Tag: books

Book Review: Warrior by Fallon (4 Stars)

Warrior by Jennifer Fallon

4 out of 5 stars

Read in July 2008

Jennifer Fallon did not disappoint in this continuation of the Wolfblade saga. I probably should not have read it on the heels of Mistborn: The Final Empire as it is somewhat of a tragedy. I should probably find something less depressing to read next or I might become a footnote to my own life.

Note to my followers:  I apologize for these ‘short’ reviews from the early days of when I first joined GoodReads.  I’m still trying to transfer all my reviews from there to here, but I don’t have time to re-read these books to flesh out the reviews.  I did very much enjoy Fallon’s entire Wolfblade series and highly recommend it to fans of fantastic fiction.

Book Review: ABC Murders by Christie (3 Stars)

The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie

3 out of 5 stars

Read in December 2008

Not as engaging as And Then There Were None , but still an entertaining exercise in murder mystery theatre. I confess I did not discover the true murderer until Hercule Peroit telegraphed it to me in the final chapters. However, I did suspect that the obvious in-your-face suspect was just that – too obvious. For the longest time, I was convinced Inspector Crome was the mastermind behind the serial murders, but thankfully, I was wrong on that count.

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PW Select February 2014: What Every Indie Author Needs to Know About E-Books

http://publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/article/61058-pw-select-february-2014-what-every-indie-author-needs-to-know-about-e-books.html#path/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/article/61058-pw-select-february-2014-what-every-indie-author-needs-to-know-about-e-books.html

In all of this, remember these efforts are investments in a long-term career. Social media and marketing work are as much about selling your new book as boosting sales for your back catalog—and building connections to help your next book succeed.

A bit lengthy, but this article has some good information and links buried in it.

Posted from WordPress for Android via my Samsung smartphone. Please excuse any misspellings. Ciao, Jon

Book Review: Cowboy Feng’s Space Bar and Grille by Brust (3 Stars)

Cowboy Feng’s Space Bar and Grille by Steven Brust

3 out of 5 stars

Read in December 2008

Warning:  Spoilers

This was not your typical Stephen Brust novel. In fact, I’ve never read anything quite like this.

It’s told in first person (with a few Intermezzos of third person to fill in the blanks) of a banjo player in a folk band named Billy. We meet Billy in Cowboy Feng’s as he listens to his band mates tuning up for the evening gig. The gig is cut short by a nuclear explosion which catapults the bar through time and space to another planet. They were on Mars, prior to that on Venus, prior to that a lunar colony and original in London on Old Earth.

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The Most Unusual Alternate History Novels Ever Published

http://io9.com/the-most-unusual-alternate-history-novels-ever-publishe-1518395336?utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_facebook&utm_source=io9_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

I may add a few of these books to my already staggering stack of to – be – read books.

See any that you like or would recommend?

Posted from WordPress for Android via my Samsung smartphone. Please excuse any misspellings. Ciao, Jon

Answering the Question: What’s Wrong with Epic Fantasy?

That is tricky question to answer, because the very nature of the work is what makes epic fantasy…well, epic. Maybe there really isn’t anything broken or wrong with epic fantasy as a subgenre, maybe the thing that gets broken, or perhaps a better word might be “tired,” of epic fantasy is the reader.

— Teresa Frohock, author of  Miserere: an Autumn Tale

One of many ‘epic’ answers to the question ‘What’s Wrong with Epic Fantasy?’ found at the recent MIND MELD: What’s “Wrong” with Epic Fantasy? – SF Signal post.

The Best “Entry Level” Science Fiction Books to Convert Your Friends

http://io9.com/the-best-entry-level-science-fiction-books-to-convert-1510802842

Most of these suggestions I agree with. Give some of them a try and see how SF or fantasy suits you.

Posted from WordPress for Android via my Samsung smartphone. Please excuse any misspellings. Ciao, Jon

My Best Reads of 2013

Yesterday, on the last day of 2013, I posted my uncle’s best reads of last year.  Today, on New Year’s Day 2014, I’m looking back at my reading for the past twelve months.

2013ReadingStatsAfter Amazon acquired GoodReads in the Spring of 2013, I resolved to not rate or review books on that site going forward.  I spent many hours relocating my existing reviews (and ratings) to this blog, where I can maintain my voice, my thoughts and my opinions as I see fit, without fear of censorship, tampering or deletions.

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