Tag Archives: 4.5 stars
Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
First of all, I have never enjoyed an audio book as much as this one. At least half a star is for that alone. The story was quite the exciting romp through the world of the Gentleman Bastards. I don’t know how to say much without spoiling the book for people, but suffice it to say that if you enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora you will most likely enjoy Red Seas Under Red Skies. Jean & Locke are definitely up to no good and it doesn’t always work out for them. Still, to paraphrase one of Jean’s more memorable lines, they’re the biggest, baddest motherfuckers in the room.
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Leave a comment | tags: 4.5 stars, adventure, badassery, book, book review, books, boozy, fantasy, gentleman bastards, have some more wine, jean tannen, locke lamora, questionable motives, review, scott lynch, star-crossed lovers, sweet sweet luuurve, swordplay, too stubborn for their own good, up to no good, you're a kitty | posted in Words
Pesto Focaccia Pizza
Like the author of this post, I love pizza. I also love the no knead focaccia recipe on which this particular pizza is based. I think my next variation will be red sauce with mozzarella, prosciutto, and basil. Mmm!
Leave a comment | tags: 4.5 stars, basil, budgetbytes, fast, focaccia, inexpensive, no-knead, pesto, piza, pizza, recipe, recipe review, review, tomato | posted in Food
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
I don’t even know how to express just how much I loved Small Gods. I really, really, really enjoyed reading this. Sure, that may have been because my boyfriend’s great love of turtles has rubbed off on me. It may have been a devious glee at the thought of a petulant little god who never considered that he should do anything for his believers. The great library and the hilarious stereotype of the philosophers in Ephebe certainly didn’t hurt. Nor did the penguin. Or the history monk. Vorbis was creepy as hell, which added a slight touch of reality. Seriously, go read this. Now. Go!
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Leave a comment | tags: 4.5 stars, book, book review, books, crazy deities, discworld, fantasy, humorous, libraries are awesome, magical creatures, review, small gods, terry pratchett, too stubborn for their own good, turtles | posted in Words
6 comments | tags: 4.5 stars, best books read in 2011, bibliophilia, book review, books, bosnia, contemporary fiction, fiction, geraldine brooks, haggadah, historical fiction, holocaust, i hear you like books in your books, libraries are awesome, museum, nazis, people of the book, pleasant surprise, racial tension, review, sarajevo, sarajevo haggadah | posted in Best Books Read in 2011, Lists, Words
Best Books Read in 2011
9. A Great & Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
A Great & Terrible Beauty earned its place on this list by showing me that young adult paranormal fantasy can be enjoyable. I remain surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It’s genuinely good. Unfortunately, the second is kind of awful, but the third is also great.
Original Review
10. The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
9 comments | tags: 4.5 stars, a great and terrible beauty, best books read in 2011, book review, books, fantasy, fiction, gemma doyle, libba bray, magical creatures, re-read potential, review, witches & wizards, you think your family has issues, young adult | posted in Best Books Read in 2011, Lists, Words
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
The Unit is the saddest piece of dystopian fiction I have ever read. Normally the genre leaves me angry or frightened or feeling the need for a good shower, but this made me feel heartbroken. The Unit is a place where women who have reached the age of 50 and men who have reached the age of 60 without having children are sent to live in order to participate in “humane” experiments and act as organ donors for the so-called needed. These people are known as dispensable.
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Leave a comment | tags: 4.5 stars, book review, books, dystopia, eccentric old ladies, eccentric old men, everybody dies, infant inconveniences, intriguing review, ninni holmqvist, re-read potential, review, science fiction, science gone wrong, the unit, xposted to OSgA reviews | posted in Words
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
People of the Book is a stunningly beautiful book about another stunningly beautiful book. It fictionalizes the true story of the Sarajevo Haggadah, a unique, 500-year old version of a book read at Jewish Passover Seders. It illustrates the story of how and why Passover came to be. People of the Book looks at the fascinating story of the Haggadah’s travels through the years and creates a story from them. All of the characters are fictional and some of the chapters are admittedly entirely fiction while others contain more factual information. While reading I did not care at all which was which and I am not certain I do now. Geraldine Brooks.ostensibly tells the story of a book, but as the title hints, what she really tells is the story of a people.
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Leave a comment | tags: 4.5 stars, best books read in 2011, bibliophilia, book review, books, contemporary fiction, fiction, geraldine brooks, historical fiction, holocaust, i hear you like books in your books, libraries are awesome, nazis, people of the book, pleasant surprise, racial tension, review | posted in Words