Review: The Atlantis Gene by A.G. Riddle

The Atlantis Gene by A.G. Riddle
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have had this book forever.  It came up as a recommendation on Amazon or Goodreads for someone who likes Dan Brown.  I'm glad I finally go around to reading it.

I liked this, but there was a lot going on in this book. I hope to continue the series, as there is a ton of potential here and I want to know where the story goes. I do think it was an interesting tale, I just didn't find it to be super fast paced like other readers did. This has all of the elements of books that I like science, history, lost civilizations, and everything else that you want from an espionage thriller/mystery type of book.  This is reminiscent of Dan Brown's books, so fan's of Deception Point and Digital Fortress should definitely check this one out. 

This was also book 51 of 52 for the reading challenge I was working through for 2017.  This was my espionage thriller.  I don't think that played into my feelings for the book, but I think it may have played into the slump I was in the last week of the year and the but of a slump I'm in now.  I really fought to finish my last 2 books.  I think I was in a bit of a fatigue at that point.

Most of the time I had no idea what was going on, and normally I don't mind not being able to tell what's going to happen in a book. I actually prefer it. This just had way to much going on. There were so many plot lines going on it felt jumbled and confusing. Things get resolved conveniently way to often, and I was left rolling my eyes way to often for this to be a great book. The clunky plot lines made the pacing too slow for my taste. Mystery and thriller type books should be fast paced and hold your attention, I kept finding myself wanting to read something else because I couldn't stay engaged with the confusing plot and the flat characters. The super smart doctor out to cure autism is also very ditzy and a damsel in distress for most of the book. I wanted her to be a little stronger and not rely so much on the male lead. David the hero was robotic and cold, I didn't find him compelling at all. The romance between David and Kate was pretty cringe worthy and unnecessary in my opinion. I think that was also a big problem I had with this book, I didn't like any of the characters. I have a hard time reading a book when I don't like any of the characters. I didn't like either main character.

All of the name switching and keeping track of who was who was very clever and also very confusing. I feel like I needed to write it all down so I could keep track of all of the characters.

Overall, this wasn't bad, I just wanted this to be a book that I couldn't put down. I think I expected that and I was a bit disappointed when it wasn't that. I do plan on continuing the series as I am interested to see where it goes.

View all my reviews

My Year in Review: 2017

Overall, I think I had a great reading year for 2017. I started out with a goal to read 50 books, moved that to 75 when I realized I was going to reach 50 at some point through the year. I never thought I would reach 100 books. I started listening to audio books at the end of 2016, and that has really helped me get to alot more books.  I "read" 40 books via audio, normally I get to between 50 and 60 books a year.  I know everyone has their own view on reading via audio, but for me, it is a great way to get to books while I'm commuting several hours a week, doing laundry or other chores, or at the gym.  I can't get into every audio book and opt to read them in print, but I've grown to love them, and will continue to use them.  My local library has a great selection which helps.  I do most of my reading on Kindle, because it is easier for me.  I think I only read 5 physical books, but that will change in 2018 as I bought a bunch of physical books I want to get to.

I participated in the Popsugar Reading Challenge this year. It is the first challenge I've ever participated in and I'm so glad I found it. Both the Goodreads and Facebook groups are awesome for discussion and recommendations. I found myself not wanting to finish my last 2 books for the 2017 challenge but all of the positive encouragement from the groups helped me push through the last 2 books. I'm excited for 2018. I have some books penciled in, but don't want to be overly strict with my list, if it feels like work it isn't fun anymore.

I really started reviewing and posting to the blog this year. I hope to post alot more this year, I need to find a better rhythm, but let's face it my life is crazy.  I work full time, I'm a mom and my kids activities keep me pretty busy, and reading is what keeps me sane.  I've got a bunch of ARCs to review during the first part of the year and I'm very excited to get to them.  I've got a backlog of posts I need to get to, so hopefully I'll get to those now that the holidays are coming to a close.

MY AVERAGE RATING FOR 2017 3.5

Here is a quick summary of my ratings.  I read some really excellent books this year, discovered some new favorites, and reread some old tried and true loves.  I really only read one that I didn't like.  The 2 stars were, just OK, not good and not bad.  I try to be critical with my reviews, though I will boost a rating based how much I enjoyed the reading experience.  

I hope you had an awesome 2017 in general and hope you read some great books.  Here's to a great 2018 and more great books!

Review: Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was such a surprise. I didn't know much about it when I bought it, but I ended up loving it. I may end up giving it 5 stars. I ended up listening to the audiobook, which was fantastic. The narrator did an excellent job. I didn't know this was a horror book, so I was appropriately horrified and terrified as the creepy story unfolded. Then there we parts that were just heartbreaking and the writing is just amazing.  I absolutely loved it.  I highly recommend it if you like horror and tales that involve weird stuff.

The story follows 15 year old Oscar, a boarding school student in Barcelona. Oscar comes to befriend Marina and her father German, who live close to Oscar's school. German is an artist, and Marina is a mysterious girl who Oscar immediately becomes smitten with. Marina and Oscar find themselves quickly drawn into a strange investigation involving a madman who tried to cheat death, a strange woman who haunts the local graveyard, and many other weird things. As the pair learn more about the strange things they've found, they find themselves pulled deeper and deeper into a much darker story that they never could have imagined. There are twists and turns that I never could have imagined, and all the while, Oscar finds a family in Marina and German that he never knew he was looking for.  I've never been to Spain, but I felt like I had been transported to Barcelona with the descriptions.  This was set in 1980, but the timeline felt older even if it was more modern.

I don't want to say much else about the book because it would spoil the thriller part of the book.  I did end up bumping my review up from 4 to 5 stars as I was writing my review.  I just really enjoyed this so much.  Thanks to Bree Hill for recommending it on her channel.  I would have never discovered Marina if she hadn't mentioned it in one of her videos.  I'm so glad I picked it up on one of my many trips to Bradley's Book Outlet.

Review: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm not sure what to say about this book. It has taken me several months to finally finish this book, partially because I had checked it out of the library and I had to wait on the wait list between requests and partly because it is extremely long. While I liked the journey, the ending left me wanting. I felt like I read all that and you leave me with that ending?  Huge cliffhanger!  I'm glad to have finished it finally and I can check off unreliable narrator from my reading challenge list.

The story finds Kvothe or Kote as he is known today in an inn where he has been an upstanding citizen of the town when a stranger enters the picture. This stranger is a chronicler and he is looking for the famous Kvothe and wants to write his story. Kvothe is a famed hero, but he's hiding out undercover as an inn keeper and the chronicler wants to know why and wants to document all of Kvothe's adventures. After some persuading, Kvothe agrees, but his terms are specific. He begins his tale in his childhood and we learn about his family, how he came to discover magic, and his many other adventures as a youth. We then hear about his trials and tribulations as the University, where he learns to hone his magic craft, but his is always finding mischief. His story is not one of fame, fortune, or heroism. Kvothe has had a terribly sad life, and he is on a mission to right the wrongs that were done to him and his family.

The story of his time at the university was interesting but it was long. It was slot at times, and not so slow at others. It picks up about halfway through the book, and the pace is steady from about the 50% mark to the end. There is more action happening at that time as well. I didn't find the story boring at all, just long. This was not a book I just couldn't put down, and even when I read for long stretches of time I didn't make much progress which was discouraging. I felt some of the plot lines were unnecessary, while other's could have been more explored. Kvothe himself doesn't seem to be doing anything for long stretches of time except going to classes or hanging about one place or another for long periods of time. I did like alot of the side characters, Kvothe's friends and instructors had great personalities, and his apprentice Bast who we meet at the end has proven to be more than what he appears.

I'll continue on with the series, as I did like The Name of the Wind and I do like Rothfuss' writing. I am anxious to hear about what happens next in the tale and some of the more action packed adventures that are hinted at during the telling of Kvothe's life story.

Review: Sourdough by Robin Sloan

Sourdough by Robin Sloan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thought this book was extremely charming. It has its quirky. weird parts, but I really loved it. I loved all the technical references and all the baking information. I honestly wish someone would gift me a magical bread starter. I love to bake but can't make bread, it is my nemesis. I have a background in engineering and robotics, so I loved that part just as much.

I used this for my challenge prompt to read a book about food, only 7 more books to go for 2017.  I struggled to find a book for this category.  Sourdough came up as a recommendation several times, but it wasn't until I saw a review by PeruseProject on YouTube that I actually wanted to give it a shot.  It never appealed to me until Regan reviewed it as a weird, yet charming book and I 100% agree with her.  I can relate to Lois in several ways, which made me like this even more.

Lois Clary is a gifted, young computer programmer. She was recruited from her auto manufacturing job in Michigan, to work in in the cutting edge start-up disctrict of San Francisco. In California she works endless hours as a robotics programmer trying to solve big problems, living on nutritive gel called Slurry, barely sleeping, and really not finding satisfaction in what she is doing. One night she finds a menu for Clement Street Soup and Sourdough, and orders spicy soup and sourdough bread. The exotic food comforts Lois and it is all she eats, when she doesn't eat Slurry that is. Lois gets to know the 2 brothers that operate Clement Street just as they have to close their shop and leave the US. They gift her baking supplies and a crock of their bread started and instruct her on how to keep it alive. Lois decides that she'd going to try her hand at making bread from the starter, so she does some homework and buys some cooking supplies online. After struggling to get it right, Lois finds success in making sourdough bread with the magical starter. She starts out just making bread for herself, then she starts sharing with neighbors, and before she knows it she's selling her delicious bread to the chef at work and has a market stall at a weird farmers market. Lois quickly finds herself teaching a robotic arm how to make bread, and learns that her starter is not just any old sourdough starter. Eventually Lois must choose between her job as a programmer or her job as a baker, she also has to deal with the tempermental starter that kind of has a mind of its own.

I really enjoyed this. I loved Sloan's writing. The mysterious backstory about the starter was really interesting as were all of the characters. I ended the book wanting a "double spicy", or atleast some sourdough bread.

Review: Will Love For Crumbs by Jonna Ivin

Will Love For Crumbs by Jonna Ivin
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I picked this up a few years ago when it was free on Kindle. The synopsis sounded interesting, and it had a ton of good reviews. I never got around too it, and I probably wouldn't have were it not for the reading challenge I'm working my way through. The prompt was to read a book about a difficult topic, so I thought this would be a perfect fit. This is a tale about emotional abuse, a traumatic childhood, dysfunctional relationships, addiction, her strange relationship with God, and poor decision making.

I had to keep reminding myself that this was a memoir, but it read like a fictional story. Many of the situations are very dramatic, and I just can't relate to drama like that. To quote a like in the book "No one's life is that dramatic" kept popping up in the back of my mind as I read the story Jonna painted as she tells the story of her life. Jonna says this to a group of Red Cross volunteers she is working with in reference to Chris, after hearing about his crazy yet very sad life. Chris and Jonna end up having a whirlwind relationship, and eventually end up together. Jonna learns that Chris is not who he says he is and he's been lying to her about everything. She stays with him because he makes her feel taken care of, which makes you want to shake her and yell at her because she is too old to be this immature and irresponsible. Her sister actually does this at one point and she still doesn't do anything. Many of Jonna's mistakes and poor decisions stem from growing up with an alcoholic mother and no father in the picture. She just wants some one to love her and take care of her like her parents never did. Chris enters her life like a freight train, large and in charge, and gives her the sense of stability and care she was always missing. Yet after she learns of his betrayals and bad behaviors, it takes her a long time to leave even thought she writes about doing it for several chapters. Its like she was addicted to him and his lies. I just can't relate to not learning from my mistakes and being in a position like this. I give Ivin credit for writing her story, it takes guts to put your story out there for people to read and criticize. I don't want to criticize her life and her choices,, but I do have thoughts on the actual technical writing which I think is a valid critique.  I wish she had a support system to tell her to get her act together and help her. I hope that she's gotten that since writing this.

I didn't care for the writing style at all. This was written in a disjointed chronology, which I really don't care for in general, but as the author is telling her life story it jumped around and she never closed the story. It just abruptly ends, leaving so many pieces of her life unexplained. Like whatever happened to Adam, he was in her life then he wasn't. What happened with Greg? A memoir usually closes with what the author learned as their life went on or where they ended up in the present. This just ends and you are left almost with a cliffhanger. There are alot of holes that left me scratching my head. As many other reviewers mentioned, this book could have used a good edit. There were so many mistakes, it was sometimes hard to read.

Review: The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey

The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked this up at my library's book sale a few months ago for a reading challenge prompt for "A book with a family member term in the title".  The woman at the checkout said it was a great book.  This puts me at 41 of 52 books read for the challenge.  This was one of the advanced prompts, I've got 3 of those left, and 8 from the regular list.  I've got books picked out for the remaining prompts, so hopefully I can wrap this up by the end of the year.

I expected this to have alot more action being a mystery, however it is not action packed at all. I did still however enjoy this. I was confused by the title but after reading a few reviews, it is a nod to a proverb, "Truth is the daughter of time." Knowing that, the title makes perfect sense. This book is all about discovering truth over the course of time. The book follows Inspector Alan Grant during his time in the hospital due to a broken leg. Grant as he is often referred to in the book, is bored and needs something to do other than look at the cracks in the ceiling. His friend Marta brings him a stack of portraits to look at, being that looking at faces is a favorite past time of his as a Police Inspector at Scotland Yard. Grant uncovers the face of Richard III, who is known to be quite the monster. To occupy his time Grant, along with the help of British Museum researcher Brent Carradine begin to research the reign of Richard III and the accusation that he murdered his two nephews, the reason he is so hated. I do not typically read historical fiction, but I was sucked into the history and the investigation. I can see why this has been on many crime lists as being a great read. I found the whole hierarchy of the British monarchy totally confusing, mainly because they were all named Henry, Richard, and Edward. There was a page in the book that neatly laid out who was whom and I found that very helpful. I could have used a family tree to keep everyone straight but that has nothing to do with the writing of the novel.  Thinking about it now I should have done that while I was reading to keep everyone straight.  I was completely invested in finding out "who-dun-it", and if Richard III was really as bad as the rumors made him out to be. Not knowing much about the actual history of the royal British families, I don't have a bias or outstanding opinion on the subject, but I did enjoy the novel and the investigative approach.

Another thing to not is this is part of a series, but as far as I can tell, you do not need to read any of the other novels. This stood on its own quite nicely and I didn't feel like I was missing anything. I feel like this might be a series where the characters are repeated, but the story line is completely separate in each book. I kind of prefer series that way.  I think if I saw another Tey book at a used book sale I'd grab it.  I think I paid $1 for it, and it was well worth it.

Review: The Shack by William P. Young

The Shack by William Paul Young
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I didn't know a lot going into this book, but I needed a best-seller for a genre I don't normally read for my reading challenge. I typically don't read religion based books. This one kept coming up for a couple different prompts, and I saw it at a used book sale so I grabbed it.  I figured I was only out $1, and I could use it for several of the challenge prompts.  It isn't very long either, and it was a pretty easy read.  I can see myself reaching for this in dark times.

This got a ton of mixed reviews, but I enjoyed it. It had a lot of great take-aways and points of inspiration. I can see why people struggling with something or who need help dealing with crisis or tragedy find comfort in this book. There were some great points about love, friendship, forgiveness, and relationships.  I really liked the non-traditional portrayal of the holy trinity and the acceptance of all religions.  I kind of liked the parts where God in the book basically told Mack that everyone was welcome and loved no matter what religion you practice or who you are and past transgressions.  The God in The Shack was very loving and forgiving.  I can also see why people don't like the book, it paints a fairly non-traditional picture of God and religion. So if you are fairly formal in your practice and study of your religion of choice you may find this book blasphemous. I didn't expect this book was going to change my beliefs, nor did I think it was telling anyone how or what to believe. My favorite part of the book It is fiction after all, so take it with a grain of salt. I think it had some thought provoking ideas, but I would definitely rely on my religious officials for any real guidance.

The Shack is a man's fantastic tale that takes place over the course of a weekend. Mackenzie Allen Philips, or Mack for short, has suffered a great tragedy and his entire family feels the loss of his youngest daughter. Never getting closure on the event, Mack is still suffering depression when he receives a note from God to meet in the shack where they found the piece of evidence indicating that his daughter was murdered. Mack heads to the shack and embarks on a journey of faith and forgiveness. Mack wrestles with so many questions presented to him over such a short time that most people wrestle with at some point in their lives.  To say more would spoil the plot.

I think people who are struggling and are maybe needing a little light in their lives might find The Shack a useful read.  I think if you already have a strong traditional religious presence in your life, this might not be for you.  If you want to know more about the book or The Missy Project check out http://www.theshackbook.com

Review: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a very interesting tale of alternate realities existing at the same time with infinite possibilities available. The book follows Jason Dessen as he travels through these realities as he desperately tries to reunite with his wife and son. Jason goes out one evening to celebrate the success of an old friend, only to find himself being kidnapped, by himself and sent to another version of his hometown of Chicago. Jason 2, made all the choices Jason didn't and became a successful astrophysicist, and Daniela, his wife became a famous artist and she did not have a child with Jason in alternate Chicago. Jason 2 after all of his success in discovering "dark matter" and successfully being able to travel through alternate dimensions, has decided to oust Jason because he has the family that Jason 2 gave up. Daniela and Charlie notice differences with Jason 2 around, but they can't put their finger on it. In alternate Chicago, Jason struggles to figure out what is going on. At first he thinks he's losing his mind, then he plays along as if he has amnesia, then he learns what Jason 2 has built and why he took over his life. Desperate to get back to Daniela and Charlie, Jason escapes into the box that Jason 2 built and must learn to navigate the alternate realities in order to get back to his family. Jason encounters many hardships, several hellish worlds, and a few versions of himself on his journey to get back to those he loves. To say more would spoil the thrills and twists that happen throughout the book.

I enjoyed the audio version.  The entire time I was listening to it, I was reminded of the TV series Fringe.  I loved that show and it had an element of alternate reality travel to it, plus I really loved the main character Walter.  I miss that show.  I kept seeing Jason as Walter even though he wasn't that old.  There was a lot of scientific information presented in the book which I enjoyed. The twists and turns kept me engaged, and while alternate realities isn't really a new concept, Crouch did a great job with his presentation.

This book takes care of advanced reading prompt to read a best seller from 2016.  I had been wanting to read Dark Matter since it came out, I had heard nothing but great things about it.

Review: Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade: A Duty Dance with Death by Kurt Vonnegut

Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade: A Duty Dance with Death by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Narrated by Ethan Hawke
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I really did not enjoy this. I struggled on what to rate it, parts of it were ok, and part of it were just plain weird.  I'm ok with the realm of the weird.  I spent much of my childhood and teen years reading about vampires and aliens, well before Twilight came around.  I've read some weird stuff, but I think it was just way to strange for my liking. It reminding me so much of Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis, where you aren't really sure if the main character is really experiencing the things happening to him in the book or its all in his head but he really believes its happening. I'm just not a fan of these types of books where the plot is a metaphor or analogy for something else and you are left to puzzle out the deeper meaning and find the symbolism.

This book has been around a long time so I'm not going to try to over analyze it.  The story follows Billy Pilgrim during his life, but mainly during his time as a soldier in WWII.  While in Germany, Billy obtains the ability to time travel.  At some point on one of his time journeys, he gets abducted by aliens from Tralfamadore where he has some interesting experiences, most with a porn star named Montana Wildhack.  In his older years he wants to tell everyone about Tralfamadore, but most people just think he's crazy.  Much of the book is disjointed because he's always jumping around to different points of his life.  There are some fairly obscene parts of the book, so I can see why people would want it censored, especially given the time it was published.  Even in today's world, people would still find it offensive.  I just shook my head and kept going.

Having looked a little deeper into the history of Dresden and Kurt Vonnegut, some of the things he describes in the book actually happened, so it is a bit of an autobiographical tale and I understand it a little more.  I read an old interview he did on and based on the transcript, his books were a form of therapy for him.  Billy Pilgrim was inspired by a real man who died in Dresden, who he felt never should have been a soldier.  I can kind of imagine that Vonnegut came up with some of this stuff as a coping mechanism during his time as a POW as a way to survive.  Maybe not the exact sci-fi content of Slaughterhouse-Five, but perhaps some of it or atleast he escaped into his head.

I respect Vonnegut's work here and what he went through. The audio narration was great, and its under 8 hours. This just wasn't for me. I think the genre blending of autobiography, historical fiction, sci-fi, and satire just was too much . I really did appreciate the 10 minute interview with Vonnegut himself at the end of the audiobook with an attorney friend of his about the book and his inspiration for Billy Pilgrim.  I wish that part was longer.

Had I not been working through the Popsugar Reading Challenge, I don't think I ever would have picked this up.  I'm glad I finally got to it.  I want to get to more classics or iconic books that I haven't read that I feel like I should.  This takes care of a book mentioned in another book.  This was mentioned in the first few pages of Beautiful Creatures (by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl), which I read a while ago.

Review: The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G. K. Chesterton

The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G.K. Chesterton
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This book took me a while to finish.  I read a few pages at a time at my son's baseball games only on weekends.  I took it on vacation this past week and I was determined to finish it and I'm glad to be done.  If it hadn't been for the reading challenge to read a book with a day of the week in the title I don't think I would have marked DNF.  On the bright side I only paid 50 cents for it at the library used book sale.  While I did not like this, many people enjoyed this book.  If you like philosophy, symbolism, poetic writing, historical fiction, etc I'd give it a try, I just did not enjoy it at all.

I think I missed the plot along the way. Chesterton writes in a very poetic way that I didn't connect with. I also had a hard time relating to the time period that the characters were in, which played into the style of the language the characters were speaking in and the actions they took.  They walked around with dueling swords and wore cloaks and strange hats.  All things that I just didn't understand, and as someone who doesn't read alot of symbolic literature, philosophy, or historic works just i just didn't get it.  I went into this book expecting a physiological thriller, because that's what the synopsis on the back of the book promised.  I expected a murder mystery or a Silence of the Lambs type book, but that isn't what this is at all.  There is more to this book, I just don't know what it is and I'm not afraid to admit it.

What I took away from it was that a detective named Gabriel Syme infiltrates a secret society of anarchists on behalf of Scotland Yard and runs around England and France trying to break up a terrorist act. Each of the anarchists are named after days of the week, Syme works his way into the group of anarchists and becomes the new Thursday. As the story continues it just become more and more ridiculous and fantastical. I know this book had a much deeper meaning with reference to Christian symbolism and philosophy but I missed it and if I did see it I didn't get it. I felt completely lost throughout the entire reading experience.

Review: The Windup Girl

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I didn't care for this book, however Bacigalupi's writing and creativity is 5 stars. I loved his YA books, but I found this adult work to be be too slow paced for my taste. I didn't really care for any of the characters or the plot in the book which made it really hard or me to get through it.  I pushed through so I could complete the challenge for  book from a a genre/subgenre you've never heard of. This is considered cyberpunk.

What is cyber punk you ask? It is a subgenre of sci-fi set in the near-future. It typically features advanced technology and/or scientific achievements with a breakdown of social order. They are usually post-industrial dystopian societies that center their confict on AI, hacking, and megacorporations. In the case of The WIndup Girl it is more of a biopunk, yet another subgenre of cyberpunk. Biopunk is cyberpunk centered around biotechnolgy advances instead of computer based tech. The Windup Girl has megacorporations which focus on manipulation of human DNA and the gene hacking of the world's food sources.

The Windup Girl is definitely a dystopian, biopunk adventure set in futuristic Thailand and follows several main characters, Anderson is attempting to build a factory and gain access to the Thai seebank, more on that later. Jaidee and Kanya who are both "white shirts" a kind of military police force that monitor the imports, exports, and the calorie use. Many of the white shirts are corrupt, but Jaidee is known as being by the book and has many enemies, Kanya is his second in command. Hock Seng works for Anderson and is always bargaining with someone trying to get back to his status as a great shipping captain. Emiko, is a New Person, genetically engineered to be beautiful and perfect, and trained to serve. She was revered and loved in Japan, but her previous master abandoned her in Thailand where she is abused and used as the New People are hated and feared.

The world of The Windup Girl is violent and brutal. Food is limited to what big gene-ripping corporations can produce, each company trying to outsmart the next gene-plague and outbreak. Money no longer exists, people pay in calories as currency. Corporations are trying to develop disease resistant foods, but no one has been able to crack the DNA code to get there. Anderson is playing the political game with the major players to gain access to the Thai seed bank which may in fact hold the secret to new genetic material. Each of the stories of the characters progresses independently for quite some time, but as the book progresses they begin to intertwine until they are completely entangled. Emiko, who is supposed to be completely subservient, does something out of character and it starts an uprising. Anderson and the rest of the political players try to take advantage of the situation and overthrow those in power. No one really wins in the end.

View all my reviews

Review: Hidden Figures: The Untold Story of the African American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

Hidden Figures: The Untold Story of the African American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
Narrated by Robin Miles
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this! It was an amazing history lesson of not only the African American women, but history in general. While it tells the story of racial segregation and sexism that the women of Langley faced as they fought to show just how capable they were, this story also gives a great history lesson as well. I really related to this story, as a woman who studied engineering and went into the military. Women were the minority in my studies and profession for many years of my life, and I've definitely had to work a little harder to prove myself because I'm "just a girl", much like the women of this book like Dorothy Vaughan, Katherine Johnson, and Mary Jackson. Having lived in Hampton Roads myself, I loved hearing about the area as Langley came to be the powerhouse of aeronautics and what would eventually lead to the creation of NASA. While Langley seemed to be a pioneer of breaking down racial segregation, it was slow to break through and allow integration to allow the brilliant men and women working at Langley to show their true capabilities. It took years before the first African American women who started as computers at Langley were recognized for their work at Langley even allowing them to received equal education and reasonable pay and job titles.

I really loved getting to know each of the women that were involved in the telling of the story, and Shetterly's writing is so poetic. With so much research and technical information, the writing is beautiful and I found it fascinating, then again I am an engineer at heart and have loved space since I was small. Having listened to the audio book, Robin Miles did such a wonderful job with the narration. I never wanted to stop listening. I was angry for the women when they didn't get equal pay and recognition for a job well done, or when they weren't allowed the same rights as the white men or women. I cheered when Katherine was finally recognized for her work with John Glenn. I learned so much from this, not just about these Hidden Figures, but about my country, history, inequality, and so much more. I feel that this book is so relevant to some of today's present political tensions, while we've come along way, we have so much farther to go.

I can't wait to watch the movie.  I hear it is also excellent, making this the perfect fit for my reading challenge prompt a book made into a movie in 2017.  This came out in January 2017.  This fits several categories, a book with a subtitle, a book about a difficult topic, a book by an author of color, and probably a couple of others.  I wanted to make sure I read this book for the challenge because it is an important book.  I may move it around, but I'm so glad I put it on my must read this year list.

Review: A Mortal Song

A Mortal Song by Megan Crewe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm so glad I finally finished this. I ended up really enjoying this. I did find the pace a bit slow throughout the whole book, which is why I think it took me so long to finish it. That could have been a product of pure distraction on my part though.  I think I was reading way to many things the first time I picked this up, then I got distracted by library books and other books that came in. It took me a couple of attempts to get into it. Overall I really enjoyed the unique mythology, I don't know much about Japanese culture and mythology, and I really enjoyed getting to learn something new in this novel. You could tell Crewe did her research on Japan, the culture, and the mythology when writing this novel as everything was very detailed.

In A Mortal Song, the main character Sora, who you expect to have all these amazing magical Kami powers, finds out she's not the chosen one. Throughout the story, she has to come to grips with the fact that she's had magic her whole life, but it was just on loan and she has to help the real savior rescue Mt. Fuji and everyone Sora loves from destruction. She has to accept that her destiny is not to be the savior but to find the savior and help her save the world. Sora, raised as a princess, accepts this news with all the grace and honor you'd expect her to have, and takes on this mission with her trusted guard and friend Takeo. Upon finding Chiyo, the actual chosen one, Takeo and Sora, as well as a few others take on the ghosts that are plaguing Japan and Mt. Fuji. They have to find all of the sacred artifacts and awaken Chiyo's kami powers to save the day before the demon who has invaded the mountain and controls the ghosts completes his sinister plan. The ending felt really rushed and convenient to me. Given how much of a battle it was to get to the mountain, the ending was just so easy and nice.  I also felt the romance aspect of this book was unneeded.  The Sora-Takeo relationship felt a bit forced and it wasn't fully developed and never fully addressed.  The Sora-Keiji relationship was OK, but it wasn't needed to drive the plot.  I feel the story would have been better without the romance.

Overall I liked the book, and I'm glad I grabbed it.  I think had I been more focused and read in one pass I would have enjoyed it alot more.  I'd like to give it another go as I love stories with mythology and this one was well researched and well written.

View all my reviews

Review: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one of the most wonderful and beautiful books I've ever had the pleasure to read.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narration was wonderful. I've been recommending this to everyone I've talked to since I finished this book and I'll be purchasing my own copy I loved it so much.I see a reread in my future very soon, I miss him already.  I checked this out from the library and wanted to restart it as soon as I was done, but I returned so someone else could enjoy the beauty that is Ove.  I've heard Backman's other books are just as excellent, so I hope to read those soon out as well.

This book is older, but I've been hearing rave reviews about it for the last few months.  When I was looking for suggestions for a book with a cat on the cover for my reading challenge prompts A Man Called Ove came up regularly.  I thought, why not, I've heard great things.  I requested it at the library but the waiting list as you can imagine was long.  I read a different book for that prompt instead, but I'm using Ove to fill one of the advanced prompts a book that takes place over a character's life span.  I think this fits much better than the book I originally had slotted in that spot.  If it weren't for this challenge I would have never picked A Man Called Ove, and I would have missed out on one of the most wonderful books I think I've ever read, and one of my new favorites.

I loved Ove so much!  He reminded me of so many people in my life (men and women alike), myself included. I loved learning his story. This was such a wonderful story about life, love, loss, strength, and a man who likes things the way he likes them. I laughed so many times throughout this book, and I cried when it was over. He endeared himself to so many people even with his grumpy demeanor and his my way or the highway way of doing things.  There was so much more to Ove than you would ever know, and I loved getting to know him.  He suffered the loss of his mother at a very young age, his father in his teens.  Ove has had much loss in his life, but the one bright spot in his life was his wife Sonja.  Much of the story is told in present day, after Sonja has passed, and Ove's wacky attempts to commit suicide are interrupted by his chaotic neighbors who are alway causing chaos that drives him crazy.  Ove likes things neat and orderly.  He wants people to follow the rules and read the signs.  His new neighbors are noisy and messy and loud, and they barge their way into Ove's life in a way he never thought he needed them to.  He very quickly finds that htis world isn't done with him yet, and Sonja will have to wait a little longer for him while he takes care of those around.  As the doctor tells Ove and Pravanah, "his heart is just too big".  You have to read the book to understand the irony of that statement.

Review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows, Paul Boehmer (Narrator), Susan Duerden (Narrator), Rosalyn Landor (Goodreads Author) (Narrator), John Lee(Narrator), Juliet Mills (Narrator)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I highly recommended the audio book. The multiple narrators are excellent. This is a great "read", I read a bunch of reviews where the reader was confused about who was writing which letter, and the multiple narrators of the audio eliminated that issue. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm hoping to pick up a paper copy as I loved this so much.  This fulfills my book of letters prompt for the Popsugar Reading Challenge.  I would have never picked this up if it hadn't been so highly recommended in the Goodreads group for this prompt, and I'm so glad I was able to get a copy of the audiobook from my library.  This challenge has introduced me to so many wonderful books I would have never read otherwise.

This takes place after the German occupation of the English Channel Island of Guernsey and is written as a series of letters that take place between Juliette, an author, and her many friends that she has and makes along the way. Juliette corresponds with her best friend Sophie, her publisher Sidney, a man named Dawsey, and the many inhabitants of Guernsey.  Dawsey came across a book Juliette once owned and writes her a letter and they become pen pals. Through Dawsey, Juliette begins corresponding with the residents of the island of Guernsey in order learn about their Literary Society and hear their stories, they write to each other for years, and Juliette decides she would like to write a book about them and their experience under the rule of Nazi troops.  I very much appreciated the historical aspect of the story, there was respect payed to the very serious nature of the Nazi occupation.  I felt like I was transported to the various locations mentioned in the story, which is hard to do in a book told in letter format.  There were some very sad parts to the story, and I was heartbroken like the rest of cast of characters.  Much of the book was very funny overall and I laughed outloud so many times between the funny things people thought and wrote in their letters.  It was very realistic for the time, and what someone would actually write down in a letter when phone calls weren't the normal form of communication.  The characters were so well done, I felt like they were all my friends and as I was personally writing and receiving letters from a beloved friend

I loved that this was read by multiple narrators, as I always knew which character's letter was being read. They were really able to capture the emotions of the letters. There were really funny parts, and when they were talking about the Nazi occupation and concentration camps it was very sad and heavy, as it should have been. I felt they paid the proper respect to the sensitive topic. The vast cast of characters was a riot overall and while I was skeptical at first I fell in love with them and couldn't stop listening. I grieved when they did, I laughed when they did, I was cheering when things went well for the characters, I felt like I was transported and there with them. I had to listen to the next letter and find out what was going to happen.

Review: The Halloween Children by Brian James Freeman and Norman Prentiss

The Halloween Children by Brian James Freeman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I'm not sure why I thought I was getting a whimsical book about Halloween, but instead I got a creepy story about Halloween gone wrong.  I think I thought this was middle grade or YA, but it is definitely adult content.  I was surprised at first but I really enjoyed it.  A great read for the fall and Halloween season.  If you like horror, give this a go.  Be warned, the ending is pretty gruesome and graphic. This is a horror book after all and the authors do a great job.

The story, follows the Naylor family, Harris, Lynn, Matt, and Amber and their life in Stillbrook Apartments. Harris is the apartment handyman, and Lynn works from home as a help desk technician for a computer firm. Harris and Lynn have their share of marital woes each thinking the other has annoying behaviors, but their main issue is Harris feels Lynn favors Amber while Lynn feels Harris favors Matt. This theme is ever present through the story and is a major problem in their relationship. Amber and Matt seem like two normal kids, and to the outsider looking in, their parents seem to be doing the best they can. Then some strange things start to happen just before Halloween, even more so as the apartment manager cancels the annual Halloween party. The book is mainly told from Lynn and Harris's perspective's but periodically we get a few emails from another resident, Jessica, but they always have a bit of weirdness to them. Things that make you think that something sinister is happening at Stillbrook. Bad things have happened at Stillbrook before, and they are definitely happening again.

This book covers the challenge prompt for book set around a holiday other than Christmas.  I love Halloween so it was totally fitting.  The ebook will be published on June 13, 2017, plenty of time to prep for Halloween.

Review: Every Heart a Doorway by Seannan McGuire

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was ok.  A home for wayward kids who have been to a mythical storybook world and can't cope because they want to go back sounded amazing. The idea behind the story was really intriguing, but I felt like the execution was lacking. This book got so much hype and so many good reviews, but I don't get it. I feel like the story was rushed and jumbled, which is unfortunate because this book had so much potential. I feel like had this been a full novel versus a novella it would have been everything I wanted.  I think I wanted more, maybe because this has gotten such amazing reviews.  I felt like this was more of a teaser or a prequel story.

The characters didn't have enough development and their stories weren't well explored, though they could have easily had a full chapter or even a full novella/novel explaining their experiences in their storybook world and their issues coping. The mention of asexual and transgender characters was a nice attempt at diversity but it added nothing to the story. I didn't feel that the characters were developed and what those terms mean were explored or explained enough to add anything to the story.
The main character Nancy's character was developed a little more than the other main character Kade, but honestly it was just glossed over. There were too many plot holes and the ending was just too convenient. The murder mystery just didn't fit, maybe because I rather would have heard about the worlds the kids went to than gruesome murder. Those scenes were pretty detailed and grotesque, I wanted that kind of detail in the characters and about the worlds. This just fell flat for me.

On to the actual story, the novella follows Nancy, a girl who has travelled to the Halls of the Dead.  She has come back changed from her travels, and her parents want her back to the way she used to be.  Nancy just wants to go back to the the land of the dead which to her felt like home, but she was sent back to reality to make sure the Halls of the Dead was where she wanted to make her permanent home.  She is having a hard time adjusting to reality, and she ends up at Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children.  Ms. West boasts the ability to help kids like Nancy adjust while still getting the required education.  They've all had similar experiences in life and they are all "troubled".  Eleanor herself has been to a fantasy world, and unlike many of her wards can go back whenever she likes.  Many of the kids at the school have been sent back for breaking some rule or another of their storybook world and can never go back.  Shortly after Nancy's arrival at school, her roommate turns up dead and several other students are found quite gruesomely murdered as well.  Nancy teams up with other students to find the culprit as she is quickly a suspect being the new girl and a lover of the world of the dead. They quickly realize who the killer and everything kind of ends pretty quickly.

I'm happy to see that there will be more books in the series, and those will perhaps explore the characters in more depth. From the bonus chapters included in the e-book it looks as if they will.  As I've said earlier, I love the concept of the series but I wanted more world building and more character development.  I hope to see that in the next book which comes out fairly soon.

This came highly recommended by several librarians and is my recommended by a librarian pick for my reading challenge.  I hope to continue on with the series as the next book shows alot of promise from the excerpt I read.  I would recommend this for a mature teenage audience as it was pretty grisly with the murder descriptions and discusses some more mature teen topics.

Review: The Clockwork Dynasty by Daniel H. Wilson

The Clockwork Dynasty by Daniel H. Wilson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I thought the premise of this book was really interesting, but it got off to a slow start. I felt like I kept reading it and I wasn't getting anywhere, I'm glad I kept with it though. It picked up at about the halfway point, and kept a great pace through the end. The story is told with the chapters alternating between past and present. The present time chapters are told from the first person perspective of main character June while the chapters of the past are told from the perspective of our other main character Peter. The alternating times and perspectives took a bit of getting used to, but the writing was excellent. The ending left me wanting more and wanting to check out more of Wilson’s work. His attention to detail in both the technical and historical areas is fantastic.

June is a mechanician, a scientist who has devoted her life to the study of clockwork artifacts. She's been inspired by an artifact that she wears around her neck and has yet to discover all of its secrets. It was given to her by her grandfather. He found the artifact in 1942 in Stalingrad after an encounter with an invincible man, an avenging angel, who saved his life. Peter is that avenging angel who June's grandfather saw, and the artifact is a relic he lost that day. Peter is an avtomat or a clockwork man, who is much older than anyone knows. His story begins in Moscow 1709 when he is awakened from a long slumber by another mechanician of Peter the Great’s court. Peter and his clockwork sister Elena embark many journeys together. Each avtomat must serve their “word” to fulfill a deeper purpose and trying to uncover the purpose of their creation. Peter tries to fulfill his word by devoting himself to monarchs and protecting Elena.  Elena's word is logic, she devotes herself to learning everything she can, but quickly masters every topic.  Elena is crafted as a young child with features much like a doll and the two must move frequently as their lack of aging draws questions from the humans that serve them.  As time passes Peter finds himself unable to fulfill his word which is essentially justice, and Elena longs for companionship of other of their kind, logical and strategic challenges. They both find themselves in a clockwork war with an enemy they can’t remember, hiding from her as well as humans. June finds herself drawn into the avtomat war and the only one who can figure out their mechanical secrets and save them all.  June accepts her role in the dangerous clockwork war and is quickly accepted into the avtomat society because of the artifact she holds and her ability to understand her new machine companions.

This book will be published on August 1st, 2017.  I highly recommend it if you like steampunk, robots, sci-fi, Russian history, or any combination of those subjects.

I used this as my popsugar challenge to read a steampunk novel.  That puts me at 26 novels read or listened to for the challenge, halfway done!


View all my reviews

Review: Lake Town by Jane Redd

Lake Town by Jane Redd
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this dystopian book. I think I would have enjoyed it more had I read the first book, that's purely my fault. I didn't realize it was #2 in a series. I was able to figure out what was going on for the most part pretty quickly, the writing is pretty solid and the book gives enough background info to stand on its own. The alternating perspectives from our two main characters Jez and Sol was done very well. I definitely want to read the first book and will continue on with the third when it comes out.  I recommend reading book 1 first so you aren't confused like I was in the beginning, had I had more time I would have read them in order and wish that had been the case.  Either way Lake Town was a great read.

This is a dystopian book about a civilization that is ruled by the Legislature. It rains all but 2 days a year and everything on the planet has flooded save one mountain top where the remaining 2 million people reside. Emotions are controlled by Harmony implants and those whose implants don't work or choose to remove them face banishment. Our heroine, Jezebel or Jez for short, her implant doesn't work and she's had to pretend she doesn't have emotions for much of her life. She meets some others like her and discovers that she is the key to the rebellion that all of these dystopian books have.   Jez is the only living Carrier and can restart the city's generators and jump start the Lake Town rebel groups revolutionary plans.  They have technology that they hope can reverse the flooding and maybe make the rain stop.  To get their plan going they need Jez to get the power working again, they just aren't sure if it will kill her or not.  In the very beginning of the book Jez is evacuated to Lake Town for her own safety while Sol stays behind to cover their tracks. Sol is the boy Jez has fallen in love with, he's also an undercover agent for the Lake Town rebellion.  He has also infiltrated the cities highest levels on behalf of the people of the Lake Town to learn what he can and send information back to his home so they can prepare their invasion.  Sol is caught, sentenced to execution, and recruited to the other rebel group, The Faction. He finds allies within The Faction, in two hacker types who help him navigate through the computer systems of the city.  They cause some chaos of their own and aid in the Lake Town offensive.  All the while, the people from the Lake Town are preparing their own offensive. Nothing goes as planned for any of the groups involved. The book ends with losses for all 3 of the groups, and everyone trying to regroup and figure out their next steps. I'm axious to see what happens next.

This also cover's my popsugar challenge for a book by an author who uses a pseudonym as Jane Redd is Heather B. Moore's pen name.  I've read some of her other works and recommend her if you like clean reads.  Sometimes you just need something wholesome that's entertaining too.

 View all my reviews