Reviews and Comments

Learned a huge amount. Used an entire pack of sticky flags. Will need to go back over those flags and hopefully do some note-taking. My only complaint was that I wanted more about Syria. I felt like the book didn't give as much focus there, but I also realize there's only so much room in one book. I'll just have to keep reading more.

This grabbed me and didn't let go. I do wish there'd been a page at the end--just one scene--where someone involved explained to someone less involved exactly what happened and why. Really spelled it out for those of us who loved the ride but might have gotten a little dizzy along the way. Very Inception in that sense, no hand-holding which I admire, but could have used...just a little.

The concepts were brilliant. I loved all the questions this brought to my mind about deepfakes and truth and the power of culture and who controls it.

I really enjoyed this collection from fifty years of Copper Canyon Press poetry. It was interesting to see the shift in styles and topics as the years progressed, and having it all in one place helped me analyze the poetry I like best versus what doesn't turn me on. There are over 300 poems in this collection, so if you're looking to find a new-to-you poet to read, this is a great anthology to give you choices.

This has almost everything I love, and you can pet the dog and the cat. Fantasy mystery with conspiracy, magic books, (queer) relationships, nerd with sweet/sarcastic bodyguard, and did I mention magic books?

This is a solid story with good writing and plot that I found pretty dull. Also, the reveal turned out to be a huge trigger for me, so that wasn't great right before bed.

I really loved this. Utomi does a fabulous job of keeping this fable-feeling story from being bogged down by formula. Instead, he nods to the pacing of fable and myth while keeping the story lively and with smart twists. I'm looking forward to the next one.

I didn't finish this collection--stopping two stories and 100 pages from the end. There wasn't anything wrong with the writing or the stories, I just found them boring.

I cried the first time at page 19. Then, I cried intermittently throughout until by the end I was just openly weeping. Some of that might be my own life reflected back at me (the marriage, the children, the longing for a Palestine that no longer is and family that no longer speaks), but even if that isn't your experience, I think Alyan has written something truly special.

This felt like he just took the outline of Virtual Light and rewrote it with a different cast. That might have been fine if I'd read it years after, but I just read VL the day before, so it was annoying. I also didn't find the environments in this one to be as clear or well-described. I loved it up until Chia gets to the restaurant/flat, but then it lost its intensity for me.

I just sank right into this. I love what Gibson does with character--how he uses the absurdity of reality to make fiction feel authentic. This one has a serious case of McGuffin-itis, but I didn't care because I just wanted to keep hearing Gibson's version of people and place in my head.

This was a re-read. The mastery of sentence and story in this novel is incredible. Plus, I love his future-gazing. He does a great job except for thinking we'd get there sooner than we will.

I didn't know if I'd like this or not. I no longer live in the area, and that snarkiness is no longer part of my life...but Vowell manages restraint. Occasionally, I wished she'd let the joke stand rather than stomp on it in the next sentence, but whatever. Bennett's t-shirts delighted me, and I hope they were real. The history was fascinating. I loved the connections she made between then and now. I think some of the historical info here won't be new for many people, but I grew up in Maryland around much of this, and still found plenty to learn. I also had NO idea about the Oneida company origins, and the book would have been worth reading just for that weird aside.

I found this fast-paced and hard to put down. The plot A of overcoming grief combined with the plot B of a mystery hole on a planet worked well together, both literally and metaphorically. (if a little obvious) I didn't find the end quite satisfied, because while the plot A is resolved, the plot B left a lot of questions unanswered. As such, it felt less like a novel and more like a long short story in structure. The character dynamics were the most page-turning part of the book, imo. I also liked the small details and tech strewn throughout that gave everything veracity and depth.