How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

Amy    
Lynnie 

fantasy

Tom has been alive for over 400 years although he only looks about 40 years old. This novel tells his story.

Amy's Review

This one is hard for me to judge. I read it in many short reading sessions over a long period of time in the midst of moving chaos. I think I liked it. It was sort of slow, though (much like Tom’s lifespan). And, because I often put it aside for long periods of time, it was hard for me to keep up with all the time jumping. I had trouble indexing the situations within the overall timeframe sometimes. But, I tried to not stress about it (since everything else in my life was stressful). The author didn’t give the reader time to really get to know the characters, other than the main character. And the overall situation was a bit uncertain…the plot seemed fuzzy at times. But, I guess, the main point was that Tom was trying to find his daughter. That seemed to be the thread throughout time. It isn’t really the sort of conflict that normally compels me forward in a story, so I'm not sure I would have liked it if I were reading it at a normal pace. But it was fine considering the amount of attention I was able to give to the novel.

Lynnie's Review

I've enjoyed Matt Haig's writing in the past (particularly The Radleys), & How To Stop Time is just as interesting. Haig's creativity whether writing about aliens, vampires, or people who do not age continues to hold my attention. This book was particularly interesting and I found myself wondering not just about the book and its characters, but also about the people around me. Who among them could be older than they appear? Tom managed to hide himself in plain sight, and live among every day people despite (or because of?) centuries of knowledge.

The references to all the famous people Tom encountered over the centuries eventually made me roll my eyes but the stories were all so charming that I couldn't help but enjoy them anyway.

Overall a really enjoyable book. I'm looking forward to whatever Matt Haig writes next.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Lynnie    

Amy     

science fiction, thriller

Jason Dessen is a happy man. A college professor who gave up on his scientific research to become a family man, he is in love with his wife, and devoted to his teenage son. Abducted one evening and knocked unconscious, he wakes up to a world in which his wife is not his wife, his son was never born, and he's reached the highest levels of scientific achievement.  To reclaim his life and his family, he must undertake a journey that leads him to places he never imagined in his wildest dreams or nightmares. 

Lynnie's Review

This was a fascinating book. Blake Crouch creates a gripping scenario and a story that unfolds at a pace that makes it impossible to put down. Dark Matter is about the multiverse- for every decision you make, somewhere in time there is a version of you that splinters off, making a different decision and your futures unfold accordingly. But what happens when those versions collide? That's the story that unfurls in Dark Matter. It was a quick book to read, in large part because of the pacing of the story; there are no dull moments to be found in these pages. The characters are interesting, even when you hate them, and the ending is messy and a little mind-boggling but also entirely appropriate and satisfying.

I recommend it for all my fantasy/sci-fi friends out there.

Amy's Review

Dark Matter gripped me from the beginning but I could not shake the feeling that I was going to hate the ending because how could it end in a satisfactory, quasi-believable way? Therefore, I was interested but also dreaded the ending. The premise of quantum mechanics is just so unbelievable. I decided to let myself go with it and try to enjoy it.  And I did enjoy it until we had to join Jason on his tour of the multiverse which often did nothing to move the story forward and only served to display Blake Crouch’s creative whims.  I found myself getting more and more impatient as time was wasted in these parallel places which were obviously not his desired destination.  And then a new wrinkle was introduced which was way over my head for a while until it was finally explained at a level I could comprehend. Then, the story got really interesting.  Finally, the ending was satisfying and no more/less believable than the premise.

The audiobook narrator, Jon Lindstrom, was terrific.  He’s a wonderful voice actor and had a nice arsenal of different voices. I give him an A+.

Cookbook Reviews- Molly Gilbert, Tasty, & Elizabeth Sims & Chef Brian Sonoskus

I love cookbooks but don't have the space for them in my kitchen. Therefore, I am a serial cookbook borrower- from the library or friends, it doesn't matter- I read them, write out the recipes that look good to me, and send the book back for someone else to enjoy. Here are the latest additions to my non-collection. 

 -Lynnie 

One Pan & Done: Hassle-Free Meals from the Oven to Your Table by Molly Gilbert

A really well done cookbook with some great recipes that I am looking forward to cooking (especially some of the desserts!). All the dishes aren’t true one dish meal- you’ll use bowls, mixers & various other vessels, but for the most part they look easy & delicious, two things that make me want to cook.

 


Tasty Latest & Greatest: Everything You Want to Cook Right Now by Tasty

Meh. I got this book because they had it at the library &, like everyone else in the world, I’ve seen their videos. The book is fine, many of the recipes look easy & delicious, but I’ve seen nearly every single one of these recipes online already. So, I guess if you want to look at them in a book, that’s cool but I’d rather just google them as needed. 

 

Tupelo Honey Cafe: New Southern Flavors from the Blue Ridge Mountains by Elizabeth Sims & Chef Brian Sonoskus

I have never eaten at a Tupelo Honey Cafe, but I do love southern food. This book delivers- the recipes look delicious & relatively easy to follow. The biggest problem I have is that I think I gained 5 pounds just reading these recipes all filled with cheese and butter- it is not for anyone counting their calories. But, if you're looking for southern comfort food of the highest order I think this book will satisfy. And if the feedback from my friends is any indication, I need to eat at a Tupelo Honey Cafe as soon as I'm able to. 

The Reminders by Val Emmich

Lynnie

contemporary fiction

The Reminders tells the story of TV star Gavin, whose husband, Sydney, dies suddenly.  Needing to escape from his own memories, Gavin visits long-time friends where he finds an unusual friendship with their daughter Joan, a 10-year old girl with HSAM who has her own vivid memories of Sydney. 

Emmich has created an utterly charming book. I read it over the course of 2 flights so, clearly, it’s a quick and easy read. The characters consistently made me smile and I truly loved the relationships between all of them. A great book for when you want to read something fun without working too hard to embrace the story. Is it cheesy? Absolutely. But that’s part of why it was so wonderful.

I recommend it whole-heartedly.  

The Sea King (Weathermages of Mystral #2) by C.L. Wilson

Amy    

fantasy, romance

Dilys, the prince of Calberna, has earned the opportunity to court the 3 princesses of Summerlea in his search for a wife. Summer has always appeared to be the shy, sweet princess because she has been afraid to show the strength and danger of her full power. Of course, Dilys detects her full potential and is determined to win her over. Meanwhile, evil forces are in play trying to harm Calberna, forcing Dilys and Summer into a fight for their families and countries.

I am always amazed by C.L. Wilson’s creativity—especially with regard to describing fantasy worlds and inventing new languages (!). She is also great at creating tense situations that keep you reading to find out how things turn out for the characters. It’s been three years since the release of her last novel and I can’t remember whether she tortured the reader as much previously as she did in this novel. But the tension was evil on this one. The Sea King was never slow or boring. This was a good sequel to The Winter King and I’ll look forward to the next one.

However, I must say, that this is the most error-riddled e-book I’ve ever read. The longest I made it through without encountering a type-o, grammatical error, or a phrase which contained duplicate words was 30 minutes. I lost count of the errors I encountered. C.L. Wilson, I am willingly offering you my services for free to read any of your e-books before publishing in the future! I’m hopeful that these errors were caught before printing the hardcopy editions and that these are only e-book issues. There are so many errors, I would recommend that the publisher fix the e-books. Fix the files! The errors are a definite distraction.