Bonfire by Krysten Ritter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Yup.
Like most people, I came to this book through the auspices of Krysten Ritter, actor. Her performances in various TV shows have long since labeled me a fan. Add to that I like a good mystery novel and this seemed like something at least worth a try.
It was. And more. Continue reading “Review: Bonfire by Krysten Ritter”
FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book had such potential.
The basic premise, that a storm wipes out contact with the skeleton crew of a Disney-esque amusement park, who then revert to literal tribalism and savagery fits in well with today’s YS dystopias and the tagline of “Lord of the Flies” meets “Battle Royale” is fairly accurate. Continue reading “Review: Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven”
Alice by Christina Henry
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Okay…not sure how to talk about this.
First, the biggest problem is the characters are never in any real danger, they defeat the enemies much too easily and there’s never anything at stake beyond physical harm, which, as stated, was never going to be a thing. There’s no depth to Alice and when we finally get Hatcher’s backstory, it doesn’t affect him in the present. Continue reading “Alice by Christina Henry”
This was my first time reading/listening to a Carrie Fisher memoir and I was blown away. Even 40 years removed from the topic at hand, it’s amazing how much insight and honesty she has for the subject matter. Continue reading “The Princess Diarist – Carrie Fisher”
Chasing the Moon by A. Lee Martinez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
One of the great things about the work of A. Lee Martinez, especially in today’s genre literary world, is that the only thing which connects book to book is that they are all by A. Lee Martinez. This is incredibly unique in a landscape filled with countless series and sequels and prequels and interlocking, shared-universe storytelling which also means two other things: 1) every book requires understanding the particular set of rules inherent and 2) it’s going to be a bit more hit and miss. Continue reading “Review: Chasing the Moon”
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Like a finely braided challah (the bread baked for the Jewish sabbath), Jodi Picoult weaves an intricate tale of redemption and forgiveness, identity and masks, and relationships of all sorts. And she does it all with a certain lightness, never getting heavy handed with her subject matter, the Holocaust, although it could easily slip into melodrama territory.
My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I know it’s weird to get a book you don’t think you’re going to enjoy but we all do that from time to time, don’t we? Like going to see a bad movie specifically so we can tear it apart. It’s a like a whetstone for our critical senses, just something we can use to hone our wits and bring out the kind of absurd criticisms which are normally reserved for James Cameron films. A couple of times, this has completely backfired on me. I walked in to Evil Dead 2 with my sarcastic bon mots ready and walked out a fan for life of Sam Raimi. The same happened here. Continue reading “Review: My Life as a White Trash Zombie”
Doctor Who: Dead Air by James Goss
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I just don’t think I like Doctor Who books all that much. The story on this one wasn’t too bad, had some interesting ideas but it certainly feels different than the show. The other, rather weird, thing about this particular story is it was read by David Tennant, the 10th Doctor himself. Except when he was reading the Doctor’s lines, he didn’t sound like the Doctor. He did when he was reading narration, but the actual dialogue it felt like he was using a put on voice. Very odd.
I’ve listened to other Doctor Who stories read by him and they were fine. I realize this one involves a monster who eats sound and can mimic voices, so Tennant might have been making a conscious choice, but still, sounds strange.
Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’m on a roll, reading the first book in a series, again. At some point, I’ll read the rest of them, maybe. This one is fun and cute and well written – it may be the first in a series but it’s not a first novel, not by a long shot. Continue reading “Review: Her Royal Spyness”
Killing Floor by Lee Child
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
There’s a rule in writing having to do with coincidences. If you get too many of them, the audience will stop believing what you’re writing. This is the case with Killing Floor
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I first read this book back in ’06 and remembered liking it a great deal. Listening to this full cast recording of the author’s preferred text, I didn’t particularly notice much difference (that being said, I didn’t really remember the Hinzelman scene or the coming to America passages from before so who knows).
Getting the Hang of Thursdays 