I mentioned in my 2008 wrap-up post that I might change how and/or when rate a book.

In 2007, I did not rate the books until the end of the year.  By having to think back and re-read reviews, I was able to sift through and determine which books still stood out in my mind (5), which were good/enjoyable reads (4 and 3), and which were okay and not-so-okay (2 and 1).

In 2008, I rated each book after I finished it.

Looking back — and trying to decided which of the 19 5-star books were my favorite of the year –  I saw immediately that books like Personal Demons by Stacia Kane and Nightkeepers Jessica Andersen (books that still stand out in my mind) wouldn’t even be in the top 20, let alone the top 10.  And  there were a few sentimental 5-star books — the Gilded Age mystery series books with Nell Sweeney, for instance.  I loved the series as a whole, and loved Nell and Will — but in retrospect, I would have given some/all of them 3 or 4 stars (I read four books last year)

Now that I’ve tried both ways, I think that the 2007 method was more accurate than last year’s.  Therefore, starting with the review of Dawnkeepers, the rating will be left blank — or TBA (to be annonced) — until the end of the year.  The exceptions will be books that are Did Not Finish (if I even bother trying to review it), and books I absolutely know aren’t going more than a 2-star — I think those will be few, easy to figure out, and my opinion is not likely to change with the passage of time.

 The two books I’ve already rated (Hail to the Chef and Innocence Unveiled) will retain their ratings.

Christina

Because of a shortage of available Jedi knights, the inexperienced Anakin Skywalker and the disgraced Nejaa Halcyon are sent to the planet Praesitlyn, at the head of a small fleet and army of clone warriors. Praesitlyn is under attack by a horde of combat droids under banker-turned-admiral Pors Tonith, and defended by freelance military commander Capt. Zozridor Slayke, who has a personal score to settle with Jedi Halcyon. Meanwhile, the Republic’s original defenders have left some tough survivors behind, such as fighter pilot Erk H’Arman and recon trooper Odie Subu.

5th Clone Wars Novel
Era: Republic, 19.5 years Before the Battle of Yavin/30 months After the Battle of Geonosis
Authors: David Sherman and Dan Cragg
ISBN: 0-345-46115-0 (Del Rey)
Tossed: 11 June 2006

Book was better than some of the earlier novels, but I still didn’t finish it. The authors write military fiction. Oddly, I found it easy to read and it’s not the reason I didn’t finish the book. It was the lack of character. Erk and Odie, a male pilot and a female recon scout, could have been more interesting, but the pacing never allowed for the reader to get to know them. I skimmed the book, and I know they spend most of the book together in near constant peril. We are never privy to their inner feelings, from what I could see.

Anakin got a bit of character development. He’s left at the Temple to study, while Obi-Wan is given a solo mission. He meets Neeja Halycron during one of his study breaks, and the pair become sparring partners. The Jedi Master is almost as easygoing as Qui-Gon and a friendship develops. Neeja and the Rodian, Grudo, help mold Anakin into a more involved field commander, instead of just reacting to events. The encounter with the quartermaster is humorous: Anakin listened patiently to the man and resolved to go back to his own quarters to re-read the reports.

I got far enough into the book to know that Neeja blurts out the fact he’s married with a son. Anakin, stunned, assures Neeja that he’s secret is save with him by telling the Jedi Master that he is married to Padme.

When the economically depressed government of Ord Cestus threatens to sell incredibly deadly battle droids to the Separatists, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine dispatches a team led by Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi to the planet.

2nd Clone Wars Novel
ERA: The Old Republic/Clone Wars. +1 year ABG/-21 years BBY
Author: Steven Barnes
ISBN: 0-345-45898-2 (Del Rey)
Tossed: 19 April 2006

I usually give SW novels a chance to “hook” me, so I try not to have an opinion before reading. Just because a die hard fan likes/does not like the book, doesn’t mean I will have the same reaction. In two days, I failed to reach page 50. The book was boring me. I decided to read some reviews. I looked at reviewers who gave detailed reasons for their low scores. As usual with the Expanded Universe, it all came down to how the author handled, or presented, the material. I don’t mind action and battles; and I don’t mind books that make me think. I’ve skimmed through the book and I agree that the ARC trooper’s story was interesting, but I just couldn’t make myself read the book.

After escaping an obsessive serial killer, Dr. Cara Messinger hoped to forget her days in captivity. But life would never go back to normal. Dash Adams and his proposition saw to that. The hands-on FBI agent could protect the half-Navajo beauty — but only if she gave up all control. Whisked away to a safe house on a remote sandstone mesa, Care felt her world closing in. It was only a matter of time before the killer came back for her.

Author: Cassie Miles
ISBN: 0-373-69245-5 (Harlequin Intrigue)
Finished/Tossed: 11 June 2007
Who: Dr. Cara Messinger, archaeology professor, and Dash Adams, FBI Special Agent

I tried. I truly tried to give this book a chance. First, what I liked.

The dialog. Though the verbal exchanges were far from laugh-out-loud funny, they amused me. It is the primary reason I attempted to read it without skimming.

Native American folklore. This isn’t something I’m into, but I found it interesting. It added to the feel of the book without being an info-dump that had no bearing on the plot.

Dash Adams, the hero of the book. Divorced. He’s from a family of lawyers and was a lawyer himself in a prominent firm. He decided that he wanted to do something more and became an FBI agent. His wife couldn’t deal with the change — she married a highly placed lawyer, not a lowly field agent. He’s not sure he’s ready to settle down, but he’s willing to be in a relationship with Cara to see if they have a chance. Decent guy, not a arrogant jerk.

Yazzie, AKA “Jabba the Cat”. Cara’s cat, whose’s sometimes smarter than his mistress.

The secondary cast. Not all the quips came from Cara and Dash.

Now, what turned me off: Cara Messinger, the heroine of the book.

I tried to be tolerant, but she just kept doing things that bothered me. Her cat freaks out and she ignores the warning of possible danger — I just rolled my eyes. She doesn’t tell anyone about the stalker emails and doesn’t know that they can be traced back to the sender — I just sighed, exasperated. She ends up in a lip-lock with Dash, twenty-four hours after escaping from her captor (who had her four days) — I just gritted my teeth. I’m not saying she shouldn’t have been attracted to him so quickly but really, how about finding out if he’s married or has a serious girlfriend first, okay?

Cara is a 32-year-old archeology professor. She’s been busy with her career. And then she’s kidnaped. She escapes and realizes, after being so closed to death, that life is short. Cara wants a family, more than ever. Right now. Not, someday. Right. Now. She sees Dash as a potential mate. Small problem: as mentioned above, he’s not sure if he’s ready.

Then came this exchange, that had me skimming to the end:
Cara {C}: “A casual relationship isn’t what I want.”
Dash {D}: “It could be more. Sometimes you have to take risks.”
C: “Don’t you dare talk to me about risk. You’re the one with the dangerous job. You talk about a future together and wanting to get to know me when you’re risking you life every day? What kind of relationship could we have?” {So, people with dangerous jobs can’t possibly have successful, long-term, relationships??? That they have no future???}
D: “My life isn’t any more dangerous than a cop or a fireman. Or a corporate lawyer with a bleeding ulcer headed for a coronary.” {You tell her, Dash!}

Further down, she thinks further on the matter: “She could never demand that he give up his career.” Really? Because, sweetie, that’s exactly what your statement implies: We can’t have a relationship because of your job; therefore, if you want me, you need to get a different job. So there.

It irks me. Naturally, had the shoe been on the other foot – he demanding that she give up a dangerous job – I would have been just as irrate. This is contemporary-set romance novel, not a Regency. So, my question is, if he gives up his field job, and takes a desk-bound job with the FBI, does that mean she’s going to give up her field work (i.e., remote archeology digs) for the sake of their future children? I’m sure Dash is right. FBI work isn’t all high speed car chases and blazing gun battles without back-up. And it’s not as if he’s a black-ops CIA agent like the hero of Dee Davis’s Endgame (which I picked to read after this book).

Don’t get me stated on the ending. . .

Lest one thinks I like every book I read, from time to time I’ll blog about the books I coudn’t finish or didn’t like.

As the title suggests, today’s topic is Star Wars. Because I’m posting older, “flashback” reviews from my reading journal, there will be noticeable gaps in the time-line. There are two possible reasons for this: 1) I’m waiting for the paperback or 2) I didn’t like the book. The absence of the Darth Bane book, Path of Destruction, fall under the first reason. The Approaching Storm falls under the second reason.

ERA: The Old Republic. -22 years BBY, just before AOTC
Author: Alan Dean Foster
ISBN: 0-345-44299-7 (Del Rey)
Tossed: February 2006

Summary: The Republic is decaying, even under the leadership of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who was elected to save the galaxy from collapsing under the forces of discontent. On the tiny but strategic planet of Ansion, a powerful faction is on the verge of joining the growing secessionist movement. At the Chancellor’s request, the Jedi Council has sent Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luminara Unduli, plus Anakin Skywalker and Barriss Offee, to stabilize the situation.

Stopped after 182 pages. This was my second attempt to read this book. Obi-Wan and Anakin, plus two other Jedi, spent much of those 182 pages traveling across a prairie, looking for an elusive and nomadic clan. It was like the author didn’t have much of a plot and had to fill in with side adventures of them encountering the local flora and fauna.