I read a lot of books I love, and I don't usually talk about them because there are review blogs that do a much better job than I can. But last night I started a book I could NOT put down. Marjorie M. Liu's Tiger Eye. It's the first book in her Dirk & Steele series. I'd been hearing about this series for a long time, and I finally decided to give it a try. OMG. Could. Not. Stop. Reading.

I didn't finish. Alas, sleep became a necessity, but tonight — must finish. This book is different than anything I've read lately. Not a vampire in sight! And this was a debut novel back in 2005. Holy sheesh, the woman's power with words! I saw her at RWA in San Francisco a few times, but I hadn't yet read any of her work. Good thing, because I might have stammered in awe. 🙂

What gives this book the page turning quality? The words, yes. But also the style. There's a question on every page that you want the answer to, often quite desperately. (This wouldn't work if you didn't care about the characters.) That's what I hope to do with my writing. To make the reader care and to ask questions to which she simply must know the answers. It's a continual learning process, but I do hope I've succeeded.

Have you read any really fabulous books lately that knocked your socks off? Or do you have a favorite author who always delivers? (I have those too, but I love branching out. I also have Kresley Cole on the TBR pile. I've never tried her, so I look forward to it.) What's the best book you've read lately? The most unusual book?