The Thirteenth Reality, The Void of Mist and Thunder by James Dashner, a book review

The Thirteenth Reality, The Void of Mist and Thunder by James Dashner is the final book the Tick's saga, to the best of my knowledge (though no the end of his story).

Tick must escape the nowhere land he has found himself in with Mistress Jane and Chu. It's really up to him. They can't get themselves out.

He manages it somehow. In the doing, though, a part of the fourth dimension squeaks into their own multiverse and begins to wreak havoc. Again, though there are many forces working to assist, it falls to Tick to fix everything. He sorta manages to…

I do recommend this book and series for middle grade readers. Since the main character is a guy, young guys may especially enjoy it. My daughters love it and they are the reason I read the whole series even though it was a bit of a chore to push through each day. It's got lots of fodder for conversation with my daughters, so definitely not wasted time!

Have you read The Thirteenth Reality, The Void of Mist and Thunder by James Dashner? What did you think of it?

The Thirteenth Reality, The Blade of Shattered Hope by James Dashner, a book review

The Thirteenth Reality, The Blade of Shattered Hope by James Dashner is the third book in the saga of Tick and his friends striving to save the world from the evil geniuses in the realities. This series rests on the premise that there are many realities, with 13 of them being prime. Each reality has some of the same people, but not all do the same things. One's alterant might be very tall or very fat, depending on which reality s/he was from..

In this step in Tick's journey as a realitant, he is pitted against Mistress Jane who has pretty much completely lost all her sense. She's batty as a result of her interactions and experiences with Tick in the first book. She has set out to fulfill her goal of a utopia for all the realities… by doing evil. What's a little sacrifice of 6 billion lives if it saves more than 18 billion? This is how she thinks.

My daughters love this series. I read it because they wanted me to read it. It is good. It definitely did not have me in thrall. I had to push myself to finish it, quite frankly. I'm glad I did because I'm able to talk to my daughters about it. There are lots of great conversation starters, both of the fluff kind as well as many of deeper nature. I think this series is solidly written for middle grade readers. Boys in that age group, often considered the most difficult to hook on books, would probably love it! I definitely recommend it for those age readers.

Have you read The Thirteenth Reality, The Blade of Shattered Hope by James Dashner? What did you think of it?

The Thirteenth Reality, The Hunt For Dark Infinity by James Dashner, a book review

The Thirteenth Reality, The Hunt for Dark Infinity, by James Dashner, is the second book in Tick's saga. I shared my thoughts about the beginning of Tick's adventures HERE, so if you're trying to decide if this series is a go, make sure to check there first!

In this book, Tick continues to grow in new power through the tests Chu puts him through, unbeknownst to him.

Mistress Jane, in this book, seems to be turning over a new leaf. No longer the evil villain, she is trying to behave differently and be kinder, it seems.

She eventually learns that she is meant to do something that would have been easy for her to do in the first book, but she questions whether she should do it at all in this one. By the end, she makes her decision.

Tick and his friends move through various devious tests orchestrated by Chu, who is really just trying to find someone to help him rule the multiverse. He is an evil genius and Tick is determined to foil his plans and bring only actual good (not the twisted power-hungry version Chu has in mind) to the multiverse.

I had a tough time pushing through this book, to tell ya the truth. I did it, and will read the rest of the series, because my daughters want me to. It's good. But definitely didn't have me on the edge of my seat by any means. I definitely recommend it for middle grade readers, perhaps especially boys (though my daughters love it).

Have you read The Thirteenth Reality, the Hunt for Dark Infinity, by James Dashner? What did you think of it?

Treasure of Khan, a Dirk Pitt Novel by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler, a book review

Treasure of Khan by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler is another of the stack of books we received from a coworker of my husband's. It is an action packed story which ties a possible event in history to a fictional series of events set in the present day.

History made pertinent to hair raising modern day events is an interesting theme that seems to be common in Cussler's stories. I like it. The descriptions of guns and detail about fight scenes (when they get bloody), not so much. He definitely writes for a male audience!

This story involves the children of the main character, which I found a really interesting plot twist. Especially because the main character, Dirk Pitt, didn't know about them until they were basically adults and their mother was dead (which we learn in this book).

Action and mystery weave together throughout this story. It's interesting how Cussler alludes to some things and allows others to be complete surprises.

I did like this novel. It is definitely for an adult audience, primarily because of the nature of the action scene as well as some of the interactions between characters. My children will not read it any time soon, though I'm sure my eldest would enjoy it because she loves mysteries and actions packed scenes.

Have you read Treasure of Khan by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler? What did you think of it?

The Skeleton Coast a Novel of the Oregon Files by Clive Cussler and Jack DuBrul, a book review

Skeleton Coast by Clive Cussler and Jack DuBrul is another of the books given to us by one of my husband's coworkers. I guess either they really liked Clive Cussler or they were given lots of his books and passed them along.

Another book whose intended audience is probably guys… or seriously action loving ladies. It started with a bit more action than some, but still took a while for me to get into. The descriptions of guns, boats, and fight scenes are the main reasons I consider this more a guys sort of read.

It was interesting once I got into it. This is another example of a past incident tying into the modern events with which the novel predominantly deals. I do definitely like this aspect of Cussler's novels. It's maybe even a little fun to try to figure out how the historic event will tie into the modern ones.

This story seemed to have more gross parts than the others I've reviewed heretofore. I did not like that part of it at all and sorta skimmed through some parts of that nature. I prefer less description of blood and guts sorts of things. But I know guys often find that really interesting and even enjoyable… another reason I think this book's audience is intended to be fellas.

My children will not read this one. It is for adults because of the things I've listed above.

Have you read Skeleton Coast by Clive Cussler? What did you think of it?

The 13th Reality, the Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner, a book review

The 13^th Reality, the Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner is the beginning of an interesting science fiction series. In it, we learn some real scientific terms that, perhaps, some are not familiar with pertaining to quantum physics. My eldest daughter, at 12, knows that I am fascinated by all things QP and recommended this book to me. I did enjoy it, but not as much as I expected based on her report. For me, the story was not very compelling until near the end. It took me a few days to read it. I do look forward to the next book in the series because of the end of this on.

In this story, Atticus Higginbottom becomes involved with attempting to solve a series of clues. At first, he tries to do it alone. Eventually, that changes. I do like that Tick chooses to trust and involve an important adult in his life. I also really like the realities premise of the story. I think most middle age readers would really enjoy it, as did my twelve year old. I would be happy to allow any of my children to read it.

Have you read The 13^th Reality, the Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner? What did you think of it?

The Appeal by John Grisham, a book review

The Appeal by John Grisham is a book I may never have chosen to buy or borrow. Since it was given to us in a pile of other assorted books and one of my daughters wanted to read it, I took it up. The verbiage is reasonable for a lay-person, especially considering this story is all about legal matters. Grisham did a good job making the subject of litigation more interesting than most people (including me) might consider it.

Jeannette Baker's case is a representative case for a county which became known as Cancer County after illegal dumping by an unethical corporation. Her representation has sacrificed everything to bring her justice. The corporation's lawyers feel completely confident that the jury will side with them. The jury's decision is a surprise. The case is brought to the state's Supreme Court.

The main action and tension of the story is what leads up to the ruling of the appeal and the impacts that fall upon those whose lives were most invested in the case.

I disliked that I felt like the author was leading to a particular conclusion, but then switched at the last minute. As a reader, bait and switch isn't my favorite writing technique, for sure. I do like that Grisham presented a deep and abiding truth in the last line of the novel. One that, if we are wise, we will take to heart by way of stories like this or others' lives.

This book is not good material for younger readers. My daughters will not read it until they are significantly older. Perhaps 16, at the youngest.

Have you read The Appeal by John Grisham? What did you think of it?

The Navigator by Clive Cussler and Paul Kemprecos, a book review

The Navigator by Clive Cussler and Paul Kemprecos was among the books in a trove my husband was given. We love books around here, so we were all excited to go through the score. My second daughter found The Navigator and wanted to read it. There are some adult books I will let my children read, but not most of them. So, I told her I would check it out and let her know.

She will not be reading it until she is much older. There are enough adult scenes and situations to give this Mama pause. However, it is a good story and the adult scenes are tastefully done. Therefore, I can recommend it to those who enjoy adventure.

I think this may be my first step into adult adventure reading. It took a long time for me to get into this book. I felt like it would be much more interesting to most guys and any gals who enjoy stories that involve good descriptions of boats, cars, guns, and a few fight scenes. They were good as far as that goes, for the most part, I just tend to choose other genres before adventure.

This book is one in a series (though not necessarily a read 1 to whatever number sort of series) that involves Kurt Austin and a few other characters that work together regularly to figure stuff out and have adventures together. In this particular episode of their adventures, Kurt saves a woman in distress (a couple times), figures out a mystery, and ends up relaxing where we found him at his boat house.

Part of what I disliked about this book is how very polarized the characters are. The good guys are good at everything and all knowledgeable, while the bad guys are hellhounds, basically. Not terribly real-to life. Another thing I dislikes is how very unreal to most lives Kurt Austin's experience is. I'm sure lots of people read and loved the book because of who the main author is, but I wonder if they would read it if a lesser-known author's name was on the cover in Cussler's place.

Have you read The Navigator by Clive Cussler and Paul Kemprecos? What did you think of it?

The Rainy Season by James P. Blaylock, a book review

The Rainy Season by James P. Blaylock is an interesting story with a really interesting premise. Could stones, glass, or other small items hold memories? What about a soul? Blaylock presents almost this sort of situation as not only a possibility, but a reality in a really interesting story that spans generations and includes time travel!

Phil Ainsworth is the main character and his home is almost a character in the story, right along with the weather and the surrounding land. It's interesting that water is the transportation medium. It's also interesting that the reader isn't sure who has traveled into the future until we again meet the travelers.

The pieces of stuff that hold either a memory or a soul are sort of like a horcrux from Harry Potter, in some ways. The items comes into being by way of the memory or soul. I find this idea fascinating.

I liked the way the author included family history, in a way, because I've become a bit of a geneology lover. It's amazing to find out about our ancestors!

My daughters will read this book when they are significantly older. It is adult reading with some adult scenes. I'm relatively certain they will enjoy it very much. I simply choose to shelter them when it's within my power to do so.

I do recommend this book to any older youth and any adult.

Have you read The Rainy Season by James P. Blaylock? What did you think of it?

On The Run, Chasing The Falconers by Gordon Korman, a book review

On the Run, Chasing the Falconers by Gordon Korman is a good quick read. It's written for youth and mostly appropriate for young mature readers. My ten and twelve year olds read it and enjoyed it very much.

The children who are the main characters are stuck in a home for juvenile delinquents. They have been put their for protection because of the high profile nature of their parents' trial. The brother and sister believe their parents are innocent, but how to prove it? They come to realize they cannot do it from where they are.

Circumstances arise that make it possible for the duo to escape their confinement and the majority of this book is about that process. My daughters and I look forward to reading the continuation of their story because we want to find out if (or how) the brother and sister prove their parents' innocence.

Korman does a good job of hooking the reader, keeping attention through action scenes, while also endearing the characters (and not just the main ones) to the reader.

Have you read On the Run, Chasing the Falconers by Gordon Korman? What did you think of it?