Okay, how to even begin without spoilers?

Finally, with Book 7, J.K. Rowling brings her epic Harry Potter series to a close. For those who complained that Book 6 was all talk, and no action, fasten your seat-belts. Deathly Hallows is just the opposite. It’s fast-paced. Violent. Creepy. It’s good, but also sort of ultimately unsatisfying. I mean, it ended the only way that it could (great battle between good and evil, losses on both sides, some heart-wrenching), but I guess I wished for something else. And while I understand that to give it a sweet, bubble-gum ending would be to cheat the fans out of everything they’ve been waiting for, damn! the death count is high. Rowling admitted in advance to the deaths of two major characters, but there are more. Way more. Some of the deaths I predicted (the one that is handled at the Shell Cottage), others had to happen (and we all knew it). But the very first loss crushed me (hint: the character was in every single book, but never spoke a line–I was sad through the rest of the book over that one), some of the ones at the end just sucked, and I don’t think the ultimate gain was really all that rewarding.

On top of that, the end of the book gets strange. Really weird and sort of hard to understand. The action is rolling along, Harry is after the horcruxes, everyone is fighting an epic battle, and then bam! Harry looks in the Pensieve and sees something that just pisses you off. But he goes with it, only it doesn’t work out as planned, and the book picks up again. There’s just this strange lull in the middle of the climax and the final showdown is kind of a letdown, in my opinion.

But aside from all the fighting, the book wraps up some other loose ends. I have to give Rowling credit for paying attention and tying things together. We learn a lot about Dumbledore and his family, which is great, because he becomes a lot more human, but he also becomes less likeable, and I can’t decide which version I prefer. Aberforth Dumbledore finally gets introduced, even though we all knew he was the bartender at the Hog’s Head. Bill and Fleur get married. Neville gets his chance to shine; Luna proves she’s not so looney; Kreacher warms up to Harry; the Malfoys are the tiniest bit redeemed; and our heroes get the drop on Bellatrix three times! And at last, we finally learn the truth about Snape, and Harry’s reaction is even stronger than I would have expected. His real opinion about Severus is made clear in the epilogue, which is quirky in itself, and makes me certain that if Rowling ever does revisit Hogwarts, it won’t be Harry she’s writing about.

To sum it up? I love Harry Potter, and I devoured this book in 7 hours! It’s great to know how things happened, but I’m not sure how I feel about the resolution. I think I liked it, but maybe I need to read it again!

Note: did anyone else notice that the book is apparently set in 1997?

Bray’s third book in the Gemma Doyle series, The Sweet Far Thing, drops December 26.

Eclipse, the highly-anticipated third book in Meyer’s Twilight series, lands August 7.

Yay!

I’ve said before that I’m pretty much fascinated by all things Playboy. I don’t have a problem with nudity as art, or even nudity as erotica (in fact, I think I have more of a problem with modesty). I’m forever frustrated with the United States’ puritanical outlook about sex and the body, especially when, as a culture, we have no issue condoning violence. For instance, an action movie full of shooting, blood, maiming, exploding, etc. will almost always get an “R” rating, but anything with sex runs the risk of the death-kiss NC17. This teaches our children that killing and fighting are acceptable, but sex and nudity are shameful and bad. Grrr. Now, I’m not promoting rampant sex in public, or exposing young children to porn, but I just think there is something twisted about the way we perceive sex and the body.

ANYWAY, to that end, I have no problem with institutions like Playboy, which make money off of nude women. I’m not in favor of women being objectified, but if people want to pay to look at us naked, I’m cool with that. It’s empowering in a way, which is why I don’t mind going to strip clubs or Hooter’s (which is where my mother-in-law always take me. How funny is that? She’s great.) So, when my friend pointed out The Bunny Book: How to Walk, Talk, and Please Like a Playboy Bunny at a nearby bookstore, I just had to buy it. Written by three former playmates, it’s carried in the Sex section (sexion?), which I think is just a further example of the public perception of Playboy, since this book isn’t necessarily a sex book. Sure, it has sex info in it, but it’s primarily about how to cultivate a bunny persona: the importance of good bras, staying in shape, spa treatments, sexy shoes, butt-boosting jeans, Rogaine and more. Honestly, a lot of it is more like the stuff you read in Cosmopolitan than anything you would actually read in Playboy itself.

That said, the last three chapters are called Tease, Please, and Love, and they are a little raunchy. It’s geared toward single girls and how to attract and please a man, but it also has important information about birth control, sex positions, and how to take a good “naughty” photo. It’s actually a very entertaining little read, and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the Playboy culture or who is curious about what it takes to be a Bunny.

I like magic. I like shows about magic, books about magic, stickers about magic, and the idea of magic in general. I even used to shop at a magic store in Florida, which was very cool. I really like Nora Roberts’ Donovan Legacy series (Captivated, Entranced, Charmed, and Enchanted), which is about ordinary people who have magical gifts, and I’ve been hunting for something similar ever since I first read them. I do like typical fantasy fare (obviously), but there is something appealing about stories that are completely realistic (contemporary setting, time, etc.) that feature characters with magical talents.

Christine Feehan’s Drake Sisters series is a pretty good example. They are pretty standard romance fare, so they can get a little cheesy from time to time, but overall they are well-written, with intriguing characters, compelling plots, and the occasional steamy scene. The crux of the series is the seven Drake sisters: Sarah, Kate, Abbey, Libby, Hannah, Joley, and Elle. Each book is one sister’s story; primarily they’re about the women finding true love, but there are also evil spirits, Russian mobsters, cranky cops, and the sisters’ unique abilities to manipulate the wind, animals, death, and baked goods. Of course, the sisters are all extraordinarily beautiful and have amazing careers: renowned security expert, best-selling author, famous marine biologist, sought-after doctor, supermodel, world-famous singer, and mysterious jack-of-all-trades. On top of that, three of the main male characters have special abilities: one has outright magic, and two are telepathic. As of right now, there are only 5 books in the series; Joley and Elle’s stories are still in the making.

Overall, this is a fun, spicy, silly series with interesting people, hunky men, and a house that can eat people. One word of caution: these are all published as mass-market paperbacks, and the inside front cover of each depicts the male lead of each story: all of these men are cheesy, Fabio-esque characters. It’s best to let your imagination conjure up the image, rather than rely on these goofy illustrations.The books, in order, are:

• Magic in the Wind
• The Twilight Before Christmas
• Oceans of Fire
• Dangerous Tides
• Safe Harbor

Erin McCarthy’s Vegas Vampires series is adorable. I love a good vampire tale, and there are a lot out there (MaryJanice Davidson’s Undead series, Susan Sizemore’s Primes series, and Jennifer Armintrout’s Blood Ties series are all good examples), but I also love Vegas, and this is a snazzy combination of the two.

Set in Sin City, the stories follow sisters Alexis and Brittany Baldizzi, vampire president Ethan Carrick, his campaign manager Seamus, and a host of other characters, both good and bad. There’s a shy stripper, a brainwashed assassin, a ditzy secretary, and an immortal baby to round out the cast. Full of snappy dialogue, steamy scenes, and a host of ridiculous problems (what do you do when the woman you love gets smashed by a car? Make her a vampire, of course!), these are entertaining and amusing and I look forward to the next one, Sucker Bet, which lands in December.