Behind Blue Eyes

Sons of Zeus by Noble Smith My rating: 4 of 5 stars I received a free copy of this audiobook through the First Reads program here on Goodreads. Thanks to the author, publisher, and Goodreads for the opportunity to read and review this book. Now that was a pleasant surprise. Well, I did expect to like this book as the idea seemed really interesting, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. An interesting premise became an engaging story. I listened to the audiobook of this, which I received as a GoodReads First Reads Giveaway. I was pleased with that, as a lot of the audios I listen to are historical fiction, and this seemed to fit the niche just right. And while it had lots of what I enjoy about historical fiction from the time period (ancient Greece), it also improved on some. The battles. Sometimes I find that battles are too drawn out in historical fiction. Too detailed, they often drag on and lose my interest in the telling. But what I liked abo

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer My rating: 3 of 5 stars Now that was strange. I fully expected to hate this book. It's gimmicky and thrown together randomly, or so it seemed. But I found myself strangely compelled to keep reading. It grabbed my interest without warning. I wouldn't say I loved it, certainly, but it kept me engaged well enough to give it an even 3 stars. Maybe my expectations were low enough to make this possible. View all my reviews

1356 by Bernard Cornwell My rating: 3 of 5 stars This was a decent read, but a bit disappointing to one who has read a lot of Cornwell. It really seemed too light hearted, almost slapstick at times. It was more like a caper than a historical fiction novel, but had a drawn out battle thrown in at the end. I did like the book, but never felt engaged like I have in other Cornwells. It just didn't match up with the previous books in the Thomas of Hookton series. View all my reviews

The One-Armed Warrior: A Short Story by Noble Smith My rating: 4 of 5 stars Very nice. I enjoyed this short story which I received from the author today. It was a bonus teaser in addition to the novel Sons of Zeus , which I won as a First Reads giveaway on GoodReads. Well, I will say that if this short work is any indication of what I can expect to see in the novel, I'm looking forward to that one. View all my reviews

Guns by Stephen King My rating: 4 of 5 stars Well done, Uncle Stevie. I hesitated to read this for a long time because I don't own a Kindle I don't agree with liberal politics and I'm frankly annoyed at the number of celebrities that blindly follow such. It's tough to follow people like that who I like for their art or craft, but I keep getting political rhetoric that I disagree with. However, that's not what this is. While there is a liberal agenda being illustrated, it's done in such a way that it appeals to the conscience, rather than the left or right of the issue. It's shown here to make us think, and that can't be a bad thing. His solutions are much more middle of the road than I would have expected, and it gives me hope that a compromise might be possible. Another reason for me to admire Stephen King, even if I don't always agree with him. View all my reviews