Month: January 2011

I listened to these books from Audible.com which are narrated by James Marsters. As always the production values are excellent and the characters are portrayed by Marsters in a way that really brings them to life.

The series is really taking off with big changes for the characters and intensifying plot lines that leave me wanting more and more. I really like how every book surprises me with plot twists and character bends that deepen my interest in Harry Dresden and the people that surround him.

Turn Coat

We get to learn more about Morgan and what motivates him to do the things he does in "Turn Coat."

From the publisher:

The Warden Morgan has been accused of treason against the Wizards of the White Council–and there’s only one, final punishment for that crime. He’s on the run, wants his name cleared, and needs someone with a knack for backing the underdog. Someone like Harry Dresden.

Now, Harry must uncover a traitor within the Council, keep a less-than-agreeable Morgan under wraps, and avoid coming under scrutiny himself. And a single mistake may cost someone his head–someone like Harry.

Changes

Wow! Just WOW!

I do not want to give anything away about this book, so I wont. It is not a book that you should read without reading all of the other Harry Dresden books first, but as the 12th book in the series it is the best of the bunch.

I have edited the description from the publisher because I feel it gives away important plot points of the story that should be left as a surprise.

From the publisher:

Long ago, Susan Rodriguez was Harry Dresden’s lover-until she was attacked by his enemies, leaving her torn between her own humanity and the bloodlust of the vampiric Red Court. Susan then disappeared to South America, where she could fight both her savage gift and those who cursed her with it.

Now Arianna Ortega, Duchess of the Red Court, has discovered a secret Susan has long kept, and she plans to use it-against Harry. To prevail this time, he may have no choice but to embrace the raging fury of his own untapped dark power.

I rate Turn Coat 8 out of 10 and Changes as a 10 out of 10 for those who have read the preceding books.

In the last year I set a goal for myself to write a short book review every week. I love to read and go through almost a book a week either in print, on an electronic device, or as an audio book.

I also decided to focus the first half of the year on non-fiction books and the second half of the year reading fiction. Many of the fiction books I have written reviews for are part of a series and the reviews are for more than one book in the series.

I really enjoyed these books and look forward to even more reading in 2011.

Non-Fiction Books

• The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook by Ben Mezrich 8 out of 10
• Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend 10 out of 10
• Creative Black & White by Harold Davis Unrated
• Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus: The Classic Guide to Understanding the Opposite Sex by John Gray 9 out of 10
• The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson 9 out of 10
• Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin 4 out of 10
• No More Mondays: Fire Yourself — And Other Revolutionary Ways to Discover Your True Calling at Work by Dan Miller 8 out of 10
• 97 Things Every Programmer Should Know 8 out of 10
• How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In by Jim Collins 8 out of 10
• A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson 8 out of 10
• Around the World in 80 Days by Michael Palin 7 out of 10
• Storming Las Vegas: How a Cuban-Born, Soviet-Trained Commando Took Down the Strip 8 out of 10
• iWoz: How I Invented the Personal Computer and Had Fun Along the WaY 7 out of 10
• Blink: The Power of Thinking Without by Malcolm Gladwell 5 out of 10
• Andrew Carnegie by David Nasaw 4 out of 10
• The Blessing of a Skinned Knee: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children by Wendy Mogel, Ph.D. 10 out of 10
• Influencer: The Power to Change Anything 7 out of 10
• National Geographic Photo Books 8 out of 10
• iPad: The Missing Manual by J.D. Biersdorfer 7 out of 10
• High Performance JavaScript by Nicholas C. Zakas 8 out of 10
• Firebug 1.5: Editing, Debugging, and Monitoring Web Pages by Chandan Luthra and Deepak Mittal 8 out of 10
• The Unofficial LEGO Builder’s Guide by Allan Bedford 8 out of 10
• Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Hacks, and Good Food By Jeff Potter 8 out of 10

Fiction Books

• Maximum Ride: Books 1, 2, and 3 by James Patterson Unrated
• Ender’s Game: Special 20th Anniversary Edition by Orson Scott Card 9 out of 10
• The Callahan Chronicals by Spider Robinson 9 out of 10
• Doctor Who: The Sands of Time By Justin Richards 8 out of 10
• A Hat Full of Sky, An Adventure of Tiffany Aching and the Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett 9 out of 10
• Doctor Who: The Taking of Chelsea 426 by David Llewellyn 8 out of 10
• Dresden Files: Storm Front & Fool Moon by Jim Butcher 9 out of 10
• Dresden Files Book 3: Grave Peril by Jim Butcher 8 out of 10
• Dresden Files Books 4 through 8 by Jim Butcher 8 out of 10
• Dresden Files: Books 9 "White Night" and Book 10 "Small Favor" 8 out of 10
• Doctor Who: Night of the Humans By David Llewellyn 8 out of 10