Books in January

I didn't really have a theme for my reading this month. It was January, the most depressing month of the year so I just read whatever books I thought might cheer me up a little bit.

Frostbitten

This is the latest in the Women of the Otherworld series from Kelley Armstrong. This series started out with strong lead characters, full of intriguing side-characters, lots of adventure and danger and liveliness. It was fun. This latest installment however was not fun in the least. The plot was thin on the ground and the usual capers were replaced with protracted sex scenes, some lasting in excess of five pages. FIVE PAGES. Luckily it was a pretty short book.
YOU WILL LIKE THIS IF: There is something wrong with you.

Shiver

This book concerns a young werewolf who fears that he will not be able to return to human form if he transforms into a wolf. This would not be ideal as his girlfriend is a semi-normal human girl. Considering the gravity of the situation the romantic leads in the novel spend most of their time hanging out. Just plain hanging out.
WOLFBOY: So we should probably deal with my impending perma-wolfhood.
NONWOLFGIRL: Later. I have homework, and you have to sit on the edge of the desk strumming on that guitar.
Despite this I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a bit of werewolfy YA. It's atmospheric but not too intense, it's laid-back and engaging. Hooray!
YOU WILL LIKE THIS IF: It's cold outside, but warm inside and you have a comfy chair and a lovely big mug of tea.

The Truth About Forever and Just Listen

These novels are a little paint-by-numbers. Choose a girl's name. Choose a trauma. Choose a secondary trauma. Choose a boy's name. Give him a creative outlet. Put the two together. If you've done it right they should cure each other of any and all woes. I really liked these though. I can picture myself buying all of the books by this author, unhinging my brain-jaw and eating them all at once. What they lack in originality they make up for in warmth and pleasantness.
YOU WILL LIKE THESE IF: Books intended for teenaged girls are like crack to you.

The Collected Short Stories of F.Scott Fitzgerald

I've had this book for ages but can only just now say that I've read each and every story. I wish it had more in it because it was quite expensive at the time and there are stories that I've either read elsewhere or that I know of and haven't read that are not included. That said it's worth a go just for the quiet desperation and extreme hilarity of the Pat Hobby stories. Excruciating but highly entertaining.
YOU WILL LIKE THIS IF: You've been through all of. F. Scott Fitzgerald's books. You're very well read, it's well known.