The Many Deaths of the Black Company
May 7th
The Many Deaths of the Black Company by Glen Cook
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed the two books contained in this omnibus. Glen Cook does a great job of sweeping you into his world and involving you with this characters. There are two more books scheduled to be released in the future, but with no update on when/if these will ever be released you could consider Soldiers Live the finale of the Black Company series, and what a finale it was.
I found myself sad and heartbroken at times as Croaker outlives a lot of his friends and allies in the Black Company but still found that I did not want to put it down (a sign of a great book).
This series is a great read for anyone who loves epic Fantasy.
The Ghost King
Nov 9th
The Ghost King by R.A. Salvatore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow is all I can say. This third book in the “Transitions” trilogy really lives up to its name. An action packed book for sure and tops the emotional roller coaster of the Hunter’s Blade Trilogy.
Finishing this book I was left astounded by the remaining state of the Companions of the Hall. It will be interesting to see where R.A. Salvatore continues with this series from here.
Wordpress 2 iPhone App
Nov 5th
Testing out the new iPhone app, seems pretty cool. Quite the improvement over the old version. Good job!
The Lost Symbol
Sep 24th
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I read a review for this book that basically said, “Horribly written, but impossible to put down”. For the most part I would agree with that statement. I’ve read all of Dan Brown’s books and to be honest it feels as if his writing style has deteriorated as his popularity has grown.
The plot twist, dramatically revealed near the end of the book, was clumsily made obvious 250 pages before. Unlike Angels & Demons where you spent half the book trying to deduce who was the villain, only to be surprised by the plot twist: There is no real surprise here.
Still though the plot timing is done well, and you find yourself drawn to the book for the historical myths and legends portrayed and to find out how it ends. If you’ve enjoyed any of his previous books, it may well be worth the read, but just be warned it is not his best work.
Wolf’s Blood
Sep 8th
Wolf’s Blood by Jane Lindskold
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book honestly surprised me. I had picked it up just as another book to read but when I finally sat down to read it, I found myself swept into the world in the book, which is odd considering I hadn’t read the previous 5 books.The characters, dialogue and setting all seem well thought out and sweep you away into the world. I will likely be exploring other books from Jane.
The Children of Hurin
Sep 8th
The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien
Dramatic saga, though the writing style takes a bit to get used to. Feels like Christopher took his father’s notes and added his own writing putty between them.
Still it’s an intense drama and a good read, though I will warn that it takes a bit to get involved in the storyline and the ending is almost disappointing.
Spicy Peanut Chicken Soup
Jul 29th
Ingredients
2 tbsp butter
1 onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 chipotle peppers minced
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 tbsp flour
5 cups chicken stock
1 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 tbsp packed brown sugar
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp chopped peanuts
1/4 cup chopped green onions
Directions
In a soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, chipotles, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and allspice; sauté for 1 minute. Add flour and sauté for 2 minutes.
Gradually whisk in stock and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes to blend the flavors. Whisk in cream and peanut butter until blended. Heat until steaming, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Do not let boil. Stir in chicken, brown sugar and lime juice; heat until steaming. Adjust with salt and pepper to taste
Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped peanuts and green onions.
Enjoy, it’s quite the flavor experience.
The Charlemagne Pursuit
May 19th
The Charlemagne Pursuit: A Novel by Steve Berry
My review
rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is the 3rd of Steve Berry’s books that I’ve read and it continues the same trend that I’ve found with his books, especially the Cotton Malone series. That is to say where Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon novels give you a taste of historical conspiracies, yet leave you wondering at the end if what is hypothesized is true, Steve Berry hits you over the head with it and leaves you dazed and sometimes confused.
That said, it’s still a decent read. It wasn’t the most enjoyable of his books that I’ve read, but it still kept me involved (for the most part) in the storyline. If you’re a fan of Dan Brown, you’ll likely enjoy Steve Berry.
The Books of the South
May 19th
The Books of the South: Tales of the Black Company by Glen Cook
My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars
Glen Cook does a great job with the continuing stories of the Black Company. The only thing that seems odd about this Omnibus is the 3rd book “The Silver Spike”. While a decent book on its own, it seems fairly out of place with the other 2 books (the first two books follow Croaker and the Lady into the South, while the third book follows Darling, Silent, Razor and the others than didn’t leave with Croaker).
All 3 books are enjoyable, and typical non-stop Glen Cook action the entire way. A great read for any Fantasy Fan.
Dead and Gone
May 7th
Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars
This latest installment in Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse novels starts with a bang and doesn’t let up through the entirety of the novel. Other than a rather explicit romp with a past lover, Sookie finds herself in one mess of trouble after the next.
Overall it was a rather enjoyable installment. Much darker than the earlier books, though they’ve been heading this way over the last few. A number of characters that we’ve grown accustomed to having around in this world are now gone and I know I’ll miss at least one of them.
My only real complaint is that the ending seemed much too abrupt, I felt almost cheated when I finished the last page of the book.
Anyway, bring on book 10!