Head On by John Scalzi

Head On by John Scalzi

by Carol4 Comments
Head On could work as a stand alone, but I think it's best to read Lock In first, to get a full feeling for the world and the main characters Chris and Vann. In the near future, a portion of the population has been affected by Haden’s syndrome, leaving some “locked in,” awake and aware, but unable to move or respond without computer/mechanical help. Our mystery this time around centers on the death of a Hilketa player. The player, like almost all Hilketa players, is a Haden, piloting his specialty threep remotely. Since the crime involves a Haden, it's FBI territory and this case falls to Chris and Vann. It doesn't hurt that Chris was at the game when the player died - Chris's father is  potential investor in the Washington franchise. The world Scalzi has created is well-done - believable and possible, but t heart, this is a police procedural with a cool sci-fi backdrop. Chris and Vann make great partners...
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All Systems Red by Martha Wells

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

by Carol4 Comments
There were three reasons I picked up All Systems Red. #1 - It was sci-fi and I was participating in #SciFiJune when I read it. #2 - It's short and I'm behind on my Goodreads challenge by 4 books. #3 - It had good reviews. In the end, I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It's a good story with a truly relatable main character. That relatable character calls itself Murderbot. It is a sentient security robot who has hacked its governor's module. It's essentially rogue, but still pretends to be the security robot it is expected to be. The scientists it's working for run into a dangerous situation and Murderbot does the best it can to protect them. They, in turn, begin to see Muderbot as more of a person and less of a robot. Murderbot though is extremely shy and introverted, interacting with humans in any meaningful way fills it with anxiety. It would much rather...
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The Time Machine by H. G. Wells

The Time Machine by H. G. Wells

by Carol6 Comments
Apparently I had no idea what The Time Machine was about, aside from the obvious of course. The Time Traveler has invented a machine that can go into the past or travel into the future, but of course his friends, who he has dinner with weekly, don't believe him. However, the next week, he shows up late to his own dinner party looking ragged and disheveled and tells his friends an incredible story of traveling into the distant future. There he discovers two bizarre races—the ethereal Eloi and the subterranean Morlocks—who not only symbolize the duality of human nature, but offer a terrifying portrait of the men of tomorrow as well.  He also tells of going even farther and seeing the dying planet. On the one hand, it's an interesting exploration of class and societal evolution. It's the first story to popularize time travel and the image of the dying earth, not the one of the Eloi and Morlocks, but of the...
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Lock In by John Scalzi

Lock In by John Scalzi

by Carol2 Comments
Mystery and science fiction make a great pairing and Lock In by John Scalzi does it well. It's a police procedural set in a future where a portion of the population has been affected by Haden's syndrome, leaving some "locked in, " awake and aware, but unable to move or respond without computer/mechanical help. I find a read more sci-fi every year and really enjoy it. Lock In is light on the sci-fi side. It's near future and the tech is obviously more advance, allowing human brains to connect with "threeps" (named after C-3PO), the robots that allow locked Haden victims to move, talk, interact with the real world and with the Agora, a virtual world that allows Hadens to communicate with each other, to have their own "spaces" and communal areas. But it all feels distinctly possible and here. It's not space ships and AI robots. There are Hadens who never use a threep, who basically live and work in...
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The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

by Carol2 Comments
I probably shouldn't have read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck, since I can't actually say the title out loud, but I kept seeing it around and the audio was the prefect length for a couple of drives I made last weekend. I really liked the first part of the book. Basically, the media and internet and the world want us to care about everything, but that's not the way to a happy, fulfilling life. You need to choose what you care about, what values really matter to you. Manson shares thoughts that while not original are true, like pain and struggle are unavoidable; facing hard truths about ourselves helps us grow; and failure, as so long as we learn from it, can lead to success; that sometimes just doing something is better than waiting for inspiration. I got a little bored towards the end. A lot of the book is repetitious and his anecdotes can get a little annoying. Maybe...
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Buried Secrets by Leighann Dobbs

Buried Secrets by Leighann Dobbs

by Carol2 Comments
I really enjoy the Blackmoore Sisters Mysteries. In Buried Secrets, they head West on a treasure hunting trip with Luke, one of the sisters' boyfriends and his team. I like that the people around the women recognize, and believe in, their powers. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the sisters leaving their hometown, but since they took all of the recurring characters with them, it didn't really matter much. The girls piece together what happened Dead Water's past and get right in the middle of some present day illegal activities. Overall, it's a bit predictable, but there was a least one twist I didn't see coming. I would suggest starting the series at the beginning. They're light, quick read that are just fun. There are a lot of characters though, and a variety of powers, so I think starting with #1 allows you to get introduced to them all and get to know them. I'm looking forward to the next in the...
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