When a Goat Talks You Should Listen
Kill the Farm Boy (The Tales of Pell #1) by Delilah S. Dawson & Kevin Hearne
There is something about a talking goat in a fantasy novel that sets the stage for shenanigans. But Shenanigans are just one of the reasons I adore Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne. Also, I’m reasonably sure these two were a part of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, and they got kicked unceremoniously.
Women Shall Inherit the Earth
ANNIHILATION (The Southern Reach Trilogy) by Jeff Vandermeer
Women have long held an important place in the Sci-Fi genre. Since Mary Shelly created a living corpse, women have dominated despite what critics would have you believe. It is still a rare treasure to find a Sci-Fi novel that not only has a Female MC, but an all Female ensemble! And another shocker about ANNIHILATION by Jeff Vandermeer is that the Female characters are actually written well. Believable even, which is a surprise coming from a Male author.
Dinosaurs are Corporate Greed’s Lovechild
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
WARNING: Book contains graphic imagery of violent dinosaurs attacks.
Nothing fascinates a five year old quite like dinosaurs and no franchise in history has cornered the market on these bird/reptile beings quite like Jurassic Park . I’m sure there are very few people in the world today who haven’t seen Spielberg’s 1993 movie masterpiece Jurassic Park. When I was a kid that theme song was fire (honestly it still is). I’m normally not one who would watch a film before reading the book. However Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton did come out when I was attending kindergarten, so I’m going to cut myself some slack.
Bees, You Don’t Know Earth’s Crazy Pollinators
The Bees by Laline Paull
I used to think I knew what bees were about. Little buzzy insects whose life purpose is to gather pollen, make honey, and protect their queen who keeps pumping out replacement bees. While all of this is true, I had no idea the socio-implications that brew under the surface of every bee hive. The Bees by Laline Paull does a fantastic job of bringing you into the world of bees and for the first time you see just what the world is actually like for them.
A Smart Re-imagined Fairytale
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
My previous encounter with a retelling of a fairytale left me feeling as though molten anger was seeping from every pore. I honestly thought it would be a while before I trusted myself to try another. Thankfully, I listen to The Overdue Podcast and they were able to convince me that Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik was not only a great retelling but just a great story overall. Because of this it was one of my first selections for my BoTM subscription.
When The Third Policeman Tells You About a Bicycle
The Third Policeman: A Novel by Flann O’Brien
There are books that exist to confuse and bemuse and I find it a treat whenever I encounter just such a book. The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien was not at all what I had expected and I mean that in a good way…I think.
The Sandman My Old Friend, Darkness Comes Again
The Sandman Vol 1: Preludes & Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman, Illustrated by Sam Keith & Mike Dringenberg
There is an endless love in my soul for Neil Gaiman. He is everything I would love to be as a writer. Even still, I have never once picked up a copy of The Sandman – until now. Though I’ll admit picking up a graphic novel is covered in the shadow of bad graphic novels of the past. What I love about Gaiman is his ability to make a dark story seem light. There is always an element of darkness, but never fear and I appreciate that this is a feeling unique to his stories. Vol 1 of The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes did not differ from this.
The Mother-load: An Update
Hello!
If you follow along with my site/blog (and I hope most of you do) then you would have noticed that there has been a lack of consistency over the last two or so months. It may be too little, too late, but I am here to explain what has been going down on my end of things.
F/K/A USA by Reed King
***Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review***
There was a time that I was really into Dystopian Novels. They presented a “world after” that could be either horrifying, struggling, or uplifting in the face of change. (Most were horrifying). I can understand that and find the entertainment/learning value in novels that represent all that is bad about our world eventually destroying it. What makes F/K/A USA by Reed King different from these is that it adds a touch of humor and, for lack of a better way to describe it, a sense of the humanity the characters are striving to save.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
As a book reader there are times that I wish the world I was reading was the world I was living in. The vast differences in characters, ambitions, dreams, abilities, and above all magic that they have makes the real world seem dull in comparison. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is one of those books.
