Back in the Middle with You

My week of trash reading is almost over. Want to know how I did?

Blood Infernal – James Rollins & Rebecca Cantrell

This is one of those old fashioned smart people save the world from supernatural events sort of books. I was raised on these things. I remember reading Clive Cussler over my dad’s shoulder when I was a kid. My dad is severely dyslexic, so we read at about the same pace. James Rollins is basically the Cussler of our generation (Yes, I know Cussler is still “writing” but since all his books share a byline now, I’m pretty sure he isn’t doing any of the heaving lifting.) This series of three books about the war between good and evil is better than average. Basically, if you enjoyed any of Dan Brown’s books, these are perfect for you.

Raging Heat – Richard Castle

I started watching Castle due to my love of Nathan Fillion and I stopped watching Castle for the same reason. The books, however, are damned entertaining. I really appreciate the Mobius strip of the writing. A real author is writing a fictionalized version of a fictional character writing about his real life. Hee! On top of that, he has to do it in the voice and image of the actor portraying the character. Double hee! And, in a nod to the audience’s knowledge that this is all a fun house of cards, the author loves to throw references to Fillion’s previous acting roles and other insider jokes. Plus, the actual author of the books is one of the current big mysteries of the publishing world. It’s all jolly good fun and well worth a read.

The Last American Vampire – Seth Grahame-Smith

Grahame-Smith is what Christopher Moore could be if he was a better writer. Both authors do essentially the same thing – they take previously established works and bastardize them. In Moore’s case, he desecrates Shakespeare. In Grahame-Smith’s case, he tales the classics and turns them into horror stories. This one started strong but petered out in the end due to a crappy villain and poor plotting. Essentially, if you ever want to read about a patriotic vampire Forrest Gumping his way through American history, this is the book for you.

The Sixth Extinction – James Rollins

The library didn’t have the newest Tana French book, so I made do with this one. I haven’t finished it yet, but I can tell you how it ends. The heroes from a secret Alphabet agency save the world from an Apocalyptic event that is being funded by another, different (but still secret) group of zealots intend on making the world a better place by killing everyone in it. The big battle will take place at a previously undiscovered wonder of the world that the heroes will most certainly destroy and all the good guys will live while all the bad guys die. The end. 

Next up, a Pulitzer-Prize winner and a return to the second half of the List.