This set of mini-reviews is a little different that others — I’m going to talk about two recently-completed trilogies that I’ve enjoyed since the first books came out. The first is a YA fantasy series where the magical elite, the Grisha, manipulate matter down to the very atom to summon and mold the basic elements in [...]
Book Review
This post originally appeared on Book Riot. In “Buy, Borrow, Bypass,” Book Riot contributors give brief reviews of their recent reads and advise whether you should buy, borrow, or bypass them. I’ve always had a bit of a dark streak in my reading life. I love a good true crime story and often pick up memoirs [...]
It’s taken me forever to try and write a review for The Map Thief by Michael Blanding, which came out on May 29 from from Gotham. It was the book I chose for my May pick for Bloggers Recommend, but I’ve been having such hard time expanding on that little blurb: In 2005, the small world [...]
Since June is Audio Book Month, I want to share quick reviews of two audio books that I thought were a ton of fun: The Martian by Andy Weir and Veronica Mars and the Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham. The Martian by Andy Weir (read by R.C. Bray) Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney [...]
B.J. Novak was one of the authors I was most excited to see at the LA Times Festival of Books. For one, he was a writer/actor on one of my favorite shows, The Office. And for two, Florinda (The 3R’s Blog) told me his first collection of short stories was worth reading, even for someone like me who [...]
Title: The $11 Billion Year: From Sundance to the Oscars, an Inside Look at the Changing Hollywood System Author: Anne Thompson Genre: Nonfiction Year: 2014 Publisher: Newmarket for It Books Acquired: From the publisher for review consideration [rating:3.5/5] Review: Why do some movies succeed while others fail? How does marketing — domestically and across the globe [...]
Like many readers, I love the feeling of getting so caught up in a book that you just can’t put it down. That’s what happened with both of the books I’m sharing with you today, We Were Liars by e. lockhart and Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. We Were Liars by e. lockhart A beautiful and distinguished family. A [...]
Title: Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation Author: Blake J. Harris Genre: Narrative Nonfiction Year: 2014 Publisher: It Books Acquired: From the publisher for review consideration [rating:4.5/5] Review: I’m not much of a gamer, but I have a soft spot for books about video games (see: Extra Lives by Tom Bissell), [...]
Title: The Empathy Exams: Essays Author: Leslie Jamison Genre: Essays Year: 2014 Publisher: Graywolf Press Acquired: Purchased [rating:5/5] Note: Portions of this post appeared at Book Riot as part of the Best Books We Read in April. Review: I love to read personal essays, but it’s been awhile since I found a collection that knocked me back on [...]
Title: The Secretary: A Journey with Hillary Clinton from Beirut to the Heart of American Power Author: Kim Ghattas Genre: Nonfiction Year: 2013 Publisher: Picador Acquired: Purchased [rating:5/5] Note: Seeds of this post originally appeared on Book Riot as a contribution to the Best Books We Read in March. Review: When Hillary Clinton agreed to work for [...]
