heir, but both books combined make me want to read The Dragon Heir, the last book in the series.

These books are highly rated on Amazon.com and I recommend them for light, enjoyable reading. You can buy a boxed set at Amazon, and that's what I'll be getting my nephew for his birthday.

Since School Started...

I haven't had much time to read since school started, and the two books I have read were history books (not much in the way of average, casual reading).

The first was called The Freemasons. I enjoyed the book, and it did give me more insight into people who became masons, why, and when, but it was often more a book of lists and political machinations verses a good, solid history. It was an OK book for me... not a "pick this book up immediately."

It was not what I expected. No big insights or references to what happens, even when they "detailed" the Scottish Rite, it was who invented it, n

ot what it means.

The second book I read was hugely interesting. It was Lost Christianities. Ehrman took a look at many, many different things, and he made all of it interesting. There were quotes, and there were really good notes (and they made for excellent reading).

Ehrman also looked at motivation and orthodoxy vs. heretics. I felt like I had made the 400 year journey of Christianity, texts, and modern discovery. I really enjoyed hearing about how the Biblical canon came to be, and what drove it. Definitely recommend for those who like the idea of multiple texts creating multiple meanings on the same topic.