Book #144 of 2016: Doctor Who: Twelve Doctors of Christmas by Jacqueline Rayner, Colin Brake, Richard Dungworth, Mike Tucker, Gary Russell, and Scott Handcock An absolutely delightful collection of Doctor Who short stories – one for each incarnation so far except the War Doctor – all set around Christmas, somewhere in time and space. All …
Author Archives: Joe Kessler
Book Review: I’m Dreaming of a Black Christmas by Lewis Black
Book #143 of 2016: I’m Dreaming of a Black Christmas by Lewis Black Either I’ve cooled on Lewis Black’s angry style of comedy over the years or he was just particularly off his game here. Listening to this audiobook as a fellow Jew just before Christmas, I feel like I should have been particularly situated …
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Book Review: Time Travel: A History by James Gleick
Book #142 of 2016: Time Travel: A History by James Gleick A fascinating history of the evolving concepts of time and time travel, traced through the separate but related traditions of physics, philosophy, and popular fiction. (I was most surprised to read that the idea of going to another time period would have been inconceivable …
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Book Review: NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
Book #141 of 2016: NOS4A2 by Joe Hill NOS4A2 is a great story, but it’s also something of a love letter from author Joe Hill to his father. The plot and the characters all feel like they could be pulled straight from a Stephen King novel, and even if Hill were not King’s son, it …
Book Review: The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket
Book #140 of 2016: The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket (A Series of Unfortunate Events #10) It’s nice to finally get some forward plot movement as this series approaches its end, as well as some answers to riddles that have persisted since the earliest volumes. The Baudelaire children continue to develop into more and more …
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Book Review: Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd
Book #139 of 2016: Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd (The Madman’s Daughter #2) This sequel to The Madman’s Daughter starts out strong, moving Juliet Moreau from her father’s tropical island to a snowy London beset by a serial killer who may be someone from her past – or at least, his darker side. However, …
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Book Review: Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter
Book #138 of 2016: Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter This “Hamiltome” is probably not the best introduction to the Broadway show, but it’s a definite treat for any existing fan clamoring for more. The book alternates between the full lyrics of every musical number (with annotations by writer/star Lin-Manuel Miranda) and …
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Book Review: Star Wars: Bloodline by Claudia Gray
Book #137 of 2016: Star Wars: Bloodline by Claudia Gray This Star Wars novel fills in some of the plot gaps between The Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, giving us a glimpse of how the First Order and the Resistance came about. There’s lots of galactic politics here, but in general they’re …
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Book Review: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
Book #136 of 2016: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (Warm Bodies #1) Retelling Romeo and Juliet as a zombie love story – in this case between a human named Julie and a zombie narrator who thinks his name might have started with an R – is a clever idea. But author Isaac Marion doesn’t do …
Book Review: To Hold the Bridge by Garth Nix
Book #135 of 2016: To Hold the Bridge by Garth Nix A mixed bag, as short story collections often are. The Old Kingdom novella that starts the book (and gives it its title) is justifiably the main selling point, and “A Handful of Ashes” was another highlight with its tale of magic that was reminiscent …
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