I’m over at Dear Author with a review of And Call Me In the Evening by Willa Okati, her 2014 sequel to the 2010 And Call Me In the Morning which I also reviewed at Dear Author recently.
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Why I read it: I received a copy from the author via NetGalley.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Dragos Cuelebre is no longer the only dragon.
Dragos’s son Liam Cuelebre (a.k.a. Peanut) is springing into existence, reminiscent of the first of the Elder Races who were born at the beginning of the world. At just six months of age, he has already grown to the size of a large five-year-old boy. He can read, write in complete sentences, and his math skills are off the chart.
A white dragon in his Wyr form, Liam also holds more Power than almost anyone else. In an effort to give him a taste of normality, no matter how fleeting, his parents Pia and Dragos enroll him in first grade.
They hope school will help teach Liam how to relate to others, a vital skill that will help him control his growing Power. But school has a surprising number of pitfalls, and relating to others can be a tricky business.
When a classmate is threatened, Liam must quickly learn self-control, how to rein in his instincts, and govern his temper, because there’s no doubt about it—he is fast becoming one of the most dangerous creatures in all of the Elder Races.
Warning: Series spoilers follow
What worked for me (and what didn’t): Peanut Goes to School follows on about a month after the events in Pia Saves the Day. Pia asked Liam to be a “big soldier” so he “pushed” and grew bigger overnight – he’s only six months old chronologically but he looks like he’s about five or six. Because Liam is surrounded by adults, Pia and Dragos decide it is important to send him to school so he can socialise with other children. He needs to learn how to interact with people and to control himself (there was an incident with some cows). His parents realise they have little time before he’s apparently an adult and once he’s bigger he will be that much more powerful. He doesn’t need the curriculum for education purposes. Liam is wicked smart. But he needs to play and interact with other kids.
Much of the story is told from Liam’s POV and he remains charming and cute. He does have to learn to control his temper because he is very strong and very powerful but the good news is that the control he has to learn is in the role of protector not villain.
I’ve over at AudioGals today reviewing Don’t Want to Miss a Thing by Jill Mansell, narrated by Alison Larkin. While it has a HEA, it’s more a chicklit kind of book than a romance but it worked for me on audio.
I’m at Dear Author today with a review of Pieces of Olivia by Melissa West. It was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I found the writing voice very engaging but had quite a few issues with the plot.
I’m over at Dear Author reviewing And Call Me in the Morning by Willa Okati. It’s a book I first read in 2010 and I revisit it in preparation for the sequel.
Why I read it: This sci-fi book was highly recommended and I bought the audiobook a little while back. It’s not a romance but I don’t mind a little break every now and then and, as I’ve said before, I tend to be more adventurous with audiobooks anyway. I hear this one is being made into a movie starring Matt Damon, to be directed by Ridley Scott. If they don’t muck it up, it will be awesome.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.
Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.
After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive?and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.
Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first.
But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills – and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit – he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?
What worked for me (and what didn’t): This book was an absolute cracker. Honestly, I was hooked from the beginning and the story kept me gripped right until the end. I am trying to restrain myself from just fangirl gushing about it – it was just that good.
Mark Watney has been left alone on Mars. His crew, for valid reasons, thought he was dead and they had to leave in a hurry. He is alone, in a hostile environment and has no communication with Earth or his crew’s ship (Hermes) because the same storm which caused the quick departure took out the comms. So, at first, no-one even knows he’s alive. What follows is him making a plan to survive until the next Mars mission which is four years away. He is a mechanical engineer and a botanist, which, as it turns out, if you’re going to be stuck alone on Mars, include the perfect skillset. He basically MacGyver’s what is available to him in order to survive.
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