Finished reading We Computers: A Ghazal Novel
book
Rated Doctor Who: Stranded 1 10/10
Oh wow, this was super great. I love all the new characters and the idea of the Doctor having to slow himself down a little. Nice to see Andy and the Curator pop up too. Really looking forward to the next set of stories.
Reviewed SUMMARY OF Bloodlands By Timothy Snyder: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin
<a href="https://smus.com/books/bloodlands-by-timothy-snyder">Full review on smus.com</a>
Reviewed Boyd by Coram, Robert. (Little, Brown and Company,2002) [Hardcover]
<a href="https://smus.com/books/boyd-by-robert-coram">Full review on smus.com</a>
Rated Patternmaster 7/10
<div>I didn't NOT like this one, but you can tell it was written first out of the four because the world/circumstances are much less fleshed out than they are in the previous three books. I found it interesting, but it wasn't love.</div>
Finished reading Black Sails to Sunward
Rated Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor, Vol. 1: A Matter of Life and Death 10/10
Loved this. I want more Eighth Doctor comics with this companion. More thoughts soon.
Rated Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Vol. 2: Serve You 8/10
Maybe a little too wink-wink at the 4th wall at times, but a really good DW story.
Finished reading The Stone Sky
Rated Doctor Who: The Carrionite Curse 8/10
<div>Enjoyed this installment of Classic Doctors, New Monsters, but then, I have enjoyed all of Simon Guerrier's other Big Finish work so far, so I suppose this is not a surprise! </div>
Finished reading The Palace of Dreams
Finished reading The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
Finished reading The Broken Kingdoms
Rated Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor, Vol. 1: After Life 10/10
Though I liked the IDW Doctor Who comics, the Titan-published ones are way more complex and have better artwork. I'm enjoying seeing where this story goes, and Alice is a great companion.
Rated Real Tigers 8/10
<div>I remembered the TV season better for this one, but still a good time.</div>
Finished reading The Kingdom of Gods
Rated Doctor Who: The Eight Doctors 8/10
I really enjoyed this! I know other reviewers here were like, "Ugh, this is just a retread of some greatest hits to tie up some plot points," but who cares? We get an explanation for how the Master managed to come back to life in the Eighth Doctor movie, there's some funny interactions between Doctors, we get some Gallifrey-related political stuff (which isn't always the MOST interesting, but it does explain why he wanted out of there), and this nicely sets up the new adventures the Doctor has a with a new companion while the show was off the air.
Rated The Atheist's Guide to Christmas: Smart, Funny Essays on Atheism and Surviving the Holiday Season 8/10
Peppered with humor, it’s a quick, entertaining read. Probably what I enjoyed most about it was its reasoned, un-snarky approach to the subject matter. At no point does it devolve into petulant student arguments against religion, which are as bad as angry chuch-going judgements.<br><br>Its content is varied enough to provide some intellectual fodder for most everyone, save the super-religious who won’t hear otherwise. It’s not an attack, just another way of thinking. Though we may be past Christmas now, I think it’s still a worthwhile winter read.<br><br>(Full review can be found at <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2010/12/atheists-guide-to-christmas-edited-by.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>)
Finished reading The Killing Moon
Rated The Best American Essays 1988 6/10
<div>I picked up this 34 year old collection of essays, along with the 1990 edition, during one of the times I went to our local school district's free book giveaway day (when they pull some older books from circulation). It sat around for a long time before this challenge, but I enjoyed reading it for the most part. Most everything holds up, and the lived history from some people who are (presumably) no longer alive was interesting to read. Fav essays include work from Anne Carson, Mary Lee Settle, and Paul Horgan.</div>
Rated The Cows 10/10
I love everything about this little chapbook. I first read this in Electric Literature, but loved it enough to buy the standalone copy. Perhaps this will only amuse/enamor a certain type of reader, but I am that reader.
Rated The Distant Echo 8/10
<div>What a difference a murder mystery written by a woman makes! No lingering breast descriptions, no looking women up and down as if it's the correct way of operating, actual thought put into having women police officers present, but hardly any lionization of the police in general. Not everything holds up (this came out in 2003), and some character choices are a bit abrupt, but overall, a good, solid book. I kinda saw the ending coming, but hey, I DO watch a lot of this stuff on TV.</div>
Wants to read Doctor Who: The Astrea Conspiracy