Some of you already know this isn't my usual type of book, but I have pals who love a good monster smut book so I was down for a fun buddy read.
The beSome of you already know this isn't my usual type of book, but I have pals who love a good monster smut book so I was down for a fun buddy read.
The beginning of Ice Planet Barbarians was rough. There was pregnancy loss and rape and just not a great time at the start. So be prepared for that, but it did get better.
Overall I liked the writing, and I liked the characters. I was most excited about things that had nothing to do with the romance. #LanguageLearning #TeamWorms
If you are looking for an alien erotica that has some world building, pop culture references, and a plot to it, Ice Planet Barbarians does. Just be prepared for a non-consensual beginning. There are 21 books in this series, but I probably won't read any more of them unless one of my pals has a very compelling argument....more
Do you ever like a book and have nothing to say about it? My book club read Shards of Earth as our February book selection. We had book club today, anDo you ever like a book and have nothing to say about it? My book club read Shards of Earth as our February book selection. We had book club today, and no one really had anything to say. The few of us that showed up and read it liked it (which was a little surprising to be honest), but we struggled to find things to talk about.
I annotate when I'm reading and I had a lot of tabs in this book, but I think pretty much every one of them dealt with unspace and the Architects. For me, unspace and the Architects were everything in this book. I feel like either my mind kind of glossed over everything else or it was just too much for me to grasp right now (highly possible). There were a lot of characters and politics and places.
So - I enjoyed parts of this book very much, but it's also not a favorite of mine outside of the fact that this book gave me the wonderful creeps and it's not even a horror book. I'm starting to realize how many frightening things are in scifi books. I need to start reading more each year than I normally do.
Having read Children of Time, I really thought Shards of Earth would stand on its own outside of the series its in, but that was not the case. The way it ended made it feel like this book was really just the beginning. At 500+ pages, that's a chunky beginning. But I'll be reading more! I need to know more about the Architects and what is going to happen.
I recommend Shards of Earth but not as a first Tchaikovsky book. Read some of his other stuff first so you will trust him enough to read through this one.
Source: personal purchase. This is a review of my reading experience....more
My three star rating for In the Lives of Puppets hurts a bit. This really is a wonderful book, but my overall feelings land me somewhere in the middleMy three star rating for In the Lives of Puppets hurts a bit. This really is a wonderful book, but my overall feelings land me somewhere in the middle.
I'll start off with some of the great things about In the Lives of Puppets. I love TJ Klune's writing, and I love his messages on hope and kindness and just seeing the world through a Klune lens. In the Lives of Puppets reminded me of the Rampart trilogy (Book of Koli) by MR Carey in many ways. They are both about humanity, the destruction of humanity, Artificial Intelligence, and the world after AI. I loved and cared for the characters in In the Lives of Puppets - both human and AI. The world Klune created was fascinating, and I was in love with the first half of the book.
Now for the parts that didn't work as well for me. At the halfway part, In the Lives of Puppets went the way of Fairy Tale by Stephen King. To this day, I still haven't finished reading Fairy Tale. I have such a hard time reorienting myself when there is a complete change of setting and plot. It really bogs the book down and makes it a slog for me. I did eventually get 100% reinvested, but then I had to suffer my least favorite trope of all tropes. So this was a mixed reading experience for me.
Even when In the Lives of Puppets wasn't working for me, the beauty of it all was still there. I can see why people are head over heels for this story. I loved these characters. I won't forget any of them. I also loved Klune's thoughts on AI. There were just too many times I felt like I was having to push through.
I loved the first book in this series so much. Each book got a little less exciting for me. I think this final book was doomed for me no matter what. I loved the first book in this series so much. Each book got a little less exciting for me. I think this final book was doomed for me no matter what. It had such a big climb to get back to where it started.
This will always be the series that gave us Doomslug, though ❤️...more
So. Much. Science. That was all I asked for, and that's what I got!
Upgrade is Blake Crouch's latest science thriller. I enjoyed Dark Matter and I loveSo. Much. Science. That was all I asked for, and that's what I got!
Upgrade is Blake Crouch's latest science thriller. I enjoyed Dark Matter and I loved Recursion so I was really excited to read Upgrade.
All I knew going into Upgrade was it dealt with genetic engineering. This was correct, but it was quite different than I was expecting! I loved all of the science in Upgrade. One could argue there was too much science, but I love the way Crouch introduces all of the science in his books. He makes it so accessible. He can make the most complicated science understandable.
My biggest complaint with Upgrade is I just didn't care about the characters. There were high stakes and there was a lot of action - I just didn't have that connection with anyone that would have made the action and the stakes so much more suspenseful for me. Even with the entire world at stake, I kind of feel like I've already been living that since 2020. It's not Blake Crouch's fault, but I don't even want to read about viruses or pandemics anymore. I'm over it.
Overall, I enjoyed Upgrade. I got just what I was asking for, but it's not going on my list of favorites for the year. I need more character development so I can root for someone. I will still be standing in line for the next Blake Crouch science thriller, though. The science is certainly something I will continue to want more of....more
The best thing about book club is we are reading books we otherwise wouldn't have. Even though I enjoyed Station Eleven, I haven't been making time toThe best thing about book club is we are reading books we otherwise wouldn't have. Even though I enjoyed Station Eleven, I haven't been making time to pick up Emily St. John Mandel's other books.
I wish I had known The Glass House and Sea of Tranquility were connected. I would have read The Glass House first. I don't think it affected my enjoyment, though. I enjoyed reading Sea of Tranquility!
There was a section in Sea of Tranquility that triggered the covid lockdown memories - be aware. It really brought me back to those early days.
Sea of Tranquility is a time travel/time trippy type of story. It's well crafted and even a bit mindblowing. I have very low mental capacity right now but I was able to follow and understand (mostly!)
Emily St. John Mandel is a wonderful writer and one I hope to keep making time to read.
Source: borrowed from my library. This is a review of my reading experience....more
Told through the POV of animals in a post-apocalypse trying to save the last human on Earth, Feral Creatures was aI laughed, I cried, I fell in love.
Told through the POV of animals in a post-apocalypse trying to save the last human on Earth, Feral Creatures was an absolute joy to read.
Feral Creatures is fantasy, scifi, and horror all rolled into one. It's a rare and beautiful book. The first book in the series Hollow Kingdom was one of my favorite books of 2019, and I have zero doubts Feral Creatures will be in my top books of the year list this year. (I have such a book hangover now!)
If you haven't read Hollow Kingdom, I highly, highly recommend you pick that one up and continue on with Feral Creatures. This series is such a gift!
I read The Space Between Worlds over my Thanksgiving break, and I can't believe I haven't taken the time to post a review for it yet. It's without a dI read The Space Between Worlds over my Thanksgiving break, and I can't believe I haven't taken the time to post a review for it yet. It's without a doubt going to wind up on my best of the year list. I can't believe this is a debut! I'm excited to see what Micaiah Johnson comes up with next.
The Space Between Worlds is a multiverse story. In this reality, they have discovered a way to travel between the dimensions, but you can only travel to a world where you have died and therefore do not exist. There are so many things that make this a great novel! I flew through it in just a couple of days.
This book is perfect for fans of Blake Crouch's Recursion. I was excited to see it rank so highly in the Goodreads Choice Awards. It got my vote!...more
I am such a fan of C. Robert Cargill - both books and movies. I really enjoyed Sea of Rust so I was excited to return to that world.
Day Zero was so toI am such a fan of C. Robert Cargill - both books and movies. I really enjoyed Sea of Rust so I was excited to return to that world.
Day Zero was so touching! I was not expecting a book with so much heart! I loved following a young protagonist and his AI nanny. I also loved seeing the AI uprising from this perspective.
I'm sure you can read this without reading Sea of Rust first, but I did love the "prequel" perspective.
I fell in love with Koli and Monono and this world in the first two books of the Rampart trilogy.
The Strengths
I really Why did I read The Fall of Koli?
I fell in love with Koli and Monono and this world in the first two books of the Rampart trilogy.
The Strengths
I really love Carey's writing. The writing in Rampart trilogy will not be for everyone, but it's made me realize I need to fill in the holes in my M.R. Carey reading. I love the characters, and I love the multiple POVS and settings in this futuristic, post-apocalyptic world.
The Weaknesses
These books cannot be read alone. The series is one huge story that will need to be read from the beginning.
Final Thoughts
This series had a lot of heart, and I enjoyed getting to know this world and getting to spend so much time in it over the last year. What a treat....more
Andy Weir. I loved The Martian - I did not love Artemis. I was anxious to see where I would fall with Project Hail MaWhy did I read Project Hail Mary?
Andy Weir. I loved The Martian - I did not love Artemis. I was anxious to see where I would fall with Project Hail Mary.
The Strengths
I love these types of stories so much! I love going to other worlds and meeting alien species. It was incredible to spend time in this book. So. Much. Science.
The Weaknesses
I originally gave this book 4 stars, but two months later I can't remember why. What I do remember is this is one of my favorite books so far this year. (So I'm just going to correct that rating up to 5 now.)
I hated Wade's character in the beginning. That was really bumming me out, but Ready Player Two turneFirst of all, I enjoyed reading Ready Player Two.
I hated Wade's character in the beginning. That was really bumming me out, but Ready Player Two turned into a treasure hunt book with a countdown timer. Those are two of my favorite story elements so I was EXCITED. I loved the stakes of the countdown timer (as I always do), but treasure hunts should take a long time. Cline got that aspect right in Ready Player One.
Here's the most important part, right? The references! There were a lot more music and movie references in Ready Player Two, and I was here for every single one them. They were written just for me.
This wasn't a perfect book, but neither was Ready Player One. It was fun and it was nostalgic, and I had a great time playing....more
How do I even review Piranesi? This is 100% a book that is best to go into blind. I'm so glad I chose to avoid revieWhat a strange and wonderful book.
How do I even review Piranesi? This is 100% a book that is best to go into blind. I'm so glad I chose to avoid reviews for this one so I'm going to keep my review vague and avoid talking about the details of Piranesi.
I do want to mention if you decide to try Piranesi, don't put it down. I would actually recommend reading it in as few sittings as possible, but I mean don't DNF it. For most of Piranesi I had no idea what was going on and I assumed I wouldn't care about the characters that I was struggling to get to know, but I was wrong. I wound up loving the characters and loving Piranesi. This strange little book has turned out to be one of my favorite books of the year.
I wondered throughout reading Piranesi who I would even recommend it to if I wound up loving it, but now that I've finished reading it, I would recommend it to anyone willing to take a chance on a unique story. If you love finding a reading experience unlike anything you've read before, you should definitely consider picking up Piranesi....more
I adored The Girl with All the Gifts. That makes me automatically take a closer look at anything M.R. Carey releases. Why did I read The Book of Koli?
I adored The Girl with All the Gifts. That makes me automatically take a closer look at anything M.R. Carey releases. I loved the sound of this trilogy. It's been a while since I've read a really great dystopian, and a deadly forest sounded perfect!
The Strengths
I immediately fell in love with the language in this. I think some readers may have trouble with the grammar and other nuances, but I really connected with Carey's writing in this one. There was poetry to his voice and his language here, and I just really enjoyed spending time with it.
I also loved the characters. Koli is a bit of a Harry Potter type of character. He's the star of the show, but all of his supporting characters are more powerful and more interesting. Monono reminded me a lot of the operating system in the movie Her. If you liked The Book of Koli or Her, I highly recommend the other!
I loved the world building, but this is also going to appear in the weaknesses for The Book of Koli. I'm a sucker for post-apocalypse and natural forces outweigh political forces for me every time. I can't wait to learn more about this world.
The Weaknesses
The Book of Koli is the first book in the Rampart Trilogy. It helped tremendously seeing the covers for the next two books on the back of my Koli paperback. I was prepared to only receive the first third of a complete story, but I'm never going to be 100% OK with a book not being able to stand on its own.
My expectation going into reading The Book of Koli was the environment was going to play a huge role in this trilogy. Hopefully it still will, but there was a lot less man versus nature than I was expecting. I want to know more and I want to see more! The good news is we are just getting started.
Would I recommend The Book of Koli to others?
Yes! Especially if you have loved other books by M.R. Carey. I'm really excited for the rest of the trilogy, and the next two books are at the top of my most anticipated list.
Finna was such a fun story to live in. There was basically an Ikea with wormholes in it, and someone's grandma disappeared. Obviously the employees neFinna was such a fun story to live in. There was basically an Ikea with wormholes in it, and someone's grandma disappeared. Obviously the employees needed to go track her down.
It took me a little bit to connect to the writing in this one so I was a bit disconnected from the story at first. That said, everything did eventually fall into place, and I no longer had trouble with the writing at all.
This was my first book to read by Cipri. I loved their imagination and their characters. I would love to read more from them in the future. Being a novella, Finna is the perfect size for an afternoon (or two) of "multi-dimensional swashbuckling".
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