Review:: Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal

Title: Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?

Author: Frans de Waal

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Once again, Frans de Waal comes forward to show us that the animal kingdom isn't how many perceive it. However, once again, his organization is a bit funky and I'm left feeling like I could have gotten more out of this.

Review:: Shadow and Steel, by JW Troemner

Title: Shadow and Steel

Author: JW Troemner

Series: Urban Dragon, #2

Rating: ★★★★☆

Previously:

Mark of the Dragon

The first one wasn't enough. The second left me begging for more. Luckily, there is in fact, more to come. Also, cliffhanger much?

Review:: Why Dogs Eat Poop, by Francesca Gould

Title: Why Dogs Eat Poop, and Other Useless or Gross Information About the Animal Kingdom

Author: Francesca Gould

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

While this book contains quite a few interesting animal facts, the science is wrong in bits, which is enough to get me to dump a book. Add in a whole bunch of ethical weirdness, and I couldn't wait until this thing was over.

Review:: Mark of the Dragon, by JW Troemner

Title: Mark of the Dragon

Author: JW Troemner

Series: Urban Dragon, #1

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Wellwritten, fast-paced, and food-for-thought, the biggest problem with its book is merely that it's simply too short. Luckily for me, there are more of them.

Review:: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo

Title: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Author: Marie Kondo

Series: Magic Cleaning, #1

Rating: ★★★★☆

I have never really read a "self-help" book, but I promised my partner I'd read this one. I'm working on tidying our house -- something that seems insurmountable at times. After reading this, I actually feel motivated to clean.

Review:: The Tropic of Serpents, by Marie Brennan

Title: The Tropic of Serpents

Author: Marie Brennan

Series: The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #2

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Previously:
A Natural History of Dragons

I needed a palate-cleanser after The Forever War, and the delight Marie Brennan gave me last time seemed like just the antidote I needed. I was right.

Review:: A Natural History of Dragons, by Marie Brennan

Title: A Natural History of Dragons

Author: Marie Brennan

Series: The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #1

Rating: ★★★☆☆

When a friend wanted a signed copy of The Tropic of Serpents, the sequel to this book, I gladly headed into the City for a reading. After the puppet show and artifacts, I definitely had my interest peaked in this novel; it promised to be something different. And something different it was, something delightfully different.

Review:: The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman

Title: The Forever War

Author: Joe Haldeman

Series: The Forever War, #1

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

I forgot I had already read this book. And I think Joe Haldeman forgot that gay people are real, and might actually read this book.

Review:: The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the Blues

Title: The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the Blues

Author: Harry Harrison

Series: The Stainless Steel Rat, #8 (Publication Order)

Format: Hardcover

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Previously:

The Stainless Steel Rat

The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge

The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World

The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You!

The Stainless Steel Rat for President

A Stainless Steel Rat is Born

The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted

Another Stainless Steel Rat prequel doesn't deliver the original wit and charm of the series. I'm singing the blues myself as Harrison plays too many tropes straight, and doesn't quite manage to cross the line twice.

Review:: Glamour in Glass, by Mary Robinette Kowal

Title: Glamour in Glass

Author: Mary Robinette Kowal

Series: Glamourist Histories, #2

Format: Hardcover

Rating: ★★★★☆

Previously:

Shades of Milk and Honey

Wow. I was really unhappy with how Shades of Milk and Honey turned out, but it seems Glamour in Glass is more my taste. Mary Robinette Kowal seems to come into her own with this novel; rather than seeing a Jane Austen homage, I feel like I can really see her own writing shine through. Glamour in Glass deals with all sorts of issues, while being an easy and quick read. Some spoilers towards the end of the review.

Review:: Wyrd Sisters, by Terry Pratchett

Title: Wyrd Sisters

Author: Terry Pratchett

Series: Discworld, #6

Format: Kindle

Rating: ★★★★☆

Previously:

The Colour of Magic

The Light Fantastic

Equal Rites

Mort

Sourcery

At first I was going to give this one three stars, but then I realized that I'd been laughing aloud throughout the entire book. Even if I have some quibbles, those have to be overridden by legitimate lols.

Review:: The Garden of Marvels, by Ruth Kassinger

Title: A Garden of Marvels: How We Discovered that Flowers Have Sex, Leaves Eat Air, and Other Secrets of the Way Plants Work

Author: Ruth Kassinger

Format: Kindle

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Considering the subtitle, I expected to learn a lot from A Garden of Marvels. Instead, I ended up only learning a little, as the bulk of the book (which isn't very long) was anecdotes about Kassinger's gardening and how she came to learn what she's teaching us. In some contexts that could have been done well, but in this instance, I found it tiring.

Review:: The Farthest Shore, by Ursula K. LeGuin

Title: The Farthest Shore

Author: Ursula K. LeGuin

Series: The Earthsea Cycle, #3

Format: Hardcover

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Previously:

A Wizard of Earthsea

The Tombs of Atuan

I can't exactly put a finger on why I didn't enjoy The Farthest Shore as much as I enjoyed the first two Earthsea books, but I think it has nothing to do with the plot, and rather the introduction of a new character.

Review:: Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

Title: Slaughterhouse-Five

Author: Kurt Vonnegut

Format: Kindle

Rating: ★★★★☆

They say Kurt Vonnegut is a love him or hate him kind of author, and I have to admit that while I haven't extensively read him, I fall into the former category. Last time I read Slaughterhouse-Five I was in high school, but I didn't read it for high school. Coming back to it as an adult, it wasn't like I remembered at all (I remembered it being more like Catch-22), but it was a delight to read.

Well, maybe delight is the wrong word.

News and Stuff:: Where Have I Been?

Well, I have been reading. But not a lot.

Depression hit me pretty hard. No, let's not censor this. Depression hit me right out of the game.

I really, really love reading and I love writing my reviews, too. Which makes it so unfair that depression gets to take them away from me.

The good news is, I'm starting to feel better. Things are moving forward. I've got a review scheduled for tomorrow and all will be good.

I just have to keep telling myself that.

Review:: Sourcery, by Terry Pratchett

Title: Sourcery

Author: Terry Pratchett

Series: Discworld, #5

Format: Mass Market Paperback

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Previously:

The Colour of Magic

The Light Fantastic

Equal Rites

Mort

Sourcery returns us to Rincewind, which really isn't a bad thing. The book is funny, gathering a few out-loud chuckles here and there. This one also had more of a plot than the previous Rincewind novels, which is definitely a plus in my book. However, it still didn't quite stand out or on its own. It was an enjoyable read for sure-I liked it-but it didn't feel phenomenal.

Review:: The Grim Grotto, by Lemony Snicket

Title: The Grim Grotto

Author: Lemony Snicket

Series: A Series of Unfortunate Events, #11

Format: Kindle

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Previously:

The Bad Beginning

The Reptile Room

The Wide Window

The Miserable Mill

The Austere Academy

The Ersatz Elevator

The Vile Village

The Hostile Hospital
The Carnivorous Carnival
The Slippery Slope

It appears that the charm of The Slippery Slope slipped away with this one. The orphans are swept downstream and end up on a submarine. Things are pretty predictable, and I just didn't feel engaged by any of it.

Review:: Shades of Milk and Honey, by Mary Robinette Kowal

Title: Shades of Milk and Honey

Author: Mary Robinette Kowal

Series: Glamourist Histories, #1

Format: Hardcover

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

I think I'm less angry at this book than disappointed. I went in expecting Jane Austen + magic and ended up really getting neither. While it is a Regency novel, and Kowal works towards Austen's style, much of the charm and all of the wit is missing. And the magic serves no real purpose in the world or the novel. It doesn't feel shoved in, but it does leave me a bit perplexed.

Review:: The Last Colony, by John Scalzi

Title: The Last Colony

Author: John Scalzi

Series: Old Man's War, #3

Format: Hardcover/Kindle

Rating: ★★★★☆

Previously:

Old Man's War

The Ghost Brigades

From the beginning, you know everything is going to go wrong in The Last Colony. But because it's John Scalzi, you know everything will be okay in the end. This was more Ghost Brigades and less Old Man's War—less focus on humor and more on the issues at hand—but I think it's superior to it in a few ways.

Review:: The Martian, by Andy Weir

Title: The Martian

Author: Andy Weir

Format: Trade Paperback

Rating: ★★★☆☆

There were things I really liked about The Martian and things that started to really annoy me. Over all, it was a decent book; I can see why it was turned into a movie, and I can see why people enjoyed it so much.