Tag Archives: Reading

Mars

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The MartianThe Martian by Andy Weir
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A friend of mine said she started this book one evening and couldn’t put it down. I should have listened.

I started and finished this book this morning. I’m actually giving it 4.5 stars. It was a super fast read. There was a lot of “science” in there, but I put it in quotations because I can’t confirm any of it. You know what? I’m OK with that. It all sounded reasonably plausible to me (even the parts that I figure aren’t could work, right?). In the end this I think the science could be substituted out for any inhospitable landscape and particular level of ingenuity. Don’t get me wrong, placing the story on Mars makes this what it is but that’s just the backdrop. The really wonderful part here is the characters. They’re all people. There’s no trouble at all believing all of them as real. I totally believe this story could happen in our near future.

You know what else? I hope this and other stories of people overcoming great odds to accomplish things that move us toward outer space exploration (ahem, Apollo 13) become the sort of thing that inspires people to push for more exploration. This book was a heck of a ride. I can’t wait to see the movie.

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Aeronaut’s Windlass

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I tend not to cross post my book reviews, but since I’m a fan of Jim Buthcer and I got the chance to read this ARC (advanced reading copy) I thought I’d put this up here. It wouldn’t be a bad thing to keep Mr. Butcher writing and keep these stories going!

The Aeronaut's Windlass (The Cinder Spires, #1)The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have to start by thanking my book blogging friend Krystal for letting me read this ARC. Go check out her book blog here: http://booksaremything.com/

I have lots of thoughts in no particular order – and there will be spoilery stuff in here. I’ll try to keep it away from the spoilers as much as I can.

When I started reading my very first impression was that the author has been reading the work of Gail Carriger. This is not a bad thing! It was a little adjustment, but Mr. Butcher is a hell of a story teller. It worked. I could see where some people would be put off by that – I am not one of those people.

Clocking in at around 630 pages this is a substantial book. It was necessary. There are tons of world building and character development bits that need space to be shown. IF it couldn’t be guessed by the cover, this is a steampunk fantasy book. There are floating cities, airships and mysterious creatures from the surface. I’d need to hear more from the author or see the maps / drawings that will be included in the final version to be sure, but I think this is meant to be some kind of alternate earth. Having things fall to the surface of the world (and that being a ‘bad’ thing) leads me to believe the Predator will be going to the surface in the next book. How could they not?

The author’s characters are as interesting and diverse as ever. I am not personally a fan of Rowl or his clan, but I suspect there will be a lot of discussion about the cats of this world in the future as well. I like the warrior born characters. They were my favorites. I will say the cast of characters is an impressive spread. This made me wonder who the true “hero” of the book is supposed to be. Captain Grimm, Gwen, Bridget & Benedict? Could be any of them. Folly was very interesting as well. Writing the etherialists as crazy as they are could not have been easy, but had to have been fun.

I suspect this book will really take off (yes, you may groan) when it is released. It is a fast moving story in an interesting world. There’s a little something for everyone in here.

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Stumbling Blocks

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I’m constantly amazed at how the smallest tasks can turn into the largest stumbling blocks for me. There have been one or two things lately that have just stopped me in my tracks. There silly things that don’t amount to anything to anybody but me. Stuff on a “to do” list kind of stuff. These lists somehow morph from road maps to road blocks. It’s silly, but there it is.

On the up side, I get a ridiculously positive feeling when I finish these tasks, particularly if they’ve been sitting around for a while.

I wrote the other day about book reviews – and today I powered through almost all the reviews I had on my lists. I’ve got a couple left to write, but there you have it. A simple thing that is no longer the log jam in the main stream of life.

Book Review(s)

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I always try to give my honest opinion of any book I’m reading. I enjoy sitting and talking about the things I’ve read. I try to do that at least twice each month – I attend two book clubs. I also write up something about almost all the books I read on Goodreads. I also wrote up stuff for MilSciFi.com. They were hibernating, but it looks like they’re back now, so maybe more soon? Who knows. I like being able to share my opinion on what I’ve read and how I feel about it.

I want to let folks know what I like so they can get out there and support those authors too. This helps everyone. I owe a couple of folks reviews, and since I seem to have some time on my hands these days I’m going to make an effort to catch up.

I’m also really worried that I won’t have a thick enough skin for the times when my work is out there. I always try to say something positive about the work I read – because I know it’s work. It’s not easy to do all that it takes to get your work out there, then have somebody just treat it badly. I strive for thoughtful and well reasoned criticism, but don’t always hit the mark. Sometimes it really is just me.

IF you’re interested and we’re not connected already, track me down on Goodreads and do the friend thing. I’d be interested to hear what you’ve got to say.

An object at rest

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I enjoy reading a good story. I particularly like it when I can read something I like and pass that along to friends so they can find something new. It’s an extra boost when they like something as much as I do.

I’ve been using a web site called Goodreads for a while now. I know there are questions about it – my understanding is it was gobbled up by Amazon or something. I know there are others out there like Library thing but so far I am comfortable where I am.

That thought just reminded me of a great line from the cartoon The Tick,

“An object at rest CANNOT BE STOPPED!”

That was from the midnight bomber what bombs at midnight. If you haven’t seen The Tick vs. The Tick, go look it up. The midnight bomber is my favorite.

Anyway – Goodreads. I’m on there and I like to share my views on the books I’ve read. I am only posting reviews of books I’ve read since I signed up on the site. I’m not going to go back and just give star ratings to things I’ve read in the past – with one notable exception. I started with the Hobbit. That was the book that kicked everything off for me. I give that book the full 5 stars without hesitation. It changed things for me. It was amazing. That is the 5 star standard. It’s amazing and/or really changes something for me.

If you’re interested (and not already there) pop on over and look me up. Maybe we can talk about a good book!