Rebecca

A Great American Novel

Revisado: 12-06-24

I was immediately drawn in to the Albright's story. The subject of domestic violence is a triggering one, and there were confronting scenes that brought up a lot of feelings for me, but art, good art, evokes an emotional response.
Where I experienced The Nightengale as an intellectual feast, this is more of an emotional potluck buffet. It's a brilliant story about a family trapped in a cycle of love and violence set against the backdrop of brutal Alaskan small town life.

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Remarkable.

Revisado: 11-14-24

I found this novel by turns touching, amusing, clever, poignant, triggering, suspenseful and touching. It absolutely merits the Best Audiobook of the Year award. The narration is spot-on, and the references to Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer gave it a specific time and place, and while referencing the original, it is a completely new and unique story. Captivating and brilliant.

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Raw and gripping

Revisado: 07-01-24

This is the heartbreaking story of two little girls, and how one of them came to understand that her father had secrets so dark that his entire family feared the outcome if anyone ever knew.
And it's also the story of an amazing woman who couldn't leave those secrets in the dark.
Truly remarkable. True Crime fans won't be able to stop until the end.

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Wow!

Revisado: 06-25-24

That was a heckuva tale!
I was on the edge of my seat by the end. It's kind of amazing that crimes were ever solved prior to forensic tools and the information age.
How would you react if you began to suspect your new husband was hiding something? When newlywed Cat gets a gut feeling that something's not right with her husband, what she uncovers will turn a lot of lives upside-down. And, it turns out, might cost hers.

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So much fun!

Revisado: 05-23-24

LitRPG with far, far less stats, the one thing that can really bog down the genre to the point of unreadability for some. This is a fantasy adventure that jumps right in to adventure and very slowly feeds the reader bits of the back story of a world ravaged by a war of mages. We follow a retired veteran of said war as he claims his pension; a farm with fields, woods, a house, two barns, six cows and a bull.
I chose this book because I had already really enjoyed the Nova Terra series, so I was excited to find a whole other series to devour. If you are a fan of the genre, you're going to enjoy this.

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Fantastic side trip

Revisado: 05-09-24

This shorter Stormlight Archive novel fleshes out the backgrounds of Lift, and of the executioner on her trail, whom she knows only by the name she's given him in her mind; Darkness.

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Brilliant, complex, intricate enormous

Revisado: 05-08-24

If you are on the fence, trying to decide whether to get this book, do it!
If you love fantasy, this book, and everything in these series (Stormlight or Mistborn or Alloy of Law) they're all amazing!

When you create a monument, you must begin with a solid foundation. Sanderson has created a brilliant system of magic, and a fascinating world full of vividly imagined flora and fauna, all shaped by the powerful storms lashing the planet's surface.
I believe the first time I listened to this was 2017, maybe '18. Coming back to it in 2024, I think I enjoyed it MORE. I loved it the first time I read it as well, but; it's not until now, several years and, last count in my library, 18 of his novels later, that with this re-reading I enjoy it in a different way. With not only Mistborn but also Alloy of Law and all the subsequent tales occurring in this world/plane/universe, this feels like bible stories and Greek or Roman mythology, and Aesop's fables, Knights of the Round Table

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Gritty, old school detective drama.

Revisado: 03-30-24

I will admit to having a special affection for Ed Harris. Regardless, I believe even an unbiased listener will concede that he did a fantastic job with this character.
A once revered homicide detective, Dietrich is only 18 months from retirement. The job has taken it's toll on his soul, and he drinks. A lot. In fact, he's a well known hard core alcoholic, but out of respect for his stellar career, the department has agreed to let him finish out his time doing the low priority murders; like this one: Batshit Bobby Mullen. He was batshit, a nuisance. And Dietrich has a pretty good idea who did this.
I really enjoyed this one. Short, well written and performed.
Excellent.

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The last city on Earth.

Revisado: 03-25-24

The last of humanity struggles to make the dwindling resources of a dying planet provide for the remaining population. The toxins and chemicals have rendered the oceans death zones, rain is sludge, and society is fractured. Thousands of sects have flourished and faded, but generally it is agreed that God is dead, or dying. Evolution has gone into some kind of high-speed death spiral, the Earth seems determined to achieve life forms with intelligence enough to survive the intense pressures put upon it. In all this chaos, people are eking out lives.
One of those people is our protagonist, whom we get to know as he recounts his experiences as a convict in the prison of the distant future. An island, of sorts, a floating wicker fortress, held afloat by huge pumps, which functions as a mineral collection operation, filtering chemicals from the toxic swamp in which it floats. We also learn how he ended up here.
This book is fantastical, feeling at times a bit like a Jules Vern adventure to the center of the Earth, with eldritch forms scuttling in the darkness.
It's so long that I had to 'read' it in parts.
There were moments when I was so engrossed in this book that everything else just disappeared. It's pretty dark, but if you enjoy sci-fi and fantasy, you're probably going to really enjoy this story.

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LitRPG. A little stat heavy...

Revisado: 03-02-24

This player is disabled while serving in the military. He learns about an immersive digital world which would free him from the physical and mental anguish of recovering from injuries, and living with his disabilties, but he will be living in the game. The system of magic is familiar. He theh proves himself to be uniquely abled during the initial evaluation and avatar creation stage, and thus earns a unique, and secret, class. Like a newborn in a new world, he begins to figure it out as he goes. But something is strange. There are very few magicians in a world clearly full of magic. I'd say these are very familiar tropes, but it's genre fiction, of course the tropes are familiar.
This book took a bit of effort to get into, but the central struggle is, if not relatable, I'd say universally sympathetic. The climactic scenes were suspenseful and satisfying, without being ridiculous, and Vikas Adam does his part to create an enjoyable escapist fantasy.
I've got book two cued up.

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