Behind Blue Eyes

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King My rating: 5 of 5 stars What can I say? Stephen King has blown me away again. I've been reading him for 30 years or more and I'm rarely disappointed. There were a couple of flaws in this towards the end, but I won't go into that in the interest of saving spoilers. They were fairly minor points though, and didn't take away from my overall enjoyment. Great concept, great characters, great sequel. It's awesome to see Danny Torrance all grown up, and I really felt for his character and all he'd had to endure, just in the process of living. The normal stuff he had to go through as well as the gift/burden of having the shining. Then there's Abra Stone. I loved her - a great second protagonist to go along with Dan. Like a next generation Shining, of sorts. The True Knot was a pretty cool concept too, though I won't go into the whys of that here. Other secondary characters were great, mainly Dan's f...

Unteachable by Leah Raeder My rating: 4 of 5 stars Would you believe it? I raced through this book like I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. I was hooked on the first page, and surprised on the last page that it was over already. Was this romance ?? Erotic romance to boot? Yes, and no. I mean, it was both. But again, it was more than either. More importantly, it was a story , and an intriguing one at that. I kept thinking of the Stanley Kubrick directed Lolita . The original, not the shitty remake. Add some sex scenes and bring it to the modern age, and you've got it. Sorta. It's probably not surprising to think of that movie, as Raeder refers back to both Kubrick the director and the original book by Nabakov (which I've never gotten around to reading). But if you liked the movie, this book might do it for you. While the plot and scenery are much different, it has a dark brush with taboo feel to it that's similar. Well, maybe more than brush. More like ...

Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry My rating: 3 of 5 stars It's finally over. That felt like the longest audiobook I've ever listened to. It was actually a decent, if slowly paced story. It was like the zombie book with the second most zzzzzzz's that I've read. (See Boneshaker). I did enjoy the post apocalyptic world Maberry set up and the characters. It just seemed to take a long time to get anywhere. That's the book. Now for the audio. The reader wasn't bad or difficult to listen to, but he talked so slowly I thought I would be a shambling corpse before he finished. And then... There was a chapter where a few of the teenage boys got together and we're talking about their friend that was a girl. We'll, as teen boys will do, the convo soon drifted to her boobs. This reader. Through that part, he sounded just like Butt-Head. From that point on, I could not get that out of my head. Huh huh huh uh huh huh. He said "boobs...

The Secret Lives of Married Women by Elissa Wald My rating: 4 of 5 stars Disclaimer: I won a free copy of this book on GoodReads as a part of the First Reads giveaway program. I’d like to extend my thanks to GoodReads, the author, and the publisher. That was different. That is, while I didn't know whether to expect a "hard case crime" noir type story or a story about repressed sexuality, I didn't get either. Or I got both. Sorta. Anyway, it wasn't what I would have expected had I any expectations. It was good, however. I did find there was more "hard" than "crime", but then again....well. I don't want to spoil anything. What I can say is that it was intriguing, and that the prose was excellent. Wald's flow and style bumped this thing a whole star by itself. It was very comfortable to read, even during uncomfortable moments. Yes, I'm being vague. There is so much to explore here that it just needs to be...

Go the F--k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach My rating: 5 of 5 stars I actually read along with a pdf copy of the book while I listened to Samuel L. Jackson's brilliant reading. Did I say it was brilliant? That doesn't do it justice. It was motherfuckin' brilliant. Everything that Jackson touches turns to motherfuckin' gold. Not just Pulp Fiction, but lightsabers and S.H.I.E.L.D. too. What's in your wallet? That said, the book itself is hilarious. For anyone that's had small children that you've read to before bed, you'll love this. What starts out as a shared love of reading often turns into a war of endurance, frequently won by the smallest combatant. It's instinctual how these kids can wear you down. Great that I read it on Veteran's Day, eh? Still, humor aside, I wouldn't trade those memories of reading to my kids for anything. Just writing this review made me tired. I think it won't be long now before I go the...

What Doesn't Kill Her: A Thriller by Max Allan Collins My rating: 4 of 5 stars Disclaimer: I won a free copy of this book on GoodReads as a part of the First Reads giveaway program. I’d like to extend my thanks to GoodReads, the author, and the publisher. Wow. That was a thrill-ride. It is so great to pick up a book that does that, jumps right into it and hooks you from the first words. Then carries a story across the years and pages, building a great story surrounding the action. Then it throws you back into the action and doesn't let up. There were probably a few minor issues with the structure of the plot and some of the character relationships, but I say that vaguely because it was easily overlooked as I rode along with the progress of the story. So yeah, it was a lot of fun and kept my interest start to finish. What more could I ask for? View all my reviews

The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, 2013 Edition by Paula Guran My rating: 3 of 5 stars The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, 2013 Edition Disclaimer: I won a free copy of this book on GoodReads as a part of the First Reads giveaway program. I’d like to extend my thanks to GoodReads, the editor, and the publisher. “No Ghosts in London” by Helen Marshall. Eh. While it had some cool concepts of ghost traditions, I wasn’t wowed. The sometimes shift to second person was strange here. It was short though, so I didn’t feel bogged down. 2 stars. “Fake Plastic Trees” by Caitlin R. Kiernan. A post apocalyptic diary-type short where a girl remembers a particular incident. The ideas behind the “EVENT” and the moved-on world 12 years later were very cool. I’d be interested in a novel set in this world. 4 stars. “The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury” by Neil Gaiman. Intriguing little story. I jumped ahead to read this one because it was Gaiman, and beca...

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch My rating: 4 of 5 stars I received a free ebook ARC copy of this book from NetGalley. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. 4.5 stars. Wow. We've had a long wait for this book, and for the introduction of the character of Sabetha. Both were satisfying. Lynch's books are always like a big fun chess match. Full of intrigue and funny as hell banter, you never know what to expect. He really knows how to get into a character's head, and then get that character into the reader's head. In the first two books, Lynch made us love the Gentlemen Bastards. In this one, he reaffirms that affection, and brings it around to Sabetha as well. And some of the side characters have their own charm as well. And those damn bondsmagi! Seriously, read it. If you haven't read the first two, do that first. Then read this. View all my reviews

Under the Black Ensign by L. Ron Hubbard My rating: 3 of 5 stars I won a free copy of this book on GoodReads, so thanks to them and to the publisher (Galaxy Press). That was fun. I've read L. Ron Hubbard before, but mainly the Battlefield Earth and Mission Earth books. While those were epic and sprawling, this book is an example of Hubbard's early work, his many pulp adventures. This one is a pirate tale. It was quickly paced and enjoyable, with lots of action and even a bit of intrigue. A damsel (not always in distress) is also included. View all my reviews