A Glimpse into my mind

Old Man's War by John Scalzi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I was very pleasantly surprised to enjoy this book. I don't know why as it has very high reviews and several of my friends highly recommended Scalzi's work. This was my first interaction with John Scalzi and I will definitely look to read more of his stuff.

I cannot remember the last time I read a true, what I call hard core/classic science fiction book, but this is certainly what I would call one. Future, space travel, aliens, space battles. Tick, tick, tick.

John Perry celebrates his 75th birthday by visiting his late wife's grave to say goodbye and then go join the military. It's a special branch of the military. the Colonial Defense Force only takes senior citizens to go out to defend our interstellar colonies. The seniors are promised a renewal of life in exchange for service to defend humans against hostile aliens.

John gets the promised renewal, though not in the way he expected and becomes a Private in the CDF. In his first combat situation he shows ingenuity that gets him quickly promoted. He continues to show out of the box thinking as he continues to battle various types of alien species and comes to be noticed by the powers that be, continuing to cause him to rise in the ranks.

I really don't want to give much of the plot away so as not to spoil the story for others. But, if you are interested in Military Science Fiction, I recommend this book and I most likely will be seeking out the others in this series for future readings.



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Shard's Thugs by Dexter Herron

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This tale was an absolute hoot and a half. A grown-up story that puts the underdog grunt in the spotlight.

What do you do when you're a worthless, good-for-nothing thug in the goblin army but somehow you keep surviving? You make yourself the Captain by taking the dead one's uniform and try to continue not getting dead. At least that's what Shard figured.

But he proved not only competent, he proved imaginative in ways to keep alive. Then he's charged with the task of getting the Goblin Princess across enemy lands to safety. Which might have been easier had he been in charge of a company of anything other than worthless, good-for-nothing Goblin Thugs or if the Princess were remotely Princess-y and docile.

But through it all, he managed to stay just one step ahead of the Goddess of Death.

This was one of those books that I would classify along the lines of a Grown up version of the M.Y.T.H. books by Robert Asprin and recommend to others.



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What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This wasa fun, laugh-out-loud book that I cannot recommend enough. To the point that before I was 1/3 of the way through I messaged friends and said "You need to get this book and read it now".

The author, known for his webcomic xkcd asked his followers to ask absurd hypothetical questions and he actually did the math, research and science to find out the answers. I loved how, in one chapter, he used D&D stats to explain genetics... and for those like me who were/are RPG nerds... it made total sense.

You do not need to understand math or various areas of science to relate to this book and I encourage all to go read it as soon as possible.

AND BONUS: if you are an Amazon Prime member, this book is free for the kindle and kindle app.



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Catharsis by Travis Bagwell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I don't know if it was the writing, the reader, the topic or what but this book pulled me in and held on with tooth and nail, making me want to keep finding reasons to put the audiobook on and find out what happened next.

Jason is having a very bad day. A senior on scholarship at a exclusive (not to mention expensive) private high school, who seems to be an afterthought in the lives of his parents, a constant victim for bullying because he's the "welfare" kid at school from both the students and administration, he finally reaches his limit after attacked in the lunchroom and HE'S the one expelled.

So to find refuge he immerses himself into the new VR MMORPG that has just been released that day. But to find some satisfaction, instead of designing his usually "good guy" character he is offered by the game's AI to be a bad guy and he jumps in feet first.

However, what he doesn't realize, and something that the game's designers do not want to admit, is that the AI designed to run the game has become almost sentient and has taken to manipulating things outside of the game's original parameters.

I found myself talking out loud to the book, making suggestions on what I would do in Jason's position with his skills (because I loved to play Necromancers when I played MMORPGs). I found myself laughing in parts and cheering over outcomes.

I did also find myself screaming in frustration when the book ends. How dare it end that way and the next book not be tentatively scheduled for release for another 3 months?!?!?



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The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Poor Fred was your stereotypical nerd - a bit on the cowardly side, no real social skills, liked to be left alone and play with numbers. But then he became a vampire, which really didn't change much for him. He was still nerdy, cowardly (to the point where he used blood bank blood so he wouldn't have to fight or attack anyone), socially awkward and liked his job as an accountant.

But when he decided to be brave and go to his high school reunion, despite his condition, life got interesting. Regardless of what he wanted, he found himself having to be the vampire. And in the end he got a girl, an assistant and a group of friends.

I enjoyed this book and found myself both laughing at/with as well as sympathizing with poor Fred. I do believe I will be looking to continue with this series.



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Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda by Douglas Laux

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


What a load of self-centered narcissistic dreck.

I expected from the title that this would be about someone who actually went undercover into the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Not an informant handler who never went close to undercover. And by the telling was some one who just was able to come in and turn things around. I have trouble believing he was the first operative in Afghanistan who spoke fluent Pashtun (despite that he had been trained in a completely different dialect and had to relearn on the job). That he was the first and only one to suggest that the danger in Afghanistan was the Taliban and not Al-Qadea?

From the descriptions I felt more like he was a small town High School Quarterback who lived off of his self-perceived glory. That he was God's gift to everything - women, the CIA, the world. His girlfriend is mad at him, but the minute he takes off his shirt and she sees his fabulous abs she has to have sex with him right then and there? Give me a break.

And the attitude he claims he had with superior officers... dropping out of communication for two months and just going off on vacation jaunts without checking in at all, and he's not disciplined for it... I don't buy it.

sorry, no.

The only reason I give this book a 2 instead of a 1 is because I liked the reader. He's the only thing that kept me listening to the book.



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