Here at Chapter Break, we don’t always write a full review of every book we read. Well, now we decided to do these monthly wrap-up posts with roundups of our reviews this month and mini-reviews to fill in the gaps. Enjoy!
No mini reviews from me this month. We just moved houses and I read nothing but kids books.
Ready Player Two: I know what you are thinking. Is it possible for Ernest Cline to duplicate the fun read of Ready Player One? Let me tell you – YES. Wholeheartedly. Ernest Cline is the 80’s Trivia King! I would never want to go up against him in Trivia Pursuit. But even more, he weaves that random trivia into an emotional and action packed story. I certainly don’t want to spoil any of the story. But I think what I really love about these books is it’s a future that’s believable. Would I want to spend all day in the Oasis instead of IRL? I don’t know. But being able to have Tolkien-level adventures is certainly intriguing. Wil Wheaton does an excellent job as usual with the narration. Highly recommended if you love 80’s trivia, sci fi, and the internet.
The Dispatcher: This book had a lot going for it. Short (Audio is under 3 hours). Written by John Scalzi. Narrated by Zachary Quinto. Overall, an interesting premise – where murdered people don’t actually ‘die’, but wake up in their homes a few seconds later. Imaginative. A little creepy. Overall kept my attention while I was driving!
Stalking Jack the Ripper: I’m finally getting to one of the Audio Sync books from this past summer that I downloaded. And honestly, I’m not impressed. Stalking Jack the Ripper is like an older Enola Holmes or a younger Lady Darby. But not written as well as either of those. Audrey Rose is certainly walking that line between girl and young woman. She can’t decide if solving the White Chapel murders is more important than flirting with her uncle’s apprentice and his wispy eyelashes. Honestly, the flirty was painful and awkward (she’s 17). I would have rather had more sleuthing. The gothic twist reason for Jack The Ripper’s rampage was an interesting twist to the usual storyline. I’d say if you were going to listen to this, just skip to the last two hours. The audio was ok, but I’m not really enjoying the Sora app experience. I tried speeding up the audio to 1.25x and the sound quality was horrible. I’m not sure if that’s the app or the narration.
The Prince and the Troll: I see a Rainbow Rowell story and I pounce! Especially if it’s free. This is a very clever, and very short story, about a man who meets a troll. And brings her a lot of coffee. Great word-play. Good moral at the end. My only complaint is that it’s too short and I want more!
Books we reviewed this month:
- [8 Dec] Cleo Can Tie a Bow by Sybrina Durant ★★★★★
- [9 Dec] Once Upon a Mail Order Bride by Linda Broday ★★★★★
