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Rated Tempted 8/10

<div>Normally, I don't really read romance — everyone staring at all the grim shit I read says, "Oh you don't say???" — but I read this because of a potential work thing. Nothing wrong with romance, but we like what we like. And this definitely does what it sets out to do by hopping right to the frisky business, but in a way that makes sense for the circumstances. I can see why people like Kelly's books. Anything I didn't care for is a ME thing and not a writing quality thing.</div>

Rated The Golem and the Jinni 8/10

Full review will be forthcoming, but it was the excellent epilogue that firmly pushed this book from 3 stars to 4.

Wants to read Sloppy: Or, Doing It All Wrong

Wants to read Something in the Water

Rated Supernova 6/10

Rated Tank Girl Vol. 2: Forever 6/10

Fun, but not my usual thing. I liked the bonus art pages.

Rated Network Effect 10/10

**NO SPOILERS**<br/><br/>Amazing. Fun. Human (yes!). If you've liked all of the Murderbot stories so far, you'll love <i>Network Effect</i>. It is everything the previous books have been and more (and longer).<br/><br/>Martha Wells again does an incredible job of blending humor and action and classic science fiction tropes, though slightly turned on its edge. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll keep this short and just repeat that if you're a fan of the previous books, this one will not disappoint. <br/><br/>Get it!

Wants to read La Révolution française - Vérités et légendes

Rated St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves 8/10

<div>A really solid short story collection. I liked some better than others, of course, but in general, this was good. Glad I finally read more Karen Russell.</div>

Rated Survivors: Series Two Box Set 8/10

Wants to read The Book of the Unnamed Midwife

Rated The Color of Magic 7/10

<div>&nbsp;I respect Terry Pratchett's whole deal, but I don't know that Discworld is something I'm going to continue with. Now having read 3 of the books —other two being <em>The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents</em> and <em>Witches Abroad </em>— I have found plenty of it funny and I see why people like it, but I'm just not vibing overall. That's ok! I may dip into another book one day, but for now, I have so much else to read.</div>

Rated Everything is Illuminated 10/10

Rated Still Life 8/10

<div>I liked this one better than the previous one in the series, though this once again shows some of the research seams — You're going to learn this expository information just like the author! ha .... Oh well.</div>

Rated Survivors: Series Four Box Set 8/10

Rated The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl 8/10

Wants to read The Tiger Mom's Tale

Rated Stories for Boys: A Memoir 10/10

I read this touching memoir in one sitting. Beginning with the suicide attempt of his father, Gregory Martin discovers why the man who raised him has reached this point. Not only was his father sexually abused as a child, but he has also been a closeted gay man throughout the entirety of his 39 year marriage. He has admitted to Martin’s mother that he has sought out “hundreds” of unknown partners at parks and rest stops while traveling and while the rest of the family slept at home. Because they lived in Spokane, Washington, the settings were very familiar to me, having myself lived there for several years.<br><br>Though the book focuses on Martin’s perspective and not his father’s, this isn’t a simple story of “troubled man comes out” — this is about a father and a son having to navigate an almost entirely new relationship. It’s an interesting exploration of memory, identity, and empathy, and I’m glad I read it.<br><br><i>(Full Disclosure: Hawthorne Books provided me with the e-book for review. This review originally appeared in <a href="http://persephonemagazine.com/2013/08/22/5-book-recommendations-for-your-reading-pleasure/">Persephone Magazine</a>.)</i>

Rated Survivors: Series Five Box Set 8/10

Rated Survivors: Series Three Box Set 10/10

<div>At times this is quite dark, but it's a really suspenseful set of stories.</div>

Wants to read The Capital of Latecomers

Wants to read Street World: Urban Culture and Art from Five Continents

Rated The Best Small Fictions 2015 8/10

review forthcoming

Rated Stretch: The Unlikely Making of a Yoga Dude – The Hilarious True Account of Transformation from Skeptic to Dedicated Fiend 8/10

Pollack details his yogic journey from skepticism to borderline evangelism with a great sense of humor, and like the best "sport" memoirs do, he makes it interesting to a person who has no idea what <i>asanas</i> are.<br><br>He finds himself searching for the right kind of practice and right kind of teacher that best suit his personality. For one thing, Pollack's still a stoner and a bit of pessimist, so anything too touchy-feely, straight edge, or activist has him rolling up his mat and searching elsewhere. Still, he takes the time to talk about the different practices offered by so many different teachers explaining some of the history and terminology of that particular yoga flavor. He tries out everything from the super-hot Bikram to political Jivamukti to his preferred lower-key methods, hatha and ashtanga.<br><br>Stretch is a fun, informative journey to contentment, complete with a side of holistic questions. Yoga, Neal discovers, is not about desiring more "things" in your life — stature, wealth, and the like — but rather finding contentment in the <i>now.</i><br><br>(Full review can be found at <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2011/07/stretch-unlikely-making-of-yoga-dude-by.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>.)

Rated The City We Became 10/10

This book was so interesting and inventive, with so many great details. I love how we're plonked right down into the bewilderment of the characters, figuring it out while they do. (This is the sort of book Neil Gaiman wishes he could write, but would be unlikely to do a good job.)