Looking for a book to read?

Try some of my favorites for this Holiday season. Remember, books make GREAT gifts too!

If you want to try something good and noir-ish with a bunch of good urban fantasy, go to The Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher. First one is Storm Front and second is Fool Moon. SERIOUSLY excellent books. So far there are 10 in the series and Butcher has said that he's planning on at least 20. Book 11 is due out in April.

Another couple of good series...

House of Night series by PC and Kristin Cast. First one is Marked and second is Betrayed. About a different kind of Vampyre where you are "marked" and your dna changes. Paganism does figure in these books and there's mild sex and language. There are currently 4 out and a 5th is due next year in hardback.

Mercy Thompson books by Patricia Briggs. Mercy is a VW Mechanic in these Urban Fantasy novels. She's also a Walker, a coyote to be exact. There are werewolves and vampires and even fae in these books. First is Moon Called, second is Blood Bound and third is Iron Kissed. Fourth is coming out early next year and it's called Bone Crossed.

There is another series set in the same "world" that deals with the Marrok (you'll learn about him) and his younger son Charles. First story is in the Anthology On the Prowl and the first book is called Cry Wolf. The series is called the Alpha and Omega series.

The Kitty Norville books by Carrie Vaughn. Kitty Norville is a disc jockey who is also a werewolf. First book is Kitty and the Midnight Hour, second is Kitty Goes to Washington. There are 4 currently out and 2 due out in Jan and Feb of next year.

I know I've talked about these before but the Rachel Morgan books by Kim Harrison are so so so excellent. First is Dead Witch Walking and second is The Good, the Bad and the Undead. There are 6 books out currently and book 7 is due early next year. I adore Rachel and hey...it's set in Cincinnati. How much better can that get? *G*

Sisters of the Moon series is by Yasmine Galenorn. They involve 3 sisters who are half human, half fey and are "secret agents" of the Fey crown. Witchling is first, Changeling is second, and Darkling is third. Dragon Wytch is the forth and the fifth book is due out either later this year or early next.

The Werecats books by Rachel Vincent are okay. I've only read the first, Stray, but have the second, Rogue, on my TBR pile. The third is due out early next year.

Many people like the Weather Warden books by Rachael Caine. Sort of an elementals meets the djinn and weather is involved type of book. I've only read the first couple and they were pretty good. I just got tired of waiting for the next and went on to something else and forgot about these. Ill Wind is the first and Heat Stroke is the second. There are 7 books in the series so far and all are out. No word on book 8 that I know of but I haven't really looked. *G*

Rachel Caine also has a Vampire series called the Morganville Vampires. I haven't read these but am told they're more of a YA book than an "adult" novel. Which is okay with me. So's Twilight. *G* First is Glass Houses.

The Vampire Acadamy books by Richelle Mead are great. So far there are 2 books in print and the third is due out this month. Vampire Acadamy is first, Frostbite is second and Shadow Kiss is the third. Totally engrossing. Has vampires and magic and dhampires.

The Noble Dead novels are more along the lines of Epic Fantasy and involve vampires, fey and dhampir. First book is called Dhampir, second is Thief of Lies and third is Sister of the Dead. There are 6 books currently in print in this series and the 7th is due out in Jan of 09.

More Epic Fantasy with Jim Butcher's other series, The Codex Alera. The Furies of Calderon is the first book, and in it we follow Tavi, a furyless boy of 15, as he begins on a journey to help save the world he knows. EXCELLENT books, in fact, I'm reading them right now to get ready for the 5th book's release later this month. Second book is Acadam's Fury and Third is Cursor's Fury. I love these books and wish I'd have bought them in hardback since they're now OOP in hardback and are very very hard to find. Don't let the "epic fantasy" scare you. These are not tedious books. They're fast and rousing and oh so addictive.

And last but very very much NOT least...

The Katie Chandler books by Shanna Swendson are very highly imaginative books where magic is all too real but most people have no clue that the person sitting next to them could be a fairy or a sprite or even that the gargoyle peering down at them is REAL and not just a stone figure. Katie Chandler sees all of this and more when she starts working in New York City...because Katie is a rarity in the world. A person so devoid of magic that she's a true mundane. But her life is FAR from mundane when she takes a job with Magic, Spells and Illusion, Inc. (MSI) as a "verifier", someone who can see through the magic to what really lies beneath. Enchanted Inc is the first book in this wonderful series. There's 4 books out so far and from reading her FAQ section, her current publisher isn't sure there will BE a book 5 unless sales of books 3 and 4 get stronger. The series is excellent and I highly recommend it. And I KNOW you'll want it on your keeper shelf! (there's also the possibility of a movie!)