Series Spotlight: Temperance Brennan Series by Kathy Reichs

Since my husband and I have been watching Bones on Netflix (just finished season 1) I thought I would tackle the Kathy Reichs Tempe Brennan series.  I started this series several yearls ago and just recently started trying to catch  back up on the series by getting the audio books from the library.  The audio books are very well done - the reader does an excellent job and I love the voices I hear if I read a book now.  I am currently on Devil Bones which I will listen to as soon as I finish Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich.  Coming later this year, the next in the series will be Flash and Bones which will be out August 23, 2011.

So here is the series in order:


           



The series Bones does not have much to do with the books beyond the character of Tempe, who really is not like Tempe in the book, yet it is a very enjoyable series.  I try not to compare it to the books at all and just enjoy it for the interplay betweent he characters and the science they use to solve the cases.  The show is great on it's own and we will continue to watch it and I will continue reading the books.

So what do you think of the books, have you read them, do you have a favorite, does the series lag at some point or is it great all the way through?  Do you enjoy the show as well?  Who is your favorite character?  I really enjoy bones and her team along with Booth.

Comment on this post and be entered to win a book up to a $10 value at the Book Depository.  I really enjoy hearing from my readers about series.  For an additional entry suggest a series for me to feature in the next few weeks.

Thanks for joining in - I'll draw the winner next Saturday so I'll close entries on Friday 2/11/2011.

Series Spotlight: Septimus Heap Series by Angie Sage (+ Giveaway)

As an effort to continue my series spotlight I received a suggestion on Twitter this week to feature the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage (Thank you @GRGenius).  Perfect timing since I just got the first book for my Kindle for free earlier this week.

I am interested in this series but have never read it, so dear readers, tell me what you think about this series, is it amazing, pretty good or just ok?  Does it lag in the middle of the series and pick up steam again or is it great all the way through?  Your honest thoughts are what I am asking for, for myself and for others who have not read this series.  No spoilers please is all I ask.

Comment away and I'll giveaway a book of your choice under $10 from Book Depository to one lucky person who leaves a meaningful comment (you don't have to have read the books, just say something about the books, whether you want to read them or would never care to).  Open to anywhere the Book Depository ships free.

I'm really curious about this series because I am always looking for books to recommend to my 10-year-old who is just about finished with all the Goosebumps books which are his love :)  So would a 10-year-old boy like these books?

Also through 2/1 you can receive the Magyk ebook free:  Kindle     Nook    Kobo

So a little more about the series:



Magyk:  The seventh son of the seventh son, aptly named Septimus Heap, is stolen the night he is born by a midwife who pronounces him dead. That same night, the baby's father, Silas Heap, comes across a bundle in the snow containing a new born girl with violet eyes. The Heaps take this helpless newborn into their home, name her Jenna, and raise her as their own. But who is this mysterious baby girl, and what really happened to their beloved son Septimus? 

Flyte:   Following the events of Magyk, Septimus Heap continues his apprenticeship with ExtraOrdinary Wizard Marcia Overstrand, and Jenna is enjoying her new life as a princess. But something seems amiss; does the Darke Magyk still linger in this royal preserve? This installment of the exciting adventure series features a few new characters, including a memorable dragon.

Physik: Silas has only himself to blame for sparking the plot of the third Septimus Heap installment. Unsealing a long-forgotten room in the palace, he accidentally unleashes the formerly inert spirit of malevolent old Queen Etheldredda. Five hundred years of downtime have not mellowed the scheming monarch; in fact, she's now eager to enact a devilish plan to make herself immortal and omnipotent. To neutralize her, Septimus and his allies must go into corrective overdrive. Plot surprises, engaging characters, and snappy wit

Queste: There's trouble at the Castle, and it's all because Merrin Meredith has returned with Darke plans for Septimus. More trouble awaits Septimus and Jenna in the form of Tertius Fume, the ghost of the very first Chief Hermetic Scribe, who is determined to send Septimus on a deadly Queste. But Septimus and Jenna have other plans—they are headed for the mysterious House of Foryx


Syren: In this fifth book in the Magykal series, Septimus ends up on a captivatingly beautiful island, one of seven set in a sparkling sea. He's stranded there with his badly injured dragon, Spit Fyre, along with Jenna and Beetle.
There are some strange things about the island, including a Magykal girl named Syrah, a cat-shaped lighthouse that has lost its Light, and an eerie presence that sings to Septimus—can he escape the persistent call?
Trouble is also brewing for Lucy and Wolf Boy, who have become entangled with some nefarious sailors at sea, and for Milo Banda, Jenna's father, who is harboring a mysterious treasure chest in his ship's hold.

Thanks for joining in - I'll draw the winner next Saturday so I'll close entries on Friday 2/4/2011.

Author/Series Spotlight: Steve Berry and the Cotton Malone series

This week's letter is B for the Alphabet in Crime Fiction challenge.  When I went again to my spreadsheet of books I have read from 2004-2010 to find something to go with B, I came up with author Terri Blackstock, but I also noticed that I had read several books by Steve Berry.  Now Steve Berry doesn't really write crime fiction but I wanted to do something on him because I just received his newest book, The Emperor's Tomb in the mail for review.

Steve Berry is a suspense/thriller writer at least by my definition.  There is a mystery/suspense plot line in his books, at least the ones I have read which revolve around Cotton Malone (who I am secretly in love with) ;)

I mentioned above that I received his newest book for review, but I also have another book of his in my library tbr pile.  So which books do I have?

First is The Paris Vendetta.  Yes I am huge Cotton Malone fan but somehow with blogging and reviewing I missed reading the new book from 2009.  And the second book is his new one The Emperor's Tomb which I mentioned before (and since I love Cotton Malone you know I jumped on getting that book when the publicist contacted me).  So now to get down to business and read these two books.  I'm excited, I love getting immersed in Cotton's world and how he doesn't want to be a part of the investigation, but he just can't help himself.  I love learning about bits of history, sometimes things I didn't even know about.  The books are fast-paced, have interesting characters and great mystery.

So check him out if you haven't, or catch up if you need to like me.  I keep telling myself when I finish the Cotton Malone books I will go back and read his stand-alones.  It won't be a problem, the library has all of them :)

I realize I have never reviewed a Cotton Malone book on the blog.  Well that will be remedied soon, but there is no way I could go back and review the earlier books, so I'll just say they were great.  The books kept me hooked from the beginning to the end and next time my husband is looking for a new series to read I will be quick to recommend these to him.

So what books are in the Cotton Malone series?
   

1. The Templar Legacy
2. The Alexandria Link
3. The Venetian Betrayal
4. The Charlemagne Pursuit
5. The Paris Vendetta
6. The Emperor's Tomb

 Just a little bit about Steve Berry (from Fantastic Fiction)

Steve Berry lives on the Georgia coast in Camden County. He's a lawyer who, for twenty-five years, has helped people both in and out of the courtroom. He's also active in local politics, having served on the Camden County Board of Education and, currently, he is one of five members of the Camden County Board of Commissioners.

His website