October Reads (& Listens).
Slacker Girl by Alexandra Koslow
Pretty formulaic piece of chik lit full of unconvincing characters. Eh.
The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar (forward by Neil Gaiman)
Eh. Thin story depending too much on quirkiness and not enough on real plot or character development. The author's handling of crohn's disease and colostomies, while sympathetic, seems factually incorrect to this ostomate.
Originally published in the UK in 1992. Released in the US (9/2006) with forward by Neil Gaiman.
Woman Who Loved Reindeer by Meredith Ann Pierce
Read this book when I was thirteen or so (just after reading Darkangel) and I was not impressed (wanted more Aeriel, really). It seems better upon re-reading, but I wish there was more of it.
Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett (read by Stephen Briggs)
While Briggs does a good job with this, I wonder if Nigel Planer would have done a better job with the Nac Mac Feegles and Granny Weatherwax.
Sweet and Deadly by Charlaine Harris
Repub of an early Charlaine Harris novel. It's a bit dated and not especially well constructed, but still a nice read on a rainy autumn afternoon.
Arana, Vol. 1: Heart of the Spider by Fiona Kay Avery (illus. by Mark Brooks)
Contemporary Marvel Universe story about a young Hispanic girl who discovers she has amazing spider powers. Very well written and illustrated with a fairly realistic take on Arana's ordinary life.
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett (read by Stephen Briggs)
Last Continent by Terry Pratchett (read by Nigel Planer)
Tell Me Lies (abridged) by Jennifer Crusie (read by )
I remember loving this book when I read it years ago, but the audio book left me cold. Maddie is a wishy-washy woman who seems completely incapable of stringing clues together. I spent a lot of time waiting for her to grow up and start using her brain.
Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie (read by Joyce Bean)
I worried this book would be too cute, but there were enough dead bodies and episodes of black humor to balance out the cuteness. It reminded my very much of those old screwball comedy films.
Waters Luminous and Deep
by Meredith Ann PierceShort story collection, some of which have never before been published. Marvelous. The only thing lacking were the pen-and-ink illustrations meant to go along with "Where the Wild Geese Go."