Review: Tenth of December

Tenth of December by George Saunders
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. Yes, I liked some more than others, but I think that is always the case when you are reading a book that is many separate stories.

My favorite stories were Victory Dance, Escape From Spiderhead, and The Semplica Girls Diaries. I liked these stories because they surprised me. I did not expect the direction they took when I started them. It is not often a story so draws you in that you don't see the darkness until it has completely surrounded you. These stories were not what they seemed at first and I liked the unexpected inevitability of them.

I highly recommend this collection of stories.

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Review: それでも世界は美しい 1

それでも世界は美しい 1 by Dai Shiina
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

I watched the anime of this about a year ago. I also read some of the manga at that point as well. I decided to start over again though because it had been a long time since I'd read and I wanted a refresh on the story. Nike is a great character and I'm looking forward to rereading this manga.

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Review: When a Scot Ties the Knot

When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is my favorite Tessa Dare novel. It was sweet in so many ways. Captain Logan MacKenzie is a figment of Maddie's imagination. She invents him to avoid a London season. Ten years later Captain Logan MacKenzie shows up on her door step. Maddie is shocked to find he got her letters and mortified. Logan uses the letters to get her to marry him. Maddie might not know Captain MacKenzie, but he knows her and she has a place that he and his men can be safe in the Highland. The characters were great and Maddie and Logan had chemistry I believed. There weren't any petty misunderstandings or other romance troupes that bother me. I highly recommend this novel.

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Review: Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance

Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance by Atul Gawande
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When I started listening to this audio book I expected it to have a little more that could be applied to fields outside of medicine. The end did a little, but most of the book was about medicine.

I started reading this book in 2014, but didn't get far at the time because of health issues. It has been on my list of books to read ever since. On a recent trip to the library I saw it and picked it up as an audio book. Clearly I wasn't going to finish it in the written format.

I enjoyed the audio version of this. It didn't give me the greatest confidence in the medical profession, but I already had some mistrust. The above health issues were not solved and I'm still looking for answers. That is extremely frustrating. This book looks at ways that medicine can do better, it doesn't say that doing better will mean solving every problem it means doing the best and striving to make that better. The stories in here were interesting for the most part. I wanted to really like and learn from this book but I don't feel like I got a lot that is applicable to my life as a non doctor. I'm glad I listened to it eventually, but I don't think it is a book that I'll return to.

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Review: What Happens in London

What Happens in London by Julia Quinn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Who is the real spy: Olivia Bevelstoke who has taken to watching her new neighbor or Sir Harry Valentine? This set up for the story is both intriguing and a bit funny at times. Olivia doesn't realize that Harry knows she is watching him. However, when they first meet it becomes clear he knew she was spying on him. Harry finds Olivia to be a very different person than he would have expected. She seems to be unfeeling. What makes her societies darling?

I really enjoyed this story, and the funny Gothic novel that all the characters, except our main characters seem to be in love with.

This was another fun novel from Julia Quinn. I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series..

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Review: Time Travel: A History

Time Travel: A History by James Gleick
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I listened the the audiobook of this. I enjoyed it. However, I realized that not having read many of the books discussed in here I was missing out on some of the history of writing about time travel. I did find it interesting and am looking forward to reading or listening to many of the books that were mentioned in here.

Time travel is not as old an idea as I would have thought.

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Review: Any Duchess Will Do

Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Griff is kidnapped by his mother and taken to Spindle Cove to select a wife. He selects Pauline, the barmaid. The set up for this story was amazing and I enjoyed the characters. Griff seems to fall for Pauline quickly at least as far as attraction goes. Pauline has a similar attraction but hers seemed less hurried.

I guess the rags to riches story had more appeal to me than I thought it would.

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