Branden

Stephen King's The Waste Lands is a masterful blend of revelation and mystery that cements its place as a standout installment in the series. In this book, King skillfully ties up several threads from earlier volumes, offering satisfying answers to long-standing questions about the characters and the sprawling universe they inhabit. Yet, true to his style, he leaves enough tantalizing gaps to keep readers guessing and deeply engaged with the unfolding saga.

What I love most about The Waste Lands is its delicate balance between clarity and enigma. King doesn't just resolve past mysteries—he transforms them, deepening the intrigue and inviting fresh interpretations. Every revelation feels earned, pushing the narrative forward while ensuring that new puzzles emerge, perfectly setting the stage for what's to come.

The prose is, as always, vivid and immersive. King's ability to create a desolate yet mesmerizing world is on full display, drawing you into a landscape that is as haunting as it is beautiful. The characters, both familiar and new, are rendered with complexity and nuance, making their journeys feel personal and epic at the same time.

This is a book that invites deep reflection about life, its meaning, how we connect to the world around us, and the roles of the people we form relationships with in that world. You’ll want to return to parts of this book again and again, finding new layers each time.

Martyr! will linger with me for a long time and I know it will live in my head for years to come. It’s a deep thinker, and because of that, I believe it is a must read. It challenges you to think deeply but in a way that doesn’t feel challenging.

An unapologetic deep dive into the chaotic and exhilarating world of professional kitchens. With his trademark wit, Bourdain brings the reader behind the swinging doors of a kitchen, where the true grit of culinary life emerges.

Bourdain's storytelling is a mix of dark humor, vivid imagery, and poignant honesty. His writing is electric, laced with passion for food and an insider’s understanding of the people who dedicate their lives to it.

This isn’t just a book for foodies; it’s for anyone who appreciates stories of resilience, rebellion, and relentless drive. It captures the beauty and the brutality of a life lived on the edge, balancing grit with grace in a way that feels deeply human.

Kitchen Confidential is a love letter to the imperfect, a celebration of flavor, and a reminder that behind every perfect plate lies a story worth savoring.

Old Bones is a very well-researched and structured procedural mystery/thriller novel. I enjoyed listening to the book, though there were times when I felt it sort of dragged and maybe did too much setup with characters, but as it was the first of the Nora Kelly books I guess that can make sense.

I did enjoy that the Donner Party was the vessel for the storyline, it is a fascinating story in and of itself. Where I felt a little slighted was with the ending. It felt rushed and easily wrapped up with stuff off the page. I didn't feel I got the closure I wanted. There was a twist I guess, but one that had no basis from what was read. I'm not a huge fan when books do that.

Also, I probably would have been better serve to at least have read the first in the Pendergast books as there does seem to be a connection to two of the characters in this story.

It's a fun book though, and does what it is supposed to do.

A wonderful capstone to the Bill Hodges trilogy.

The pacing is wonderful, balancing tense, edge-of-your-seat moments with deep reflections on mortality and justice.

What truly stands out is the strength of the characters. Bill Hodges, Holly Gibney, and Jerome Robinson remain deeply compelling, their growth and resilience shining through every page.

I highly recommend this book and the entire series for anyone who loves a mix of gripping suspense, emotional depth, and a hint of the uncanny. This is King at his best.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is pure magic in book form. Picture a mysterious, black-and-white circus that pops up without warning and only opens at night—sounds amazing, right? Now add a competition between two magicians, a dash of romance, and a whole lot of jaw-dropping, dreamlike moments.

The writing is lush and immersive, and the circus itself feels so real you’ll wish you could buy a ticket. The story jumps around in time, but stick with it—it all comes together in a way that’s totally worth it.

If you love books that transport you to another world, this one’s a must-read. It’s enchanting, mysterious, and just the right amount of weird. Perfect for anyone who believes in a little magic.

A masterful work of classic crime noir that hits harder than one expects and uses the time period as another character that helps guide the story. The settings of the story are vivid and the characters so real. The interactions and connections made work perfectly. I truly am having a hard time explaining why this books works so well; it is just done so well. While the cover art might say scandalous, it is anything but. It’s one that I will continually think back about. Amazing!

So different than anything else I have read, but also, very interesting. I feel as though it takes you on a journey at so many levels and touches on so many aspects of humanity even if it wasn't trying to. This seems like a book you could read many times and come away with different understandings each time and answers to questions you didn't know you wanted to ask.

3.75⭐️

This book left me scratching my head. At times I enjoyed it, and at other times I was lost and not quite sure what I was reading. Interesting premise, I’m just not quite sure it really came through in the end. Maybe it just wasn’t what I was expecting. 🤷‍♂️

Wow! I had been told this was a wonderful book many times, but you have to read it to understand why. There are so many gut-punching moments that you can't help but ask "What else can happen," yet you know it won't stop. It's a story that touches on a horrendous periodo in American history, and as you read you still have hope that things will somehow work out. It is tremendous and deserves all the acclaim it receives.

Yes! This book really hits it out of the park. It’s magic, it’s fantasy, but it’s also human. You question morals and your own understanding of the world around you as you read through it.

Yes! This book is a must-read for everyone. It shines a light on the harmful effects that smartphones and unfettered access to the internet have on the youth of our world. Not only does it pinpoint the problem, but it also provides ways to combat it that are not harsh nor are they detrimental. If you are curious about the impact of smartphones on our young ones, I urge you to read this book.

This was such an intriguing read. The development of the characters and the town was great. It was what you want out of a vampire story. Creepy, spooky, and intense. You get to a point and it is hard to put it down.

Geeze, this book is something else. Was it what I expected when I bought it and brought it home? No. Did it enlighten me about a group of people I didn't know much about? Absolutely! Ten-fold!

This book weaves you through a tumultuous time in world history as the author peels back the lives of the people reporting on it. At times, I wasn't sure where I was going, but I was certainly enjoying the journey.

I really enjoyed this little quick read. Gave me High Fidelity vibes mixed with The Sun Also Rises. Very much a tale “as they say” inside the mind of the author. It was fun and quirky and French. And it just ends.

Another home run in the series by Richard Osman. This book, like the first, is wonderful. It is a fun and quaint mystery novel that keeps you guessing to the end, while making you feel attached to all of the characters. Absolutely a joy to read.

This is such a beautifully tragic and thought-provoking book. It's gut-punching and emotional and makes you say, "No way!" I loved it. However, the ending was one in which I flipped past it and said, noooooo.

Eye opening to say the least and definitely worth all the praise. The way the story is laid out makes following it easy while staying compelling. You can tell just how much research went into this book though the author makes reading it very fluid. It’s a must read for any non-fiction fans, and quite possibly readers who don’t typically read nonfiction.

I read/listened to this book to see what it was all about. I knew it was supposed to be a “spicy” book, but man was it smutty. The tie-in to Greek mythology was fun even if it was only loosely related to the actual myths. It was an enjoyable read and one that surprised me with how much I liked it.

This book was so compelling. It is a wonderful piece of storytelling that captures the crimes of an Italian serial killer and the blundering police/judicial system in Italy. Reading through this I was shocked, gripped, disgusted, annoyed, and many other emotions that would take too much time to list, not because of the writing (which is wonderful), but from how everything played out. The included afterward with the "link" to the Amanda Knox case only further cemented those feelings. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in True Crime.

Compelling and thought provoking. As I was reading it felt like a combination of two other books I read this year: Artificial Wisdom and Jurassic Park. You could image this as a movie or a tv series. Keeps you guessing until the end.

This was a good and entertaining book. It's not my favorite by T. Kingfisher, but I enjoyed it. I don't think it is all that scary—maybe more tense and weird. I liked the main character's relationship with her dog, and could totally get the sense of the scenes that she found herself in. While there are funny parts, I think at times (especially towards the end) they take away from the spookiness of the book. It is a fun read and I would certainly recommend it. Also, as I listened to the audiobook, I must say that I think the reader did a wonderful job.

Such an interesting book. Not completely flushed out and I think the translation may leave some of the message out, but still did a good job to creep me out some. Certainly graphic at times too.

I was expecting to enjoy this book but not as much as I did. It was thrilling, sad, painful, and one that was hard to put down. This was also one of the few books where I had an actual physical response to something I read. Wonderful!

So interesting and eerie and weird. A quick and enjoyable read that touches on why people are scared of “others.” Makes me want to read more from Shirley Jackson.