The Last Letter (Lehn)

The Last Letter
by Fiona Lehn (2011)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This book was a freebie I picked up on a table either and World Fantasy Con in Niagara Falls or Philcon near Philadelphia. I'm thinking it was the former. It's part of a series of books (Conversation Pieces) by different authors. This was the 31st listing in the series with no mention of anything coming after that (either "coming soon" or because this was a reprinted edition). I was surprised that this book was so old given the condition it was in. Also, it was more than likely that I saw a pile of them and took one rather than taking this book in particular from a random collection of books.

This book is a "conversation piece" in that the book is a letter from one scientist to another. She's writing the letter as she is dying, and she's recounting what happened in the time that they'd spent together on the island of SG-7 (which has nothing to do with the Stargate franchise, a notion I quickly put out of my head whenever it popped up). Peta is called to the island because of a problem in the forest of webworms who are eating the leaves of the forest and stringing up webs. The forest is out of balance and it's her assignment to bring it back into balance. The situation isn't helped by the "solutions" that the islanders have already tried and what they demand that she should try, which are things that likely would cause more harm than good. In particular, these webworms seem to be mutated from the usual form that are seen.

Worse, the population is starting to grow fearful and superstititous about them to the point that Peta has to pull rank and enlist local law enforcement to institute curfews and arrest people.

While she is there, she meets another scientist, Helmut, who is there studying geese guano on the idea. He has a secret agenda that involves a species of toad, which is why he accepted this assignment (or why he choose this island for his geese assignment, actually). The two meet, help each other, and form a connection. Unfortunately, both of them are married (in loveless marriages) and Helmut even has a daughter. But they can't deny the attraction for each other.

As the book progresses, the worms don't ask as expected, which makes dealing with the crisis more difficult until Peta finds something unexpected which was causing the imbalance. Her part in this assignment comes to an end and we find out what happened with their lives after this and why Peta is dying.

It's a pretty long letter, but not a long book. I found it enjoyable. It was a "pool book" for me, so I likely started it last August and didn't get very far into it. I picked it up without a bookmark in it but found roughly the place I'd left off. I finished it in a few days. (I actually finished it on a train because of the iffy weather ahead and I didn't know when I'd get more pool time.)

Generally, I read old science fiction/fantasy magazines in the pool that I find at conventions in case I drop it while sitting in a tube (or it just gets wet while I'm trying to get out) but I've read other books that are either old or that won't bother me too much if they got wet.

From the description, I'm not likely to search out any more of these Conversation Pieces, but I'll check them out if I spot them anywhere at other convnetions.

This one will be going into a Little Free Library in the neighborhood.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

One Piece, Volumes 41-42 (Oda)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

The Water Seven story line has moved to Eines Lobby where Nico Robin is being judged (more than tried) for her crimes, and nothing will stop Luffy of the rest of the pirates from saving her, even if Nico doesn't wished to be saved.

The new twist comes as Nico is handcuffed with shackles that cancel out fruit powers and are unbreakable with the correct key. Each of the villains has a key and takes off in different directions, so the pirates have to split up and try to take each of member of CP9, a highly elite government organization, down. And they have to do this before Nico Robin is whisked away to someplace where all hope will be lost.

The fights are slow moving and a bit repetitive but we get to see more of the CP9 agents in actions. The highlist of these two volumes is seeing Nico Robin's past and learning what it is that she's supposed to have done or what it is that she's capable of doing. Her quest for knowledge will not only be her undoing but will undo the world government.

Something happened nearly a millenium ago that isn't talked about or written down. It's the missing century in history. But the answers are out there if one knows where to look. This seems to be something as valuable to find as the One Piece itself that the series is named for (that I doubt we'll ever see, along with a return of Red-Haired Shanks.)

I'll keep reading, but I'm reading more regular graphic novels, and I wouldn't mind sampling other manga as well. I know this series goes on nearly forever. (I had an interesting conversation with my adult son who's been binging the cartoon so he can catch up with his friends. I believe he's at episode 1100, or a number equally ridiculous.)

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

Crown and Chronos (Letha)

Crown and Chronos
by Rosa Letha (2026)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This book was a free Advanced Reader Copy from Library Thing. I'm encouraged (but not required) to leave reviews in exchange for the free books.

This book had a short page count -- it was in fact fewer than 20 pages as a PDF, including all the front matter and blank pages. It was basicaly a short story. I was so shocked when I got to the end, I double-checked the email with the file, and I wrote the author asking if it was supposed to be so short.

I left the following review on the Library Thing website:

This is a short story that reads like the prologue to a much longer novel that wasn't included. I got to the end and thought, "That's it?"

---

I can't say anything else because there was no story there to say anything about. But at least I finished both of this month's Library Thing books quickly. I still have a couple of older ones to catch up on.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

Everyone Kept Quiet So I Did Too (Djukičin)

Everyone Kept Quiet So I Did Too: Tales of a Reluctant Soldier:
A Graphic Novel About the Balkan Wars of the 1990s
by Đorđe Balmazović (Author), Aleksandar Djukičin (Author) (2026)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This book was a free Advanced Reader Copy from Library Thing. I'm encouraged (but not required) to leave reviews in exchange for the free books.

I saw that there was a graphic novel, so I requested it even though it's an ebook and not something that I can share with my classroom.

As I noted on the LT page, this is more of an illustrated memoir than it is a graphic novel in the usual sense but it's still enjoyable.

The artwork changes sometimes but it fits the story.

I left the following review on the Library Thing website:

This is more of an illustrated memoir than a proper graphic novel, but that's a minor distinction that doesn't distract from the story at hand, namely the absurdity and futility of war and its effects on the people fighting it. In this case, it's the story of a soldier fighting in the war between Serbia and Croatia in 1990 and managing to survive it.

The artwork isn't as simplistic as the cover might suggest. That style (where the soldiers look almost like bowling pins, or old-style bottles of soda with the tops still on them) is used in certain situations while more traditional artwork is used elsewhere.

This was a quick read and I enjoyed it.

---

There isn't much more to add. It was a quick read. I was done before sooner than I expected to be.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

Heracles: Lion of Nemea (Kin)

Heracles: Lion of Nemea
by kin (2026)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This book was a free Advanced Reader Copy from Library Thing. I'm encouraged (but not required) to leave reviews in exchange for the free books.

I usually avoid series books, but this was based on the 12 Labors of Heracles (Hercules), so I didn't really worry about it being open-ended. And it is the first book in the series. (The second was offered the following month.) It also helped that it was a short book.

I will say that while I'm familiar with the idea of the 12 labors, I couldn't name them all any more than I could name all of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. I didn't watch that many movies or read that many books.

Note that the author's name is given only as "Kin".

I left the following review on the Library Thing website:

This was a fun little read although it was long on introspection and short on action until the final third of the book when Heracles fights the lion. I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one.

---

I realize that this wasn't much of a review but it was a short book and not a lot happens.

I enjoyed the book, but it was slow and there wasn't a lot of action until the last third of the book. In the prologue, Heracles' wife is dead and he had her blood on his hands but that's all we get. Then he's on the road, traveling, going somewhere or nowhere. He confronts one village who won't let him stay a night or have anything to eat. Later, he's beset on by bandits whom he dispatches quickly enough, getting hurt along the way. It's not until the end where he's climbing a mountain that he seeks out whatever creature is up there (We know: it's in the title of the book!), and to rescue a father and son.

There is a lot of detail about the mountain and you almost just want him to get there already.

Finally, there's so action where Heracles, wounded and bleeding, kills the lion with bare hands and the strength in his battered body.

He returns to the town the boy is from and tells them the lion is dead and the man is covered in rocks in a cave to protect his body from vultures. Then he walks on without asking to stay.

End of story.

I guess you would classify this kind of writing as "literary" although that usually means that there isn't a speculative element. Not that any are mentioned here, but this is Heracles we're talking about.

It was enjoyable, and I'd read the next one if I won it.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

Model Home (Solomon)

Model Home
Rivers Solomon (2024)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This book was a Pandemic Book Club selection. I listened to it, and then read it. It was mostly hated and ripped about by my book club. It rivaled Anger is a Gift as a benchmark to mock other books by.

It didn't help that I listened to this book right after listening to Parable of the Sower. I make no comparisons because that's too high a bar, but, damn.

There are spoilers below because there is no way to discuss this book without them.

The title "Model Home" refers to the house that the family bought. Model homes are a showcase and usually have hidden flaws. Buying this home could almost be like a bait and switch, except every buyer should know that there's less than meets the eye.

This term could also apply to the family that occupies the home as well. (More below.)

But the real flaw belongs to the book itself where one might expect a malignant spirit haunting this house, when in fact the real problem is much more mundane but just as malignant. There is nothing supernatural about the horrors of this house. Every problem has a manmade cause.

Basically, this is the most messed up version of Scooby Doo that you could possibly imagine. And they would've gotten away with it if it weren't for those meddling kids.

Instead of a story about a haunted house, we get the twisted, messed up lives or a bunch of twisted, messed up people. The main character isn't sympathetic, and neither is anyone else. Like Anger is a Gift, all the checkboxes are checked, including the sudden inclusion of diabetes halfway through the book.

This story takes place in the present (and over the past 30 years) but the attitudes seem quite dated to decades before that. Except of course, that it couldn't be decades earlier because (aside from obvious indicators like tech) no one has a problem with a young boy who suddenly becomes nonbinary and uses "them" pronouns *in the late 90s*. It's hard to take the story seriously when people are supposed to have problems with a black family in a white community but they take non-binary and transgenderism in stride. At the very least, you'd expect more misgendering and misuse of pronouns three decades ago.

Basically, this could've been better if it picked and chose which issues it would stress. And possibly if there actually had been a Lady Without a Face haunting the place.

No, I didn't enjoy this book. I would rate this book 1 star, which I normally reserve for poorly, written self-published work, not because this is poorly written but because it's just that bad.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

Between Two Fires (Buehlman)

Between Two Fires
Christopher Buehlman (2012)

[AUDIO ONLY -- no image]

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This was a semi-random audiobook selection. At least one person listed on their reading list on Tik Tok and the cover was intriguing enough that I looked for it on Libby.

This is the Google AI summary of the book: a medieval horror-fantasy novel set in 1348 during the Black Death, following a disgraced knight, Thomas, who escorts a young girl, Delphine, across a plague-ridden France to Avignon, as she claims to be on a divine mission to confront evil in a second war between heaven and hell. The story blends grimdark fantasy, historical fiction, and religious mythology, featuring a journey through a depraved landscape filled with angels, demons, and the risen dead, exploring themes of faith, redemption, and the struggle for humanity's soul.

I didn't give it the best of chances because there were many times that I listened for less than 15 minutes at a shot, so I was sometimes a little lost when I started again. The narrative also shifts between current day and events in the past, and I sometimes wasn't sure where I was supposed to be. When the final conflict happened, I was a little confused as to what was going on.

Still, I enjoyed it. I don't know if I'll get around to actually reading it (I have a bunch of things that I need to get to) but I might suggest this one the next time it's my turn to pick books for the book club. (Other books are likely to be Dragon Teeth and The Fourth Consort, which will be reviewed soon).

If I had a favorite scene that I think would play well on a big screen (or streaming as a series), I would pick when the fallen knight meets up with the man who took his land (and who even has his horse with him). This happens not long after the knight found a bunch of French fighters who are momentarily helpless and he backs out of the room without killing or harming any of them. The knight's battle with the lord and his men is interrupted by French attacking and massacring everyone on the field. One of the Frenchmen finds Thomas and is about to kill him when he recognizes him. He hollers to all the combatants while pointing his sword, "NOT HIM!" Thomas is the only one to survive.

I'd like to read this one.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

Two Catwings Books (Le Guin)

Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings, by Ursula K. Le Guin (1994)
Jane on Her Own, by Ursula K. Le Guin (1994)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

These were two kids books that were inside a Little Free Library. I saw the author's name on the cover, and I knew that I had to borrow them.

I hadn't heard of "Catwings" before, but I can't say that I'll well-read with the author's work. And even if I were, I'm not exactly the target audience for these books.

There were four books, and these were the final two. They're short, but between the two of them, they're as long as some of the books that I picked up at World Fantasy Con or Philcon, so I gave them a combined entry.

In brief, in the first of these two, a regular kitten named Alexander decides to explore what's beyond his yard and the tree past them and gets lost. He climbs a tree for safety and is stuck up there. He is aided by a cat with wings named Jane. Jane leads Alexander to the rest of her family of Catwings. Jane suffered trauma and doesn't speak. Alexander is happy in his new home.

In the second, Jane flies off and flies and explores. She flies into a man's apartment and he shuts the window. He shows her off as an amazing animal. She eventually gets away.

These were cute and I have to put them back. I wish I'd done so before school let out. These would've been fun for some child to find.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

Defenders: Reign of the Bugs (Greenwood)

Defenders: Reign of the Bugs
by Leslie Greenwood (2026)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This book was a free Advanced Reader Copy from Library Thing. I'm encouraged (but not required) to leave reviews in exchange for the free books.

It seemed like an interesting enough premise, so I requested this book (along with maybe ten others), and this was one of the two that received last month. I was a bit behind with some other books, so I didn't get to it right away. And then when I did, I was a little sorry that I picked it.

Aliens take over the Earth, and give certain people superpowers so that they can defend the plaent from 20 invasions of the planet. This is book one, so there is a series planned from here.

I left the following review on the Library Thing website:

The comparison to Dungeon Crawler Carl is unavoidable, but instead of aliens creating an underground fantasy computer roleplaying game that Earth's survivors are pulled into, these aliens have created a reality show where some of Earth's population have been giving superpowers to defend the Earth from wave upon wave of invasions. Doing well gets you sponsors and better powers but not for a while. And this becomes a problem.

For one thing, a lot of the book deals with negotiations for better powers that won't come until a later round. This means that the main character, Chad, whose power is healing himself, has little to offer his team, and he tends to die a lot in the meantime. He's looked after by a Bigfoot, and android, and a leech monster (who gets refered to as literally "lecherous", which might be more amusing if she weren't a kid).

After the first space bug boss is killed, the rest is anticlimactic (with much of it happening "off camera"), and even the aliens agree. They want the heroes to fight and defend their planet, not shoot missiles at targets from afar.

There's a final side quest in Antarctica, not involving alien invasion, for a more exciting ending, and then everyone has to get ready for the next wave.

---

Basically, this is not a great book. And I can't even say that there's a good story under it, so if an editor stepped in to suggest a rewrite, it'd probably require a thorough redesign from the start.

As I told the author in email (and I will refrain from revealing email stuff), it reads like the two of us are at a con and Greenwood is telling me about this great story rather than telling the story. I realize that this might not make sense, but my first problem is in the narrative structure.

Other things that might've caused me to DNF the book if it wasn't an ARC: when the aliens invade, there's a very long info dump about the invasions, the tiered structure of superpowers, the frequency of each tier and their relative strengths, and other stuff; this dump ends with the alien "hanging a lantern" on the info dump, which is really just a sign of giving up on figuring out how to write it coherently and working it into the narrative when necessary; there are things other things that don't work.

In Carl the dungeon crawlers are living in a computer game, so everything acts like a game, including getting information on things. Here, everyone has information hanging over their heads with their names, their tiers, and their power set. This makes no sense because it's a reality show and these graphics would be on screen, not visible in real life. Consider the yellow lines that appear on TV at football games -- they don't appear on the field! Toward the end of the book, one character looks up at them and says, "oh, I keep forgetting about those." I don't see how any of them could forget about them, but I could see how the author (and the reader) might.

The four main heroes manage to take out the first bug boss (which was described as a space bug like in the movie "Starship Troopers", which, oddly, I haven't seen). After that, they get caught up with the military to go to South America and then to Antartica. Chad convinces them to practice their powers with a tournament, which would help them discover and develop their abilities and get an audience. While this is going on, five of the other six bugs are destroyed offscreen by missiles, annoying the showrunners. The military and the defenders, now with an indestructile superdog, sail to Antarctica along with a whale with mind powers, to find the last bug.

SPOILER: While the group of defenders is making their way through an ancient alien base under the ice, they receive word that the whale killed the bug. Done. First wave over. HOWEVER, a group of them are caught behind an unmovable wall and Chad figures that there's something that the producers would them to face, so they continue -- and find NAZIS. Except that they're not just Nazis, they're genetic clones of Nazis from WWII, including several clones of Hitler. And one Hitler has a S-tier level mecromancer power. ("Technomancer" might've been a better term, but then it couldn't be confused with "necromancer".)

Everything is televised on channels that the characters can view. These are shows on various networks (of which there are many) but they'll concentrate on any group that is doing something interesting. This means that this reality show has real-time cameras literally everywhere, but there are no cameras anywhere. I guess it's Microbots or Nanobots "or whaterver".

Through the entire book, there are side conversations with an agent trying to get good deals with sponsors (but not until the third level) which would add extra superpowers or abilities to each character, and another one trying to arrange interviews and instruct them with general tips how to survive longer. Again, a clumsy copy of Carl missing the logical structure to place these things.

My pettiest pet peeves: I had an ebook, so I couldn't toss the book across the room when I encountered the over-overuse of "or whatever" at the ends of sentences and responses of "Oh, I see." Both of these could be forgiven if each was confined to a single character that could be identified with it. Further, "or whatever" should only appear in dialogue and not in the narration. Either give me another option or delete those two words."

This was an ARC, and not a final copy, so I tried to ignore the typos, but there were a lot of them and some were some atrocious examples of misuse of language. (I didn't highlight these, so I can't reference them.)

One last thing: the only reason I had an email exchange with the author was because Greenwood emailed me asking if I could post a review by June 1 when the book launched (I was barely 20% in at the time), and I was offered the second book to review, which is launching July 1. I didn't respond to that, and I'm glad I didn't because I can't see how it could be better when they had to be written at the same time or at least during the time when the first one was being edited.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

Everything Is Ok (Tung)

Everything Is Ok
by Debbie Tung (2022)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

I saw this book listed as a recommended graphic novel. I don't remember where, or if it was in one of the lists of nonfiction that I was scanning (probably). It mentioned it was from the author of "Quiet Girl in a Noisy World", which sounded familiar. I requested both from the library. This one arrived first, but I waited for the first one before reading both. What I didn't realize is that Tung has published several other books in between the two, but this one continues the themes of the first book.

And it takes those themes to a really dark place.

Tung gives an account of living through a panic account and the stress, anxiety, and depression that accompany it. She details the ongoing troubles continuing to work her first job when trying to earn commissions for her artistic work. It goes well beyond just being shy and introverted.

Unlike Quiet Girl in a Noisy World, this book isn't episodic. Each page doesn't have a (self-deprecating) punchline or even a conclusion. The narratives continue for pages at a time, particularly in the beginning of the book. We are included in her therapy sessions, and we are witnesses to her internal thoughts.

I can see why this book came so highly recommended, and I'll add it to my recommended reading list next year if I get to teach this course again. Hopefully, I can acquire a couple of copies.

I'll also check out some of her other books that are more about her life as an introvert. (One is about books.)

Note: I added "memoir" as a tag to this one because the panic attack is central to the book. I didn't add the "biography" tag because it's not really a life story.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert's Story (Tung)

Quiet Girl in a Noisy World
An Introvert's Story by Debbie Tung (2017)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

I looked for recommendations online for nonfiction graphic novels that I could mention to my class to show them that that not everything is superheroes. I did have an interest in history -- anything that they could tie into their studies. I've mentioned George Takei before. And I was hoping to find examples about the American Revolution with America 250 coming soon. (Side note: anything from that time period would be works of fiction. "Creative nonfiction", whatever that actually is, would be the closest thing. I've seen such books at the Dyker Heights library.)

Among every list are Persepholis and Maus, though it took time for the latter to be nonfiction because of the imagery used. A lot of other nonfiction books seemed to deal with tragic issues like war in their homeland, poverty, emigrating to America, racism. It almost made me wish for run-of-the-mill teen angst -- almost. But, I had to be honest, what tops the nonfiction charts for regular books? Usually issues. Graphic novels combine these with compelling stories to varying degrees, and the trick is to get you to care, even if for only a couple hundred pages.

Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert's Story caught my attention as it was something that I thought I could relate to. Most people who know me would say I wouldn't know anything about being an introvert. Some people who really know me, might say otherwise, maybe. There was a period were I thought my awkward extrovert moments were covering up for my introverted tendencies. And sometimes it was the reverse.

However, over the years, I've met some real introverts, and I'm not sure that I could count among their numbers, so maybe there's something else going on.

And that digression brings me back to the book at hand. I actually got the second book first from the library, but I waited to get this one to read either one.

Debbie Tung is a cartoonist. This self-referential book is more episodic than an actual story, but it does move forward with life even if even page (or two) seems to be a standalone strip. It's more cohesive than the recently read Huda F book, Yes, I'm Hot in This. (Side note: I was attracted to the title "Huda F Cares" and then went back to the first book in the series.) The Huda book just seemed with endless "gag" strips, many of which seemed to repeat, at least in theme. Granted, that repetition could stem from the fact that she hears those comments constantly.

In Tung's book, any repetition seems to reinforce what she's already feeling, even as she moves forward with her life, or as she retreats back into the familiar in her life. And she celebrates little victories even while she's completing major achievements.

I enjoyed this book. I might buy a copy of this for my classroom next year if I'm given this class to teach again.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

A Silent Voice #01-03

A Silent Voice, Volume 1-3, by Yoshitoki Ōima (2015)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

I was out for a walk when I came across a Little Free Library on a one-block-long side street between Atlantic Ave and Herkimer Street. Inside were six of the seven Harry Potter paperbacks, a copy of the Once and Future King, and three manga books from a series called A Silent Voice. A quick scan showed by it was a teen drama and I didn't see any images that would be awkward in my classroom. (Yes, I know they've seen worse, but I don't have to bring them in.)

I read one, and then decided to read all three. I've since discovered that there were seven books, which appear to be available as ebooks. Also, there was a movie based on the series that covered the main plot lines. (A student of mine told me.) However, it seems that Netflix won't show it to me because I have Netflix with ads and their licensing agreement won't allow it to be shown on a platform with ads.

The books follow Shoya Ishida, a bully who get ostracized by his friends and years later seeks redemption. The target of his bullying is a deaf classmate,Shoko Nishimiya, who he tormented so much that she switched schools. They meet in high school. He doesn't think he deserved to be forgiven or have anything good in his life (in fact, he's contemplating suicide but doesn't go through with it), and Shoko starts to like him as he starts to care about her.

I'm enjoying it so far, and I'll probably continue reading this during the summer when I have more time. (I have other things to catch up on.)

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

Dragon Teeth (Crichton)

Dragon Teeth
Michael Crichton (2017)

[AUDIO ONLY -- but I added the picture anyway -- maybe I'll read it later]

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This was a random audiobook suggestion from Libby. I hadn't heard of it before, and from the cover I was thinking that it was something connected to Jurassic Park. Nope, it's connected to dinosaurs, but to the hunt for their fossils, including the discovery of the brontosaurus, with teeth so large, like giant rocks, that scientists were forced to rethink the size of the animals that help such teeth in its mouth.

The story starts with a Yale student named Johnson who makes a dumb bet with another student about going on an expedition during the summer of 1876 with one of the school's professors to find dinosaur bones. Prof Marsh originally refuses Marsh because he's made his selections already but allows him to come when he discovers that Johnson is a photographer. Johnson doesn't know anything about photography but he takes classes and gets good at it.

Marsh is delusional and paranoid, and starts to believe that Johnson is a spy, so he abandons him in Cheyenne when he allows him to oversleep while everyone else catches their train. With nowhere else to go, Johnson joins the expedition of Edward Cope, Marsh's rival who Marsh believes to be a criminal, thief, and lowlife.

I was not aware while listening to this that these two paleontologists were real people who had a real rivalry during the "Bone Wars". (Johnson is a fabrication, as is the story in general.) Also, although it was published in 2017, after Crichton's death, the book was written in 1974.

Marsh causes trouble for Cope and his men. Marsh bribes officials, poisons water, and plans ambushes to steal Cope's bones.

Johnson finds the "dragon teeth" without realizing what he found, which causes Cope to rethink how large dinosaurs could've been -- given the size of the jaw that would be needed for those teeth and the size of the head that would be required for that jaw, and so on. The timing is after Custer's Last Stand, and everyone wants to put distance between themselves and the Sioux, who will be on the move soon.

Johnson, another student (Toad), and a Snake scout named Little Wind are separated from the rest of the men when Sioux scouts approach. Little Wind drives them west. Johnson is wounded when the wagon arrives in Deadwood with the bodies of Toad and Little Wind, whom he buries.

Johnson leaves his wallet in his room, which is robbed, leaving him penniless. He wants to get out of there and get the boxes back east. (Everyone in Deadwood believes that these boxes must be valuable. No one believes that they are animal bones.) But he has no money and will be stuck there for the winter if he can't figure something out. Luckily, he still has his photography equipment and opens a studio.

One thing that annoyed me: The army comes through, and Johnson sees a way out. But Johnson is also a witness to a crime and the sheriff locks him up to prevent him from leaving. It didn't add anything to the story, except to add some false hope. (This did explain something that happened later -- how someone could've heard a rumor.)

Wyatt Earp shows up later on and plays a part in the narrative.

This was a good book to listen to. Marsh was annoying before I knew that he was a real person and that his behavior might've been toned down. And I generally dislike when someone is conveniently robbed, with no recourse, and has to continually struggle with having nothing. It makes more sense in this scenario, of course, instead of a random druggie jumping out of an alley. When I clear a few other books from my "Holds" at the library, I might borrow a copy of this one to read.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

One Piece, Volumes 30-40 (Oda)

One Piece, Volumes 30-40, Eiichiro Oda, 1997-2003

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

Sometime in 2017, I made an entry for the first 29 issues of One-Piece. I read more after that, but I never made another entry. I guess I was waiting until I read another bunch of issues. For whatever reason, that didn't happen.

I will say that I took a break from the comic for a while because it did seem to drag quite a bit. This is by design. Manga unfolds slowly. But the pacing was really slow.

The break lasted long enough that when I started rereading sometime in the past year, I couldn't remember what issue I'd been up to. The first couple of guesses were incorrect. I had no idea because I hadn't posted anything. And yet I didn't fix this then, either.

Just recently, I finished Vol 41, and I'm starting volume 42. There are waits for the ebooks, but I got Volume 40-42 in one big book, so I had two choices.

In brief:

The Sky City arc finished and the Straw Hats come crashing back down to Earth -- or rather sea.

There's a short arc where the Monkey Go is challenged by another pirate to a Davy Back Fight where the losing ship must give a member of its crew to the winner.

And, finally, there's the Water 7 Arc with the Galley-La Shipbuilding Company, which is winding down, except that many people from the Water 7 arc carry over to the Eines Lobby arc and the rescue of Nico Robin.

Next update soon. Not nine years from now.


If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

Jen & Gary's Infinite (Quantum) Entanglements (Gregorio)

Jen & Gary's Infinite (Quantum) Entanglements
by Nick Gregorio (2026)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This book was a free Advanced Reader Copy from Library Thing. I'm encouraged (but not required) to leave reviews in exchange for the free books.

I've read my Book Club books (and the meeting was delayed because of the holiday), so I had time to catch up on other books. This should've been a quicker read but I didn't read it as quickly as I expected to. I couldn't point to any particular reason for this.

Still, I gave it five stars on Library Thing because I thought my quibbles were minor, and because I started the next book I won, which looks like it's going to be terrible. I seem to be a bit judgy with many of these Library Thing books. On the other hand, I haven't had the best of luck picking books based on the small descriptions. I would hope anyone looking at my reviews believes I'm being fair and consistent.

I'll probably give it four stars on Good Reads.

I left the following review on the Library Thing website:

Jen & Gary's Infinite (Quantum) Entanglements is a romantic sci-fi novel that doesn't take itself seriously... until it takes itself seriously so it can resolve the plot. When Gary tells Jen he loves her, the result sends him spiraling through the multiverse, landing in other versions of himself. But unlike, for examples, "Sliders" or the MCU, the worlds Gary lands in are occupied by dinosaurs, killer robots, living islands, and even crazier. And through it all, Jen is always there.

Running parallel to this, in yet another multiverse, Jen and Gari are a couple who watch over the multiverse. Gari knows its going to be a long night as she watches a version of herself tumbling through universes, wreaking havoc and leaving a path of destruction if they can't wrangle him and find a patch. Gary then procedes at a right angle to what he should do when it starts to get more serious.

The story is fun and enjoyable. If I could ding it for one thing it would be the overuse of parenthetical asides (the kind that can be funny while providing extra information (and which can be nested for humorous effect (and sometimes drop three levels deep))).

---

The fact that the first alternate Earth Gary landed in was a world of sentient dinosaurs, which had analogue identities to the people from his original Earth caught me offguard. I found it funny because he didn't start with something similar but a little different and then skirt off into ridiculous realms. It was there from the beginning. And if that didn't set the tone, jumping into killer robots solidified it. (To be fair, the robots had absorbed the identities of people they'd just killed.)

After this, we get Jen and Gari, who are overseers -- sort of like characters that I wrote about four or five years ago in a story that I need to get back to.

We find out that Jen and Gari is a gender-swapped universe, but Jen had a procedure to be female. This is the first instance where we see that Gary and Jen could work out together. We also find out that the original Gary was from a universe that actually did revolve around him, so when he professed his love for Jen in that world, it caused him to be propelled into null space and cause his universe to leak out into null. I never quite bought that explanation that he couldn't be with Jen in his universe.

If anything, I would've preferred seeing a bunch of different universe when something prevents them from being together until he finds one that works, or until he realizes why he's in his own way (so that there's character growth or an "arc").

Another quibbly thing: each section (not chapter) is label case file #001, #002, etc. But each world takes many of these case files, some of which are only a couple of paragraphs long. I will give credit that each case file has a title, even if it's just a sentence from one of the paragraphs. I don't know the purpose that those served.

Anyway, I enjoyed the book although I think it could've been better. I have to remind myself that these are ARCs and not final copies, so there will be typos, but occasionally I wonder if another round of editing mightve helped.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

1634: The Baltic War (Weber / Flint)

1634: The Baltic War, David Weber and Eric Flint (2008)

I found a draft for this entry that was dated Jul 25, 2018.

I found it on May 18, 2026.

Apparently, I read this and never wrote it up. I honestly don't remember reading it. However, as I type this, I vaguely recall how this book had only half the cast of the previous books because this was the point where Flint started publishing multiple books per year -- year as in 1634.

What makes this discovery more amusing is that I picked up a copy of this at Philcon last November. Charles E. Gannon was doing a "coffee talk" that I attended and he had freebies that he gave away. Someone got the "Gazette" before I could reach it -- these have stories by various writers that are set in the world of the Ring of Fire, and some of these stories are incorporated into the main timeline. It's a way to find out what else is happening in the world without burdening the main books. Anyway, with that gone, I went with the book with the earliest date, so I could get to it sooner. It's sitting on my dresser, waiting to be read.

I guess I don't have to read it now.

The funny thing is that I wanted to read more of this series because it is interesting. There was too much of it to absorb to get to write for the shared world portion of it -- and now with Flint gone, I don't know what's going to happen with that anyway. But the books are thick, and it'd be a while before I could reread those first three books to get ready for book four. With a book club and Library Thing plus my own interests (and graphic novels), there just isn't time.

There isn't anything to add. I don't remember the book at all other than that I enjoyed it and planned to read more -- which I haven't done in the past six years.

Luminous Beings (Arnold)

Luminous Beings, by David Arnold, illustrated by José Pimienta (2024)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This was another graphic novel that I picked up at random at the library based on the cover. At this point, I'm looking for interesting panels that I can incorporate into a class slide presentation or worksheet or just something that I could recommend to the students.

This book isn't one of those things. I could use it as an example of poor dialogue placement, but I already have several of those. What I mean by this is that the tails of some word balloons go behind other word balloons to the point that you aren't sure who is speaking.

Other than that, I have no complaints about the layout, which seems to be standard with many graphic novels.

The book is about a "faux-pocalypse". They don't call it that. I just did. It looked like it was going to be about more than it actually was.

The story takes place over the course on one night. There are pink streaks coming out of the sky. Everyone is wearing hazmat suits, or "hazzies". The hoods have face masks that can be opened to use an inhaler (one character has for no stated reason, and it never comes into play) or to take a drink or just about any reason outside. Also, one guy (not shown) urinated behind a dumpster outside a club.

The only thing that this apocalypse seemed to do was turn all the squirrel into zombies with glowing red eyes that attack humans -- except that none are ever struck. The squirrels are always batted down and crushed behind someone's heel.

Of the four main characters, two are budding filmmakers, making a documentary about the squirrels, the end of the world, and a missing friend who went to live off the grid (and claim a reward for finding him). One of them has a secret -- she's decided to move away to go to Brooklyn College to study film-making. (Side note: I am a BC alumni, and I know that BC has one of the two best Film Departments in the city. The other is at NYU, which is about 10-20 times more expensive. One had Robert Redford as an advisor; the other had Paul Newman.)

The other two boys are friends and one of them secretly has a promise ring that he has to work up the nerve to give. As far as B stories go, it's pretty pedestrian. There are no complications, tension, drama in this.

The four follow a few clues and find the guy, who already knew the world wasn't actually ending but wanted to disassociate from the world anyway, and they make it back home by morning.

The artwork is pretty cool, primarily with pinks and purples for the night sky.

One scene that stands out was when two of them are in the club -- the boy who's 18 and the girl who's underage because the club lets in underage girls. The other two boys are outside (by the aforementioned dumpster). The couples are mixed, so everyone is free to spill what's on their mind. And here's were it goes wrong. The writer tries to do a movie trick of intercutting the two scenes and mixing the dialogue. This sometimes works in movies, because the jump cuts are obvious. It's less obvious here with the dark, near empty backgrounds with the "camera" close-up on whichever teen is speaking. It jumps from inside to outside back inside again to give the impression that the outside teen is responding to the inside teen's dialgoue. It doesn't work.

Luminous Beings was an okay read, and not something that I'll recommend. I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it -- maybe it'll mean more to them.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

The Parable of the Sower (1993)

Parable of the Sower
Octavia E. Butler (1993)

[AUDIO ONLY]

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This was a random audiobook suggestion from Libby. I've heard of this book, and of Octavia E. Butler, but hadn't read it. For some reason, I thought this book was older. Then again, I find it hard to believe that 1993 was over 30 years ago.

The book is narrated by Lynne Thigpen. Normally, I don't pay attention to this, but I saw the name and remembered her from TV. She did a great job.

The timing of listening to this book was ironically amusing (it's not supposed to be). The setting is a dystopian California in 2026 where the poor huddle together behind walls for protection against the really poor who will rob, steal, burn, and kill to get want they need and take what they want. (They commit more unspeakable crimes to women as well.) Cops and firemen are next to useless, or worse. Criminals rarely get caught, and innocent people get punished.

In this instance, the country has been ravaged by climate change, wealth inequality, and social collapse. Climate change was a little ahead of its time in the early 90s, but it was typical scifi cannon fodder to set up a novel.

Jobs are hard to come by, particularly ones that pay cash. It's hard to imagine that there are still stores, and that those stores can be supplied, but they have security. Some jobs are basically indentured servants (paid in room and board, so you can never leave). And some pay in "company scrip" which can only be spent at the company store, and worthless elsewhere. The allusions to slavery are noted.

Lauren Olamina starts off as a 15-year-old. (She'll age at least three years over the course of the book.) She's also an empath. She has a condition, as others will have in the book, that she can feel other people's pain to the point where it can be debilitating. If she were to punch someone, she would feel it. This becomes problematic later on when she needs to shoot someone. She hides this condition.

The first part of the book sets up Lauren's home and family life and how bad it is. At the same time, she narrates her discovery of a new religion. She was baptised a Baptist, but she doesn't identify with that God. She writes poetry about her philosophy, which she calls Earthseed, and she refers to her writings as The Book of the Living (as opposed to the Books of the Dead).

People live together for safety. People who live alone are more likely to be robbed and killed (and raped). When a fire starts at one house, the community comes out to help, which leaves houses empty for thieves. Lauren wants to leave, and she has a to go bag. Her father says that to go bags are a bag idea because it puts everything valuable in one place for a thief to steal quickly.

The book switches gear when the really poor, the homeless, attack and burn down the entire community. It's their way of sticking it to the rich. No one here is rich, but some are richer than others.

Lauren escapes with her bag and then returns the next day along with the looters to get more of her stuff. She can't find the rest of her family, who she hopes escapes but comes to belive they're all dead.

The rest of the book concerns escaping and traveling north, trying to find someplace safe. The roads are dangerous and so are the towns. Getting into Oregon will be difficult and getting into Canada would be nearly impossible. Lauren and others that can be trusted try to form a larger group for safety as they travel north.

I enjoyed listening to this. I don't know if I would've stuck with it were I reading it.

I might listen to the sequel at some point.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

Remote, Volume 02

Remote, Volume 02, by Seimaru Amagi and illustrated by Tetsuya Koshiba (2005)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

I couldn't find the correct cover online, so I posted the one above from an eBay auction. It looked better than the photo I took.

I believe I found this book in a Little Free Library although I suppose it could've come from Philcom. I saw it was volume 2, but I figured there would be a recap to bring me up to speed. Not really, just a description of the two main characters.

As with all graphic novels I find (and the ones that are donated), I flip though them before I put them into my library. Like Crazy Food Truck, this one had nudity in the first few pages as the young woman from the cover steps out of the shower. Unlike CFT, she's only naked this one time. Unlike CFT, this manga gets its kick with unnecessary, gratuitous upskirt shots. This is a specific camera angle used multiple times, instead of just showing the woman in her underwear or a skimpy bathing suit. If anyone wants to discuss my concerns offline sometime, come find me, possibly at the next convention. (Also, to highlight the fact that she's wired, there is only panel where her clothing is transparent but her body and underwear are not grayed out.)

The crux of the matter: this book is not going into the rotation in my classroom. It's going back into a Little Free Library in my neighborhood -- and not the one in front of the K-5 school!

Kurumi Ayaki is a police officer who is assigned to an elite unit in charge of solving crimes that have been classified as unsolvable. She does the legwork for Kōzaburō Himuro, a recluse, a "guy in the chair", who lives in the basement of his manor and doesn't come out. He's a genius with a tragic, traumatic past.

There are 9 or 10 chapters (I forget) in this book. The first few are dedicated to the crime from the first book, which gets solved here. This segues into a second crime involving students from a local high school. Ayaki goes to investigate -- to ask questions while her boss feeds her questions. While she's there, the school is threatened will bombs in the building, so Ayaki goes under cover as a new student, which catches the interest of a number of possible suspects. (The calls are coming from inside the school.)

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

The Case of the Culvert Puppies (Olis)

The Case of the Grounded Ferry
by Thomas Olis (2026)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

When I won "The Case of The Grounded Ferry" a few months ago, the book wasn't ready. The author, Tom Olis, emailed me his first two books in the series to read in the meantime. I actually wasn't planning on doing that. And after reading book three, I wasn't in a hurry to read book one. However, ...

Sometimes the stars align. I'm in between book club books at the moment. I hadn't started another Library Thing book yet. And my reading goal "scavenger hunt" type list includes two entries for two books written by the same author. I had other prospects lined up, but this one was right in front of me.

The first book, The Case of the Culvert Puppies, reads better than the third. Partially, this is because the characters are introduced better here, and partially because Olis doesn't do a good job (or any job?) reintroducing them to new readers in book three. I never got a feel for them. Once again, however, almost everyone is on a first-name basis, which gets confusing, and I forget which parent goes with which child.

Speaking of adults, they play significant roles in this book. It's not all kids saving the day. In fact, they acknowledge that there are parts of the investigation that are grown-up business.

There's a Russian plot to sow discord in the area that involves stealing a dog, which escapes long enough to give birth to puppies in an illegal culvert on a property that's illegally being developed. Then a flash drive is found that has a bunch of files in it. The police and feds step in after this.

It wasn't bad. I liked it better than book three. The back of the book lists five mysteries, but the third one just came out. I hope the author makes corrections to his writing before publishing those next two.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

The Greatest Pub in the Multiverse (Steuernagel)

The Greatest Pub in the Multiverse
Herman Steuernagel (2025)

[AUDIOBOOK]

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

I listened to this book in March, I believe, but apparently, I forgot to review it. I don't even have a draft file.

This is a sequel to The Bartender Between Worlds and is more of what I expected (or wanted?) in the first book. And in many ways, this is better than the first book.

The book opens with James, a computer game designer, going home from the US to the UK because his father died. His latest endeavor fell through, so he has some time. His father and late mother owned an old pub, which has been left to James. Due to the terms of the will, he can't sell it for at least a year. He and his sister give it a go.

While searching in the storeroom, they discover a portal to another world, which has been closed off for 20 years. And not just anywhere in that world, but to a pub called the Pints and Portals. Something about the key that James had opened the P∧P to other realms as well.

It's here that we run into Moira again, and she still have the demon box. They get things going. Moira has a problem that James resembles her James, who now hates her and would hunt her down for being magical. At the same time, she's falling for this James and worried about his reaction were he to find out her past of hunting down magical creatures.

I wish I wrote more of this down while it was fresh in my mind. I enjoyed the book, but it got a little confusing with the different POV chapters (this doesn't usually bother me) and sometimes I'd forget which bar that they were in. I did think it was a great way to expand the universe of the first book, which you don't actually need to read to read this own (but it will have spoilers for book 1, naturally)

If the library ever got the ebooks, I might reread these.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

The Man from the Great North (Pratt)

The Man from the Great North
Written by Hugo Pratt (1980) -- (2017, in English)

One Man, One Adventure

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

I've been showing some videos in class about the History of Graphic Novels in the 20th century (and their precursors). Wil Eisner's A Contract With God gets a lot of credit at being the first graphic novel, or at least the first to use that term, or the first to popularize that term. It can be argued (and is argued) that none of that is true. Maybe the popularized part.

One video spoke of Italian artist Hugo Pratt and his early work. It then went on to talk about The Man from the Great North. It looked interesting, so I requested it from the library, and it was almost immediately available.

This edition, translated into English, has an important Foreward, which I read both before and after reading the comic. Some of what I read the first time didn't click as much as it did the second time.

Jesuit Joe is a French Metis Indian in Canada in the early 20th century. He's a killer, to be sure, but appears to be a "righteous" one, with his own code of ethics. He finds a Mountie's uniform in a cabin and puts it on. He likes the color. After that, he gets mistaken for a Mountie, despite his obvious heritage. He has answers for any questions about it. The actual Sgt. Fox will come after him, and Joe ends up saving the man's life a couple of times.

The story ends ambiguously in the middle of the book, but then continues. Pratt returned to the book after several years and wrote more of the adventure. It's included here. Also included are storyboards created for a movie about Jesuit Joe, because he was asked to expand certain parts. They look odd because of the rough nature of the story boards compared to the regular artwork.

Not included here is any sort of final ending. Did Pratt not have time? Did he lose interest? Pratt did, years later, write a novelized version of the book, and yet didn't expand upon the ending in any way. (I know this because the foreword says so.)

This was an entertaining book with a focus on the artwork, some of which is violent/grotesque. There isn't a lot of dialogue, so there's not a lot to read, but there's a lot to take in.

I'll have to see what else by Pratt I can find.

I enjoyed this book.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

The Case of the Grounded Ferry (Olis)

The Case of the Grounded Ferry
by Thomas Olis (2026)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This book was a free Advanced Reader Copy from Library Thing. I'm encouraged (but not required) to leave reviews in exchange for the free books.

I'm reviewing it late because I recieved it late. In fact, the author sent me the first two books to read while I was waiting. I did not read those. I don't remember if I realized that this was the third book in a series of mysteries. I did NOT know that the first book was only released a year ago.

Disclosure: I released five books within an 18-month timespan, but those were all about 40 pages long and most of the material had been written long before. Pumping out three 200-page books this quickly is a lot of work. I did notice quite a few typos, but this is an ARC not a final copy, so I can't ding the author for that unless it's particularly grievous.

I left the following review on the Library Thing website:

The Case of the Grounded Ferry (by Thomas Olis) starts off great with two friends on the beach when a ferry loses control and runs aground. The girls recognize someone on the ferry, who then tries to hide, and someone jumps off the ship and runs off the beach.

The girls, their friends, and their families get caught up in a bigger puzzle figuring out how all the pieces fit together while watching out for strangers out to do them harm.

Unfortunately for me, the mystery didn't really pull me in, and the ending felt a bit cut off. I never really got the feel for most of the characters. There were a lot of them, but other than a name (usually just a first name, even with the parents), there wasn't much to distinguish them.

---

I will say that the names bothered me. Everyone was a first name, except for the occasional "Mon" or "Dad". The adults are also referred to by their first names, and there are a lot of them, too. Keeping them straight and whose parents were whose might've worked better with a few last names, instead of "Mr. Jenny's Father". (Seriously.) In fact, Paul (or it might've been Pete) tells Terrence to call him anything but "sir", so he calls him by whatever name someone else called him by. The last name Stourhm, or something like that, appeared a few times in the last part of the book (once where Jenny gets called her full name by her father).

The only two kids I could keep straight were Terrence, the boy with red hair who was in the middle of everything, and Emmett, Jenny's younger brother who gets kidnapped at one point. The rest of them? I couldn't picture them at all -- maybe whatever teens and preteens I saw on some show on TV at some point. Imagine young actresses playing the parts.

The people (adults and children) behave irrationally. The police don't seem to have too much of a problem with this. (They also don't seem to use last names of the people they're talking to.) And the more I think about it, the less sense the book makes to me.

**** SPOILERS ***

And in the end, it just ends. They follow Terrence who's being kidnapped. Luckily, one of the dads works for the FBI (or was it the CIA?) and has a badge. They rescue Terrence before he's pulled onto a ship that flies a flag other than the US. The cops will not interfere, even if there might be other kids on that boat. (This make sense, but ...) And that's basically it. Sometimes, that happens.

And that's the way the story ends. Sometimes that happens. Kids get shanghaied and disappear. That happens. Less than a happy ending, and less than a satisfying one.

(End Spoilers

Oddly enough, I have nothing electronic to read at the moment. I'm waiting for books to become available, and I'm not ready to start another one of these weird sci-fi books I won. Dumb as it sounds, since Olis sent me three books, and since there's an entry on my "Reading Goals" for two book by the same author, I'll at least read the first one to see if the series got off to a decent start at least.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

Lucky Penny (Hirsh / Ota)

Lucky Penny
Written by Ananth Hirsh
Illustrated by Yuko Ota (2016)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This book had an interesting cover, and it looked like a standalone story. However, given the way it's told in parts, it wouldn't surprise me if this was published in parts and then collected, nor would it surprise me if there are more books after this one.

Penny's luck is bad. She loses her job and her roommate in the same day. Her friend, Helen (the roommate), is moving away. When they go to clean out her storage locker, Penny gets the idea to rent it out and live in there. (Most of the obvious problems with living in such a space aren't addressed.) Helen also sets her up in with a job in her parents' laundromat.

Her first problem, when she arrives, is that the laundromat appears to be run by Helen's 12-year-old brother who doesn't seem to like Penny at all. Interestingly, the 12-year-old seems to always be there (maybe it was summer?) and the parents are never around. A lot of responsibility for the kid.

Penny meets her love interest when she agrees to go on a date with the guy at the front desk at the gym next door to the laundromat in exchange for the use of the gym's showers. This is her idea, by the way. The guy is a bit on the shy, timid, meek side.

Her life is chaos, but Penny manages to struggle through until her life and her luck turn around. Silly sometimes, and not entirely satisfying, I didn't hate it. And I'm glad I picked it up.

It was definitely a step up from the previous graphic novel I read.

Note: This was labeled "the Color Edition", so I'm assuming it was first published as black and white. The coloring was well-done, even if nothing in particular stands out in my mind.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles

The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles
Malka Older (2024)

[AUDIOBOOK]

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This is another audiobook that I should've given another listen to. (I listened to the first two chapters twice.) However, I returned it and moved on to the next book. It was a mystery, and I heard the ending, so I don't know that listening again will matter much.

The book is a sequel to The Mimicking of Known Successes, and like that one starts with missing people who couldn't fallen to their deaths for all anyone knows. But the team of Mossa and Pleiti (the Sapphic Holmes and Watson) are on the case to locate not just one but a bunch of academics who have disappeared.

And to discover why one of them was murdered, and by whom. Probably the one that tried to kill Pleiti as well.

It leads to a discovery that is similar to one that occurred in the first book, but is a bit different.

As with last time, I'm not exactly sure how this ring system works, or how the platforms are arranged on them. I'm assuming that there's a series of concentric equatorial rings that have tracks for a train (or monorails) and that the stations are built along them like little space cities.

The story was enjoyable, and I'll likely request the next book at some point.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.