Chris's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 17 Jun 2025 21:31:50 -0700 60 Chris's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Aliens: Phalanx 52947059 Alien as a pre-industrial society fights against extinction brought about by a massive infestation of Xenomorphs.

Ataegina was an isolated world of medieval castles, varied cultures, and conquests, vibrant until the demons rose and spread relentless destruction. Swarms of lethal creatures with black husks, murderous claws, barbed tails and dreaded "tooth-tongues" raged through the lowlands, killing ninety percent of the planet's population. Terrified survivors fled to hidden mountain keeps where they eke out a meager existence. When a trio of young warriors discovers a new weapon, they see a chance to end this curse. To save humanity, the trio must fight their way to the tunnels of Black Smoke Mountain--the lair of the mythical Demon Mother.]]> 340 Scott Sigler 1789094003 Chris 4 4.17 2020 Aliens: Phalanx
author: Scott Sigler
name: Chris
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/18
date added: 2025/06/17
shelves:
review:
This is an inventive entry in the Alien(s) universe. The characters are well-realized, and the author does an effective job of creating the sense of dread associated with xenomorphs. I do think this one took—perhaps—a little too long to get going, but when it did, I was hooked. So, in all, I enjoyed this novel, but I do have two big criticisms. First, If you’re well-versed in Alien lore, you can kind of predict most of the developments and “twists� that happen here. The other is that there were a surprising number of typos in terms of misspelled words, editing errors, so on and so forth. This is never overwhelming, but it happens frequently enough to make you ask, “Did this really make it through the editing process from a large publisher?� In the end, though, the story is engaging and it’s an original enough tale to make it stand out as entertaining and consistently engaging.
]]> <![CDATA[You Have Arrived at Your Destination]]> 49665863 New York Times bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow.

When Sam’s wife first tells him about Vitek, a twenty-first-century fertility lab, he sees it as the natural next step in trying to help their future child get a “leg up� in a competitive world. But the more Sam considers the lives that his child could lead, the more he begins to question his own relationships and the choices he has made in his life.

Amor Towles’s You Have Arrived at Your Destination is part of Forward, a collection of six stories of the near and far future from out-of-this-world authors. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single thought-provoking sitting.]]> 54 Amor Towles 1542004349 Chris 3 3.50 2019 You Have Arrived at Your Destination
author: Amor Towles
name: Chris
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/28
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves:
review:

]]> Emergency Skin 49669410
An explorer returns to gather information from a climate-ravaged Earth that his ancestors, and others among the planet’s finest, fled centuries ago. The mission comes with a warning: a graveyard world awaits him. But so do those left behind—hopeless and unbeautiful wastes of humanity who should have died out eons ago. After all this time, there’s no telling how they’ve devolved. Steel yourself, soldier. Get in. Get out. And try not to stare.

N. K. Jemisin’s Emergency Skin is part of Forward, a collection of six stories of the near and far future from out-of-this-world authors. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single thought-provoking sitting.]]> 38 N.K. Jemisin 1542093570 Chris 3 4.02 2019 Emergency Skin
author: N.K. Jemisin
name: Chris
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves:
review:

]]> Summer Frost 49676965 New York Times bestselling author of Recursion.

Maxine was made to do one thing: die. Except the minor non-player character in the world Riley is building makes her own impossible decision—veering wildly off course and exploring the boundaries of the map. When the curious Riley extracts her code for closer examination, an emotional relationship develops between them. Soon Riley has all new plans for her spontaneous AI, including bringing Max into the real world. But what if Max has real-world plans of her own?

Blake Crouch’s Summer Frost is part of Forward, a collection of six stories of the near and far future from out-of-this-world authors. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single thought-provoking sitting.]]> 85 Blake Crouch 1542043638 Chris 5 4.10 2019 Summer Frost
author: Blake Crouch
name: Chris
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves:
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]]> Killer Flies 11903249
First they feasted on farm animals. Then they found humans...

A little girl was dead, attacked and mutilated by some things, creatures of nightmare that were spreading outward like the Black Death, stripping entire towns bare of life.

The death toll mounted, with bodies maimed or ripped to shreds, and thousands cowered in the shadows, hiding fearfully from the death out of the skies, the millions of sucking probosci eagerly reaching out for the attack. And terror erupted into uncontrollable panic, as a lone scientist worked feverishly to save a dying population and destroy the KILLER FLIES.

...

Swarms of carnivorous flies terrorize a small New Mexico town and the scientist responsible for the insects' creation must find a way to stop them before the Air Force is allowed to take more drastic measures.]]> 159 Ark Kendall 0451123336 Chris 2
I'm willing to overlook a lot of narrative deficiencies if a story is well written. Here, the wording is repetitive and dull, and there are a surprising number of grammar issues (especially for something brought to print by a publisher). We're talking double periods, misspelled words, missing punctuation, etc. The errors aren't overwhelming, but they're persistent enough to be distracting.

The story itself is okay enough, but it's poorly paced and the characters are thinly sketched. Genetically engineered flies are accidentally released when a truck transporting them crashes in the New Mexico desert, and the mother of a child who is gruesomely eaten by the insects steps up to save the day. But wait! There's also a weird love triangle that unfolds, and the author uses this as an excuse to work in paragraphs that I can only imagine are characteristic of the trashiest romance novels. It's dumb and works against the pacing of the story (which, again, is already abrupt and stilted).

Oh, and the there are moments of jarring misogyny peppered throughout the book. It's even grosser than the maimed victims of the murderous flies.

The only reason I'm not giving this one star is because I actually finished it. There were a couple of times where I almost abandoned the book altogether, but it's short enough--and had just enough horror entertainment--to propel me through to the end.

Overall, though, this isn't worth your time. There are better horror tales out there (or, at least, stories that are much better written).]]> 3.23 1983 Killer Flies
author: Ark Kendall
name: Chris
average rating: 3.23
book published: 1983
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves:
review:
I enjoy schlocky horror. As such, I'm pretty forgiving with most tales that are--very clearly--trying to be super over-the-top and flat out fun. Unfortunately, "Killer Flies" is just... bad.

I'm willing to overlook a lot of narrative deficiencies if a story is well written. Here, the wording is repetitive and dull, and there are a surprising number of grammar issues (especially for something brought to print by a publisher). We're talking double periods, misspelled words, missing punctuation, etc. The errors aren't overwhelming, but they're persistent enough to be distracting.

The story itself is okay enough, but it's poorly paced and the characters are thinly sketched. Genetically engineered flies are accidentally released when a truck transporting them crashes in the New Mexico desert, and the mother of a child who is gruesomely eaten by the insects steps up to save the day. But wait! There's also a weird love triangle that unfolds, and the author uses this as an excuse to work in paragraphs that I can only imagine are characteristic of the trashiest romance novels. It's dumb and works against the pacing of the story (which, again, is already abrupt and stilted).

Oh, and the there are moments of jarring misogyny peppered throughout the book. It's even grosser than the maimed victims of the murderous flies.

The only reason I'm not giving this one star is because I actually finished it. There were a couple of times where I almost abandoned the book altogether, but it's short enough--and had just enough horror entertainment--to propel me through to the end.

Overall, though, this isn't worth your time. There are better horror tales out there (or, at least, stories that are much better written).
]]> <![CDATA[Light of the Jedi (Star Wars: The High Republic)]]> 51637946 Long before the First Order, before the Empire, before the Clone Wars...Jedi lit the way for the galaxy in the High Republic.

It is a golden age. Intrepid hyperspace scouts expand the reach of the Republic to the farthest stars, worlds flourish under the benevolent leadership of the Senate, and peace reigns, enforced by the wisdom and strength of the renowned order of Force users known as the Jedi. With the Jedi at the height of their power, the free citizens of the galaxy are confident in their ability to weather any storm. But even the brightest light can cast a shadow, and some storms defy any preparation.

When a shocking catastrophe in hyperspace tears a ship to pieces, the flurry of shrapnel emerging from the disaster threatens an entire system. No sooner does the call for help go out than the Jedi race to the scene. The scope of the emergence, however, is enough to push even Jedi to their limit. As the sky breaks open and destruction rains down upon the peaceful alliance they helped to build, the Jedi must trust in the Force to see them through a day in which a single mistake could cost billions of lives.

Even as the Jedi battle valiantly against calamity, something truly deadly grows beyond the boundary of the Republic. The hyperspace disaster is far more sinister than the Jedi could ever suspect. A threat hides in the darkness, far from the light of the age, and harbors a secret that could strike fear into even a Jedi's heart.]]> 380 Charles Soule 0593157710 Chris 4 3.91 2021 Light of the Jedi (Star Wars: The High Republic)
author: Charles Soule
name: Chris
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/07/21
shelves:
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]]> Small Things Like These 58662236
Already an international bestseller, Small Things Like These is a deeply affecting story of hope, quiet heroism, and empathy from one of our most critically lauded and iconic writers.]]> 128 Claire Keegan 0802158749 Chris 5 4.13 2021 Small Things Like These
author: Claire Keegan
name: Chris
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/12
date added: 2024/07/12
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]]> Alien Virus Love Disaster 36490478
Otis has long been fascinated in using strange situations to explore dynamics of power, oppression, and grief, and the twelve stories collected here are at once a striking indictment of the present and a powerful warning about the future.]]> 224 Abbey Mei Otis 1618731491 Chris 3
The challenge I have, however, is that these tales are exceedingly bleak. While the near-future visions are compelling, the unrelenting horror of each story often feels more like its hellbent on bludgeoning the reader than it does carting them toward a truth that needs to be conveyed. While many of the stories are interesting and legitimately sucked me in, several flirted with pure abstraction and were--for me--not much more than nicely written fever dreams.

I appreciate the talent on display here, and I will definitely keep an eye out for more work by this author. I just hope next time there's a light somewhere near the end of the tunnel.]]> 3.84 2018 Alien Virus Love Disaster
author: Abbey Mei Otis
name: Chris
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/06/13
shelves:
review:
The writing in this collection is superb. I really mean that. The skill that's present in how well these stories are crafted is enough to elevate each bizarre yarn beyond its sometimes murky subtext(s), and the quality of the prose was sufficient to propel me through the book as a whole.

The challenge I have, however, is that these tales are exceedingly bleak. While the near-future visions are compelling, the unrelenting horror of each story often feels more like its hellbent on bludgeoning the reader than it does carting them toward a truth that needs to be conveyed. While many of the stories are interesting and legitimately sucked me in, several flirted with pure abstraction and were--for me--not much more than nicely written fever dreams.

I appreciate the talent on display here, and I will definitely keep an eye out for more work by this author. I just hope next time there's a light somewhere near the end of the tunnel.
]]> <![CDATA[The Strange Bird: A Borne Story (Borne, #1.5)]]> 35654201 The Strange Birdâ€Äě°ů´Çłľ New York Times bestselling novelist Jeff VanderMeer—is a novella-length digital original that expands and weaves deeply into the world of his “thorough marvelâ€�* of a novel, Borne.

The Strange Bird is a new kind of creature, built in a laboratory—she is part bird, part human, part many other things. But now the lab in which she was created is under siege and the scientists have turned on their animal creations. Flying through tunnels, dodging bullets, and changing her colors and patterning to avoid capture, the Strange Bird manages to escape.

But she cannot just soar in peace above the earth. The sky itself is full of wildlife that rejects her as one of their own, and also full of technology—satellites and drones and other detritus of the human civilization below that has all but destroyed itself. And the farther she flies, the deeper she finds herself in the orbit of the Company, a collapsed biotech firm that has populated the world with experiments both failed and successful that have outlived the corporation a pack of networked foxes, a giant predatory bear. But of the many creatures she encounters with whom she bears some kind of kinship, it is the humans—all of them now simply scrambling to survive—who are the most insidious, who still see her as simply something to possess, to capture, to trade, to exploit. Never to understand, never to welcome home.

With The Strange Bird, Jeff VanderMeer has done more than add another layer, a new chapter, to his celebrated novel Borne. He has created a whole new perspective on the world inhabited by Rachel and Wick, the Magician, Mord, and Borne—a view from above, of course, but also a view from deep inside the mind of a new kind of creature who will fight and suffer and live for the tenuous future of this world.

Praise for Borne

*“Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy was an ever-creeping map of the apocalypse; with Borne he continues his investigation into the malevolent grace of the world, and it's a thorough marvel.� —Colson Whitehead

“VanderMeer is that rare novelist who turns to nonhumans not to make them approximate us as much as possible but to make such approximation impossible. All of this is magnified a hundredfold in Borne . . . Here is the story about biotech that VanderMeer wants to tell, a vision of the nonhuman not as one fixed thing, one fixed destiny, but as either peaceful or catastrophic, by our side or out on a rampage as our behavior dictates—for these are our children, born of us and now to be borne in whatever shape or mess we have created. This coming-of-age story signals that eco-fiction has come of age as wilder, more reckless and more breathtaking than previously thought, a wager and a promise that what emerges from the twenty-first century will be as good as any from the twentieth, or the nineteenth.� —Wai Chee Dimock, The New York Times Book Review]]> 96 Jeff VanderMeer 0374714932 Chris 3 4.15 2017 The Strange Bird: A Borne Story (Borne, #1.5)
author: Jeff VanderMeer
name: Chris
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/05/14
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Astrophysics for People in a Hurry]]> 32191710
But today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in tasty chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day.]]> 223 Neil deGrasse Tyson 0393609391 Chris 5 4.07 2017 Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
author: Neil deGrasse Tyson
name: Chris
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/21
date added: 2024/04/21
shelves:
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]]> Titanium Noir 58894500
But Titans are Cal’s specialty. In fact, his ex-girlfriend, Athena, is a Titan. And not just any Titan—she’s Stefan’s daughter, heir to the Tonfamecasca empire. As Cal digs deeper into the murder investigation, he begins to unweave the complicated threads of what should have been a straightforward case, and it soon becomes clear he’s on the trail of a crime whose roots run deep into the dark heart of the world.

A virtuosic mash-up of Philip K. Dick and Raymond Chandler by way of Marvel—the story of a detective investigating the murder of a Titan, one of society’s most powerful, medically-enhanced elites, Titanium Noir is a tightly woven, intricate tale of murder, betrayal, and vengeance.]]> 272 Nick Harkaway 0593535375 Chris 3 Exceptional description and dialogue, but loads of ambiguity makes it a bit of a slog.

This is the first novel in a while that I’ve had trouble finishing. There’s absolutely an interesting sci-fi whodunnit here, and the quirky dialogue makes the experience feel unique. At the same time, there’s something about the plot that seems difficult to track. That, coupled with world-building that ends up frequently being vague (and, at times, downright confusing), results in a tale that feels like it could have benefited from just a little more development and nuance.]]> 4.23 2023 Titanium Noir
author: Nick Harkaway
name: Chris
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/22
date added: 2024/02/22
shelves:
review:
Exceptional description and dialogue, but loads of ambiguity makes it a bit of a slog.

This is the first novel in a while that I’ve had trouble finishing. There’s absolutely an interesting sci-fi whodunnit here, and the quirky dialogue makes the experience feel unique. At the same time, there’s something about the plot that seems difficult to track. That, coupled with world-building that ends up frequently being vague (and, at times, downright confusing), results in a tale that feels like it could have benefited from just a little more development and nuance.
]]> The Ferryman 61920791 New York Times bestselling author of The Passage comes a riveting standalone novel about a group of survivors on a hidden island utopia--where the truth isn't what it seems.

Founded by a mysterious genius, the archipelago of Prospera lies hidden from the horrors of a deteriorating outside world. In this island paradise, Prospera's lucky citizens enjoy long, fulfilling lives until the monitors embedded in their forearms, meant to measure their physical health and psychological well-being, fall below 10 percent. Then they retire themselves, embarking on a ferry ride to the island known as the Nursery, where their failing bodies are renewed, their memories are wiped clean, and they are readied to restart life afresh.

Proctor Bennett, of the Department of Social Contracts, has a satisfying career as a ferryman, gently shepherding people through the retirement process--and, when necessary, enforcing it. But all is not well with Proctor. For one thing, he's been dreaming--which is supposed to be impossible in Prospera. For another, his monitor percentage has begun to drop alarmingly fast. And then comes the day he is summoned to retire his own father, who gives him a disturbing and cryptic message before being wrestled onto the ferry.

Meanwhile, something is stirring. The Support Staff, ordinary men and women who provide the labor to keep Prospera running, have begun to question their place in the social order. Unrest is building, and there are rumors spreading of a resistance group--known as "Arrivalists"--who may be fomenting revolution.

Soon Proctor finds himself questioning everything he once believed, entangled with a much bigger cause than he realized--and on a desperate mission to uncover the truth.]]> 560 Justin Cronin 0525619488 Chris 4 4.10 2023 The Ferryman
author: Justin Cronin
name: Chris
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/27
date added: 2024/01/27
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]]> Happy-Go-Lucky 59632576
But then the pandemic hits, and like so many others, he’s stuck in lockdown, unable to tour and read for audiences, the part of his work he loves most. To cope, he walks for miles through a nearly deserted city, smelling only his own breath. He vacuums his apartment twice a day, fails to hoard anything, and contemplates how sex workers and acupuncturists might be getting by during quarantine.

As the world gradually settles into a new reality, Sedaris too finds himself changed. His offer to fix a stranger’s teeth rebuffed, he straightens his own, and ventures into the world with new confidence. Newly orphaned, he considers what it means, in his seventh decade, no longer to be someone’s son. And back on the road, he discovers a battle-scarred people weary, storefronts empty or festooned with Help Wanted signs, walls painted with graffiti reflecting the contradictory messages of our Eat the Rich. Trump 2024. Black Lives Matter.

In Happy-Go-Lucky, David Sedaris once again captures what is most unexpected, hilarious, and poignant about these recent upheavals, personal and public, and expresses in precise language both the misanthropy and desire for connection that drive us all. If we must live in interesting times, there is no one better to chronicle them than the incomparable David Sedaris.]]> 273 David Sedaris 0316392448 Chris 3 4.43 2022 Happy-Go-Lucky
author: David Sedaris
name: Chris
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/29
date added: 2023/06/29
shelves:
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]]> Upgrade 59439117 The mind-blowing new thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter and Recursion

“You are the next step in human evolution.�

At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep.

But before long, he can’t deny Something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways.

The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade. A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past, and a horrific family legacy.

Worse still, what’s happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan, one that will inflict the same changes on humanity at large—at a terrifying cost.

Because of his new abilities, Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion. But to have a chance at winning this war, he’ll have to become something other than himself. Maybe even something other than human.

And even as he’s fighting, he can’t help what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution?

Intimate in scale yet epic in scope, Upgrade is an intricately plotted, lightning-fast tale that charts one man’s thrilling transformation, even as it asks us to ponder the limits of our humanity—and our boundless potential.]]> 352 Blake Crouch 0593157516 Chris 4 3.98 2022 Upgrade
author: Blake Crouch
name: Chris
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/23
date added: 2023/03/23
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Children of Time (Children of Time, #1)]]> 25499718
WHO WILL INHERIT THIS NEW EARTH?

The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age—a world terraformed and prepared for human life.

But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind's worst nightmare.

Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth?]]> 608 Adrian Tchaikovsky 1447273281 Chris 4 4.29 2015 Children of Time (Children of Time, #1)
author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
name: Chris
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2022/04/10
shelves:
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]]> The Dangers of Smoking in Bed 53215250 Following the "propulsive and mesmerizing" ( New York Times Book Review ) Things We Lost in the Fire comes a new collection of singularly unsettling stories, by an Argentine author who has earned comparisons to Shirley Jackson and Jorge Luis Borges.

Mariana Enriquez has been critically lauded for her unconventional and sociopolitical stories of the macabre: populated by unruly teenagers, crooked witches, homeless ghosts, and hungry women, they walk the uneasy line between urban realism and horror. The stories in her next collection are as terrifying as they are socially conscious, and press into being the unspoken -- fetish, illness, the female body, the darkness of human history -- with unsettling urgency. A woman is sexually obsessed with the human heart; a lost, rotting baby crawls out of a backyard and into a bedroom; a pair of teenage girls can't let go of their idol; an entire neighborhood is cursed to death by a question of morality they fail to answer correctly.

Written against the backdrop of contemporary Argentina, and with resounding tenderness towards those in pain, in fear, and in limbo, this new collection from one of Argentina's most exciting writers finds Enriquez at her most sophisticated, and most chilling.]]> 208 Mariana EnrĂ­quez 0593134079 Chris 3 3.78 2009 The Dangers of Smoking in Bed
author: Mariana EnrĂ­quez
name: Chris
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2022/03/31
shelves:
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]]> Hell of a Book 58181475 333 Jason Mott 0593330994 Chris 5 4.18 2021 Hell of a Book
author: Jason Mott
name: Chris
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/10
date added: 2022/01/10
shelves:
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]]> Armada 16278318
But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little escapism, right? After all, Zack tells himself, he knows the difference between fantasy and reality. He knows that here in the real world, aimless teenage gamers with anger issues don’t get chosen to save the universe.

And then he sees the flying saucer.

Even stranger, the alien ship he’s staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada—in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders.

No, Zack hasn’t lost his mind. As impossible as it seems, what he’s seeing is all too real. And his skills—as well as those of millions of gamers across the world—are going to be needed to save the earth from what’s about to befall it.

It’s Zack’s chance, at last, to play the hero. But even through the terror and exhilaration, he can’t help thinking back to all those science-fiction stories he grew up with, and wondering: Doesn’t something about this scenario seem a little…familiar?

At once gleefully embracing and brilliantly subverting science-fiction conventions as only Ernest Cline could, Armada is a rollicking, surprising thriller, a classic coming of age adventure, and an alien invasion tale like nothing you’ve ever read before—one whose every page is infused with the pop-culture savvy that has helped make Ready Player One a phenomenon.]]> 355 Ernest Cline 0804137250 Chris 3 3.54 2015 Armada
author: Ernest Cline
name: Chris
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2021/08/22
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking)]]> 52767659
We know the universe had a beginning. With the Big Bang, it went from a state of unimaginable density to an all-encompassing cosmic fireball to a simmering fluid of matter and energy, laying down the seeds for everything from dark matter to black holes to one rocky planet orbiting a star near the edge of a spiral galaxy that happened to develop life. But what happens at the end of the story? In billions of years, humanity could still exist in some unrecognizable form, venturing out to distant space, finding new homes and building new civilizations. But the death of the universe is final. What might such a cataclysm look like? And what does it mean for us?

Dr. Katie Mack has been contemplating these questions since she was eighteen, when her astronomy professor first informed her the universe could end at any moment, setting her on the path toward theoretical astrophysics. Now, with lively wit and humor, she unpacks them in The End of Everything, taking us on a mind-bending tour through each of the cosmos� possible finales: the Big Crunch; the Heat Death; Vacuum Decay; the Big Rip; and the Bounce. In the tradition of Neil DeGrasse’s bestseller Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, Mack guides us through major concepts in quantum mechanics, cosmology, string theory, and much more, in a wildly fun, surprisingly upbeat ride to the farthest reaches of everything we know.]]> 226 Katie Mack 198210354X Chris 4 4.25 2020 The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking)
author: Katie Mack
name: Chris
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2021/05/22
date added: 2021/05/22
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's Legendary CEO]]> 54736620
Satoru Iwata was the former Global President and CEO of Nintendo and a gifted programmer who played a key role in the creation of many of the world’s best-known games. He led the production of innovative platforms such as the Nintendo DS and the Wii, and laid the groundwork for the development of the wildly successful Pokémon Go game and the Nintendo Switch. Known for his analytical and imaginative mind, but even more for his humility and people-first approach to leadership, Satoru Iwata was beloved by game fans and developers worldwide.

In this motivational collection, Satoru Iwata addresses diverse subjects such as locating bottlenecks, how success breeds resistance to change, and why programmers should never say no. Drawn from the "Iwata Asks" series of interviews with key contributors to Nintendo games and hardware, and featuring conversations with renowned Mario franchise creator Shigeru Miyamoto and creator of EarthBound Shigesato Itoi, Ask Iwata offers game fans and business leaders an insight into the leadership, development and design philosophies of one of the most beloved figures in gaming history.]]> 154 Sam Bett 197472154X Chris 3 4.13 2021 Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's Legendary CEO
author: Sam Bett
name: Chris
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2021/05/01
date added: 2021/05/05
shelves:
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]]> Station Eleven 20170404 An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse—the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.]]> 333 Emily St. John Mandel 0385353308 Chris 4 4.05 2014 Station Eleven
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: Chris
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/05
date added: 2021/01/05
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ready Player Two (Ready Player One, #2)]]> 26082916 An unexpected quest. Two worlds at stake. Are you ready?

Days after winning Oasis founder James Halliday's contest, Wade Watts makes a discovery that changes everything.

Hidden within Halliday's vaults, waiting for his heir to find, lies a technological advancement that will once again change the world and make the Oasis a thousand times more wondrous—and addictive—than even Wade dreamed possible.

With it comes a new riddle, and a new quest—a last Easter egg from Halliday, hinting at a mysterious prize.

And an unexpected, impossibly powerful, and dangerous new rival awaits, one who'll kill millions to get what he wants.

Wade's life and the future of the Oasis are again at stake, but this time the fate of humanity also hangs in the balance.

Lovingly nostalgic and wildly original as only Ernest Cline could conceive it, Ready Player Two takes us on another imaginative, fun, action-packed adventure through his beloved virtual universe, and jolts us thrillingly into the future once again.]]> 370 Ernest Cline 1524761338 Chris 4 3.39 2020 Ready Player Two (Ready Player One, #2)
author: Ernest Cline
name: Chris
average rating: 3.39
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/01
date added: 2021/01/01
shelves:
review:

]]> Recursion 42046112 MEMORY MAKES REALITY.

That's what New York City cop Barry Sutton is learning, as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived.

That's what neuroscientist Helena Smith believes. It's why she's dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious memories. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.

As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face to face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.

But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?

At once a relentless page-turner and an intricate science-fiction puzzle box about time, identity, and memory, Recursion is a thriller as only Blake Crouch could imagine it—and his most ambitious, mind-boggling, irresistible work to date.]]> 329 Blake Crouch 1524759783 Chris 4 4.15 2019 Recursion
author: Blake Crouch
name: Chris
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/12/10
shelves:
review:

]]> Artemis 34928122
Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent.

Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of her problems, as she learns that she's stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself—and that now, her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even riskier than the first.]]> 305 Andy Weir 0553448129 Chris 3 3.65 2017 Artemis
author: Andy Weir
name: Chris
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2020/09/14
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity]]> 40874325
In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book!]]> 294 William Paul Young Chris 3 4.06 2007 The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity
author: William Paul Young
name: Chris
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2020/07/04
date added: 2020/07/04
shelves:
review:

]]> Exhalation 50917309 An alternate cover edition for this book can be found here.

The universe began as an enormous breath being held.

From the acclaimed author of Stories of Your Life and Others—the basis for the Academy Award–nominated film Arrival—comes a ground-breaking new collection of short fiction: nine stunningly original, provocative, and poignant stories. These are the tales that tackle some of humanity's oldest questions along with new quandaries only Ted Chiang could imagine.

In "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate," a portal through time forces a fabric seller in ancient Baghdad to grapple with past mistakes and second chances. In "Exhalation," an alien scientist makes a shocking discovery with ramifications that are literally universal. In "Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom," the ability to glimpse into alternate universes necessitates a radically new examination of the concepts of choice and free will.

Including stories being published for the first time as well as some of his rare and classic uncollected work, Exhalation is Ted Chiang at his best: profound, sympathetic—revelatory.]]> 368 Ted Chiang Chris 4 4.35 2019 Exhalation
author: Ted Chiang
name: Chris
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/04/08
date added: 2020/04/08
shelves:
review:
This is a really good collection of stories that is marred by one or two that go on a bit too long. If you’re looking for some grounded science fiction that wrestles with gigantic philosophical questions, there is a lot to like here.
]]> Crazy Brave 16241171
Born in Oklahoma, the end place of the Trail of Tears, Harjo grew up learning to dodge an abusive stepfather by finding shelter in her imagination, a deep spiritual life, and connection with the natural world. She attended an Indian arts boarding school, where she nourished an appreciation for painting, music, and poetry; gave birth while still a teenager; and struggled on her own as a single mother, eventually finding her poetic voice.

Narrating the complexities of betrayal and love, Crazy Brave is a memoir about family and the breaking apart necessary in finding a voice. Harjo’s tale of a hardscrabble youth, young adulthood, and transformation into an award-winning poet and musician is haunting, unique, and visionary.]]> 176 Joy Harjo 0393345432 Chris 5 4.22 2012 Crazy Brave
author: Joy Harjo
name: Chris
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/02/18
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Kasari Nexus (Rho Agenda Assimilation #1)]]> 27384189 Jennifer Smythe escapes Earth’s invasion by the insidious Kasari race, hijacks an alien starship, and survives the deadly passage through a wormhole.

But escape is short-lived�

When Jennifer emerges on the new world of Scion, she is confronted by the same deadly enemy. Now the Kasari have sided with the planet’s angel-like elite against the warrior underclass, but with the intent of ultimately ruling both. And when Jennifer is captured by the brutish Koranthians, her alien-enhanced abilities make her a crucial asset in battling the Kasari and their winged allies.

Back on a divided Earth, Jennifer’s brother, Mark, and Jack “the Ripper� Gregory wage their own war against the Kasari. As the global government welcomes the extraterrestrials, Mark, Jack, and their rebel faction seek to use the powerful mind-altering skills gained from the Kasari’s sworn enemies to repel the would-be conquerors. But faced with the might of Earth’s ruling forces, has the cause already been lost?

]]> 386 Richard Phillips 1503988554 Chris 4 4.30 2016 The Kasari Nexus (Rho Agenda Assimilation #1)
author: Richard Phillips
name: Chris
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/16
date added: 2020/02/16
shelves:
review:
A solid continuation of the Rho Agenda story that’s worth a read if you enjoy brisk, page-turning sci-fi. There’s nothing especially deep about these books, but they are a lot of fun (and would make great movies). Be sure to start at the beginning, though; if memory serves, this is the fourth book in the series.
]]> <![CDATA[Jesus Unbound: Liberating the Word of God from the Bible]]> 40583155
For many Christians, the Bible is the only way to know anything about God. But according to that same Bible, everyone can know God directly through an actual relationship with Jesus. Jesus Unbound is an urgent call for the followers of Jesus to know Him intimately because the Gospel is not mere information about God, but a transformational experience with a Christ who is closer to us than our own heartbeat.]]> 213 Keith Giles 1938480333 Chris 5 4.29 Jesus Unbound: Liberating the Word of God from the Bible
author: Keith Giles
name: Chris
average rating: 4.29
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2019/10/20
date added: 2019/10/20
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Jesus Untangled: Crucifying Our Politics to Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb]]> 33871052
As the Church has become increasingly entangled in the pursuit of politics, the Gospel has become tarnished and often abandoned as the primary focus of the Body of Christ. Jesus Untangled is a prophetic call for the Church to awaken from the "American Dream" and to return to Her first love. Because, as the author powerfully demonstrates in these pages, you can't convert a culture that has already converted you.]]> 172 Keith Giles 1938480228 Chris 3 4.35 Jesus Untangled: Crucifying Our Politics to Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb
author: Keith Giles
name: Chris
average rating: 4.35
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2019/10/20
date added: 2019/10/20
shelves:
review:

]]> All Our Wrong Todays 27405006
Except Tom just can't seem to find his place in this dazzling, idealistic world, and that's before his life gets turned upside down. Utterly blindsided by an accident of fate, Tom makes a rash decision that drastically changes not only his own life but the very fabric of the universe itself. In a time-travel mishap, Tom finds himself stranded in our 2016, what we think of as the real world. For Tom, our normal reality seems like a dystopian wasteland.

But when he discovers wonderfully unexpected versions of his family, his career, and—maybe, just maybe—his soul mate, Tom has a decision to make. Does he fix the flow of history, bringing his utopian universe back into existence, or does he try to forge a new life in our messy, unpredictable reality? Tom’s search for the answer takes him across countries, continents, and timelines in a quest to figure out, finally, who he really is and what his future—our future—is supposed to be.]]> 384 Elan Mastai Chris 5 3.75 2017 All Our Wrong Todays
author: Elan Mastai
name: Chris
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/08/05
shelves:
review:

]]> Feed 169756 Identity crises, consumerism, and star-crossed teenage love in a futuristic society where people connect to the Internet via feeds implanted in their brains.

For Titus and his friends, it started out like any ordinary trip to the moon—a chance to party during spring break and play with some stupid low-grav at the Ricochet Lounge. But that was before the crazy hacker caused all their feeds to malfunction, sending them to the hospital to lie around with nothing inside their heads for days. And it was before Titus met Violet, a beautiful, brainy teenage girl who has decided to fight the feed and its omnipresent ability to categorize human thoughts and desires. Following in the footsteps of George Orwell, Anthony Burgess, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr., M. T. Anderson has created a not-so-brave new world—and a smart, savage satire that has captivated readers with its view of an imagined future that veers unnervingly close to the here and now.]]> 308 M.T. Anderson 0763622591 Chris 5 3.55 2002 Feed
author: M.T. Anderson
name: Chris
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2002
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/06/01
shelves:
review:

]]> There There 37798194 Tommy Orange's wondrous and shattering novel follows twelve characters from Native communities: all traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow, all connected to one another in ways they may not yet realize.

Among them is Jacquie Red Feather, newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind. Dene Oxendene, pulling his life together after his uncle's death and working at the powwow to honor his memory. Fourteen-year-old Orvil, coming to perform traditional dance for the very first time. Together, this chorus of voices tells of the plight of the urban Native American--grappling with a complex and painful history, with an inheritance of beauty and spirituality, with communion and sacrifice and heroism.

Hailed as an instant classic, There There is at once poignant and unflinching, utterly contemporary and truly unforgettable.]]> 293 Tommy Orange Chris 3 3.98 2018 There There
author: Tommy Orange
name: Chris
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2019/01/22
date added: 2019/01/22
shelves:
review:

]]> Things We Lost in the Fire 30375706
But alongside the black magic and disturbing disappearances, these stories are fueled by compassion for the frightened and the lost, ultimately bringing these characters—mothers and daughters, husbands and wives—into a surprisingly familiar reality. Written in hypnotic prose that gives grace to the grotesque, Things We Lost in the Fire is a powerful exploration of what happens when our darkest desires are left to roam unchecked, and signals the arrival of an astonishing and necessary voice in contemporary fiction.]]> 192 Mariana Enríquez 045149511X Chris 4 4.03 2016 Things We Lost in the Fire
author: Mariana EnrĂ­quez
name: Chris
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2018/04/16
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Largesse of the Sea Maiden]]> 35135343 The Largesse of the Sea Maiden is the long-awaited new story collection from Denis Johnson. Written in the luminous prose that made him one of the most beloved and important writers of his generation, this collection finds Johnson in new territory, contemplating the ghosts of the past and the elusive and unexpected ways the mysteries of the universe assert themselves.

Finished shortly before Johnson’s death, this collection is the last word from a writer whose work will live on for many years to come.

The largesse of the sea maiden
The starlight on Idaho
Strangler Bob
Triumph over the grave
Doppelganger, poltergeist]]> 207 Denis Johnson 0812988639 Chris 4 3.95 2018 The Largesse of the Sea Maiden
author: Denis Johnson
name: Chris
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2018/04/02
shelves:
review:

]]> Way Station 190999
More than a hundred years before, an alien named Ulysses had recruited Enoch as the keeper of Earth's only galactic transfer station. Now, as Enoch studies the progress of Earth and tends the tanks where the aliens appear, the charts he made indicate his world is doomed to destruction. His alien friends can only offer help that seems worse than the dreaded disaster. Then he discovers the horror that lies across the galaxy...]]> 210 Clifford D. Simak 0020248717 Chris 4 4.02 1963 Way Station
author: Clifford D. Simak
name: Chris
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1963
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2018/03/29
shelves:
review:
Solid old-school sci-fi. I have to admit, the conclusion wasn’t what I expected, but it was still satisfying. The narrative dragged a bit in parts, but this remains a novel packed with big ideas and clean writing.
]]> Sycamore 31371285 336 Bryn Chancellor 0062661116 Chris 4 3.67 2017 Sycamore
author: Bryn Chancellor
name: Chris
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2018/03/13
shelves:
review:

]]> Dark Matter 27833670 A mindbending, relentlessly surprising thriller from the author of the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy.

Jason Dessen is walking home through the chilly Chicago streets one night, looking forward to a quiet evening in front of the fireplace with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Charlie—when his reality shatters.

"Are you happy with your life?"

Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.

Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.

Before a man Jason's never met smiles down at him and says, "Welcome back, my friend."

In this world he's woken up to, Jason's life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.

Is it this world or the other that's the dream?

And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could've imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.

Dark Matter is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human--a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we'll go to claim the lives we dream of.]]> 342 Blake Crouch 1101904224 Chris 5 4.13 2016 Dark Matter
author: Blake Crouch
name: Chris
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/10/04
shelves:
review:
Dark Matter is one of the trippiest, most mind-bendingly awesome science fiction offerings I've ever encountered. It likely takes a special kind of nerd with at least a cursory understanding of multi-verse and quantum theories to really become absorbed in this tale, but, man, it's worth the ride if you're willing to give yourself over to the insane plot. Aside from being a well-written page turner that an avid reader could probably knock out in an evening, it's a book that really lingers. What is reality? What do we really know about our own existence? What is it that defines us? The book doesn't provide easy answers, but it makes you think, and that makes it worth the price of admission.
]]> The Punch Escrow 32446949 Departure... Arrival... Delight!

Joel Byram, our smartass protagonist, is an everyday twenty-second century guy. He spends his days training artificial intelligence engines to act more human, jamming out to 1980's new wave—an extremely obscure genre, and trying to salvage his deteriorating marriage. Joel is pretty much an everyday guy with everyday problems—until he's accidentally duplicated while teleporting.

Now Joel must outsmart the shadowy organization that controls teleportation, outrun the religious sect out to destroy it, and find a way to get back to the woman he loves in a world that now has two of him.]]> 319 Tal M. Klein 1942645589 Chris 4 3.58 2017 The Punch Escrow
author: Tal M. Klein
name: Chris
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/09/26
shelves:
review:

]]> Lincoln in the Bardo 29906980 Lincoln in the Bardo is a literary experience unlike any other—for no one but Saunders could conceive it.

February 1862. The Civil War is less than one year old. The fighting has begun in earnest, and the nation has begun to realize it is in for a long, bloody struggle. Meanwhile, President Lincoln's beloved eleven-year-old son, Willie, lies upstairs in the White House, gravely ill. In a matter of days, despite predictions of a recovery, Willie dies and is laid to rest in a Georgetown cemetery. "My poor boy, he was too good for this earth," the president says at the time. "God has called him home." Newspapers report that a grief-stricken Lincoln returned to the crypt several times alone to hold his boy's body.

From that seed of historical truth, George Saunders spins an unforgettable story of familial love and loss that breaks free of its realistic, historical framework into a thrilling, supernatural realm both hilarious and terrifying. Willie Lincoln finds himself in a strange purgatory, where ghosts mingle, gripe, commiserate, quarrel, and enact bizarre acts of penance. Within this transitional state—called, in the Tibetan tradition, the bardo—a monumental struggle erupts over young Willie's soul.

Lincoln in the Bardo is an astonishing feat of imagination and a bold step forward from one of the most important and influential writers of his generation. Formally daring, generous in spirit, deeply concerned with matters of the heart, it is a testament to fiction's ability to speak honestly and powerfully to the things that really matter to us. Saunders has invented a thrilling new form that deploys a kaleidoscopic, theatrical panorama of voices—living and dead, historical and invented—to ask a timeless, profound question: How do we live and love when we know that everything we love must end?]]> 368 George Saunders 0812995341 Chris 4
A quick note for those unfamiliar with the structure of the book: it can be more than a little difficult to digest. Lincoln in the Bardo is an experiment of sorts, with bits of historical accounts interspersed with a more traditional novel-writing approach. This all likely comes down to personal preference, but I didn't find the chosen assembly of the novel all that beneficial; in other words, structuring it in a more traditional sense would, I think, have made it more accessible for a wider audience.

With that said, I grew accustomed to the delivery, and I'm glad I stuck with it. Saunders has a lot to say here, much of which extends beyond the metaphysical/spiritual. ]]> 3.75 2017 Lincoln in the Bardo
author: George Saunders
name: Chris
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/05/11
shelves:
review:
Lincoln in the Bardo thrives as a wholly unique ghost story that's brimming with subtext. The Lincoln in question is Willie (not Abe), who finds himself stuck in a graveyard purgatory that is populated by a variety of spirits from American history (these are "ordinary" folks who are trying to reconcile their own faults, which, it seems, have landed them in limbo). The tale is an engaging one, and it feels especially relevant given the backdrop of the Civil War and our own contemporary struggles.

A quick note for those unfamiliar with the structure of the book: it can be more than a little difficult to digest. Lincoln in the Bardo is an experiment of sorts, with bits of historical accounts interspersed with a more traditional novel-writing approach. This all likely comes down to personal preference, but I didn't find the chosen assembly of the novel all that beneficial; in other words, structuring it in a more traditional sense would, I think, have made it more accessible for a wider audience.

With that said, I grew accustomed to the delivery, and I'm glad I stuck with it. Saunders has a lot to say here, much of which extends beyond the metaphysical/spiritual.
]]> Wormhole (The Rho Agenda, #3) 13507959
The world is wrong.

In Switzerland, scientists working on the Large Hadron Collider have discovered a new threat, a scientific anomaly capable of destroying the earth—and only Rho Project technology can stop it. In exchange for a full pardon, Dr. Stephenson agrees to create a wormhole that will send the anomaly into deep space. But his promise masks the alien agenda that brought the Rho Ship to earth.

Now a trio of altered humans, Heather McFarland and Mark and Jennifer Smythe, must infiltrate Stephenson’s wormhole project and stop it, no matter the cost. The ultimate battle has begun and, this time, mankind cannot afford to lose. The final installment to Richard Phillips’s Rho Agenda trilogy brings the epic tale to an explosive conclusion that will echo long past the final page.]]> 539 Richard Phillips Chris 4
With that said, Phillips tends to be a bit too technical when it comes to the various computer and other science-related revelations that emerge. This isn't always a bad thing, but it can be a bit distracting (and, honestly, it makes the book longer than it needs to be). The writing is solid in general, but at times the language is unnecessarily repetitive.

These complaints are relatively minor, though. If you're looking for what equates to a nerdy beach read, this is it.]]> 3.96 2012 Wormhole (The Rho Agenda, #3)
author: Richard Phillips
name: Chris
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2016/05/25
shelves:
review:
Overall, The Rho Agenda is a really entertaining sci-fi series; its story is unique and engaging, and the spin it puts on tired tales of alien encounters is refreshing. The third book in the series--Wormhole--is, in my opinion, the best of the lot. It's a page-turner, for sure--in fact, I'm writing this review at 12:18 AM after I couldn't stop myself from pushing through the final 120 pages just to see how the whole thing wraps up.

With that said, Phillips tends to be a bit too technical when it comes to the various computer and other science-related revelations that emerge. This isn't always a bad thing, but it can be a bit distracting (and, honestly, it makes the book longer than it needs to be). The writing is solid in general, but at times the language is unnecessarily repetitive.

These complaints are relatively minor, though. If you're looking for what equates to a nerdy beach read, this is it.
]]> <![CDATA[The Force Awakens (Star Wars: Novelizations #7)]]> 25404391 Star Wars burst onto the big screen and became a cultural phenomenon. Now the next adventures in this blockbuster saga are poised to captivate old and new fans alike � beginning with the highly anticipated Star The Force Awakens. And alongside the cinematic debut comes the thrilling novel adaptation by New York Times bestselling science fiction master Alan Dean Foster.

Set years after Return of the Jedi, this stunning new action-packed adventure rockets us back into the world of Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2, and Luke Skywalker, while introducing a host of exciting new characters. Darth Vader may have been redeemed and the Emperor vanquished, but peace can be fleeting, and evil does not easily relent. Yet the simple belief in good can still empower ordinary individuals to rise and meet the greatest challenges.

So return to that galaxy far, far away, and prepare yourself for what happens when the Force awakens…]]> 272 Alan Dean Foster Chris 4 3.93 2015 The Force Awakens (Star Wars: Novelizations #7)
author: Alan Dean Foster
name: Chris
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2016/01/18
date added: 2016/01/18
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Frozen Sky (Frozen Sky, #1)]]> 16075419
Something is alive inside Jupiter's ice moon Europa. Robot probes find an ancient tunnel beneath the surface, its walls carved with strange hieroglyphics. Led by elite engineer Alexis Vonderach, a team of scientists descends into the dark... where they confront a savage race older than mankind...

FIRST CONTACT]]> 346 Jeff Carlson 1936460130 Chris 2 3.56 2010 The Frozen Sky (Frozen Sky, #1)
author: Jeff Carlson
name: Chris
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2010
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2014/11/11
shelves:
review:

]]> The Fault in Our Stars 11870085
Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.]]> 313 John Green Chris 0 to-read 4.13 2012 The Fault in Our Stars
author: John Green
name: Chris
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/01/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate]]> 13529091 As a teenager and young man, Justin Lee felt deeply torn. Nicknamed "God Boy" by his peers, he knew that he was called to a life in the evangelical Christian ministry. But Lee harbored a secret: He also knew that he was gay. In this groundbreaking book, Lee recalls the events—his coming out to his parents, his experiences with the "ex-gay" movement, and his in-depth study of the Bible—that led him, eventually, to self-acceptance.

But more than just a memoir, TORN provides insightful, practical guidance for all committed Christians who wonder how to relate to gay friends or family members—or who struggle with their own sexuality. Convinced that "in a culture that sees gays and Christians as enemies, gay Christians are in a unique position to bring peace," Lee demonstrates that people of faith on both sides of the debate can respect, learn from, and love one another.
]]> 272 Justin Lee 1455514314 Chris 5 4.30 2012 Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate
author: Justin Lee
name: Chris
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2014/01/09
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Triggered: A Memoir of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder]]> 12904446 Imagine the worst thing in the world. Picture it. Construct it, carefully and deliberately in your mind. Be careful not to omit anything. Imagine it happening to you, to the people you love. Imagine the worst thing in the world.
Now try not to think about it.

This is what it is like for Fletcher Wortmann. In his brilliant memoir, the author takes us on an intimate journey across the psychological landscape of OCD, known as the “doubting disorder,� as populated by God, girls, and apocalyptic nightmares. Wortmann unflinchingly reveals the elaborate series of psychological rituals he constructs as “preventative measures� to ward off the end times, as well as his learning to cope with intrusive thoughts through Clockwork Orange-like “trigger� therapy.

But even more than this, the author emerges as a preternatural talent as he unfolds a kaleidoscope of culture high and low ranging from his obsessions with David Bowie, X-Men, and Pokemon, to an eclectic education shaped by Shakespeare, Kierkegaard, Catholic mysticism, Christian comic books, and the collegiate dating scene at the “People’s Republic of Swarthmore.�

Triggered is a pitch-perfect memoir; a touching, triumphantly funny, compulsively readable, and ultimately uplifting coming-of-age tale for Generation nxiety.]]> 272 Fletcher Wortmann 142996278X Chris 5 3.50 2012 Triggered: A Memoir of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
author: Fletcher Wortmann
name: Chris
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2013/08/15
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time]]> 1618 226 Mark Haddon 1400032717 Chris 4 3.89 2003 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
author: Mark Haddon
name: Chris
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2003
rating: 4
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date added: 2013/08/15
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]]> The Road 6288
A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don’t know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.

The Road is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, “each the other’s world entire,� are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation.]]> 241 Cormac McCarthy 0307265439 Chris 4 3.99 2006 The Road
author: Cormac McCarthy
name: Chris
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2006
rating: 4
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]]> Don't Waste Your Life 347656
"God created us to live with a single passion to joyfully display his supreme excellence in all the spheres of life. The wasted life is the life without this passion. God calls us to pray and think and dream and plan and work not to be made much of, but to make much of him in every part of our lives."

Most people slip by in life without a passion for God, spending their lives on trivial diversions, living for comfort and pleasure, and perhaps trying to avoid sin. This book will warn you not to get caught up in a life that counts for nothing. It will challenge you to live and die boasting in the cross of Christ and making the glory of God your singular passion. If you believe that to live is Christ and to die is gain, read this book, learn to live for Christ, and don't waste your life!]]> 192 John Piper 1581344988 Chris 5 4.13 2003 Don't Waste Your Life
author: John Piper
name: Chris
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2003
rating: 5
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]]> Just After Sunset 2906039
A blind intruder visits a dying man - and saves his life, with a kiss.

A woman receives a phone call from her husband. Her late husband.

In the emotional aftermath of her baby’s sudden death, Emily starts running. And running. Her curiosity leads her right into the hands of a murderer . . . and soon her legs are her only hope for survival.

Enter a world of masterful suspense, dark comedy and thrilling twists which will keep you riveted from the first page. Enter the world of No. 1 bestseller Stephen King.]]> 367 Stephen King 1416584080 Chris 4 3.89 2008 Just After Sunset
author: Stephen King
name: Chris
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2008
rating: 4
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]]> Lord of the Flies 7624 182 William Golding 0140283331 Chris 5 3.70 1954 Lord of the Flies
author: William Golding
name: Chris
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1954
rating: 5
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]]> A Brief History of Time 3869
Told in language we all can understand, A Brief History of Time plunges into the exotic realms of black holes and quarks, of antimatter and “arrows of time,� of the big bang and a bigger God—where the possibilities are wondrous and unexpected. With exciting images and profound imagination, Stephen Hawking brings us closer to the ultimate secrets at the very heart of creation.]]> 226 Stephen Hawking 0553380168 Chris 4 4.22 1988 A Brief History of Time
author: Stephen Hawking
name: Chris
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1988
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)]]> 6148028 Sparks are igniting.
Flames are spreading.
And the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol—a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest that she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before . . . and surprising readers at every turn.]]> 391 Suzanne Collins 0439023491 Chris 4 4.34 2009 Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Chris
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2009
rating: 4
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]]> Salt of the Earth 13740676 274 Christopher Flowers 0615522416 Chris 5 4.83 2011 Salt of the Earth
author: Christopher Flowers
name: Chris
average rating: 4.83
book published: 2011
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)]]> 7260188 My name is Katniss Everdeen.
Why am I not dead?
I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans—except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay—no matter what the personal cost.]]> 390 Suzanne Collins 0439023513 Chris 4 4.10 2010 Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Chris
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2010
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)]]> 2767052
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.]]> 374 Suzanne Collins 0439023483 Chris 4 4.34 2008 The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Chris
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2008
rating: 4
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]]> Spin (Spin, #1) 910863
One night in October when he was ten years old, Tyler Dupree stood in his back yard and watched the stars go out. They all flared into brilliance at once, then disappeared, replaced by a flat, empty black barrier. He and his best friends, Jason and Diane Lawton, had seen what became known as the Big Blackout. It would shape their lives.

The effect is worldwide. The sun is now a featureless disk--a heat source, rather than an astronomical object. The moon is gone, but tides remain. Not only have the world's artificial satellites fallen out of orbit, their recovered remains are pitted and aged, as though they'd been in space far longer than their known lifespans. As Tyler, Jason, and Diane grow up, space probe reveals a bizarre The barrier is artificial, generated by huge alien artifacts. Time is passing faster outside the barrier than inside--more than a hundred million years per day on Earth. At this rate, the death throes of the sun are only about forty years in our future.

Jason, now a promising young scientist, devotes his life to working against this slow-moving apocalypse. Diane throws herself into hedonism, marrying a sinister cult leader who's forged a new religion out of the fears of the masses.

Earth sends terraforming machines to Mars to let the onrush of time do its work, turning the planet green. Next they send humans...and immediately get back an emissary with thousands of years of stories to tell about the settling of Mars. Then Earth's probes reveal that an identical barrier has appeared around Mars. Jason, desperate, seeds near space with self-replicating machines that will scatter copies of themselves outward from the sun--and report back on what they find.

Life on Earth is about to get much, much stranger.]]> 458 Robert Charles Wilson 076534825X Chris 4 4.02 2005 Spin (Spin, #1)
author: Robert Charles Wilson
name: Chris
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2005
rating: 4
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]]> Fahrenheit 451 4381 158 Ray Bradbury 0307347974 Chris 5 3.96 1953 Fahrenheit 451
author: Ray Bradbury
name: Chris
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1953
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?]]> 7082 244 Philip K. Dick Chris 5 4.08 1968 Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
author: Philip K. Dick
name: Chris
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1968
rating: 5
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]]> The Kite Runner 77203 371 Khaled Hosseini 159463193X Chris 4 4.34 2003 The Kite Runner
author: Khaled Hosseini
name: Chris
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2003
rating: 4
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]]> Imaginary Jesus 7233062 Imaginary Jesus is a hilarious, fast-paced, not-quite-fictional story that’s unlike anything you’ve ever read before. When Matt Mikalatos realizes that his longtime buddy in the robe and sandals isn’t the real Jesus at all, but an imaginary one, he embarks on a mission to find the real thing. On his wild ride through time, space, and Portland, Oregon, he encounters hundreds of other Imaginary Jesuses determined to stand in his way (like Legalistic Jesus, Perpetually Angry Jesus, and Magic 8 Ball Jesus). But Matt won’t stop until he finds the real Jesus—and finally gets an answer to the question that’s haunted him for years. Be warned: Imaginary Jesus may bring you face-to-face with an imposter in your own life.]]> 225 Matt Mikalatos 1414335636 Chris 4 3.88 2010 Imaginary Jesus
author: Matt Mikalatos
name: Chris
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2010
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Ender’s Game (Ender's Saga, #1)]]> 375802
But Ender is not the only result of the experiment. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway almost as long. Ender's two older siblings, Peter and Valentine, are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. While Peter was too uncontrollably violent, Valentine very nearly lacks the capability for violence altogether. Neither was found suitable for the military's purpose. But they are driven by their jealousy of Ender, and by their inbred drive for power. Peter seeks to control the political process, to become a ruler. Valentine's abilities turn more toward the subtle control of the beliefs of commoner and elite alike, through powerfully convincing essays. Hiding their youth and identities behind the anonymity of the computer networks, these two begin working together to shape the destiny of Earth-an Earth that has no future at all if their brother Ender fails.]]> 324 Orson Scott Card 0812550706 Chris 5 4.31 1985 Ender’s Game (Ender's Saga, #1)
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Chris
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1985
rating: 5
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]]>