4 Stars. Rex Ogle’s mother and stepfather physically and emotionally abused him when he was a child. In his second memoir, Punching Bag, he describes unimaginable incidents that are a terrible reality for far too many children. An alcoholic stepfather who continues the cycle of abuse that he experienced as a child himself […]
From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry by Paula Yoo: Book Review
4 Stars. I find this review hard to write for some reason but I just found my notes so I’m going to basically just list my bullet point thoughts. The description of the beating death of Vincent Chin gave me nightmares. It felt too graphic (And as I write this I’m hip deep in my annual monthlong horror fest, so I’m not exactly a […]
Weekly Update for April 9, 2023
Welcome to my weekly update for April 9, 2023! Happy Easter, Happy Passover, or Ramadan Mubarak to those who celebrate! I’ve been an affiliate of Malaprop’s Bookstore in my hometown of Asheville, NC for years now. I link to their website for books I haven’t reviewed yet. I’m keeping that relationship because I love my Continue Reading…
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells: Book Review
4 Stars. These novellas read like engrossing episodes of your favorite science fiction TV show and I inhale them like popcorn. Murderbot is an unexpected, understated delight and its dry sense of humor keeps me smiling. Its observations of humanity are on point and hilarious. It’s teamed up with ART (short for Asshole Research […]
The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss: Book Review
4 Stars. I enjoyed the premise and the story, but there were a few too many interruptions from the characters in their current time as they were trying to tell a story about their past. The interruptions give us a better sense of the characters overall and allowed the author to insert several points of view into a scene easily […]
Series I Haven’t Finished Yet
Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share our top ten indie/self-published books this week, a topic suggested by Nicole at BookWyrm Knits. I don’t pay any attention to publishers, etc. so I wasn’t sure where to even start. I know The Martian by Andy Weir (which I like but never reviewed) was Continue Reading…
Weekly Update for April 2, 2023
Welcome to my weekly update for April 2, 2023! We spent last weekend with my husband’s cousin and his wife in San Diego, celebrating the cousin’s birthday. We ate way too much and had a great time with them, as we always do. On Monday, we caught a break in the rain and drove back Continue Reading…
The Secret Life of Bots by Suzanne Palmer: Story Review
4 Stars. I just finished Artificial Condition, the second book in the Murderbot Diaries series, and really liked it. Greg at Book Haven noted my excitement and recommended this short story to me. “The Secret Life of Bots” is not related to Murderbot in any way but they do have a similar feel. There’s a…not entirely compliant […]
All Systems Red by Martha Wells: Book Review
4 Stars. My husband isn’t much of a reader. He usually has a book on his Kindle (which I bought him) but he takes his time with it and usually only reads a handful of books each year. I thought he would enjoy this series and the way that the author mostly just plunges into the action. So I downloaded the audiobook and made him […]
If You Like L. M. Montgomery…
Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share “Books for People Who Liked Author X” this week. That threw me for a loop for a minute. I read pretty widely at this point and I’m not terribly faithful to any one genre. Could I do this? Maybe I needed to go rogue. Then I realized the angle I needed to take. Here’s a list of […]
Weekly Update for March 26, 2023
Welcome to my weekly update for March 26, 2023! Another quiet week here with more rain. But this weekend is supposed to be nice so we do have some plans to get out a bit. Posted: In the Shadow of the Moon: America, Russia, and the Hidden History of the Space Race by Amy Cherrix: Continue Reading…