Latest Book Reviews and Comments
This is the first book by Erin Halbmaier that I have read and I thought this was a really fun Retelling of The Goose Girl full of interesting characters that worked well as a standalone but is probably even better when you know the world better. I loved getting to know Raoul & Daphne in this story and their relationship while Daphne was River- Bug and unable to tell Raoul who she really was was entertaining. I look forward to exploring this series more and hope to discover the truth about what happened with Daphne's brother.
Someone You Can Build a Nest In is a book whose protagonist is neither a human nor any other clearly defined creature. From a human perspective, Shesheshen is a monster that kills people. The creature uses both the bodies of living beings and objects to create a body for itself. Shesheshen’s body is associated with a great deal of physical horror; the descriptions are at times excessively graphic. From the monster’s own perspective, existence is something else entirely. She wants to reproduce and falls in love. She wants to understand what her love is. In all its graphic horror, the work is, in a way, beautiful. It grants permission to be exactly as one is, to feel needs and be demanding, to be accepted. Even love is frightening; it can kill. The work is more than just a story.
Halcyon Years is a standalone novel of about 330 pages, with Yuri Gagarin as the main character. Gagarin does odd jobs as a private investigator aboard a generation ship. However, not everything on the ship is as it should be, as people are being murdered and even the robots are no longer as reliable as they once were. Gagarin finds himself investigating events that are too dangerous to ask about. Halcyon Years is a noir detective story set in a science fiction world. The atmosphere is fitting. Of the books by Reynolds I’ve read before, Permafrost has been the most interesting. This one reaches at least the same level—maybe even a little higher. Reynolds knows how to wrap things up!
Not the best of the series, but still a good story where the Chinese are the bad guys trying to destabilize Thailand with a bomber (a for hire former seal) blowing up different several locations around the country while making it look and feel like the bombs are being created by Cambodia.
This book was cyberpunk which I don’t normally read but this fit the tomorrow category of the Goodreads ATY challenge. Overall, the author did a great job building the dystopian world of Pittsburgh and the characters. In this world, everyone was hardwired with adware in the brain and constantly received news and ads related to their location. Solving a few related murders was the theme and it held my interest. I downgraded my rating because I thought there was way too much pornography and violence throughout.
The second book of the Wayward Children series, Down Among the Sticks and Bones, tells the backstory of Jack and Jill, the twins who appeared in the first book. The beginning was like a Grimm’s fairy tale, and the ending was like something out of a classic horror novel. The series’ title aptly captures the twins’ essence and helped me understand what happened in the first part and why. In that sense, it’s a very successful sequel.
This is the first book in this new series of standalone stories and I enjoyed the introduction to the world this series takes place in. This book centers around Vraag & Riona and I really liked both their characters and seeing how the two of them worked together as well as how they helped one another grow as individuals. The children in Riona's class were fun and I loved their interactions with Vraag. I look forward to continuing this series and reading about Kragen in the next book The Orc's Gift.
“George" and "Lennie" are wandering day laborers traveling together. They travel from one job to another, leaving due to trouble caused by Lennie. George is cunning whereas Lennie is a giant and retarded. George shows great loyalty to take care of Lenny despite the burden. Their dream is to save enough money to buy their own farm and be their own boss. A place where George can work the land, and Lennie tend the rabbits. You will root for them to realize their dream, but in the end Lennie's innocence and unintentional brutal behavior cause too many problems. It is dark and depressing but a very good novella. Worth the read.
Strictly speaking not all the stories are Ghost Stories and are closer to being Gothic Tales.
I enjoyed the book very much. While touted as mystery/thriller, it was not a true thriller. It was so easy to read, it was filled with tongue in cheek humor. The main character, Edison Bixby, is a former LA police detective with a brain injury that makes him spout uncomfortable truth whenever he opens his mouth. Certainly not at all politically correct, not sure if some of it is intentional. His sidekick is an infrequently employed character actor, Walter Nash, who tells the story, hired to keep Bixby out of trouble for his mouth. It was a strange character pairing but somehow Goldberg made it work. I look forward to the next book and plan to read his other series.
The book began with an almost shocking chemical detail related to human agriculture, as well as the drug addictions of prominent figures in Nazi Germany. After this chemical introduction, the book moves on to well-known physicists such as Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg, Schrödinger, and de Broglie. As great as these individuals’ achievements were as pioneers of quantum mechanics, as people they were somewhat obsessive in their research. The ideas and achievements of the World War era, which revolutionized our understanding of the world and the universe, can even give rise to tormenting moral dilemmas that may lead to extreme acts. The line between genius and madness becomes blurred.
You can tell from the book’s title alone what the main character’s primary goal was. The text seems to underestimate the reader and occasionally contains strange thoughts, such as when the man proves to be good in bed, the woman thinks that if he decides to quit his job as a doctor, he would have another career option. A gigolo? Light reading.
The title of Benjamín Labatut’s book The MANIAC refers to the computer developed by John von Neumann (Mathematical Analyzer, Numerical Integrator, and Automatic Computer Model), but also to von Neumann’s life’s work as a thinker and developer possessing an incomprehensible mathematical intellect, particularly in the fields of quantum physics, functional analysis, and game theory. The book explores the breathtaking achievements of this unique individual, which also include his unfinished work on the development of artificial intelligence. Von Neumann was involved in the Manhattan Project, and Albert Einstein, known as a pacifist, called him a “mathematical weapon.”
Rue is on old woman who was once a member of the Academy of Kindnesses, an organization of women who are human avatars of the vengeance-minded Furies. When a raiding party kills her entire village (including herself!), she is duty-bound to seek revenge on behalf of her murdered friends. The novel rotates between three story threads: one of old-age Rue's vengeance quest and two of her younger years before and during her time as an acolyte at the Academy. The time-displaced narrative maximizes the twisty, shock-fueled storytelling that Lawrence is known for. Another hallmark of his writing is bone-crushing, blood-splattering violence, and there is no shortage of it here. A great writer is one who understands why his readers are showing up to the party.
My first (and possibly last Scottoline). There was a lot of useless information that was just filler. With that, the story also did not flow. By the end, I almost didn’t care who the “bad” guy was. At least it was not who I suspected. If you are going to read the series, you probably need this first book but I hope you don’t find it as bad as I did.
The events in Charlotte McConaghy’s Wild Dark Shore are set in ecological disasters caused by climate change. This is actually the book’s greatest strength, as the author portrays nature with love and power. The main theme of the story, however, is human relationships and the difficulties they present due to personal backgrounds. Because of this, the story lost its appeal for me as the book progressed, though it didn’t completely fall apart. In my opinion, this is better than the author’s previous work.
The Murderbot series has been quite readable, even though I haven’t really taken to it. The android who shuns human contact and goes about his business reluctantly is amusing, but it would be nice if there were some kind of shift in his mindset to keep the character interesting. In this installment, the setting shifts to a peaceful planet where a murder has taken place. This book doesn’t quite reach the level of suspense you’d expect from a sci-fi thriller. The language is also annoying. I’ll keep reading the series, though.
When I first watched The Exorcist as a movie, it gave me nightmares for a couple of weeks. So I wasn’t entirely sure if reading the book was a good idea. The book, however, turned out to be a much easier read. Although many scenes were already visually imprinted in my mind from the movie, the book offered a broader psychological analysis and, above all, a sense of doubt. Despite the themes of possession and exorcism, the religious elements in the book weren’t preachy or overbearing, which made the subject matter easier to read. At times, the characters even drink coffee and have conversations. The Exorcist is by no means an easy read; it is supernatural, unsettling horror.
Cujo had me holding my breath with suspense, feeling anxious about the mother and child’s dire situation, and feeling sadness and sympathy for the fate of the good dog. Thanks to these emotions, the book earns high marks. The story also has some less interesting parts and a hint of the supernatural in the children’s storyline. Not King’s best, but still very good and memorable.
Pretty good for a debut novel. Fast paced, kept my attention. I would have liked to see a few of the characters more developed. The plot is similar to Grisham’s The Firm. Not as good but I still liked it and will read the sequel. Other reviewers have stated this would be better as a movie, which I think is true.
Chapters 11 - 15: I am really enjoying this series and getting to know all the characters and how they interact with one another. I am looking forward to reading the next volume and finding out who that new character at the end was.
Chapters 06 - 10: This volume was really good and I enjoyed getting to know the white wolf Kirito as well. This series has several interesting characters and a unique plot about self discovery that I look forward to reading more about. I look forward to reading the next volume and many more in this series.
The book was predictably somewhat dated since it was published in the 60’s. The main character was a contradiction, being both a knight in shining armor and a womanizer. Not politically correct to today’s “standards”, but what should we expect. This book had a far fewer number of characters to keep track of which was a nice change. The story itself was good and I plan to continue reading the series to see how the main character grows.
The book was straight forward and predictable but somehow I also found it addictive. So, overall I liked the book and was rooting for the characters. I also liked the leadin to the next book which I did not predict. I plan to read the subsequent novels.