Mari

Excuse the vagueness as I try not to spoil anything specific in this book.

The most interesting things about this book are the battle at Alamance, a bear, and a snake bite. There was also a journal, and Roger gets into some fun adventures. Every other character was a bore. That's it.

Claire and Brie were strong heroines until this book, where they languish in child care for about 80% of the story. Alamance allowed a glimpse of the Claire we know and love from the first novel, and Brie gets some good hunting in, but beyond that, the situation for these capable ladies is grim.

Skip this one on your Outlander odyssey; it has about 10 different subplots that fizzle out. I miss the pacing and high stakes of the first 3 books.

This book does a lot of heavy-lifting, world-building in the first third with massive exposition about things learned organically later in the book.

There are also a lot of named characters that disappear including Mr. Easter Egg himself, Hoid. Then, the the perspective shift from Kelsier to Vin eased me into the rest of the story.

I also really appreciated how well-fleshed out Vin was by the end. Men writing women in sci-fi can be a tough but Sanderson pulls it off. Vin's arc takes off as she matures and starts to confront her abandonment issues as the story goes on. I'm so very glad the Vin-Eland <spoiler>meet-cute </spoiler> didn't take away Vin's agency or take over the entire story too. Dress descriptions were a little overdone but forgivable as Vin settled into her role.

The court espionage was a fun yet sometimes slow runaway train as Kelsier's plan against the Lord Ruler spiraled. Kliss and Shan were especially a delight. I didn't see the ending coming and was able to just enjoy the reveals.

I'm not generally a high fanatsy or hardcore sci-fi reader, but this book was an easy and fun entry point into those genres. If anyone is on the fence, this is your sign to give Mistborn a try.

This book bravely asks what would happen if we follow a strong female lead from Lemony Snickett's Series of Unfortunate Events into Terminator but the plot suddenly Alex Macked into Kung Fury.

I almost DNF'ed this one but I just couldn't look away after page 156.

At its core this story could've been solely about female self-actualization, empowerment, and strength. Laura and Thelma are such badasses and watching them overcome so much adversity in their lives was pretty thrilling, so their relationship was one of the only things that kept me reading. Then, the story betrays all that character-building by launching into a very pulpy second half with some hysterical character reveals.

Maybe Stefan's backstory should've been introduced in pieces earlier than halfway through the book? But even then I don't think that would've made me want him gone any less. Yes, I have the gal to read a book with time-traveling Nazis and say the ending was too contrived but hear me out:

There is no conceit under the sun that could make a Nazi relatable.

If destiny is immutable, then stick to your guns.

The Hunger Games is an interesting story from a first person present point-of-view of Katniss Everdeen, a teenage girl from a coal-mining district. Katniss is established as a tough, Bear Grylls kind of girl with a fierce loyalty to her little sister and bottomless distrust of her unstable mother. There are moments when Katniss is inconsistent and waivers, but overall the story uneasily stands on its own two feet. The first third of the book could have been half as long but establishes the supporting cast fairly well. The garbled shreds of quasi-relationship between Gale and Katniss was weak sauce at best and could have been easily cut without altering the rest of the book. Somehow, the dynamic between Katniss and Peeta doesn't become too contrived or mushy for too long. Clearly, the strongest part of the book, the meat of the story, are the games themselves, although this book fights hard not to disintegrate into unrecoverable teen drama. I hope the next installment will be lighter on the repetitive lists of foodstuffs and dinner scenes, when the most important conversations during the Games happen away from the table. My love for Koushun Takami's Battle Royale will keep me invested in Katniss' struggle against The Capitol in hopes that the story will continue to claw itself farther away from young adult and into something more.

This is less one sci-fi novel and more a collection of short stories as we get to know this Pilgrim Fellowship on their way to undermine the Hegemony. All stories are radically different but equally interesting. What a ballsy way to start a book with the Priest's tale! I was cast down an oubliette of horrors only to be yanked out of a funk by Kassad's warrior tale—very cool Edge of Tomorrow Live Die Repeat vibes. The Poet's Tale was a dirty-mouthed romp with a few laughs and a ton of time-trippy scenery. I welcomed Silenus sardonically chewing scenery for most of the book. Wientraub's tale was equal parts heartwarming and heart-wrenching. Then, Brawne Lamia's tale felt like a noir nod to Bladerunner. Merin and Siri's story was a little creepy, but I was a too enthralled with time debt details and couldn't look away. Still wondering why dolphins would miss sharks? All in all this was a fun read, but I'm kind of peeved the book ended before delivering the goods.

Best book I've read this year so far, so good I read it twice. Exciting and heartbreaking. Couldn't put it down!

Bean's story is almost more intriguing than Ender's; his origins are a mystery and future even more uncertain. Ender's Shadow has the advantage of not needing to establish a whole world, which allows the story to focus solely on characters. Bean is a formidable character, but also such a victim that I was even pulling for him to exact revenge on a few characters. The end was believable and made me misty-eyed, which I never expect from sci-fi.

High school me couldn't comprehend how this book could make my adult heart ache. Beautiful, entrancing, and sad all in one.

A witty first few chapters gives into a plodding pace for the rest of the book.

This is one of those books that you kind of wonder why didn't you think of it yourself. The gods are well-written but the humans fall short, which is a huge negative since the second half centers around the humans. The allegorical journey to Hades to save a dead friend had a few unexpected turns, especially the inner workings of the spirit society. Gods Behaving Badly wasn't a terrible read but it wasn't the best read either.

Beautiful writing, intense content–I'm glad I read this memoir. Although, I'm also so sad and angry about how religion, mental illness, and abuse broke this family. Every chapter is heartwrenching.

Anthony Bourdain is a well-traveled, unapologetic chef who has been at the bottom of the barrel and can appreciate the stunning simplicity of sashimi or arepa as well as plates crafted through molecular gastronomy.

He knows the ins and outs of eating out and offers some valuable tips too along with some industry terms and Spanish you should never, ever repeat in polite company.

The observations about eating in any city, from New York to Tokyo, are stark and truthful. The man tells it like it is — jet lag is a bitch and sometimes all your soul needs is comfort food no matter where your are in this world.

If you follow Bourdain's television shows, then this book is right down your alley. If you're easily offended but still like reading food stories, then this book is worth stepping outside your comfort zone.

Magical thinking was one of my first forays into reading memoirs, and Augusten Burroughs did not disappoint. I laughed aloud countless times while reading this memoir, and never have I loved looking like a kooky book nerd more than while reading about Burrough's adventures in advertising.

Outlander is one of the most intensely researched time-travel novels I've ever read. This books transcends the Time-Travel genre into full-fledged novel. The characters are fleshed out realistically, athough there were a few farcical moments late in the book. Outlander does for time-travel romance what Braveheart did for war movies.

This was a disappointing venture back into the lives of Alexandra and Douglas Sherbrooke's family. The Sherbrooke Twins, Jason and James, themselves were fairly flat characters while the ladies, Corrie and Judith, were so-so. Alex, Douglas, and their faithful manservant, Willcombe, stole the show whenever they were on the page. The intrigue surrounding the attempts on Douglas' life were thrilling enough, which left me wanting more excitement and less parlor room and ball scenes. Any external or internal dialogue from the twins was just uninteresting. The only enduring bits from this whole misadventure was another marriage into the Sherbrooke family and one of the twins' self-exile to America. The next book in the Bride Series, Lyons Gate, has more potential momentum going in than Sherbrooke Twins had all together.

While all the earlier books in The Bride series are steller for the most part, Lyon's Gate left me cold and empty. Jason Sherbrooke is a good character with a good set of personal morals, but towards the end he just turns into every other Regency lordling by being forced into marriage due to compromising rumors. Since both Jason and Hallie are stubborn, I thought they would actually stay true to themselves and not marry. If this were any other twosome, I would expect a marriage by the end of this book, but because of the tragic events in Jason's life and less-than-desirable events of Hallie's love life, I thought for once the outcome would be different. My mistake. This book had lots of potential but fell short; it failed its characters and failed me.

Still enjoyable the second time around! Tabitha does have a little self-improvement arc as she stops being a spoiled beat and starts thinking about how her decisions affect other people. Colin of Ravenshaw is honor-bound and endearing the whole way through. Also, there's snow at one point! So I'm considering this a fun holiday read filled with magic, ghosts, and legends. 💕

Usually I go for the paper-and-glue versions of books, but the audio book for A Walk in the Woods was even more riveting and entertaining. Bill Bryson has such a dry sense of humor that it can only be truly appreciated in audio form. I also loved hiking from an everyman's perspective. By having the story of challenging the Appalachian Trail by someone who hasn't been training or marathon hiking his whole life, I was brought into the story more easily and could appreciate every little laugh and hardship all the more.

Wow, what a speeding bullet train of Eurocentric philosophy! But I'm here for it. This is possibly the densest, messiest little book I've ever read with philosophers and their ideas even peeking out from margins in the form of comics and anecdotes. I expected a fun philosophy refresher since my university literary theory course years ago but what I got was a messy, philosophical Choose Your Own Adventure. Still, I'd recommend this book just the same for its ambitious scope and unique execution.

The first installment of the trilogy was the strongest. Mockingjay suffers from lack of good pacing and organization, and is inevitably the weakest installment ofthe trilogy. By the end of all the seemingly endless pain and misery, I was just as tired as the characters. Whole chunks of soldiering around in District 13 could have been cut without affecting the story. I was a big fan of the President Snow and Katniss dynamic, Katniss' mental deterioration, and Peeta's role in this book. Beyond that, the story becomes convoluted by unnecessary characters when it stagnates in District 13. Not a bad ending, but I'm glad it ended. At least I feel the characters earned their ending, which is more than I can say about some other bestsellers. The Hunger Games is fine as a trilogy, but the overall story could have been tighter and more polished as one novel.