Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Vampires and Cannibals and Siblings, oh my!

DEXTER IS DELICIOUS by Jeff Lindsay, 2010.
I stayed up till almost midnight finishing this fifth instalment in the Dexter series. This one finds Dexter learning to be a new father to Lily Anne, plus dealing with the return of his psychopathic killer brother Brian and helping his sister Sergeant Deborah Morganwith a horrific case involving murdered victims being eaten and finding a missing teenage girl who could be next on the menu. Loaded with Dexter's dark humor, with enough sex and violence to keep the story moving at a fast pace, this is enjoyable and thrilling. Dexter is such an interesting character in this novel, with his attempts to change himself for Lily Anne, to give up his listening to the his Dark Passenger, and to lead a more human life with Rita and their family. Events conspire against him all through the book, and it doesn't help matters at all that near the end of the book his frustrated sister makes a request that startles even Dexter. The very premise of this series has intrigued me from the beginning, and Lindsay has kept my interest up with each succeeding adventure. I find them generally suspenseful, humorous, exciting, and totally entertaining. With plenty of unresolved issues at the end of this story, I'm looking forward to the next chapter in Dexter's life.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

THE HORSE IN VIRGINIA by Julie A. Campbell, 2010.
Excellently put together coffee table style book about the history of the horse in Virginia. The first horses came on ship to Jamestown in 1609 and ended up being eaten along with dogs, rats, and practically anything else that could be found, during the "Starving Time," that horrendous winter of 1609-10. After the colony was more established, more horses arrived and flourished. Campbell divides her book into time periods, with plenty of wonderful illustrations. Lots of good material here on Civil War horses, and more modern horses like Secretariat, as well as horse racing history in the Commonwealth. It's a good browsing book, not as in-depth perhaps as some would like. I found it pleasant to dip into, enjoyed my favorite parts of it, and skimmed the others. If you are interested in a brief history with beautifully done photos and historical illustrations, then this will serve you well. Campbell gives a good bibliography of sources, too, for further reading.