read: A Dead Draw by Robert Dugoni ★★★★★

A Dead Draw by Robert Dugoni
My rating: ★★★★★

This story is a bit of a departure from the usual police procedural plots of previous books in the series. In this one, Tracy Crosswhite is literally and figuratively haunted by demons of her past. A murderer, out for revenge and free on a legal technicality, has disappeared. But his very absence provides tension for most of the book.
In the meantime, Tracy is still dealing with guilt and doubt about her future as a cop and a recent incident during a police training exercise. She returns to her hometown to recharge and turns to an old mentor to retrain her mind and reflexes. I missed her detective work and colleagues. But I liked the return to her sharpshooting roots and the introduction of some new characters.

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read: Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI by Karen Hao ★★★★

Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI by Karen Hao
My rating: ★★★★

Lots of interesting information regarding a wide swath of topics related to AI and Open AI in particular. Could have used a bit more editing for length and clarity. But the message is clear: elitism and colonialism are alive and well in the culture of AI development.

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read: Dream Chasing: My Four Decades of Success and Failure with Walt Disney Imagineering by Bob Weis ★★★★

Dream Chasing: My Four Decades of Success and Failure with Walt Disney Imagineering by Bob Weis
My rating: ★★★★

There are moments in Bob's memoire that deserve 5-stars: seeing what does and not work to keep visitors engaged and enjoying a theme park, land or ride; understanding the storytelling involved in a Disney experience; collaborating with another culture to create something that's still Disney within the other culture; meeting and working with Disney heroes and even moving beyond them.
But much of the book is also sort of meh, 3-stars: learning about food and transit systems in other countries; not learning about any really interesting Imagineering technology; learning about food and transit systems in different states.
The big surprise was discovering that Bob and I worked at Disneyland in the same department at almost exactly the same time during college. Either we did not actually overlap, or we were on different shifts most of the time. I have no recollection of anyone with his name. Another surprise was that our recollections of the department are so different. I loved it and stayed on for more than a year. He struggled with some aspects and left after only a few months.
If you're a big Disney nerd, you might enjoy this. I didn't feel like there were any big revelations. But there were enough enticing tidbits to keep me skimming along for the next treasure.

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read: Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky ★★★★

Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky
My rating: ★★★★

Thought-provoking follow-up to Children of Time. Examines the consequences of bad decisions colliding with the random outcomes of time and nature.

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read: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt ★★★★★

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
★★★★★

A book about a talking octopus? No. This is not that. It is, however, about an octopus living in an aquarium in the Pacific Northwest and several of the remarkably bright creatures (humans) in his orbit.
Much of the story is told from the viewpoint of Marcellus (the giant Pacific octopus), who considers himself more intelligent that the humans holding him in 'captivity' (which he regularly escapes whenever he's bored).
The rest of the story focuses on the humans and their relationships. We learn of their past, their grief, and their foibles. We also see them discover themselves and each other and their future.

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read: The Viper by Brad Meltzer ★★★★

The Viper by Brad Meltzer
★★★★

In this latest Zig and Nola story, the investigative duo hardly see each other at all. Yet they are as deeply connected as ever by the mysteries being presented and Roddy's (Nola's twin brother) obsession with them. The story unfolds along multiple lines and multiple time frames. Yet the personal stakes and clear framing made sure I was always engaged and never lost. This book is as well-written as Meltzer's other works. But it is not the best place to meet these characters for the first time.

Disclosure: Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for allowing me to preview this book.

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read: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ★★★★★

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ★★★★★

I knew the basic story. I'd seen the film. But somehow had never read the book (not even in high school, where one does these things). I thoroughly enjoyed the more complete journey of Scout and Jem through the complex social mores of the deep South of the early 20th century. I really appreciated the sturdy and steady hand of Atticus Finch.

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read: Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky ★★★★★

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
My rating: ★★★★★

Very entertaining look at the impact of time on growth and development, both natural and 'uplifted'.

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read: Everyone a Stranger by Kevin O'Brien ★★★★

Everyone a Stranger by Kevin O'Brien
My rating: ★★★★

I love historical fiction, especially set during WWII. I also love books set in Seattle. This checks those boxes and more. The story starts with some genuine tension, introducing rich and well-developed characters and setting. I was all set for a five-star ride, but I became a bit disillusioned. The story seemed to bog down during the trip from East Coast to West Coast and during the introduction of new characters and setting. Once that was taken care of, things picked up again and, except for some repetitive ruminations about various situations, finished satisfactorily. There are a lot of threads to keep track of. But I was never lost and most of the various resolutions were disarmingly clever and sometimes surprising.

Disclosure: Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for allowing me to preview this book.

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read: Final Orbit by Chris Hadfield ★★★★★

Final Orbit by Chris Hadfield
My rating: ★★★★★

I've been loving this series ever since the surprise discovery that one of my favorite astronauts had written a Cold War thriller set during the peak of the Space Race in the 1970s. This third volume in the series does not disappoint, with a twisty mix of orbital and earthbound intrigue, realistic action and delightful hard science edge. I'm impressed by the author's deep knowledge of space flight science and his imaginative plotting and characters.

Disclosure: Thank you to Netgalley and Mulholland Books for allowing me to preview this book.

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read: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman ★★★★

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
My rating: ★★★★

A delightful cozy mystery. The setting and characters are down-to-earth, and the mysteries build and resolve like a very busy Renoit painting. There's a lot going on and not all of it is relevant to the plot.

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read: Hope: The Autobiography by Pope Francis ★★★★★

Hope: The Autobiography by Pope Francis
My rating: ★★★★★

This is the second book I've read this year that is a memoire or autobiography of a person of faith who grew up over the past century (the other was Wake Up With Purpose!: What I’ve Learned in My First Hundred Years). Pope Francis, like Sister Jean, came from humble beginnings and through work, community and good fortune became educated and devoted to service.
As a Christian, but not a Roman Catholic, what impressed me about his faith was how he felt more led by the heart of God and love for his fellow humans, rather than the dictates of history or religion. As one of those humans, I was also impressed by Francis' own humanity and his frankness about his shortcomings, as well as his love for art and community (and sports).
The book itself is often non-linear and meandering, focusing on a topic, rather than chronology. Yet it is not hard to follow. I found myself skipping over some topics I found too esoteric or political. But I enjoyed the rest and discovered some gems of observation from this man with a wealth of experience and education and faith.

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Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor ★★★★★

Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
★★★★★

I really loved this book and appreciated that I had a hardcover copy in my hands to enjoy and not just an ebook. Nnedi Okorafor weaves together two amazing stories. One depicts Zelu, a woman who would have been deemed disabled or an invalid a few decades ago, but she is so much more than either of those diminutives in this story. She is somewhat lost and vulnerable and often selfish. But she is also powerful and more worthy than she acknowledges. Her story is told through both third-person narrative and interviews with her family, friends and colleagues.
The second story is Zelu's science fiction novel about a robot that is also lost in its world. And yet it also finds its way.
This isn't your typical science fiction novel. But it's also not fully literary fiction. It's both and neither and commands the reader's attention from start to finish.

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read: The Wild Robot by Peter Brown ★★★★★

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
My rating: ★★★★★

Delightfully entertaining story that ignores the scary parts of AI to explore more promising possibilities of machine learning, set against a fanciful natural world where animals can get along with each other. And eventually, with a technological creature. Bonus overtones of found family and environmentalism. But ultimately, a story about a robot and a goose on an island.

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read: Wake Up With Purpose!: What I've Learned in My First Hundred Years by Jean Dolores Schmidt ★★★★★

Wake Up With Purpose!: What I've Learned in My First Hundred Years by Jean Dolores Schmidt
My rating: ★★★★★

This book is a breath of fresh air. You don't have to be Catholic, or even Christian, to enjoy Sister Jean's uplifting view about life and living it.

"If you’re not moving forward, you’re going to get left behind real quick."

“I still go to bed every night with a smile on my face, gratitude in my heart, and love in my soul.”

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read: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire ★★

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
My rating: ★★

I don't like to post negative reviews. But I really feel like I would have liked someone to warn me off this before I struggled with it for a couple of weeks.

Nope. Not for me. I didn’t care for a single character (except, perhaps, for Boq). Without that, there was nothing to carry me through to the end. The narrative was confusing, not compelling.

Such a shame, too. I’ve had this in my queue forever, having seen the play and thinking the book would be right up my alley. Now that the film is streaming, it was time to attend to the novel.

But, no. DNF.

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read: Blood Hollow by William Kent Krueger ★★★★★

Blood Hollow by William Kent Krueger
My rating: ★★★★★

Returned to this series at #4 after a long break reading other stuff and after reading a later volume. Still great storytelling that does not suffer from reading out of order.

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reread: How Much for Just the Planet? by John M. Ford ★★★

How Much for Just the Planet? by John M. Ford
My rating: ★★★

So many feelings after rereading this decades after a first reading upon its initial release. It's still such a silly take on Star Trek, right up there with the Original Series episodes, "A Piece of the Action", "Shore Leave" and "The Trouble With Tribbles". And yet I can't reconcile its innocent charm, skewed characterizations and flawed storytelling with ratings I previously gave the book: 2 stars at one point, long forgotten and undeserved, and then 4 stars, apparently based on my faulty memory of how funny I must have found it.

Three stars seems about right. I shouldn't fault the author for playing around with Star Trek lore at a time when it was far less established. And I won't. Although the Klingons never quite ring 'true' here, weighted down as I am with 40 more years of books, TV and film. They are much too personable. Everyone else seems about right, for the time. What kept distracting me, though, were the casual references to what should have been archaic Earth cultural touchpoints. Even the humans of Kirk's time are usually presented with larger gaps in their knowledge of 19th and 20th century British and American stage and film. How the isolated colonists on Direidi, much less the Klingons, know so much about Gilbert and Sullivan, classic Hollywood films and romantic comedy is a mystery.

Leaving all that as the key suspension of disbelief, the reader is left with a pleasant story of cunning locals pulling the wool over the eyes of supposedly more sophisticated visitors out to exploit them.

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read: When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi ★★★★★

When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi
My rating: ★★★★★

I expected this book to be offbeat and entertaining. But John Scalzi took it in a completely different direction than I expected. The reader knows the premise, based on the title and back cover blurb. "What would happen if the moon suddenly and without explanation turned into cheese." But what the author does with that premise caught me off guard. The moon turning into cheese is the both the inciting incident and the only required suspension of disbelief. Everything else follows logically and as true to the real world as possible.

The mass of the moon stays the same. No orbital mechanics are (supposedly) skewed. Other natural processes must and do proceed apace: it's larger in diameter, it's brighter, the surface is too soft for a landing, etc. The book delves into the effect the change has on the population of Earth. Chapters focus on different sets of characters and their unique situations in a somewhat chronological order. Some incidents are humorous. Others not so much. A few characters pop up more than once so we get a fuller picture how the new moon's ramifications on their life. And then something happens to which my response was "he didn't actually go there, did he?" But he did. And it makes for an even more interesting story.

Disclosure: Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Books for allowing me to preview this book.

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read: The Martian Contingency by Mary Robinette Kowal ★★★★

The Martian Contingency by Mary Robinette Kowal
My rating: ★★★★

I am loving this series from Mary Robinette Kowal. It pushes all of my buttons as a boomer child of the space age, telling stories of an alternate, sped up space race pitted against nature, rather than Russia. Mary Robinette has done her research and it shows, without getting too pedantic. After spending the previous novel looking into developments at Artemis Base on the moon with Nicole Wargin, this book returns to Elma York and her work on Mars getting things settled in at Earth's new habitat (not colony) there.

Of course, things do not go smoothly. Elma senses something is wrong from the minute she lands with the second expedition and finds certain details mysteriously out of place. But the members of the first expedition are united in their silence about what might have happened on their first trip. The mysteries are set aside while more urgent threats to the mission are addressed. Yet even those situations spark more questions about the first expedition.

A couple of things kept this from being a five star experience for me. The biggest was the repetitiveness of Elma's passive ponderings about the first expedition's problems. I kept wanting her to be the badass she was in her first two novels and get to the bottom of things. She did exhibit great agency when it came to piloting tasks. But it seemed to take forever for her to grab hold of the reigns of command and drive the mission. This bogged things down for me.

On the whole, the storytelling is top notch, even with a bunch of technobabble and cultural conflict. The reader is always rooting for everyone to stay safe, stay happy and be successful in mixing and matching cultures and build a new society on a new planet.

Disclosure: Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Books for allowing me to preview this book.

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