In the Hand of the Goddess (Tamora Pierce) (Alana #2)

This is the 2nd book in the Alana/Song of the Lioness series recommended from Bess' childhood :) If you liked the first one enough to read more, you'll like the 2nd one too. Alana continues training to be a knight, and also starts learns how to dress and act like a lady with the help of George's mother. Duke Roger continues his attempt to steal the throne. There's some romance in this one, which I hope continues in the next two books - it's left rather unfinished as Alana heads off to explore the world as a knight. I kind of felt like some things were resolved rather easily and warranted a longer/more complex explanation, but I guess that's what I get for reading a children's book. On an interesting note, I read that this quartet was originally written as a single adult novel, but ended up being published as 4 young adult novels instead.

Rule of Four (Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason)

I liked this book, though I know some will beg to differ. It is about a group of friends during college, 4 guys, focusing particularly on Tom, the main character, and Paul, his best friend. Paul is researching the secret of an old text that has not yet been solved, and Tom has personal ties to this hunt (it is what his father was researching before his death) and sometimes helps Paul with his research. While it involves some of the same kind of mind teasers as in The Da Vinci Code, the main focus of the story is Tom's relationships rather than the mystery itself. While I would have prefered a little more on the mysteries, I still though it was good.