Behind Blue Eyes

The Magician King by Lev Grossman My rating: 4 of 5 stars Unlike the first book, this didn't hold up as well with a re-read. There were parts that were just as good, notably that last chapter. But there were huge chunks where it dragged more than I remember. All said though, it's still a good book in a good series. Those chunky parts were likely due to middle book syndrome, as well as the fact that I'd read it before. But all of this was in preparation for the final volume in the trilogy, The Magician's Land . View all my reviews

California: A Novel by Edan Lepucki My rating: 4 of 5 stars I received a free audiobook download from the Ford Audiobook Club on Good Reads. Dystopia post-apolyptic novels seem to be the rage lately, and through it all I've been seeing one particular title (this one) standing out from the others. So I was surprised and pleased when I got an email from Good Reads inviting me to join the Ford Audiobook Club and participate in a free Audible download group discussion. I really liked this. I wasn't sure at first that I would, as it is rather slow moving. But the more I read (listened), the more intrigued I became with the society of this near-future California. I wasn't crazy about the main protagonists of Cal and Frida, but I found the supporting characters to be very intriguing, and as we got to know them, I kept waiting for that other shoe to drop. All in all a satisfying read, and Edan Lepucki is definitely on the author map for me now. Review of the book itself aside, I

The Masquerade: a prequel short to The Rental by Rebecca Berto My rating: 4 of 5 stars Having read The Rental and seeing that this short prequel was free on Amazon and Smashwords, I figured I'd go for it. This story was split into halves. The first is from the POV of Rick, and the second half is seen from Vee's POV. She's the point of view character in The Rental , so this might be a case where the prequel is more appreciated after reading the main novel. Readers that take this on first might be expecting Rick's perspective in the longer work, where prior readers will see it as an interesting twist to get his view firsthand in this story. I wondered how Berto would handle the age thing in this. In The Rental , Vee is just turning legal. So a prequel would put her at...not. But it's handled very creatively here. Fairly wickedly, I must say. And that's all I'll say on the matter... So either as an appetizer or a small dessert, this little story will give a

Dangerous Women by George R.R. Martin My rating: 3 of 5 stars Well then. This took me a long ass time to get through (5 months). To be fair, for most of that time I had it on the back burner, slipping a story in here and there between larger projects. I bought the hardcover, but ended up listening to it on audiobook because that fit my schedule better. So overall, I liked it. It was full of solid, well written stories. I don't think there was a bad one in the bunch. However, while I would say they were "good", many of these were fairly boring. Worth a read through, but not engaging enough to make me love it. After reading similar anthologies with contributions and/or editing from George R.R. Martin, I had high hopes for this, and it just didn't satisfy completely. Though I will say that the GRRM story included is one of the best things I've read all year. It has a much different tone than his A Song of Ice and Fire novels, or even the shorter Dunk & Egg st

The Magicians by Lev Grossman My rating: 5 of 5 stars Original review of the paperback, in 2011: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... And the funny thing, I'm lifting my rating to 5-stars. It's not even that I enjoyed it more the second time around (though I did enjoy the narrator quite a bit). No, it's more for the way the feeling of satisfaction remains three years later. This felt different the second time through. I didn't find it quite as humorous, but I didn't find it as bleak either. I found the characters more likeable. That is rather, less un-likeable. It's not that I understand them any better, I think I'm just more accepting that this is simply who they're going to be. Fewer surprises on a re-read, but it's still a satisfactory experience. It's like watching an old favorite movie. I'm glad that I decided to read it again, before tackling The Magician's Land , which just came out this year. Next up, The Magician King re-

PORN by Matt Shaw My rating: 3 of 5 stars I've processed for two days, and only accomplished a middle of the star chart rating. First off, do Not read this book if you are easily offended by anything in the blurb. They're not kidding. I'm not squeamish at all but this book often had me wanting to scrub out my eyes. But ultimately it is impossible to unsee it. Or even if I could, my brain would remember. Shaw is a powerful writer. He has a knack for grabbing your attention and holding the reader with tension. He's definitely creative and imaginative. Maybe a bit psychotic lol. That said, I had to drop my rating for a couple of reasons. ((review continued after tending to grandbaby :)) One, there were several technical issues. Not a lot overall, but enough to distract. Several times I noticed a word used incorrectly in a sentence, and sometimes the tense of the narrative changed from present to past and back again. One time it even did it in

Bird Box by Josh Malerman My rating: 4 of 5 stars Wow. Just wow. Well, more than "just". When I started this, I was immediately confuzzled and didn't see where it was going, what was happening, nor why any of it was happening in the first place. I was concerned that it might not be a book for me. However, there was a thread of curiosity which piqued, a thread that was created by the tension described in that chapter. I was blind, but I could feel the horror already. Much like the main character, I imagine. So I kept going, and soon I was well and hooked. Only real life (that annoying thing sometimes) kept me from flying through this book obsessively. I won't go into the particulars, as it's meant to be learned gradually. And rest assured, all the pieces and threads do come together. It's rather impressive how it all merges from a series of timelines to a single thread. I considered giving this a full 5-star review, but didn't for two reasons. One, thou

Heir of Novron by Michael J. Sullivan My rating: 5 of 5 stars By Mar, that was f'ing phenomenal! And now it's over...doh! Perhaps part of my subliminal reason for putting off finishing this series for so long was that I didn't want it to end. Whatever, that's bullshit. I was just being lame. This should have been devoured upon release! Wintertide was the best book in the series. Yes, out of six 5-star efforts, this is the one I'd put (slightly) above all the others. The twists and turns, and the climax - wow! Percepliquis was a slight letdown, but only because Wintertide was so intense. This was the epic coming together of all the loose threads of the series, and it delivered. Oh, if that title is tough to pronounce, I believe we could subtitle it The Fellowship of the Horn . Yes, we get an all star lineup (of sorts) as the cast is picked out to complete the final job of Riyria. And then a dungeon crawl! All sorts of beasties and more revelations (hence the ti

Spritzerville,…Ohio? by Jason R. Koivu My rating: 4 of 5 stars How cool was that? As a disclaimer, I will state that Jason R. Koivu is a Goodreads friend of mine, and that he sent me a free copy of his book. Perhaps he saw that I was weird enough to appreciate it. "For mature readers with immature minds." Bernard Wimple tries so hard to live a simple life. He's a practical man that wants to sell hats. Is that too much to ask for? Well, maybe he'd also like to win the affections of the local schoolteacher. But still, a pretty "normal" life, right? That might all be well and fine, if he didn't have more grandmothers than customers. And a flatulent pet toadie. And if his neighbors didn't include a Poop Baby, stoner mice, evil clowns, a one-eyed trouser troll, and a dozen demonic desserts. I often found myself comparing this collection of linked stories to Terry Pratchett's Discworld. (Whoah, sit down, Jason - you'r