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Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

This is Andy Weir at his best! Project Hail Mary reminds me of his book The Martian in that it has this amazing main character that you fall for immediately and a sets of events that will have you on the edge of your seat. And did I mention, lots of great science. Folks… Weir is back!

Dr. Ryland Grace has been a junior high school teacher ever since he left the academic world over a controversial paper he wrote. In the paper he claimed that life does not need water to exist or evolve. Little did he know that this paper would lead him to be the expert on an alien life form and that would ultimately lead him to being part of a three person manned mission to another star to save humanity.

There is just one catch. He cannot remember any of this. He is awoken by an advanced medical robot protocol and at first he does not even know his name. All he knows is there are two corpses on beds next to him. Slowly his past comes back to him in bits and pieces as he works on finding a solution to Earth’s problem and avoiding the next mass extension event.

I know I am being obtuse here but I don’t want to spoil one minute of this excellent story. It is a mix of Space Opera and hard science. By the way, Weir does a beautiful job of marrying the two. The action is never ending. Just as Grace solves one problem another one arises. He also has a habit of plowing ahead while working on a problem and not thinking through all of the consequences. In other words, he is human.

Thinking of being human, Weir has created a character that is incredibly likeable. Grace is fallible in a believable way and this makes him relatable. A couple of times I wanted to shout to Grace, “What did you expect!” I love when I get so invested in a story that I want to talk to the character(s).

I know you can tell that I loved this one. However, If YOU loved The Martian as much as I did, you have to read this book. Even if you have never read a book by Weir be sure to pick this one up. I promise you it will be well worth it. Double kudos to Weir for writing such a wonderful book. I am looking forward to seeing this one on the big screen. I received a free ARC from the publisher, via NetGalley, for my honest review.

The Ballad of Lorianna, Ever Brush Away the Sleep, To Winter and other poems by Christopher Laverty

The Ballad of Lorianna by Christopher Laverty is a lovely collection of poetry written in a classical style, which, by the way, I happen to love. Poetry is such a personal thing because each poem is experienced differently by the reader. This collection is exceptional and it spoke to me in the most intimate way.

I read a lot of poetry. I host a daily poetry challenge on Litsy; therefore, I read several poems every day and I am exposed to a variety of styles and poets. Some I like and some I don’t. However, this collection was so good there was not a single poem I did not enjoy reading. I did have favorites and those I read 4 or more times. That’s how I know I love something… when I find myself being drawn back to it over and over again.

In particular, I appreciated that the poet did not make his verse over complex. The musings on life and the impression places and people leave on us shine through in these poems. There are a number of sonnets mixed in with longer and shorter verse. I liked the variety of length and subject. There is a hint of modern among the vintage which was a nice way to mix thing up a bit.

Here is a small taste to tempt you from Two Flowers:

“Two kinds of flowers are in life’s garden sown-

The first are words and deeds that spread a name;

For laurel wreaths and eulogies they’re grown

That blow such blossoms of the mind to fame.”

If you love poetry this is a collection you don’t want to miss. I read the entire collection twice and several poems multiple times and know I will return to often in the future. I received a free copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

I have been waiting for this book and now it is finally here. I can’t help but be excited! I have wanted to know more about Cassian since he was first introduced into the story. Now that his story is intertwined with Nesta’s, I am more intrigued. Note that I have not a Nesta fan; yet, I am coming around to like her, a little bit anyway, after this book.

Nesta is angry with being forced into the cauldron and becoming High Fae. She is angry with her sister Fayre, she is angry at Cassian and most of all, she is angry at herself. She has a lot to be angry about and all this angry is destroying her from the inside out. She turns to drinking and men to deal with it all. Yet, we know she is not dealing with it and so does Fayre.

After Rhysand and Fayre receive an astronomical bill for one of Nesta’s particularity bad night of excesses, Fayre says enough and cuts off Nesta. No more funds to act like the spoiled brat she has become. Instead, Nesta will live at the House of Wind and will train every morning with Cassian and work every afternoon in the library. Will this be what Nesta needs or will it only lead to more trouble?

The best part of this book is the character development. Kudos to the author for taking a character I love to hate and turning her into something so different I couldn’t help but reverse my opinion of her a little bit. As I said earlier, I am still not on Team Nesta, but I do feel much different about her. I understand her better and can see how she became the spoiled brat and how her nature has worked both for and against her. I loved that in this book she has learned how to control the aspects of her character that even she does not like. She still has a ways to go, but I feel she has finally found her place and she is beginning to accept herself and love herself. This needed to happen for her to move on.

There is not a lot in the way of plot in this book. It is totally a character driven story and that is okay. The descriptive prose and the characters more than made up for this. There are also no big plot twists. However, there are a few unresolved things so I know there will be more in the future. I am totally excited about more books in this world because I am just not ready to let these characters go yet.

I highly recommend this book for lovers of fantasy, especially epic fantasy. However, you need to read these books in order. The story continues to build upon past events and you will not grasp everything going on if you have not read the prior books. If fantasy is your thing and you have not read this series, you are missing out on an exceptional tale.

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

I found this book to be a mixed bag. It was part humorous commentary on himself and his friend, and hiking partner, Katz and it was part a lesson on the AT and its flora and fauna. So to really enjoy this book you must like both kinds of writing, or at least be open to it.

Personally, I liked both. I always enjoy learning something when I read. Therefore, I found the “teaching” parts of the book interesting and informative. They were not overly long and were interspersed throughout the entire book so that the story never became bogged done with it.

The actual tale of his trek through the woods with Katz was humorous. But it was also introspective at times. He does not shy away from his own failings in this adventure. He notes that very early in the first day of hiking he realizes just how woefully unprepared he is. Yet he and Katz struggle on.

In the end, Bryson and Katz ended up not being through hikers as planned, but section hikers. It seems Bryson could not stand the Great Smokies section. He and Katz mutually decided to skip over most of the NC section of the AT and rejoined the trail in Virginia. They did a similar thing further north on the trail.

Even though they only hiked around 800 miles, less than half the total distance of the trail, Bryson had many stories to tell. His musings on the possibility of being mauled by a bear and the encounter with Mary Ellen, a lone hiker in the first days of the trek, were among my favorites. Katz tossing food and other equipment (twice) in an effort to lighten the load was another favorite.

While I wished he had hiked the entire trail, if for no other reason as to have more fodder for stories, he portrayed it honesty and with mirth. A very enjoyable read indeed. I highly recommend it to everyone.

The Vatican Cameos by Richard T. Ryan

What’s not to like about a Sherlock Holmes mystery. He is a genius detective and uses his keen powers of observation to unravel the deepest of mysteries. When he is presented a problem to solve, he is like a blood hound on a scent and never stops until he has found his quarry. The author has highlighted this and many other talents of Holmes in this wonderful tale of cat and mouse.

When a group of cameos, carved by the famous Michelangelo, is stolen from the Vatican, the Pope sends a courier to Bakers Street in London to employ Holmes to recover them. It is stressed to Holmes that this is a delicate matter and he must tell no one about the robbery because the cameos have been hidden for 400 years. They were carved to represent the seven deadly sins and images of members of the Curia at that time were used. If the public were to know of these cameos, it could cause a scandal that would shake the foundations of the church.

One of the things I liked about this book is that the story felt different. I liked that the setting was not England and that it involved a religious artifact. The author has a sharp imaginative and I appreciated that he took a well known and loved character and brought him to life and gave him an interesting challenge.

I also loved all the historical information in the book. There were little tidbits I enjoyed, such as the origin of the saying, “Don’t buy a pig in a poke”, to the historical information about the two time periods in which the story takes place.

The pace of the book was excellent and I loved how I was pulled into both the 1901 world of Holmes but also the 1501 world of Michelangelo. The author moved the story seamlessly through both time periods and weaved intrigue into both. I was totally hooked from the start and read it in only two days.

If I could I would give this book a 4.5 rating. Since I listened to the audio, and I had to take into account both the narration and story into my score, I choose four stars as my overall score (I reserve a five for books I loved and could read again). All in all, it is an enjoyable read and I recommend it to all lovers of Holmes mysteries and mysteries in general.

The narration was good. I liked the tonal quality and the speaking voice of the narrator. I appreciated that he tried to capture the essence of each character. One very small negative thing was the laugh, it did not always fit all the characters and by the end got on my nerves. I know it is kind of being nitpicky but I would have preferred no laughter. I give the narration 4 stars.

I received a free audio version of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Leviathan Wakes by John S. A. Corey

This book, Leviathan Wakes, might still be on my wish list if not for a friend, and fellow bibliophile, gifting me a copy for Christmas. She knows how much I love a good Sci-Fi story and this one delivered. So glad she choose this book because after watching the first season of The Expanse I was wanting to read the books before watching further episodes.

At this point I would normally give a short synapses of the book. However, given that it is already a TV show, it feels unnecessarily redundant. I want to point out that though the TV show is close to the book there are a few differences. I liked the book better, no surprise there, and I understood the characters better in the book.

The authors (Corey is a pseudonym for Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) put a lot of work into the world building. The politics and racism in the book are spot on for what you would expect in the future where humans have inhabited the entire solar system. Earth looks down on people not born on Earth and the Belters, those born on asteroids or space stations in the Asteroid Belt, are at the bottom of the list.

While this book is not hard core Science Fiction, it still ticked all the boxes for me. Told from two POVs, Jim Holden, captain of an ice hauler, and Detective Miller on Eros station in the Belt. The characters were portrayed realistically. The two are polar opposites and once their paths become intertwined the story gets riveting. The character development is as strong as the plot and together they make for a book that is hard to put down.

I highly recommend this book to all those who love Science Fiction. I can see why it won so many awards. Totally looking forward to book two.

The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis

I wanted to read the book, The Queen’s Gambit, before I watched the Netflix series, this was the driving force for me. It was published in 1983, and since that time it has probably languished on shelves everywhere, until recently. I knew of the author, Tevis, from the film The Color of Money. So I was not surprised that another of his works is now on film. What did surprise me was how much I was drawn into the world of chess and how I loved the main character Beth.

Beth Harmon is an orphan and a chess prodigy. We follow her life at an orphanage in Kentucky where she lives until she is adopted by a family. Shortly after the adoption, her new father deserts them. These events, along with her genius, shape who she will become as an adult. She will struggle to connect with people and find her place in the world, all the while she is rising to stardom in the male dominated world of chess.

Beth is a complex character. As she grows up and we delve deeper into the character, the author builds one subtle layer on top of another. At times, she is a contradiction. She is strong, yet also weak and driven by the one thing she truly understands, chess. The author’s character development is so perfect as to supersede the plot by leaps and bounds.

The plot, however, is not lacking either. Beth sets out at a very young age to be the world chess champion. This one goal not only defines her, it consumes her and she has many obstacles thrown in her way as she works toward this goal.

The last thing I would like to point out is the prose. Yes, there is an awesome character and a great plot and it is all held together by the wonderfully, descriptive prose. So elegant and readable. The story would not be half as captivating without the stunning prose. It made all the difference.

At the heart, this is a coming-of-age story. The author uses chess at a plot tool but it could have easily been something else. The story examines the price Beth pays for her genius. How it makes her a loner and how she uses drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism. The story also delves into depression and the how to survive and even thrive in a world dominated by men.

I recommend this to people who love a character driven, coming-of-age story. It will especially appeal to those who love the game of chess. In addition, this would make an excellent choice for a book club because there are so many topics to discuss that are still relevant today.

The Last Watch by J. S. Dewes

The Last Watch, by J. S. Dewes, has a Battlestar Galactic vibe. If you crossed that, with something like, The Expanse it would make a fairly accurate description of this epic space adventure. It is an excellent blend of characters and action that makes it a thrilling read and has established Dewes firmly in the category of authors to watch in the Sci-Fi world.

Told from two POVs, Cavalon Mercer the disowned royal heir and Adequin Rake the commanding officer of the decommissioned battlecruiser, now jail of sorts, Argus. The ship sits on the edge of the universal, literally. The edge, called the Divide, is the point where the universal has quit expanding. The job of the Argus and her crew, along with similar other vessels, is to guard the Divide against their enemy the Viator.

There is just one problem, the universe has started to collapse and it will swallow everything in its path. There is no one else at the Divide and no way to reach the Core to get help. Therefore, this ragtag bunch of criminals and misfits maybe the only way to stop disaster.

Though this is a debut novel, it reads with much more sophistication than I expected. The characters are well rounded and the author gets you inside their heads so that you not only understand them, but you have empathy for them. Even the minor characters you understand their motives and actions. For example, you know why Griffith is serving aboard the Argus. It was no surprise to me what he revealed to Rake at the end, though she refused to see it. However, I think deep down she knew and was just afraid to admit it to herself.

The plot was fast paced and I found myself caught up in the action. In a couple of places I was biting my nails over the suspense. I also liked the twists and most were unexpected. However, one negative thing, though minor, I suspected some of the things that happened in the end. Yet, I felt this did not detract from the story in the slightest.

There are so many directions the next book could go in. I really want to find out more about the other characters, like Puck. I want to understand the underlying politics better and lastly I want to know more about the Viator. I am so looking forward to book two. Not looking forward to the wait! I want the second book NOW!

This is an all-around great opening to a series and I highly recommend this book for all loves of Sci-Fi. It will especially appeal to those that like Space Opera. I received an advanced copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

A Medium’s Birthday Surprise by Chariss K. Walker

If you are in the mood for a light read that goes quickly, look no further than A Medium’s Birthday Surprise by Chariss K. Walker. It is a charming cozy mystery with a paranormal twist.

The main character, Becky, is a medium that lives in the small town of Asheville. As a medium, she assists the spirits of the departed who need a little help in moving onto the next life. She truly enjoys being helpful to them. However, her siblings do not feel the same as she does. They refuse to recognize that they also possess the same ability, inherited from their mother, and thus avoid her at times.

No one is avoiding Becky on her 26^th birthday, this includes Josh’s, her boyfriend from high school, ghost shows up. He went missing 10 years ago to the day and no one ever found out what happened. You can imagine what a shock this all is to Becky. She feels she must do whatever is necessary to help Josh move on. However, to do this she will have to figure out how he died.

I enjoyed this innovative take on a cozy mystery. I know there are other cozies out there that are similar, but this one is just done really well. The author didn’t haphazardly add the paranormal elements. The elements were well thought out and added a little something extra. In addition, I felt they helped moved the plot along. Also, the author did not leave any cliffhangers. Yet, there are a lot of places Becky’s story can go from here. For Example, I hope in future books she will help her siblings with their gifts.

I also liked Becky’s character a lot. It suited the story nicely and the author did a good job with the character development. I would have liked just a little more development on Becky’s siblings. I think this may have been intention since it leaves some things for future books.

I also want to mention that I live is Asheville and have for over 40 years. Therefore, a person can’t just write nonsense about the area unless you want me to call you out on it. I am happy to report there was no nonsense in this book. The author was spot on in describing the city and its’ atmosphere.

I like it when a book surprises me or gives me something new and different. I recommend this book to readers of cozy mysteries. I think you will find it as enjoyable as I did. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

While the author asked me for a review, I used my Kindle Unlimited to read this book.

Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline

I have been waiting on the edge of my seat ever since I found out there would be a sequel to Ready Player One. All that waiting for nothing, just terribly disappointed with Ready Player Two. I am so disappointed I almost don’t know where to start because almost nothing worked for me in this story. Ugh!

Let’s talk about Wade first. His character totally changed in the second book. All he did was whine until something like the last 10 pages. He was also rather shallow and self-absorbed in this story. I get that the author wanted to “grow” the character, but it felt like Wade actually regressed. He was no longer the poor kid from the ghetto that everyone could root for. Instead, he acted like the spoiled rich kid that was not getting his way. The result was I was not able to connect to his character any longer.

I really loved the 80s cultural references in the first book. However, in the second book I hated them. I felt like Cline just went through all the 80s and picked as many as he could and haphazardly put them onto the page and wove the story around them. What was he thinking? This is a classic example of the saying, “less is more”. I especially felt this way when the story reached Prince’s (the pop singer) world. It was way overdone.

Then we get to the plot. Why, oh why could we have not explored some new territory here? But no, we had to have another egg hunt. You would think at least Cline could get that part right. Wrong… so very wrong. Not only where there way too many 80s references, there was also the idea that no one could solve the first riddle, including Wade, for several years then all of a sudden he can solve all of them in just a few hours. Granted he got help with all of them, especially the first. What happened the genius riddle solver from book one?

There is some good news here. I read a couple of five star reviews; therefore, some people loved it. Unfortunately, I was not one of them. In fact, it appears that I am in the majority. In summary, I found this one to be a hot mess.