Grass (Sheri S Tepper)

My most vivid memory of this book, read a month or so ago, is a description of the plague that made me want to throw up. Tepper is certainly a skilled writer in evoking violence and rather horrible things, and I think this book is actually one of her better efforts. Some of her books are quite insightful and fascinating pieces of science fiction, and others are far more trashy, with villians who have no redeeming qualities.

Grass is set on another planet, the only one in the universe where plague has not struck, and the other planets would like to know why. There is a great sense of menace in this story - not only the creeping hideousness of the plague, but a great many other horrors. It's not a story to curl up and read in a comforting armchair, but one to read tensely, leant over its pages, gritting your teeth at the more vivid descriptions. While the scientific conclusion (as to lack of plague) at the end is a bit pat, this is a fun read for fans of Tepper and sci-fi in geneal.

Twilight (Stephenie Meyer)

I read good reviews of Twilight on several blogs, but was put off by the fact that it was a teen love story involving a vampire - not really my type of thing. However, I found an audio book of it in the library, and thought I'd give it a listen. I hated the voice of the narrator at first, but got used to it (I think you could get used to anything after listening to it for about 12 hours), and despite my initial irritation with it, really loved the story I was hearing.

Twilight is a super-romantic over the top love story between a teenage girl and one of her classmates, who's a vampire. Naturally, their relationship abounds in tension, mostly because Bella smells so very edible to Edward. I like Meyer's vampires - they're original and attractive creatures - and although some parts of this Romeo & Juliet-like romance made me roll my eyes a little, I still really enjoyed it, and was very involved with the characters. I think if I'd read this while I was a teenager I would have become quite obsessed with it - it's just my sort of thing. Can't wait to read New Moon, the sequel.

The Gilded Chamber (Rebecca Kohn)

The Gilded Chamber is a re-telling of the biblical story of Esther, a young Jewish girl who is brought into the harem of King Xerxes, eventually marries him, and is able to prevent him making an order for the execution of the Jewish people. It's full of lush descriptions of life in the harem - beauty treatments, endless banquets of food and wine, and gorgeous costumes. However, it's not really the sort of book you read for strong characters - while Kohn paints some gorgeous visual scenery, Esther and Xerxes move through it rather blankly. Fun, but fairly forgettable.

The Castlemaine Murders (Kerry Greenwood)

I listened to The Castlemaine Murders as an audiobook, and while it took me a little while to get used to the very English narrator (Phryne didn't really sound as I expected her to sound), it didn't detract from my enjoyment of yet another light hearted mystery from Greenwood. As usual, the mystery was not terribly mysterious, but Phryne was deliciously fabulous, and I love all the scenes in her household. When will I be rich enough to have a butler to mix me drinks?

Incantation (Alice Hoffman)

Incantation is another one of Alice Hoffman's books for young adults. Incantation is a fairly short book, telling the story of Estrella, who lives with her family in Spain in the 1500s. Estrella discovers that her family belong to a rather different church to her friend Catalina - they light candles on Friday nights, keep pigs as pets, and have special names for each other to use in the privacy of their home. When their secret is revealed, it has terrible consequences for the family.

Incantation is surprisingly graphic in its violence, and I was rather depressed by the time I closed the final cover. However, it's very well written, and I imagine a reasonably accurate portrayal of the persecution of Jews in Spain at the time - a gripping story.

End in Tears (Ruth Rendell)

End in Tears is Ruth Rendell's latest Inspector Wexford novel, and while I found the plot rather contrived, Rendell's skill with characterisation still makes this book very readable indeed. A teenage mother is found murdered, and shortly afterwards one of her friends disappears. Wexford spends the novel seeking the link between thes two girls, and dealing with his own family problems as his wife is furious with their daughter for deciding to have another child. As usual, it is the character of Wexford that carries the story - his frustration with the world he finds himself in, and his determination to find the answers.

Drowning Ruth (Christina Schwarz)

Drowning Ruth is billed as a psychological thriller, but I wasn't particularly enthralled by it. The story of Amanda, who takes care of her sister's child Ruth, after her sister drowns, with the help of Ruth's father, Carl. Amanda was present the night of her sister's death, and we gradually discover the truth of what happened that night as the story progresses. I finished the story, but found it rather dull - a very forgettable book.