The Color Of Magic, Terry Pratchett

 

The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett was recommended by a friend, John.  He has a good sense of humor and said it was one of the funniest books he had read.  I have a feeling I've read a book in the Discworld series before, but I'm not certain.

Started: 8/19/2021

Completed: 8/31/2021

Recommendation: Not Recommended

Recommended By: John W.

Words for which I sought Help:

barquentine -- a sailing ship similar to a barque but with only the foremast square-rigged and the remaining masts rigged fore and aft

baulk -- (noun) a roughly squared timber beam

echinoderm -- a marine invertebrate of the phylum Echinodermata, such as a starfish, sea urchin, or sea cucumber

eyot -- a small island in a river

ganef -- a dishonest or unscrupulous person

hamadryad -- a nymph who lives in a tree and dies when the tree dies

obloquy -- strong public condemnation

rota -- a list showing when each of a number of people has to do a particular job

treacle -- a thick, sticky dark syrup made from partly refined sugar; molasses

Review:

This book is silly rather than comical.  There were a few good one-liners and the personification of death was exceedingly well done.  For the most part, however, this felt like a series of disjoint stories that hinged on outrageous descriptions of unbelievable things.  Not my cup of tea.

Unmaking the Presidency, Susan Hennessey and Benjamin Wittes

 

Unmaking the Presidency: Donald Trump's war on the world's most powerful office by Susan Hennessey and Benjamin Wittes is another Trump book.  I cannot remember why I have put it on my list.

Started: 8/28/2021
Completed: Did not finish
Recommendation: Not Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Words for which I sought Help:

mendacious -- not telling the truth; lying

Review:

I just could not finish another book categorizing how big a liar Trump is.  I have read/heard all of this before and the conclusions were speculative when written part way through Trump's term in office.  Maybe if I had read it when it was published, I would have finished it, but, at this point, I have heard enough of how awful Trump is.

Come Tumbling Down, Seanan McGuire

 

Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire is the 5th book in the Wayward Children series.  I do not normally jump into the middle of a series, but this book is part of the Hugo Awards and I don't know if I will have time to read the whole series before I should vote.

Started: 8/27/2021
Completed: 8/28/2021
Recommendation: Not Recommended
Recommended By: Hugo Nomination

Review:

There is an overlap between science fiction/fantasy and horror.  Tamsyn Muir is able to cross back and forth across this overlap without losing me.  McGuire lost me on the horror side.  I did not enjoy this book.

The Hidden Palace, Helene Wecker

 

The Hidden Palace:  A novel of the golem and the jinni by Helene Wecker.  This book is a follow-up to The Golem and the Jinni.

Started: 8/23/2021
Completed: 8/27/2021
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

This book picks up cleanly from the previous and we learn more about the nature of a Golem and the nature of a Jinni.  New characters are introduced and old characters are revisited.  What a fabulous tale!  I enjoyed every minute and the rich background of WWI helped create a non-dominating, but familiar background.  Well done!

Warriors of the Storm, Bernard Cornwell

 

Warriors of the Storm by Bernard Cornwell is the next book in the Last Kingdom Series.

Started: 8/20/2021
Completed: 8/23/2021
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

The series continues to hold up!  Enjoyed this one and despite it being a bloody book, it was much less than usual and that was, frankly, welcome.

I Alone Can Fix It, Carol Leonning and Philip Rucker

 

I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump's Catastrophic Final Year by Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker is another Trump book.  My cousin read this and recommended it.

Started: 8/13/2021
Completed: 8/20/2021
Recommendation: Mild Recommendation
Recommended By: Cousin Charles

Review:

I have to admit, I picked up this book with trepidation.  I really just have had enough reading about the former guy and have no particular desire to hear even more how horrible he was.  This kind of information is destabilizing in my life and A Very Stable Genius reinforced numerous things that I thought might be true.  So, everything you thought might be happening with Trump in his final year was.

This book is not comprehensive (so much crap was happening), but it hits the highlights and focuses on  Trump's obsession with falsehoods that benefit him.  I'm really tired of him.

Piranesi, Susanna Clarke

 

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke is a book I picked up so that I would be ready to vote on the Hugo awards this year.  I had a hard time with Jonathan Strange and Dr. Norrell before I finally gave up.  I was not planning to read this book, but I decided to attend DisCon III virtually and a benefit of attending the conference is that I can vote on the Hugo awards, so I thought I should read the nominees.

Started: 8/13/2021
Completed: 8/20/2021
Recommendation: Not Recommended
Recommended By: Hugo Awards

Review:

I dislike being lost and I was still lost half way through the book (arguably until the appearance of The Prophet).  Even at the end, I was still lost.  I disliked this book although the world was vivid and the characters were complex, I couldn't bring myself to like any of the characters in any way.