4 Stars. I enjoyed the premise and the story, but there were a few too many interruptions from the characters in their current time as they were trying to tell a story about their past. The interruptions give us a better sense of the characters overall and allowed the author to insert several points of view into a scene easily [...]
Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share our top ten indie/self-published books this week, a topic suggested by Nicole at BookWyrm Knits. I don't pay any attention to publishers, etc. so I wasn't sure where to even start. I know The Martian by Andy Weir (which I like but never reviewed) was originally self-published. And that's about all I know about that. So I dug back into the TTT archives and decided to share ten series I haven't finished yet. Nicole has inadvertently brought my attention to all the series that I haven't finished as she posts series updates herself, so it seemed like a fitting digression. I have a very incomplete "series-to-continue" shelf on GoodReads if you want to take a look at a longer list. Each series name links to the series page on GoodReads. I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe in beautiful Asheville, NC. I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase merchandise through links on my site. Series NameAuthorCurrent #of books# of booksI've readAmelia PeabodyElizabeth Peters207Mistress of the Art of DeathAriana Franklin53Mary CrowSallie Bissell84Dread NationJustina Ireland2 & stories1The Clockwork CenturyCherie Priest7 & a story3The Checquy FilesDaniel O'Malley32Kingdom on FireJessica Cluess32Small SpacesKatherine Arden43The Kingston CycleC.L. Polk23Theodosia ThrockmortonR.L. LaFevers42 That's my list! Have you read any of these? Which series do you need to finish? Link up every Tuesday at That Artsy Reader Girl!
Welcome to my weekly update for April 2, 2023! We spent last weekend with my husband's cousin and his wife in San Diego, celebrating the cousin's birthday. We ate way too much and had a great time with them, as we always do. On Monday, we caught a break in the rain and drove back to down to San Diego to see the Japanese Friendship Garden at Balboa Park. We were at the end of cherry blossom season but there were still a few late blooms hanging on, in addition to some azaleas, wisteria, and a few other things I can't identify. It smelled heavenly! Later: Oh goodness! As I was saving this post on Friday evening, we had a minor 4.2 earthquake but it's by far the biggest I've ever felt! We have only felt a few very minor little blips in the past. My husband, who was at work, said his co-workers didn't even remark on it. Nothing shifted in our RV but I thought there were people outside shaking it for some reason. I actually went to the window to look out. That was exciting! And more than enough earthquake activity for me, thankyouverymuch. Slideshow: Cherry blossoms (I believe) Wisteria blooming on a pergola. The wisteria smelled amazing! Azaleas blooming around a koi pond Individual trees frequently grab my attention when we're out and about. I loved the root system on this Moreton Bay Ficus tree (I think that's what it is) Posted: All Systems Red by Martha Wells, read by Kevin R. Free: Book Review 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Ten Books I Recommend if You Like L. M. Montgomery "The Secret Life of Bots" by Suzanne Palmer: Short Story Review 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Read: I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe in beautiful Asheville, NC. I will earn a small commission at…
4 Stars. I just finished Artificial Condition, the second book in the Murderbot Diaries series, and really liked it. Greg at Book Haven noted my excitement and recommended this short story to me. "The Secret Life of Bots" is not related to Murderbot in any way but they do have a similar feel. There's a...not entirely compliant [...]
4 Stars. My husband isn’t much of a reader. He usually has a book on his Kindle (which I bought him) but he takes his time with it and usually only reads a handful of books each year. I thought he would enjoy this series and the way that the author mostly just plunges into the action. So I downloaded the audiobook and made him [...]
Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share "Books for People Who Liked Author X" this week. That threw me for a loop for a minute. I read pretty widely at this point and I'm not terribly faithful to any one genre. Could I do this? Maybe I needed to go rogue. Then I realized the angle I needed to take. Here's a list of [...]
Welcome to my weekly update for March 26, 2023! Another quiet week here with more rain. But this weekend is supposed to be nice so we do have some plans to get out a bit. Posted: In the Shadow of the Moon: America, Russia, and the Hidden History of the Space Race by Amy Cherrix: Book Review 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Ten Book Covers that Make Me Think of Spring The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos by Christian Davenport: Book Review 🌟🌟🌟½ Read: I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe in beautiful Asheville, NC. I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase merchandise through links on my site. As I write this on Friday evening, I haven't finished reading anything. Currently Reading: Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss, read by Kate Reading Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi Up Next: Lore Olympus: Volume Three by Rachel Smythe came in for me at the library so it's next on my list. I don't have too much left in Complete Fairy Tales so I'll probably finish both of them soon. What did your week look like? Hosts: Deb Nance at Readerbuzz hosts The Sunday Salon and Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer hosts Sunday Post. Kathryn at Book Date hosts It's Monday! What Are You Reading?
3.5 Stars. This was fascinating, but I’m not sure why it’s called Space Baron*S*. The author came across as a huge fan of Elon Musk; I would guess at least 80% of the book is about Musk and SpaceX. That could be because SpaceX seems to be the company that’s really speeding forward, or maybe because Bezos and BlueOrigin are very [...]
4 Stars. I was fascinated to read Ms. Cherrix’s account of two opposing rocket engineers in the US/USSR space race and the ethical dilemmas surrounding them. I’m writing this from notes I just found a year after finishing the book so I’ll just list my bullet points. I found the contrast between the two engineers to be [...]
Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share a "Top Ten Tuesday Rewind" this week. We're supposed to choose a previous TTT topic that we missed or update a TTT post that we wrote in the past. I didn't really feel like looking through old topics, though there are plenty of interesting ones that I've missed, so I just chose ten book covers that make me think of spring. First of all, the obvious choices: trees in blossom and shades of pink and purple always make me think of spring. Wild Orchid: A Retelling of "The Ballad of Mulan" by Cameran Dokey The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna van Praag The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen Scones and Sensibility by Lindsay Eland A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey, read by Frankie Corzo And now for the not-so-obvious: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1) by Jessica Townsend--This could really be anytime in the world of the book because the characters travel via "brolly [umbrella] rail." But all those colorful umbrellas in an overcast sky make me think of spring showers bringing May flowers. Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan, read by Trini Alvarado--If you look closely, the fields below Esperanza look like they're in the process of being planted. And Esperanza's name translates to "hope." What could be more spring-like than hope? Witchmark (The Kingston Cycle #1) by C. L. Polk--The world of this book is very wintery, if I recall correctly, so the bare trees, the lack of snow, and the cobblestones that look like a shower has just passed through make me think of spring. Bearwallow: A Personal History of a Mountain Homeland…