Yes, I liked Moon Called a lot too, and Blood Bound, although I've not read any others yet. My favourite urban werewolf/vampire type books (outwith Tanya Huff) are Carrie Vaughn's Kitty books. Very likeable fluff, with a blessed lack of OMGEpicDoomedSatin-cladLurve nonsense. The California Demon books are cheesier, but readable.

I'm loving KJ Parker's Engineer trilogy thus far, but it's a bit of a big chewy George RR Martin -type series, so maybe not what you're after, Tep.

Actually, my favourite recent fluff thing has definitely been the original slashfic stuff by Ann Somerville over here. It slots neatly into the Mercedes Lackey/Anne McCaffrey section of my brain, only with a bit more gay sex. (The Pindone stories involve a fair bit of club scene stuff, which you, being more knowledgable about than I, may perhaps roll your eyes at, or may be all 'my people!' about, depending.)

Smart Bitch Sarah reviews TWILIGHT (rating: D+)

A particular highlight that made me snort Diet Coke:

He’s mysterious, he’s dark and gloomy, he’s like angst and sexy rolled up in a sparkly taco shell.

oh, Barb, I read that. And I was thinking "ha! be glad you don't have a mailing address up or the fangirls would be sending YOU chess pieces!"

I was talking to my 15-y.o. niece about what books she's currently reading for fun, and she mentioned that she's in the middle of Breaking Dawn. I asked her for her review of the series as a whole, and she admitted that they're all pretty bad, but she still feels compelled to read them anyway!

When she and the rest of the family came up to my place yesterday, I told her to knock herself out by checking my bookshelves (since that's what I usually do when I go to a reader's home). She left with three of my books (two Stephen Kings and, on my rec, Devil in the White City), promising to get them to me as soon as she's done. Her boyfriend has her reading graphic novels now--she's read the Ultimate Batman and is currently trying to get through the Ultimate Spiderman, but doesn't find it as interesting as the other.

she's read the Ultimate Batman

The what? There is no Ultimate Batman. Ultimate is a Marvel thing. Is she reading All-Star Batman? Teppy is going to have a fit.

Maybe that's it. I just remember her saying one of the titles was Ultimate something, and that she liked the Batman title but not the Spiderman title.

ETA, you couldn't tell my complete ignorance of comic books/graphic novels there, could you?

That's a shame about Spidey. I've only read the first trade of USM, but I liked it. Bendis is fun. I wonder what Batman title she likes better than that. Hm.

I really enjoyed the YA novel Mary Jane. But not enough to have sought out its sequel, yet.

I'm hoping for some recs. Kara is tired of Grizzwold, Beatrix Potter, Junie B. Jones, etc. After having been banned from reading her daddy's books, she says she wants "DEATH BOOKS!, Romantic! Exciting! Death books!"

She's almost 7, reading at about 7/8/9ish age in vocab, a little older in concept.

Anyone? Jilli?

She's almost 7, reading at about 7/8/9ish age in vocab, a little older in concept.

I was reading Narnia at that age (with occasional consultation with my mother and our British English Dictionary). I misremember the vocab level, but they're certainly romantic & exciting.