M.A. Kropp: Writer, Blogger, GeekGirl. My Life. My Words. My Way.
The BaldMan won one of these in an office raffle. He sent me a message saying he'd won it, and I honestly had no idea what the heck it was. So, I did what any red-blooded adult sitting at a computer would do: I asked Mr. Google. And, as always, he was very helpful and … Continue reading Friday (Gadgets) Review: Amazon Echo
The Haunting of America: From the Salem Witch Trials to Harry Houdini by Joel Martin My rating: 3 of 5 stars I will admit that this was a rather slow read for me. Not because it is not a good read, but it is non-fiction, and rather textbook-ish, and that is always a bit slower … Continue reading Friday Review: The Haunting of America by William J. Birnes and Joel Martin
Here's the thing- when I was a kid, like many kids, I read and collected comic books. I have not even so much as read a comic book in more years than I can count, but I remember them as part of my childhood. I collected, primarily, two sets- X-Men and Fantastic Four. Given that, … Continue reading Friday (Movie) Review: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
There will probably be a few TV, movie, or other reviews for a bit on Fridays. I am reading non-fiction right now, and that is always a bit slower reading for me. But, hey, I have opinions on stuff other than books, so it's all good, right? The Last Ship is one of TNT's original … Continue reading Friday (TV) Review: The Last Ship
The City Stained Red by Sam Sykes My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was my first book by Sam Sykes, and it was a good introduction to his works. The book opens with a band of adventurers (read: mercenaries) on a mission to collect the payment owed to them by their latest employer. They … Continue reading Friday Review: The City Stained Red (Bring Down Heaven #1) by Sam Sykes
My rating: 4 out of five stars This is the last in the short works reviews for now. I have more in the TBR pile, and will get to them at some point. The Lady Astronaut of Mars won the 2014 Hugo award for Best Novelette. It is the story of Elma York, who led … Continue reading Friday Review: The Lady Astronaut of Mars by Mary Robinette Kowal
The Ink Readers of Doi Saket: A Tor.Com Original by Thomas Olde Heuvelt My rating: 3 of 5 stars This is another short piece that was nominated for a Hugo award in 2014. It is a fairy tale fable type of story rather than strict science fiction. The story takes place in Thailand, primarily in … Continue reading Friday Review: The Ink Readers of Doi Saket by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere: A Tor.Com Original by John Chu My rating: 2 of 5 stars I read this since it was nominated for a Hugo Award (and won) last year. It's a well-written story, with very human characters and a timely, but not overdone, theme. It concerns a gay Chinese … Continue reading Friday Review: The Water that Falls on You from Nowhere by John Chu
Spellbound by Blake Charlton My rating: 3 of 5 stars Spellbound it the second book in Blake Charlton's trilogy, following Spellwright. It continues the story of cacographic wizard Nicodemus Weal as he struggles to defeat the demon that has taken a part of Nico and stored it in an emerald. The demon plans to use … Continue reading Friday Review: Spellbound (Spellwright #2) by Blake Charlton
Slingers by Matt Wallace My rating: 3 of 5 stars This is a quick reading short introduction to the Slingers series. It introduces the world of to-the-death "games" that have become a cult-like obsession on this rather desolate Earth and the city that orbits above. With a book as short as this (about 54 pages), … Continue reading Friday Review: Slingers, Volume 1 by Matt Wallace
And So On... 