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Book Review: Bent Heavens

Book Review: Bent Heavens

I read Oliver Twist recently, and this is billed as a sort of retelling or heavily inspired by the Dickens work. I remember Oliver and Company and other Oliver Twist retellings that I’ve enjoyed, so I look forward to investigating this book. The Book(s) Bent HeavensAuthor: Daniel Kraus2020Amazon Link There’s a bunch of body horror in this one, but that’s not the most “shocking” bit of this:…

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Book Review: And Then There Were None

Book Review: And Then There Were None

Egads, don’t look up the original British title. The Book And Then There Were NoneAuthor: Agatha Christie1939Amazon Link This is somewhat cozy. It’s probably your prototypical mystery, in fact, because you have a closed house and a limited number of potential perps. Beyond your typical murder mystery stuff, this is a pretty normal book that shouldn’t contain anything to really spook…

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Book Review: Gilded Wolves

Book Review: Gilded Wolves

First, I try to keep up with publishing trends as I can. This seems to be one of those “in vogue” type stories, so I’m going to read it. But why, oh why, does it seem like more YA gets published than adult books? Is it just that much more profitable? Is it just that much more advertised? Whatever. Here we go. The Book Gilded WolvesAuthor: Roshani Chokshi2021Amazon Link I think this is…

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Book Review: Jefferson and His Time, Volume 1

Book Review: Jefferson and His Time, Volume 1

This book, first in its series and often titled “Jefferson The Virginian”, is the first in a 6-volume monstrosity written by Dumas Malone over the course of thirty years. This was written in 48, and the final volume was written in 81. I think it reasonable for me to read biographies of more presidents than just Andrew Jackson, so here we go. The Book Jefferson and His Time, Volume 1: Jefferson…

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Book Review: Oliver Twist

Book Review: Oliver Twist

I have a soft spot in my heart for Dickens. Not for any good reason – no, no, it’s because I was Ebenezer Scrooge in our 4th-grade rendition of A Christmas Carol. Most of the time, I find Dickens quite dull and to follow a very prescribed formula. Somehow I always forget it, then I pick up another of his books expecting something different. This time, I won’t be fooled: I’ll go in expecting a…

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Book Review: Cold Mourning

Book Review: Cold Mourning

Once again, diving into my library’s “available now” reserves. We’ll see if this worked out any better than the last one. The Book Cold MourningAuthor: Brenda Chapman2014Amazon Link There isn’t anything in this book you wouldn’t expect from a murder mystery. You have buddy cops, some murder, some innuendo and bad-people-stuff on screen, but you get what you expect. Though, this is probably…

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Book Review: Ninth House

Book Review: Ninth House

Dark fantasy is a genre I can get behind. I needed something to listen to at work, and this was listed as “Available Now” on my library’s audiobook site. I was skeptical, though, because this was the first adult book from an author that had only written YA so far. I went ahead and decided to do it because it wasn’t terribly long. The Book Ninth HouseAuthor: Leigh Bardugo2019Amazon Link This…

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My Life Has Peaked

My Life Has Peaked

At some point in the past few months (keeping dates ambiguous), my husband and I celebrated our 10th anniversary. I had an absolute blast on our trip to Nashville. That blast was in no small part due to the fact that my husband planned this trip for me. Well, he did almost all the planning; I bought the tickets because he didn’t know which tour(s) to…

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Book Review: Dread Nation

Book Review: Dread Nation

Read the blurb of this on Amazon or Goodreads. How does this not just sound like one of the craziest, most hardcore things you’ve ever seen? How does this not just sound like a book I’d love? Of course I was going to pick this up. I kept moving it back on my TBR in order to read things I found to be “more important”, but dude. Nothing’s more important than entertainment. The Book(s) Dread…

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Book Review: This is How You Lose the Time War

Book Review: This is How You Lose the Time War

This book seemed to have an interesting title and premise. It also had dual authors, which isn’t terribly common. At the same time, I was skeptical because it seemed to be fitting the in-vogue, Twitter SJW stuff a bit too neatly. Still, it was at my library, so I picked it up. The Book(s) This is How You Lose the Time WarAuthors: Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone2019Amazon Link This is an…

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Book Review: A Dark Genesis

Book Review: A Dark Genesis

I like to frequent Berthold Gambrel’s review site, and once in a while I find a book that I think is going to be a very worthwhile read. This was one of those books, so I got a copy and set it where I wanted it on my to be read list. The Book(s) A Dark GenesisAuthor: Cheryl Lawson2020Amazon Link There are some medically gruesome scenes, body horror, and some violence. If you can do Star Trek…

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Book Review: Ashlords

Not going to lie, that cover really attracted me. After successfully enjoying Gilded Wolves last week, I was also ready for another magic, steampunk-esque YA (though this seems more wild west than Victorian England steampunk). The Book AshlordsAuthor: Scott Reintgen2020Amazon Link This is pretty reasonable YA. It’s actually got quite a lot in common with Hunger Games. Non-Spoiler Review Some…

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Book Review: The Ten Thousand Doors of January

Book Review: The Ten Thousand Doors of January

I haven’t been posting as much recently (thank you, work), but I have been reading. Mostly reading THIS BOOK. You can see from some of my previous posts that I’ve been working my way through this. It is available as an ebook at my library, so I could just keep checking it out as long as I want to read it. The Book The Ten Thousand Doors of JanuaryAuthor: Alix E. Harrow2019Amazon Link I have…

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Book Review: Lord of the Flies

Book Review: Lord of the Flies

This book is on the Amazon’s 100 Books to Read Before You Die list that I’ve been working on. It came available at the library, so I snatched it up. The Book Lord of the FliesAuthor: William Golding1954Amazon Link This book is a classic, so you probably know a little bit about it already. I like to read some classic books just to make sure I’m not some sort of barbarian, and this book has long…

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We're Live!

We’re Live!

That’s right, my friends – American Chimera is live, both as a paperback and as a Kindle book! Kindle (US): $0.99 Paperback (US): $6.14 + shipping If you are international, the ASIN for the Kindle is B0B3WPRQGZ, and the ASIN for the Paperback is B0B3DV6X2K. There’s one problem… I promised a free book. I had intended to get it free. But Amazon, in all its Bezos wonder, has decided not to let…

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Book Review: Ringlander

Honestly, I have no idea where I found this book. My mind vaguely recalls me clicking a link on Twitter, but I have absolutely no recollection of exactly what tweet I stumbled upon. This is a $0.99 book, though, which meant I spent money on it; usually I remember where I found books I spend money on. Either way, this is an indie book with a great cover and a great premise. The Book Ringlander:…

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Shutting Down AMERICAN CHIMERA

Shutting Down AMERICAN CHIMERA

I recently posted that I am going to put American Chimera on Kindle rather than as a free book on my blog. Sadly, the day has arrived, and the posts and pages I created for the original book are being taken down (possibly as you read this, possibly just beforehand). Never fear, though! The book is not gone forever, and it will still be available in a free e-book format. I received my proof copy…