It’s hard to say this book was fun, since it involved more violently ill characters than any other book I can think of… but it’s a page turner and yes, a lot of fun too. Time travel, the Middle Ages, plague, and Christmas – what more can you want in a book? Connie Willis received…
This is a book that’s gotten a ton of praise, and has been described as Agatha Christie meets Groundhog Day. As a murder mystery, it’s great fun, playing on the great murder mystery tropes: a group of wealthy, bored socialites in a dark and dusty mansion somewhere in the middle of nowhere (a little like…
In many ways, this book has it all: space, aliens, time travel, and medieval Vikings. Robert Kroese’s book tells a story that is a lot of fun to read, and pays a lot of attention to the details, both modern and historical. The saga begins with the crew of spaceship Andrea Luhman exploring the source…
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis I’ve been wanting to read something by Connie Willis for a while now. In April I went to an exhibit of the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in Seattle at the Museum of Pop Culture, and Willis was one of the female authors featured. To Say…
I found this to be a thoughtful and entertaining take on the time travel story. Time travel stories have plenty of tropes, and it seems like most of it’s been done before. Mastai’s debut novel takes those tropes, mashes them together, and comes out with something that feels new. I had a few issues with…
This is a book with an interesting concept but there were a few things that didn’t work for me at all. Ann Decker is working in a tech store when she’s approached by someone who wants to recruit her for a special job. Her life isn’t too exciting, so she jumps in a van with…
This novel was a gift from my mother, after we both read Stephen King’s 11/22/63. King said this was his favorite time travel novel, and that it inspired his book. And I can see that. I had mixed feelings about the book, although it begins with an interesting premise. Si Morley is an artist who…
I’ve read four of Rainbow Rowell’s books and enjoyed every one of them. It’s hard to compare them, so I won’t. Rowell’s previous books have all been about the beginnings of a relationship, but this one is about what happens to that relationship across years of marriage. Georgie McCool is a writer of television comedies…
This is not a review exactly, since I don’t like to write reviews mid-series. Instead I’m just going to gush. Diana Gabaldon’s books are amazing. They are so long and involved, you feel like you know these characters intimately. She writes with a level of detail that makes you feel you’re right there. It’s the…
There are books that stay with you, and this is one of them. I always hear raves about Octavia Butler, yet her books aren’t exactly mainstream titles. I knew I wanted to read something by her, but wasn’t sure where to start (thanks to favorite blogger Alley for her review). Kindred has a deceptively simple…
Note: The Book Stop is officially on vacation. I wrote this ahead of time so I may not respond to your comments (but please comment). Enjoy! If you’re a Stephen King fan, especially a fan of his older books, you’ll appreciate this one, because he really gets back to the detailed way he used to…
The Mine is a novel by first-time novelist John Heldt. It’s a time-travel story in the vein of Back to the Future – only this time the traveler lives in 2000 and goes back 60 years to 1941, just before Pearl Harbor and U.S. entry into World War 2. Joel Smith is graduating from college…
There's always room for one more...
I read, breathe, and live in bookish worlds.
Book Reviews
"Books are a uniquely portable magic" - Stephen King
*somewhere to collect my (mostly) bookish thoughts*
"She had read novels while other people perused the Sunday papers" - Mary Elizabeth Braddon
"The world was hers for the reading."
Thoughts on Literature, Expressing Creativity, Being Authentic
books, libraries, life
