I had a whole boatload of reviews come out this month that I wanted to make sure everyone had a chance to see. Lest you think I am a reviewing machine, be aware that some of these books were actually read and reviewed months ago - the columns in particular are a continuous work in progress (I have books reviewed through February right now). Here are the reviews that went up in the past week:

Over at Bookslut my new column is "Bradbury Season" and celebrates Octoberness. (I love October.) I reviewed Boneshaker by Cherie Priest, Affinity Bridge by George Mann, Lips Touch by Laini Taylor, Ash by Malinda Lo, Twists of the Tale, an anthology of cat horror edited by Ellen Datlow, the gorgeous picture book (and my Cybil nom) Leon and the Place Between by Angela McCallister and as an extra "cool read" a new Darwin title for MG readers by A.J. Wood and Clint Twist, Charles Darwin and the Beagle Adventure. (It's fabulous!) If you like steampunk or reconsidered fairy tales, or dark and magical romance or flat out scary then these are some titles for you (plus Darwin and the picture book of course!)

Also at Bookslut I had a standalone review of Shelley Emling's biography of Mary Anning, The Fossil Hunter. Here's a bit:

You cannot overstate Mary Anning’s initial discovery, or the many equally spectacular finds that followed. Emling explains that unlike today, where arguments about creationism and evolution abound but no one doubts the existence of the dinosaurs, in the early 19th century it was believed that every creature ever born still existed in the world. The very nature of extinction was debatable, let alone the question of evolution. Presented with irrefutable evidence that fantastical creatures had existed and could no longer be found (although some clung the belief they were still out there somewhere), geologists and biologists had to rethink everything they thought they knew about the world. These discussions transformed and expanded as more and more people took to the field and more fossils were found. It proved to be both difficult and enlightening. This was the time when the word “dinosaurian" was coined -- when the study of fossils became a life’s work and private collectors vied with museums for the greatest and boldest discoveries.

Loved it.

And then there was a boatload of reviews from the fall issue of Eclectica. Here we go with those:

The Scenic Route by Binnie Kirshenbaum, an excellent adult title that proves the line drawn between books for teens and adults can often come down to the experiences of the characters. In other words, I think you really needed to have lived to appreciate this one. Here's a bit of the review:

Masterful in its execution, riveting in its expertise, on the smallest scale The Scenic Route is the story of a relationship. But as all adults know, who we are together is only part of the equation; it is everyone else we have been, all who live in our past, every moment touched by our hearts in the way of romance or family or friendship that forms the person we can be in any couple. Is it "women's fiction" for Binnie Kirshenbaum to know this essential human truth? Please. What I read was wonderfully written, perfectly balanced literature in The Scenic Route. I choose not to label something that is this good, I simply choose to enjoy it and then read everything else I can find by such a talented author.

There's also a review of several adult mysteries (three from Soho and one from Telegram). They include GI Bones by Martin Limon, Murder in the Latin Quarter by Cara Black, Many and Many a Year Ago by Seltuck Atucn and No More Dying by David Roberts. GI Bones in particular was a great read - if you're looking for a series for NCIS fans then this is the one. (I love it because they are military mysteries set in Korea during the Vietnam War and the books are great; nothing else like them out there, period.)

And then I have several "group review" pieces for middle gradish readers. The first is on books about America and Americans includes Greetings From the Fifty States by Sheila Keenan, First People by David King, The Day-Glo Brothers by Chris Barton, Camping With the President by Ginger Wadsworth, It's a Snap! by Moinca Kulling and Into the Deep by David Sheldon. These books are about some very interesting people (Teddy Roosevelt, George Eastman, William Beebe) and interesting moments in US history. Homeschoolers and librarians need to take special note.

The nature titles piece includes: The Jungle Grapevine by Alex Beard (a fun take on the telephone game for the kids), The Armadillo Trail by Stephen Swinburne (I had no idea that armadillos could stay underwater for more than 5 minutes!), two Adventures of Riley titles (if they like Bindi, they'll like Riley), What Came First by Sandro Natallini (chickens/eggs and evolution) and the first book in the new Jeff Corwin series, Your Backyard is Wild. Gotta love Corwin.

And finally (WHEW!) I ended up with several American Revolution titles over the past few months and thought "Hey! I bet there's lots of people out there who would like to know about some great Revolution books!" So here they are: For Liberty by Timothy Decker which was my Cybils nom and is an excellent look at the Boston Massacre from both sides and most significantly explains why John Adams defended the British with a killer quote by Adams on the final page (really really really why on earth is Decker not more widely read?), Let It Begin Here! By Don Brown (Lexington and Concord!), King George, What Was His Problem? By Steven Sheinkin (this series if fantastic - can't recommend it enough), The Revolutionary War Battle Box (which includes all kinds of neat ephemera to look through), Unite or Die by Jacqueline Jules (the funniest school play on the war ever) and Upon Secrecy by Selene Catrovilla (did you know about the Culper Spy ring and how they risked their lives to help Washington? I didn't and it blew me away, seriously).

There are great books in here (and yes, most of them were sent by publishers which I guess means you can ignore everything positive I had to say about them because my opinion can be so cheaply bought that a free book will make me your BFF. Totally). Any questions on any of the titles, let me know and otherwise, happy reading!