Karen Ostertag's blog

New to our shelves:

White Horse by Alex Adams SF, A, M, R
Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore (3, Graceling/Seven Kingdoms trilogy) F, M, R
Apocalypse by Troy Denning (9, Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi) SF
Darkest Knight by Karen Duvall (2, Knight's Curse) F, R
Immobility by Brian Evenson H, SF, A, M
Red, White and Blood by Christopher Farnsworth (3, The President's Vampire) H, M
Siege by Rhiannon Frater (3, As the World Dies) H, A
Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris (12, Sookie Stackhouse) H, R
Vengeance by Ian Irvine (1, Tainted Realm) F, M

In paperback:

Afterglow by Cherry Adair (2, Lodestone trilogy) C, M, S
Run from Fear by Jami Alden (3, Beg for Mercy) C, M
Passion Wears Pearls by Renee Bernard (4, Jaded Gentlemen) H
Perilous Pleasures by Jenny Brown (3, Lords of the Seventh House) H, S
Dying Wish by Shannon K. Butcher (6, Sentinel Wars) C, S
Darkness Bound by Stella Cameron C, S, M
Waltz This Way by Dakota Cassidy C
In the Flesh by Portia Da Costa (1, The Ladies' Sewing Circle) H
Saving Hope by Margaret Daley (1, Men of the Texas Rangers) C, I, W
A Week To Be Wicked by Tessa Dare (2, Spindle Cove) H

In contrast to last month's best and bloodiest, this month I'm offering something completely different: philosophical science fiction.  While philosophical SF doesn't necessarily stint on the action and suspense-- witness the ratcheting tension of Charles Stross's Glasshouse or the action-laced intrigue of Elizabeth Bear's Carnival-- action isn't the primary focus.  Instead, concept is key.  It's part of a literary genre known as the "novel of ideas," wherein fiction is used as a tool to examine some of the big questions: what it means to be human, how we should treat one another, what our purpose should be-- the answers to life, the universe, and everything.*

In paperback:

My Wicked Little Lies by Victoria Alexander (1, Sinful Family Secrets) H, M
When a Scot Loves a Lady by Katharine Ashe (1, Falcon Club) H, M
A Scandalous Countess by Jo Beverley (12, Malloren) H
Redwood Bend by Robyn Carr (18, Virgin River) C
Spellbound Falls by Janet Chapman (1, Spellbound Falls) C, S
How to Dance with a Duke by Manda Collins H, M
Colt by Georgina Gentry (3, The Texans) H, W
Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel by Samantha Grace (1, Regency Bachelors) H
She Tempts the Duke by Lorraine Heath (1, Lost Lords of Pembrooke) H

Happy Leap Day!  If you were born 72 years ago on this day: congratulations, you're finally old enough to vote!  Unfortunately, the romantic possibilities for Leap Day are pretty slim.  A trampoline date?  (Sounds dangerous.)  Kiss a Leap Baby?  (You've only got a 1 in 1461 chance of finding one.)  If you're looking for a kissable holiday, the next one in the calendar has much better odds-- St. Patrick's Day, the one time of the year that everyone can be a little bit Irish for a day.  With the mild winter we've had this year, it may even look as green as Ireland outside by St. Paddy's Day.  If not, pull that green sweater out of your wardrobe and let's go looking for romance!