Category: Best for 16 and up
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Troy: The Greeks Were Gross
TroyBy: Stephen FryMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up (who enjoy history/mythology!) The Greeks Were Gross What I expected: A dramatized retelling of the Fall of Troy that would be interesting, exciting, and maybe even funny! I mean, Stephen Fry is a comedian and an actor and an author AND he’s…
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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: It’s a time machine
A Tree Grows in BrooklynBy: Betty SmithMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 16 and up Time travel is real! What defines a Classic Novel? At what point does a story transcend others and become eternal? It’s not age. It’s not genre. It’s not language, length, or style. Check the internet–I’m not the only…
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The Lost Metal: EXPLOSIVE!
The Lost Metal (Mistborn, book 7)By: THE Brandon SandersonMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 16 and up That was…explosive. BEST BRANDO SANDO YET? It just might be. Rusts. It’s been 12 hours since I turned the last page of this EXPLOSIVE finale to Wax and Wayne’s contribution to The Mistborn Saga and I’m…
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The Monuments Men: Amazing Story. Boring Delivery.
The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in HistoryBy: Robert M. EdselMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest For: 16 and up Such an amazing story. Such a boring delivery. Oh man. I REALLY wanted this story to be awesome. An actual World War II treasure hunt? Tens of thousands…
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This is How You Lose the Time War: The longest, short book ever
This is How You Lose the Time WarBy: Amal El-Mohtar and Max GladstoneMy Rating: Three out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up This might be the longest, short book I’ve ever read My kids joke that some art is like writing in cursive. You could just simply write, or you could write in cursive.…
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The Comfort of Distance: CSI IRL
The Comfort of DistanceThe Boxwood TorsoWhere the Blood is MadeBy: Ryburn DobbsMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up CSI IRL… Sebastien Grey doesn’t like CSI. According to him, it’s “improbable.” In the real world, you can’t put a skull in a machine and then have the person’s 3-D face float above…
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Congo: I’ll be skipping the Jungle Tour…
CongoBy: Michael CrichtonMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up Ya…no. I’ll skip the African Jungle Tour. Thanks though. Oh gosh. Please don’t read Michael Crichton if you aren’t interested in science info dumps. It’s what he does. It’s in every book, and if you’re nerdy enough it’s awesome. Don’t read it…
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The Help: The movie doesn’t count.
The HelpBy: Kathryn StockettMy Rating: Five out of five stars.Best for: 16 and up Dedicated to those who think everything magically got better after Martin Luther King Here’s my recommendation. Next time you’re in Atlanta, don’t just go to The World of Coke and the Aquarium. Take time to go to the other building in…
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The Constant Rabbit: Ah, satire…
The Constant RabbitBy: Jasper FfordeMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 16 and up Ah, satire… Satire is an art form. Done well as a novel, it’s like getting two books in one: there’s the story you read, and then there’s the story you’re meant to understand. One entertains, and the other teaches. Or…
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The Lost Shtetl: Mel Brooks x Fiddler on the Roof x Schindler’s List
The Lost ShtetlBy: Max GrossMy Rating: Three out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up Now THIS how to teach history… I picked up The Lost Shtetl because the blurb sold me on a fascinating idea: What if an entire town had been lost to history? What would happen when it was rediscovered? I checked…
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A Tale of Two Cities: Come join the club!
A Tale of Two CitiesBy: Charles DickensMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 16 and up Come join the club! Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities might have been the hardest book I’ve ever read–and I’ve read a lot of hard books. I don’t mean the content was hard. I mean the words…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Beneath a Scarlet Sky
Beneath a Scarlet SkyBy: Mark T. SullivanGuest Reviewer Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest For: 16 and up This WWII Hero Will Change YouGuest review by Catina Haverlock How did we not know of this TRUE WWII story? How did it remain untold for SO long? Beneath a Scarlet Sky is the inspiring true tale…
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Where the Lost Wander: Love and Tragedy on the American Frontier
Where the Lost WanderBy: Amy HarmonMy Rating: Four out of five starsBest For: 16 and up Love and Tragedy on the American Frontier I’m not Amy Harmon’s target demographic, but I sure enjoy a good story. Amy Harmon tells really great stories. My first experience with Amy Harmon was The First Girl Child and The…
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#TheFallofBabel: The Greatest Series You’ve Never Read!
Senlin Ascends (The Books of Babel, Book 1)The Arm of the Sphinx (The Books of Babel, Book 2)The Hod King (The Books of Babel, Book 3)The Fall of Babel (The Books of Babel, Book 4)By: Josiah BancroftMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest For: Advanced 14 and up Thus ends the most brilliant fantasy adventure…
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#ADeadlyEducation: Trust me, you’ve never read anything like this before…
A Deadly Education (The Scholomance, Book 1)By: Naomi NovikMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!Best for: 16 and up A magic school somewhere in England? A teen wizard tainted by a dark prophesy? No, you have NOT read this book yet, I promise. This magic school might have a familiar location, and there may be…
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#ChildrenofRuin: We’re going on an adventure…
Children of Ruin (Children of Time, Book 2)By: Adrian TchaikovskyMy Rating: Four out of five starsBest For: 16 and up Alien parasites, space-fighter octopods, and astronaut spiders–oh my! I guarantee you’ll never hear the phrase “we’re going on an adventure” the same way again… Children of Time won the Arthur C. Clark Award for Best…
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#ProjectHailMary: This book is FUN! (So Lighten Up!)
Project Hail MaryBy: Andy WeirMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!Best for: 16 and up Come on, lighten up people! Project Hail Mary was fun! Actually, most reviews don’t need to lighten up–this book is getting some great, and well deserved praise. But there are a few reviewers who want to focus on a few…
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#TheFirstGirlChild: So, am I one of Amy’s Harmonies now?
The First Girl ChildBy: Amy HarmonMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up Oh my goodness, there are some passionate Amy Harmon fan’s out there! I tried to join the Amy’s Harmonies private Facebook Group to see what the fuss was all about, but have yet to be approved. Maybe One Man…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Floating Twigs
Floating TwigsBy: Charles TabbReviewers Rating: FIVE out of FIVE STARSBest for: 16 and up Justice, delayed, and lots of MercyGuest Review by Julie Hilton A boy rescues a dog and must find a way to feed and get vet care. Trying to find work makes him some enemies and some friends: an older man, and…
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#AGentlemanInMoscow: 1/2 Boring. 1/2 Brilliant.
A Gentleman in MoscowBy: Amor TowlesMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up Look at all those great reviews! Look at all those recommendations! Sorry everyone, this book is boring. [Ducks flying rotten tomato] Okay, okay…it’s only boring for the first 55 or 60%. In the back half of the book I…
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#HeavensRiver: The Bobs are back!
Heaven’s River (Bobiverse, Book 4)By: Dennis E. TaylorMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest For: 16 and up Haven’t jumped on the Bobiverse train yet? If you’re a fan of nerdy ScyFy, what the heck are you waiting for?! Heaven’s River is book 4 of Bob’s story: former human, current AI brain of a self-replicating…
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A Book Club Guest Review of The Lost and Found Bookshop
The Lost and Found BookshopBy: Susan WiggsReviewer Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up Except for three pages… Wonderful!Guest review by Julie Hilton A woman returns to take care of her grandfather and his Bookstore under traffic circumstances. She has friendships with two intriguing men through a series of humorous and sad…
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A Book Club Guest Review of One Life to Give: A Path to Finding Yourself by Helping Others
One Life to Give: A Path to Finding Yourself by Helping OthersBy: Andrew BienkowskiReviewer Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 16 and up Find Yourself by Helping Others—Life Lessons from an Extraordinary Story of Sacrifice and Survival In the winter of 1939, five-year-old Andrew Bienkowski was exiled to Siberia with his family. The two…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Daybreak
Daybreak (Girl From the Stars, Book 1)By: Cheree AlsopReviewer Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up Surprisingly clean military science fictionReview by Charity Bradford A girl that’s been basically tortured her whole life finally gets the chance to be part of a group that is more family than crew. There is an…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Orphan Train
Orphan TrainBy: Christina Baker KlineReviewer Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up An eye-opening and moving story about a forgotten spot in American historyReview by Catina Haverlock Between 1845 and 1929, more than 250,000 orphaned, abandoned and homeless children (mainly Irish immigrants) were scooped from the streets of New York and transported…
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#RhythmofWar: RUN! It’s a Sanderlanche!!
Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archives, Book 4)By: Brandon SandersonMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS! Best For: 16 and up Over 1200 pages, and I still want more! Rhythm of War, book 4 in The Stormlight Archive, was my most anticipated new release of 2020, and wondered how it could possibly top its predecessor,…
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#Dawnshard: “Just” a novella…
Dawnshard (Stormlight Archive, Book 3.5)By: THE Brandon SandersonMy Rating: FIVE out of FIVE StarsBest For: 14 and up Brandon Sanderson cracks me up when he calls his 200-page books “novellas.” It takes him like a week to write the thing and acts like it was an afterthought…it’s not a novel or a book, it’s just…
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The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn, #6)
5/5 stars The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn, #6) By: Brandon Sanderson My Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS Best for: 16 and up October 2020 And this completes the great Mistborn re-read of 2020. It’s been so much fun these last few weeks to re-fall in love with this amazing series. The Bands of Mourning…
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Shadows of Self (Mistborn, #5)
Shadows of Self (Mistborn, #5) by Brandon Sanderson My Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS Best For: 14 and up Oct 2020 My Mistborn re-read continues. Shadows of Self was a blast to read. I’d forgotten how heavy the ending was. I’m getting spoiled by these amazing Sanderson fight scenes. I’ve been reading (and loving)…
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#AlloyofLaw: Mistborn in the Industrial Age: Magic and guns
Alloy of Law (Mistborn, book 4)By: Brandon SandersonMy Rating: FIVE out of FIVE STARS!Best For: 14 and up 9/23/2020 to 9/27/2020This was my third time through Alloy of Law, and I still love it. It seems the deeper I get into seeing the Cosmere fit together, the greater my appreciation for what Brandon Sanderson has…
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#MistbornSecretHistory: Keys to the Cosmere Kingdom
Mistborn: Secret History (Mistborn, Book 3.5)By: Brandon SandersonMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up who have RECENTLY read the original Mistborn trilogy September 2020So, I just finished a much needed re-read of the original Mistborn trilogy, and I’ve got to say it was supremely satisfying. It’d been nearly a decade since…
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#TheHeroofAges: Simply Brilliant, x3
The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, Book 3)By: Brandon SandersonMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!Best for: 14 and up September 2020Man, I’ve put of this re-read for way too long. After I finished Well of Ascension I said it was my favorite of the trilogy. Well, now that I finished Hero of Ages I can…
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#TheWellofAscension: Simply Brilliant. Again.
The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, Book 2)By: Brandon SandersonMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up September 2020Man, I’ve put of this re-read for way too long. Well of Ascension might be my favorite of the trilogy…and I liked it even better the second time around. There are complexities in this story…
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#TheFinalEmpire: Simply Brilliant
The Final Empire (Mistborn, Book 1)By: Brandon SandersonMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up September 2020Man, I’ve put of this re-read for way too long. I can easily say I loved The Finale Empire (Mistborn, Book 1) even more the second time. There are complexities in this story that went way…
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#JustMercy: Just Wow.
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption By: Bryan Stevenson My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE STARS! Best for: 16 and up Warning: This review is going to be a gusher. Just Mercy stopped me in my tracks. Knocked me out cold. Froze me where I stood. It taught me things I didn’t know…
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#TheDelphiTrilogy: X-Men, 2020
The Delphi Effect (The Delphi Trilogy, Book #1) The Delphi Resistance (The Delphi Trilogy, Book #2) The Delphi Revolution (The Delphi Trilogy, Book #3) By: Rysa Walker My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 16 and up Here’s X-Men, 2020. True story: In 1978, the US Military sponsored a program that investigated the…
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#Singularity Series: ScyFy + Religion…when opposites attract.
The Legacy Human (Singularity, #1) The Duality Bridge (Singularity, #2) The Illusory Prophet (Singularity, #3) The Last Mystic (Singularity, #4) By: Susan Kaye Quinn My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 16 and up Ah, the treasure hunt. I’m a dork, I know. It’s just that there are few things as satisfying in…
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#ForgettingYou: If the Hallmark Channel were a book series…
Forgetting YOU By: Hillary Ann Sperry My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 16 and up I don’t love romance novels (because they’re barf), but I do love supporting family friendly literature, friends who are authors, local-to-me authors, and undiscovered authors who deserve to be known. So when a talented, local friend publishes…
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#Unbroken: Follows the story of one. Tells the story of thousands.
UnbrokenBy: Laura HillenbrandMy Rating: FIVE out of FIVE starsBest for: Mature 16 and up It’s Veteran’s Day in the US. What a day to finish Unbroken. I know I’m late to Unbroken, but I put it off until I was ready. I expected it would be special. I was ready, and I was right. It…
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#Forward: Tomorrow is today.
Forward Written By: Blake Crouch, Veronica Roth, Amor Towles, Paul Tremblay, N.K. Jemisin, and Andy Weir My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 16 and up Now here’s a cool anthology. In my professional life, it’s my job to stay close to technology. As a matter of fact, I’m at a conference this…
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#TheSingularityTrap: Science Fact? A first contact space thriller!
The Singularity Trap By: Dennis E. Taylor My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for 16 and up Who else is here because of The Bobiverse? Dennis E. Taylor’s debut series The Bobiverse earned him a lot of fans. If you like ScyFy, you probably should have checked it out by now. The Singularity…
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#Enchantment: What if…
Enchantment By: Orson Scott Card My Rating: Four out of Five stars Best for: 16 and up How about this: Deep in an ancient forest, a 1990’s grad student studying the history of creepy Russian fairy tales finds a girl asleep on a pedestal in the woods, so he kisses her. And she wakes up.…
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#TheGreatGatsby: IT’S A TIME MACHINE (Also, don’t go in the pool, Jay!)
The Great Gatsby By: F. Scott Fitzgerald My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars Best for: 16 and up Well, that was refreshing. This was another buddy read with my HS Senior’s AP Lit class. So often the classic books they read are more literature as art vs literature as escape. Occasionally those lines cross,…
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#TheHodKing (The Books of Babel, #3): Once, Twice, Three times a winner.
The Hod King (The Books of Babel, #3) By: Josiah Bancroft My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars! Best for: 16 and up Once could be an accident. Twice could be luck. Three times means it’s the real deal. Book 1, Senlin Ascends, was an indie darling that spread by word-of-mouth like wildfire. It was…
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#ThePlayofDeath (The Hangman’s Daughter #6): I’m so glad I didn’t live in the 1600s…
The Play of Death (The Hangman’s Daughter, #6) By: Oliver Potzsch My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 16 and up It’s hard to say exactly why I keep coming back for more of The Hangman’s Daughter. Is it the gruesome mysteries that must be solved? Is it the detailed historical fiction set…
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#TheLakeHouse: Kate Morton has it figured out
The Lake House By: Kate Mortin My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 16 and up Kate Morton has a winning formula. In the past, something tragic happens, but without a resolution–leaving an unsolved mystery. In the present, someone picks up the pieces of the unsolved mystery and puts together the clues. Both…
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#Origin: Dan Brown strikes again
Origin By: Dan Brown My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 16 and up You’ve read one Dan Brown, you’ve read them all. Good thing for him…it works over and over again! I actually enjoyed Origin a lot more than I initially thought I would. There is much less of MC Robert Langdon…
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#SixWakes: Clue. In space. With clones.
Six Wakes By: Mur Lafferty My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 16 and up Clue. In space. With clones. Scene: 6 clones awake to find themselves alone on a ship traveling through deep space with no memory of the previous 25 years…and find their previous bodies have been murdered. One of them…
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#SixofCrows and #CrookedKingdom: Sometimes the bad guys aren’t really so bad…
Six of Crows Crooked Kingdom By: Leigh Bardugo My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 16 and up Sometimes the bad guys aren’t really so bad. This duology is an Ocean’s 11 style caper, set in an industrial age where a form of magic exists and where bad things happen to good people.…
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#ShadesofGrey: No, no no…not THAT Shades of Grey!
Shades of Grey By: Jasper Fforde My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE Stars Best for: 16 and up No, no, no! Not THAT Shades of Grey! Relax! No relations. I mean relation… Never mind. Shades of Grey is the smartest book I’ve read in a long time. It’s part dystopian fantasy, part social satire, a…
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#AllSystemsRed (The Murderbot Diaries, #1): You’re going to want to read this…
All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1) By: Martha Wells My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE starsBest for: 16 and up I love big stories pack into little pages. A conflicted AI with a past so tragic he calls himself Murderbot…but that’s private. As long as no one discovers he’s hacked his governor module, he…
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#ArmoftheSphinx (The Books of Babel, Book 2): This book is special…
Arm of the Sphinx By: Josiah Bancroft My Rating: Five out of Five Stars Best for: 16 and up Oh wow. Book one was a surprise. In this world, the Towel of Babel isn’t just Biblical…it the cultural, financial, and thought center of the world. To most, the Tower and its fabled wonders, riches, and…
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#SenlinAscends (The Books of Babel #1): You’re going to like this one…
Senlin AscendsBy: Josiah BancroftMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up Senlin Ascends, indie darling, has been picked up by Orbit and has finally found it’s way to the masses. Congrats Josiah Bancroft! You made it because you deserve it. For the rest of you, it’s not too late to jump on…
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#InColdBlood: Whoa…
In Cold Blood By: Truman Capote My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Best for: Mature 16+ If you’re looking for a book about the minute details surrounding the random and gruesome 1959 murder of a family of 4, you can stop your search now. You’ve found it. Me? I’m buddy reading it with my…
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#Oathbringer: 1,243 pages and I STILL want more!
Oathbringer By: [The Great] Brandon Sanderson My Rating: Five out of Five Stars. I expected Oathbringer to be awesome. It was awesome. I feared Oathbringer wouldn’t be able to improve on the greatest fantasy series of the day. It did. I hoped Oathbringer would be the best book I’ve ever read. It is. But then…
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#Edgedancer: A 272-page Novella…
Edgedancer (The Stormlight Archive 2.5) By: Brandon Sanderson My Rating: Five stars out of Five And another thing I love about Brandon Sanderson… He calls a 272-page book a novella. Edgedancer is The Stormlight Archive 2.5…just a little thing to satiate the need while waiting for Oathbringer on 11/14. It’s also part of the collection…
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#WordsofRadiance: Standing Ovation
Words of Radiance (Book 2 of The Stormlight Archive) By: The Great Brandon Sanderson My Rating: Five out of Five Stars 10/18/17 Oh my word. This stuff is like cheese and wine–the more time that passes, the better it gets. And it was really good the first time. I’m getting ready for Oathbringer on 11/14…
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#ReadyPlayerOne: Why haven’t you read this yet?
Ready Player OneBy: Ernest Cline, Audio Book narrated by Will WheatonMy Rating: Five out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up 8/7/2017I had Will Wheaton read Ready Player One this time. Brilliant, obviously. Especially when Will Wheaton reads about himself in the book. Very meta. Two comments. 1) I still love this book. Belongs on…
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#BeneathaScarletSky: And the Truth Shall…
Beneath a Scarlet SkyBy: Mark SullivanMy Rating: Five out of Five StarsBest for: 14 and up Dang it. This is one of those. Beneath a Scarlet Sky is one that needs to be read. The Book Thief was beautiful in its tragedy. Beneath a Scarlet Sky is too. But… …it’s true. It really happened. I…
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#TheAuthorities: Do you hate to laugh? Stop reading now.
The Authorities by Scott Meyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars If you hate books that make you laugh, Scott Meyer is certainly not for you. Go read The Road. That’ll cheer you down. I was in the middle of The Authorities when I realized I was smiling. I didn’t recall when the smile…
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#TheLastOne: How’s This for a Hook…
The Last OneBy: Alexandra OlivaMy rating: Four out of five starsBest for: 16 and up How’s this for a hook: It’s “Survivor” on steroids. Conflicting personalities. Social media interaction. Clever edits that tell viewers a story, not what actually happened. Behind the scenes of the guts of the show. Privately, the producers give the contestants…
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#TheBlackPrism (Lightbringer, #1): Awesome is as awesome does
The Black Prism By: Brent Weeks My Rating: Five out of Five Stars Best for: 16 and up Sept 2019 Re-read: Book five comes out the end of this month, so I’m doing a re-read. Holy cow, did I get this one wrong the first time. I loved this book this time around! Apparently back…
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The Killer Angels (The Civil War Trilogy, #2)
5/5 stars The Killer Angels (The Civil War Trilogy, #2) by Michael Shaara This is the book General H. Norman Schwarzkopf described as “the best and most realistic historical novel about war that I have ever read.” Me too Stormin’ Normon. I don’t know if I’ve ever been more impressed. Sole recipient of the 1975…
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The Paladin Caper (Rogues of the Republic, #3)
4/5 stars The Paladin Caper (Rogues of the Republic, #3) by Patrick Weekes There’s fun, and then there’s funny… …but rarely is there both. Unless you read the Rogues of the Republic trilogy by Patrick Weekes. It’s Oceans 11 in a fantasy setting. Non-stop, witty dialogue. A whole host of colorful characters. A horny unicorn.…
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#WatershipDown: Bloody Rabbits…
Watership DownBy: Richard AdamsMy Rating: FIVE out of FIVE starsBest for: 16 and up May 2016 Re-read There’s not a story I love more than Watership Down. It’s been a while since my last re read, and this time around I was afraid I would find I’ve been fooling myself all these years…that I would…
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Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #3)
4/5 stars Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #3) by Laini Taylor Never Judge a Book… Of course, we would never… Because we’ve always been told not to. Certainly I would never… Judge a book by its cover? But it’s not judging if it’s obvious. Right? Because just look at these…
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Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #2)
5/5 stars Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #2) by Laini Taylor Never Judge a Book… Of course, we would never… Because we’ve always been told not to. Certainly I would never… Judge a book by its cover? But it’s not judging if it’s obvious. Right? Because just look at these…
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Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #1)
4/5 stars Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #1) by Laini Taylor Never Judge a Book… Of course, we would never… Because we’ve always been told not to. Certainly I would never… Judge a book by its cover? But it’s not judging if it’s obvious. Right? Because just look at these…
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Midnight Riot (Peter Grant, #1)
4/5 stars Midnight Riot (Peter Grant, #1) by Ben Aaronovitch So magic is real? “So magic is real,” I said. “Which makes you a…what?” “A wizard.” “Like Harry Potter?” Nightingale sighed. “No,” he said. “Not like Harry Potter.” “In what way?” “I’m not a fictional character,” said Nightingale. And, sold. Midnight Riot–or Rivers of London,…
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The Thirteenth Tale
4/5 stars The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield Melancholy/Clever A ghost story? I’ll never tell. It took a lot of words for the author to tell this story. The fantastical cover is a bit misleading. The Thirteenth Tale is a sad story about sad people with a fun mystery and a very clever twist.
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#BoysLife: Magical Americana
Boy’s LifeBy: Robert McCammonMy Rating: FIVE out of FIVE Stars!Best For: 16 and up Magical Americana Boy’s Life–my life–what a great story! For 600 pages I longed to be 11 again. The 60’s belonged to my parents, not to me. But the magic of childhood transcends generations. I had it for a while. My kids…
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Ship of Destiny (Liveship Traders, #3)
5/5 stars Ship of Destiny (Liveship Traders, #3) by Robin Hobb Ship of Destiny was a perfect ending to a perfect story, a truly grand finale to the grand Liveship Traders trilogy. The writing, the characters, the story–brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. The dragons, the battles, the love stories, the mysteries, the magic–all thrilling, all beautiful. All…
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Mad Ship (Liveship Traders, #2)
5/5 stars Mad Ship (Liveship Traders, #2) by Robin Hobb How many different engaging, high-drama story lines can there be in one book? Don’t ask me. I lost track of how many are in this one, but now my head is full of great story and I can’t wait to move onto the next one.…
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Ship of Magic (Liveship Traders, #1)
Ship of Magic (Liveship Traders, #1)By: Robin HobbMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 16 and up Now that was a story. Is it a family drama? A pirate adventure? A magical fantasy? A coming of age tale? Are there bad guys that you root for? Good guys that you hate? Characters you care…
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Assassin’s Quest (Farseer Trilogy, #3)
4/5 stars Assassin’s Quest (Farseer Trilogy, #3) by Robin Hobb Loved the story, loved the characters… …But sometimes I didn’t really love what the story did to the characters. Still, we’re talking about an epic quest that includes magic, swords, and (eventually) dragons. The writing is flawless. The good guys are noble and you want…
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Royal Assassin (Farseer Trilogy, #2)
5/5 stars Royal Assassin (Farseer Trilogy, #2) by Robin Hobb The Bad Guys Strike Back… As great as I’d hoped. Don’t want to write a review though, I need to find out what happens next. No one needs a detailed review of the second book in a trilogy anyway, just a good or bad. Good.…
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Assassin’s Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy, #1)
4/5 stars Assassin’s Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy, #1) by Robin Hobb Intrigued… I was excited to read Assassin’s Apprentice, the first book of the (seemingly) universally loved epic fantasy stories by Robin Hobb. I enjoyed it, but found it a bit slow for my lazy brain. I suspect that this first story is mostly a setup…
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Les Misérables
5/5 stars Les Misérables by Victor Hugo A Triumph As so many have discovered in the 153 years since it was written, Les Miserables is a triumph. I had heard it called the greatest story ever told. I doubted. I was wrong. It’s a story of redemption and love told through Jean Valjean, one of…
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The Prophecy Con (Rogues of the Republic #2)
4/5 stars The Prophecy Con (Rogues of the Republic #2) by Patrick Weekes As fun as the first… The Prophecy Con was just as sharp and witty as the the first book. Sometimes-not-so-subtle innuendo, plenty of humor. Memorable one-liners on every page, lots of action. Kept me guessing all the way to the end. There…
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The Palace Job (Rogues of the Republic #1)
4/5 stars The Palace Job (Rogues of the Republic #1) by Patrick Weekes There’s fun, and then there’s funny… …but rarely is there both. Unless you read The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes. An Oceans 11-inspired heist. Non-stop witty dialogue. A whole host of colorful characters. A horny unicorn. (See what I did there? Aren’t…
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The Autumn Republic (Powder Mage #3)
5/5 stars The Autumn Republic (Powder Mage #3) by Brian McClellan What a Finish! Ladies and Gentleman, I give you a book done right… Whew. I finished this book a couple of days ago, but its taken me this long to calm down enough to write about it. The Autumn Republic–the third and final book…
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The Crimson Campaign (The Powder Mage, #2)
5/5 stars The Crimson Campaign (The Powder Mage, #2) by Brian McClellan Brilliant Like the first, book two of the Powder Mage trilogy–The Crimson Campaign–is brilliant. The best book I’ve read in ages. I don’t even want to review this right now…book three needs my immediate attention. Series review to come once I finish the…
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#PromiseofBlood (Powder Mage #1): Brilliant! I still have grit in my teeth…
Promise of Blood (Powder Mage, #1)By: Brian McClellanMy Rating: FIVE out of FIVE STARS!Best for: 16 and up Some epic fantasies try too hard to be fantastical. Too many characters, too many weird names, too much rambling detail. Others don’t try hard enough to be awesome. They settle for using the same old types and…
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Stardust
4/5 stars Stardust by Neil Gaiman It’s Sweet. It’s a Fairytale. It’s for Adults. Stardust was sweet and fun and finished up with a good, old-fashioned, happy ending. I found myself wishing the book was a bit longer . . . I would have loved to read about the main characters adventures. Instead, we just…
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All the Light We Cannot See
4/5 stars All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr I loved it. I hated it. From page 1 to page 482 ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE is brilliant and represents everything I love about reading. From page 482 to 531 ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE made me want to punch Anthony…
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Dracula
3/5 stars Dracula by Bram Stoker Highs and Lows, but Still the Original So it turns out Count Dracula never actually says “I vant to suck your blood!” Huh. He does do everything else, however. Turns into a bat. Sleeps in a coffin during the day. Only has powers at night. Hates garlic and crosses.…
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A Prayer For Owen Meany
5/5 stars A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving I am doomed to remember a boy . . . Apparently John Irving has a thing for first sentences. He said he never writes the first sentence until he’s written the last sentence. Obviously he’s onto something . . . “I am doomed to remember…
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Dust (Silo, #3)
5/5 stars Dust (Silo, #3) by Hugh Howey I was afraid that Dust wasn’t going to live up to the hype. I shouldn’t have worried . . . Dust is a moving and all around fantastic ending to a story that will eventually be known as one of the greats. When the entire planet has…
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The Great and the Terrible: From the End of Heaven, Book 5
4/5 stars The Great and the Terrible: From the End of Heaven, Book 5 by Chris Stewart Got a little lost in the plot, but still enjoyed the story. Series review to come . . . on more book!
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The Great and Terrible, Vol. 4: Fury and Light
4/5 stars The Great and Terrible, Vol. 4: Fury and Light by Chris Stewart Time to get my food storage ready . . . Series review to come.
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The Great and Terrible, Vol. 3: The Second Sun
4/5 stars The Great and Terrible, Vol. 3: The Second Sun by Chris Stewart Whoa . . . Shocking and completely frightening how plausible this story is. Excellent. I’m anxious to get to the end. I’ll review the series then.
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Where Angels Fall: The Great and Terrible, Vol. 2
4/5 stars Where Angels Fall: The Great and Terrible, Vol. 2 by Chris Stewart Now this series is really moving . . . I’ll review the series when I’m through.
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Prologue: The Brothers (The Great and Terrible, Vol. 1)
2/5 stars Prologue: The Brothers (The Great and Terrible, Vol. 1) by Chris Stewart LDS fiction at its…worst? cheesiest? Yup. If it weren’t for the numerous recommendations and the promise of an awesome story to come, I’d be done with this series.
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The Emperor’s Soul
5/5 stars The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson Not surprised….The Emperor’s Soul is yet another original and fantastic story by Branden Sanderson. The only negative about this book is that it’s too short–I would gladly have read a thousand more pages!
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Third Shift: Pact (Shift, #3)
5/5 stars Third Shift: Pact (Shift, #3) by Hugh Howey As expected. Just like the rest. Completely awesome. My only complaint is it went too fast. The Wool Omnibus and The Shift Omnibus and Hugh Howey. You must read them. The end. Now to wait for Dust and the finish.
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Second Shift: Order (Shift, #2)
5/5 stars Second Shift: Order (Shift, #2) by Hugh Howey If you’re reading this book, you very likely already know exactly what to expect from Hugh Howdy. You will not be disappointed here. Completely fantastic. My only regret I’d that I wish I’d waited to read 2nd shift until 3rd shift was finished. I hate…
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Warbreaker
5/5 stars Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson DANG! I was just about finished with a great and long review of Warbreaker when my kindle slipped and I accidently closed with out saving. Now I’m out of energy and time, so Warbreaker is going to have to settle for the condensed version of my thoughts. The book…
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Elantris (Elantris, #1)
5/5 stars Elantris (Elantris, #1) by Brandon Sanderson Elantris was beautiful once….. Elantris and I really got along. I mean, I really expect a lot from my books. I need to enjoy the story, be intrigued by the plot, feel uplifted by the themes, bond with the characters, feel smarter at the end than I…
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#Mistborn: A star is born
The Final Empire (Mistborn, Book #1)The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, Book #2)The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, Book #3)By: Brandon SandersonMy Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars I finished Mistborn. Whoa. I’ll tell you what kind of book this is . . . it’s Incredible. Powerful. Meaningful. One in a Million. Destined to Become a Classic.…
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First Shift: Legacy (Shift, #1)
5/5 stars First Shift: Legacy (Shift, #1) by Hugh Howey How come I’ve never heard of Hugh Howey? He’s quickly becoming a favorite author. Three cheers for self-publishing-indie authors! Three cheers for Amazon and the Kindle that make these books available to me! Here’s a disclaimer . . . if I could write code to…
One Man Book Club 