Books Read 2017

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Fri Dec 01, 2017 5:56 pm

Finished Trek Fail by Robert Jeschonek (borrowed from SFPL Library!)

Robert T. Jeschonek reviewed his "Star Trek career"... he started writing fan fic, and most of them are bad. But he wrote better and better, and took workshops, and he eventually pitched enough that he won 3 times at the Star Trek anthology series Pocket prints every year "Strange New Worlds", and he pitched to producers, book editors, comic publishers, web producers, and more all about Star Trek. RTJ's journey in Star Trek writing were all listed here, and the stories were explained (in outline form). One of the submissions in Strange New Worlds was so good he invented a new category... "Our Million Year Mission" won the Grand Prize for Strange New Worlds VI. He also wrote for anthologies ST: New Frontier, ST:Voyager, and Starfleet Corp of Engineer (SCE). You get all his successful and failed pitches in this particular book. Interesting journey. 6/8 at least.

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Finished Snowed Inn by Kate Palmer FREE novella (117 pages)

Jayne Gardner turned her family ranch into the successful Snowed Inn Lodge and Restuarant. When the community project's funding needed matching funds, Jayne donated her sleigh rides for a community fundraiser... But when the numbers were screwed up, she needed another sleigh driver to run a second shift. Her father suggested the new ferrier in town... who turned out to be Forrest Hunsaker... the man who left her three years ago. Jayne can't afford to turn away the help, but she won't suffer through that heartbreak again, even if he wanted her back. When vandals struck Snowed Inn, it seems the fundraiser may be buried, unless Jayne and Forrest team up to find alternatives... and Jayne had to decide whether getting back with Forrest is really that bad of an idea...

The pivot onto romantic suspense was kinda swift, and there really was a too-stupid-to-live moment. 5.5/8

Spoiler:

Scuzz · Post by **Scuzz** » Fri Dec 01, 2017 6:58 pm

Danger by Dick Francis

Kidnappers strike in Italy and the family calls in Liberty Market, a company that specializes in preventing and reducing the stress from kidnappings.

This is an old book I got from a used book place a while back and have just got around to reading. Very entertaining.

Sundiver by David Brin

Another book I got used that has been laying around. I thought it would be mostly sci-fi but I almost think this is a detective story first, although the sci-fi angle is very futuristic and well thought out. This is book 1 in a trilogy I guess but it was enjoyable as a stand alone.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sat Dec 02, 2017 1:15 pm

Finished A Heavenly Christmas by Patrice Wilton FREE

Widow Jennie Braxton and her two kids were heading to her parent's home in Philadelphia for Christmas when she hit a tree a few hundred yards from a gas station (blame the puppy that ran in front of her) in the small town of Heaven, PA. She was rescued by Nick Ryan, a local chef who was chasing the stray puppy. Nick felt responsible for her injuries and wanted to make sure she was alright. Nick was reasonably rich, operated the best restaurant in town, and did like being unattached, but he was intrigued by Jennie. Jennie enjoyed the attention by Nick, but wasn't sure if he's just nice, or there is affection there. She's also not quite sure she's ready to move on after her husband's death. But as they get to know each other, they found there is something there. But can this relationship work if he can't leave his place? Or will Holiday magic work its miracle?

The ending is pretty much pre-ordained, but how it got there was pretty okay. 6/8

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Finished Jingle Boots by Em Petrova

Veronica is spending Christmas alone on the ranch. Her family are all over the place on their own. So she grabbed her bestie and headed for Sin City... Las Vegas. Cutter was there to help his brother, even though he'd prefer to be anywhere else. Doing a bit of dirty dancing with a sexy filly on the dance floor is just the perfect thing to get family drama out of his mind. And it seems Cutter, the big cowboy with the rough hands, is exactly what "Ronnie" had in mind... And Cutter can do a LOT of naughty things to Ronnie... everything that Ronnie craved. But what happened in Vegas... stays in Vegas... right?

At only 115 pages, there sure was a lot of sex, but then this author always skirts the border between romance w/ sex vs. erotic romance. I guess I just have some problem with the girl who likes all sorts of sex with a sex stranger she barely knew. But still worth a read. 6/8

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Finished Wired for Story: Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the very first sentence by Lisa Cron NONFIC // borrowed from SFPL

Interesting approach, as it goes after the fundamentals of storytelling (character arc and plot, and why people care about certain types of stories and not others) though all the blab about brain science seems a bit nebulous. I'm reading this while I try to comprehend storytelling (I can follow formulas and write some tales, but they don't feel very interesting to me.) And this book seems to explain it better than others. I'm waiting for her other book, Story Genius, to be returned s o I can check that one out. 6/8

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Finished The Maverick Meets His Match by Anne Carole

Mandy Prescott wanted to run her family rodeo company all her life, but grandpa JM's will shocked her to the core. JM appointed Ty Martin to that post... a man who broke her heart ten years ago. And the will did not stop there. To get her company back, she will have to marry Ty for at least six months. AFTER which, she gets back her voting shares. During those six months, Ty can sell off the rodeo company if he determined it's in the best interest of the Prescotts. Ty had always valued success in terms of dollars and cents, and he had promised JM that he'll base his decision on only that. Now he has a chance to get a six month relations with a woman he had always wanted... with no commitment. But Mandy will do her best to keep the lawyer... and maybe he won't sell the rodeo company... but will he get her heart?

Frankly, I'm a little tired at theses "crazy will" stories. It's pretty obvious it's a lesson to both of them to overcome their prejudices, pair up, and take on the world. Yet both of them are acting as if it's a real business deal. Argh. 5.5/8

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Finished Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari AUDIO BOOK VERSION from SFPL

Aziz Ansari is a stand-up comic, but there are some research behind this... How does the modern people date? Americans? Japanese? Argentinians? Do people look for passion and never wait for the affection to develop? How did Tinder and other apps affected dating? It kinda feels like one of Mary Roach's books, half funny, half serious. Ansari read his own audio book and it's pretty good presentation, IMHO. 6/8

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Finished The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau Borrowed fro SFPL (Amazon's linking is screwed up, the actual ebook is linked to the summary guide instead)

Chris Guillebeau and thousands of others opted out of traditional employment, but instead, pursue what they found meaningful. CG distilled all that information as well as finding how to monetize that, with minimal initial expenditure, such as $100. CG looked over 1500 candidates and picked 50 of the most interesting cases and contacted them for details on how they turned a minimal investment into their own business making 50K or more. It's an interesting survey, and shows the trick is finding what you can provide, and how it intersects with what people will pay for. Getting paid, with the Internet and Paypal, is the easy part. And often, people are not seeing what they know, or underestimate what people would pay, and it'd take some experiments to find out.

The narrative is a bit all over the place, but it's telling a story, and the tales are inspirational. Two designers want to put something up on their wall, but the local printer have to do 50 minimum run. So they have 49 prints doing nothing. They gave away a few, then decided "Maybe we can sell them". They were surprised orders came in and they sold out in a few days, so they have to make more print runs. They were inspired to do more maps, and later, quite their work to concentrate on this accidental business. There are other lessons, like don't over expand, how outsourcing is better than employees, and a lot of interesting lessons. Worth a re-read or two. 7/8

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sun Dec 03, 2017 4:03 pm

Finished Merry Me by Amanda Siegrist

Police Chief Duncan had been a grinch since his mom passed away 3 years ago, and his job kept him busy with his father in his house. When an anonymous gift basket showed up on his doorstep, he is determined to return the gift so it could be given to someone more needy. The quest lead him to Lynn Carpenter, a single mom waitress who's raising her child alone. She's not rich, but she'll always make do, with Christmas presents for all, even if she had to work overtime. When Chief Duncan found Lynn, he recognized the ribbon, then tried to leave her a $50 tip. She tried to return it, and sneakily left it under his coffee cup. He'll follow her home as snow is coming down, and rescued her when her car spun out into a ditch. It's a sign that they should be together... under the mistletoe and all that.

Sweet enough to make your tooth ache, almost. 6/8

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Finished Take Me Home by Alison Foster 50-page short

She's daughter of a kingpin, and Tanner is her bodyguard. Her sisters are fine with being caged birds, but she wanted her freedom. So she escapes often, with or without help, but sooner or later... Tanner will find her. Now they are stuck in a small Canadian motel getting snowed in...

Eh, really stupid ending, IMHO. 4/8

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Finished All I want for Christmas by Jennifer Gracen FREE

Cassandra has it all... almost. She's one of the youngest assistant professors at NYU, an apartment she can afford and doesn't hate, and a circle of girlfriends she can rely on. The only thing she lacked is male companionship, which she hadn't had after Sean broke her heart 7 years ago and ran for California. When Cassandra and friend walked into a bar, it turned out to be Sean's bar. They meet again, but both were still raw from the hurt. Sean for walking away, and Cass for the betrayal. But Sean had changed a lot since. He's no longer the insecure kid that deals with problems with his fists (but he still doesn't like academics, except Cass) but Cass wasn't ready to forgive him just yet. It took her a long time to get over him, and she's not ready to be hurt again. But Sean's not letting go... and maybe this time... she's the one running away...

Eh, the ending's kinda meh here. It's basically a simple "change of heart". OK, I guess we can be together. Meh. 5/8

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Finished Because it's Christmas by Kathryn Shay FREE

Bayview Heights High School principal Seth Taylor is a hero, having helped dozens of students for the years he's been here. He regrets the few students that he was not able to help... Including the little brother Kevin, of Lacey Cartwright. Kevin was eventually expelled for striking a teacher, and went on a life of crime, and is currently in prison. Lacey's grandpa, a former ace reporter, quit his job to raise the kids, when their parents died. And when grandpa had a heartattack, Lacey quit her california job and moved back to Bayview as a local reporter. Grandpa never forgave Seth, believing Seth railroaded Kevin. Lacey... wasn't that sure. When her editorials focused on only the negative, Seth challenged her to come to the school and cover some positive stuff about the school. That lead her to realize Seth... is actually a good person, and fell for him. But Lacey's grandpa is determined to destroy Seth when Kevin died in prison, having been involved with the gangs. Grandpa's PI dug up the one big mistake in Seth's life... And Lacey has but one card to play to save Seth... by offering her own heart as the sacrifice...

Basically a retelling of "It's a Wonderful Life", this thing is tear-jerking to the extreme. I can almost feel my throat close up, it was so sad in the darkest hour. It's truly a tale of star-crossed lovers. In the end, it wasn't their struggle, but a change of heart that saved them. It's slightly lame. Thus, not full score. 7/8

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Tue Dec 05, 2017 8:29 pm

Finished Long Story Short: The Only Storytelling GUide You'll Ever Need// by Margot Leitman borrowed from SFPL

This book is about storytelling, like Moth Grand Slam or similar storytelling in front of a ton of people. It's not necessarily about stand-up comedy, but more about how to pick tales that is interesting. The author went through bits about content, structure, emotional impact, and delivery for short audio programs. If you do voice work, public speaking, or such, this can be quite interesting. 6/8

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Finished Grunt: the curious science of humans at war by Mary Roach borrowed from SFPL

Creative non-fic about finding humor in the oddest places... the military! Did you know the Marine Corp has a paintball team? Do you know why the US Army doesn't use Zippers for snipers? Do you know US employs amputee actors to train medics and doctors? Do you know how diarrhea can be a threat to national security? Did you know in WW2 OSS planned for "stink bombs" to embarrass Nazis? Do you know what hot bunking is? (On a sub) Do you know why shrimp is more dangerous to sailors than sharks? These and other questions you never thought to ask are in this volume. 7/8

(FWIW, shrimp creates biological noise, which can mask other ship noises for a submarine, and long tests over years prove that sharks are FAR LESS dangerous to sailors than ever suspected, even ones that had fallen overboard.

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Finished The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters (10th Anniv Edition) by Karl Iglesias Borrowed from SFPL

Interviews of many of the biggest screenwriters, who wrote for all biggest movies, like Tony Gilroy (Bourne franchise), and more. Some tips are conflicting, but that just means people work differently.

* Be comfortable with solitude
* Write terrible first drafts
* Don't work for free
* Write no matter what

and so on.

Definitely an interesting read and saves time if you're starting out or are interested in the mindset of such. There's also a version for novelists. 6/8

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Finishe dThe Bestseller Code by Jodie Archer and Matthew L Jockers NONFIC from SFPL

What can SCIENCE tell us about bestsellers? What can explain books like Fifty Shades and Davinci Code, widely lambasted by critics, sell like hotcakes? Who are the bestselling writers of this century and why? These two authors fed the text of the bestsellers in a past few decades to the computer and did full textual analysis looking for data points, and found some patterns that are surprising to readers. Points like...

* People who love Fifty Shades did NOT read it for the BDSM, unlike the news that sensationalized the book by calling it "mommy porn". They love it for the emotional relationship between the two characters.
* The two best authors, according to the program ranking trained via the bestseller data, is John Grisham and Danielle Steele. Next on the list is Jodi Picoult.
* Authors really *do* write what they know. John Grisham's books almost always contained some aspect of legal system... 33-40% worth. Danielle Steele writes about being woman and the struggle to be so with all the roles society demanded.

But the point is you can't copy success, yet there are commonalities among the bestsellers that only deep text data mining can uncover that would explain on what makes a bestseller. 7/8

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Finished Born for This by Chris Guillebeau NONFIC from SFPL

Some people got the perfect job, and some people end up with job from hell. But how *do* you get the perfect job? Can you hack your existing job, find your perfect job, or even create your perfect job for yourself? What is the intersection between joy, money, and flow? And how do you get there?

If you're not happy in your job, this is not a bad book to read. But half of the advice is okay, half of the guide feels as if it's recycled from his other books like $100 startup. 5.5/8

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Finished Home for Christmas by Lia Fairchild FREE 61-page short

Stelphen just got out of a relationship going nowhere. Ali's man in her life is dying in a hospital. It's only a few days to Christmas, and both are not celebrating. When Ali saved Stephen from taking a backward spill from his tilting chair they felt an incredible connection, yet neither was ready for a relationship... but he'll do anything to give her a Christmas miracle...

Awwwww.... Sweet. 6.5/8 for such a short story with a twist.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Thu Dec 07, 2017 6:21 pm

Finished Kelly by Anita Claire

Kelly is a tall redhead and a true wild child. She likes to do competitive mountain biking, and partying. She never stayed in one place too long, due to events and training, and never had any lasting relationships, just random hookups with people in the scene. She didn't want a job either, as she's living off a small inheritance. Her girl friends, the Princesses of Silicon Valley, wanted her to come back to California, but she wanted to know if she has what it takes to get to the top... and wander the world in the meanwhile. Her trip takes her to Nepal, Brazil, Colorado, California, Australia, and she came to know two guys... One is a sailor needing something different, another is a former olympic swimmer. Kelly wondered which of whom is a better lover... and can she even consider settling down in one place?

The first half of the book was basically Kelly f***ing around all over the place. The Tibetan adventure and other bits feel a bit dry. The coming of age realizing came later, when the Olympic swimmer was introduced for real, not just a hookup. There are bits of cross reference to other princesses (see the other books in the series) but they're kinda minimal and interesting. But the character arc is certain there. 6/8

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Finished The Confidence Game by Maria Konnikova NONFIC

This is NOT a history of the con, but rather, how con artists exploit our cognitive biases to con us, and they are true artists of persuasion... and betrayers of trust. Author delves into dramatic examples such as the teenager who swaps identities as easily as she changes clothes, the man who tricked entire towns into funding finding Drake's treasure (that doesn't exist) and even his lawyer fees were paid for by his victims. From 3-card monte scams on the streets to billion dollar ponzi schemes, this explores the human psyche, about our desire to believe, and how it can be exploited. 8/8

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Finished A Cheyenne Christmas by Caroline Lee FREE

Ash Barker and his "brother" is in trouble. Ash just busted his arm trying to tame a nasty mustang, and that's their livelihood... taming and selling horses on the ranch in the outskirts of Cheyenne Wyoming. With just one arm, he can't do all the stuff to live through the Winter... He needed help... fast. // Molly Murray helped her parents ran a bakery, but that went up in smoke in the Great Chicago Fire, including papa. And that left two sisters she need to care for, one's deaf, and the other's barely school age. Nobody wanted to hire an unmarried baker... Not even out West. Desperate for any job, as her money is also running out, she accepted Ash's offer of "housekeeping" job, provided she can bring over her two sisters. Ash is very big, and kinda scary... until he smiled. Molly... enjoyed being around this gentle giant, but is that love?

Sweet, not much heat. Call it... 6/8

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Finished Mail Order Mistletoe by Kirsten Osbourne FREE

Meg O'Reilly, a teacher, is besieged by the 4 members of "demon horde"... the bunch of spoiled kids that enjoys tormenting her with snakes, frogs, and other critters, and generally making her life miserable. When one of them slapped a copy of the Gazette listing the mail order brides wanted ads and told her she's so ugly she doesn't deserve to be their teacher, she decided enough is enough and married herself out West to a farmer named Lars Borgen... sight unseen. Lars lost his bride and child and swore never to love again. Meg...was nothing like he expected. He didn't want to fall back in love again, but he may not have a choice...

Sweet enough to rot your teeth, but only 70 pages. 6/8

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Finished The Movie Star's Red Hot Holiday Fling FREE (110 page novella)

Jessie is a former marine that was severely injurred by an IED and discharged. She wanted to qualify for the local fire department, and that requires a grueling physical test... which she's determined to pass despite pain and suffering... not the hot action movie god cohabitating her gym. Blake has both muscles and brains, not that Hollywood ever want to see the brains. He wanted to write and direct, and a script about his action hero wounded and had to come home and do PT may be the ticket for him to go behind the camera... and he needed to help Jessie to pick her brain. But a date with Jessie AND helping her train resulted in major fireworks... which lead to some major heat between the sheets. But when the training's over... is this the end?

Not too much there except the use of veteran and a bit of PTSD. 5/8

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Fri Dec 08, 2017 5:23 am

Finished Hell or High Water by Julie Ann Walker Romantic Suspense borrowed from SFPL

Ex-Navy SEAL Leo Anderson, along with his ex-SEAL buddies are relaxing on his ancestral island in the Florida keys on long term lease. But the lease is running out, and he wanted to find a fabled Spanish galleon's treasure that he had heard about, but nobody can find. He had a boat inherited from his father, and his buddies as crew, but it's not making enough money. Then someone from his past intruded... Olivia Mortier, CIA agent... a woman he fell for, but knew it couldn't last. And one of the SEALs lost his life protecting her, and they hadn't seen each other... for a long time. But now she's back... and she has an emergency assignment... There is mole in CIA and in order to draw him out, CIA used the most daring of bait... some real chemical weapons. Three small canisters that fits in a large makeup kit case. Somehow, the case was intercepted by those terrorists from Guantanamo during a prisoner riot... and their ship sank. Now Leo's ship must retrieve those chemical weapons with a dive... before they really disappear into the black market. But the mole is out there, and his followers are ready to kill any one in their way...

Actually not too bad, but the fight seems a bit... off? I honestly don't believe you can sink a few hundred ton ship with just two RPGs (or "rocket launchers") unless you manage to hole it below the waterline. A SLAM, I can believe. But AT-4 / RPG-7? Seriously doubt that. But the plot twists are good. 6/8

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Fri Dec 08, 2017 9:39 am

I'm literally partially through about 15 books right now between ebooks and Audible, so at some point I'm going to finish a ton of them in close succession. However, I did knock out one last night:

The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski.

I'm really late to the party on this one. This is the book that introduced The Witcher and whose adventures were adapted into the popular video game franchise. I've played all of The Witcher games (have completed none of them), but I had enough familiarity that the characters in the books jumped out at me immediately.

I really enjoyed the short story format of this collection. I read a lot of fantasy, and usually that's a 600-900 page commitment. It was nice to get some great fantasy writing in short form, though I'm definitely going to pick up The Witcher novels as well. Fantastic writing. Fun blend of original fantasy which borrows heavily from folklore. Absolutely required reading if you're even a casual fan of the games, and I'm sorry I didn't pick this up a long time ago.

[Edit] Just finished up another one:

The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris

This is a non-fiction book about the early days of surgery in 1800s England, with a primary focus on Joseph Lister and his development of antiseptic practices. There's been a decent amount of buzz about this book, primarily I think due to the graphic detail Fitzharris goes into when describing the various surgical procedures (many of which were done without anesthesia). Great little book, though if you're a fan of the period and medicine you may be familiar with a lot of the content already.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sat Dec 09, 2017 6:28 pm

Finished Out of the Dark by David Weber SCIFI (borrowed from SFPL)

The Galactic Hegemony's scouts found Earth (observing a battle between British and French forces medieval times) to be a savagely unpleasant place, and decided to send the most junior member, the Shongari, a widely despised race that barely qualified, to "pacify" the place, maybe as a test. The problem is, by the time they arrived... They got here in around 2011... With US still in Afghanistan, and the Earth tech level is sufficiently advanced to make them pause... but not stop their conquest. They rained mass driver rounds on major military installations, ships, and a couple population centers, expecting humans to submit. While most military forces in the world are destroyed, the resistance did not stop. And when the Shongari attempted to cover up their failure with a genocidal plan, they have instead sealed their doom...

Spoiler:

It's kinda reboot to the Excalibur Alternative, which itself is a sorta sequel to Ranks of Bronze by David Drake. I find the story quite fun to read. The twist was... not quite what I expected.

But it's fun! 7/8

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Finished The Billionaire's Arranged Baby by Rochelle Williams

Eva had lusted after Andrew all her life, after growing up next to Andrew's rich family. But Andrew never noticed her, always have some blonde bimbo on his side. When Andrew's father passed away, Eva was just passing her time at a librarian's position when the will was read... Andrew cannot inherit the company as CEO unless... he can get Eva pregnant. Eva's like "no way" but soon she acquiesced, and they fell in love... and a son was born... The end.

WTF?! This is supposed to be a novel? Sure, there's a bit of back and forth, like Eva getting cold feet and Andrew used his seduction to get her to comply, or Eva after getting pregnant sudden decided Andrew's a cheating bastard and Andrew suddenly realized how bad he had been treating Eva and went off to sulk, then Eva was counseled into taking Andrew back, but the way their had a personality flip was sudden. There were also some terminology problems. Since when do OB/GYN doctors say "we have to take the baby out"? They say "we need to do a C-section", right? And this author also has a problem of skipping comma, creating run on sentences, like "what is the problem Andrew?" This is even marketed as "African-American pregnancy romance". It's as if the BWBM romance had to be... crap. Compared to the 4- or 5-star rated stuff, the prose is stiff, grammar is bad, the plot is lame, there really wasn't much emotion except really forced stuff, and the will itself is REALLY stupid. 2.5/8

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Finished Along Came Mr. Right by Gerri Russell PRIME READING

Olivia Tyler knew the struggles of children in foster care. That's why she started her own foster adoption agency, and people supported her with charity auctions to raise money for the kids. She wasn't ready for love, not after her BF humiliated her on FB. Then a stranger helped her out of a jam... His name was Max Right, and he's a mathematician developing a complex matching algorithm for soul mates, with potential applications in other areas. He believes he found his soulmate in Olivia... But he's engaged to someone else. The rich girl helped him when he needed it. When she needed him for something, he can't refuse. But now he's stuck, as she's engaged to one, but loved another. And they both need to help a troubled teen... But Olivia won't commit until Max is free and clear. It is up to Max to prove he really is Mr. Right.

Sweet, but the end required a change of heart on the part of the villain. The story doesn't have a dull moment, as both Max and Olivia are occupied constantly, but this change of heart ending was really lame, IMHO. It wasn't setup that well. 5/8

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Finished Mail Order Bride Christy by Vivi Holt PRIME READING

Christy and her parents were on their way to California when the train was robbed, and her parents were caught in the crossfire and killed. When her relatives back in Ireland contested her father's will and the money that had been left, she's stuck in the Kansas, with no money, no prospects, no family, and no friends (they're all on the East Coast) and nowhere to go. A kind hearted family took her in temporarily, but she knew she can't stay. One day, she agreed to be a mail order bride to a rancher to the south... Brent lost his love when a horse bucked her off. He had suffered years alone. He did not expect Christy to be so beautiful... and so vivacious... And Christy found Brent very... handsome. But can two total strangers love each other, under such tragic circumstances? And when misunderstanding threaten their trust? Will they work through it, or is she leaving?

Eh... somehow it's just change of heart for the ending. It's clean, it's Christian (not too much Bible talk, but enough) But it's kinda... Meh. Too much setup, not enough struggle. 5/8

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Finished Marrying Miss Marshal by Lacy Williams

Danna Carpenter is the town marshal after her husband, the original marshall, died on duty, after being ambushed. She is perfectly capable of breaking up drunken fights as well as chasing down criminals such as cattle rustlers. But when her deputies quit, she's all alone... Until a stranger rode into town. Chas O'Grady wandered into town looking for cattle rustlers. Being rescued by the marshall is just his luck... But he's a city slicker, Danna figured he wouldn't stay around, but when criminals robbed the bank, he signed on as deputy. When a snow storm stranded them outside of town, the town council forced them to marry, even though both seems to have their heart belonged to someone else... But there's a conspiracy in town... Why is the sheriff from out of town so eager to take over? Why did the town council fire her after giving her only three days to track down the criminals? What secrets was Chas hiding?

The marriage was a bit forced, but the mystery surrounded the old marshall's death folded nicely into this one. All in all, good tale. 6/8

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Mon Dec 11, 2017 1:35 pm

I finished the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher over the weekend. I really enjoyed it. I found it much better than Dresden Files. I would have liked a bit more post-war, but that's not a big deal to me.

I am having trouble getting started on the new Stormlight Archive book... has anyone seen a "the story so far" summary for that to help me get back into it?

or I could, you know, google for myself...
https://www.tor.com/2017/08/15/stormlig ... refresher/

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Mon Dec 11, 2017 9:23 pm

Finished Billionaire's Princess by Claire Adams

Ariana is an European princess who just wanted to be normal. She was promised to son of the King's adviser, but she escaped and came to the US with an assumed name "Emma" and is making a living as a photographer's intern. She was photographing Nick, a hotel billionaire and they felt amazing chemistry together... And Nick vows to keep Emma... who's sincere and not a golddigger. Then her betrothed showed up in Las Vegas, intending to take her back, by force if need be... Emma gave herself to Nick, hoping that if she's no longer a virgin his betrothed would give her up. But he had come too far... He took Emma back for force... and left Nick a scar to remember him by for getting in his way... but Nick had a condom malfunction with Em... Two years later, Adriana is a prisoner in her own country, barely allowed to see her son (who is NOTHING like her "husband", not that any one would dare mention it to his face), no access to comm, and Nick is not over her... When she finally was able to "borrow" her sister's phone at a banquet to send a message to Nick, Nick pulled together his team of mercenaries for the Great Rescue... Not just her, but the toddler as well...

The action parts are not described properly and way too Hollywood. The ending was a good twist though, but again, a bit too easy, IMHO. 5.5/8

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Finished Finding Destiny by Christa Simpson

Skylar was supposed to have a bit of lone time with the guys at the cabin. They were surprised to find three beautiful ladies trudging through the snow when their SUV broke down. With a snow storm closing in, the ladies were invited back to their cabin, and Skylar found himself drawn to Destiny, who's supposed to be with her friends at a winter spa retreat. But Desitny and Skylar seem totally compatible. When tragedy struck, can their romance ever go anywhere?

Somehow this story doesn't feel that... complete? It feels as if it's missing a few story beats. Just feels off for some reason. 4.5/8

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Finished Back to the HEart by Sky Corgan PRIME READING

Ana White moved home after having her dream destroyed, her heart betrayed, AND pregnant. She wanted to be paralegal, but she can only find a secretarial job in a lawfirm... Then the head lawyer seduced her... but made it an affair. When she got pregnant, he accused her of trying to entrap her and fired her, and also gave her horrible references so she can't find another job. She was surprised to find a stranger on her family ranch... Ryan Black just wanted to get away... and left his job behind, and just wanted to spend some alone time in a place where nobody recognized him. But he found himself drawn to Ana, who... Ryan however, was keeping a secret... He's actually Brennan, a billionaire businessman who needed to get away from his pressure. He left, promising to come back... And didn't. Did he lie? Will she trust him ever again?

Somehow, this book is almost cozy, with no major emotional swings. 5/8

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Finished Christmas Mail Order Bride for Samson by Charity Phillips

Historical western holiday Christian... Argh, this book is boring as heck. 3.5/8

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Thu Dec 14, 2017 2:54 am

Finished Sugar and Spice and All Those Lies by Evy Journey (free ARC from Netgalley)

Gina wanted to be a chef for a long time, brought up surrounded by her grandpa's recipes as well as her mom's tutelage. She never seems to realize her mixed parentage gave her exotic looks that men seem to find irresistible, not that she's the kind of woman that would take another woman's man. When she was wooed by Leon, a rich young man, she was mildly amused, but Leon was with Cristi, her childhood best friend... Until Cristi stabbed her with a pair of scissors because Gina had "stolen" Leon from her. The detective investigating the battery case was Brent, who was also interested in Gina, but Gina was with Leon then. Thus Gina introduced Brent to her best friend from the restaurant, Marcia the pastry cook. But even as Gina's relationship with Leon reached a decision point, a stalker sent threatening notes to Gina... warning her of bad things that will happen...

The cooking details are excellent, though I was somewhat disappointed they didn't play into the plot except very peripherally. Gina... came across as a really ambivalent character. Her kind heart was both a strength and a weakness, in a way that really elicits empathy from the reader, but also made her weak-willed at times. Without spoiling the plot, I'll just say Leon and Brent both came across as decent guys, albeit, only one will win at the end. 6/8

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Finished Christmas in Smithville by Kirsten Fullmer (free ARC from Netgalley)

Gloria, starved for attention when younger, gained a bit of a reputation as the Smithville's loose girl with looser outfits... and this town has long memories, esp. all the women who had their men "stolen" by Gloria, even years later. Ned, the deputy of the area, knew the gossip, but he knew to look past the surface and look for the truth, and Ned knew Gloria has a good heart... and he wanted her for a long time, but he has a very bad stutter and he never knew what to say to a woman who's not his relatives. When the two had to collaborate on the Christmas Pageant, sparks flew. But can the two overcome their respective problems and come together by Christmas?

Both characters have good characters arcs, but somehow I feel Ned's arc was better than Gloria's arc. Ned definitely overcame his problems and was able to express his affection for Gloria by doing it in a way that he knew how (not spoiling that!) but Gloria's arc... She didn't make ANY headway toward her goal, despite doing all she could, including spending almost all her time for the pageant, like making costumes, helping make the sets, and so on. Her goal was NOT accomplished until a certain situation presented itself, and that almost feels like a *deus ex machina*. But I do have to say, the end was very romantic. 6.5/8

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:47 pm

Finished The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg from SFPL

NYT writer discusses how habit works, how the habit cycle works, and can be reprogrammed to benefit you. Once you form a habit, you can't really break it, but you can reprogram it. Instead of eating to feel better, trade it for exercise. That's how AA works: trade addiction to substance with devotion to God. It also goes into how habits can be created, and social customs "nudged". When meat became scarce during WW2, the effort was spent to teach the public about eating offal, but until recipes were publicized that made things taste the same, the stuff was not accepted. And so on. It can be applied to all sorts of places, including religion / evangelizing and civil rights.

Part of the stuff I get, but I think the attempt to apply it to Alabama Civil Rights / Rosa Parks / Montgomery bus strike was a bit too forced. It was talking more about social pressure than a "habit", but I can see where the two can merge a bit. The one about "keystone" habit was pretty good, as it's like the one thing that lynch-pinned everything else. Like Charles Dungy fixed the worst NFL team, and how the team choked for couple years, can't cinch the superbowl. And something else came along to get them over the hump. It's interesting, but perhaps not quite a masterpiece. Call it... 6/8

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Finished Brain Safari by Dr. Eric Haseltine NONFIC, ARC from Netgalley

Go through 40 chapters where Dr. Haseltine, a neuroscientist that wrote for Discover and PsychologyToday shows simple experiments that will demonstrate to you your own cognitive biases, as well as gaps in your senses and how they can be tricked, or how nerve signals travel at different speeds (try warming up a dinner knife and dip the other one in ice bath, then blindly touch bother with one hand. You'll feel the cold first, THEN you'll flinch when you feel the heat) It also goes into visual and auditory illusions, and lots of other interesting tidbits about how our brain perceives things (how to find your visual blindspot, for instance). However, the "safari" theme was not utilized successfully. Do you really perform experiments on safari's? I think a different metaphor is called for.

Also some of the experiments are designed with two people in mind, and this can be difficult at times. It may be better to only have experiments that do not need a partner, even if a chapter or two had to be excised, with the two-person experiments relegated to the back of the book as an appendix.

Personal rating... I enjoy learning about some of these trivia, though I would like to see how they apply to my life. 6/8

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Finished The Ugly Stepsister Strieks Back by Sariah Wilson ARC from Netgalley

Quirky and snarky Mattie Lowe is not having a good year. Her mother (divorced) seems to hate her and belittles her online. The school mean girl is out to get her...AND her beautiful stepsister Ella is the most beautiful girl in school AND dating Mattie's secret crush, the football captain Jake Kingston. After suffering one too many humiliations, Mattie has had enough. She rallied enough support and ran for class president... against Jake. Yes, Ella can keep the Jake... and Mattie will rule the school. But the transformation comes with a price... Will she be okay if Jake wanted to date HER instead? What about her sister? What will the class mean girl do? What will Mattie wear to the masquerade ball?

It's basically high school drama, but done pretty well. There's the HEA, which basically means Mattie win at everything. She got good relations with her stepsister, she got her borders clear with toxic mom, she got a kiss from Jake, she won the class president election... AND the mean girl got put in her place. Obviously it did take a little bit of deus ex machina to get there, and Jake came across as slightly dreamy, but I guess it's swoon-worthy for high school girls. 6/8

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Reading Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics by Dan Harris Netgalley ARC

Dan Harris, who previously wrote "10% Happier" a book on meditation, decided to recast a bit of that, plus more practical advice and anecdotes (like how he and Jeff Warren lead Josh Groban in a meditation) into a more "how-to" book on meditation. It's... interesting so far. I wouldn't quite say I'm converted yet, but it's worth a read. Will update later.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Sat Dec 16, 2017 1:44 am

Ending the year with a bang. Three more down:

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson - I must say I was a bit disappointed in this one. When Tyson said "for people in a hurry," he really meant it. This gives a really high level overview of stuff Tyson has covered in talks and his Cosmos TV show. However, it's really for the layman who wants an introduction. I am by no means an astrophysics expert, and I'm only a casual Neil deGrasse Tyson fan, and I already knew most of this stuff. It still manages to make science informative and entertaining, but YMMV depending on your familiarity with the subject. If I had to do it all over again, I'd pick up one of his beefier tomes and skip this one.

Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff - Casual H.P. Lovecraft fans may not know that despite his literary genius, he was also an unapologetic bigot. While it would be easy to say he was just a "product of his time," it's not a very good excuse in Lovecraft's case. Ruff attempts to rectify this in some small way by creating a Lovecraft book which features an almost exclusively African-American cast. While the novel has an over-arching plot, the pieces are revealed through a series of short stories featuring various characters who weave in and out. It's a brilliant construction. It even contains a lot of Afrofuturism elements, which is a subject that really fascinates me. It would be easy to overlook this one as just "Lovecraft with black people," but to do so would be a damn shame. It's a rich, complex, moving piece of work and one of the best books I read all year.

Slade House by David Mitchell

Tough to talk about this one without giving away the plot, which is revealed slowly through the eyes of various characters who encounter the titular Slade House. The genius of Mitchell's novel is how these tantalizing snippets finally coalesce into a horror novel.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Sat Dec 16, 2017 2:54 pm

YellowKing wrote:Ending the year with a bang. Three more down:

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson - I must say I was a bit disappointed in this one. When Tyson said "for people in a hurry," he really meant it. This gives a really high level overview of stuff Tyson has covered in talks and his Cosmos TV show. However, it's really for the layman who wants an introduction. I am by no means an astrophysics expert, and I'm only a casual Neil deGrasse Tyson fan, and I already knew most of this stuff. It still manages to make science informative and entertaining, but YMMV depending on your familiarity with the subject. If I had to do it all over again, I'd pick up one of his beefier tomes and skip this one.

Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff - Casual H.P. Lovecraft fans may not know that despite his literary genius, he was also an unapologetic bigot. While it would be easy to say he was just a "product of his time," it's not a very good excuse in Lovecraft's case. Ruff attempts to rectify this in some small way by creating a Lovecraft book which features an almost exclusively African-American cast. While the novel has an over-arching plot, the pieces are revealed through a series of short stories featuring various characters who weave in and out. It's a brilliant construction. It even contains a lot of Afrofuturism elements, which is a subject that really fascinates me. It would be easy to overlook this one as just "Lovecraft with black people," but to do so would be a damn shame. It's a rich, complex, moving piece of work and one of the best books I read all year.

Slade House by David Mitchell

Tough to talk about this one without giving away the plot, which is revealed slowly through the eyes of various characters who encounter the titular Slade House. The genius of Mitchell's novel is how these tantalizing snippets finally coalesce into a horror novel.

Yeah, I really liked Lovecraft Country too.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sat Dec 16, 2017 7:44 pm

Finished By Schism Rent Asunder (Safehold #2) by David Weber borrowed from SFPL

One of David Weber's books when he's not writing Honorverse. This one is a whole saga, and it's an interesting mix of both retro... and modern. The setup was one person... Technically, she's an avatar of a person long dead, in an indepedent android body that's life like. Humans have escaped from hostile aliens, but only small colonies, and the coloniests made the decision to smash all semblance of technology, in order to not send out signals that may attract the genocidal aliens. But the admin went a step further... They actually erased the minds of those they can control. When a rebel faction refused to submit, they used weapons to destroy that faction, in the name of 'saving humanity', and constructed a religion around it. The entire world had basically been smashed back to the medieval times, and the church won't let it go any further, as it's all verboten by the decree. Untold ages later, the avatar was awakened (vol 1) and changed his outward appearance to be male, and adopted name of Merlin. The ultimate objective is so the faction can rediscover technology and defend itself. And to do that, Merlin aligned himself with Kingdom of Charis, the smallest, but also the one most amenable to change. By the end of vol 1, Kingdom of Charis still stands, after the improvements (gently leaked by Merlin) to their navy allowed them to hold off the navy sent by the other 5 nations to punish them for their apostacy, but the old king died from an unlucky shot, leaving the Prince now king. This is volume 2, where Merlin introduced a few more technical innovations (by this time, the cannons are howitzers with rifled bores and even infantry are using rifles) and managed to find a major and a minor ally, but this also cemented their enemy's resolve to destroy them, even as their enemy, attempting to 'detain' their shipping in other ports, ended up slaughtering the family-owned trading vessels, including women and children. There are many many more volumes of this, and Weber's style of talking through every point in minutiae is still there. You'd pretty much have to wait for him to get through every f***ing angle but then, that's what we'd expect from Weber. 6/8

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Finished A Bark Before Christmas by Laurien Berenson borrowed from SFPL

Melanie Travis went back to work at Howard Academy, a posh private school in Greenwich, Conneticut, as her youngest is about to join toddlerhood. She's also a participant on the dogshow circuit, having gotten the poodle love from her Aunt Peg. Balancing work, motherhood, and dogs is definitely a full-time job, and she can't exactly say no when the headmaster wanted her to be the chairperson for the Christmas Bazaar, which is also the school fundraiser. Everything was hectic but okay... until a champion show dog went missing from the premises... and the Santa hired for the photobooth turned up dead a mile away. The dog owner was rich and one of the school alums, and she's after Melanie to find the truth... but even as Melanie investigated, something is definitely not right in doggyland...

Cozy, and lots of dogs that should make dog owners happy. It's a proper mystery with Melanie finding bits and pieces of information, as well as revelations that recast old info in a new light. The ending was not as good and happy as one may expect, but definitely loads of fun to read. 7/8

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Finished Night school, a Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child

Fresh off an award ceremony, Major Reacher was ordered to report to a special school. Upon arriving there, he found 1 CIA and 1 FBI agent, both of whom were also awarded something. The school was merely a cover. A double agent in Hamburg, Germany reported that "An American" is going to sell something BIG to the Islamic terrorists in Hamburg, and the price is 100 million dollars. Unfortunately, nobody knew what. As the three agents scramble to find out who is the American and what was he selling that is worth 100 million, they found both help... and hindrance, both official... AND unofficial. Reacher called in his partner, Sergeant Nagley, and they discover a conspiracy that is also watching them, waiting to strike...

Ah, the details are EXCELLENT, lots of notalgia way back when, and someone who see the "eventual payday". The bad guy wasn't *that* bad, just very mercenary, and the other bad guys... well, let's just say all the bad guys get their just desserts, often handled by Reacher himself. It's a loan of fun to read. 7.5/8

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Finished Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

For over a decade, Jenna Metcalf was looking for her mother, Alice, who disappeared in the wake of a tragic accident on an elephant preserve, just walked out of the hospital and vanished. Jenna, desperate to find her mother, enlisted the help of two very unlikely people... a psychic who fell from grace... and a grizzled detective who investigated the tragic accident that night and Alice's disappearance later. What really happened that night?

This requires a HUGE spoiler.

Spoiler:

Let's just say this novel is easy to read, but some of the revelations made you go back and think... Wait a minute... Uh... OMG, how did I miss that? I can see why she gets the reputation. It is a quite moving book when you get to the end. 7.5/8

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Mon Dec 18, 2017 2:30 pm

Finished Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics by Dan Harris Netgalley ARC

I call myself a skeptic, but I don't get "meditation". So this book did catch my eye. After finishing it, I'd say I am intrigued, and I may want to explore the topic, which is good.

Basically, Dan Harris goes on his journey into Meditation, with more how-to than his previous book, 10% Happier. It goes into all the common objections like "I don't have time" or "If I get too happy I'd lose my edge", as well as specific tips like meditation can be as short as 1 minute, or as long as hours. However, all the stuff is sprinkled among the various anecdotes, such as his bus tour promoting the book and meeting with celebrities, but also meeting people in malls and public places (normally, the worst place you can meditate). And it's kinda surprising the number of tales he had to tell, but being a reporter means he has the eyes for details. A lot of musicians seems to be fans of meditation, or interested in looking into such. Somewhere near the end of the book, it gets a bit too mystical, about "sending happy vibes into the universe" or such.

All in all, I am intrigued by the topic, and I may choose to explore it a bit more... if I ever find the time. Hahaha.

6/8

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Finished Billionaire's Vacation by Claire Adams FREE

Christian Wall, America's sexiest billionaire bachelor, is a manwhore. When his latest escapades got caught by a reporter, who was almost one of his flings, his business partners decided he needs to take a long vacation, and he picked Hawaii. On the island, he met Gretchen, a talented masseuse, someone who would never want to leave the island, being happy where she is, but she is intrigued by the sexy Chris, even as she recoils from an ambiguous relationship she ended with her ex. And Chris was... smitten, as he never had a woman who'd refuse him... But it's just a fling... right?

Little more emotional than I expected, but ending's a bit of meh. Call it 6/8

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Finsihed Finding Success in Failure: True Confessions From 10 years of Startup Mistakes by Lucas Carlson From SFPL

Lucas Carlson is a serial entrepreneur, and it took him TEN YEARS (and strings of failures) to make something big enough to be acquired. This book is kinda distilled knowledge from all the mistakes he made, so you don't have to repeat his mistakes. And it's interesting. But it also presumes you have the capital and whatnot to prevent those mistakes. I like it, but I don't like love it. 5.5/8

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Finished Born to Blog by Mark W. Schaefer SFPL

The book goes over the different types of blog (curate, review, teach, etc.) how different types of blog is good for different types of business. It goes into best practices and distinguishes blog from social media and the reason for each. THough it is really for business blogs, using blog to generate more business, than solo entrepreneurs trying to turn a blog into a business. 5/8

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Tue Dec 19, 2017 4:16 am

Finished Dark Genius by H Peter Alesso NetGalley ARC

Andrew Lawrence is a genius that got to MIT at 14, but he had a nervous breakdown and basically flunked out of every class to be passive-aggressive, and when parents started fighting, one wanted him free, the other believed he wasn't pushed hard enough, he started hacking school computers. Finally his grandma took him in and sent him to Stanford, on the other side of the nation. A few years later, he's back at MIT, studying quantum physics, still one of the younger doctoral candidates, and came to know a young woman, also a doctoral candidate, working on quantum computers connected to CERN, as he needed the data to prove his updated string theory. But he supervisor was Professor Probst... his nemesis. When CERN's quantum computer was hacked, Andrew somehow became the person of interest. Now Andrew had to perform some serious sleuthing... Or else he'll be framed for something he definitely did not do...

Pretty good, 7/8

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Finished Venom: the heroic search for Australia's deadliest snake by Brendan James Murray NETGalley ARC

To the aborigines of Guugu Yimithirr nation, it was called nguman. To the whites, it was called the taipan. To the rest of the world, it's was the deadliest snake in the world, 8 feet long with strong muscle and lightning quick reflexes, and a bite that was 100% lethal before antivenom was developed (until George Rosendale, a member of the Guugu Yimithirr nation, survived, and no one knew how). This is a book about the snake itself, how it was found, feared, eventually captured in numbers with casualties, venom milked, and finally, antivenom developed. But it is also an allegory, about the savage treatment of the land and its original inhabitants. Filled with photographs, many of which were only in private collections, this was an interesting book that is part snake history, part Australian history, and all of it, centered on one creature that is both feared and respected...

If you are looking for a pure history, you'll be disappointed, as this is creative non-fiction, based on countless hours of research and interviews of people who were there, or from historical archives. Sometimes the story went into excruciating detail about the mistreatment of the aborigines. The Guugu Yimithirr nation was rounded up and relocated by soldiers with no food or clothing and 1/3 of their children dead of disease at the beginning of WW2 because there were fears that they may be Japanese sympathizers. And a lot of the snake bite victim deaths were described in detail, which can make you a bit squeamish. The attempts to capture the snakes were also described in detail, as were attempts to keep them alive for continued venom milking. All in all, I think I can give this book 7/8

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Wed Dec 20, 2017 4:33 pm

Finished A Cowgirls' Christmas by C J Carmichael FREE

Callan Carrigan has always been at her father's side, running the Circle C ranch, after death of their mother, and even after her sisters all moved away to start their own families. So it was no surprise that when her father died on the ranch of a heart attack, she was there as well. But she was totally shocked when the will was read... the ranch itself was left to a cousin, Court McAllister, and the bombshells kept coming. Her father had been sterile... and he left the ranch to the closest blood relative... and Callan ain't blood. Court knew the situation wasn't fair to Callan, and he offered her a compromise... stay on for a year, and he'll give her 50% of the ranch. And Callan decided to stay, as she can't imagine what she'll do without it, but soon she realized Court had something else in mind...

This happens in Montana Winter, and it's another crazy will, even though this one made a LOT better explanation than others. The rest is basically "enemies to lovers". 6/8

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Finished Handling Susannah by Amelia Smarts

Historical Western with spank and discipline play? Uhhhh...

Adam Harrington was about to lose his family ranch when sheep ranchers basically stole his land and his father's deed was never clear on where the dividing line was, and he can't raise cattle on what's left. He liquidated his ranch just as he saw the unusual ad... a woman needs a mail order groom to inherit the ranch she grew up on. Susannah Smith is indeed beautiful, and she invited him to wed. Upon arriving, he found that his bride was actually a conniving fallen woman... Not only did she invite 3 other cowboys as well, she has a son born out of wedlock, and knows almost nothing about a ranch owner or housewife. She was pretty much a spoiled brat, not that she can wed any one in town, as nobody with any sense would marry her. Man expecting a sweet young virginal bride; woman expecting a husband that can be lead... Neither is what the other expected... but he'll do his darnest to make it work, even if he had to spank some sense into her...

I honestly don't find this scenario working at all. The rest of the story is okay though. 4/8

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Finished Home for Christmas by Patricia Kay

Quinn Riordan had been away from her hometown of Chagrin Falls for TEN YEARS, after losing EVERYTHING to her more beautiful sister, including her first ever love. But now, Aunt Fiona had a bad fall and her leg broken. She came back... Only to find her aunt has a boarder, Peter Kimball, a teacher in the local school. Peter doesn't understand how Fiona could love someone who stayed away for ten years, and seeing her... was a bit of a shock. She is quite likable. But Peter lost the two people he loved most and will not be able to love again, just as Quinn had to stay away. But with the upcoming holidays, can they let go of their hurts in the past, and see a way to embrace the future... and each other?

I like it, but I couldn't quite say what really made me like it. I guess it's a combination of factors. 6/8

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Finished Forgetting the Billionaire by Anne-Marie Meyer

Charlie had her hands full trying to keep her own little retirement home afloat and running. She had two residents with dementia and her job at the diner is busy enough. Add to her broken heart from her last BF, she wasn't ready for love, so it was a surprise that a rich guy in a pink VW Bug showed up at her retirement home, wanting to see one of the residents, and she felt some attraction to him. But strangers always leave... Mitchell just found his grandma that his family had cut ties from decades ago. He flew to the island of Sitka and found the place, hoping to make amends before Grandma passes. Grandma has severe dementia and mistook Mitchell for her own son (Mitch's father) and Charlie as the fiancee. They decided to fake a relationship for grandma's sake... just in time for Charlie's ex to return and try to woo her again...

While the family drama is kinda interesting, Mitch's parents turn out to be real douchebags (who keeps a grudge for decades against blood?) and not even total dementia would make them utter any apologies. So you basically have Charlie keep running into trouble, Mitch throwing his money around trying to solve her troubles, Charlie getting angry because she "just knew" that Mitchell will leave soon, and Charlie can't ever leave, and even considered taking her ex back, and Mitchell... trying to please everyone and ended up saying f*** this, I'll just do what I feel right (which is why he's on the island in the first place!) 5/8

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Fri Dec 22, 2017 3:57 pm

Finished Blue Christmas by Diane Moody

Hannah was called in to help run the store when boss had been called away for family emergency... on Christmas Eve. Her parents were out of town, and with no one around, she accepted the kind old woman's invitation to her Christmas dinner. She had no idea this woman is mother of Jason McKenzie, lead singer of "Out of the Blue", the hottest boy band and Hannah's childhood idol. And Jason turned out to be so... unpretentious, and Hannah was already smitten. But when tragedy strikes the band, and one of the band members were admitted to the hospital in grave condition, and papparazzi stalked the grounds, Hannah fully realized the pressure when the eyes of the world were upon her... and about confronting her beliefs in faith and love. Are they too different to stand a chance?

It's kinda like fanfic with real-life people, aka real life fiction, but polished into a professional romance, and it's quite charming. 6/8

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Finished Death by Cliche by Bob Defendi

Damico is a game designer. He was called to rescue a local RPG demo, and was shot by a dranged fan. He woke up... in an RPG, complete with hackneyed tropes and cliche plots, and it was apparently run by the guy who killed him. And Damico is now a part of the cliche. Then he realized his presence has caused the characters in the game to come alive and started thinking for themselves. But can Damico escape this world... or is he trapped forever in this nightmare?

It works as a satire of every RPG convention, AND a bit more of a trope flip, as the evil guy started asking "Why am I evil?" and the sorceress changed her looks as she's played by different people... and... well, prepare to LOL. 6/8

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Finished A Billionaire for Lexi / 3 novella collection by Rith Cardello, Jeanette Winters, and Danielle Stewart collection

Clay Landon is a playboy, and he doesn't have relationships... Until Lexi Chambers... who's just as rich and just as free as him, and she's not impressed at all. Lexi don't want trouble with the rich Barringtons, as her sister just married into it, but Clay tested her resolve...

World-renowned chef Vincent Moretti was attempting a charity event at a resort, but it was snowed out. When the kitchen can't even seem to serve any food, he went investigating, and found Renita Gallo... who's a teacher, not a cook... But her father was the famous cook and she'll do her best... even if it's just machine kiddie sandwiches. Vincent was smitten, and helped her out, but she can't stand this handsome but arrogant... CHEF?

Nolan is a student and while his sister got married to a rich guy, he's fuming that he's spending his Christmas alone, fuming at a coffee shop. Holly McNamara is on the run away, and meeting Nolan is a perfect opportunity for her to move along. When Nolan was called to attend a charity function and present a charity check at an event, Holly offered to come along. Nolan and Holly found they enjoyed each other's company very much, but Holly was keeping a huge secret. When someone spotted Holly for who she was, she elected to leave, but Nolan is not ready to see her go just yet...

Three novellas all around the same time, albeit from different perspectives, with a bit of cross-over, it's pretty good holiday reads. 5.5/8

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Finished The Seven Steps to Closure by Donna Joy usher

Tara had broken up with her husband over a year ago, but with him in the news constantly, now engaged to her cousin Tash, and running for Lord Mayor of Sydney, she's somehow NOT over him yet. Her three best friends staged an intervention... The "Closure in Seven Easy Steps" protocol clipped from Cosmo. The first few are easy enough. She got a makeover, got a hobby, had a one-night stand, and traveled to exotic location... India! But will she find her closure upon her return?

A bit British in the humor including a few more pratfalls than you'd expect, and the travels in India was really specific (but still funny), it's chicklit at its finest. 6.5/8

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Finished Christmas At the Castle by Melissa McClone

Veterinarian "Kat" Parsons loved her childhood friend's wedding, even if she's a princess marrying a prince in Europe. It's even better that she'd been invited as a bridesmaid. She however, wanted nothing to do with the brooding prince Guy (Guillaume). Guy wanted nothing to do with Kat either, believing that she's here to snag a prince for himself, and he had way too many family obligations. He did not want them, but after his brother abdicated to become a friar, he did not have a choice. But Kat's stay proved as disruptive as he predicted, but for very different reasons... For Kat's honesty and generosity... is proving them wrong at every turn... and Prince Guy's heart melted... but will he choose his obligations... or his heart?

Pretty darn good. 6.5/8

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sat Dec 23, 2017 3:33 am

Finished The Brands Who Came For Christmas by Maggie Shayne FREE

Caleb, running away from the path set by his father, had a flat tire in a small town Big Falls, and that resulted in one night of bliss with the small town beauty Maya Brand. But when his father had a stroke, he sped back to the city. But he can't get Maya out of her mind, but he can't disrupt her attempt to fit in as the respectable one... Eight months later, he recieved an anon photo of a very pregnant Maya. He sped back to town, intending to do the right thing... But Maya is not ready to trust the guy who left without a word... And neither is her family of her mom and her four sisters... How can he convince them he's not there just to make sure she doesn't derail his senate campaign... if he's even going to run? What happens when the gossip reporter found him in town? What will happen when a blizzard hit, stranding everyone?

Sweet, but this is almost pure "secret baby" trope, but polished up with disapproving father, wise mother, a couple of oddball sisters, and a guy who can't quite express himself.. The blizzard seems to be a bit... serendipitous? fortuitous? whatever. 6/8

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Finished Red Hot Christmas by Jill Sanders FREE

Amber is new to Pride, Oregon, as the new manager of Golden Oar, after having enough of managing a restaurant in a big city that was not appreciated. Her last BF had been a man-child and she would definitely NOT want a repeat. When she barely pulled into town, she almost ran over a man... riding full speed in 'downtown' main street... on a BMX. Even as he sailed over her hood, she couldn't help but be entranced by those gorgeous blue eyes... right up until he landed on the ground with road rash... and then she was too angry and indignant to care. His name is Luke, and he... doesn't seem to have a regular job except he seems to be playing games all the time. Luke now must convince Amber he's not a man-child, but someone she can trust to keep her heart.

A bit on the nebulous side, not one of her best. Why wouldn't a game designer just say "I'm a game designer", not a man-child who stay home and play games, huh? 5/8

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Finished A Cowboy for Christmas by Jennie Marts

Holly Adams return to her hometown after losing her young husband. She came back with a to-do list from her therapist... 1) return to your roots, 2) face your fears, and 3) listen to your heart. She just did the first, and have no idea about the other two. That is, until a snow storm stranded her on Levi Garrett's ranch at Christmas Eve. Levi was a senior when Holly's just a freshman in high school, but Holly was fearless then and they even shared a kiss. Levi almost did not recognize this broken Holly, but he was sure that girl is still in there... If he can reach her...

Okay, I guess. Didn't feel too much Magic here. 5/8

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Finished Annie's Gift by Barbara Bretton

Harry Barnes does not hate Christmas... He simply wished it to be over. His wife and daughter are gone, and he hadn't spoken to his son, Sam, in years. He can't bear to think of them, so he won't. Elsewhere, Sam Barnes had moved his family around the world for his military duty, but now he's back to stay, but his father still won't talk to him. But when his own daughter Riley wanted to meet grandpa, he couldn't refuse. On a snowy Christmas Eve, Harry and Sam, are visited by the spirits of mother and daughter, who only has a few earthly hours, to bring this family back together...

It's kinda like a kinder gentler version of a Christmas Carol, where the two ghosts are there to make the two men see the error of their ways. Sad, sentimental, the ghosts have to reveal some secrets to make them see the way it was meant to be. 6/8

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sun Dec 24, 2017 4:03 am

Finished Falling for Mr. Statham 2-book collection by Whitney G

Claire Gracen's life is perfect. She has a great job, her marriage to her high school sweetheart is strong, her children are grown to college... until she realized it was a lie... Her husband had been cheating with her best friend... She needed a do-over, so she left Pittsburgh and started over in the SF Bay area. She got a new job, a new place to live, and new friends. New friends took her to a party, and a younger man hit on her. She turned him down, even though he's the most handsome man ever, but he's too young for her. She discovered to her horror later that the man she turned down was her boss, Jonathan Statham, self-made billionaire and CEO of Statham Industries. And he's VERY determined to change her mind about him...

Uh... Please hire a tech consultant. The tech talk about how Jonathan started his company that rival Apple was really lame. The part about torturing one another "No, I will NOT speak to you... Until you somehow evade security to kiss me." That's kinda lame, sorry. That's just playing mind games. 5/8

Claire Gracen has the man, and they are on their way to a great wedding. But amidst the preparations, Claire realized what had been bothering her... what she thought she left behind in Pittsburgh... is much closer than she thinks. And why is her ex after her, insisting that they need to talk? Claire has nothing to say to Ryan, the man who destroyed her, but he insisted he had something to say... So what is there?

What sort of security does this billionaire hire that this lawyer ex was able to penetrate almost at will? The rest is each acting very hurt when they saw something that could have been interpreted both way, so it's basically wrong impressions. These people are just acting VERY childish. 5/8

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Finished A Beautiful Mess Book 1 by T K Leigh FREE

Olivia Adler lost her parents young and was raised by an uncle, who she also lost later. She refused to be attached to any one, and has no close friends. And she was haunted by a dream, about a boy with brilliant green eyes that rescued her from a car wreck... Then she met Alexander Burnham, when she was attacked and almost killed by a guy she barely dated. Alex rescued her, and proceed to woo her. But Alex is keeping a deep dark secret, for he had been looking for Olivia for a very long time... but is this his Olivia? And what other secrets may his family have been keeping? And can Olivia trust him to get this close?

Somehow, this story relies on a couple impossibilities, which requires a spoiler alert

Spoiler:

This is OVERLY MELO-DRAMATIC, IMHO, and it just doesn't work for me at all. These aren't professionals. These are WORSE than amateurs. The love part was also getting into light bondage kink by the end, and it's kinda meh. 4/8

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Finished A Kiss for Christmas 3-novella collection by Melody Grace FREE

An unlikely couple found themselves gotten snowed in on their way to a wedding, and a game of truth or dare found they have hidden feelings toward each other...

A writer asked for rustic accommodations at a lakeside inn... except there's no power to do his writing... and no muse. Until he met the vivacious innkeeper who wanted to get out of this town...

A woman found that the holidays she planned for New York City winter holiday with her BF just went up in smoke. Can the hot musician show her some real appreciation?

All are short and pretty good. 6/8

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Wed Dec 27, 2017 11:54 pm

There will be a bit of catchup, forgot to post.

Finished The One (Wild Brothers 1) by Lorhainne Eckhart FREE

Magaret lost her mojo as a top surgeon when one of her operations ended up with her patient having lost major brain functions. She ran back home to her grandpa's house, and live the life of a recluse... without even a phone line. Until one day, a rough cowboy and his son came to visit... the boy has a horse called Storm that is... violent. And Margaret has gained a bit of reputation as the Horse Whisperer in the area. Joe Wilde is a widower trying to raise his son, but it's clear his methods are not working, for the kid's alternately defiant and cowed. But they had a past too, as they both came from this small town and she had secretly desired him... back in school. But he has a girlfriend... who seems to only tolerate his son... When his son along with the temperamental horse disappeared into the wild, can the two unite to save the kid? Can they recognize they are "the one" to each other?

For less than 200 pages, there sure are a lot of plot. Some of the characters could have been introduced a bit better or a bit earlier, IMHO (like Joe's brother) and some of the motivations are a little vague. But still, definitely a 4/5, or 6.5/8 on the OL scale.

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Finished At Liberty to Love by Caryl McAdoo historical western, but not cowboys

Rebecca is a widow who never had any children, regretably, with her husband. She is determined to travel west to the orphange operated by some relatives and adopt one or two kids all the way in San Francisco... but she's going by boat down to Panama canal first. On the way, she met Marcus, someone who served with her relative in the War. And he was completely smitten, but she's determined to do it by herself, and he has a teaching position in a college in the Northeast... But as soon as they part, he changed his mind... Rebecca is just right for him... And Marcus ended up chasing her, always just a day or three behind, from the coast to Panama to California... And he finally found her. And they really do feel a lot. But Rebecca refused to marry him as she cannot marry a heathen, and he had abandoned God when his wife and child both died. And Rebecca left San Francisco without Marcus for the return trip... What will redeem Marcus' soul besides Rebecca's love?

While I like the adventure aspects, the book basically had Marcus do a switch flip after Rebecca's gone. Meh. 5/8

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Finished Colorado Summer Stars by Jill Haymaker

WARNING SOME DISTURBING VIOLENCE, readers be warned

Nicole had enough of her controlling and constantly jealous boyfriend who always gets mad about her waitressing job in San Francisco. When that turned to violence and she got a black eye, she packed up and drove all the way back home to Peakview, Colorado to figure out her life... the place she had swore she won't go back to, and ran into old high schoolmate... Rick "Scarecrow" Brady. But the old thin awkward nerd has filled out, and he's now a successful vet on his ranch. He had a crush on the most beautiful girl in school, and now she's back... And he went on to woo her, even as she wasn't quite sure she wanted another man in her life... Then her psycho ex appeared in town and made her life hell...

Pretty standard "protector" plot, though I'd say spotting the tracks in the woods was just way too much luck, but then, it's a novel.

6/8

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Finished Finding Focus by Jiffy Kate

Sheridan "Dani" Reed is an unemployed photojournalist having a very bad time in NYC. Her boyfriend just left for a vacation... WITHOUT her, and her BFF is doing a job in the deep south. With nothing to do, and her BF being both evasive and controlling, she decided she need to get her mojo back and accepted a freelance job for Southern Style magazine and went down to Louisiana to interview the Landrys, esp. Micah Landry, the playboy. She tried to keep it professional, but that good old Southern Charm is hard to resist... and Micah was similarly drawn to the professional and vivacious beauty in front of him... But when an unexpected development pulled her back to New York, is this romance going to be nipped in the bud?

Somehow, this book just didn't *feel* that Southern to me. I much prefer Jennifer Blake's Galahad in Jeans for Southern Charm. 5/8

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Finished Wildest Dreams by Savannah Kade FREE

Jenn knew Walker isn't right for her, but she'll take FOB in the meanwhile. She has her career to think about, and talking with her BFF just confirmed that. Walker is an artist, and knew he's not in love with Jenn, but why do his paintings start to have her face in it? When life threw a curveball at Jenn (she's... pregnant, by Walker!) how will they reconcile their relationship? And what happens when fate has one more blow for Jenn, that will either shatter her, or make her realize he was there all along?

Surprisingly emotional, but mainly due to loss, not love. 6/8

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Finished ClickandWed.com 1-3 by Bonnie R Paulson

Book 1 reviewed earlier.

Book 2: I_do.com -- A young doormat woman, pushed by her family into EVERY decision (as if she has no will of her own), was emboldened by her best friend into taking the biggest chance of her life... She walked out of her wedding (and earned a hard slap on her cheek from her mother, who also disowned her) to a man she does not love, and went off to meet someone, who she had not seen... and be wedded by proxy... basically a modern mail order bride! Can such a romance work?

The woman seems to be a bit TOO MUCH of a doormat, IMHO, with the parents incredibly insensitive. And guy's okay, but also insensitive sometimes. All in all, Tolerable. 5/8

Book 3: DIY Vows -- the BFF of the previous novel's heroine is going to be matched with someone in SF/Oakland, with a top compatibility score... 99.5%. But he's actually just betting something stupid with his brother, even as he's fixing up his mother's historical building in Oakland... or try to. He is being stretched too thin, as he can't do both at the same time. She's a handywoman who can't wait to get out of her stupid town, and she's setting up her own "The Home Doctor" renovation / fix-up contractor business, when it's clear the guy she matched does NOT want a wife. So she tried to keep her "kinda-wife" and the "Home Doctor" identities separate, even as she fixed up his house. What she didn't know is he knew she's both... and he's falling for her... hard...

Somehow, I honestly don't see all these mental games helping at all. It's really kinda stupid. 5/8

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Finished Return to Ruby's Ranch by Rhonda Frankhouser

Ruby inherited Ruby's Ranch after her grandma's death. She hadn't been back for two decades... Why did her family dragged her away one night, never to return, what happened to her mother? What drove Granny Rube insane? Her return also brought an unexpected visitor... Billy McCallister, a neighbor, a handsome cowboy, and someone who had a crush on her way back when. And her questions will lead to discovery of profound happiness and sadness, and a reunion that will have you reaching for a kleenex (tm).

The book teased a lot about supernatural, but turned out to have nothing about supernatural stuff. Meh. 5/8

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Finished In Search of a Love Story by Rachel Schurig FREE

Emily is doomed at love, according to her BFF's Ryan and Ashley, because she's completely a dullard when it comes to romance. When Emily's latest attempt crashed and burned, she accepted her BFF's plan to start a "romance research project" by studying romcoms, romance novels, love songs, and such. it couldn't hurt, right? When Emily found Greg, Ryan and Ashley was sure she found the one. So why is Elliot being a bit angry? is Greg really "the one"? Will Emily find her true love?

Okay, I guess for chicklit it's pretty good. 5.5/8

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Abandoning Major Cole by dirty brandi

Crap, loaded with more crap. Some random short stories, only one of which has Major Cole, who's basically doing a Rambo impression. There's a like 1000+ pages of crap. 1/5

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Finished Happily Ever Kissed by Vicky Holt

Ava is co-owner of the Heartbeat Inn, near the historical Heartland Cove Bridge, the 2nd longest covered bridge in North America. Her family always had their first kiss on the bridge, and she's under a deadline... The mayor said the bridge is too dangerous and will be torn down, leaving her not too much time to pick out a candidate for her epic kiss, and that would include her inn's guests... but she doesn't want just any one, he needs to be someone dreamy, like romance novel heroes... and definitely NOT her handyman Sebastian. But asking guests out for a kiss isn't as simple as it seems, even though one of them is definitely drool-worthy... Just who would she pick?

A little contrived, but otherwise, okay, I guess. 5.5/8

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Thu Dec 28, 2017 3:16 pm

Soul of the Unborn by Natalia Brothers (K)

This is the third Russian-themed fantasy novel I've read this year, and with mixed results. Soul of the Unborn starts as a investigation by a group of Americans into "Russian folklore" with a local guide, Valya. It would have helped tremendously to have some narrative describing this folklore -- instead, it's a bunch of paranormal hooey that for some reason seems perfectly natural to the American visitors (and is part of daily life for Valya). The characters aren't terribly compatible with each other and seem to switch moods and attitudes faster than a gaggle of toddlers. The pacing is also off...there is dialog between characters interspersed with sudden scene changes to action without preamble. It's almost like watching a TV show where a commercial break occurs after two people talking only to resume in the middle of a battle scene. In the end, I didn't find any of the characters believable, their motivations are contrived, and they simply aren't likable. The story might have some promise, but the execution of the novel didn't bring it to bear.

MonkeyFinger · Post by **MonkeyFinger** » Thu Dec 28, 2017 6:03 pm

Persepolis Rising Book 7 of The Expanse series. Just finished this as an audio book, 27 hours of awesome. There's something about this series and their writing that just clicks for me, I really enjoy these books. Was a bit shocked to see it takes place 30 years after book 6 and figured the regular cast would be gone but... nope! The wonders of life extension drugs and replacement parts.

Damn, how long do we have to wait for the next one?

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sat Dec 30, 2017 1:44 pm

Finished Longing for Love (Gansett Island #7) by Marie Force

Tiffany Sturgil is opening a lingerie boutique Naughty and Nice in downtown Gansett, just in time to drive the local police chief Blaine Taylor nuts. It didn't help when Tiffany's ex is creating tourble as well with the town council, which is just even MORE headache to the perpetually busy chief... Who wanted Tiff quite badly. Blaine had several failed love affairs and knew he can't jump into this full force... In the meanwhile, the rest of the characters on the island are back with more adventures as well. Joe and Janey return to Gansett to find his mother's big secret... Evan learned that Grace never told her parents about him... and more.

Marie Force's Gansett Island series is basically a "big family" with a lot of things going on, though it will center on one major plot, with occasionaly digressions onto other b-plots to keep things flowing. If you just want to read ONE couple, it may not be to your cup of tea, but if you like a "family saga", sort of novel, with a lot of sequels, this is pretty good.

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FInished Waiting for Love (Gansett Island #8) by Marie Force

Adam McCarthy is back on Gansett. He almost lost three brothers on that foggy night when their sailboat collided with a freighter, and he was betrayed by his lover out of his company he founded. He went back home to cope... and think... and ran into an old friend, Abby Callahan. Abby used to be girlfriend to one of Adam's brothers, but that's a long time ago. She left him, and moved with a different BF to Texas... but she'd had enough of that life as well... she's back on Gansett, and she's determined to loosen up... by taking up swearing, getting a tattoo, and basically something that's NOT what a meek Abby would do. And the meek Abby would definitely not have a fling with Adam... so perhaps... the new Abby would...

It's standalone, but you'll get more out of it if you've read the previous volumes. Reads a bit like Caroline Fyffe except Fyffe writes historical Westerns. Polish is exquisite.

Gansett Island #9 was reviewed earlier.

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Finished Christmas at the lake by Charlotte Blake

Adam Hunt and Lexi Stuart shouldn't intersect. Adam is a coder who's comfortable living and vacationing at Lake Taoe. Lexi is a small venture capitalist who's picking businesses to grow... who's also vacationing at Lake Tahoe. They met during Christmas Holiday at a lake... they had one wild night together... and she ignored him... because she thought he's just one of guys looking for notches on their bedpost. But Adam is quite serious...

Meh, didn't feel much here. 4/8

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Finished Star Trek: Tales of the Dominion War edited by Keith R A DeCandido

11 short stories by different authors documenting what ELSE happened in the Dominion War... What really happened when Breen attacked Earth? Can a one-armed Klingon defeat 7 Jem'hadar warriors? The fight is not all about DS9, but quadrant wide. You'll see stories about Spock, Kira, McCoy, and more.

Pretty good, and got it on sale for $1. Worth 6/8 at least.

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Finished Losing His Shirt by Linda Fausnet

Johnny Creel is a trust-fund baby who thought he was being a cool boss with a company to manage. The truth is the company runs far better without him around, not that he shows up that often. When his father was implicated in some scandal and all his assets were frozen, Johnny Creel suddenly realized he was NOTHING without his money. He doesn't even have any life skills to pay bills and live on his own. When the subway vending machine ate his last $5, his way home, and he sank to the floor sobbing, he was surprised to find it was his former personal assistant, Rosemary, who lent him a hand... Rosemary called Johnny "the creep", because he really was, but this Johnny... was not a creep. When Johnny asked for her help to get him back to his feet, Rosemary can't refuse, even as Johnny hoped for more. But is this the real Johnny? Or will regaining his money turn him back into the creep?

The plot is a bit too... obvious? Lack of polish? I dunno. It just doesn't read that well. 5/8

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Sat Dec 30, 2017 3:26 pm

So Kasey, how many books have you read in 2017?

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sat Dec 30, 2017 5:39 pm

Rumpy wrote: ↑Sat Dec 30, 2017 3:26 pm So Kasey, how many books have you read in 2017?

According to my Amazon "digital orders"... 1766. That includes the library loans, but excludes Netgalley and other direct downloads. Didn't read all of them, of course. But I'd say I read at least 2/3rds, perhaps as many as 3/4.

And I haven't downloaded any books since 24th.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sat Dec 30, 2017 7:39 pm

I'm going to consider my 18 a win this year, especially since I've been taking classes for the past eight months.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sun Dec 31, 2017 5:44 am

Finished The Harrisons Box Set 1 by Alexa Bloom

Once In a Big Dream: Joe Harrison is getting out of jail after serving five years. He's just working as a ranch hand, until Rose came to visit the ranch as a photographer. Rose is a pampered girl but she hated her mother's endless snobby society lunches and events. She wanted to be a photographer, not a society wife like her intended fiancee Geoffrey wanted. Visit to the ranch and chance encounter with the handsome ranch hand made her mind wander about the possibilities. But such a match is not possible, even as Joe had to deal with the reason he went to jail in the first place...

The problem with Alexa Bloom's evil characters is they are utterly irredeemable, which makes them a bit flat. They don't give a **** who they screw over or how many people they hurt as long as they get ahead. This one has so many douchebags around the ONLY decent people seem to be the couple. It's a part of her writing style, and it works. 6.5/8

Once In a Blue Kentucky Moon: Tatum fled for her life after a disastrous marriage... so bad she dared tell no one. She worked as a horse handler, and ended up on Lockwood Farm, once famous for rearing champion racehorses, but with no derby winners in recent years, it is heading steadily downhill. Blake Harrison, the current owner, is barely holding on, and even the new colt is not enough to raise his spirits. So why was he so drawn to the new stablehand with haunted doe-eyes? Tatum's web of secrets started to unravel, even as Blake was forced into a terrible choice: can he save the family legacy... or the woman he loved?

This one still has evil, but the choices doesn't quite seem as acute, but the woman really made no sense. TELL SOMEBODY, darn it! I still don't get what the f*** does this no good husband of hers actually do, besides trying to pimp her out or something. 5.5/8

Once in a New York Minute: Laura Harrison's conniving ex-husband ruined her by emptying her account just before her spring show. She sulked for a bit on the family farm, then decided to head back and start her own show again. A chance meeting with an old friend Marcus, a single parent, lead to a temporary living arrangement when her condo association kicked her out (because her ex also stole all her furniture and damaged the walls). Laura developed feeling for Marcus, but Marcus is a fashion photographer and deals with supermodels weekly, and Laura can't complete. But when fashion sharks started to circle again, and can Laura deal with the worst betrayal of all?

While reading it it really sounds dire. However, upon reflection the scenario makes ZERO sense. The sceanrio was his evil ex sets up a rival studio and recruited a spy to steal all of Laura's designs, and somehow managed to do a fashion show 1 day ahead of Laura's studio. The fashion industry called Laura "copycat". This makes no sense. How does this bogus studio make any money? Wouldn't reporters and investigators jump all over the place on who's copying who? 5/8

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sun Dec 31, 2017 4:53 pm

Only finished 65 this year, 10 short of my goal. I blame kids and the lack of exercise time. I'll try to do better in 2018 though.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sun Dec 31, 2017 7:31 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:I'm going to consider my 18 a win this year, especially since I've been taking classes for the past eight months.

19.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sun Dec 31, 2017 10:59 pm

Two more before year's end...

Finished Entangled by Anna Lowe

Cara Leoni was betrayed by her fiancee only weeks from their wedding. She broke it off and put all her drive into business, rising fast in the South American market. But her latest assignment had her stuck in the northern part of Panama, in the jungle, and she's forbidden to leave... by the villagers... And the only one who can save her... is the man who betrayed her. Tobin Cooper is an adventurer, who does not take life seriously... except love, and he loved Cara. He can't believe she would not believe him that night... and he figured a love without trust is not right. But Cara's panicked messages to home was forwarded, and soon he's racing through the jungle on his trusty and rusty motorcycle. And between them and salvation are native warriors, jungle fauna, and drug runners as well as militia... and whether Cara will ever trust him again...

6.5/8 mostly for the adventure. The romance is a bit of meh, mostly fueled by the adrenaline.

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Finished Lockheed Elite by Tyler Wanschneider SCIFI ADVENTURE

Anders Lockheed is the captain of the salvage ship ELITE. When he hired a new crew member, he was made pawn in a plan that forced him to contact the one criminal mastermind he had been trying to avoid for years. Now Anders have to come up with a plan to pull off a monster heist and get away clean, with both the Galactic Command (who hatched the plan) AND the mastermind Maddix set against each other... and hopefully not sacrifice any one... including himself, but with both sides bringing unimaginable resources to bear, the chances are starting to look really slim... or none...

Really liked this one. This could be an episode of Firefly or similar universe. The "darkest hour" was pulled off really well too, though I kinda guessed which way is which in the last 5% or so. 7/8 at least.

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Turns out these two are pretty short, so two more.

Finished Ad Astra by Kevin McLaughlin

Dan was supposed to be on the Mars mission until his rescue of a child left him wheelchair bound and retired from NASA. But his best friend, a scientist mining Helium-3 on the far side of the moon, has invited him to visit him on the moon... and he was shown a secret... They found an old alien ship and they got the powerplant and what appears to be a wormhole drive working. It is too powerful, and any government that possesses it will be instantly ganged up upon. Instead, the leader proposed to go exploring. But what he didn't know is one of his team is a traitor to his cause...

Nice short adventure, only 40K words or so, but it's a lot of fun!

Finished Stellar Legacy by Kevin McLaughlin

Direct sequel to the previous one. When sabotage left the craft stranded near Jupiter orbit, a desperate use of the jump drive left the ship in an alien system, with working armed satellites, but breathable air... and absolutely shattered cities that seems to have been like that for a thousand years. As the ship was forced to land to conduct repairs, and a group went to explore the buildings, the saboteur escaped... then aliens landed a force to investigate who came to visit after so many years...

Nice and exciting! Both are 6.5/8

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sun Dec 31, 2017 11:45 pm

Lockheed Elite sounded like something I’d want to read until I got to the description and was let down it wasn’t about the company.

xenocide · Post by **xenocide** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 8:22 pm

Right at an even 50.

13 Wheel of Time books in the last 10 months of the year was a nice finish. Although it killed my kindle reading during that time.

Not sure if you guys do favorites of the year but I'm going to name mine. As WoT is a re-read for me I'll leave that out (still my favorite fantasy series of all time).

Best:Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Runners up in no particular order:

The Butcher of Khardov (The Warcaster Chronicles) by Dan Wells
Monster Hunter Nemesis by Larry Correia
Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne seires by Brian Staveley

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 8:47 pm

Finished at an even 40, a little shy of my goal of 52 but a vast improvement over 2016.

I feel like 2018 will be an even bigger year; not only am I listening to audiobooks more frequently, my Kindle reading has been on a steady uptick as well compared to the first half of last year.

Favorites for me were a toss between THE FISHERMAN by John Langan and LOVECRAFT COUNTRY by Matt Ruff. Those were two phenomenal horror novels that proved that horror does not have to be pulpy throwaway dime-store garbage.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Thu Nov 29, 2018 5:55 pm

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Fri Feb 17, 2017 12:31 pm Finished Earth Alone by Daniel Arenson FREE with Prime Reading

Marco Erenson is going to war against the Scum, but first he had to make it through training.

Frankly, this story was essentially a clone of Starship Troopers. It was told competently, but nothing too special. Marco have to get processed by the training intake system, broken down as a recruit, went in with his heart broken (his girl is going to officer school), but with a "sister" who has affection for him, picked up a bully/enemy who will turned out to be allies later, and have a big battle with the invading Scum.

5/8

Did you happen to read the rest of the series? I have read this one and the second one (about to start the third). I kind of like the characters, but in the second book is started going down a dark road that actually made me completely drop his Dragons series.

These aren't great books but for some reason I don't just want to stop mid-series even though he somehow published 9 books in 12 months.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Fri Nov 30, 2018 12:44 pm

stessier wrote: ↑Thu Nov 29, 2018 5:55 pm Did you happen to read the rest of the series?

Nope. Didn't interest me enough to read the rest. My book reading addiction is fueled by FREE books. I rarely buy books unless they are like 0.99. I think the only ebooks I paid more than that was a couple in a series I really liked... the Kutherian Gambit series. First was free, I bought the next 3 at $3.99 each. But that series is up to 12 22 books, and there are a couple spin-offs.

So i can't buy them all... yet.

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Re: Books Read 2017

Re: Books Read 2017

Re: Books Read 2017

Re: Books Read 2017

Re: Books Read 2017

Re: Books Read 2017

Re: Books Read 2017

Re: Books Read 2017

Re: Books Read 2017

Re: Books Read 2017

Re: Books Read 2017

Re: Books Read 2017

Re: Books Read 2017

Re: Books Read 2017

Re: Books Read 2017

Re: Books Read 2017

Re: Books Read 2017

Re: Books Read 2017

Re: Books Read 2017

Re: Books Read 2017

Re: Books Read 2017

Re: Books Read 2017