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Trae

trae@bookrastinating.com

Joined 2 years, 11 months ago

Used to absolutely destroy a ton of books...now it's hard to get around to it.

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finished reading Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

Chuck Wendig: Wanderers (Paperback, 2020, Del Rey)

This is a hard review. The writing is amazing, as you would expect from Wendig. It's a crazy prediction of what happened during COVID-19, I had to keep reminding myself that it was written before the pandemic. Yet there were a number of things that nagged at me.

First, it really needed editing down. There was so much in this book that many parts came and went without any type a payoff or need to the story. Second, I felt Wendig got some of the details around religion wrong and you could tell it was written by someone that didn't quite understand the subject. Third, the ending was rough. It made the sort of turn that I wasn't expecting, nor did I want. Makes me double check if I want to read the next book.

reviewed Centers of Gravity by Marko Kloos

Marko Kloos: Centers of Gravity (Paperback, 2022, 47North)

Stranded light-years from home, Major Andrew Grayson and his crew are on a desperate mission …

Nice conclusion (I assume)

I enjoyed this. I think Kloos did a good job to not make this just cut-and-paste from the previous books. At times it became..."here we go again", but those were few and far between. I really enjoyed this series.

reviewed The terminal list by Carr, Jack (Joint pseudonym) (Terminal list -- 1)

Carr, Jack (Joint pseudonym): The terminal list (2018)

"A Navy SEAL has nothing left to live for and everything to kill for after …

Exactly what I thought it was

This was exactly what I thought it would be. I like to grab one or two of these types of books to simply see if the story is worth following. Read the first Reacher book, and a few Vince Flynn books. Neither really stuck, unlike Orphan series from Hurwitz. This was more entertaining than those, but really don't feel a need to continue the series.

reviewed Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson (Secret Projects, #1)

Brandon Sanderson: Tress of the Emerald Sea (EBook, 2023, Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC)

The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has …

Review of 'Tress of the Emerald Sea' on 'Goodreads'

This book was really good. A completely different voice for Sanderson, but fun to read. I’m not sure if I like the audiobook’s narrator for this book, although I love Michael Kramer. Excited to see what he has in store next in the Secret Series.

reviewed Mythos by Stephen Fry

Stephen Fry: Mythos (Paperback, 2017, Penguin Books, Limited)

Review of 'Mythos' on 'Goodreads'

Very well written. Fry does a great job of weaving the crazy stories into something more palpable. It does take a dip about 2/3rds of the way through, but other than that it's pretty good.

reviewed The Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis

C. S. Lewis: The Problem of Pain

The Problem of Pain is a 1940 book on the problem of evil by C. …

Review of 'The Problem of Pain' on 'Goodreads'

Interesting book. There were some really interesting things to look at and stuff to take advantage of but there was more here that I was unsure if I 100% agreed with as well. Liked that is stoked more thoughts than previous reads.

reviewed Tales of Pirx the Pilot / Return from the Stars / The Invincible by Stanisław Lem

Stanisław Lem: Tales of Pirx the Pilot / Return from the Stars / The Invincible (Paperback, 1982, Pengiun Books Ltd.)

In Pilot Pirx, Lem has created an irresistibly likable character: an astronaut who gives the …

Review of 'Tales of Pirx the Pilot / Return from the Stars / The Invincible' on 'Goodreads'

Better than I expected. The newest translation did a fantastic job of keeping my interest. I really wanted more. It feels like Jaws many times where the lack of details is more intense than just telling the reader. Going to look into more of Lem.

reviewed Evershore by Brandon Sanderson (Skyward, #3.1)

Brandon Sanderson, Janci Patterson: Evershore (2021, Delacorte Press)

From #1 bestselling author Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson comes the final of three Skyward …

Review of 'Evershore' on 'Goodreads'

This is probably the best novella of the 3. There was a real progress of soul and journey of the main character. Really looking forward to Sanderson’s next entry.

reviewed Dark Horse by Gregg Andrew Hurwitz

Gregg Andrew Hurwitz: Dark Horse (2022, Thorndike Press)

Review of 'Dark Horse' on 'Goodreads'

Liked this one as a personal dig into X and how he loves forward as a human not just an assassin. Looking forward to how it moves forward although not super happy about the epilogue and how it implies the direction, feels like a step back in narrative direction.

reviewed Nolyn by MIchael J. Sullivan

MIchael J. Sullivan: Nolyn (2021, Grim Oak Press)

After more than five hundred years of exile, the heir to the empyre is wary …

Review of 'Nolyn' on 'Goodreads'

Really enjoyed this book. Not sure if it’s because I’m in a different place or due to the author taking fan notes, but this opener is significantly better than any of the previous series books. First Empyre was ok, and many of the people are referenced here but this is the book we wanted to read. Pure Sullivan proses, concise and yet descriptive, and loads of fun and heart.