2 nonfiction

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson - Science! That makes sense! Bryson has a gift for being able to make complex scientific ideas easy (well, easier) to understand. I'd highly recommend this to anyone who wonders "why" and "how" - and anyone else for that matter. 560 pages (100 books, BAM, Chunkster)

Frequently Asked Questions by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum - Librarian humor :)  Funny and oh-too-real.

Science fiction and fantasy

Ice, Iron and Gold by S. M. Stirling - a collection of alternate history/science fiction stories written over the years by Stirling. Lots of good stories, some set in the universes his novels are in and some not.  (100 books)

Death's Head: Maximum Offense by David Gunn - Sven Tveskoeg is back and just as deadly as ever, as he and his unit of misfits and rejects head to the artifical world of Hekati on a rescue mission. - with a new commanding officer, a greenhorn colonel who's never been in combat.  When the mission turns out to be fake, Sven wonders if he's being set up. Wouldn't be the first time. Violent, anti-anyone but his unit, 98.2% human, Sven is a seriously bad-ass soldier with a serious attitude problem.  Hmmm, my kind of guy.

Ombria in Shadow by Patricia A. McKillip - Copied from amazon.com:  In tone more gothic horror than straight fantasy, this somber novel lacks a clear protagonist, each character being more intent on finding his or her own path than fighting any clear battle. But the fine prose is nothing less than what one would expect from a World Fantasy Award winner, while the detailed portraits of the dying city coupled with the gloomy attitude of its citizenry are quite chilling. I copied it because that describes it better than I would ever be able to. I always love McKillip's work, but found this one less accessible than usual. (100 books, A to Z)

YA and general fiction

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen - Annabel Greene seemed to have everything going for her, but it all came crashing down. She starts her junior year of high school alone and ostracized. An odd friendship with the school's most notorious loner helps Annabel find herself and face the truth of that horrible summer. Similar to Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, but still an excellent story. Teen girls will love it. (YAC)

The Appeal by John Grisham - Small firm wins big case against corporation. Corporation spends big money to get case dismissed on appeal. Eh. Whatever.

Heaven and Hell

The 6 Sacred Stones by Matthew Reilly - sequel to 7 Deadly Wonders. Nonstop "save the world" action that ends on a huge cliffhanger. Throw away reality and hold on the roller coaster! (100 books)

Blue Heaven by C. J. Box - Two kids (older sister, younger brother) witness a murder - and the murderers, a group of ex-cops who've retired to a small town in Idaho that has the nickname of Blue Heaven due to all the retirees, see them. The kids end up hiding out with local rancher Jesse Rawlins, who cautiously heads to town only to find out that the ex-cops have "volunteered" to coordinate the town's search for the missing children. Not as good as his Joe Pickett series - too many characters to keep track of, but still a good thriller.

The Sacred Bones by Michael Byrnes - for fans of The DaVinci Code and similar books. Two plot lines - one in Jerusalem investigating the theft of an ossuary(an ancient stone burial box) from a hidden room beneath the Temple Mount - the other in Vatican City as an American geneticist and an anthropologist examine the bones from the stolen ossuary (they don't know about the theft) while under covert observation by ruthless mercenary working for the Vatican. Plus some Templar Knight history. The scientific stuff was very interesting, the rest of the plot was more typical, but well written.

Perdition House by Kathryn R. Wall -  The oddness of family relations permeates this mystery about Bay Tanner, a widowed former accountant turned quasi-investigator. She bails a 'half fifth cousin' out of jail and steps into a mystery that has its roots in the Civil War. Set in low country South Carolina, with side trips to Georgia, Bay tracks her cousin's path and finds out some unknown family history. Very good sense of place, good story. (SRC)

Santa Fe Dead by Stuart Woods - Ed Eagle's ex-wife escapes from the courthouse during her trial - but she was acquited so it ended up not mattering. But her subsequent whirlwind marriage to a very rich man causes him to write to the man to warn him. But the man dies in a huge traffic accident and his lawyer is determined to protect the man's estate from the greedy murderous woman. She's pissed and decides to get the lawyer and Ed. Meanwhile Ed is representing a man who's wife and son were brutally murdered while he was out of the country, but Ed's not completely sure of the man's innocence. Convoluted coincidence connects the two cases. Fairly unbelievable, but entertaining.

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