New Earth

Book Review

New Earth by Ben Bova.

I used to read science fiction quite often. And I liked it.

And during that time, I found my all around, favorite author, Lois McMaster Bujold. She was writing science fiction.

And before I knew it, I had read everything she had written to date. Then, I had to look for other authors.

But after reading her, I couldn't find any science fiction that I liked as much. Not as much as Bujold.

Not Asimov. Not Clarke. Not Brin. Not Herbert. Not Heinlein. Not Le Guin. Not Card. Not Bradbury. Not Robinson. Not McCaffrey.

And so I had to start reading other things. Other authors. Other genres.

It has been a long time since I have read much scifi. But I recently saw this book on the shelf of new releases.

And then I realized that I had never read any Bova. Well, it was time to fix that.

New Earth

Captain Vorpatril's Alliance

Book Review

Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold.

This is the latest addition to the Vorkosigan Saga series. And as such I surely had to read it.

But the Vorkosigan Saga started many, many moons ago. And I read the majority of those books, all dozen-plus of them, many, many moons ago.

Okay, okay.  Almost twenty years ago, to be a bit more precise.

And then I had to move on to reading other things, since the author moved on to writing other series.

Now, she's back. Back to writing about the Vorkosigans and their clan.

So, of course, I have to keep up with her. There's no letting a Vor book slip past me.

Here we go on another Vor adventure!

Captain Vorpatril's Alliance

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Book Review

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

I've read this before. Years and years ago. It was either late in high school or very early in college.

It was not an assignment.

I had heard others discussing it. It already had a semi-cult-like following.

I wanted to know what I was missing out on.

So I read it.

And I didn't really get what the fuss was all about. So much so, that this many years later, I couldn't remember what the story was about.

All I could remember was 42 and the infamous towel and being invisible by shutting one's eyes.

That's not much to go on. That's not much of an endorsement.

And then I learned that my daughter would be reading this as a school assignment. That meant that it was a perfect time to reread it.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Birthmarked

Book Review

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien.

Here is another young adult offering.

And another young adult book my daughter has read recently. And she liked it.

Actually it is also a young adult book an adult friend read. And she liked it.

That's two rounds of endorsements for this book.

Time to give it a try.

And then I found out that this is the first of a trilogy. Trilogies can be good. If the first one is good, then the others have a chance.

Better get started.

Birthmarked

Unwind

Book Review

Unwind by Neal Shusterman.

I'm not sad to discover that my daughter has become a big reader.

She goes to the library with us and brings home stacks of books. Most she reads. Some she doesn't. But she's always got something at hand to read.

And she has told me more than once that the middle school library "doesn't have any of the good books."

I didn't get a very precise definition of "good".

But I love that she is this much into reading. Her own reading. Her own choices.

Not that this doesn't come with it's own caveats, though.

Caveats for a big reader?

Yes.

She reads so much, I can no longer keep up with knowing what she is reading, nor can I keep up with knowing what is in those books.

They are, for the most part, young adult books. But I don't really know what is in them.

And there is no real way to know what is in them without just reading them.

But I'm pretty busy reading my own books.

Yet, I need to know. I need to know a bit more about the things she is reading.

I read the Hunger Games trilogy. And I liked it. For what it is.

And I read the Twilight series. I can see why so many have loved the series, but I don't put myself into that category.

And now she has recommended this book to me. So, I see this an opportunity to find out a bit more about the things she is reading.

Unwind