Let's see, my unreviewed NOOK reads include a paranormal anthology, a middle grade book, a military science fiction novel, a mystery, a fantasy, and a regency romance.
Angels of Darkness. Four very different authors write stories about angels. Nalini Singh gives an angsty story about a depressed vampire learning to love an angel. Sharon Shinn goes back to her angel planet of Samaria and has a bitter woman learn to trust through forcing a blind angel to trust her. Meljean Brook reunites two lovers, and Ilona Andrews, the only author whose worlds don't have angels anyway, bring new meaning to the idea of co-dependency. Mostly fun stuff; Shinn's story was my favorite.
Bigger Than a Bread Box, Laurel Snyder. This was not quite the book I expected, although it was very well done. It's the story of a girl whose parents are separated and she has to deal with abruptly moving down to live with her grandmother in a new city without any idea of when or if she'll ever go home. Oh, and she finds a magic bread box, which delivers her any wish that fits in the box, although it takes her a while to wonder where it gets the stuff. I started the book expecting the emphasis to be on the nifty magic trick of the bread box, but that's really just a metaphor for how things in life magically appear and disappear, such as her faith in her family (disappears) and her companionship with her little brother (appears).
Kris Longknife: Daring, Mike Shepherd. I'm starting to think the joke is on me with these books. One thing I've always liked is how they toy with the ridiculous stereotypes of women, with the main character pausing in her awesomeness to joke with her female rival about which boys they wish they were sleeping with or whose hair looks better. But I kept getting the feeling in this book that it wasn't a joke, that the author really thought women would have those conversations with a straight face, but that just isn't possible, right? I must have just been very tired while I read it. I also got bored with the constant references to everything being the fault of the Longknife family's love of trouble, even when the situation had nothing to do with Kris.
Pirate King, Laurie King. I read this last year sometime; it's the latest Mary Russell book (my book club read the first one this year). Mary runs off as a movie assistant to avoid some annoying stuff back in London, so we don't get any Holmes until midway through the book. I remember being confused that none of the family stuff from the previous books got mentioned, but maybe I had forgotten how things were resolved. Not one of the best, but an entertaining read.
Stardust, Neil Gaiman. I saw the movie in the theater when it came out, so I knew the general shape of the story, but Gaiman's version is different enough and my memory dim enough that I just vaguely knew who had happy endings. Somehow the enslavement of the star by the hero was much more upsetting to me in the book; I never really got over it and felt that he didn't ever understand what he did or why it mattered. So his happy ending didn't satisfy me; he still seemed like one of the bad guys who should get some kind of come-uppence.
The Naked Viscount, Sally MacKenzie. This silly and fluffy Regency never tried to take itself seriously as a historical, but instead wandered about having fun with its premise and characters, which never deepened enough to cause any worry about their happiness or safety. Occasionally the quest for jokes over continuity jarred, but in general it was a cute way to spend an hour or so, with spy hijinks alternating with hot sex.
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