Adult Titles

Other Family Doctor – book review

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The Other Family Doctor: A Veterinarian Explores What Animals Can Teach Us About Love, Life, and Mortality by Karen Fine, DVM Biography Nonfiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Karen Fine’s grandfather was her inspiration for becoming a veterinarian. His patients were human, but Karen admired the commitment and care he offered them (he practiced in South Africa and made house calls). She writes about her experiences in vet school, which is arguably at least … Read more

Earth Unaware – book review

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Earth Unaware The First Formic War bk#1 by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston Science Fiction * * * (Pretty good) Free miners are the first to encounter the Formics as the aliens head toward Earth with unknown intent. This follows the stories of a couple of the miner families and a corporate entity who must put aside their differences to warn the Earth of the aliens’ impending arrival. The encounters they have indicate that … Read more

Fairy Tale – book review

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Fairy Tale by Stephen King Adventure Fantasy * * * * Stars (Great!) Charlie Reade made a bargain with the universe to pay it back if his father stopped drinking and he finds an opportunity to make good on his word when he rescues his cantankerous neighbor after a fall. Mr. Bowditch is old and grumpy and cherishes his independence, but he reluctantly accepts Charlie’s assistance when that seems to be the only way he … Read more

Ex-Yakuza and Stray Kitten 1 – book review

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Ex-Yakuza & Stray Kitten vol. 1 by Riddle Kamimura Funny Realistic Manga * * * Stars (Pretty good) Sabu the kitten is taken in by a young man named Jin with a grim appearance and many scars and tattoos. Is he Yakuza?? Everything about him terrifies Sabu! But Jin is only ever gentle and kind. Sabu learns that he is going to “work” at a cafe “staffed” by other adoptable animals that Jin has taken … Read more

Can I Recycle This? – book review

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Can I Recycle This? A Guide to Better Recycling and How to Reduce Single-use Plastics by Jennie Romer Nonfiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Good information on the recycling process/stream. If your town supports curbside recycling, what happens to those items that go into your recycling bin? Are they really getting recycled? Are you sure what you’re adding is actually recycleable? You’ll want to check with your local waste management company to be sure, … Read more

Nettle & Bone – book review

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Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher Adventure Fantasy Romance * * * * Stars (Great!) When Princess Marra learns that her older sister is trapped in an abusive relationship, she vows to find a way to release her from her torment. This involves a lengthy quest to acquire the tools and companions she needs to do so – a bone dog, a gravewitch, her own fairy godmother (who is actually much better at curses than … Read more

Kaiju Preservation Society – book review

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The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi Science Fiction Suspense * * * * Stars (Great!) Jamie Gray finds himself out of work when the food delivery startup he works for downsizes him during the pandemic. Fortuitously, an acquaintance offers him a job with an animal rights organization he works for – conveniently leaving out the fact that the “animals” are in fact not of this world and that he’ll need to travel to another … Read more

Chosen Twelve – book review

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The Chosen Twelve by James Breakwell Science Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) 22 children are all that’s left of the human race. They’re being trained by robots (Edubot is their main instructor) and other AIs using simulations to colonize a planet that’s basically antithetical to human life. Previous colonists managed to create a species of intelligent, but extremely hostile kangaroos that kill anyone they encounter, and the world wasn’t exactly welcoming to begin … Read more

Upgrade – book review

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Upgrade by Blake Crouch Dystopian Science Fiction Suspense Thriller * * * * Stars (Great!) After a near apocalyptic event, the world really cracks down on any sort of genetics research and technology. Logan Ramsay, whose mother (renowned scientist) was ultimately responsible for the Great Starvation, has become an agent committed to stomping out the illegal genetics black market. During a sting, he’s caught in a blast and infected with a gene-altering virus that essentially … Read more

Strong Poison – Read It and Rate It

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Strong Poison Lord Peter Wimsey series, book #6 by Dorothy L. Sayers Mystery Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Lord Peter is solving another mystery. This time, it’s the mystery of mystery novelist Harriet Vane – who supposedly murdered her own fiancée. But as he is investigating the mystery, Peter finds himself falling in love with Harriet. Before long, he is racing to prove her innocence – and get her … Read more