Children of Time by Brian Tchaikovsky
An interesting science fiction novel that address so many different issues: cooperation vs conflict, person/machine divide, slavery, etc. The book was very slow at times, but it kept me thinking. Avoid it if you hate spiders. Grade: B
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harris
This book is a historians view on what will be the next major challenges faced by humanity. Incredibly interesting. Avoid if you do not like to hear someone attacking belief in God. Grade: B+
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
Wow, the best book I've read this year (or more). A fascinating and moving story of growing up in a backward home in Idaho and then clawing your way out. Ms. Westover has grit and more grit. Must read. Grade: A
Factfulness by Hans Rosling
It is so nice to read a book written by an optimist. I learned a lot about the world in the 21st century while reading this book and you will too. Grade: A-
Evicted by Matthew Desmond
A case study based look at poverty and the rise in eviction in the United States. Good but soooo slow. Grade: C
Turtles all the Way Down by John Green
A fictional story about a teenager with mental illness. I enjoyed the other John Green books I read more, but this one probably made me think more. Grade: B
Sunday, July 22, 2018
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Spring Book Reviews
Wow, it has been a long time since I updated my book list... Here it goes.
I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll
A murder mystery that is very popular with many readers, but that I found to be a little slow. The ending surprised me, the characters were well developed and believable, but I wish the book had moved faster. Grade: C
The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston
The true story of a series of expeditions to Honduras to find a lost city. The book was very interesting and very well researched. My wife was in Nicaragua while I was reading the book so the chapters on mysterious rainforest diseases absolutely freaked me out. An enjoyable book. Grade: A-
Red Hope by John Dreese
Blue Hope by John Dreese
Two books that tell one science fiction story. Do not attempt to read just one of the books. The story concerns a manned mission to Mars after evidence of a lost alien race is discovered. From there the story is mostly interesting and moves along well. I think these may have been the first two books by Mr. Dreese, and it shows. The story is entertaining -- like the author has wanted to write the books for a while, but the story also contains a few items that lack authenticity -- a common issues with first-time writers. They are not bad books, and in fact they are very good, but they are not the best. Grade: B
We are Legion (We are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
For We are Many by Dennis E Taylor
All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor
Three books that tell one science fiction story, and they really need to be read together, in sequence. I loved this story. It is about an engineer that finds himself as the first **human** explorer of the the Milky Way. The books and the overall story is complex with many interwoven, smaller sub-stories. I usually do not enjoy big, complex, interwoven stories, but it worked here. Just a fantastic story and highly recommend. One final note, I listened to a lot of these books via audible. The narrator for these 3 books is easily one of the very best narrators I've encountered after listening to parts of >100 books. Consider the audible book here. Grade: A-
I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll
A murder mystery that is very popular with many readers, but that I found to be a little slow. The ending surprised me, the characters were well developed and believable, but I wish the book had moved faster. Grade: C
The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston
The true story of a series of expeditions to Honduras to find a lost city. The book was very interesting and very well researched. My wife was in Nicaragua while I was reading the book so the chapters on mysterious rainforest diseases absolutely freaked me out. An enjoyable book. Grade: A-
Red Hope by John Dreese
Blue Hope by John Dreese
Two books that tell one science fiction story. Do not attempt to read just one of the books. The story concerns a manned mission to Mars after evidence of a lost alien race is discovered. From there the story is mostly interesting and moves along well. I think these may have been the first two books by Mr. Dreese, and it shows. The story is entertaining -- like the author has wanted to write the books for a while, but the story also contains a few items that lack authenticity -- a common issues with first-time writers. They are not bad books, and in fact they are very good, but they are not the best. Grade: B
We are Legion (We are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
For We are Many by Dennis E Taylor
All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor
Three books that tell one science fiction story, and they really need to be read together, in sequence. I loved this story. It is about an engineer that finds himself as the first **human** explorer of the the Milky Way. The books and the overall story is complex with many interwoven, smaller sub-stories. I usually do not enjoy big, complex, interwoven stories, but it worked here. Just a fantastic story and highly recommend. One final note, I listened to a lot of these books via audible. The narrator for these 3 books is easily one of the very best narrators I've encountered after listening to parts of >100 books. Consider the audible book here. Grade: A-
Monday, January 1, 2018
December Book Reviews
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
This is really a collection of science fiction short stories that are tied together around a common event. As short stories, they were really good. As a stand alone book with a beginning and end, it missed the mark. Grade: B-
Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein
A very interesting book about human behavior and economics. The authors argue that we should do more to help people make good decisions, i.e., we should nudge them. I agreed with some of what they said, but not all. Enjoyable and interesting book. Grade: B+
Poisson Feather by Matthew Fitzsimmons
Cold Harbor by Matthew Fitzsimmons
These are books 2 and 3 of the current 3-book Gibson Vaughn series. They are your basic murder, mystery, suspense-type books. The first book in the series, The Short Drop, was pretty good, and, I assume, led to a big contract for books 2 and 3. Book 2, Poisson Feather, was a complete train wreck. The book didn't have an ending and was depressing throughout. Grade: F
Book 3, Cold Harbor, was better but still didn't quite hit the the quality of The Short Drop. Grade: B
Infinity Born by Douglas E. Richards
I've always enjoyed Richards' books, and this one was no exception. It was a little long and some of the scenes felt like they lacked authenticity, but there are other dialogues in the book that I completely enjoyed and will think about for a long time. This book tackled issues associate with AI and brain emulation -- lots of food for thought. Grade: A-
This is really a collection of science fiction short stories that are tied together around a common event. As short stories, they were really good. As a stand alone book with a beginning and end, it missed the mark. Grade: B-
Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein
A very interesting book about human behavior and economics. The authors argue that we should do more to help people make good decisions, i.e., we should nudge them. I agreed with some of what they said, but not all. Enjoyable and interesting book. Grade: B+
Poisson Feather by Matthew Fitzsimmons
Cold Harbor by Matthew Fitzsimmons
These are books 2 and 3 of the current 3-book Gibson Vaughn series. They are your basic murder, mystery, suspense-type books. The first book in the series, The Short Drop, was pretty good, and, I assume, led to a big contract for books 2 and 3. Book 2, Poisson Feather, was a complete train wreck. The book didn't have an ending and was depressing throughout. Grade: F
Book 3, Cold Harbor, was better but still didn't quite hit the the quality of The Short Drop. Grade: B
Infinity Born by Douglas E. Richards
I've always enjoyed Richards' books, and this one was no exception. It was a little long and some of the scenes felt like they lacked authenticity, but there are other dialogues in the book that I completely enjoyed and will think about for a long time. This book tackled issues associate with AI and brain emulation -- lots of food for thought. Grade: A-
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