Prior Reading Lists
Books I’ve Read (2024)
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
Currently Reading
Currently reading…
Fire and Ice by Paul Garrison
Currently Reading
Currently reading…
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
Currently Reading
Currently reading…
DeadEye by Sam Llewellyn
Rating: 4.0 Stars * * * *
I read this book about 25 years ago during my sailing days, and remembered liking it a lot. I needed a quick summer read, so decided to read it again, and I very much liked it. Llewllyn spins a great mystery yarn, this one taking place off the coast of Scotland. Someone is dumping toxic waste off the coast, and Harry Frazer is trying to determine who it is. Lots of sailing action, and a good mystery to boot!
The Kraken Project by Douglas Preston
Rating: 4.0 Stars * * * *
I read this book a long time ago when it first came out (2014), and I remember really enjoying it. With all the hype about AI today (2024, 10 years later) I felt I had to read it again. I’m glad I did. I forgot most of the story, which made the second-time read seem like the first. Dorothy, an AI software program, escapes into the internet after a failed test blew up, and is now traveling the internet, learning and evolving throughout her journey. The story is quite unbelievable, and gets a little silly at times, but nevertheless is a great and fun summer read.
The Wager by David Grann
Rating: 5.0 Stars * * * * *
This book was hands-down the best book I’ve read this year. It way exceeded my expectations. I thought this book would be an account of the court-martial in dry, legal-like prose, but I was very, very wrong. As a matter of fact, the court-martial part was only a single chapter, and surprised the heck out of me. The book basically tells the story from the very beginning of the Wager’s journey, and is extremely well-written and full of great storytelling and riviting narrative. If I had a 6 star rating, this book would get it!
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
Rating: 4.0 Stars * * * *
I didn’t care for this book as much as I did the others. It dragged on during the battle scenes, and got somewhat confusing. I did very much enjoy the last battle scene, and I really enjoyed the Manon part (she became my favorite character in the book). I also enjoyed how this book ended - quite a cliffhanger! I decided to skip book 6 since it covers the same time period but from a different perspective (and different characters) and move straight onto book 7 (the very long one).
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
Rating: 5.0 Stars * * * * *
Things begin to get very real in this 4th book. I enjoyed this one almost as much as book 3 (Heir of Fire), and I very much enjoyed the interaction between Aelin and Rowan. Also, the intertwined witch story was remarkable in this book. Lots of great battle scenes, and I really appreciated the growth that Aelin is experiencing in this book and finding out who she really is. On to book 5!
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
Rating: 5.0 Stars * * * * *
This third book in the series was absolutely amazing. It was so good that I simply couldn’t put it down, and as a result got very little sleep while reading this. The romance part I didn’t enjoy in the first book didn’t get in the way at all–as a matter of fact, there wasn’t a whole lot of gushy romance stuff in this book. It was all pure action, intertwining 3 different stories all into one. What a fun and exciting read!
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Rating: 4.5 Stars * * * *
I enjoyed this second book in the series much better than the first. There was a lot more action, and also had the introduction of magic, which was well done. The romance part I didn’t care for didn’t get in the way as much, and the book had a few surprises that shocked me (I won’t give those away).
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Rating: 4.5 Stars * * * *
I found this book very interesting and fun to read, but I had a bit of a struggle with the romance part of the book. However, I liked it enough to continue reading the series. Caleana is an assassin with a dark past, but also shows a very human side to her (that’s the romance part). She is enlisted by the king to compete in a contest to become the king’s champion. I was expecting more action in the context part of the book, but the few scenes that the author did describe were great.
The Fraud by Zadie Smith
Rating: 3.5 Stars * * *
I found this book fastinating. It tells the true story of the prolific author William Ainsworth through the setting of the year-long famous London Tichborne trial. Event though there wasn’t a lot of action in this book, the author kept my attention through most of the book. I found the portion of the book that took place in Jamaica a little long and slow, and not nearly as good as the other parts. I so enjoyed the main character, Mrs Touchet, and her interactions with Sarah ("the new Ainsworth").
Tress and the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
Rating: 5.0 Stars * * * * *
What a fun read this book was. It was very much like The Pricess Bride. When Tress’ love interest is captured by the Soceress, Tress embarks on a dangerous sea journey to save him. However, Dragons, deadly spores, and a hateful pirate captain all get in her way. What an adventure!
The Vineyard by Maria Duenas
Rating: 4.5 Stars * * * *
Way out of my genre, this book kept me awake until the wee hours of the morning. It was a great journey following the main character, a spanish miner who ran out of luck, lost everything, and looked for opportunities to restore his fortune. From Mexico City to Havana to Cadiz Spain, this adventure was an awesome one.
Short Stories by Roald Dahl
Rating: 5.0 Stars * * * *
This is the second time I’ve read these short stories, and I loved them even more than the first time I read them. Such clever writing. My favorites include Dip in the Pool, Taste, Royal Jelly, Parson’s Pleasure, and The Visitor (actually, I liked all of them!)