I am back from my first real vacation in over 10 years. It was just a week, but it was a good one, and I had in my company some delicious geek boys and a terrifying little wooden deity.

For all of last week I was in
Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. Cavendish is the real-life name of Avonlea, setting to the
Anne of Green Gables books and a few others written by Lucy Maud Montgomery. It’s here where L.M. Montgomery went after her mother’s death, to live with her grandparents in a perfect little place now far from where she’s now buried, and where she wrote
Anne of Green Gables. I can finally understand how literary genius was bred in such a small, insignificant place, because there really is nowhere like it in the world. Those first scenes in
AoGG in which Anne prattles in awe of everything she sees is spot on: Cavendish is like an emerald with flecks of amber and violet. You remember the
Wizard of Oz when Dorothy opens the door and everything goes from sepia to Technicolor? This is Cavendish.
But as lovely as Cavendish was, it had nothing on Park Corner. This is the location of Silver Bush, Ingleside, and the infamous Lake of Shining Waters. I’ve been trying to describe the lake to those who haven’t seen it, and it’s impossible. You just have to stand there on the banks and stare off until a car passes by and brings you back to reality. The way the red sand under the water meets the reflection of the blue sky gives the water a violet appearance that is so beautiful and serene you get lost in it.

Of course, being in the Land o’ Anne, I walked away having spent far too much on books than I should have. All of the more obscure titles like
A Tangled Web and
Magic for Marigold were scooped up at various gift shops, and I even managed to snag a copy of
Among the Shadows, which is a compilation of Montgomery’s supernatural-themed stories (actually, I drove across the island looking for Shadows only to find it in the used bookstore right next to my cottage …) There is also an abundance of escapist fiction in beach & cottage country. I had a suitcase loaded with old school romances and the complete Casteel series by V.C. Andrews when I came over the bridge. With all the sight-seeing and shopping the only time I did any reading was in the evening, and as it turned out I had brought with me some deliciously geeky boys.
Mary Janice Davidson’s Derik’s Bane
I’d gushed over MJD’s Beggerman, Thief and so when I was loading up at the bookstore I had to add something with her name on it. I’m so glad I picked this. Derik, the Pack underling turned Alpha is sent to collect Sara Gunn, who is the reincarnation of Morgan Le Fay. She’s not aware of this fact until Derik enlightens her (after she kicks his ass and duct-tapes him to a chair, that is). Derik is just so doofy you can’t help but gush over him. His first few times scoring with Sara is cringe-worthy, adding to his doofiness, and he’s a Rachel Ray fangirl. Honestly, how can one not squee! over such geekiness? The part that had me spitting my tea across the deck was his hanging his head out the window as he and Sara drove cross-country. The mental image of this made the scalding nostrils worth it. My only problem with the book is that it refers to characters and events from Davidson’s e-books, which I think were all published by Red Sage, but the story was still easy to follow and I was left resisting the urge to buy her entire catalogue from RS as soon as I finished Derik’s Bane.
Christopher Moore’s A Dirty JobWhenever I read something by Christopher Moore, I’m convinced that I’m going to be disappointed the next outing and it hasn’t happened yet (although I am having trouble getting

into Fluke.) A Dirty Job takes place in the same universe as Bloodsucking Fiends and You Suck. I honestly didn’t think another Moore hero could eclipse my love for Tommy Flood and Tucker Case, but Charlie Asher did it, and he brought his kid into the mix. Charlie is a pawn-shop owner and first time father, and with his wife’s death he discovers that he’s a Death Merchant, whose role is to collect souls from the recently departed and make sure they are passed on to a body in need of a soul. The book takes the reader through the first five years of fatherhood with Charlie and like all of Moore’s books, the underdog hero is supported by a cast of absurd characters including two hellhounds. Sophie Asher, Charlie’s five year old daughter, is adorable and funny and even though you can see her role in the grand scheme of things a mile away she’s the perfect complement to Charlie. Sadly, it looks like Moore is closing the book on this story arc that began with Bloodsucking Fiends. I hope it’s not permanent – I would love to see a third vampire story with Tommy and Jodi.
Ray Garton’s Graven ImageAfter a little bit of whining I was given the opportunity to read
Graven Image, which is a rare novella written by
Garton (who wrote
Ravenous, which I mentioned in my last post) and while I really enjoyed it, it took a few days to get it out of my system. I read this while parked on a dirt road waiting for the ferry and this probably wasn’t the wisest course of action, seeing as after I finished I took a walk and discovered this gateway to hell:

I had the creeps for the rest of the day and in spite of the serenity of my cottage locale had me yanking the covers over my head when the lights went out and my heart jumping into my throat when the fridge clicked on.
Graven Image is a terrifying little story that’s going to rear its hideous head every single time I see a crucifix and the film version is probably going to get Garton burned at the stake.
(I also want to mention that Garton, from the perspective of someone from the horror community, has weighed in on the recent fuckery by RWA in regards to e-publishers, so if you’re on Twitter,
follow him for some great insight.)
Right now I’m in the beginning pages of Brian Keene’s
City of the Dead, which is proving to be just as gory as
The Rising, and I’m really excited to be reading
Lexi Ryan’s Stilettos, Inc., which is getting great reviews (and from what I’ve read so far, well-deserved kudos.) My to-read pile might crush me before the end of the summer, but this helps:
16 Ways to Read More Books!
It’s always nice to find someone as anal about the to-read pile as I am.