Category Archives: Review

City of Dark Magic, by Magnus Flyte

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Thistle

This is my favorite book of 2013 thus far. It’s so creative and so much fun, flying across a dozen different genres, with a plot and characters so ridiculous the book should be ludicrous, but it doesn’t take itself seriously, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013, 2017, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Free-Range Kids, by Lenore Skenazy (audio)

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Thistle

In 2007, I visited my cousin and aunt at my aunt’s house. She was watching one of her grandsons, who was 2.5 years old at the time. While I was there, I played with him, picking him up by the … Continue reading →

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Into the Darkest Corner, by Elizabeth Haynes

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Thistle

My feelings about this book are very mixed. On the one hand, it was well written and I certainly couldn’t put it down after I picked it up, and I really liked the way it wrapped up. I loved the … Continue reading →

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Wheat Belly, by William Davis

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Thistle

I thought the premise of this book was really interesting, but I’m not sure I bought into the science behind it. There were a lot of case-studies where the removal of symptoms could be related to wheat-removal, but also could … Continue reading →

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Level 2, by Lenore Appelhans

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Thistle

Necessary disclaimer: Lenore and I have met and hung out at several book functions, and know each other on Twitter, Facebook, through blogging, etc. Now that that’s out of the way, let me explain why knowing Lenore doesn’t at all … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Fortune of the Rougons, by Émile Zola

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Thistle

While I’ve loved almost every Zola I’ve read in the past, I was not sold on this book. At least three-quarters of it is backstory, and it felt very clumsily put together. I appreciate the Rougon-Macquart history laid out in … Continue reading →

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The Emperor’s Soul, by Brandon Sanderson

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Thistle

This is my first Brandon Sanderson of 2013, and it was great! As usual. I’ve come to expect greatness from Sanderson, and he delivers it most of the time. This story was fascinating: a conflict of magical beliefs, and a … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Chopin Manuscript, by Multiple Authors (audio)

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Thistle

I picked up this audiobook on a whim. The mystery sounded complicated and perhaps a bit convoluted, but very intriguing. The audio was read by Alfred Molina, and I thought he’d make a good narrator. Lastly, the book was written … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013, 2016, Adult, Prose | Tagged , | 3 Comments

The Silence of Murder, by Dandi Daley Mackall (audio)

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Thistle

Hope’s older brother – a selective mute with several mental handicaps – has been accused of murder. Hope knows he couldn’t have done it, but has no proof. This story is both about Hope’s struggle to uncover the truth of … Continue reading →

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The Evolution of Mara Dyer, by Michelle Hodkin

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Thistle

I read the first of these books (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer) last year, and was very conflicted about it. The writing drove me crazy and the plot seemed to go in a million different directions, but I loved the … Continue reading →

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