I loved it. It gets 5 stars because my criteria for that is that I'd read it again. Maybe it's because I make my living cobbling together stuff that wasn't designed to go together originally, but I loved this the whole way through. Granted, one night's dreams seemed influenced a bit (spent the night being forcibly drafted for a one-way trip to Mars), but that was a small price to pay for the enjoyment of this book.
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August is a novel by Claire North, a pseudonym …
Review of 'The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I bought this book because I'm a sucker for time travel books. I'm a sucker for them, despite the fact that each and every one labors in their own explanation of the grandfather paradox. And I at least like each of them even when they later veer into plot points that clearly create paradox after paradox.
So, that explains why I bought this book, but not why you should read it, even if you don't share my weakness for time travel fiction. That's because this book is more than just an indulgence in the fantasy of "what I would do if I could travel in time".
Sure, part of it is that this particular application of time travel as a concept is a bit different, more about living, dying and starting over right where you started (but whole lives rather than a single day leaves lots of room for the …
I bought this book because I'm a sucker for time travel books. I'm a sucker for them, despite the fact that each and every one labors in their own explanation of the grandfather paradox. And I at least like each of them even when they later veer into plot points that clearly create paradox after paradox.
So, that explains why I bought this book, but not why you should read it, even if you don't share my weakness for time travel fiction. That's because this book is more than just an indulgence in the fantasy of "what I would do if I could travel in time".
Sure, part of it is that this particular application of time travel as a concept is a bit different, more about living, dying and starting over right where you started (but whole lives rather than a single day leaves lots of room for the lives to differ instead of Groundhog Day-like repetitiveness). Part of it is that there's an actual plot.
But, and this is maybe more because I read this as I approach the age of 40 instead of the age of 20, there's a soul to this book that explores what it means to contemplate one's life, the nature of friendship and sacrifice, and, without ever actually saying so, what it means to mature. For real.
And, all of the while, it's entertaining.
This is probably the book I've spent the most time ever contemplating a star rating. My rule is to reserve 5 star ratings for books I'd absolutely read again. And, if ever a book invites that question, this'd be it. I'm not sure whether I want to read it again or not. I give 4 star ratings for books I'd recommend unreservedly to other readers. It absolutely meets that criteria and teeters on the edge of wanting to read it again. Make of that what you may.
Anathem, the latest invention by the New York Times bestselling author of Cryptonomicon and The …
Review of 'Anathem' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
It took me 3 attempts to finally read this all of the way through. The first few chapters are daunting. Every 3rd word is entirely new to your vocabulary and there's no explanation of most of them. But, like learning a language via immersion, eventually the context makes the terminology clear. Hundreds of pages later, the new vocabulary is integrated and makes sense.
In the end, I enjoyed this book, like I have enjoyed the rest of Stephenson's writing. It entertained, prompted thoughts (and a few upsights) and painted a picture of a richly detailed world. All things I look for in my fiction, particularly anything from the speculative fiction shelf.
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never …
Review of 'The Fault in Our Stars' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
The shelving of this book, whether on the virtual, digital bookstore shelves or the ever-decreasing lengths of wooden shelves, puts this book into a box that limits it in ways it doesn't deserve.
Good stories help you see. They help you see things in yourself. They let you see things in your friends and family and the society and world around you. That's true regardless of the age of the characters or the subject matter.
Truth cuts through the categories to connect to you where you are. That's what this book does. It's a work of fiction that tells truths.
I'm older than the audience the marketing folks at the publisher undoubtedly intended it. I'm much older than the main characters in this book. I'm older than the average reader of John Green's books. Hell, I'm older than the author himself.
But, as I listened to this book, driving home …
The shelving of this book, whether on the virtual, digital bookstore shelves or the ever-decreasing lengths of wooden shelves, puts this book into a box that limits it in ways it doesn't deserve.
Good stories help you see. They help you see things in yourself. They let you see things in your friends and family and the society and world around you. That's true regardless of the age of the characters or the subject matter.
Truth cuts through the categories to connect to you where you are. That's what this book does. It's a work of fiction that tells truths.
I'm older than the audience the marketing folks at the publisher undoubtedly intended it. I'm much older than the main characters in this book. I'm older than the average reader of John Green's books. Hell, I'm older than the author himself.
But, as I listened to this book, driving home from having visited my parents, as their health gradually fails, I couldn't help but feel the resonance this book strikes.
