Karen

I enjoyed this collection of humorous fantasy stories. Two of my favorites were “Doodad” by Ray Bradbury about a man who learns too late not to underestimate seemingly useless items and “The Rule of Names” by Ursula K. Le Guin about a mysterious wizard and a knight.

I liked this voodoo horror story. I especially liked how Jeff helped the Everol family get rid of the creatures that were haunting there home.

I liked this first book of the Chanur series. I especially liked the way Pyanfar figured out how to deal with the kif and how knowing Tully can be useful. I look forward to reading the next book, Chanur's Venture.

Normally, quest fantasies have the characters trying to save the village or region or their world. With multiple worlds orbiting each other, I found this fantasy novel that much more compelling. I look forward to reading the sequel, The Burning Realm.

I enjoyed this “cat-and-mouse” thriller with both the cop and con manipulating each other. After I read the book, I saw the movie that the book was based on. I noticed that some scenes that were briefly described in the book was shown in the movie, and that the book had a few extra scenes the movie didn't have.

I enjoyed this anthology of Known Space stories. I especially liked the stories “Wait it out,” (set on Pluto), “At the Bottom of a Hole,” (Muller discovers the truth behind the failure of a human settlement on Mars) and “The Borderland of Sol” (Julius Forward has a very dangerous weapon). I also like the timeline at the beginning of the book which sets the stories in context and the bibliography at the end.

Readers who like Niven's work may like Shaun Farrell's October 2007 interview with Larry Niven at the Conjecture convention. It aired on Farrell's podcast Adventures in SciFi Publishing.

This was a very moving book about unicorns, AIDS, and learning new things about oneself and others. I liked how Libby, Bo and Sam gradually got to know each other better over time.

Polar exploration is one of my favorite historical topics. So, I found this fictional account of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition very moving. Parish, the fictional version of Adolphus Washington Greeley, and his men were brave as they faced struggles that could have been partly avoided except for some people back home not understanding what the expedition was going through.

This was a very good thriller. I liked how Faith Ann figured out how to survive and how she and Winter worked together later. I look forward to reading the first book in the series, Inside Out.

This was a good book about revenge, grief, and moving on. I liked the relationship between Wyatt and his daughter Bronwyn.

I enjoyed this book of not only researching family history, but living in the ancestors' home village and meeting new relatives. I liked how Jen learned not to stand outside as an observer but instead participate in daily activities, thus making new and valued friends.

This was an intense thriller featuring a man who slowly becomes a madman who creates his own reality.

I enjoyed this collection of short stories in which the odd and familiar live side by side. Some of my favorite stories were “Catskin” and “Magic for Beginners.”

This was a moving story about love and art, strength and weakness, and learning to trust again. I liked the interaction between Rose and Callum and between Rose and her daughter Megan.

I liked this thriller about the “monster” inside and what happens when it's released without control. I liked Paul's interactions with Lia, his son Mark, and his aunt Vivian.

This was a good collection of horror tales. Ones I liked included “Piano Bar Blues” by Melanie Tem and “Hammerhead”by Richard Laymon.

It's a good suspenseful thriller that doesn't let you go from the first page to the last. I liked seeing the story from different characters points of view - the retired FBI agent, the frantic husband, the kidnapped wife, the kids, etc.

I like this anthology of mysteries. My favorites include Sue Grafton's “She Didn't Come Home,” and Peter Lovesey's “A Man With a Fortune.”

I liked this first book in the “Capital Crimes Series”. I enjoyed meeting the characters as well as trying to figure out who killed Blaine. I look forward to reading the next book, Murder on Capitol Hill.

Overall, I enjoyed this thriller featuring William Barrow (aka Judas Iscariot) and his quest to reclaim another silver shekel. At first, there was some awkward foreshadowing by Barrow at the beginning, but after a while it ended, and the pace of the story picked up. I look forward to reading the next book, Reign of Coins.

I liked this sci-fi thriller about virtual intelligence combined with a physical body. Someday, I'll see the movie this book was based on.

I liked this memoir of growing up on a struggling farm during the Depression. Parzych describes the highs and lows well and I liked learning what happened to him and the family.

I liked this book about people trying to communicate. John, Leda, his family, co-workers - all make mistakes and assumptions about what others are trying to say. Yet even with problems, friendships are formed.

This is a very intense thriller that kept my interest throughout. As the main character, Holly Alexander, becomes increasingly isolated from friends and family, I wondered how she would survive and overcome her enemy. Cutler doesn't make things easy for Holly and while sometimes I found the obstacles seemingly endless, I now appreciate the problems Holly faced.

I liked this chilling book about a haunted house and its inhabitants. I especially liked the interactions between the governess and the boy.