Random's comments (member since Apr 22, 2009)

Random's comments from the 50 Books A Year group.

97. Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

At 10-12 I would have loved this book. As an adult I find it snarky and humorous. Sanderson manages to take shots at a good number of books out there and I can't help but laugh and agree with his thoughts. :)

96. The Engines of God by Jack McDevitt

Book 1 of the Academy series

A story of scientists, discovery of the new, and exploration of the unknown. I found it quite enjoyable. It's a difficult one to rate though. I'd say a 3.5 - 4.

95. Demon Ex Machina by Julie Kenner

Everyone has to toss in a junk book now and then, and this one is mine. Imagine Buffy has retired, gown older, married, had kids, house in the suburbs, mini van, soccer mom, etc. Now imagine the vampires (only in this case demons) burst into her kitchen and start attacking while she's preparing for a dinner party.

We're not talking high quality here, but they can be fun and the soppy love triangle portions are somewhat limited (though it was a bit heavier than I would prefer in this one).

I gave it three mostly because it was fun to read.

94. Girl in Landscape by Jonathan Lethem

I feel kind of bad about the last two books. I just haven't been inspired to write anything about them. They were decent books, they just didn't inspire me one way or the other.

93. Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer by Laini Taylor

92. by Peter Watts

I really enjoyed this book. Hard SF with a fascinating premise. I especially loved the narrating character who, due to a biological condition, had to have one side of his brain removed in childhood and replaced with a computer. The result is something like a functioning sociopath.

The only downside is due to the character's emotionally muted tone I found the book lulling even though I was immersed in what all was going on. It wasn't boring, the tone would just manage to relax me. An odd experience.

I'd give this a solid 4.5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone who likes some intellectual depth to their fiction.

Why ever not? If I were blind or had sight issues, would my use of audiobooks not count? What about when my husband and I will enjoy a book by reading it to each other. Its not like we're children having to prove our literacy.

I personally enjoy books in every format out there. For myself it is the experience, comprehending what the author is saying, expanding my imagination.

MB wrote: "....what Random and Carol said!
I joined this book club so that I could steal good recommendations for future reading. I am always looking for new authors to try and I have found some great 'find..."

Agreed. I'm not a counting person. I really am not the type to keep track of what I read, what books I own, etc. I'm doing so this year as a way to keep from falling into rereads and using groups to help me find books/authors I may not have run across on my own.

I tried House of Leaves last year and thought it was a bit of a mixed bag.

There are a few levels of complexity.
Its about a guy who is going through the manuscripts of a second guy who seemed to have spent a significant portion of his life writing papers about a documentary of events that happened in a house. Only this documentary seems to have never existed.

The portion with the house was very well done and wonderfully spooky. It gave me the willies more than once and I had a horrible time being indoors. :)

Then you have weird things happening to the first guy while he's reading all of the papers from the second guy. That was a bit more confusing and didn't seem to have as much of a point.

The structure of the book itself is very non traditional. Text can go multiple directions, you end up flipping back and forth a lot, turning the book upside down, codes to solve, etc. Some people find this annoying but I found it fun.

I've considered being a little lazy and curling up with some Poe or Lovecraft but they seem a little tame to me at times. I still have a day to decide though. I plan on curling up with a book, a kitty, a fire in the fireplace, and all the lights off. :D

91. Against the Odds by Elizabeth Moon
The Serrano Legacy #7

Last book in the series and it was fun. A good adventure and enjoyable.

Ebooks are so handy. I was able to purchase and start reading this last book while I was still at work. Yay!

Now on to something for Halloween. :)

I think the main point is that this isn't a competition to see who can read the most or the highest quality. It's about encouraging each other to read more of whatever we prefer to read. It's to help encourage the joy of reading, the love of books, and, most important to me, the exercise and expansion of one's imagination.

90. Change of Command by Elizabeth Moon
The Serrano Legacy #6

ARGH! I didn't realize there was one more book in the series and this one ended on a cliff hanger. Now I have to go hunt down the last book.

89. Rules of Engagement by Elizabeth Moon
The Serrano Legacy #5

88. Once a Hero by Elizabeth Moon
The Serrano Legacy #4

A complete switch of characters, the main being a relatively minor character in the previous book. Not quite as good as the previous book, mostly because I think part of the start dragged a little more than it needed to. Still it was enjoyable overall.

87. Winning Colors by Elizabeth Moon
The Serrano Legacy #3 - The Terror of the Old Aunts

Well ok, that last bit was added by me and it isn't like it sounds but I could not help but keep thinking of a few of my own during this book. :)

86. Sporting Chance by Elizabeth Moon
The Serrano Legacy #2

Fun read, interesting characters. Parts were quite gripping. Everything I expect from this author.

85. Hunting Party by Elizabeth Moon
The Serrano Legacy #1

I wasn't inspired enoug by the previous series to continue so I picked up a different one. I hadn't actually gotten around to reading this series by Elizabeth Moon and I'm so far glad I finally have.

84. The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau

83. The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

I don't read a lot of YA books. They're usually a bit more simplistic than I personally like. However, the premise of this book intrigued me enough that I finally gave in.

Verdict: Its pretty good. The adults weren't depicted as idiots, which is something that happens all too often in the genre, and the premise was well executed.

82. Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

The latest in the Discworld series. As usual quite enjoyable.


"The female mind is certainly a devious one My Lord."

Vetrinari look at his secretary in suprise. "Well of course it is. It has to deal with the male one."