An avid sci-fi and fantasy reader who sometimes does historical fiction or even mainstream.
You might notice that most of my reviews are 5 stars. That's because if I start reading a book that doesn't engage me, I stop reading it. Life is too short. I've realized that it's not fair to review a book I haven't read and nobody really needs to hear why I didn't get into a book especially when they might like it.
My goals with reviews are to be brief and give other potential readers an idea of why they might like the book. I leave it to the marketing people and other reviewers to describe the plots.
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In January 1986, fifteen-year-old boy-genius Nick Hayes discovers he’s dying. And it isn’t even the …
Between this book and Stranger Things, I get the impression that my life would have gone better if Dungeons and Dragons had been a thing in the early 70s and I'd found a few people to play it with.
If you're into this series, you'll read this book.
If you're thinking about getting into the series, I'd suggest starting with [b:Three Parts Dead|13539191|Three Parts Dead (Craft Sequence, #1)|Max Gladstone|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1333049511s/13539191.jpg|19101555], which was the first book written although not the first by chronological setting.
And with this book, you can be confident that the series continues to be interesting and fun.
I always thought that if I ever wrote a book, I'd want to put every wacky idea I had into that book. So, I probably wouldn't be able to write a second book. Max Gladstone had all kinds of fresh, new wacky ideas for this book and this is the sixth book in the Craft Sequence. There is no sign that he is running out of these ideas and so I think he must have an amazing ability to generate them.
[Here's a funny thing: This listing is for "The …
If you're into this series, you'll read this book.
If you're thinking about getting into the series, I'd suggest starting with [b:Three Parts Dead|13539191|Three Parts Dead (Craft Sequence, #1)|Max Gladstone|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1333049511s/13539191.jpg|19101555], which was the first book written although not the first by chronological setting.
And with this book, you can be confident that the series continues to be interesting and fun.
I always thought that if I ever wrote a book, I'd want to put every wacky idea I had into that book. So, I probably wouldn't be able to write a second book. Max Gladstone had all kinds of fresh, new wacky ideas for this book and this is the sixth book in the Craft Sequence. There is no sign that he is running out of these ideas and so I think he must have an amazing ability to generate them.
[Here's a funny thing: This listing is for "The Ruin of Angels" and that is what it says on title page of the copy I borrowed from the library, but the cover and spine just say "Ruin of Angels". I wonder what is up with that.]
"Forty years after the God Wars, Dresediel Lex bears the scars of liberation--especially in the Skittersill, a poor district still …
If you're into this series, you'll read this book.
If you're thinking about getting into the series, I'd suggest starting with [b:Three Parts Dead|13539191|Three Parts Dead (Craft Sequence, #1)|Max Gladstone|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1333049511s/13539191.jpg|19101555], which was the first book written although not the first by chronological setting.
And with this book, you can be confident that the series continues to be interesting and fun.
I always thought that if I ever wrote a book, I'd want to put every wacky idea I had into that book. So, I probably wouldn't be able to write a second book. Max Gladstone had all kinds of fresh, new wacky ideas for this book and this is the sixth book in the Craft Sequence. There is no sign that he is running out of these ideas and so I think he must have an amazing ability to generate them.
[Here's a funny thing: This listing is for "The …
If you're into this series, you'll read this book.
If you're thinking about getting into the series, I'd suggest starting with [b:Three Parts Dead|13539191|Three Parts Dead (Craft Sequence, #1)|Max Gladstone|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1333049511s/13539191.jpg|19101555], which was the first book written although not the first by chronological setting.
And with this book, you can be confident that the series continues to be interesting and fun.
I always thought that if I ever wrote a book, I'd want to put every wacky idea I had into that book. So, I probably wouldn't be able to write a second book. Max Gladstone had all kinds of fresh, new wacky ideas for this book and this is the sixth book in the Craft Sequence. There is no sign that he is running out of these ideas and so I think he must have an amazing ability to generate them.
[Here's a funny thing: This listing is for "The Ruin of Angels" and that is what it says on title page of the copy I borrowed from the library, but the cover and spine just say "Ruin of Angels". I wonder what is up with that.]
This was a fun and quick read. We got to learn more about the characters from [b:River of Teeth|31445891|River of Teeth (River of Teeth, #1)|Sarah Gailey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1484234556s/31445891.jpg|52146842] and see what happens next.
There could have been more of the hippos, but it's not like there are a whole bunch of other books out there where people are riding hippos as they get into scrapes in the wild west.
This was a fun and quick read. We got to learn more about the characters from [b:River of Teeth|31445891|River of Teeth (River of Teeth, #1)|Sarah Gailey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1484234556s/31445891.jpg|52146842] and see what happens next.
There could have been more of the hippos, but it's not like there are a whole bunch of other books out there where people are riding hippos as they get into scrapes in the wild west.
An engaging read and not like any other fantasy novel I've read.
It's particularly refreshing that the main characters are all women except for the transgender man-at-arms.
It is worth reading the author's "Featured Notes and Highlights" on the book's Goodreads page. I read them after reading the book. I don't think there are any big spoilers if you want to read them first.
I like that I actually learned some things about medieval history.
It has a dark past - one in which a number of humans were killed. …
This series is a real pleasure. The books are short and so they are fast reads. I'd recommend them to someone who likes old Star Trek shows but hasn't been into much science fiction they have read.
It has a dark past—one in which a number of humans were killed. A past …
This series is a real pleasure. The books are short and so they are fast reads. I'd recommend them to someone who likes old Star Trek shows but hasn't been into much science fiction they have read.
This fast-read is a delight.
It illuminates what's behind Heather O'Neill's books and it gives a great model for how we can write stories about our own lives.
There's not much point to my writing a review of this. If you're a Dresden fan, you'll read it. If you're not a Dresden fan, you probably don't want to start with a bunch of stories that fall after all sorts of things have happened to him.
Jack Reacher is back, dragged into what looks like a series of grisly serial murders …
It seems like Reacher has met a killer who is too clever for him.
Skilled, cautious, and anonymous, Jack Reacher is perfect for the job: to assassinate the vice …
I need to space out my Jack Reacher books. Reading them too close together puts me in a mental space where I think everyone I see is ready to do violence to me.
Unlike Jack Reacher, I'm not ready to handle it if they do. So the tension I feel probably doesn't do me any good.
Jack Reacher.
The ultimate loner.
An elite ex-military cop who left the service years ago, …
In the opening chapter of this book, Reacher finds himself rescuing a student from a kidnapping and accidentally shooting a cop.
That can't be Reacher, I thought, maybe it's an impostor.
This is probably a better book than I am rating it at, but I just didn't like spending time in this world.
