Books I've fallen asleep (to/with) this week.

The Dragon Heir, by Cinda Williams Chima. The last on in Chima's Heirs series, this one felt like it dragged on a bit. I really liked the character it focused on, but the action, especially toward the end, happened out of time: the narration or dialogue said days or weeks had passed, but there were gaps in information that made it seem like no time had gone by at all, actually. I'm not sure why this happened; I don't remember similar problems in the other books. Book 2 (Wizard Heir) was probably my favorite, which is no big surprise to me: the author needed a while to get her feet under her, but it was before she felt pressure from fans to perform (or before she got bored and just wanted to be done). Skinned, by Robin Wasserman. Similar to Brooks' Being, this books provides an opportunity for readers to think about our humanity, which bits of us are essential, and what it is that makes our personalities, but it doesn't force the question. Or it can be read more as an interpersonal story, about the main character's relationships with others, with the sci-fi aspects taking a back seat. The two aspects or foci of this book may make it enjoyable to a larger audience. This is one of the better girl-oriented sci-fi books I've read. (Actually, barring the one I'm reading now, I can't recall any good girl sci-fi since Life As We Knew It.)