Cyn Newman

A good book, although it definitely has a YA feel to it. I started it because I was intrigued by the idea of an alternate take on “companions” - courtesans, what? Edun's writing style is smooth enough, although not really distinctive.

I give up. This book makes good points - some that I've been concerned about for years - but Turkle beats them to death with repetition and speaks little about what to do about solving the problems.

God resource

Short, sweet, and to the point. I read it in one sitting, but will definitely be going back forcer to it in the future. I recommend T to any professional as a good resource for learning to better negotiate for promotions, raises, and new jobs,

Wardbreaker starts with a bang and never lets up. Lillim Callina was born to hunt preternatural creatures, but she's run away from the job - only to find herself in a town ruled by them. Will she keep to herself or stay true to her training and fight?

I enjoyed this novel far more than the prior prequel, short story “Alone in the Dark.” I'm glad that I gave the series another chance!

More, please!

These two lovely stories from Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's universe dazzle as I've come to expect from them. First we visit Surebleak in the “present” of their timeline, then we go to the past in space with mentor Tolly Jones. I lost sleep because I couldn't put the book down, of course, and now I'm left wanting more, more, more!

Insipid, misogynist dreck

I got it for free and I want my money-and time! - back.

A quick look through the ridiculously gendered tips in the bonus material will tell you all that you need to know about this thing, which I hesitate to call a book. It's more like a regurgitation of articles from women's magazines over the years.

[b:Junkyard Druid 32440502 Junkyard Druid (Colin McCool Paranormal Suspense #1) M.D. Massey https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475554697s/32440502.jpg 53028175] made for great airport and on-flight during a recent trip. It was not so detail-dependent that I couldn't stop when necessary, but it was engaging enough to keep me going. In fact, it was so engaging that I'm going to look up the earlier Colin McCool story, and read anything else [a:M.D. Massey 7558748 M.D. Massey https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1460298757p2/7558748.jpg] writes in this setting. I'm more than willing to check out anything else he writes, as well.

I read this story in an anthology, and it was utterly delicious. I can't say enough good things about it, but I strongly encourage you to read it.

FINALLY! The cliffhanger at the end of [b:Bad Blood 15785231 Bad Blood (Kate Shugak #20) Dana Stabenow https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1353396907s/15785231.jpg 21503554] is resolved, or of course there would not be a #21. It's been so long (over four years!) since I read #20, though, that I had to go back and re-read the last bit of it to understand the beginning of this novel. That wasn't happy-making, and it had a negative effect on my ability to just dive in and enjoy the book.Once things got going, though, everything was good - it's still a five-star read. Kate is in fine form, although as usual she is definitely affected by recent events. We see a lot of Jim Chopin here - in fact, he figures as largely as Kate does. I'm not sure how I feel about that.Stabenow has always done a good job of showing us a Niniltna that grows and changes with the times, with people coming and going, being born and dying, which is realistic. That hurts at times when you're attached to the characters. I don't want to get into spoilers, but you'll see when you read it. And you should definitely read it!

Beautiful story

I was immediately drawn into Ryska's world, no long explanations or descriptions needed. Ballet is an evocative author and I look forward to far more from her in the future.

I first read Fredrickson's second book, [b:Love 2.0: How Our Supreme Emotion Affects Everything We Feel, Think, Do, and Become 15808839 Love 2.0 How Our Supreme Emotion Affects Everything We Feel, Think, Do, and Become Barbara L. Fredrickson https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1355846071s/15808839.jpg 21533482]. It blew me away, and I've recommended it hither and yon. I was definitely interested in her first book, but for one reason and another it took me a while to get around to it.This is an excellent audiobook. I enjoyed the presentation, and the information was absolutely fascinating. I'm going to have to go back and read (instead of listen to) some of the sections and take notes, but I'm definitely interested enough to do so!I'm particularly interested in the science-backed techniques Fredrickson recommends for improving one's positivity ratio. I'll be tracking mine as I try these techniques to see what happens. I strongly recommend the book, especially to anyone who is interested in combating negativity or the science of positive psychology.

This book represents a major change from the Iron Druid series, so I worked hard to set aside my expectations of Hearne based on loving those. A Plague of Giants is every bit as well-written as that series, maybe even better! Still, I didn't come away truly caring about the characters. That could have something to do with the way the story is presented, but I can't be sure about it.

The book just ends, very abruptly, with the notation, “Continued in volume two, A Blight of Blackwings.” That put me off somewhat. I like reading series, but with each volume I want a largely self-contained story, one with a beginning, middle, and ending. I understand leaving some plot threads unresolved, so as to build interest for the next book, but there's just too much left unresolved here. Will I read Blight when it's released? Maybe - but I'm unlikely to rush right out and buy it.

First, let it be known that I am an unabashed fangirl when it comes to Lee and Miller. That much has long been established. Should they care to publish their grocery lists, I would most likely purchase and read them.

That said, Neogenesis is an amazing book, even among their other marvelous works. I just finished it, and already I am planning a re-read. It isn't a good entry point for their universe, admittedly, for it ties together many different plot threads that were first spun out in earlier volumes. Lee and Miller tie up those loose ends masterfully.

I am tickled to have this be my first book purchased and read in 2018!

I just finished this book, which I listened to while driving. I find myself wishing that I'd read it on my Kindle, instead, in order to be able to take some notes. It's a rich read, full of mentions of people and studies that I'd like to have been able to look up.

I don't know that I completely agree with Hari, who posits that the vast majority of people are depressed without any sort of biological cause, but instead due to various types of disconnection. I can see that each of the connections he points out are important, and improving them could certainly help depression. However, I'm fairly certain that we've got a chicken and egg issue here. From what I understand, even if you don't initially become depressed due to a lack of certain neurotransmitters or what have you, being depressed can lead to the biological differences that can be treated with antidepressants. That's why those medications do work for a fair number of people who try them. He does talk about neuroplasticity, so maybe my quibbles are semantic.

The seven ways we are disconnected, according to Hari, are from:
1) meaningful work;
2) other people;
3) meaningful values;
4) childhood trauma;
5) status and respect;
6) the natural world;
7) a hopeful or secure future.

He does address how to reconnect on each of these issues later in the book. He also acknowledges that some (most?) of these issues are due to societal rather than individual failings. The fixes are beyond many people because of that, but the more we become aware of them the more we can work on fixing our society.

I found the book very good, and certainly thought-provoking. It isn't an easy read, but it is put together quite well. I recommend it!

Ok, it's been more than a year after I finished this thing, but for some reason, it wasn't marked “read” when I finished the Audible version. Now I'm left trying to remember specifics in order to write a review.

I recall it as having been an excellent book, and I was very excited about it at the time. I think I'll go back and re-listen to spark recall.

I was initially grumpy when I learned that the sixth book in The Others series wouldn't be set in the same place and with the same characters as the first five. I could understand Bishop wanting to stretch a little and explore the world more, though.

Now that I've read Lake Silence, I can admit that my earlier grumpiness was unwarranted. This book was just as engaging and enjoyable as the others, and I care just as much about the characters.

Excellent book, but I found Harris' voice a wee bit grating. That seems odd for a professional journalist (he's a career man with ABC News).

I first heard of this book when it was promoted along with the 10% Happier app during a mindfulness thing when I worked at Apple. I could have sworn that the subtitle had something in it about “Meditation for fidgety Skeptics” - or maybe that was the 10% Happier app? Anyway, that tagline interested me, so I got the book.

The whole thing is about Harris' journey from being a very high-strung fellow (who sounds like something of a jerk) to being almost TOO mellow, to figuring out the right balance. Meditation (with a little dash of Buddhist philosophy) was magic for him.

I just finished reading the entire Serrano Legacy series by [a:Elizabeth Moon 10518 Elizabeth Moon https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1199059504p2/10518.jpg], and I'm experiencing fiction letdown syndrome. You know, when you've been totally engaged in a marvelous world that's so believable, and then suddenly, it's over! It's hard to come back to this world afterwards.Moon mixes spaceships, horses, high-tech medicine, fencing, space battles, and religious fanaticism to create an amazingly believable universe. The Familias Regnant is a far-flung entity whose citizens follow many different belief systems. Its planets are tied together by ansibles and FTL ships, and protected by the Regular Space Service (aka the Fleet). Other societies mix more or less peacefully with the peoples of the Familias - Altiplano, The Benignity of the Compassionate Hand, various competing Texan worlds, and more. There are pirates, mutineers, assassins, and more, giving our heroes plenty of opportunities to shine.Give this series a read. You will not be disappointed!

Yet another delicious visit to the Liaden Universe! I absolutely adore Sharon Lee & Steve Miller's work, and this new chapbook stands very well with the rest of their oeuvre. I recommend it to both new and established readers.

The story is set back on Liad, in the Low Port. There's also a delightful vignette set on Surebleak that was a delight in and of itself.

Absolutely marvelous, but exhausting to read. It's so long, and so much of it is emotionally intense, that I feel worn out!

This was a good short story. I haven't read any other Shadowrun fiction to compare it with, but my Shadowrun game has been canceled due to the pandemic and I wanted a taste of that world. It was definitely worthwhile.

I do not give out many 5-star ratings, but for this book I couldn't do anything else. That is despite the fact that [a:Jim Butcher 10746 Jim Butcher https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1400640324p2/10746.jpg] did something I honestly didn't think he would do to his legions of loyal readers, something that I absolutely detest. Something that I will not tell you about, because I loathe spoilers. If you know anything about me, though, it means a great deal to say that even though I would drop most authors who use that particular technique like not just hot, but rotten hot potatoes, I cannot even consider not getting the next Dresden Files book and devouring it the very first millisecond I am able to do so.My family can attest to the fact that I didn't just laugh out loud while reading Changes. (Anybody who doesn't laugh out loud at least once while reading the Dresden Files should be checked for rigor mortis.) This time I laughed so loud and so long at one point that Sam got up and came into the room where I was to make sure that I was okay and getting enough air. There was absolutely no way for me to explain what was so funny, of course, without spoilers.While there is a great deal of humor, there is also darkness. A lot of darkness. The blurb for the book makes that clear. Susan, the love of Harry's life, kidnapped years ago by a Red Court vampire and half-turned in a plot to get at Dresden, is back with big, bad news: she had a daughter by him, and the child has been kidnapped by someone. As usual, things go downhill from there.Many series start out with a bang, have maybe two or three strong volumes, then devolve into more and more and more contract fulfillment books that I occasionally think might be written by clever shell scripts. The Dresden Files is one of the few, beautiful exceptions, as volume twelve proves. I honestly thought that Butcher was winding things up to move on to other projects, due to some of the events in the book, but I will say that he surprised the bejesus out of me. This is definitely not a series-ending book! I anxiously await number thirteen. I might even do something I've never done before, and pre-order it. Yes, Jim, you've got me hooked, and how.

Boring! If I hadn't been having trouble finding enough to read, I wouldn't have finished it. I thought there was too much talking in [b:Serpentine 36971855 Serpentine (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #26) Laurell K. Hamilton https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525814983l/36971855.SY75.jpg 51163351], but this volume takes the cake. While Anita is ostensibly in a small Michigan town because a therianthrope has been accused of a murder, the book mainly serves as a vehicle for interactions between her and Olaf. The ending is anti-climactic and the vast amounts of dialogue don't move the plot along in the least.Happily, there isn't even one sex scene in this one. I figure Hamilton must be responding to the hordes of people who stopped reading because there was so much explicit sex in the earlier books.

There I was, merrily reading along in this science fiction book. Then WHAM, [a:S. Ghali 17898688 S. Ghali https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png] ruined it completely. How? They depicted the main female character as having an irresistible attraction to the alien who was her enemy minutes before, a member of a race she's been raised to consider lower than animals. Of course, she doesn't understand what she's feeling, and I imagine she'll fight it to some extent, but that was it for me.

Set before [b:A Cold Day For Murder 271295 A Cold Day For Murder (Kate Shugak, #1) Dana Stabenow http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1335858112s/271295.jpg 3285671], this story would be an excellent introduction to the Kate Shugak series. I'm already a long-time fan, and I felt the magic all over again. In fact, I'm tempted to read the whole series all over again from the beginning, just because they're so incredibly good.The story opens while Kate is hibernating in her cabin, seven months or so after she resigned from her job as an investigator for the Anchorage D.A.'s office. There's a situation that needs to be handled in the Park, but the Ranger is off chasing a bank robber and besides, it's really more of a local issue. She's just the woman for the job - if she can be pulled out of her hermitage to do it.