Book reviews!

If I hear the word "cardi" again and it's not referring to the Alpha Quadrant species in a derogatory way, I am going to stab the "modelquins" at Old Navy with a wooden stake tipped with a silver bullet. It's the only way.

Now for more book reviews:

Night Train to Lisbon, Pascal Mercier.
I originally picked this one up because Isabel Allende was one of the reviewers on the back, and since I love her, I figured I couldn't go wrong. And I couldn't. This is the story of a staid older man who lives an incredibly mundane life until an encounter shakes up his entire life. He up and moves to Lisbon from Switzerland on the spur of the moment, pursuing the story of a revolutionary genius.

The Disappearance of Irene Dos Santos, Margaret Mascarenhas.
This book is about two childhood friends, one of whom allegedly disappeared in the jungles of Venezuela when they were teenagers. This is an incredibly well-written weaving tale that uses viewpoints from all the characters in the book. It's not as predictable as it would seem. Definitely a keeper.

The Notebook, Nicholas Sparks.

Yes, I can hear your disdain from here. Let me keep this short: cute story, very sad, horribly written book. I bet the movie's better.

American Gods, Neil Gaiman.
Most of you have read this already and I know you were breathlessly awaiting my response on it. LOL. Anyway, it was really good. That's all I got. I see the appeal of Gaiman, but am not yet in his cult.

Finally, thanks to a recommendation from , I started reading Kushiel's Legacy series and I can't put it down. I'm on the fourth book, and I haven't been disappointed yet. It's my first foray into fantasy, and the series is quite captivating. It's set in a Renaissance-esque world, and it's so captivating from start to finish.