Martyr! is an absolute pleasure to read. Cyrus‘ struggle with his identity and history makes for truly compelling reading 😊

I enjoyed the final installment of the Noumena series. Honestly, the book felt strangely apropos with its mixture of bleak with a slight smidge of hope. Maybe I was just projecting onto it? 🤷‍♀️ Anyway, it was a pleasurable read 😊

I really had to read the prequel after reading “Legends and Lattes”! “Bookshops and Bonedust” did not disappoint. I greatly enjoyed it while walking my pup 😊

This book was, honestly, not what I expected. However, overall, that was a good thing. I liked exploration of the characters through time and the impacts of climate change and time travel.

This book is so much fun. I really enjoyed reading it. It was a nice break from some dark weeks 😊

I‘m sad this trilogy is over. I loved North‘s reimagining of the Odyssey. I loved that this book extends beyond the end of the Odyssey as well.

The characters were great too. Leartes was hilarious. I love that his signature move is to try to chop the other swordsman‘s fingers off 🤣 Absolutely perfect for the father of Odysseus…

I could hardly put this book down. The suspense was killing me. Also, I need more wilderness-based mysteries. Finally, Heller is a Denver-based author that appeals too.

Great book to listen to while walking the dog, riding a bike, or mowing the lawn. This one has a slightly rougher edge than the first one. Gay even says that it is sort of a book of “despites”. Well worth the time.

I am not sure that I really liked the elegiac structure of this book. Didn‘t really work for me.

As always, I greatly value Ta-Nehisi Coates‘ thoughtfulness and perspective.

I decided to read my first Stephen King at long last. It didn‘t disappoint 😊 This book is fun and propulsive! Trying to figure out my next King 🤴

Wow. This book is…..interesting and bleak…powerful and wretched. I enjoyed the construction on the book but I didn‘t enjoy reading it, really. Not sure what else to say 😊

Fun read, but it doesn‘t stand on its own. You really must read the series. Onward to the “Queen of Sorcery”!

This book is a trilogy all rolled into a single package 😊 It is long but worth every page. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and dragons. I loved how flawed they all were. Great book 👍

This is yet another Scalzi that I enjoyed. In some ways it was pretty typical of his work and in others it has some interesting differences. Good read 👍

I ended up enjoying the trilogy quite a bit. Fun story and interesting characters.

I loved this story. I loved the idea of this story. The characters, Tress included, can be normal, mundane even, and yet be heroic through acts of bravery, self-discovery, and kindness. It‘s just a fresh and welcome premise. 😊

“Shorefall” hardly takes a single breath from “Foundaryside”. The story of Sancia, Gregor, Orso, etc continues to be exciting and fast paced. “Locklands” is next and I am certain that it doesn‘t take a breath either.

Generally fun little YA book that was a decent listen while walking the dog.

Per the usual for Everett, this book is amazing. It is so strange how he can make you laugh out loud about such difficult topics. This is one his earlier titles and it seems readymade for a movie adaptation; it is sprawling and the characters are always on the move. However, Dirt Marder might be a tough pill to swallow for many. I suppose that is why it hasn‘t made it to the screen.

I loved “More Perfect”. The characters are complicated and so are their motivations. There are real stakes and costs. The technology is both frightening and exhilarating. Just a great read.

Decent ideas, corny writing. The writing about computers is downright painful. I read this one for my book club.

This book is in my top 5 non-fiction books of all time. It is manages to be both very expansive and compact at the same time. It tells the big picture of pathogens and their effects on human history going all the way back to Homo sapiens tenuously coexisting with Neanderthals. Tuchmans “A Distant Mirror” is also in my top 5 and is a great companion piece for this book; its focus is much tighter: The Black Death. “Pathogenesis” is truly remarkable.

What a lovely read “Babel” is! It is a fantastic vehicle for discussing colonialism, racism, misogyny, and inequality. Kuang is so thoughtful about her characters and the story. Couldn‘t recommend it enough 😊

This was another reread for my book club. I loved it as much as the first time. I also found some more to the story than before. Such an amazing book

This book is a history of witchcraft trails over the last 450 years. It contains lots of contemporary material and connections as well. Not surprisingly, whether 1600s or 2000s, witchcraft accusations are rooted in misogyny, control, hatred, and abhorrence of those in poverty.

“Foundryside” is fast-paced and exciting to read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I‘ve ordered “Shorefall” 😊

Another great road-trip audiobook listen 😊

I‘m still recovering from this one. I really enjoyed it, but it is wrenching. Great book 👍

This is a great road-trip audiobook! Silly enough to make you laugh and wild enough to keep your attention 😊

I loved Trees! It amazes me how Everett can tackle such a topic while maintaining a level of humor. Also, the chapter that is told from Trump‘s perspective is pure gold 😊

This was the third book I‘ve read from Percival Everett. I loved it so much! I was a little sad when I finished. I love reimagining old and cherished stories and James does not disappoint.

This book is great. It is not a list of animals considered to be pests. It is about how humans create pests through definition, expectations, inaction, and carelessness. That perspective showed up almost on the first page and the author takes her time making her case.

Where do I start with Leslie Jones‘ memoir? Well, first, I really loved it. Second, it is by far the most emotional memoir I‘ve ever read. Leslie reads the audio book and she cries numerous times. Third, it is hilarious, which I very much expected 🙂 Honestly, it is a thoroughly entertaining audio experience.

This is one of those book club books that represent the reason i joined: I wouldn‘t have picked it. Yet, it really sucked me in! Wow…just lots of fun 🙂

This made for delightful listening while walking my dog over the last 8-9 days. Enjoyed learning about Stewart‘s young life and career. Overall, it was a fun listen 🙂

This is a reread since it was selected by my book club. As before, a decade ago, I really enjoyed it. I love the concepts that it plays with. Also, after 10 more years, it brought up a whole set of novel thoughts (for me). Glad I reread it 🙂

This fun little graphic novel is a great explainer for the brain 🙂

Overall, I enjoyed this reimagining of the story of Jezebel from her perspective. At times, however, it felt a little flat and one note.

This graphic novel was blast 🙂 I really enjoyed the artwork.

This book is one part sci-fi, one part love story, and one part mystery and I am here for it! It was blast to read 🎉

This is another book club choice. It‘s a quick, fun read 🙂

This was another book club choice. I ended up liking the story of Herr Drosselmeyer. At least, the next time I see the Nutcracker Suite, I will have an origin story to noodle over 🙂

This is the second in the “Songs of Penelope” series (the first was “Ithaca”). This story of Penelope jousting with Meneleus is suspenseful and fun. I loved the portrayals of Helen and Aphrodite 🙂 I am ready for the “The Last Song of Penelope” this summer. Contra the Odyssey, I was hoping that Odysseus would stay trapped for longer. Not ready for him to get home yet.

This is my second Percival Everett in as many weeks. I‘ve loved them both. I can‘t wait to see American Fiction. Jeffrey Wright is perfectly cast 🙂

I really enjoyed “Dr. No”. The characters are fun and the way that Everett plays with language just adds another level. Honestly, he seems to be a bit of a polymath.

Read this one for my book club. I‘m not a fan. The dialogue couldn‘t have been more clunky and the secondary story is just straight weird.

2024

Another fun Rothfuss novella, but not the third book of the Kingkiller Chronicle 🙂

I‘m always a little sad when I finish another Murderbot iteration. They‘re so good and I just want to keep going 🙂

Read this one for my SciFi book club. It was okay. I enjoyed the ending but I had trouble getting sucked in.