Category: Best for 14 and up
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To Kill a Mockingbird: The Greatest?
To Kill a MockingbirdBy: Harper LeeMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up The Great American Novel Wow. So many thoughts. I loved to read when I was teenager, but I hated when teachers told me WHAT to read. I suspect that’s the real reason why I’m One Man Book Club. I…
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The Legend of Eli Monpress
The Spirit Thief (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #1)The Spirit Rebellion (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #2)The Spirit Eater (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #3)The Spirit War (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #4)Spirit’s End (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #5)By: Rachel AaronMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up Eli’s still got…
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Elantris: This book gets me
ElantrisBy: Brandon SandersonMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up This book gets me March 2023Turns out, if I wait 10 years to re-read my favorite books, it’s just like reading them again for the first time! My original review of Elantris still holds true: Brandon Sanderson’s style just works for me.…
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Green Angel, Green Witch: Pain and Whimsy
Green Angel (Green Angel, Book 1)Green Witch (Green Angel, Book 2)By: Alice HoffmanMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 14 and up Pain and whimsy Clearly, Alice Hoffman knows pain. She writes sadness like it’s an old, unwelcome friend. But like any sad story, it’s not the pain that makes it great. It’s how…
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Shadow and Bone Trilogy: A Love…Quadrilateral?
Shadow and Bone (Shadow and Bone, Book 1)Siege and Storm (Shadow and Bone, Book 2)Ruin and Rising (Shadow and Bone, Book 3)By: Leigh BardugoMy Rating: Three out of Five StarsBest for: 14 and up Everyone loves a good love quadrilateral, right? I figured it was time to give Shadow and Bone a go–I’ve had all…
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The Inheritance Games: Knives Out x The Westing Game x every YA book, ever!
The Inheritance Games (The Inheritance Games, #1)The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games, #2)The Final Gambit (The Inheritance Games, #3)By: Jennifer Lynn BarnesMy Rating: Four out of five starsBest for: 14 and up Knives Out x The Westing Game x every YA novel ever written It’s been a while since I read an actual factual YA…
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The Secret Keeper: Kate Morton is a story weaver
The Secret KeeperBy: Kate MortonMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: Advanced 14 and up Kate Morton is a story weaver! My favorite stories surprise me. Sometimes it’s the engaging mystery, other times it’s the characters themselves. Many times it’s a great twist ending. Kate Morton is good at all the above, and her…
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The Wheel of Time 12-14: I’M DONE! [happy dance]
![The Wheel of Time 12-14: I’M DONE! [happy dance]](https://onemanbookclubdotblog.files.wordpress.com/2022/04/91ot9wk-dsl_1024x1024402x.jpg?w=1024)
The Wheel of Time 12-14The Gathering StormTowers of MidnightA Memory of LightBy: Robert Jordan and Brandon SandersonMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up A journey of 12,000 pages starts at page 1 Quick! Ask me if I’ve read The Wheel of Time! Why yes! Yes I have! I’m done! I’m done!…
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The Last Dragonslayer: Magnificent Nonsense!
The Last Dragonslayer (The Last Dragonslayer, #1)The Song of the Quarkbeast (The Last Dragonslayer, #2)The Eye of Zoltar (The Last Dragonslayer, #3)The Great Troll War (The Last Dragonslayer, #4)By: Jasper FfordeMy Rating: Four out of five stars.Best for: 14 and up Magic, dragons, and a whole lot of magnificent nonsense! I’ve decided to officially join…
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The Wheel of Time, Books 6-11: I can see the light…
The Wheel of Time 6-11Lord of ChaosA Crown of SwordsThe Path of DaggersWinter’s HeartCrossroads of TwilightKnife of DreamsBy: Robert JordanMy Rating: Four out of five stars.Best for: 14 and up A journey of 12,000 pages starts at page 1 If you’ve been with me for a while, you’ll know I’ve been putting off reading The…
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Archangel One: War! In! Space!
Archangel One (Archangel One, #1)Archangel Rising (Archangel One, #2)By: Evan CurrieMy Rating: Four out of five stars.Best for: 14 and up Finally, a true military-in-space story! I’ve read plenty of spaceship books, but I’ve never read one that I’d consider convincingly militaristic. This story is–military strategy, complexity, military roles, war ship configuration and function, stuff…
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A Book Club Guest Review of The Camel Club
The Camel ClubBy: David BaldacciReviewer Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up Conspiracies and more conspiraciesGuest book review by Julie H Q: What’s the book about? Oliver Stone–not his real name–has three real friends. They are all rather eccentric in their own special fields. They call themselves The Camel Club and meet…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Patriot Games
Patriot GamesBy: Tom ClancyReviewer Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up Don’t make the IRA angry . . .Guest book review by Julie H Q: What’s the book about? Jack Ryan, before he became a famous analyst! On vacation he impulsively jumps into the chain of a bombing and saves the Prince…
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A Book Club Guest Review of American Assassin: A Thriller
American Assassin: A ThrillerBy: Vince FlynnGuest Reviewer Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 14 and up Revenge and retaliationGuest review by Julie H Q: What’s this book about? Mitch Rapp is a college student whose girlfriend was on a hijacked plane. When she died, he wanted revenge on the terrorists and anything to do…
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A Book Club Guest Review A Disciple’s Life: biography of Neal A Maxwell
A Disciples Life: biography of Neal A MaxwellBy: Bruce C HafenGuest Reviewer Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up The life and beliefs of an amazing manGuest Review by Julie H Q: What’s this book about? A: It’s about the life and beliefs of Neal Maxwell. There are detailed accounts of stories…
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A Book Club Guest Review of The Boys in the Boat
The Boys in the BoatBy: Daniel James BrownGuest Reviewer Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up This story’s going to stay with me a long, long timeGuest review buy Catina Haverlock Spoiler: The University of Washington’s 9-man varsity rowing team comprised of poor and blue collar boys, shocks the world by winning…
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The Dragon Reborn: I’m finally starting to get it!
The Dragon Reborn (The Wheel of Time, Book 3)By: Robert JordanMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest For: 14 and up FINE! I’ll read The Wheel of Time! I’ve been desperately avoiding The Wheel of Time series for years now. Even I, book nerd extraordinaire, am put off by the 14 book, 12,000 page commitment.…
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#Foundation: Ambitious!
FoundationBy: Isaac AsimovMy Rating: Four out of five starsBest for: Ambitious 14-year-olds and up One word? Ambitious. You don’t really review the classics. You just share your experience. I finished Foundation by Isaac Asimov a couple of days ago, and it’s been rolling around in my head ever since. The word my thoughts keep coalescing…
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#Lux: More Reckoners? Yes, please!
Lux (Texas Reckoners, Book 1)By: Brandon Sanderson and Steven BohlsMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 14 and up More Reckoners? Yes, please! I’ve been apprehensive about embracing Sanderson, Inc. In 2021, Brandon Sanderson released five books–Four 4 of them written (co-written?) by former students of his writing class at BYU. I’m nervous for…
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#Nightwalker: Paranormal mystery, anyone?
NightwalkerBy: Elissa C. NysetvoldMy Rating: Three out of five starsBest for: 14 and up Who’s up for a paranormal mystery? I’m always on the look out for new authors who do great work and deserve to get their books out there, so I was happy to take a look at Nightwalker by Elissa Nysetvold. Innocent…
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#TheGreatHunt: Fine! I’ll Read The Wheel of Time!
The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time, Book 2)By: Robert JordanMy Rating: Four out of five starsBest For: 14 and up FINE! I’ll read The Wheel of Time! I’ve been desperately avoiding The Wheel of Time series for years now. Even I, book nerd extraordinaire, am put off by the 14 book, 12,000 page commitment.…
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#TheEyeoftheWorld: FINE! I’ll Read The Wheel of Time!
The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time, Book 1)By: Robert JordanMy Rating: Four out of five starsBest For: 14 and up FINE! I’ll read The Wheel of Time! I’ve been desperately avoiding The Wheel of Time series for years now. Even I, book nerd extraordinaire, am put off by the 14 book, 12,000…
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#TheAndromedaStrain: Impressive Science, Disappointing Fiction
The Andromeda StrainBy: Michael CrichtonMy Rating: Three out of five starsBest for: 14 and up Classic Crichton, Pointless Crichton I’ve read nearly everything Michael Crichton wrote. I read Jurassic Park in high school (before it was a movie) and many times since. I’ve read Airframe, Eaters of the dead, The Great Train Robbery, The Terminal…
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#InsteadofThreeWishes: Marvelously Magical Short Stories
Instead of Three Wishes: Magical Short StoriesBy: Megan Whalen TurnerMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 14 and up How does an author show off? They write short stories. There’s just something about a short story that warms my book-loving heart. Novels are an amazing feat, to be sure. But when an author fits…
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#Spellslinger: Oh, how I wanted to love this!
Spellslinger (Spellslinger, #1)Shadowblack (Spellslinger, #2)Charmcaster (Spellslinger, #3Soulbinder (Spellslinger, #4)Queenslayer (Spellslinger, #5)Crownbreaker (Spellslinger, #6)By: Sebastien de CastellMy Rating: Three out of Five StarsBest For: 14 and up Oh, how I wanted this to be amazing! I’ve had this series on my TBR for a while. I pre-purchased the first four books and was just waiting for…
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A Book Club Guest Review of The Book of Lost Names
The Book of Lost NamesBy: Kristin HarmelGuest Reviewer Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 12 and up Lost people of the Holocaust foundGuest Review by Julie Hilton An old woman with a boring history suddenly decides to take a trip to Germany after reading about Berlin librarian’s attempts to return books to rightful owner…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Deadly Secret
Deadly SecretsBy: Frank RichardsonGuest Reviewer Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up From Homeless to Hunted to HelperGuest Review by Julie Hilton Rick, a guy who’s bounced around the foster care system, is now a homeless man. He’s a good guy and helps a woman one night but it gets him mistaken…
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#TheWitnessfortheDead: Amazing, but don’t step on the Legos…
The Witness for the Dead (The Goblin Emperor, Book 2)By: Katherine AddisonMy Rating: Three out of Five StarsBest for: Advanced 14 and up I’m a huge fan of The Goblin Emperor. You might be too, if you appreciate intricate drama, courtly intrigue, and micro-detailed world building. Check it out. But also watch out, because when…
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#TheBoysintheBoat: Amazing History Comes Alive!
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin OlympicsBy: Daniel James BrownMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!Best for: 14 and up I grew up in Seattle. While I haven’t called the Pacific Northwest home for many years, I still carry with me an affection–or maybe…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Cold Sassy Tree
Cold Sassy TreeBy: Olive Ann BurnsReviewer Rating: Three out of Three StarsBest For: 14 and up Much Ado About N-O-T-H-I-N-G, NothingGuest review by Catina Haverlock It’s 1906 and the town of Cold Sassy, GA is in an uproar when Rucker Blakeslee, the town’s general store owner, and highly respected citizen of the small community, marries…
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#SpinningSilver: Write like a boss.
Spinning SilverBy: Naomi NovikMy Rating: Four out of Five starsBest for: Ambitious Readers 14 and Up To me, Naomi Novik will always be connected to Temeraire, the revisionist history series about the Napoleonic Wars fought on the backs of dragons. (No typos–you read that right!) I was curious to find out how she tackles fairy…
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#QB: My Life Behind the Spiral–Steve Young Drinks Milk
QB: My Life Behind the SpiralBy: Steve Young, with Jeff BenedictMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up This was a surprise! I’ve had NFL great Steve Young’s biography sitting in my Audible Library for a while, but always found a reason to skip it. I generally opt for fiction over reality…
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A Book Club Guest Review of A Haunting at Havenwood
A Haunting at Havenwood (Seasons of Change, Book 6)By: Sally BrittonReviewer Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 14 and up Cute regency mystery with a touch of romanceReview by Charity Bradford I’m not usually a regency fan, but I liked that this woman’s change of circumstance brought her into her own. It was really…
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#SkippingChristmas: A new Christmas Tradition
Skipping Christmas My Rating: Four out of five stars By: John Grisham Best For: 14 and up Oh gosh, I’ve just been reading some other reviews of Skipping Christmas–and laughing out loud at the disdain for the grumpy Kranks and their nosey neighbors. So many one-star reviews! Obviously, some people take their reading much too…
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A Book Club Guest Review of The Story of Awkward
The Story of AwkwardBy: R. K. RyalsReviewer Rating: FIVE out of FIVE Stars!Best for: 14 and up Wonderful look inside the world of AwkwardReview by Julie Hilton Peregrine Stork is awkward. Because of it she has been bullied her whole life. She has found a great way to deal with it. She carries a sketchbook…
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#WarCar: It’s as fun as it sounds
War Car (Kingdom of Engines, Book 2) By: Nathan Van Coops My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 14 and up Sword Fight: Kingdom of Engines, Book 1 was a Mad Max/King Arthur/[Insert teen drama TV series here] mashup I loved and didn’t even know I needed. It was a blast to read,…
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#SwordFight: Mad Max+King Arthur+Beverly Hills 90210=a mashup I didn’t even know I needed
Sword Fight (Kingdom of Engines, Book 1) By: Nathan Van Coops My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best For: 14 and up Nathan Van Coops, time-travel extraordinaire, has changed gears with his latest–Sword Fight: Kingdom of Engines. It was the perfect summer popcorn read, and I had a BLAST with it! What’s a popcorn…
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#TheHeroandtheCrown: WE HAVE DRAGONS!
The Hero and the Crown (Damar, Book 2) By: Robin McKinley My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 14 and up Yea! Dragons! When I read The Blue Sword, Robin McKinley’s pioneering YA Fantasy, I said any story that features a strong girl who wields a magic sword and rides a cool horse…
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#TheBlueSword: Strong Girl + Magic Sword + Cool Horse = Classic 80’s YA Fantasy!
The Blue Sword By: Robin McKinley My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best For: 14 and up Ah, the 80’s! The music! The movies! The clothes! The books? Wait…the books? Yes! The 80’s were a glorious decade for books! Steven King and Tom Clancy were at the top of their games. So were John…
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#DeathsDoor: Did you know Edgar Allan Poe could time travel?
Death’s Door (The Immortal Descendants, Baltimore Mysteries #1) By: April White My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE Stars Best for: 14 and up April White writes the stories I want to read! I hope you’ll check out her Immortal Descendants series. It’s time travel, shape-shifters, and vampires (who don’t sparkle). It brings to life the…
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#TheLightofAllThatFalls: A truly grand finale!
The Light of All That Falls (The Licanius Trilogy, Book 3) By: James Islington My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars! Best for: 14 and up James Islington read Mistborn and The Name of the Wind and thought “I can do that!” So he did. As far as debut novels go, I don’t know I’ve…
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#AnEchoofThingstoCome: Now that’s how to do book 2!
An Echo of Things to Come (The Licanius Trilogy, Book 2) By: James Islington My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE STARS! Best for: 14 and up James Islington read Mistborn and The Name of the Wind and thought “I can do that!” So he did. As far as debut novels go, I don’t know I’ve…
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#TheShadowofWhatWasLost: Ambitious, complex, and…magical!
The Shadow of What Was Lost (The Licanius Trilogy, Book 1) By: James Islington My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 14 and up James Islington read Mistborn and The Name of the Wind and thought “I can do that!” So he did. As far as debut novels go, I don’t know I’ve…
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#Unwind: Teenagers beware…
Unwind (Unwind, Book 1) By: Neal Shusterman My Rating: Three out of Five Stars Best for: 14 and Up I’m gonna give this a “meh.” Unwind has been on my Mount TBR for years, and I finally decided to give it a try because I loved Scythe, another Neal Shusterman book (that I highly recommend).…
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#TheKingdomofBack: To never be forgotten…
The Kingdom of Back By: Marie Lu My Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!!! Best for: 14 and up I love fantasy. I love historical fiction. I love music. I love to be surprised. I love learning new things. I love books that inspire me. The Kingdom of Back is all of those. I loved…
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#TheToll: Thou Shalt Kill. Folks, we have a winner!
Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, Book 1) Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe, Book 2) The Toll (Arc of a Scythe, Book 3) By: Neal Shusterman My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE STARS! Best for: Advanced 14 and up What a great story! I loved the Arc of a Scythe trilogy. It’s original, new, relevant, exciting,…
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#Thunderhead: Still Kills
Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe, Book 2) By: Neal Shusterman My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars Best for: Advanced 14 and up Book 2 is done. I’m still impressed. It’s original, new, relevant, exciting, interesting, thoughtful… …and uncomfortable. How’s this for our future: The “Cloud” grew up, became sentient, and took over the world.…
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#Scythe: This book kills.
Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, Book #1) By: Neal Shusterman My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars Best for: Advanced 14 and up I’m impressed. Scythe felt original, new, relevant, exciting, interesting, thoughtful… …and uncomfortable. How’s this for our future: An impartial, flawless AI has taken over the world government. Government is perfect. Everyone is…
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#Archenemies (Renegades #2): More superheros, anyone?
Archenemies (Renegades #2) By: Marissa Meyer My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 14 and up More superheros, anyone? The angsty-teenager-in-love-double-agent-superhero-book-full-of-YA-cliches is back for part two! It took me a book and a half, but I think I’m over the things that annoyed me in book 1. The eye-roll-inducing stuff is still there,…
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#Renegades: Super! (Kind of…)
Renegades (Renegades #1) By: Marissa Meyer My Rating: Three out of five stars Best For: 14 and up A book about superheroes? Yes! Is the book super? Not really, but it’s okay. It’s total YA, so start plugging in all the necessities. The parents are dead, protagonist is an outsider, the adults are useless, token…
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#Singularity: What defines a soul?
The Legacy Human The Duality Bridge By: Susan Kaye Quinn My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 14 and up Ah, the treasure hunt. I’m a dork, I know. It’s just that there are few things as satisfying in the reading word than finding an unknown story that deserves to be told. The…
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#Educated: I’ve been educated.
Educated By: Tara Westover My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 14 and up Now that’s a coming-of-age story. Tara Westover was raised by survivalist/fundamentalist parents. Untrusting of government or modern medicine and misunderstand what it means to have faith in God, Tara’s parents opted to let her and her siblings learn lessons…
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#TheGreatLibrary: I guess I have a thing for books about books…
Ink and Bone (The Great Library, Book 1) Paper and Fire (The Great Library, Book 2) Ash and Quill (The Great Library, Book 3) Smoke and Iron (The Great Library, Book 4) Sword and Pen (The Great Library, Book 5) By: Rachel Caine My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best For: 14 and up…
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#Sourdough: How bread can change your life.
Sourdough By: Robin Sloan My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars Best for: 14 and up This book made me happy. Have you read Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Book Store? You should. Robin Sloan wrote that book too. I went back to check out my review after I read it back in 2015…guess what I wrote?…
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#MyLadyJane: Fixing history…and laughing about it!
My Lady Jane (The Lady Janies, #1) By: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE Stars! Best for: 14 and up Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows: Authors. Friends. Committed to fixing history by rewriting one sad story at a time… …and killing it. My Lady Jane re-imagines the story…
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#Dune: So, you’ve never read it either?
Dune By: Frank Herbert My Rating: Three out of Five Stars Best for: 14 and up You know how there are some books you hate to admit you’ve never read? That’s me and Dune. Except now I’ve read it. So take that, irrational, self-imposed guilt and embarrassment! Dune, published in 1965, winner of the Hugo,…
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7 1/2 Deaths of #EvelynHardcastle: Clue x Quantum Leap x Groundhog Day = Awesome!
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle By: Stuart Turton My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars! Best for: 14 and up What a great story! The 71/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is Clue x Groundhog Day x “It was a dark and stormy night…” x Quantum Leap x Downton Abby drama. You’re invited to…
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#TheGoblinEmperor: Unputdownable is a word.
The Goblin EmperorBy: Katherine AddisonMy Rating: FIVE out of FIVE StarsBest for: 14 and up The Goblin Emperor is still in my head! I was spellbound by this terrifically intricate drama. There’s not a lot of action, but action wasn’t needed to make The Goblin Emperor perfectly unputdownable. (Did you understand that? Then yes, it’s…
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#Warcross: YA fiction = reality optional
Warcross Wildcard By: Marie Lu My Rating: Three out of Five Stars Best for: 14 and up Warcross is good, YA fun. Really, that’s all you need. Because, you know…YA. All the stuff you love in your standard Young Adult novel is packed into the two books of Warcross. I could complain about them, but…
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The #Winternight Trilogy: This is why I read.
The Winternight TrilogyThe Bear and the Nightingale (Book 1)The Girl in the Tower (Book 2)The Winter of the Witch (Book 3)By: Katherine ArdenMy Rating: FIVE out of FIVE StarsBest for: 14 and up Oh wow oh wow oh wow oh wow… The Winternight Trilogy is gush worthy. I’ll try to avoid crossing into obnoxious hyperbole–but…
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#Beyond and #Before: Twilight + Ghost (but without the sparkles or the pottery)
Beyond Before By: Catina Haverlock and Angela Larkin My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars Best for: 14 and up Friends, I loved (A LOT) Beyond (book 1) and Before (book 2) by sisters Catina Haverlock and Angela Larkin. Wait…aren’t they YA Romance? Yep. Paranormal romance, actually. And aren’t you a 42-year-old dad with 6…
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#TheHitchhikersGuidetotheGalaxy: Don’t Judge. Oh, and the universe is a joke.
The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy By: Douglas Adams My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 14 and up Don’t judge. I never read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It’s basically the Monty Python and the Holy Grail for fans of science fiction–a little bit funny, a little bit stupid, and a…
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#Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, a.k.a. yet another reason Brandon Sanderson is king.
Legion (Legion #1) Skin Deep (Legion #2) Lies of the Beholder (Legion #3) By: THE Brandon Sanderson My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE Stars Best for: 14 and up Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, is a compilation of the three novellas about Brandon Sanderson’s schizophrenic private investigator, Stephen Leeds. My opinion? The Legion…
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#FuzzyNation: Ewoks are people too…
Fuzzy Nation By: John Scalzi My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars Best for: 14 and up While I always expect to be impressed by John Scalzi, I wouldn’t ever expect to tear up, laugh out loud, or stand up and cheer at the end of a Scalzi book. But…surprise to me–all those things happened…
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#TheSelectionSeries: a.k.a The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games…
The Selection (The Selection Series, Book 1) The Elite (The Selection Series, Book 2) The One (The Selection Series, Book 3) The Heir (The Selection Series, Book 4) The Crown (The Selection Series, Book 5) By: Kiera Cass My Rating: Three out of Five Stars Best for: 14 and up The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games…no wonder everyone loves…
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#AnUrchinofMeans (The Baker Street Series, #1): This Book is worth reading
An Urchin of Means (The Baker Street Series, Book 1) By: April White My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars I wish I could remember what made me pick up Marking Time, book 1 of April White’s Immortal Descendants series. Was it the time travel? The vampires and shapeshifters? The historical fiction? Jack the Ripper?…
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#ThePictureofDorianGray: Creepy isn’t the same as scary…
The Picture of Dorian Gray By: Oscar Wilde My Rating: Four out of Five Stars The Picture of Dorian Gray is a perfectly creepy book to read for Halloween. Not scary, just creepy. I’m not about to critique a classic, so I’ll just say that as a story it dragged in quite a few places,…
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#TheWayofKings (Book One of The Stormlight Archive): The Best Fantasy of the Day. Mic Drop.
The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, Book 1) By: Brandon Sanderson My Rating: Five out of Five Stars Apparently I didn’t review The Way of Kings after my original reading back in 2014. Likely I was too much in awe. After this re-read in anticipation of the book 3 release in a few weeks,…
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#AllTheseWorlds (Bobiverse, #3): Cheap and Easy. And Awesome.
All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Well, THAT was a lot of fun! Bob used to be human, but now he’s the AI brain of a self-replicating space probe. He thought his job would be exploring strange new worlds. He might have planned a little differently if…
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#ForWeAreMany (Bobiverse #2): 1 was fresh. 2 was awesome. You have no excuse.
For We Are Many by Dennis E. Taylor My rating: 5 of 5 stars I called the first one fresh ScyFy. I’m calling the second one just plain awesome. Bob used to be human, but now he’s the AI brain of a self-replicating space probe. He thought his job would be exploring strange new worlds.…
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#WeAreLegion(WeAreBob) (Bobiverse, #1): Heads up… We’ve got some fresh ScyFy here!
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse, Book 1)By: Dennis E. TaylorMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 14 and up Fresh Scyfy! Now here’s a nice surprise…space-based science fiction that takes the same old and turns it into brand new. Bob just sold his software company, and now he’s loaded and looking forward…
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#SpeakerfortheDead (Ender’s Saga, #2): I used to be an idiot.
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card My rating: 5 of 5 stars In 2011 I bought this book and and started reading it. I hadn’t even finished the first chapter before deciding it wasn’t worth my time. I returned it and got my money back. Apparently, I used to be an idiot.…
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#Ender’sGame: My Paradigm Has Shifted
Ender’s GameBy: Orson Scott CardMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest For: 14 and up This isn’t the first time I’ve re-read an old favorite and found something new there. But… This is the first time I’ve re-read an old favorite and found something entirely different. Turns out, Ender isn’t cool science fiction about kids…
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#MasterofFormalities: Downton Abby+Dune+Monty Python
Master of Formalities by Scott Meyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars If you like to laugh, enjoy reading books, and like to laugh while you read books, I highly recommend you start reading books by Scott Meyer. He wrote the awesome and original Wizard 2.0 series, and I strongly suggest you go check…
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#CheatingDeath: Here’s an author you should be reading…
Cheating Death (The Immortal Descendants, Book 5) By: April White My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars (The One Man Book Club reviews for books 1, 2, 3, and 4) It’s a fun day when the final book in a favorite series is published. It’s a great day when the final book in a favorite…
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#TheDiabolic: You might want to get to know S.J. Kincaid…
The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid S.J. Kincaid tells a great story. Too bad no one knows about her. The Insignia Trilogy is her first, and it’s worth checking out if you like YA light ScyFy that skews more toward young than adult and more toward fy than scy. It started out fun and got…
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#LordoftheFlies: Tell Piggy to watch out for that rock!
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding Team reading this one with my 12-year-old. He doesn’t love it, and I don’t blame him, really. The language and tendency to use a bunch of words with out saying anything is kind of grating. According to my pre-teen: “This author just says ‘and’ over and…
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Treasure Island
Treasure Island By: Robert Louis Stevenson My Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS Best for: 14 and up I love that my 7th grader was assigned Treasure Island for English Class. In school my English teachers did their very best to kill my love for reading. Grapes of Wrath? Snooze. Thank goodness for Cliffs Notes.…
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Waging War (The Immortal Descendants #4)
5/5 stars Waging War (The Immortal Descendants #4) by April White These are a few of my favorite things… I can’t remember what made me pick up Marking Time, the first book of The Immortal Descendants series. Whatever the reason, it was most certainly a moment of brilliant insight on my part. Way to…
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The Ocean at the End of the Lane
5/5 stars The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman Some books are ponds. This one’s an ocean. Do you ever listen to music from decades past and wonder what made that music so special that it had endured while other artists didn’t? And then you have to wonder what music from…
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Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4)
4/5 stars Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer Great Ending to a Fun Series Winter is a perfectly fitting end to a perfectly fun series. Like the previous books, Winter has plenty of excitement to keep me engaged and just the right amount of gushy romance to keep me interested but not want…
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#TheWhitehallTrials: A pleasantly creepy surprise…
The Whitehall Trials By: Michelle Catherine Walker My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 14 and up #TheWhitehallTrials: A pleasantly creepy surprise… Those who follow my reviews know about my soft spot for indie authors, and when I find one worth sharing I like to let people know about it. Well, I found…
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#JurassicPark: How to get eaten alive with style…
Jurassic ParkBy: Michael CrichtonMy Rating: Five out of Five Stars I decided to re-read Jurassic Park for my beach vaca read this year (2015). Good choice me. I first read Jurassic Park in 1992-ish while in high school: pre-original movie, pre-CGI, and pre-internet. I loved it then, before anyone had given me any visuals. My…
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#Penumbra: What do you seek in these shelves?
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour BookstoreBy: Robin SloanMy Rating: FIVE out of FIVE StarsBest For: 14 and up “Why do you love books so much?Well, actually, I love books because books are my best friends.” Now here is a book for book lovers. Reading it made me so happy! Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore might be my favorite…
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Perfect State
4/5 stars Perfect State by Brandon Sanderson Something Different He surprised me again. This is something a bit different from this author. It’s a little bit tough to follow…it probably wouldn’t have been a bad idea to add another 30 or so pages to explain more of certain abstract ideas. But this is Brandon Sanderson…
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Changing Nature (The Immortal Descendants #3)
5/5 stars Changing Nature (The Immortal Descendants #3) by April White #ChangingNature: Three’s a Trend In my business we say that two can be a coincidence, but three is a trend. If you ask me, The Immortal Descendants series is trending up to awesome. Book three, Changing Nature, is the best installment yet. The story…
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Tempting Fate (The Immortal Descendants #2)
4/5 stars Tempting Fate (The Immortal Descendants #2) by April White At Least as Fun as Book One! Tempting Fate, book two of the Immortal Descendant Series was at least as much fun as book one—maybe even more so thanks to a really cool historical-fiction background for the story. Time travel? Check. Often time travel…
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Marking Time (The Immortal Descendants, #1)
Marking Time (The Immortal Descendants, #1) By: April White My Rating: Four out of Five stars Best for: 14 and up Time Travel and Vampires and Bears…Oh My! Cool, a time travel story! Whoa, there’s vampires in here? Wait…shape shifters too? AND a school for young descendants of immortals where they can learn to use…
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An Unwelcome Quest (Magic 2.0, #3)
4/5 stars An Unwelcome Quest (Magic 2.0, #3) by Scott Meyer Nerdy Fun! Nerdy Fun! An Unwelcome Quest is the third book in the nerd-ishly fun Magic 2.0 series. Never heard of Magic 2.0? You’re probably not nerdy enough. You’ve got to be a pretty big nerd to really appreciate the fun that can be…
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Fairest: Levana’s Story (The Lunar Chronicles, #3.5)
5/5 stars Fairest: Levana’s Story (The Lunar Chronicles, #3.5) by Marissa Meyer AKA How to Make a Bad Guy… For fans of the Lunar Chronicles, Fairest is a must read. This is some seriously great backstory on Lavana, the creepy Lunar Queen. Turns out she never had a chance to be anything but rotten. Sympathy?…
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Fade Into Me
4/5 stars Fade Into Me by Charity Bradford What a Nice Surprise! I wish I could write a book. Maybe one day I will. I think being able to dream up a story, turn it into words on paper, and sharing it with others is brave and noble. Authors influence. Whether the book is actually…
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Catalyst
5/5 stars Catalyst by S.J. Kincaid Totally Surprised… The Insignia Trilogy was very good, and actually through the first two books I was surprised by how much I enjoyed them. This was just supposed to be a fun, easy popcorn read for kids. I never expected that by the end of the third book it…
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Vortex (Insignia, #2)
4/5 stars Vortex (Insignia, #2) by S.J. Kincaid Series Review Vortex, book 2 in the Insignia Trilogy, is a lot of fun. There is still a definite “Harry Potter meets science fiction” thing going on, but now there is also a bit of “let’s use the powers we’ve been given to overthrow this oppressive government…
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Insignia (Insignia, #1)
4/5 stars Insignia (Insignia, #1) by S.J. Kincaid Series Review 12/31/14 I decided to re-read Insignia before starting on the second and third books. I’m glad I did–it turns out I’d forgotten a lot more about the story than I remembered. My first review from a couple of years ago still stands. I’ll just add…
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#Legion Skin Deep (Legion, #2): More Sanderson Brilliance
Legion Skin Deep (Legion, #2) By: Brandon Sanderson My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE Stars More Sanderson Brilliance Seriously, when is this going to be turned into a TV series? It’d be a hit! Steven Leeds is a genius for hire. He leads a team of experts–currently 47 of them–in solving mysteries and puzzles. Steven…
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The Slow Regard of Silent Things (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #2.5)
5/5 stars The Slow Regard of Silent Things (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #2.5) by Patrick Rothfuss Oh Auri… If you have read and loved both The Name of the Wind and A Wise Man’s Fear, then The Slow Regard of Silent Things is something you simply must read. If you have NOT read The Name of…
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The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two (Fairyland, #3)
4/5 stars The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two (Fairyland, #3) by Catherynne M. Valente Maybe too many words this time? What’s the difference between Picasso and Catherynne M. Valente? One paints with paints, the other paints with words. The first two books in her Fairy Land series have been…
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The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There
5/5 stars The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherynne M. Valente An adventure for adventure lovers… “A book is a door, you know. Always and forever. A book is a door into another place and another heart and another world.” You might have to be an authentic lover of…
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The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland – For a Little While (Fairyland, #0.5)
3/5 stars The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland – For a Little While (Fairyland, #0.5) by Catherynne M. Valente A thirty-page prequel that tells the story of how Mallow became Queen of Fairyland. I found it to be a bit wordy. All the good stuff about characters you will recognize from Book 1 happens in the…
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Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3)
5/5 stars Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3) by Marissa Meyer I’m so glad I picked up this series… …because it’s REALLY fun! Zero complaints. Each book introduces new characters and does an outstanding job of incorporating them into the story with out watering down the experience. The Luner Chronicles are perfect–funny, emotional, stressful, exciting. Strong…
One Man Book Club 