This last couple of weeks I’ve read some great and some not so great books. Here they are. [book-info] Now sci-fi isn’t my usual fare, especially where there is more emphasis on the science than the fiction, but The Martian has been getting so much buzz lately that I decided to check it out. Within a few minutes of listening I was hooked by Watney’s situation; abandoned on Mars, has to use his ingenuity to survive in an inhospitable environment until rescue can come. Written as it is in a first-person journalistic style this is a perfect book for the audiobook medium, and R.C. Bray did a wonderful job of bringing Mark to life. Mark is a very witty and engaging protagonist and it is very easy to root for him. Weir did a fantastic job of explaining the various challenges Mark encounters and his solutions in a way that was easily comprehensible to someone like me who is not science minded. The story of Mark’s plight and his attempts to secure his rescue was very appealing on a human level. I gave The Martian five stars out of five. [book-info number=1] I picked up Agatha Raisin and the Quiche…
Oh my poor wallet. September seems to be one of the busiest months for new book releases and there are seven upcoming books about which I am super excited. Without further ado, here’s the list. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas Having just finished Heir of Fire, I am impatient for Queen of Shadows, the next volume in the Throne of Glass series. Heir of Fire was for me the strongest so far in the series and left some very interesting storylines to be followed in the next book. I look forward to the confrontation between Celaena and Arobynn and to see how Dorian is affected by the events of Heir of Fire. Queen of Shadows is released on September 1st and I have preordered it on both Kindle and Audible formats. The Copper Gauntlet by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare Also released on September 1st is Holly Black’s and Cassandra Clare’s The Copper Gauntlet. This is the second in the Magisterium series, which, like Harry Potter, is set in a school for magic. Despite the comparison with Harry Potter, it’s the contrasts with that series that make the Magisterium so interesting. I did enjoy the Iron Trial, the…