Saturday, December 29, 2018

Review: Hazards of Time Travel

Hazards of Time Travel Hazards of Time Travel by Joyce Carol Oates
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Too many acronyms in the beginning of the book, I can't remember what they all mean. I suspect that was the idea, though, to make it ridiculous. As a resident of the Midwest, I found the punishment to be an interesting one. Interesting story though. I rarely wish for a book to be longer but I would have loved to see where it continued to go. Despite that, the ending was quite good.

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

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Thursday, December 27, 2018

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Review: Queen of Air and Darkness

Queen of Air and Darkness Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I think that was at least one hundred pages longer than it needs to be. I used to really enjoy these series but I'm kind of glad it's over.

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Thursday, December 20, 2018

Review: Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Surprising and beautiful. I think I fell in love with its restraint.

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

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Saturday, December 15, 2018

Review: Girl Waits with Gun

Girl Waits with Gun Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Very entertaining read. I didn't realise until I finished the story that this was based on real people and events. I look forward to reading book two.

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Thursday, December 13, 2018

Review: We the Animals

We the Animals We the Animals by Justin Torres
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The writing was very good but the story was extremely depressing. I will not be watching the movie.

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Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Review: The Lost City of the Monkey God

The Lost City of the Monkey God The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first part of this book, dealing with exploration and some history, was very interesting and unputdownable. The second part, dealing mainly with disease, not so much.

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Sunday, December 9, 2018

Review: Truthwitch

Truthwitch Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A bit long and rambling, but not bad. I didn't like it so much that i have to read the next book right away but I hope to get to it eventually.

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Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Friday, November 30, 2018

Review: Vox

Vox Vox by Christina Dalcher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well written but not very original. Seemed like well done Handmaid's Tale fan fiction.

I received a free e-galley from netgalley.com.

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Sunday, November 25, 2018

Review: The Ruin of Kings

The Ruin of Kings The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found the footnotes to be a bit distracting, they really interrupted the flow of the narrative. This was particularly noticeable because the story really moved along at a nice place. The writing was great and the tale is epic in its scope. Can't wait to read book 2.

I received a free e-galley from netgalley.com.

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Saturday, November 24, 2018

Review: Brief Answers to the Big Questions

Brief Answers to the Big Questions Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Alternately titled: "Long Ways of Saying 'No One Knows Yet.'"

This went over my head a few times, but for the most part, his writing is very accessible.

I received a free copy from Goodreads giveaways.

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Sunday, November 18, 2018

Review: The Kremlin's Candidate

The Kremlin's Candidate The Kremlin's Candidate by Jason Matthews
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I wouldn't say I loved these books but they were well written and the quality was consistent throughout. The narrative is probably scarily close to the truth.

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Saturday, November 10, 2018

Thursday, November 8, 2018

Review: The Darkest Minds

The Darkest Minds The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Meh. Not good enough for how long it was. Think I'll skip the movie and the rest of the series.

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Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Review: The Fifth Risk

The Fifth Risk The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not really what I was expecting. It was a really good book about the administration without spending all of its time talking about the core players.

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Sunday, November 4, 2018

Review: The Shimmer

The Shimmer The Shimmer by Carsten Stroud
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Stroud seems a bit obsessed with the word "valkyrie." It got old. Story was just way too far fetched to enjoy.

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Friday, November 2, 2018

Thursday, November 1, 2018

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Review: House of Leaves

House of Leaves House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow. Not really sure what this was but it was really impressive. I can't even imagine the work that went into this. I've never read a book that was also a labyrinth.

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Sunday, October 14, 2018

Review: The Terror

The Terror The Terror by Dan Simmons
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I almost decided to put this aside for later when I saw how long it was but Simmons is really good at suspense and hooked me in. I'm not sure I loved the ending but it kinda works. I think I got Merrill of this story with the book and am going to skip watching the show they made of it, at least for a year or so.

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Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Review: The Silver Witch

The Silver Witch The Silver Witch by Paula Brackston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It took me a while to get in to this but then I really enjoyed it. Even if there was a bit of LOTR preciousness.

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Friday, October 5, 2018

Review: The Wife

The Wife The Wife by Meg Wolitzer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The only other book by Wolitzer I have read was The Interestings. This was so much better. The writing, the characters, the plot arch, all brilliantly done. I'm looking forward to seeing the movie.

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Review: The Invisible Library

The Invisible Library The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lot of fun. Definitely want to continue with this series.

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Sunday, September 30, 2018

Review: Norwegian Wood

Norwegian Wood Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm quite certain I don't understand everything there is to take away from Murakami's writing but he sure crafts one hell of a tale.

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Friday, September 28, 2018

Review: Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition

Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition by Mur Lafferty
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not a bad story. But I haven't seen the movie yet and I'm guessing it's 99% the same, like all the other Star Wars tie in books.

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Friday, September 21, 2018

Sunday, September 16, 2018

Review: Bright Ruin

Bright Ruin Bright Ruin by Vic James
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The ending of this story was very anti-climatic. Taken as a whole, I feel like this trilogy wasn't all that great. It could have been better, the potential was there.

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

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Friday, September 14, 2018

Sunday, September 9, 2018

Review: Montaigne in Barn Boots: An Amateur Ambles Through Philosophy

Montaigne in Barn Boots: An Amateur Ambles Through Philosophy Montaigne in Barn Boots: An Amateur Ambles Through Philosophy by Michael Perry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love this line: "here I sit, reading at face value, with a limited capacity for judgment, continually suspicious of my own conclusions, philosophizing at freshman dorm stoner level without the weed." I can relate to that description perfectly!! Nailed it, Mr. Perry.
I don't know if it's a trick of geography, but everything Michael Perry seems very relatable to me. From old trucks to philosophers, everything is accessible through his lens.

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Saturday, September 8, 2018

Review: Number One Chinese Restaurant

Number One Chinese Restaurant Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I just couldn't get in to this. It felt like it really needed to be about the relationships but the drama kept butting in.

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Friday, September 7, 2018

Review: Lord of Shadows

Lord of Shadows Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book had elements that reminded me of Harry Potter. It also had some moments of thick, gooey, cheesiness. Not the best in the series but it's still worth reading if you like the other books.

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