Category Archives: Year

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, by Robin Sloan (audio)

Posted on July 26, 2013 by Thistle

I really had no idea what this book was about when I decided to listen to it. It turned out to be a wry, funny story about an unemployed 20-something kid named Clay who goes to work at the only … Continue reading →

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

The Cuckoo’s Calling, by Robert Galbraith

Posted on July 24, 2013 by Thistle

I put this book on hold the moment I found out that “Robert Galbraith” is really JK Rowling. Crazy, the way it was discovered, and I feel sorry for Rowling. I know she didn’t want it out so quickly. But … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013, 2017, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The Golem and the Jinni, by Helene Wecker

Posted on July 13, 2013 by Thistle

Best book of the year so far, hands down. Also: major spoilers in this review. A man commissions a Golem created for him to be his wife right before he sails from Danzig to New York. He awakens her halfway … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman

Posted on July 4, 2013 by Thistle

Spoilers. I was a little trepidatious, starting an adult Neil Gaiman novel after my terrible experience with American Gods. I’ve liked all his YA and children’s books, and I really loved Good Omens, but this one worried me. Especially since … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013, Adult, Prose | Tagged | Leave a comment

He’s Gone, by Deb Caletti

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Thistle

Dani wakes up, and her husband, Ian, is not beside her. At first, she thinks he’s just out, but as time passes, she knows he is gone. She doesn’t know if he left voluntarily, or if something has happened to … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013, Adult, Prose | Tagged , | Leave a comment

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, by Karen Joy Fowler

Posted on June 27, 2013 by Thistle

Major spoilers. The synopsis of this book doesn’t really say much. It’s about a dysfunctional family. Pretty typical, no? This book is anything but typical, and the only way for me to review it is to go through my mental … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013, Adult, Prose | Tagged | Leave a comment

Under the Light, by Laura Whitcomb

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Thistle

Spoilers. Helen and James have left Jenny and Billy’s bodies, while Jenny and Billy have both returned. But Helen comes back, guilty about the mess she left behind in Jenny’s life. She’s determined to help Jenny readjust to her life … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Rithmatist, by Brandon Sanderson

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Thistle

Joel would love to be a Rithmatist, but he missed his opportunity. Now, with his father dead and his mother constantly working to pay off family debts, Joel constantly tries to sneak ways to study Rithmatic theory at the prestigious … Continue reading →

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

Siege and Storm, by Leigh Bardugo

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Thistle

Spoilers. Second volume of the Grisha trilogy, following Shadow and Bone. I had so many thoughts and ideas about this book. It was literally my most anticipated book of 2013. Even though I rarely buy books these days, I went … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged | 2 Comments

Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo (audio)

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Thistle

This is an incredibly difficult book to review, for multiple reasons. I won’t even begin to try to summarize it. I spent two months and two days listening to the audiobook of Les Miserables, so that the experience stretched out … Continue reading →

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