Category: Books

Book Review – Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer

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Acceptance is a 2014 science fiction horror novel by Jeff VanderMeer and the third novel in the Southern Reach trilogy. With the Southern Reach having fallen and the fate of the world unknown after Area X started to expand, Control and Ghost Bird embark upon their own expedition into this anomalous landscape in the hopes of reaching a remote island that they believe may hold the answers they seek. For Control, it’s the secrets behind Area X and how to stop it from expanding; for Ghost Bird, it is the fate of the biologist from the twelfth expedition, of whom she is a copy, in the hopes of gaining closure and a better understanding of who she is separate from her progenitor.Read More »

Ten Books I Never Reviewed

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book meme run by That Artsy Reader Girl. I thought this week’s topic would be an interesting one to delve into, as I used to review nearly every book I read, but lately I’ve been reviewing maybe a handful or so a year from what I read. Looking a little further back so as to not make it too easy on myself, I was surprised to find some of these I really hadn’t reviewed, while others I still feel a pang of regret.Read More »

New Books & Novel Discoveries (January 2025)

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I know it wasn’t just me, but goodness January felt like it lasted much too long. So long, in fact, that I could’ve sworn I had already posted about one of the new books included in this post today. I actually had to cross-reference with when I wrote down somewhere else that I’d finally gotten it to confirm. I think reading Moby-Dick honestly had the most to do with the protracted time for me, along with the dreary cold of the season.

I think I talk about time too much, when really this is about these new books.Read More »

Top 5 Books I Read in 2024

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I’m getting to this a little late this year, but nevertheless it is time once again to look back on the year just finished and determine which books were my top five favourite. As usual, this isn’t listing books that came out last year, just the five books I read last year that I enjoyed the most, in no particular order.

I think this may be the most difficult time I’ve had making this list; I enjoyed most everything I read last year, but a good number of them don’t really feel worthy of this distinction to me. It seems I had a similar problem last year, but I feel more pointedly dispassionate this time. At any rate, let’s see what made the cut.Read More »

New Books & Novel Discoveries (December 2024)

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December was a weird month because once again I feel like I’m forgetting something, and I feel as if I did a lot more shopping for myself than was actually the case, so I keep thinking the stock I’ve taken of my books is wrong. This isn’t helped by the fact that I actually did forget a book in November, busy month that that one was. All I can say for sure is, I didn’t get any books for Christmas, so I’m not carelessly forgetting a gift.

Enough waffling, let’s see these books.Read More »

Books on My Winter 2024/2025 To-Read List

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book meme run by That Artsy Reader Girl. Goodness, I did not realize until today that I have apparently not written one of these since all the way back in March. Lately, subjects hadn’t grabbed me when I’ve checked up on the listing, but I think I’ve been remiss in how little I’ve been checking, since I wish I’d contributed more throughout the year. This is an easy one to jump in on, at any rate, as I have a few books I still want to read before the year is done and a bunch more I’m hoping to start in the new year and the months following.Read More »

Book Review – Authority by Jeff VanderMeer

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Authority

Authority is a 2014 science fiction horror novel by Jeff VanderMeer and the second novel in the Southern Reach trilogy. Following the disastrous 12th expedition into Area X, the Southern Reach (the organization in charge of containing and researching Area X) is in complete disarray. Members of the last expedition have returned under mysterious circumstances, the same as the 11th, except for the psychologist, who was also the Southern Reach’s director. Now, despite being an outsider, John Rodriguez (aka “Control”) must take the helm as acting director. Through a series of interrogations, briefings with staff, and reviews of disturbing videos and other documentation, Control must uncover the secrets of Area X and try to salvage the institution’s handling of it, something he soon realizes is deteriorating faster than anybody is willing to admit.Read More »

New Books & Novel Discoveries (October 2024)

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I think this is the longest I’ve neglected posting one of these. October was an interesting month for reading, but despite it being my birthday month and a time perhaps for picking up more spooky reads, I didn’t do much of any book shopping, which feels weird. So, on top of things feel a bit weird with work, I’ve let this uneventful month lie unwritten about for almost two weeks. Time to fix that.

Let’s see the new books!Read More »

New Books & Novel Discoveries (September 2024)

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The past month was a surprisingly heavy one for book shopping, though I mainly blame a surprise library book sale that came up. It’s hard not to make some especially impulsive, even random, purchases when books are going for one or two dollars. I also got a little fixated on determining how my shelf would look going forward with a certain series and ended up picking up a couple brand new books too.

Now let’s see what books I’m carrying on about.Read More »