I saw this on HelenKay Dimon’s blog and just had to post about it. There’s a Burn Notice book out! It’s based on the summer television show, which I totally love. I am so getting this book.

And the best news? On Amazon, one of the reviews says this is the first of three books. Huzzah!

Finished Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman. This is a superhero book that came out about the same time as Karma Girl did last year. For much more on Invincible, check out Girls Read Comics. Karen Healey did an interview with Grossman last year. You can find it in the archives.

This book is about Doctor Impossible, a supervillain who escapes from prison and tries to take over the world (for about the 13th time), and Fatale, a female human/cyborg who becomes part of the superhero team the New Champions in order to stop Impossible. The book alternates between the two of them. One chapter is from Impossible’s first-person point of view; the next is from Fatale’s first-person POV; and so on and so forth.

It’s a little confusing at first, but it really works well toward the end of the book. And like my significant other, Wheezley, said, it feels like you’re getting two books in one because of the different narrators.

This is a really, really interesting book. Grossman has an easy-to-read style (no matter who’s narrating) that sucks you in. The different POVs make the book a sort of chess game, as you see what Impossible’s doing and how Fatale and the other heroes are countering him. The plot moves along at a brisk pace, and Grossman really makes you believe in his world and how commonplace the heroes/villains are. There’s also an index in the back of the various characters, which helps keep everyone straight.

But what really struck me about the novel is how sad it is. One scene that illustrates this is when Fatale is spying on the other heroes as they get ready for bed. One has to take over a dozen pills; another has back problems; one pops painkillers just to keep going; and so on and so forth. Fatale muses about how heroes have their problems just like everyone else.

Then, there are Fatale and Impossible themselves. Impossible’s a villain because he never fit in anywhere. Fatale became a cyborg, and now she doesn’t fit in either. Neither one complains about things, but there’s a sad undertone to their narration. A longing for acceptance that I think is the major theme of the book — along with the endless cycle of battles, triumphs, and breakups between villains and heroes.

I did have a few quibbles with the book. There were several places in the book where I wasn’t sure who was talking and/or who was being referred to. Too many he’s and she’s and not enough names. It happened enough times to make me really notice it.

Also, there wasn’t nearly as much resolution at the end as I would have liked. (Maybe this is because he’s writing a sequel? Does anyone know?) For example, toward the end, Fatale finds out that she’s actually one of Impossible’s creations. You’d think she’d ask him some questions about that. Instead, she punches him and that’s about it. Impossible doesn’t even tell us why he made Fatale during his narration. Again, something I would have liked to know.

There’s also a fairy warrior named Elphin. I sort of got the idea she disappeared or went back to fairyland at the end, but it’s not really confirmed. I would have liked to have known one way or the other.

Still, if you’re a superhero fan, you’ll probably enjoy this book. The story is interesting, and Grossman leaves you with a lot to think about afterward. Thumbs up.

Up next: The Unhandsome Prince by John Moore.

Books in my TBR pile: About 15.

Somehow, despite my vow to whittle down my TBR pile, it remains at around 15 books. My own fault, really, since I took some books to the used bookstore to trade in and came home with three more. Sigh.

Although in my defense two of the books are really short — The Unhandsome Prince by John Moore and one of the Atlantis books by Alyssa Day. They’re both under 300 pages.

Ah, well. I’m planning on doing some reading this weekend, as well as working on Assassin 2 — in between watching the Olympics, of course.

What about you guys? Anyone got big plans for the weekend?

The Summer Olympics start tomorrow – and I’m already a little sick of them. Mainly because of The Today Show. That’s what I turn on in the mornings before I go to work (usually to see what the weather’s going to be), and Matt, Meredith, and the rest of the crew have been incessantly hyping the Olympics for weeks now, as if they are the only journalists going to Beijing.

I know it’s a huge event, but give it a break, guys. There’s still stuff going on in other parts of the world too. Just because your network is the one broadcasting the games doesn’t mean you need to scream at me every morning about them. :rolleyes:

That being said, I always love watching the Olympics, although I prefer the Winter games to the Summer ones. Bobsledding and doing the luge look like so much fun! Running a marathon, not so much.

One of my favorite childhood memories is the week that my cousin, Natalie, spent with me one summer. Every night, we’d have some kind of treat, then settle in to watch the Summer Olympics. Good times.

This year, I’m looking forward to watching the gymnastics competitions and some of the more obscure stuff, like diving and synchronized swimming (they still do that, right?).

What about you? Going to watch the Olympics? What’s your favorite sport?

So the big story in the book world this week is the release of Breaking Dawn, the last book in Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga, which folks have been anticipating almost as much as the last Harry Potter book.

People seem to either love or hate the book. Those who love it, really love it. Those who don’t, well, you can read their reviews on Amazon. Dear Author also posted an interesting, thoughtful review yesterday.

Why do I find this interesting? Well, as a reader, I’m always curious as to what other people think about books. Reviews help me decide what to spend my money on.

For the record, yes, I did read Twilight. I really enjoyed the book — until Bella found out Edward was a vampire and became obsessed with him about halfway through. I’m not a huge fan of obsessive love stories, and I thought the book became a Romeo and Juliet with fangs at that point. Still, there were things I liked about it, and it certainly wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read. I haven’t read any of the other books in the series, though.

Bad reviews are part of being an author. Everybody gets them. One of the worst reviews I ever got was one word — insipid (for Hot Mama, I believe). But lots of people seem so angry in their reviews. Like Meyer has personally betrayed them. They’re calling her book poorly written fan fiction and worse. Much, much worse.

As a writer, this sort of scares me. Would I like to have Meyer’s success? Sure. But I don’t think I’d want to be in her shoes right now. Passion and popularity can be double-edged swords, especially when it comes to books. Maybe it’s because people have to use their imaginations more than they do at the movies. But I don’t ever recall seeing a movie or television show with the sort of vicious reviews that Breaking Dawn has gotten.

It’s happened to other writers too. Some folks didn’t like the final Harry Potter book by J.K. Rowling. Others don’t like the direction J.R. Ward is taking her Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Ditto for Laurell K. Hamilton and her series.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I always respect an author’s achievement of finishing a book. Of writing, editing, and polishing it. Even if I don’t like the finished product itself.

It’s an accomplihsment that should still be celebrated. People seem to have forgotten that. And that’s a shame.

What do you think? Will you read Breaking Dawn? How far is too far in a review? Share in the comments.