Slacker Round-Up

Although I've been neglecting my blog so studiously, I've read a few books.  Not that many, since I accidentally rediscovered Spaceward Ho! on my computer.  I'm not sure I'll have time for small things this year, such as celebrating Christmas, what with my renewed obsession and all.  Galaxy conquering takes time, after all.

What have I read this month?  And actually I recommend all of these.

• Pegasus by Robin McKinley.  I enjoyed it, but it is clearly half a book.  Every sentence was tasty, but I did get the feeling that the book was a bit long for the story it told.  
• Wolfsbane (Aralorn), by Patricia Briggs.  Fun fantasy, with strong guy complete with emotional problems, just the way I like 'em.  I did find out that my understanding of the ages of the characters from the previous book was all wrong.
• Things That Are, by Andrew Clements.  Gosh darn it, I thought this was the second in this series, and it's the third.  Oops. 
• Warchild, Karin Lowachee.  Great first person characterization, which was hard because the narrator was a horrifically abused child in the midst of several wars.  Not a typical light-hearted space-opera type war story.  
• What Would Buffy Do: The Vampire Slayer as Spiritual Guide, by Jana Reiss.  Ethical and moral dilemma of our times, as expressed by Buffy and her co-stars.
• Zach's Lie, by Roland Smith.  It's tough to be a seventh grader when your dad is arrested for drug smuggling and his crime-lord bosses want to kidnap you to prevent him from turning on them.  Zach deals with the witness-protection program, but knowing his dad is a crook is hard.  More adventuring than angsty, though.
• Gil's All Fright Diner, by A. Lee Martinez.  Book club for Dirty Sexy Books (which this book doesn't qualify as).  Amusing book about a small town with a lot of demons.
• Touched by an Alien, Gini Koch.   Science fiction romance about aliens working to protect the world, as our heroine discovers.  They are all gorgeous, but only the women are super smart.  Which makes the men a bit insecure.  Frivilous fun with some sex thrown in.