About Travel Reads

What is a good vacation without a good book? (Or am I just that much of an introverted geek?)

Anyway, one of the features of this website is that I regularly review science fiction, fantasy, and horror books and rate them on a scale of 1 to 5 palm trees. Some of these books were already in my collection, some I pick up at a store, and others are sent to me as review copies.

For a list of the books I’ve reviewed to date, go here.

The next six books in the review queue are:

The Vision
By C.L. Talmadge
From Amazon: Lieutenant Helen Andros, a military physician, is caught in theocratic machinations that almost cost her life. Illegitimate, presumed orphaned, she learns her father’s identity as one of Azgard’s powerful Toltec lords and remains a target for the Temple of Kronos.
Anime Impact: The Movies and Shows that Changed the World of Japanese Animation
By Chris Stuckmann
From Amazon: While many books on anime simply offer a list of “essential titles” and recommendations, Anime Impact goes deeper by showcasing the many voices of anime’s biggest fans. You’ll find many distinct stories that only each specific writer could tell, all painting a fun and surprisingly touching portrait of the true impact of anime over multiple generations. It also explores the impression the medium has left on various fans with detailed discussions on television shows and movies from the 1960s all the way to the present.
Alternate Worlds: The Illustrated History of Science Fiction (Third Edition)
By James Gunn
From Amazon: Alternate Worlds was first published in 1975 and became an instant classic, winning a Hugo award. This third edition brings the history of science fiction up to date, covering developments over the past forty years–a period that has seen the advent of technologies only imagined in the genre’s Golden Age.
The Demon Lover: A Novel (Fairwick Trilogy)
By Juliet Dark
From Amazon: Since accepting a teaching position at remote Fairwick College in upstate New York, Callie McFay has experienced the same disturbingly sensual dream every night: A mist enters her bedroom, then takes the shape of a virile, seductive stranger who proceeds to ravish her in the most toe-curling, wholly satisfying ways possible. Perhaps these dreams are the result of her having written the bestselling book The Sex Lives of Demon Lovers. Callie’s lifelong passion is the intersection of lurid fairy tales and Gothic literature — which is why she’s found herself at Fairwick’s renowned folklore department, living in a once-stately Victorian house that, at first sight, seemed to call her name.

But Callie soon realizes that her dreams are alarmingly real. She has a demon lover — an incubus — and he will seduce her, pleasure her, and eventually suck the very life from her. Then Callie makes another startling discovery: Her incubus is not the only mythical creature in Fairwick. As the tenured witches of the college and the resident fairies in the surrounding woods prepare to cast out the demon, Callie must accomplish something infinitely more difficult—banishing this supernatural lover from her heart.

(Read my NY Journal of Books review)

Sad Monsters: Growling on the Outside, Crying on the Inside (Fairwick Trilogy)
By Frank Lesser
From Amazon: Monsters have it tough. Besides being deeply misunderstood, they suffer from very real problems: Mummies have body image issues, Godzilla is going through an existential crisis, and creatures from the black lagoon face discrimination from creatures from the white lagoon. At heart, these monsters are human; after all, you are what you eat. Quirkily illustrated, Sad Monsters hilariously documents the trials and tribulations of all the undead creatures monster-mad readers have grown to love, from vampires and werewolves to chupacabras and sphinxes and even claw-footed bathtubs.

(Read my NY Journal of Books review)

The Mere Future
By Sarah Schulman
From Amazon: A dystopian satire about urban mores set in New York sometime in the future, when the city has morphed into an idealized version of itself: where rent is cheap, homelessness is nonexistent, and the only job left is marketing. But all is not as it seems, culminating in a murder committed by a prominent New Yorker and a resulting trial that transfixes the city.

(Read my NY Journal of Books review)


Also in the Queue

And more.


I’m also keeping track of books read and to read on Good Reads.


Would you like your book added to the queue? Just send an email telling me about your book to editor@thegenretraveler.com.

I’m also happy to review DVDs and games for the Wii platform … as long as they would appeal to a science fiction, fantasy or horror fan base.

Please note that my reviews are honest and from my personal point of view. If I like a book, I say so. If I don’t like a book, I say so. And I do my best to provide both good and bad points so that my readers can make informed decisions about whether or not the book I’ve reviewed is worth their while. Also, I try to explain why I liked or didn’t like a book because I know that others may have differing thoughts on those points.

Please contact me before shipping anything to me.

Also, please note that at this time I’m not reviewing ebooks … my queue of physical books (which are easier for me to carry around and read) is so long, I honestly can’t say when I’ll get around to reading digital-only books. Besides, I would just print them out anyway, which you are free to do and send me via mail. 😉

Feedback from Author’s I’ve Reviewed

“Thank you for your thorough review of Dead Fred, Flying Lunchboxes, and the Good Luck Circle. We have had many, but none more complete and professional than yours. Thank you for taking the time.”

Frank McKinney
Author of 3 new bestselling books:
The Tap
Burst This! Frank McKinney’s Bubble-Proof Real Estate Strategies
Dead Fred, Flying Lunchboxes, and the Good Luck Circle

Read my review here.