Posts Tagged ‘book review’

Book Review: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss


03 Dec

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is the first book in a series. Based on it, I  intend to pick up the next book.

This is the story of Kvothe, as told by Kvothe. He is an exceptional man whose life has already reached legendary status, despite the fact that he is only 30 or so years old.

The book is exceptionally well written, and reads as if it were a much shorter book. The story is fast paced and keeps the reader “listening” to the tale with as much anticipation as those hearing it in the book.

Book Review: Lost Books of the Odyssey by Zachary Mason


17 May

I want to start by saying I really enjoyed Lost Books of the Odyssey, I’ve been wanting to read it since it came out, and I finally bought myself a copy. However, it bills itself as a novel. It’s not. There is a certain feel to the different episodes presented as supposed lost or alternate stories from the Odyssey, that make the book feel like there’s a progression from beginning to end, but there’s no plot, no cohesive story.

If you loved the Odyssey (and I did), you’ll like this book. But I wouldn’t recommend it for those who didn’t.

Book Review: The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily Danforth (2)


08 Apr

The beauty of this book is its characters. That Cameron is gay and that she, her family, and the community struggle with that is the “point” of the book, but it’s not the only aspect of Cameron’s character. She is fully formed, and given that she would have been one year behind me in school, feels like someone I would have known. All the characters do, even those rarely seen. None felt like stereotypes of the small town teen. They all felt real to the setting and the story.
Even if you’re not from small town Montana, read this book.

Book Review: The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily Danforth (1)


08 Apr

When I first read about this book on Slate, I was instantly intrigued because it was set in the same small town in Montana that I had grown up in. The author’s name seemed familiar, but she wasn’t someone I ever went to school with. (It turns out I’ve known her brother-in-law since kindergarten.)
I have to say, Miles City is represented beautifully, and I even learned a few things, like the actual name of the swim lake. I had some location bumps when her description didn’t match my memories, but that’s probably because I left Miles City in 1989.

Book Review: How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire by Karrelyn Sparks


18 Nov

This was one of the e-books I got for free when I got my e-reader last year. I’d started reading it months and months ago, but put it down and did not pick it up again until this week. That’s nothing against the author or the book. This is a fun supernatural romance. Okay, I think there’s supposed to be some elements of a romantic thriller in there, but I found it a little too cheesy to ever feel the threat.

And that’s okay for me. I prefer my romances not take themselves too seriously, and this one did not.

Book Review: Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi


15 Nov

What if friendly aliens arrived at Earth, and instead of contacting the government of any nation, they instead contacted the head of one of the biggest talent agencies inHollywood, in order to determine the best way to introduce themselves to the planet? That is the premise behind Agent to the Stars. It’s a fun premise (especially in the days of Entrouage and Ari Gold), and makes for a fun book.

It is also an example of self-publishing that works, as the novel was originally made available by the author, online, with a suggested donation of $1. He received $4,000.

Book Review: Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron & Bret Witter


01 Nov

Dewey is not the story of a cat. It is the story of librarian and co-writer Vicki Myron. There is nothing wrong with this. The “dogoir”, as it’s come to be called, is hugely popular form of memoir that uses a dog as it’s focal point. Dewey is a “catoir”.

It was an easy to read book, and I love animals, so stories about them engage me. In person I probably would have been one of Dewey’s fans, however, the book just wasn’t that interesting to me. Not every pet, not even ones lots of people love, needs a book.

Book Review: Agatha H and the Airship City by Phil & Kaja Foglio


15 Oct

This is the written novelization of the first two volumes of the Girl Genius graphic novels. In other words, if you are already a fan, there is nothing new here, at least not technically. But I still recommend reading it, and not just from a “completist” perspective.

There are things that can be done in a traditional novel that can not be accomplished in a graphic novel (and vice versa), including some deeper character introspection.

This was a fun, fast read, and I hope that Phil & Kaja Foglio are able to do more novelizations of the Girl Genius stories.

Book Review: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein


19 Sep

This is the most basic of stories, a family drama, told from the point of view of the most biased observer- the family dog. It is a really well done story, and the short sentences and chapters make it a very quick read, a nice way to spend a rainy Seattle afternoon.

My only issue with the book (and this may be a “me” issue, as I seem to have it often) is the final chapter, which was more of an epilogue. It was too much a perfect dream ending to a book that had been very based in reality.

Book Review: The Dragon Waiting by John M Ford


12 Sep

I love John M Ford’s writing. He has a distinctive style, especially in his earlier novels, of telling stories from multiple people’s viewpoints. He takes each individual’s story and wraps the whole narrative together, often skipping large amounts of time and leaving the reader to piece together what happened.

This can be a very successful and rewarding (for the reader) style. Not so much in The Dragon Waiting. I had a hard time figuring out some of the background or understanding why I cared about the outcome. Not one I’ll be recommending (unlike The Last Hot Time which is fabulous).

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