Book: A Feast for Crows

Book 4 in the Game of Thrones series. Loved it, although it was hard not knowing what happened to the other characters, most of whom show up in A Dance With Dragons.

Book: Dead Things

Dead Things by Matt Darst

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Wish I could give this 3.5 stars. For what it was, Dead Things was actually pretty good. Had a decent storyline with only a few cliches here and there, interesting characters, and fairly indiscriminate about who bit the dust. There were a few mistakes that a decent copyeditor would have caught, and the climax was pretty improbable, even for a zombie book. Also, I wish that some novel in which main characters hook up would NOT end with a freaking babe in arms (Suzanne Collins, I'm looking at you). Throw a bone to the childfree, will you?



View all my reviews

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


F-ing brilliant book about the power of words in WWII Germany.



View all my reviews

How's this for screwed up?

When pondering what I wanted to read next, I decided that a book about the American healthcare system (Lionel Shriver's So Much for That) was more anxiety inducing than a zombie novel. Of course, zombies are somewhat less likely than having to use your retirement money and then some after a life of cubicle dwelling to care for a terminally ill partner. The fact that the last Lionel Shriver book I read left me in an emotional state akin to a crumpled up paper towel may be related.

Book: Arctic Rising

Arctic Rising by Tobias S. Buckell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A fascinating scifi-ish speculative roller coaster thriller about the polar ice caps melting and the repercussions thereafter for the people of planet earth. As an airship pilot tries to find who shot her ship down, we're introduced to shifts in the balance of power in the world (eg, native peoples in the Arctic), the role of nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations, human migration, war (official and otherwise), and even personal relations. The issues aren't black or white here, and neither are the characters, but I found it all fascinating.



View all my reviews

What I'm About to Admit...

...Could likely get me get kicked out of Louisiana: I'm really not all that enthralled with Mardi Gras. King cake kind of tastes like too-sweet, usually stale cinnamon rolls. Parades are fun but a pain in the neck to get to, and I really don't like having things thrown at me. Then there's the whole weird vibe with the segregated krewes and debutante balls, the creepy symbolism of the old white guy squiring a nubile young woman (with the oldest krewes), and masks that look straight out of a 1930s Klan rally. Maybe next year I'll use that weekend to visit the fam and see some snow.

Book: Midnight Rising

Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid that Sparked the Civil War by Tony Horwitz

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


First off, the author acknowledges the role that librarians and historians played in helping him access the materials necessary to write this book, so mad props to him for that.

As for the book itself, it brings a depth to Brown that mainstream books haven't provided before. He's not just the wild-eyed butcher of Kansas but a loving father and husband, whose heartfelt beliefs about the equality of men drove much of his life. At the same time, he may have very well led his men into unwilling martyrdom. Additionally, Horwitz demonstrates how Brown's actions at Harpers Ferry directly led to secession and ultimately civil war.

Going to recommend this one to all my WV friends and family, most of whom know only the basics from 8th grade history and field trips to Jefferson County.



View all my reviews