I'm a big fan of Rebecca Stead, though I've not read anything by Wendy Mass (yet). This young adult novel turned into a cozy mystery was fun to read, I'm a big fan of Rebecca Stead, though I've not read anything by Wendy Mass (yet). This young adult novel turned into a cozy mystery was fun to read, and quick! I took three days just to savor the story :)
The cast are two last-year-of-elementary kids, ghosts, and an adorable protective cat. Oh, and books! This really is a love letter to libraries, big and little-free. It's a perfect autumn tale.
Just the other day I was reflecting on favorite authors, and then clicking to see if there was anything new. Despite following Ms. Stead on this site, I had no idea this book was released. Was really glad my local library had it in the new books section - where it will return tomorrow.
Merged review:
I'm a big fan of Rebecca Stead, though I've not read anything by Wendy Mass (yet). This young adult novel turned into a cozy mystery was fun to read, and quick! I took three days just to savor the story :)
The cast are two last-year-of-elementary kids, ghosts, and an adorable protective cat. Oh, and books! This really is a love letter to libraries, big and little-free. It's a perfect autumn tale.
Just the other day I was reflecting on favorite authors, and then clicking to see if there was anything new. Despite following Ms. Stead on this site, I had no idea this book was released. Was really glad my local library had it in the new books section - where it will return tomorrow....more
Roger Ebert's review of the film would be equally applicable to the book. Both were written by A.J. Carothers, perhaps better known for writing the scRoger Ebert's review of the film would be equally applicable to the book. Both were written by A.J. Carothers, perhaps better known for writing the screenplay for The Secret of My Success.
Ebert reviewed the film as "a big, dumb, silly, good-hearted albatross of a comedy".
I haven't seen the film (yet) but the dialog reads exactly like John Ritter in my head. The book doesn't add a whole lot of description, the romance is less than convincing, and the ending is rather abrupt....more
I enjoyed this, but would probably have liked it more if I read it a) as a kid and b) with fewer interruptions.
I know why the second part happened - tI enjoyed this, but would probably have liked it more if I read it a) as a kid and b) with fewer interruptions.
I know why the second part happened - too much life, work, travel. I don't know how the first part happened - I was 12 when it was published, and this novel won the freakin' Newberry medal (and several other awards). I think at the time I was obsessed with an earlier Newberry winner, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.
Anyhow, I recommend giving this a read, and enjoy the ride. I believe it may now be time to read Tevis' The Queen's Gambit - or at least listen to a famous Abbott and Costello baseball shtick....more
Magic in our time (well, the 1960s) without having to enter a cupboard or travel to another land (or play a LitRPG game, for the modern reader). Was rMagic in our time (well, the 1960s) without having to enter a cupboard or travel to another land (or play a LitRPG game, for the modern reader). Was really glad to see the map and follow the progress in our world - and equally glad I wasn't trapped in the copper mines!
This is the first book of a trilogy - the second was published 3 years later, and the third seceral decades later. This book does come to a very satisfying end. The closest analogue I can find is the Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander - which wasn't *technically* in this world, but it sure felt like Wales to me.
Minor criticism - of the two main characters, only one shows some dimension - and the good news is that it's Susan. The wizard is surprisingly Gandalf like - disappearing for a chunk of the book. Well, the author was only 23 at the time, and comparisons to Tolkien are inevitable.
Solid 4½ stars, and hoping the second is as good. Looking forward to reading more Garner after this....more
In the distant year 2000, news personality Laurent Michaelmas has an AI assistant and they mostly rule the world, keeping the Soviet Union in peace wiIn the distant year 2000, news personality Laurent Michaelmas has an AI assistant and they mostly rule the world, keeping the Soviet Union in peace with the US. Until discontinuities occur...
The plot mostly proceeds from exposition between the main character and the computer. I visually thought of Domino with a female voice until partway through the book (and only once) Domino is referred to as he. I like my version better, and wonder if the author intentionally avoided gender. Written in the late 1970s, this would be another forward looking feature.
Michaelmas is a character he used in the short story A Scraping at the Bones (written 1975, somewhat about deep fakes) and according to isfdb, is somehow related to a 1978 story also. Since both stories are in Budrys' collection Blood & Burning, I naturally added it to my "to read" pile.
I like this book better than his Hugo award nominated Rogue Moon, which also had story through dialog. In reviewing that I mentioned I found the tech interesting, and it is so here also....more
Solid collection of four stories. I confess I picked it up to read the title story Radicalized, which definitely delivered. The other three are also gSolid collection of four stories. I confess I picked it up to read the title story Radicalized, which definitely delivered. The other three are also good.
Something overlooked by other reviewers is that each story has a bit of hope hidden with it or delivered at the end. Mostly that hope isn't for the main characters, but for the rest of us. This collection is a middle finger to the uncaring wealthy, the less than 1% who want to rule the rest of us. Their rude awakening is the wholesome grist for this mill....more
Time travel of a different sort. An interesting premise. Forced myself to bypass the unusual world and lack of science, but not sure there is enough lTime travel of a different sort. An interesting premise. Forced myself to bypass the unusual world and lack of science, but not sure there is enough left in this author's first novel.
The world building is interesting - comparable to young adult novels like The City of Ember or First Light. 16 year old narrator Odile Ozanne gives the reader the chance to see the world, and her vetting for a future custodianship of the valley shows us even more. The second part of the novel is a good counterpoint to the first, with the ending giving even more information.
And yet... things are strange enough that I almost feel there is a metaphor here I missed. Set in a relatively small valley and town, much is missing - factories, food and alcohol production, etc. The outpost or colony reason from other books isn't here - but this community can't be self contained. Explaining why identical valleys to the east and west would exist 20 years into the past or future is yet another problem. I kept reading, kept hoping, and was eventually disappointed in the lack of an explanation.
As other reviewers have pointed out, this book lacks punctuation and other marks, making it more difficult to read mechanically. Additionally, the names and jobs are in French, for no apparent reason. Again, if this was done as a metaphor, or to take the reader out of their comfort zone, I missed the reason.
Picked up on a whim, this was in my realm of reading, and somewhat thought provoking. Will keep an eye out for a future book from this author, or perhaps an interview. Overall rating for this book, for me, just 2½ stars (out of 5)....more
An interesting short novel about two people and a gateway to another world. The events of the novel are snapshots into larger histories, but much is aAn interesting short novel about two people and a gateway to another world. The events of the novel are snapshots into larger histories, but much is also left out.
The novel follows Hugh until Irena arrives, and then points of view mostly alternate between them in sections of chapters. These sections differ with the internal views of the characters and the environment - waves of depression which may emanate from the villain, for instance. Much of the story is mythic in nature, and it has been compared to Narnia, Alice's Looking Glass and even Shakespeare's As You Like It.
Those are some heavy hitters, but this novel is much lighter. The villagers story (and decline) isn't really explored, and there is no resolution within the book. I appreciated the psychological terror, but it made the plot that much harder to follow. The ending felt a little rushed, and while these two characters depended on each other, I didn't see the chemistry.
Looking forward to more Le Guin books soon, including a reread of her Earthsea novels. ...more
Second book by Ellen Ullman, and the second I've read. It was her first fiction novel, and I prefer this to her first book, Close to the Machine: TechSecond book by Ellen Ullman, and the second I've read. It was her first fiction novel, and I prefer this to her first book, Close to the Machine: Technophilia and Its Discontents.
Released in 2004, this is a story about 1984, and I read it in 2024. It is told as an extended flashback, with two main characters. They are connected through a software bug, but there are other parallels between the two - the most important their relationships. In addition to the story, the author describes the flaw and the efforts to track it down. Revelations from the bug and the narrators lead to failure points.
I was in college and pursuing a passion for programming forty years ago, and I can say that the technical aspects are correct. In the afterword, she states that these aren't actual routines or messages, but they very well could be - there were plenty like them. The debugging (and frustration with a non-reproducible error) is the most accurate part.
I've seen this book a few times, and wasn't sure I would read it after her first book. Some extra time this last weekend and a long return flight gave me the time to start and then finish the book, which kept me interested. I'm sure some part of that was my own past, so I'm not sure I would recommend this to someone outside the industry. For me, it was considerably better than her first book and at least 3½ stars....more
Read this in a couple of days; was a lot of fun. Don't read this to get a travelogue of New York, but there are other bits very based on history.
In adRead this in a couple of days; was a lot of fun. Don't read this to get a travelogue of New York, but there are other bits very based on history.
In addition to romance, this book has time weirdness and history (some from New York, more from New Orleans). It also has late night food, drag queens, lots of love, and a psychic roommate. I especially liked August the investigator, trying to solve the mystery and also dealing with her feelings. The culmination of the mystery leads to a heist (another trope I adore - no wonder I read the book so quickly). All the characters use a lot of humor and make references to books / songs / shows that I connect with. I smiled a lot.
The most negative reviews are from New Yorkers, unhappy with the author's misuse of the Q line. I didn't mind so much - August's favorite film is Say Anything, which plays havoc with Seattle geography, but is still a great film. New Yorkers, sometimes you have to just let it go :)
The other negative reviews connect with subway misbehavior, public displays of affection and... more. I mean, one of the main characters is trapped on the subway. Perhaps a very late night run on a clean (and empty) car would have been better? The shenanigans didn't bother me.
Overall rating, somewhere between 4 and 5 for me. I really liked it, and probably overlooked any flaws. This is the first book I've read by this author, the second one written - an excellent sophomore effort, in my opinion....more
Changed the category of this from non-fiction to fiction. Would make for an exciting movie - reads like a screenplay.
Evaluating as non-fiction - when Changed the category of this from non-fiction to fiction. Would make for an exciting movie - reads like a screenplay.
Evaluating as non-fiction - when I first started this, I assumed it was close to true. It isn't. No backup for the events, time was a bit jumbled. There are a few photos, but nowhere near enough of specific devices. Much of the book takes place in North Africa; a map would have been nice.
Evaluating as fiction - this is a good story, with good pacing. It does end abruptly, with a hand wave that Maskelyne was involved in other parts of the war, and later returned home. This is a bit unsatisfying - would have been better to end after Montgomery's triumph.
Overall - I would watch a movie version of this story, even if it is quite a ways from the truth. ...more
Haven't seen the film; always looking for baseball books in the early spring. This one was not bad.
Written in the 1970s, the subject was less seen theHaven't seen the film; always looking for baseball books in the early spring. This one was not bad.
Written in the 1970s, the subject was less seen then than now. For me the most enjoyable part was the baseball, though the descriptions were pretty sparse. I imagine for the film that will mean a handful of plays per game - we'll see.
Bingo's gambling was set up to be the turning point, but in the end it wasn't. Other reviews mention a happy ending, but it is more unresolved than anything else - good for some characters, less for others. In the end, I'm glad I read the book, but wouldn't recommend it to anyone....more
Picked up from the library on a whim. The first part is all WWII bomber crew fiction - the lingo, the camaraderie, the action. Then, just after a bombPicked up from the library on a whim. The first part is all WWII bomber crew fiction - the lingo, the camaraderie, the action. Then, just after a bombing run, it gets... weird.
I won't spoil the fun. For 400 pages, it's a pretty quick read. The audio book is well done, lots of different voices and accents. I really enjoyed the story, and said camaraderie was doubly fun because of baseball. Absolutely loved the new guy powering it in, as a former pitcher. Ow, my hand!
Why not 5 star? Would have liked to hear "where" asked much earlier. The romance seemed a little forced (but then there were those dreams...). Some of the solutions seemed a *little* too pat, especially towards the end.
So why not 3 star or less? Those are minor complaints, and besides, this is fun, darn it! Go check it out for yourself, or buy it if there isn't a library nearby - I recommend it :)...more
This is a multi-character study. The action is sparse - it could fill a short story - and is reported non-chronologically. It is not as important as tThis is a multi-character study. The action is sparse - it could fill a short story - and is reported non-chronologically. It is not as important as the actions, reactions, and thoughts of the characters. I feel there may be a layer I missed, but then we have fewer anarchists than this 118 year old story which is set in a London more than 20 years before that.
Since publication, the novel has had an interesting history. It was adapted into a stage play by Conrad himself, adapted into film and radio plays (including a 1996 film I hadn't heard of with Bob Hoskins as the central character). The book was read multiple times by Ted Kaczynski, and cited after 9/11. None of these reflect how I stumbled upon it, looking for century old books to read - I merely noted that Conrad had written it, perhaps finding it on a "great books" list.
I can't see myself reading it again, but will probably try the film....more
Neal Stephenson's speculation on the future won the Locus and Hugo, and inspired many more recent science fiction by Ernest Cline and Paolo BacigalupiNeal Stephenson's speculation on the future won the Locus and Hugo, and inspired many more recent science fiction by Ernest Cline and Paolo Bacigalupi. I first read it in late 90s, and on this reread I noticed things I hadn't before.
This is at least 100 years in the future, and nation states (at least in the northern hemisphere) have broken down. His ideas on the matter compiler (MC) and feed are an evolution of the 3d printers and extruders that we have today - technology which barely existed in the 90s. I really like the idea of the terrorists burning the raw feed, not unlike burning a petro pipeline would be today. Many authors have written about nanotech, and Stephenson extends that with metaphors like viruses and immune systems. One thing I barely noticed before was CryptNet, a shadowy group designed to crack cryptographic codes in an unorthodox way.
This is a book I have recalled often in the last 25 years, and I'm glad I reread it. I'd misplaced some of the flaws, and I'm a little sad that I am now reminded of how dense the information is - very visible in the reading rate on the ebook. Snowcrash worked much better on reread, and I expect his later works (e.g. Anathem) will also.
If I were to name favorite authors, Stephenson would be among them. This book is really good, but falls short of amazing....more
Young wizard must go on a perilous adventure. He encounters the wisdom of adults and learns more than he thinks he does.
This was a fun read, and I espYoung wizard must go on a perilous adventure. He encounters the wisdom of adults and learns more than he thinks he does.
This was a fun read, and I especially liked the growing relationship with his familiar. Seeing this interesting world through young adult eyes adds to the adventure, at least for this adult reader. I wish this had been around to read out loud to my kids, now grown.
Also loved Defensive Baking, and suspect I would like most of what this author has written. Highly recommended!...more
Some wild world building, from geology (a long spine with ocean on both sides) to flora and fauna - and both (a group of people with trees growing froSome wild world building, from geology (a long spine with ocean on both sides) to flora and fauna - and both (a group of people with trees growing from one shoulder - and one outcast with a tree on his opposite shoulder!). While I may think about the world, I won't consider much for the plot - it's more a series of interludes. I also may never look at nude women and cats the same way again...
In a mirror (which shows the truth?) there is a hint that the protagonist is a space traveler. Other than that, this is hardly science fiction or fantasy. It *is* weird. This short book (novella?) was released in 1990, before the authors well known Mars trilogy. I'm not sure how it ended up on my reading list. Down deep, I didn't love it....more
This is the author's first book, and I picked it out trying to find a book I read as a kid. This is young adult (somewhat before the category existed)This is the author's first book, and I picked it out trying to find a book I read as a kid. This is young adult (somewhat before the category existed) but has some big topics (a war between fae).
A pure silver coin starts things off, and various folks then track down main character Holly, clearly to get it back. The blurb refers to the coin as "magic", but it isn't used as such. Holly and her friend Chris (both strong female characters) end up in strange and hidden locations and are pursued or attacked by interesting characters. Some interest in a male character with a fae connection is also in the story, but I wouldn't rank this as a romance.
The side story is the girls bullied by other girls in their school. This doesn't really resolve, and doesn't add much to the story. Perhaps chalk it up to this being the author's first novel. Coming back to the beginning, this was not a book I read as a kid, and my search continues. Would like to read another by this author in the future....more