Star Wars: The High Republic- Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule

 
Not really much to say about Light of the Jedi. I liked it well enough that I'll probably read the next book in the series, but not so much that I'd go out and recommend it to anyone that isn't a Star Wars die-hard fan. Let's say a B.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

 

First off I enjoyed this book... let's say an A-. But it makes me think about what an author does between book releases. This is only Clarke's second novel and it comes 15 years after her previous (and quite excellent and very long) one. So I'm sure that the previous book was successful enough so that she could be a full time author... but if this book is the result of all that time what does she do most days? I'm genuinely curious. Hopefully her third book comes soon.

Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold

Every once in a while it is nice to just get a book/author recommendation and go ahead and read it right away instead of filing it into my internal "to read someday" list (which is always growing). So my uncle recommended the books of Lois McMaster Bujold and I picked up Falling Free to give her a shot. Overall I enjoyed it - maybe partially because I hadn't read a sci-fi book in awhile. And like most good sci-fi it tells a story about relevant topics (in this case the rights of a subjugated group and standing up to make a difference within an impersonal corporation). Maybe if I get a chance I'll read the next book in the series. B+

Book # 68 - The Portrait of a Lady - by Henry James

 

Well I guess The Portrait of a Lady was okay... Let's say B+. It is probably one of those novels that is better if you really read it carefully and try to eek out as much as you can from the text. My main complaint is that it totally does not resolve the main issue from the second half of the novel. It just ends before the main character makes her choice of what to do next. ARGH!

Horror Book # 19 - Carrie by Stephen King

When I was a teenager my dad showed me the film version of Carrie. I think he forgot how the movie began. Anyway, I enjoyed the book. Maybe because it was fairly short and really zipped along. A.

Book # 55 - A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

 In high school I read A Tale of Two Cities and going into it I couldn't really remember what the plot was. I did remember a number of scenes though... and this led me to the conclusion that the whole book is kinda oddly put together without a real central protagonist or main plot. The main problem that Darnay finds himself in doesn't even crop up until over half way through the novel. Anyway I still enjoyed it even though it seemed to me like I barely "knew" the characters. A-

Book # 77 Persuasion by Jane Austen

I'm not sure what to say about Persuasion...  I enjoyed Austen's style and the insight into the thoughts of the main character was interesting but I found that her passivity made the story a bit uninteresting. Really the "protagonist" does nothing proactive the entire novel - just luckily everything works out for her in the end without her really doing anything. B+