No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club by Virginia Ironsides

Title: No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club

(Wait, you want more than that?
Okay, fine.)

Author: Virginia Ironsides
Genre: Fiction, fake diary
Pages: 231
Copyright Date: 2008
Cover: A cheerful yellow with a bold, fun font. In the corner, you see feet on a bed, with a cat between them. The end table holds a mostly-empty glass of wine and a pair of glasses.
First line: "Okay. This is it. About fifty years too late, but better late than never."
Best part: Really, really funny.
Worst part: Sometimes the diary format feels a little forced.
Grade: B+
Recommended for: Anyone who is sixty, older, or afraid of being sixty.
Related Reads: A Round-Heeled Woman by Jane Juska, Miss Melville Regrets by Evelyn Smith. (I wish I knew more books about feisty older women. Maybe you know some?)

Marie is delighted to turn sixty. Finally, she thinks, it's too late to learn a new language, go bungee jumping, or try to find a man! Hurrah! She just wants to enjoy a quiet life - time with her cat, drinking wine in front of the TV, sharing gossip with friends. But life has a few surprises left in store for her.

This book is funny and engaging. I think that when I am older, I will be a woman like Marie. I loved it.

The Phoenix Guards by Steven Brust

This is a re-read. I don't normally post them but it's probably been ten years since I read this book, and it was definitely before I started posting book reviews online.

Title: The Phoenix Guards
Author: Steven Brust
Genre: Fantasy, sword and sorcery, comedy of manners
Pages: 485
Copyright Date: 1991
Cover: A musketeer-looking person holding a foil, in front of a Phoenix rampant. (His torso blocks the naughty bits of the monster, to which I say yay.)
First line: "It has now been a mere two score of years since we had the honor to have our work, Toward Beginning a Survey of Some Events Contributing To the Fall of the Empire, rejected by Lord Tri'ari and Master Vrei of the Institute."
Best part: Very funny.
Worst part: Some of the description can be slow in places.
Grade: A solid B.
Recommended for: Fans of manners fantasy.
Related Reads: Jhereg by the same author, Conflict of Honors by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells.

Four travelers walk into a tavern. Shortly they discover their common cause - each wishes to become a member of the prestigious military company the Phoenix Guards. This is a fantasy novel - what could happen but that they swear friendship forever before covering themselves in glory?

This is a fun read for those who like the manners stuff. It is a cut above the rest in that it's pleasingly even-handed when it comes to gender - one of the most ferocious warriors of the group is a woman. B.

Princess of the Sword by Lynn Kurland

Title: Princess of the Sword
Author: Lynn Kurland
Series: Morgan of Melksham Book Three
Genre: Romantic fantasy
Pages: 360
Copyright Date: 2009
Cover: A woman with bad hair wields a sword. Her long flowing garments seem to be in no immediate danger, though I question the outfit choice. A castle stands behind her in the distance.
First line: "A dank chill filled the air, slipping down the weathered sides of crooked buildings to pool on glistening cobblestones."
Best part: Unexpected plot twists.
Worst part: For a mercenary, the main character strikes me as a bit weak and girly. Not so much a problem in the previous two books.
Grade: C+.
Recommended for: Anyone who has read the first two books.
Related Reads: Star of the Morning by the same author (book one), Fortune and Fate by Sharon Shinn, Agent of Change by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (sf/f crossover), By the Sword by Mercedes Lackey, The Sleeping God by Violette Malan.

Morgan has come to terms with her heritage. She is betrothed to the one man she has ever truly loved. She has a whole bunch of new relatives. But the cat isn't in the bag just yet. The evil well her father created must be closed, and the evil mage who wishes to open it must be defeated. Is she strong enough to do the thing that scares her most - access her magical powers?

A satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. It felt like the author was ending things early, and then she went in a new, and realistic direction. I enjoyed that. Unfortunately, Morgan mostly goes around having her butt saved by various men throughout the course of this book. How did she ever get so far as a merc if she can't take care of herself? Yes, the author set it up that she was in all these situations she couldn't face, so she has to trust other people. Awesome. But why can't she solve any problems using her sword and wits anymore? C+.

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