Vacation reading!

I am putting together my vacation reading list. I need some recommendations! Here is what's in my pile already: 

--This is a good start, but I need something I wouldn't consider.

I read a great book.

Outside Los Angeles, a driver pulls up to find a young woman sitting on a large black box. She offers him $200,000 cash to transport her and that box across the country, to Washington, DC.

But there are rules:

• He cannot look inside the box.
• He cannot ask questions.
• He cannot tell anyone.
• They must leave immediately.
• He must leave all trackable devices behind.

As these eccentric misfits hit the road, rumors spread on social media that the box is part of a carefully orchestrated terror attack intended to plunge the USA into civil war.

The truth promises to be even stranger, and may change how you see the world.

--Original plot, great characters, great commentary on today's world.

Book Club: Sole Survivor

This morning I am going to my Book Club. This month we read Sole Survivor by Ruthanne Lum McCunn.

I really love this book club. Not only are the people great but it leads me to read books I may not otherwise read. Sole Survivor is no exception.

This book was really brutal in detailing all the hardships Poon Lim went through. These kind of stories will help make me a better author.

Here is the description from Amazon:

On November 23, 1942, German U-Boats torpedoed the British ship Benlomond and it sank in the Atlantic in two minutes. The sole survivor was a second steward named Poon Lim, who, with no knowledge of the sea, managed to stay alive for 133 days on a small wooden raft. Finally rescued at the mouth of the Amazon River, Poon was hailed as the "World's Champion Survivor." He still holds the Guinness World Record for survival at sea.

--Great book, highly recommended.

Reading: Zypheria's Call: Tanyth Fairport Adventures, Book 2

From Nathan Lowell:

Sometimes the longest journeys are within.Tanyth makes her way across the ocean to continue her quest for the hermit of Lammas Wood. Storms and ice block her path, but her most serious enemies may be people she has never met. As her power grows, she must come to grips with the changes within her and the fear that she is going mad. To accomplish that she must answer Zypheria's Call and survive.

Available in Kindle, Paperback, and Audible editions.

READING: Lethal White

This week I read LETHAL WHITE by Robert Galbraith.

Here is the blurb from Amazon:

When Billy, a troubled young man, comes to private eye Cormoran Strike's office to ask for his help investigating a crime he thinks he witnessed as a child, Strike is left deeply unsettled. While Billy is obviously mentally distressed, and cannot remember many concrete details, there is something sincere about him and his story. But before Strike can question him further, Billy bolts from his office in a panic.

Trying to get to the bottom of Billy's story, Strike and Robin Ellacott-once his assistant, now a partner in the agency-set off on a twisting trail that leads them through the backstreets of London, into a secretive inner sanctum within Parliament, and to a beautiful but sinister manor house deep in the countryside.

And during this labyrinthine investigation, Strike's own life is far from straightforward: his newfound fame as a private eye means he can no longer operate behind the scenes as he once did. Plus, his relationship with his former assistant is more fraught than it ever has been-Robin is now invaluable to Strike in the business, but their personal relationship is much, much trickier than that.

Robert Galbraith is the alter ego of JK Rowling. Great stuff JK!

--This is the fourth book in the Cormoran Strike series.

Reading: HUMAN ELEMENT

This week I read HUMAN ELEMENT by AJ Powers.

Here is the description from Amazon:

Aaran has legitimate reason to believe he is the last free-thinking human alive. 

It's been months since he met someone who wasn't trying to kill or convert him, and the growing angst of nomadic isolation is taking a toll on his already weary state of mind. 

Aimlessly wandering around the suburbs of Cincinnati, Aaran's days all look the same: find food, evade capture, and search for a dry, offline place to rest his head each night.

Rinse and repeat.

However, after a close call with a Sentinel--an AI-controlled soldier--Aaran unexpectedly finds himself in the company of Hadas, a beautiful, yet dangerous woman. A shaky alliance is formed between the two, and together, they search for reasons greater than "just surviving" to keep them going in such a godforsaken world.

--Good stuff. Recommended.

Reading: Consider Phlebas

Last week I read CONSIDER PHLEBAS by Iain Banks.

Here is the description from AMAZON:

The war raged across the galaxy. Billions had died, billions more were doomed. Moons, planets, the very stars themselves, faced destruction, cold-blooded, brutal, and worse, random. The Idirans fought for their Faith; the Culture for its moral right to exist. Principles were at stake. There could be no surrender. 

Within the cosmic conflict, an individual crusade. Deep within a fabled labyrinth on a barren world, a Planet of the Dead proscribed to mortals, lay a fugitive Mind. Both the Culture and the Idirans sought it. It was the fate of Horza, the Changer, and his motley crew of unpredictable mercenaries, human and machine, actually to find it, and with it their own destruction.

--Great world building.

Reading: RITE OF PASSAGE

This week I read RITE OF PASSAGE by Alexei Panshin.

Here is the description from Amazon:

In 2198, one hundred and fifty years after the desperate wars that destroyed an overpopulated Earth, Man lives precariously on a hundred hastily-established colony worlds and in the seven giant Ships that once ferried men to the stars. Mia Havero's Ship is a small closed society. It tests its children by casting them out to live or die in a month of Trial in the hostile wilds of a colony world. Mia Havero's Trial is fast approaching and in the meantime she must learn not only the skills that will keep her alive but the deeper courage to face herself and her world. Published originally in 1968, Alexei Panshin's Nebula Award-winning classic has lost none of its relevance, with its keen exploration of societal stagnation and the resilience of youth.

--Good stuff. 

Reading: PILGRIMAGE

Last week I read PILGRIMAGE by Tom Abrahams.

Here is the description from Amazon:

PILGRIMAGE is a stand-alone post-apocalyptic story of survival. It was previously published as three separate novellas: Crossing, Refuge, and Advent. 

High School teacher James Rockwell is vacationing in Maine with his family, when an earth-changing explosion sends them on a race for their lives. Their first step is escaping an island in the midst of a tsunami, and it only gets more dangerous from there. 

Can they find their way home as civilization crumbles around them? And if they do, what horrors will they find?

--I really liked it. The protagonist was not a super-duper-great-at-everything-hero and the survival aspects were excellent. Recommended.

Reading: The Singularity Trap

This week I read THE SINGULARITY TRAP by Dennis Taylor.

Here is the description from Amazon:

The number one best-selling author of the Bobiverse trilogy returns with a space thriller that poses a provocative question: Does our true destiny lie in ourselves — or in the stars?

If it were up to one man and one man alone to protect the entire human race - would you want it to be a down-on-his luck asteroid miner?

When Ivan Pritchard signs on as a newbie aboard the Mad Astra, it's his final, desperate stab at giving his wife and children the life they deserve. He can survive the hazing of his crewmates, and how many times, really, can near-zero g make you vomit? But there's another challenge looming out there, in the farthest reaches of human exploration, that will test every man, woman and AI on the ship - and will force Ivan to confront the very essence of what makes him human.

--I really enjoyed this book! Recommended!

Reading: Make Bright the Arrows

This week I read,  Make Bright the Arrows by S. A. Huchton.

This story drew me in from the first chapter and was over too soon.

Here is the description from Amazon:

"Soldiers need wars, doctors need patients, and the Nanshe needs trouble. That's just kinda how it is."

The galaxy ain't a friendly place, but it's a good sight better when you've got friends at your back. And when the crew of the Nanshe stumbles into larger-than-your-average trouble, they'll need all the help they can get.

What starts off as a simple retrieval of stolen goods turns deadly when Leena Espinoza discovers a girl stashed in a cellar, her guardian murdered. The crew has a soft spot for hard cases, and despite Delilah's odd behavior, offers help instead of turning her over to the authorities.

But what they don't know might kill them.

No good deed goes unpunished, and the crew winds up on the radar in the worst possible way. Merc squads, shadowy coalitions, plus the usual criminal element are all on their tails, so it's fight or flight.

As a plot to unbalance the entire civilized universe unfolds around them, the ladies of the SS Nanshe gear up for battle. Through blood and fire, they'll do everything they can to protect what little they have. In the vast blackness of space, taking matters into your own hands isn't an option.... It's a matter of survival.

The story had an excellent pace. I really liked the depth of character development and the world building. It kind of reminded me of the parts I loved in Firefly.

I hardly ever give a Five Star review because in most stories I can always see a way it could have been better.

Not only was the story great, the narration was excellent. The voice differentiation between the characters, including accents added another dimension. I am even more impressed because the narrator was also the author. Well done.

--I’ll be the first in line for the next installment in the series, Flights of the Nanshe.

Reading: 14

This week I read 14 by Peter Clines.

Here is the description from Amazon:

Padlocked doors. Strange light fixtures. Mutant cockroaches.

There are some odd things about Nate’s new apartment.

Of course, he has other things on his mind. He hates his job. He has no money in the bank. No girlfriend. No plans for the future. So while his new home isn’t perfect, it’s livable. The rent is low, the property managers are friendly, and the odd little mysteries don’t nag at him too much.

At least, not until he meets Mandy, his neighbor across the hall, and notices something unusual about her apartment. And Xela’s apartment. And Tim’s. And Veek’s.

Because every room in this old Los Angeles brownstone has a mystery or two. Mysteries that stretch back over a hundred years. Some of them are in plain sight. Some are behind locked doors. And all together these mysteries could mean the end of Nate and his friends.

Or the end of everything...

--I really enjoyed this book. 

Reading: The Time Machine

Last week I read THE TIME MACHINE by H G Wells.

Here is the description from Amazon:

So begins the Time Traveller’s astonishing firsthand account of his journey eight hundred thousand years beyond his own era—and the story that launched H. G. Wells’s successful career. With a speculative leap that still fires the imagination, Wells sends his brave explorer to face a future burdened with our greatest hopes...and our darkest fears. A pull of the Time Machine’s lever propels him to the age of a slowly dying Earth. 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 tomorrow as well. 

Published in 1895, this masterpiece of invention captivated readers on the threshold of a new century. Thanks to Wells’s expert storytelling and provocative insight, The Time Machine will continue to enthrall readers for generations to come.

--Great stuff from 1895!

Reading: Hell Divers

This week I read HELL DIVERS by Nicholas Smith.

Here is the description from Amazon:

More than two centuries after World War III poisoned the planet, the final bastion of humanity lives on massive airships circling the globe in search of a habitable area to call home. Aging and outdated, most of the ships plummeted back to Earth long ago. The only thing keeping the two surviving lifeboats in the sky are Hell Divers - men and women who risk their lives by diving to the surface to scavenge for parts the ships desperately need.

When one of the remaining airships is damaged in an electrical storm, a Hell Diver team is deployed to a hostile zone called Hades. But there's something down there that's far worse than the mutated creatures discovered on dives in the past - something that threatens the fragile future of humanity.

--Interesting world building. Book 1 of a series.

Reading: Points of Impact

Last week I read POINTS OF IMPACT by Marko Kloos.

Here is the description from Amazon:

Humankind may have won the battle, but a new threat looms larger than ever before....

Earth's armed forces have stopped the Lanky advance and chased their ships out of the solar system, but for CDC officer Andrew Grayson, the war feels anything but won. On Mars, the grinding duty of flushing out the twenty-meter-tall alien invaders from their burrows underground is wearing down troops and equipment at an alarming rate. And for the remaining extrasolar colonies, the threat of a Lanky attack is ever present.

Earth's game changer? New advanced ships and weapons, designed to hunt and kill Lankies and place humanity's militaries on equal footing with their formidable foes. Andrew and his wife, Halley, both now burdened with command responsibilities and in charge of more lives than just their own, are once again in humanity's vanguard as they prepare for this new phase in the war. But the Lankies have their own agenda...and in war, the enemy doesn't usually wait until you are prepared. As Andrew is once again plunged into the chaos and violence of war with an unyielding species, he is forced to confront the toll this endless conflict is taking on them all, and the high price of survival...at any cost.

--Good stuff. Book 6 in the series. 

READING: Persepolis Rising

This week I read Persepolis Rising by James Corey.

This is the 7th in the Expanse Series.

Here is the description from Amazon:

AN OLD ENEMY RETURNS

In the thousand-sun network of humanity's expansion, new colony worlds are struggling to find their way. Every new planet lives on a knife edge between collapse and wonder, and the crew of the aging gunship Rocinante have their hands more than full keeping the fragile peace.

In the vast space between Earth and Jupiter, the inner planets and belt have formed a tentative and uncertain alliance still haunted by a history of wars and prejudices. On the lost colony world of Laconia, a hidden enemy has a new vision for all of humanity and the power to enforce it.

New technologies clash with old as the history of human conflict returns to its ancient patterns of war and subjugation. But human nature is not the only enemy, and the forces being unleashed have their own price. A price that will change the shape of humanity -- and of the Rocinante -- unexpectedly and forever...

--Expanse is now a major television series.

Reading: Babylon's Ashes

This week I read Babylon's Ashes, The Expanse, Book 6, by James S. A. Corey.

Here is the description from Amazon: 

A revolution brewing for generations has begun in fire. It will end in blood.

The Free Navy - a violent group of Belters in black-market military ships - has crippled the Earth and begun a campaign of piracy and violence among the outer planets. The colony ships heading for the thousand new worlds on the far side of the alien ring gates are easy prey, and no single navy remains strong enough to protect them.

James Holden and his crew know the strengths and weaknesses of this new force better than anyone. Outnumbered and outgunned, the embattled remnants of the old political powers call on the Rocinante for a desperate mission to reach Medina Station at the heart of the gate network.

But the new alliances are as flawed as the old, and the struggle for power has only just begun. As the chaos grows, an alien mystery deepens. Pirate fleets, mutiny, and betrayal may be the least of the Rocinante's problems. And in the uncanny spaces past the ring gates, the choices of a few damaged and desperate people may determine the fate of more than just humanity.

--Love this series.


 

READING: INFINITE

This week I read INFINITE by Jeremmy Robinson.

Here is the description from Amazon:

The Galahad, a faster-than-light spacecraft, carries 50 scientists and engineers on a mission to prepare Kepler 452b, Earth's nearest habitable neighbor at 1400 light years away. With Earth no longer habitable and the Mars colony slowly failing, they are humanity's best hope. 

After 10 years in a failed cryogenic bed - body asleep, mind awake - William Chanokh's torture comes to an end as the fog clears, the hatch opens, and his friend and fellow hacker, Tom, greets him...by stabbing a screwdriver into his heart. This is the first time William dies. 

It is not the last. 

When he wakes from death, William discovers that all but one crew member - Capria Dixon - is either dead at Tom's hands, or has escaped to the surface of Kepler 452b. This dire situation is made worse when Tom attacks again - and is killed. Driven mad by a rare reaction to extended cryo-sleep, Tom hacked the Galahad's navigation system and locked the ship on a faster-than-light journey through the universe, destination: nowhere. Ever. 

Mysteriously immortal, William is taken on a journey with no end, where he encounters solitary desperation, strange and violent lifeforms, a forbidden love, and the nature of reality itself. 

...he discovers the infinite.

--I enjoyed it! Recommended. 

Reading: Nemesis Games

Wow! Happy New Year people! 2018 is already looking up!

Last week I read a couple things:

• NEMESIS GAMES by James Corey
• A GIFT OF TIME by Jerry Merritt

Both were really good and highly recommended!

Reading: Cibola Burn: The Expanse, Book 4

This week I read Cibola Burn: The Expanse, Book 4 by James S. A. Corey.

Here is the description from Amazon:

An empty apartment, a missing family, that's creepy. But this is like finding a military base with no one on it. Fighters and tanks idling on the runway with no drivers. This is bad juju. Something wrong happened here. What you should do is tell everyone to leave.

The gates have opened the way to a thousand new worlds, and the rush to colonize has begun. Settlers looking for a new life stream out from humanity's home planets. Ilus, the first human colony on this vast new frontier, is being born in blood and fire.

Independent settlers stand against the overwhelming power of a corporate colony ship with only their determination, courage, and the skills learned in the long wars of home. Innocent scientists are slaughtered as they try to survey a new and alien world. The struggle on Ilus threatens to spread all the way back to Earth.

James Holden and the crew of his one small ship are sent to make peace in the midst of war and sense in the midst of chaos. But the more he looks at it, the more Holden thinks the mission was meant to fail.

And the whispers of a dead man remind him that the great galactic civilization that once stood on this land is gone. And that something killed it.

--Great series. Highly recommended.