Category Archives: Books & Book Reviews

Reviewing the reviewer

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It has come to my attention that I am a terrible book reviewer.

This was not a mean or critical thing, it was just something that came up. I’m not sure the person that pointed this out to me even understands that was what happened.

I have more than 300 books read / reviewed on my Goodreads account. I only put books I’ve read since starting Goodreads on there with reviews. I am always honest about what my feelings are toward the book that I’m reading at the time. I give my opinion just as it is.

That brings out the two biggest problems with my reviews.

The first part isn’t really a problem as much as it is something that is common to anything posted on the internet. It’s out there and it’s not going away. I’ve given my opinion, but it’s exactly that – an opinion. My opinion on certain things has changed over time. It’s entirely possible that my opinion will change on the books over time. It’s fair for an opinion to change, but my reviews are static. What is out there, is out there. I’ve written before about the importance of reading books at the right time. This applies to me too – and there might be some reviews that were just the wrong time. I am a writer (hopeful author?) so I know the struggle of trying to get a story published. I always keep that in mind when I’m putting together a book review. Hopefully people will appreciate that about what I put out there.

The second part is the heart of the issue. I have never learned, studied or applied anything that resembles a structured critical book review.

I shouldn’t say never.

I recall writing book reports back in elementary school that had a structure. I haven’t looked at anything like that as an adult though. I should. When my friend asked me about a book that I’d read some years ago it turned out that I had posted a review to Goodreads. I went back to that review to ‘check my notes’ and see if I could answer the questions put to me. My review was something close to “meh, it was OK” and that was it. I couldn’t help. To be fair to myself, if it were a truly memorable book I suspect I could have been more help. What that did was point out a need. I need to get a better method for reviewing books and making notes to help me remember important details some years down the road.

I’ve got at least a half dozen books that I’ve finished reading and not posted anything about yet. I will have to see what I can come up with for the ‘new review format’ over the next couple of weeks.

How do you review what you’ve read?

Military Science Fiction Giraffes

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I have read and reviewed at least one book by author Marko Kloos in the past. I remember it only in vague terms. I DO very much remember that he wrote my favorite story from Love Death + Robots on Netflix. I was distinctly in the category of MEH when I saw a new book coming out from him. Then I read his words in “The Big Idea” and I was sold. This has the potential to be a very cool book indeed.

Check out what he said here.

Read the first chapter here.

To blatantly self promote along with this ~ IF you like military science fiction there is another work out right now that you can get and it even has one of my stories in it! There is a plan in motion to make an appearance at Shore Leave this Friday to celebrate the new book. Feel free to come on out and see us!

Hop on over to a new tab and order up your copy of DTF: In Harm’s Way!

Collapsing Empire

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I posted this review to my Goodreads account first. There was something in the book that didn’t make it into that review that I think is worth considering. I want to note it here because there’s a better than fair chance that I’ll forget by the time we get to discuss this book at Watch The Skies.

The acknowledgements at the end of the book talk about the coincidental timing of the book title vs. the current political climate in the United States. I think it’s noteworthy that the author claims no planned connection. I also believe that however ‘futuristic’ a work of science fiction is, it can not ever be taken apart from the time when it was written. Science fiction is inherently commentary on the time and culture when it was written. While not planned, I don’t think this book is an exception to that.

The Collapsing Empire (The Interdependency, #1)

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I got this book as a free download from the publisher. I have read some Scalzi before and had a level of expectation going into reading this book.

This book was a little difficult to get into at first, but it became a quick and easy read within the first couple of chapters.

This book was a far reaching scope and still managed to pull it off. I found myself hoping that good things would come about for the Emporox and go badly for those looking to disrupt her. It took me a while to appreciate Lady Kiva, but in the end I could work around the constant “F” bombs.

I like that the story threads wrapped up in this book, but there is enough world building to make me interested in what comes next. I suspect I will be looking the next book up when it comes out.



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Writing along still

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It’s always tempting to start with excuses about not blog posting, but I would rather tell you that something new is out there!

My latest story is available now! E-spec books is now selling In Harm’s Way (Defending The Future Book 8). This features my story Sympathetic is in there!

You should pop over to wherever you get books from and get a copy. Then you should get a copy that you can give to a friend. Then you should tell others to go and get one too!

Check it out on Amazon here.

Whodunnit?

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Cremains of the Day (A Tallie Graver Mystery #1)

Cremains of the Day by Misty Simon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I picked this particular book up for two main reasons. One – it’s a cozy mystery and that’s one of the categories on teh “Read Harder” challenge this year. Two – the author is local and a supporter of my favorite book store.

Three stars is a little low. It’s honestly 3.5 stars. Reading cozy mysteries is outside where I normally go for entertainment, so please don’t let my review put you off. This book had a consistent pace and solid characters. The writing was easy to read and went really quickly for me. I can say I hadn’t picked out the killer by the end when the revelation happened, so that was decent too.

If cozy mysteries are a thing for you, this is a title worth checking out.



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Hit and Miss

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Target Rich Environment

Target Rich Environment by Larry Correia

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I enjoy reading Mr. Corriea’s work. There were a couple of stories in here that I’d read before, but reading them again was not necessarily bad. It was fast, light and generally what I was looking for.

I enjoyed the concept of the insurance story that was the last in the collection, but putting in so many personal jabs at particular political stances detracted from the story.

Decent. Looking forward to more monster hunter stuff should it come out in the future.



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Bingo

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Bingo Love

Bingo Love by Tee Franklin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Read this on loan from a friend. This was something I would not have normally found. Part of the reason I enjoy things like the read harder challenge is finding things that don’t fit my ‘normal’ reading patterns.

I enjoyed this. It was a nice story. I’m super glad there was a positive message and a positive message in here.

I’m not a fan of ‘come to the pay web site to get more story’ bits built into the comic panels, but creators need to make money. It didn’t detract too much, but it did detract for me.

Overall – worth the read.



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Grim

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A Grim Detail: Destination Documentation and Multi-Continental Self Examination 2009-2010

A Grim Detail: Destination Documentation and Multi-Continental Self Examination 2009-2010 by Henry Rollins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is actually more of a 3.5 stars than a flat 3. I’ve seen Mr. Rollins perform his spoken word tour a couple of times now. I like his way of telling a story. I got this book at one of those shows and he was kind enough to sign it for me.

I dove into this hoping it was going to be like reading a story in his voice. That was NOT the case at all. This book was a list. An exhaustive, extensive and might I add LONG list of names, dates, places and music.

I forged my way through this book in much the same way I feel that Mr. Rollins seems to charge into whatever he’s working on. It’s work. It’s about moving forward. There’s always anger and repetitive things. I fell into this rhythm of going along with whatever mood he was writing about and just moving from entry to entry with no goal and no answers. Perhaps that is what he was going for? I’m not sure. It’s a long book that essentially describes that he travels, he listens to music, he is angry, he takes pictures, he walks the streets whenever and wherever he can and is a ferocious workaholic.

There are tidbits of good stuff in this book, but his spoken word is sincerely much better. I was hoping for a conclusion, a summary of some kind but I didn’t get it. I will close this review with the same words he closed the book with. Fuck it.



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Gun with what?

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Gun, With Occasional Music

Gun, With Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I read this book once back in the 90s and wanted to bring it to one of my book groups for discussion. Thankfully they were more accepting of my choice than I have been of my own choice.

The first time I read this it stuck with me enough to make me want to read it again. This time through I can’t tell if it’s the fact that I’ve grown or changed in my tastes or if political times have changed and the things I thought were ‘cool’ at the time seem less so now.

There’s a lot of really interesting stuff in this future noir story. The main character might be considered trans… but might not be. I’m not sure. He is certainly broken and living in a gray area. There are animals that have been elevated to become a servant class – smart enough to work and understand things, but not enough to become full first class citizens. There is constant drug use and abuse (although this might be a remnant of the 1980s). There are babyheads, and I’m not sure what the hell or why. I’m really not.

This is also a dystopian story. It is a society where asking questions is frowned upon. Watch your color screen with soothing music and be happy. If you’re not happy, take more drugs and stop asking questions.

As much as I might have enjoyed this once upon a time, something has changed. There is a lot to discuss in this story so I definitely recommend it for that. If noir / odd is your thing, this book is for you.



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City of Brass

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The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy, #1)

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I put this book into the same category as Throne of the Crescent Moon. It is not a medieval fantasy from the Euro-centric place that it normally comes from. The middle eastern setting is excellent. I very much enjoyed the characters, the setting and the action of the story.

I knew this was a series. The story has an end point in this book, but it is not a happy ending. In fact it’s quite the opposite of a happy ending. The story has reached a stopping point, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to go for more. The book did not do the heinous crime of just stopping in the middle, but it didn’t wrap up in a way that made me think, “hey I need to dive directly in for more…” We’ll see if I to to the next one or not later.

I wanted to read this on my own, but it is also a book club selection. I look forward to the discussion.



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