I struggled with this one, not because it was bad -- I just never felt like picking it up. I blame a meandering plot which is really just an excuse for James Goss to show how well he can write like Douglas Adams. I switched to the audio version (Dan Starkey does a pretty good Tom Baker impression!) and managed to finish it, but despite being a great facsimile of Adams-era Who this book is hard to recommend. ⭐️⭐️1/2

This book lived up to expectations, both in quality and complexity. It took a little longer than usual to finish, but I never lost interest (and often found myself thinking about it when I wasn't reading). I'm excited that there are so many books in this series (9 more, plus several spinoffs and prequels) because it means I can spend literally years of my life with these characters and in this world. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

I know the last thing anyone wants right now is yet another streaming service to pay for, but Doom Patrol alone might justify the $8/month it costs to get DC Universe. And if it doesn't, the fact that DC is adding its entire comic book library later this month definitely does.

I know I'm over-posting on this book, but it's extremely quotable.

The Doctor hurled himself toward the big red button.

He‘d always loved a big, juicy red button. Sometimes he‘d press them and he‘d often hear ‘Curse you, Doctor!‘ as the big explosions began. Sometimes he‘d press them and Galaxy-mincing machinery would power down just as the countdown reached 0001.

Sometimes he‘d press them and something remarkably unexpected would happen.

Sometimes he‘d stop other people from pressing them.

This is an extremely Douglas Adams-y pair of sentences.

‘No one knows about this. It‘s just an idea.‘

Without stopping to turn, the Doctor answered him. ‘No. You can‘t stop ideas. Not once they‘re out of the box.‘

Most TARDISes assume the characters of their owners. The Doctor‘s TARDIS entered rooms loudly and late.

Some people can tell when it‘s about to rain. The Doctor knew when an armed guard was on the way.

Now that's a chapter title!

I was going to read Tom Baker's Who novel Scratchman next, but I'm trying to decide between ebook and audiobook (read by the author) so while I make up my mind I'm reading this Fourth Doctor book based on an abandoned Douglas Adams film treatment.

I've always wanted to lose myself in a really long fantasy series, but in my two attempts (Robert Jordan's Wheel Of Time and Brandon Sanderson's in-progress Stormlight Archive) I failed to make it past the first installment. However, I recently started the Malazan Book of the Fallen and I feel like this is a series I will stick with.

My Best Friend's Exorcism is one of my favourite horror novels of recent years, so my expectations for Grady Hendrix's follow up were pretty high. This story of heavy metal and (you guessed it) supernatural forces didn't quite reach those levels of awesomeness, but it was still a fun read with some genuinely creepy moments. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A girl with a guitar never has to apologize for anything.

Rob shook his head, and got up off his stool, and if he‘d left then, Kris would have been stuck. Rob could have just walked out of the room and left Kris to Black Iron Mountain and then nothing else that happened that night would have needed to happen.

But Rob was a man, and men never know when to shut up.

Guy Gavriel Kay is one of my favourite authors, and this book is a great example of his particular blend of fantasy and historical fiction (although you'll get even more out of it if you've read his two book Sarantine Mosaic first). I'm tempted to read it again while I wait for his new novel to come out in May.

A slightly confusing timeline keeps this book from being as good as its predecessor, but we're talking the difference between ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2. Seeing the surviving Cortas trying to get on with their lives after the devastating losses of the previous book makes for compelling reading, and the ending sets the stage for a major finale. I'm incredibly excited for the final book next week.

This is my second read through and I'm two chapters from the end and I *just* realized the story isn't being told in exact chronological order and suddenly things make a lot more sense...

I love My Best Friend's Exorcism so hopefully I'll dig Grady Hendrix's follow-up.

🤔

Bailing on this book a second time! I tried two years ago and couldn't get into it but I hoped it was just the wrong book for me at the time. But I've been reading it for over two weeks, I'm only a third of the way through, I don't care about the characters or the story and I never feel like picking it up. Oh, and it's book one of a trilogy. OH, and the third book may never come out. So I'm calling it quits, and I won't be trying this one again.

Okay, I'm giving this one another shot based on the multitide of positive reviews and my desire to have another fantasy series to get into. I tried reading it before and only got a few chapters in before losing interest, but it might have just been the wrong book at the wrong time.

Sidenote: the 10th anniversary cover art is vastly superior to the previous editions that I've seen.

It's Twin Peaks Day!

Neither Carter nor Kennedy comes out looking good in this book about the 1980 Democratic primaries when the latter challenged the former for the nomination. Camelot's End contrasts their lives, careers, and personalities to show how they became bitter rivals -- and how that rivalry helped their party lose the White House for more than a decade. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

I enjoyed this first volume in Martin's two part history of the Targaryens, but I'm not sure I would have finished if it weren't an audiobook. Things start to drag during the overlong section on the Dance of the Dragons (just three years out of the 130+ that the history covers, and yet a huge percentage of the book), and by the end of the Lysene Spring I was ready to be done. That said, there's a lot of good stuff here for Game Of Thrones fans.

Nearly done with this one (only 90 mins left of a 26 1/2 hour audiobook) and I'm very ready to be finished.

The reread continues! Book three comes out in just over a month, so I should have plenty of time to read book two again.

A solid if unremarkable outing for the Seventh Doctor, Benny, and Ace. I'm a bit worried that by jumping around the 61 book series I've already read the best the New Adventures have to offer, but books like this and Blood Heat (which precedes it) are still enjoyable Who stories. These are pretty much the only books I read in paperback anymore, so the copy pictured is mine. (For once, the guy on the cover actually looks like Sylvester McCoy!)

"Don't waste your words, just tell me what you want. And don't try to make your threats stylish. It grates."

The Seventh Doctor doesn't have time for your megalomania.

I don't know why I don't read more non fiction, I always enjoy it when I do. Started this one the other day, it's about the 1980 Democratic primaries when Ted Kennedy challenged Jimmy Carter for the party nomination.

"Someone has been playing with ⏳, Ace. Like playing with ?, only worse..."

I'm back reading the New Adventures! This one continues from Blood Heat and has Ace & Benny as the Doctor's companions.

A great little spy story for fans of Mick Herron's Slough House series that is equally accessible for new readers. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I didn't love this one. While I always appreciate getting inside the head of someone with different life experiences from my own, I never grew to love Scarlett or Daisy and the writing didn't wow me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

He had a plan. It wasn‘t much of a plan, and involved a lot of luck and twice as much bullshit, but it was the best he could do at short notice.

I enjoyed this non-canon Batman story where the Joker turns sane. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reading this Slough House novella as a palette cleanser before starting the next Luna book.

I don't normally do a reread so soon (read this in 2016) but I wanted to refresh my memory on all of the characters and plotlines ahead of book 3 which is due in March. As a result, I remembered a lot more than I usually do when revisiting a novel. But that didn't hurt my enjoyment of Luna: New Moon, which I still consider one of the absolute best sci-fi books of recent years, and I can't wait to continue the story with Luna: Wolf Moon. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

For most of human history, migration has been a one-way trip. Old Portuguese families would hold funerals for children going off to a new life in Brazil. Agency is a comforting fairy story. Life is a series of doors that only open one way. We can never return. This is the world and we must live in it the best we can.

If you like The Wire, check out this crime novel -- on sale from the usual ebook sellers right now.

Have started this one which was on a lot of Best of 2018 lists and has been described as "an Asian-American pregnant Thelma & Louise" ?

The moon knows a thousand ways to kill you.

Doing this one on audio and it's good so far.

This is a reread -- I'm reading Luna: New Moon and Luna: Wolf Moon ahead of book three's March release. I'm enjoying it as much as I did the first time (three years ago this month) but I'm having an easier time keeping track of the sprawling cast and the many social, political, and legal concepts unique to this world.

Oh man, this is such a tough book to review. It was really hard to put down and the main character is easy to root for but the ending (basically the last three chapters) completely ruined the book for me. I can't say more and avoid spoilers, but this is the angriest I've been at an ending since Gone Girl. I can't recommend it so it's not a pick, but it doesn't deserve a pan either, so it gets a so-so and ⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me for botching the ending.

I'm so glad that buying a journal with a Peter Pan quote on the cover inspired me to read this book! The writing is beautiful and witty, and the story is full of adventure and imagination. The only thing that holds it back from getting five stars is the extremely dated take on gender roles and the offensive stereotyping of indigenous peoples. If you can get past those significant issues, it's a wonderful book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was very excited to find The Invasion Of Time on DVD at Half Price Books this weekend because, despite not being the greatest of episodes, it was one of my favourites growing up! It's also out-of-print and pretty hard to find for a reasonable price.

This one is hard to put down.

This year I'm going to be less of a book snob and count graphic novels towards my reading total. I started this one last night, a classic storyline I've never got around to reading until now.