Reviews and Comments

bigethan

bigethan@sfba.club

Joined 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Love to read! All things!

Though sweet spots are Science Fiction and Fantasy and humorous Young Adult stuff. I generally read in bed, so my preference is for less stressful stories. My favorite stories that ones that are both Quirky and Unexpected.

Due to book experiences being very dependent on the reader, I belive that reviews should be short.

This link opens in a pop-up window

John Scalzi: Starter Villain (2023, Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom) 4 stars

Inheriting your mysterious uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might imagine.

Sure, there …

I really wanted to like this book

2 stars

I mean, the blurb is amazing! But the plot lacks any nuance or tension whatsoever. I like fun shallow books, but this reads like a swear-y version of a Bond-like for 8 year olds.

reviewed Shift by Hugh Howey

Hugh Howey: Shift (Hardcover, 2016, John Joseph Adams/Houghton Mifflin Harco, John Joseph Adams/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) 4 stars

Adds depth to the plotline

4 stars

It's hard to say too much about this series without spoiling various plot twists and discoveries. Of which there are many.

This book feels like a great setup for the final book. It introduces more knowns, and unknowns, into the state of the world. It's a longer term view of the situation compared to the first book, which is critical backstory, but means less of that "discover the world through Juliettes eyes" thrill from the first book. Also, I wish I hadn't waited as long after reading the first book, there are some specific details that carry over and aren't re-contextualized.

Very much looking forward to the third book.

reviewed The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older (Mossa and Pleiti, #1)

Malka Older: The Mimicking of Known Successes (Hardcover, 2023, Tordotcom) 4 stars

The Mimicking of Known Successes presents a cozy Holmesian murder mystery and sapphic romance, set …

Felt like a TV Show episode: unique universe with a shallow plotline

2 stars

It was interesting, but never compelling, with an ending felt like the author was trying to get out of the office on a Friday. Neat world though, would maybe like to see a sequel.

reviewed The World We Make by N. K. Jemisin (The Great Cities, #2)

N. K. Jemisin: The World We Make (Hardcover, 2022, Little, Brown Book Group Limited) 4 stars

Pulls the series together

4 stars

Cool things happen in this book! It's not mind-blowing, but it's much more unpredictable than the first book and has some compelling character development. Though wouldn't really recommend the series unless you're someone who likes thinking about cities.

reviewed The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (Great Cities, #1)

N. K. Jemisin: The City We Became (Paperback, 2020, Little, Brown Book Group Limited) 4 stars

In Manhattan, a young grad student gets off the train and realizes he doesn't remember …

Cool premise, but only the first half

3 stars

This book has a cool core idea, but it doesn't do too much with it and the plotline is a little too predictable and brief. I'm still in for the second book (it's a duology), but mostly because it's N.K. Jemisin

reviewed Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin (Tales of the City, #1)

Armistead Maupin: Tales of the City (1994, HarperPerennial) 4 stars

The acclaimed best-seller by the author of Significant Other, Babycakes, and Sure of You follows …

San Francisco Pulp!

4 stars

In a good way! All of the characters are pretty one dimensional, the only way out is through, and it's pretty much chaos the whole time. The good stuff is in the reflections the characters have while going through their lives with everything turned up to 11. Great summer reading.

K.A. Holt: Redwood and Ponytail (EBook, 2019, Chronicle Books) 4 stars

A universal story of finding a way to be comfortable in your own skin: Kate …

Great Young Adult Story

4 stars

I'm here because I try to read all the books my kids read. It turns out to be a great coming of age story told through a unique format that focuses only (like, only) on words and thoughts of the characters. The format is absolutely perfect for the story being told and makes the book memorable.

It's a quick read and certainly focused on younger readers who are figuring out their lives. It was a good read (I teared up a little 3/4s of the way through), though I'm mostly happy that my kid has read it.

Daniel James Brown: The Boys in the Boat (Hardcover, 2013, Viking) 1 star

Daniel James Brown’s robust book tells the story of the University of Washington’s 1936 eight-oar …

I'm not the right audience for this book

1 star

I'm a former rower who's aware of history and more critically, appreciates good characters.

This book covers an absolutely incredible story with very little joy or nuance. I respect it for capturing some history that would have likely been lost, but regret it didn't do more to bring the challenges the characters faced to the page.

Shelby Van Pelt: Remarkably Bright Creatures (Hardcover, 2022, Ecco) 4 stars

For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration …

Nicely written easy read, unfulfilling plot

3 stars

If you want a sense of the depth of this book, it's basically a re-imagined for adults version of Adam Sandler's "Leo" kids movie. Not sure which actually came first, but either way, neither is particularly deep and both involve lots of Deus ex Machina moments.

I got some chuckles out if it along the way, but the characters don't face any complex challenges or grow in any interesting ways other than to magically shed their flaws.

The solid writing makes it a nice casual read when there's nothing else to do?

reviewed Wool by Hugh Howey (Silo Series, #1)

Hugh Howey: Wool (Hardcover, 2013, Simon & Schuster) 4 stars

They live beneath the earth in a prison of their own making. There is a …

Fun concept, overpowered protagonist

4 stars

This was a fun read! Very unique post-apocalyptic Earth plotline with some good twists.

But the characters are a little two dimensional, and the protagonist is a little too good at everything. I'll certainly read the other books in the series. Again, it's a good story, but I'm not craving more time with these characters immediately.