Book #70 of 2016: Stiletto by Daniel O’Malley (The Checquy Files #2) Stiletto, the second book in Daniel O’Malley’s Checquy Files series, is that choicest of sequels that improves upon its predecessor in every way. That first novel, The Rook, had a lot to accomplish between the introduction of its unique setting and magical system …
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Book Review: The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan and Peter Sís
Book #69 of 2016: The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan and Peter Sís I rather liked this novel for junior readers about the boy who would grow up to be Pablo Neruda. It’s below the level that I usually read, but the magical realism of the boy’s daydreams mixing with reality certainly made it memorable. …
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TV Review: The West Wing, season 3
TV #40 of 2016: The West Wing, season 3 My wife and I are still making our way through this show for her first time and my nth. The third season holds up pretty well, even though this was the one that began airing shortly after 9/11. There are definitely some plot decisions that I’m …
Book Review: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Book #68 of 2016: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (Time Quintet) This is a book I’ve always felt weird for not liking more, since so many people seem to love it. But I do believe in second chances, so I read it again today for the first time in probably 20 years… and …
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Book Review: The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
Book #67 of 2016: The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie (Tommy and Tuppence #1) The Secret Adversary was my first time reading about Tommy and Tuppence, Agatha Christie’s “young adventurers,” but I’m already looking forward to the next book in their series. It’s refreshing to get two investigators in a Christie book, especially when they’re …
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Book Review: The Man Who Spoke Snakish by Andrus Kivirähk
Book #66 of 2016: The Man Who Spoke Snakish by Andrus Kivirähk This Estonian bestseller is a weird and frequently sexist book, but it does a good job at conveying what it’s like to witness one’s native language and traditions dying out. In the end I’m not really sure I liked this novel — and …
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Book Review: Dodger by Terry Pratchett
Book #65 of 2016: Dodger by Terry Pratchett Dodger has its share of Terry Pratchett’s classic humor, but it’s missing the comic sensibility that his best books display throughout. Part of this is likely due to the setting, which replaces the author’s usual Discworld for the rather less fantastic Victorian London. (And we are supposed …
TV Review: Star Trek: The Animated Series, season 1
TV #39 of 2016: Star Trek: The Animated Series, season 1 I was expecting this show to be a pretty shameless cash-grab (kind of like 1975′s awful Return to the Planet of the Apes cartoon), but it ended up being a pleasant surprise. Yes, the animators sometimes take shortcuts like having a character’s face take …
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Book Review: Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
Book #64 of 2016: Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate This novel about a giant talking cat that only the protagonist can see really ended up being more about the boy’s family falling on hard times, and how his imaginary friend was something of a coping mechanism for that. It was honestly a very stressful read for …
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Book Review: Terrier by Tamora Pierce
Book #63 of 2016: Terrier by Tamora Pierce (Beka Cooper #1) This was only my second ever Tamora Pierce book — counting the four-part The Song of the Lioness as a single volume, as my edition was — but I liked it even better than the first. This prequel world feels very lived-in, with fun …
The Lesser Joke: book reviews and more 