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Time travel/second chances.

Revisado: 01-30-25

Grace and Henry get a second chance at love due to a magical time "glitch" that finds Grace traveling 5 years into her past - from her 30th birthday back to her 25th. She is determined to set right all the wrong decisions from her past, and maybe this time, she and Henry will find their happily ever after. A cute story, mildly spicey, with a little substance involving the lingering effects of childhood trauma/parental neglect and how it can lead to trust issues. Admittedly contemprary romance is not my favorite genre, but this was not bad.

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Stakes are Raised

Revisado: 06-02-24

The second book of the Joseph Bridgeman series raises the stakes for our reluctant time traveler. His mission to save his sister Amy in the first book may have succeeded, but his time traveling adventures have had consequences, including bringing him to the attention of a mysterious time traveling society known as the Continuum. They "blackmail" him into taking on a mission to save a woman in 1960's London, whose fate is intertwined with Joseph's in ways he cannot even imagine. Contrasting high adventure and tension in his 1960's mission with personal introspection and revelations in his present day life (where much has changed since his rescue of Amy), the pacing is uneven, but somehow it works. The slower paced present day narrative gives you a breather between the frantic, stressful trips to the past. Joseph's family returns, along with his outrageous friend Vinny and his love interest Alexia. "New" Joseph's slow discovery of just how shallow "old" Joseph was is an interesting aspect of this story for me. I look forward to how the rehabilitated "new" Joe deals with the consequences of his prior version's actions, and to diving deeper into the world of the Continuum.

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When disaster is good fun.

Revisado: 01-25-23

Wow, was there a lot packed into this book. Max and her cohorts careen from one disastrous historical encounter to another. I have to suspend my sense of incredulity and just enjoy the ride. At least this one has a very happy ending. If I were inclined to jump ship on this series, now would be a good time to do so. I think I'll hang in with the St Mary's historians, however. Their disasters are so much fun.

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Did not disappoint

Revisado: 01-19-23

The third installment of John Scalzi's Dispatcher series did not disappoint. Tony Valdez returns as our central character, a dispatcher - one who legally kills people in order to save their lives in a world that closely resembles ours save for one important detail. 999 times out of 1000, a murder victim will come back to life, instantly transported to the place they feel most safe (usually their home) at the instant they die. This has created a brand new occupation, the dispatcher. This is urban fantasy that reminds me a lot of the Dresden Files (minus the werewolves, vampires and the like). Probably the setting in Chicago and the police/crime investigation plot lines, along with the slightly disheveled, snarky main character account for the similarities. The plot of TBB includes references to a recent pandemic, greedy corporate billionaires, and cryptocurrency, which make it feel very current. A word of wisdom near the end of the book; "Our little adventure has taught me that being a billionaire is a sh***y way to live. Don't get me wrong, I love money. But money is FOR things, it's not THE thing. When it becomes THE thing, it f's you up. No one needs a billion dollars for things, and no one who's a billionaire is happy." A short book (around 3 hours) and available as an Audible exclusive, it is my hope that Scalzi will continue to add to the series.

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Stuffed with information

Revisado: 01-12-23

Fascinating subject, but I wish there was a condensed version. I found much of it to be repetitive. It's clear that John McWhorter is an expert linguist. He really loves linguistics, and he just can't stop talking about it.

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Fascinating and Frustrating

Revisado: 10-28-22

Fascinating content, presented in an easily understood and *mostly* entertaining style, but frustrating to me (ever the hopeful pragmatist), because the observations and conclusions point to selfishness as the main motivator of human behaviors, societal structures, and institutions. While the book logically and systematically presents a valid argument to support this viewpoint, the elephant in my brain kept rejecting it. I want to believe in selfless altruism, empathy, kindness, and faith. It's good to keep an open mind, though. That elephant needs a lot of room. 😅

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Great story for hard science lovers

Revisado: 07-19-22

Andy Weir has a way of making science fun. In "Project Hail Mary" he returns to the problem-solving stranded astronaut theme, but unlike his hero in "The Martian", our hero in this story wakes up from a deep space coma, completely alone on a spaceship, suffering from amnesia. Eventually, with the help of some conveniently timed flashback memories, a LOT of very smart and mostly believable science, and an unexpected new friend, he unravels the mystery of who and where he is, and the purpose of his mission. I was a biology and chemistry major in college, and was raised by a physics teacher, so for me the science talk was enjoyable, but even for those without the benefit of science degrees, Weir does a great job of making the science not only understandable, but also integral to the story. Ray Porter does a great job narrating, which adds to the audio experience.

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If only ...

Revisado: 07-06-22

If only men could get pregnant. In this short story by Jodi Picoult, that is exactly what happens. One morning, without explanation, sexually active cis-gendered men wake up in various stages of pregnancy. It soon becomes clear that they are the *only* people becoming pregnant in this unexpected new reality. The story illustrates all the ways, both poignant and retributive, that this affects society in a post Roe v. Wade reversal world. Thought provoking.

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Blame it on morbid curiosity

Revisado: 04-04-22

I picked up this book because it's set in Minnesota, and maybe I was expecting something like William Kent Krueger and Cork O'Connor. Unfortunately, what I got was an overly wordy, trite and taudry tale of lust, perversion, and revenge. I give the plot three stars for some of the unexpected twists and turns. It did keep me guessing, which is the only reason I kept reading it, but it was a little like watching a train wreck; morbidly fascinating. As an audio experience, I really disliked the narrator's voice characterizations, especially those of female characters, and his laughable attempts at creating Minnesota accents. I nearly gave up when he mispronounced the name Ely, MN (for you non- Minnesotans, it's Eē-lēē, not Eē-lie, rhymes with really, not rely). I wish editors paid more attention to little details like this. Suffice it to say I'm not rushing to read anything else in this series or by this author. If you like a little sleaze with your mystery, then this might be for you.

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Quiet, lovely little story

Revisado: 08-01-18

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of "The Boston Girl". It's not a thriller, or a mystery, or anything that will turn your world inside out. It is simply a quiet, lovely story of a life well lived. Anita Diamont's superb writing is perfectly paired with Linda Lavin's engaging performance. You will laugh and cry and cheer and no doubt see a piece of yourself in at least one of the characters that inhabit this book.

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