So, this blog is going to change up a little bit.  I’m going to review regular paperbooks, but also review podiobooks every other post.  This helps new authors get their names out there and it’ll help you decide amongst the many many podiobooks available, because some of them, quite frankly, suck while some are fantastic.

Let me know what you think about this change!

John Scalzi

Book: Old Man’s War

Genre: Sci Fi

Julia Rating: 10

Comments:

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi is a well written Sci Fi adventure that made me look at old people from a new angle. The idea behind it is, if you are old (75 years to be exact), what would you do to be young again? In the case of John Perry and countless other 75 year olds, he is willing to give up earth and fight wars at far flung planets against alien races.

Scalzi really captures the hopes and desires of a 75 year old man leaving his home forever to participate in battle with unknown races. This book is action packed, but also has an emotional impact that surprised and pleased me. Friendships are made, people die and love blooms.

I can’t wait to read Scalzi’s sequel, The Ghost Brigades

Elizabeth Schulenberg submitted two reviews for books that are in the same series. One is Hidden Man and the other The Last Nightingale. They both look like intense and fascinating mysteries. I’m definitely going to check them out!

Heather submitted a review for Unholy Grail and A Letter of Mary.  They both look like great mysteries.

I’m going to give you my two favorite mysteries that I’ve written reviews on: Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie and Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.

I know I’ve not been posting much.  I’m sorry!!!  More posts are coming, I promise.  In fact, I’m spending the whole morning preparing for tomorrow’s post. I am going to be involved in The Other Side of the Leaf bookworm carnival. The Other Side of the Leaf is a great blog that has been reeling from the shock of the blog owner’s - Dewey’s - sad passing. She set up the bookworm carnival months ago and some intrepid souls have decided to continue with it as Dewey probably would have wanted.  So, you’ll see that post tomorrow.  The subject is Mystery and if anyone has any last minute mystery book review submissions, let me know.

Another thing I’ve been involved in is reading Dirty Little Angels by Chris Tusa.  It’s a great book, but unfortunately I’m having to sandwich it in between other activities, so I’m not reading it as fast as I normally would.  Sorry Chris!  I’ll finish it soon and review it then.

That’s it for me.  I’m going back to my bookworms carnival now.  Let me know what you think!

Tim Scott

Book: Love in the Time of Fridges - A Sci-Fi Thriller (of sorts)

Genre: Sci Fi, Humor

Julia Rating: 10

Comments:

This book gets a 10 just for the title. Come on. Who could resist a book called Love in the Time of Fridges? The title is amazing.

I got this book from my awesome cousin for Christmas. She got it because when she went to the book store to buy me a Christmas present, she realized that I’ve probably read all the books she would recommend for me (a kind assumption, but I’m not sure. My cousin’s a prolific reader.)  Anyway, she then bought two books she hadn’t read.  So I owe her my thanks for a great choice in literature.

Now, onwards with the review. Tim Scott reminded me a lot of Douglas Adams. I don’t say that lightly. While Tim’s wacky book occurs on planet earth - in Seattle - it’s got amazing and hilarious Sci Fi bits. I want to quote from his book, but I’d probably need permission and I’d spoil the delight and hilarity you’ll get out of reading it.

The premise is that Huckleberry Lindbergh returns to his hometown - Seattle - to find peace from a past he has run away from. Instead he runs into trouble. He meets a girl who is helping refrigerators (and one tumble dryer) escape from oppression in Seattle. She thinks that’s all she’s doing, but they both discover a deeper conspiracy, involving Fiorentina pizza, but without the egg.

This book contains government control experiments, brain washing, highly mustached police, decrepit public transportation, ominous health and safety warnings, animated furniture, singing fridges and even love.

If this book sounds like the right stuff for you, click here and buy it from Amazon.

Mur Lafferty

Book: Playing For Keeps

Genre: Fantasy

Julia Rating: 10

Comments: I may be a little biased on Playing for Keeps, since I follow Mur’s podcast, I Should Be Writing, so I really like Mur.  In fact, the podcast is the whole reason I read her book - that and her other book Tricks of the Podcasting Masters, which I obviously haven’t been applying - but hope to at some point in the near future.

Anyway, about Playing for Keeps. This is a superhero novel about Keepsie, a woman with a special super power. She lives in a world where super heroes are the norm and property damage from enormous battles between good and evil are tallied on the news daily.

Keepsie’s power isn’t considered good enough to be a “registered superhero”, so she’s created a bar for other “third wave” superheros like herself and employed only third wavers - a woman with an inability to drop a tray and a cook who knows what you are craving.

After being kidnapped by the super villain Doodad, she discovers an item which she protects with her power - preventing anything in her possession from being stolen. Becoming the center of a battle between heroes and villains, Keepsie has to figure out who’s side she’s on - and if she and her friends can be strong enough to save the city.

Additional Review:

Captain the Puppy says, “This book was good enough to eat! Seriously! While Julia was  at  work, I ate the Swarm Press logo off the back cover and it was delicious. I didn’t eat the text or the review on the back because I was too busy reading it.”

Anyway,  it’s such a cool gadget!  I love it.  I hate messing up books with highlighters and writing in the margins, so I don’t.  But, if I could, I would.  With the Kindle, I can do that and delete my comments and highlights with a quick click.  But, I can also go back to that comment and find the book I was thinking about.  So cool.

Anyone who doesn’t have a Kindle should get one.  Not only are you able to support more self-published authors (who only have their book in e-book format), but you can do things you aren’t able to do with a normal book, like click on a word and get a definition.

Mary E. Pearson

Book: The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Genre: Sci Fi

Julia Rating: 10

Comments:
I found The Adoration of Jenna Fox at Becky’s Book Review Blog and fell in love with the idea of it. However, I totally thought it was just about a girl who lost her memory and is finding herself. All by itself, that’s a pretty good premise for a book, wouldn’t you say?

But The Adoration of Jenna Fox is much, much more than that. To my happy astonishment, I found it’s a sci fi book about possible future technologies.  It’s like Greg Bear, but for younger people and more emotionally minded (as opposed to Mr. Bear’s technically minded books).

I can’t really go in to all the details, because I’d probably completely ruin the book for you.  But the basic premise is a girl named Jenna Fox wakes up a year after a terrible accident.  She can’t remember anything about her previous life and is trying to focus on making her awkward body do what she wants it to do.  As she delves deeper into her past, she tries to remember the accident.  She can’t, but discovers tidbits and finds out she shouldn’t have survived… yet she did. Why you ask? You’ll have to read the book.

If you want to buy The Adoration of Jenna Fox from Amazon, click here.

Otherwise, comment and tell me what you think! If you want a spoiler, let me know and I’ll give it to you in the comments.

I, for one, think the creator of Discworld deserves it. I just hope Sir Pratchett has many more happy, memorable years ahead of him to enjoy his knighthood. Congratulations!