Thursday, December 31, 2015

Review: The 5th Wave

The 5th Wave The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Considering how much happens in this book, it felt like not much happened. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the story. It was okay and may end up being a cool movie. I guess I'll have to read to rest of the books to get a full opinion but right now it doesn't feel too original, but still

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Monday, December 21, 2015

Review: The Program

The Program The Program by Suzanne Young
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

I didn't realize I only downloaded a sample of this book so I got cut off at the end of chapter 14. I'll have to finish it when I can get it discounted or from my library.

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Sunday, December 20, 2015

Review: How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise

How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise by Chris Taylor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nice comprehensive collection of stories illustrating how thoroughly Star Wars has invaded our culture. Some great and entertaining stories. Was interesting to learn how it all came about and a bit more about George Lucas, since he's so private. There are even a few stories that verge on being gossipy, if you like that kind of story.

This honest review is in exchange for a free e-copy received from Netgalley.com.

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Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Review: My Life Among the Fairies Of Walnut Ridge

My Life Among the Fairies Of Walnut Ridge My Life Among the Fairies Of Walnut Ridge by Michael E. Glasscock III
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

The one thing I can say is that the patois was good and entertaining. Just when this book started to get a little bit of flow it ended. There just didn't seem to be much of a point. Waste of time.

This review is in exchange for a free e-galley received from netgalley.com.

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Saturday, November 28, 2015

Review: The Relic Master: A Novel

The Relic Master: A Novel The Relic Master: A Novel by Christopher Buckley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nothing like a story of ancient con artists to brighten your day. Seriously, this was very funny. I've never read any of Buckley's other books (I did see a movie based on one of his) but I really like his sense of humor and may have to find time to read more of his work. The dialog was wonderful, with the hints of local accents. Fabulous.

This review is in exchange for a free e-galley from Netgalley.com.

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Thursday, November 26, 2015

Review: William Shakespeare's The Clone Army Attacketh

William Shakespeare's The Clone Army Attacketh William Shakespeare's The Clone Army Attacketh by Ian Doescher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not quite as good as the last one but still entertaining. I enjoy it when he mixes in modern quotes and other pop culture references. I really liked the quotes from Kenny Rogers and the mentions of Samuel L Jackson's other, better, movie rolls.

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Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Review: Winter

Winter Winter by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Probably not as good as some of the other stories, mainly due to the tension being wound down instead of built up. Still, an appropriate ending to the series and the writing was consistently good. I am a little sad it's over but am looking forward to seeing what Meyer comes up with next.

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Friday, November 20, 2015

Review: Demelza

Demelza Demelza by Winston Graham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm not sure how close the author wrote books one and two to each other but they really felt like one long book divided in two. The quality was so consistent. This also may have been due to the Masterpiece Theater version that based season one on both of these books combined, the events were just in a somewhat different order. I really liked this book. It was hard not to picture the show while reading it though. I'm going to try to get book three done before they show more on MT.

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Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Review: Bullshit: A Lexicon

Bullshit: A Lexicon Bullshit: A Lexicon by Mark Peters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Really wonderful. And what a great idea. I think we should do more one word thesauruses. I may tackle the word "pie." I don't think it would be as long as this book but I may be able to pull it off. That aside, I did really enjoy this book. Some of the references Peters uses are so wonderfully obscure, I'm not sure he didn't just make them up as another illustration of bullshit. He could just be that thorough of an author. My favorite tidbit I learned from this book is that gobbledygook is the Dutch word for doll poop. I never would have learned that if it weren't for this book. Thank you Mr. Peters. Thank you.


This review is in exchange for a free copy received from bloggingforbooks.com.

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Sunday, November 15, 2015

Review: NOS4A2

NOS4A2 NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I feel like I was reading this book forever. Considering my normal reading pace, I kinda was. I started reading it before Halloween, as I thought it would be a good read for that time of year, and I only now finished it shortly before Thanksgiving. There was nothing wrong with this book, it was quite well-written. I just couldn't get into it.

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Friday, November 6, 2015

Review: The Deleted E-Mails of Hillary Clinton: A Parody

The Deleted E-Mails of Hillary Clinton: A Parody The Deleted E-Mails of Hillary Clinton: A Parody by John Moe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a very fast read. The book itself is short anyway but it only took me an hour or two to read. Honestly, it would make me very happy if this is the type of thing they really found in Hillary's emails. If you enjoy John Moe and WITS, you will probably enjoy this book. It put a smile on my face.

This review is in exchange for a free copy received from Bloggingforbooks.org.

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Review: Help for the Haunted

Help for the Haunted Help for the Haunted by John Searles
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well, I didn't figure out the ending ahead of time and that is always huge. This was a good read for Halloween time. Interesting story and well developed characters.

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Sunday, November 1, 2015

Review: The Paladin Caper

The Paladin Caper The Paladin Caper by Patrick Weekes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this trilogy. It was just plain fun to read. As I said in the last review, it's a well balanced combination of imagination and realistic story telling. This makes it very easy for you to suspend your disbelief and just enjoy the tale. I can't wait to read any new books this author comes out with. Well done!

This review is in exchange for a free e-edition from Netgalley.com.

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Saturday, October 31, 2015

Review: Black-Eyed Susans

Black-Eyed Susans Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well, I wanted to read a mystery since it's Halloween time. I don't normally like mysteries because I tend to find them predictable. Although I really enjoyed this writer's style and narrative, I had the killer pegged pretty early. Fortunately, there is more to this story than just a whodunnit. Getting inside the head of the victim was really well done and interesting and there were a few other plot points that weren't as predictable. So, not bad. Not great but not bad.

This review is in exchange for a free copy received from the publisher.

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Monday, October 26, 2015

Review: The Witches: Salem, 1692

The Witches: Salem, 1692 The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This whole book was very interesting and informative but I thought the quality of the writing itself was better at the beginning and the end than the bulk of the middle. Schiff jumps around a bit in her narrative and that made it a little difficult at times to keep track of who was who and what they did. She would also switch topics unexpectedly on occasion. I would find myself reading and realize I had no idea what she was referring to anymore and would have to go back and re-read to figure out where I lost the train. The author does have a real gift for turning a phrase. This was the first time in years I actually underlined passages in a book (I know!! I marked up a book!). Some great lines that sum up this story: "Salem is in part the story of what happens when a set of unanswerable questions meets a set of unquestioned answers" (p.9) and "we have turned a story of women in peril into one about perilous women" (p.10). There are many more I loved but I'll leave you with those.

This review is in exchange for a free ARC received from the publisher.

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Thursday, October 15, 2015

Review: The Brontë Plot

The Brontë Plot The Brontë Plot by Katherine Reay
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It took me a while to get into the flow of this author's writing style. The narrative would be going along nicely and then the dialog would be abruptly thrust in. The passage of time was also a bit sudden and felt random and disorienting at the the beginning but evens out at the end when the timeline is more consistent. The story itself was not bad. Nice little idea and enjoyable for those of us that enjoy the classics.

This review is based on a digital ARC from Netgalley.com.

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Review: The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge

The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge by Michael Punke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this book up until the end, then it was....I can't say, it would spoil it. So, uh, the storytelling was good.....I was honestly exclaiming out loud disappointed in the end.

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Saturday, October 10, 2015

Review: The Girl With All the Gifts

The Girl With All the Gifts The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I wanted to read this one because it got a good plug from Joss Whedon. I didn't really look any further to see what it was about before I picked up a copy and I'm a little annoyed that I got suckered into reading a zombie book in such a superficial manner. I don't like zombie books. I don't like zombies. All that aside, the main character reminded me a little bit of Smeagol, if Smeagol had been a genius young girl/zombie. I probably would have liked this book better if it wasn't about zombies but it wasn't bad for all that. I didn't find the ending as shocking as I was expecting from all the little blurbs I had read.

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Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Review: The Prophecy Con

The Prophecy Con The Prophecy Con by Patrick Weekes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Yup, still enjoying this series. Weekes may be my new favorite obscure author. There's a lot of great imagination at work in these books but the dialog is very realistically written so it's a perfect combination and makes the whole thing work very well. Looking forward to reading book 3.

This review is in exchange for a free e-galley from Netgalley.com.

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Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Review: Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened

Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've never read any of Brosh's blog posts but I may have to check them out. This was a very fast read full of funny stories (I loved the ones about her childhood and her dogs) and some very well-articulated stories about dealing with depression.

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Monday, October 5, 2015

Review: The Paleo Cardiologist: The Natural Way to Heart Health

The Paleo Cardiologist: The Natural Way to Heart Health The Paleo Cardiologist: The Natural Way to Heart Health by Jack Wolfson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First off, there is quite a lot of medical technical jargon. I honestly found myself reading a passage occasionally and having no idea what it just said. That aside, this is a very informative and interesting read. I'm always trying to read new books about health and nutrition. I've tried the advice in enough of them to know to be a bit skeptical and take everything with a grain of salt. I tried paleo a while back. I don't think I lost much weight but I did notice my skin looked the best it has ever looked. I ended up giving it up because I like bread so much. I have since noticed that I feel like crap when I eat grains and breads so I am thinking about giving this another go. I have recently copped to having developed a sugar addiction so this may be a big of a struggle this time around but I have a feeling I might feel better off for it now that I have more information under my belt.

This review is in exchange for a free copy received through Goodreads First Reads.

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Saturday, October 3, 2015

Review: Between the World and Me

Between the World and Me Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mr. Coates has a brilliant and unique way of explaining the race problems facing our country. He articulates the black perspective in a way I have never heard before and makes the situation more easy to understand. Unfortunately, there is not much hope in this book. What there is is a means to understanding. If enough people take the time, maybe that will be enough. Then there can be hope.


This review is in exchange for a free ARC from the publisher.

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Review: Fat Free: The Science of Shredding Body Fat

Fat Free: The Science of Shredding Body Fat Fat Free: The Science of Shredding Body Fat by Ian A Lane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Aside from spelling and grammatical errors, this was a really interesting read. It basically advocates a Ketogenic/Atkins diet. There are a lot of sources sited though. This guy really did his research.

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Thursday, October 1, 2015

Review: J

J J by Howard Jacobson
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I think this is one of those books that you can only enjoy if you are in the proper mindframe. This would be a frame of mind that I am definitely not in right now. I wasn't a big fan of 1984 and this was basically the same book projected further into the future. It even has Big Brother's eye all over the cover. Maybe I'll like this more on a re-read at some future date.

This review is in exchange for a free copy received from Bloggingforbooks.org.

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Monday, September 28, 2015

Review: Ross Poldark

Ross Poldark Ross Poldark by Winston Graham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I watched the Masterpiece Theater version of this that was on the past year and really loved it. The show is pretty faithful to the book. I have a feeling it may have pulled some plot from the next book but I'll have to wait to read that one to find out for sure. I really enjoyed this one and the fun was not diminished at all for having seen the show first.

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Review: Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital

Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is one of those situations where you just cannot with any fairness judge someone who went through this ordeal unless you were with them in the thick of it. This book made me very grateful I am not a doctor or a nurse and that there are so many people willing to do such a stressful job.

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Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Review: Night of Cake & Puppets

Night of Cake & Puppets Night of Cake & Puppets by Laini Taylor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Aawwww.... the night Mik and Zuze fell in love. I wish someone planned out a date this cool for me. Lovely little side story to the trilogy.

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Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Review: The Palace Job

The Palace Job The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had a hard time getting into this book at first. I think it was all the foreign names that I kept stumbling over made it hard for me to keep my stride with the story. I did really love the dialog though, it was very funny. And who doesn't love a book with ass-kicking female heroes and unicorns? Looking forward to reading the other books.

This review is in exchange for a free e-galley from Netgalley.com.

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Monday, September 21, 2015

Review: Dreams of Gods & Monsters

Dreams of Gods & Monsters Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I believe the line from Legends of the Fall goes: "It's a story as old as Tristan & Isolde." What a great series. What was nice was that it was a trilogy that deserved to be a trilogy. It wasn't one story stretched beyond recognition and wrung out to dry. I really need to buy my own copies to add to my collection. I saw that movie rights have been sold. I hope it gets made and they do it justice.

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Friday, September 18, 2015

Review: Neverwhere

Neverwhere Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The print in this edition seems really small. If that's something you have problems with you might want to read this as an ebook or large print edition.

It's been a while since I originally read this so I couldn't tell you how different it is from the first edition. Still a good story though. Makes me want to paint the characters. I would really like to hear the last BBC radio show they did of this, need to track it down. Towards the end it started to remind me of the end of A Christmas Story.

I didn't read the story at the end about the Marquis' jacket. I'll have to come back to that sometime in the future.

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Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Review: Days of Blood & Starlight

Days of Blood & Starlight Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Does a great job of moving the plot forward, introducing new ideas that fit in smoothly, and developing the characters. Not at all a victim of the awkward book 2 of the trilogy syndrome. Can't wait to see how it all wraps up.

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Sunday, September 13, 2015

Review: Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Daughter of Smoke & Bone Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a wonderful, cool, new world this book is. I really liked this one. It was chock-a-block full of magic and imagination. I got this one from the library but may have to buy copies to add to my collection. Can't wait to read book 2.

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Saturday, September 12, 2015

Review: Miracles and Conundrums of the Secondary Planets

Miracles and Conundrums of the Secondary Planets Miracles and Conundrums of the Secondary Planets by Jacob M. Appel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While I was reading this I was thinking it could be a lot of fun if Appel and Kelly Link collaborated on some stories. But I digress....

Appel's books are always a pleasure. He has such an original story-telling style. This is a great collection of love and loss, probably much more honest (in it's own way) than many other attempts out there.

This honest review is thanks to a free copy received from the author.

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Friday, September 11, 2015

Review: Magonia

Magonia Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have to be honest. I wanted to read this book because Neil Gaiman gave it a good blurb. This caused me to have rather high expectations that it just couldn't live up to. Don't get me wrong. This book is very original and has some lovely imagery. I just couldn't get as into it as I hoped I would. I think it's a book I will like more on a second reading though, after some time has passed. I do think it would make a very cool movie.

Would be willing to bet this title came about from someone's child not being able to pronounce the word "magnolia."

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Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Review: Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice

Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice by Adam Makos
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

At first, I wasn't a fan of the way the author jumped around from one person's narrative to another's. It made it difficult to engage in the story when you didn't get too far in to learning about one person before you were on to someone else. By the end, this proved to very effective as it established a broader perspective of the events described in the story. Turns out, that broad perspective is what makes this book so wonderful. It revolves around a few main characters and one major battle but the sheer quantity of people involved and touched makes it really amazing.
Good story for fans of Unbroken and anyone interested in history in general.

This honest review is thanks to a free e-galley received from Netgalley.com.

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Monday, September 7, 2015

Review: Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography

Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a fun format for a memoir. I have to admit, I skipped reading most of the notes at the bottom of the page directing you to different sections so I'm not sure how funny all of those were. The few I took in were cute. The only regret I have about this book is that I read it without having gotten around to watching How I Met Your Mother yet. Kind of spoiled the ending for me, I think. Neil does have the tendency to bend the truth in a few of his tales so maybe he didn't give anything away. I'll have to watch and see.
If you've ever enjoyed anything this man has done (I don't think I've seen much more than Doogie), you'll probably enjoy reading this. If nothing else, he spins a good yarn.

This review is in exchange for a free copy received from Bloggingforbooks.org.

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Friday, September 4, 2015

Review: Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography

Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography by Laura Ingalls Wilder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"the wind blew, but not too hard and we were happy and gay for it was only twenty below zero and the sun shone." Silly midwesterners.

This was a great read, from a historical perspective. This was written first and was the base of the novels and tv show everyone knows about. The show and the novels were so well done, it's easy to think of them as pure fact but they were souped up a bit and toned down for children.

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Thursday, September 3, 2015

Review: I Quit Sugar: Your Complete 8-Week Detox Program and Cookbook

I Quit Sugar: Your Complete 8-Week Detox Program and Cookbook I Quit Sugar: Your Complete 8-Week Detox Program and Cookbook by Sarah Wilson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've been having a lot of problems with sugar addiction lately. I think it's because I cut back on the amount of fruit I was eating, I was just craving sweets all the time. This was a new experience for me as I've never had a huge sweet tooth. I picked this up looking for some helpful guidelines. Basically, you need to quit cold turkey, including fruit. Then you can ease back in to making more sensible choices. As someone who works out a lot, I'm not sure I'm ready to give up fruit yet and I'm not a big dairy eater but I'm going to give the rest of it a go. There are some really great looking recipes in here. Can't wait to try some of them.

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Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Review: Prudence

Prudence Prudence by Gail Carriger
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

And just like that, Carriger is back on top form. Not that she was ever far off. Fun, fun read.

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Thursday, August 27, 2015

Review: Circling the Sun: A Novel

Circling the Sun: A Novel Circling the Sun: A Novel by Paula McLain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't normally have the self-control to linger over books I'm really enjoying, even if I don't want them to end. This one, I was able to parcel out a bit more than usual. It was very easy to forget that this was based on a real woman, it all seems too extraordinary. I am very interested in reading her autobiography now. As this book seemed better than McLain's last, I'm hoping we can continue to expect great things from her as she perfects her story-telling. Well done!


This review is in exchange for a free e-galley from Netgalley.com


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Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Review: The Bourbon Kings

The Bourbon Kings The Bourbon Kings by J.R. Ward
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

J.R. Ward is not a writer of great literature. She does, on occasion, write very fun stories. This is not one of them. It felt like the only redeeming qualities of the "good" characters in this book was that they weren't the ones who were sleeping with everyone, beating women, stealing, or plotting to murder family members. It's hard to really get behind someone who's the good guy by default. I will not be reading any more of this particular series.

This honest review is in exchange for a free ARC received from the publisher.

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Saturday, August 22, 2015

Review: A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

I enjoy Bryson's writing style. This is the second book of his I've read now. Not only is he informative and educational, he's funny and entertaining as well. I honestly had no idea there was so much uninhabited space just in this stretch of the country. Even though you know there are parks out there, its very easy to forget how big this country is and how open these territories can be. I do think it would be nice if he included photos in his books but I imagine he had enough to carry on the AT without having to worry about lugging a camera around and keeping it dry. I definitely want to see the movie version of this when it's on dvd but I'm imagining they took some liberties with the story. We'll see.

This review is in exchange for a free book from blogginforbooks.org.

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Thursday, August 20, 2015

Review: Hogwarts Library

Hogwarts Library Hogwarts Library by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've been wanting to re-read the Harry Potter series but my books are buried by my TBR piles. This was a nice little fix to tide me over. The Quiddich book was a bit "Meh" but I really enjoyed the other two books. I'd been curious about the animal book as they are now filming the prequel movie. I also have a different, limited edition of Beedle and Bard but had not read it until now. Enjoyable reads, even the footnotes are fun.

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Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Review: The Windup Girl

The Windup Girl The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I smell a sequel.

I think the scariest thing about this book is how believable it is for a future world scenario.

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Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Review: Mirage

Mirage Mirage by Monica Burns
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Not a lot of foreplay in the prose. At 5% in, the word "cock" is already mentioned. Rather scandalous for a story taking place at the end of the 1800's. I think I would have liked this better if there had been less explicit sex and been styled more as a historical romance. It was well-written and it has an interesting location and plot but the sex just doesn't mesh with the time period.

This review is in exchange for a free e-galley from Netgalley.com.

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Review: William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace

William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace by Ian Doescher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Okay, this one was fun. I'm really enjoying this series. This one was more remarkable than the others so far in that it was better than the movie it was based on. Doescher even manages to make Jar Jar Binks bearable. Who would have thought such a thing was even possible. I enjoyed the other pop culture references that were tossed in, including song lyrics and references to Liam Niesen's role in Taken.

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Review: Heaven on Earth: A Journey Through Shari'a Law from the Deserts of Ancient Arabia to the Streets of the Modern Muslim World

Heaven on Earth: A Journey Through Shari'a Law from the Deserts of Ancient Arabia to the Streets of the Modern Muslim World Heaven on Earth: A Journey Through Shari'a Law from the Deserts of Ancient Arabia to the Streets of the Modern Muslim World by Sadakat Kadri
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a ton of history and information crammed into 300 pages. I felt like I would have benefited greatly from having some sort of name chart or graph to keep all the historical names sorted out. I'm not good with names anyway so it was hard to remember who came from which group. All that aside, this book is very informative and explains things in such a clear matter that I finally feel like a have a grasp on why some things are. It really goes a long way to explaining why some things have happened and why some groups believe the things they do. It might even be a good book to include in some school classes so people don't just believe what the media tells them and actually start understanding a very large group of the population.

This review is thanks to a free book received from GoodReads First Reads.

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Friday, August 7, 2015

Review: The Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan

The Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan The Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan by Jenny Nordberg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another book to make me feel grateful for the simple freedoms I take for granted. I'm not sure which group of women this book made me feel sadder about, the women who are oppressed from the moment they are born until they die or the women who are allowed freedom as children by being disguised as boys but have that freedom taken away from them when they marry. It almost seems a cruelty to be given that glimpse of the freedom they should have only to have it snatched away and be basically turned into a slave. It's a fair point that's made, linking the way men treat women and the way they react to the rest of the world. Hopefully some domestic peace and equilibrium can be found and extended for more global progress towards harmony.

This review is in exchange for a free book received from bloggingforbooks.org.

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Saturday, August 1, 2015

Review: A Man Called Ove

A Man Called Ove A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I should have read this book of Backman's first, I think I would have liked it more. It's really excellent, I just liked his second book so much more. Wonderful story of a somewhat lovable curmudgeon. If you like character-driven stories, Backman is really your guy.


This review is based on a free e-edition from NetGalley.com.

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