A Colloquy on Books

This review was requested by the author. Charlie Brady has never even thought of the possibility of extraterrestrial life being real. His life had more pressing matters like the Great War and how to survive. That is until one day, one of those very lifeforms physically took him off the planet. The aliens took him several times adding fear about future abductions to his very terrestrial concerns of outrunning the mob and falling in love. Will Charlie be able to survive it all? When I received the message to review Big Orange Flying Dinner Plate, I happily agreed to read and review it. I haven’t read many books about alien abductions so I wanted to take a shot at reading this book. Since I haven’t read a lot about alien abductions and since it is a topic that can be interpreted very differently by every single person, I did not have any expectations as I went into this book. With that being said, I didn’t enjoy it. The narrative style of the book was weird and there were moments where th...

This review was requested by the author. Asta is Relic. She doesn’t have the Link, a brain chip that connects people to all of hyperspace. Asta has been chosen for a mission. She and a small crew must travel to a frigid and tidally locked planet, Proxima Centauri b, in order to look for signs of life. Follow their adventures and discoveries as they try to survive the harsh and frozen landscape of Proxima Centauri b. When I first heard about On the Constant March Forward, it sounded interesting but I was also skeptical about whether I would like it. It just sounded like a book that had the potential drag on and be depressing. The title just made me think that there was going to be some serious gloom and doom, that the ending would be one of those sad endings where the characters have lost all hope and just submitted themselves to the fact that this is their life now. Thankfully, On the Constant March Forward was nothing like I expected. The story was very simple but at the same time it ...

2020. It felt more like a decade at times. I know people would love to forget about 2020, leave the past in the past and just move on but it was an extraordinary year in terms of reading. On January 1st 2020, I set my personal reading goal for the year: 100 books. I thought to myself, “I read 130 books last year but I am going to be much busier this year so 100 books is a totally reasonable and achievable goal.” As it turned out, I went into quarantine in March which led to me reading all the time. I hit my 100 books goal sometime around the end of July. Due to quarantine, I read a total of 153 books in 2020, a little more that 150% of my initial goal. Reading Statistics Books Read: 153 books Pages Read: 51,070 pages Average Pages Per Book: 333 pages Average Pages Read Per Day: 139.54 pages Average Rating: 3.2 out of 5 stars. Out of all the books that I read and reviewed this year ( My 2020 Reviews ), I wanted to share my top ten books of 2020. In order to narrow down the list to ...

For generations, they have lived underground, with only a small view of the outside. They know the outside is a toxic, barren wasteland. Even though they know the dangers of the outside, there are people who dream and hope. These dangerous people infect the others with their optimism. So they must be punished. The punishment is simple, the dreamers are given exactly what they hope for: a chance to go outside. Juliette is unexpectedly promoted to Sheriff, when the previous Sheriff leaves the silo is in terrifying ritual. She has very little regard for the customs that she needs to be following and quite a bit of newfound power. As she begins investigating, she discovers the subtle hints of a disturbing conspiracy. Following the clues may lead to the truth or to the death of every human... I would not have picked this book up if I saw it on a shelf at the library. Based on the cover (which I am not supposed to be judging books by) and the summary of the story, it didn’t really seem like ...

Superheroes do more than just save the world and stop crime. In Abby Hamilton’s house they also drink milk straight from the carton and steal the television remote. Abby’s older brother is the famous Red Comet, a superhero who has saved the town countless times. But he’s also her brother and annoys her to no end. Abby has never wanted to be a superhero, especially since she has no powers of her own. Or so she thought until the town’s newest supervillain, Iron Phantom, comes crashing into her life and saves her from a mugging. The Iron Phantom claims that he’s not evil and that their town is under a new threat. As Abby follows him deeper into the secrets of the city, she learns that superheroes can’t always be trusted and sometimes the good guys are the ones wearing black.   Considering that I am a huge fan of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) and superhero movies in general, it should be no surprise to any of you that I picked up this book. The title itself was convincing en...

Beware of the spoilers to The Thousandth Floor and The Dazzling Heights  that lurk beyond this message... Welcome back to New York, 2119. Leda wants to move on from what happened in Dubai. But a new investigation forces her to look for help from the one person she has spent a year trying to forget. Rylin is living the good life, reunited with an old flame, however seeing Cord again causes confusion. She has to choose between two worlds and two very different boys. Calliope is trapped in a long con that is harder than she bargained for. Will she be safe when her lies catch up to her? Watt is still in love with Leda. He is willing to do anything to get her back, even if it means digging up old secrets that should remain hidden. Avery is back from England with her new boyfriend Max. Life seems to be perfect for her but she feels like she couldn't be more imperfect. A spectacular finale for a series filled with intrigue, glamour, and mind blowing technology. One final chance for every...

Beware of the spoilers to The Thousandth Floor  that lurk beyond this message... New York City, 2118. In the thousand story tower, five teenagers are hiding dark and dangerous secrets. Leda is haunted by the memories of the past, the worst night of her life. She wants the truth to stay hidden, and the only way to ensure that is to trust her enemy. Rylin’s life suddenly changes when she wins a scholarship to an upper level school. Now she has to face the boy who broke her heart on a daily basis. Avery is tortured by the love of her life because no matter how strong her love is, he is unattainable. She is desperate to be with him, regardless of the cost. Watt wants to put the past behind him and forget what happened that night, but Leda forces him to start hacking again. Will he be able to free himself from Leda? Calliope arrives in New York, a beautiful girl, who knows exactly what buttons to push. A hidden threat lurks, watching their every move, waiting for them to make a mistake,...

Manhattan, New York, 2118. Five teenagers struggle to find their place in the world. They all live in a thousand story tower where anything is possible. The five of them all want something but they all have so much more they could lose. Watt Bakradi can find everything about anyone, the perks of being a tech genius. When he is hired by an upper floor girl, he becomes entangled in a web of lies, but the more tangled he gets, the chances of his secret being exposed increase. Eris Dodd-Radson's carefree lifestyle is shattered when a heart-breaking betrayal splits up her family. Leda Cole has an exterior that is perfect but underneath the veneer is an addiction, a boy she should have never gotten involved with and drugs she should have stayed away from. Rylin Myers is eking out a living on the lower floors when a job on one of the highest floors leads her into a world she could have never imagined and a romance she never expected, but she may have to give up her old life to be able to ...

This review was requested by the author. Tessa was just a regular girl living her normal life until the government took her away from her family at the age of fourteen. They took her and trained her mind and her gifts, honing her into a blade. She can look into other people’s minds. When a critical mission requires the best of the best, Tessa is called in. In order for Tessa to complete the mission, she will have to use her cultivated gifts like never before. Her loyalty to the service and her loyalty to the young woman that she has fallen in love with will be put to the test. The government turned her into the best but now will they be able to stop her from doing what she wants? When the author of this book contacted me and asked if I would be willing to review this book, I was excited. Once I read the blurb of the book, I was even more excited because this kind of sci-fi story is right up my alley. It sounded like Breaking Sky but with mind-reading which meant that I had to get my h...

A wandering storyteller meets a beautiful android. Wary of all robots as androids outnumber humans, the storyteller attempts to escape but is captured by the android, Ibis. Ibis tempts the storyteller by offering to tell him seven stories of human android interactions. All humans resent the androids for taking over the world while forcing them to live isolated and uncultured lives. The storyteller cautiously and skeptically agrees to listen to Ibis’s stories. The stories do not seem to have a connection to one another at all. What is the meaning of these stories? Why is Ibis telling them to the storyteller? Can she be trusted? And what does she want from the storyteller? I was completely surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I got this book from my library on Valentine’s Day a part of their Blind Date with a Book event. The only thing I knew about the book prior to checking it out was: androids. I did end up reading the blurb before I read the book but it was vague enough ...

It’s 2048 and the junior Air Force Academy is training only two pilots to fly their experimental “Streaker” jets. Chase Harcourt is one of those two pilots. With call sign like “Nyx,” it is no surprise that Chase is as tough as they come. She is also impulsive and has lightning fast reflexes. But underneath that tough exterior, she holds a lot of loneliness and pain from her past, as well as a dark secret about her father. Not that anyone tries to get to know her, all they care about is how Chase does on the Streaker trials that are coming up. If she aces them, it proves the prototype jet can knock the enemy out of the air. Everything is not as it seems though, as Chase unearths a huge military secret. There is a third Streaker jet and a third pilot. The pilot, Tristan, can step toe to toe with Chase both in the air and on the ground. With war imminent, she is going to have to put her life in the hands of her competition, if she wants to save the world.  Breaking Sky was...

Disclaimer: This post contains spoilers to  The Throne of Glass  series, if you would like to avoid them please skip Heir of Fire . Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass by: Fredrick Douglass Fredrick Douglass was a slave who educated himself through sheer determination, become a freeman, and managed to become one of the greatest American writers, and orators. 2 stars. Outliers: The Story of Success by: Malcolm Gladwell Malcolm Gladwell explores the world of "outliers:" the most famous, most successful, the brightest. He wonders what makes them different? Most would say it in what they are but Malcolm Gladwell claims its where they are from. He explains what made the Beatles the greatest rock band, why Asians are so good at math, and the secrets of software billionaires. 5 stars. How to Win Friends and Influence People by: Dale Carnegie Dale Carnegie's classic book that teaches you how to get people to like you and how to change a person's mind witho...

Disclaimer: This post contains spoilers to The Throne of Glass , if you wish to avoid them please skip The Crown of Midnight . This post also contains spoilers to The False Prince  and The Runaway King , if you wish to avoid them please skip The Shadow Throne .   AsapSCIENCE: Answers to the World's Weirdest Questions, Most Persistent Rumors, and Uneexplained Phenomena by: Mitchell Moffit + Greg Brown A book that answers all the weird questions that you never got to ask in science class. Answers brought to you by the AsapSCIENCE YouTube channel creators, presented in an entertaining format. Your questions will be answered, asap. 5 stars. Chasing Impossible by: Katie McGarry Abby lets only a few people get to know her. It's common sense in her town that she deals drugs, but not even her closest know why. Abby is suddenly in danger as a drug deal goes bad and she has to lean on Logan, a daredevil who's spirit matches hers. Together they will have to make the choice of...