October RT Book Reviews is on the shelf!

The new RT Book Reviews is in, and in addition to its usual 250 book reviews, has several interesting feature stories. In keeping with the spookiest month of the year, the issue is heavy on the paranormal. The cover story features J.K. Beck and her novels about a paranormal legal system with a vampire hero. Other features include a look at women authors making headway in the usually male domianted genre of Sci-fi, a review of best-selling authors' favorite haunted house stories, and an interview with historical romance author Elizabeth Boyle. Also included are the usual Pros on Prose and Fan Forum sections, as well as the recently added Teen Scene. Check it out and get some great new recommendations!

On the Book Cart

Historical:
Suzanne Enoch Twice the Temptation
Teresa Madeiros The Devil Wears Plaid
Paula Quinn Seduced by a Highlander
Tracey Anne Warren Wicked Delights of a Bridal Bed

Paranormal:
Anthology On the Prowl
Nina Bangs Wicked Fantasy

Romantic Suspense:
Laura Griffin Whisper of Warning

Love in the Library

We just added The Desk Set to our DVD collection! It's not only one of my all time favorite romantic comedies, it's also probably the first "information science" movie. Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy star in the film, which also features Gig Young and Joan Blondell. Hepburn plays Bunny Watson, head of the research department at a major TV network, and Tracy plays the computer expert Richard Sumner, who has been hired to integrate computers into the department. Bunny's wildly efficient and incredibly stylish staff believe the network wants to replace them with machines, and comedic mayhem ensues. This is a smart, funny movie with a great cast, well worth picking up and settling in with now that the days are getting shorter.

Take a Chance on October!!

The Friends of the Library have really outdone themselves with their newest fundraiser. The Take a Chance on October raffle features 31 days of prizes and one Grand Prize. The daily prizes range in value from $25 to $100, and are items donated by local merchants and organizations. The Grand Prize is a 17" strand of black cultured freshwater pearls with 14k gold accents. Tickets for the daily raffles are $5; buy four of them and you receive a special Grand Prize drawing ticket. Tickets are available now and will be on sale through the end of October. Schedule of prizes is available in the September/October Bookworm and in the Library. Stop by, support the Friends, and take a chance!

Midnight Crystal

Midnight Crystal
By Jayne Castle

Back in the days when people believed you could turn lead into gold, a couple of feuding alchemists devoted themselves to the study of enhancing paranormal abilities. In addition to the standard study of base metals and search for eternal life (Alchemy 101) they worked with plants and crystals. Eventually, one invented a noxious potion and the other a lamp-like artifact, each of which could enhance a person’s psychic talents. Unfortunately, both systems come with a high price: certain madness and death (the potion) or near certain madness and death, depending on who you were (the lamp). The inventor of the potion, Sylvester Jones, realizes the potion’s dangerous effects and makes notes in his journals, but never gives up his quest. The inventor of the lamp, Nicholas Winters, goes mad himself while working the crystals that go into the lamp. He becomes obsessed with finishing his creation and using it to exact vengeance on his archrival, Jones, and any of Jones’ descendants the bearer of the lamp might come in contact with. You might say both these guys were a little too focused on their work, to the detriment of anyone who came into contact with them. Apparently, playing well with others was not in the mad alchemist job description.

Fast forward 600 years. On the planet Harmony, Marlowe Jones has been made manager of the Frequency City office of Jones & Jones. Management of the family detective agency has usually gone to someone who has a strong chaos theory talent, so the fact that she is a dreamlight reader makes her something of an anomaly. It also makes her a great profiler, which comes in handy when she is called upon to investigate a theft from the Arcane Society Museum. The object stolen is none other than the Burning Lamp, a legendary artifact created by Nicholas Winters, and supposedly endowed with incredible powers. According to legend, only direct descendents of Winters can work the lamp, and those who can activate all the crystals embedded in it will be compelled to kill all descendents of Sylvester Jones within reach. The Jones family therefore has a vested interest in keeping track of the lamp. Historically, the lamp has an unfortunate tendency to go missing, leaving both the Jones and Winters clans scrambling for possession, so Marlowe decides her best bet for tracking it down is contacting Adam Winters.

Adam, recently made boss of the Frequency Ghost Hunters Guild, is having a few problems of his own. Not only is he having nightmares and hallucinations, someone is trying to kill him. Since death threats are fairly standard for Guild bosses, the feeling that he’s losing his mind is of greater concern. He fears that he will fall victim to the Winters Curse unless he finds – you guessed it – the Burning Lamp and a strong dreamlight reader to help him work it. And if the legend is to be believed, time is running out.
So he agrees to meet Marlowe, even though her choice of location is a bit questionable, in his opinion.
The next thing you know, the two are being shot at and forced into the alien catacombs under the planet’s surface. By the time they surface, they have to hitchhike back to the city, and before noon have become an item in the tabloids. Though they have different motivations, the two join forces to find the lamp, and all sorts of mayhem, not to mention incredible chemistry, follows.

This is another fun, fast-paced story from Castle, better known as Jayne Ann Krentz or Amanda Quick. You always know what you’re getting with Krentz, and she never fails to make her plots and characters seem new and fresh. If you haven’t read the first two books in this trilogy, Fired Up and The Burning Lamp, start with those (in any order) or it will be tricky to sort out what’s going on in this book. If you are not familiar with Harmony, there is enough explanation and back story to get you through, but you can always check the author’s website for a complete booklist.

On the Book Cart

Contemporary:
Jeanne Adams Deadly Little Secrets
Susan Andersen Burning Up
Brenda Novak Body Heat
Carly Phillips Love Me if you Dare
Mariah Stewart Home Again

Historical:
Olivia Drake Never Trust a Rogue
Diane Gaston Chivalrous Captain, Rebel Mistress
Monica McCarty The Hawk

Paranormal:
Patricia Briggs Hunting Ground
Gail Carriger Blameless
Jayne Castle Midnight Crystal
Christina Dodd Chains of Fire
Heather Graham Ghost Moon
Lynsay Sands Born to Bite

Now Reading: Midnight Crystal by Jayne Castle

Snagged this one off the shelf in Tech Services on Friday, and am just finishing up. I'm a big fan of Jayne Ann Krentz no matter what name she writes under, but I am especially fond of the futuristic world of Harmony. Not only does it appeal to the closet archaeologist within me (Unexplored alien catacombs!) and to the animal lover (Dust bunnies, and not the type you find under the bed either!)Krentz also inevitably includes one brief,realistic-but-kind look at librarians. The author, a former "information professional" herself, typically nails it with her trademark gentle humor. While you're waiting for the book to hit the shelf, take a look at the book trailer:

On the Book Cart

Contemporary:
Erin McCarthy Hot Finish
Carly Phillips Kiss Me If You Can

Historical:
Tessa Dare Three Nights with a Scoundrel
Stephanie Laurens The Brazen Bride
Johanna Lindsey Captive of My Desires

Paranormal:
Anthology Cupid Cats
Cherry Adair Black Magic
Annette Blair Bedeviled Angel
Christine Feehan Water Bound
Loucinda McGary The Wild Irish Sea
Mary Jo Putney A Distant Magic

Suspense:
Elizabeth Jennings Shadows at Midnight
Sharon Sala Blown Away