Travel Reads: Gene

Given the press release and back cover copy I had high hopes for Gene by Gerald Deshayes. Alas, my hopes were kind of dashed.
Not to say this book doesn’t have potential … it does. But it needs work. It’s not ready for prime time, so to speak. Some of the writing is clunky, there are [...]

Travel Reads: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

Have you ever read a book that had an ending so satisfying that you just sat there and basked in it? Well, now that I’ve finished reading N.K. Jemisin’s The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, I have.
Jemisin’s debut novel is an epic fantasy set in a world that is both refreshingly new and comfortably familiar. Whether she [...]

Travel Reads: 2012: The Secret of the Crystal Skull

I must admit that I’ve dragged my feet writing this review. I finished reading 2012: The Secret of the Crystal Skull over a week ago.
The thing is, I don’t relish writing a bad review. I would love it if every book that gets sent to me is a gem I can recommend you read. But, [...]

Travel Reads: Guardian of the Dead

Karen Healey’s debut novel Guardian of the Dead works as a Travel Read on two levels: Not only is it an entertaining read, but it also transports you to two worlds … a campus town in New Zealand and the fairy world of Maori.
When I first started to read Guardian of the Dead, I experienced [...]

Travel Reads: Dead Fred, Flying Lunchboxes, and the Good Luck Circle

Proceeds from
book sales
go to benefit
Frank McKinney’s
Caring Home
Project Foundation.

An amphibious shark, strangler fig trees and blood red remora … oh my! That’s what Ppeekk (pronounced “Peekie”) has to contend with after she moves to Florida and meets Dead Fred.
Dead Fred, a small and crispy fish, isn’t really dead … but he is on his way … [...]

Travel Reads: The Duty of Love

I’ve been sitting on this review for a couple of weeks because I’m completely torn … and somewhat confused … about what to say about Ronald Neal Green’s novel The Duty of Love.
I received a copy of the book specifically for review and it was billed as being part Stephen King and part J.R.R. Tolkien, [...]

Travel Reads: Servant of a Dark God

Last night I finished reading Servant of a Dark God, the debut novel by John Brown, which is also the first book in a new fantasy series. I received this new Tor book free as a review copy … but this review is totally my honest opinion.
What would you do if in the course of [...]

Travel Reads: Parable of the Talents

As I’ve mentioned before, I pick up a lot of the books I read from the GoodWill … usually at 50% off. The thing with that is that finding those gem books is few and far between. So imagine my surprise when I found a copy of Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Talents.
I’d been meaning [...]

Travel Reads: Dead Until Dark

The same day I purchased a copy of Greywalker at the GoodWill, I also picked up Charlaine Harris’ book, Dead Until Dark.
This is the first Sookie Stackhouse book … a blending of the mystery and light horror genres that not only led to a series of at least nine books, but also the hit HBO [...]

Travel Reads: Greywalker

There’s a fine veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead and only a rare individual can walk pull it back and walk in both worlds. Reluctantly, Harper Blaine has recently become one of those singular individuals. And her life has taken a unique and terrifying twist.
Written by Kat Richardson, [...]