Reviews and Comments

bigethan

bigethan@sfba.club

Joined 2 years 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.

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Michael C. Healy: BART (2016)

When BART opened in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1972, it became a catalyst …

Great for Bay Area Readers

It's an ok book, it's written by their former head of PR, so everything BART comes off feeling a little too polished and perfect.

BUT!

The author had a lot of access, and it's a great read to learn about how the system was all put together. Dunno if I'd care if it wasn't about my hometown, but if you ride BART, you should certainly check it out

Gabrielle Zevin: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (2022, Diversified Publishing)

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur …

A great story of friendship

The characters and their relationship as it evolves over time are the highlight of this book. It's a great tale of a strong friendship as it ebbs and flows over the decades. Felt very real and very human. I appreciated it for how much it made me consider my life and relationships.

The overall plotline and where it ends up are less compelling. I liked it but wouldn't read it again.

reviewed Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (Binti, #1)

Nnedi Okorafor: Binti (EBook, 2015, Tor.com)

Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to …

Just perfect

I love these kinda books: Shorter books with an extremely unique world that don't worry about a tidy ending. This is a thee book series, and it was good, but I mighta just has been as happy if I'd stopped after this one.

David Talbot: Season of the Witch (Paperback, 2013, Free Press)

The critically acclaimed, San Francisco Chronicle bestseller—a gripping story of the strife and tragedy that …

A good time capsule of San Francisco, but mediocre writing

As someone who lives in and loves San Francisco, this book was a detailed tour through it's "summer of love" eras. But without that interest the writing likely wouldn't have kept me compelled. I much preferred 'Heart of the City' - a similar kinda book about Philly.

qntm: Ra (Paperback, 2018, Everything2 & Things of Interest)

Magic is real.

Discovered in the 1970s, magic is now a bona fide field of …

Amazing concepts, a little too epic

I'm a big fan of qntm, this book has the their trademark wildly unique world. But the story got a little too big in the final third and I felt like it kinda fizzled out some. Recommended if you like the genre.

Jessica Townsend (duplicate): Hollowpox (2020, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Getting deeper into the world of Nevermoor

The first two books are prelude to this "regular" adventure book in Nevermoor. This one is certainly a little scarier (from a YA perspective), but also has us settling in with the main characters and learning more about them. Again, can't recommend this series enough if you like YA magic/fantasy.

Jessica Townsend (duplicate): Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor) (2018, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

The world of nevermoor is amazing

Morrigan is a great character, but the world of Nevermoor is the real reason this series is so great. So much depth in the world and the people. And so much of it goes undeveloped (until later books). I love the pacing of this series, even if the main plot points are somewhat predictable.

Борис Стругацкий: Roadside Picnic (Paperback, 2011, Chicago Review Press)

A troubled man leads a writer and a scientist into "The Zone", a mysterious area …

Fun concept, translation is tricky

The idea behind the title is fantastic. The creativity is amazing, but the story itself seemed a little clunky, maybe due to the translation/cultural differences. It's a very 70's Russian science fiction story. Recommended if you like that era.

Olga Ravn: De ansatte (Danish language, 2018)

UNEXPECTED in a very good way

[this is for the english translation] it's a short book. I recommend reading it all in one go or over a short period of time. There's a lot of nuance stretched over the chapters, and if you lose context, the beauty of the book is also lost.