Books: Alphabetical

In the past (“the past” get it… oh, wait you haven’t read the next bit yet), I have tried... more

Apparently everything is going to kill us. There are a handful of insights among the doom and gloom, but mostly... more

Nothing to see here.

The Expanse continues with the story of the first traversals into the mysterious ring. A well-paced story that spends... more

I was disappointed when I came to the realization that this was more of a collection of short stories... more

I want to eventually read Huckleberry Finn, so I figured I should read this one first. It’s pretty entertaining, but... more

I think it’s telling that throughout this book the author in constantly having to backtrack and clarify what he... more

This is a collection of the Aliens comics that were released by Dark Horse in the late eighties. These came out... more

Billed as a travelogue, this book covers the culture, politics and history of the Nordic countries from the perspective... more

After finishing The Name of the Wind, I wanted to continue my fantasy novel kick. A Game of Thrones is a similar... more

A collection of essays about anarchism from 1800s to the present. The older essays were quite tedious and repetitive.... more

I was late to the whole A Game of Thrones thang (but, for the record, I was like totally in to... more

Great page turner.

Having read her other books, I felt obliged to read this novella. It’s a fairly literal take on individualism... more

Another big book about risk from Taleb filled with math, anecdotes, history and Fat Tony. This time it’s all... more

Chris Daunt is known in wood engraving circles as one of the few remaining block makers out there. Here... more

I really liked this noir-ish crime novel set in the dingy pool halls of rural Texas. Lots of great... more

The second Baby Shark story is just as brutal and action packed as the first with great characters and writing.

Another thoroughly enjoyable book in this series. This time Kristen is told to take some time off from all... more

I love these Baby Shark books. They are just great, action packed reads. I burned through this book in a few... more

Although I don’t think it’s hardly the best book in this series, I burned through this one in just... more

Another enjoyable story filled with shooting, kicking and revenge. This story is much more straightforward than others in the... more

The sixth Expanse novel is the last of the series that was adapted for the show. The biggest problem... more

I enjoyed his fantasy series, so I thought I’d try out Brown’s crime thriller series. This is the story of... more

The third book in The Witcher series brings the story back to the quality that was shown in the... more

The French comic upon which the movie was based. Stunning 60’s stylized artwork, but the story is just a... more

The was a companion book to the The Tower and the Tree series which at the moment (I’m about... more

He starts off with a typical comedian’s memoir and, after about three pages, Norm gives up and go total... more

Not bad, but I was expecting a more basic econ textbook rather than, what more often than not, feels... more

Although I was disappointed by The Blade Itself, I decided to continue on with the series to see if all... more

I think I would have liked this book better if I had listened to the audiobook version instead. As... more

Gritty crime fiction. Basically the blueprint for the entire genre. The writing and language are a tier above most... more

Decent and weird graphic novel. Lots on indy comic cliche.

A collection of six lengthy essays on race, history and misconceptions. The “Black Rednecks” essay is probably the most... more

Admittedly, I didn’t finish this book. There’s a point about halfway through when he tells the casual reader that... more

Once again, I am off in search of fantasy books to match the greatness of the A Song of Fire... more

The first official book in The Witcher series is not as jam-packed with action as the short story volumes... more

Not the strongest book in the series. It doesn’t help that many of the regular characters are gone in... more

I got this book as an advance copy and was really wanting to like it so I could say... more

To Kill a Mockingbird with a serial killer.

The final book in the Tower and the Tree doesn’t quite work as well as the earlier books. I... more

This is a nice companion piece to his book on Bosch. There quite a bit more to talk about... more

I still chuckle every time I read the name Hieronymus Cock. Maybe I’m just an immature fool, but Hieronymus... more

I generally like the various Ben Shapiro “Destroys” videos I come across on the webs. He is an excellent... more

This the second book in The Expanse series. It felt like a bit of a retread but with less interesting characters.... more

Another solid pulp novel from Prologue Books. This time the story follows a group of ex-soldiers out for revenge... more

The story sets the puzzle up in an interesting way. Eight guests are invited to a dinner party. Four... more

Sometime during my late teens I started reading a bunch of H. P. Lovecraft books. His style never fully... more

I never wrote a review for this one.

More of a character study of a completely unappealing character than a plot-driven novel. Not my thing.

This is yet another summation of Western philosophical thought. In this case it’s presented as a perpetual oscillation between the spiritual... more

One of the best looking books on printmaking I’ve seen. Printed on a think matte stock, with over 100... more

The Expanse keeps expansing! The story takes a break from galactic politics and focuses on the first group of... more

Why do I do this to myself? I am always disappointed with classic science fiction. This stuff is so... more

Ok. I may have goofed on the first book in The Tripods series earlier, but these are actually pretty fun reads. It’s not... more

I did not like this nearly as much as The Righteous Mind, but there are a handful of decent insights... more

I’m continuously on the lookout for a new fantasy series to fill my Kingkiller Chronicles/Song of Fire and Ice void. I’ve... more

Ending is pretty anti-climactic, but the meat of the story is very interesting.

A disappointing follow-up to the last Hornblower novel. This one has Hornblower in Russia helping out during the siege... more

A short book about a lesser known hero of the American revolution. As the captain of a Connecticut privateer vessel,... more

This was a fawning look at Coolidge’s life and tenure as the 30th President. It was okay up to a... more

Pulpy science fiction about a remote planet on which the inhabitants are convinced exists a super-computer that could solve... more

So far, this is my least favorite book in this series. Astrology is just not a very interesting topic... more

Joe Coleman is a sicko and he wants you to know it! While I still like his art, I... more

This book analyzes America’s proclivity towards an ever expansive and powerful executive branch—admittedly not the most exciting read. As... more

Despite an exciting opening, the second book in this series is not as good as the first. The stakes... more

What a mouthful of a title. Anyhow, this book is a case against post-modernism and its application within the... more

Amazon recently gave this ebook away for free as a promotion for the sequel Inferno. It was my beach read... more

This is a weird, hybrid art book. Not exactly coffee table ready, and not exactly an art history paperback.... more

Filled with art featuring death (for the most part that means a skeleton… spooky, no?) taunting the living. The... more

This one is a collection of art criticism essays from the early 70s. They mostly grapple with the perceived... more

I have read quite a few books that give an account of what it is like to live under the... more

Poirot on a plane, a blow dart, and many suspects all with reasons to kill the old hag. I... more

This was a nice manifesto of sorts that hits all the right marks in terms of what it means... more

The books keep getting better.

Michael Lucas is best known as the schtick-loving bassist of The Phantom Surfers. This book was self-published under his... more

James Bond #4 pits Bond against the mob in America. I’m surprised at how little actual spy-craft takes place... more

Sowell is always an interesting read. However, I find that he can be a bit repetitive in his points... more

I primarily have this book because I am interested in the spectacular Gustave Doré wood engravings. The text is... more

I recently discovered Prologue Books—a publisher devoted to re-releasing old pulp novels in ebook form. This is a company that... more

After the first three rousing volumes of the Song of Fire and Ice series, this book is a huge disappointment. I... more

Eccentric Orbits is the history of the rise, fall, and eventual rebirth of the world’s first (and only) global satellite... more

A straightforward and methodical look at the economic principal of accounting for both the seen, and unseen effects of... more

Mid-century sci-fi novel about a planetary colony that goes dark. When the rescue mission arrives they find the colonists... more

I like Andrew Klaven. His Klaven on the Culture videos are good natured and entertaining little bits of political satire that... more

The premise here is that the outsiders and the misfits, by rejecting puritanism and pushing the limits of what is... more

This one is a giant Dover paperback with glorious, near actual-sized reproductions of most of William Hogarth’s prints. But,... more

The third Discworld novel starts a completely new storyline with no crossover with the first two books. I actually... more

Outside of Helter Skelter, I have not read much true crime literature. I picked this one mainly because is was co-written... more

I started reading this book without knowing anything about it. I had previously read and very much enjoyed Vin... more

I know Lileks mostly as a humorous conservative commentator and a connoisseur of cheesy 50’s pop culture. I wasn’t... more

Another Philip Marlowe mystery featuring excellent hard-boiled prose. The story is filled with drug addicts, drinking, mobsters and crooked... more

This book presents a history of the current financial crisis thingy in a way that tries to be as... more

Another great Hornblower tale. The action picks up right at the end of the previous book and keeps going... more

An entertaining read that pretty much says everything funny that can be said about food. I’ve read a couple... more

I’ve heard a few interviews with Taleb and he can be very interesting so I tried to give one... more

Another Aubry/Maturin book. This one has both sea and espionage elements.

I was bored silly by this classic sci-fi book. I wanted to like it. It’s voted as the greatest... more

Well, this is why I write these reviews. I got about a quarter the way into this book and... more

Even as an audio book, this was a chore to get through. It’s a tale of a future with... more