Darwinia by Robert Charles Wilson

In which a chunk of the world is mysteriously transformed in a single event, and explorer/photographer Guilford Law attempts to make sense of it.

This book had it all in terms of things that make me dislike books.  It had characters that I could not care about, it had a setting that took half the book to sort of explain, it had sloppy perspectives and it had jumps in time where decades were skipped.  Most of all it was just confusing and boring though. 

This review will subsequently contain spoilers because I won't recommend this book and can't be bothered to not spoil it!

The Help by Kathryn Stocket

In which a woman in 1960s Mississippi shakes up her community by interviewing black maids for a tell-all book.

This is way outside the genres I normally read being fictional, but not science fiction, young adult, or fantasy, but I definitely enjoyed it!  It didn't really make me laugh or cry, but I was totally engaged the whole time and couldn't wait to find out what was happening with certain characters.  I have no basis of comparison to evaluate Stockett's portrayal of racism and culture in the 1960s, but the characters felt real and it was a very compelling book.  I recommend it to adult or young adult readers interested in some light reading that probably has some historical relevance.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

A young adult story about an outcast freshman with a secret.

Melinda is starting high school with former friends who shun her, cold parents, and a nasty secret. She finds it difficult to make herself go to class, make friends and even to talk. The book is divided into the four quarters of the school year through which she gradually comes to terms with what happened during her summer vacation and finds her voice.

I am trying to avoid spoilers because I recommend the book and really don't want to ruin it for potential readers!

Legacy of Kings by C.S. Friedman

The conclusion to C.S. Friedman's Magister Trilogy.  (First book: Feast of Souls; second book: Wings of Wrath)

Legacy of Kings is an extremely satisfying climax to one of the most enjoyable fantasy series I've read.  Mysteries that are hinted at in the earlier books become clear in Legacy of Kings, and certain characters reach their full and ridiculously awesome potential!

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

In which a boy grows up to discover his purpose and sinister destiny in a futuristic, ruined North America.


This book review contains spoilers because it's not something I can highly recommend, and I prefer to discuss plot details.

Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall and Lisa Pulitzer

My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs


Stolen Innocence is Elissa Wall's memoir about growing up as a member of the Fundamentalist LDS (FLDS) religion. This is the Mormonism spin-off religion that occupies Colorado City, Yearning for Zion Ranch and lots of other compounds around rural Utah, Arizona and Texas. Wall grew up in a polygamous household, completely isolated from anything but FLDS culture. Her family initially lived in Salt Lake City and attended a FLDS school run by Warren Jeffs before moving to Southern Utah. Wall was forced by Jeffs and the rest of her community to marry her much-hated first cousin, Allen Steed, when she was 14 years old.

Colonization: Down to Earth by Harry Turtledove

Sequel to Colonization: Second Contact, the series set after the Worldwar series.


The Worldwar/Colonization series continues to be super awesome. You'd think the setting would run out of relevant story, but it's just heating up in Down to Earth! The characters from Second Contact (I don't think there were any new ones) continue to be compelling and exciting. I continue to enjoy the series greatly, although I am running out of new things to say about it in review!

The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs

In which A.J. Jacobs documents his attempt to live by the literal rules of the bible for one year.


I am really down on religion books, so this one sat on my to-read pile for nearly a year. I finally read it based on a recommendation and I am so glad I did! It was a really nice book. I got a lot of comments and looks while reading it, and noticed that most reactions from both sides of the religion aisle (pro- and anti-, I suppose) were scornful regarding this book. Turns out, the book does an amazing job of being neutral and unbiased. Before I started reading it I assumed it would be 300 pages of mocking the weird things the bible says but this didn't turn out to be true at all.

A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin

Book five in George R.R. Martin's epic fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire.


Book five in this series picks up where book three left off for certain characters. Book four, A Feast for Crows focuses on one set of characters and DWD takes the other half. We get a glimpse of a some characters from book four, but mostly its a different group.

Colonization: Second Contact by Harry Turtledove

In which humans and alien coexist with varying degrees of success twenty years after the partial conquest of earth during World War II, upon the arrival of the alien race's second fleet of ships.


Harry Turtledove is unequivocally the master of the alternate history fiction. His settings are their own special kind of nerdery where time travel, alien invasions or random events change history. So in Guns of the South, for example, the confederate army is supplied with AK-47s by time travelers. His books are an interesting mixture of real historical figures and events and fiction in ways that make (alternate) history come alive.

Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

In which former Muslim Ayaan Hirsi Ali tells of her life in Somalia, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands.


Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born into a Muslim family in Somalia. This book is about the craziness of her early life and her gradual escape from Islam as she matured and moved to the Netherlands as an adult. It's really fascinating and revealing. Ali definitely provides a view of Islam that is not espoused by the American Media, for example.