
The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel
Margaret Atwood and Renée Nault
Book
Provocative, startling, prophetic, and more relevant than ever, The Handmaid's Tale has become a...
Feminism

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2393 KP) rated Knot Ready for Murder in Books
Mar 9, 2024
The previously unmentioned spouse is a trope I hate for being too much like a soap opera, but once we get past that, this proves to be a good mystery. There are plenty of surprises along the way to a great climax. While we do get a new over the top character here, the rest of the cast have been toned down some, which I appreciated. On the other hand, I wish we’d seen more of some of them, especially since this is the final book in the series. Fans who have read the entire series will be delighted with the final chapter, which sends the characters out well. As always, I enjoyed seeing towns I recognized pop up, but I really enjoyed seeing a local pizza place show up. I’ll miss spending time with these characters, but I was smiling when I set the book down.

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2393 KP) rated Mistaken Identity Crisis in Books
Jul 8, 2025
That storyline alone would have been enough for a mystery, but we are also facing some serious developments for the ongoing soap opera storyline, which leads to a book that is overstuffed. While the ending does answer my questions, I felt like it was a bit too convenient. There’s a large cast of characters, and tracking all their relationships takes a lot of concentration and the cast of characters at the beginning. I was glad to see some of the relationships were less contentious here, although one shifted a bit too abruptly for me. The writing keeps us just a little outside the story as well. I do like Kellen and the rest of the core cast, so I will be continuing to see what happens next to them. Fans will want to see how things play out in this book.

What Do I Know?: People, Politics and the Arts
Book
Since his successful spell running the National Theatre, Richard Eyre's career as a director of...

Charles Darwin: pocket GIANTS
Book
When Darwin announced his theory of evolution by natural selection, he did more than transform...

Luigi Moretti. Fencing Academy in the Mussolini's Forum, Rome 1933-1937
Book
Set in the widest urban neighbourhood of the fascist Rome, the "casa delle armi" building show the...

How Paris Became Paris: The Invention of the Modern City
Book
At the beginning of the seventeenth century, Paris was known for isolated monuments but had not yet...
The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Volume Eleven
Book
The 11th volume in this much lauded series with incisive and genre-defining stories chosen my...

Robert Pattinson recommended First Name: Carmen (1983) in Movies (curated)

Christine A. (965 KP) rated To Sleep in a Sea of Stars in Books
Sep 16, 2020
Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Christopher Paolini's Eragon series, I looked forward to listening to the audiobook of his latest novel, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars.
Paolini did not disappoint. His work on this space opera spanned for nearly a decade. The research completed to make it accurate as possible shows he did not rush his writing.
Do not expect to read/listen to this in one sitting. The run time is 32 hours, 29 minutes, and the book is 880 pages. The book could have been released into a trilogy but do not let that scare you. The story may be long, but it is well built and full of completely fleshed out characters and worlds. My favorite character is Gregorovich, a ship mind. Paolini's sarcastic words and the narrator's voice makes him a character as memorable as paranoid Marvin from H2G2.
In 2013, the narrator, Jennifer Hale, was recognized by Guinness World Records as "the most prolific video game voice actor (female)." Her voice is instantly recognizable, and the array of voices she uses in the audiobook are separate and distinct from each other.
Paolini's story and Hale's voices make this an enjoyable story to remember.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 9/15/20.