A quick check in with the Galactica brings me to the sixth book in the novelisations of various episodes, and despite the tagline on the cover about this being the story fans have asked for, there’s nothing to make this one stand out. In fact, of the books so far this is the shortest of…
Category: The Book Shelf
Sandstorm (2004) – James Rollins
Craving a bit of arm chair adventure and travel I figured I would dig into the Sigma Force series by James Rollins and see what happens. I dug into the first big adventure, Sandstorm, and uses science fact, archaeology, and the action film template to deliver a rip-roaring adventure that takes us from North America…
Six of Crows (2015) – Leigh Bardugo
I came across this title on a list of fantasy novels that are must reads, and though I hadn’t read the other books set in the same universe, the Shadow and Bone series, that help compose what has become known as the Grishaverse, I figured I would dig in and see what it was all…
The Midnight Library (2020) – Matt Haig
Matt Haig has been very outspoken about mental health and depression throughout his career in both his fiction and non-fiction writing. Suffering from these issues myself, I really didn’t want to read any of his works, because I just didn’t need the reminders, and yay for him for finding something that works for him, but…
Project: Hail Mary (2021) – Andy Weir
I loved Andy Weir’s The Martian, and happily dug into Project: Hail Mary (I still need to read Artemis), and was completely wowed by it. I haven’t had this sense of wonder and sense of discovery and exploration since I read Clarke’s Odyssey and Rama series. Ryland Grace, former biologist turned teacher wakes up and…
Rivers of London (2011) – Ben Aaronovitch
Rivers of London, originally released as Midnight Riot before it was retitled to launch the continuing series of novels it spawned, was a wonderful surprise and a complete joy to read, and a fantastic introduction into the genre of urban fantasy. PC Peter Grant is afraid he’s going to end up doing administrative duty once…
Go Tell It On The Mountain (1953) – James Baldwin
This week sees me reading something a little different from my usual escapist fare. Recently LeVar Burton began a reading club on Fable, and while I can’t access it in Canada, they did list the first three books he was recommending, and Go Tell It on the Mountain was at the top of his list….
The Diamond Queen of Singapore (2020) – Ian Hamilton
Somehow, with all the wackiness that was happening last year, I missed the House of Anansi Press’ release of the next Ava Lee novel by Ian Hamilton. Of course, that just meant I could catch up on it now, and I won’t have quite as long a wait (theoretically) for the next one. This time…
Blast From the Past (1997) – Raymond Benson
Benson takes over 007’s adventures from John Gardner, and delivered this short story that first appeared in Playboy in 1997. Benson shows that he can tell a Bond story in true Ian Fleming style, though the ending definitely is a little more adult, but hardly surprising given the context of where it was published. James…
Panic (2014) – Lauren Oliver
Lauren Oliver’s Panic is a page-turner on a monumental scale. I can’t remember the last time I was so swept up in the narrative of a story. I had to find out what happened next. As much as I have been enjoying my foray into the tales of Ian Fleming’s 007, and the writings of…
The Mind Reels 