Books I've Read This Year
Kitty Goes to Washington (Kitty Norville series, Book 2) by Carrie Vaughn

Summoned to Washington to address a Senate Committe hearing on unusual diseases (such as lycanthropy, vampirism), Kitty meets the Vampire Queen of D.C. and a new and different community of were-folk.  Can she win recognition for people like herself by going public, or will that result in a modern-day witch hunt?
The Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke

Burke captures the beauty and mystery of Louisiana's bayou country with language to make you sigh.  In this novel he also looks at the heartwrenching destruction caused by Katrina, and how it tore apart lives across the board, rich and poor, upstanding and insane.  Oh, yeah, and there's a bit of mystery, too.
Rejection, Romance and Royalties: The Wacky World of a Working Writer by Laura Resnick

Ever wonder what the glamorous life of a writer is like?  Read it and weep.
Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Kitty Norville Series, Book 1) by Carrie Vaughn

A werewolf DJ named Kitty accidentally creates a hit high-strange talk show, and finds her troubles multiplying.  Good read.
The Socorro Blast (Sasha Solomon Series, Book 3 by Pari Noskin Taichert

Sasha Solomon juggles her PR job with helping her neice, who has been injured by an explosion, and coping with the reactions of her family.  An interesting mix of familial strife relieved by glimpses of points of interest around Soccoro, New Mexico. 
Ten Big Ones (Stephanie Plum Series, Book 10) by Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum, the world's worst bounty hunter, lives perpetually on the edge of disaster.  This time a gang hit-man is after her, and she decides to vacate her sometimes-steady Joe Morelli's house and crash in the pad of shady stud Ranger (without his permission, natch).  The usual wacky hijinks ensue. 
A Rush of Wings by Adrian Phoenix

FBI Special Agent Heather Wallace follows a serial killer to New Orleans and finds herself in the midst of a sub-culture of vampires, fallen angels, and other strange beings.  Most intriguing is Dante, the magnetic, reclusive, sullen and brilliant owner of Club Hell.  But is he the killer, or is he marked as the next victim?
Jumper:  Griffin's Story by Steven Gould

Griffin has been able to jump to anyplace he's been before since the age of five, but his father won't let him break the rules:  never jump near home, never jump when someone can see you.  One slip and suddenly Griffin's fighting for his life. 
Well-drawn prequel to the 2008 film Jumper, based on Gould's NYT bestselling novel Jumper .
Blood on the Bayou by D. J. Donaldson

Andy Broussard is New Orleans's Chief Medical Examiner, a large, lemon-drop addicted perfectionist with overtones of Nero Wolfe.  Kit Franklyn, his assistant, is an antsy twenty-something psychologist trying to decide whether to dump her bossy boyfriend.  Toss in a brutal serial killer attacking people apparently at random in the French Quarter, a loveable mechanic named Bubba, and a look at an alligator farm, and you've got mystery Cajun style.
Long Night Dance (Seeker Chronicles, Book 1) by Betsy James

Kat is an obedient daughter, always striving to make up for the shame of her dead mother's past.  She is drawn to Downshore, though, where the folk are happy instead of disciplined.  As the dangerous wildness of the Long Night Dance approaches, she finds an injured Rig (a seal-person) on the beach, and her ordered life begins to unravel.
Dark Heart (Seeker Chronicles, Book 2) by Betsy James

Kat sets out to learn about her mother's people, the Hill People.  In the landlocked village of Creek, she discovers friendship, love, and her own burgeoning creativity.  Though life here is much sweeter than in Upslope, she cannot forget Nall, the man she called from the sea, nor her own fear of the Hill coming-of-age ritual, in which she must face a bear.