Review – Lock In by John Scalzi

Lock In
By: John Scalzi
Website: http://whatever.scalzi.com/
Release Date: August 26, 2014
Publisher: Tor Books
Series: Lock In #1
Award: Locus Award Nominee for Best Science Fiction Novel (2015); John W. Campbell Memorial Award Nominee for Best Novel (2015); ALA Alex Award (2015); Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Science Fiction (2014)
Rating:


There is nothing better than a stay up till three am binge read. Lock In by John Scalzi was exactly that book. I picked it up late one evening and then read the entire thing. Because who needs sleep, really? This is a science fiction novel with strong mystery/thriller themes that is easy to read and perfect for people who want to delve into the sci-fi genre for the first time.

How good is this book? Well, I immediately went out and bought his newest novel, The Collapsing Empire, two days later. So, yeah. That good.

Throwback Thursday: Fool Moon (The Dresden Files #2)

Fool Moon (The Dresden Files #2)
By: Jim Butcher
Website: http://www.jim-butcher.com/
Release Date: January 9th, 2001
Publisher: Roc Books
Series: The Dresden Files
Rating:


I continued the series and am very glad I did. It is quickly becoming an obsession of mine and I’m glad I had the foresight to grab the next few books in the series at the same time so I could binge read them. This story, much like the first, has a new case but you get the sense that a lot of these things will connect down the line for Harry. Be wary of spoilers ahead.

Review -The Family Plot by Cherie Priest

The Family Plot
By: Cherie Priest
Website: http://www.cheriepriest.com/
Release Date: September 20, 2016
Publisher: Tor Books
Rating:


Every once in a while I just need to read a good ghost story. I haven’t picked one up in some time, so I was quite excited when I discovered The Family Plot by Cherie Priest. This is a ghost story set in the American south at a beautiful old mansion which holds more then the usual dusty family secrets and furniture for the salvage team to pick through.

#ThrowbackThursday Review – The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde

The Big Over Easy
By: Jasper Fforde
Website: http://www.jasperfforde.com/
Release Date: July 11, 2005
Publisher: Viking Adult
Series: Nursery Crime #1
Award: Lefty Award Nominee (2006)
Rating:


There’s something almost magical to be said for a library book sale. Are just so many books, and that cash just can’t stay in my pocket. I picked up this book on a whim. Never heard of the author before, but the title sounded interesting and it’d been quite some time since I settled down with a mystery story to boot.

I was excited! It sounded so different, so fun! I immediately told my husband, mother, and mother-in-law all about the synopsis. Reactions ranged from ‘that sounds kind of familiar’ to ‘pretty sure I read that, didn’t you?’. Apparently I’m the only one who hasn’t heard of The Big Over Easy, the author Jasper Fforde, or any of his other books.

Throwback Thursday: Storm Front (The Dresden Files #1)

Storm Front (The Dresden Files #1)
By: Jim Butcher
Website: http://www.jim-butcher.com/
Release Date: April 1st 2000
Publisher: Roc Books
Series: The Dresden Files
Rating:


A friend of mine recommended these books. All he told me was “there’s a wizard, technology fails around him, there are currently fifteen books in the series and you need to read all of them.”

He was right.

Review: The End of Everything

The End of Everything
By: Megan Abbott
Website: http://meganabbott.com/end.html
Release Date: July 7th, 2011
Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books
Rating:


This book has many contrasting reviews online. Some are glorious, with high ratings and accolades for the author for developing such a tale. Others dismiss the book, their criticism ranging from “it didn’t suit me,” to the book being terrible. Where do I fall? Good question because…I’m just not sure.

Okay, first things first — there are some spoilers here because there is no good way to review this book without them to explain the ups and downs of this book.

Review – Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Every Heart a Doorway
By: Seanan McGuire
Website: http://www.seananmcguire.com/
Release Date: April 5, 2016
Publisher: Tor.com
Series: Wayward Children #1
Award: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fantasy (2016); Alex Award (2017)
Rating:


Every Heart a Doorway is a novella written by Seanan McGuire. This is a tale where all the doors to other worlds are real. The Narnia’s, the Wonderlands – all of these exist. But this isn’t a story of wonderful fantasy lands and the little girls and boys who fall into them. This is a story of what happens afterwards, once they fall back into our world sometimes older, perhaps a little wiser, but most definitely changed.

Review: Shackled

Shackled
By: Tom Leveen
Website: http://tomleveen.com/
Release Date: August 18th, 2015
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Rating:


When I want a thriller book I can be pretty picky. To that end picking up Schackled by Tom Leveen was a great decision. A distressed main character, a driving force behind all of the character’s actions and an intriguing plot had me hooked quickly and I must say that this was the perfect, quick, thriller I had hoped it would be. 

Review: Twisted

Twisted
By: Hannah Jayne
Website: http://www.hannah-jayne.com/
Release Date: July 5th 2016
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Rating:


Titles are tricky so, when a title that is only one word can get my attention I will grab the book off the shelf, read the synopsis and, if intrigued further, buy the book immediately. That is exactly what happened with me when I saw this title at Barnes and Noble.